we are weary of your malcontent & your warmongering

No, I don't mean this guy. I mean Senator Levin (D-MI), naturally.

More from Sister Toldjah, Outside the Beltway, A Blog for All

FaceBook

I've joined. I don't know if it means anything, but I did.

Farewell, Chief Illiniwek

I link to this story out of deference to my wife's great-aunt, a great fan of the Fighting Illini. I'm a Buckeye, so I couldn't care less what those Illinois people do.

this post is strictly for Pastor Mark Daniels

Did you smile after reading this?

how to become wealthy

Here's a big tip: don't live like you are.

Also: don't spend more than you make.

And: if you have a radio, and you have the time, listen to this guy.

this Sunday's sermon: "The Greatest Sex You'll Ever Have"

Do preachers really require sensationally-titled sermons to pack their church's pews on Sunday? It is apparent that Tim Kade thinks so. I think these titles are more appropriate in the sexuality section of the local bookstore, not on the church sign.

Speaking of the sexuality section: why is it frequently located near the children's books? Several bookstores around Indianapolis are set up this way.

(HT: Mark Byron)

"The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk himself, has numerous links to sites about James Cameron's new "documentary" about Jesus, which supposedly shows proof that His bones were put in a box. You can find them here and here.

James Cameron was on Larry King's show last night, talking about his film. The transcript is here. Also on the program to discuss the film was Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I'm mostly providing these links for myself so that I can follow-up on them when I have the time, but they are here for your benefit as well.

what Al Gore should have said at the Oscars

Al Gore gave two short speeches at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, one given before his film won for Documentary. Both speeches were obvious panderings to the Hollywood crowd, who now seems to be completely at peace with his wife Tipper. Many people will remember that Tipper railed against the music industry back in the 80's and formed the Parents' Music Resource Center. I'm sure Frank Zappa recalls those days fondly.

Calling the global warming threat a "moral issue," Gore said, "We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource. Let's renew it."

What he should have said, specifically to the Hollywood crowd, was this:

My fellow wealthy Americans:

It is truly incredible to think of the amount of money represented in this hallowed room tonight. Why, George Lucas' bank account alone could fund the energy bills of entire countries for years to come, to say nothing of the piles of dough belonging to his pal Spielberg. So, just imagine the collective wealth of everyone here. It's really quite stunning.

It's also stunning to think about the amount of living space many people in this room occupy, especially those of you who are seated down front. Why, I was just reading in a recent copy of Architectural Digest about someone's house - no, I won't name who it is, even though I see the person here tonight - having 10,000+ square feet. And this person is the only one who lives there! And (s)he has an apartment in New York, too!! Can you just imagine the energy consumption?

What if we all committed to living in smaller houses, which would take much less energy to power and to heat? What if we had no more than, say, 3,000 square feet of living space? What that be enough for you? Now I know that this would mean that some of you would have to sell off some stuff - but, hey! You could give the money to environmental causes, to show that you're genuinely committed to my film!

And I know that some of you would have to live in "normal" neighborhoods with "ordinary" people living next to you. And some of you are concerned that the paparazzi would have easier access to you. I admit that's a concern for my friend Leo here, but some of you? Seriously, who cares about a picture of Alan Arkin mowing the grass, or Meryl Streep grabbing the paper in her bathrobe?

If you're truly concerned about the environment, be willing to make big changes yourself. Don't just expect those everyday Americans watching us right now to do it for you. And when you come to next year's Oscars, don't rent out some limo - carpool in a Prius!

Thank you. And good - I mean green - night!

Oscars 2006

I talked about the Oscars last year, so I suppose I should do so this year, right? As usual, I had to leave the broadcast early so that I could get to work. I couldn't play as close attention once I arrived at work and kept tabs on the broadcast through the Internet, but the show still seemed to go on forever.

How did host Ellen DeGeneres do? The best thing that can be said is that she wasn't controversial, unlike this past host. Last year's host, Jon Stewart, played to the TV viewer more than the audience; this year, DeGeneres did the opposite. She changed clothes several times, but never put on a skirt or dress.

The Departed was honored with four statuettes - including Picture - the most for any film this year. Martin Scorsese won for Director, and many believe his award was long overdue.

The Academy voted to give Michael Moore a statuette a few years back, so I guess they felt obligated to give one to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. He became the first vice president in history to narrate an Oscar-winning film. I wonder if Gore won by a lot of votes, or if the other nominated films should ask for a recount. Wait a minute, this is California, not Florida...

