More Religion to ponder for the weekend

Just a quick dump of religion news before I sign off for the next few days. I'll be in Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday, so hopefully I'll come back with another nice photo essay.

- First, the Kansas church responsible for picketing funerals apparently is about $10 million short of the $11 million they owe in punitive damages.

- And, if that wasn't enough fun, here is BeliefNet Blog's list of the top 10 most controversial religious films. Add some to the list in the comments section if you can think of any.

Happy Weekend! Go Dawgs!

Exposing the Youth Vote

As our stock election photo implies, every election, the Democrats swear up and down that "this is the year the youth vote will matter." And every election, the youth vote doesn't turn out, predictably because college kids just don't really care about voting, just about comparing their parents' politics.

With reference to this, here's an interesting piece about different things for which NYU students would trade their vote. At one of the most supposedly sophisticated universities in the nation, not many of these kids really seems to care about the ramifications of their vote.

I don't really see anything surprising here; as many of the kids rationalize, New York probably will always vote Democrat, just as Georgia will vote Republican for the whole of forever. But it just provides another example of the party leaders understanding very little, if not nothing, about their supposed contingencies.

Happy Holidays from The Pasty Quail!

A great Google Trends graph.

Find your own fun set of Google Trends, and feel free to post them to the comments.

Bloggers Take Charge, Identify Adults Unnamed in Teenage Suicide

Steve "Pokin Around" Pokin, reporter for the St. Charles and owner of a great nickname, wrote this sad story earlier this week. In short, a 13 year old girl named Megan Meier committed suicide after a friend she had met throughMySpace, a good-looking boy named Josh Evans, turned on her and began sending her cruel messages.

As it turns out, Josh Evans was not real, but was in fact the creation of the parents of a former friend of Megan's. They were apparently miffed that Megan decided to end her "lightswitch" friendship with their daughter. A sordid tale, indeed.

In his article, Steve "Pokin Around" Pokin chose not to name the adults who created the false MySpace page, but since then, Bloggin' the Suburbs has released the names of the people responsible. Wired has also picked up the trail.

Many commenters on all three of the articles have called for legal action against the parents who made the MySpace page, and indeed, perhaps such an action would help to assuage the grief felt by Megan's parents (who have since divorced); it remains a question what sort of claim the Meier's could bring (Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress sounds like the strongest, but those claims are notoriously difficult for plaintiff's to win; Wrongful Death would be a long shot here), or if any criminal remedy is available(nothing comes to mind here). The Meier family has repeatedly denounced any intention to file a civil lawsuit, and the authorities have been able to come up with an criminal charges that fit these actions.

In sum: Here's a tragic story, with no highlights or "feel good" moments, and no closure whatsoever.

Happy Friday!

Newsflash! New Windows Office Software Gobbles Memory, Cripples Processor Performance

In a move no-one who has completely ignored the last 20 years of computer development could have forseen, the new version of Microsoft Office is a beast. This article is great, and explains the entire timeline of the evolution of Office from 2000 'til today.

Bring on the tech nerd jokes, but for real: I am 2 sets of finals away from never having to use ExamSoft again. And when that day comes, believe you me, Vista will be blown off this machine so fast that Bill Gates won't even have time to sneeze out a $100 bill.

We Got Your Music!

* Rcrd Lbl is a self described "network of ad-supported online record labels and blogs offering completely free music streams and downloads from emerging and established artists." Basically, Rcrd Lbl offers free downloads from artists ranging from Bloc Party to Mos Def and makes money off the advertising. Is this the new model for record "sales?" The Wall Street Journal tells us how it is, while the board of the RIAA has a heart attack. That never gets old.

* Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Canadian heir to the Seagrams fortune and former song-writer turned Chairman\CEO of Warner Music Group, does the unthinkable...he publicly admits that maybe the recording industry is to blame for the rise of p2p networks.

* And Maclean's tells us why the Canadian government's tax on MP3s is a poor plan.

Religion and the Pakistani Government

In an attempt to cover religious news that doesn't in some way reflect American Christianity, here's a take on the Pakistani conflict from a religious perspective.

