Chattering Mind: February 2007 Archives

If you're a parent with kids of film-viewing age, buy this book: "The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together."

This 375-page indexed guide by Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr is tremendously helpful--in fact, indispensable--to conscientious parents who struggle with when to let their youngsters watch what. Plus, underlying the book's helpfulness is a perception of the parent's role--as truth-teller, guru, interpreter--that I know will grab you as a ChatteringMind reader!

New movies today "arrive in theaters sold out, prepackaged, and co-opted," Burr writes. They've become opportunities for product endorsements. Their characters are scrutinized for how "toyetic" they'll be the following Christmas. Classic films like "The African Queen," "The Thin Man," or "North by Northwest" have a different morality; they introduce kids to film stars and directors whose messages weren't selling product or dumbed down.

Burr watched the bulk of the old films he mentions with his two daughters, ages nine and eleven, and he splices their fabulous reactions into his write-ups. He also groups his endorsements by films appropriate for kids three to six, tweeners, and teens. In wonderful style, he explains why "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn, and "Bringing Up Baby" with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant are good for your "starter kit." He moves on to inform parents of tweens what's significant about the UFO we-are-not-alone message of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and why the crossdressing in "Some Like It Hot" still works. He even helps you discern when's the best time to introduce your teen to "Psycho" and "Rebel Without a Cause."

Additional passages listing significant film directors and movie stars explain why Humphrey Bogart is someone you want your kids to "get" (he does not back down); why Shirley Temple withstands the tests of time (she's as "steady and natural as a healthy pulse"), and how Marilyn Monroe's vitality can be conveyed to children as a positive thing (instead of allowing them to dwell upon what they know of her death).

Some old films don't add up to modern-day family enjoyment, and Burr writes with great wit about them too. "Gone With the Wind" is on his list of films that didn't translate as well as he thought they would. "Why is she so silly?" asked daughter Natalie while watching slave girl Butterfly McQueen meander about without aim. Burr writes: "I could have said, well, because that's how 1930s Hollywood portrayed black people with cutesy, derisive condescension..."

Every parent should keep Burr's guide by the television, and every video store should plant one in house. We're talking about hours of pleasurable movie viewing, and many, many significant full-family conversations afterwards. You're going to thank me for this, I think.

Here's a blog post I find funny. It lambasts Prince Charles (in language most colorful) for yesterday asking someone at a healthcare facility in the United Arab Emirates if the country had thought of getting McDonald's fast food franchises "banned." Saudia Arabia is second to America in its high rate of diabetes.

I just love the fluttering bruhaha.

Here's a blog post I wrote about Charles's merit when he visited the U.S. sixteen months ago. He reads Rudolf Steiner, started an organic farm, and is interested in world religious unity.

Sure wish he'd post on my blog every now and then.

Thanks for your warm response to the cancer healing prayers I posted. I've been looking for more without much luck. Want to write some together? I'll post the prayers you send in. My friends who've had cancer say it's so hard to stay positive about chemo's healing powers when friends and family--often trying to comfort--let it be known that they see chemo drugs as "poison," or dwell on the side effects.

Here are some posts from readers who see chemo drugs as elixirs of tremendous healing power:

"My husband is an interfaith minister and Reiki Master and he has a lot of experience working with cancer patients. He has special blessings for the chemo bag and for the all aspects of cancer recovery," writes Laurie Sue Brockway.

Reader Jacqueline Robinson writes: "The word of God says 'I am He that healeth thee,' and as you are infused with chemo your whole mind has to be absorbed with the hope of glory, believing that you are [being] healed as your whole body is being infused with the medicine. I envisioned the Holy Spirit flowing through my body and held on to Him knowing that He was there with me."

Reader Laura writes: "I had breast and thyroid cancer and went thru chemo for four months. It was no fun, but between the drugs, my Faith and my God, I am healed in Jesus' name. I am going to make a ton of copies of these prayers and take them to my oncology doctor's office so that everyone there still taking chemo can be uplifted and healed by powerful words!"

