Assorted links, vol. 44

--Are you ready to eat meat that didn't come from an animal?
*--An easy-to-understand FAQ about the question of standing in the never-ending Prop 8 trial.
--Mormon author Joanna Brooks wants to ask these LDS-specific questions to would-be presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.
*--Rowan Williams wrote this introductory piece about homosexuality in 1988.  Ah, for some of that directness today....
*--Here is a very important modern interreligious document: A Common Word Between Us and You, offered by Muslim leaders to their Christian counterparts, to which many Christian leaders have responded.  The document is a good starting point, and I am in the process of making my way through Rowan's engagement with and responses to it.
--And a list of things that you never knew had names.  :-)

Assorted links, vol. 43

*--While certainly no longer prevalent, geocentrism isn't dead, either.
*--Did you know that there isn't presently evidence to support the visual/auditory/kinesthetic learning style trichotomy?
--Is the GOP against science?
--Is it fair to ask about political candidates' religious beliefs?  (I think it is.)
*--A Relevant Magazine op-ed blog suggests that an obsession with modesty, like an obsession with immodesty, objectifies women.
--Also from Relevant, here are lists of their votes for six major issues that divide Christians and six things that can unite Christianity.

Assorted links, vol. 42

--An openly gay Mormon is now an LDS church leader.  Progress, or confusion?
--An expose on the key players in spreading Islamophobia in America.
--I must be ahead of the curve, because I bought Scott Kugle's book months before this interview came out.  Alas, it still remains in the long queue of yet-to-be-read books....
*--Read and learn just a few of these cheat sheets of smart things to drop into casual conversations (don't overlook the fact that there are four addition pages of them!) and you will basically feel like a genius.
*--If you've ever watched a reality show like Project Runway or America's Next Top Model, then you should definitely listen to this fictional story from the past week's This American Life on NPR.
--Have you heard of the Constitution Party?

Assorted links, vol. 41

*--Did animals at the National Zoo know the recent earthquake was coming before it arrived?
--Turns out that Fox News was scapegoating undocumented immigrants for starting Arizona's largest fire, despite the fact that two white U.S. citizens started it.  Surprise, surprise.
*--Yet another al-Qaeda number 2 has been killed.
--The Rev. Al Sharpton is taking over as an anchor at MSNBC.
--Jews give Glenn Beck's rally in Jerusalem mixed reviews.
*--Have you heard about the ex-Protestant-esque, now Catholic-esque, drug traffickers who model themselves after the Knights Templar?
--More commentary and follow-up about the intersection of dominionism and (some strains of) Republicanism.

Assorted links, vol. 40

--How do you feel about a 9/11-themed wine, part of the profits of which go to 9/11 charities?
--Perhaps the elusive Higgs boson doesn't exist after all.
*--Is Ramadan helping the Libyan rebels win?
--Sri Lanka plans to conduct a census of its population... of elephants.
*--More evidence that the PC(USA) is following closely behind TEC about dividing over gay and lesbian clergy.  Also, where do you suppose these ideas might have come from?

"Leaders of the conference have floated such options as creating an informal network of traditional congregations and pastors, organizing regional groups of congregations -- what the church calls presbyteries -- that would be based not on geography but on social and theological leanings, or creating a 'new reformed body' -- that is, a new denomination."

--And while on the subject of Christian conflict over sexuality, these United Methodists believe that they will have a better shot to change their denomination's policies next time around.
*--In a hopeful (if symbolic) step, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. hosted an iftar dinner in his residence.  :-)

Assorted links, vol. 39 (religion edition)

*--Eye-opening story about the racially-preferential enforcement of the honor code at BYU.
--Speaking of Mormons, here is the LDS church's head of public affairs' apologia for why he thinks Mormon doctrines and the traditional Christianity of the creeds are not at odds (which, to me, seems clearly to be nothing more than a perfunctory, surface-level bow to standard Christian terms, without any acknowledgement that Mormons radically redefine those terms to the point of being unrecognizable -- but maybe that's just me).
*--A fiery defense of evolution that claims that it is a mortal threat to Christianity altogether.  Overblown?
*--You've heard of the Muslim Brotherhood, but what about their female counterparts, the Muslim Sisterhood?
--Speaking of Islamists, The Washington Post thinks that it is perhaps a good thing that they are participating in the post-Mubarak political processes in Egypt.  The Economist agrees.
--An important introductory step in Islamic-Buddhist relations.

