Meebo: The Future of Interaction on the Internet

A few weeks ago, we reported on Meebo, a browser based IM service, offering games that you can play against your friends. We even added a "Chat with TPQ" feature over on the side of the page.

Read/WriteWeb has an article up about how Meebo got to where they are, and where they are going from here. In a move that sets them apart from most other new social networking sites, Meebo has maintained control of their platform, only authorizing 39 out of 300 requests for applications. While Facebook's ad platform has not generated the results they expected, Meebo may have taken a step to avoid such a failure. Their recently announced partnership with Viedo Egg will offer video advertising in IM and chat windows, as well as alongside the games and other video content (including video chat).

Meebo will offers IM, chat rooms, video IM, and games all within a single browser window. And by including the video advertising in the same windows as these other services, they may have finaly found a way to make money off of Web 2.0.

Romney's "Faith in America": The Hangover

I mentioned in my post last night (includes complete video of his address) that I thought Romney's speech needed to cover his Mormon religion moreso than contemplating "Faith in America," as he did.

Well, Christianity Today checks in on that very tip, explaining "What Evangelicals Heard in Romney's Speech."


Echoing my speculation, David Neff, the author, explains, "According to a Pew poll, 36 percent of evangelicals say that they are less likely to vote for a candidate who is a Mormon (compared to 25 percent of all Americans). Republicans know that this kind of evangelical resistance must be overcome in order to win a presidential election."

Of course, polls are always sketchy footholds, but it demonstrates that a much larger percentage of Evangelicals, to whom Romney was speaking directly in his address, are skeptical of his religious affiliation.

Neff outlines several places where Evangelicals can jive with Romney, based on the overarching, non-committal comments he made about "religion," which, by itself, was never actually defined. Granted, he was speaking to a group of people that already has pretty firmly in its place a definition of religion, but as someone with a non-traditional definition of the term, and a swing vote, I'd like to hear at least one candidate come out for some type of religious pluralism in America — isn't that kind of what freedom of religion is all about? To live justly and "freely" together is not only about "tolerating" all religions — "tolerance," to me, implies reluctance and still suggests that the "tolerator" is superior to the "tolerated — but also, I think, involves actually engaging with others of these faiths and trying to understand them as well.

But I digress. Neff explains, despite Romney's slick speechwork:

"Because of the iconic quality of the presidency, many Americans will feel discomfort with the mainstreaming of a marginal faith that a Romney presidency would represent. It's one thing to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or to elect Harry Reid or Orrin Hatch. It is quite something else to elect a Mormon President. Americans accept partisanship and diversity in our legislators. But the presidency is supposed to unite the nation, and for many, Romney's reassurances can't address the apprehension they feel in their guts."

Yes, this is only one viewpoint, but a strong influence in the Christian media at that. If my suspicions here are confirmed, we probably won't see Romney on the ballot next November.

In HOPE of Truth - A Letter From George Campbell Defending the Georgia Lottery

This letter was sent to me by George Campbell, who many of you may know as the drummer in the nation's premier law rock band, Mikey Mel and the JD's.

Dear friends:

Please take the time to read this article. Over the last few weeks, reporters at the AJC have been trying to stir up a controversy that is based in neither fact nor logic. They have made statements tantamount to perhaps willful misrepresentations and, at best, gross negligence. At the heart of the issue is the business management of the Georgia Lottery Corporation – a state owned corporation, not a government agency. Like most industries in the 21st century, the lottery business is changing. It is no longer a high margin sales drive culminated in weekly drawings. Today, lottery revenue is primarily generated by scratch-off tickets, slot machines, and other instant-winnings type games, which are not high-margin. The pastime of sitting by the TV for the Monday night drawing is simply that – a growing relic of an ever changing industry.

The reporters of the AJC have made the bald assertion that the Lottery is somehow shorting the people of the State of Georgia. Yet, their evidence for this conjecture is not apparent. First, they claimed that remittances (money transferred to the scholarship fund) are too low as a percentage of sales. This fails miserably in the face of the irrefutable fact that gross profit, not profit margin, is the priority. Our children need more money, not higher percentages of sales. Fourth grade math students understand this concept. This baseless claim was quickly quashed by this Op-Ed article.

Now, they claim that the Lottery executives are overcompensated. This house of cards also falls under the weight of evidence: the lottery is a $3.4 billion business, which generated a record amount of (that’s right) gross profit for the HOPE scholarship this year totaling $843 million. Any business that would not reward its employees for such exemplary performance will immediately lose those people performing. Moreover, the highest paid executive of the Lottery, CEO Margaret DeFrancisco, earned only $500k, which pales in the face of other executive compensation plans. (The average CEO of a Fortune 500 company earned $10.8 million last year). Lastly, the AJC makes the misleading comparison of the Lottery salaries to that of Gov. Perdue and other state officials. As mentioned above, the Lottery is a corporation, and its shares are owned by the State of Georgia. Therefore, what state government employees make is entirely irrelevant. The reporters belie their own ignorance of the Lottery’s structure in making this comparison.

To conclude, the Georgia Lottery has generated record profits to award more money for more children to attend college and pre-k over the course of more years than any other comparable institution. There is no evidence under any set of facts to support this wild and imaginative witch hunt by the AJC. It is a shameful reflection on the integrity of the publication, and a blatant disservice to the people of Georgia. Therefore, I encourage you all to apply the facts, not the speculation, to this issue and decide for yourself. As you may know (or will discover from the Op-Ed piece linked above) my father is the Chairman of the Board of the Georgia Lottery. Thus, I am an interested party. But my interest is one of character and integrity, which I gladly place on the line in his defense. If you support these fact-based conclusions, please refer these Op-Ed articles to those you believe interested in the issue.

