Worth a Thousand Words: Monk Parakeet

Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) in the Ibera Marshes, Argentina on 2 April 2006
via Wikipedia

Just a little something to continue yesterday's theme of our new neighbors.

What's Goin' On ...

A few little things that I wanted to share ... and they just might add up to a blog post.

Two Great Podcasts - Myths of Ancient Greece and Legends of King Arthur
Paul Vincent began retelling the Greek myths to his children and then, luckily for us, he began recording them for a podcast, Myths and History of Ancient Greece. Now that he's finished the myths and begun on Greek history, he has begun a new podcast about Legends of King Arthur and His Knights. When those are done he'll follow them up with the corresponding British history.

These are great not only for the entire family but for adults as well. Paul Vincent's storytelling style brings a smile to my face because he manages to communicate so much, so simply but so well. If you have any interest in either subject, give these a try. Get them through iTunes or the links above.

Vocation is a Lack of Obstacles
Scott mentioned this to me once and I think it is a valid criteria. Certainly, we were all wondering what the deciding element would be to whether Rose stays in L.A. for a while. Until a couple of days ago, we were planning to drive out and help her move when her lease was up in August. That was all any of us had to go on in the fluctuating world of free lance work, apartment leases, and week-to-week uncertainty.

Then, suddenly, within a few days everything began to fall into place. Free lance work lined up for several months, a friend in need of living quarters replaced a departing roommate ... and so forth and so on. Ok, that's not vocation. But it certainly was an answer to prayer about "a sign, Lord, any sign..." and so we will not be driving across Death Valley in August (which I take to be another very good sign).

The Stars My Destination and Alfred Bester
I was telling my mother that Scott and I recorded our Demolished Man podcast this morning and we began talking about Alfred Bester's novels. As I've mentioned on the podcast, I read them because my parents had them sitting around the house when I was a kid. Which always seems to surprise people. Hey, my parents were sf fans from waaay back...

My mother told me that she keeps a copy of The Stars My Destination in her purse. Whenever she's stuck in a line she pulls it out to read. And when she gets to the end, she begins it again. She said that there's so much in there, you always see something new each time around.

Love it! I want to be like my mom when I'm her age.

My New Favorite Pen
I was picking up some yarn at a craft store and happened across the sketching section. I'm always looking in vain for a decent pen and suddenly realized that if there would be one anywhere, it should be here. I found Paper Mate InkJoy pens and I must say they are a smooth, satisfying writing experience.

Juvenile Grackles
Morning walks are extra fun these days because there are lots of juveniles out and about. Slender, skittering robins, mockingbirds, squirrels, and more can be seen everywhere. A special favorite of mine are the young grackles who are seen squawking, fluttering wings, and opening mouths wide to their mothers ... who are unconcernedly grabbing food and using it to entice the babies to feed themselves. After an attempt has been made, mom stuffs something into the wide open mouth, flutters somewhere nearby, and the whole routine begins again. It makes me smile every time.

Speaking of Squawking - Monk Parakeets / Quaker Parrots
I have mentioned before that we have wild parrots living near the neighborhood, thanks to nearby White Rock Lake. We were charmed this weekend that some were spending time in the neighbor's tree. I wondered if perhaps there were a nest and hatchlings. A few days later and we are considerably less charmed with the continual squawking. Flying, roosting, eating, or whatever ... all seem to require a lot of conversation. Tom feels as if our outdoors has turned into a large pet shop since the noise is reminiscent of one. However, I still enjoy trying to see if there's a nest up in that live oak tree. I can't think of any other reason that some of them would suddenly settle down there.

Lord Hear Our Prayer

This week's prayer requests are originally posting on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus so it is appropriate we consider her headlong obedience to God as we pray.

Stained glass depiction of Jesus and His Most Sacred Heart, in Germany.
via Wikipedia

Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of your well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto you in the name of sinners. In your great goodness, grant pardon to those who seek your mercy, in the name of the same your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, world without end.

Thanks and gratitude for:

• A husband who plans dates and who shows me in many ways that he loves me as I am.
• The love shown through careful selection of gifts for my birthday ... it really is the thought that counts.

Lord, hear our prayers for:

• My mother in law, who is patiently suffering the ravages of old age and ill health
• Newborn baby Lazarus, suffering from dire health problems
• Pat the Protestant's friend, whose surgery for lung cancer has not improved the situation.
• Pat's friend's mom who is going into palliative care.
• Pat's friend with two elderly female wolves, one of whom is in her last days. "My friend loves both the old girls very much. Please pray for both wolves, the sick one and the one about to lose her sister who has been her lifelong companion, and my friend."

Continual prayer intentions ...

• For our government officials to have a change of heart and uphold our right to religious liberty
• An end to abortion and a reverence for life in all stages of age and health.
• Our priests and for vocations
• Abortion providers, Lord open their eyes and hearts
• Strength, joy and peace for oppressed Christians in China, Asia, and the Middle East. Also that their oppressors may have their eyes opened to the truth. And for all those oppressed, actually.

Something I'm Reading: America , The Last Best Hope (Vol. I) by William J. Bennett

America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1: From the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William J. Bennett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is just what I wanted. An American history that is even-handed and thorough, yet doesn't bog me down so I can never get the overall gist (such as telling all the details of every campaign that was fought during the French-Indian wars).

Also it is so clearly written and engaging that it is my breakfast reading and I often have to hurry through my remaining routine because I was too caught up in the book to keep track of time.

A few things I have learned about American history:

• I already knew that John Paul Jones "had not yet begun to fight." What I didn't realize was that the scrappy Scotsman took the naval fight to the British during the Revolution. Yes, believe it or not, he was attacking British towns! Now that is spunk!

• An incident and quote I'd never heard: When Benjamin Franklin witnessed a hot air balloon ascension in Paris, one of the witnesses asked him what practical use it was. "The most practical man on earth answered simply: "What is the use of a new-born baby?"

• I never realized that slavery was a big issue from the founding of our country onward. I mean to say, I knew it was a big issue coming up to the Civil War, but somehow when they're teaching kids about their country's history they don't start out talking about how the Founding Fathers had to make concessions right from the start so the states would all band together into a country. Fascinating and it makes a sad underlying theme to our country's first 100 (almost) years.

• Andrew Jackson was already on my black books for his treatment of the Cherokee Nation and rejection of the Supreme Court when they tried to enforce fair treatment as per their judgment. (Didn't he coin the phrase, "You and what army?" Followed by, "Oh, right. I have the army.") Then I read how he sent the country into the Panic of 1837 because of his unreasoning hatred of the Bank of the United States, followed by his destruction of same. He had to go through two secretaries of the Treasury before appointing Roger B. Taney ... who we will hear from later for further infamy. Then Jackson left Martin Van Buren holding the bag. I now only have one good thing to say about Jackson which was that the "shoot" in his eyes allowed for no breaking up of the Union, even though he was sympathetic to the slave holders.

