The Lion Becomes the Lamb
Dorothy L. Sayers, best known as the author of the wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey series of mystery novels in the 1930's, was also a noted writer on religion. In her essay "Creed or Chaos," she points out a fact about the life of Jesus that I have always found to be wonderful in provoking both thoughts and arguments:

"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore. On the contrary; they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him "meek and mild," and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies. To those who knew him, however, he in no way suggested a milk-and-water person; they objected to him as a dangerous firebrand. True, he was tender to the unfortunate, patient with honest inquirers, and humble before Heaven; but he insulted respectable clergymen by calling them hypocrites; he referred to King Herod as "that fox"; he went to parties in disreputable company and was looked upon as a "gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners"; he assaulted indignant tradesmen and threw them and their belongings out of the Temple; he drove a coach-and-horses through a number of sacrosanct and hoary regulations; he cured diseases by any means that came handy, with a shocking casualness in the matter of other people¹s pigs and property; he showed no proper deference for wealth or social position; when con-fronted with neat dialectical traps, he displayed a paradoxical humor that affronted serious-minded people, and he retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions that could not be answered by rule of thumb."

What I love about this philosophy, is that it brings up a point that most so-called Christians would rather forget. Namely that Jesus (whether real, fictional, or a combination of both), was a troublemaker. And yet Christians of today never question the status quo, and would be shocked at the suggestion that Jesus (disclaimer again) was anything less than the perfect "Lamb of God." Interesting....

Political websites that suck
The headline says it all. Check this out if you have time to spare. They are universally awful. I'm not sure if my "favorite" is the candidate who has a margarita recipe or the one who says that his oponent was born under the same sign as Hitler.

Oh, grow up
Wonderful article by Michael Bywater about how it's time to adults to stop whining and just grow up.

Colour in action!
This ad for Sony Brava TV is a wonderful little snippet of lunacy. And yes, they really did this. Cool, huh?

Only in Kenya
I cannot begin to tell you how happy this little clip makes me. The tune is infectiously silly, the lyrics insane, the animation too cute for words. I love this!

Humbling
This short film has a powerful message. Please watch it. Then let it inspire you to do something.

Shake up in the cosmos
Well, it's official, Pluto is no longer a planet. For some reason, this upsets me. In a world full of change and chaos, the planets were a constant. Remember "My Very Extravagent Mother Just Spent Uncle Ned's Pay?" (A memnotic for remembering the planets.) Now Uncle Ned is unemployed and will get no pay.

Sure, the universe changes. Technology makes it possible to explore even further into the galaxy and new celestial bodies appear, but it seems so sad, downgrading a planet to a "dwarf planet." Poor, maligned, Pluto. I may start a petition. Save Pluto!

Way to go Exxon?
Not sure if this is true or not, but if it is....it's hilariously scary.

Oldest Ever Pro Baseball Player
This story made me smile.

94-year old John "Buck" O'Neil, one of the stars of the great Negro Leagues, played in a minor league All-Star game on Tuesday night. He lead off the top of the first inning for the West (a walk), and then a mid-inning trade had him starting off the bottom of the inning as well. Horray!

Giant geese and other oddities
Just when you get that "ok, the web is as odd as it can be" feeling, along comes your discovery of the Large Canadian Roadside Attractions website. And once again, life is happily surreal.

I love eggs!
Oh my, there are no words. Crank up the music for this lovely song. Odd with a capital "huh?"

There is no intelligent life...
...in the U.S. Senate. Check out this discussion of the Internet by the senior senator from Alaska. God help us...

It's big brother calling...
I find this article very disturbing.

Apparently AT&T have instituted a new policy that says they -- not their customers -- own customer's confidential information and can use it "to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process."

In addition to tracking viewing habits of customers of its new video service (which, apparently, cable companies aren't allowed to do), they apparently think nothing of providing warrantless access to customers' e-mail and web browsing.

This, to put it mildly, is unacceptable. We will be shopping for a new DSL provider this weekend.

On newsstands now!
Hot off the presses is the July, 2006 issue of DownBeat magazine featuring not one, but two pieces by that fabulous jazz critic (and my beloved husband), Forrest Dylan Bryant. On page 22 and 25 you'll find two pieces -- one a review of a concert by the SF Jazz Collective and the other a profile of Marcus Shelby. Go, Forrest, go!

Warning...terrifying commercial ahead
I have no words.... Check out this commercial for Folger's coffee. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Design is dead
I know that's been said throughout the ages, but the the American Institute of Architects have announced the Best Buildings of the Year and they all, without fail, suck. They are cold, dismal, and completely without style, grace, or charm. Help us.

Musical joy!
The new release from jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut is just that...pure joy. Called Genuine Chestnut this CD is just fabulously fun. It's solidly played, life-affirming, wonderful, light happiness for the ear. Buy this one, you'll love it!

There's a magazine for everything...
Forget Practical Horseman or The Doors Collectors magazine. If you want specific, check out Church Production magazine. Billed as the "Educational Magazine for Houses of Worship Covering Audio, Video, and Lighting Technologies," this seems to be geared towards those scary Baptist mega-churches with congregations the size of towns.

The ads in this magazine are obviously specialized for the audience. Audio mixing boards with headlines that read "Expand your Ministry," (of course, when I think preaching I think sound systems worthy of Madison Square Garden). One video system has the header "Talk about intelligent design..." (no comment). How about "is your praise music getting more complaints than praise?" or "it takes more than faith to hold up a top quality projector."

Wow...I had no idea.

In praise of creative pranks
This prank is hilarous. Complicated, complex, and something of a sociological experiment at well. But definitely interesting. Bravo!

It's time to fight again
Bush and his cronies have renewed their fight to write into the constitution an amendment banning gay marriage. All I can say is, fight it. It's ludicrous that so-called celebrities should be allowed to be married for 2-days while loving couples with a 25-year relationship have to fight to get health benefits. It's wrong, and it must be stopped.

Write your elected officials telling them not to buy into this form of legalized hatred. Donate money to causes that are fighting for equal rights (my two favorites are theHuman Rights Campaign and the Lambda Legal Defense Fund).

Whatever you do, don't just sit back and hope for the best. It's time to fight again!