A big Thank You to Daniel Florien of Unreasonable Faith.com for listing this blog as one of his Top 30 Atheist/Agnostic/Skeptic Blogs. It sounds like an awards-show cliché, but it's an honor to be included in such a distinguished list. I'd second Florien's pick for the top spot. PZ Myers would come in at No. 1 on my attempt at such a list too, as well as No. 1 on a list of, say, "Blogs I Hope My Daughters' Science... Read more
There's a felicitous meeting of art and artist in this scene as both Gordon Currie and Nicolae Carpathia finally stop struggling against destiny and give in to their role in this abysmal plot. Currie does his best here to use what he's been given. He takes the arbitrary silliness of the action and mines it for a sense of unpredictability that adds a nice touch of menace. You're not quite sure if he's going to shoot somebody or start singing.... Read more
I could always use a little bit more to hold on to … "Fantastic Voyage," Lakeside"Fantasy," Earth Wind & Fire"Far and Wide," Roadside Graves"Far Away Coast," Dropkick Murphys"Far Far Away From My Heart," The BoDeans"Farms on Fire," Twitchen Vibes"Farther up the Road," Vigilantes of Love"Fascination," David Bowie"Fashion," David Bowie"Fat," Violent Femmes"Fat Bottomed Girls," Queen NOTE: Not included in this alphabetical range are Bruce Springsteen's "Further On (Up the Road)," or the cover of it by Johnny Cash. Bill Mallonee correctly... Read more
Here's a sampling of recent headlines from around North America: "Perris wants to know why rents are up at mobile home park" "40 Families Must Move From Mobile Home Park" "Judge temporarily halts big rent hikes at Mira Mar" "Mobile-home owners linger in limbo" "Saving mobile homes could bring their demise" "Uncertain Future" "Fremont Mobile-Home Residents Threatened With Rent Increase, Park Closure" "Residents of Mobile Home Park Forced to Relocate" "Glenwood mobile home park may be subdivided" "Closure of Carson... Read more
When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up... Read more
They forgot the red cow. This is not a minor detail — the red cow isn’t optional. There’s no point in planning the End of the World, turning the U.N. into a OWG, cornering the market on the world’s food supply, etc., unless you’ve got yourself a red cow. And Nicole Carpathia doesn’t have one. I can’t really blame Nicolae for this. He’s the Ideas Guy, the leader who works in broad strokes. This is more the sort of detail... Read more
When I look out into your eyes out there, when I look out into your faces, you know what I see? … "Eleanor Rigby," The Beatles"Electioneering," Radiohead"Electron Blue," R.E.M."Elegie," Patti Smith"Elevation," U2"Eli, The Barrow Boy," The Decemberists"Elliot," Jeffrey Gaines"Elly vs. the Eczema," The Henry Clay People"Elsewhere," Sarah McLachlan"Elvis Is Everywhere," Mojo Nixon OK, I'm looking at that list — the Beatles, Radiohead, R.E.M., U2 … — and it seems to pretty much scream, "Hi, I'm 40." So particular emphasis this... Read more
Two things I’ve never been able to figure out about “abstinence only” sex education. 1. Isn’t it necessary, at some point, to describe what it is, exactly (or even generally), that they’re supposed to be abstaining from? 2. Since the goal here seems to be to put off or delay the onset of sexual activity, why bother with abstinence only sex ed at all? Why not just create a curriculum to instill a crippling social awkwardness? I sometimes wonder if... Read more
Check out the woman bandaging CamCam’s leg at the church. She isn’t introduced by name, but I’d recognize that crestfallen frumpiness anywhere. Hello again, Loretta. I’m used to seeing more of that sort of thing in the movie adaptations of blockbuster best-sellers. The Harry Potter movies and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies are filled with fleeting glimpses of characters from the page who had to be cut or condensed out of the films. Those little touches are a... Read more
I’ve just been watching history broadcast live and it was a beautiful thing to see. I’m still a bit too gobsmacked and overwhelmed to say much more just yet about that actual moment when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president — I’m afraid I’d bungle the words like the chief justice did — so I’ll return later to that subject and to the substance of the speech itself. For the moment, let me just offer some initial... Read more
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