tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62546815664594685502011-04-21T19:29:05.507-07:00An intelligent look at comics, culture, and Christianity.David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-91216750705853689412009-03-06T08:19:00.000-08:002009-03-06T08:22:02.909-08:00

I like to go to the movies and I particularly like getting their early so I can watch the trailers. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget 2008, the year I saw two trailers that would later become Academy Award nominees. Both trailers were historical films set in the tumultuous era of the Baby Boomers and their crusade against that evil generation before them. The films were Frost / Nixon and Milk. When

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-28276951788900252462008-12-30T20:36:00.000-08:002008-12-30T20:47:28.090-08:00

Well I spent the holiday weekend with in-laws in Louisville, KY. My mother in-law gets about 32 channels, so I was flipping on Sunday morning. I wish I hadn't. Fourteen of the 32 channels were church broadcasts. I guess if you have an extra thousand bucks a month or whatever, you can broadcast yourself.Newsflash: just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I'm not sure that I've

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-21246478783709047522008-12-22T21:04:00.000-08:002008-12-22T21:19:19.754-08:00

Whenever critics get particularly miffed about a movie, I tend to make myself watch it. We're a couple of days off from Christmas, what better time than now to watch M. Night Shyamalan push from his self-described PG-13 mindset to a rated R? Tis' the season for mindless violence, right?Sigh. I was slightly disappointed, but certainly not enough to go trouncing over the guy's creativity, as did

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-30613796541240692552008-11-25T10:16:00.000-08:002008-11-25T10:30:53.004-08:00

CNN has the full details but it hardly matters, I suppose. Nothing has mattered to this point... the 700 Billion Dollar bailout plan is now it's fourth incarnation. This time, Paulson has set his sites on consumer lending. The theory is real simple-- make it easier for Americans to borrow money on their cars, colleges, and credit cards. When it's easy to borrow, it's easier to spend. The hope is

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-84705409315169177642008-11-20T13:30:00.000-08:002008-11-20T14:01:10.639-08:00

So the Dow hit a record low for the decade just a few moments ago, taking us back to numbers which haven't been seen since the Clinton era. Personally, I think we are near the bottom, but jeez... who can really tell?Of course, this crash is happening in the middle of the largest bailout of corrupt businesses and corporate greed in the history of the United States. Having already spent almost half

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-33976790308444218562008-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:002008-10-30T20:21:01.221-07:00

So Exxon Mobile made a record 14.5 billion dollar profit in the 3rd quarter. So if that's pre-tax profit, they pay .43 cents on every dollar they make in taxes which is verifiably insane. That's a little over 6 billion dollars in total taxes they paid on that record profit, more if they paid taxes first then reported their after-tax profit. Joe Biden came out today and said he wanted to cut the 4

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-24938076917419976362008-10-07T14:18:00.000-07:002008-10-08T06:30:22.982-07:00

I will be 39 years old this month. I'm right on the cusp of Generation X (b. between 1964 - 1981) and squarely a product of the Baby Boomer generation before me. In the late 1980's TIME magazine described us this way:By and large, the 18-to-29 group scornfully rejects the habits and values of the baby boomers, viewing that group as self-centered, fickle and impractical.I wouldn't quite go that

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-1649504759595912752008-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:002008-10-06T09:21:43.116-07:00

We know that the $700 billion dollar bailout is going to fail because it does not address the fundamental issue affecting our economy: Debt. Debt affects borrowers and lenders alike and our country has been operating on debt for far too long. Credit has been too easy to obtain, not only for the working poor with bad credit, but also for our government which borrows an incessant amount of money to

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-25846302437888873132008-10-05T10:46:00.001-07:002008-10-05T12:17:56.417-07:00

The recent 700 billion dollar bailout, coupled now with a plethora of earmarks, still fails to address the fundamental problem with our economy. That fundamental problem isn't corportation greed, although greed certainly is a problem.The problem is pretty solidly revealed in the attached chart. It's credit. For all the talk of a "credit crunch" and the "freezing up" of credit, it doesn't appear

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-62266517895210449072008-09-22T17:00:00.001-07:002008-09-22T17:55:14.656-07:00

So a recent poll reported on CNN suggests that Americans 2/1 believe the current banking crisis is the fault of Republicans. What most Americans don't do is actually research the historical record. I must admit, when I look at eight years of the Bush Adminstration, I don't see that he personally took very much issue with the lending practices of these greedy corporations. Had I receieved a

