29.9.09

Shorter Pope on Sex Abuse 'We aren't as bad as the Jews'

"The statement, read out by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to the UN, defended its record by claiming that "available research" showed that only 1.5%-5% of Catholic clergy were involved in child sex abuse.

He also quoted statistics from the Christian Scientist Monitor newspaper to show that most US churches being hit by child sex abuse allegations were Protestant and that sexual abuse within Jewish communities was common."

Riazat Butt
, Guardian religious affairs correspondent, and Anushka Asthana

In other words, 'we have a problem, but other religions are worse! Look, a pony!'

27.9.09

Harry Potter's Headaches - a Scientific Study

It seems that scientists have a love for all things Harry Potter too, going so far as to try and diagnose the young wizard's headaches based on their literary descriptions!

"Although conforming to a basic stereotype, and constant in location, throughout the 6 years of his adolescence so far described they have shown a tendency to progression. Later descriptions include a range of accompanying symptoms. Despite some quite unusual features, they meet all but one of the ICHD-II criteria for migraine, so allowing the diagnosis of 1.6 Probable migraine."

23.9.09

My Cousin Wins Maui Marathon On First Try

"First-Timer, Defending Champion Claim Maui Marathon Titles KA'ANAPALI, MAUI, HAWAII (Sept. 20, 2009) – Marc Collie of Canada and women's defending champion Yoko Yamazawa of Japan each won decisive victories at the 39th Maui Marathon held Sunday, September 20, 2009.

Over 2,600 runners representing 17 different countries were registered in the 26.2 and 13.1-mile events held in Maui.

Collie, 38, took the lead about two miles into the race, finishing in 2 hours, 41 minutes, 15 seconds – more than eight minutes ahead of Gregory Christopher of Kentwood, Mich., who placed second in 2:49:20.

"It was a lot of fun," said Collie, a resident of Cochrane, Alberta. "The marathon's aid stations were great and the volunteers are amazing." This was Collie's first Maui Marathon and he is already planning to return to for next year's event. "I look forward to enjoying a nice vacation in Maui now that the race is over," added Collie, who is staying for a week."

He didin't just win, he won by 8 Minutes! Way to go Marc!

19.9.09

Quote of the Day

A couple of months ago someone asked me what I was up to and I mentioned I was making a documentary about Richard Wagner. “Oh, I would have thought you liked Beethoven,” they said. I was too polite to pick them up by their scruff of their necks and shake them violently back and forth, but I mean WHAT? “Why’ve you got a Norwich City shield on your Twitter avatar? I thought you liked cricket.” “You just quoted Family Guy” – I thought you liked The Simpsons”, and so on and so on. I mean, really.

Another joke. A Jewish boy on his birthday is given a pair of fine silk ties by his mother. He comes downstairs next morning proudly wearing one. His mother looks at him, hands on hips and says, “So what was wrong with the other one?” Imagine if every time you ordered chicken in a restaurant someone said, “Oh, so you hate lamb, do you?”

- Stephen Fry

10.9.09

Quote of the Day

"We (liberals) have spent so much of our time on the losing end of the past 30 years, that the impulse is to fight every battle, and challenge every press release. Moreover, media has uncovered our inner crazy. HuffPo blasts every utterance from Jon Kyl in bold font. Politico reports every feint and jab, like it's the whole fight. I'm not blaming them, they're doing well because they've figured out something about our inner animal.

It's fine for us laymen to indulge that, but I don't want to be led by people who think that outlets (including this one) which weigh in on who "won the week" are some kind of gauge of their actual progress. I don't want to be led by people who think that "getting angry" is a actual political strategy. I want to be led by a killer. A cold, unemotional, professional killer.

I keep meeting lefties who tell me Obama's "too soft" with these guys, and I keep looking at them like they're crazy. I am going to go out on a limb and say that there is something deeper at work here, something beyond the policy fights. I think a lot of us don't just want Obama to be effective, we want him to exact some measure of revenge. It's smart to understand the difference between the two, and moreover, how the desire for one can undermine the other. A section of conservatives love Sarah Palin because she drives liberals crazy. That she drives a lot of other people crazy too, and hence undermines herself, is beside the point."

- Ta-Nehisi Coates