• Frederick Douglass -- who knew this guy was such a fire eater? Wow! I knew of his famous book which is one I mean to read someday. But he's in there mixing it up, refusing to back down, even teaching President Lincoln that although a black colony in South America sounds like a progressive, good idea, it is actually just as bad as slavery since these black men are Americans and have the right to live in their homeland. He was such a brilliant logician that he'd leave no one with a leg to stand on.

• I already admired Abraham Lincoln as a hero. I now can admire his powerful intellect, diplomacy, and good heart even more. I am struck more and more by the similarities between the fight against slavery and the current day fight against abortion. I especially liked this argument from his debates with Stephen Douglas:

  "Although volume upon volume has been written to prove slavery a very good thing, we never hear of the man who wishes to take the good of it by being a slave himself."

• Raised a Kansan, it was a shock to move to Texas and hear the Confederacy justified by the argument of "states' rights." This was a new idea and one I didn't cotton to, though I grew resigned to hearing about it. Now having raised a generation of Texans, this argument still comes up (yes folks the Civil War can still start arguments between family members). So this was fascinating and also made me laugh.

  The most important aspects of the Confederate constitution were, however, less obvious. For a movement that claimed states' rights, their constitution allowed no state the right to emancipate slaves. No state could even be admitted to the Confederacy from the old Union unless it agreed to maintain slavery always. And, a stunning development: the drafters of this constitution debated and emphatically rejected a passage that would have recognized a right of a state to secede from this Confederacy.

-- I'm about 2/3 of the way through so will probably have more revelations as I go --

Worth a Thousand Words: Straight on to Altair, Fellas.

Straight on to Altair, fellas. Make it so.

Rose has a fondness for only showing half her face on Facebook. When taxed with this (by many more people than just me), she obliged with this gem.

Question

I've been asked if I know of any Scripture where two tribes each go up to the top of two different mountains and pray/lament in a sort of call-and-response method.

I have no clue and quick searches aren't turning anything up.

In case any of our learned group knows, I'm passing the question on!

In which Doan and Carstairs rejoin the tourists ... and the plot thickens.

Chapter 9 of The Mouse in the Mountain by Norbert Davis is ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics.

The Restless Flame by Louis de Wohl

The Restless Flame by Louis De Wohl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Having dropped The Brothers Karamazov and realizing I will have to resort to Cliff Notes before my book club meets in August (there's a first time for everything), I am moving on to the next BIG BOOK they chose. The Confessions by St. Augustine.

Now I love St. Augustine. He is my first "saint pal" so to speak. However, I've tried several times to read The Confessions and always gotten bogged down in the early pages. (I must add this was not due to the book itself but to the fact that I got tired of Augustine going on and on about his tutor beating him when he was young.) As I was girding my mental loins for the prospect of throwing myself into the fray again, a Goodreads' friend recommended one of Louis de Wohl's Christian historical fictions.

I tried de Wohl some time ago and found it very simple. Certainly nothing to match my beloved Samuel Shellabarger or Kenneth Roberts. Not even on the par of such Christian historical fiction as The Robe, Ben Hur, or Quo Vadis. (I now believe that perhaps I read one of his books written for younger readers.)

However, I checked out the beginning pages of the recommended book on my Kindle and found that it was more complex and interesting than my long ago sample about Helen and the cross, if I recall correctly. At any rate, in an attempt to get in the mood for The Confessions, I got The Restless Flame from the library and have been enjoying the way de Wohl brings Augustine, Monica, and others to life. This was enhanced by the fact that, having read Saints Behaving Badly I know that Augustine's steadfast friend, Alypius, was a real person who had to fight a serious addiction to blood sports. And so this makes it ring even more true.

The middle of the book was rather slow as it centered around Augustine's philosophy, teaching, and rhetoric of Manichaeism. But such was Augustine's life so I can't really complain about that. It was rather inspiring to see how seriously these young men took the search for Truth and philosophy. I really looked forward to the part where Augustine and Ambrose met. The author surprised me on that bit but seeing how Ambrose stood his ground against the emperor's mother was a treat. This book was thought provoking, stretched me mentally as I jumped with Alcypius behind Augustine from one philosophical concept to the next, and inspired me in its depiction of Monica and Augustine overall.

I've seen many people saying that de Wohl's books are really just for young adults. I'm not sure that is the case. True, this one isn't 600 pages with exhaustive details of Roman, Carthaginian, Milanese, and African living at the time. But that isn't always needed to get a good feel for a person. This one gave this fully adult reader just what was needed.

Blogging Around: The "You Don't Know What You Think You Know" Edition

THE MISUNDERSTOOD POSSUM

For years, I’ve thought that opossums — or possums, as most people call them — receive a bad rap because they’re not as cute and cuddly as, say squirrels or raccoons. I’ve known of people killing them just because they don’t like possums.

The Imperfect Gardener has a good piece about how possums rid your property of pests and other facts you might not know about them. I never minded them but once I discovered that they enjoy eating cockroaches, I gave them carte blanche to help themselves! (Via Hannah on Facebook)

THE CONTRADICTIONS THAT MAKE UP OUR LIVES

I’m confronted by a great deal of grand and worthy ambition from this student body. You want to be a politician, a social worker. You want to be an artist. Your body’s ambition: Mulch. Your body wants to make some babies and then go in the ground and fertilize things. That’s it. And that seems like a bit of a contradiction. It doesn’t seem fair. For one thing, we’re telling you, “Go out into the world!” exactly when your body is saying, “Hey, let’s bring it down a notch. Let’s take it down.”

And it is a contradiction. And that’s actually what I’d like to talk to you about. The contradiction between your body and your mind, between your mind and itself. I believe these contradictions and these tensions are the greatest gift that we have, and hopefully, I can explain that.

[...]


I talk about this contradiction, and this tension, there’s two things I want to say about it. One, it never goes away. And if you think that achieving something, if you think that solving something, if you think a career or a relationship will quiet that voice, it will not. If you think that happiness means total peace, you will never be happy. Peace comes from the acceptance of the part of you that can never be at peace. It will always be in conflict. If you accept that, everything gets a lot better.

A fascinating commencement address from Joss Whedon. I believe it says much about why he is a good storyteller. (Via Scott Danielson.)

SHUNNING CULTURAL CATHOLICS ... AND ... TWO ATHEISTS WHO CHANGED THEIR MINDS

I have a friend who left the Church because once a priest told her in an unfriendly way that she could not be Catholic and pro-choice. Not, mind you, that she couldn’t receive communion, but that she wasn’t Catholic. This is the problem. The message my friend received wasn’t, hey you know the Church’s teaching on life is beautiful, you should come and learn more about why she teaches this. It was, get out, you aren’t welcome. Now I wasn’t there and I didn’t hear the exact words the priest used, but whatever was said, the effect wasn’t one of evangelization, you know?

Melanie Bettinelli at The Wine Dark Sea has an interesting post considering the way some Catholics can look down their noses at others. She links this with a couple of recent testimonials from atheists who were surprised to find themselves engaged in civil, thoughtful conversation with Catholics.

