Diapsalmata on Thomas Jefferson’s Cut-Up Bible.
WSJ yesterday profiled former pastor Thomas Harrison, “a professional mystery worshipper.” Harrison “a meticulous inspector who often uses the phrase ‘I was horrified; to register his disapproval of dust bunnies and rude congregants — poses as a first-time churchgoer and covertly evaluates everything from the cleanliness of the bathrooms to the strength of the sermon.”
So what is a conservative now? Most remarkable about this election, Obama is smashing the electoral college. In the comments of an post on Georgia’s quite possibly Obama win, someone points out how the English Tory party outgrew its social platform. The shocking lack of diversity we saw at the Republican national convention is proof the party message has got to change. By 2042, minorities will be the majority. Already, Asians, Hispanics, and African-Americans overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates. The world is also increasingly urbanizing. The GOP can’t keep ignoring people in cities (let alone calling us unpatriotic, elite, etc.) Great post on BLDGBLOG about this here. Bless her heart, Sarah Palin does show a glimmer of hope that the GOP is moving toward a modern image: “full civil rights equivalent to marriage” for gays, redefining gender roles, and sorta! pro-civil liberties. Right now, typically divided-government loving libertarians largely support Obama. Now it’s up to the GOP to decide whether they are going to put up Mike Huckabee (left economically, social conservative) or a libertarian (free-market, culturally liberal) in 2012. Guess which of the two can win. UPDATE: Hrag comments: “I think you misunderstood Palin’s endorsement of full civil right for gay couples. She said she thought they should be able to go into contracts…that’s not the same thing. Gwen Ifill didn’t clarify that and you’re the third person/blog I’ve heard misquote that. The gov’t has no role limiting personal contracts. What some of us in same-sex relationships want is a law that ensures that our partners are covered by our health insurance and that covers issues like immigration. What Palin said was nowhere near to ANY of that, on the other hand Biden supported equal rights under another name (civil unions).” UPDATE II: pretty good thread here on why Bobby Jindal will really have to tone down his biblical literalism to be considered in 2012. More on that here.
“People don’t pay enough attention to the body. My understanding of life is very existential. I think that we are our bodies. There’s nothing else, and when we die, that’s it. No afterlife. I’m very anti-religious because religion tends to disembody you. There’s an emphasis on your spirit, or where you’ll be when your body’s gone, and that’s misleading. ” – David Cronenberg in an interview with Defamer, explaining also how he is “lazy” and of the two, David Lynch is “way weirder than I am.” (via.)
The Church of Scotland’s new moderator maintains the “Mod’s Blog.” The Times shares with us some of his bon mots, “Came up with idea for a new device — the iPray. No idea yet what it would do.” The piece is written by Allan Brown, who has another funny article about how sushi and shopping malls are incompatible, at least in Glasgow.
May 19, 1780. New Englanders thought it was Judgement Day as the sky was totally black in the afternoon. Over two hundred years later, scientists agree it was because of massive wildfires burning in Canada.
UFOs In Renaissance Paintings Explained: “Diego Cugohi examined many of the strange, saucerlike objects hovering in the background of Italian renaissance paintings, and applied a thorough knowledge of Christian iconography to show that most, if not all of these examples can be explained as representations of saints, the holy spirit, angels etc.” (via.)
“Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space…The official Vatican newspaper headlines his article ‘Aliens Are My Brother’.” – BBC
Things Magazine comments on the “genuine strangeness” of Mormon architecture. Like a plastic toy castles waiting to be painted. The temple near Washington, DC is especially peculiar. And Jezebel compares FLDS dresses to current runway looks. Those puffed sleeves aren’t half-bad
-
A collection of interesting ideas curated by
Joanne McNeil. About ➚
Sponsors
