Thursday, May 27, 2010

links!

You might have heard about Steve Jobs refusing to let p0rn apps into the "app store" for iPods, iPads, etc. Someone twitted him about being anti-freedom, and Jobs answered that it was about freedom, it was about freedom from p0rn. (Doesn't that remind you of Augustine's comment about how real freedom of the will is the redeemed's freedom not to sin?)  Albert Mohler has an interesting commentary on Jobs' decision here.
Robin McKinley (who has written such lovely things as Beauty and Spindle's End) has a great post up right now on writing. A sample:
You may be trying to make the story do what you want it to do: you may really like the bit that comes next, or think it’s a really clever piece of plot, or it’s going to bridge that awkward transition between part one and part two, or you’ve been longing to stick the evil giant muskrat with the enchanted harpoon and you’re finally going to get to do it.

And you may very well not realise that that’s what you’re doing. Writing stories is hard* and one of the hardest things about it is the way EVERY FRELLING THING IS SO FRELLING FLUID. Every word you write may lead to almost any other word . . . and the word you wrote may already be the wrong word. Trying to translate that fabulous story that has taken over your brain and your life into words on paper . . . gah. It’s the worst. It’s the scariest. It’s the hardest.

Sarah, from Fumbling Toward Grace has a guest post up at There Is No Wealth But Life about why she wants to be a stay-at-home mom. I have to say, it's one of the best things on the subject I've ever read. I really liked this part:
There are people who make arguments from Scripture, or who try to blame all of society’s problems on the fact that fewer women stay-at-home anymore. While I’m sure that those arguments have some valid points, I think that ultimately they are unhelpful in aiding individual families in deciding what the parenting/working relationship should be for them. I think Catholic social teaching does have something helpful to contribute, namely the principle of Subsidiarity. What this means, is that prudential decisions ought to be made on the lowest level possible. In other words, within the parameters of what is moral, decisions about parenting and work ought to be made by individual families. Each family will know it’s situation better than anyone else will.
Finally, although it's sometimes worth skipping, (and although I actually like what Emma Watson is wearing here) it is for entries like this that GoFugYourself is still in my feed-reader.
Find any fun links recently?
Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

1 comment:

MomCO3 said...

How did I miss that ROBIN MCKINLEY HAS A BLOG? The Blue Sword is in my top 10 favorite books of all time. Wait, definitely in the top 5. Or... the top two. It's certainly the book I reread most frequently, and the one I give to all my unsuspecting friends who are convinced they don't like reading fantasy. Thanks!