When I came to this subreddit to post the question, I expected some insightful answers but also some nasty comments. What I got instead was insightful and patient answers to my questions as well as an outpouring of a highly intelligent, well thought-out theological discussion/debate amongst Catholics whom I was surprised to find out did not share a monolithic view of Catholicism. It was so much more than I had hoped.

My overall comment is this: it comes down to good manners.

If we are able to keep candid comments to ourselves and politely try to address things we don't agree with, the world becomes a better place. Certainly our efforts are be better received than if we lash out.

What is the point of winning if others are left with such bad feelings that they will never listen again? The truth is, then we have actually lost.

I often think of my grandparents as I try to moderate my own ill-mannered ways. They were always polite, always cheerful, and if they disagreed with something they just went ahead and addressed it in a practical fashion as best they could. All without causing a lifetime of hurt feelings. No wonder everyone loved them.

They are my role models.

I was already coming to this conclusion and then I read How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice by Austen Ivereigh.

I'll review this next week.

Here's the short version.

Every Catholic should read this book. Period.

And if we did what this book says, there would be fewer surprised atheists and more Catholics who've been attracted to live their faith in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

This Solemnity goes back to the thirteenth century. It was first established in the diocese of Liége, and Pope Urban IV instituted it in 1264 for the whole Church. The meaning of this feast is the consideration of and devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The center of the feast was to be, as Pope Urban IV described it, a popular devotion reflected in hymns and joy. In the same year Saint Thomas Aquinas, at the Pope's request, composed for this day two Offices which have nourished the piety of many Christians throughout the centuries. In many different places the procession with the Monstrance through specially bedecked streets gives testimony of the Christian people's faith and love for Christ, who once again passes through our cities and towns. The procession began in the same way as the feast itself.

In places where the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood is not observed as a holy day of obligation, it is kept on the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day.

For many years God fed manna to the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. This was an image and symbol of the pilgrim church and of each individual who journeys towards his or her definitive homeland -- Heaven. That food given in the desert of Sinai is a figure of the true food, the Holy Eucharist. This is the sacrament of the human pilgrimage ... Precisely because of this, the annual feast of the Eucharist that the Church celebrates today contains within its liturgy so many references to the pilgrimage of the people of the Covenant in their wanderings through the wilderness (John Paul II)....

Today is a day of thanksgiving and of joy because God has wanted to remain with us in order to feed us and to strengthen us, so that we many never feel alone. The Holy Eucharist is the viaticum, the food for the long journey of our days on Earth towards the goal of true Life. Jesus accompanies us and strengthens us here in this world, where our life is like a shadow compared to the reality that awaits us. Earthly food is a pale image of the food we receive in Holy Communion. The Holy Eucharist opens up our hearts to a completely new reality.

In Conversation With God Vol 6
Daily Meditations, Special Feasts: January - June

Some excellent historical information can be found at The Way of the Father about this feast and about the reality for the Church from the beginning.

Deathworld by Harry Harrison

You know those pulp sf stories you discovered when young?

And then got your kids to read because you knew they'd just love them?

And then were surprised by their comments about the plotting, motivation, and thinness of some of the characters? Which were right on target?

Yeah ... that's what we've got here with Rose's review of Deathworld. Which made me laugh several times.

Still, what is character development in the face of carnivorous plants, poisonous animals, murderous bacteria, and the perpetual threat of volcanic eruptions? I’m not going to read a book called Deathworld for characters talking about their feelings.

Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What does it say that my first act upon opening this book was to look for what month is it? How close is the asteroid? Obviously, I've opted into Ben H. Winters' trilogy which began with The Last Policeman.

The Concord police department has been shut down by the federal Justice Department so Hank Palace is out of a job. Until, that is, an old friend asks him to help find her husband. In a world where going "Bucket List" is common there are very few ways to track someone down. There are no phones, no internet, and society is hanging on by a thread. Naturally, Hank can't turn down this plea and so he sets off to see what favors he can trade for information and access to some very dangerous areas.

Holy mackerel, what a fantastic second book! I don't usually get to say that so it is a particular pleasure to have loved this book so much.

It grabbed my attention in the beginning with a highly atypical sort of detail that communicated a lot to me, as a Catholic, about the wife.

Hung above the dresser is a small tasteful painting of Christ crucified. On the wall of the bathroom, next to the mirror, is a slogan in neat block all-capital letters: If you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze!

"Saint Catherine," says Martha, appearing beside me in the mirror, tracing the words with her forefinger. "Isn't it beautiful?"

[...]

"This may seem like an obvious question," I say, when I'm done writing down her answers. "But what do you think he might be doing?"

Martha worries at the nail of her pinky. "I've thought about it so much, believe me. I mean, it sounds silly, but something good. He wouldn't be off bungee jumping or shooting heroin or whatever."...

"He'd be doing something, like, noble," Martha concludes. "Something he thought was noble"

I smooth the edges of my mustache. Something noble. A powerful thing to think about one's husband, especially one who's just disappeared without explanation.

It not only tells us about Martha and her trust in her husband, it sets us up to fear that he won't live up to that perfect faith. All done in less than a page. Nicely done.

Also, the author wasn't condescending about it. That is refreshing.

Ben Winters did a masterful job of making me intensely interested in the mystery. Simultaneously he showed some of the odd ways American society has mutated because of the impending asteroid strike. His single-minded hero forges ahead despite all obstacles because that's the only way he knows to tackle his problems.

I really enjoyed the fact that the characters seem very real. I was intensely anxious, for example, about Hank's dog, Houdini, when he took him along to infiltrate a college campus that has become an anarchist encampment. When Houdini is held hostage unless Hank returns within a specific time period, Hank (and I) became obsessed with getting back on time. And the result? Completely unexpected by Hank (or me). But absolutely typical and perfect. It was at this point that I tipped my hat to Mr. Winters.

This trilogy is shaping up to be a real classic for both the science fiction and mystery genres. I am looking forward with great anticipation to the end of the world, as seen by Detective Palace. The Last Detective and Countdown City are both going on my Best of 2013 list.

An Amazon Vine book, review copy.

Worth a Thousand Words:

Jules Bastien-Lepage,Les Enfants pêcheurs, 1878
via Wikipedia

21 Ways to Worship by Vinny Flynn

21 Ways to Worship: A Guide to Eucharistic Adoration by Vinny Flynn

How do I pray using the photos? I just look at them. "Prayer," wrote St. Therese, "is a surge of the heart." I just look at the pictures, one by one, and let my heart surge to God for each person. A photo captures much of the essence of a person. As I gaze at each photo, the person it represents becomes present to me, complete with personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, memories, conversations, needs, etc.

Sometimes actual words of prayer come to mind and are offered; sometimes there are no words. Essentially, I am simply lifting each person up to God in whatever way and for whatever period of time seems called for. It varies from day to day.

"21 Ways to Worship" is chock-full of practical ways like this to lift your heart to God. The 21 ways each have their own short chapter where Flynn explains an approach, sometimes including his personal experiences, sometimes including a prayer he has written, and often including scripture or a quote from a spiritual master.

