Lifeline for mainliners - Opinion - USATODAY.com

Lifeline for mainliners - Opinion - USATODAY.com: "These once-dominant liberal Protestant denominations have been drained by demographic realities and eclipsed by conservative religious voices. Yet vibrant mainline megachurches might have found a formula for a renaissance."

Mindfulness Meditation, Based on Buddha’s Teachings, Gains Ground With Therapists - NYTimes.com

Mindfulness Meditation, Based on Buddha’s Teachings, Gains Ground With Therapists - NYTimes.com: "This exercise in focused awareness and mental catch-and-release of emotions has become perhaps the most popular new psychotherapy technique of the past decade. Mindfulness meditation, as it is called, is rooted in the teachings of a fifth-century B.C. Indian prince, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. It is catching the attention of talk therapists of all stripes, including academic researchers, Freudian analysts in private practice and skeptics who see all the hallmarks of another fad.

For years, psychotherapists have worked to relieve suffering by reframing the content of patients’ thoughts, directly altering behavior or helping people gain insight into the subconscious sources of their despair and anxiety. The promise of mindfulness meditation is that it can help patients endure flash floods of emotion during the therapeutic process — and ultimately alter reactions to daily experience at a level that words cannot reach."

Sydney Pollack, Film Director, Dies at 73 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

Sydney Pollack, Film Director, Dies at 73 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden movies like “The Way We Were,” “Tootsie” and “Out of Africa” were among the most successful of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73."

A Stroke Leads a Brain Scientist to a New Spirituality - NYTimes.com

A Stroke Leads a Brain Scientist to a New Spirituality - NYTimes.com: "JILL BOLTE TAYLOR was a neuroscientist working at Harvard’s brain research center when she experienced nirvana.

But she did it by having a stroke.

On Dec. 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor, then 37, woke up in her apartment near Boston with a piercing pain behind her eye. A blood vessel in her brain had popped. Within minutes, her left lobe — the source of ego, analysis, judgment and context — began to fail her. Oddly, it felt great.

The incessant chatter that normally filled her mind disappeared. Her everyday worries — about a brother with schizophrenia and her high-powered job — untethered themselves from her and slid away."

Here is her talk from TED.

NASA spacecraft successfully lands on Mars | ajc.com

NASA spacecraft successfully lands on Mars | ajc.com: "A NASA spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere of Mars and successfully landed in the Red Planet's northern polar region on Sunday, where it will begin 90 days of digging in the permafrost to look for evidence of the building blocks of life.

Less than two hours later, the Phoenix Mars Lander beamed back four dozen black-and-white images including one of its foot sitting on Martian soil amid tiny rocks. Others included the horizon of the arctic plain and ground with polygon patterns similar to what can be found in Earth's permafrost regions."

John Lundberg: The Worst Poet Ever

John Lundberg: The Worst Poet Ever - Living on The Huffington Post: "A collection of poems penned by a late 19th Century Scotsman named William Topaz McGonagall drew considerable attention when they went up for auction in Edinburgh last Friday. Was this man the Robert Burns of his generation? Quite the opposite. McGonagall's poetry is celebrated in the U.K. for being astonishingly bad. Buyers were bidding on a literary Edsel.

Just how bad was McGonagall?" Find out...

Hogan's Alley Bulletin: Reuben Award Winners

From Tom Heintjes:

The awards given by the National Cartoonists Society have just been given, and we wanted Hogan's Alley newsletter readers to hear the results first! In the Advertising Illustration Division, the winner is Tom Richmond. David Silverman won the Feature Animation Division. Stephen Silver won the Television Animation Division. Sandra Boynton won the Book Illustration Division. Shaun Tan won the Comic Book Division. Bill Schorr won the Editorial Cartoon Division. Mort Gerberg won the Gag Cartoon Division. Dave Mowder wno the Greeting Card Division. Daryll Collins won the Magazine Illustration Division. Sean Kelly won the Newspaper Illustration Division. Chad Carpenter won the Newspaper Panel Division. Jim Meddick won the Newspaper Strip Division. And the Reuben Award--the evening's top award for the best cartoonist of the year--went to Al Jaffee.

TV's 'Laugh-in' comic Dick Martin dies - Celebrities- msnbc.com

TV's Laugh-in comic Dick Martin dies - Celebrities- msnbc.com: "Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose 'Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In' took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as 'Sock it to me!' has died. He was 86."

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was huge when I was a kid. It may have influenced entertainment for decades.