With my highest personal regards,

George A. Campbell, Jr.
3rd Year Student
University of Georgia School of Law

I, for one, am a lifelong fan (and occasional supporter) of the Georgia Lottery; they paid for 4 years of college for me. Not only that, but the programs guaranteed by the Georgia Lottery have raised the standard for post-secondary education in Georgia, and especially at my beloved University of Georgia, to a level that was unimaginable twenty years ago. The lottery has been an overwhelming success, and I, along with so many of my fellow University of Georgia graduates, am truly grateful for the opportunity their service to this state has allowed me.

Romney gives his speech on Religion

Below is the video of Mitt Romney's speech on "Faith in America," intended at least in some capacity to address his religion, Mormonism, and how that might affect his presidency, if he were to be elected.



The video is 20 minutes, I know, so I've included below one of what seemed to be the key themes in his speech. Basically, he seems to say that America is for religions of all types, as long as you believe in the Christian God.

Lifted from this article from Talk To Action, here's one of the quotes that sums up for me the address. Enjoy the article as well; it checks in with an thoughtful view on the matter.

Romney says: “We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of secularism. They are wrong.

The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.”

I think that this kind of comment works, if he weren't Mormon. It seems to me that mainstream Christians are LESS likely to vote for him than people who are agnostic or atheist. I would imagine that most Christians don’t really care if he talks about God. Heck, those “crazy Muslims” worship the same God as they do. They want to know if he renounces Mormonism in public matters. If not, he’s out.

On that front, The Washington Post checks in.

Bah!

In other award news, the nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today.

You know...I think any organization which puts Beyonce Knowles and Rihanna up for "Record of the Year" should be wholly ignored.

Heisman Hopefuls '07

I was going to put up an actual photo of the Heisman trophy, but this photo from GoogleImages is far superior. I think it's the look on the baby's face that gets me.

In case you've been under a rock, this year's BCS race was insane, if nothing else, and the final selection of LSU and Ohio State for the BCS Championship is not without controversy. I'd like to think of the BCS ranking criteria as much like the Electoral College: mysterious, ethereal, byzantine, and the correction of which is likely an exercise of futility.

Emerging from the fray this year are four standouts:
1. Colt Brennan of Hawaii
2. Chase Daniel of Mizzou
3. Darren McFadden of Arkansas
4. Tim Tebow of--ahem--that hated team to the south that shall remain nameless

ESPN has an insightful piece on the individual candidates' successes and reasons why they will/will not win the Heisman. Enjoy.

EDIT: Are there any members of the UGA--or any other college--team that you would support for the Heisman if you could?

Hours of Potential Amusement and Trenchant Commentary on American Human Rights Law

So I'm a sucker for a stoner joke and have wanted to marry Kal Penn since the first H&K. But in the middle of studying for a macroeconomics final, this is, indeed, genius. (And NSFW!)

Social Networking for All Species

Dogster - it's Facebook for dogs.

So...do you like poke other dogs online?

[Insert "Papa Don't Preach" Reference Here]

Teenage birthrates are on the rise for the first time in sixteen years. Not since the last Bush presidency have teen birthrates increased. Does this mean that abstinence-only education isn't working? Any theories anyone?

There's a Lot of McDonalds in...Your Kids.

Good news: McDonald's is now partnering with Florida elementary schools to offer "food" prizes: free Happy Meals with academic acheivement like As and Bs and few absences.

At first blush, I'm horrified. But thinking back, I remember getting Pizza Hut coupons for book reports in grade school. And those were awesome when I was a kid. (Then again, I used to love Dunkaroos and Fruit Roll-Ups, which you couldn't pay me to eat now.)

So is McDonald's program that bad of an idea?

Golden Compass Update!!!

The end-times draw near, as the storied-though-not-yet-released film, The Golden Compass, already has shattered religious beliefs of many and inspired Atheism in so many more.

Or, not really. However, I will see the movie this weekend so you don't have to, and I'll put my own two cents in with a review on Monday. If you happen to catch this epic over the weekend, please join the fray and leave your comments here.

Today, I have a pleasant, thought provoking, and (surprise!) neutral discussion of Philip Pullman's religious "agenda" with respect to the series of novels that inspired the film. Quite similar to the discussion I posted here the other day, the piece mentions the inextricable spirituality inherent in the book (and likely the film).

In other words, Atheism is not equated to devil worship; in fact, a true atheist would scoff at devil worship as much (if not more) than Christianity; that is, if one scoffed at all.

To pick and choose some key points from the article:

"[The Golden Compass] seems to [project] a very spiritual idea. It certainly reintroduces some aspects of God back into the picture. But does that mean that Philip Pullman is really telling a profoundly spiritual story?

Inferring others' motivations is problematic, because we can never really know what goes on in someone else's head. Even statements which apparently announce the motivation may be misleading, as I suggested in my previous article, especially when those statements are inconsistent. Nevertheless, someone's motivation arises out of their worldview, so reflecting carefully on the worldview helps to suggest what motivations are likely or possible."

Summarily, the author of this article suggests that even if Pullman meant to preach Atheism to children, interpretation is up to the reader or the viewer; clearly, there are many spiritual themes at work here, and the people that find this threatening simply fail to recognize that there are other metaphors for human (and universal) life than theirs.

There's nothing wrong (or unique) about trying to understand the world in a specific way (we're very methodical beings), and subjecting ourselves to other viewpoints often confuses the things we perceive to be true. Yet, attempting to ban others from having experiences that are different than ours seems rather like a lot of work for very little gain other than personal satisfaction that you're whitewashing the world (pun only partially intended).

