Monday, September 30, 2013
And thus ends the brief experiment with adverts. I've reconsidered after capricious rules were presented by Google in a seemingly unending cascade; that, plus anyone may object to the content of an ad at any time and have them pulled until I "appeal" Google's decision. Yeah. After having twice to appeal a Google decision to withhold ads from the site, for reasons that they will not reveal, I realized why the corporation and our government get along so well.
So, back to normal.
So, back to normal.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
This Week's Feast Days
October 1: St. Remi [or Remigius; 438-530]
Remi was the Bishop of Reims in France beginning at the age of 22. Yes, that's right. Remarkable that in contemporary times we draw out the process of electing a bishop through multiple meetings, video presentations, and "penetrating" questions. As we have seen in our Monday lesser feasts, early Christian bishops were selected according to the regard of the faithful; they are either very young or, for the times, rather elderly when appointed, and yet are able to lead and inspire with great power.
Maybe we should go back to the old method.
Remi was one such bishop, who was able for 70 years to present a mighty witness in what is now France. In fact, the devoted style of Christianity that is practiced by the French [including Acadians, Canucks, Cajuns, etc.] began when Remi baptised King Clovis [as seen to the left], thus converting an entire and sizable portion of Europe from a variety of pagan beliefs.
More of him may be read here.
O God, by the teaching of your faithful servant and bishop Remigius you turned the nation of the Franks from vain idolatry to the worship of you, the true and living God, in the fullness of the catholic faith: Grant that we who glory in the name of Christian may show forth our faith in worthy deeds; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
October 4: St. Francis of Assisi [1182-1226]
Certainly, one of the best known of all the medieval saints, so much so that there are at least a dozen films made of his life, countless publications, plus one Marvel comic book. The monastic order that he established, the Society of St. Francis, or SSF, is not only still in existence but there is still a very active chapter that is part of the Episcopal Church.
It would be difficult to distill his life into a few paragraphs, not to mention a disservice to his considerable story, so I'll simply make reference to a few sites to be found at the links here, here, and here. Lay people who are interested in having more routine spiritual direction in their lives may join the Third Order of the SSF, which enables those who are in the world to have the support of a prayerful community and the occasional opportunity for retreat and meditation as supported by a world-wide network of like-minded people.
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Iowa, Minnesota & Wisconsin should secede and form the breakaway Republic of Casserolia.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) September 28, 2013
The 11 O'Clock Report
First Story:
(1) Contrary to some initial news reports, Alexis did not use an AR-15 assault rifle. Rather, he used a shotgun, which he brought with him, and a pistol he appears to have taken from an armed guard at the Navy Yard. So, arguments about banning “military-style assault rifles” don’t fit this particular — still tragic — narrative.
(2) Alexis had a Secret security clearance. More than a simple criminal background check, the procedure requires a few months to a year of investigation. So, the usual arguments about basic background checks for gun ownership preventing tragedies of this sort don’t fit this narrative either.
So, what does fit? What changes to law and policy can we talk about in the aftermath of this week’s tragedy?
Second Story, something one won't find in any American media:
SAS hero of the mall massacre: Off-duty soldier with a handgun saved 100 lives as terrorists ran amok
Third Story, to be filed under "Gee, no kidding":
Bloomberg News - Turns Out Obamacare Is Going to Limit Your Choices
Fourth Story: The folks we're currently supporting in Syria removing a cross from a Christian church because it "offends" them.
(1) Contrary to some initial news reports, Alexis did not use an AR-15 assault rifle. Rather, he used a shotgun, which he brought with him, and a pistol he appears to have taken from an armed guard at the Navy Yard. So, arguments about banning “military-style assault rifles” don’t fit this particular — still tragic — narrative.
(2) Alexis had a Secret security clearance. More than a simple criminal background check, the procedure requires a few months to a year of investigation. So, the usual arguments about basic background checks for gun ownership preventing tragedies of this sort don’t fit this narrative either.
So, what does fit? What changes to law and policy can we talk about in the aftermath of this week’s tragedy?
Second Story, something one won't find in any American media:
SAS hero of the mall massacre: Off-duty soldier with a handgun saved 100 lives as terrorists ran amok
Third Story, to be filed under "Gee, no kidding":
Bloomberg News - Turns Out Obamacare Is Going to Limit Your Choices
Fourth Story: The folks we're currently supporting in Syria removing a cross from a Christian church because it "offends" them.
Princeton wins in a dominant performance over Georgetown 50-22. Next up Columbia next week at home.
