Flyover America (US Travel)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Flyover America

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.readflyoveramerica.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: We are two writers in love with America. Every diner and prairie and highway of it. The places that many people consider flyover territory—Lincoln, Nebraska; Lubbock Texas; Bayonne, New Jersey, and the like—grab hold of us. Flyover America is as much a state of mind as a place. Flyover America is packed with stories, discoveries and soul. And it’s got some great malls, too.

MY REVIEW: This is a fun blog, and a very informative one. The author(s) write well, in an informal, friendly style. In addition to reviews of travel spots, they talk about movies ("Maine Does Not Sound Like Queens" in which the author comments on the movie Welcome to Mooseport.

The premise is that an outgoing United States president (Hackman) moves to small-town Maine and runs for mayor against a local hardware store owner (Romano).

Fine and dandy, it’s a film of no consequence, but I must ask the filmmakers: Why on Earth would you set a film in Maine and cast no one with a New England accent? Maine!–which has an accent as thick and distinctive as Georgia! And yet , in a lead role we get the distinctively Queens, New York honk of Ray Romano. At least Maura Tierney was born in Boston, so her flatter intonations are not glaringly inappropriate. Most disappointing were the bit characters, the quirky old guys and gals who looked like all sorts of flat vowels and dropped R’s would come out of their mouths. But no, they sounded Midwestern, at best. This did not stop bothering me through the entire film.

Just ‘cause there’s moose in the movie doesn’t mean you’ve captured Maine.

(Sounds like the movie makers could have taken a lesson from the Coen brothers, who did Fargo using several local Minneapolis actors in bit-parts. (On the other hand, the movie took place in Minnesota, and Fargo is, y'know, located in North Dakota... And one of the locations they used for the movie, a small diner right near where I lived, never re-opened after the movie finished filming there. I guess they must have paid its owners so much money to use it, that they closed up shop and headed off to retirement land in less-snowier climes!)

But back to the blog under review. I enjoyed the writing, enjoyed the eclectic types of posts - but all travel related in some way, and I think you'll enjoy this blog as well.

PARAGRAPHS FROM A SAMPLE POST:

Write a blog for long enough and, at some point, your patterns will start to emerge. You’ll notice the themes you return to time and again, the grooves of the record that are worn deep. I have a thing for the abandoned and the dying: American ruins, Rolley-Hole Marbles, Presbyterians. Psychologists, really, hold your tongues. I don’t care what it means.

So, while doing a bit of web wandering the other day, I got lost in GhostTownGallery.com. It’s a not-necessarily-beautiful-but-pretty-damned-fun travel blog written (and shot) by Daniel and Ligian Ter-Nedden, a couple who live in Zurich, Switzerland. They’ve visited more than 200 ghost towns in nine U.S. states. (Yes, I’m also keen on people who get mildly-to-completely obsessed with…whatever.)

RECENT ARTICLES:
--What’s Left Behind, Again
--Road-trip Rituals
--That’s One Swell Silver Screen
--Cadillac Ranch: You Should Go
--A U.S. Library I Love (or, Sigh, Loved and Lost)

97 Dollar Ebooks - Battledrome

I've removed this review since this website appears to have been canceled. See comment for details!

The Many Faces of Truth (religion, life and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Many Faces of Truth

WEB ADDRESS: http://themanyfacesoftruth.wordpress.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Exploring Truth in the many people and places that reflect it. Included are essays as well as book, music and movie reviews.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog for anyone who is religious, not religious but interested in the history of religion (that'd be me). The author discusses the Bible, and books about religion, Christian music, and so on, from a Christian standpoint. He writes very well, in a very informed manner.

Highly recommended.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS FROM A POST:

In the "Making Sense of Christianity" series of posts, we have been discussing whether or not the Bible is a reliable source of Truth. In this post, we will examine the Easter Story more specifically.

The Easter Story is the climax to the Old Testament narrative. At the end of the Old Testament, we know that humanity has sinned and that God has promised redemption through the line of David and through the Covenant(s) He has made with Israel. We are waiting for the Messiah, the Anointed One who is to come and bring the Kingdom of God to earth, the One who will finally set things right. Through the first four books of the New Testament, we are told the story of Jesus, the Messiah who has finally come. Jesus indeed starts setting things right, but in ways we do not expect. Jesus takes the place of a servant, washing feet, healing beggars and the sick, eating with adulterers and tax collectors. Then we have the Easter story. Jesus the Messiah dies, most unexpectedly, but then Jesus lives again, ushering in the Kingdom of God.