Someone very close to me, who also happens to be a devout Catholic, had this to say on the matter:

"It's only a movie and there are bigger things in life that are more important. If someone does not like, they should not go and not send their kids. It does not interest me, so I will probably not go. Besides I am unimpressed by Nicole Kidman as an actress."

I don't have a specific problem with Nicole Kidman, but otherwise I couldn't have said it better myself.


ADDENDUM: If you're interested, here's an extensive interview with and article on Pullman from The Atlantic Monthly.

Aren't We at War with Eurasia?

The New York Post reports that over the next few years, internet service providers will be taking "more aggressive steps" to monitor consumers who use their web services for distributing unauthorized copies of music and movies.

A Ragin' Cajun' start to your day (though it's almost noon)

As you've probably noticed this week, we here at The Pasty Quail are immersed in exam and paper season, so our usual posting efforts have been slower and more sporadic than usual. However, we hope our well-informed (?!) insight on the random topics of the day are helping you through this tough time of year, whether you're in school yourself, or working and trying to push through the holiday season.

Today, we have the famous James Carville, noted political analyst, going off on the BCS College Football system, despite the fact that his alma mater, LSU, is a chief beneficiary of the debacle this year. Enjoy!

Confessions of a MySpace Mom on the Run?

Following up on Dan's lead, here's a short update on the Megain Meiers situation. The Drew family has skipped town and not left a forwarding address. The Meiers are divorcing, have filed restraining orders against each other, have accumulated a lot of debt, and are sharing custody of their 11 year-old surviving daughter.

Ooh...Good News for J.D.s.

Law firms are adding to the perks package for new lawyers, offering such gratuities as concierge services, more sabbatical opportunities, and of course, more money.

Yaaar!

Good news: The Times Online is reporting that American citizens can "kidnap" British citizens who commit crimes and are wanted in the U.S. Exciting.

Never Mind the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika*

Indonesia - home of the last true punks?

* Indonesia's national motto: "Unity in Diversity"

Disappearance at Will, in a City of 15 Million?

The New York Times covered the death of one Ms. Christina Copeman, a Manhattan sexagenarian who died, alone, over a year ago in her apartment, but wasn't discovered until this week.

While this would normally be fodder for "News of the Weird," Ms. Copeman's gradual disappearance from the lives of her neighbors is something more - maybe a cautionary tale for those who tend towards the misanthropic and those who simply did not notice when others finally disappear.

Does That Seriously Say that Fake Breasts Are the New Burkha?

Details has a fascinating article this month, aptly titled "Enough Already With the Fake Tits." Written in the wake of the FDA's recent approval of silicone implants, the article features both snark and a NSFW photo, which is totally my bag. (And are breast implants a food or drug anyway?)

Since the title's pretty straightforward, and any attempts to make the one-liners any punnier would require more effort than it's worth, I'll let you make the jump to get a total sense of the piece.

However, for the sake of making this more than a two-line post, I have a question for you that the author brings up towards the end. Do women get implants for themselves or men? And does the answer to that question even matter - is it a moot point since women are just getting it anyway?

So Is Flagellation Next?

Good news - Herr Pope has offered not one but two opportunities for papal indulgences! I could have sworn that in Catholic School, we were taught that these handy sin-redemption items went out with the hair-shirt, but Pope Ben XVI is bringing 'em back.

For those of you unfamiliar with papal indulgences, you can (a) click on this handy Wikipedia article or (b) visit Lourdes\another place with the "blessed image." Extra points if you bring your second-class relic.

Chuck Norris' power should never be underestimated

Could he be the reason for Mike Huckabee's resurgence in the Iowa polls? Since Norris offered his support to the candidate from Arkansas, Huckabee's Internet buzz and subsequent popularity has skyrocketed. I mean, if this guy showed up in my voting booth and told me to vote for Mike Huckabee, I just might.


Huckabee's surging popularity may not only be a result of the Chuckster's influence, but it's an intriguing coincidence nonetheless. I was wondering how both Guiliani and Romney received matching bruises on the right sides of their faces, but it's all clear to me now:

Roundhouse.

(thanks, Scott, for the tip)

EXCLUSIVE: First Five Minutes of The Golden Compass!

The fine people over at Film School Rejects have posted this little gem: the first five minutes of the highly anticipated Golden Compass film. Already, you can see the possibly inflammatory content, but it can be a metaphor for anything, not just the Catholic Church. Also, not a huge fan of talking animals, but at least they're CGI, and not real animals with fake mouths.

Anyhow, view the clip here. Enjoy!

Confessions of the MySpace Mom

Recently, we reported on the tragic story of a young woman, Megan Meier, who committed suicide in connection to a failed MySpace relationship, which was fake and masterminded by her neighbor and former friend's mother.

In context, here is the exclusive confession of Lori Drew, the woman responsible for the MySpace page.

The story from this side is equally sad, and eventually tragic, as though I do believe the blog's name, "Megan Had It Coming," is probably too harsh, Drew's daughter certainly received her share of grief from Megan, and it seems that the Meiers were in no way interested in helping solve the issues between the two girls.

Understandably, Drew was upset and at a loss, saying: “I wanted to hide my daughter away from all of this, and delete her MySpace [where she was being bullied by Megan], but she begged and pleaded with me to let her stay. I know it's MySpace and it's a social hub for teens today and I didn't want my daughter to be the only one without, so I relented."

