ON THE SCREEN

 

FINDING WISDOM AMIDST SUFFERING IN THE DESCENDANTS

The DescendantsIn this movie set in the beautiful islands of Hawaii, George Clooney brilliantly plays the role of Matt King, a father who could probably relate a bit to the suffering of Job. His wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has just had a boating accident, is in a coma and about to die. He then finds out that she had been having an affair. And to top it off, the guy she was having an affair with is about to make a bucketload of cash on a property sale that King is working out with his family.

     The Descendants portrays the dignified response of a man and his family who are experiencing immense suffering. Despite his impending loss and and recently exposed betrayal, King conducts himself with honour, confronting the man who was sleeping with his wife and allowing him to pay a last visit to her on her death bed. King could have punched his lights out, but he didn't.

     And, regarding the property deal, in the end he allows virtue to triumph over cold hard cash by scuttling the deal through his refusal to sign the relevant documents for the sale. King chooses the right way over the more tempting and exciting profitable way. He chooses to keep the property in the family, as the family's descendants would likely have wanted, much to the chagrin of his cousins who are gobsmacked at his seemingly irrational decision.

       NILS VON KALM recommends The Descendants...  | more...|

 

HUGO'S SEARCH FOR MEANING

HugoHugo is an adventure-drama for the family (in 3D), based on a 2007 novel written by Brian Selznick. The movie captivates the audience by its multifaceted themes and messages. The rich content and plot will not disappoint people who want to go beneath the surface of a story and explore the deeper meaning of life.

     Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a 12-year-old orphan who has just lost his father. He has to live with his drunken uncle in the four walls of a train station in Paris in the 1930s. He continues to secretly run the clocks of the station after his uncle disappears. To survive he has to steal food and constantly hide from the station inspector.

     Life is difficult, but all that Hugo cares about is fixing a broken automaton, a mechanical man who is supposed to write a message with a pen. Hugo believes that the message from this automaton is, in fact, a message from his father.

       SIU FUNG WU enjoys Hugo...  | more...|

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MORE OF FILMS AND DVDS

 

BOOKS: DISSIDENT'S BOOK REVEALS "SECRET HISTORY" OF CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA

 

God is RedThough Western companies, from American automakers to European luxury firms, have recently gained a foothold in China, Western religion has played a role there for much longer than General Motors or Hermes.

     Nonetheless, Christianity's presence in China has been "hidden from the West for many years," says Wenguang Huang in the introduction to his translation of God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu, a dissident writer whose previous book landed him in jail.

     Wenguang reports there are about 70 million practicing Christians in China. "In a society tightly controlled by an atheist government, Christianity is China's largest formal religion," he says in the introduction. But for many years it was severely repressed by the Communist government. The book gives voice to numerous stories - from rural backwaters to big cities - of bravery and faith under extremely trying conditions.

    PAUL BENNETT, of ENInews, takes a look at God is Red...  | more... |

FOR MORE ON BOOKS, visit our books page here...

 

CASTING THE NET: TED

 

TEDIt's all about "Ideas Worth Spreading". Founded in 1984, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is centred on two annual conferences - one in Long Beach and Palm Springs and another in Edinburgh - which, along with a growing number of other initiatives coming under the TED banner, are aimed at bringing together the "world's most fascinating thinkers and doers". Each speaker at the conferences is given 18 minutes or less and challenged to give what organisers call the "talk of their lives". The result is a huge database of more than 900 talks all of which have been videoed and are available for you to watch via their website. It's an amazingly rich place to venture - the talks have long since roamed outside the realm of technology, entertainment and design and now cover an increasingly wide range of subjects

     DAVID ADAMS on a website bursting with inspirational speakers... | more... |


FOR MORE ON WEBSITES...
| more... |

 

COMICS: A CHILD IS BORN "BRIMS WITH LIFE AND BEAUTY" IN A SUMPTUOUS RETELLING OF THE NATIVITY

 

A Child Is BornWriter/artist Billy Tucci is known throughout the comics industry for his success with his own creation Shi, as well as more recent work including 2008’s Sgt. Rock: The Lost Batallion. That mini-series was inspired by an actual World War II event and cemented Tucci’s reputation as a creator who does his research, and a lot of it. That same focus continues with this new 32 page comic.

     Based on the accounts of Matthew and Luke about Christ’s birth, A Child is Born is an unabashed love letter to Jesus, and comes from newly formed publisher Apostle Arts.

     Those who’ve seen Tucci’s detailed and realistic artistry before will not need convincing that this is a lusciously rendered book.

     Based on historical accuracy, everything here looks like it should, from lambs to Jerusalem’s Holy Temple and best of all, the people including the demure beauty of Mary to Herod’s jealous anger. Tucci’s use of models and props has paid off, but the pictures here never look static or devoid of life and Tucci’s interpretation of the angelic messengers who visit Mary, Joseph and the three gift giving travellers is suitably awe inspiring.

