Monthly Archives: November 2008

How Would Jesus Drive?: A Man Punishes a Woman for Not Driving Like a Christian—By Running Her Off the Road. I Wonder What Alvin Plantinga Would Say About This

Posted on November 29, 2008 by

An odd traffic news story today from San Antonio: A speeding pickup rear-ended a woman’s sedan on the South Side on Friday morning and sheriff’s officials say the driver said it was Jesus’ will because the other motorist was not … Continue reading →

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“Nothing Staged Can Stay” (A Poem by Santi Tafarella)

Posted on November 28, 2008 by

  before the night’s glittering black curtain   the Father of dung   beatles moves the moon   ——————– What was I trying to do with this tiny poem? For one thing, I was trying to think about the things that … Continue reading →

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Hear That Buzzing?: SLATE Calls MILK “magic” and “a work of art”

Posted on November 27, 2008 by

Money quote: [W]ith Milk (Focus Features), the story of martyred gay rights activist Harvey Milk, Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black pull off something very close to magic. They make a film that’s both historically precise (allowing for … Continue reading →

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Our Monsters, Ourselves

Posted on November 27, 2008 by

The MONSTEROUS plays an enormous role in literature and the human imagination—from the Book of Revelation and Dante’s Inferno to Nosferatu and Mad Monster Party. It also plays a large role in politics—as in the demonizing, by the far right, of Barack … Continue reading →

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What’s Good for the Goose

Posted on November 26, 2008 by

This brilliant idea comes from Tom Ackerman via Andrew Sullivan’s blog: Yesterday I called a woman’s spouse her boyfriend. She says, correcting me, “He’s my husband,” “Oh,” I say, “I no longer recognize marriage.” The impact is obvious. I tried … Continue reading →

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Sean Penn “shows what such an ordinary man can achieve”: Roger Ebert Gives “Milk” Four Stars

Posted on November 26, 2008 by

Sean Penn may be headed for a “best actor” Oscar for his performance in Milk. Roger Ebert also praises Penn’s performance, and gives the film four stars. Money quote: Sean Penn never tries to show Harvey Milk as a hero, … Continue reading →

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Women, Gays, and “the desert religions”: Richard Rodriguez Tells Salon.com That He’s Working on a Book about Western Monotheism

Posted on November 25, 2008 by

Money quote: Well, I’m working right now in the Middle East on monotheistic religions because I’m very worried about the direction of religion. Ever since Sept. 11, when I heard that prayer being spoken at the moment the planes hit … Continue reading →

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Richard Rodriguez on H8 (Proposition 8)

Posted on November 25, 2008 by

Today, Salon.com posted an interview with Richard Rodriguez on gay marriage. Money quote:  [I]t’s one thing for the churches to insist on their right to define the sacrament of marriage for their own members. But it’s quite another for them to … Continue reading →

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Impact

Posted on November 23, 2008 by

On November 20th, a meteor broke through earth’s atmosphere over Edmonton, Canada:

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Carpe Diem: Jayne Mansfield in 1957—And Ten Years Later She Was Dead

Posted on November 23, 2008 by

Here’s Jayne Mansfield in 1957 (at age 24) talking about her desire to be taken seriously as an actress: And below is a brief documentary on her death. Jayne Mansfield, in addition to her acting, played the violin. After Jayne’s death, her ex-husband had an … Continue reading →

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“He mainlines homework”: Bob Woodward on Obama as Intellectual—and Bush as Anti-Intellectual

Posted on November 23, 2008 by
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No Place to Hide?: Why the Internet Foreshadows the Decline of Young Earth Creationism

Posted on November 23, 2008 by

Paleontologist Dan Phelps visits Ken Ham’s creationist museum in Kentucky and offers his take here. Money quote: Most homeschoolers are already teaching their children creationism, so the museum may at worst strengthen the message the kids are getting at home. … Continue reading →

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No. They. Klan’t.

Posted on November 23, 2008 by
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America’s Comedic Socrates: Bill Maher on “Religulous” and His “I don’t know” Agnosticism

Posted on November 23, 2008 by
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Obamageddon Cancelled: Rush Limbaugh’s and Sean Hannity’s Chicken Little Hysteria Act Over What an Obama Cabinet Would Look Like Proves Utterly Divorced from Reality

Posted on November 22, 2008 by

All through 2008, the far-right cried like Chicken Little about Obama being a secret Muslim, communist, and terrorist, and in their racism insinuated that he’d appoint a cabinet full of scary names (to conservatives) like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. … Continue reading →

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A Man Experiences a Second Birth (But Don’t Try This at Home)

Posted on November 21, 2008 by

Watching the clip below, I couldn’t help but think of the bindings and loosings in Blake’s poetry, and one line especially (from his poem, “Infant Sorrow”): Into the dangerous world I lept. Anyway, it’s a bit nervy to watch, but also … Continue reading →

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The New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?: What Bush Hath Wrought

Posted on November 21, 2008 by

Ron Brownstein today: As George W. Bush’s presidency winds down, the Republican Party’s greatest problem is that it doesn’t appear to be reaching much of anybody who isn’t already watching Fox News. Bush leaves behind a party that looks less … Continue reading →

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Life Gets Complicated—Really Fast

Posted on November 21, 2008 by

A single cell organism that, when it moves, makes track lines identical to those found fossilized in precambrian strata suggests that the multi-cellular “Cambrian Explosion” really was quite the explosion indeed. Discovery Channel News explains: Until about 550 million years ago, there … Continue reading →

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Two Turkeys, One Cup

Posted on November 21, 2008 by

Sarah Palin “pardons” a Thanksgiving turkey, then steps forward for some press questions holding a cup of hot coffee. Prepare to be mildly grossed out: It might make for an amusing YouTube to video one’s reaction to watching “Two Turkeys, One … Continue reading →

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Turkey with, eh, Gravy?: Sarah Palin Does a Thanksgiving Interview with Turkeys Being Slaughtered Directly Behind Her!

Posted on November 21, 2008 by

Caution: In males the clip below may stir castration anxiety. As governor of Alaska (2008), Sarah Palin had just “pardoned” one Thanksgiving turkey, then stepped forward to take a few press questions, apparently oblivious to the other turkeys being slaughtered over her shoulder:

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