Via Mark at Decision '08:

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 71% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64% Neo orthodox 64% Roman Catholic 61% Classical Liberal 46% Modern Liberal 39% Reformed Evangelical 29% Charismatic/Pentecostal 18% Fundamentalist 11% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Posted by: Attila at 10:34 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 I, apparently, am a Wesleyan Methodist. Who knew. In reality, I'm an agnostic leaning towards deism, who's trying to find their way to faith, so what this test's identification of my spiritual views with Methodists says about that group, I'm not sure.

Posted by: Simon at June 20, 2005 07:11 AM (o+ba9)

2 It's a strict church, but the name came about because they were considered so structured, so systematic in their approach to faith that people made fun of it. My grandparents were Methodists, and my parents met in the Methodist church. My grandfather on my mother's side and all of his three brothers each had one daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock (no, my mother wasn't one of them). One of the cousins on that side of the family was terribly relieved when she got "in trouble" and my grandmother—her cousins in-law—proclaimed, "it isn't a sin if you get married before the baby comes." Which everyone knew wasn't strictly true. However, it's as good an example of God's grace among humans as I've ever heard.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 20, 2005 08:08 AM (8e5bN)

3 I was emergent/postmodern also, and I still don't know who that bald guy is in the picture...

Posted by: Mark Coffey at June 20, 2005 02:16 PM (eOuht)

4 Same here. Maybe someone will take pity and iD him.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 20, 2005 03:08 PM (8e5bN)

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James Joyner is engaged.

Posted by: Attila at 10:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . for a good challah recipe for years. i'm glad Jeff re-ran this one.

UPDATE: New and improved! Now featuring a link to the entry I'm talking about!

Posted by: Attila at 06:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm sitting/lying in a sleeping bag in a sunny corner of the living room, reading and basically deployed for any sudden naps I might want to take (although I already had one today, in this very spot).

I'm reading my nice book about maggots, and acting like one myself, except that I think I squirm a little bit less.

We didn't even go to church today. My husband just arrived on the couch, where he's digging back into Dostoevsky.

At some point I really ought to go out and get food for the coming week.

Posted by: Attila at 06:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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compares the study of democracy in Yemen with the study of unicorns.

It could be that there are more unicorns in Yemen than indications of democracy; I'll ask the ghost of James Thurber about that.

Please keep the people of Yemen in your thoughts and prayers; they need our help.

Posted by: Attila at 04:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I find myself utterly fascinated by this. I halfway want to go score some pot, so I can watch it stoned.

I got it from a terrific site, Watching America, that provides links to articles from all over the world, many translated from other languages and a good number of them exclusive translations.

It's a set of prisms for seeing how the rest of the world views the U.S. (The prisms are distorted at times, of course, but we nonetheless need to look through them.)

Posted by: Attila at 03:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . lands in Iowahawk's crosshairs, with hilarious results.

Posted by: Attila at 10:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I so loved being able to tell my husband's relatives that I was meeting with a client while in the Chicago area. It made me feel so grown-up. In fact, we were in town for my niece's graduation, and I met with B. because I was there that particular week, while I was still looking through the materials she'd sent. Had we lived in the same city, the meeting would have occurred two weeks later.

It's okay, though: I warned her in advance that I might not have anything too intelligent to say, but wanted to get some specifics from her about what her goals are, so I could formulate my plans around that. Essentially, I was going to have more questions than answers.

The day Attila the Hub and I arrived in Skokie, we had dinner across the street from the Holiday Inn at a coffee shop called Jack's, which was a 24-hour restaurant during my husband's youth. He'd landed there with his friends many times after some hard drinking. We were both exhausted, and we knew once our bellies were full we'd simply go back to the hotel and read ourselves to sleep.

My kind of coffee shop: not only does it serve breakfast anytime, but it's got latkes and blintzes, just like the West Coast delis. They took care of us, and we staggered back to the hotel to crash.

Several days later, I was there with B. I'd picked the restaurant partly because I knew I could just walk there, and I therefore wouldn't have to take the rental car, in case my husband might need it.

