Welcome to the Guildhall

Every week, the Kansas Guild of Bloggers gathers to share the finest craftsmanship in the bloggish arts. This week brought us 5 submissions, plus a few posts that I snagged on my own.

In Kalimba-bel's Canon?, John of Blog Meridian:

cannot help but be seduced, at least for this morning, by the fancy that a non-Western culture built an instrument designed specifically to play one of the most-recognizable Western melodies ever composed

Fire up your Konono Number 1 and read on.

The KU chapter of Kansas Citizens for Science is writing about Art and Science.

Meanwhile, Joel of Cup o' Joel says Let art be art, and in a discussion of Nobel Prize winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, he writes of the suggestion that Pamuk's political statements may have been what clinched the prize for him:

There’s a Nobel Peace Prize for that; let art be art.

Speaking of international peace, emaw_kc of 3 o'clock AM writes "It's pronounced 'newkular'" and wonders who, if anyone wants war on the Korean peninsula, and who, if anyone, can stop it.

Tom Hull, is also Talking North Korea Blues.

Coming to a more regional theme, I wrote a post comparing Dick Cheney's rhetoric in support of Jim Ryun with the views of actual voters. Out of touch doesn't begin to describe it.

Paul Decelles asks thinks Board of Education Chair Steve Abrams, is out of touch, too, and asks "Who's an elitist?":

What upset him? Well two things. First the Governor had the temerity to state that both the State Board of Education and Fred Phelps are both bad for the State's image. … The second thing is that she has proposed to reduce the power of the Board to merely an advisory capacity with primary and secondary education issues currently handled by the Board in the hands of a cabinet secretary as are most other state functions.

On a related note, Abrams' remarks inspired Red State Rabble to ask "Will the real idiots please stand up?" Never forget that the word "idiot" started out meaning – to the ancient Greeks – someone too disengaged from their civic life to go and vote.

J.D. at evolution responded to the same kerfuffle by pointing out that the Governor's idea isn't far from one he suggested a while back, and wonders if "Gov. Sebelius reads evolution." Of course, it's too late now "because," he writes "I have since abandoned that position."

And the Wichita Eagle's blog observes that "Barnett missed the issue on evolution."

Diane Silver, of Hope and Politics quotes her mother talking about "Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline: 'So he's not a criminal; he's just sleazy.'"

Her comments are important. As a Kansas citizen, she is Kline's boss, just like me and like you if you happen to live in the Sunflower State.

On a lighter note, honorary Kansan Bill Farrell wants a "Rent-A-Snake":

I would only own a snake of this sort for a deterrant. Far be it for me to let such a snake loose in my back yard or my neighbor's back yard where the loud, obnoxious, barky canine terror from Hell lives.

Of course.

From Kansas City, Tony is taking on Nadia Pflaum: Scourge of KC's Black Community.

Greg Beck writes a (not safe for gentle sensibilities) post about the vogue for adoptions from the third world and the Brangelina phenomenon.

Until next week…