On requiring conflict to be a good story ... and trying to find a good shoe to bang on the table

Jesse at SFFaudio turned in an excellent but thought-provoking review of Clifford D. Simak's Way Station, saying:

A couple years back a friend of mine (a filmmaker and used bookstore owner) was telling me about one of the scripts he was working on. He said something to the effect of “every story must have conflict.” That’s probably not a new concept, not original to him, but it was new to me – at least in those words. Now I love such sweeping declarations – they give my dialectical brain something to hack away at. It seems a fairly straightforward a concept – and on the face of it seems likely – but, that always gets me thinking: If it sounds so obvious it is probably at least partially false. So I thought about it for maybe thirty seconds and then pointed out that ‘pornographic films need not have conflict – but they can still have a story.’ Illustrating I said “Pizza delivery guy comes to the door – half naked woman answers – sex follows.” It has a beginning, a middle and a money shot. My friend and I both laughed. But, I’ve been thinking about this meme ever since. Now, with Way Station I think I have a more serious defeater to my friend’s all encompassing rule about storytelling. There is very little conflict in Way Station. That is actually a pretty common thing for author Clifford D. Simak. His stories are highly pastoral, full of backstories being revealed, mysterious farmers and friendly aliens. Conflict may be mentioned, as having happened long ago (or in some distant future) – but shots are rarely fired in anger. I’m thinking back on all of the Simak I’ve read, and in it all I can’t recall much conflict at all. And yet, I love his stories.

Intrigued, I couldn't remember if I had ever read Way Station so I requested it from the library. It really is a wonderful story, easy to read, and thought provoking in its own pastoral way.

However ...

You knew that was coming, right?

However, it is so far from being without conflict that I wondered if Jesse had actually read the same book I did. True enough the story is reflective, pastoral, and low key. Yet within those pages lies governmental interference, an abusive hillbilly father, an angry mob (and I think they might even have torches), galactic unrest, and an angry alien with a ray gun. That is without also taking into consideration the protagonist's very real concerns weighing his humanity and love of nature against his curiosity and desire to leave it behind and become a citizen of a larger world.

This has sparked an interesting conversation between Jesse and myself. As far as I can ascertain, his definition of conflict is so very different from mine as to require direct action. However, I could be wrong about that. (But let's face it, I don't really believe I am wrong about that! I am nothing if not self aware.)

I am hampered in this by having only Jesse's and my own opinions involved. If anyone else has read the book and has thoughts on the nature of conflict, its relationship to a good story, and whether it is contained in Way Station, please do join in the conversation. Nicely, of course.

Now, having found that I tend to wear soft-soled shoes, I am going in search of a properly hard soled one in order to begin pounding on the table!

Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away ...

Reposted for Mom and, frankly for me. I loved this.

Happy 21st Birthday, Hannah!

Where has the time gone?

From adorable little one to confident young woman ... all the time together has been a blessing to us. Even the tussles! Especially her gentle, loving spirit and sharp, intelligent humor (as evidenced in this superheroes series).

We will be going to Newport's for sophisticated seafood and for that all-important marker of being a legal adult, a cocktail in public.

I'm making a Doboschtorte, her favorite cake.

We're so happy that she is here with us this year and not already at college! (And we miss Rose, who is already in Chicago and we wish could be here with us for the celebration.)

I'm am repeating this viewing of the things she loves best, slightly updated ... simply lots and lots o' critters. (Don't just pick these up and pass them on, please. Click through on the links to check permissions, some of which I have obtained personally for this blog alone.)

Happy birthday , Hannah!

Cat Closeup

Owl

Goose

Colt

Mallard in Flight

Brown Hare

Pelican

Dinner Guest

Crystal River Heron

Hawk Landing

Pink Dolphin

Geese

How Long Has It Been Since You've Seen George Lucas in Love?

Reposted for Mom and anyone else who loves a clever homage melding Star Wars and Shakespeare in Love.

Well, pardner, that's too long.

Update: darn it, the video's been yanked. HOWEVER, the Tim Burton piece below this hasn't been. Apologies all 'round and here's hoping that you enjoy the Tim Burton/Vincent Price collaboration.



I had completely forgotten this until Rose brought home 16 American Short Films.

Hilarious!

It also contains a feature by Tim Burton, Vincent, narrated by ... you guessed it ... Vincent Price.

Weekend Joke

Found at Coffee Klatch.

Top 25 Signs You’re Part of the 00’s
(that’s pronounced “aughts”)

1. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.
   
   
2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
   
   
3. You call your son’s beeper to let him know it’s time to eat. He emails you back from his bedroom, “What’s for dinner?”
   
   
4. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
   
   
5. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven’t spoken with your next door neighbor yet this year.
   
   
6. You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.
   
   
7. You check your blow-dryer to see if it’s Y2K compliant.
   
   
8. Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail inbox asking you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
   
   
9. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.
   
   
10. Every commercial on television has a web-site address at the bottom of the screen.
    
    
11. You buy a computer and a week later it is out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.
    
    
12. The concept of using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase is foreign to you.
    
    
13. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.
    
    
14. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is that they do not have e-mail addresses.
    
    
15. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
    
    
16. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.
    
    
17. Your idea of being organized is multiple-colored Post-it notes.
    
    
18. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.
    
    
19. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls.
    
    
20. You turn off your Modem and get this awful feeling, as if you just as if you had pulled the plug on a loved one.
    
    
21. You get up in morning and go online before getting your coffee.
    
    
22. You wake up at 2am to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.
    
    
23. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
    
    
24. You’re reading this.
    
    
25. Even worse; you’re going to forward it to someone else.

Upcoming Changes to the Mass -- Get 'Em While They're Hot!

Or ... as the USCCB puts it ... ahem ...

This area includes information and resources for the assembly with implementation and practice of the new Roman Missal.

It's got a print button and a "share" button which says that you can post it to your blog, but the Blogger part can't find my blog. Perhaps they were thinking of people who had just the one blog?

So much for that.

Anyway, scoot over there to see a nice chart with old and new.

Via the indispensable New Advent.

Speaking of Books on My "To Read" List ...

... check out Ana Markovic.

Emerging from an alcohol-poisoned sleep that should have left her dead on the streets of Toronto, Ana Markovic slowly began to remember the dream that came to her while she was unconscious. Ana hadn't always been homeless. Once, she had a home and a family. And then there was war and all that she knew burnt to the ground. Ana came to Canada with her husband as a refugee of the former Yugoslavia and fell into a depression that led her into a self-destructive, alcoholic spiral. Eventually, she abandoned her husband and young child to live on the streets in a perpetual state of self-hate. But God was not about to let Ana fall to eternal perdition without a fight. While she lay passed out, St. Michael the Archangel, appeared before Ana to offer her a final chance to redeem her soul and accept her worth in the eyes of God. This story lays bare the struggle for salvation as it travels through the shattered life of one lost soul and beyond to the Garden of Eden, to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the redemption God's love offers every human being.