Away for a couple of weeks

I'll be doing some traveling for the next two weeks, so we're taking a break here. Come back in late May and see what we're up to. In the meantime, watch the Living Loved trailer... and visit my Amazon page!

Explore the Spirit: More on the spiritual implications of Iron Man

Explore the Spirit: 164: What Happens in the Movie Theater -- Jumps Out into the World with Us: "'I LOVED 'Iron Man'!
'I mean, I LOVED it.
'It was so -- so Zen!'

Those were the words just one day ago from the Buddhist priest and author Geri Larkin, who we'll feature next week in a story about her new book, 'Plant Seed, Pull Weed.'

Following our recommendation last week, Geri went to see the debut of the 'Iron Man' movie. Then, this 50-something, nationally known Buddhist sage, who lives in Eugene, Oregon, and leads a quiet life of hard work, meditation and writing wound up raving about the spiritual lessons that jump right off the silver screen in this movie.

I have huge respect for Geri's Zen viewpoint, but this isn't a spiritual theme limited to a single faith. A week ago, the same point was made by Christian scholar Greg Garrett, another nationally known sage -- in Greg's case concerning cinema, superheroes, popular culture and faith.

When East meets West in a spiritual evaluation like this, then I know we're onto something here."

Bangkok Post: Burmese dictators' priority

Bangkok Post: Top Stories: "While bloated corpses still litter Irrawaddy delta fields, the controlled media promote the referendum. While a million Burmese in deep shock fight for their survival, government ministers give speeches on the 'flourishing discipline democracy.'

Mae Sot - The ruling military junta of Burma has imposed a vacation ban for all officials - but not so every last person can be available to assist survivors of the recent cyclone that devastated the country.

Instead, the officials have to remain available to organise Saturday's referendum on the new constitution, with which the generals intend to cement their power.

'This clearly shows their priorities,' said Bo Kyi who, as a political prisoner, spent more than seven years in a military-run torture camp before he fled across the border into Thailand."

mediabistro.com: Bond is back

mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY: "James Bond is back. Again. According to a story in The Wall Street Journal, America's favorite British secret agent will return in Devil May Care, his 23rd new novel since creator Ian Fleming died 44 years ago.

So what's different about this one? It may actually sell. Penned by Sebastian Faulks, it has an initial print run of 250,000 in the U.S. and 100,000 in the U.K. (The last Bond novel, The Man With The Red Tattoo only sold 13,000 stateside, but what were they expecting with that title?) Ironically, the current economic woes might help sales. 'The downturn in the economy has prompted a demand for escapist fare,' Bob Wietrak, vice president of merchandising at Barnes & Noble, told the WSJ.

Whereas previous Bond novels modernized the character, Devil returns to traditional themes of the Cold War, heroin and characters with ridiculous names — in this case, Poppy."

New Yorker: Ernie Colon's graphic novels

Thousand Words Dept.: Terror Comix: The Talk of the Town: The New Yorker: "n the fall of 2004, when Ernie Colon was employed as a security guard on Long Island and feeling perturbed because, at seventy-two, he had too much idle time, he got an idea. That summer, the 9/11 Commission Report had been published and become a best-seller. Colon bought a copy and, as he read it, told himself that only a fraction of the book’s buyers would do the same. Unless, that is, it could be rendered more user-friendly, which, conveniently, he was equipped to do. He called a friend in Los Angeles, Sid Jacobson, and told him what he had in mind: the 9/11 Commission Report was in the public domain; why not adapt it as a graphic nonfiction novel? “Holy shit!” Jacobson shouted into the phone."

Ernie is one of the nicest guys in comics. So glad he's getting his due!

Penguin Blog: Covering Bond

The Penguin Blog: Covering Bond: All of Fleming's 007 novels have been repackaged as hardcovers--see 'em here!

A little goofy video

From VeryShortList.com:

We have a weakness for elaborately choreographed, “How’d they do that?” music videos, and luckily for us, director Dougal Wilson (who previously directed this VSL favorite) seems determined to continually one-up himself in producing such pieces. In his video for the song “Happiness” (off the British band Goldfrapp’s nice new album Seventh Tree), Wilson’s camera follows an unbelievably spry young man in a white suit hopping through a bustling London neighborhood, waving happily to his neighbors, his hair perfectly styled and his clothes unruffled. His cheery bouncing fits the song’s beat perfectly but also provides a sly counterpoint to the mystified, slightly melancholic lyrics.

