Four for Friday

(Link in meme-roll)

Q1 - Apprehension: Earlier this week, during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, a towel-waving Philadelphia Phillies baseball fan gained access to the field where he eluded security while running in circles in the outfield. After just 30 seconds of being on the field, the fan was subdued by a Philadelphia police officer who used a Taser stun gun to bring him down. While many people question the use of a stun gun to bring down a prankster, Major League Baseball players have said it's an appropriate action, because they fear for their safety. What do you think... should stun guns be used to stop the occasional jokester, or should fans entering the field of play during games will be apprehended by team security as they always have (by tackle)?

Anyone who runs on the field in a situation like this pretty much gets what s/he deserves either way, but I am pretty positive I'd rather deal with the aftereffects of tasing over the aftereffects of being tackled. Can someone please explain to me why this is such a big deal? Is it that it looks so much worse to see someone spasming than seeing them under a pile of 5 police officers? Really?

Q2 - Loans: In Long Beach, California, the City Council unanimously voted to loan the local Cal Worthington Ford dealership $600,000 so it could keep its doors open and 120 local residents employed. According to news reports, the dealership generates $1.8 million in tax revenue each year and plans to use the loan to finance its expansion plans. Do you think cities or municipalities should lend money to local businesses as they've done in Long Beach, California?

Wow, no. I thought the U.S. was all about free-market economy, but corporations are sure relying an awful lot on the government for handouts. Hmmm, was that a white Cadillac I just saw GM driving away in...?

Q3 - Summer 2010 Movies: Which of the following summer 2010 movies are you most interested in seeing (either in the theatre or on DVD)... Robin Hood (opens May 14); Shrek 4 Forever After (opens May 21); Prince of Persia The Sands of Time (opens May 28); Sex and the City 2 (opens May 28); Killers (opens June 4); Marmaduke (opens June 4); Splice (opens June 4); Get Him to the Greek (opens June 11); Karate Kid (opens June 11); The A Team (opens June 11); Jonah Hex (opens June 18); Toy Story 3 (opens June 18); Grown Up (opens June 25); Twilight 3 Eclipse (opens June 30); Knight and Day (opens July 2); Leaves of Grass (opens July 2); Despicable Me (opens July 9); Inception (opens July 16); The Sorcerer's Apprentice (opens July 16); Salt (opens July 23); Cats and Dogs 2 (open July 30); Get Low (opens July 30); I Love You Philip Morris (opens July 30); Little Fockers (opens July 30); The Other Guys (opens August 6); Eat Pray Love (opens August 13).

Robin Hood, Shrek, and Toy Story are the only ones that look remotely like possibilities. Much as I like Julia Roberts, I'd rather eat the film reels that watch that movie.

Q4 - Humor: On the heels of its decision to censor an episode of "South Park" that included a depiction of the prophet Muhammad, Comedy Central said this week it has a cartoon series about Jesus Christ in the works (apparently, "JC" depicts Christ as a regular guy who moves to New York City to escape his father's enormous shadow). Are you offended by the very notion of this new cartoon series (enough so that you wouldn't watch), or could you care less and/or are actually looking forward to watching "JC" when it airs later this year?

No, I'm not offended, but I'm also extremely unlikely to watch it. I'm pretty sure Jesus--the real one--can stand up for himself and my time can be better spent serving Him in ways that don't make His followers look like idiots.