This article (NY Times link) has been cited in another discussion here (it's also been on that other site), but I believe it's important enough to merit an FPP. (My first!) Apparently a sizeable number of evangelicals believe Bush is an "instrument of God." And this allows them to completely overlook the lack of logic in many Bush administration policies, as well as Bush's frequent, uh, misstatements of fact. As one of the article's sources says in it, ". . . when it gets complex, he seems to turn to prayer or God rather than digging in and thinking things through." more inside

In your face ! For its next campaign against tobacco (small pdf), the European commission has decided to hit hard, and where it hurts. They are going to replace the warning messages you can find on the back of cigarette packs by shoking and graphic pictures (you've been warned). Will this campaign be more effective than softer approaches such as this one (.mov) ? more inside

Translation: Error! - forgive the 'self link' but this is worth a giggle. Screencap 1. Screencap 2. At time of posting, still up.

Porn or Art? Bearing in mind how thin some materials are these days, perhaps paint is just as modest a choice. (Probably NSFW)

Curious George: I keep getting this weird error message when I try to post to Monkeybashi's blog: "Your comment could not be submitted due to questionable content: free. Please correct the error in the form below, then press Post to post your comment." Huh? Suggestions/explanations?

2046 Everyone who goes to 2046 has the same intention. To recapture their lost memories. Because in 2046, nothing ever changes. Nobody can be sure that this is true. Because nobody who goes there…has ever come back. more inside

Formatting the Word of God Why don't they make title pages like this anymore? Link swiped from plep.

The Mercury Theatre on the Air - in 1937, John Houseman & young prodigy Orson Welles formed their own theatrical company, The Mercury Theatre, which a year later began adaptions on radio, their most famous being "The War of the Worlds". They performed Dracula, Treasure Island, A Tale of Two Cities, & numerous others. All of the surviving Mercury Theatre shows are on this page in Real Audio (sorry) or MP3 format. more inside

Abu Ghraib team bids to run UK prisons

Curious George: While in Iran this summer, I enjoyed some fruits that aren't readily available in the USA- dogberry, greengage, and wild cherries. Do you belong to a culture that has really tasty fruits that no or few Americans have ever heard of or tasted?

Staplerfahrer Klaus- Der Erste Arbeitstag That's "Forklift Driver Klaus- The First Workday" to you, bub. I know it won't make any sense for at least a minute, but it really does work out the humor secretions after that.

Curious George: Do you have a "local" where everybody knows your name? I slept until midnight today and... more inside

Lip-syncing screwup goes out live on SNL. The king of evening comedy claims to have never allowed lip-syncing, but just this evening Ashlee Simpson's voice track started too soon. The result: a big gaffe onstage, followed by an abrupt cut to commercial. Strike one against corporate music. Anyone see it?

Curious George: How do I go about getting out of my lease? (Fiance + Loto) + (4 x Jerk Roommates) = (Fiance + Loto) x Hating Life more inside

O'Reilly Competitor Offers to Buy O'Reilly/Mackris Tapes to Prevent Them From Being Destroyed! A vital action to save history from a permanent cover-up? An abdication of journalistic integrity? A publicity stunt for a show with one-eighth the audience of Bill O's? A major act of snarkiness from a newbie journo-blogger? Or just another reason Olbermann never should've quit doing sports?
This post: CableNewsFilter? PepsiBlueState? SchadenfreudianSlip? JournalisticSharkJump? Or the most important story you'll see on MoFi this weekend?

Curious George: iPod = Airline Doom? You're listening to your iPod on the airplane. They announce that all electronic devices must be turned off for takeoff/landing. Do you turn off your iPod? I mean, seriously, there's no way an iPod could pose any danger to the airplane, right? (Yes, your iTrip broadcaster is safely packed away.)

WTC Rescue Hero Sues Bush and Others under RICO Statute A WTC maintenance worker has filed a RICO lawsuit against the highest levels of the US government's executive branch, asserting they were complicit in the events of 9/11. Wacky conspiracy theory or credible? I'm curious what you Monkeys think.

The World Series starts tonight! more inside

Should the "North" secede from the Union? The link is culinary, of course, but the concept is viable in a normative sense. more inside

Fiendish Chinese socks must be stopped. Such, at least, is the conclusion of our wise leaders, who are valiantly combatting the Overseas Sock Threat by capping imports from China. (Link to washingtonpost.com, reg.req., bugmenot is your friend.) more inside