Wilson gives a wink to his previous work with the return of boys riding stunt bikes, and his introduction of a gang of kids on bouncing balls is clever — but if you want to see a truly inspired piece of casting, watch for the hopping dog.

Walker, College Team on 'Twilight Zone' Graphic Novels- PW

Walker, College Team on 'Twilight Zone' Graphic Novels - 5/5/2008 - Publishers Weekly: "Walker & Co. has teamed with the Savannah College of Art & Design and the estate of famed TV writer Rod Serling to produce a series of graphic novels based on the original scripts for the classic TV show The Twilight Zone. The venture was initiated by SCAD's Industry Partnerships program directly with the Serling estate; SCAD faculty and students will produce the books and Walker Books for Young Readers will publish and distribute. The venture calls for eight graphic novels (two each season, beginning in October), with an option for four more titles. The deal coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of The Twilight Zone, which will be celebrated in 2009."

Stan Lee Is a Ladies' Man in Iron Man Cameo

Stan Lee Is a Ladies' Man in Iron Man Cameo: "Whether Iron Man lives up to the standard set by movies like Spider-Man or flounders like an armor-clad Daredevil, the flick boasts a hidden gem for comics fans. Like most movies based on Marvel characters, it will feature a cameo by comic book legend Stan Lee.
Lee, along with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, created many of the Marvel superheroes soaring across movie screens, including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk.
Wired.com talked with Lee about making his beloved cameos, competing with William Shatner and popping up with a bevy of blondes in Iron Man."

'The King' of comic book artists - CNN.com

'The King' of comic book artists - CNN.com

Pop Culture Safari: Marvel plans Iron Man 2 and more

Pop Culture Safari: "'Iron Man' is a box office success and Marvel Comics has already announced a sequel, along with other big screen adaptations:

Marvel plans to launch its 2010 film slate with the release of the sequel, Iron Man 2, on April 30, 2010, followed by the launch of Thor on June 4, 2010. Additionally, Marvel is planting its feature film stakes for summer 2011 with an Avengers-themed summer – a two-picture project which will debut on May 6, 2011 with The First Avenger: Captain America (working title), followed by The Avengers in July 2011."

Publisher Tested the Waters Online, Then Dove In - New York Times

Publisher Tested the Waters Online, Then Dove In - New York Times: "The journey beyond print is uncertain and perilous, but the experience of I.D.G., the world’s largest publisher of technology newspapers and magazines, suggests that it can be done. A privately held company, whose magazines include Computerworld, InfoWorld, PC World, Macworld and CIO, it appears to have made a profitable migration to the Internet, with revenue from online ads now surpassing print revenue.

Advertisers and readers of high-tech publications have moved online more swiftly than other audiences, so I.D.G. may offer a glimpse of the future of publishing. Yet the transition at I.D.G. came only after years of investment, upheaval and changes in its practice of journalism."

‘Iron Man’ Is Impressive at the Box Office in Its Opening Weekend - New York Times

‘Iron Man’ Is Impressive at the Box Office in Its Opening Weekend - New York Times: "“Iron Man” blasted into the box office stratosphere over the weekend, selling an estimated $100.8 million in tickets at North American theaters and almost certainly establishing a new movie franchise for Marvel Entertainment.

“The word of mouth through the weekend was tremendous,” said David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios, the New York entertainment company’s newly created film production unit. “I can’t think of a better start.”

Including international sales “Iron Man” grossed an estimated $201 million, according to Paramount Pictures, which distributed the $135 million film. The totals were slightly short of first-weekend sales for “Spider-Man,” the 2002 blockbuster that holds the record for the top nonsequel superhero movie opening."

In Poll, Obama Survives Furor, but Fall Is the Test - New York Times

In Poll, Obama Survives Furor, but Fall Is the Test - New York Times: "A majority of American voters say that the furor over the relationship between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor has not affected their opinion of Mr. Obama, but a substantial number say that it could influence voters this fall should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

At the same time, an overwhelming majority of voters said candidates calling for the suspension of the federal gasoline tax this summer were acting to help themselves politically, rather than to help ordinary Americans. Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, has made the suspension of the gas tax a centerpiece of her campaign in recent days."

