Rock On - [Matthew]

You might have heard that Pamela Anderson married Kid Rock this weekend in St. Tropez (don’t feel bad, I didn’t get an invitation either).

So, what better time than now to kick off a brand-new feature we’re calling Celebrity Divorce Pool. Let’s face it, fruit flies have a longer lifespan than Hollywood marriages, so why not have some fun with it ?

Post now with your name and best guess for the date of the inevitable demise of the Mr. and Mrs. Rock union.


[end ping]

Armchair Theologian: Obedience vs. Sacrifice - [Matthew]

“But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

Why is obedience better than sacrifice?

Maybe because obedience involves the only thing that is truly ours.

When we sacrifice, give a tithe, etc., we’re giving back to God. But really, it’s all his, right? (that’s a rhetorical question; the answer is yes) So, while sacrifice is good and pleases God, we’re not giving Him anything that He doesn’t already own.

But there is one thing God gave us that’s all our own… our will. In obeying God, we choose of our own free will to submit ourselves to Him (as Oswald Chambers points out, we can't give up or lay down our free will. It must be exercised).

Is sacrifice commanded? Yes. So it’s fair to say that when we sacrifice to God, we are obeying Him. But clearly, with the differentiation being made in this verse, there’s something more to obedience than just satisfying a requirement.

And by ‘sacrificing’ what we selfishly want to obey God, using our free will, the one thing that is truly ours, we’re able to give God ‘delight’.


[end ping ]

This Week in Etcetera History - [Etcetera]

There won't be a fresh Etcetera this week, but here's what we decided to do to make sure you get your regular fix of buffoonery. Let's do the time warp again.

Check out this show from this week in July of last year. A live DJ, geoduck, Goulet, Rainier Beer, shochu, the village people, the first call from Regular Jeff, Etcetera, Etc. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Subscribe to the podcast here to get the goods when we go live again next week.

JapanEraser - [Etcetera]

What was the internet stream of collective consciousness trying to tell us today? Listen to this week's Etcetera and see if you can discern the message. I believe that it has something to do with "Japan" and an..."eraser." If you pay attention, you will pick up on the theme. Very interesting.

For future communiqués from the universe, be sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...F'ing Andrew's latest submission to the viral video corner. Note the Japanese connection. View it and laugh hard.

Click on F'ing's link on the right to get more info on how you too can have your inbox inundated with forwards from our very own apostle, Forwarding Andrew.

Caption Contest - [Etcetera]

Three free sins to the best caption for this pic that Matt stumbled across. That's a terrible sentence. Laura Bush would cringe. I'll try again.

The person with the best caption for this pic across which Matt stumbled will get three free sins. That sucks, too.

What the hell... Just captionize it, bisque!

This Week in News From the Nerdiverse! - [Tim]

Have you checked out News from the Nerdiverse yet? How can you not with great stories like these:

- Hatebeak the Death Metal Parrot (with mp3 samples!)
- The Kiss Me Breathalizer
- Macsaber 1.0
- The F-Bomb
- The Science of Superman
- The Uber-Guide to "Lost"

What are you waiting for? It's News from the Nerdiverse. Yeah.

Links: News from the Nerdiverse

Lucky Losers - [Etcetera]

Things are looking up in Etcetera land. People are getting hooked up and things are happening. Before all is said and done, the foolish things may just inherit the f'ing earth. Click here for the...res...t...of...the...story.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast.

Hearing from so many folks today and getting the info on what's happening in and through the show really blew my mind. Much thanks for sharing time with us.

ChChChChanges? - [Etcetera]

Etcetera as we know it may be over. Listen to the show for details.

Beyond discussing that suckiness, this show was a lot of fun. We talked about porn. We had our very first Viral Video Corner segment with F'ing Andrew. And be sure to listen till the tail end of the show for a visit from Sharon's gay brother Sherman. He stopped by to bring his review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I laugh so hard that I cry every time I hear it.

Subscribe to the podcast to follow the unfolding story of Etcetera.

And as a parting gift...here's this month's F'ing Andrew video pick. Clickski bisque!

Etcetera Ringtones - [Erik]

The Quartermexican came over this weekend (first Saturday of the month you know). He suggested we make sloppy joes. In keeping with the theme, I got sloppy myself.

Before I passed out while analyzing The Matrix: Revolutions, some old hippie friends stopped by and we beat the drums a while. We also played some poker (Paisley kicked our asses again). But the highlight of the day was when The Quartermexican hooked me up with some Goulet ringtones. I was moved by his display of buffoonery and I thought I would pay it forward.

I now present freshly ganked links from some other guy's site (but remember who hooked you up while you're using his bandwidth)...

"Your phone is ringing. La dee da doe, da dee da doe doe..."

"Dinkle donkle, dinkle donkle, someone’s calling you, Goulet!"

These should hold you over until we get the Virtual Sharon .mp3s up. Bisque!