When I was an undergraduate, I thought it would be a good idea to get high school teaching certification as a backup. I had an amazing teacher – I hated him at the time – who asked everyone in the room why they wanted to teach. Most of the undergrads said things like “I want to help people.” Sheesh. When he got to me, I said that I was an intellectual, and that curiosity, analysis and debate were essential for…
Some recent media items on Jehovah’s Witnesses: Surviving a JW Sadist Alloma Gilbert has published an article – an excerpt from her upcoming book Deliver Me From Evil (March 2008) – on how she survived being starved, beaten and tortured by her Jehovah’s Witness foster mother Eunice Spry (see also the post Sadistic Foster Mom a Devout Jehovah’s Witness). Ten years later, in court, I would hold one of the sticks she routinely used to thrust down our throats and…
I was listening to some old comedy by the late Bill Hicks last night, and one thing he said had me on the floor laughing. He was approached by some big, hulky guys after an engagement. “Hey buddy. We’re Christians, and we didn’t like what you said.” His response? So forgive me. Keep this in mind. I have engraved it inside, and will call it out at every opportunity from now on. It will be a default, standard response to…
Happy Memorial MLK Birthday Day. Have you wondered what Dr. King would think of the presidential candidates if he were alive? Barack Obama gave a speech took the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta – the same church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped rev up the civil rights movement. “If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community. “The divisions, the stereotypes,…
Just some things that caught my eye… The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World | Cracked.com Why We Flirt | Time Top 5 things I saw in America which, as a Canadian, freaked me right out | Paulitics Congressman calls hearing after White House report shows 473 days of email ‘missing’ | Raw Story Bush’s Contempt for the Law | Washington Post Former JAG lawyer: Only America ‘parses’ torture | Raw Story Canada places U.S., Israel on torture watch…
Sharing a hug is so deeply comforting, like hearing that everything is going to be all right. Even watching hugs can make you feel better. If you find January a bit depressing, if you’re having a rough time, if you’re just feeling like you could maybe use a hug – take a look at these. Lion Hug [youtube width=”400″ height=”330″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAk8Z8Bcsz8[/youtube] The Free Hugs Campaign….. Free Hugs in New York City [youtube width=”400″ height=”330″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzcVjeirzYo[/youtube] Free Hugs in New Orleans [youtube width=”400″…