Author David Murdoch was born in Toronto, Canada and graduated from Queen's University in Kingston. David converted to Catholicism after having been raised as a Protestant. Ana Markovic was written as a means of sharing the gifts God has given him, and doing something with God's grace

Sounds painful but powerful, right? I'm really looking forward to this one ... which is en route, or will be soon.

Perry Como and Abraham Lincoln: you just can't make this stuff up

Tom was looking on Wikipedia at Perry Como's entry after I'd asked him about a crossword clue to one of his songs. He came across this reference which left us both laughing and incredulous.

In downtown Gettysburg, there are two statues in front of the house where Lincoln stayed the night before he gave the Gettysburg Address. One is of Lincoln with his left arm raised, using his stove-pipe hat to point to the window of the room in which he stayed. His right hand is on the arm of a "tourist", as if he's showing the tourist the room. The tourist depicted is Perry Como, in his famous cardigan sweater.

Wikipedia

It sure looks like Perry Como ... you can see the photo at Roadside America.

Wow, what a great smile!

Reposting this for Mom and, of course, anyone else who'd like to see it again!

A fantastic little film about validation ... and smiles. It doesn't hurt that it has my favorite cast member from Bones either.

Enjoy (thanks to The Anchoress ... hey, do you know how wonderful she is?)

Lost Gods Book Review

Kweku Anansi is just another down-on-his luck con man who preys on the more fortunate during the day and goes home to his loving wife at night. That seems rather a comedown for the African trickster god, which is his real identity. ...

My review is up over at SFFaudio as is the link to Podiobooks where you can get the book free.

Your mission: get Chad, Matt, and Rob to their twelve o'clock meeting without dying ...

Reposted for Mom, and anyone else who hasn't seen this video.



Enter The Time Machine, an interactive adventure. I loved those adventure/mystery books where you got to choose which action the hero would take ... and that choice would send you to a specific page and change the story.

Here's the video version from Chad, Matt, and Rob. Brilliant! Via the indispensable Miss Cellania. (Whose site, I am constrained to mention, sometimes has explicit material. Use your discretion.)

It's All Downhill from Here

An advertisement from Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine that should certainly make us all pause in uncertainty. (Click the ad to blow it up for easy reading.)

Klingon Night School. 'Nuff Said.

Another blast from the video past that I'm reposting for Mom ... and any other Trekkies out there.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Via SF Signal.

Two More Things from the Chicago Trip ... Or, The First Movie I Want to See When I Get to Heaven

Kurosawa's Gojira (Godzilla) Movie
Listening to Tank Riot's Akira Kurosawa episode we discovered that he was good friend with the Godzilla movie director. Kurosawa always wanted to direct a Godzilla movie but the studio was terrified of the monstrous costs that doubtless would be incurred. Rightfully so I am sure. Don't you know that if we worship God through our art, then Kurosawa immediately got to work with that Gojira movie?

Now I must add that I have never seen a Kurosawa movie (hanging head in shame) although I hasten to add that there are several on my movie list. However, upon learning that Kurosawa liked The Magnificent Seven so much that he sent director John Sturges a samurai sword, I thought that I probably had a little feel for his movies. I am going to begin actively looking for them at the library.

(Note about Tank Riot: this group podcast is a lot of fun to listen to on a variety of esoteric subjects. If you are touchy about criticism, however, beware as one of the guys has a problem with the Church and Pope Benedict and lets it pop out at unexpected moments. It was like a slap in the face that surfaced completely out of nowhere during the pirates episode, for example. Based on inaccurate info as well. Ah well. However, be that as it may, that is a small thing and is not usually intrusive enough to be a problem.)

"That sounds just like something on Happy Catholic."
Mom completely cracked me up with that accusation when I was commenting on some situation (I no longer remember what). I told everyone here that what you see is what you get (albeit a little toned down and more polite). What more proof do you need?

I Wanna Be A Zimmer When I Grow Up

Reposted here from the archives for Mom and, of course, anyone else who wants to watch. (Note: I see they've disabled embedding, but just click through on their link to watch.)

Meet "The Zimmers" - a rock band of 40 OAP’s with more aggression than Nirvana and more style than The Who.

I always have told Hannah and Rose that when I'm in an old folks home they'll play Rolling Stones instead of Muzak. Looks like they're already there. (Warning for the faint-of-heart ... some true rock and roll band behavior is exhibited in this video.)

When You Return to 776 Posts in Your Google Reader After 3 Days of Not Using the Internet, You Know You're Reading Too Many Blogs

Oy veh!

Overall the fast turn-around to get Rose to Chicago and get home again went well, but we will never do it that quickly again. The 16-hour trip is brutal when done back-to-back without at least a day of rest in between. However, we are home again safely and that is what counts at this point.

Highlights and tips:

• Who knew that the Illinois State Fair happened in August, just at the time we'd be driving through looking for a hotel room? And that it would overflow the town's hotels practically completely? We wound up at the downtown Abraham Lincoln hotel which was completely luxurious, especially when they upgraded the regular smoking room we would have settled for into a "club level" room. Oooo la la. Crabtree & Evelyn soap and shampoo in the bathroom ladies. And those fluffy bathrobes are quite nice. Yes, indeed.
• Tom and I daringly didn't make a hotel reservation in Chicago, having heard all those relatives tell their tales of "day of" reservations on Priceline getting fantastic discounts for a nice hotel. No such luck on our attempt. However, the downtown TravelLodge isn't too bad either price-wise or as a hotel, though it is fairly dumpy. But it was close to where Rose lives and just a block away from Grant Park.
• Let me highly recommend Thai Spoon. Highly. Really fantastic food. Also the price was actually inexpensive. Rose says that many Columbia College students like it because they can order a large meal and have leftovers for several days. We fed eight people, with three beers and a Thai iced coffee for $100 flat. In downtown Chicago. Absolutely delicious. Try it.
• After the Thai Spoon, Tom and I took a walk in Grant Park where we eventually wound up at Buckingham Fountain. We'd noticed a young couple taking photos of each other near us. The young man came up to Tom and asked, "Will you take our picture? And then will you keep taking pictures while I propose?" Can you see the smile on my face just thinking of it? It was sweet and romantic and we will treasure always being "that couple who took our picture" in this young couple's memories. Of course, she cried and laughed and said yes ... and had a huge diamond on her ring. I will be praying for them and their marriage every time that memory flashes across my mind.
• Finally we got to see the inside of Holy Name Cathedral for Sunday Mass, after having been kept away first by renovations and then by the fire damage. Overall it is absolutely gorgeous. It is too bad that someone came through in the 1970's (our guess) and replaced all the original stained glass and slapped on various other "improvements" that are all too indicative of the bad taste of the time. Those bits stood out like a bandaid on a Van Gogh. However, the original work is gorgous, as I said. Also, there was a wonderful girls' choir visiting from Germany. I thought that might be a little sample of how the angelic choir sounds.
• Stopped off on the way up to take Mom her new laptop and then on the way back to make sure it was connected to the wireless internet (woohoo! Hi Mom!) which is so much faster in their assisted living place than any sort of internet was at their house in the country. Now she can actually watch those videos I post. Also we went to lunch at Ocean Zen which is truly excellent and if you are near Springfield, MO, you should definitely try it if you've never been.

