Jesus

Did you know that, "according to one study," "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" -- the weirdly infectious ditty Eric Idle concocted for the climactic cluster crucifixion of Monty Python's Life of Brian, and which he a-sings and a-whistles here in an attempt to cheer up the downhearted Brian (Graham Chapman) -- is "the most requested song at British funerals, edging out 'My Way' "?by KenIf we must have our celebrities permanently in motion, on a rotating basis, in an unstoppable international whirligig of media whoring, and apparently we must, then we can at least cherish such moments

Maintenance workers at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., airport shot and killed a bear and her three cubs.

Monday Agence France-Presse reported that Pope Francis denounced those getting rich through speculation in financial markets, sounding a good deal milder than Jesus did when he denounced the banksters-- as the money changers of his day are called now-- at the Temple in Jerusalem, sealing his fate.

Standing in a dimly lit Greek Orthodox Church this week with my mother, I was confronted with the icon of Christ crucified. As the life-size cross with a hand painted icon of Christ was solemnly carried by the priest around the Church, I, along with many in the Church, was overcome with grief. The faithful wept for the crucified one who is considered by over a billion humans to be God incarnate.

Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.
It seems like, to me, a vagina – as a man – would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.

by Finian Cunningham
 
The annual Christmas celebrations around the world conjure up a kaleidoscope of emotions, ranging from the sombre to the joyful, from pity to awe.
One thing often missing though from the celebrations is a connection between the original historical event – some 2,000 years ago – and how this story relates to present reality.

by KenFor reasons that might be worth talking about some other time, I've started reading stuff by the legendary New Yorker reporter Joseph Mitchell (1908-1996), and in a 1940 nonfiction piece called "Mazie," I came across a moment that hit me so hard, and so purely and simply, that I had to share it.By way of background, Mitchell loved the gritty side of New York City, whose often sorely pressed denizens he felt singularly at home with.

The video above isn't about the Minimum Wage. It's about the Tea Party world view. You should watch it. It pretty much explains why the country's politics are so screwed up. I don't think Bachmann is consciously lying, although almost nothing she's saying has any relationship to objective truth-telling. I think she's just ignorant, ignorant of the most basic facts she's warbling about to the fringe loons and bigots who pay any attention to her. As you know, President Obama doesn't have a magic wand to wave, not literally or even figuratively.