We had another year of winners getting the prize for playing real-life people. Forest Whitaker won for playing Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, and Helen Mirren grabbed a golden guy for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.

The only Oscar-winning film I've watched is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It won for Visual Effects.

Here's the complete list of winners.

Yogurt

Is frozen yogurt making a comeback? According to the Dining & Wine section of the New York Times, it is - and people are fighting for it. West Hollywood women in Ugg boots can't get enough of the frozen treat. Pinkberry is the shop of choice - it even has addicts. The folks at Daily Candy were writing about Pinkberry two years ago.

Pinkberry’s original store has drawn the ire of its West Hollywood neighbors after nearly a year of parking dramas and lawns dotted with small paper cups bearing little pink swirls.

The company’s squabbles with the competitors that have sprouted around town have been the subject of fierce debate on Los Angeles food blogs and more than a dozen news articles in the local press. The rivals have plans to expand into Las Vegas and Florida. Meanwhile a company in Korea claims that it was the inspiration for Pinkberry.

Undeterred, Pinkberry has marched on with its own expansion, opening nine new stores in Los Angeles County over the last three months, and three in New York.

I worked at a frozen yogurt shop for two summers during my college years, 1990 and 1991. The Summer of 1990 seemed to be the heyday for yogurt, or at least it was in Dayton, Ohio. We often had lines outside the door, but there was never any violence. We did have a frequent customer who liked to wear bright-colored wigs, her favorite being a curly rainbow-colored one.

Lent abstinence

I grew up attending a Baptist church, so Lent is a foreign concept to me. However, I have decided this year to participate in the self-denial aspects of this particular season. I have decided to give up fast-food for 40 days.

I promise to be honest with you, dear reader. Will I make it? Let's see...

One of my favorite bloggers, Pastor Mark Daniels, has a post about Lent and Ash Wednesday. If you live in the Cincinnati area and you have no church home, do visit his church - he has directions for you.

"Good Evening Friend Brownie"

Listen to the music. Not very complicated, but nice.

Happy Pancake Day

Eat 'em up!

Related: Go here for info on Shrove Tuesday.

new blog on living with children with Asperger Syndrome

Check it out.

What is Asperger Syndrome? Go here to learn more.

a lottery winner's lament

Here is a tale of the dangers of obtaining a lot of money at once.

A couple who won a $2.6 million lottery jackpot and spoke of helping young people fight drug addiction and alcohol abuse are facing a lawsuit alleging they held four months of parties with public sex, fights and signs of drug dealing.

The city lawsuit against Elizabeth and Samuel Howard also detailed allegations of an assault on a neighbor, slashed tires and loud music. Samuel Howard, 54, denied the allegations. "I just feel like I'm a victim in the whole situation," he said Friday.

The police have responded to reports of parties 52 times in four months. The couple and their sons have a criminal history of thievery and drug trafficking.

Rich bloggy goodness

Apparently, there's a blogosphere cookbook. (HT: M. Malkin)

Update: If you Google "rich bloggy goodness," I'm the fourth one down. Of course, if you Google "good brownie," I come out on top.

who will shave your head?

Do it yourself, just like Britney.

"The era of the Religious Right is now past"

Is Jim Wallis correct?

It's time to remember the spiritual revivals that helped lead to the abolition of slavery in Britain and the United States; the black church's leadership during the American civil rights movement; the deeply Catholic roots of the Solidarity movement in Poland that led the overthrow of communism; the way liberation theology in Latin America helped pave the way for new democracies; how Desmond Tutu and the South African churches served to inspire victory over apartheid; how "People Power" joined with the priests and bishops to bring down down Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos; how the Dalai Lama keeps hope alive for millions of Tibetans; and, today, how the growing Evangelical and Pentecostal churches of the global South are mobilizing to addresse the injustices of globalization.

I believe we are seeing the beginning of movements like that again, right here in America, and that we are poised on the edge of what might become a revival that will bring about big changes in the world. Historically, social reform often requires spiritual revival. And that's what church historians always say about real revival — that it changes things in the society, not just in people's inner lives. I believe that what we are seeing now may be the beginning of a new revival — a revival for justice.

The era of the Religious Right is now past, and it's up to all of us to create a new day.

It may be too soon to tell, but we shall see.

Update: The folks at Get Religion have the same opinion I do: nice try, Mr. Wallis, but let's wait and see.

if she was still in mom's womb, she could have been legally aborted

Amillia Taylor, a Florida baby born on October 24, 2006 - 21 weeks and 6 days after she was conceived - has come home.

