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Dear Pastor Warren, I would like to thank you for hosting the Saddleback Civil Forum on The Presidency. I found it one of the most intriguing events of the election so far. While quite a few of the candidate's answers were their typical sound bites, the format you chose allowed us to at least glimpse the men behind the campaigns. I agree that the separation of church and state does not keep an individual's faith from their politics. It is also true we all bring a different "world view" to the political arena. However, it is important that we differentiate between views founded in religious doctrine and those based in philosophy and reason. As Americans, we have the freedom to practice religion (or not) as we choose; yet, our religious views are not immune to criticism or guaranteed respect. Discussion should not cease, and arguments are not trumped, as soon as a believer tosses up the flag of religion or declares a viewpoint based upon his or her "faith." Senator McCain received a round of applause when he boldly declared life and human rights begin at conception. What does this statement really mean? Surely those who agreed do not really believe an embryo is endowed with the same rights as an eight year old child. If this were true, the bombing of abortion clinics and the killing of doctors would be entirely justifiable. It would be akin to assassinating Dr. Megele as he walked the streets of Nazi Germany. Is it not possible for someone to be pro-life, but disagree on when life begins? Simply claiming an eternal soul created at conception does not even attempt to answer this question. The question of stem cell research should not even be grouped with abortion. Stem cells come from a three day old embryo called a blastocyst. It only contains about 150 cells (you kill more every time you scratch an itch). It has no circulatory system, no nervous systems, no respiratory system, no heart, and no brain. Add to this the fact that researchers would only use cells from blastocysts that are scheduled to be destroyed, and it is immoral to disallow it. How could anyone argue the "life" in a Petri dish is in any way equal to an 80 year old woman with Alzheimer's disease? Both candidates garnered applause with their answers to the question concerning the definition of marriage. It is no secret that most people's "world view" relating to this issue is directly related to their stance on homosexuality. It has been verified, time and again, that one's sexual orientation not determined by choice, but this is continually denied by those who base their arguments on scripture. Again, this view is not immune to the facts, and should not be considered automatically equal with those based upon evidence and reason. Perhaps our government should not endorse any type of marriage (hetero or homosexual). Marriage is a religious term and the government should only protect the rights of individuals within a legally binding civil union. Pastor, on Larry King you stated that you would not vote for an atheist President. I will not go into the bigotry of this statement, and why many are willing to accept it; I will simply pose some questions to you. Do you feel comfortable knowing that our President claims to have received God's guidance on his decision to run for the Presidency and then again before invading Iraq? Are we better off with a divinely inspired leader who says he got a good sense of Vladimir Putin's soul by looking into his eyes? Surely, it is enough that the leader of our Country acknowledges the Presidency is bigger than any one person, seeks input from a diverse group of advisors, and contemplates the consequences of actions before making a decision. Why is adding the element of prayer any more valid than the Reagan's dependence on astrology or McCain's massaging of his lucky penny? Finally, I admire your "whole-life" views and wish more believers joined you in your quest to heal disease, end poverty, stop suffering, and rid the planet of illiteracy. However, on your website, you say spiritual darkness is a larger giant to be defeated before any of these. Forgive me, but this leads me to question the ulterior motives of your "faith based initiative." Is not the primary purpose of the Christian life to carry out the Great Commission? Are you not to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations? Can you give a loaf of bread or teach someone to read, without first wanting to save their soul? Does the Bible not say, "What does it benefit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" This is why government funding should only be granted to secular organizations that serve only for the benefit of humanity, and only aim to proselytize in the name of democracy and individual liberty. I am hopeful that despite our differing world views, we all can unite under our common goal to improve the world. However, I must admit I am pessimistic it is possible as long as any of us believe we have a special personal relationship with the Creator. When a non-believer disagrees with believer he just thinks the believer is wrong. Conversely, when a believer disagrees with a non-believer, his faith tells him that the non-believer will have eternal consequences for his lack of an invisible means of support. Sincerely, Brother Richardhttp://lifewithoutfaith.comhttp://atheistnexus.org

Shepard Fairey, the artist behind "Andre The Giant Has A Posse," created this poster to show his support of Barack Obama. Apparently, the limited edition prints sold out in moments. It appears that Obama has a posse too.Link

While some have used the office of president as a platform to voice their dislike of vegetables, a handful of our leaders considered the kitchen cabinet as important as the U.S. Cabinet. Their gastronomic inclinations may not always have gone hand in hand with successful politics, but for these 10, good taste was the ultimate executive privilege.

