Various & Sundry: There is no marijuana anywhere in this post. But there might be some Coke.

OK! Now that's we've gotten Holy Week and Easter (the first Sunday of) all prepped and posted, it's time to gather up the crumbs under my table. Or at least highlight some of the things I thought were interesting enough to pass along in the endless stream o' content that is Twitter.

For example, haven't you always wanted to watch an MRI of broccoli?

I think that's kind of magical.

It will just keep glowing up there as I move along to other things, such as this slightly related story (in that there are vegetables involved) of a pot bust that goes bust. Turns out that the suspects "had bought hydroponic equipment to grow a small number of tomatoes and squash plants in their basement." It also turns out the suspects had been in employ of the CIA, and did not take kindly to it when Kansas and Missouri law enforcement "armed with assault rifles and wearing bullet proof vests pounded on the door of their home around 7:30 a.m. last April 20." Sorry! Sorry everyone! I just get carried away!

Elsewhere in Missouri, my dad's alma mater, Missouri S&T, is competing in the 2013 Climate Leadership Award for Best in Campus Climate Leadership. Of course, my alma mater, Oberlin, is also competing. Where do my loyalties lie? Hmmmm...

I loved this rant by my favorite Social Media blogger, Mark Schaefer, wrote In praise of the Unremarkable, which has forever added to my lexicon the term rainbow bombs.

Looking for a new exercise program? Trying to avoid the zombie apocalypse? You might want to try a new fitness app called Zombies, Run! "The app casts users as survivors of a global zombie apocalypse. Download it onto your mobile phone, insert earbuds and prepare to be surrounded by a soundscape that transforms your favorite running route into a battle-scarred obstacle course dense with flesh-guzzling ghouls." And Margaret Atwood -- yes, that Margaret Atwood -- has a cameo voiceover.

Remember #Kony2012? Quick update: Uganda has suspended their efforts to look for Joseph Kony, due to the coup in the Central African Republic where it is believe Kony is hiding. However, the US is offering a $5M bounty for his capture as part of the War Crimes Reward Program. Did you know we have a War Crimes Reward Program? Well, now you know.

A very quick summary of the situation in CAR:

A coalition of rebels in the Central African Republic, known as Seleka, toppled President Francois Bozize last month. They swept into the capital, Bangui, in a lightning offensive that triggered days of looting and drew international condemnation.

Just to give you the bare bones of the story.

On the other hand, and on the positive side, I'm really intrigued by what the non-profit ColaLife is doing to transport medical supplies to inaccessible regions by leveraging CocaCola's distribution network.

The result of their efforts so far is the AidPod, a wedge-shaped container that fits between the necks of bottles in a Coca-Cola crate. For the pilot program, they are using the AidPods to distribute an anti-diarrhea kit, called “Kit Yamoyo” (“Kit of Life”). 

The AidPod’s are a clever packaging solution, born of a very particular design problem. Because the vision was to physically piggyback on Coke’s distribution system, they needed to work with the crates used to move the popular soda to retailers. Initial designs experimented with pouches on the side and tubes that could be slotted in place of a bottle. Neither option would have worked, as both would have meant less space for Coke. Then, genius struck. 

“My wife said, ‘Why don’t we make use of the unused space?’” says Berry.

Well, that makes sense! Here's a very short video on how that works.



Isn't that clever?

Your Zombie Apocalypse Public Service Announcement of the Day

So sensible! I'm convinced! Get me some baby chicks!

Although I have to say I would not feed my chickens any human corpses of any kind. I mean, how do you know if they're non-infected? And the last thing you want are zombie chickens.

Filched from the BackyardChickens.com forum.

Various & Sundry, March 16: Curmudgeons, zombies, muppets

In case you haven't been keeping track of Lent Madness, we're now in the round of Saintly Sixteen, and today is the Battle of the Curmudgeons! Philander Chase faces off against Jerome, and I think it's the end of the road for ol' Phil, there.  But that's OK.  I like Jerome.  Still time to vote, though!

I think my blood pressure has finally returned to normal regarding the Kony 2012 video.  One last thing--maybe, we'll see--that I want to pass on to you is this blog post from Independent Global Citizen that answers the question, "So what do I do if I want to make a difference in Africa?" The answer? "My experiences have revealed an effective way to have an impact. Build sincere relationships with Africans. That’s it."