And now we are home ... ready to do those lovely mundane thing like clean bathrooms, grocery shop, and go to work (which I must do now!).

On th Road to Chi-Town

Taking Rose back to Columbia College. Perhaps time to blog then, but probably not as we're doing a two-day-up turnaround for a two-day-back trip.

We'll be stopping off to give my Mom her new laptop. This will give her time to try it out and figure out what questions she has before we stop back by on the way home.

More later ...

The problem with real life ...

... is that it leaves no time for blogging when you get really, really, really busy.

So, there you go. Apologies all 'round, but clients wait for no man and family likewise.

Check my sidebar for Google reader links of some great stuff in the blogosphere that is just waiting for you to discover it. I'll be back to more than the quote and photo of the day soon, I hope!

"Does going to confession make you feel better?" What I said. What I'll say next time. Hopefully.

My brother and nephew are in town for a couple of days. I have so much fun talking with my brother but every so often such a question arises as it did when we were out having a Tex-Mex family dinner. I had laughingly said that I needed to get to confession over something we'd been mentioning ... then said, "no, not really, though I've got to get there on Tuesday over something else."

Which raised that question from my brother, who is a nondenominational Protestant. Somehow, knowing the way he thinks and what he does for a living (which involves occasional mind manipulation), I always feel I've got to stand up for the Catholic way even if he is just phrasing it as a mild mannered question. Which probably says more about me than anything else.

I answered, "Yes."

Then thought, "well, not always sometimes yes and sometimes no. But this time I am really looking forward to it and so I probably will feel better."

By which time he'd said, "I understand."

I said, "No you don't understand."

He said, "Yes, I understand better than you'd think."

You have to understand that I'd had most of a nice strong margarita by then and anyway am not nearly as good at explaining myself when speaking as I am in writing. Also, I didn't suddenly want to dive into the depths of discussing confession as a sacrament in the middle of a restaurant at a family dinner.

Swirling through my head were thoughts of how to explain confession as a sacrament, feelings versus truth, and that when I go to confession I have thought and prayed about my offenses so that I already have gone to God personally about whatever it is. And the fact that "feeling better" makes it sound like a substitute for therapy, which it is not. The one thing I did know was that I was unequal to that task at that moment.

I let it go.

This, hopefully, has prepared me better for another time. Then I might be collected enough to answer, "Sometimes I feel better and sometimes I feel nothing. But it's not about feelings. It's about the reality of the sacrament of absolution from sin and reconciling myself to God."

If it carried on, we could go into how telling a doctor my symptoms might make me feel better sharing the burden, but it would be the medicine itself which would effect the cure. About how a sacrament is a visible sign of spiritual reality.

I am a poor apologist in person. But there's always next time. Hopefully.

Heads Up! The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri FREE @ Christian Audio

This is where it turns out handy that friendly pagans like Jesse at SFFaudio have an interest in the Divine Comedy as the first fantasy novel.

Check it out and note Jesse's careful instructions for receiving this free audiobook.

Thanks Jesse!

First Friday Fast to End Abortion

I haven't forgotten but just hadn't posted it yet ... for those fasting for an end to abortion, it's First Friday!

By the way, listening to this episode of Philosopher's Notes helped me go into this cheerfully and purposefully. He's not kidding when he says, "99% is a b***h; 100% is a breeze. You can listen, download, or read the transcript there.

Our Lady of Guadalupe: More Than Flowers

Continuing with excerpts from Our Lady of Guadalupe, we continue to see the depth of symbolism speaking in every item and gesture being used. For instance, I didn't know that the bishop-elect had been lied to. The stories I remember just implied that he was a crusty old so-and-so who didn't like Indians (which is completely untrue as I discovered in reading this book). I didn't realize those flowers had to do double duty. Read on and see what I mean.

The bishop-elect, disarmed by Juan Diego's confidence, sent two men to follow him to make sure that Juan Diego was not up to any tricks. The two men trailed Juan Diego for a good while but lost sight of him as he crossed the ravine near the bridge to Tepeyac. After a desperate and unsuccessful search, they returned to Friar Zumarraga's home and, infuriated with Juan Diego for having wasted their time, told Zumarraga that Juan Diego was a sorcerer and a fraud who deserved punishment to prevent him from lying again. ...

[Our Lady gives Juan Diego a sign for Friar Z. by putting roses in his tilma.]

Perhaps it is in this moment, as the Virgin stoops to rearrange the flowers in Juan Diego's tilma, that we are given the most poetically poignant expression of what the apparitions at Guadalupe would have meant to the Indian people. In her appearances on Tepeyac, the Virgin takes what is good and true in the Indian culture and rearranges it in such a way that these same elements are brought tothe fulfillment of truth. In the Indian culture, flowers and song (which, you will recall, Juan Diego heard just before the first apparition) were symbols of truth -- more specifically, the truth that, though somehow intuited by reason, is never comprehensively grasped. Thus the Virgin's sign of flowers, which had to undo the lie told to Firar Zumarrage by the false messengers, possesses a double meaning: more than a sign for the bishop-elect that is impossible to explain away as a mere trick by Juan Diego; for the indegenous people it is a sign of truth.

[Juan Diego takes the flowers to the bishop who recognizes the truth, unties the tilma from around Juan diego's neck, takes it immediately to his private chapel, and welcomes Juan Diego to spend the day in his home.]

In the account of the Guadalupan apparitions and miracles, there are many significant moments of reconciliation. In the image itself, one sees a perfect harmony of cultures and their respective symbols that convey the same truth. But for the Indians and laymen, the impression of the Virgin's image on the tilma and the acceptance of Juan Diego's tilma into the chapel are perhaps the most significant moments. In the Indian culture, the tilma reflected social status. A peasant's tilma would be plain and undecorated, while a tilma with color or decoration was reserved for noblemen and peole of high social rank. For the Indians, the Virgin, by placing her image on Juan Diego's tilma, gives a new and elevated dignity to the common person and especially the Indian.

Moreover, this dignity is recognized by the bishop-elect when, as the head of the Church in Mexico, he publicly and personally accepts the tilma into his own private chapel and welcomes Juan Diego into his home. At this moment, all of Juan Diego's roles that had previously impeded his total participation in the Church after the conquest -- as an Indian, a convert, a layman, and a man of limited social significance -- are welcomed as having an important and decisive place in the Church and its mission of evangelization.

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love
by Carl Anderson, Eduardo Chavez

I Miss Scott Nehring!

Thanks. Just had to get that out of my system.

