Random Notes

UPDATE (3/4): Links to past posts added.

A few random updates to topics of past posts:

The etymology of Abu Ghraib is discussed at some length here, without a firm conclusion.

An interview with the producer of "Joan of Arcadia" is here. Thanks to Barbara for the heads-up.

For those who can't get enough evangelical bookchat, check out "A Harvest of Evangelical Theology" from First Things. Carl Braaten says "There is no firm agreement on what is meant by 'evangelical' today." No kidding.

Britney's inscription is apparently a quasi-magical concatenation of letters, according to this chart. (Thanks, Ken.) Is it just me, or does the "Kabbalah" Centre seem like just another crass method of hoovering money out of your wallet?

I'll try to add back links to the various stories as I have time; if old posts start showing up in your aggregators, it's just me doing "Ralph"'s housework.