Briefly, the article explains:

"A helpful way to [recognize religion's role in the Pakistani political situation] would be to compare Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries dominated by Muslim politics. Some are comparing the situation in Pakistan to the pre-revolution situation in Iran. But how does the presence of the highly professional military in Pakistan negate that factor, and what does religion have to do with it?

Another significant religion ghost that could receive more attention concerns former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. What is the religious significance that the opposition leader in an Islamic country is a woman? What does that tell us about the way Islam is taught and applied in the country?"

It shall be interesting to see how this all plays out, and by interesting, I mean we'll see how long it takes before full-scale theocratic war erupts. From a selfish standpoint, I hope we don't get caught in the middle of a religious war that we shouldn't be a part of, but it looks like it might already be too late for that.

Religion and the Election Friday!

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the Catholics are at an impasse with regards to which side to vote for in the 2008 Election. Here, Gary Stern outlines the Church's "voting guide", reiterating the fact that the Catholics are VERY conservative on say, the abortion issue, but lean very liberal on many other social issues, such as immigration.

Again, then, as I mentioned Tuesday in a post about Sam Brownback, politicians pushing religious agenda probably would do well to recognize that strict adherence to doctrinal belief does not align with doctrinal adherence along party lines.

-------------------

With respect to the immigration issue, here's Jim Wallis' take on it from his Christian perspective.

From the article: "This immigration policy question is for us as people of faith the 'welcoming the stranger' question. . . The way we talk about people is off course. Fear and anger dominate the conversation, not a civil discussion about the legitimate issues involved."

That is only a brief summary of his discussion, which explains how yes, there are fundamental legal issues at stake with regards to immigration, but by being disallowed by law (as people are in Oklahoma, now, according to Wallis) to aid illegal immigrants medically, he says, impedes his right to be a Christian steward.

As a legal American citizen, he should have the freedom to welcome a stranger into his home (or homeland, as the case may be). A sticky issue, surely, but I think it represents the fact that not all Christians fall further to the right than Barry Goldwater.

-------------------

Finally, on Slate's blog, a conversation began by questioning the state of the "Jewish" vote, which was illuminated as being about as definable as the "Christian" vote.

Basically, you can’t pigeon-hole all the people in one religion to one party. In my opinion, that's probably because the "parties" don’t really represent "anyone."



I know this is a topic I've harped on strongly for the past couple weeks, but since no one has contested me on it, I'm sure I'll continue rambling as such. I find it very interesting that the leading political candidates are trying their best to pander to the religious contingency, but can't quite figure out exactly what these voters want. Again, it's probably a matter of the fact that each voter is unique, and a dichotomy between a turd and a douche simply doesn't fit most people anymore — or maybe it never did, but at least people are more willing to say it now.

Maybe this can be a wake-up call to politicians that they should actually try to do what's best for a country of 300 million people instead of waffling around and not accomplishing anything. You're not always going to be popular when you're charged with a job like that, and the people will speak if you screw it up too badly. Why not try a new strategy as opposed to taking on a ridiculously dated campaign method?

The Foxy Side of FOX News

Someone out there has been watching a lot of FOX news and has noticed tons of T 'n A.

There is an interesting side story here: Digg, a link aggregating service, removed the story saying that it violated Digg's Terms of Use by displaying "Adult Content".

A Slate Extravaganza with Snoopy and Black Metal

Now that my Internet reading has expanded vastly, sometimes I'll forget about Slate for a couple weeks. Yet, the magazine still remains, in my opinion, one of the best web literature out there, so when I inevitably take a couple hours to peruse its archives, several good pieces will pop out. Anyhow, from my glorious Slate experience last night, here are two of the highlights:

- A slide-show essay on Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts. Sorry the link doesn't go directly to the essay, but there are two places to click on the page.

It's well worth a read, and throws in a bunch of good Peanuts comics to boot. Snoopy was always my favorite growing up.





- Second, we have a surprisingly informative piece on Black Metal, and how the genre went from Devil worship to revering the Norse culture and becoming environmentalists.

The funny part about this is that the Black Metal bands remained counterculture but shifted their focus more benevolently; yet, at the same time, no one could never understand the lyrics anyway. Regardless, I found this to be a riveting read.

