• Parish: Holy Moly (ECUSA)

    Churchgoers’ Checklist

    The instruction sheet circulated by the Bush-Cheney campaign to religious volunteers lists 22 “duties” to be performed by specific dates. By July 31, for example, volunteers are to “send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney ’04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep” and “Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive.” If anybody from Holy Moly sends our directory to the Repugnicans, there will be Hell. To. Pay. Our incoming vicar won’t be here until the first week in August, anyway, so we’re already behind. However, a Voter’s Registration drive may…

  • Hot Off The Presses

    UO Library Thief Sentenced

    A career thief who stole old books from the University of Oregon library and sold them on eBay sought leniency but got none Tuesday in Lane County Circuit Court. Well, I’ll have to have a chinwag with my old Oregon friend who’s now at the LC about this. According to the article, he devised an unsophisticated way to bypass the electronic sensors at the entrances. Let’s see… I’d guess that would be sling the book in a UO bookstore drawstring bag and chuck it out the nearest open window in the Reserve Reading Room, first floor northeast. If that’s too…

  • Good and Joyful Things

    Small Town Utah, Closed Mind Utah

    Herriman Mayor J. Lynn Crane balked at allowing a group opposing a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to pass out literature from a booth at the city’s founders day party last Saturday. But Crane’s decision may put the 5-year-old city on shaky legal ground Utahns – if you see a booth for Don’t Amend Alliance in Layton, Tooele, Park City or Torrey at your local 4th of July celebration, step up and say hello. And by the way, no they’re not recruiting. Sheesh. Disclaimer: My marriage continues to thrive no matter how many gay people manage to commit matrimony.…

  • Hot Off The Presses

    Homeland Insecurity

    A veteran federal agent assigned to O’Hare International Airport tried to extort $10,000 from an immigrant living illegally in the U.S. by threatening to have him deported, according to charges made public Wednesday. This makes me feel much safer. Because this is the only Federal employee on the take who’s tasked with guarding our borders, right? Right?

  • Hot Off The Presses

    The Comedy Stylings of the White House Press Corps

    Fresh from their latest gig at the White House Press Briefing hosted by Scott McClellan, it’s the new comedy troupe “Not The Stenographers!” Actually, I saw them described as “stenos” on another website the other day in connection with the “Irish journalist asks Bush harrrrrd questions” story. From reading between the lines, and totally in my humble and uninformed opinion, it seems like some of the people asking tough questions know perfectly well that the answers won’t be all that newsworthy. Either that, or their editors will veto them rather than make the White House press secretary look like a…

  • Music

    Musical Bookends

    Something I often do, but haven’t mentioned before: I sing in the car. Yes, I’m one of those annoying people you see in traffic, sitting at a light that’s just turned green trying to hit the note AND remember the words AND get it in gear AND get their ass moving. That’s me. It’s how I gird up on my way to work, or de-gird on the way home. I often think that good songs at the beginning and end of my day act like bookends. I usually listen to WBEZ for news, but WXRT for music. In fact, you…

  • Uncategorical Weirdness

    Painters of Blight!

    I love this: BoingBoing reports that a Seattle art gallery will feature “tributes” of two well known contemporary “artists” – Thomas Kinkad and Jack T. Chick. BB is calling it the “Painters of Blight” show… As you probably know, Thomas Kinkade, the famous “Painter of Light,” has made millions of dollars with his customized prints of day-glo cottages against backdrops of enchanted forests. He has a team of “Kinkade-trained Master Highlighters” who go over reproductions of his work with oil paint. Yes! His work is mass-produced crap! He’s the Norman Rockwell of heartwarming, uplifting, mind-blinkered post- 9/11 Americana! He’s also…

  • Hot Off The Presses

    Irish Journalist: Tough Interview W/Bush

    Here’s a link to Carole Coleman’s Bush interview with George Bush before his arrival in Ireland for the summit. She asked a lot of tough questions and pointed followup questions – Bush appeared to be somewhat irritated that the followup questions came faster than he could parrot the usual rote answers back to her. There’s also an official White House transcript here, most likely somewhat cleaned up. Bush didn’t come off so badly, so long as they were discussing things dear to his heart, like his beloved and still illusory weapons of mass destruction. He lit up with pleasure when…

  • Books

    Harry Potter VI Title Puzzling

    The title of the upcoming sixth Harry Potter book will be Harry Potter ********************, author J.K. Rowling’s official Web site revealed. Fans had to solve a series of puzzles to open a door on the site, revealing the title. Okay, if you want to try to solve the puzzle unspoiled, go here. If you just want to know the damn title already, go to the Sci Fi article cited above.