Although the book is written to help direct an hour of Eucharistic adoration (prayer in front of the Eucharist), you can use these ideas and techniques any time to help your prayer life. In fact, I often forgot that the direction of the book was toward adoration. I'd come away from a chapter thinking about my experience with a particular approach in prayer. That is not to say that Flynn is not focused on Adoration. It is just a wonderful reminder that prayer is always conversation with God. Adoration is conversation with God right at His feet in the Eucharist.

I particularly enjoyed the art that headed each chapter. I only wish that they would have been made larger so that I could have made out the details more easily on some of the complex pieces. They provided yet another way to lift our hearts and minds to God in worship.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy Flynn's corny headlines quite as much. I realize they are included to pull the reader in and make them more comfortable. I think my tolerance decreased as the book went on because each chapter was so short that the next chapter head was continually popping up. Your milage may vary. They didn't detract enough to keep me from reading the book and the rest of each chapter was not corny, thankfully, but well written.

BOOK GIVEAWAY
This review is part of a blog tour. Check the link to see what other bloggers have said about "21 Ways to Worship."

The publisher has very generously provided a free copy of "21 Ways to Worship." It will be given away on June 6, 2013.

Just make a comment to be entered in the drawing!

Star Trek Into Darkness

We enjoyed it a lot although I wished it were smarter and my world was not rocked by some things which I don't want to spoil for anyone.

Plus, I see that Amy H. Sturgis's world was rocked by some of those things, sooooo ... I won't say either of us is wrong, but that we have different taste in our Star Trek reboots. And I'm ok with that. Totally.

I'd been saving Amy's post until I'd seen the movie and it is well worth reading. For one thing her footnotes (yes, she has footnotes and I loved them) are worth the price of admission for those of us who love the Sherlock Holmes reboot featuring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Most of all I love this from her post (which doesn't ruin anything):

I'd watch the spin-off series of Captain Sulu, Intergalactic Badass.

Amen.

Also, Karl Urban - we want more, we want more! What the heck J.J. Abrams?!

No matter what, this movie is great fun and I endorse it wholeheartedly.

Ladies, you may be interested to know: the first moment when we see Benedict Cumberbatch in his bad-ass black duster ... swoon-worthy. I'm just sayin'...

Blogging Around: The "That's Good Stuff" Edition

Some of these may be a bit old (meaning they didn't come out yesterday), but they are good food for thought no matter when we read them. Do click through to the links as I'm just giving excerpts of any quoted material.

THE GIFT OF LIFE
Archbishop Timothy Dolan minces no words. Thank goodness.

The Gosnell trial focused our nation’s attention on something it has been avoiding for decades — the essential cruelty of abortion.

So, you would think we could now finally start speaking openly and with common sense about abortion, seeking ways to limit it, discussing creative alternatives.

Apparently, though, that’s not as easy as it sounds.

Instead, we see the President of the United States attending a gala event and toasting Planned Parenthood. Interestingly, the President never mentioned the word “abortion”, but instead praised Planned Parenthood for their work for “women’s health”. But make no mistake — Planned Parenthood may hide behind the term “women’s health”, but their business is really abortion. They do over 300,000 abortions every year, a great number of which are paid for by taxpayers. And they oppose any and all reasonable regulations of abortion, or even discussion about it.

We also have the threat of an expansion of abortion here in New York, under the rubric of “women’s equality”. ...

DON PINO: the most important beatification of the early 21st century
I recall all of us stuck in a hotel room several years ago. Some cable channel had on a history of the Mafia in Sicily and we were simultaneously rapt and horror struck. I somehow thought this was a thing of the recent past, not continuing to the point where a priest would be murdered in 1993 for challenging the Mafia's reign of terror. Therefore, I paid more attention than I might normally when John Allen wrote about the upcoming beatification of Italian Fr. Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi, to be recognized as a martyr in a Mass celebrated in Palermo on the island of Sicily on May 25.

He understood he was playing with fire. Members of a social improvement group in his parish found the doors of their houses torched and got menacing phone calls. Puglisi himself received multiple death threats and, according to the testimony of one of his hit men (who later confessed), Puglisi's last words were: "I've been expecting you."

As it happened, Puglisi was gunned down on his 56th birthday. Visitors to Brancaccio today can find his favorite saying scrawled all over its walls: "And what if somebody did something?"

I realize by the time this post goes up, May 25 will be a past event. C'est la vie!

THE MAN BEHIND THE BOOTH, FINALE
Joseph Susanka has been running a ongoing series of conversations with Christopher “C.K.” Kubasik, creator and writer of The Booth at the End. The entire thing is worth reading but this final part is just loaded with good stuff about story writing and humanity. Kubasik goes from Tolkien to Walter Kerr (the source of the quote below) to Macbeth and beyond. No wonder The Booth at the End is so enthralling.

We are fascinated by something [violent] that is real. We are repelled because it is real. Whatever charity we may having in us, whatever sense of the ugly, whatever awareness that the victim is a person like ourselves, casts a veil over the event—over our clear sight of the event. Because we are humane, we deny ourselves a direct vision.

Our art forms are often concerned to show us with clarity those events that are much too tremendous to be seen clearly in life. Intense passions, at close range, involves us too much; in the theater we may watch it without direct involvement which obscures its meaning. The larger the event, the more likely we are to lose hold of it in life, and the more necessary it becomes for the theater to seize and shape it for us. If the greatest plays of the past are plays in which characters tear out their own eyes or one another’s eyes, in which characters kill or are killed, in which sons turn violently upon their mother or husbands upon their wives, it is not because the audience once asked for cheap stimuli but because audiences did ask to have their experience, their clear knowledge of life, enlarged.

CHANGE: OPPORTUNITY, NOT TRAGEDY
I've been reading science fiction writer Orson Scott Card's weekly column for some time online at The Rhinocerous Times, Greensboro's local newspaper. Titled Uncle Orson Reviews Everything, it covered whatever caught Card's attention. Toilet paper, movies, local restaurants, whatever. I didn't always agree with him but I loved reading him.

Times being what they are, I was saddened to see a few weeks ago that the newspaper has closed up shop. However, times being what they are, the feedback to this news has opened an exploration of new opportunity.

Card's column talking about the opportunity is worth reading whether you are interested in the newspaper or not. He talks about the nature of change, the reasons for it, and how it affects our daily lives. I especially enjoyed his discussion of how life will change once we all have electric cars. And would I pay an annual fee to still get Card's column. You betcha.

The businesses that failed were not badly managed -- or if they were, that's not why they went out of business.

It just happened that a new product or service was markedly better or more convenient or cheaper than the old way, and so the old way died.

Without UPS, there would have been no Amazon.com.

We drive cars rather than carriages. Horses eat whether you're using the carriage that day or not. But cars only "eat" gasoline when you drive them. Plus you get there way faster in a car.

Is it a tragedy, then, that blacksmiths were out of a job?

ON BEING NEIGHBORLY
Want to change the world? Be a better neighbor. The Art of Manliness writes a compelling post that I think we should all consider acting on.

