Let's hope this marks the final chapter in the story of Saparmurat Niyazov, the "Father of All Turkmen," who was absolute dictator of Turkmenistan for 20 years until his death in 2006. READ MORE...

With all the discussion of child abuse at the polygamist ranch in West Texas recently, you might be thinking, "Surely they're not the only folks to mistreat their kids." And you'd be right. READ MORE...

We knew someone would step in to fill the shoes of Charleton Heston. But .... Captain Kirk? READ MORE...

Forget about political gaffes, missteps and the fickleness of the polls. We can all relax. The election's already decided. READ MORE...

Jewish marathon runners are in a quandary. This year, Passover begins just two days before the Boston Marathon April 21. READ MORE...

The BBC ran a story today examining how entrepreneurs are using numerology to launch new businesses and further their careers: READ MORE...

Followers of a spiritual group called Summum want to add their "Seven Aphorisms" to a Ten Commandments display in a park in Pleasant Grove, Utah. READ MORE...

I just can't wait to die.

Celestis, Inc., a company that pioneered the sending of cremated remains into suborbital space on rockets, said it would start a service to the surface of the moon that could begin as early as next year. READ MORE...

Sometimes you find something that so succinctly encapsulates a concept that no further information is required. READ MORE...

Sorry for the delay in posting. I just got out of the hospital after a kidney stone attack. (!) It got me to thinking about the impermanence of life, the sensitivity of the human waste removal system and the sad state of our nation's health care establishment.

So, to get my mind off THAT, I searched for the perfect antidote and found it: READ MORE...

This is primary voting day in Texas, where I live. I went to the local library where I've always voted, but noticed it said "Democratic Polling Place." I wanted to vote in the Republican primary. READ MORE...

The headlines were awash in apocalypse:
• Widespread power outages in South Florida,
• Norway Formally Opens Arctic Doomsday Seed Vault,
• Scientists Predict When World Will End,
• Starbucks to close all U.S. stores for three hours.

Shocking. READ MORE...

As I was driving home from work the other day, dodging falling satellite debris and listening to NPR, I heard a rumor that I hope was a mistake.

Since Condoleeza Rice has said she definitely won't serve as John McCain's black/woman running mate, some fool suggested the name of charismatic and successful televangelist Creflo Dollar. READ MORE...

Three of the nails used to crucify Christ are for sale on the French eBay site for 10,000 euros.

If genuine, these suckers have done a lot of traveling. READ MORE...

Liz Smith, the creaking gossip columnist for the New York Post, writes in her Feb. 19 column that (shock!) many people on the Internet are predicting the end of the world.

Apparently, she's missed most of our Weekly Beastie columns. But we can only applaud her tardy alert. READ MORE...

In an earlier post, a bishop's stolen headgear got me thinking about the definition of art, the place of the artist in the body of Christ and the meaning of creativity.

So as I walked around the Kimbell Art Museum's excellent exhibit Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art, I wondered --is this really the earliest Christian art? READ MORE...

Hamas' new children's TV show host is a Jew-eating bunny! This would normally be funny, in a Borat kind of way, but it's not satire. Its, um, real. READ MORE...

[As music of the rock anthem Cum On Feel
The Noize by Slade slowly fades]

Thank you all for your energy and support! I look out on this crowd of supporters tonight and see, not just a dazzling diversity of races, ages, genders and classes, but a whole stadium full of people who think just like I do, in lockstep with my agenda. I love that. READ MORE...

Sure, Valentine's Day is coming up--despite opposition in Saudi Arabia, India and elsewhere.

But did you know we slipped into Adar without even knowing it? READ MORE...

The folks who brought us the "Wash Away Your Sins" line of bath products have finally stepped over the line, at least in Singapore. READ MORE...

Is it not fitting that the presidential race has really started rolling just as the Year of the Pig ends and the Year of the Rat begins? READ MORE...

Well, IHOP would like to make you think so, anyway.

The pancake house chain was alarmed to discover that the 2008 Super Tuesday primaries were set for Feb. 5, a date that coincides with Shrove Tuesday — arguably the most important date in the pancake calendar! READ MORE...

I was puzzled by a news report yesterday that said a Greek Orthodox bishop's crown had been stolen.

I didn't realize they wore crowns. Mitres, funny hats maybe, but crowns? That's a new one. (Of course, I'm pretty provincial in my knowledge of religious regalia. I do know that Baptist preachers shouldn't wear both a belt and suspenders, for instance). READ MORE...

The pundits are focused on evangelicals these days, with a Baptist preacher in the Republican race and everyone else reminding the media how much religion and Jesus means to them. (This can backfire if you're caught nodding off in church).

But Michael Lindsay has gone a step further. He interviewed more than 300 evangelicals in politics, media, Hollywood and corporate head offices to find out how they are handling their positions of power. READ MORE...

We've been examining the Primaries through the prism of music. Last time we tipped our hat to the Republicans. Now it's the Democrats' turn. READ MORE...

Remember that song from the '60s by Dion about fallen American political heroes-- Abraham, Martin and John? It always made me shed a tear. So I've adopted it to honor the Republican candidates, who will all more than likely be politically eliminated after November 2008. READ MORE...

A survey of unchurched Americans by LifeWay Research found that almost three quarters of those surveyed think churches are "full of hypocrites." Almost half those surveyed agreed that ''Christians get on my nerves.'' READ MORE...

As the "blog of record" concerning all things Antichrist, we felt we should mention this sad story.

An Idaho man, believing he bore the Mark of the Beast on his hand, cut it off with a circular saw and then microwaved it for good measure. Police later determined their were no marks of any kind on the hand. The man remains in protective custody in the mental health unit of Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene, where he and the hand were taken by ambulance. READ MORE...

A member of our Christian fellowship used to be heavily into Dungeons and Dragons.

Our Bible study teacher challenged him to interject Jesus into the game and see how long He survived by turning the other cheek.
Our friend got the point: We don't expect to "win" in this world. We love in spite of the expectation of suffering, persecution and possible death.

Now someone's had a similar idea. They're putting their character Noor the Pacifist into the universe of World of Warcraft. READ MORE...

A Houston woman and her husband have discovered what she says appears to be the image of a crucifix in a potato.

Well hush my puppies and call me crucifried.

Dawn Roth-Ehlinger and her husband were grilling hamburgers and frying potatoes for friends during a backyard cookout, when they noticed something odd while preparing the French fries.

As Dawn's husband sliced a potato, he says he saw a pattern reveal itself which appeared to be images of Christ and the crucifix in three different sections. READ MORE...