What Liberal Media?

Sunday-morning talk shows still favor conservative guests.

So what else is new?

Traveling Wilburys

Evangelical Blindness

Martin Accad, academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon, was teaching at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Ca. when Israel bombed the airport in Beirut and is now unable to return home. In response to this earlier piece by David Gushee in Christianity Today, he rips the “childish wishes” of Christians that the U.S. will be able to broker the peace.

“When did the U.S. ever use anything other than its veto power at the United Nations, precisely in order to prevent policies and resolutions that might potentially have been helpful to my people?…. I think that some pseudo-biblically motivated Christians with decision power, who believe that apocalyptic destruction is a precursor to global salvation, are presently working toward provoking a Middle Eastern conflict of regional significance….”

UPDATE: Gushee responds in an open letter: “My sympathy for Israel—which is indeed deep, a mix of all kinds of factors, some rational, some emotional—does not extend to support for what has clearly become a massive and disproportionate military offensive.”

Don’t let this get around

Republican lawmakers admit there really hasn’t been much good news to report from Iraq. So, maybe now they’ll shut up about it.

Rex’s Blues

Jay Farrar and Kelly Willis cover Townes Van Zandt.

Faith-based faith-based initiatives

General Accounting Office says Bush administration takes it on faith that churches will spend their government funding responsibly.

Holy Government Handouts, Batman!

Quote of the day

The truly depressing thing about this is that it makes absolute sense to way too many people.

“Dogs aren’t born mooing, and people aren’t born gay.”

Ludovisi Throne

Ludovisi Throne : Aphrodite in Art . .Through the Ages

Rome - In ancient art, one of the more intriguing images of the goddess Aphrodite is a work of sculpture known by the imposing title of the Ludovisi Throne. Scholars generally agree that the image depicts the birth of Aphrodite from the sea – the goddess of Love and Beauty is being helped to rise by a pair of females in silhouette. If the relief does indeed represent the birth of Aphrodite (there are other possible interpretations), then we have an early scene of the goddess emerging into the world.