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Barack Obama Has a Deal for You!

Like a great many folks who found themselves caught up in the wave of Obama fever that permeated the Internet in 2008, I’m still a part of the mailing lists that were used to drive the President’s (amazingly well-financed) 2008 grassroots campaign. In the intervening three years, I’ve dutifully remained on that list, a fact borne as much out of laziness as my hope for some niblet of insider-y information that presidents are well-known to share with a mailing list of a few million strangers ahead of the rest of the world. Continue reading →

Welcoming The End of the World

Jesus answered: Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:4-8

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Armegeddon Outta Here

Oh my goodness, ya’ll! Just 24 hours until the end of the world!

In case you haven’t heard…tomorrow, Saturday, May 21st, is it. Finito. The End of The Line. Check-out time. So says Colorado minister Harold Camping, who believes all will end. You’ve probably seen his followers wandering about wearing sandwich boards to warn the rest of us, because nothing gets the word out about important things like sandwich boards. Continue reading →

The Strauss-Kahn Rape Scandal and Our Culture of Rationalizing Sex Crimes

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was indicted by a New York court today on 7 counts including unlawful imprisonment and attempted rape – he was also granted bail despite prosecutors’ assertion that he could become “another Roman Polanski.” However, despite the severity of the charges no one seems to be showing any concern for the victim and everyone is trying to rationalize away the crime itself. Continue reading →

Your Holiday Forecast For May 19

Today’s celebrations include cake, kids, sun, and Jamie Foxx’s best role.  With the rapture coming this weekend, there’s no better time to enjoy a sinfully delicious dessert.  And what better way to impress Jesus than with some selfless volunteerism?  Also, don’t forget to start a base tan today, so you won’t get burnt on the trip up. Or down, as the case may be.  Party On! Comment.

How Flaky People Are Good For The Environment

Slobs, take heed: a recent study performed by a Danish chemist shows that the same dust we hurriedly remove from all the surfaces of our home when guests visit is actually helping keep the air inside clean, reducing ozone levels by 2 to 15 percent. The scientist discovered that oil in dead human skin cells can break down ozone, which can be damaging to human lungs.  Read more here, at PopSci.com. Comment

Canadian Journalist Dorothy Parvaz Released from Iran

Parvaz was born in Iran to an Iranian father and American mother. Her family moved to British Columbia where she obtained a degree in English literature at the University of British Columbia. She had only quite recently accepted a job reporting for Al Jazeera, being based out of its headquarters in Doha, Qatar. She disappeared on April 29, 2011 and it was later revealed that she was detained by Syrian authorities on her way to report on anti-government demonstrations in that country. She was eventually deported to Iran where she was held for a further 19 days.

That Parvaz has multiple citizenships and passports seems to have been the pretext for her detainment. On Tuesday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman claimed Parvaz had committed several passport violations on her trip to Syria, stating that the journalist had “traveled to Syria with expired Iranian passport, planned to work without a press permit and had several passports on her.” While Parvaz likely used her Canadian or American passport to enter Syria, Iran doesn’t officially recognized multiple citizenships for Iranians.

Parvaz’s family have been jubilant today after receiving a phone-call from her last night around 9:30 pm PST to let them know she had been released and was planning on returning to Vancouver by Wednesday or Thursday. “It was one of the best moments of my life,” said her father. “I’m 68 years old and I’ve never had a moment like it.”
CBC, Al Jazeera, Seattle Times.