That Other F-Word

There are so many words in the English language that trigger deep feelings of nausea in me, but perhaps none so much as the F-word. Yes, every time I hear the word "faith" -- or worse, "people of faith " -- I feel involuntary spasms at the back of my throat, the room starts to spin, and images of rotting tuna sandwiches fill my eyes. 

That's the Spirit (but not Religious)

"Spiritual but not religious" is a phrase that's become increasingly common these days. What exactly the phrase means depends on who lays claim to it. For some it means they still believe in church teachings but prefer to sleep in on Sunday. For others (more than the former category, probably) it means a belief in angels, reincarnation, and a host of quasi-Christian/New Age syntheses.

AstroGnostic: The Man Who Fell to Earth

At the height of his first wave of success in the 1970s David Bowie signed to star in Nic Roeg's adaption of the seminal 60s sci-fi novel, The Man Who Fell to Earth. I'm not sure what I think about the movie itself, but it seems to be an unacknowledged landmark in the ongoing AstroGnostic revelation. As well as a film rife with signifiers that resonate much more strongly than what Roeg put onscreen.

Idiocracy is Here and Now

You know, liberal, conservative, moderate? I don't care. It all comes out in the wash, just as long as the lights stay on and the toilets still work. The real threat to this country is not fascism or socialism or even terrorism, it's stupidity, which is bipartisan and ecumenical.