Bizzy’s AM Coffee Biz-Econ-Life Links (080706)

Free Links:

• “Facing the Giants” Update — This is the film that was given a PG rating for being “too evangelistic.” Though I don’t see any evidence in the WorldNetDaily article that this particular film’s rating will change, it’s quite clear that The Motion Picture Association of America has backed down in how it will handle Christian themes in future films:
  

  The PG decision prompted 15,000 e-mails of protest, and now things have changed.

  “The chairman of the MPAA’s ratings board, Joan Graves, announced the association would no longer consider statements of faith or religious content as ‘thematic element’ that could trigger a rating of PG or higher,” Baehr confirmed.

  Ted Baehr has a good “big-picture” (haha) look at how financial reality is finally moving Hollywood to produce a heavier mix of more family-friendly fare. While I agree that this is a welcome development, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in a lot of the “good” films, the producers manage to get in some off-color and off-message digs designed to be in-your-face slaps at traditional values and norms.

• Somebody get the R-Rated WhistleBlower a calculator — His Sunday issue leads off as follows:
  

  According to the History Channel, only two really important things ever happened on today’s date: 61 years ago the Enola Gay dropped the big one on Hiroshima and during the early 60s, Mrs. Braun gave birth to her “Mr. Don’t Know It All” son Joe, who’ll be celebrating at a surprise birthday party today ….. Our good friend Joe will be 33 today.

  If “good friend Joe” was 33 on Sunday and was born in the early 1960s, he’s found the Fountain of Youth.

• Normally a Wizbanger, Jay Tea does a great riff on apologies at Willisms, and notes how the recent attempt at doing so by Firedoglake blogster Jane Hamsher totally fails the four tests of sincerity. It’s amazing how it takes only six words (”I was wrong. I am sorry.) to get really close to meeting all four.

• I applaud ex-CNN anchor Daryn Kagan’s planned launch (HT MediaBistro Newser) of an inspirational stories web site, darynkagan.com, in mid-November, and wish it great success.

• Someone at the Ohio DMV has wayyyyy too much time on their hands –
  

  Pat Niple turned 74 years old on Tuesday. She normally ordered her license plates and renewal stickers by mail. But this year, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles returned her check, accompanied by a letter.

  “The letter stated that I could no longer have my license plate, which was NWTF,” she said.

  Niple’s personalized plates are NWTF, an abbreviation of Northwood Tree Farm — a business she owned with her late husband. It also means something else, officials said.

  ….. Niple said she plans to appeal and that she will at least keep the plates and frame them in memory of the business her family once owned.

  If you don’t know what the “something else” is, go to the link. Next thing you know, Ms. Niple will get raided for having obscene materials if she does save the old plate.