I honestly can't figure out how I feel about this: is it the greatest achievement of mankind thus far, or is it an abomination of foodstuffs that deserves to be hucked back into the gaping maw of whatever food processing plant it was spewed from? I just don't know what to think anymore. Would you eat a cheeseburger in a can? Keep in mind that it'll look nowhere near as delicious as the example above when you pull it out of the can. [Product Page via Spulch]

NEW YORK - January 23, 2008 - Let the flames begin. Bravo's highly anticipated fourth season of the Emmy-Award nominated No. 1 food show on cable returns with "Top Chef: Chicago," premiering Wednesday, March 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Activision today announced that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the #1 title worldwide, with more than 7 million units sold during calendar 2007, according to The NPD Group, Chart Track and The GFK Group. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare promises to arm gamers with the most advanced and powerful arsenal of modern day firepower to fight a new war in the world’s most treacherous hotspots. The PC demo can be found here.

People have been enchanted by the idea of making exceptionally large versions of food ever since the town of Cheshire, MA gifted President Thomas Jefferson with a 1,200 pound wheel of cheese in 1802. In recent memory there's been that giant ketchup packet that the folks in Collinsville, IL made last summer. A town in Italy made the world's largest tiramisu last spring, just because they could. Latest on the giant food table is a monster cheeseburger, made by Fat's Grill in Stockton, California. This mammoth burger doesn't break any world records, but it is now the largest cheeseburger to have ever been created in the state of California. And as my father would say, that's nothing to sneeze at. What do you guys think about giant food? Do you love the spectacle of it or do you have some reservations about using food as a medium to garner a little media attention? [via Yumsugar]

Stoners, mob bosses, school kids, everyone seems to like pizza—because you know what they say: Even when it’s bad, it’s pretty good. So it should come as no surprise that this dish has enjoyed a long and lustrous career in Hollywood. Here’s a retrospective of some of pizza’s many memorable performances on the big screen.

I have a recurring nightmare in which I am quickly chopping up a whole bunch of veggies for a quick stir fry when I realize that I haven't been being particularly careful and accidentally cut into a finger instead of a carrot. Thankfully, during my waking hours I've never had that happen, but the thought of it made me work on improving my knife skills to further protect my precious digits. Sadly, British TV chef Gordon Ramsay recently experienced one of those moments you think could only happen in the worst of anxiety dreams. He set his crotch on fire. While going commando. It adds a whole other level to taking precautions while in the kitchen, now doesn't it. Via Food for Thought

Images from the battle for Monrovia, Liberia, where use of iron sights is known to be strictly prohibited. Also prohibited are aiming, assuming a supported firing stance, and any common practice of marksmanship whatsoever. Hip-Hop Rapper, Gangsta shooting stances are mandatory, the "Glock Foh-Tay" hold being the most popular. lethality is achieved by subjecting the target to a wide swathe of area fire, similar to un aimed indirect artillery, or scaring the enemy away with gesturing and aggressive hip-hop style dancing while firing. Points are awarded for artistic effort, style, fearsome facial expression/vocalizations and blue duct tape. Note perfectly executed flamboyant sideways-rifle "Glock Foh-Tay" running stance. Amazing height and style on this one. Sure to impress the judges. And he's keeping score, sort of... ! "Yo Yo YO " The "bring your buddy along" firing stance Firing from the hip while putting on the best "Game Face" and talking trash - note the tactical use of camouflage pants! The "Homeless street person" anti-aircraft firing position being executed with great precision! Here we have a classic! The "prone Warrior " firing position - too bad the magazine spring has blown out from the bottom of his beautifully blue-duct-tape-taped jungle magazine setup. Here we have Liberian militia demonstrating the "Soul Train" method of combat assault. "Red Pants" must be a Zouave. The Nautical theme is ever popular, as seen by this militiaman (quite possibly Naval Infantry) wearing the stylish Kapok life jacket. Won't stop a bullet, but sure looks BOO-YAH! This pair is executing the difficult "Phat Bammer Swagger" shooting stance. Note the deceptive use of pink clam diggers and brogues with no socks while his partner sports a snappy complementary orange and blue combo. While this appears to be a well-rehearsed combat assault maneuver, this militiaman is actually trying to keep birds from crapping on his car. Note the feather duster in the left hand for effect. This Militiaman executes the one handed high overhead blind shot. It is often used to indicate that "Da Brizzles over there". And last but not least, these two are showing the proper way to fire a support weapon using the non-aiming duck-walk method, keeping at least five feet of linked ammo strung out from the weapon at any given time! Note the suitably awe-struck onlookers!

Mark Spitz, the seven-time gold medalist swimmer at the 1972 Olympics, is Jewish. So's Dolph Schayes, honored as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time. Then there's the great Sandy Koufax. His refusal to play on Yom Kippur in 1965 sparked a firestorm of criticism and philosophical debate, since the holiday fell during Game 1 of the World Series. But Koufax came back to start three times, including a complete-game shutout in Game 5 and a three-hit shutout on just two days rest in Game 7, which clinched the Series for the Dodgers.

The Google Earth Flight Simulator comes with two aircraft options, a F16 Viper and the more manageable SR22 4 seater. Players have the option of commencing the game from their current location in Google Earth or can pick from a list of pre-determined runways. Control instructions can be found here.