Neonatologists who cared for Amillia say she is the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks. A database run by the University of Iowa's Department of Pediatrics lists seven babies born at 23 weeks between 1994 and 2003.

She has had some physical problems but doctors say her prognosis is "excellent."

Sister Toldjah has photos.

Related: Crisis pregnancy centers have become important enough to be discussed in the latest Time.

Dreaming of April

It is at this time of the year that I really feel the sentiments expressed in this song.

My family members know there's another reason to like this song.

WaPo's On Faith

If you haven't visited the section of the online Washington Post called On Faith, you should do so. Very interesting discussions are taking place over there. The current question of discussion: “Why do you think some religions have regarded sex as sacred while others have regarded it as a sin?”

the God of Washington

Al Mohler has a little something for President's Day.

Do you know your presidents?

McCain: Roe v. Wade should be overturned

He can say it, but that doesn't mean it will happen. Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 have all expressed their disapproval of Roe v. Wade, but it's still here. It's the judges - or, rather, the Justices - that count.

McCain also vowed that if elected, he would appoint judges who "strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States and do not legislate from the bench."

Isn't this the phrase of choice among most conservatives? How a judge interprets the Constitution is a matter of opinion, of course.

The real question is whether McCain truly means this, or is he just pandering to the Religious Right and other prolifers within the GOP. He hasn't always been staunchly prolife. I'm sure McCain wants to court votes away from Mitt Romney. He also wants to take off his maverick coat in exchange for a more conservative one.

free shirt from Starbucks

Between now and February 28, Starbucks is offering free T-shirts designed by Project Runway's Mychael Knight. You have to visit the site at 10:00 AM PST (1:00 PM EST), and the shirts are limited. Go here.

a snowy Valentine

Winter storms and snow emergencies are such fun! Especially when you're stuck in a hospital!!!

The news people are saying, "Don't go outside! Stay in your homes!" Well, let me ask you: how did you get to work, newsperson?

Help Ann Althouse become a Primate again

Link to her now. Then she'll be able to evolve.

Linkage love

Once again, I offer you a few links which I have found to be insightful, thought-provoking, convicting, and/or amusing. How will you respond to them? Move your mouse, click, and find out.

• The Pastor: Not One of Us by Dan Edelen
• The Most Popular Myths in Science (HT: In the Agora)
• Ten Values of the Early Church by Jollyblogger
• Obama's Race Problem by Edward Blum (HT: J.T.)
• Sola Scriptura and the Proliferation of Protestant Denominations by Phil Johnson (Phil will have more on this topic, so visit his site regularly. If you don't already do that, why don't you?)
• Lord of Your Loneliness by Steve Camp
• Do stop behaving as if you are God, Professor Dawkins by Alister McGrath
• A Valentine from Richard 6.0, by RLC
• The Snow by Doug Masson - I hear you, Doug, I hear you.

Anna Nicole Smith, 1967-2007

I've avoided blogging about Anna Nicole, only because everyone else seems to be. However, I must draw your attention to Tammy Brister's post on the reality star's tragic life.

I hearkened back to Scripture and more specifically to the life of Jesus Christ to think about a couple of Anna Nicole’s in Jesus’ day. I recall a woman of Samaria who had many men in her life (John 4:1-42), a woman of the city who was characteristically known as “a sinner” (Luke 7:36-50), and a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Like the Samaritan woman, Anna Nicole had experienced many men in her life. Like the woman of the city, she prostituted herself for riches. Like the woman caught in adultery, she knew what it was like to be in a courtroom, being judged by others. Jesus was no stranger to the Anna Nicole’s of his day.

[HT: Justin Taylor]

Update: For a more secular view of Anna Nicole, go here.

For all her gaudy excesses, there is in some of us--or there ought to be--the urge to treat Ms. Smith gently. Hers is a pathetic story, of ersatz celebrity, dead children and the pursuit of money, sex, drugs, weight loss and validation-through-litigation. That this pursuit was so thoroughly unembarrassed is a comment not so much on Ms. Smith's personal aesthetics as it is on human folly, U.S.-style, taken to its logical extreme.

snowstorm!

It's frightful outside!
(Photo from WTHR-TV)

To the family in Florida: Yeah, you may be laughing now, but tell me again how fun hurricanes are. We don't get those up here. We don't have excruciatingly hot and sticky summers, either. Also, no fire ants.

