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Just stumbled upon a news brief about this comic--Super Hero Happy Hour . This is brilliant!

Yeah, The Tick had an episode like this, and there've been other brief things along these lines within an established series--but a whole series of this? Brilliant.

Starting the Day with a Laugh

Ann Coulter's latest begins this way: "After the New Hampshire primary, Dennis Kucinich's new slogan is: '.001 Percent of America Can't Be Wrong!' John Edwards' new slogan is: 'Vote for Me or We'll See You in Court.' Joe Lieberman's new slogan is: 'Sixth Place Is Not an Option.' (Bumper sticker version: 'Ask Me About My Delegate.') Al Sharpton's new slogan is 'Hello? Room Service?' Wesley Clark's new slogan is: 'Leading America's War on Fetuses.' Howard Dean's new slogan is: 'I Want to Be Your President ... And So Do I!'

That leaves John Kerry (new slogan: 'Nous Sommes Nombre Un!')"

Read the entire column: Just a gigolo

Blast from the Past

Doonesbury's Take on John Kerry

Yeah, sure, it's from '71, but still funny.

thanks to worldmagblog for this ...

Anyone have some sedatives to spare?

My kids have found a flood of excess energy the last couple of days. I have no idea where it came from, but I do know that I'm about to be driven insane by it.

It started yesterday on the way to church--Interstate's icy and slick, wife is reading me my sermon notes on the way to help me review, and the 4 and 5 year old are jumping all over the place and babbling at very high volume. (how they're jumping yet strapped into their booster seats I haven't figured out). All in all a fun time.

And they haven't calmed down yet . . . I've begged/commanded them to calm down several million times today and it works for about .5 seconds. Wit's End? That's about 5 yards to my left . . .

Wow . . .

Colleges Noticing Home Schooled Student . . . this is just too strange: mainstream press with a positive story about Homeschooling. Guess the AP didn't get the memo . . .

TV, TV, TV

Few scattered thoughts on my TV obsessions.

Alias--this show . . . man. It gets stranger, and stranger all the time. But even when you're not sure what's going on, it's a blast to watch.

Smallville--guilty pleasure in a way. Too much eye candy. But, man, when they put together a good episode, it's really, really good! And, hey, a Pete Ross story was the focus of this week's episdoe . . .can't go wrong with that.

Ed--looks like the nice, strange ride is ending in Feb. Heck, I didn't figure it would last a whole season, but I'm gonna miss Stuckyville.

Monk--great show from the start, keeps getting better and better. The episode with John Turturro as his brother was one of the best things I've seen in months.

NYPD Blue--please, please, please ABC, bring it back soon!

10 Commandments monument

Okay, there's some controversy in Boise because the City Council voted on Tuesday to move a 10 Commandments monument from a city park. For the heck of it, I'll throw my 2 cents out there.

As I understand it, Fred Phelps (the supposed Christian whose sole purpose in life is to rabble-rouse)* wanted to put some statue in a Boise park. Knowing Phelps (not personally, but I've run into his progeny online), it was offensive to many, many people with a thin veneer of Christianity painted on top of it. Anyway, to justify the fact that they'll don't want him to, the city's removing all such statues/monuments. There's some sort of threatened lawsuit, too, from people out of state (you need to read When Blue States Attack if you haven't yet). Don't know if it's related to Phelps or not. There are probably some other reasons, too, but that's what I've heard.

Now, the radio news today stated that this issue was put on the City Council meeting agenda at 5:30 last Friday (right before a 3 day weekend). Then Tuesday they had the meeting, refused to let any citizens talk about it during the meeting and voted to remove it. Originally it was scheduled to be moved today. As the lawyer for the group trying to keep the monument in place, "What's the urgency?" Why indeed are they rushing this?

Now, from a religious point of view I don't care if they have the statue there or not--the LAW is still binding on everyone whether they know it or not. It does say a great deal about the moral and spiritual state of this nation, however. I fear for my kids. Now when it comes to the legal reasoning behind this trend, let me quote from that above mentioned article (very coincidentally, btw):

"The alleged legal basis for removing all of these Ten Commandments monuments is the establishment clause of the First Amendment. That clause provides: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." The vigilant observer will note instantly that none of the monuments cases involves Congress, a law or an establishment of religion.

Monuments are not "laws," the Plattsmouth, Neb., public park is not "Congress," and the Ten Commandments are not a religion. To the contrary, all three major religions believe in Moses and the Ten Commandments. Liberals might as well say the establishment clause prohibits Republicans from breathing, as that it prohibits a Ten Commandments display. But over the past few years, courts have ordered the removal of dozens and dozens of Ten Commandments displays"

well, maybe that was 4 cents in the end.

* is that spelled right?

Now that's planning ahead

Sci Fi Wire reports that work on Shrek 3 is already underway. Not only is that planning ahead, but that's a lot of confidence in #2!

Blocked

Robert B. Parker is known for saying he doesn't believe in writer's block--it's his job, you just go in and do it--you never hear of a plumber getting plumber's block. Eh, maybe.

But I cannot seem to write anything this week--sermon, email, article, blog, nuttin'--just empty screen . . . .

bah

Excuses, thy name is HC Newton

Just received some bad news about a friend. I feel like an utter failure. It's been a couple of months since I've seen him--and I'm about the only friend he has in the area. Now, my presence in his life would not have prevented the problems he's having--but maybe, just maybe it could've lessened it. Yeah, yeah, I have a bazillion reasons for not having made it out to see him, and at least 80% are legitimate.