Atlanta Public Schools Are on the Rise

The Atlanta Public School system has been the punch line of many jokes around here for years. For good reason, too; for as long as I can remember, the schools have consistently produced sub-standard educational experiences for their students. It has not been uncommon for people on the north-side of the city (those who can afford to get their kids out of the system) to opt to send their children to a private school south of the airport instead of the city school down the street.

However, it appears that the system has finally turned a corner. The AJC is reporting that national standardized test scores have improved dramatically, and are nearing state and national average levels. From the article:

"The increases in Atlanta's reading and math scores ... are not only record setting, but inspirational," Michael Casserly, executive director of The Council of Great City Schools, said in a press release. "Atlanta takes the lead once again in showing urban schools across the country what is possible."

Certainly, there are many factors outside of the control of the school system and the city that have contributed to the rising scores; for this reason, we should be careful to not extend too much praise, too quickly. Nonetheless, I would like to congratulate the APS for a job well done. Be sure to keep it up.

An insider's perspective on "The Church Business"

Recently, I've been posting heavily on Senator Charles Grassley's (R-Iowa) recent inquiry into several major religious figures across the country.

The latest update is here, which outlines the specific points that Grassley will focus on in his investigation:

“Ken Behr, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, told Church Executive, a business magazine for larger and mega churches, that Senator Chuck Grassley is likely to probe into concerns over excessive compensation, income unrelated to the business purpose of the ministries, and perks or what is known as ‘excessive benefit transactions.’”

And now, as a Pasty Quail exclusive, a friend of Greg's has had some personal experience with one of the pastors in question, Bishop Eddie Long from Lithonia, Ga. (pictured here)


Following is Matt Tripp's account of Long's persona, which, after reading the story, you'll agree is literally larger than life:

"Your commentary regarding the business of church reminded me of my personal experiences with "Bishop" Eddie Long. Short version: The dude is a crook, flat out. Before law school, I worked at Preferred Jet Center at McCollum Field in Kennesaw. Long's salary, house and cars made the news. What the AJC didn't tell you about was Long's airplane. He has a Gulfstream II hangared at PJC. What does a pastor need a jet capable of flying internationally for? Well, he purportedly has a "ministry" in the Bahamas. Conversations with the flight crew, however, revealed these were more vacations than "mission trips." I've attached a picture of his airplane...note the New Birth logo on the tail.


A couple of oddities about Long:

1. Long requires his flight crews to be completely African-American. Now, one can hire whomever one wants as an employee, that's fine. But his aircraft is managed by a charter company, who provides the flight crews. As a result, they have to juggle their crew schedule to make sure his plane always has black pilots when he's using it.

2. In addition to my fueling and towing responsibilities as a lineman, part of my duties at Preferred were to load luggage, valet cars, etc. Not in the case of Long. We were the "invisible help" when he was around. We were not to touch anything belonging to Long such as his luggage and his personal vehicles. Nor were we to approach Long or speak to him. He is the only client I have ever had who a rule forbidding us to talk to him. I've spoken to Steve Spurrier, Sylvester Croom, Tommy Tuberville, numerous CEOs, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Burt Reynolds, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, and even Mariah Carey. All were more approachable than this supposed man of God. He even has a security detail. Really, the only other person that ever came into PJC with a similar level of security was Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

3. Speaking of the car, I never saw the Bentley. Whenever he came to the airport, he always arrived in a DUB Chrysler 300C Hemi. Long required that his vehicle be kept in the hanger and not in the long-term parking lot. PJC's insurance forbids vehicles inside the hangar (in order to prevent damage to aircraft). Yet Long's vehicle was always accommodated (only one specific employee of the charter company was permitted to drive it...this proved to be a bit problematic when we had to move it to rearrange aircraft and this employee wasn't at work). The kicker is, Long is the only person who ever requested hangar space for his vehicle. PJC's long-term parking lot routinely had Range Rovers, Maseratis, Ferraris, Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes stored in it...but his POS Chrysler had to be kept inside. Go figure."

Pretty intense stuff. Many, many thanks to Matt for his readership and his willingness to disclose this important information with regards to this story.