But for those of us who live so many years after the events supposedly took place, we have a burning question: Did the Easter Story really happen? What evidence do we have to believe that Easter actually happened? Let’s look at the details of the Easter Story and see whether they verify the Easter Story or whether they show that the Easter Story is nothing more than a lie.

In a previous post we looked at women in the New Testament. We saw that women play a pretty important role in the Easter Story. There was a group of women who were at the cross with Jesus. It was a group of women that went with Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb to “embalm” Jesus. It was a group of women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning. It was Mary Magdalene who first “preached” the Gospel, proclaiming the Good News to the men.

What we didn’t look at in that previous post is what the men were doing during the Easter Story. First, just before Jesus is arrested, he takes a few disciples and prays in Gethsemane. Jesus is greatly disturbed and sorrowful, and he asks the men keep watch as he leaves to pray by himself. When he returns, he finds the men in earnest prayer. Wait. That’s not right. Jesus returns to find the men keeping watch, just like Jesus asked. Wait. That’s not right either. Jesus returns to find the men sleeping. Yep. That’s right. Sleeping. This happens not once, but multiple times. Jesus brought some men along to keep watch while he prayed, and instead of doing as Jesus asked, they fall asleep. Over and over again. (Mark 14:32-42)

Then there is Peter. While Jesus is being questioned by various authorities, Peter is asked whether he is a disciple. He denies ever knowing Jesus. Again, this happens not once but multiple times. (Luke 22:54-62) John describes it very poignantly, “It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.” (John 18:18) Instead of standing with Jesus as he is questioned, Peter is standing with the servants and officials of those who are questioning Jesus.

Peter is by no means the only cowardly one, though. We find out from John that the rest of the men have been locked up in rooms hiding because they fear for their lives. Instead of honoring Jesus at his grave, instead of anything else beneficial they could have been doing, they are locked away, hiding. (John 20:19)

If the Easter Story is a lie, if it is simply made-up, why are the men presented as cowards and the women presented as the brave heroes of the story? Wouldn’t the male authors of the Gospels have preferred to write it the other way around if they were simply making it up?

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Did Easter Really Happen? (Making Sense of Christianity #4)
--Music Review: Sara Groves’ Fireflies and Songs
--Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion (Answering the Critics #2)
--The Gospel of Paul (Making Sense of Christianity #3)
--Artist’s Best: Caedmon’s Call

Being Human (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Being Human

WEB ADDRESS: http://beinghuman.blogs.fi/

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: A personal introduction to the New Atheism.

OUR REVIEW: One must be bright and opened minded to read this blog, less they be sucked into the dungeons of Hell.

Not really, but most Baptists would want you to feel this way!

Ignorance keeps most religions alive and well, which is a point made in this blog. Let me make myself perfectly clear here, I am not an atheist, nor am I taking sides, but I would like to think I am open minded enough to look both ways before I cross a street.

Whether you agree or not, this blog is thought provoking and well written. The author brings some issues to the table that others would rather not deal with. Even my Daddy, a died-in-the-wool Scottish Presbyterian, loved a good argument and always told me, if you didn’t listen to both sides, you’d never learn a thing.

Note that the blog is only updated once a week or so. Once again, I’ll get on my soap box and remind everyone if you want people to read your blog, you need to post frequently, more than once a week. This is especially true if you expect them to pay for a subscription.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Do religions really prevent crime?
--Is EU the most sucessful peace-iniative in human history?
--Is continuation of wars a law of nature?
--Why do we cry in the front seat of a BMW?

________________
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Homecooks (Lifestyles & Culture)

BLOG CHECK 4/27/11

THIS BLOG HASN"T BEEN UPDATED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS


REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Home Cooks Online

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.homecooksonline.com

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: Get answers to the "What's for dinner?" question with these simple but healthy recipes from a group of cooking friends (real people with busy lives) who share what's cooking in their kitchens.

OUR REVIEW: An excellent recipe blog. No fuss, just a quick narrative and description, list of ingredients and straight forward directions.

Previous recipes include Spaghettis Squash Breakfast Loaf, Sausage, Pepper Rigatoni, How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey, Tomato Soup, Home made Ice Cream, and Chicken Risotto. If I had one, slight, concern it would be the number of squash recipes posted. Given that there is only one recipe a post, and unfortunately, there is only one maybe two, posts a week you want as much diversity as possible. But everything I saw looked wonderful.

They also reviewed a Pairing knife, a Lodge Logic Wonder Skillet, and Le Creuset cookware.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Salmon and Cranberry Salad
--Sea Bass Dinner for Two
--Seafood Stew Recipe
--Ropa Vieja with Mango Salsa
--Home Run Guacamole

________________________
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/