Yet, instead of threatening legal action against the parents or telling your kid to suck it up and that you're protecting her, you know, handling the situation like an adult: "Instead, I worked with a couple of people I knew to create a profile so I could keep tabs on Megan.”

Great move. Sorry, Ms. Drew, your story is understandable, believable and tragic, but why are you resorting to the tactics of a young teenager to “get back at her?” Sure, no one could have seen her suicide coming, and that’s not directly your fault. But playing adolescent games with reckless abandon and disregard for possible consequences of your actions is.

Cannot get enough of Mr. Splashy Pants

Some people, who affectionately call themselves "TreeHugger.com," are beckoning people to vote against Mr. Splashy Pants.


For those of you that missed it, the article should explain itself, but basically, Greenpeace is holding a contest to name a humpback whale it's tracking, and "Mr. Splashy Pants" is winning by about 75%, checking in with 76% of the vote. Excellent.

Going the other way on Scientology

In other tax break news, South Africa now has officially recognized Scientology as a "public benefit organization", after 42 years and 26 applications.


Hebbard beat me to it the other day posting that certain German politicians are interested in banning Scientology, and I was going to say that it’s intriguing to see how countries abroad see our little baby religion in its bourgeoning state. Even though here in the States it’s still roundly lambasted, it’s working its way into our cultural speak, whether we like it or not.

Thus, I found this news to be a nice contrast in the way the world is viewing the Fighting Tom Cruises.

Romney votes "aye" on more homeschooling

Mitt Romney recently proposed a tax break for parents that homeschool their children, which, as this article points out, takes another step toward eroding our public school system.

Though I'm not sure how much effect this would have — I'd wager that sending kids to private school over public school is a more likely option than homeschooling — this is a personal choice these parents are making. Maybe the argument goes that the parents have to buy books and spend their time teaching their children, but there is free education (or rather, manditorily tax-paid education) already available.

The piece is relatively inflammatory, and it's not difficult to see where the author's sensibilities lie, mentioning where education falls in an increasingly free-market agenda:

“That there are other non-market considerations in educating our children, such as creating community, bridging races and classes, or inculcating American values, is irrelevant to the GOP and its amen corner: test scores are the only good in the market for education.”

However, I don't see where his argument is that valid, as it seems to me that homeschooled children would be less adaptable to the working world, as they'd be mostly sheltered from the cultural interaction he mentions in the above quote.

I'm up in the air about this one: Parents should have the right to homeschool their children, and therefore, should they have to pay taxes for the schools they're not using? At the same time, this could be abused for tax break purposes, and I'm way too supportive of the social benefits public schools provide to be in support of something that could be a negative educational experience for many kids.

I'm not really sure what I think would happen here, so I'd like to open the floor on this one: Where do y'all stand on this?


In other Romney news, he’s scheduled to give his big speech on Mormonism this Thursday. Surely I will have an update for you on Friday.

Baptist Preacher calls for prayer in order to summon evangelical President

Whatever happened to mobilizing voters? This specific preacher asks the very question I've spent answering for the last couple monts: Where is God in the 2008 Election?

Clearly, he hasn't been paying much attention. However, maybe he's right in a way. I don't want to lambast him for calling his congregation to prayer in order for God to bring the evangelical community an appropriate leader. Yet, it seems to me that this kind of inaction on the part of evangelical voters won't lead to much solidarity.

I see the same problem with the "evangelical community" as I do with the "youth vote." Both are nearly indefinable, as there are myriad individual views within these way-too-broad categories. But, just as 18-year-olds are still waiting for their parents to change the political state of our country instead of trying to do it themselves, simply praying for change will not allow it to happen. Remember: millions upon millions of Christians with viewpoints opposite or conflicting will be praying for what they want as well. I'd imagine that God probably won't choose "favorites" among His children (though some might disagree), and that he might leave it to us on this one.


ADDENDUM: While we're on the Religion & Politics kick, here's a nice outline of some of the major stories from 2007 from the fine religion blog over at the Dallas Morning News, which sets the stage for the coming election on the faith-based front.

Dude, Seriously? Someone Call Bono.

Remember Fred Phelps's church in Kansas, the one that took to picketing funerals of persons that they found offensive?

In the wake of losing an $11M lawsuit, Phelps's church has opted to become a lightening rod for more trouble, after distributing this video of a song called "God Hates the World," a clever if reprehensible version of "We Are the World."

We here at the Quail eagerly await the copyright infringement suit that is sure to come. We'll keep you posted.

The U.S. and Iran Will Make Amends the Day that Guns 'N' Roses Do

(Which is never, for those of you who gave up on GNR after "Use Your Illusion II.")

23/6.com has a special post on the Top Ten Reasons Why We Should Go to War with Iran.

A bit lame, I know, but I'm studyng for finals, and the ways I typically deal with procrastination-induced stress include:
1. Blogging madly
2. Drinking a beer
3. Watching "Mr. Brooks" on demand, which features a surprisingly non-irritating Dane Cook but is Costner's worst since "Waterworld" (see #2)
4. Trying to start beef with Greg on Iran...again
5. See #2
6. Cracking open a book to see what this "studying" business is all about.

It's bad news all, around, even without Bush's insistence that Iran is still a threat and reports of his phone calls to V. Putin, who won an election playfully referred to by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe as "not fair".

Athens Event: New Film Debut at Cine

"Vanaja", winner of "Best Debut" at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is coming to Cine of Athens this Friday for a short run. A film set in India (hence the photo of South Mumbai's Gateway to India), "Vanaja" is the student project of writer-director Rajnesh Domalpalli and his thesis for Columbia University.