The ensuing discussion revealed a laundry list of social problems similar to what many cities face: at risk-kids, areas with dilapidated housing, child hunger, drug and alcohol abuse, loneliness, elderly shut-ins with no one to look in on them. The list went on and on.

Then the mayor said something that stopped cold the discussion. “The majority of issues that our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbors.”

Read that quote again if you need to. Its ramifications could well affect your life.

Frie explained that neighboring relationships are more effective than civic programs because they are organic and ongoing. When neighbors are in relationship with one another, for instance, the elderly shut-ins get cared for by the person next door, the at-risk kid gets mentored by a dad who lives on the block, and so on.

Does that seem farfetched? Read the article and consider getting the book that is discussed. From where I sit it looks startlingly like a primer on how to be Christ to those around you. Which is something we can all use help with ... I know I can.

And if we're nervous about getting to know our neighbors better, perhaps we should ask "Pino" Puglisi for help in getting up our nerve.

Weekend Joke: Texas State Trooper

Two guys are speeding through Texas when a state trooper pulls them over. The trooper walks up to the driver's side of the car, gets out his billy club and smacks the driver across the face. Stunned, the driver asks, "Why did you do that?"

The trooper responds, "You're in Texas now son, you have that license out and ready around here!"

"I apologize sir, I'm not from around here."

The trooper then walks to the passenger side of the car, and taps on the window. The passenger rolls down his window and the trooper takes out his club and smacks the passenger across the face.

"What was that for?" asked the passenger.

"I know your kind," says the trooper, "About two miles down the road you would have looked at your buddy and said 'I wish he would have tried that crap with me!'"

If I Had My Way ...

I don't watch many videos, glad I stopped for this one. I never heard of Robert Randolph but my brother says of this, "Old time revival by a modern man. Robert Randolph is great. Period."

I concur.

Robert Randolph "If I Had My Way" by RadarMusicVideos

Murray Leinster Collection

Murray Leinster Collection: The Pirates of Ersatz/The Aliens/Operation Terror by Murray Leinster

13 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Speculative!, Brilliance Audio
Published: 2013
Themes: / Science Fiction / space pirates / aliens /
Contains: “The Pirates of Ersatz” / “The Aliens” / “Operation Terror”

This is a really wonderful selection that represents the many facets of Murray Leinster's work. There's a little comedy, a little straight adventure, and tale of terror.

The Pirates of Ersatz: Bron Hodon's homeworld has one occupation - space piracy. His dream, naturally, is to be an electrical engineer. Whether he tries to ply his trade on a sophisticated world or a barbarian one, no one seems interested in engineers. He winds up bouncing from one problem (and adventure) to another, leaning on advice that his grandfather, a sage space pirate, gave him long ago. This is a great example of Leinster's trademark tongue-in-cheek humor.

The Aliens: This is a much shorter story than the other two. It tells of humanity's first contact with an alien race. Evidence of The Plumies has been found on distant planets but humans have never seen one. When the two races finally meet, amidst disaster in space, will it be war or peace?

Operation Terror: A mysterious spacecraft lands in Boulder Lake Colorado. The one report that gets out is of alien creatures. They have a "terror ray" that incapacitates anyone upon whom it is used. Can Lockley and the girl he loves escape and warn the government of what he's learned?

A common feature for all of these stories is an ingenious hero who notices details, thinks outside the box, and tries to solve problems rather than giving up when the going gets tough. Whether humorous or serious, I really enjoyed each of these tales. They give the reader credit for intelligence and the ability to keep up with the hero, while telling a rattling good yarn. Operation Terror in particular had me on the edge of my seat wondering, along with Lockley, what precisely are these aliens and how can they ever escape?

Unfortunately, the narration in this collection is very uneven. Ran Alan Ricard is brilliant narrating The Aliens. I could listen to him read the phone book and be entertained. Unfortunately Jim Roberts, who narrates the other two, longer tales, comes nowhwere near Ricard's abilities. I am not sure how his reading managed to be both boring and annoying but that is how it struck me. In fact, the combined power of the stories and annoyance of his narration was such that I finally went to LibriVox and downloaded The Pirates of Ersatz and Operation Terror so I could find out what happened.

I simply can't recommend this collection due to Roberts' poor narration. However, I highly recommend you get Murray Leinster's stories from LibriVox and enjoy them that way.

This review is from SFFaudio whence came the review audiobook.

Worth a Thousand Words: A Very Rainy Day

A Very Rainy Day
by Edward B. Gordon

We have had many rainy days lately, often sheets of rain accompanied by multiple tornado warnings. I prefer this charming picture which makes me think of a light drizzle.

Well, well, well, Forming Intentional Disciples ... we meet again.

Head's up for anyone interested in evangelism and discipleship - Our Sunday Visitor is offering Sherry Weddell's _Forming Intentional Disciples_ for $10, free shipping, from now until May 31st. This is an incredible discount on a very worthwhile book.

This is conjunction with CatholicMom.com's Lawn Chair Catechism book club.

Saw this notice on Facebook from Jen Fitz.

A feeling of doom ... or perhaps one might be more polite and say fate ... swept over me.

I have seen this book mentioned again and again by bloggers I trust implicitly. The most recent was Melanie Bettinelli at The Wine Dark Sea.

Go.

Read.

It may not hit you the way it did me, but my heart was wrung thinking of this:

Nearly a third of self-identified Catholics believe in an impersonal God.[. . .] only 48 percent of Catholics were absolutely certain that the God they believed in was a God with whom they could have a personal relationship.

That's a heart breaker.

Now, why do I feel I need to read this book? Is it my job to form intentional disciples?

I don't know. I really don't.

But I don't think it can hurt to understand that a lot of folks aren't coming from the same place that I am, one of knowing God is intensely personal.

Plus, I can push it on my pastor and various other Church leaders. Because pushing things is what I'm all about, as we all know.

So I haven't read it, but I am passing along the news about the great savings in case you're interested. I can always push a good sale.

In which Doan discovers murder ... and becomes Captain Perona's target.

Yep, more of Doan and Carstairs in Mexico ... at Forgotten Classics.

What I'm Reading: Zombies, Asteroids, Murder, and John Quincy Adams

Two irresistible books showed up in the mail yesterday. I think I've overindulged in review books (again!) and am going to have to have a serious sorting session to focus on just one (or two) at a time. That partly accounts for the fact that I have far too many books partially finished. But when you've looked through these, I think you can see why I have a hard time settling on just one!

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is my 3rd reading of World War Z, this time via the new unabridged audiobook version (review copy from SFFaudio, God bless 'em!). I had the previous audio version but never could make myself listen to it because I knew it was abridged.

I wondered how the documentary-style story would hold up with so many different voices taking up the tale in turn. Thus far, on chapter 3, the answer is that I now admire even more Max Brooks' talent in weaving these voices together to make a suspenseful story. I didn't think I could admire the book more, actually. But I am happy to be proven wrong.

