Tom Cruise's mouth has (not surprisingly) earned him another round of criticism, and a whole new group of enemies- this time, firefighters annoyed that Cruise claims Scientology a better cure than medicine. Sometimes, it's good to know when to shut up.

Ever wonder how Jesus comes out in other religions?

Here's an interesting take on a subject that's rarely addressed in magical circles:

"Few things can screw with your psyche like the final stages of a period of magical training, whether it is the Philosophus grade of Cermonial Magic, Drawing Down the Moon in Wicca, or a Native American vision quest, or any one of the many, many ways there are to separate one’s essence from the body-vessel, shake it out, examine it critically and repair it before stuffing it back inside once more." The Dark Side of Magical Training

ABC is doing something brave- tonight's Primetime will explore the legend of Pope Joan. Apparently, however, even the insinuation that a Pope may have been female is sending some folks into a tizzy. (No word yet on how they feel about popes like John XII, whose mother was also his aunt- perhaps incest and womanizing doesn't register on the offense scale?)

I can't resist one more Holiday War-related item, this hilarious audio clip from NPR: Have a PC Holiday, Ancient Rome-Style