Samantha Pierce

The carnies are hanging out at the King of Fools this week. Check it out. Yours truly has a post in this week's round up.

Perhaps I was wrong in thinking that black folk wouldn't go for the Passion . According to this article black (and other minority) Christians are very interested in the Passion and it's message of suffering and redemption. An African-American Christian's View of 'Passion' Descendants of slaves FULLY UNDERSTAND why Gibson's cameras show the instruments of torture and repression--whips and chains evoke powerful collective memories of the suffering of our African foremothers and forefathers HERE in this country at the hands of so-called "Christians." It wasn't so long ago that our great-grandparents literally bore the scars of slavery in their bodies--and the infamous cat o'nine tails was ALSO used on subjugated Africans by viscious, sadistic overseers who acted just like the Roman legionnaries and lictors depicted in the film. One of the reasons people of color are responding so positively to THE PASSION OF CHRIST is due to Gibson's f

This is pretty cool. Thanks to Instapundit for the link.

I've borrowed Discoshaman's term to describe his post entitled, Racial Reconciliation and the Civil Rights Industry "It used to be said (fatuously?) that university cancer researchers had no incentive to find a cure, as it would put them out of a job. The professionalization of civil rights entrusts reconciliation to a class of people who benefit from racial strife and mistrust, and stand to lose everything if whites and blacks ever do find lasting harmony." Good point.

From Nick Queen of Patriot Paradox on Christian Carnival XI: This coming Wednesday is the next Christian Carnival and will be hosted at King of Fools. If you are reading this and are not a part of the Christian Carnival mailing list please visit the following link and join up: http://patriot-paradox.com/mailman/listinfo/christiancarnival_patriot-paradox.com Also if you wish to host the Carnival in coming weeks email me at carnivalhost@patriot-paradox.com For those unsure of what I mean by Carnival I will try to explain. First, a Carnival is a gathering of posts from various blogs that showcases their best post from the previous week. Each blog is allowed to enter one post, and I will take all of the posts and put them in one big post on my front page. Then each person who enters will link to that post, thus not only showing off their post, but also allowing their readers to get the best from around the blogosphere. Also, I ask that you please post on your site so th

Blacks decry GSU fraternity Protesters complain of slur, threaten boycott of school The protest was in response to a Jan. 24 Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity party where two members arrived wearing blackface, according to a university incident report. After members of Phi Beta Sigma, a historically black fraternity that was at the party, objected to the blackface, the two members took it off, the incident report said. A few days after the party, members of both fraternities met with school officials and Pi Kappa Alpha apologized for the incident, said Dan Forrester, the fraternity's president. The fraternity also suspended the two members. Georgia State officials have suspended the fraternity pending the outcome of a hearing. Apparently this is not enough for the worshippers of diversity at this school. Someone stepping forward and saying, "We have done something wrong" is not something to be commended. Not if you offend the diversity at all costs crowd. No sirrie Bob

Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant! "May barbarians invade your personal space!" You are highly confrontational and possibly in a bad mood. You would have sworn in this quiz, if I had made it an option. Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You? brought to you by Quizilla Found the quiz at Thrown Back . That whole Ezzo business still has me riled up. Discoshaman is giving Ezzo a good verbal spanking too.

Is the Babywise Method Right For You? What You Should Know About Babywise and Growing Kids God's Way From birth Johnny Bush "nursed like a champ" and slid right into the Parent Directed Feeding plan recommended by Gary Ezzo in his book "Preparation for Parenting," the first book in the series of parenting books commonly known as "Growing Kids God's Way." ("On Becoming Babywise" is the secular version of "Preparation for Parenting"). "At a well-baby appointment at 3 1/2 months he weighed a hefty 16 lbs.- the 95th percentile on the baby charts," says his mother, Alexandra Bush, a previous Preparation for Parenting instructor. But by the next appointment his weight had dropped to 14 lbs. 2 oz. "causing red flags to come up at the pediatrician's office." The following weeks were grueling, as specialists tried to determine the reason for Johnny's weight loss. Alexandra quit nursing "cold turkey&quo

Now I can understand wanting kids to play safely but is banning tag really the way to go? Wouldn't it have made more sense to just deprive the trouble makers of the joy of playing the game rather than depriving the entire school for two weeks? And why did it take a grade school kid starting a petition for the grown-ups in charge to decide that maybe banning tag altogether was not necessarily the best course of action? Tag's Still Not It A ban on the violent game of tag has been lifted at an elementary school in Madison, Wisc. but only after officials agreed on rules for the new, “safe” version of the game, reports WISC-TV. Tag was banned from Randall Elementary school because principal Marianne Moss said it was too violent. But the ban prompted complaints from parents and prompted one grade-schooler to even circulate a petition. Olivia Lichterman said, "Most kids can't focus well when they don't get exercise, and kids who don't have football, they

The carnies are back. They're hanging out at WalloWorld . Check it out.