I've heard that Max Brooks' answer when asked to comment on the upcoming World War Z movie is something like, "Well, they have the same name." I, for one, am grateful for the movie since it prompted this unabridged version. And I hold out hope for the movie since I was among the few who enjoyed I, Robot the movie, just as much as I, Robot the book. They are just different animals. Fingers crossed, that WWZ is the same.


Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

What does it say that my first act upon opening this book was to look for a date? What month is it? How close is the asteroid? Obviously, I've opted into Ben H. Winters' trilogy which began with The Last Policeman.

Just getting started, but the book grabbed my attention with a highly atypical sort of detail that communicated a lot to me, as a Catholic, about the wife.

Hung above the dresser is a small tasteful painting of Christ crucified. On the wall of the bathroom, next to the mirror, is a slogan in neat block all-capital letters: If you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze!

"Saint Catherine," says Martha, appearing beside me in the mirror, tracing the words with her forefinger. "Isn't it beautiful?"

[...]

"This may seem like an obvious question," I say, when I'm done writing down her answers. "But what do you think he might be doing?"

Martha worries at the nail of her pinky. "I've thought about it so much, believe me. I mean, it sounds silly, but something good. He wouldn't be off bungee jumping or shooting heroin or whatever."...

"He'd be doing something, like, noble," Martha concludes. "Something he thought was noble"

I smooth the edges of my mustache. Something noble. A powerful thing to think about one's husband, especially one who's just disappeared without explanation.

It not only tells us about Martha and her trust in her husband, it sets us up to fear that he won't live up to that perfect faith. All done in less than a page. Nicely done.

Also, the author wasn't condescending about it. That is refreshing.

An Amazon Vine book, review copy.


American Phoenix: John Quincy and Louisa Adams, the War of 1812, and the Exile That Saved American Independence by Jane Hampton Cook

I told myself I wouldn't accept any more review books. Then I made the fatal error of downloading the Kindle sample. Aaargh! It grabbed me right away.

I realize that I somehow got this Adams couple confused with the elder Adams couple, since John and Abigail's correspondence was famous. However, I have an interest in John Quincy that I wouldn't have otherwise, except that William Bennett's take on him was very sympathetic in America: The Last Best Hope, vol. 1. And the author's style is that of a good historical fiction author, at least in the first few pages. I am anxiously wondering what will happen with the untrustworthy servant, the horrendous murder down the road, and the frozen roads in Russia. What will Louisa do?

A review book from Booksneeze.


The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty

This isn't strictly a review book, but it is coming out a chapter a week as an audiobook on iTunes as a podcast. The print version comes out very soon. If you want to hear this audiobook don't wait to download it. Mur Lafferty's agreement with the publisher is that she can only leave the audiofiles up for a week after she finishes all the chapters on the podcast. So get it while the getting is good.

So far I am enjoying this a lot. It is not another of those "the world is covered with zombies and we're all just trying to survive" books. The supernatural world is existing camouflaged alongside ours, as we can anticipate from watching our heroine try to get a job writing travel guides.

I enjoyed Lafferty's Playing for Keeps which was a light take on superhero adventures, which were all the craze at the time. Shambling Guide seems like a similar take on the current zombie craze in literature so I look forward to seeing what sort of adventure tale is spun.

I'll update this as the book goes along, but am posting this early on in response to Mur's plea for reviews at Goodreads to help sales out.

So far, this seems like a light, fun read that I would give to my mother or sister (who do not delve quite as deeply as I do into urban fantasy). And, depending on where the story goes, I might even pick it up for my own shelves.


Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew by Erasmo Leiva Merikakis

UPDATE
I mentioned this book before but have been trying to figure out how to describe this treasure as I continue working my way through it.

It makes me eager for afternoon prayer and, I'm sorry to admit, that is a rare thing ... to be eager for prayer. To think, "Woohoo! I get to read another section of Fire of Mercy!" So there's that.

Will Duquette says it best. We may recall he turned me onto this book so he's further ahead.

All of my hopes for Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis’ book Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word. I’ve been getting up early every day to spend time in study ever since Easter Tuesday (including Saturdays and Sundays!), and I’m regularly astonished by the blindingly obvious things he pulls out of each line of the text—blindingly obvious after you’ve seen them—that I had never noticed before. I’m keeping notes of my reflections; some of them may appear here in the future. (As some kind of indication of the depth of Erasmo’s writing…50 days after Easter, I’m not quite to the end of the third chapter of Matthew’s gospel.)

Yes, being hit by blindingly obvious that regularly surprises me too while it simultaneously enlightens me. I'm feeling dumber by the page and yet I don't mind because I'm so blown away that I have food for thought for the rest of the day.

Worth a Thousand Words: Girl With a Guitar (Daydreams)

Girl with a Guitar (Daydreams), 1916-17. Richard E. Miller (American, Impressionism, 1875-1943).
Via Books and Art

Newbery Medal Winners Meme

From Mrs. Darwin, purveyor of so many good book-ish things, comes this meme. I'll just say that I have a special place in my heart for Newbery Medal winning books. Why? My great-grandfather's book won this award in 1925.

Keep in mind that my kids haven't been small enough to pay attention to this category of book for a while. So I have less exposure to the new ones than I'd like. Unless they're by Neil Gaiman because c'mon. It's a book by Neil Gaiman.

Bold means I've read it

Italics means I haven't read it but STILL have an opinion. You know that's how I roll.

** means I love it enough to own it (or loved it enough when I was a kid to own it and then hang onto it long enough to push on my own kids ... Dr. Doolittle, I'm lookin' at you here.)