Explore the Spirit: the Nuts, Bolts and Metanoia of "Iron Man"

Explore the Spirit: 159: Please Help Us Explore the Spiritual Nuts, Bolts and Metanoia of "Iron Man": "'If people are looking for spiritual themes in the story of Tony Stark becoming 'Iron Man,' they'll especially want to think about metanoia. The Greek is often translated as repentance, but it's really the whole idea of changing who we are and turning toward something else. Iron Man is one of the best examples in the whole superhero genre of a certain kind of person -- who then decides that he doesn't want to be that kind of person anymore.
'Instead of living his life as a philandering playboy, Tony Stark turns into someone who may still pretend to be a philandering playboy -- but he recognizes that this isn't the person he's supposed to be in life. And he turns himself into a heroic figure who really wants to do something to help the world.'
That's one of the movie-going tips today from Greg Garrett, a leading expert on faith and film and superheroes."

CAA lands Will Eisner estate - Variety

CAA lands Will Eisner estate - Entertainment News, Exclusives, Media - Variety: "Creative Artists Agency has landed the estate of comicbook creator Will Eisner as a client.
Idea is to take Eisner's library of titles and package them as movies, TV shows and other media properties.

Interest in Eisner's work has been heating up in Hollywood.

'The Spirit' is currently being adapted at Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment, with comicbook vet Frank Miller writing and helming the stylistic actioner that's set to bow early next year."

UCC Head notes despair, anger, sadness over Wright affair

Just received via email: a letter from Dr. John Thomas, head of the United Church of Christ, discussed the recent events involving Dr. Jeremiah Wright and Trinity UCC:

Our broad range of emotions

It is understandable that members of the United Church of Christ have been wrestling with the controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. with the same broad set of emotions and frustrations that have been expressed nationwide in recent days and weeks.

What we've heard from many of you is concern for our denomination and the well-being of our local churches. For this I am grateful. There is also dismay and outrage that the United Church of Christ is being painted in broad, caricatured strokes that diminish and ignore the reality of our members' many viewpoints and our churches' diverse histories and perspectives.

While there is high regard for Rev. Wright's ministry and leadership at Trinity UCC in Chicago during the past thirty-six years, and for his prophetic, scriptural preaching, many of us today are troubled by some of his controversial comments and the substance and manner in which they have been communicated, both by him and as characterized by the media.

Following Rev. Wright's insightful interview with Bill Moyers on Friday, many in the UCC hopefully anticipated that the prophetic voice of the church would be more clearly understood by the public and affirmed. But, unfortunately, following widespread critique of his handling of questions and answers at the National Press Club, that deep hope has turned now to unsettling despair for many. There is a collective and abiding sadness and anger in the present moment, regardless of theological or political persuasion.

The World's Most Influential People - The TIME 100 - TIME

The World's Most Influential People - The TIME 100 - TIME: "Our fifth annual list of the world's most influential people: leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists and more..."

How Will It Play in Apex? - Gail Collins in New York Times

How Will It Play in Apex? - Gail Collins in New York Times: "We’re down to a race between the candidate who claims he will make the political process better but has yet to demonstrate exactly how that works, and the woman who claims she’s the only one who’s powerful enough to take on the Republican forces of darkness. Don Quixote vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both accompanied by their lieutenants — the men who think it’s all about them."

Evanier: Classic Soupy Sales and the Rat Pack

news from me: "I linked to this a few years ago here but the link went away...so here it is anew. It's the famous sketch from The Soupy Sales Show featuring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Trini Lopez and a lot of pie shells full of shaving cream. Guess what happens."

The Soupy Sales Show - Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis jr
by Indy788

Love it!

Fake Stan's Soapbox: Top 10 Unknown Gadgets in Iron Man's Armor

Stan's Soapbox: "ITEM! Way back when, King Kirby and your Uncle Stan used to take turns seeing who could cram the most gadgets into Iron Man’s invincible armor. Jolly Jack usually won those contests, but I held my own. Rocket-powered roller skates? That one was mine. Well, mine and Wile E. Coyote’s. Interestingly, some of these gadget-inventing-contests took place over 3-martini-lunches at the Seawane Club in New York. Things got, shall we say, creative. There’s probably still some waitress there who thinks her name is Pepper Potts.

So last year while enjoying a liquid lunch with Iron Man Director Jon-Boy Favreau, I told him that story and we started the game up again. One pitcher of Long Island Teas later and we’d managed to come up with quite a luminary list. Mind you, at least two of these ingenious go-go-gadgets actually make an appearance in the Iron Man movie! A special Armor-Alled Adamantium-Plated No-Prize to the first Frantic One who correctly guesses which two! So without further ado... Lee-Favreau present:

The Top 10 Unknown Gadgets in Iron Man’s Armor..."

