Help restore ancient manuscripts!

I already mentioned this in my last assorted links post, but in order to help prevent it from being lost amid other links, I wanted to draw special attention to it.  At this website, you can help Oxford University to transcribe ancient documents found in the treasure trove unearthed at Oxyrhynchus.  After two brief tutorials, you will be able to help identify and electronically record the Greek letters on the manuscripts and to make measurements of the various dimensions of the fragments, in order to assist the researchers in reassembling and translating them.  You don't need outside knowledge of the Greek language or alphabet; you are taught what you need to know.  Definitely check it out and spend a few minutes helping out this valuable academic endeavor!

Assorted links, vol. 20

--A humorous take on the fact that the Pope has begun to use Twitter.
--What do dominatrices (dominatrixes?) do in their spare time?  This one wrote a memoir.
*--Awesome article about the correspondences between Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz.  I would actually be interested to read the new book about them, despite it's length (832 pages...).
*--You have to check this out!  On this website, there are real papyri uncovered in Egypt at Oxyrhynchus, and you can help Oxford University transcribe and measure them.  [Side note: I may put up another post, just about this website, because the project seems that cool.]
--Has anyone read, or does anyone know anything about, the book "The Prophet and the Astronomer"?  Sounds like something that might be worth checking out.
--Two new blogs to check out: one by Lucas Mix, an Episcopal priest with an extensive science background, and the other about history, politics, and Christianity -- both added to the sidebar.

That's all for now, but more coming soon!

Assorted links, vol. 19

--I just picked up the book "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan, which appears to be a response to Rob Bell's recent book "Love Wins".  Here are the introduction to Chan's book and a (slightly repetitive) Q&A with the author.  See what you think, and if you've already read one or both of these, tell me what you think of them.
*--If you don't know about what's going on with the debt ceiling debate, here is a very helpful question and answer sheet from the NY Times to help you get caught up to speed.  And see also here.  :-)
*--Just when is "now"?  This article is from a great NPR blog on science and culture called 13.7, which has a subsection on science and religion!
--Should evangelicals stop evangelizing?  And do you really know what's in the Bible, anyways?
*--What impact does Borders' closing have on the distribution of classical music?

Norway massacre

What a tragedy.  And what makes it all the more appalling is that the attacks were perpetrated by a man who purported to seek a return to the glory days of white, Christian Europe.  He shares much in common with another homegrown terrorist, Timothy MacVeigh.  Right before beginning his massacre, he posted a 1500+ page manifesto online (summary here, and I believe that the full text can be found via a link here), which draws from the same underpinning sources as the right-wing "Christian worldview" -- which might explain why Pat Buchanan approves.  Another source on which he apparently, and unsurprisingly, drew was the anti-Islamic venom of the likes of Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller (warning: don't spend too much time on these sites, they are bad for you [or, see this fun takedown of Spencer to balance them out]).  All in all, a tragically sad story, but perhaps not so surprising; violence like this is an inevitable consequence when unstable people are continually exposed to hateful rhetoric.  :-(

Assorted links, vol. 18

I have a ton of not-yet-posted articles, so I'll probably have two or three roundups soon-ish.  :-)

--Cornel West is sticking it to Obama again.  This one is much better than his recent "no-inauguration-tickets" lament, though.
*--Here is an awesome story about the work of rebuilding famous Buddha statues in Afghanistan that were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban (see also: this documentary, which I have been meaning to watch for ages now...).
--Did you know that you can see Colonel Sanders from space?
*--How will this new California Supreme Court justice affect the ongoing Prop 8 case?  Also in Jerry Brown news, props to him for signing the California Dream Act.
--On the connections between pornography and sex trafficking.

More coming soon!

Assorted links, vol. 17

--A group of Hindus are suing a New Jersey restaurant after it fed them meat-filled samosas, breaking the restaurant's assurances that they would uphold the Hindu's vegetarian way of life.
*--One evangelical Anglican's take on the proposed Anglican covenant.  Worthy of consideration.
--Soda makers don't like the idea that they might be contributing to obesity.  (Really, I just saw a rep on MSNBC the other day suggesting that they were being unfairly targeted and aren't really to blame.)
*--An article whose title asks, "Are you bad at doing church?"  Also in Relevant magazine: why we shouldn't hate Westboro Baptist Church
--A NY Times "who's who" of the phone hacking scandal.  Also, it's interesting to me that Zondervan (who owns U.S. rights to the NIV Bible, and who is owned by News Corp.) seemingly feels no compunction about their owners' actions....
--I'm glad that the U.S. is going to restart aid to Somalia, threat or no threat.
--Interesting article on James Taylor and race.