Some Very Good Advice: Duty Before Holiness

Just as I was feeling doomed to unwittingly stray away from God by following "good" inspirations that would end up negatively impacting my life or the lives of my loved ones, I came across a three-word nugget of wisdom that would end up being one of the most helpful pieces of advice I've ever heard:

Duty before holiness.

A must read from Jen at Conversion Diary.

This quote ranges a bit wider and applies to everyone a bit more than a similar one which I like from St. Francis of Rome.

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework.

We get the point though. It is tempting to be pulled away from everyday, mundane activities that are nevertheless of paramount importance: spouse, children, family, home. However, these are the places where God manifests Himself if we are striving to walk in Jesus' footsteps.

After all, let us not forget, Jesus spent all but three years of his life as a regular Joe, a carpenter with an everyday life in the back end of nowhere. If it's good enough for God, then it should be good enough for us.

Do People Still Cook? Michael Pollan's Answer Raises Hackles But I Think He is Right.

Just for a break from the usual controversial subjects that may be broached around here, let's take a look at the latest food world controversy. The upcoming movie Julie & Julia there has been an anticipatory swell of writing. I, personally, am looking forward to seeing Meryl Streep's take on Julia Child which is supposed to be really wonderful.

However, it prompted food writer and activist Michael Pollan to write a long, thoughtful article for the NY Times which has garnered some surprising response. Naturally, I have my own take on it as it dovetailed in with a conversation I had during the Beyond Cana retreat. Those who are interested will find it here at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

It's All Downhill from Here

A little something from Dr. Boli to brighten us as we move through the week.



I hear that Whole Foods is planning a return to their natural food roots. Now we can see the strength of their argument!

Those Aren't Fighting Words

“I don’t love you anymore. I’m not sure I ever did.”

His words came at me like a speeding fist, like a sucker punch, yet somehow in that moment I was able to duck. And once I recovered and composed myself, I managed to say, “I don’t buy it.” Because I didn’t.

He drew back in surprise. Apparently he’d expected me to burst into tears, to rage at him, to threaten him with a custody battle. Or beg him to change his mind.

So he turned mean. “I don’t like what you’ve become.”

Gut-wrenching pause. How could he say such a thing? That’s when I really wanted to fight. To rage. To cry. But I didn’t.

Instead, a shroud of calm enveloped me, and I repeated those words: “I don’t buy it.”

You see, I’d recently committed to a non-negotiable understanding with myself. I’d committed to “The End of Suffering.” I’d finally managed to exile the voices in my head that told me my personal happiness was only as good as my outward success, rooted in things that were often outside my control. I’d seen the insanity of that equation and decided to take responsibility for my own happiness. And I mean all of it.

[...]

I said: “It’s not age-appropriate to expect children to be concerned with their parents’ happiness. Not unless you want to create co-dependents who’ll spend their lives in bad relationships and therapy. There are times in every relationship when the parties involved need a break. What can we do to give you the distance you need, without hurting the family?”

“Huh?” he said.

An eye opening example of perspective, maturity, and love from this NY Times story. Also, though there is no mention of faith, to me this is a powerful example of covenantal love, giving your spouse 100% even when you are getting zero.

Via my dear Rita who, with her husband, brought Beyond Cana to our parish. She saw it at Faith & Family Live where Danielle Bean makes some good comments as well.

So now the air conditioner compressor is out at work

So now it looks as if the only place I have AC is in my car.

Really, I hate to have a whole building of people take it on the chin for the Beyond Cana retreat. It must be bearing fantastic fruit right now.

And I have something new to offer up. So ... if I live through it, then its all to the good!

Warm, but good.

Memo to Current Generation: Be Not Afraid. Keep Hope Alive.

More and more, we are hearing from people who might best be described as anti-birthers. Their claims have nothing to do with long- versus short-form Hawaiian birth certificates. Instead, they advance a simple proposition: that the birth of each additional American child is a kind of calamity for the environment.

You know when I see a WSJ op-ed titled American Babies Are Ruining Everything that I am going to stop and read it.

It is brief and I encourage you reading it, especially since I'm going to give a spoiler. I'll wait ...

Essentially, this is a summary of the creeping attitude we all know too well these days, especially if one is pro-life. Babies hurt the environment and make life harder for the rest of us so they are not really an occasion for celebration if one has more than two.

Tom blames Malthus. So do I. That Negative Nellie who predicted horrible things from overpopulation may have alerted us to the need for feeding the world better, but he left no positive message to look forward to after that. Later generations have taken his negativity and simply tweaked it to their own uses. The latest of these, of course, is the environment, which for many is elevated far beyond the original concerns of making sure that it can sustain life for all as it should (which I support so don't get all over me about this ... I recycle newspapers and suchlike). For many "the environment" as a cause has taken on religious undertones that make it equal in itself to human life.

Never have I been more happy to be Catholic. The Church understands and promotes stewardship of the earth but always with the understanding that human life, people, are the most precious of God's creations. Supporting man's dignity and right to life itself therefore trumps specious semi-scientific claims of environmental good in this case.

I find it interesting that in the age of technology, living more comfortably than any generation has, we also are more afraid than ever that our earthly comforts might diminish in some way. What has happened to the spirit of exploration and discovery that fueled some of man's greatest inventions? We have walked on the moon, looked at far away stars with the Hubble telescope, developed penicillin and other "wonder drugs" that extend life, built pyramids with little more than ingenuity, and so much more. Why now are we such a bunch of nay sayers, fearful of the future?

I was infused with the optimistic belief that man will overcome obstacles long before I became Catholic or even discovered that God does indeed exist. In the early years of our marriage, Tom turned me on to science historian James Burke's television series Connections and The Day the Universe Changed. At the time, the big science worry was the depletion of the ozone layer. I will never forget the mingled sense of relief and revelation that struck me as he calmly pointed out the many ways that we could continue to survive easily should such a thing occur ... with current technology. He went on to point out that many of our brightest minds would be busily working away on new inventions to solve both the problem and subsequent results. I felt a renewed optimism. "Why," I wondered, "had no one ever pointed this out to me before?"

We won't go into the various failures of news media on this point.

I just know that we have a spirit of pessimism these days. My grandparents enthusiastically hailed new inventions, even if it was just putting Tang, the breakfast of astronauts (!) on the table. The comparison between their view and that generally held these days is heartbreaking.

Now for the spoiler. Hopefully you've read the editorial in full.

I am pleased to see that there are still places where we can find proper perspective in national media.

The real answer, of course, is to have a little more faith in the creative powers of human beings. Given the freedom to grow and innovate, surely the same people who have licked polio, sent a man to the moon, and given us a revolution in information will sooner or later come up with new technologies that will provide for our energy needs while being friendlier to the environment.

The task is not without its challenges. But we’re not likely to get far with a “science” that defines the problem as American babies.

