Watch: Ohio band Girl Named Tom’s big year
Last year was a big one for Girl Named Tom, a sibling band composed of Mennonites from Pettisville, Ohio. On Dec. 14, Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty became the first group to win the NBC singing competition The Voice. Competing on the show’s 21st season resulted in international exposure, US$100,000 and a recording contract for…
Watch: “Amish Paradise,” 25 years later
It’s been 25 years since legendary music parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic lampooned the Amish, mentioning Mennonites along the way. Bad Hair Day, Yankovic’s ninth album, was released on this day in 1996. It has sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone. The lead single, “Amish Paradise”—and the video that accompanied it—parodies…
The movies that have shaped us
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down concert venues and sports stadiums. Even movie theatres have locked their doors. Over the past several months, many people have found themselves stuck at home with more free time and a new Netflix subscription. Six Mennonites talk about the films that have been formative in their lives: Mackenzie Nicolle…
Watch: Quarantine viewing ideas
Looking for a movie to watch? Sue Sorensen has some suggestions for you. Sorensen, an English professor at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, is featured in a series of five short videos CMU posted to its YouTube channel earlier this month. Each video features a film that Sorensen recommends watching, particularly in light of the…
My favourite films of 2019
For various reasons, I watched fewer films in 2019 than in any of the previous five years. In general, the films listed below are not as strong as films on previous lists. In the end, though, there were enough good films to make a Top 15 list. Here’s my list, counting down—with a reminder that…
They put a spell on you
Don’t expect to hear anything by Bach, Brahms or Beethoven if you attend a performance by Winnipeg’s Incantatem. The a cappella choir’s repertoire has a unique focus: music from movies, TV shows and video games. The choir is an offshoot of Geekdom House, a program founded by two Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) alumni that aims…
The geek shall inherit the earth
Allison Barron developed an interest in computer games and science fiction at an early age. Reconciling her pop culture interests with her Christian faith has not always been easy, though. “I’ve never felt very ostracized or pressured because of my [interests],” says Barron, 26. At the same time, “I did not feel like that was…
How you sell soul to a soulless people who sold their soul
This year I made a resolution to work through all of Kierkegaard’s writings. I am now about halfway through his Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses and have come across his reflections on the soul, namely how to gain and preserve your soul in patience. The soul is a basic contradiction in life formed both temporarily and eternally. …