Writes a reader named Marsha, currently receiving chemo every week: "It is nice to see prayers for women who have cancer. I have colon, liver and lung cancer and have been fighting it since August 19, 2006. Every week I go for my chemo and some days are good, and some bad. The prayers really help you make it through it. [I am] still fighting and will be a survivor."

Have a look at the following passage from Reverend Fr. Thomas Berry's book "The Great Work: Our Way into the Future."

"As we enter the twenty-first century, we are experiencing a moment of grace. Such moments are privileged moments. The great transformations of the universe occur at such times...What can be said is that the foundations of a new historical period, the Ecozoic Era, have been established in every realm of human affairs. The mythic vision has been set into place. The distorted dream of an industrial technological paradise is being replaced by the more viable dream of a mutually enhancing human presence within an ever-renewing organic-based Earth community. The dream drives the action. In the larger cultural context the dream becomes the myth that both guides and drives the action."

What's particularly fascinating about this statement is that it was published in 1999. Pre-9/11. Pre-widespread acknowledgement of global warming.

Thomas Berry is 93-years-old today and considered the greatest eco-theologian of our time. He served as adviser to the Clinton White House on environmental issues, and has been the inspiring force behind many leading environmental thinkers, both religious and secular. His writings follow in the tradition of philosopher-paleontolist-priest Teilhard de Chardin.

Berry has been calling for a new cosmology for years, a new way of viewing our commitments to God, to our human family, and to the earth. If you haven't previously read his books, you might find that his work has the power to set your own life and work in a new context.

Here's an excerpt from a famous paper on EcoEthics Berry delivered to the Harvard Seminar on Environmental Values in 1996.

"...our western civilization has never taken [the] unity of the universe seriously because of our anthropocentrism both in our biblical religious and our Greek humanist traditions. We see the human as a princely resident on a planet that is completely lacking in any inherent rights that must be respected by humans...

"The ecological community is not subordinate to the human community. Nor is the ecological imperative derivative from human ethics. Rather our human ethics is derivative from the ecological imperative...The Earth is not part of the Human Story, the human story is part of the Earth Story."

I know that's quite a mouthful. But I hope this moves you to read more. Apparently, Berry came to the conclusion that "commercial values threatened our planet" rather early--in 1922, when he was only eight years old!

Deepest-Breath-at-the-Oscars Award goes to Best Actor Forest Whitaker, who couldn't utter his thank you speech until he'd inhaled the moment and collected himself. At the end of his speech, he made reference to "this life and the next."

Google research reveals that Whitaker's be-here-now countenance would come as no surprise to those who know him well: he has a 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He's also a vegetarian who with his daughter True, recorded this public service announcement promoting meat-free living for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Hey, I got a great new way to humorously sign off spiritual correspondence. This one comes from reader Glenys Livingstone down in Australia. Blissings!"With Love and Blissings" is nice too. You'll find my original post with dozens of great sign-offs...

This is sweet. It runs three minutes. What would you ask God if you could?...

Oh boy, this Trappist monastery down in South Carolina (where my parents once went on a spiritual retreat) has been busted big time for alleged cruelty to the chickens that produce the eggs the abbey sells to support itself. Birds...

This week's New York magazine has an amazing article that describes what two models, a creative director, and a magazine accessories editor eat during the frenzy of "fashion week," when runway shows, and meetings with designers become all-important, stress-filled activities...

The Sam Harris/Andrew Sullivan blogalogue on faith has covered exceedingly complex material. Could you describe your beliefs as articulately? I could not. Here's the conclusion of Harris's latest letter, in which he seems to deliver body blows to Sullivan's defense...

An anonymous reader (whose home I suspect has pretty good Feng Shui) writes: "I don't understand Feng Shui. I can't grab the concept of placing items in a certain order or arrangement to bring one peace of mind... I'm not...

Britney, get into a rehabilitation program you can stick with! Read the "promises" of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous (from pages 83-84 of The Big Book). They supplement the famous Twelve Steps. If anyone out there has "worked the program,"...