Assorted links, vol. 16

*--Get excited for cloaking technologies.
--Berlusconi is finally taking a well-deserved beating in the Italian polls.  Good riddance.
--What percent of nineteenth-century Mormons were involved in polygamy?
--A biography of the new Catholic Archbishop of Milan, a potential pope-to-be.
--An article on the faith (or lack thereof) of the characters in the video game series Assassin's Creed.
--New blog on religion and U.S. history (added to the sidebar)
*--And while we're on the topic of American history, definitely check out this article about David Barton, whom you may have seen on John Stewart discussing his re-imagined version of our country's founding.
--A world-class Chinese gymnast whose career was ended by injuries has been relegated to the streets, a victim of China's sport system.

Assorted links, vol. 15

(Introductory note: Since these posts, by design, contain lots of articles at once, I'm going to try to start placing asterisks besides those that I thought most particularly interesting [though all the articles are interesting, obviously].  So if you only have time for one or two, start there.)

--Good editorial about the meaningfulness of Harry Potter.
*--Is the Republican Party as much a religion as a political system...
--...and has it overplayed its hand in the debt ceiling debate...
--...and what's the deal with all its pledges?  Hmm, wonder if race has any part in all of this.
--I've been reading some of Religion Dispatches blogger Joanna Brooks' articles on Mormonism in America and think they are worthy of comment.  I agree with some parts of what she says and disagree with others, but I do think she is earnest, which I greatly appreciate.  Here are her defense of Mormonism as falling within Christianity, discussion of the Heavenly Mother, and report about a newly-filed case to decriminalize polygamy in Utah.
--Amazing interviews with a victim of post-9/11 violence and his assailant.
*--And an interesting article in the NY Times about how different Episcopal dioceses within New York state are responding to the impending legalization of same-gender marriages

Assorted links, vol. 14

--Interesting new (to me) blog about transparency and the courts
--Looking for the Museum of Totalitarian Art? It's opening in Bulgaria in September.
--It seems that the same dissent that has hit The Episcopal Church is hitting the Church of England, too.  Wonder how they'll feel about the "Anglican Mission in England," and wonder why that sounds so familiar...?
--Should official denominational church planting be supplanted by bivocational missionaries?
--This man helped my friend find The Episcopal Church, and for that he deserves great thanks.
--Awesome interview of Kevin Kelly, the founder of Wired magazine, by Christianity Today.  Definitely check it out and read it all.

British phone hacking scandal

If you haven't already heard, Britain is more or less falling apart.  News Corporation, the group who owns Fox News and the Wall Street Journal on the U.S. side and (until last week) News of the World on the British side, initially stood accused of tapping the phone of the family of a murdered 13 year old British girl in order to gain a scoop on the story.  Since breaking, the scandal has rippled wider and wider: News of the World was shut down, several top News Corp. executives have resigned, top brass in Scotland Yard have resigned, and Prime Minister David Cameron cut a trip to Africa by more than half to return and face Parliament, several of whose members are openly calling for him to resign.  And now, further allegations have raised the possibility that News Corp. also tapped into the communications of the families of 9/11 victims, bringing the scandal stateside and initiating a U.S. investigation.  Some people are even questioning CEO Rupert Murdoch's future with News Corp., a previously unthinkable eventuality.  This is a huge and serious story, which deserves more attention than it has yet received in America.  The Telegraph has a live-updating, comprehensive (or perhaps even verbose) blow-by-blow of the entire scandal here.  Read this or some other article, but educate yourself about this scandal; it should be a wake-up call about journalistic ethics, at least.

Assorted links, vol. 13

--Only one more week until gay and lesbian New Yorkers can marry!  Here's the necessary info.
--There has been a shift in strategy toward deterrence in the realm of cyberwarfare.
--Are your parents "iParents"? (I think mine are.)
--The ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) just passed a statement on human sexuality.
--Dumb GOP-presidential-candidate remark of the day goes to ... Herman Cain.
--Another scary potential-nominee: Michele Bachmann.
--Interesting dispute between TOMS shoes and Focus on the Family.

Enjoy! :-)

Assorted links, vol. 12

--Moody's is taking steps toward downgrading the U.S. government's bond rating...
--...and Republicans are divided about what to do about this fact...
--...because many Tea Party types still won't even consider a debt ceiling increase.
--Speaking of the Tea Party, here's another unfortunate statement from Michele Bachmann about LGBTQ people to supplement yesterday's.
--Speaking of unfortunate, is North Dakota really even a state?
--Speaking of states, here's a quite fawning article about "arch"bishop Duncan after his recent state of the "church" address.
--And speaking of addresses, the #1 Internet address is still going after #2.

Assorted links, vol. 11

--Michele Bachmann: ex-gay therapy advocate and homophobe.  Great choice, Republicans.
--Women are winning powerful political positions, thanks in part to associations with male relatives.
--Another simple yet helpful reminder about what the Bible does and doesn't say about marriage.
--Ruth Gledhill, the Anglican woman who writes the Times's religion column, has a new personal blog.
--Will NOM disclose its donor list, as it has been ordered to do?
--Is your church participating in the DREAM sabbath?

I'm back!

After a six week hiatus at camp, I'm back again.  Get ready.  :-)