Once again it’s time for the biggest, baddest, beautifulest, bewitchingest, beguilingest, bewilderningest, brutest collection of links you can handle! Be forewarned, link overload is close at-hand! Welcome to the Weekly Town Crier, where I collect for you some of the things that, for one reason or another interested me enough to pass along. Remember, just because I link something here does not necessarily mean I endorse what’s on the other end of said link. It just means that it caused me to pause a bit and to think a bit, and I hope the same is true for you.

See what I hear at Last.fm.

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Browse this list of 10 ways to find cheap and/or free legal music online.

Read this piece which reports that former The Smiths guitarist and current Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr is going to be a college professor.

Read this commentary on the recent Rush Limbaugh letter hoopla.

Read as the New York Post notices that “religious conservatives” have hard electoral decisions ahead.

Read about TX Governor Rick Perry endorsing Guliani for President because “he believes the former mayor is the only Republican who could win in 2008″ and that he believes Guliani will help overturn Roe v. Wade.

Read about the city hall of Bloomington, IN banning a Ten Commandments display while housing Buddhist artifacts.

Read about the city of Philadelphia ruling that the Boy Scouts must pay a fair market rent of $200,000/year for its city owned headquarters because they do not accept homosexuals because: “City officials say they cannot legally rent taxpayer-owned property for a nominal sum to a private organization that discriminates.”

Read as J.K. Rowling “outs” Dumbledore.

Read the Worldnetdaily piece which reflects: “In announcing Dumbledore’s homosexuality, Rowling was truly attempting to legitimate herself as a deep thinker and profound author, an artist with more to offer than Quidditch and appallingly unsubtle alliterative names. It wasn’t enough for Rowling to author the most successful book franchise in modern history – now she wants to be Philip Roth.”

Read as Guliani tries to reassure the Family Research Council and conservative voters: “telling religious conservatives not to fear him for his stand on issues such as abortion or expect he would change purely for political advantage.” That sure calms my nerves.

Read/watch about the Rhode Island “artist” who recently received probation for building a secret apartment and living at a local mall.

Read about the woman who recently received a disorderly conduct ticket for cursing at the toilet in her own home.

Read the New York Times piece about the “evangelistic” use of Halo 3.

Read/listen (to) this interview with John Piper on N.T. Wright and justification.

Read about the Indian official who died after being attacked by a gang of wild monkeys.

Read this USA Today piece which notes that the number of public school teachers sexually abusing children is steadily growing.

Read Barna’s recent study which found that “most” Americans take famous Bible stories at face value.

Read about LA Senator David Vitter backing off of his push to help fund the Louisiana Family Forum, which has long challenged Darwinian theories of the origins of life.

Read about Senator Sam Brownback dropping out of the presidential race.

Please pray for the Johnson family.

Read the Yale Daily News piece about the Maine “church” that has replaced some of its liturgical content with the music of U2.

Read Newsweek’s recent interview with presidential hopeful and growing conservative favorite Mike Huckabee.

Download some live soundboard recordings of Doug Burr’s recent appearance at the Fort Worth Modern Museum of Art, which my wife and I had the pleasure of attending (see my interview with Doug Burr here and review of On Promenade here).

Read about scientists who feel that they are close to being able to control hurricanes.

Read about the “Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars and clergy from around the country met in Los Angeles this week to “wrestle” with what one rabbi described as the “dark side” of the three faith traditions.”

Read about California legislation which could ultimately ban the terms “Mom and Dad” from public schools as discriminatory.

Read in the Guardian Unlimited about Sweden’s government making it illegal to teach religious doctrines as if they were true.

Read James White’s thoughts about growing religious intolerance and the coming persecution.

Read this piece about Ole Anthony and the Trinity Foundation which asserts: “Ole Anthony is a heretic and a hypocrite and it saddens me to have to say this.”

Read about the man who found a 3.92 carat diamond while digging in a Arkansas diamond park.

Read the Washington Post editorial that argues that Mitt Romney’s “Mormon faith should not be an issue in this presidential campaign. Period.”

Read Philly.com’s piece about the Republican Party’s “Gulinani Dilemna.”

See these “artistic transformations” of many Pez dispensers.

Read Christianity Today’s piece which wonders whether or not there might be too many churches.

Vote in Christianity Today Music’s year-end Reader Survey poll and register to win 15 CDs!

Read Christianity Today’s review of the newest album from Steven Curtis Chapman, This Moment.

Read as Christianity Today finds “Glimpses of God” in the newest album from Bruce Springsteen, Magic.

Order John Davis‘ (formerly and recently again of Superdrag) second solo CD Arigato!

Read Al Mohler’s thoughts about our modern culture trying to ignore the concept of evil.

Read New York Magazine’s profile of Sufjan Stevens‘ new orchestral piece.

Read about what happens when Willow Creek, one of the country’s most influential churches says they were wrong in their philosophy of ministry.

Read as Tony Reinke offers some thoughts on writing book reviews.

Read as Dave Zimmerman, IVP book editor offers his thoughts on writing books (htx2=JT).

Beware of The Golden Compass.

Read as Matthew Hall notes that Philadelphia was recently “beat with the ugly stick.”

Praise God for “Pretty Sparkles.”

See/hear Jeremy Casella on tour.

Read Gunny’s thoughts on the Rockies and the World Series.

Encourage my wife to post more at our family blog.

Read and be encouraged as Doug’s brother, a missionary in Japan shares his thoughts on “Sharing Your Faith Without An Argument.”

Take Note as Timmy points us to John Piper’s new book on Justification for only $5.00!

Read as Denny Burk points to a recent Newsweek interview with Richard Land on the possibility of a third party.

Read Newsweek’s interview with Land.

Read as Robert Sagers wishes Russell Moore a happy birthday by saying something or other about Mike and Ikes.

Read/Pray as Mark Overstreet enjoins us to pray for Dr. Gary Cook, President of Dallas Baptist University, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).

Read about the differences between Obama and Gospel singer and former homosexual Donnie McClurkin.

Read Fox “News‘” report on Obama’s dilemma.

Read another report on the rise of Huckabee.

Read about Mitt Romney being under pressure to explain himself. His current “tough on abortion” platform seems to be paying off with conservative voters, but do you remember that this is the same man who, as MA governor, once swore “that he’d never change the state’s laws permitting abortion and eagerly courted pro-choice groups for their support.”

Read about the continuing trend of bands licensing their songs, not to commercials, but to video games.

Read about the couple who recently exchanged their vows in the “7 Floors of Hell Haunted House.” Hopefully it’s not a taste of what’s to come!

Read about the first-edition, hard-cover, autographed copy of the first Harry Potter book that recently sold at auction for $40,326.