"Vanaja," an "emphathetic treament" portrayed by non-professionals living in the village where Mr. Domalpalli shot, is a study of an alcoholoic low-caste fisherman's daughter, living in a rural town. Vanaja's dreams of being a dancer keeps her sane through her days working in house of the local rich woman, Rama Devi. Ms. Devi unknowingly teaches Kuchipudi to Vanaja, who gains the strength to perform in public and attracts the attention of Devi's less than scrupulous son, Shekhar. The rest can be described as a conflict of class and gender, deeply hinting at Domalpalli's underscored social criticism.

"Vanaja" starts running on Friday, December 7th at Cine...the film geek rumor mill has it that Indian beer and Indian snacks may be served at Cine, making the ticket price and chance to see a foreign film in Athens all that more enticing.

Special thanks to Raj D. for the scoop.

And As Long As It's "Women's Day" on the Quail...

Participation in Girl Scout Programs are helping devout Muslim American girls assimilate, grow confidence, and sell kick-ass cookies.

Speaking of Girl Scouts, does anyone know a girl scout? We here at the Quail would be seriously grateful if somebody could get us the hook up on some Thin Mints.

EDIT: We'd settle for Samoas, if that helps.

Hormones and Anorexia

University of Sussex researchers have recently found evidence that suggests that tendency towards anorexia may be programmed in-utero. A mother's hormones may determine the likelihood that a baby will become an anorexic later in life. In keeping with previous research on the topic, "women are usually much more likely than men to have the eating disorder." However, under certain circumstances, men have the same odds of developing anorexia as men: "But a University of Sussex study found men with a female twin were more at risk...This suggests the hormones released to aid female development may be key...The only exception was among mixed-sex twins, where the male was as likely to develop anorexia as the female. The researchers wrote that the most likely reason was because of sex steroid hormones released into the womb during pregnancy."

Interesting - but how does this research tie in with body image issues and gender?

Wow: This Woman and Lakshmi Tatmae Should Get Coffee

First and foremost, the photo above isn't of the woman I'm about to write about; the photo is of Monica Bellucci, the film star. But when I Googled "woman freak" to find a picture to accompany this story, Google Image mysteriously suggested this photo of Monica Bellucci. So I posted it. Though I'm really curious...if Google Image thinks Monica Bellucci is a freak, what does this mean for the rest of us who lack Y chromosomes? Hebbard--any theories?

Anyway, so this post is really about Wang Fang, an amiable waitress from Chongqing City, China, who was born with her feet on backwards. Really. And she's made it 27 years with this, um, different ability and has no plans to change the orientation of her feet...in part because it enables her to outrun most of her friends.

Think I'm kidding? Make the jump, and come back and tell me about it.

EDIT: The Quail Editorial Board is in no way suggesting that 4 year-old Tatmae should consume coffee, as well.

Memoirs of a Sorostitute

This week in NYT's "Modern Love" column, Kelly Valen nee Dick recounts why she left -- or was effectively abandoned -- by her sorority and how that experience affected her [in]ability to trust women.

Valen reflects on her unfortunate year in an unnamed sorority. As if the typical classism, group bulimia, coordinated abortions (don't even ask), and the odd barn dance were not enough to make her run, Valen reveals that her first sexual experience occurred while she was unconscious at a "ledge party," which is where a frat brother engages in some form of sexual activity with an unsuspecting coed in a room specially equipped "for the viewing enjoyment of their voyeuristic brethren, who watched from the window’s ledge." (No criminal charges were filed, nor was that discussion even raised.) Though the frat brother was isolated to the point that he decided to drop out of school the following semester, he was the one who made the choice to leave.

Valen, by contrast, was summarily dismissed. Valen's reaction to the rape, being less social and dressing differently, sparked the sort of nastiness that only post-adolescent women can generate: insults, gossip, blame, and the cruel self-righteous hypocrisy only capable of a certain type of sadist. Valen was later expelled for "not being sorority material." She was told of her expulsion as a group of her sisters confronted her--alone--surrounded her, and told her in no uncertain terms that she needed to be out of the house ASAP.

What inspired Valen's piece, a recollection of events twenty years past? She ran into one of her former sisters, one of the pack that had personally kicked her out, while shopping for clothes for one of her daughters, which brought it all tumbling back. The funny thing? Her sorority sister greeted her like they were old friends.

I suppose we all have stories about mean girls and frosty bitches, but I have yet to meet anyone who knows exactly why women do terrible things to other women. And unlike the signs of male bullies such as (arguably) a certain physique and swagger, mean women are not so easy to spot. In my experience, it's usually the ones who are very nice up front who turn out to have the nastiest dark sides -- but maybe this is because you just don't see it coming.

But just to change it up, my question goes out to the guys in the audience...why do women hate other women?

EDIT: Jezebel may have the answer.

I Only Hope They Do What I Hear about To Guys Like You in Prison

Sorry for the moderately graphic political cartoon, kids, but the LA Times is reporting on yet another sex scandal in the Catholic Church. Ex-priest Michael Stephen Baker, who plead guilty yesterday to charges of sexual molestation, was sentenced to 10 and a third years in prison.

Here are some choice cuts from the LA Times:

"For many, Baker symbolized the church's failure to protect its most vulnerable parishioners: He allegedly molested more than 20 youngsters in his 26 years as a priest and had confessed his problem to Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in 1986. Instead of alerting police, Mahony, then a bishop, sent Baker to a treatment center in New Mexico and later reassigned him to serve at nine other parishes, where he allegedly victimized other children.

