Friday, January 19, 2018

Weekend Links 1-19-18

A random collection of links for your weekend enjoyment:

Tim Challies wrestles with what the church should do in response to pastors who commit sexual sins. In the same post he deals with the prospect of Oprah Winfrey running for President.

Is listening to an audio book the same as reading a physical book? Here's an interesting perspective on that issue. (hat tip: Susan Wise Bauer) I don't usually listen to audio books unless I'm taking a lengthy road trip. However, I find them nearly as fulfilling as reading physical books.

Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson passed away last week. It's fascinating that he almost wrote an autobiography. This quote was particularly interesting and a good word for broadcasters everywhere:

“There are times I turn on an athletic contest that I’m quite sure my profession has died. … If he wants to go into show business, he should go back to vaudeville and get his own stage. Amplify, clarify, punctuate. Don’t intrude. I live by that. I do not in any sense at any time try to intrude on what’s happening. I merely define it.”

Which is exactly why he was one of the best.

Another one of the best is being honored for his legendary career: longtime University of North Carolina play-by-play announcer Woody Durham is being inducted in to National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. I had the privilege of working alongside him while at UNC. He is truly a class act.

Religious freedom is a hotly debated topic these days. So it's critical to understand what the separation of church and state truly means under the Constitution.

Odd story of the week: A new BBC documentary reveals that the Crown Jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin at Windsor Castle during World War II. The most interesting aspect of the story is the fact that Queen Elizabeth didn't know until she was told by the documentary presenter. 

Brad Meltzer is one of my favorite writers. He's one of the best at writing thrillers. But he also has a series of children's books called Ordinary People Change the World. His newest installment will profile Neil Armstrong.

Recommended reading: Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger

In the summer of 1968, the Apollo moon program was in shambles. Reeling from the Apollo 1 fire just eighteen months earlier that took the lives of three astronauts and in race for space dominance against the Soviet Union, NASA makes the daring decision to make the first manned trip to the moon by the end of the year. Jeffrey Kluger (who also co-wrote Apollo 13 with astronaut Jim Lovell) tells the amazing story of not only the three astronauts but hundreds of engineers and controllers that worked tirelessly to make the Apollo 8 mission (and ultimately the moon landing the next year) a success. A fantastic read.

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