B. drove all the way out from Deerfield, so I decided it was a "consultation," and I was definitely off the clock. But we both had our notebooks out, and we kicked around some ideas for promoting her project. I continued to compile an action list, and then the food was placed in front of us. The notebooks went off to the side of the table for a moment, and then our waitress appeared.

"I just want to request that you have enough respect for yourselves to stop working for five minutes and eat your food, because cold food sucks."

B. and I sort of blink, but we see that it's a good idea and we clear our notebooks off the table. The woman nods approvingly, and tells us she'll be checking on us.

We continue to kick ideas around as we eat. Because I'm the world's slowest eater, B. finishes first and her papers appear back on the table. Suddenly our waitress is at our side.

B. looks up at her. "I'm finished," she explains.

"But she isn't," the waitress proclaims, pointing to me. Of course, I'm in terrible danger of giggling, because I think the woman from Jack's is being sweet and funny at the same time.

"You see," explains the waitress, "when you take proper meal breaks you can think more clearly, and then you make more money."

B. hides her notebook again, and I take a few more bites. When the waitress comes back, I've pushed my plate away and we're both furiously taking notes again. She starts to collect the plates, and sees me smiling up at her. "What are you laughing at?" she asks in mock rage. "And don't tell me you're laughing with me."

I just shake my head, because I never say I'm laughing with people; it's a cop-out. But my eyes twinkle, and she smiles back as she whisks the plates away.

B. insists on picking up the tab, and I declare that in that case I'm leaving the tip. And I make sure it's a good one.

Posted by: Attila at 10:21 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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. . . favorite traffic meter? I'm beginning to suspect that SiteMeter is leading me down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire.

Posted by: Attila at 11:51 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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and I was doubly on duty for today's fundraiser: head of the food committee, and I also spoke. Attila the Hub came by to listen to my speech, such as it was, and refused to criticize it (probably a good thing—it was, after all, my first speech for this organization).

Then he came back. Not exactly because he wanted to, but because his Saturn broke down again: that thing has been in its swan song for six weeks now. We thought we were fed up before, but we really are now. Attila Hub says he'll accept another Saturn if the dealership almost gives it to him in return for the old LS. I love my ancient SL, but our recent experiences have been so bad I'm really thinking Toyota or Honda this time around.

So, tomorrow we start car shopping again, and I have to dig out the old notes I hoped I wouldn't need again (because they Really Fixed It, This Time).

Tonight, however, I'm goofing off. I'll either hang out online or read some juicy crime, engaging in the Sloth of the Just.

Posted by: Attila at 07:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of my readers writes to ask why I usually get men to guest-blog for me when I'm out of town.

Of course, I'm not so sure that's the case: I've only had two guest bloggers, Desert Cat and William Teach of Pirate's Cove. As a member of the Cotillion, I'm hardly ashamed of my femininity.

But variety is the spice of life, and I certainly try for people who have different "takes" or attitudes when I get someone to cover for me.

And there's nothing wrong at all with a shot of testosterone here and there to balance all my girly blogging.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: Attila at 03:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 Heh. There's nothing wrong with a shot of "It's my damned blog and I'll have whom I choose."

Posted by: Rae at June 19, 2005 12:41 PM (4YdLE)

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Wow. Attila the Hub and I had a great time in the Chicago area, where we caught up with most of his relatives and experienced that interesting weather one associates with the Midwest and the East Coast (especially Florida): it can be a hot day, and then it begins sprinkling.

I tried to explain it to my mother: "imagine being at the beach, where the wind can whip up at any moment and you really don't know how to dress from hour to hour. Then add another 20-degree variation and the possibility of rain at any time."

But it was so beautiful: the clouds in the sky shift around all the time, and there's a continual light show. And without hills, the horizon goes down just about to your feet. Lots of drama. I found myself wishing I could be in that area for one really good thunderstorm, warm and cozy and a few floors up, watching the light change through a picture window.

And Skokie!—I loved Skokie. Where else do you go into an ordinary coffee shop and order deli food (latkes, matzo ball soup, blintzes)? But don't get me started on Chicago food, either: those sandwiches with the peppers are terrific, and they have that incredible pizza—either super-thin or mega-thick.

