Assorted links, vol. 80

--A sobering editorial on the impact the next president could have on the Supreme Court.
--Speaking of the Supreme Court, it has become an occupying target.
--Speaking of occupying, who was Guy Fawkes and why do the protesters wear his mask?
*--A ballot initiative in Mississippi seeks to define any fertilized egg as a legal person.
--The Church of England met with News Corp. to discuss the phone hacking scandal.
--The world population is about to hit 7 billion.  How big is that?
*--Can "zombie Jesus" serve as a source for legitimate theological reflection?
*--I agree that the science of the future should be networked.

Assorted links, vol. 79

*--Chinese tweeters (or rather, sina-weibo-ers) won't be occupying Beijing anytime soon.
--Is Tim Tebow a Protestant saint?
--A list of 25 bible resources available online.
--Backwards world: might Justice Stevens be less liberal and Justice Thomas more liberal than we generally imagine?
*--NYPD apparently keeps files on those who change their names to or from "Arabic-sounding" names.
--Explanation of how the Citizens United decision harmed campaign finance laws.
--Peruse the oldest scientific journal.
*--Round-up of the status of laws targeting undocumented immigrants in various states.

Assorted links, vol. 77

--Award for weirdest and dumbest Phoenix mayoral race campaign signs goes to... Stingray Sushi.
*--Excellent commentary from NPR on the NC-17 film rating.
--Words and paradoxes.
--My brother beat me to posting this (even though I found the link independently of him), but a giant Lego man washed up on the beach in Florida.
--What if the Supreme Court weren't the last word on constitutionality?
*--What would the happiest person in America be like?  (Also, follow the embedded NYTimes link.)
--Moderate Islamists win in Tunisia.
*--As the headline asks, "Why does God love beards?"
--A new Australian program is helping to change public perception of greyhounds, taking them from fearsome to friendly.

Assorted links, vol. 76

--The mayor of D.C. wants $15 million to help repair the National Cathedral.
--Mendeleev pwns the last airbender.
*--Have you heard about the game show that tries to convert you to a new religion?
--Just over a month to go until the new Catholic Missal comes out.
--Some American Islamic scholars have issued a fatwa declaring the compatibility of being American and being Muslim.
*--Rush Limbaugh is at it again, this time cheering the Lord's Resistance Army....
*--A new Herman Cain ad is... strange?
--What will the future of Libya hold?  Well, polygamy, for one.
--At least Harold Camping was half right this time around -- things were indeed quiet, but, once again, the world did not end on October 21, as he had re-predicted it would.

Assorted links, vol. 74

--Some researchers have claimed to find proof of the existence of a Yeti.  Soon you may be able to study Yetis at the local university, too.
*--Want to go to Japan for free?  Soon, you might be able to do so.
--Here's how the two stars of "The Princess Bride" look, 24 years later.
--A SWAT team raided the set of Brad Pitt's latest movie.
--Need a mask that is a creepily identical replica of your face?  It can be yours for a mere $3920.
*--Did Portugal's history contribute to its decision to legalize same-sex marriage?
--What does a Buddhist military chaplain do?
*--And the Occupy Wall Street protesters marched a symbolic golden calf around.

Assorted links, vol. 73

--A documentary about "Arrested Development" may be on the way.
*--Did you know that when the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to Earth, they had to first go through customs?
*--Shane Claiborne wonders if St. Francis might be occupying Wall Street if he were here today.
*--The Jewish Telegraphic Agency comments on the connection between the GOP and Israel.
--In an effort to combat stereotypes of Muslim women who wear the hijab as oppressed, voiceless, etc., the tumblr site "hijabisdoingthings" shows ordinary (hijab-wearing) women doing ordinary things.
--Looks like a (legislative) repeal of the repeal of same-sex marriage in California isn't in the cards for 2012.
--What happens when Amish theological divisions boil over?  Why, beard- and hair-cutting assaults, of course!

Assorted links, vol. 72

--You can read entire Dead Sea Scrolls online.  This has to be the coolest online biblical studies tools I've seen in awhile.
--The writers of "Toy Story" are apparently working on a new film about ... Farmville?
--A helpful YouTube channel called "minutephysics" helps to give brief introductions to complicated physics ideas.
*--A virus attacked the computer of the U.S. drone fleet.
--IGN recently updated its list of the best Wii games.  What do you think of its choices?
*--Very interesting article on the behind-the-scenes workings that led to the birth of the state of Israel.
*--This story also has been bothering me for awhile now (it isn't very new...).  Should guns legally be allowed in churches?  That question is actually far less important to me than the question of the theological rationale of why anyone would need to bring a gun to church.  Of what is he or she afraid that God can't fix but a gun can?