Christopher Eccleston tipped for lead in new Prisoner - Telegraph

Christopher Eccleston tipped for lead in new Prisoner - Telegraph: "A new series of the cult Sixties drama The Prisoner is to be made with Christopher Eccleston, the former Dr Who, the favourite to take over Patrick McGoohan's role as Number Six.

McGoohan is expected to make a guest appearance in an episode. The programme will be filmed in the village of Portmeirion, north Wales, where the original series was shot. A spokesman for Portmeirion said it was 'very good news' adding: 'The Prisoner is an important part of Portmeirion's heritage.'"

This Summer's Superheroes: A Dummy, A Recluse And Two Drunks

This Summer's Superheroes: A Dummy, A Recluse And Two Drunks - Entertainment on The Huffington Post: "The classic superhero is polished, brave and morally righteous. Strong and unerring, he is perfection personified -- a superhuman ideal.

Not this summer.

Everyday human flaws are the Kryptonite of this year's movie good guys, who deign to suffer the same foibles as those who pay to see them. They may be reclusive, egotistical or intellectually challenged. They may have anger issues or alcohol issues. Some are alienated and lonely.

While the archetypal superhero always has a 'weakness,' this summer's super problems are more fit for the psychologist's couch than the villain's lair. Such shortcomings make heroes more relatable, says Marvel Comics master Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, among sundry others."

Praying and Preying - Mo Dowd in New York Times

Praying and Preying - Maureen Dowd in New York Times: "Having been deserted at age 2 by his father, Obama has now been deserted by the father-figure in his church, the man who inspired him to become a Christian, married him, dedicated his house, baptized his children, gave him the title of his second book and theme for his presidential run and worked on his campaign.

At the very moment when his fate hangs in the balance, when he is trying to persuade white working-class voters that he is not an exotic stranger with radical ties, the vainglorious Rev. Wright kicks him in the stomach. In a narcissistic explosion that would impress Bill Clinton, the preacher dragged Obama into the ’60s maelstrom that he had pledged to be an antidote to. In two days worth of solipsistic rants, the man of faith committed at least four of the seven deadly sins — wrath, envy, pride and greed (book and lecture fees?) — while grandiosely claiming he was defending the black church."

Tom Friedman: Dumb as We Wanna Be - New York Times

Dumb as We Wanna Be - Tom Friedman in New York Times: "It is great to see that we finally have some national unity on energy policy. Unfortunately, the unifying idea is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away. Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for this summer’s travel season. This is not an energy policy. This is money laundering: we borrow money from China and ship it to Saudi Arabia and take a little cut for ourselves as it goes through our gas tanks. What a way to build our country."

May 3 Freebie Alert!

Mark your calendars for this Saturday, May 3: Free Comic Book Day! Send HOGAN'S ALLEY an e-mail ON THAT DATE with
your mailing address, and we’ll send you a FREE issue of Hogan’s Alley! No obligations, no strings attached; the only thing it will cost you is several hours as you enjoy the issue. (This offer is valid for all U.S. residents, whether you’re a current subscriber or
not.) Remember the one condition—they must receive your e-mail request on Free Comic Book Day, not the day before or the day after. Send email to: hoganmag@gmail.com

Here's some good stuff to get you started.

TPM: Obama changes tune on Wright

Talking Points Memo | Wright Redux: "The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church. They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Rev. Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well I might not know him as well as I thought, either."

Gutters-Rich Johnston's review of Iron Man

Comic Book Resources - Lying In The Gutters - 4-28-2008: "I have to say, I wasn't expecting too much from the film. And so it naturally blew away my expectations. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark totally owns this role, puts a large slice of ham on a plate, eats it up and spits out an incredibly engaging performance. A soulless self satisfied epitome of selfishness given a rude awakening, yet still retaining much of the man he was. The downside is that Downey just pushes everyone else off the screen. It's hard to admire any performance as much as his, everyone becomes a cypher in his shadow."

Explore the Spirit: Want to be Super? ... Do You Know about Heroic Origins?

Explore the Spirit: 156 Tuesday Quiz: Want to be Super? ... Do You Know about Heroic Origins?: "Let's tackle The Return of the Popular Tuesday Quiz!

In keeping with this week's theme, we're looking at Superhero Origins.

At first glance, you may wonder how this relates to our overall theme -- which is more about where we're heading, than where we started. But, in fact, origins are important parts of the spiritual glue holding these themes together."

