In an interview segment that has to be seen to be believed, Lauren Green, host of Fox News’ faith-oriented program “Spirited Debate,” demanded to know how Iranian-American author Reza Aslan — who is Muslim — could have written his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth from an unbiased perspective. The interview, which took place on Friday, prompted BuzzFeed political writer Andrew Kaczynski to ask “Is this the most embarrassing interview Fox News has ever done?”

Appearing to mistake Christianity and Islam for rival baseball teams rather than intertwined and connected faiths, Green questioned Aslan’s motives for writing a book about “the founder of Christianity.”

“Well, to be clear,” Aslan replied, “I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim.”

He went on to patiently explain to Green that his book is written from the perspective of a historian, not that of an advocate for Islam. But even as he tried to establish to her that his book is not a hit piece against some kind of rival religious figure, Green didn’t appear to be listening, but rather scanning her iPad for more antagonistic questions to fire at the historian.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/28/fox-news-baffled-that-muslim-author-could-write-book-about-jesus/

Perhaps money can’t buy you love. But in one Alameda County jail, it can buy you a comfier stay.

The Fremont police department now offers a “pay-to-stay” option for inmates who wish to stay in its facilities to avoid the rowdier county jails of Oakland or Dublin.

For $155 a day, inmates ordered to short jail stints can opt to stay in the “smaller, quieter” Fremont facility away from the county jail population, said Lt. Mark Devine, who oversees the program.

Include the one-time fee of $45, and the cost is similar to that of a three-star hotel. But make no mistakes, said Devine, it is still a jail:

“You do get cable TV, but you don’t get a warm cookie on your bed.”

The option is a good alternative for those charged with misdemeanors and have a jail sentence of ten days or less, said Devine.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/27/california-prison-offers-quieter-stay-for-155-a-day/

SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners fans have many questions and few answers.

It isn't known exactly how the team has woken up the bats and found home runs in droves. They don't know how Raul Ibanez continues to defy age and reach career highs.

But the question that confuses everyone at Safeco Field is simple: Why did someone punch the Mariner Moose?

The Mariners and Boeing confirm that last Friday the beloved mascot was at a Boeing facility for an event. At some point during what a source called "public safety day," an employee punched the Mariner Moose "in the snout," according to the Mariners.

The mascot -- and anyone associated with the portrayal thereof -- was not injured in the incident, according to the team.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mascot-melee-Angry-Boeing-worker-punches-the-Mariner-Moose-217200591.html

Drew revived the quiet Boston offense with a stellar performance, and the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 Saturday night in a game that featured a memorable and destructive tirade by Ortiz.

Starting for the sixth time since coming off the disabled list with a strained hamstring, Drew hit a three-run shot in the fourth inning and connected with a man on in the sixth. It was his second career two-homer game, and the five RBIs tied a career high. He came in batting .223 with five homers and 32 RBIs in 71 games.

"The past couple of games, I've felt good at the plate but had no luck," Drew said. "It's just good to turn around and have a good outcome. It was also a good win. That's what we really needed."

Boston had lost six of its previous nine to fall out of first place in the AL East for the first time in 60 days.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/boston-red-sox-beat-baltimore-orioles-stephen-drew-david-ortiz-072713

Ben Hammond, 34, was dancing in a tutu through Polsham near Wells on 3 October when he was struck by a car driven by Alanna Rugg, 25, from Wookey, Somerset.

Both he and his support cyclist were hospitalised and the event was put on hold.

Mr Hammond reached Land's End on Saturday evening raising thousands of pounds for human rights in Burma.

He said: "Eight years ago I taught for a year in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, and the experience changed my life.

"On returning home I was determined to use my freedom to help those in Burma get theirs."

Mr Hammond's support team said the teacher had enjoyed a "big burst of energy" during the final mile and a half of his challenge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-23477697

A Golden Gate man was arrested Tuesday in an overdue rental van after authorities say he hit two vehicles, punched a police officer and defecated in his pants.

Naples police began looking for William David Liddell, 45, after neighbors at a trailer park said they watched him hit a car on Marie Lane around 4:45 p.m., according to an arrest report. Witnesses said Liddell almost hit pedestrians as he sped away.