Assorted links, vol. 71

*--A Swedish poet won the Nobel Prize in literature (read English translation of two of his poems here and here), the discoverers of dark energy won in science, one of the three winners of the prize in medicine died just before the award, and three women shared the peace prize for their nonviolent work advancing women's equality.
--An amazing story about the mother of the man who killed or wounded 10 Amish schoolchildren.
--America on why the Catholic Church should let girls be altar servers (and priests, too).
--Should have posted this awhile ago, but here is a Q&A on the Palestinian statehood bid.
--A Tennessee pastor asked his deacons to beat his gay son and stood by as they did.  So sad.
*--A.S. Haley has written a useful Q&A about the legal wranglings in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.
*--How can you get recognized by the Royal Astronomical Society without being a Ph.D.-level astronomer?  By playing Planet Hunters, of course!  (See also: FoldIt.)

Assorted links, vol. 70

*--Can differences in the brain help explain political orientation?
--Need a job?  NASA is hiring new astronauts.
*--This new book about secular apocalypticism sounds like an interesting read.
--What are your thoughts on the new Common English Bible?
*--The Supreme Court today heard arguments about one of the most important religions cases it has faced in a long while, which arose because of ... narcolepsy.
--Interesting short essay about Catholic hospitals and contraception.
--For those who still think that only Muslims can be violent, did you read about the mosque that was graffitied and burned, likely by Jewish extremists?

Assorted links, vol. 69 (awesome things edition)

*--Arrested Development is coming back!
*--Enoch and Metatron star in a video game!
--Will Shortz opened up a table tennis club!
--America (Magazine) reports from the Occupy Wall Street protest (which has received support from Cornel West, George Soros, Russell Simmons, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Stiglitz, and Michael Moore).
*--Rob Bell is leaving Mars Hill to team up with "Lost" co-creator Carlton Cuse to create a new TV show called "Stronger".
--If only Justice Scalia were true enough to his words that he would indeed resign....  (See, for instance, paragraph 56 of John Paul II's "Evangelium vitae" here.)
--And what better way to bid farewell to departed loved ones than by stuffing their cremains into rifle bullets with which to take one final hunting trip?

Assorted links, vol. 67

--Al-Qaeda has released a new video tape supporting the Arab Spring.
*--Pediatricians called out Michele Bachmann for her statements on the HPV vaccine.
*--Looks like I'm not the only one living at home.
*--Mormon women's sex lives improved when they read romance novels, and Mormon missionaries were asked to stop proselytizing on buses.
--The PCUSA may divest themselves of Caterpillar, Motorola, and HP due to their various business practices with respect to the Israel/Palestine conflict.
--America (the magazine) compares the GOP to a cult.
--It would be wonderful to see ecumenical progress on the Catholic-Orthodox front.
--Oklahoma's ban on sharia law had its hearing in the Tenth Circuit Court.
--North Carolina is being sued by the ACLU for allowing pro-life license plates while denying pro-choice ones.

Assorted links, vol. 65

--This infographic explains why we should be subsidizing solar rather than fossil fuels.
*--How do military operations get their code names?
--With so much shouting about Rowan not standing up to the "liberal" churches (or the "conservative" churches, depending on whom you ask), here's a nice outside perspective on his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury.
--Shane Claiborne and Ben Cohen (of Ben and Jerry's) teamed up to protest militarism.
*--Religion at Burning Man.
--Iran inaugurated its nuclear program.
*--Can the disparate Palestinian groups unify, regardless of the outcome at the U.N.?

Assorted links, vol. 63

*--Who might be the next dictatorial coconut to fall?
--SlutWalk invades Morocco.
*--This awesome website keeps you up-to-date on movements going on throughout the world.
*--I've been reading several exciting things about the potential for an American Autumn.  The one that I am most interested in seeing is Occupy Wall Street, scheduled for 9/17 (more here and here).  Anonymous will be there.
--If Rowan Williams were to return to academia, here's how his replacement would be selected.
--People in Iran need our voices to achieve equal access to education.  (Also, is Dwight Schrute narrating this?)
--Bishop Walter Righter, tried for heresy in The Episcopal Church, just died.

Assorted links, vol. 62

*--Might Rowan Williams be stepping down as the Archbishop of Canterbury in the near-ish future?
--This website parodies fundamentalist Christianity, but some of their lampooning is so good that it took a Google search for me to determine whether the views are real.  Until I read a handful of articles, I thought it was serious, and even afterwards I still wasn't positive.  Thankfully, the Atlantic and the NY Times came to the rescue.
--An essay about teaching Islam in post-9/11 America.
*--A serious breach of security in Egypt: the military government allowed protestors to invade the Israeli embassy.  Mark my words, this is the beginning of a very bad spiral.
--I found a young-earth creationist institute that has an associated school with (non-accredited) bachelor's and master's degrees....
*--And here's a round-up of everything useful online about the proposed Anglican Covenant: a book (which I want to buy), Anglican Communion guide, Living Church guide, No Anglican Covenant guide, Church Times guide, and Executive Council guide.