I turned to Tom yesterday morning and said ... (updated)

... "so now our air conditioner is broken and it's going to be 100 degrees today, my mother's got some old problems resurfacing, my father's health has taken a little downward slant, our Wall Street Journal wasn't delivered, our puppy has begun defecating on the patio again, and I couldn't sleep for three hours in the middle of the night ... again. Really? NOW is when we get all this? That's the best The Enemy can do? Now he's punishing us afterward?"

Tom laughed and nodded and said, "No kidding."

Let us add that yesterday afternoon we discovered that we may have to get a new furnace. Of course, that is a several thousand dollar investment which eventually comes to every long time home owner but the timing now is particularly bad. Of course.

And Rose had about 12 friends coming over for marathon movie watching and a friend's birthday celebration. (Never have I appreciated more the fact that our back room [where the television is] gets so little air conditioning that we have long had a little window unit. Let us thank God for hidden blessings. That was the one tolerable room in the house.)

Hey. At least I remembered to call my mother on Sunday and wish her happy birthday. I'll take the good where I can find it.

I sent some of this out in an email to the retreat team and had several people emailing back their experiences of backlash also.

We are used to taking hits from the very displeased Enemy before the retreat. Not just us, of course, but the entire team finds life is suddenly filled up and overflowing with troubles of many sorts before a retreat. We have learned to take it as a compliment, email each other that we are going to have "the best retreat ever," pray more than ever, and keep on going.

However, this is the first time that we've been hit so hard afterward.

Maybe it is a backlash of frustration. It does feel rather petulant.

There is no doubt that much good was worked by God through this retreat for the couples. In fact, there were even reports of a miracle or two.

I felt all weekend as if we were under a web of protection. Not the best way to put it perhaps. I could say "web" but to me there were no holes, it was a solid crystal sphere over us. As if angels were surrounding us, holding their wings out to keep anything external from entering the retreat. There was definitely more than one visible sign of God's love and power for us all.

You know what? If that's the price it takes, then I'm happy to take one for the team. Bring it.

Update:
Should have mentioned this sooner. This is just giving me more to offer up. So it's like a double whammy of "why bother?" Seriously. Do I need to point this out? Although smart isn't always what I hear applied to the Enemy.

Divorce Entrance Dance

You may find this spoof of the wedding dance video amusing. I know that I did. Via Kiwi Nomad.

The Senate Doctors' Show

Senator John Barrasso, M.D., and Senator Tom Coburn, M.D., are seeking your questions as Congress debates health care reform. We want you to be a part of this important debate. Send us your questions and comments by e-mail, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. Senators Barrasso and Coburn will respond to some of them in future episodes, which air every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 pm EST.

Fascinating. See their page with all past show links here.

Thanks to Terry for this, who as someone in the health biz knows a thing or two ... and also points out, "Sen. Coburn's bill deserves to be heard."

Thank you for your prayers

Victorian Couple Hand Tinted Photograph
via Victorian Paintings

The Beyond Cana retreat was really great. Eleven couples went away glowing with renewed love and their plans for improved marriages.

The experience of presenting the retreat is rewarding for us in so many ways. I am always reminded of how much I love the other couples on the team and how rewarding it is seeing their marriages grow richer. Also, I look at how many of them have young children and what they sacrifice in order to give to these other couples. It is a sacrifice that we don't have to make since our children are so much older ... and a real life example of how God takes it all and benefits both the giver and receiver. It keeps Tom and me grounded as well. The whole thing is a gift.

Many thanks to all who supported us in prayer. That support is essential and we appreciate it so much!

I finally watched that dancing wedding video that everyone has been linking to and talking about

(One last thing before I duck out for Beyond Cana.)

You know the video I mean, I am sure.

I very much fear that I must concur with the dear late queen on this subject.

"We are not amused."

One might rather say that we are actually appalled, although it might perhaps been a fine entrance to the ballroom for one's celebration after the nuptial ceremony. However, as a prequel to the sacrament of marriage, we would eschew such a demonstration in favor of keeping the focus on the sacrament that the couple is about to bestow upon each other. In these occasions, less is more.

Cheers,
QV and HC

Gone Retreatin' (and preppin')

Tomorrow our parish's Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreat begins. Tom and I are heavily involved in several aspects of this, both preparatory and presentational. I'll be out of touch until Monday or possibly Tuesday, depending on work, home, and everything.

For those who have sent me an email in the last couple of weeks to which I have not responded, I apologize. Vacation and retreat preparation have taken their toll. I will be linking and responding next week. Promise!

Any prayers offered for the success of the retreat will be much appreciated by everyone involved. Thanks y'all!

To Sit By An Open Window

To sit by an open window of a dark and quiet autumn night and hear in the sounds of distant traffic, the ebb and flow of the ocean (or the rushing water of a stream) is to displace oneself from all that is absolute, solid, identifiable and known, and to seek out the larger space that exists half in-reality and half in-perception. Half in heaven and half on earth. ...

Isn't that restful?

Read it all for a wonderful, meditative reflection from The Anchoress.

Believe it or not, I reference The Anchoress's writing fairly often in conversation. I have some friends who continually say that they don't like reading about politics so they don't read her blog.

I get it. I don't really care about reading about politics either.

However, by eschewing the whole, one misses these leaps that take us to another level spiritually. At least they take me there.

Even when writing about politics, one usually finds a The Anchoress exhibits greater spirit of charity than in the regular political writing. Sometimes she even combines politics and spiritual reflections. I know. Cool, right?

It's easy to skim the political writing in order to find the spiritual gems. Don't skip reading The Anchoress.

Oramus: For You We Pray

The essence of the Christian life is passing along God's love and blessings to those we find in our path. We love those with whom we live and work and play by sharing their daily lives, their joys and their trials. We love the needy in far off places through general prayer, and through contributions to those charities that aid them.

But how do we love and bless those in our own community that we do not know personally: those we see on the street, in the market, at the mall? Those who are well-dressed and well-fed, and in no obvious need? They, too, need the love and blessing of God. Some already have it; but what of those who do not know God? How, as Christians, can we love and bless them?

We Pray.

If asked, they would not accept our help; but through us they may receive the Lord's blessing. And some few might choose to ask what we are doing, and why; and perhaps they will learn to know God themselves.

This site really resonates with me. Perhaps because lately I have found myself looking at the faithful taking Communion while Thomas Merton's words echo through my head:

There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.

I do not take credit to myself for the sometimes overwhelming waves of love I feel for all the wide variety of people filing before my eyes. I feel this is the Holy Spirit giving me just a little taste of Jesus' overwhelming love for all of us. It is a glorious thing.

Oramus also put me in mind of The Anchoress's reflection upon praying for strangers which also wound around Merton's statement.

Oramus also has a blog which says there will be occasional posting. I am inclined to think that if all they ever posted was the excellent reminder to anonymously pray for our neighbors then that would be enough. Perhaps, again, because that is what I often find myself doing, all based on that really good prayer which I wrote about some time ago: Lord have mercy on me and bless (name/that person). Praying for our neighbors is an extension of that idea but without the impetus of an annoyance to kick start the process.