We're everywhere! I've been lurking on Nykola.com for a few weeks now. Good stuff, thoughtful and well written. Here's an excerpt from the most recent post. So My Generation's Voting for Nader? The State of the Young Adult Union There is a lot of hesitancy amongst conservatives and Christians as well, to get involved with the community beyond the suburbs. I'm talking the poor, the wounded, and the disenfranchised. This is unfortunate as Democrats, Liberals, the Green Party, and many others have recognized this hole and rushed to fill it with silly in-effective programs and legislation. It's sort of like the city road crew in Seattle and the pothole problem. Every time a pothole pops up, the city comes out and fills it; with asphalt. Asphalt is cheap, it's easy to get a hold of, and it does the job temporarily. But just let it rain. You can pretty much guarantee that in a high-traffic area, it'll only be a matter of months before that same pothole

"Passion" goes to other countries : "The Passion of the Christ" opened in a number of international markets last weekend, and, again, it is breaking records. And the rampant antisemitism that this film was supposed to inspire in all of us secretly Jew hating Christians has yet to materialize. I'm slowly beginning to lose the urge to scream, "You freaking idiots!" every time I hear someone carrying on about how antisemitic the movie is. Parableman has an interesting conspiracy theory on why today's Jewish leaders are against The Passion of the Christ . Jewish anti-Christianism : Christianity has its very basis in Hebrew Torah, prophets, and other writings. It sees itself as the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures. Yet a Jew who sees Jesus as Messiah is seen as an illegitimate Jew by contemporary Judaism, even if this Jew continues to worship at a synagogue of other Jews who see Jesus as Messiah, maintaining clear Jewish worship traditions

Cabin Master's Battle Imp is Irord Backstabbing: 10 Dodgin': 5 Guts: 5 Magic Mojo: 6 Smackdown: 9 Will your battle imp beat Cabin Master's? Enter your name and fight. I've succumbed to the battle imp craze. Check out Parableman's imp .

The carnies are here! Check it out

Haloscan now offers trackback. I think I'll try it out and see where it gets me.

Larry T. Elliott, 60, and Jean Dover Elliott, 58, of Cary, N.C. Karen Denise Watson, 38, of Bakersfield, Calif. David McDonnall, 28, of Rowlett, Texas The terrorists call themselves "martyrs" when they blow themselves up killing who they consider the enemies of Allah. But these are true martyrs, giving their lives for their faith in the course of loving and serving their neighbors. World Mag blog It's striking isn't it, the difference between the Muslim and Christian concepts of martyrdom. The good Muslim martyr kills as many infidels as he or she can before they die. The Christian martyr helps as many people as he or she can in hopes that some will come to know the saving grace of their lord and they are killed for offering that help.

I guess it was too good to be true. After some political maneuvering South Dakota's proposed abortion ban was defeated in the senate by a vote of 18-17. Evangelical Outpost has more details.

It's that time again. The round up for Christian Carnival IX has begun. Details: For those unsure of what I mean by Carnival I will try to explain. First, a Carnival is a gathering of posts from various blogs that showcases their best post from the previous week. Each blog is allowed to enter one post, and I will take all of the posts and put them in one big post on my front page. Then each person who enters will link to that post, thus not only showing off their post, but also allowing their readers to get the best from around the blogosphere. Also, I ask that you please post on your site so that your readers who also blog will consider sending in their best post of this week. To enter is simple. First your post should be of a Christian nature, but this does not exclude posts that are political (or otherwise) in nature from a Christian point of view. Then do the following: email me at carnival@patriot-paradox.com Provide the following: Title of your Blog URL of y

Are you a Christian blogger? Wanna be part of a research project? You don't have to do anything potentially embarrassing, just answer a few question. This young lady is doing a research project as a requirement for completing her degree. Part one of the survey is here . It's very thought provoking.

