It was released today, by the ACCC (Consumer Watchdog) that the Power Balance bracelet that is endorsed by many high-performance athletes to improve attributes actually has no scientific basis and provides no advantage to aspiring sports players. It is highly likely that the athletes who used these wristbands knew this but signed some sort of lucrative contract to parade around with them on. Just goes to show that a bit of free-thinking never goes amiss.
"A bracelet worn by high profile sports stars that claims to improve athletic performance has been exposed as a sham by the consumer watchdog.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ordered Power Balance Australia to refund all customers who feel they were misled by the supposed benefits of Power Balance bracelets.
The thing about the Narnian books is that they are primarily aimed at children and the movies are no different. Perhaps this is why, in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the ideals that translate from the book are more blatant than the interwoven messages from the first two.
This movie centres on Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and they don't take long to re-enter the mystical land of Narnia. Unfortunately they are followed by their very annoying cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter). But no matter, as straight away they are rescued from their water-filled picture frame by their old friend King Caspian (Ben Barnes).
Steven Boyer has written an outstanding article about how the Hollywood versions of the Narnia books do not meet up with the message that C.S. Lewis intended. Here is an excerpt:
Narnia Invaded How the New Films Subvert Lewis’s Hierarchical World by Steven D. Boyer
"Hollywood Shifts the Center
So, what about Hollywood? Is the Christian vision of the Narnia films anything like that of Lewis’s own Narnia stories? That is the question we turn to next.
Let us begin with some brief attention to Walden Media’s 2005 production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—very brief attention, since we need to spend more time on Prince Caspian. This brevity is unfortunate in a way, because I think there really is a fundamental shift in focus in this first film, a shift from a story that is chiefly about Aslan to a story that is chiefly about the children, and especially about Peter as he grows toward maturity. To be sure, Aslan is quite helpful along the way, but he is no longer the center—and that is big news, if we are thinking about Lewis’s Christian worldview. So there is much more to be said about this first film, even if we do not have time to say it here.
Susie O'Brien's article today attacks Sue Edgerley's new book because it endorses smacking. While this is an old topic it seems that parenting has come under the spotlight again. In many ways Susie does not reflect Christian values nor is her parental advice or example particularly impressive. However, read the article yourself and let us know what you think on our forum.
"Sue Edgerley is an Aussie mother of three who has written a very brave parenting book.
In a world where some children seem to have more rights than their parents (or does it just feel that way?), it takes a lot of guts to come out and urge parents, in print, to take control again.
But it's an important reminder of the need to put the family first, and not just children first.
That said, some of the ideas don't just seem brave, they also seem crazy-brave and occasionally just plain crazy.
She thinks parents should smack their babies, that praise is over-used by parents, and that mums and dads shouldn't try to be friends with their kids.