Who wants Harry Potter to die?

The boy wizard himself. Or, rather, the teenager who plays him on screen.

Related:

• Will Harry Potter live or die?
• GrandPre gives thoughts on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (Mary GrandPre has illustrated all the books)
• "How Will Harry Potter Die?"

ya'll remember my husband, Bubba

So predictable.

As she made her first outing to New Hampshire as a presidential candidate last weekend, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton left her husband at home, yet she tried to tap his old political magic at nearly every turn.

Mrs. Clinton, Democrat of New York, mentioned Mr. Clinton at least eight times on Saturday — at one point talking about “Bill’s heart surgery” to illuminate her own travails with health care bureaucracy — and a few times on Sunday, most memorably when she said of Republicans, “Bill and I have beaten them before, and we will again.”

For the first time in her bid for the White House, Mrs. Clinton directly laid claim to the legacy and popularity of former President Bill Clinton — and did so in a crucial primary state where her husband showed his resiliency in 1992, when he finished second despite weeks of troubles.

“It helps her because we know Bill Clinton and we love Bill Clinton. We know him and his foibles. We know he loves his Dunkin’ Donuts; we know his love for burgers,” said State Representative Patricia M. McMahon, a longtime ally of both Clintons. “It shows that she’s human, too, and appreciates her husband and likes him as much as we do.”

I'm not saying it's a bad thing and she shouldn't do it. I'm not saying that she thinks America is suffering from some form of memory loss. I'm just saying it's funny that she's hearkening back to the old two-for-one blue-light-special statements she made in 1992.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

Had he survived Booth's bullet and lived to this day, President Abraham Lincoln would be 198 years old. That's a lot of candles on the cake!

In his honor, I will direct you to this post by the eponymous Matthew Yglesias (love that first name!) on Lincoln, a certain ridiculous statement by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, and a modern-day senator from Illinois.

Speaking of Lincoln, if you haven't picked up a copy of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, get to your local bookstore now!

More on Lincoln:

• biography from the White House website
• biography from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• The Lincoln Institute
• Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
• Speeches: Farewell Address 1861, First Inaugural Address1861, Gettysburg Address, Second Inaugural Address 1865, Last Public Address
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

steppin' out over the River Colorado

I've been to the Grand Canyon once, on one of those trips out West that many families here in the Midwest (or even the East) undertake. Standing by the railing on the southern rim, looking out over the canyon and down at the Colorado River... words can not do justice to the sight. Pictures, 4X6 or otherwise, can not give an accurate portrait of the scale of the Canyon.

I will return to the Canyon someday, taking the trip with my own children just as so many have done with theirs. I will not, however, walk over this if it is there.

There are some things in life that you just don't do.

[Thanks, Pastor Mark, for linking to this post.]

Bourdain on FoodTV

Tony Bourdain, chef/author/TV host, recently guest-blogged on Michael Ruhlman's site. Bourdain has been keeping up with Food Network, and he dishes about what he has seen here. [Warning: Bourdain likes to use, as Spock might say, colorful metaphors] He has nothing but praise for Mario Batali, words with which any fan of Molto Mario would agree, and Alton Brown; he also talks about Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, but I wouldn't call it praise.

Bourdain's show on Food Network, A Cook's Tour, still has a page on their site, even though it's been off-air for several years now. His current show, No Reservations, can be seen on the Travel channel.

49th Annual Grammys

Was this the Grammys or the Country Music Awards? The Dixie Chicks were the big winners tonight, taking home the trophies for several categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Country Album). Suprisingly, the Chicks said nothing political - at least, nothing that I heard.

Carrie Underwood became the first American Idol alum to win Best New Artist; I thought James Blunt had that award wrapped up, but the voters thought otherwise.

Here's the complete list of winners.

I was pleased to see Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere win the award for Urban/Alternative Music (for the ubiquitous Crazy). I bought their CD solely on the basis that it topped Entertainment Weekly's 2006 list of music, and I wasn't disappointed!

I strongly dislike bluegrass music, but it was nice to see fellow believer Ricky Skaggs win for Instrumentals.

Former president Jimmy Carter continues the line of political leaders gaining Grammys - he won Spoken Word Album for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis. Past winners in this category include Senator Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton, and Senator Hillary Clinton. I guess this means that if you have been or want to be a president, and you record a spoken word album, the Grammy is yours!

"How Christians Might Think About the 2008 Presidential Election"

Pastor Mark Daniels has completed his seven-part series. You can go here to find the links to all seven posts.

