November, 4, 2004 archives

as foretold last month, america’s second harvest was this month’s charity of choice.

i suppose i’ve never written why it is that i give so much and so often to charity. what was interesting when getting my taxes done is that the accountant nailed it — it is tithing. but being a non-religious person, i obviously don’t tithe to a church.

it’s the sort of thing that i think is important when people are tithing to churches that preach fear and hatred, and do not have good works as an essential part of their mission — the sort of churches that drove massive turnout and resulted in 11 states preventing gay couples from having the same rights as married couples. (i’m not saying that all churches preach fear and hatred, or that there aren’t churches that have good works as an essential part of what they do. but keep in mind i’m working from a non-secular definition of good works: faith and evangelism aren’t included. obviously i don’t agree with luther here.)

one hell of a candidate: a novel of politics by william f. gavin is set against the backdrop of a special election for an open congressional seat in a district in a southern state, where the seat opened up due to the sitting congressman going into a coma after suffering a heart attack. it’s a good and fun book, but it suffers from not having a real central character, and some rather foreseeable plot points. there’s more of a focus on the republican side of the race, with the democratic candidates falling into more obvious stereotypes, but the novel doesn’t really let anyone off the hook.

the internet is for porn (mp3, via jeremy zawodny). this is from avenue q, a broadway sesame street spoof that will be opening a second show at the new wynn las vegas resort and country club in 2005.