From the Christian Aquarium: Games

Cactus Game Design specializes in board games for the churchy. Following the rule that everything in the secular world must have a Christian knock-off, they've been proud to bring us Redemption: The Gathering®, which takes the nerdy card collector game a step further into evangelically sound nerdiness.

A quote from the rules:

Special abilities on sites are not affected by character or enhancement cards. New Jerusalem (Site Card), Dragon Raid, and Promised Land are mainly used offensively as "access sites" and therefore their special abilities are written to take effect when they enter battle and at no other time. All the single color sites are mainly used defensively as "lost soul sites". The special abilities on single color sites like Nero’s Realm and Leper Colony are written to take effect when they are holding a lost soul. Therefore, if you are using an "access site" defensively or a "lost soul site" offensively the special abilities don’t activate.

From a sample game:

Kurt
Draw 3: (Servant Angel, Lewd Men, Lost Soul). Lost Soul in Land of Bondage, draw
replacement (Angel of the Lord).
Prep: Lost Soul in Tree of Knowledge site.
Battle: Rescue attempt with Angel of Revelation (8/8 silver hero). Bryon blocks with
Oppressive Women (7/7 gray evil character). The evil character is losing, so Bryon has initiative.
Bryon plays Deluge of Rain (Gray enhancement “Discard all cards in battle, including yours.”).
Kurt has no silver enhancement that can negate that effect, so all cards in battle are discarded.
This is mutual destruction by mutual removal, so no Lost Soul is rescued. The score is still tied
2 to 2.
Discard to 8: Kurt places Servant Angel, Servant Girl, and Guiding Angel in his territory.

Card image courtesy of this Flickr set from Chris Noessel.

Arthur Lee needs your Love

This was received from Mike Watt:

Arthur Lee from Love has recently been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and has undergone 3 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy. Doctors are hopeful for a full recovery, but Arthur still faces more chemo, extensive hospital stays, and a possible bone marrow transplant. Arthur Lee has no health insurance to cover his growing (over $100,000+) medical bills.

Arthur Lee (Love) is a man larger than life. A flamboyant artist with a trail of myth and mythology that follows him like a purple feathered boa. His band Love was the first rock band signed to Electra, and Arthur is responsible for talking Jac Holtzman into signing the Doors. Before all this, in 1964, Arthur gave his friend, an unknown Jimi Hendrix, his first appearance on record (the Arthur penned My Diary, by Rosa Lee Brooks). Love's third recording, "Forever Changes", is still widely considered to be one of the great rock n roll discs of all time. Love were true artists, but not "careerist". They preferred living together in "the castle" near Griffith Park, to life on the road. Arthur even turned down invitations to perform at the Monterrey Pop Festival and Woodstock.

In the 90's Arthur spent eight years behind bars for "allegedly" shooting off a gun in his apartment. When he was released, he wasted no time getting back to the road and his music. During the past four years, Arthur has performed "Forever Changes" to sold out audiences and fantastic reviews throughout Europe and the United States, backed by the local group Baby Lemonade, and a string and horn section. Just when he thought his bad times were finally over, he learned he was sick.

To help cover his medical expenses, Spaceland Productions, Bruce Solar from The Agency Group, and Mark Linn from Delmore Recording Society are producing a benefit concert / tribute for Arthur. We would like to extend a warm invitation to those bands and performers who want to be part of this benefit to honor one of the greatest singer / songwriters of our time.

The concert will be held in late May / early June; we are looking at venues of all sizes: The Avalon, El Rey, Disney Hall, or Greek Theatre with the line up determining the location. Artists we are currently speaking with include X, Calexico, and Cake. Baby Lemonade is available to back up any singer and there will be a string section as well.

We are looking for artists to perform a few of Arthur's songs that capture the spirit and magic of Arthur Lee & Love. All proceeds will go to Arthur's medical expenses.

For further information please contact:

Mitchell Frank or Liz Garo: 323 662 7728
Bruce Solar: 310 385 2800
Mark Linn: 615 480 6923


Thank you.

Reposted from a friend's journal with permission: O.C. Life

Scenes from the class struggle on Pacific Coast Highway, Lady Bountiful:

I was sitting in my car at a busy intersection in Huntington Beach, and a woman pulled up next to me in a giant Escalade. I looked over at her because she was flayling her arms about while she was on one of those "important" cell phone calls one has while in the car. She was blinged from here to eternity, her diamonds almost BLINDED me. Her hair was bleached, her skin was orange, and her sunglasses were Gucci. Fo shizzle.
So anyway, I am looking at this woman and she suddenly opens her car door. Like, at the light, she just opens her door.
I'm thinking, so she's going to dump out some old water or something?
NO.
Change. I mean, she took the ashtray full of SILVER MONEY and dumped it on the ground and drove away.
MONEY.
ON THE GROUND.
LIKE TRASH.

I'm so glad our boys are over there protecting our Way of Life.