Friday fragments

The Infrastructurist brings us “10 of the Dumbest Road Signs You’ll Ever See,” some of which are dumb, but some of which are kind of awesome.

To me the strangest road sign is the one that says “Form Two Lanes.” I used to pass such a sign every night at four in the morning on my way home from the paper, wondering, “How am I supposed to do that?”

Also infrastructure-related: the White Roof Project. That’s a Good Thing, though it might be even better as a nonprofit business employing people who need jobs than as a mainly volunteer effort.

Dave Lartigue points us to this depressing article about the Catholic Bishop of Toledo’s campaign in favor of breast cancer. I wish that were a joke, but it’s not:

Toledo Catholic Bishop Leonard Blair has banned parishes and parochial schools from raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, citing concerns that the global anti-cancer giant may someday fund embryonic stem-cell research.

So if you’re planning on donating to or fundraising for the Susan G. Komen Foundation any time soon, it might be fun to send a cheerfully polite note to Bishop Blair, thanking him for inspiring your gift.

Mike Todd finds that one of the lovelier remembrances of Amy Winehouse was written by Russell Brand:

When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.

Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make, it must be received. …

The Rude Pundit: “A Scene From Our Unshared Sacrifices”

… She was getting three prescriptions. The total was $6.00. This puzzled the old lady. She had never paid anything before, and even this seemingly small amount was obviously causing her consternation. The cashier checked with the pharmacist, who said that there had been a minor change to her plan, and now she had to pay a little for the scrips, a buck-fifty, three bucks. She apologized and put aside the couple of other things she was going to purchase to pay for the medicine. …

Ed Brayton tells us that Josh McDowell, professional convincer of the convinced, is still at the cutting edge of youth culture. He’s just discovered the Internet. He’s against it.

The Revealer’s Abby Ohlheiser explores the parallels between fandom and religion — “… it can do some of the things that religion does without actually being it” — in “Fans of Action: How Harry Potter Inspired a New Generation of Activists.” Dobby lives!

John says Your Yard Is Evil. Charlie Gardner says it’s Frederick Law Olmstead’s fault.

A pastor is asked about sexual ethics. He prudently notes that the nail that sticks up tends to get hammered down and — due to what he rightly identifies as “the scarcity of safe spaces” in the evangelical subculture in which to say anything at all about sexual ethics beyond strained prooftexts and purity rings — he opts to punt. Wise move.

And finally, The Consumerist points us to a resource that everyone ought to bookmark for future reference: the Corporate Consumer Contacts page from consumeraction.gov. Have a complaint? Here’s your contact information. Very cool.