CNN has a couple of related stories, although I doubt they saw the connection.

First, stuffed into their entertainment blog they have: Anne Rice leaves Christianity

Legendary author Anne Rice has announced that she’s quitting Christianity.

The “Interview with a Vampire” author, who wrote a book about her spirituality titled “Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession” in 2008, said Wednesday that she refuses to be “anti-gay,” “anti-feminist,” “anti-science” and “anti-Democrat.”

Rice wrote, “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian … It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

What they missed is that they had a good example of what Ms Rice was referring to in their own US section: Church plans Quran-burning event

(CNN) — In protest of what it calls a religion “of the devil,” a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an “International Burn a Quran Day” on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it’s causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times,” Pastor Terry Jones told CNN’s Rick Sanchez earlier this week.

Juan Cole found a perfect quote for this hatred:

The German poet Heinrich Heine (d. 1856), in his play lamenting the forced conversion of Spain’s Muslims to Christianity, “Almansor,” wrote, “Wherever they burn books, in the end they will burn human beings.” (When the Nazis burned books in 1933, Heine’s were among those set afire, and his prediction was borne out).

The Dove World Outreach Center also dislikes Wiccans. Not a lot of “love thy neighbor” in that church.

Rick Outzen is taking umbrage at the recent reports that the oil in the Gulf has disappeared and it wasn’t as bad as had been assumed.

Perhaps those people who think it’s over would care to explain Louisiana authorities report oil sightings from Gulf of Mexico spill for Friday July 30^th. These are the reports of visible oil on the surface.

Bob Marshall, Times-Picayune, notes that the Surface of Gulf of Mexico looks better, but millions of gallons of oil remain below:

Charter captain Mike Frenette has been wondering whether the news media are living in a parallel universe. The Internet and mainstream media this week are filled with reports that the BP oil disaster is over, that the Gulf is now devoid of the slicks and sheen, and the marshes are no longer being bathed in crude.

That’s not what he and his crew saw at the mouth of the Mississippi River and along the river’s delta this week.

“There was more oil at South Pass Tuesday than I’ve seen since this whole thing started; it was really discouraging,” Frenette said. “I don’t know where everyone else is looking, but if they think there’s no more oil out there, they should take a ride with me.

“I wish this thing was over so I could get back to fishing. But that’s just not the case. We’re a long way from finished with the oil.”

It’s a lot easier to sit in an air conditioned office somewhere and write stories to please advertisers that to go out on the Gulf during heat advisories and monitor the oil. These people could just rent a beach front condo and go down to the shore line and dig down 6 to 12 inches if they want to find the oil. BP has only been skimming the top, and the oil is soaking into the sand to discolor and poison it.

From the Los Angeles Times: Firefighters hope for light winds and cooler temperatures

Firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand Saturday in a battle against a wildfire that has burned almost 14,000 acres in northern L.A. County.

Cooler overnight temperatures and milder winds helped firefighters get 62% containment around the Crown fire in the western Palmdale and Leona Valley areas.

Some 1,320 firefighters are battling the blaze along with 10 helicopters and a DC-10 air tanker.

There have been four dwellings destroyed, along with five outbuildings. Also, there have been three minor injuries to firefighters, including a bee sting.

The fire threatens the major electrical transmission lines which provide power to a major portion of LA. The LA power system is a terrible design, with minimal redundancy and almost non-existent maintenance since the “deregulation” that helped to fuel the growth of Enron.

The winds are forecast to pick up in the afternoon, so the 62% containment is subject to change in the wrong direction.

From Weather Underground

Cinco Bayou – Pocahontas Dr., Fort Walton Beach, Florida (PWS)
Updated: 12:17 PM CDT on July 31, 2010

97.1 °F [36.2 °C]
Partly Cloudy
Humidity: 58%
Dew Point: 78 °F
Wind: 1.0 mph
Wind Gust: 7.0 mph
Pressure: 29.81 in (Falling)
Heat Index: 115 °F [46.1 °C]
Visibility: 10.0 miles
UV: 12 out of 16
Pollen: 4.00 out of 12
Clouds:
Few 4900 ft
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 16 ft

Heat advisory remains in effect from noon today to 7 PM CDT this evening…