The results of the recent survey asking you what you wanted in The Infusion revealed most of you are not particularly worried about the impending zombie apocalypse.  Fine.  Be that way.  I still think you might want a white chocolate zombie rabbit for Easter.  At last a good reason to eat the head off first.

In other blood-spattered news, I'm looking forward to The Happytime Murders, a film noir featuring muppets!  Anibundel has the report:

[E]x-cop Phil Phillips...exists in a world where puppets are acknowledged but play second fiddle to humans. Phil is searching for a serial killer who murdered his brother and is now targeting cast members of ’80s television show, The Happytime Gang. The catch? The clues to the killer’s identity begin to point back to Phil himself.

I am so there.

Various & Sundry, March 2

So much good stuff this week! Let's get right to it with a pressing ethical question: When is it okay to kill a zombie? I'm glad they also note "zombie end-of-life issues":

The resolution is that for those who know they are infected, an honest discussion about how they wish to die before infection sets in is had. Mourning, goodbyes and choice of euthanasia are allowed as the situation permits (we are presuming an ideal here, not under constant assault by a shuffling hoard). In this instance, the amount of pain likely caused by transition makes "letting die" an immoral and impermissible decision, thus "active killing" becomes the moral action.

Well, you need to think about these things. I plan to add this in my living will.

Philander Chase prevailed in the first round of Lent Madness this week (as I knew he would), thanks in part to the promotional efforts of a Kenyon College blog called The Thrill, which is where I also found the very helpful How to Succeed as an English Major Without Really Trying.  Fabulous.

I loved, loved, loved this report about how Olivia de Haviland prepares for her role...as a lector at the American Cathedral in Paris. I would love to hear her read scripture.  Has anyone out there had the opportunity to hear her in person? Hmm?

Via Good Intentions are Not Enough, I found this article on the 7 worst international aid ideas.  I simply find these fascinating as an object lesson. I hope that if I hear about them enough, I'll understand the principles behind bad and good aid and avoid egregious missteps.

And finally, Anibundel (happy blogoversary!) posted Relentlessly Cheerful Star Wars, including Wookie the Chew, which you really must see.  Adorable.  Also geeky.

Review: Zone One

What better beach reading can there be than your basic literary zombie novel?  To tell you the truth, I had put off reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead for quite some time because I thought having zombies as the last thing in my head before turning out the light would be a bad idea.   Much better to read it in full daylight on an island thousands of miles away from the zombie-ridden apocalypse that is the mainland.  And if worse comes to worst and some zombies make it to Hawaii, you can always shanghai a boat.  That's what I would do.

Wise move on my part (the postponed reading, that is, not stealing a boat).  I still had a zombie nightmare.  But I'm also really glad I read this book.

I love Colson Whitehead's writing (he also is one of the more interesting people I follow on Twitter--always unique), and though I haven't read everything of his, I'm always very glad when another of his novels comes out. (Other favorites: The Intuitionist (which I want to see turned into a movie starring Viola Davis) and Apex Hides the Hurt.)

I remembered why, reading Zone One.  I find myself trusting that Whitehead will answer the questions he raises.  He doesn't do it right away, but I find as I go along that he doesn't forget about that thing he brought up and didn't resolve; he'll get to it. And so though I found myself tense simply due to the tension in the situation, I didn't worry that Whitehead as a writer or storyteller would let me down.

Oh, the book.  Well, you know the drill: zombie apocalypse. people on the run, trying to rebuild society, blood, eviscerations, and blasting zombie heads off, blah, blah, blah.  Our protagonist, given the nickname Mark Spitz for reasons to be revealed much later, is part of a volunteer crew asked to help clean the less-active zombies out of Manhattan.  Only a couple more days and his team can head back to Fort Wonton in Chinatown for R&R.  Maybe things will get better.  Maybe they won't.  Nothing in Mark Spitz's experience suggests hoping for the best is anything but a bad idea.  But he carries on, likes some of the people he works with on Omega team, doesn't connect too much, thinks about the past a lot.

What is compelling about Mark Spitz is his insistence in his mediocrity, and that it is his uncanny skill to get by with minimum effort that has allowed him to survive this long.  He puts a lot of stock into this skill, and soon I did too.  He's not particularly heroic, but I figure he'll get by, somehow.