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-36464902095726838582008-09-22T05:29:00.000-07:002008-09-22T18:04:22.453-07:00

Welcome to your first days of socialism, ladies and gentlemen. The move by the Feds to transfer our national wealth under simple strokes of their pens is the beginning of the end. The sad thing is, most Americans are too in debt to care.The $700 billion dollar proposed bailout marks the biggest redistribution of wealth this country has ever seen. The sad thing is that when it's all said and done,

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-48012552279638995282008-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:002008-09-16T12:51:52.300-07:00

Let's take a quick look at what's happening. Lending companies are going in the tank and that's effecting Wall Street, the housing markets, and the value of the dollar. People are quick to point fingers at Federal policy... maybe that's part of it. But the majority of the story and the blame, really belongs elsewhere. Let's look briefly at the foolish new American past time known as "Subprime

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-3470029296905675032008-09-02T15:32:00.000-07:002008-09-02T15:45:16.545-07:00

So... I was perplexed this morning during my quiet time. I was reading from the Gospel of Luke and found something Jesus said:"Where the corpses are, there the vultures will gather."It seemed like a really odd thing for him to say. I read a bit of the context and the disciples were asking Him about the end times. He basically gave them a few details, but they pressed him further -- They asked, "

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-37498215447108483882008-08-08T05:32:00.000-07:002008-08-08T05:35:45.490-07:00

Myrtle Beach... sun, sand, extreme noise. I caught a virus on the first day. Bad sore throat every night, coupled with incessant hacking, coughing, and sneezing. Our condo was right on the strip. Cars, motorcycles, bass cranked so loud it rattled the windows in our room until 3:00 AM every night. Gah. This was supposed to be relaxing!On the plus side, I got some great time with the fam. And I

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-51299996785323423182008-06-15T05:48:00.000-07:002008-06-15T06:11:42.941-07:00

So I've spent a few years now reading the "If you take a mouse to the movies..." stories to my kids. What happens if you take a world championship Brazillian to a comic convention? If you take a world champ to a comic convention,he might ask to dig through all the Spawn action figure boxes...He'll buy some, then lay them down at the Star Wars boxes...If you offer to carry them, he'll let you.Then

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-34241696623592709612008-02-02T11:57:00.000-08:002008-02-02T11:58:02.958-08:00

So I can look a little stodgy in the robe, I realize this. It’s really not my style at all, so when I put it on there is usually a good reason. I pretty much will only wear the robe to “marry or bury” as they say, but even then I won’t wear it unless I’m asked. There’s just something superficial about looking “the part” and I’ve rejected appearances the entire seventeen years I have been a

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-58282825964606688412008-01-19T04:27:00.000-08:002008-01-19T04:45:18.153-08:00

I tend to blather on incessantly about what I don't like in comics, but I want everyone to know that the intensity comes from my passion for this genre of storytelling. I thought it would be great to list out the incredible things done for comics in 2007. I am primarily a DC Comics guy, so my tastes will largely be reflected by those titles.At the beginning of 2007 we were winding down on 52. The

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-63961189026408622272007-11-28T06:46:00.000-08:002008-01-19T04:45:41.494-08:00

Recently, on a comics forum someone asked about our most treasured comic. I have to put this issue of Green Lantern / Green Arrow at the very top. It was a time of tulmut, racially in our country. DC Comics had a host of white male superheroes and almost nothing representing the diversity of our nation. While DC Comics' heroes were off fighting alien invasions, the real heroes were fighting for

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-32666951920734278572007-11-22T05:42:00.001-08:002007-11-22T06:01:28.504-08:00

I was reading the other day that clergy health is at an all time low. Clergy rank higher in almost every risk factor than do peers in other professions. We are at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, hypertension and depression than most professionals.I wondered why this was, until I read a letter to the editor of my local paper. There is a gentlemen here locally, posturing himself on the

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-82972736504749297182007-08-28T13:43:00.000-07:002008-01-19T04:46:23.675-08:00

The Last American PennyI am that I am[1]: the last American penny, an assortment of zinc and copper pressed into the image and likeness of my designers. I glance sideways at myself, carrying a symbol of upon my underbelly of democratic value. Yet, it is no soft parade for my ilk, no “gentle streets where children play,”[2] only the clang and clamor of countertops and piggy banks, activities which