I like it.

I like it a lot.

The Facts About Overpopulation and Why it is a Myth

Simplified of course. For the facts behind the video, go to Overpopulation is a Myth.

Found at American Papist.

In the News ... Catholic Style

For those who don't get their Catholic news anywhere else (yes, there actually are a few, including Tom).

20 Awesome Prolife Democrats and 2 Tremendous Phonies

Twenty Democrats in the House of Representatives joined all but 9 Republicans last week in voting to defund Planned Parenthood in an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) to the Labor / HHS Appropriations Bill. The Amendment failed, but I'd like to share some information about these prolife Democrats, as well as some info on two betrayers who should have been among their number.

Catholic Key Blog, which I am liking more all the time, has the details.

Vatican defrocks key Medjugorje priest, threatens excommunication

In the decree of the Congregation [see circular 939/2008, dated 8 July 2008, from the Curia of Mostar] it was written that Fr. Vlašić was suspected of "heresy and schism" and accused of "spreading questionable doctrines, manipulation of consciences, suspect mysticism, disobedience to legitimate orders and violations contra sextum (against the sixth commandment, that is). This last accusation relates to an event in 1977 (therefore prior to the "apparitions"), already reported on the page "And the Gospa said, Thanks so much to Father Tomislav; he's guiding you so well." ...

The Holy Father, accepting the request of friar Tomislav Vlasic, O.F.M, member of the province of friars minor of St. Bernardino of Siena (L'Aquila), responsible for conduct harmful to ecclesial communion both in the spheres of doctrine and discipline, and under a censure of interdict, has granted him the favor of reduction to the lay state (amissio status clericalis) and of dismissal from the Order.

In addition, the Holy Father has granted the petitioner, motu proprio, the remission of the censure incurred as well as the favor of dispensation from religious vows and from all the responsibilities connected with sacred ordination, including celibacy.

It's all here. Via New Advent.

Pope confirms visit to Shroud of Turin; new evidence on shroud emerges

A recent study by French scientist Thierry Castex has revealed that on the shroud are traces of words in Aramaic spelled with Hebrew letters.

A Vatican researcher, Barbara Frale, told Vatican Radio July 26 that her own studies suggest the letters on the shroud were written more than 1,800 years ago.

She said that in 1978 a Latin professor in Milan noticed Aramaic writing on the shroud and in 1989 scholars discovered Hebrew characters that probably were portions of the phrase "The king of the Jews."

Castex's recent discovery of the word "found" with another word next to it, which still has to be deciphered, "together may mean 'because found' or 'we found,'" she said.

What is interesting, she said, is that it recalls a passage in the Gospel of St. Luke, "We found this man misleading our people," which was what several Jewish leaders told Pontius Pilate when they asked him to condemn Jesus.

She said it would not be unusual for something to be written on a burial cloth in order to indicate the identity of the deceased.

The whole scoop is here. Again via New Advent.

Back in the Groove

Back from the beach but not a lot to report.

We had a great time ... got to visit with Tom's many relatives ... were knocked around by very rough waves ... watched line after line after line of brown pelicans soar majestically overhead on their way to somewhere (I'm tellin' ya, they look just like pterodactyls when soaring overhead) ... got in the habit of doing a morning crossword puzzle (so much so that Tom bought his first app so he could get crosswords on his iTouch) ... ate fresh caught shark ... and I got a pair of flip flops that I love.

Now I am catching up at work and also getting ready for the Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreat next weekend (where Tom and I will be the Spiritual Directors ... prayers appreciated!).

So I will be blogging some but it will continue lightly for the rest of the week ... most likely.

A Must-Read Book for Anyone Interested in Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love by Carl Anderson (Author), Eduardo Chavez

Although I usually pay scant attention to Marian apparitions, ever since I first was exposed to the importance of the symbolism in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I have been interested in her. Briefly, as In Conversation With God (Vol 7: Feast Days, July-December) sums up: The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Tepayac hill near Mexico City on the 9th of December 1531 to ask for the construction of a church there in her honour. After the miraculous cure of his uncle, Bernardo, this Indian peasant brought to his Bishop some roses that he received from Our Lady as a sign of her request. As the flowers fell from his cloak to the ground before the astonished Prelate, the image of the blessed virgin, which is venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe to this day, was miraculously impressed on the simple garment before their eyes.

For the full scoop, you really must read this fascinating book which I was lucky enough to receive thanks to Random House. This book helped me see not only how well Our Lady spoke to the Indians in the past but also how she continues to carry a message of love, unity and hope for us today. Authors Carl Anderson, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Knights of Columbus, and Father Eduardo Chavez, one of the most renowned experts on the Guadalupe apparitions, trace the history of the apparition and explore her as an important catalyst for modern religious and cultural transformation.

What has impressed me most is how completely every bit of symbolism was tailored to speak to the Indians of the time. Here is an example.

After introducing herself, the Virgin revealed the reason for her appearance:

I want very much that they build my sacred little house here, in which I will show Him, I will exalt Him on making Him manifest, I will give Him to all people in all my personal love, Him that is my compassionate gaze, Him that is my help, Him that is my salvation. Because truly I am your compassionate Mother, yours and that of all the people that live together in this land, and also of all the other various lineages of men, those who love me, those who cry to me, those who seek me, those who trust in me.

The Virgin then explained to Juan Diego how she needed him to deliver her message to Friar Juan de Zumarraga, the head of the church in New Spain.

Within the context of European Catholicism, the first apparition makes poignantly clear the Virgin Mary's universal role as mother and her desire to bring all people closer to God through her loving intercession. Less obvious, though no less significant, is what the Virgin's request for the construction of a chapel would have meant to a learned Indian. For the Aztecs, the temple was more than a religious building and the establishment of a temple was more than a ceremonial religious occasion. So central was religion to Aztec culture that the temple was seen as the foundation of society. Historically, the construction of a new temple marked the inauguration of a new civilization. In fact, the Aztecs built the Templo Mayor in the years immediately following their migration to the Valley of Mexico, and the common Aztec glyph, or pictogram, for a conquered people was the depiction of a temple toppling over, sometimes in flames. Thus the Virgin's commission to Juan Diego was rich in meaning far beyond the construction of a building, and was made richer still by the fact that it had been given to an Indian.

This scholarly but accessible book has so very much more fascinating information that I am going to do a series of excerpts to help give you a sense of the book. I'll list them at the bottom of the review as they are posted. Especially interesting to those who have read much about Our Lady of Guadalupe will be the appendices which include a transcription of Juan Diego's testimony about his encounters with Mary.

My one criticism of the book is that there isn't a good reproduction of the image on the tilma in the book for us to use in considering all the symbolism being explained. The best image is on the cover and is mostly covered by the title and other such information. I encourage you to seek out an image to put with the book so you really appreciate the information being shared by the authors. However, that is one oversight in an otherwise excellent book. I am not quite finished but wanted to get this review out there as it is being published August 4.

