Via the Washington Post: The Vatican is taking the unusual step of conducting a worldwide survey on how parishes deal with sensitive issues such as birth control, divorce and gay marriage, seeking input ahead of a major meeting on the family that Pope Francis plans next year. The poll was sent in mid-October to every national conference of bishops with …

Soon you’ll no longer have to stop playing Candy Crush during take-off. Airplane travelers will soon be able to watch videos and play games with their electronic devices throughout their entire flight — and not just above a certain altitude — the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday in a long anticipated announcement. But don’t expect to be chatting on your …

This has been my most-played track on Spotify for at least a month and finally there’s a video. The remix is by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. Dig the hat tip to Ashes To Ashes. And definitely check out the full ten-minute version.

The painting that Banksy donated to Housing Works has sold at auction for $615,000. What an amazing windfall for them.

Via email from Monica Cole: Dear Joe, In the original “Quicksilver” Capital One commercial starring Samuel L. Jackson, he blurts out the d-word! Capital One’s “Quicksilver” ad was irresponsible and offensive but after our members contacted the company a new commercial has begun airing. Capital One has updated their commercial to leave out the profanity. The revised commercial now says, …

“Oh Hallmark. You didn’t. Oh, wait you did. Hallmark’s ‘Holiday Sweater’ ornament is decorated with ‘Don we now our FUN apparel’ instead of “Don we now our GAY apparel.”Why? Hallmark says: ‘When the lyrics to ‘Deck the Halls’ were translated from Gaelic and published in English back in the 1800’s, the word ‘gay’ meant festive or merry,’ according to a …

From the spokesperson for Sen. Marco Rubio: “He believes people’s qualifications, performance and honesty are the most important qualities by which they should be judged in the workplace. If you’re a good worker, that’s all that should matter. This legislation goes far beyond protecting workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation, and he is currently studying what kinds of burdens …

You can’t tell without a human in the shot, but the statue is 26 feet tall. It arrived from Chicago last year and goes to New Jersey in 2014.

As I’ve reported several times, National Guard units in several states have refused to grant spousal benefits to legally married gay couples, claiming that state laws supersede federal military policies. That’s going to stop. From a speech given last night by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel: Today, I directed the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Frank Grass, to …

Add Colorado to the list: A Colorado couple is suing to overturn the state ban on same-sex marriage. Dr. Rebecca Brinkman and Margaret Burd filed the suit in Adams County District Court Wednesday, according to attorney Ralph Ogden. The lawsuit alleges that Article II, Section 31 of the Colorado Constitution, which states that “only a union between one man and …

Swing by Oscar’s in Palm Springs tomorrow between 8-10PM and meet your fellow JMG readers. There’s a big block party right down the street at the same time, so….convenient! Facebook event page.