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-65288872416130459412007-08-16T12:11:00.000-07:002007-08-16T19:22:20.752-07:00

Anyone who knows me at all knows I'm a Green Arrow fan, big time. Oliver Queen is loud, proud, and idealistic. He's also obnoxious, over-zealous, and cocky. For the past five years, fans of this DC Comics character have had nothing to be a fan of.Oliver walked out on his infant son and lied about it for years. Oliver participated in erasing Batman's memory and lied about it for years. He

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-36288261653748829692007-08-14T05:26:00.001-07:002007-08-14T11:03:30.873-07:00

My cat died a couple of nights ago. We live in a family of four and we've had numerous cats over the last 10 years, but this one was mine.I named him Bugsy, after the musical Bugsy Malone and the mythical gangster. I found the whole film to be confusing, but no less amusing as a young child. I admired the main character Bugsy Malone for his ability to walk the line.My recently departed cat, Bugsy

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-8182613327785205432007-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:002008-01-31T20:16:01.142-08:00

A 20 year reunion. It's been 20 long years since high school. I don't feel a bit different now than I did then... but am I? After a few conversations, I know that I am different. Who can really say if a person changes over time? Who is the best judge? After all, I look in the mirror each day and see me... the changes are slow and subtle. I hardly notice them. Someone who hasn't seen me in 20

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-38669917023465551662007-07-10T09:20:00.000-07:002007-07-10T09:59:45.581-07:00

I've been a bit consumed at night researching my martial art, which is called Sanjuriu. Apparently, it matters to a handful of people out there what style you are taking and whether or not your style can claim a pedigree line that dates back to a particular instructor with a proficient set of credentials.My research and my questions led to an hour long discussion with my sensei. During this

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-19968445139563338552007-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:002007-07-01T09:05:32.204-07:00

Let me go on record as saying that I loved Sinestro Corps. It was what you expect out of a comic... good storytelling, great art. The issue contained peril for heroes, the assembly of a mighty team of foes, and heroes committing themselves to rise to the occasion. Stellar issue through and through.I only wish I could see more of this in the DC's regular hero installments. Heroes in the DC

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-31105943161038549302007-06-28T07:04:00.000-07:002007-06-28T10:42:47.747-07:00

I'm not really sure who miffed the critics on this movie to make them hate it so much. I found the film to be pretty boring, but no more so than 90% of the rest of the "stuff" Hollywood shovels. At least this one tackles a few moral themes.If you ran out to be amused, there are enough scenes to keep you from walking out of theater altogether. Personally, I think I laughed more during the trailers

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-25469253205135862102007-06-25T21:21:00.000-07:002007-06-28T08:41:35.441-07:00

Last night, I was up really late watching Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. I wanted to avoid this picture in a big way because I knew what Mel was going to make me watch: human sacrifice. I wouldn't put Apocalypto up there with Schindler's List, but occasionally there are movies that I make myself watch, even if only to push me to places I don't want to go.On the surface, I enjoyed the movie. It was

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-67995397225660713182007-06-22T20:44:00.000-07:002007-06-22T21:15:40.220-07:00

BACKSTORYMy favorite comic book character of all time is Green Arrow, a.k.a. Oliver Queen. He's a DC Comics character. The real irony of my love for this character is that he is a flaming liberal. I tend to lean right in my politics, so it's an odd match between me, as reader, and Ollie, as a character. We share however a common idealism: the belief that a utopian society (while perhaps never

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-77814186689071169252007-06-22T11:32:00.000-07:002007-06-22T21:43:38.068-07:00

Tonight, my son will engage in his first ever "All-Star" baseball tournament. I'm proud of course. He was selected from a pool of 15 boys on his regular season team to represent the city's Boy's Club in an area wide competition. He was selected because, at the age of 5 years, he listens well and generally does what he's asked to do. He's not a phenomenal ball player, he strikes out as much as he

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254681566459468550.post-92086307283815084312007-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:002007-06-21T17:56:40.833-07:00

I'd like to think these little tidbits of mine will be interesting to someone other than myself. Hmph. Let's call the whole thing what it is from the get-go. It is self-indulgence. A little piece of me that just wants to be heard.Today I sat drinking Hefeweizen with a guy I'd never met. He is, of all things, a turtle tracker. I'm not lying. He tracks turtles and does whatever turtle-trackers do.

David E. Allred, M.Div.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14086985430605166281noreply@blogger.com0