Respect The Comma: Food For Thought

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From Charlottesville's Daily Progress:

Experts told the Associated Press that the Amish believe they should accept and absorb hostility by turning the other cheek. When I turn the other cheek, I find it gets slapped as well and I start slapping back. Not the Amish.

When we “English” saw their plight and their reaction, we started sending money to help with the medical costs of the wounded girls. By their rules, the Amish couldn’t ask for help, but accepted it with humility. Then they asked that a special fund be set up to help the shooter’s widow and children.

They have been tested very publicly in a way that would make Job cry and they have proven their merit. I will no longer mock them. They are different but they are people who practice the peace they preach.

The world could use more people like them.

Page Turners 2006 (7)

Lindsay Moran: Blowing My Cover: My Life As A CIA Spy
A really enjoyable read, filled with insight on a deceitful, and mostly unilluminated job. (****)
Rich Smith: You Can Get Arrested For That
Amusing in parts, but thin in substance overall. (*)
Fish, A Remarkable Way To Boost Morale And Improve Results
Nice small compact inspirational way to live a productive and happier work life. (****)
Christopher J. Walsh: No Timeouts: What It's Really Like To Be A Sportswriter Today
I thought I was getting more practical insight into the world of a sportswriter than I actually got. Though examples of stories and the author's progression was nice, I thought it padded the book to make it longer than it needed to be. (**)
Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code
Much better than the movie; the plot moves well. (****)
Dan Wetzel: Glory Road: My Story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and How One Team Triumphed Against the Odds
Much better than the movie, as it provides more insight behind the story of Don Haskins and Texas Western; would have liked more about the players and their perspective on playing for him. Probably falls somewhere between 3 & 4 on the star rating. I guess I'd just like a more comprehensive telling of the story. Actually, though people may come out of the book/movie with the idea that this was the first time 5 black players took the basketball court at the same time and won a championship, that actually happened in 1957 (9 years earlier) when Tennessee State won the NAIA championship. (***)
Leif Enger: Peace Like a River
Enjoyed this book, my first of 2006. The characters stay with you, left me wanting more. Had some trouble with the old west references, but nonetheless the prose painted plush pictures. (****)