Today is BABYSITTER'S SAFETY DAY. I don't know if that's, like, safety FOR babysitters or safety FROM babysitters...

quiz point totals
As promised, I am posting the weekly standings for our Trivia and Smartypants awards, including the results for yesterday's question. So far, it looks like Ariel is in the lead for the apparently coveted candy bar at the end of this month, while Alex, Vin, and (surprisingly!) Katrina are neck-and-neck in the race for the Official Smartypants Poke in the Nose. You guys think I'm kidding about that, don't you?
TRIVIA
Alex = 1
Ariel = 3
Dean = 2
Drew = 1
Gabby = 2
Kate = 1
Katrina = 1
Vin = 2
SMARTYPANTS
Alex = 1
Katrina = 1
Vin = 1


in the news today
The Church of England has put out an advertisement inviting qualified persons to apply for the post of 'web pastor' to oversee the world's first 'virtual parish'. The purpose of this 'i-church', according to its web site, "is to provide a Christian community for those who wish to explore Christian discipleship but who are not able, or do not wish, to join a local congregation". It is the brainchild of the Diocese of Oxford's Director of Communication, the Reverend Richard Thomas, who says: "The Church of England is rightly proud of its commitment to the whole community. As the internet is a growing part of that community, we would be failing in our mission if we didn't provide a spiritual community for people who relate with each other primarily through the internet."


Well, I always believed you could pray anywhere...

TRIVIA QUIZ
Who was John Anglicus?


answer to yesterday's question
Izanami is one of the two primary creator gods in Japanese mythology (although, curiously, she and her husband Izanagi were sent down to earth from heaven by a council of unnamed greater gods). Having created the island of Onogoro, among others, by dripping mud off of a sacred spear, she descended to the island with her husband. They decided to split up and meet on the other side of the island, but when Izanami had the colossal gall to call out to her husband first upon their reunion, she was prevented from conceiving children as punishment for her action. The couple had to go around the island again and do it 'properly' before Izanami could give birth to all the other gods of Japan. These included the gods of earth and metal (whom she expelled from her, er, nether orifice), the famous sun goddess Amaterasu, and the fire god Kagutsuchi, who burned his mother so badly in childbirth that she died, went to the underworld, and eventually became the goddess of death.


Omniscient ones: Vin, Ariel, Dean, Katrina, and Gabby. The Smartypants award goes to Katrina and not to Alex, because the textspeak joke made me snicker and the Skyflakes didn't. So there.