Assorted links, vol. 38

*--Here's everything you need to know about Hurricane Irene.
--Here's a follow-up to the "polar-bear-gate" story (which seems to me to be blown completely out of proportion, given that it isn't even clear what led to his suspension).
*--Here's five unforeseen consequences of 9/11 for religion in American society.
--Here's everything you need to know about the International Anglican Liturgical Commission's recent meeting to discuss marriage: the official communique (from ACNS), the favorable British review, and the unfavorable British review.
--Here's Mark Silk's take on the judgment stating that if Catholic foster services in Illinois refuse to accept the state's civil unions, then they are ineligible for state contracts.
*--Here's a wonderful article about one reporter's introduction to the struggle for transgender equality -- with an amazing number of outside links to follow.

Assorted links, vol. 37

--Math concept of the day: sexy primes.
--As Steve Jobs retires as Apple's CEO, take a brief look back through his career at some of the many things on which he has patents.
--Do you know someone who is being abused?  This lengthy but worthwhile blog post is definitely worth reading to help understand him or her better.
*--Since 9/11, there have been a surprising number of people whose curiosity about Islam has led them to convert.
*--What will it mean that astronomy is entering the time domain?
--Here's a new blog that you should be reading if you are interested in global warming (which I also added to the blogroll).
--And have you heard of unschooling, which is basically child-directed education taken to the extreme?  What do you think about it?

Assorted links, vol. 36

*--This Orthodox rabbi is playing an odd matchmaker, matching up gay men with lesbian women.
--A new NatGeo documentary looks at child evangelists -- I hope it will come to Netflix!
*--Supreme Court aficionado Jeffrey Toobin writes a long but fascinating piece for the New Yorker about the Court's silent conservative, Clarence Thomas, and his wife.
--Also, check out the New Yorker's take on candidate du joir, Rick Perry.
--Moses' story is now a Facebook game.
--Are you up on the Christian sports scene?  Check out this story about the Charlotte Eagles.
--Word of the day: cryptomnesia.
*--And in case you didn't hear, the Virginia earthquake yesterday gave the National Cathedral a good shaking.  Here is the link to the section of the Cathedral's page where they are updating the public on their status.

Assorted links, vol. 35

--The FCC has officially stricken the Fairness Doctrine from its books.  Sad to say, but I don't think I can really remember a time in my life when the majority of the media portrayed anything fairly.
*--A summary of two years' worth of time spent with the Tea Party.
--Speaking of the Tea Party, might their obstructionism during the debt ceiling debate cost them?  Some pollsters think so.
*--The Department of Health and Human Services will require insurance companies to grant women access to contraception, among other things, without copay (religious groups excepted).
*--NPR set off somewhat of a firestorm when a piece on Morning Edition appeared to accept an equivalency between the positions of those who were for and against ex-gay conversion therapy.  Religion Dispatches had some things to say about that: here's an opinion from a straight man who went undercover to one of these camps, and here's an essay about how different groups measure the success of these therapies.
--The (supposed) hand of James "Boanerges" the Great is taking a vacation in Reading.
--And Jim Bakker is selling his own breakfast cereal.

Assorted links, vol. 34

[Lots of links today.  I probably should have split this into two post, so sorry.  I'll give you four or five highlights today instead of just two or three.]

--One way to boost young people's future prospects: longer school days.
*--Based on info from an admittedly small sampling of UCC pastors in Canada, here are 25 theologians whose works the pastors would recommend to people in their pews.
--Wow.  Dominique Strauss-Kahn is off the hook and on his way.  I still wonder if he's getting away with sexual assault.
*--A fascinating opinion piece arguing a position that I've been arguing for years now: that just because you wear a military uniform in no way guarantees that you are a hero.
*--Panelist have been selected for the attorney discipline case against Andrew Thomas.
--The new MLK monument opened on the National Mall.
--Bisexual men exist, Northwestern University says.
--What should the state do about polygamous/polyandrous/polyamorous relationships?
*--The Washington Post thinks we have nothing to fear from evangelical candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, and that to call them "dominionists" is to misuse the term.  But Religion Dispatches counters that the Post has missed the point.  What do you think?

Assorted links, vol. 33 (CSM edition)

[Introduction: It's been Christian Science Monitor day here.  Check out these five recent articles.]

--Maybe it really is soon to be over in Libya.  What comes next?
--Do you know about Fermat's Last Theorem?  Not only is it a very important result in number theory, but perhaps more importantly, it sets the stage for the awesome musical Fermat's Last Tango.
--Politically motivated firings in Bahrain.  Sad.
--Could Sarah Palin finally be getting into the race for the White House?  Karl Rove thinks so.
--Will former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn be able to have his rape charges dropped?