The fact that I have such a list makes me mad. It shows me that now matter how important I think people are to me, I can find many things that are moreso. And it isn't just him, come to think of it. I have similar reasons for not seeing my grandmother, or aunt, or other grandmother, or some other friends--or for doing something to help out complete and utter strangers at a shelter, or CPC, or . . .

man, I suck.

This is great . . .

Someone obviously has way too much time on their hands, but at least they use it for the betterment of society.

Go check out this flash video to Weird Al's "Angry White Boy Polka". Yeah, it takes awhile, but it can be done fine with dialup. . . .

Thought for the Lord's Day

from Barne's Notes on Eph. 4:1

To “walk worthy of that calling,” is to live as becomes a Christian, an heir of glory; to live as Christ did. It is:

(1) To bear our religion with us to all places, companies, employments. Not merely to be a Christian on the Sabbath, and at the communion table, and in our own land, but every day, and everywhere, and in any land where we may be placed. We are to live religion, and not merely to profess it. We are to be Christians in the counting-room, as well as in the closet; on the farm as well as at the communion table; among strangers, and in a foreign land, as well as in our own country and in the sanctuary.
(2) It is to do nothing inconsistent with the most elevated Christian character. In temper, feeling, plan, we are to give expression to no emotion, and use no language, and perform no deed, that shall be inconsistent with the most elevated Christian character.
(3) It is to do “right always:” to be just to all; to tell the simple truth; to defraud no one; to maintain a correct standard of morals; to be known to be honest. There is a correct standard of character and conduct; and a Christian should be a man so living, that we may always know “exactly where to find him.” He should so live, that we shall have no doubts that, however others may act, we shall find “him” to be the unflinching advocate of temperance, chastity, honesty, and of every good work - of every plan that is really suited to alleviate human woe, and benefit a dying world.
(4) It is to live as one should who expects soon to be “in heaven.” Such a man will feel that the earth is not his home; that he is a stranger and a pilgrim here; that riches, honors, and pleasures are of comparatively little importance; that he ought to watch and pray, and that he ought to be holy. A man who feels that he may die at any moment, will watch and pray. A man who realizes that “tomorrow” he may be in heaven, will feel that he ought to be holy. He who begins a day on earth, feeling that at its close he may be among the angels of God, and the spirits of just men made perfect; that before its close he may have seen the Saviour glorified, and the burning throne of God, will feel the importance of living a holy life, and of being wholly devoted to the service of God. Pure should be the eyes that are soon to look on the throne of God; pure the hands that are soon to strike the harps of praise in heaven; pure the feet that are to walk the “golden streets above.”

Needing a lesson?

Here's draft one of my exhortation to go along with the reading of the Law this week, this is kind of odd, I tend to make them up on the fly (and as a result, they tend to sound pretty much the same). Need to do this more in the future.

The idea of the law as something to spur us to Christ is something we?re all familiar with, maybe even used to. But how many of us seek out the Law so that it will drive us to Christ? David prays ?Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.? (Ps. 139:23-24). Job as well asks God, ?How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.? (13:23)

We all know at times that we?ve drifted from Christ, from our first love. We know that our hearts have gotten a little harder, a little colder. And what do we so often do? We try to warm our hearts ourselves, try to beat them a little to soften them up. We pray that God would rekindle the love we had, but so often we ignore the means that God himself gave us to do that. When we go to the Law, ask the Schoolmaster for a lesson, we will discover anew our sin and our great need of mercy?and that will always drive us to Christ, enflaming our faith, our love and devotion toward him.

Poor Lex

Smallville's back (phew! I can breathe again). Fairly satisfying episode. I like the Clark/Lana split--it'll be temporary, I know, which is part of the reason I like it. Reason #2 to like it is Ma Kent's meddling . . . great mom.

The Lex storyline was interesting, a little on the silly side, but I can live with it. Gave Michael Rosenbaum some great stuff to do tho' . . . best actor on the show--hands down.

Best part of all was the Blast-from-the-Past trio (or is that quartet?)...Clark's vanquished foes going for a little revenge. It was great to see them in the opening scene, nice to see that Clark learned enough from his previous exposure leech-boy that he could take care of him in a few minutes . . .

Homeschoolers vs. Big Brother

Michelle Malkin hits the nail right on the head in Homeschoolers vs. Big Brother. The whole thing is gold, particularly the last two paragraphs (here's the final 'graph):

A crackdown on innocent homeschooling families to cure the incompetence of government child-welfare agencies is like a smoker lopping off his ear to treat metastatic lung cancer. It's a bloody wrong cure conceived by a fool who caused his own disease.

saddest thing for me is, my parents would fall on the other side . . .

Nice article

Just stumbled upon this during a google search for something totally unrelated . . . Boundless-Professors and Puritans

Footnote

Glad to see that Fraiser's not going the Michael Jordan route (see yesterday's "Rocketing Back . . . ") and calling it quits while still fresh--fresher actually than the last couple of years. Smart move from a generally smart show, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Disturbing

Actor-Writer Spalding Gray Reported Missing in NY

I was just looking online the other day for new material from him, and now I read this. He was a big influence in life a few years ago, actually, I should probably dig out his tapes/books again and go through them. Might help my blogging . . .

This is the single greatest piece of news I've read in months

Sci Fi Wire -- Hitchhiker Stars Set

No additional comment is necessary.

Text for the week

Ephesians 4:1-6 :
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (NKJV)

Anyone who has any brilliant insights into this passage that I shouldn't leave out of my exhortation to the congregation next Lord's Day is encouraged to pass them on.