I have been in a few conversations recently around the topic of "shared space".  Can we?  Should we? Do we "share space"?  Entertaining such questions immediately forces the realization that "space" is rather subjective and highly dependent on qualified boundaries.  Subjectivity aside, it seems feasible to recognize that "sharing space" is an inescapable reality of humanity.  We are either sharing it - or trying not to.

The recently released music video "Sleeping Sickness", by pseudo-solo-collaborative-Canadian group City and Colour, provides an intriguing perspective on the topic of space.  By expounding on the still novel "interactive" music video concept , director Vincent Morisset gives the viewer the freedom (sort-of) to re-shape spacial boundaries -- which is genius, by the way.  This forces new questions: Does seeing the "greater" narrative impact individual ones?  Shift the meaning?  What do we choose to see?  Choose to ignore?   These are questions that are worthy of wondering about.

I’ll never forget the stand off I had with my dad in the mall before the start of my eighth grade basketball season. Acquiring a pair of Nike Flight high tops, the same style and color that many of the other players on my team (the good ones, who unlike me would see significant playing time) was an issue of grave consequence. This particular pair of shoes was what I felt I needed to run with great speed and agility, jump to heights yet unknown, and otherwise simply be a “baller.”

My father wasn’t buying it…literally. As I broke down into tears my dad told me I could go sit in the car until the rest of the family was done shopping and wear the shoes I used last year. Or, I could accept the fact that he was not paying that much for a pair of shoes and chose another pair.

So much for Jesus’ words on earthly fathers not giving their children a stone when they asked for bread. As far as I was concerned my earthly Papa had just handed me a boulder—not getting these new shoes was social suicide.

In three days I was able to see all or part of 15 shows. That's the beauty of Lollapalooza. The shame of it is that there were about 50 other shows that I wasn't able to see, but would've liked to. This was my first Lollapalooza, and I must say that the experience wasn't always comfortable (it was 90-95 degrees and pretty humid all three days), but still there were 75,000 people drawn to Grant Park in Chicago each day. There was something more at Grant Park this past weekend than could be found by downloading some songs on iTunes, or by watching a few videos of the bands performing. Music is sound, but somehow this weekend -- even in 90+ degree heat -- it was also an experience...and a powerful one at that. While experiencing all this I had some thoughts/questions that seemed of interest for rednoW readers...

In an election year we hear about problems and solutions. Actually, we hear about this all the time, but the election year certainly stimulates the conversation. For example, the foreclosure rate in this country is a problem. We need a solution for it, which includes the government propping up lending companies and offering help to some Americans at risk of foreclosure. We have an energy problem. Depending on your party or political leanings, the solution may or may not include offshore drilling, though it certainly includes exploring alternative energy sources. Additionally, we have a border problem: hundreds of immigrants try to cross into our country every day. The solution, for now, is a fence, along with better border patrols.

We at rednoW don't always buy the problem/solution paradigm. For one, some problems are insoluble. Anyone with a terminally ill friend or family member can attest to this. Beyond this, the problem/solution paradigm often leads us to areas of judgment: one answer is 'right' while another is 'wrong.' It pushes creativity to the fringes and it shoves the art of wonder away. When life is a series of problems to be solved, wonder is not a proper activity.

One of our hopes here at rednoW is simply to point people to a variety of experiences in wonder. The more we tackle this oh-so-mysterious topic, the more we discover its unpredictability. It tends to show up in a variety of mediums: intrigue, beauty, the transcendent, humanity, and the absurd (to name a few). There is no fancy formula. It just happens. And to be honest, I did not expect it show up within the following video...

Welcome to the season of elections, where things are black and white (or should I say blue and red), good and evil, and there is no in between. This has become tiresome to many Americans, as evidenced by the last midterm election where Democrats took control of Congress.  Now, both candidates in the upcoming presidential race seem much more centered and less willing to polarize than past candidates. This is also evidenced by how Craig Detweiler and John Marks' film "Purple State of Mind ," about the political and religious divide in our country, seems to resonate with so many people (Click here for trailer).

There is a call for a dialogue between the poles. Or, at least for people to admit that there is ground in the middle and how complicated standing on that ground can be. When the war in Iraq began I remember my grandfather, a navy veteran of WWII, telling me how much it pained him to see young men and woman going off to war. At the time I was in college.  Everywhere I turned, all I saw were those who opposed the military and the war, and those in favor of the military and for the war. But my grandfather's reaction was much more nuanced. It was refreshing to me, as I lived in a world of polarized opinions.

With The Dark Knight's claims to box-office pre-eminence secured, the spin cycle begins. What does this hugely popular, amazingly resonate movie mean? What is the message amidst all the madness cruising through Gotham's streets? At HollywoodJesus.com, The Joker is associated with postmodernism and all things relative, making Batman the force for moral absolutes. At Dirty Harry's Place, Batman emerges as a surrogate George W. Bush, willing to be hated for the sake of a larger mission. Yet, at Beliefnet.com, The Dark Knight is traced back to St. John of the Cross and his dark nights of the soul. Is this the sign of a great movie or merely a conflicted audience? How many readings are possible? How many readings are helpful? What might be the filmmakers' intent?

The Dark Knight is all about choices. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan embed this comic book universe with the contemporary question: how should we respond to terrorism? Will we suspend civil rights for the sake of order? What are the limits of interrogation? The Joker pushes Bruce Wayne to the brink of his moral code. Batman breaks ankles to obtain information. Do ethics hinder our effectiveness in fighting crime? The Joker is frighteningly free, dangerously untethered. He makes law and order attractive. Yet, he also points out how easily we adapt or rewrite our rules. What happens when our plans are derailed? Do we paint ourselves as heroes to rationalize carefully crafted schemes? The Joker exposes our tendency to justify our actions irrespective of the law. How much difference is there between a mobster, a corrupt cop or an accountant who fudges the books? Don't vigilante break laws, too? This is about how the world (doesn't) work.

As "post-modern" has become a dirty word and a threat to all morality, the term "meta-narrative" has ventured out of narrative theory circles and has seen an increase in popular usage. People outside of literary circles have come to see narrative theory as important (whether they know it or not) not just for discussions of Charles Dickens' novels, but as important for how we view our own stories and see our own lives.

In hanging out with young people (mostly college and high school age), I've been able to look on as they attempt to fit into and/or create their own meta-narrative. Take a look at almost any of college or high schooler's facebook profile and you will notice the variety, and seeming disjunction, in the quote section. This seems to be a pretty good picture of how we go about creating ourselves from the number of narratives that we're bombarded with everyday and that from outside might seem irreconcilable.

A friend recently sent me a link to a YouTube video knowing that I might dig it. He was right. I have watched it several times transfixed by the combination of the opening monologue, “holy crap” footage and hauntingly beautiful UNKLE remix of the Moby song God Moving Over The Face Of The Water.

I am realizing that I have a predilection for what arises when multiple separate pieces are brought together to form a new whole. It creates a symphony of beauty that helps draw out a deeper truth. But I wonder if some feel this is a form of manipulation or an over stepping of creative bounds.

When Werner Herzog received an invitation from the National Science Foundation to visit its Antarctic headquarters, he made it clear that he was in no mood to make another film about "fuzzy penguins". The line is a funny, if unsurprising, way to begin Encounters at the End of the World.  Despite the recurring theme of global warming as the coming apocalypse (the film’s title works on multiple levels), Herzog’s dry wit keeps the audience engaged, and even laughing at times.