Assorted links, vol. 61

*--(Alleged) temple prostitution, right here in Phoenix.
--Are you a hipster Christian?
--You can buy a Pope Benedict XVI teddy bear for a mere $325.  Which I suppose is fine; Benedict does have a bear on his coat of arms, after all.
*--The anti-immigrant governor of New Mexico admits that her grandparents were undocumented.
--Some awesome nuns in Washington grabbed hoses to help fight a wildfire.
--An editorial on the intersection of patriotism and Christianity.
--Jan Brewer is dumb, again.  This time, she is trying to take away benefits from domestic partners of same-sex employees, pretending that this will rescue the state from its budget crisis.  But two courts in a row have now slapped this idiocy down.
--More on the "credible but unconfirmed" threat for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
*--Rowan Williams reflects on 9/11 (don't forget, he was essentially right next door to the Twin Towers when they came down [cf. "Writing in the Dust"]).

Assorted links, vol. 59

*--A very eye-opening article about the FBI's use of sting operations against Muslims who they fear might some day become terrorists.
--A nerdy but moderately funny web comic.
--The U.S. is apparently facing a "credible but unconfirmed" terror threat for the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
*--New polling data about beliefs in global warming by political affiliation.
--Here's how liberals, neocons, and libertarians are reflecting on the anniversary of 9/11, all in one place.
*--And a 3-dimensional printer, which is pretty awesome.

Assorted links, vol. 58

--A man accused a woman of stalking him after she called him 65,000 times in one year.
*--Fascinating article arguing that "in red America, families form adults; in blue America, adults form families".
*--GOP debate mini-roundup:  Fox News thinks either Perry or Romney won (apparently); MSNBC thinks it was Paul or, if you discount that verdict citing his techno-savvy fan base, Romney.  Huntsman wants the GOP to stop being anti-science, and Perry likened his (non-)scientific views to those of Galileo.  Perry also received applause for executing more than 200 people (including one who was likely innocent).
*--Virginia's political maneuvering about the health care law hit the wall today, as the federal court of appeals declared that the state can't pass a law that contradicts a federal mandate and then use that contradiction to sue.  Duh: any U.S. history student who studied McCulloch v. Maryland could tell you that federal laws trump state laws.  Here are the Washington Post's and Fox News's takes on the ruling.
--A new Australopithecus fossil may tell us more about human evolution.
--Google bought Zagat.

Assorted links, vol. 56

--What can the Postal Service do to prevent a default?
--Here's a good summary (with links) of the ties between Chick-Fil-A and anti-gay groups.
*--Interesting new polling data about the attitudes of Americans toward Muslims.
--Can the Afghani army prove itself to be just as Islamic as the Taliban claims to be?
--How will Rick Perry do in GOP primary debates?
*--What do you know about the "shadow war" of drone attacks?
*--Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll thinks Protestants are too wimpy and that pastors need to be tougher.  You know, like go-ahead-and-punch-me-in-the-face tough.
--A nice, quick poem from Slate.

Assorted links, vol. 55

--An article about Jon Huntsman's work with and knowledge of China.
--Seven and a half years ago, the fastest super computer could perform 35.9 trillion operations per second.  Today, the fastest supercomputer can perform 8162 trillion (that's 8.162 quadrillion) operations per second.  This interesting Wikipedia article gives some idea of how these staggering numbers are calculated.
--Another book to add to the ever-growing list of defenses of hell against the likes of Rob Bell.
*--A new novel frames some of the questions about Islam in the minds of Americans since 9/11.  Sounds like it's definitely worth a look.
--Relevant Magazine talks abstinence, and also Owl City.
*--Really good article on a display of 2nd/3rd century Buddhist art that is now on display in New York.
*--A Roman Catholic priest doubles as an official at the U.S. Open.

Assorted links, vol. 54

*--A new website allows Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs to tell the stories of discrimination that they have faced since 9/11.
*--Today was the next in a long line of big court days in the Prop 8 case.  Here are takes on the day from The Advocate, Towleroad, and the LA Times.  A live blog of the hearing is here.
--The beginning of what ought to be an interesting week-long series of posts about marriage.
--Can the supercommittee work without the taint of lobbying special interests?
--Some of the challenges facing Afghanistan as the U.S. looks toward a military drawdown.
--Looks like some benefits may be returning to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian Arizona state employees.
*--Have you heard of Burning Man?  Here is one RD writer's take on it, here is a picture of the event taken from space, and here are copious photos of the event itself throughout the years (which contain some nudity -- fair warning).
--Is fashion going 3-D?