And, when authorities sought records from the church to help build a case against Baker, church officials vigorously fought to keep that information secret...

Among the more than 500 alleged victims and 200 clergy members accused of misconduct, Baker's case was the one Mahony had said "troubles" him the most. The cardinal, who is considered the most powerful prelate in North America, publicly apologized in 2004 to the diocese's 5 million Catholics for his mishandling of Baker.

Baker was first charged with more than a dozen crimes against young men in 2002 -- including the molestation of Severson -- but those charges were voided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court ruled that California lacked the power to retroactively extend deadlines to prosecute older crimes, known as statutes of limitations. The decision wiped out hundreds of potential criminal prosecutions, and left largely to civil lawyers the task of determining the nature and extent of the scandal."

Which brings me to many questions to you, dear reader:
1. Where the evidence necessary to uncover a crime is willfully supressed by an organization aiding and abetting felonious child molesters, should the statute of limitations be tolled until such evidence is turned over to the state?

2. Given the chronic and widespread problems with the Catholic Church's (mis-)handling of pedophiles in the clergy, should the special class of perpetrators be treated differently by the law? In the same way that there are laws against murders and against murders in the context of hate crime (generally with different sentencing), should there not be a law specifically addressing priests who molest children, arguably breaching a higher (or at least different) duty that of a baseball coach or next-door neighbor molesting a kid?

3. Where is the Vatican in all of this?!? Catholic League, where are you on this?!? Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I feel like molestation causes slightly more harm to the youth than "The Golden Compass."

EDIT: The Catholic Church is distributing a comic book to teach kids to report sexual abuse as soon as it happens, though lawyers representing clients sexually abused by priests claim that it might have the adverse effect. (Good scoop, Greg!)

Are the US and Iran Making Amends?

It appears that the US and Iran have climbed back from the precipice. Violence in Iraq is falling rapidly, and the US is toning down the aggressive rhetoric against Iran. This is great news considering that just weeks ago it seemed like war was all but inevitable. Hopefully the thaw will continue.

Slate supports Pasty news, and more

I tend to scour Slate every couple of weeks, and it's kind of nice to get on there to find a wide array of exciting news, as opposed to checking it every 15 minutes to see whatever is new, like I used to do when I was working and staring at my computer for at least 6 hours a day (sound familiar to anyone?). So, in that vein, here are a couple of stories from our friends over at this fine voice for online news that align with some of the news we've presented in the last couple of days, probably more eloquently put than what we have here:

- In context with the Sudan teddy bear situation, the "Explainer" column clarifies proper etiquette when naming your child after a holy figure, such as Jesus or Mohammed.

- Further, the site's "Sports Nut" feature discusses why there probably shouldn't be a BCS National Championship Game this year, because, in his reasoning (and as an LSU fan, to boot) is that every team already has proven they are NOT the best team.


- Finally, in other, not related to Pasty Quail, Slate news:

The Diaries of Facebook’s founder have been released. Turns out he's a pretty big asshole.

Maybe some of you are not terribly into reading about this guy’s personality, but in the true Facebook spirit, here it is, out there for the world to see.

A Spot of Humor: Fox News abusing sponsors, or just "understanding how advertising works?"

I stumbled upon this funny story from a site that purports itself as a source for media news, which seems to be upset with Fox News for not running an anti-Bush ad.

The story is that Fox would not show an ad saying that Bush is destroying the Constitution, and though it isn't explicitly stated, the article seems a bit peeved by this fact.

This is a spot of criticism clearly written by someone that doesn’t understand "how advertising works." If Fox doesn’t want your money because they don’t like your ad, they can do that. A media network is in no way required to run every ad that comes their way.

At least, though, the spokespeople at Fox aren’t shy about having a quick jab at their critics, as is evidenced by the email they sent to the website, reproduced here:

"Hi Owen --

We cannot approve the spot with it being Danny Glover's opinion that the Bush Administration is destroying the Constitution. If you have documentation that it is indeed being destroyed, we can look at that.

Sorry about that,

Erin"

Look, I don't like Fox News either (or any other cable news network for that matter), but if you're trying to expose them as a pro-Republican organization, I think you're about [however long the network has been in operation] years too late.

Some actual thoughts on The Golden Compass

I've been writing day in and out about the controversy surrounding this upcoming epic film, and have yet to address specifically the issues at hand. Though I have been clear in mentioning that many American Christians are wary of "The Golden Compass," I found a good article from the LA Times outlining the views of Philip Pullman (pictured), the author of the books upon which the movie is based.


In this article, I realized for the first time that Pullman actually does appear to be a “heretic.” Though I might not agree with what the boycotting Christians view as a heretic, in the context of what their accusations, he certainly is.

For example:

"Pullman once told an interviewer 'His Dark Materials' [a fantasy trilogy of Pullman's "children's" books, of which 'The Golden Compass' is a part] is about 'killing God,' and that he wrote an op-ed piece describing C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" as 'ugly and poisonous.'"

As C.S. Lewis is well-revered by American Christians, this statement is pretty egregious in itself, but I'd also say that describing books that he wrote for children in this way understandably lead to the current outrage. However, it seems that Britain's leading religious people, including THE head of the Anglican church, don't share the fury that has arisen here in the U.S.

"Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, has enthused about 'His Dark Materials' and participated in an onstage discussion with Pullman when a stage version of 'His Dark Materials' was produced by the National Theatre in London."

Furthermore (and take this last one with a grain of salt, because the writer worships Pullman pretty hard in this article):

“Although Pullman has some vehement detractors among Britain's Christians, the liberal clergy there have more often valued his books for tackling the great questions of existence: life, death, morality and humanity's role in the universe. They regard his fiction as a springboard for discussion, the kind of discussion that does sometimes lead people to embrace God.”