I am still thinking about this book.  I'm not sure I can tell you "what it was about." I'm not sure that matters.  If you insist, I'd say it's a meditation on success and survival and civilization and loss. It's a zombie novel. It's really good. You read it.  You tell me.

There's still time before Christmas...

...for you to get the Barbie lover in your life the fabulous

h/t Design Fetish

Sunday Funnies, October 23

"I used to be more liberal, more accepting of differences, and then the living dead came to church..." Full script Audio:

Various & Sundry, September 23

Let's see...shall we start with the news? Now here's a headline you don't see every day: Gordon Ramsay's Dwarf Porn Double Found Dead in a Badger Den in Wales. Of course, if you saw it every day, it wouldn't be news, I suppose.

I thought this story in the NY Times was very touching. A regular business blogger there received a heartfelt apology from a former employee he'd had to fire 10 years ago. As the blogger, Jay Goltz, said, "On paper, business is about marketing, management and finance. In reality, it is also about relationships: the good, the bad and the ugly." And later, "I now realize that just because you try and fail with someone doesn’t mean you are a fool. It means you are a boss." Or maybe just human. Really lovely, and about so much more than business.

In the world of social media, I just finished posting a series of blog entries on the Cephas Media site on Starting a Twitter Feed: Follow graciously, Interact generously, Share consistently, Grow Patiently. I think they're pretty good, if I do say so myself. If you're trying to figure out how to use Twitter, or whether to bother, take a look.

One obit I particularly noticed was that of Stetson Kennedy, an investigative journalist who infiltrated and exposed the KKK, revealing in particular "how silly they were."

I can't imagine why someone would think I would be interested in the Run For Your Life 5K Obstacle Course. "Runners will navigate a series of 12 obstacles throughout a 5K course in an attempt to reach the finish line — all while avoiding zombies. At the end of this adventure race, you get to celebrate survival (or zombie transformation) with live entertainment and music, local celebrities, vendors, food, and of course, beer!" Frankly, I'm glad there isn't one locally. I'm sure I'd be dead.

Finally, a friend of mine posted this to my Facebook page about a woman pastor's dark secret. I admire the way they built suspense through the video. Oh, those Unitarian ministers!

Sunday Funnies, September 4

A new sculpture for your garden, available from Zombie Gnomes:

They also have a Facebook page which of course I have liked.

Various and Sundry, August 12

I'm going to try to squeak in a quick V & S post, but it will be brief--good thing I have to hustle otherwise I'd be here all day with new stuff.

OK, so this isn't new but it was new to me: the president of Electronic Recyclers International in Fresno talks about Why I Hire Former Convicts and Gang Members. "There are no absolutes, but I’ve generally found that when you hire someone who’s looking for one last chance to turn his life around, he’ll roll up his sleeves and give you everything he’s got." Great stuff.

A couple of things I liked spoke to Gov. Perry's Prayer Rally in Texas. The first, from Roger Ebert, talks about The Error of Political Prayer and of the "horizontal prayers" that are prayed so that others may hear them. Very good stuff. And the other speaks more generally to the claim many Christians make of persecution. "You see, there seems to be this perception among Conservative Christians, such as yourself, that if you’re not allowed to do or say anything and everything you want, it’s persecution." He points out that persecution, to those actually being persecuted, looks quite different.

From Tales of Unintended Consequences-or-how idealism makes fools of us all, two articles: one, how a well-intentioned bill designed to eliminate "conflict minerals" has devastated Congo. The other delves into the conundrum of voluntourism: does it help or hurt locals? The answer: there are no easy answers.

In our ongoing theme of Zombies, a Facebook friend pointed me toward the T-shirt with this nifty Venn diagram. Description: Just so you know where you stand with them.

So it's a good thing for us in the Bay Area that we live close to Sensei Keiko Fukuda who, at the age of 98, became the first woman EVER to attain a 10th degree black belt. I was fascinated by her story, and glad to see they are making a documentary about it. It's very moving. A clip is below:

Various and Sundry, July 29

Whew! Crazy busy week, but I've got the first episode of Project Runway waiting for me to remind me it could be crazier and busier.

So let's see here...

First of all, I just this afternoon saw a headline that the Uganda Little League team was denied visas to come to the U.S. "because of discrepancies over players' ages and birth dates", which is a crying shame, in my opinion. What a disappointment.

"[Little league representative Richard] Stanley said birth records in Uganda are not strictly tracked, as in the United States.

