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? :-)

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!