My niece just graduated from DePaul, and one of my cousins (the one who lives in Indiana right now) has a little girl who turns three this fall and is the cutest, smartest little girl in the world. Once Attila-hub and I get our own baby, we may be able to work out a "child-exchange program" over one summer when ours is a toddler and hers is 5-6. That might be a lot of fun. (More likely, we'll just plan a few long reunions when the kids can get together: who am I kidding that I'll be letting my child out of my sight?)

Thanks so much to Desert Cat for holding the fort down here: it was nice to see interesting entries on my blog when I went back to the Holiday Inn and went into nightly family-driven fits of exhaustion.

I'm speaking at a local charity event tomorrow, so posting could be light over the next 24 hours. But know that I'm grateful to everyone who frequents my blog—it's good to know you're there.

Posted by: Attila at 01:07 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Little Miss Attila should be home any time now from her vacation.

I sure hope she gets a good night's sleep before she discovers the hairball that I accidentally hacked up in her Persian sweater drawer. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me...

The houseplants aren't my fault though. They fell over by themselves. I swear! I was just sitting there. Well, ok. There WAS a bird at the window momentarily...

Thanks anyway! I appreciated the opportunity. For the rest of you, don't forget that my usual drivel can be found here at Desert Cat's Paradise.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Posted by: Desert Cat at 09:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 My cashmere! Noooooooooooooo! Thank, DC. It was great to have you filling in here. I'll be sending a case of Fancy Feast along.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 17, 2005 01:09 PM (8e5bN)

2 And mousies! Nice juicy mousies! Just because. DC's a fun guest blogger. Hairballs and all.

Posted by: k at June 18, 2005 04:37 AM (6krEN)

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Got an active blog? Need to be away from it for a while?

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I just need this.

It's fascinating to see who some of the BIG NAMES IN BLOGGING are who utilize this software.

dead mousie to SondraK

Posted by: Desert Cat at 08:29 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Wait! Wait! Before you tell me, yes I know.

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 15, 2005 08:44 PM (xdX36)

2 !?!

Posted by: k at June 15, 2005 11:53 PM (6krEN)

3 DC's just fending off a few of the obvious insults, I suspect

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 16, 2005 08:45 PM (8e5bN)

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Bush: "If leaders of the other party have innovative ideas, let's hear them. But if they have no ideas or policies except obstruction, they should step aside and let others lead,"

The truth is, they have ideas and policies. Their reluctance to push for them openly in the "arena of ideas", stems from their knowledge that those policies tend to be rather unpopular except amongst a hard core of supporters (think HillaryCare).

Nice move, goading the other side to expose its positions. They won't of course, (unless they don't mind losing again). But that too sends a message. The majority isn't so dumb that they can't tell the difference between real policy proposals and obfuscation and rhetoric.

More at DRUDGE REPORT

Update: More HERE

Posted by: Desert Cat at 08:11 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 I don't really have anything to say. I just felt sorry for you because you have so few comments on your blog.

Posted by: nicky at June 15, 2005 02:48 PM (lRgA6)

2 Exactly. OT: This should be forwarded to Attila Girl and anyone else you know. Re. The "Reverend" Fred Phelps protesting a military funeral. And for what? commonsenserunswild

Posted by: Mr.Kurtz at June 15, 2005 03:14 PM (U2Wim)

3 Nicky, don't worry about me. I'm just thrilled to have ten times the readers this week than I usually have on my own blog. Now if I could just get over this "writer's block" (feels kinda like a cramp in my side actually...) and post something truly entertaining and controversial. Aaugh! The pressure!

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 15, 2005 05:01 PM (n/TmV)

4 Hey-- I won't be home until tomorrow night, and then I'll be recovering from my vacation: I have stories to tell, but I'm exhausted, and five hours on a teensy plane seat won't help much, I imagine. Nicky, at least we have blogs. Mostly, my readers wait until they have something to say before they open their virtual mouths . . . don't cry for me, Argentina.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 15, 2005 05:30 PM (g9iJH)

5 Per Senator, Democrats have introduced more bills than Republicans. Most Democratic bills are generally locked up in Committees, which is why they aren't mentioned. (Okay, I'm guessing on the last part, but I know it to be true in certain instances. ) Hope you enjoyed your trip, Atilla.

