Several of the blogs I follow have made mention of the young economist Roland Fryer for his installment into the Harvard Society of Fellows at the age of 27. This NY Times article on his life, work and background is a great read. His rise to prominence among academic elites is all the more remarkable given his background:

“When he was a boy, he sometimes lived there with his grandmother Farrise, whom the family called Fat. She was a schoolteacher and a disciplinarian. But Fat’s sister Ernestine, who lived nearby, ran a looser household, and Fryer preferred to hang out there. His older cousins had gold teeth and gold jewelry and, always, the latest Karl Kani track suits, in maroon or bright red, with matching suede Champion sneakers. On the weekends, Ernestine’s husband, Lacey, cooked up a batch of pancakes. Lacey was a retired postal worker and a past president of the local N.A.A.C.P. chapter.

At the same time, Lacey and Ernestine and some of their children were running one of the biggest crack gangs in the area. They would drive down to Miami to buy cocaine and then turn it into crack in their kitchen. As a boy, Fryer used to watch. In a frying pan — the same one Lacey used for pancakes — they mixed the powdered cocaine with water and baking soda, then cooked off the liquid until all that remained were the little white rocks. The family processed and sold as much as two kilograms of cocaine a week.< p>

One day when Fryer was planning to visit Lacey and Ernestine — Ernestine told him she would be making pork chops — he decided to stop by the dog track first. He wasn’t old enough to bet, but he loved to watch the greyhounds run. When he got to his aunt’s house, it was surrounded by federal agents. Almost everyone in the family was sent to prison. Lacey got a 30-year sentence and died in prison; Ernestine was sentenced to a little more than three years. Fryer’s favorite cousin, Wendy, got a long term; his cousin Vaughn got a shorter sentence, but upon his release he went back to selling crack and was murdered.< p>

Fryer loved Vaughn and Wendy. ”They seemed like pretty decent people,” he said. ”If you had put them in the schools that a lot of these people came up in” — here he gestured toward the apartment buildings that border Central Park — ”they probably would have been fine.”< p>

How many of his close family members, I asked him, had either died young or spent time in prison? He did a quick count: 8 of 10.”

I recently viewed a DVD, entitled Something the Lord Made about another accomplished african american academic. This HBO made-for-TV movie, tells the story of the relationship of a pioneering white surgeon Dr. Alfred Blalock, and Vivian Thomas his black surgical research technician. The movie is a mostly accurate retelling of their efforts to develop a corrective surgical procedure for a congenital heart defect known as Tetrology of Fallot or blue baby syndrome. Vivian Thomas played a crucial role in the development of the procedure and was himself a gifted surgeon. But all the surgeries he conducted were on animals because prejudice and poverty kept him from attending college. This is a great story, well told. (My only minor beef is with some inaccurate history. The story suggest that this surgery disproved the mythology that surgery on the heart wasn’t possible. But previous experience, well documented in medical literature, during WWII and beyond had already proven that it could be done. It was just not known how to overcome the seemingly impossible obstacle of operating on an organ that a patient couldn’t do without. Certainly, Blalock’s and Thomas’s development of the Blalock-Taussig shunt, as the procedure was called, was a critical milestone in the development of modern cardiac surgery.)

It is hard to view Something the Lord Made without noting the great injustice heaped upon Thomas, or more importantly, the great loss that prejudice, poverty and oppression inflicted upon us all by keeping his great talents from what could have been even greater contributions as a practicing surgeon. He had a long and ultimately satisfying career as supervisor of the surgical labs at Johns Hopkins University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the university in 1976. And with this movie, his contributions became known to an even wider audience.

Hat tip to Marginal Revolution and
Coyote Blog

Steve

This is a very interesting article written by Dr. J.I. Packer on efforts at reconciliation between Catholics and Evangelicals. The article is actually a book review of The Lion and the Lamb: Evangelicals and Catholics in America by Catholic Scholar William Shea and is an examination of the movement called Evangelicals and Catholics Together. It is encouraging to know that their are evangelical scholars with the standing and respect of Dr. Packer that believe that the attempt at mutual understanding and respect is worth the effort.

Steve

“Run, John, run! The Law commands!

But gives me neither feet nor hands.

Far grander news the Gospel brings:

It bids me fly and gives me wings!”

– John Bunyan

There is no doubt whatsoever that the greatest comic strip ever penned is Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson who has become a famed recluse. I own about six of the books, have read them dozens of times and still laugh out loud every time I start one over. And now I learn that, the Complete Calvin and Hobbes is coming out this fall. Every published strip in chronological order from the first to the last. Whoo whoo whoo!

What is your favorite Calvin & Hobbes strip? It is hard for me to pick a favorite but one of my favorites was when Calvin tells Suzie that for lunch he is having “cigar in a gallstone sauce” to which she replies in disgust, “Those are beanie weanies!”

What is your favorite series? I love the series where Calvin invents a duplicator with a built in ethicator and makes a “good” version of himself. Genius!