     KRIS BATHER on a timely release for Christmas... | more... |

FOR MORE ON COMICS... | more... |

 

MUSIC

 

FESTIVAL: BACK TO BLACK STUMP

Black StumpOn a wet and rainy weekend, what else would you rather be doing than camping out, listening to bands, hearing great teaching, eating 'Baptist' doughnuts and hanging out with three thousand of your closest friends?

     For those lucky enough to go, that’s exactly what was done earlier this month at Appin, an hour south of Sydney, at the Black Stump Festival.

     After the relocation and then cancellation of the festival last year, some were tentative to return but the faithful, “hardcore” stumpers returned with vengeance to revive this great event.

     Stump is always presents a multicultural, inter-denominational and varied event with many bands we know of today getting their first gig at past festivals which spring-boarded their careers in the music industry.

     JILL CAVENAGH returns to Black Stump...  | more... |

 

SEASONS MAKE A STRONG DEBUT WITH A MOMENT OF CLARITY

SeasonsIt’s a far catch cry from television singing competitions but one of Sydney’s latest Christian music offerings is anything but out of tune, clichéd and cringe worthy.

     Formed in Sydney in 2010 via the marvels of social media, this band has sprung onto the Christian Music scene in a large way appearing with Switchfoot, Evermore and Stan Walker in addition to television and radio appearances. From Dust, the fifth track on their debut EP A Moment of Clarity was also picked up on a promotional trailer for Law & Order.

     The quality of sound produced by Seasons stands out from others in both the recording and live contexts having played at both smaller venues and the larger festival scene.

     JILL CAVENAGH listens to new Sydney band Seasons debut EP... | more... |

FOR MORE MUSIC REVIEWS, CLICK HERE...

For the TRAA's Top 30, click here...

 

MUSIC SPECIAL: YOUR TOP 10 SONGS!

 

We've been busy compiling a list the 10 songs Sight readers would take with them if they were stuck on a desert island. The list is being compiled based on the number of votes received for each song. Our initial top five songs are:

1. Offering: Third Day

2. Amazing Grace: Various

3. What a Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

4. Secret Garden: Bruce Springsteen

5. Shackles (Praise You): Mary Mary

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

IT'S NOT TO LATE TO VOTE!

To vote for your favorite songs (and only one entry per person please!), send your list of 10 songs (title and artist) to editor@sightmagazine.com.au marked '10 songs'. We'll be updating the list as the votes come in and releaseing the second part of our top
10 shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





















 

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THEY SAID IT

 

 

"While we need to acknowledge that there's a real anger, frustration and hurt that exists in some indigenous communities around Australia, we must not give in to aggressive and disrespectful actions ourselves."


- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda speaking on ABC radio after an Australia Day incident in which, in extraordinary scenes, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was swept from a Canberra restaurant by bodyguards after a group of chanting protestors from the Aboriginal tent embassy descended on the building. She lost a shoe in the process which was later returned (as quoted on www.ninemsn.com.au on 26th January, 2012). For previous 'They said it'... | more... |

 

 

THIS WEEK ON THE WEB

 

 

3rd February, 2012

Ahead of the upcoming National Day of Prayer and Fasting on 19th February, organiser Pastor Matt Prater has recorded a cover of the MC Hammer rap song, Pray. To download and listen to it, follow this link (2.2 MB). For more on the National Day of Prayer and Fasting, see www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au...


For previous 'This week on the web'... | more... |

 

NEW! SIGHT SOAPBOX

 

 

Something that you want to get off your chest but just haven't had the opportunity?
Sight's Soapbox is a new feature allowing you to have your say on a subject of your choice!

In our first Soapbox article, BRUCE C. WEARNE responds to an article he recently read concerning former AFL footballer Nathan Ablett...  |  more... |


Send all items for consideration to editor@sightmagazine.com.au.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW? NEWS BRIEFS

 

 

THE STATISTIC:

Unemployment rate in Spain, the worst of any country in Europe:

22.8 per cent

The Guardian

| more... |

• Malawi bishops endorse circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention...  | more... |

• ACL to proceed with Queensland leaders' forum even though Premier declines to appear...  | more... |

• More than 85,000 urge ALP not to change definition of marriage...  | more... |

• El Salvador gives award to Archbishop Romero Trust...  | more... |

• Doctors urge parliament not to "water down" gambling reforms...  | more... |

• Australian Coptic Christians to hold "vigils of peace" commemorating brethren killed in Egypt...  | more... |

• New Zealand's quake hit cathedral to be partially demolished...  | more... |

• Greek Orthodox church will rebuild at Ground Zero...  | more... |

• Christian leaders plot ecumenical future in Indonesia...  | more... |

• After hurricane, faith-based groups mobilise relief teams...  | more... |

| MORE NEWS BRIEFS... |

 

WORLDVIEW

 

 

ECUMENICAL FUND HELPS SMALL FILIPINO ENTREPRENEURS

It is harvest time for strawberries in the northern Philippine town of La Trinidad, so strawberry farmer Alice Rivera will start repaying a loan extended by a Geneva-based ecumenical church loan fund.