• 2013: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins Children's Books)
• 2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• 2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
• 2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
• 2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins) -- loved it! **
• 2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
• 2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)
• 2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
• 2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
• 2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
• 2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children) 
• 2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park(Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
• 2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial)
• 2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
• 1999: Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster) My kids had to read this one and I avoided it like the plague after hearing their reactions.
• 1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic)
• 1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Jean Karl/Atheneum)
• 1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
• 1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins)
• 1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton) liked it well enough
• 1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Jackson/Orchard)
• 1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum)
• 1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown)
• 1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
• 1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper)
• 1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
• 1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
• 1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper) Ok - this is how important book covers are. I took one look at that cover and swore I'd never read it.
• 1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)**  Not my favorite McKinley, but The Blue Sword which was written before this, remains a favorite. 
• 1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
• 1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)
• 1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (Harcourt)
• 1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
• 1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (Scribner)
• 1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton) Began it ... never got further than two chapters in
• 1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Crowell) 
• 1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial)
• 1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (McElderry/Atheneum) Listened to the audiobook and liked it well enough.
• 1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan)
• 1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Bradbury)
• 1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Harper) (I think I've read this.)
• 1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (Atheneum)
• 1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Viking)
• 1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Harper)
• 1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
• 1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
• 1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
• 1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Farrar) 
• 1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum)
• 1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville (Harper)
• 1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar) ** A classic for good reason. Are there households that don't have a copy of this book?
• 1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
• 1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton) 
• 1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
• 1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton) I know I read this but I recall nothing of it. Which speaks for itself.
• 1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Crowell)
• 1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt)
• 1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton)
• 1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (Harper)
• 1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
• 1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Viking)
• 1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt)
• 1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton)
• 1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
• 1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Rand McNally) Oh, Scholastic Book Club, where would I be without the many fine books you lured me into buying and reading? This was one and I still recall a lot of it.
• 1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois (Viking) 
• 1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Viking) 
• 1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (Lippincott) 
• 1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Viking) I know I read it. But that's all I know about this book.
• 1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Houghton) This may well be the book that began my love of historical fiction. A damn fine book.
• 1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
• 1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds (Dodd) 
• 1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
• 1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Viking)
• 1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Rinehart)
• 1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Viking)
• 1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (Viking)
• 1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Macmillan) I seem to recall this as a different sort of "Little House" book. And Laura Ingalls Wilder owned that category for me. So this book was just annoying.
• 1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)
• 1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)
• 1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)
• 1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
• 1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan) 
• 1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (Macmillan)
• 1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Macmillan) 
• 1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (Dutton)
• 1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James (Scribner)
• 1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Dutton)
• 1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Doubleday)** Not the easiest read these days because the language is old fashioned. But still we all dutifully read the stories when I was a kid since he was a relative ... and they weren't half bad! In fact, I read a couple of them on Forgotten Classics.
• 1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (Little, Brown)
• 1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (Stokes) ** How I laughed at the Pushmepullyou ... and all the various adventures the doctor had.
• 1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Liveright)

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters: Why Investigate a Murder If the World is Ending?

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The date that everybody knows is October 3, six months and eleven days from today, when a 6.5-kilometer-diameter ball of carbon and silicates will collide with Earth.

Reading this book, I mused that perhaps all this science is not the best thing for us. Surely the dinosaurs were just living life as usual right up to the last moment before that meteor hit. I'd rather have that be the case than have horrific scenes of doom from outer space hanging over my head for months.

As one might predict, some people are led to religion, some are led to anarchy, and many are led to self destruction. Among the great majority simply trying to go on living their lives is homicide detective Hank Palace. When an obvious suicide scene seems a little off, he begins investigating.

What's the point of investigating a possible murder when the world is ending in a few months? Palace isn't able to answer that question easily but, as we see a few other focused, balanced individuals appear throughout this narrative, an answer does emerge.

"One thing we can learn from Shakespeare, Hen, is that every action has a motive."

I'm looking at him, holding this drooping sandwich bag full of ice to my bruised forehead.

"Do you see it, son? Anybody does anything, I don't care what it is, there's a reason for it. No action comes divorced from motive, neither in art nor in life."

"For heaven's sake, dear," says my mother, squatting before me peering into my pupils to eliminate the possibility of concussion. "A bully is a bully."

"Ah, yes," Father says, pats me on the head, wanders out of the kitchen. "But, wherefore doth he become a bully?"

This is a murder mystery, a novel of self discovery, a pre-apocalyptic scenario, and it works on all those levels. I read in one evening and, needless to say, I really enjoyed it. Certainly I was surprised by the solution, which is in the best tradition of murder mysteries.

This is the first of a trilogy and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Asian BBQ Chicken

This chicken couldn't be easier or more delicious. Check it out at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

The Ark of the Covenant, H.P. Lovecraft, and Dagon

In the mornings, while I'm feeding the dogs, I have begun reading a bit of The David Story by Robert Alter. This is his translation of the books of Samuel (and a tiny bit of the first book of Kings).

I am conversant with the big parts of David's life, and even the highlights of Saul's life before him. However, I haven't ever read these books from beginning to end. Therefore, I don't know a lot of the details other than knowing about Hannah's plea to God for a son (hellooo Samuel), God calling to Samuel when he was small, and a few choice bits of scolding to the kings (well-deserved, I might add).

In other words, I know the basics as much as any Catholic who attends weekly Mass and pays reasonable attention to the readings.

So, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read this at the beginning of chapter 5.

And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it up alongside Dagon. And the Ashdodites arose on the next day and, look, Dagon was fallen forward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord.

Dagon! Wait, I know that name!

I think I'd have listened more intently in Mass if they ever read these bits of 1 Samuel.

Hey, I may only know the basics about the books of Samuel, but I know much more about the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Dagon is an early Lovecraft story and is mentioned again in The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which I just listened to recently (a fine and free narration by Mike Bennett).

Alter's note, which I read with extra interest, points out that once it was widely imagined that Dagon used to be associated with fish (aha! Lovecraft, you clever fellow, no wonder those horrible worshippers were from the bottom of the sea). However, they now believe Dagon was actually a vegetation or fertility god.

I might be kind of freaked out if my god mysteriously fell at the feet of the Hebrew's Ark of God.

But wait. Maybe Dagon's statue just happened to fall over. That could happen to any statue, right?

So the Philistines thought (and hoped and prayed, probably). Read on...

And they took Dagon and set him back in his place. And they arose the next morning and, look, Dagon was fallen forward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and both his hands were chopped off upon the threshold--his trunk alone remained on him. ... And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Ashdodites and He devastated them, and he struck them with tumors, Ashdod and all its territories.

Not just tumors, y'all. Tumors "in their secret parts."

Fish god or fertility god, when the hand of the Lord falls heavy upon you, there's no mistaking it. Time to send that Ark back where you got it.

Alter's note once again adds context.

This second incident, in which the hands and head of the idol have been chopped off, offers to the Philistines clear proof of divine intervention. Hacking the hands and feet off war prisoners was a well-known barbaric practice in the ancient Near East, and similar acts of mutilation are attested in the Book of Judges.

Uh huh. Message sent. And received.

Worth a Thousand Words: Careful Steps

Taken by Julie Kenward

Many thanks to Owen for reminding me yesterday of Julie Kenward's stellar photography. You wouldn't think I need to be reminded since we have been online buddies for some time. However, I have trouble enough with Facebook's newfangled timeline ... and then throw in something like an "album" and I'm lost.

However, I'll be stalking Julie in the future for these great photos. Thanks Jules!

The Church Building as a Sacred Place by Duncan G. Stroik

The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal by Duncan G. Stroik

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Maybe it's because I'm a convert from complete secularism. I just don't see what's supposed to be so great about the new-fangled churches that look like cracker boxes. Or like space ships. Or like a crumpled up piece of paper.

Let's just say it here and name the elephant in the room.

What is so great about an ugly church?

One of the things I did understand, whether secular or Catholic, was that our surroundings influence how we think and feel and act. And the point of a beautiful church is to help lift our souls to the point where that curtain between us and God might, just might, be opened for a moment of personal connection.

That was highlighted for me when I was in Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. A young man in his early 20s was standing in the middle of the main aisle with tears running down his cheeks. His companion, a young woman, turned to him in alarm, "What's wrong." He suddenly looked slightly embarrassed, "Nothing. I'm just having a moment. I mean..." and he waved a hand around, "...all this just got to me."

Precisely.