Steve

UPDATE: I have actually changed my view of this case in many regards after reading this: Terry Schiavo FAQ for the Uncommitted. Michael Schiavo has clearly not honored his marriage vows. He is certainly not the husband I would want to be if I were in a similar situation. But the courts have made reasonable judgements in this case. The finding of fact may be wrong on this case, but they have been well deliberated.
—————-
As the rest of the blogosphere, and world, I am following the Terry Schiavo case closely. Here are some great articles and posts on the subject:

Great article by the Rev. Robert Johansen in National Review Online. Assuming the facts as described are accurate, it is hard not to see the Schiavo case as an extraordinary travesty of justice. Of particular interest is

Another great post on the topic that examines both the legal and moral issues is from Professor Bainbridge. He is vocally pro-life but is uncomfortable with the Rule of Law issues raised by the Congressional intervention in this case.

Professor Bainbridge also pointed out in this post a person who has a very good reason to come to Terry’s defense.

Lastly, I know the polls are coming out strongly in favor of Michael Schiavo. But I seriously doubt that would be the case if the American people new the facts of the case.

Steve

A montly travel newsletter I subscribe to had a link to Googles latest service, Google Maps. I tried it out and although it ain’t perfect the concept is very cool. Mapquest is better at suggesting an address if you don’t type it in exactly like it is in their database. But I am confident that Google Maps will keep getting better and better. Mostly, I am just amazed at how innovative Google continues to be.

Steve

This article in Slate gives the funny man his due, and a fond farewell. Fortunately for us all Dave is maintaining a blog as well as his website where lots of classic Dave can be found.

Steve

In a recent USA Today article, an expert was quoted as saying, “Her prison experience can be used as a new and powerful brand asset”. With this in mind, here are a few of my predictions for a few of the initiatives that we should see coming out of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia:

Okay Readers, leave me some comments. What do you think we might have coming out of MSLO?

Steve

Susan Wise Bauer is one of the most important voices in the home school movement today. Mainly, because hers is the voice of reason. My wife discovered this article and we both thought it hit the mark in expressing the right and the wrong reasons to homeschool.

Steve

I was awakened by my daughter this morning around 2:30 and after I got her squared away I laid in bed and started thinking. I realzed there would be no more sleep for me so I got up and made coffee and here I am. It is actually a blessing when that happens as the snooze button is a great enemy of my soul. So here I am at 3:45 reading the word, drinking coffee, listening to good worshipful music with my headphones on, drinking coffee, blogging and drinking coffee. Bliss.

Anyway, the thoughts keeping me awake are about my teaching the youth group at church tonight. I am teaching John chapter 9, which is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. As I need to organize my thoughts, put together my outline and otherwise get serious about preparing for my lesson, I thought I would blog it and kill two birds with one stone. So here are my thoughts and reflections on John 9.

To me, one of the most striking things about this passage is it is FUNNY. I read this passage to my wife while we lay in bed last night and she said “I don’t know if its all that funny but the man born blind is definitely a smartaleck”. That he is. I wish I could say tonight that he is a smartass, but that would be unwise. I think all the parts of the story that I consider funny come mostly from the fact that Jesus has so turned his life upside down that he doesn’t care about what others think.

He starts one day as always, in rags sitting at the side of the road begging alms for the blind, but the day ends unexpectedly for him. He has eyes to see the world for the first time ever in his life, he is given the fifth degree from the religious authorities, cast out of the synagogue and then Jesus fully reveals himself to him and he WORSHIPS Jesus. What a difference a day can make.

Anyway, here are some of the things that strike me as funny in this passage:

* One thing is the case of mistaken identity. After the man is healed they stand around looking at him asking each other (vss 8-9)

8 “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”

I just imagine them talking among themselves with him just standing there inisting he is the guy. Later in front of the pharisees, they are still debating if he REALLY IS the man born blind, so they call in his parents and ask them (vss 18-19). Of course that means he is standing there in front of them having to defend his identity in front of the authorities and listen while his parents say “yep, this is our son”. I think thats funny.
* Another bit of humor in this passage is the fact that this guy is such a smart-ass. They ask him several times to tell his story about how his blindness was taken away and in verse 27 he says,

“I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”

I can’t help but wonder that he knew the answer to that question before he asked it. A few verses later after the religious authorities say “We don’t know where this man (Jesus) came from” and the man born blind (having had it up to his eyeballs from them) replies to them forcefully (vs 30-31),

“Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

So they throw him out of the synagogue saying, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?”

I can’t help but think that he isn’t too bothered about being thrown out. One of the greatest results that come from having your life restored by Jesus is it causes you to not care about what other people think about you. All you know is that once you only knew darkness and now you see the world in all the beauty and glory of the creator and everything else becomes so small. Jesus followers are not man-pleasers.

There are 2 great themes that make the bookends for this passage, one is the purpose of God in displaying his own glory in the creation and the other is using physical blindness as an illustration for spiritual blindness.

