200 Posts!

Looking for Overland's first post was in January of 2011. We have now published over 200 posts, and I thought it would be fun to share the most popular again. I am always surprised what gets read. One of my favorite posts of the year (The Glory of Heroes) got almost no page views. So maybe some time I'll do a subjective round up of the posts that I thought were best... 

But here is the top 10 Looking for Overland posts of all time:

10. Brave Movie Review: 

Any movie with the line "We'll expect your declarations of war in the morning" is going to catch my attention. This is even more likely when it is said in a fetching Scottish accent. Ever since I saw the poster for Pixar’s Brave on the wall of the theater almost two years ago I have been waiting for this movie with great anticipation.

9.  4 Republican Candidates Stand Up for Parental Rights

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was the first candidate to raise the issue of parental rights saying, “What I am very concerned about is the issue of Parental Rights.” She then asked, “Should the federal government control these areas or should parents and localities control these areas?” Former Governor Mitt Romney following Bachmann’s lead was very clear, “I believe in parental rights and parental responsibility for our kids.”

8. Speed Dating!

Sometimes life throws strange stuff at us. Take the other day for example. I was innocently carrying on with life when all of the sudden I find myself in a speed dating rotation. By time I was done I had “speed dated” 106 women.

7. Ron Paul vs. Me

Isolationists could benefit from looking at history and remembering that selfishness is not a worthy standard for national policy. Doing what is right when it is in your best interest is not noteworthy, it is when someone does what it right when it costs them something that catches my attention.
This is why I disagree with Congressman Paul's foreign policy positions and was disappointed when I heard his speech.

6. The Choice is Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum: VOTE for Rick.
    The Choice is Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum: VOTE for Mitt.

 These two posts are self explanatory. 

5. David Barton v. the internet

Barton is right that Jefferson was complicated. But that complexity must be taken into account in his defense, rather than simply brushed away. Jefferson’s actions and ideals did not always act in harmony. Jefferson in particular had a significant blind spot in this area, which meant he thought he was being consistent when he wasn’t. (He does, however, appear to have taken in Barton.) ...But determining what Jefferson really thought about any given topic therefore involves much more than simply finding a quote or anecdote to support a claim. It involves a thorough examination of Jefferson’s life and works, as well as evidence of Jefferson's contrary thoughts or actions. I know Barton would agree with this—he said as much. Unfortunately, as with his hero, there is a significant disconnect between Barton’s rhetoric and his actions.

4. The Avengers: Review

The question that The Avengers asks is "Can we even have heroes anymore?" That is a valid question on many counts. First, it is fair to ask if our culture rejected the idea of heroism and tried to move past it. Second, when we do try to show heroism in the movies, often it is a conflicted hero who has his own share of problems and doesn't seem very heroic. Can we even have heroes anymore?

3. Adventures in Odyssey: The Labyrinth

"Don't get lost in the Labyrinth," were the last words John Avery Whittaker spoke to his son, Jason, at the close of "The Green Ring Conspiracy" (Spring 2011), before Jason went off on a quest across the globe to track down the villainous Mr. Grote, a villain in the Peter Lorre/Sidney Greenstreet mold. The title of their latest episode, "The Labyrinth," tells you all you need to know about the dark journey Jason is on now (well, dark for a kids' show).

2. War Horse Movie Review

Bravery is not just the cavalier charge of the noble horse soldiers. It is also an old man refusing to be proud. It is an energetic youth risking the machine gun fire to help save the lives of his friends. It is a wife standing by her husband in hard times. It is a little girl keeping her head when threatened by greedy soldiers. It is a grandfather staying above the foray, focusing on the task before him. Bravery is not one of these things, it is all of them.

1. Why This Dyslexic Reads Books

I am dyslexic, and I love books. In other words, I am a silversmith without a hand. I am a painter without use of arms. I am a deaf composer.