It looks like Christmas

Our blizzard in 2006

Last night we had our first snowfall since last February. It was nothing much, just a dusting, really, and thankfully not like the pounding we got in 2006, and as the snow drifted down against the bright lights of Main St. and the generic Christmas decorations adorning the lamp posts,it began to look and feel like Christmas.

It would be nice if the borough would fix some of the ornaments, though. Several of them have burned out lights. But all in all, our little town does a fine job decorating for Christmas. Our boro hall has a nice Christmas tree and some decorations that are the highlight of Main St.

Even though it is drawing closer to Christmas, I have yet to put up any decorations. I usually wait until Dec. 21st. Something in me appreciates Christmas once it turns officially to winter. I shall have to post some pics of the boros lights.

Caprica Cancelled

Really SyFy? Really? You cancelled one of the few programs on your network that is truly science-fiction. Caprica was one of your best written shows. Sure, it was not fast-paced or totally action-oriented, but it was great television. Now I get to wait until 2012 for your next BSG spin-off Blood and Chrome. Please don't make us wait a whole year between seasons like you did with Caprica. I hope that you tie in with the plot line of Caprica.

Luther statue presented

Here's a link from the Bundestag

Luther

Unfortunately, most German politicians view Luther as merely a cultural icon rather than the preeminent Reformation theologian.

Regarding the statue, this is the most famous pose of Luther, and it is found around the world.

God in America

It has been a week since PBS aired its six-hour documentary "God in America". I thought it was a balanced and academic look at religion in America. Others have noted tahat it was really about religious freedom in America rather than God. I agree with that assessment, too.

I wish the show had done two things:

1. Devoted a whole two hours to the topic specifically from 2000-2010;
2. Devoted 1-2 hours on Islam in America.

I think having a total of 10 hours would have provided a solid beginning in understanding religious freedom in the States.

Also, the program mentioned many examples of "separation of church and state" issues but spent liitle time discussing whether the First Ammendment and the separation of church and state are the same or different perspectives. It was just assumed that the two refer to the same principle. This is a discussion that runs through our contemporary society and will continue as long as we have our Constitution.

I also liked that PBS did not drag out the old theological warhorses, but had younger (and in my experience unheard of) theologians. It was refreshing to hear their perspectives and expertise and added to the quality of the show.

People's List of 100 Influential TV shows

As I was waiting in the checkout line at the supermarket today, I looked at the cover of People magazine with it's chief article about the 100 most influential TV shows and characters/actors/actresses over the past 40 years. I suspect this month or the next their is some 40th anniversary milestone for TV, but that would place it in the year 1970, and that leaves out two great decades of TV shows. Maybe 1970 was when People magazine first hit the newstands and the supermarket checkout lines.

The tag line for the cover article was: Top 100 TV shows and actors who have changed our lives over the past 40 years. There were memorable photos on the cover: J. R. Ewing, Captain Kirk, Ron Howard, and at least two dozen more.

Honestly, no TV has "changed my life" in any meaningful way. Although I enjoyed watching "Dallas", the burning question of "Who shot J. R.?" did not and has not changed my life. Although I remember when ABC ruled the airwaves with shows like "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley", Fonzy jumping the shark hasn't had a major impact in my life. I remember fondly the double header of "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" that crushed all competition on Saturday nights (or was it Friday?).

Over the decades there have been plenty of TV shows that have entertained, and either through cable/satellite channels or Netflix, we can re-watch those old favorites. Right now I am watching "LEXX" that used to be on the SciFi (now SyFy) channel in the late 1990s. I do not remember ever seeing the first two seasons, so thus far every episode is fresh and new.

I think back to the great shows of years gone by, and it seems to me that at least half the shows we have at our disposal nowadays are some sort of reality shows. While some are quite good, they are a far cry from the shows we had on the airwaves even ten years ago. Reality shows are basically cheap and inexpensive ways for the networks to crowd their lineup each week. Most written shows are rarely given the chance to develop an audience or work out the kinks that most new shows exhibit the first several episodes. This impatience is quite disheartening, because shows like "Newhart" and "Seinfeld" were just awful their first few episodes and even their first season, but the shows plugged along and were given the time to shake out the kinks and blossomed into fine shows.

Two shows that I really enjoyed recently were not given that chance. "Knight Rider" got cancelled after about a dozen episodes and "FlashForward" was axed after its first season. I thought "Knight Rider" was a good 21st century update of the classic from the 1980s. Although "FlashForward" started slow and the story line plodded along for several weeks before everything started to come together and make more sense, I enjoyed its slow pace, causing thought about what was going to happen. It was refreshing to have such a pace when most things are so fast to accomodate for a dwindling attention span in the public.

I am sure there will be a lot of clunkers this new fall season, but hopefully the networks will give these new shows a fighting chance of becoming good shows. It doesn't happen overnight.

North America Lutheran Church

Okay, you may have heard about this already, but I just discovered today that the congregations that were leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have formed a new church: the North American Lutheran Church (NALC).

Check out the NALC website.

I suspect there is a lot of enthusiasm right now among those churches, pastors, and lay people involved in the NALC. There is also the daunting task of organizing a new church body and all the administrative hassles that involves. God's blessings on their endeavor.

Guess that means if the LCMS wants to change her name, we cannot choose NALC anymore. Thank God! I am happy with the name the Synod has now.

Eurovision 2010 Winner

">Satellite

Congrats to Germany and Lena for winning this year's Eurovision in Oslo, Norway.

">chanée & N'evergreen

I thought chanée & N'evergreen from Denmark had the best song and performance, though.

I wish the U.S. would try to get some broadcasting rights for the Eurovison, until then we can at least watch it (live!) on the Eurovision website. We are, however, making some progress: the World Cup and the Rugby 2011 World Cup. It would also be nice if Directv, Dish Network, and cable would offer us a basic European package with a few stations from each European country.