I do think this is a good point. Atheism is a religion much like Monotheism; a belief in no God is much closer to belief in One than belief in Many. Some atheists, in fact, are monotheists, they just refuse to define the name of what is infinite and unknowable — which can be defined as one thing (nothing), which is also the same as everything. Broken down, an omnipresent, infallible and omnipotent God covers pretty much the same ground. Why couldn’t moral ethics in those two worldviews align?

Yes, Pullman said his books are about "killing God." There, I can see the problem, even though what he said seems to have been taken out of context. However, there's a larger issue here; the people who want this movie banned see Atheism only as anti-Monotheism, which simply is not true. Most people think of the self-proclaimed Atheists that dress in all black in high school and claim to hate God; yet, these people are not Atheists, because they believe in the monotheistic God enough to want to hate Him.

Atheists can be moralistic and they can have positive things to say. If this film is promoting Atheism, by banning it detractors are simply asking their kids to see it. Yet, like some Christians in Britain, as the article states, and like many others elsewhere, Atheism in certain contexts is not a threat to Monotheism because it does not claim to oppose it, it simply refuses to define it. Therefore, the manifestations of this world can be exactly the same; without God, love for our fellow man and justice and peace on Earth (or in the world of The Golden Compass, as the case may be) can remain relevant.

Germany Goes All China on Scientology

Western Democracies generally pride themselves on religious freedom, if not tolerance. However, Udo Nagel, Hamburg's Secretary of the Interior is seeking to ban Scientology, stating that Scientology urges pursuit of "anti-constitutional goals in an aggressively fierce" manner.

As a member of the EU, Nagel and Co. are probably just mad that Xenu chose Boeing Spacecraft instead of Airbus.

Gawk This

Now, we here at the Quail don't normally call out other prominent members of the Blogosphere, but we would be remiss if we didn't take on the biggest dog on the block.

Half of Gawker's editorial staff jumped ship on Friday, including Emily Gould and Choire Sicha, long-time managing editor, without having new gigs lined up in advance. That's usually not the best sign...Reactions to the news have ranged wildly, from...
* The New York Times's peaceful report of what happened
* New York Magazine takes snarky pot-shots
* The Daily Swarm politely edits stories from other news outlets, letting us know that the writers in question objected to a new pay scale scheme whereby they were compensated based on the number of page views, not the number of posts
* And Gawker covers its own HR problems

We Got Your Music Links

* Behold, the new battleground for the RIAA v. downloaders! No, not Crater Lake -- just the U.S. District Court in the great state of OR. The Oregon Attorney General, Mr. Hardy Myers, filed an appeal in the district court, respectfully requesting that the court investigate just exactly how the RIAA gathered evidence that 17 U of Oregon students allegedly infringed on copyright. The Oregon AG is NOT pleased about the RIAA's subpeonas and does not appreciate the RIAA's attempts to discover the names and identities of the 17 students. "She flies with her own wings," indeed.
* Bonnaroo Rumor Mill: Led Zeppelin and Metallica may be confirmed on the 2008 bill.
* Ann Powers of the LA Times not only tells us why indie rock is diverse but which artists are the front-runners of the movement. Take that SFJ.
* Chris Dortch, director of the upcoming documentary on the Atlanta Music scene "We Fun," gets interviewed by Paste Magazine.

Oh...and did you know that recording rap is now an illegal offense in Iran? Yikes.

Today...in Robots!

* The London Times has an update on robots capable of carrying automatic weapons in combat situations. Nearly 1000 Talon, a bomb disposal robot created by QinetiQ, have been sold thus far. The U.S. government is readily considering purchasing additional quantities of SWORD (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Direct), an update of the Talon bot. SWORD bots, which can be operated by remote by laptop, are capable of moving nearly 6 MPH, can carry automatic weapons, climb stairs, avoid rocks, bushes, and all that jazz. At a cost of just over £100,000 ($206,480) per bot, they're a steal.
* And Regina Lynn, the Wired sex and lifestyle columnist, tells us 10 Reasons Why She'd Rather Marry a Robot.

It's a Small World?!?

Cracked.com recounts the 9 most racist Disney characters, for your time-wasting pleasure.

Oral Roberts Scandal: God Speaks Out Again

Today's update on the Oral Roberts University president's recent resignation involves one of Richard Roberts' right hand men mentioning that God told him to do whatever Roberts said.


George Pearsons, the chairman of ORU's Board of Regents, also is going back on what he publicized as God's request. I applaud him for taking a stance against this economic corruption, but Pearsons demonstrates why claiming to speak God's word can become a problem. I don't mean to denigrate Pearsons, because he didn't expect Roberts to be corrupt, so I can't fault him for saying what he truly believed.

Yet, when these leaders — who are looked up to by many students and parishioners — project themselves as models of Christian values and violate these values, where does that leave those in their spiritual guidance?


In addition, I have an update to Roberts' connection with The Church Business inquiries, which I've been covering for weeks now. Pearsons is in fact the son-in-law of Kenneth Copeland, one of the preachers currently under investigation by the Senate (follow the above link for more info. on that situation):

When George Pearsons accepted the position of chairman of the ORU regents in May, he said in an address to the board: "I am standing here today because the Lord clearly spoke to me and said, ‘Do whatever Richard Roberts asks you to do,'” according to a copy of the address.

Pearsons is the son-in-law of Kenneth Copeland, a televangelist and ORU regent. Pearsons said in the address that the "covenant” between the Roberts and Copeland families also contributed to his decision to accept the chairman position. He said the "families are forever connected.”