Assorted links, vol. 32

*--The dean of UC Irvine's law school thinks its all but inevitable that the Supreme Court will legalize same-sex marriage soon.  I agree with his sentiments that Justice Kennedy is the swing vote, and that his record on LGBT issues is fairly positive.  But who knows with the Court....  I hope the dean is right!
--The 2010 census, probably unsurprisingly, found a dramatic increase in the number of same-sex couples and parents over the 2000 census.  You can find state-by-state data here for most states; I think the remaining ones will be posted on August 25th.  Here is one South Carolina newspaper's take on this (non-)issue.
*--This long complaint against former county attorney Andrew Thomas is my most recent reading project, so I'm up to speed for his upcoming professional ethics investigation.
--Big doings in Libya; could this be the beginning of the end of the conflict?
--In contrast to the views of the Foreign Policy piece that I posted yesterday, this NY Times articles sees a growing militant presence in Nigeria.
--Tensions are on the rise between Israel and Egypt.  Worrisome?
*--Interesting introduction to the work of the Bible Project, seeking to produce an authoritative scholarly edition of the Hebrew Bible.

Assorted links, vol. 31 (foreign policy edition)

[Introduction: All five of these (rather lengthy) links come from Foreign Policy magazine, and all are definitely worth the time.  Check out this well-written and informative news source if you aren't already familiar with it!]

*--Will the South China Sea be the battleground of the 21st century?
*--Where are all the radical Islamist suicide bombers?
--Is it time to reign in the Pentagon for the sake of the economy and security of the U.S.?
--Can the U.S. move past beyond its history of massive debts?
--What does war look like through Hipstamatic lenses? (This is a five-part photojournalism piece, so don't miss the other four segments linked within this first article.)

Enjoy!

Assorted links, vol. 30

*--Are you a constituent of House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (or, for that matter, Arizona's own Ben Quayle...)?  If so, don't plan on seeing them during the August recess -- that is, unless you are ready to break out your wallet in order to do so.  Thanks, "representatives".
*--A short op-ed that's interesting on a number of levels and definitely worth your time.  Who wants to engage in the sort of reversed debate that she describes?  I'm totally ready and think it's a great idea.
*--It appears to be surprisingly easy for investigators to elicit false confessions from innocent parties.
--A reflection from the (Roman Catholic) Archbishop of New York on external markers of faith.
--Another reflection from a Lutheran pastor on what is really responsible for the decline of mainline churches.
--Yet one more example of Muslims being singled out for different standards of treatment, this time regarding a proposed mosque in Georgia.

Assorted links, vol. 29

*--I want a bouquet of these Little Prince roses, please.  :-)
*--A stolen Rembrandt sketch turned up in an Episcopal church, apparently dumped off there.
--Sexism is alive and well, both in industry and in the church.
--Check out these stats on the Pentagon's spending over the last decade.
--This story will sicken you: a special-ed student in Missouri was forced to apologize to the boy who sexually assaulted her.
*--Michele Bachmann won the Ames straw poll the other day, followed closely by Ron Paul.  For background, here are Huffington Post's FAQ and ABC News's FAQ about the straw poll, ever-insightful Nate Silver's predictions about post-Ames Iowa, US News and World Reports' ruminations on the poll's predictive power (or lack thereof), and the NY Times's summary article.

Personal blog note

Just today, the blog hit five hundred page views!  I know that in the grand scheme of things, five hundred isn't all that many, and I know that numerous of these are probably my own, but there have also been hits from about fifteen countries, so I think that's pretty cool.  If you are reading this, then thanks for your support, and keep reading.  See you right back here after one thousand!  :-)

Assorted links, vol. 28

*--Have you heard about the seven-year-old soccer prodigy who signed with Real Madrid?
--A interactive county-by-county breakdown of the 2010 U.S. census data.  Summary: so long Midwest, hello coasts.
*--In an interesting follow-up to his piece on why the Republican Party is effectively now a religion (which I linked here), the same author contends that the same cannot be said of the Democratic Party; it may have religious elements, but cannot be termed a religion.
*--Billionaire Warren Buffet wants to stop being coddled and pay more taxes.  But is that merely a misdirection technique to prevent being taxed on his wealth?
--More on the Alabama bishops who have sued the state to enjoin enforcement of its new immigration law.
--An good read on two somewhat differing religious takes on the genocide in Sudan.

