Italian artist Igor Scalisi Palminteri has reimagined some traditional Christian figures as superheroes. It’s pretty sweet.
Prepare to Have Your Heart Broken in 3 Minutes
May 21, 2012 By 1 Comment
Driving home from the cabin yesterday, Courtney and I had the pleasure to hear the latest winner on NPR Weekend’s 3-Minute Fiction contest, “Rainy Wedding.” It’s a heart-rending story of grief deferred, read beautifully by Susan Stamberg.
Christianity Might Need Some Color
April 19, 2012 By 6 Comments
Hindus, celebrating the Holi Festival, have got color in abundance. I’m afraid our religion is pretty bland in comparison.
French Court: Scientology Audits Are Bogus
February 18, 2012 By 6 Comments
Scientology is having a hard time in France, that bastion of open-minded
liberté:
A FRENCH appeals court has upheld fraud charges and a €600,000 fine against the Church of Scientology for cajoling followers into paying large sums for bogus personality tests and cures.
Rejecting the church’s appeal against a 2009 ruling, the court said two French branches of the US-based organisation were guilty of “organised fraud” and gave four of its leaders suspended jail sentences of up to two years.
A French parliamentary committee described Scientology in 1995 as a “dangerous cult”, not a religion, and individual Scientologists had been prosecuted before, but this case marked the first time the organisation as a whole was convicted.
via Court upholds Scientology fraud ruling in France – The Irish Times – Fri, Feb 03, 2012.
Where Are All the Trees?
January 18, 2012 By 2 Comments
Maps showing all the trees in the U.S.
I’m a big fan of trees, and this map shows every tree in the U.S. (if you look close enough):
The full map is said to have an incredible scale: 4 pixels for every acre in the contiguous United States, according to the release. That land mass is 3,119,884.69 square miles, or about 1,996,726,201 acres. The graphic has 12,519,713 pixels (at 4457×2809) so it seems like there is an original, full-sized version is not available (or my math is wrong), but it’s still quite an excellent image.
via Amazing map offers an inventory of all the trees in the US | Geek.com.
HT: MisterTee
A Big Year Comes to an End
December 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This is me (and Courtney) leaving my dissertation defense in the rear-view mirror
This year, I finished my Ph.D., and I got married. Two great accomplishments, of which I’m very proud. Other things, of course, didn’t go so well, but tonight is not the night for that. Tonight is to celebrate a year gone by, and to anticipate new adventures in 2012.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
Merry Christache
December 26, 2011 By 3 Comments
For Christmas, I gave Courtney and my kids a gift better than anything O. Henry could come up with. I gave them a mustache. And they couldn’t be happier.
Crowdsourcing My Beard
December 12, 2011 By 13 Comments
“The hair of the chin showed him to be a man.” -Saint Clement of Alexandria (c.195)
I’ve been growing my beard since August and, while I doubt that anyone in my family will be giving me a book on beards or any beard care essentials for Christmas, I do think that it’s about time to shape my beard. Above, you can see a picture of the beard in its current state. I’d like your help in deciding how to shape it for Christmas.
I’ve had a funky beard before. In the summer of 2008, for the Church Basement Roadshow, I shaved my beard into the Friendly Mutton Chops. For the hirsute ignorant, when mutton chops are connected by a mustache, it makes them friendly. This is what that looked like:
Look Who’s a Methodist Poster Child!
November 26, 2011 By 12 Comments
Here’s the current homepage at UMC.org:
I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille:
I have no problem being the poster child for service rather than consumerism on Black Friday, and I don’t even object to a denomination using my image for that purpose, but the story is about a few churches in South Texas that have started a ministry called “Bless Friday.” The image is from a retreat for college students that I led in Las Vegas a couple years ago.
So I guess now I’m stock art.
HT: Shane Mullin (who, for some reason, was on the UMC homepage yesterday)
The Nest [POEM]
November 6, 2011 By 2 Comments
With twists and turns she builds the nest;
it’s perched above her ear,
and coiled so tight, a snake at rest,
explode barrettes in fear.
Its genesis we can surmise:
a sultry Texas day;
With hair so dense, she thought it wise
to tuck it up, away.
Cascading down, it now enjoys
its well-deserved release,
Enveloping me slyly –
is this a tent of peace?
No. When the nest does come undone,
the trouble just begins.
I see Eve’s eyes beneath that hair,
and join her in her sins.
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