Jul 182011
- Breastfeeding in Mongolia: I’m always fascinated by cultural differences on such optional issues, because it’s a good way to challenge assumptions.
- NetFlix the Bully: A clever analysis of whether NetFlix is acting like a bully for its change in prices. I have no problem with anyone who decides to cancel or downgrade their membership, but let’s not confuse “company that increased prices, which customers can choose to accept or decline” with “fifth grader beating the snot out of of a third grader for his lunch money.”
- Religion in Harry Potter: Do J. K. Rowling’s novels promote religion or undermine it? by Ari Armstrong, published in ESkeptic. The article begins…
Given the runaway popularity of J. K. Rowling’s novels and the related films, readers of the works, parents of readers, and those interested in cultural trends may wonder about the religious themes of the stories. Do the novels promote sorcery, as some conservative Christians allege? Do they instead endorse Christian notions of immortality, recapitulate the story of Christ’s sacrificial love, and promote religious faith? Or is it a mistake to read any religious theme into these fantasy stories?
… and Ari does a great job of answering those questions.
- Career Versus Family by John Drake. Why and how career ought to take precedence.
- I Has a Sweet Potato. The hysterical story of a dog and his sweet potatoes… and a butternut squash. Yes, I did once catch Mae gnawing on a raw sweet potato in the kitchen. Happily, she prefers raw carrots.