Posted by: Steven at June 15, 2005 06:07 PM (xTI2S)

6 I'm pretty sure you know it's not raw numbers of introduced bills that matter. When you're in the minority, it's easy to introduce bills you know will go nowhere, just so you can show your base how committed you are to their ideals. The larger issue is the reluctance of many (if not most) Democrats in leadership to engage publically on the level of ideas. The reason is simple. For example, Walter Mondale ran as an unabashed liberal and was solidly trounced for it. Clinton ran as a centrist and won. But the lessons of 1984 were lost by 1994. When HillaryCare was unveiled, the repercussions involved the loss of the House of Representatives, and from then onward, Clinton limited himself to "microinitiatives", and taking credit for some of what the Republican Congress accomplished. Gore ran to the left of Clinton and lost, despite the overwhelming odds in his favor, considering the economy and his incumbency. So what you end up seeing is a lot of extreme rhetoric--mostly devoid of alternative ideas and substantive visions--emanating from the left, while the right has it's ideas front and center, up for debate. Privatization of Social Security, medical malpractice reform, tax cuts, the war on terror, etc, etc. "Yaay for Howard Dean!" At least the next couple of years will be entertaining.

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 15, 2005 07:00 PM (xdX36)

7 Hi, Just chiming in because I pitied your pathetic blog and lack of comments. But don't worry; I'm not attacking you, the person -- just your hapless lack of ideas. Love and hugs, shits and giggles.

Posted by: Baltic at June 22, 2005 06:20 AM (pSoT7)

8 Thank you, Troll. You comment at my pleasure, so do keep that in mind for the future.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 22, 2005 07:31 AM (8e5bN)

9 Heehee! Mousies!

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 22, 2005 09:05 PM (xdX36)

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If Lebanon is any indication of how it happens, revolution may be imminent in Iran.

Why?

PROTEST BABES!:
"Hundreds of women staged an unauthorized demonstration in Tehran today, protesting sex discrimination under Iran's Islamic leadership just days before the June 17 presidential elections.

The protest was the first public display of dissent by women since the 1979 revolution, when the new regime enforced obligatory veiling.

"We are women, we are the children of this land, but we have no rights," they chanted. More than 250 marched outside Tehran University, and about 200 others demonstrated two blocks away after hundreds of riot police swarmed in and barred them from joining the main protest."

Click the link above for the rest of the story, AND photos.

More HERE from Ace.

Posted by: Desert Cat at 07:07 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 Iran's got some hotties, I must say. All that needs to happen for them to get some equal rights and equal time and whatever else they want, is nothing ...in the bedroom!

Posted by: Ciggy at June 14, 2005 07:46 AM (0B3lJ)

2 Iranians think they can bring about a revolution without a fight. What fools ! They will learn that without killing the enemy, they only kill themselves. And waste precious time and oportunity in the process. The enemy is Islam, do something about it.

Posted by: wxjames at June 14, 2005 03:30 PM (yfsWy)

3 This is really encouraging. The collapse of the mullacracy in Iran would be about the best thing I could imagine. Iran is one very large domino.

Posted by: Van Helsing at June 14, 2005 04:57 PM (SGA6A)

4 I came here through a link to CGWLTF. People read you because you have breasts. Just so you know. Regards, Andrew The Darn News www.darnnews.com

Posted by: aj at June 14, 2005 06:38 PM (icVdZ)

5 Thanks; I know

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 14, 2005 06:57 PM (g9iJH)

6 Wow, Attila. I am SO glad you answered that before I had to...

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 14, 2005 08:57 PM (xdX36)

7 I just saw a sand cat at the Brookfield Zoo--Felix Marguerita, as I recall. Thought of you.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 15, 2005 07:37 AM (g9iJH)

8 Felis margarita. Nice kitty.

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 15, 2005 12:33 PM (n/TmV)

9 So -- in the Middle East they're freedom fighters and pioneers; in the US they're "femininazis"? I betcha they're hairy-legged and angry and all the other ugly stuff over there, too.