A transcendent moment of connection with the Almighty facilitated by a sacred place.

That is what this collection of essays by architect Duncan G. Stroik is all about, the importance of letting beauty flower in our sacred spaces, in our churches.

The architecture of the sacred presents Christianity in a three-dimensional form: visually, tactilely, and sonorously in time. The sacred must come to us through all the senses, to surround us with intimations of what Abraham felt in front of the burning bush, King David in front of the ark, Mary with the angel Gabriel, and the disciples at the feet of Jesus and at the foot of his cross. The stone underfoot, the wood of our seats, the smells of incense and of beeswax, the smoothness of marble, the strength of the cast iron grillwork and rails, and the paint on the canvas—all help to create a sense of the sacred and prepare us for the taste of sacred bread and wine.

Stroik discusses the history of church architecture, the importance of various design principles including the altar as center of the church, and the result of modern thinking on church architecture. This modern thinking he decries, by the way, is not only the effect of Modernism style in architectural philosophy, but also the tendency to have gift shops, ask admission fees in famous churches, and to think in terms of auditorium features ("Can you hear me now?").

The essays are accompanied with photography of many gorgeous churches, both old and new, as well as some that makes one want to weep for those condemned to worship in such stark, ugly surroundings.

However, Stroik doesn't just discuss the failures in vision. He holds out hope for future church building and renovation. I found Ten Myths of Contemporary Sacred Architecture to be particularly eye opening on this front. By presenting what conventional wisdom as myths and showing where they go wrong, Stroik shows how consideration and care can easily restore beauty as a desirable feature for church architecture.

Obviously, I already was disposed to agree with Duncan Stroik's essays. However, it was a pleasure to see what I felt fleshed out in these essays and photographs. I am not the author's intended audience but the essays were easy to understand and I actually enjoyed them. There is a bit of repetition since some of them originally went to a variety of publications, but I found that all to the good in thoroughly grasping the main points.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject at all and particularly to anyone at all involved in Catholic church design, renovation, and building.

Quick Flicks - What We Watched Over the Weekend

It seemed like the right time for a few movies that allowed us enjoyment without having to think a lot. Mission accomplished.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
I realized Tom hadn't seen Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, so that was a must. (My review here.) Tom liked it and I enjoyed the second viewing. Let's face it, Lincoln in that movie is a righteous man, swinging an awesome axe. Period. Also, there is something about Timur Bekmambetov's directing style that I could just watch all night.

Casa De Mi Padre
This movie is entirely in Spanish with subtitles. That alone tells us it is not quite Will Ferrell's usual fare. It is like a cross between a Spanish telenovela and an old fashioned B-movie Western (definitely B-movie). Those elements made me somewhat interested in the movie and when a coworker said it was just funny without being broad, I gave it a try.

Armando (Will Ferrell) is the good hearted, somewhat simple, son of a Mexican rancher. His brother, Raul, is an unsavory seeming character who lives in the city and brings his gorgeous girlfriend, Sonia, on his latest visit. Sonia is soon predictably torn between Armando's love of the land and Raul's money and influence.

There are also a local drug lord, American DEA agents, good-hearted vaqueros, scantily clad maids, and much more.

We really enjoyed this movie. It wasn't perfect, but neither was Blazing Saddles which is the closest equivalent I can think of. Anyone who has ever taken in part of a telenovela is going to recognize key elements of the movie. Also, there are just funny elements that anyone who has ever seen low budget television is going to understand. (Here, I am thinking of some of the painted backdrops and in particular one scene where Armando admiringly says to Sonia, "You ride well. That is a difficult horse." And they are clearly riding fake horses.)

Casa De Mi Padre is a perfect movie to kick off summer viewing. Light, amusing, and doesn't require you to run your brain at full speed.

Well Said: Freedom of Choice

From my quote journal.

I support freedom of choice. My choice is not to support abortion, except in cases of a clear-cut choice between the lives of the mother and child. A child conceived through incest or rape is innocent and deserves the right to be born.

Roger Ebert, How I Am a Roman Catholic

Worth a Thousand Words: Thrush Nightingale

Thrush Nightingale
taken by Remo Savisaar

Look at the way this little guy is singing his heart out. I have been hearing and seeing so many songbirds all over our neighborhood doing the exact same thing. Most specifically loud and insistent yesterday was a gorgeous cardinal who was staking out our yard as his own. (Click through to Remo's blog to see the photo full size.)

Happy Birthday, Dear Rose

Far from home, in exotic L.A. (where I'd like to be myself), Rose is still plugging away in the entertainment industry. Specifically, she's doing free lance editing for a company that produces promos for syndicated shows.

That means that she and Zoe (our Boxer who has become Rose's Boxer) are far from home on her 23rd birthday. She is planning to go again this year to Porto's Bakery (which I spoke of in our L.A. Diary) and select a decadent cake.

Perhaps the Parisian? (Devil’s food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream. Finished with chocolate shavings.)

Or the Red Velvet Cake? I'm not crazy about red velvet cakes but look at those lovely rose petals on top. (Layers of red velvet cake and cream cheese filling. Finished with cream cheese icing. Decorated with red velvet crumbs and fresh rose petals.)

Or possibly the Checkers Cake? (Two layers of white sponge cake, layer of Bavarian cream, layer of chocolate mousse, finished with chocolate ganache.)

If memory serves, last year she chose a Chocolate Raspberry cake. Chocolate and raspberries is a combination Rose is passionately fond of.

I'd rather have her here and be making a cake (if memory serves, she prefers a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting). It wouldn't be as pretty, but I bet the company would make up for it. I've sent gifts (fingers crossed they got there on time) and I can buy her cake, but I can't give her a hug.

So I miss Rose on her birthday but I hope it is a wonderful day for her. She will be celebrating with friends, one of whom shares a birthday with her.

They will be barbecuing and going to see The Great Gatsby. Rose loves Baz Luhrmann's movies and does not care much about the original F. Scott Fitzgerald movie. So from what I have read, she should have a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Once a Spy by Keith Thomson

Once a Spy by Keith Thomson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I came across this thanks to Mystery Scene magazine where I have found many great recommendations.

Imagine a super spy managing to live long enough to develop Alzheimer's. What happens when he may inadvertently let slip some of the big secrets he knows?

Such is the premise of this really enjoyable book. Drummond Clark is the aging spy in question. His son Charlie is addicted to betting at the track and desperately trying to figure out how he's going to pay back a Russian mobster when his father turns up missing. All Charlie is trying to do is to return his father home and figure out which assisted living facility would be best, while skimming enough to pay his debts. However, repeated "coincidental" attempts on their lives send them on the lam for a simultaneously humorous and touching attempt to escape.

The scene at the beginning of the book when the father slips his leash of "company" monitors is a great example of the combination of unconscious trained stealth and Alzheimer's with which Charlie must deal for the remainder of the book. Along the way Charlie and his father spend time together, some lucidly and some not, in a way they never did before ... and Charlie discovers that his gambling career and natural talent combine unexpectedly to help keep them alive.