Mitt Romney's Mormon Mission to France

Today, the New York Times has an article about Mitt Romney's Mormon mission to France in 1968, and the deep impact that his time there had on his life. While there, Romney observed the break down of traditional French society and an emergence of younger and more progressive generations. Also, he missed the same (although less extreme) changes in American culture. From the article:

"There had been this whole revolution while we were gone,” recalled Dane McBride, a close friend from the mission. “While we had gone from being adolescents to grown-ups with a lot of responsibility, our peers — from our perspective — were just tearing down the country, becoming dangerously childish.” He added, “It just seemed deplorable."

Take a look at the article, its a very interesting read.

Robot Guitars on the Way!!

Not content to simply dominate our manufacturing sector and home vacuuming needs, robots are now moving into the sacred realm of music.

Gibson Guitar is launching the Les Paul Robot Guitar in January of 2008. The guitar will be able to keep itself in tune even when the strings are changed. The cost? $2500.

Email Goes the Way of Regular Mail

Slate has a piece today about the death of email. It appears that Facebook messages and Instant Messaging are driving Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail into the ground; Google seems (again) to be ahead of the curve with an integrated IM/Email client that operates within a browser, but that advantage may not last forever.

Santa the latest on the P.C. censorship list

Australian Santa Clauses are getting briefed this year on ways they can possibly corrupt children, and one of the chief problems, so it's said, is his use of the phrase "ho ho ho".

As the term "ho" is a derogatory slight toward prostitutes, Santas in Sydney have been instructed to say "ha ha ha" as an alternative in an attempt to be less offensive. My favorite quote from the article, uttered by Julie Gale, "who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids":

"Leave Santa alone."

Seriously. Dude has been "ho-ing" for years.

Presidential Candidates looking. . . competent?

I haven't heard too much about Ron Paul, save his record-setting fundraising on Guy Fawkes' Day, but he actually seems like a viable candidate.

Of course, he's not likely to be nominated, but the AP reports on his unconventional politics, showing that there's at least one person in the race who actually is trying to utilize the system for something other than perpetuating the way it already is.

In other words, Paul is actually trying to sell himself by — get this — promoting his own beliefs as opposed to trying to pander to everyone.

From the article: "Paul remains a very long shot for the nomination. But as the only Republican candidate backing a prompt troop withdrawal from Iraq - and an airing of possible impeachment charges against Vice President Dick Cheney - he appeals to a mix of liberals and conservatives who feel alienated and deeply distrustful of the government."

He really should run as an independent; I could see him going all Perot on us. They even kind of look alike.

God makes it rain, has a little chuckle

In response to Sonny Perdue's call to pray for rain, God sent some precipitous storms toward the Southeast, providing up to an inch in some places.

As Yahoo! News reports, though, some of these storms were quite severe, damaging property and injuring several in Tennessee. Looks like God's having a little ironic moment to himself, but in the long run, we can use all the rain we can get.

An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything

The physics world is on its ear this week, following the news that a PhD. physicist who is outside the academic establishment has published a simple, elegant Unified Theory of Everything.

Of course, many great discoveries have come from scientists outside the establishment. In the words of Pete Venkman: "Einstein did his best work as a patent clerk." The Unified Theory of Everything was Einstein's dream; it was what he worked towards until his death in 1955.

The paper is available as a PDF here, and I can't claim to understand what he wrote. But after reading what people have said about it, here's what I've got so far: Lisi used a geometric mathematical pattern made up of 248 interconnected points, called E8, to map out the relation between all 228 known particles and 20 predicted particles. Work is underway to determine the predicted characteristics of the 20 predicted new particles. The Large Hadron Collider may be able to test for these particles as soon as it comes online next year.

If this thing holds up, it could be the biggest discovery in particle physics since Relativity; a Unified Theory of Everything based on 1 dimension of time and 3 dimensions of space could fundamentally alter the way that we understand the Universe, much as relativity changed the way we understand gravity.

Yesterday's Headlines, Today

I didn't get a chance to post these yesterday:

- 25 of the more interesting recent trends in what people are looking for on Google.
- The WGA strike hits FOX, and they do just what you would expect: Hire scabs.
- Solar Panels on a roll?
- It rained here in Athens last night; that brings us up to "trace" for the month-to-date.

Enjoy. I'll get to some real posting later on.