Pacer problems

Can't they just stay out of trouble? You think Stephen Jackson's tale would have been a lesson learned, but apparently not.

shake me to wake me

Perhaps you've slept through your clock alarm a time or two. Maybe, like me, you like to push the snooze button a few times. Well, folks, this clock may be the one for you.

It would have been handy during my college days.

Obama's faith

He shows a glimpse of it here, in his address to Call to Renewal.

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their Bibles.

Update: "I take Christian faith seriously."

this is what it sounds like when doves get shocked

Torie Bosch tackles an important question: how come Prince didn't get electrocuted at the Super Bowl?

The short answer: His Royal Purpleness was wireless, baby. It's not because he was wearing a raspberry beret.

the Islamification of Major C. Jack Ellis

You read this, and you think: there's gotta be a bigger story there, right?

Macon Mayor Jack Ellis has converted to Islam and is working to legally change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.

The mayor, raised as a Christian, said Thursday that he has been studying the Quran for years. He became a Sunni Muslim during a December ceremony in the country of Senegal, on the western coast of Africa. He said the religion originally was practiced by his West African ancestors before they were brought to America by slave traders.
Ellis said his decision was a personal one, though he understands his elected position breeds public interest in his choice. It was not something he decided overnight to do, he said. He will keep his last name the same at the request of two of his daughters.

"Why does one become a Christian?" the mayor said. "You do it because it feels right. It's the right thing for you to do. ... To me it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in. And this is what I believe in."

So many questions arise from this. Why had he "been studing the Quran for years?" Was he merely curious? Was his Christianity unsatisfying in some way? Why is he Sunni and not Shia? If he didn't change "overnight," how long did it take? Why does he think being a Christian has something to do with it "feel[ing] right?" If it was truly "no big deal," why did he become a Muslim?

FYI: Hakim means "wise" in Arabic. Mansur means "victorious" in Arabic. (From Behind the Name)

This article from First Coast News (Jacksonville, Florida) has more information. The mayor, the first black man elected to the office in Macon, will change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis; he will keep his last name in deference to his family (how nice!).

"It's a personal decision, a private decision as to how one worships. But I do understand that I'm not a private person," Ellis said. "But being the mayor of the city, I think people have a right to know what I believe in, that I am a man of faith, and the faith I'm now a part of is the faith of Islam."

He now calls himself a Sunni Muslim. He made the switch, Ellis said, during his December trip to Africa. Rather than call it a switch, Ellis said it was like returning home.

"I went back to my roots I guess you could say," Ellis said. "I did convert to Islam in December of this past year in the country of Senegal. When I say, "back to my roots", Islam was in Senegal prior to the Africans being brought here as slaves."

Ellis places much more emphasis on having an ancestral religion than anything else. Senegal was supposedly full of Muslims in the days before slavery, and Ellis' family came from Senegal, so he saw the need to affirm Islam. Why does he place so much importance on what his ancestors believed? If they had believed in Santeria or voodoo, would he have joined them then?

Even though he switched religions, the mayor said he isn't ranking them.

"I'm not saying that one is better than the other," Ellis said. "We do believe that the prophet Mohammed was the last prophet as well as we believe Moses was a prophet."

So.... why make the change? If one religion is just as good as another, why didn't he remain a Christian? Perhaps it would shock the mayor that fellow Muslims would disagree with him about the one-isn't-better-than-another thing. There are sites out there that clearly proclaim the belief that Islam is the only true religion.

Prior to the conversion, Ellis said he attended Unionville Baptist Church on Houston Avenue and before that Harvest Cathedral on Rocky Creek Road.

I wonder what his former pastors think of Hakim Mansour Ellis now. Are they disheartened? Pleased? Did he talk to them about his conversion to Islam, or did they learn about it through this article? It is rather perplexing, but not surprising, that this journalist didn't probe deeper into the mayor's newfound faith.

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More from Dr. Platypus

get ready

LOST RETURNS!!!


We'll find out if this dude lives or dies:



Did you know Lost has it's own wiki?

favorite Super Bowl commercial

This one. Too funny for words. Not controversial like that Snickers commercial.

"I'm mourning."

J.K. Rowling has finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and she discusses her feelings about concluding the series on her website. It goes on sale July 21, about two weeks after the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens in theaters.

Have you checked out LaShawn Barber's other site, Fantasy Fiction for Christians? She writes frequently about the Harry Potter phenomenon, as well as other fantasy-oriented books and films like The Chronicles of Narnia. LaShawn's writings prove that she is a fan of the Harry Potter series, but clearly some people, like Laura Mallory, are not.

