1
POPSChristianity Today on torture David Gushee for the evangelical Christian magazine Christianity Today on five theological grounds for the unequivocal and universal condemnation of torture by Christians, and why, from a Christian perspective, no exceptional circumstances can ever justify the use of torture. From February 2006.
0
POPSThe Olympic theme music is Leo Arnaud's "Bugler's Dream" For some reason this question has been bugging me -- what's the origin of that little brass fanfare that we all (in the U.S.) recognize as the theme music to the Olympics? Turns out it was written in 1958 by composer Leo Arnaud as part of a film score.
2
POPSThe "MacGuffin" as a plot device (this is tomorrow's word of the day) The MacGuffin (the term was popularized by Hitchcock) is the vaguely-defined object that all the characters in a thriller are trying to get -- you know, the mysterious briefcase, or the cache of jewels, or whatever. Adapted by Slavoj Zizek into his Lacanian theory of jouissance (the "objet petit a" is the MacGuffin). The first word of the day was "interpellation."
2
POPSContinuing coverage of the Georgian situation from Eurasianet Some reportage on the bombing of Tbilisi airport. I can't foresee this ending well. From the story: "In a conference call with reporters, Lomaia outlined what he believed to be the remaining options for Georgia in its struggle against Russia: a deployment of military equipment 'not to fight, but to deter them'; and, the arrival of 'a very, very high representative of a foreign government for a few days' to demonstrate international support for Georgia. 'Frankly speaking, we do not see any other way of stopping these people,' he said."
1
POPSBuilding bridges between Jews and Latino Pentecostals In L.A., a Jewish group has been mounting outreach efforts to Latino Pentecostal congregations and organizations, including a Spanish-language 'Essence of Judaism" course. The piece suggests the outreach has been pretty successful.
3
POPS"Muslim Day at Six Flags" A slightly puffy human-interest story on a recurring event at various Six Flags locations around the country, in which an amphitheater is used as a masjid and halal caterers are brought in.
3
POPSApollo 14 veteran claims aliens have visited Earth Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon with Alan Shepard, said in a radio interview that he is privy to secret information, covered up by NASA and other US government arms, regarding contacts between extraterrestrials and human beings.
7
POPSA DIY tiny cabin for about $2000 From a blog on "tiny houses." The builder featured here designed and built his own 14'x14' cabin, including solar-powered water pump, composting toilet, and a propane-powered refrigerator and stove, for about $2000.
0
POPSLocal recommendations, conversation-style Docoloco allows you to post, discover, and request recommendations in your area. An Australian startup -- not much coverage in the rest of the world yet, but looks to be worth watching. Via Mashable.
3
Clips
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update