Now that I finally have all of this free time that never existed before I can get back to some old features from the previous incarnation of Comets, Stars, Moons. Ring around the net was a Friday event where I would basically take a look around the net and share what I found interesting. Let’s get to it.

For some weird reason Lindsay Lohan is having her picture taken with superheroes. She’s been with everyone from Batman to the Hulk to Robin. I think it must be a public service announcement concerning sleeping around as we now see the end result in her photo with Spider-Man.

After visiting New Orleans earlier this year, for the first time since I was two, I’ve become very fascinated with the rebuilding process and the politics. Besides buying Abita Restoration Ale whenever I can find it (thank you Jenny Street Market!) I’ve been trying to figure out other ways I can pitch in. Brad Pitt gave me the answer this week when he announced the Make It Right campaign. I plan to personally invest in a full bathroom and I’m trying to figure out some way I can utilize dane101 to maybe host a Madison “sister city” fundraiser.

I went into work late yesterday so I could see Mitt Romney’s “religion” speech. After watching it I was left with a sense of dread that if given the opportunity he would have me exiled as a heretic. Behind him I saw the dark specter of new religious intolerance looming in the United States. I’m happy to know I’m not alone in this sense of dread. Joe Conason has a fascinating article titled “Romey and Huckabee’s religious intolerance” over on Salon. He writes: “Only the strictest separation of church and state has permitted the establishment of societies where freedom of conscience prevails — and those freedoms are firmly rooted in societies where organized religion has long been in decline.” On a brighter note, this finally answers my long unanswered question: Will it be 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, or Brave New World? Congratulations are in order for Margaret Atwood.

Brilliant: “Our fearless decider covers R.E.M.’s End of the World.”

Go Speed, Go.

Large Hearted Boy posts a series of videos from last year’s Trekky Records Christmas show featuring John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats playing all of your Christmas favorites.

Stylus now has their list of the Top 50 albums of 2007 up. Not bad, but once again we see “The Field” in a top ten. I just don’t get it. Can someone please explain why all of the magazine critics are digging that album? I listened to part of it on my way down to Louisiana and it felt like a dozen mid-90s electronic albums I have gathering dust in my collection. is it a nostaligia thing?