Highly recommended.

Additional excerpts:

• More Than Flowers

One Last Thing, On the Way Out the Door ...

Reading Carolina Cannonball's announcement that she will be dropping her "Papist only" consideration of men to date, all I could think was, well it's about time.

If my husband had only dated Catholics I might still be a single agnostic wondering "what's it all about" as I wandered looking for my soul mate. It took marriage to this good man and God's use of our children to bring me to knowledge of Him and then of His Bride, the Church.

For all any single Catholic knows, God's been waiting for you to open your eyes to the fact that your true love is just waiting for conversion in addition to meeting their soul mate. I would think this is true for anyone whose faith is strong, just as is Carolina Cannonball's.

Zoe Has Met the Anti-Christ and It Was in the Kitchen

We couldn't help but notice Zoe's bad habit of hopping up to put her front legs on the kitchen counter and look around for anything tasty. Of course, we've been discouraging her, but the trick has possibly been done for us this morning while we were still abed.

She came racing in past our bed, ears back, tail tucked, to hide in the back of Tom's side of the bathroom. Investigation showed that the bottom of the salad spinner which had been securely lodged atop the dish drainer was now on the floor. Oh yes ... bad dog!

I showed her the instrument of doom later in the morning only to have her back away, nervously saying, "Hey man, let's not do anything we can't take back. Just put the spinner down ... "

I like it when the household utensils stick up for proper behavior.

Going to Galveston

Hence the latest watery theme for the blog.

However, I'll be leaving a few tidbits to pop up for y'all during the week. A few quotes, a little art, some other good blogs you might not know about.

I'll be around some although my challenge to myself is to see how long I can unplug. Which might be a real challenge considering that I have a few book reviews I want to do as well as some writing I promised to someone else. I can hand write all this in a notebook but somehow it never flows the way that typing into a computer does. So we shall see ...

Culture Crash ... Picking Up the Pieces Requires Sacrifice

With the Beyond Cana marriage retreat coming up, naturally marriage is much on my mind. My marriage (thankfully always good, in fact now the best it has ever been), marriages in distress for which I pray, and our culture's problems with marriage in general.

It is therefore very timely that Heather at CraftLit (podcast)brought up this Atlantic Monthly article with a good deal of dismay and not a little bewilderment. Heather is not naive. She understands what makes a good marriage and what makes them fall apart. It is the author's irreverent attitude perhaps that is bewildering. Entitled "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," the subhead reads merrily, "The author is ending her marriage. Isn’t it time you did the same?"

It is the ultimate modern viewpoint. Shallow and selfish. The exact opposite of what a good, not to mention sacramental, marriage is all about.

DarwinCatholic makes many of the points that I have already thought of so I will let you read it there. If you don't want to read the entire article, and it is very long, then just go to Darwin's place. He points out the salient parts for you to read.

Luckily, we need not despair because that is not a view that everyone has in the modern world. Here is an excellent piece from the equally excellent Art of Manliness blog: DIY Marriage Counseling. Please do go read it. And, of course, here's a bit to whet your appetite.

As it turns out, this bootstrapping mentality is not such a bad idea. A recent study found that reading research-based articles together as a couple, and applying the advice from those articles to your relationship was just as effective as attending a workshop or seminar.1 If you’re having serious problems in your marriage, you may need to see a therapist, but if you’re marriage simply needs some tuning up, here are some diy basics to read over with your spouse and start applying to your relationship.

Banish the Four Horsemen of Divorce

Dr. John Gottman, Ph.D. has been studying marriages in a lab at the University of Washington for 20 years. While many people think that what makes a happy or unhappy marriage is somewhat mysterious and divorce is hard to predict, he can watch a couple interact for only a few hours and then forecast with 91% accuracy whether or not they’ll end up divorcing. He’s not a fortune teller; he simply looks for telltale signs in the way the couple interacts and handles their disagreements. Those that display what he calls the “four horseman of the apocalypse” have a high likelihood for divorce. If a couple can identify and rectify these behaviors, the marriage can often be saved. So let’s take a look at what the four horsemen are.

Three More Chapters of Uncle Tom's Cabin ...

... for those UTC addicts out there, and they do exist, here is a long 'un with three chapters for you. In which we say goodbye to Eva ... wait, just let me get my hanky out ... ok, let's go ...

By the way, we've got a couple of spots open in our Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreat

It was full but as there have been a few who can't make it, as always happens when a couple is trying to arrange a weekend away from home.

If you're interested, the details are here (ignore the "full" notice ... we haven't had a chance to change it yet). This close to the retreat, it is open to nonparishioners as everyone from St. Thomas has had several months to sign up. Tom and I can testify that it has been a wonderful help to our marriage, which was already good to begin with.

Joshua: Staying Faithful to God

Continuing my reading of Joshua (begun here). I like the fact that Joshua has had the same choices in essence that we do still in our modern lives. Listen to God, do what He wants, and live ... or serve other gods and die. Some like Joshua perform spectacular feats while others of us live more anonymously, but it all boils down to that same choice made repeatedly.

... What Joshua has to say is very moving and it contains a message which is virtually the same as the one God gave him when Moses died (cf. 1:1-19)--an invitation to trust in the Lord and do everything his Law lays down. Promises and threats criss-cross in Joshua's insistence that the people must stay faithful to God if they are to retain the land he has given them. It is a very urgent exhortation--for those who heard it, and for Israelites at later times, particularly during the difficult test of the exile.

Joshua's own life was guided by that message. To start with, God gave him his instructions. Then as events unfolded Joshua could see for himself that what God said was indeed true: the Lord scattered enemies in his presence; he gave the people the promised land, and did everything he said he would. Joshua saw for himself that God gave success to those who did his bidding, and this made him keener still to be faithful to the Lord. ...

In the fullest way possible something similar happened with Jesus, whose life was a continuous striving to identify with his Father's will; from his infancy (cf. Lk 2:49) to the cross, what nourished him was doing the will of the One who sent him: "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Lk 22:42). And thus we see St. Paul placing Christ's example before all Christians: "Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, [...] humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him" (Phil 2:5-6, 8-9). That is also the route that Christ's followers should take--listening to his word and going along with the plans he has for each. Assimilating and putting this message into practice makes life meaningful. And one experiences the effectiveness of God's help, the more one bears witness of it to others.

Joshua 23:1-16
The Navarre Bible, Joshua - Kings

This finishes my journey through Joshua though I'll be beginning 2nd Peter soon and will share what I find there with y'all.

I never would have thought of this but the Senator makes an excellent point

We now record fetal heartbeats at 14 days post-conception. We record fetal brainwaves at 39 days post-conception. And I don’t expect you to answer this, but I do expect you to pay attention to it as you contemplate these big issues. We have this schizophrenic rule of the law where we have defined death as the absence of those, but we refuse to define life as the presence of those.

Sen.Tom Coburn,
speaking to Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor,
confirmation hearing, July 15, 2009

Via The Anchoress.

