Spring in New England

Last Tuesday, I was hit by sleet as I walked across Boston Common to my Buddhist reading group.

Today, it is 80 degrees.

New England weather is like that.

More Internet Humor

A friend emailed me this today. I'm sure it will do the rounds of the Internet. It's from Scrappleface.

April 20, 2005
Vatican Spins Off U.S. Catholic Church
by Scott Ott

(2004-04-20) -- In one of his first official moves, Pope Benedict XVI today announced that the Vatican would "spin off" the U.S. division of the Roman Catholic church, but retain a 49-percent stake in the new entity, called R.C. Lite.

The partial divestiture of its holy-owned subsidiary comes as a new CNN poll reveals that 74 percent of U.S. Catholics say they're more likely to follow their own conscience than the teachings of the church.

R.C. Lite will elect its own leader to the largely cermonial post of New-World Pope. Thorny moral questions in the new religious sect will be decided by Internet polling, the results of which will provide non-binding guidance to church members.

To counter Pope Benedict's dogmatic conservatism, several church sources said America's leading Roman Catholic politician, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-MA, is considered a shoo-in for the New-World Papacy.

"We need a pope with nuanced ideas," said one unnamed U.S. Bishop. "He needs to be a uniter, not a divider. He can't be afraid to change his deeply-held convictions in light of shifting public opinion. He must be courageous enough to keep his beliefs separate from his behavior and decision making."

If Mr. Kerry accepts the R.C. Lite leadership post, insiders say he will assume the name Benadryl XIII.

Get On The Bus

There's an excellent account of Get On The Bus by Talia Whyte on her blog.

Thalia was our embedded reporter who spent the entire day, from 6am to 10pm, accompanying the protesting Amnesty members.

No Surprise

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Liberal Democrat

Your actual outcome:

Labour -14
Conservative -71
	Liberal Democrat 90
UK Independence Party -26
	Green 12

You should vote: Liberal Democrat

The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

Just Call Me "Brother Hammer of Compassion"...

Nobody expects the Unitarian Jihad!