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Daily Bloggerback
Best of Blogs: January 24, 2006
Edited by Pierre Tristam/Candide's Notebooks
From the left, the right, the in-between: we include the political,
the social, the cultural and the undefinable, and on the weekend, a few bloggers' fictional fancies, too.
Featured Blog I: Jesus Christ
What's in a Name?
THE RAVING ATHEIST  /Jan. 23, 2006
With all the people in the world named "Jesus" at birth, you wouldn't think it would be such a big deal for someone later in life to seek to legally change his name to the full name of that alleged deity. After all, girls named "Mary" have pretty much accomplished that -- like Cher, Charro and Beyonce, the Mother of God doesn't have a last name. And in any event, the last name "Christ" isn't so uncommon. As I noted here, a New York recently did grant a man's petition to change his name to Jesus Christ. The law certainly doesn't care; unless you're trying to evade creditors, what you call yourself is your own business. Who would object? Blogger Tim Murphy, for one. He got quite upset when he read that a Mr. Peter Robert Phillips wanted to officially be known Jesus Christ. No matter that Mr. Phillips already owned property and had a US Passport, Social Security card, District of Columbia drivers license issued under that name, and just wanted his West Virginia drivers license to match. Murphy thought the guy should be legally barred from calling himself JC -- because ... Read the Raving Atheist's full post...
Featured Blogger II: West Virginia Redux
The Body of Miners
THE RUDE PUNDIT /January 23, 2006
[West Virginia's mining disasters manage to sober even the Rude Pundit, the Notebooks' Rabelais-in-Chief and Terri Garr all in one.]
Sometimes being a leftist is exhausting. Essentially, these days especially, you're just reduced to a plaintive "Told you so" when the typically hideous, awful slide into corruption or calamity occurs. The stripping away of civil rights in the wake of 9/11? Told you so. The degradation of the environment to the point that it endangers the way in which humans exist? Told you so. And part of the frustration is saying, "Told you so" again and again on the same goddamn issues. It's not unlike watching your best friend constantly going home with men, getting fucked, declaring the hope of love for the fucker, and then getting dumped within six to nine months. And no matter how many times you tell him, "You know, maybe you shouldn't emotionally commit to everyone you fuck," he'll just keep goin' along, gettin' his heart broken almost as much as he gets his rocks off. But you're a good friend. You'll be over to help delete the photos from the hard drive, wash the semen stains from the sheets, get him ready for the hope that he's learned something this time, praying that he'll at least go into therapy. Take worker safety. No, let's get even more specific: let's say mine safety. No, let's get even more and more specific: let's say mine safety in the administration of George W. Bush. Back in September 2001, another of the great disasters of that time was the series of explosions at a coal mine in Brookwood, Alabama on September 23, killing 13 people. The mine's owner, Jim Walter Resources, had been cited more than 250 times in three years by the Mine Safety and Health Administration for "allowing combustible materials...to build up underground," according to the November 12, 2001 In These Times. The MSHA, in December 2002, said that the company was at fault for the explosions and deaths at Brookwood, because of a botched evacuation and rescue effort and for the aforementioned build-up. It was fined $435,000. Read the full post...
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