Rev. Danny Fisher

I have a review of director Marc Forster’s new film Quantum of Solace in the latest issue of The Journal of Religion and Film. You can read it online here.

Quantum of Solace is the 22nd film in Eon Productions’ official series of films based on Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and short stories. It’s also the first direct sequel in the series’ history, picking up right where the previous entry (2006′s Casino Royale) left off.

What does James Bond have to do with religion? You’ll have to read my review to find out!

By the way, the review contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film and you don’t want to know how it ends, you might want to wait to read what I have to say.

For those of you completely unfamiliar with Quantum of Solace, a trailer is embedded below.

“The Dalai Lama said the global crisis could be a lesson to start thinking about values other than money.” Image via the Agence France-Presse.
The Agence France-Presse reports that His Holiness the Dalai Lama said recently while visiting Warsaw, Poland:

I am always telling when I meet the press, media people, they should have long noses like elephants and that it should smell in front and also behind…In a totalitarian regime like China (there’s) too much censorship, no free information — it’s not only morally wrong but also practically is ultimately a source of poverty. All information (is) censored, all information stopped — how can you develop trust? Without trust, how can harmony, friendship develop? Impossible.

He also spoke about money, values, Marxism, and the recession, inspiring a thoughtful post from Jesse P. Hiltz at Shambhala Sun Space. Take a look.

[UPDATE: His Holiness was made an honorary citizen of the city today as well.]

There’s a new piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the differences in and relationship between the disciplines of theology and religious studies that I really appreciated, and encourage you to read. Here’s a choice snippet:

The best theologians are scholars who have immersed themselves in many of the same academic disciplines favored by religion researchers. Like good religion research, good theology is generated by the application of sound reasoning to empirical evidence. But there is a crucial difference. The religion researcher evaluates that evidence from within a tradition of secular, academic “wisdom.” The theologian evaluates the same evidence from within a tradition of sacred, esoteric “wisdom.” The distinction is not trivial and ought to be recognized and honored by religion researchers and theologians alike.

Via the NASW Advocacy Blog: The 2009 Volunteering in America Report is now available at www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.

Through this Web site, you will be able to access volunteering trends, statistics, tools, resources, and information for the nation, U.S. regions, states, and major cities . You will also be able to see how states and cities rank on different factors related to volunteering.

Via Barbara’s Buddhism Blog:

“The illuminated elephant is on parade in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in a photograph taken July 27, 2009. The parade is part of the Esala Perahera, the Festival of the Tooth, which honors a relic of the Buddha.” Photo by Mario Tama for Getty Images.
For more about Esala Perahera, follow this link.