"Now when the parent comes in, they get asked, 'What's the birth date of your child? Are you the birth parent?' They don't even know what that means in some cases, so they can't answer the question," said Stanley..."So now it's a question of credibility. All you need is one person to not be credible and the visa officer is not obligated to issue a visa," Stanley added, "and if they don't issue one visa, they're not going to issue any visa."

Well, rats.

In the Christians Jumping On the Popular Culture Bandwagon Department, I'm sorry to report there are two--TWO--zombie-themed Books of Spiritual Inspiration. First is Dance Lessons for Zombies: How Jesus Delivers Zoned-Out Followers From Their Worried, Joyless Lives; next (and arguably worse) is The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook due out in October. I wish I could say I was making this up.

I am also not making up the fact that 12 percent of the population of Napa County is here illegally. That would be over 16,000 people. Let's just admit it: our immigration policy is nuts.

The ever-thoughtful Ta-Nehisi Coates has left the Civil War for the moment to focus on the 30-years war, about which I know nothing. From what he is reading, he draws a number of interesting conclusions. "First, it's really startling to read about the utter barbarism which Europe sank to during the War, and then contrast it with popular images of Africa as "the dark continent." I hope this doesn't sound cold, but immediately it occured to me that all the sins the proto-white racists put on Africa--cannibalism, slavery, wanton rape--were very much known to them. The very Germans who fled from Palantinate to a country that derided Africans as savages, were, themselves, the children of such savages. From that perspective, racism is again revealed as not simply amoral but as phrenology, as Intelligent Design."

Speaking of Intelligent Design, the Futility Closet points out the anomalies in this Ohio map created by a Michigan grad:

Oh, those wicked, wicked Michigan cartographers!

And finally, because it made me laugh, here's Doonesbury from Tuesday (click to enlarge):

So smooth.

Sunday Funnies, July 17

“What the hell is wrong with me!?”
That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? You woke up in a drainage ditch covered with skin ulcerations and nasty flesh wounds. Your body is numb and your memory is foggy. Someone tried to give you medical attention, but you repaid their kindness by savagely killing them and eating their brain.

“Did I just do that?”
Yes, you did. You did it because you must. You are a zombie, my friend, just like me. Though most zombies are slow and stupid, the fact that you are reading this tells me that you are different. Some of us are. Welcome the PACE virus apocalypse.

“What Now?”
Stick with me; I’ve been through it. I will show you what you have become. I will teach you how to hunt and kill. You will wear your tattered flesh like a uniform in the war against the uninfected.

J.D. McGhoul was a Midwestern, working-class lab assistant before being killed and reanimated by a PACE virus infection. Now a zombie author and activist, he divides his time between eating brains and educating the zombie public at large. Being one of a small minority of zombies who have retained their intellect and bodily speed, he recognizes his responsibility to give something back. McGhoul sees it as his mission to teach zombies what they have become, to show them how to hunt and kill, and to encourage them to wear their tattered flesh like a uniform in the war against humanity.

Available from Amazon and as an iPad app. You can also check out a helpful brain-eating tip in the video.

Various & Sundry, May 27: Rhetoric, charity, social media, zombies

The week has flown by! I have been marking things of interest right and left, and I'll be curious to see if any themes emerge.

Let's see...Under the heading of rhetoric, two items:

Andrew Sullivan draws attention to this post explaining the erroneous use of the argument of "purpose" (e.g. "The purpose of marriage is..."). The author points out: "No thing has a purpose; people have a purpose for things. It’s an easy and honest trap door if you find yourself in a rhetorical corner." So the next time you hear "the purpose of" argument, you know there's an agenda.

The always awesome Ta-Nehisi Coates goes a little crazy in this post on the first paragraph of Moby Dick. "This is the greatest paragraph in any work of fiction, at any point, in all of history. And not just human history, but galactic and extra-terrestrial history too." He goes on to prove it.

Under the heading of charity and international aid, two items:

A rather painful read on why that fair trade coffee may not be so fair. Something at least to consider as we mark World Fair Trade Day tomorrow. (h/t The Lead)

Katherine Wertheim, guest blogging at Good Intentions are Not Enough, gives advice on how to research how charities spend their money and some warning signs that a charity is fishy.

