Blogging Around: The "Leftovers Are Good" Edition

Some of these are things I've been meaning to mention, a few are new (after all the best way to eat leftovers is with a little something to make it all seem new, right?).

Joseph Susanka is Blogging
I'm pretty excited since I like his movie commentary.

Sceptre E-Books 
This is great news for anyone who loves the In Conversation with God devotional series the way that I do. You can find the e-books in the usual places.

Catholic Bookstores
Don't forget that your local (or online) Catholic bookstore are often run by local families. They are a great place to do your Christmas shopping.

For example, check out Aquinas and More's Cyber-Monday specials.

Sudden Monday - A Place for Flash Fiction
Ryan Charles Trusell, who many of us know from his Ora et Labora et Zombies project, has flash fiction on the brain.

Sudden Monday is a brand new weekly link-up, hosted by Labora Editions and devoted to sudden fiction, also known as flash fiction, or the short-short story (in this case, fewer than 500 words.) In the future, I will post a new short-short story every Monday with a link-up at the bottom for others to do likewise.

Sudden Monday submission guidelines are here.

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI

Another thing that really struck me was when he was writing about passages in the Old Testament that seemed to have no context and meaning until the truth was revealed in the New Testament. I just love the term he used ”Word in waiting.” He wrote about how Mary’s yes really was the dividing line between the Old and New Testament. This seems to me to be kind of an ironic reversal. The Old Testament was pregnant with the Word until Mary’s Fiat and the Word was conceived. This is a clumsy analogy on my part, but what the Pope had to say about the “Word in waiting” really made me see some of these passages in the Old Testament in a new light.

Jeff Miller's review both smacks the media for wrong reporting and then tells us what is wonderful about this book. I can't wait to read this!

The Crimes of Galahad by Dr. Boli 
This is the memoir of Galahad Newman Boustead, a young man who decides to live his live scientifically, according to evil principles. Dr. Boli is a favorite stop of mine on the internet and this book sounds hilarious. Turns out, as Will Duquette's review tells us, it is much more.

Although the book made me laugh, it’s by no means a farce; in retrospect, it’s a serious meditation on the relationship between virtue, goodness, and grace, on the limitations of purely human virtue, and on human nature and the natural law. I suspect I’m going to be pondering it for some while.

Judge Upholds Part of Law On Birth-Control Coverage

A federal judge Monday rejected Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.'s request to block part of the federal health-care overhaul that requires the arts-and-craft-supplies company to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after and week-after birth control pills.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton denied a request by Hobby Lobby to prevent the government from enforcing portions of the health-care law mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives the company's Christian owners consider objectionable.

The Oklahoma City-based company and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government in September, claiming the mandate violates the owners' religious beliefs.

In his ruling, Judge Heaton said that while churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions, "Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations."

Associated Press story via The Wall Street Journal

I read this last week but the point about the dangers of a nanny government are clear. Only "religious organizations" are allowed to express their religious beliefs. And employees couldn't possibly decide whether or not they want to work for Hobby Lobby based on their insurance coverage. We knew this was coming but it's another step down that slippery slope. Thank you so much President Obama for taking care of us whether we want it or not, whether we need it or not. Kudos to Hobby Lobby's owners for standing up for their religious rights.