Galley Friend A.L. sends this link to the Demotivators Collection. Very, very funny. Some examples:

Others know that it’s much, much bigger than that:

Wiccans encircle an altar of fruit and bread as day turns to night in Central Park. The lush strains of a nearby performance of Puccini’s “Turandot” blend with the prayers of an ancient Celtic harvest festival.

Wicca is a modern reconstruction of the pre-Christian nature-based religions of Europe.

“There is an exquisite, ecstatic sense of the sacred,” said Phyllis Curott, lawyer, author and the priestess of the Temple of Ara.

“You literally feel your heart open. Being in the circle is like being in the womb of the great Goddess.”

To get the full sense, you need to click through to the picture.

Esq., Priestess

First Things, one of my three favorite magazines on the planet, has a great issue this month, but the flagship piece is a long essay by Allen D. Hertzke on the tragedy in Darfur. It makes for difficult reading for anyone concerned with human suffering, but particularly for supporters of President Bush.

Print it out and sit down with it tonight.

Question: How many Frenchmen does it take to hold Paris?

Galley Friend B.W. sends this amazing link:

“Perhaps French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy might want to visit Britain for next year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, which is held on January 27. Yesterday’s Ha’aretz reports that Douste-Blazy revealed a shocking lack of knowledge of the Holocaust and European history during a recent visit to Israel’s Holocaust memorial site, Yad Vashem.

“The museum, which is an extraordinary achievement in public history, includes detailed maps showing the number of Jews killed in each nation occupied by the Nazis. Douste-Blazy asked why no British Jews were listed as murdered, prompting the museum curator to point out, ‘But Monsieur le minister, England was never conquered by the Nazis during World War II.’

“The Foreign Minister’s response: ‘Yes, but were there no Jews who were deported from England?’ Amazing.”

This isn’t exactly not-safe-for-work, but it is disturbing.

The latest rumors from the Fatherland have it that neither Angela Merkel nor Gerhard Schröder will be long-term chancellors in a Grand Coalition. Rather, both sides are said to be seeking out a compromise candidate. Here are a few politicians who have so far been mentioned:

1. Roland Koch. As the governor of Hesse, Koch has built himself a loyal and conservative following. There were rumblings during the CDU convention that he might make a play to win his party’s nomination over Frau Merkel. But Koch is wisely biding his time. And once the dust settles, Germans may turn to him for answers, experience, and leadership.

2. Christian Wulff. Just like in America, there is nothing more interesting than a conservative (at least nominally) winning in a liberal state. Think Giuliani or Schwarzenegger or Bret Schundler–at least for a moment. Wulff governs Lower Saxony, a traditional SPD and blue-collar stronghold. CDU politikers want to know how he does it and can he do it for the nation. Others think of Wulff as a lightweight and still in need of experience. Ultimately he will be one to remember in the next ten years.

3. Peer Steinbrück. The former governor of North Rhine-Westphalia may be down but he’s definitely not out. Still involved in SPD politics and a member of the Bundestag, Steinbrück is often mentioned by Social Democratic insiders as the future of a party that has lost its way. But as long as the CDU/CSU have more seats in parliament, Steinbrück is a long shot.

4. Palpatine. Hailing from the Bundesland of Naboo, Palpatine worked his way up through humble origins until reaching prominence in the Senate. He is known to preach peace but willing to take tough actions when necessary. Interested primarily in restoring order to the Republic, which currently has more than 11 percent unemployment, a Chancellor Palpatine may be just the antidote for Germany’s woes.

Famous people can be nice! Who knew?

So you thought I would let this day go by without mentioning the Miracle at Dallas? As I earlier mentioned, I believe that God has a plan for the Redskins. But He also works in mysterious ways. So what can we divine from Mark Brunell’s two touchdowns with less than four minutes left in regulation? Was it the Breath of God that launched that 70-yarder, landing it right in the hands of Santana Moss? Can there actually be life for a QB in his mid-30s? Perhaps Brunell has come to grips with his skills and shortcomings, prayed heavily for guidance and intercession and no interceptions. Like Doubting Thomas, I am still not convinced this man is the one. For think of all the false messiahs we have seen: Brad Johnson (more like a prophet). Jeff George. Tony Banks.

I know what the fans are saying. Ye of little faith. Or happy are those who believe but do not see. Sadly, I turned off my TV at the end of the third quarter, so I truly did not see, and thus, I can barely believe.