SpongeBob Receives 'Unequivocal Welcome' from United Church of Christ
By J. Bennett Guess, United Church News
Following controversy over cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants's appearance in a children's video promoting tolerance, the United Church of Christ (recently embroiled in a media flap over its own 'open and affirming' advertising campaign) has extended a personal welcome to Dr. James Dobson's least favorite cartoon character. The UCC Web site features a news article about the 'unequivocal welcome' as well as a clever photo diary of SpongeBob's trip to UCC headquarters in Cleveland. -- Martin Brown
http://www.ucc.org/news/r012405.htm

Black Evangelicals: Bush's New Trump Card
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Chicago Defender
Bush wooed African American evangelicals with the same techniques he applied to the broader electorate: 'inflaming' anti-gay bias and hammering other social issues like abortion and school prayer. That helped the Republicans tap into one of the Democrat's most stalwart bases. Now, Earl Ofari Hutchinson argues, the Bush team will continue their courtship by doling out cash to certain 'handpicked' African American church leaders to use for faith-based initiatives. -- Hannah Lobel
http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/commentary.cfm?ArticleID=389

Paratransit in Louisville: 'As Unpleasant as Possible to Ride'
By Mary Johnson, Ragged Edge
To aid disabled people who were not able to ride buses with ramps, the American Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, mandated that transportation companies offer some sort of door-to-door alternative. But a look into these services in Louisville reveals a system riddled with disorganization and callousness, trapping riders on buses for hours or stranding them altogether. The mess, author Mary Johnson suggests, is not confined to Louisville. -- Hannah Lobel
http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/focus/tarc3.html

Making Art Speak: Three Museum Directors Discuss the Challenges, Thrills, Frustrations, and Future of Their Profession
By Hugh Eakin, ARTnews online
Can art museums compete with today's consumer culture while still providing patrons a deep, meaningful experience? In an effort to answer this question, ARTnews magazine hosted a panel discussion between Kathy Halbreich, director of Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Glenn Lowry, director of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, and Philippe de Montebello, director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Halbreich emphasized that the Walker's 'art center' identity gave it more freedom to promote new and emerging artists. MOMA's Lowry warned against the collision of art and entertainment, citing Las Vegas as an example of what can go wrong. -- Harry Sheff
http://tinyurl.com/4cm96