Posted by: nicky at June 15, 2005 02:52 PM (lRgA6)

10 Ah...well the photos rather speak otherwise. But I have a question for you Nicky: Why aren't the "Feminazis" supporting their sisters in the Middle East in their quest for freedom and equal rights? Where are the NOW rallies in support of the President's liberation of Iraq, the recent 'Cedar Revolution' in Lebanon, and the incipient revolution in Iran? I'd like to see some consistency too.

Posted by: Desert Cat at June 15, 2005 05:12 PM (n/TmV)

11 Thanks for the correction, DC. It was, indeed, a pretty cat. Feminism is in the eye of the beholder. Judge the ideas, not the labels.

Posted by: Attila Girl at June 15, 2005 05:27 PM (g9iJH)

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So Jacko the Wacko walks. Hmh.

It's not what I expected, because so much about Michael Jackson is just...creepy. But then I wasn't sitting on the jury and did not hear all of the testimony.

My gut tells me that money and fame just purchased another acquittal though.

Posted by: Desert Cat at 07:05 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Peter Guither is the host of a blog called Drug War Rant wherein he chronicles the onging travesty that is the "war on (some) drugs".

As I expected, he is on top of the current efforts to push for passage of an amendment to a spending bill that would prevent the federal government from interfering with medical marijuana patients in states where medical marijuana has been legalized.

I have quoted his post on the topic below. Please click over to his site and take a look at some of the online petition letters he links to. If you support the right of the individual states to make their own decisions regarding the medical use of marijuana, I'd appreciate if you would take a few moments and sign one or more of the petition letters. They will be automatically sent to your congresscritter. Or better yet, print the letter out, sign it, and send it via snail mail. Apparently the congresscritters take snail mail more seriously than e-mail.

Drug WarRant: "Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment coming to the floor on Tuesday!

The latest news is that the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment is likely to actually hit the House this coming Tuesday (this is an amendment that prevents the federal government from spending money to interfere with medical marijuana patients who are following state law in those states that have medical marijuana laws).

This is great, because it takes advantage of all the recent press and reaction to the Supreme Court decision.

It also means that we must act now!

* DRCNet instant letter to Congress
* Drug Policy Alliance instant letter to Congress
* Marijuana Policy Project instant letter to Congress
* NORML instant letter to Congress

The links above are the bare minimum. If you really care, call your Congressional office on Monday morning and tell them to support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment when it comes to the floor.

Get all your friends to act, too. All of them. Seriously...

Are you afraid to tell them you support medical marijuana? Are you afraid to tell them that you believe it's wrong for federal law enforcement agents to harrass sick people who are following their doctor's advice and state law? Are you afraid to say that tax money would be better spent going after terrorists than breaking open the heads of cancer patients in wheelchairs?

If you were disappointed with the Supreme Court decision, then you must act."

So says Cat too. Go! Do!

UPDATE 6/15/05: This amendment was referred to the Health subcomittee yesterday. So if you have not already contacted your representative, it would not be too late to do so.

Posted by: Desert Cat at 11:01 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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...this mike right here?

*tap-tap-tap*

*#IS*THIS+THING*.ON?.*.#*.. .

Oops. Heh. I guess it is...

*ahem* Hello. This is Attila the Cat. I'll be keeping the throne warm while Little Miss Attila is away this week. Although from the look of things, she's not so much "away" as "here, from elsewhere".

Rats. I was really looking forward to declaring this party underway, just as soon as I found the keys to the liquor cabinet.

So-o. Plan B is to see what I can do to keep you entertained and informed (and maybe irritated) as long as I've got the run of the palace this week.

Enjoy!

Oh, and before I forget, I want to thank our hostess, Little Miss Attila for the opportunity. Guest blogging here really is like trading in my paper cone megaphone for a 500 watt PA system.

Posted by: Desert Cat at 10:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . in Skokie, IL has WiFi. It's a little slower than my Mac Airport DSL connection, but still far better than dialup. It's wireless, and it's free.

Now I need to either go off to sleep, or go get my Indian name.

Posted by: Attila at 05:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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