     "This is what we appreciate...we can start repaying our loans only immediately after the harvest season starts," said Rivera, who is 45. She is just one of 7,000 clients being served by the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund-Philippines (Eclof-Philippines), whose initial seed fund was provided by Eclof International, a non-profit micro-finance organisation.

     Rivera, a widow and mother of a nine-year old son, has started harvesting strawberries from a 500-square-meter lot that she leases from the farm of Benguet State University, an agricultural school.

MAURICE MALANES reports for ENInews...  |  more... |

 

 

THE WORD EXPLAINED

 

 Wordle

Synergism

Eucharist

Deism


| more... |

 

 

BLOG

 

 
QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT HELLO KITTY'S ORIGINS; THE RETURN OF OTTO VON BISMARCK'S VOICE; AND, THE BACKWARDS TALKING GIRL...
Questions are apparently being asked about the citizenship of iconic cat cutie Hello Kitty following the publication of a new book, Hello Kitty’s Guide to Japan in English and Japanese. According to the official biography published by Sanrio, the company that owns the rights to her, Hello Kitty (real name Kitty White) was born in London.

DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life... | more... |

BYZANTINE-ERA BREAD STAMP DISCOVERY IN AKKO SHEDS LIGHT ON JEWISH LIFE...
A small ceramic stamp used to mark bakery produce may not seem like a significant archeological find, but Israeli archeologists are rather excited by such a discovery made near the northern coastal town of Akko.

In previous eras, Akko was known as Acre, and was a major Christian stronghold in the Holy Land. That is why interest has been piqued by the small ceramic stamp bearing an image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah, which was found in a controlled archeological dig at Horbat Uza just outside Akko.

The stamp dates back to the 6th century AD, a time when Akko was a Christian-dominated city under the Byzantine Empire.

RYAN JONES, of Travelujah, reports... | more... |

 

HOLY LAND CHRISTIANS STRIVE FOR UNITY...

One of the central themes of Jesus’ ministry on earth was unity. Prior to His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus prayed that those who followed Him “may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20). But unity has often proved elusive, especially for the many Christian denominations represented in the small, but holy city of Jerusalem.

RYAN JONES, of Travelujah, reports in Sight's blog on the history and culture of Israel... | more... |


OUT OF AFRICA: AN ANNIVERSARY...

Recently it was a year since we left Australia; so today it’s a year since we arrived in Malawi. I have caught myself thinking a couple of times; ‘Would I have come if I had known what I would experience here’? If I had really understood what it would mean to leave everyone and everything familiar and to adjust my life to another culture? To be constantly observed, whether in my home or out, to live my life in such a public manner? Would I have come if I had known the things I would see, dying babies, people ravaged with disease, people suffering with malnutrition?

LENA JOHNSTONE's blog about life in Malawi, Africa, where she works with the Mphatso Children's Foundation... | more... |


NEW! THE STOREROOM: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EDITOR...

Usually we meet for lunch but on this occasion we had an early start travelling to Westminster to hear Alistair McGrath on the King James Bible. It was excellent. Then a Wycliffe Bible translator talked about his story of translating the Bible into a language spoken by 14,000.

I asked the editor what he thought about that and whether there were some languages spoken by too few people (who speak other languages) to justify the translation effort. He said that it would always be preferable for people to read it in their won tongue. I can’t imagine even having to manage with one English translation so I suppose he may be right on this occasion.

RICHARD THOMAS' sometimes weird and sometimes wonderful 'storeroom' of ideas... | more... |


TIREDNESS, FRUSTRATION AND TRUST...

In the U2 song, Peace on Earth, Bono sings of his frustration about our constant talk of peace without it ever really happening. Peace, peace when there is no peace is the cry of the prophet he is echoing. All around we see power corrupting and people in power getting their way at the expense of those with no power. Over and over again it happens.

I have no trust in political and economic systems. Ultimately I trust more in Jesus, whose power did not corrupt and through whom our desires for power are redeemed. John Smith asked a question many years ago which is a challenge for everyone who claims to be a serious follower of Jesus. The question is this: who are your friends and who are your enemies? The point he was making is that, when you look at the life of Jesus, His friends were overwhelmingly the powerless, the marginalised and the oppressed. And His enemies were overwhelmingly the rich, the powerful and the oppressors.

 NILS VON KALM'S blog on faith, life and how it all might fit together...  | more... |

FOR SIGHT'S BLOG LINKS, HEAD TO OUR BLOGSPOT PAGE...    

 

 

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