Yearly Archives: 2006

The Book of Daniel

Man, you ignore political news for one day around here, and the shit hits the fan. Everyone’s talking about the Terre Haute TV station that’s refusing to air the NBC TV show “The Book of Daniel.” that premieres tomorrow night. I hadn’t even heard of it, and had to go look up what all the fuss is about. Here’s a hysterical and freaked out synopsis of the show, from the American Family Association’s newsletter:

It is time to make our voice heard at NBC that we will not long remain silent about their anti-Christian bigotry. Here is what NBC considers to be a positive portrayal of Christians and Christianity:
The program’s main characters include Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest; his alcoholic wife; his son, a 23-year-old homosexual Republican; his daughter, a 16-year-old drug dealer; a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop’s daughter; his lesbian secretary who is sleeping with his sister-in-law; and a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus who talks to the priest.
It is written by Jack Kenny, a practicing homosexual who describes himself as being “in Catholic recovery,” and is interested in Buddhist teachings about reincarnation and isn’t sure exactly how he defines God and/or Jesus. “I don’t necessarily know that all the myth surrounding him (Jesus) is true,” he said.

Practicing homosexual? Man, that Jack Kenny better work harder if he’s only practicing. Most of us have got this stuff down already. Ahem.
Anyways… the AFA is leading a huge campaign to contact TV stations all over the country to try to persuade them not to air the show, and some wingdings in Terre Haute and Little Rock, Arkansas have taken their disinformation at face value.
You can contact the stations yourself, if you want:
Indianapolis station 317-636-1313
Terre Haute 812-696-2121
Me, I went right out and DVR’ed the show so I can see what all the fuss is about. Sounds like a hoot. Seems like the best way to get a ton of publicity is to get the AFA to boycott you. Hmmm.
Jesus is a pussy! That’s right! He’s a yellow-bellied, pink-wearing nancy-boy! And did I mention I’m a homo? I really am!

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The Truth Comes Out: NSA spying on Christiane Amanpour

Reporters are starting to ask the question… have they been spied in these illegal wiretaps that were done without warrants or judicial oversite. And specifically, one journalist’s name has come up as having been monitored — CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Americablog.com examines what the ramifications of that might be.
NBC confirms that they’re investigating whether Amanpour was being spied upon by the NSA.
And then there’s the speculation that Amanpour’s husband, James Rubin, might have been the real target of the wiretaps.

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Delicious Cookies

From the kitchen of: Pat Mineart.

This is my mom’s signature chocolate chip cookie recipe, and the way our family prefers them. Your mileage may vary; but if you’re cooking for a Mineart, try this out.

  • 1 Cup margarine
  • 1 Cup oil
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 1/2 Cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 Cup raw oatmeal
  • 1 Cup coconut
  • 1 Cup rice krispies
  • 1 Cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 Cup peanut butter chips

Cream margarine, oil, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla, coconut flavoring. Then add salt, baking soda, flour, cream tartar and mix thoroughly. Mix in by hand: oatmeal, coconut, rice krispies, chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 36 cookies.

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Why the media can’t get Wikipedia right

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I recently had a short conversation with a woefully misinformed person about Wikipedia, wherein they claimed that “It’s going to be shut down!” and “They’re getting sued!” Nope, on both counts. They were discussing, without much understanding, John Seigenthaler Sr.’s USAToday op-ed piece about the popular online open-source encyclopedia.
David Weinberger analyzes the “controversy” and identifies what the media is not getting about what wikipedia is, and does, and why the hysteria is unfounded.

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Books I plan to read in 2006

Thirty-eight books that I already own and need to read. I’m setting these aside to pick up and read in 2006. I hope I’ll get through more than just these, but this would make a big dent in my “to read” stacks.

FEB 13, 2006 UPDATE:
I ended up breaking my new years resolution and buying a few books, which I’m now adding to the list, so I don’t keep up an endless spiral of stacks of books I don’t get to.

Absolute Watchmen – Alan Moore
I bought this after reading an Entertainment Weekly review that quoted some of my favorite writers and television producers as saying it was an enormous influence on them.

A Feast for Crows – George R. R. Martin
Read My Review

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her – Melanie Rehak

Harvard’s Secret Court: The Savage 1920 Purge of Campus Homosexuals – William Wright

YOU: The Owner’s Manual : An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger – Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet Oz

Fiction

Ahab’s Wife: Or, The Star-Gazer: A Novel – by Sena Jeter Naslund

Al Capone Does My Shirts – by Gennifer Choldenko

Baudolino – Umberto Eco

Best Lesbian Erotica 2006 (Best Lesbian Erotica) – by Tristan Taormino, Eileen Myles
Read My Review

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) – Stephen King

The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3) – Stephen King

Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4) – Stephen King

Deception Point – Dan Brown

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

House of Leaves – by Mark Z. Danielewski

The House on the Point: A Tribute to Franklin W. Dixon and The Hardy Boys – by Benjamin Hoff

I, Robot – by Isaac Asimov

The Island of the Skull (King Kong) – by Matthew Costello

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – by Susanna Clarke

Life Mask – by Emma Donoghue

Memoirs of a Geisha – by Arthur Golden

Mr. Timothy – by Louis Bayard

The Nanny Diaries – by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

Other Side of Desire – by Paula Christian

The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga – by Edward Rutherfurd

Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) – by Neal Stephenson

Stranger In a Strange Land – by Robert Heinlein
Read My Review

Slammerkin – by Emma Donoghue

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game – by Patricia Highsmith

The Time Traveler’s Wife – by Audrey Niffenegger

Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties – by Felicia Luna Lemus

Non-Fiction

The Classic Hundred Poems – by William Harmon

The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do – by Samantha Ettus

The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty – by Kitty Kelley

Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme – by Chris Roberts
Read My Review

The Hero with a Thousand Faces – by Joseph Campbell

How the Homosexuals Saved Civilization : The Time and Heroic Story of How Gay Men Shaped the Modern World – by Cathy Crimmins
I ended up not finishing this book because it wasn’t a serious history book. It was a tongue-in-cheek satire of other books on subculture groups that have an impact on mainstream culture. Funny, but not what I was interested in reading.

Jesus Is Not a Republican: The Religious Right’s War on America – by Clint Willis

Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich–and Cheat Everybody Else – by David Cay Johnston

The Right Decision Every Time : How to Reach Perfect Clarity on Tough Decisions – by Luda Kopeikin

Scaling Down – by Judi Culbertson and Marj Decker
Read My Review

The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry – by Bryan Sykes

A Short History of Nearly Everything – by Bill Bryson

Unwritten Laws: The Unofficial Rules of Life As Handed Down by Murphy and Other Sages – by Hugh Rawson

You Already Know What to Do: Ten Invitations to the Intuitive Life – by Sharon Franquemont

Continue ReadingBooks I plan to read in 2006