The way I heard it, a small amount of alcoholic wine was added to all water that was to be consumed. This mostly prevented people from becoming sick from the water. This water/wine mixture that was used for everyday drinking was referred to simply as "wine". You'd need to drink a couple gallons of it to get drunk, though.

Oh my stars and garters, Mojoey! You've disappointed Joel!

Wow Joel. That whooshing noise you just heard? That was the point flying completely over your head.

Also, if you have to have the title of this blog *explained* to you, then you're completely hopeless in any case.

So, run along and play. Try to avoid any "disappointing" blogs in the future. We wouldn't want you to permanently damage your ultra-sensitive disappointment bone or something.

Very nice, Mojoey. I live for days like that. Congrats on your recent one, and here's to many more in the future!

I think he is using religion as a framework for his own self-delusional rationalization of what he has done to those poor girls. Kind-of a weird self-deception where he had convinced himself that he was really the hero in his little fantasy world, despite a tiny rough patch (the whole kidnapping and rape of a child thing) in the beginning.

"See? Look at how religious I am! Obviously things have worked out heartwarmingly well because my two illegitimate children from the rape of a 14 year old child are helping me to pass out religious pamphlets! I should totally be let go and given a movie deal with Lifetime TV."

Can you say, 'crazy as a shithouse rat'? I knew you could.

I was recently in a neighboring town, about 15 miles away from my little town, doing some business with the local irrigation collective. I decided to stop and eat at one of the lunch cafes instead of driving all the way back. [Hey, I was hungry! :)]

In any case, I chose a small coffee shop/cafe, and entered. It was pretty full, but seemed OK, and there was one table open in the back where I could set up my laptop and work while I waited for my meal. So, I sat down and opened the menu and was surprised to see not food on the first page of the menu, but bible verses. There was also a bible verse collage in one of those plastic table-stand deals that they usually display the lunch special in.

I was a little uncomfortable, but decided I'd stay and eat anyway. The sandwiches looked pretty good.

So, about ten minutes go by and no waitress. She's *there*, flying around between all the tables, but she has yet to stop and even ask me if I wanted coffee. I take another look at the multitude of bible verses staring me in the face, then at the waitress who is now obviously trying NOT to even make eye contact with me, and decide that I'll walk next door to the calzone place and try that instead.

I close my laptop -- and realize that I've got a red Out Campaign 'A' sticker dead-center where a computer logo should be. I had forgotten all about it.

Shaking my head and smiling a bit, I walked out through the front. The girl behind the register, who had not seen me yet since I came in through the side entrance, said brightly, "Hope you enjoyed your lunch!".

"Never got one," I said, and walked through the door, across the little parking lot, and into the restaurant next door where a delightfully profane Italian chef made me the best calzone I've had in a long, long while.

My point? We can indeed "formally" fight for our civil rights all we want, but like the "whites only" lunch counters of the last century, it'll take a long, long time before regular folks accept us without us having to pretend to be something we're not.

COTG has been running continuously for 4 1/2 years - since January of 2005. After an initial stab at one-per-week, I went with one-every-two-weeks, and that has worked out fine.

Lately though, it has indeed been tough to find hosts. I seem to get one or two at the last minute before I run out due to one of the recent hosts asking directly for hosts in the COTG post itself - but I've already made up my mind that if I ever run out of hosts, I'll kill the COTG. Going to a once-a-month schedule would only delay the inevitable in my mind.

Hey, 4 1/2 years is a good long run for a blog carnival. I really think that they are becoming - if not obsolete, then possibly less relevant than they were even a year ago.

Very good! That's me, during every public prayer I am forced to sit through.

Vjack's Law in action: http://is.gd/hbUE