Holding the Roberts in such high regard is typical of many ORU regents, particularly the other ministers and televangelists serving on the board, the president of a religious watchdog group said.

"They all, in essence, pay obeisance to Oral. They all almost bow down in Oral's presence,” said Ole Anthony, president and co-founder of Trinity Foundation, which has investigated religious organizations, including ORU, for decades.

But after the lawsuit was filed and regents initiated an outside review of the claims, Pearsons' stance appeared to change.

Pearsons recently said "the buck stops with the board” when it comes to Richard Roberts' future at ORU. He has maintained that stance, despite the Roberts' public claims of innocence and Oral Roberts' vow that his son would return to power.

This delineates pretty well an example of what amounts to a Royal Family in American Evangelicalism. I wonder how common these kind of connections might be?

The Golden Compass - 4 More Days. . .

Until the epic battle for our souls!!


As we draw nearer to the pending apocalypse, commercials for The Golden Compass have shifted from showing anything about the actual film simply to depicting battle scenes, complete with the tagline "From the Studio That Brought You 'LORD OF THE RINGS'."

My guess is that with the movie coming out this Friday, the marketers are trying to attract people that are not interested in the film, but only in something that's like Lord of the Rings. I seem to remember similar tactics for "The Chronicles of Narnia," which is mostly about Jesus.

However, there's also a feeling that maybe some of this is to deflect the controversy and avoid showing what the movie actually is about? Or, maybe it's trying to draw in unsuspecting potential Atheists? Am I analyzing this too much?

On that note, here's today's update on the hubbub.

Again, keep your eyes peeled for my review of the film next Monday.

Another clash between Islam and the West?

Though I am ideologically opposed to generalizing an entire half of the world against a specific religion (especially when a strong majority of that religion isn't made up of radical militants), here's an interesting story regarding a Dutch politician's most recent attempt to incite rage in the local (and global) Islamic community.

To reiterate, I don't see this as part of the epic battle between the “West vs. Islam,” but more appropriately, it's a specific jab at radical Muslims that will not accept criticism of their religion. I do think that Geert Wilders (pictured), the man in question who desires to make a film depicting the less-than-virtuous side of the Prophet's life, makes a good point in trying to stand up for free speech with regards to all things Islam, because the violence that comes from criticism on this topic is unconscionable.

However, that does not preclude the fact that his idea for the film is anti-Islam propaganda, and though it is his goal, Wilders' proposition will stir up a lot of negative (and possibly needless) controversy. That said, I think he should produce his film if he feels strongly about it, though antagonism never really gets people very far.

My question is, though, how can he advocate “free speech” and then call for the Qur’an to be banned? If he wants a war, then he’ll get it. Sadly, this exposes exactly the thing he wants to do, which is incite militant Muslims to riot against him. Clearly he doesn’t want this problem to be mitigated, otherwise he wouldn’t fan the flames.

The main point here is that calling this a war between "the West" and Islam is very unfair to the rest of us. Most Muslims are not at war with Western Culture; in fact, many of them are simply trying to live within their tradition apart from the radical theocracy that is abundant in the Middle East, because they don't see their own beliefs reflected there, either. Therefore, while Wilders' objection to militancy is understandable, simply pissing people off is only going to make life harder for the Muslims that are not involved with that small minority; because no effort is being made to understand the religion as a whole, or engage with particular individuals, each Muslim gets lumped into a negative category.

In this sense, there is a conflict between Western Culture and Islam, because there is a perceived rift. If we're talking about being champions of free speech and free expression, then we need to be able to differentiate between those who are utilizing that freedom appropriately and constructively and those who are not, on both sides of the "clash." If unjustified violence and blind hatred fall into the realm of "not," then there's work to be done on all sides.

Updates!

I am in the middle of finals this week so I don't have much time to post, but I wanted to give a few quick updates on some big stories from last week:

- Putin's United Russia wins control of the parliament in dominating fashion; the West calls for investigations of suspected fraud.

- Hugo Chavez's effort to become dictator of Venezuela was turned back at the polls.

- The teacher involved in the Sudanese teddy bear scandal has been pardoned and released from prison.

Can't Spell "Sugar" without "UGA"

Though this phrase has lost some of its meaning — seeing as the old adage usually comes in context with winning the SEC Championship to make the Sugar Bowl — our good ol' Georgia Bulldogs are headed to New Orleans on New Years' Day for the 3rd time in 6 years.

Thanks to The Great Pumpkin and his underachieving set of bastards some call a football team, we didn't get a chance to play LSU in the SEC Championship, and therefore didn't have a chance to go to the National Championship game, even though we were ranked #4 going into the week, and numbers 1 and 2 lost this weekend. However, I'm proud of LSU and our fine conference, which will have another chance to wax Ohio State, keeping the BCS crystal trophy in the south. Just wish it could have been us.

That said, I'm excited for us to play Hawaii, which remains the only unbeaten team in Division I-A. Here's ESPN's breakdown of the game. There is some concern about overlooking this team, as they haven't gained much respect due to their soft schedule and weird lifestyle out there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, their quarterback Colt Brennan is the NCAA's all-time leader in touchdown passes, and there's not much else to speak of on their team, so I think we should be able to handle focusing on stopping him — the only problem will come if we can't do that.

As an addendum, I heard we're going to break out our black jerseys again; hopefully Evil Richt will show up with them and remember the last time we played a team in the Sugar Bowl with a high-flying offense and virtually no defense.

Finally, GO DAWGS!