Assorted links, vol. 27

--Might this new therapy be a breakthrough in the treatment of leukemia?
*--In case you were wondering, Sesame Street folks broke the news that Ernie and Bert are not gay and won't marry each other.
*--Sad to see Catholic bishops placing their anti-LGBT push above so much else.
--Prime Minister David Cameron is considering bans on social media to prevent further rioting.  When I first heard this, I immediately thought of the bans on social media in other places; think of China's blocking of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, or consider the role of social media in the Arab spring on the one hand and the corresponding blocking of these sites, or even the whole of the Internet.  What is the same and what is different among these instances?
--Mitt Romney informed Iowa today that "corporations are people," which I think means he has been reading up about Citizens United....  Check out the ever-wonderful Story of Stuff's thoughts about this.

Assorted links, vol. 26

--These London riots are out of control.  What will they mean for already-beleaguered David Cameron?
*--Here's a look into the crystal ball for what might be around the corner for the Supreme Court.
--As the headline asks, "Is the world going bankrupt?"
*--I want to watch a (subtitled version of) this new television series of "The Little Prince"!  Hulu, maybe?
--Is Ayn Rand preaching the gospel of Satanism?
*--And don't miss these awesome astronomy photos.

Assorted links, vol. 25 (politics edition)

--Some reaction to the Tea Party holding America hostage.
--Michele Bachmann is all the rage lately.  (Get it? Pun!)  But seriously, check out the books she likes and her (mis)understanding of American history.
*--Also, on the Republican front, keep an eye on Rick Perry to announce his candidacy.  Yes, the Texas revivalist/campaigner Rick Perry, who seems to have done his share of opposing things from which he benefits (stem cells and farm subsidies, to name two).
--The sad tale of a soon-to-be-separated married gay couple.  Thanks, DOMA.
*--Why does Obama seem unable to find a narrative?  What happened?
*--Oh, Tea Party.  I read interviews like this, and I just don't understand.

Assorted links, vol. 24

--The Japan earthquake broke off glacial ice thousands of miles away in Antarctica.
--The Philippine Episcopal Church is not in favor of the Anglican Covenant.
*--Worthwhile commentary about S&P's downgrade of the U.S.
--What might the consequences of London's riots be?
--I want to watch this new documentary about an international Qur'an recitation competition.  Has anyone seen it?
--According to a recent study, increased education doesn't drive people away from church, but it does tend to liberalize their religious views.
--Muslims living in the upper floors of the world's tallest building have to fast longer during Ramadan than those living on ground level.
*--Looking for antimatter?  Check between the Van Allen belts.
*--The clandestine, fascinating story of the development and spread of the Stuxnet virus.

Assorted links, vol. 23

[Hard to pick just three to asterisk this time around; all the links are solid, so check them all out!]

*--Always worth reading something by Marcus Borg.  Here he is being interviewed about his new book, which focusing on reclaiming the language of Christianity from conservative evangelicals.
--In the wake of the debt ceiling deal, here's an interesting counterpoint to the "what would Jesus cut?" question.
--Scott Gunn (who has good insights and opinions about things) doesn't like "Holy Women, Holy Men," which I had thought to be pretty good.  I do see his points, though.  Opinions?
*--Look what I found -- "love wins" written more than a year before "Love Wins"!!!  I guess Rob Bell didn't make it all up himself after all (he can thank Shane Claiborne).  :-)
*--What is love? UA chaplain Lucas Mix knocks it out of the park, again.
--And last, but certainly not least, I hope you are ready for the comic book battle of the century: "Captain Israel vs. Foreskin Man" (can't make this stuff up...).

Assorted links, vol. 22

--Nice NY Times remembrance of John Stott, who died recently.
--Interview with the author of a new book about Eden.
*--Are Leviticus' prohibitions on male same-sex relations culturally dependent or eternal?
--Could a forty year old FBI case really have a credible new lead?
*--Here is a worthwhile response to rabid anti-immigration types (from Alabama, but definitely applicable to Arizona, as well).
*--Need your fix of Islamic hip-hop?  Background info here (or just jump straight to the music here).

Assorted links, vol. 21

--Has anyone read "God Wins"?  Another response to "Love Wins," so it seems, like the Francis Chan book I posted about the other day.  I want to know what someone else thinks about it before investing.
*--A fascinating article and question: are humans innately liberal or conservative?
--Teachers' cheating in Atlanta public schools seems to have been widespread.
*--But on the plus side, here's a more full and happier look at Atlanta as a whole.
--Look like Kansas Planned Parenthood will keep its funding, at least for now....
--This brief article made me sad for two reasons: first, because Taco Bell was negatively involved, and second, because the writer called the Narazites an "obscure religious group"....
--And when was the last time you read about street art in Belarus? :-)