— Princeton Football (@PUTigerFootball) September 28, 2013
Anger In Higher Education
The problem is that the feminist anger of the 1960s and 1970s s been institutionalized on our campus, where it seems impervious to change. Consider what your son faces if he enters a college in North America, Australia, or most of Europe. In the first week or two, he is required to attend a program on date rape, but nothing on date communication. By October, he will encounter Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but nothing about a "prostate cancer awareness month," though the incidence and deaths from the two diseases are similar. If your son becomes involved in student activities, he has access to significant student funds for women's centers and speakers on women's issues, but not for men's centers or speakers on men's issues.
If your son is heterosexual, he may express interest in a woman who is taking a women's studies course or degree, and see her researching papers on how the patriarchy consists of men who made laws to benefit men at the expense of women. He may learn she is on a scholarship to encourage women in engineering, math or the other STEM professions; if he's observant, he'll note that despite few men majoring in the social sciences, he hasn't run across even a single man with a scholarship designed to encourage men to enter the social sciences. The low percentage of women in STEM fields is depicted as very troubling, but the fact that males account for only 43% of all college students is not.
If your son is heterosexual, he may express interest in a woman who is taking a women's studies course or degree, and see her researching papers on how the patriarchy consists of men who made laws to benefit men at the expense of women. He may learn she is on a scholarship to encourage women in engineering, math or the other STEM professions; if he's observant, he'll note that despite few men majoring in the social sciences, he hasn't run across even a single man with a scholarship designed to encourage men to enter the social sciences. The low percentage of women in STEM fields is depicted as very troubling, but the fact that males account for only 43% of all college students is not.
Friday, September 27, 2013
First They Removed The Fire Pits, Now This
Southern California beaches aren't as much fun as they used to be:
City officials in San Diego said the annual July 4 marshmallow fight will no longer be allowed in the Ocean Beach neighborhood.
City officials in San Diego said the annual July 4 marshmallow fight will no longer be allowed in the Ocean Beach neighborhood.
Not Just In Science, But Also Theology
No matter what subject they touched -- the Big Bang, the origin of life, the intersection of ideology and science -- every author had the same adolescent tone of smug superiority to go along with their dull absence of style and their one-dimensional shallowness of thought. The magazine seems to exert a heavy editorial hand that banishes seriousness of thought; or that affirms a frivolous certainty.
To put it another way, their minds are entirely lacking in creative surprisal, so perhaps the metaphysic they embrace is just a massive projection of their own experience and limitations.
Warning: Some adult language may be found in the body of the article.
To put it another way, their minds are entirely lacking in creative surprisal, so perhaps the metaphysic they embrace is just a massive projection of their own experience and limitations.
Warning: Some adult language may be found in the body of the article.
Friday's Church: Harajuku Protestant Church, Japan
The "waves" in the ceiling cause sound to echo for two brief seconds, which both enables the congregation to hear without extraordinary amplification and lends a natural reverb to chant.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Archaeological News [Sorta]
Lost cities discovered in the Amazon basin:
The combination of land cleared of its rainforest for grazing and satellite survey have revealed a sophisticated pre-Columbian monument-building society in the upper Amazon Basin on the east side of the Andes. This hitherto unknown people constructed earthworks of precise geometric plan connected by straight orthogonal roads. Introducing us to this new civilisation, the authors...also suggest that we have so far seen no more than a tenth of it.
Hang on, this means that the land was cleared not just during recent decades, but in ancient times as well. This means, too, that the rain forest is far more durable than is generally acknowledged.
The combination of land cleared of its rainforest for grazing and satellite survey have revealed a sophisticated pre-Columbian monument-building society in the upper Amazon Basin on the east side of the Andes. This hitherto unknown people constructed earthworks of precise geometric plan connected by straight orthogonal roads. Introducing us to this new civilisation, the authors...also suggest that we have so far seen no more than a tenth of it.
Hang on, this means that the land was cleared not just during recent decades, but in ancient times as well. This means, too, that the rain forest is far more durable than is generally acknowledged.
Thursday's Biblilcal Recipe: Pistachio-Crusted Sunfish
Chop the nuts finely just short of a powder. (You can use a blender or a mini-food processor or do it the old-fashioned way, with a mallet in a sieved cloth). Place the nuts in a large bowl and quickly mix in the zaatar. Wash the fish in cold water; then dip them into the beaten eggs. Sprinkle the nut and zaatar mixture onto one side of the fish; then press it in to provide an ample coating. Fry the fish in melted butter or sunflower oil at a very high temperature, turning frequently so that they do not burn.
Yield: 4 normal servings
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
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