While most of us are receptive to "elder wisdom," there's never been a grand design for harvesting it. Unless you have a grand- or great-grandparent still living that you visit, there's not often much access to the thoughts of our...

The Spring 2007 issue of Buddhadharma magazine tells me something I'd completely missed: that last November's midterm election not only brought the nation's first Muslim to Congress, but also ushered in two Buddhists (both Democrats): Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and...

Bach Flower Remedies are such subtle and nontoxic healing potions, you can experiment with them on your own and find the best mixture by taking this online questionnaire. The 38 essences are said to work on an energetic and emotional...

The following blessing comes from a new selection of prayers for women with cancer. They were written by Diann L. Neu, co-founder and co-director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, and author of several collections of feminist...

When I'm not writing or cooking, doing yoga or driving the kids around, I am in bed with George Washington, wondering just how religious he is, or was. It's been fun.In fact, I've become intimately acquainted with all our founding...

Novelist Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) is the talented author of "A Series of Unfortunate Events," a tale of rollicking disaster that's hugely popular with the eight to 11-year-old set. In an interview with editor Nadine Epstein in this month's...

There's a smell. You know that smell? It's the fake pine smell of the commercial cleaning products that many schools and restaurants use.When I'm stuck somewhere and I smell that smell I feel like climbing the walls. I used to...

Beliefnet just posted Valerie Reiss's excellent interview with writer and free spirit Alice Walker.Walker says: We have a splendid opportunity, for the first time ever on earth, to truly get to the root of things and to transform human society....

Chinese New Year begins with the new moon this February 18th and lasts until the full moon two weeks from now. In China, this period of feasts with prayers for prosperity is seen as the actual beginning of spring. Since...

Here and here are web pages with good Chinese New Year's recipes. This book for young children is a guide to holiday folktales, customs, and Chinese banquet food....

Remember when Bill Moyers showed brain surgery being performed in the early 1990s with acupuncture as the sole form of anesthesia on his PBS series "Healing and the Mind?" American acupuncturists point to that televised moment as the beginning of...

National treasure/quirky odd duck Camille Paglia's back writing for Salon.com after a six-year absence. Here's a snippet of her first column (you may have to get a trial subscription to read the whole thing). I am a pro-choice libertarian Democrat...

Here's a good article about how children who are praised too much sometimes grow up to be risk adverse. Remember to say, "Oh, I see you worked so hard on that! Tell me about it." instead of "Cool! You're sooo...

The latest Body + Soul magazine features an eye-catching ad that targets yoga moms and promotes the fibrous Wasa rye crisp (which is low in fat and calories). Here's Wasa's approximation of a Hindu goddess or "divine mother" as seen...

I love getting to know my readers, and seem to have acquired a small following of thoughtful people in the last year. I've come to know them by the remarks they attach to my blog items: there's Pacific231, Kathryn, Eevie...

Check out this band of cute contortionists. I like how they relax into position. How hard do you think they've worked on these postures in their brief lifetimes? Hard to say. I don't know.Just last Sunday, in yoga class, our...

Want a little inspiration to fuel your Valentine's Day ardor? Check out this website of historic love letters by famous composers, politicians, writers, poets, and others. Some samples:From Abigail Adams to John Adams, December, 1782:I look back to the early...

As you spoon that precious dab of honey into your tea today, consider this sad news: bee keepers are reporting a dramatic decrease in their bee populations, which will not only influence future honey production but also the crops and...

Anyone interested in the mainstreaming of Eastern philosophy will find this New York Times Sports section article by Lee Jenkins fascinating. It's about the yoga and meditation work some pro-ball pitchers are incorporating into their training. “If you can calm...

Wow, what passionate sentiments were stirred by my blog post about which goddess stories of ancient mythology had parallels to the life story of late celebrity oddball Anna Nicole Smith!Let me make some quick clarifications, as perhaps the headline treatments...

Late last night, I wrote Laurie Sue Brockway, author of "A Goddess is a Girl's Best Friend," and asked for her thoughts on the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Here's what Brockway wrote back: This culture has come to know...