Under the topic of Social Media, two things:

I loved this rant about "social media 'experts'". If you're thinking you need to hire someone to do your social media, read this first! Or if you want a summary, here it is:

Social media is just another facet of marketing and customer service. Say it with me. Repeat it until you know it by heart. Bind it as a sign upon your hands and upon thy gates. Social media, by itself, will not help you.

Amen, amen!

Although apparently, you can still use social media when you're dead. Obit Mag highlights a trend of adding a QR code to gravestones. Not as big as that, but you get the idea.

Also from Obit Mag, this Advance Obituary for the NY Mets 2011 season. "The cause of death was yet another botched save opportunity by its Scotch-tape-and-spit bullpen exacerbated by offensive anemia."

FINALLY (whew!) in the Garden and Zombie departments, Michelle Z. pointed me to the "highly addictive" game Plants vs. Zombies.

A mob of fun-loving zombies is about to invade your home. Use your arsenal of 49 zombie-zapping plants — peashooters, wall-nuts, cherry bombs and more — to mulchify 26 types of zombies before they break down your door.

Sounds like my kind of game!

May is Zombie Awareness Month

Why didn't anyone alert me to this important information before today? Perhaps it is because, as the Washington Post sagely says "the impending Rapture distracted us from our duty in informing the public on what they should do in the event that zombies attack."

Luckly, the Center for Disease Control is on the case with a "Better Safe than Sorry" list, applicable in many emergency situations. In case of a Zombie emergency, they recommend that you have on hand:

* Water (1 gallon per person per day)
* Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
* Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
* Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
* Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
* Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
* Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
* First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)

And how clever are they for getting that information in front of people!

The Bloggess, in an interview with the Washington Post, notes that that their list does not include the very helpful item swords, fleshing that out further (so to speak) on her own blog, saying " Most of [the CDC's] tips are fairly good but their list of suggested supplies are embarrassingly silent on the need for riot guns, swords, suspenders, and flame-throwers."

It's good to know an expert is on the case.

We should also acknowledge the fine work of the Zombie Research Society which (I believe) established Zombie Awareness Month. Thank you for keeping us prepared and vigilant!

Sunday Funnies, May 15

A big tip o' the hat to MadPriest for this Good Shepherd Sunday offering.

Easter Bunny-Zombie Apocalypse

A friend of mine posted this picture by her 11-year-old son on Facebook. I HAD to have it.

Love the scribbled out bit in the upper left corner. As my friend said, her son was NOT going to take her suggestion for an Easter cartoon. She reports that he told her, "At least I didn't make Jesus the zombie." Of course, someone's already done that.

Various and Sundry, 11/13

It's been a super-busy week and I didn't get to blog as I would have liked. But other people did, and here is some of it.

I still haven't dared to watch The Walking Dead, but that doesn't stop me from admiring the winner of the 2010 Zombie Safe House Competition. I'm glad the architects are on board and thinking about these things. Lorin, I'm looking forward to your 2011 entry.

Speaking of the actual dead, there were a number of obituaries I particularly liked this week.

First up: Charles Reynolds, a magician's magician. He helped create the tricks used by the famous illusionists. “Like most boys, he was interested in magic,” his wife said. “But most of them grow out of it. He never did.”

I've got to tip my hat to Jule Sugarman, the bureaucrat who made Head Start a success. At Obit Mag, as he observes the focus on this bureaucratic success, "Grim Reader can’t help wondering whether the Obitosphere’s focus on the wonders of fast-moving institution-building wouldn’t have been different if the current ambitious Democratic president weren’t facing a Congress out to undo his still very much unbuilt signature program."

I LOVED Julia Clements, the high priestess of flower arranging who died at the age of 104. "The author Beverley Nichols once described her as 'the head of a vast salvation army in which souls are saved through the medium of flowers'." The story of how and why she started got me all teary. Pass this one on to your Altar Guild!

I was intrigued by the obituary for Peter Hilton who was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during WWII.

During his time at Bletchley Park, Hilton was given every fourth week off to hone his cryptanalytical skills; by way of a change of mental gear, he helped Turing solve chess problems, puffed on his pipe, and once spent a sleepless night composing one of the world's longest palindromes: DOC, NOTE: I DISSENT. A FAST NEVER PREVENTS A FATNESS. I DIET ON COD.

Finally, obit-wise, I LOVED this one as much for the headline as anything: Howard Van Hyning, Percussionist and Gong Enthusiast, Dies at 74. The story of the gongs in question is quite touching, actually.

