I Ran But I Couldn't Hide

As of last week, I am a youth soccer coach. So far so good, we've only had one practice.

I'm coaching U-10, which means I have kids from 8 to 10. Most have experience, but a few, including my daughter Liberty, are playing organized soccer for the first time.

My goals are simple: Learn some fundamentals, learn the basics of athletic self-discipline, and have fun.

I love to teach, but it helps when the teacher knows the subject. I never played organized soccer (didn't exist in Tonasket when I was a kid). So, thanks to Amazon.com and the Web, I've found a variety of mentors to help me on the path to enlightenment. Did you know, for example, that when you dribble (moving down the field with the ball), you are supposed to use the front of your foot? I thought one used the side of the foot.

More to come.

Naked Brittney Birthing on a Bearskin Rug: Monument to Pro-Life?

OK, I try to be open-minded, but I think a recently unveiled sculpture in Brooklyn is testing me. The sculptor says it is a "Monument to Pro-Life," but I'm really wondering if it isn't an attempt to mock. Not even pop diva Brittany Spears would stoop to birthing naked on a bearskin rug, but that is exactly what the artist has depicted. Yet the showing of the sculpture is supported by local right-to-life groups.

"Britney provides inspiration for those struggling with the ‘right choice’,” said artist Daniel Edwards, recipient of a 2005 Bartlebooth award from London’s The Art Newspaper. “She was number one with Google last year, with good reason --- people are inspired by the beauty of a pregnant woman,” said Edwards.

If you are comfortable walking through the typical art gallery, you won't be overly offended by this sculpture; pictures are on the linked site.

Materials from Manhattan Right to Life are available at the gallery. The artist is looking for a permanent home for the scultpture by Mother's Day.

Afghani on Trial for Converting to Christianity

The BCC is reporting today on the case of Abdul Rahman, who has been put on trial in Afghanistan, charged with rejecting Islam. Rahman could face the death penalty if convicted, unless he recants.

In a statement that stretches the most politically correct definition of tolerance, the judge in the trial is offering to be tolerant:

Trial judge Ansarullah Mawlazezadah told the BBC that Mr Rahman, 41, would be asked to reconsider his conversion, which he made while working for a Christian aid group in Pakistan.

"We will invite him again because the religion of Islam is one of tolerance. We will ask him if he has changed his mind. If so we will forgive him," the judge told the BBC on Monday.

So, if he is convicted of becoming a Christian, and sentenced to death, what should be the official US Government response? After all, the US and its coalition/NATO partners have poured billions of dollars into Afghanistan since 2001.

Try the Fried Rice with Scorn or the Cowboy Leg

It has been a long hiatus, but I want to get started slowly. So for now, check out my new blog Iron Tulips at http://irontulips.blogspot.com. (The headline on this post won't make sense until you visit.)