I swiped a book off Mr. Chattering's bedside table, not expecting it to be one of the best books I've ever read. I just wanted a good post for Abe Lincoln's birthday this Monday. "Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a...

Whatever happened to those "hard bod" exercise teachers who advised us to "go for the burn" in those 1980s aerobic classes?They're hobbling around with all kinds of injuries, says this article in today's New York Times.Some former aerobics enthusiasts are...

The light bulb guys stopped by my house, and replaced 32 incandescent bulbs with energy-conserving fluorescents. They seemed to be feeling pretty good about themselves. And now, my house is aglow with a fluorescent haze that works better in some...

Send in your own religious family history and I'll try to post it. Here are a few of the family religious histories I've received so far.Says reader 360: "Well, my 'rents were non-practicing Catholics...Even now I dislike Christianity and find...

A good book to break open for Valentine's Day is David Deida's "Finding God Through Sex," with a forward by Ken Wilber. Here's a minute sampling: "Sex can offer an openness that washes your heart wide to God, and yet...

Spiritual powerhouse Caroline Myss, author of "Why People Don't Heal and How They Can," and most recently, "Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul," is on a sweeping speaking tour through Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington...

New to Newsweek's website is an article about Hillary Clinton's religious roots and her lifelong relationship with Rev. Don Jones, a Methodist minister. Jones describes Hillary's beliefs as falling, like her politics, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Unlike...

I'm eating up Dr. Joseph Mercola's emailed healthy living video newsletters. He is certainly a man on a mission. Last week he reported from the beaches of Maui on fish oils and vitamin D. This week, he's standing in a...

Hey, this would make a sexy Valentine's Day gift: two two-ounce "Eros" bars of organic, dairy-free Dagoba Chocolate alongside something I've never heard of: a two-ounce "cacao elixir" (flavored with botanical infusions) that dispenses drops of cacao on your tongue...

You may know that your Grandpa Frank hailed from Missouri, or that your Great Aunt Angie cooked Italian, but do you know your religious genealogy? Have you researched the religious beliefs and development of your forebears?I'd love to get a...

A contractor for ConEd, the utility company here, called last Friday offering to come to my home and replace all my light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to assist New York City in its efforts to conserve energy. "Every bulb...

February 8th is "Nirvana Day," a Mahayana Buddhist festival day in commemoration of the death of the Buddha. Gautama is said to have spoken these last words to his students before expiring at age eighty: “Now, monks, I declare to...

This article is a must-read. It's about yesterday's report by noted scientists regarding the human role in climate change. Global warming is real.“It is very likely that hot extremes, heat waves and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more...

The late, and much beloved journalist Molly Ivins loved to use her best Texas folkloric material to make a point. I heard her speak 15 months ago at an International Women's Media Foundation awards luncheon in New York, where she...

If this doesn't convince you, know that it was written in a spirit of good humor and fun by John D. Spalding, editor of SoMAreview.com, and author of "A Pilgrim's Digress: My Perilous, Fumbling Quest for the Celestial City." "...we...

I'm actually adapting my children's upcoming summer camp schedule to account for our reading of Harry Potter. I probably won't be at my desk July 22, 2007, either, the day after the thrilling release of the seventh and last installment....

It was my understanding that Zoloft and Prozac were "smart" antidepressants, drugs that could lift the depressed out of the darkness and in some cases, jumpstart the brain into recognizing happiness. Tall order, I know. It was also my initial...

Parabola has always been the most sovereign of the religious/spiritual periodicals. Its distinguished authors and epic themes make it "The New Yorker" of its league. It's always gorgeous. But its fate sometimes becomes that of the other distinguished mags: It...

I don't know about this. It says exposure to tea-tree and lavender oils can change the estrogen levels of young boys, and in rare cases, make their breasts enlarge. My sons have used tea-tree oil shampoos off and on for...

Thanks to reader John Beck for this:"Just a comment on the Rudolf Steiner-induced tv guilt -- since he died in 1925, any views assigned to him about tv are extrapolation. Your own use of tv with your children is an...