At the beginning, the disciples pass this man born blind from birth and ask Jesus the question “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” This question betrays a cultural assumption of the time that if you have a serious problem, especially a health problem, then its a direct result of sin. Jesus’ answer directly attackes that assumption and instead he points us to the greater meaning and purpose of pain, suffering and evil. That is “the glory of God.” Jesus answers in vss 3-5.

3 “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

This man was born blind so that one day he would be sitting on the side of the road as Jesus is walking by. That may seem cruel of God to cause someone to live a life of pain and suffering just so that one day God can use that life as a spectacle to demonstrate His power and glory and supremacy. Its actually not cruelty, its the ultimate mercy. Its actually the life that God calls his worshippers to, a life of pain and sacrifice and suffering that the grace and glory of God might be shown to the world through us. If only He would use me that way.

I think Jesus’ talk of doing the work of He who sent Him while it is day, because night is coming and reminding us that night is coming is simply a way saying that the time of his presence on earth was a time of rejoicing, laughter and light and the time of night is the time we are in now because He is not with us. He is the bridegroom and when he was with us was a time for feasting and not fasting. Now is the time of fasting.

Why does Jesus make mud? Becasue it was the Sabbath and it was work. He used as many opportunities as he could to stick his finger in the eye of the religious authorities. He could have just spoken a word or waved a hand, but he insisted on doing work on the Sabbath. He shows more of the glory of God by resisting the powers and municipalities and philosophies of that world and show the better way of grace and worship. Jesus knew he must cast down the self-righteousness and hypocisy and false assumptions of the time to show as much of the glory of God as possible. So must we, (humbly becaue we are not Jesus).

At the end of this passage, Jesus seeks out the man born blind because he has been cast out of the synagogue. He uses this occasion for 2 purposes: 1) To reveal himself more fully to the man, who professes his faith and worships Jesus and then 2) to teach about spiritual blindness. He gives a great warning. You have to know your blindness before you can see with the eyes of your heart.

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; [3] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

The fact is, Jesus opens the eyes of the blind. The seeing don’t need such a miracle. He came to bind the wounded, make the blind to see and heal the brokenhearted.

I stumbled across this article that Dr. Michael Horton wrote on the culture wars. There is a lot of wisdom here.

Steve

I hope to occasionally blog this year on the forthcoming movie The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe which will be released this December. Of course, the question weighing most heavily on the minds of evangelicals is “will the movie be true to its Christian roots?”, a question that is explored in this International Herald Tribune article: Bringing ‘Narnia’ to the screen.

Despite the fact that it is being funded by Disney, I am hopeful, for several reasons:

I am worried about one thing though. The IHT article indicates that Disney is planning an extensive marketing campaign to promote LWW. The idea of seeing an Aslan sock puppet at Disney World doesn’t sit well with me! And don’t they already have a key Lion character? Hasbro has released pictures of some of the forthcoming action figures in anticipation of the films December 9th release.

Narniaweb is a great site to follow the whole LLW saga.

Steve

I am in the middle of a book by Charlie Peacock called New Way to Be Human, A Provocative Look at What It Means to Follow Jesus. Having read through page 36, I am so far very impressed. It is penetrating, poignant and well-written in a way that only an artist and musician could deliver. The gist of the book is that we Christians are guilty of the arrogance that comes from speaking and acting like people who have all the answers and have no room for mystery in our understanding of the universe. He completely rejects deconstructionism but affirms the inadequacy of words.

For example, in a story he relates regarding a college student in a Christian college who was questioning the existence of Truth and God, he writes,

“While he wrestled with questions such as these, the young man was also trying to make sense of living in a world filled with individualized interpretations of reality where any professed certainty or confidence is the mark of a fool at best and a tyrant at worst . He’d taken a look at language through the lens of deconstructive literary theory, transposed this to philosophy, applied it to the whole of life, and now, from where he stood, God was starting to look a little unecessary.

The young man was growing increasingly certain that all claims of certainty were only plays for power and autonomous control over people and the planet (maybe even especially so among Christians). He shouted out, “Words have no meaning!” not because they actually have none, but because they have too many, more than any one person could ever keep up with. He had begun to see that words and stories (thought units composed of words) could have as many possible meanings as there are people to construct individualized interpretations of reality . He’d come to college full of religious certainty. Now he was on the verge of giving up hope of ever finding any trustworthy, life-defining knowledge. I really did understand him.The problem of God and words is an ancient one, going all the way back to the beginning.”

I think more poets, musicians and artists need to do theology. We’d all be better off for it.

More on this book later.

Don Boudreaux at the Cafe Hayek has a great post on the difference between the appeal to an omnipotent God and an appeal to government to solve our social problems and make us happy.

Steve

I was planning on doing a blog on the economics and business in The Aviator but apparently Larry White at the Division of Labor website beat me to it. I still want to blog on this but will likely be a more traditional post.

Steve