How are you preparing for the Jewish high holidays? Is it by taking a photo with a live goat and uploading your sins to an app? It is, isn't it. We just knew it.

Yes, we've all dreamt of finding "opportunities for socializing around the idea of public atonement," and now they've arrived in the form of the San Francisco-based Jewish nonprofit G-dcast's eScapegoat, nicknamed the "Atonement app". To wit:

"Tech-savvy people looking for an on-the-go way to clean their slates of sin and to learn about Judaism now have a web app to help them ... The Atonement App allows users to anonymously share their sins with the help of a goat via a fun, animated website and to see those of their friends. Users will also have opportunities to encourage friends to share their sins, and those in the San Francisco Bay Area can attend in-person events where they can pet live goats," etc.

The whole idea is apparently inspired by a ritual in which a goat was symbolically burdened with the sins of the Israelites before being sent off into the wilderness. To echo that theme, they'll have live goats on hand at a smattering of events around the city, most notably an August 19th event at SOMA StrEAT Food Park, where there will be food discounts and live goats "available for sin-sharing and photos," a September 4th celebration at Baker Beach and a September 8th event at Dolores Park that promises "a larger than life goat."

As the website notes: it's "Like in Bible Times, only nerdier!"

Former Marin resident and current insane person, Sharon Stone, made the following Jerry Falwell-ish quip the other day.

They're not being very nice to the Dali Lama, who's a good friend of mine ... I'm not happy about how the Chinese are treating the Tibetans, I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else ... All these earthquakes and stuff happened and I thought, 'Is that karma?' When you are not nice, bad things happen to you.

Interesting. Is this woman severely retarded? or just mean? or both? Please advise.