One of the things I did this week was try to reduce my wireless phone bill. I found a very easy way to reduce my 3G coverage costs, thanks to this article. If you have 3G on AT&T I highly recommend you check this out.

Finally (although there's more I could share), I recommend this blog entry about offering our prayers for those who have died in combat. Simply lovely.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Quote of the day

"If you can open your series by shooting an adorable little six year old girl in the head, we guess wearing human offal is the next logical step."

Tom and Lorenzo, writing about The Walking Dead. I have the series on my DVR, but I don't really have much stomach for zombie movies (or television series), despite the theme running through this blog. I like my dead really dead.

zomBcon

Oh, man! If only I were in Seattle this weekend, I could be at zomBcon, the world's first Zombie Culture Convention!

And I quote:

"ZomBcon plays host to more than 60 specialty exhibitors, 10 interactive fan workshops, a 6-part Zombie Film series, 8 unique panels discussions, and the premiere Halloween party ticket this year; The Zombie Prom."

Also a Thriller dance tutorial!



Apparently, this arose (so to speak) from an annual Red, White and Dead Zombie Walk held in Seattle on 4th of July weekend "at which 6,000 people in full zombie costumes mobbed the streets." Well, it makes for a different parade, I suppose. Somehow, Halloween weekend seems much more appropriate.

Ah, well. Guess I'll stay among the living here in the Bay Area and root for the Giants. If you're in Seattle, enjoy!

Interesting things that other people have written, said, or done

Because what better way is there to spend your time on a beautiful Friday in June than reading a bunch of stuff on the internet?

Peculiar but fascinating

I love Errol Morris. And not just because he made a documentary about pet cemeteries and not in a creepy Stephen King way. Errol Morris sees things. And then explores them. And then tells you about it. He's one of those people that I would put on my list of "If I could have dinner with anyone," except that I would probably just gawk.

At any rate, Errol Morris wrote what was supposed to be one article for the NY Times that ended up being a five-part article on how we don't know what we don't know called The Anosognosic's Dilemma. (He tweeted: "APOLOGIA: I promised my editor something shorter. Oopsies. Another 20,000 word epistle. (People get badly punished for this sort of thing.)") Somehow it covers Woodrow Wilson, French surrealism, a bank robber who covered his face with lemon juice, phantom limbs, and how we convince ourselves to believe things we don't really believe. It's a mind-boggler, though it does leave me a bit shaken, wondering what I don't know I don't know. Which I think is the point.

Isn't that a great diagram?

Another dilemma

I stumbled across a different five-part series at Slate.com (which carries Doonesbury): The Humanitarian's Dilemma, written by a young woman who went to DR Congo to work for an aid organization and got very caught up in the complications of trying to make things better for one boy. Oh, do I understand what she's talking about. It starts:

I met the boy on the streets of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. I was there because I wanted to learn about poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, that thing we are supposed to feel guilty about and don't really understand. I did feel guilty about it, but I don't anymore.

It's a painful read because it doesn't resolve anything. But I was glad I found it.

Zombie diplomacy

This was a fun thing to skim. Someone writing for Foreign Policy magazine developed an international relations theory of zombies, exploring the difference between realist, liberal and neoconservative approaches.

Realism predicts an eventual live-and-let-live arrangement between the undead and everyone else. Liberals predict an imperfect but nevertheless useful counterzombie regime. Neoconservatives see the defeat of the zombie threat after a long, existential struggle. These scenarios suggest that maybe, just maybe, the zombie canon's dominant narrative of human extinction is overstated.

It's good to be thinking about these things ahead of time.

Zombie tennis players

Because otherwise, you'll be eaten at Wimbledon. I didn't find this live blog of the Isner/Mahut match until too late to pull the quote that I later put in my blog entry yesterday. But the whole thing is pretty funny, and just keeps getting funnier.

6pm: The score stands at 34-34. In order to stay upright and keep their strength, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut have now started eating members of the audience. They trudge back to the baseline, gnawing on thigh-bones and sucking intestines. They have decided that they will stay on Court 18 until every spectator is eaten. Only then, they say, will they consider ending their contest.

Finally

I really like this YouTube that I saw at the Internet Monk which talks about and refutes "the belief that the larger the impact of our ministry, the more legitimate we are as ministers of the gospel." Very encouraging.



OK, I'm going outside now.