The WB, Kids’ WB Live Again Online - TVWeek - News

The WB, Kids’ WB Live Again Online - TVWeek - News: "Warner Bros. Television Group will resurrect its former broadcast network, The WB, as a new ad-supported Web video-based interactive site, TheWB.com. The site will feature some of the studio’s most popular shows from its library targeted to the 16- to 34-year-old demographic."

ComicsDC: Amazing Fantasy #15 original Spider-Man artwork given to Library of Congress

ComicsDC: Amazing Fantasy #15 original Spider-Man artwork given to Library of Congress: "The first appearance of Spider-Man, an 11-page story which includes his origin, now belongs to the American people. According to curator Sara Duke, an anonymous donor has given the 24 pages of original interior artwork from Amazing Fantasy #15 to the Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs division. The artwork, drawn by Steve Ditko and written by Stan Lee, first appeared in print in 1962, and is in good shape."

World's Worst Comic Book Museum

WORLD'S WORST COMIC BOOK MUSEUM: "Dredged from the bargain boxes of Comics shops from one side of the continent to the other, there is hardly a volume in these four boxes for which more than 50 cents was paid. Oh, there is some good reading in there too, as well as mighty bad, for the bargain boxes become home to both ends of the spectrum. Those comics which aim high and hit are often as unsaleable as those which aim anywhich way and wildly miss. Not all of the bad ones display their full badness on the front cover -- all of them must be read in full to be truly appreciated. I shall do my best here to provide an overview of the wide range of bargain comics the discriminating collector rejects."

TVNewser: Ferguson scores at WH diner

mediabistro.com: TVNewser: "It may have been George W. Bush's final White House Correspondents' Association dinner as president, but Craig Ferguson stole the show. 3,000 people packed the ballroom at the Washington Hilton last night for the annual dinner, where Hollywood met Washington, with a stopover in Glasgow.

Unlike some past entertainers, the crowd warmed to Ferguson's performance. The Scottish-born comic took the requisite shots: Vice President Cheney 'is already moving out of his residence. It takes longer than you think to pack up an entire dungeon;' about the 'feud' between Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann: 'What I see is sexual tension;' and at The New York Times who stayed away from this year's dinner: 'They felt that this event undercuts the credibility of the press. It's funny, you see, I thought that Jayson Blair and Judy Miller took care of that...Shut the hell up, New York Times, you sanctimonious whining jerks!'

Ferguson ended poignantly. Rolling up his speech and jamming it in his breast pocket, he spoke of the pride of becoming a U.S. citizen in February and what he loves most about Americans. 'Please, never, ever, ever agree with each other. Never stop arguing, never stop fighting. You cranky, magnificent bastards.'"

Explore the Spirit: "Iron Man" Explores Resurrection ... So, What Does Heaven Look Like to You?

Explore the Spirit: 155: "Iron Man" Explores Resurrection ... So, What Does Heaven Look Like to You?: "It's rare for theology and popular culture to converge as powerfully as they are this week. But, now, we've got two important new books about resurrection in the same week that 'Iron Man' kicks off the summer season of blockbuster movies.

The 'Iron Man' movie explores the transformation of human life on various levels -- from the fictional story of a deeply troubled scientist who keeps himself alive by developing Iron Man's futuristic armor -- to the real-life story of actor Robert Downey Jr., who stars in the movie's title role. After a disastrous series of real-life flirtations with self destruction, the movie's producers are widely promoting this new film as the resurrection of Downey's all-but-dead acting career, as well.

That's why we say: This is a spiritually preachable and teachable moment, if there ever was one!"

Pariah Diplomacy - Jimmy Carter op-ed in New York Times

Pariah Diplomacy -Jimmy Carter op-ed in New York Times: It is counterproductive for Washington to isolate governments that refuse its mandate, as exemplified by recent events in Nepal and the Middle East.

Users Demand Expertise at How-To Web Sites - New York Times

Users Demand Expertise at How-To Web Sites - New York Times: "Quamut is the latest brand to capitalize on what company executives said is a growing disinclination among Web users for amateur how-to advice. Whether that distaste can support a departure from Barnes & Noble’s core business is a question investors will be considering.

“I think it’s an interesting experiment,” said Sameet Sinha, an Internet analyst with the JMP Group, an investment firm. “But Quamut will have to show up very well in searches, and doing that will not be easy.”

Quamut differentiates itself from the long list of how-to sites like eHow, HowStuffWorks.com and, to a lesser degree, About.com (which is owned by The New York Times Company), with a somewhat novel twist: selling downloadable documents of its otherwise free content."