St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Conn., in a bid to fill empty pews, has introduced a monthly Sunday service for pet owners who wish to take their dogs and cats (and presumably birds, ferrets, and boa constrictors) to the altar to receive the host or a special benediction. Other houses of worship around the country, the paper noted, are also offering everything from pet-friendly services and prayers for the animals to pet funerals and “bark mitzvahs.”
Here is Kasha’s Bark Mitzvah. By the way, “All of Beth Shir Shalom’s Bark Mitzvahs are held in the parking lot, to avoid any “accidents” in the sanctuary.”
Here is a photo of the Episcopal version of a pet-friendly service (no fear of accidents, apparently; see also the attached comments, such as “It looks like that black dog in the picture has some sort of mind control over that old lady. It gives me the creeps.”). Here is the full story, add your own commentary, you don’t want to hear “My Take” on this one.
…Maybe it’s a sign of the times — or just a gimmick — but celebrities, athletes and high-powered business executives who want protection from potential rape or other sexual charges can now obtain consent forms for their would-be partner to sign, acknowledging the pair is about to engage in consensual sex.
“This really is for someone you don’t know,” said attorney Evan Spencer, who wrote the one-page, “pre-sexual agreement” form for Colorado-based Protect Condoms Inc. “If you’re a professional athlete on the road, and you encounter someone you don’t know, certainly a person who is a man of means will want to be protected by something like this.”
The company has sold more than 4,000 forms at $7.99 each, according to president Nelson Banes. The standard consent forms are one-page documents to be signed by two parties, both of whom agree “to engage in any and all sexual acts legally permissible under state and federal law with consentee,” according to the Protect Condoms form, which includes two condoms in its package.
Here is the story. This link will bring you back to previous installments of Markets in Everything.
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