My conclusion is that you're mean.... and our time is up.

Dr. Richard Friedman clearly believes that psychiatry cannot cure all human ills. And of course, he's right. Some people are just mean people. Some people are just bad people. Some people have no problem with how they are, and have no desire to change.

There is one thing that we can point to that helps to explain the nature of a person.

Romans 3:9-18

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.""The venom of asps is under their lips."
14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

(HT: Althouse)

Review: "Jesus Camp"

I know that I said I was going to review more movies, but I'll let Joe Carter handle Jesus Camp, which has been nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature. Read it here.

oh meth, where are you?

Jack Shafer asks, where's the coverage on the decrease of meth use in America?

(HT: A. Sullivan)

John Kerry, just a senator

You read this, and you feel almost sad for him, do you not?

Okay, you probably don't feel sad. But how difficult is it to run for the highest office in the land, lose, think about running again two years later, and come to terms with being something of a joke to a party that usually shuns its "losers?"

-3

Yes, it's truly frigid here. It's -3F right now.

In Miami, where the Colts just won Super Bowl XLI, it's 68F.

71 degrees difference between where the Colts regularly play, and where they won the championship. Wrong on so many levels. Granted, the Colts play in a dome, so they never feel the frigid-cold weather, but still....

limiting maximum-security cells for the mentally ill

Some truly good news for criminals with mental illnesses.

Mental health advocates are hailing last week's court settlement that will keep inmates with serious mental illness out of the maximum-security wings of Indiana prisons. But they and others say the state still needs to do more to meet the needs of mentally ill prisoners.

"The Department of Correction is being burdened with people that don't belong in the Department of Correction," said Edward Cohn, who oversaw the department under Gov. Evan Bayh and Gov. Frank O'Bannon, retiring in 2001. "They belong in a mental health setting. . . . The prisons were never established for that."

The settlement means no more windowless, 7-by-12-foot cells for some inmates who are among the state's most unruly, but whose illnesses make them a danger to themselves. The agreement also includes regular psychiatric evaluations of prisoners who remain behind.

The agreement between the department and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana ends a suit brought in 2005 by three inmates. They all had mental illnesses and were confined in the Secured Housing Unit of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. (IndyStar)

"My Evening with Joel"

Melton Duncan recently spent an evening, alongside thousands of others, with Joel Osteen, the eponymous pastor of Lakewood Church in Texas. He recorded his thoughts on the evening.

His conclusion? "If the Christian religion is medicine for souls that are poor and needy than Osteen is a bottle of vitamins in an operating room."

"Groundhog Day"

I know it was a few days ago, but I need to post it. Justin Taylor has several links about one of my favorite films, Groundhog Day. Even Roger Ebert loves it. I saw Lost in Translation, the film for which Bill Murray obtained his first Oscar nomination. I don't think he necessarily deserved a nomination for that film, but it's downright criminal that he didn't get one for Groundhog Day.

29-17

The colt tamed the bear.

GO COLTS!

All that talk about Peyton being like Dan Marino - outstanding quarterback who never got a ring? That's so over...

Wasn't Prince great? But, what was with all that phallic symbolism? And what about that rag on his head?

(Picture: Indy Star)

This day in History

In 2004, Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson's bra at the Super Bowl. The term "wardrobe malfunction" was born. Does anyone remember who actually played in - and won - that game?

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board perish.

In 1978, Roman Polanski flees the U.S. after pleading guilty to having sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl. He has never returned to American soil, because he would be immediately taken into custody if he did so.

"Black History Month" begins today.

Chi-what?!?

For this weekend only and just like Jason, I'm going to hate Chicago and all things associated with that wretched town.

GO COLTS!

tattoo you

I think my niece and nephew-in-law need to check out this site.

Rachael Ray

She's everywhere. She began in her culinary career in restaurants around New York. She was discovered by somebody on the Food Network, and she became the perkier-than-Katie-Couric host of 30 Minute Meals. Then, she started putting out cookbooks faster than you can say Julia Child. Next, she expanded her shows on FoodTV by traveling all over. Then, she created a magazine. Next, she became an Oprah darling and created her own TV show. Now, she's all over the cracker aisle.

Yes, I've seen her on all the cracker boxes. I've even bought a couple. Her presence on the box doesn't make my Triscuits taste better - they tasted fine already.