Literary Monster Mash-ups

Though I don't find myself drawn to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which began this trend or the above pictured combo, these upcoming titles do make me laugh.

Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter – subtitled She Loved Her Country; She Hated Demons - and I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas. "Marley was dead. Again," says its publisher Orion. "Will the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future be able to stop the world from drowning under a top-hatted and crinolined zombie horde?"

Who better to have alerted us to this trend than The Daily Kraken who doubtless is delighted at seeing his fellow monsters get their day in the sun.

Update:
Nick kindly came by to point out the trailer ... which I absconded with after laughing my head off.

Stir-Fried Spinach

Take a forkful over at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Critique in Haiku

Not exactly challenged by Mike Aquilina, nevertheless I was intrigued by his joke that the next step after my short WSJ letter was ... haiku.

Here goes nuttin':

Author shows bad thought
Expecting road map from pope
Truth is in our hearts

From Aaron to Zuzim, It's Covered in This Catholic Concordance

Update: This post has only been showing about half the actual entry. If it didn't make much sense when you first dropped by please give it another look-see.

I am truly impressed by this concordance. The editors' goal was to make it accessible to everyone and it seems as if they hit their goal, since I would be the "everyday Jane" who has never seen a concordance until this one landed on my doorstep. In fact, I had to look up the definition of a concordance to see how well this book did or didn't match expectations: "an alphabetical index of the principal words in a book or the works of an author with their immediate contexts."

Here is an example so you can see how a listing looks. Keep in mind that the main word is indicated with the capital letter that begins the word. You'll see what I mean here...

HANGS (3)
Job 26:7 over the void, and H the earth upon nothing
Is 33:23 Your tackle H loose; it cannot hold the mast
Gal 3:13 be every one who H on a tree" --

This is a really short listing. The longest one that Tom and I found was for "King" which took 47 pages. Yes, you read that right. 47 pages.

It seems exhaustively researched and will be a true asset for anybody who needs a good way to look up words and cross-references in the Bible. The books and verse references for each word are easy to see and it is actually pretty interesting to find places where a particular word is used frequently that we might not expect. In this way, it opens up the Bible to the casual browser as well as the serious researcher. This is the first and only concordance for the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition of the Bible.

Features:

• An alphabetical listing of every word in the RSV-CE
• Over 15,000 words and 300,000 entries
• Entries show context for easy comparison of verses
• Passages listed for both the first and second editions of the RSV-CE
• Allows swift location of passages on any topic

It's All Downhill from Here

A little midweek humor instruction, courtesy of Dr. Boli who explains some of the common regulatory signs, which are usually square or rectangular, white in color, with black lettering and red symbols.

Phenakistoscopes Prohibited During Rush Hour

Phenakistoscopes and other distractions cause backups or worse when traffic is heavy. Use phenakistoscopes responsibly, and put them away during rush hour.

Dr. Boli earns my sincere thanks for introducing me to the phenakistoscope, of which I was ignorant until now. I will promptly acquire one so that I may then put it away at the regulated times.

Economics Isn't Jesus's Main Focus: My Letter to the WSJ (and some other good links)

Now there was a surprise when Tom held out this morning's editorial section of The Wall Street Journal. My letter, which I had forgotten, was published. True, it was edited and tidied up some but Tom said it read well and I certainly like a newspaper which has the guts to print Jesus' name in a letter header. Isn't it sad that such a thing can be considered gutsy these days? Tom pointed out that they undoubtedly received more letters on the subject and said that mine was chosen to represent all those viewpoints in the national newspaper with the largest subscription rate in the country.

Gee, I was already proud. Now I'm insufferably proud.

It may have been edited because my opening sentences were rather condemnatory, possibly needlessly so now that I read it over again. Then again it may have been a space issue as there were two long but very interesting letters from much more famous people than I. One was by Lawrence S. Eagleburger (secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush) about nuclear policy. Fascinating and you should go read it.

The other from Wang Baodong (Spokesman, Chinese Embassy, Washington), began:

The Chinese government and people are very much displeased with the Journal's decision to publish Rebiya Kadeer's "The Real Story of the Uighur Riots" (op-ed, July 8), which is full of political lies and separatist rhetoric that are schemed to mislead the American public.

Honestly, after such an opening paragraph that is chock full of its own sort of rhetoric, one simply sits back and prepares to enjoy the show. It was spectacular I must admit. I do encourage you to go read the lengthy missive which is designed to leave one standing at attention, singing the Chinese anthem.

At any rate, here is my letter with the edited material in brackets. As I say, they edited it nicely though I would have wished for a bit more of an intro to the subject. However, let us not look a gift horse in the mouth.

[Tyler Cowden's article, Vaticanomics: The Holy Father Tackles Globalization, does not examine the encyclical in-depth as much as to expose Cowden's own lack of intellectual development.

One is always wise to consider the source and the intended results of a work before excoriating them. Cowden apparently did neither. True enough, Pope Benedict XVI did not set forth the tightly focused global economic plan that Cowden apparently was awaiting as a blueprint for a better future.] True to his master's calling (that would be Jesus Christ, in case Cowden needs a refresher), Pope Benedict instead is calling for a change in men's hearts and minds so that they themselves may reflect their inward spiritual growth outward for positive change in their own societies. This is the goal that has always been set forth for every Christian. Likewise Cowden's sneers about China and India being ignored show his lack of understanding that the pope holds these goals for "all men of good will," meaning the entire world.

Jesus did not preach against slavery or the Roman government's economic plan, and then put forth a blueprint for men to achieve economic gains. He was after something more ethereal and infinitely more precious, men's hearts and souls. Thus Pope Benedict follows in Jesus' footsteps in his encyclical. It is both sad and telling that Cowden expected otherwise. He would do well to read and reflect upon Father Sirico's editorial, "The Pope on Love in Truth," in your own publication, which reminds those who need it that "to this pope's mind, there is no just or moral system without just and moral people."

As I say, there will be no living with me now!

Editorial focus aside, here are some other great articles that I enjoyed this morning:

• Prime Time for Steak Lovers: High-end beef that was once available only at steak houses and expensive restaurants is increasingly showing up in retail butcher cases.


• Software That Makes Twitter So Much Tweeter: Twitter messaging can be improved by employing software programs that customize it and require little work on the part of the user


• The Tragedy of Michael Jackson: The self-proclaimed King of Pop was nobody's victim.


• Spun: The Off-the-Wall Accounting of Record Sales: Confusion over songs versus albums and scant historical data have inflated record-sales tallies for Michael Jackson and other pop superstars.


• Teaching Kids About Money the Hard Way: Stricter bank policies and a new credit-card law are making it harder to raise financially independent young adults, and encouraging parents to interfere with—and even bail out—their kids.


• Weighing the Price and Value of Colleges: Old dreams of children earning degrees from elite colleges are falling away in favor of a new pragmatism as families face shrunken savings and borrowing options.