The Spanish have elected themselves a socialist government apparently blaming their previous government for the terrorist attacks in Madrid a few days ago. My first reaction was that the Spanish are a bunch of spineless jellyfish. Then I felt bad about speaking ill of a people still reeling from a devastating attack on their nation. Then I read what some Spaniards themselves were saying about the outcome of the election and I didn't feel so bad. Read for yourself. SPANISH ELECTION POSTSCRIPT , a round up of responses from Spanish bloggers. TERRORISTS HAVE SUCCEEDED IN TOPPLING THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT. Instapundit's comments as well as a round up of responses from all over the blogosphere. Socialists Declare Victory in Spanish Elections , Fox News story. Dhimmi vote wins in Spain , Dhimmi Watch post of AP story. What Does Osama Want: The Election Effect , post before the election results. Nobody Expects the Spanish Opposition! , post after the election results.

Tim Blair MADRID AL-QAEDA OR ETA A sad postcard from Spain , by a pair of Spanish bloggers Baldilocks Spain's the Target Spanish embassy contact info Instapundit BOMBINGS IN MADRID Spanish embassy contact info as well as a list of Spanish consulates and memorial activities state side Tacitus: Another Crime That Requires Police Action Andrew Sullivan: IF THIS IS AL QAEDA The Mesopotamian "I a Moslem and an Iraqi would be very surprised if the criminal attack in Spain was the work of ETA. I say this is the work of the same animals who are at work in our country. Mark my words friends at this early stage. To express condolences to the Spanish people is too empty and not enough. We pledge to them that we, the Iraqi people shall be in the forefront and will be the first line fighters to exterminate these monsters." Iraq the Model: Our hearts go with you Spain. Hammorabi: Condolences Jihadwatch Spain's 9/11 Jihad

I'm learning the hard way that no amount of Lactaid can save me from cheese, especially cheddar. It probably didn't help that I also ate prunes with the cheese. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought could get some fiber and some calcium all at once. My sister, who has been lactose intolerant for years, is counseling me on how to survive what I've done to myself. Ginger ale and steaming hot ginger tea are my only hope now. I really hope this lactose intolerance thing is a temporary symptom of pregnancy. I don't know if I can live the rest of my life without cheese. "Behold the power of cheese" has a whole new meaning for me. My sister says that the dairy farmers and antacid companies must be in cahoots with each other. And they are all being controlled by the cats who are plotting our downfall . She's got issues.

The eighth edition of the Christian Carnival is up, at a new location this week. I submitted my post on blacks and The Passion . Apparently PETA is doing stupid stuff again. La Shawn Barber has a great inaugural submission entitled Al Sharpton: Godless Wonder . Go check out the rest.

Folks have been talking about his for days now. John Kerry seems to be aspiring to be America's second black president, when did we have a first?. On this topic Baldilocks writes, "Why not go all the way, dude, and let your inner "blackness" show? How about getting tricked-out (pun intended) like Snoop Dogg in the new Starsky and Hutch and tick off every black person from the right of me to the left of Maxine Waters? You can do it. I'm counting on you... Bro." Some other good reads on this subject: Our Second Black President? at Evangelical Outpost Random Thursday: Random Blackness at La Shawn Barber's corner Second Black President at Rough Woodsman

I thought today would be a good day to take the kids out for a walk. Except for the mountains of dirty snow in parking lots most of central New York's more than 3 feet deep snow pack has melted away. The sidewalks are once again clear and safe for strollers and small children. Tulips and daffodils are starting to poke their heads out of the ground and in some places the crocuses are already blooming. I was looking forward to taking the kids out on a hunt for the early blooms. I was even contemplating a stop in the park for a few minutes on the swings or slide. My plan was to feed and clean the kids, do one or two chores, take a shower and then hit the road. Everything was going well until we got to the "mom takes a shower" part of the plan. I kept checking on the kids while I was doing the dishes. They seemed to be entertaining themselves in non-destructive ways. I thought it was safe to run off and take a quick shower. I should have locked the kids in their

My church held it’s annual mid-winter retreat over the weekend. The speakers were a missionary couple who serve in that big country in east Asia that’s not supposed to have any missionaries or unofficial Christians in it. They minister to the people in remote areas of this country by helping them dig wells, build latrines for schools and villages, build rainwater collection systems, and by developing disease prevention plans with the villagers. These missionaries shared with us a wonderful vision of the thriving church in this closed country. Millions of Christians who pray not that their persecution would end but that they would be strong enough to endure and bear witness for Christ. Even more stunning is that these Christians who regularly face imprisonment, torture, and death at the hands of their own government have a vision to send missionaries into other closed countries to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. They call their movement Back to Jerusalem , the idea being that