Shortly after 8 p.m., officers on U.S. 41 East saw a 2012 Ford van with its driver side mirror missing, which matched the suspect vehicle's description. The officers stopped the van when it parked at a nearby McDonald's.

When Liddell saw the officer approach, he started the engine and put the van in reverse, an officer said. The officer opened the door and told Liddell he was under arrest. Liddell punched the officer, who returned a punch and was struck by the driver's side door, a report said. The van stopped when it hit the patrol car.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/oct/17/reports-man-fought-with-officers-defecated-in/?legalforum=1

People with loose bowels, beware. Anyone who doesn’t fully trust the integrity of their gastrointestinal system would be well-advised to stay far away from federal buildings. (Also, anyone squeamish about fecal matters — or eating lunch — may want to proceed with caution as they read this.)

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld a conviction against a Maine man who served a seven-day jail sentence for willfully damaging and creating a hazard and nuisance in the federal courthouse in Portland. Specifically, he pooped his pants and then left a mess in the bathroom after attempting to clean himself up.

And what a mess. The poor maintenance worker who had to deal with it said that “seventy-five percent of the floor was covered in feces” while more was “smeared more than two feet up on the walls” and “on the paper towel and toilet paper dispensers, on the toilet paper itself, and on part of the toilet seat and the left side of the toilet bowl,” according to the opinion.

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/26/found_guilty_of_the_worst_bowel_movement_ever/

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to mark "World Toilet Day." The day will be celebrated November 19.

"The amusement and laughter likely to follow the designation of 19 November as 'World Toilet Day' would all be worthwhile if people’s attention was drawn to the fact that 2.5 billion people lacked proper sanitation and 1.1 billion were forced to defecate in the open, the General Assembly heard today," a U.N. press release reads.

“Ending open defecation will lead to a 35 per cent reduction in diarrhoea, which results in over 750,000 deaths of children under five years of age every year,” Singapore’s representative said as he tabled a draft resolution on Sanitation for All, one of four adopted by consensus today. Apart from establishing World Toilet Day, the text also urged Member States and the United Nations system to encourage behavioural change, to introduce policies that would increase sanitation among the poor, and to accelerate progress towards attaining Millennium Development Goal 7.

Tajikistan’s representative, speaking also on behalf of Finland, Thailand and Hungary — the Steering Committee of the Group of Friends of Water — underlined the need for accelerated, bolder action on sanitation. He also called for expansion of the water agenda beyond securing water, hygiene and sanitation for all, to address other matters, like water-resource management, water quality and wastewater.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/un-creates-world-toilet-day_740982.html

The Real Carlos Danger Is a Republican Who Wants You to Leave Him Alone

"Carlos Danger" is not only the narcissistic online coif Anthony Weiner adorned to shield his identity while sexting his dick (again), it's also the government name of a real 37-year-old psychiatrist with a real medical practice, a real Miami address, and a real phone number. And the real Carlos Danger wants you to leave him alone.

Dr. Danger does not want to talk to you. His answering service does not want to talk to you. His staff of receptionists—who've been forced to be the frontline defense against 48-hours' worth of Jerky Boy phonecalls—really, truly, absolutely does not want to talk to you.
Related

Since the possible existence of Anthony Weiner's assumed identity became public, the Miami New Times has unsuccessfully attempted to reach him. The International Business Times also tried. The Epoch Times posted about the Miami New Times effort.

http://gawker.com/the-real-carlos-danger-is-a-republican-who-wants-you-to-912693430

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Discount Gun Sales shop at 8118 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway is closed Thursday night, following a reported robbery attempt.

Around 4 p.m. a man carrying a 9-inch knife and a baseball bat entered the gun shop and smashed a display case, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. His apparent aim? An unloaded semi-automatic handgun.

The store’s manager then grabbed his own gun. That gun, however, was loaded.

“The store manager called Sheriff’s Deputies and reported the man smashed a display case and removed a handgun,” according to a sheriff’s office news release. “The manager said he had his gun pointed at the robber, keeping him detained until the deputies arrived.”

http://www.koin.com/2013/07/25/would-be-robber-outgunned-by-gun-store-manager/