Tuesday, January 8, 2013
A unique glimpse at what faith leaders keep silent about.
Eleven in the evening is well past my bedtime, which is to confess that I don't have a particularly glamorous social life. A single man in late middle-age on a tight budget, I try to limit my trips to Monte Carlo to once-a-month or so. All of which means I am not at my best when the late Christmas Eve service rolls around. I'd just as soon be tucked away with visions of sugar plums, but we worship late that night, so I suck it up and do my best. This year the choir was excellent, as always, though the whole community has been struggling a bit. It isn't easy to reconcile the call to be festive with the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy, much less the massacre in Newtown. I tried to strike a balance, hope and challenge in the same …
Monday, January 7, 2013
In a letter to the Washington Post, Mark Magaw argues that a recent editorial exaggerated the facts of a 2010 UMD beating case.
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Monday, January 7
Last month's Washington Post editorial criticizing the Prince George's County Police Department for its handling of a 2010 student beating case was "exaggerated and misleading," Police Chief Mark Magaw wrote in a letter published Sunday. Magaw's submission came in response to a Dec. 28 piece ("Prince George’s police get away with a beating") in which the editorial board condemned two officers caught on tape hitting University of Maryland student John J. McKenna in College Park. The incident occurred during the unruly aftermath of a victory over Duke by the UMD men's basketball team. But the board reserved its harshest criticism for those who oversaw the official response to the incident, accusing the PGPD of engaging "in a conspiracy of …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Heroines with bows, vampires, super heroes and James Bond dominated the 2012 box office.
In 2012, box office tallies increased for the first time in three years, hitting an all-time high of $10.8 billion, according to a recent Huffington Post article. Superheroes, secret agents, strong females wielding weapons, and animated fare took seven of the top 10 slots in terms of domestic gross, with Marvels' The Avengers raking in more than $623 million, The Dark Knight Rises over $448 million and the Hunger Games over $408 billion. Rounding out the top 10 were: While they may not (yet) be in the $200 million+ range, a number of other films are both critically and popularly acclaimed. The recently opened Les Miserables and Django Unchained seem likely to cross that barrier, while Lincoln, Argo and Life of Pi will probably enjoy a …
Monday, December 24, 2012
Radar, satellites, fighter jets and Santa Cams are tracking Santa Christmas Eve and showing just where he is and when, reports NORAD.
Four high-tech systems are tracking Santa, according to a defense agency of the United States and Canada, and you can follow him too. Now just why does a military group with a serious name like North American Aerospace Defense Command track Santa and take notes on just where he is and what he is up to? This doesn't make sense. Well, it started with a bad phone number that had kids calling an important colonel who was trying to defend his country—and we'll get to that. But first, ta da: Your Link to NORAD's Santa Tracker Now back to why the military is using— —to track Santa in the first place. Any kid can tell you, the man who says, "ho, ho, ho" is no danger to anyone. He may eat one too many a cookie, especially if they're chocolate chip…
Friday, December 21, 2012
Dec. 21 is not the first time the apocalypse was supposed to bring down the curtain on the world.
Many a prophet of doom has predicted the end of the world. The latest forecast is for Dec. 21, the day the Mayans foresaw the apocalypse, according to some armchair historians. Before hunkering down in your cellar with non-perishable foods and a wind-up radio, take a look at all the other ends of the world that have come and gone. Also, take a look at where NASA weighs on the burning question. Here are some past-due end dates the earth itself debunked by simply living past them. 1525: Doomsday Peasant Revolt Anabaptist Thomas Muntzer apparently was a bit off on the "end of all ages," and his belief inspired him to lead an unsuccessful peasant's revolt, according to A Brief History of the Apacolypse's website. It reports he was …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
It's your turn to share your thoughts on the media's coverage of the nation's latest mass shooting.
In the immediate aftermath of the shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, CT some people thought the news media coverage of the event was overkill, if not completely invasive. There was criticism of cable TV networks for interviewing kids coming out of the school following the massacre, and incorrect information was reported in the hours immediately following the news breaking. But others argue that it’s the job of the news media to be aggressive in telling these stories, and that the misinformation was only the results of erroneous information provide by officials. How would you rate the media coverage of the of the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings? Tell us in comments.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has sparked broader debate over gun control and whether semi-automatic weapons should be banned.
The Sandy Hook shooting has opened a broader discussion over gun control and whether there should be tighter restrictions on semi-automatic weapons like the one used by shooter Adam Lanza. As Columbia Patch points out, citing an article from The Washington Post, current law bans fully automatic assault weapons, but semi-automatic assault weapons are legal, as well as high-capacity magazines. Since the shooting, Walmart stopped selling online the Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 Rifle, which is in the same family of firearms as the weapon Lanza used, The Huffington Post reports. Wheaton Patch is reporting that Dick's Sporting Goods has suspended the sale of "modern sporting rifles" at all of its stores. The shooting has sparked a …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
"Why is the military reporting on Santa?" you ask. Well, it started with a bad phone number that had kids calling an important colonel who was trying to defend the United States and Canada.
Now just why does a military group with a serious name like North American Aerospace Defense Command track Santa and take notes on just where he is and what he is up to? This doesn't make sense. Any kid can tell you, the man who says, "ho, ho, ho" is no danger to anyone. He may eat one too many a cookie, especially if they're chocolate chip, but that's no crime. So why is the military watching him? Good question. Well, it all started with a wrong number. But we'll get to that. For more than 50 years NORAD and a group that came before it, CONAD, have tracked Santa on Christmas Eve. Here is NORAD's scoop on why (with a little commentary from the peanut gallery ... that would be me.) The adventure began in 1955 after Sears put the wrong …
With millions of animals crowding the shelters, rescuing your next pet is the right thing to do.
Have you ever noticed that people like to tell you when their dog is a rescue? That’s because they know they played an important part in saving the life of a deserving animal, and have gotten an amazing companion out of it. They have every right to be proud; rescuing an animal is the right thing to do. We want folks to spread the word so that others will consider the incredible good and personal satisfaction that comes from choosing to rescue. Rescue has been around a long time, but it’s only recently become a part of our mainstream culture. Adopting a rescued pet is the final step in a process that involves a dedicated network of volunteers who devote their time, resources, and homes to save these once-forgotten animals from bad …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Who will win the battle of the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., regional foes?
The brawl between the beltways takes place Sunday in Landover. We can only hope it takes place on the field and not in the stands or at your local bar. But speaking of which, check out the scripted banter between the two fans in the YouTube video we've included. Where do your allegiances lie? Are you an RGIII fanatic, too? Or do you view the Redskins "as the other team from Maryland," like the Ravens fan said? TELL US: Who are you pulling for on Sunday and why? Give us a score prediction and a key for the game in the comments. — At the game or watching it with friends? Add your fan photos to this post to show your true colors.
Not Perfect
11:30 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Maybe sometimes pastors should just speak the truth about it ALL and stop using the Word of God as a marketing tool. There are only certain members who have your PERSONAL telephone number which YOU gave them. YOU said GOD called you to be the pastor so, thank Him for giving you the ability and intelligence to deal with HUMAN BEINGS who have unpopular thoughts, feelings and attitudes. ALL … more ›