All right, I confess. I’m BWP, Blogging While Pregnant and let me tell you it has not been pretty. For some foolish reason I thought that having been pregnant twice before would make things go easier the third time around. After all my body has had some practice and it knows what to do now. NOT. I’ve had many days where I was too sick to get off of the couch. I was saving up all of my energy in case I had to make a mad dash for the bathroom. Why on earth do people call it morning sickness when you are actually sick 24-7? From now on I’m going to call it perpetual sickness. There have been some funny moments though. The first day of my perpetual sickness I was curled up on the couch praying and pleading with God that I would not have to throw up (I HATE throwing up but sometimes it’s the only way to feel better) when my youngest son wandered by and relieved me of the fruit that I didn’t have enough energy to continue eating. He wandered by a few minutes later to deposit the

The Christian Carnival VIII will be hosted at a new location this week, Trommetter Times . Here are the instructions for this week. Here are the instructions for this week (for posts written during last week): To enter is simple. First your post should be of a Christian nature, but this does not exclude posts that are political (or otherwise) in nature from a Christian point of view. Then do the following: email the Carnival at this address: carnival@trommetter.org Provide the following: Title of your Blog URL of your Blog Title of your post URL linking to that post Description of the Post Cut off date is Tuesday, March 9th at 10PM EST.

Parableman is blogging about our Adventures in Misdiagnosis with our son Ethan. He's having a much easier time dealing with all of this than I am. I've been pretty much overwhelmed and I've had to take a break from doing research on Ethan's possible condition. Thankfully hubby can process all of the details without becoming emotionally entangled like me. Oh, he's also boasting about being a manly man .

Now what is this supposed mean? As soon as Gibson picked Jim Caviezel to be Jesus I knew I wouldn't even invest in The Passion on the hollywood stock exchange. Gibson's passion for the truth didn't quite extend that far did it? I wonder who Mad Max would've chosen? LK Spence at Vision Circle

I haven't had the chance to vote in a primary election yet so I don't know personally what that involves but it probably shouldn't include people assuming your political affiliation based on your appearance. Juliette at Baldilocks s had just that kind of experience. I...headed toward one of the two Republican voting booths. "No, no," said the third person, a woman. "Go to one of those booths." She was pointing at one of the five Democrat booths. I looked down at my ballot and it was a Democrat one. I walked over and handed it back to her. "Aren't you a Democrat?" she asked ponderously. "No, ma'am," I said with military precision. "I'm a Republican." Suddenly, in a polling place deep in the heart of Maxine Water's congressional district, it got real quiet... During the 2000 election and following fiasco I had to put up with a lot of smack from dems who couldn't conceive of a black person willi

Discoshaman is back doling out the bloggy goodness at Le Sabot Post-Moderne . I found the post Orthodox Arrogance and Hypocrisy very interesting. One would think that a church that suffered for so long under communism and other corrupt governments would behave better but apparently not.

The seventh edition of the Christian Carnival is up. Interesting stuff, particularly this post at DeoOmnisGloria.com about atheism. It's a response to some of the comments made about this post regarding the Diane Sawyer interview with Mel Gibson.

If you have a Christian-related post from last week to enter into the Christian Carnival, please do so by tonight. Here's the message from the host for this week: For those unsure of what I mean by Carnival I will try to explain. First, a Carnival is a gathering of posts from various blogs that showcases their best post from the previous week. Each blog is allowed to enter one post, and I will take all of the posts and put them in one big post on my front page. Then each person who enters will link to that post, thus not only showing off their post, but also allowing their readers to get the best from around the blogosphere. Also, I ask that you please post on your site so that your readers who also blog will consider sending in their best post of this week. To enter is simple. First your post should be of a Christian nature, but this does not exclude posts that are political (or otherwise) in nature from a Christian point of view. Then do the following

I really hope I'm wrong about this but I'll say it anyway. If only so someone can prove me wrong. I came across this post today at American Black, " Why Black Folks Won't Like The Passion ". It made me start thinking about the response of black Christians to this movie. It has often been my experience that black churches tend to be light on things like doctrine, theology, and evangelism. The greatest emphasis I have seen in many black churches is not on teaching scripture but on giving a good performance and evoking emotional response. There is an element within black Christianity for whom the purpose of forming a church is not so much to spread the gospel but rather to spread their version of the gospel. I grew up in New York City where, in some neighborhoods, there was a church on every block. On some blocks there were churches just doors from each other. Why? Not because there were so many believers that there needed to be lots of congregations to