First Looks category archive

The jury is back in the should-have-been-a-RICO trial in Philadelphia. At least one person can no longer hide behind his cassock.

Jurors have reached an unprecedented decision in the landmark sex-abuse and child endangerment trial of two Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests.

Msgr. William J. Lynn, found guilty on one count of child endangerment, is the first church official nationwide to be convicted for enabling or covering up clergy-sex abuse. He faces up to seven years in prison.

He was found not guilty on two other counts and the jury deadlocked on his co-defendant.

Off to drink liberally.

Drinking Liberally is a support group for liberals, where you can realize you are not alone.

When: 6 p., Tuesday, June 12.

Where:
Lola’s Caribbean Restaurant
328 W 20th St (map)

Details here. Meetup page here.

Join us tonight.

Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source.

What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.

Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.

Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.)

When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, June 7.

Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)

Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (Janaf Shopping Center). (Map)

Real Life.

Tampa, Florida, strip clubs gear up for the invasion of Republican Conventioneers.

No doubt the family values of the Republican Party will doom this effort.

Also, pigs, wings.

In a private room at the 2001 Odyssey strip club, dancers with names like Candy, Bella and Ferrari sit on a high-backed velvet bench and video chat with online customers from across the country. For a price, they’ll disrobe and move into an adjacent room to dance.

Web customers pay a monthly membership fee for these virtual interactions. And some of them, the club says, end up coming to Tampa for a trip inside the spaceship-topped nude club on N Dale Mabry Highway where they can visit the strippers in person.

By August — just in time for the Republican National Convention — operators of Club Cam Systems plan to roll out similar ventures at two other Tampa adult clubs. Their goal: drum up thousands of dollars online while giving some of the estimated 50,000 GOP convention visitors a taste of the adult entertainment awaiting them when they arrive.

Taking it easy.

This is a policy I can get behind.

The she-crab soup, by the way, was excellent.

Off to drink liberally.

Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us.

When: Tuesday, May 22nd, 5:30 p.

Where New Location:
Yard House Virginia Beach
4549 Commerce Street (Map)

More here.

They were seven letters on the license plates: ICUHAJI.

Phonetically, it could be read, “I see you, Haji.”

To the Department of Motor Vehicles, the message was considered offensive to Arab Americans and grounds for the tags’ revocation.

But to a former sergeant in the U.S. Army, the plates sent a message of support for the soldiers who served with him during two tours in Iraq.

I’m inclined to agree with the state, though I had to consider it for a while.

The tag is not quite “Hey! Raghead!” but it’s awfully damned close.

Via Sampler, a collection of the unusual (some content NSFW).

They say that are not, but it sure looks like they are.

Researchers at the University of Georgia have concluded freshman female students that drink alcohol are more likely to be victims of sexual assault.

The article did not mention how much the assaulters, many of whom likely consider themselves seductive Don Juans, had drunk or what role they had in serving up the booze.

Follow the link for the disclaimer.

Or maybe not.

Christopher Lane explores the morphing English translations of the Christian Bible since the KJV.

Anyone who fancies literalism would do well to read it.

Update: I’m going to stick this at the top of the page for a while. Unstuck.

Chauncey Devega of the We Are Respectable Negroes blog wants to purchase a bit of history.

It might be more accurate to say “ransom,” rather than “purchase”:

Read more »

So, what about that whole self-esteem movement thingy?

Spring fever.