Good Vibrations: A Little Radiation Can Be A Good Thing

One does not think of science as being subject to fashion. But it is, and nothing could be less fashionable than hormesis. This phenomenon was identified over a hundred years ago, and then was slowly forgotten. It has been so widely observed that it deserves to be called a law of nature. But it rubs environmentalists the wrong way, and few people have heard of it. In outline, hormesis is simple: things that are toxic in large doses are beneficial in small doses. And that seems to be true across the board -- from alcohol to dioxin to mercury to nuclear radiation...

Hormesis contradicts a reigning assumption of public health and public policy. It is both dogma and law that something toxic in large doses will continue to be toxic in smaller and smaller doses. The relationship between dose and response is said to be linear. The EPA has further decreed that if the substance is a carcinogen, there is no "threshold." No dose, however low, is considered to be safe.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science

More later about hormesis and radiation. I will simply observe here that if the EPA applied their no tolerance rule to vitamins we would have to make do without vitamins A & E because in large doses they're quite toxic (no doubt there are others toxic in large doses but these are just the ones that occur to me at the moment).

Quick Looks at Books

THE CLEVELAND CONNECTION by Les Roberts
DEEP SHAKER by Les Roberts

More of theMilan Jacovich mysteries. In The Cleveland Connection Jacovich investigates the disappearance of a grandfather which, predictably, turns into a murder investigation after the old man has been found as the apparent victim of gang-style execution. This takes us to an examination of the deep seated hostilities between Serb and Slovenian ethnic groups, both in their homelands and in Cleveland. Deep Shaker looks at Jamaican drug peddlers and the way that the drug trade preys upon school children as Jacovich helps out an old friend whose son has fallen in with the wrong crowd.

VEGETABLE LOVE by Barbara Kafka
An extensive tome that is lightened considerably by Kafka's winning personality which is evident throughout the book without ever becoming too cute, which is a trap into which many less experienced authors might fall. Just because the book is about vegetables doesn't mean that meat is eschewed. The recipes are designed to showcase vegetables but it is not a vegetarian book by any means, although there would be plenty that vegetarians could use here. It is worth reading simply for the introduction to many new uses Kafka presents for vegetables that have escaped the general American home cook, such as Jerusalem artichokes. I'd recommend checking it out of the library for a test run, if at all possible, as this is quite pricey. I won't be buying it but am glad that I read it.

These are #7, #8 and #9 of books read in 2006.

Can I Live?

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I present again this must see music video.

Let them live. Lord, hear our prayer.

Is the Christian Life Hard?

Buttercup: You mock my pain.
Westley: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

The Princess Bride

In the process of a continuing theological email conversation with one of my favorite regular debaters, he rather surprised me with this...

Once last thing however - I see being a part of the church makes life better AND harder. Being a Christian is hard, I wouldn't consider it a burden, but it is hard. It's meant to be. Being a Christian (regardless of your stripe) means to live against the grain of this fallen world. To live against one's urges and to turn from temptation is far harder than giving into our sinful natures. A life of premarital sex, getting drunk and thieving is far easier - but we know it leads to death. If you don't see this as hard, you truly are blessed. As far as I'm concerned, things are tough all over but through the grace of Christ alone can we make it.

Now I am definitely a newbie here, having been Catholic only since 2000 and a Christian only since about ... maybe 1998 (?). We all know that sh*t happens, whether you're Christian or not. The good, the bad, and the ugly, it's all part of just being alive.

My life in Christ, especially since the CRHP retreat (see sidebar for CRHP explanation), has made all that so much easier. Despite being asked to serve, being asked to stretch, being asked to do things I haven't wanted to sometimes ... it all has been so much more rewarding than going it alone and I have been able to see so much good come from it.

In fact, after the CRHP retreat I discovered that I was no longer afflicted with a problem that I had been struggling with for some time. It took me a while to figure it out but what a blessing that was. In fact, fairly recently, I realized just how much I had changed in general outlook toward life.

For most of my life I have been a "glass is half empty" girl. Always quick to see the negatives of any situation ... oh, and even more attractive, quick to dwell on those negatives.

My revelation of how much I had changed is found here.

Does that mean my life is always sunshine and lollipops? Pffft. Of course not. My personal feeling is that I have been set free. Certainly I can't agree that "to live against one's urges and to turn from temptation is far harder than giving into our sinful natures" because to give in to the particular urges that I suffered from made me so very tired, hopeless, and, occasionally, self loathing. The help, forgiveness, mercy, and ... yes, sheer grace of God that I have experienced in my struggles has made everything much easier than it was before.

But that is just my personal experience. I know that I have been so very blessed and have been brushed very lightly by suffering while I have watched others struggle under very heavy burdens.

So what has everyone else's experience been with this?

Is the Christian life harder than giving in to our sinful natures? Is living in sin easier?

Beatles and Benedict Both Begin With "B"

We have our own version of Love Beads – the Rosary.

We have Little Flower Power.

We believe in love and unity among all people.

We believe in worshiping together.

We believe in communal living.

Lee at From the Back Pew has found the cosmic connections between Pope Benedict XVI and The Beatles. Far out. Be sure to read it all.

I Think I've Accrued 1.5 Points

From my inbox. Thanks Alicia!

A man dies and goes to heaven.

Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.

You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says,

"I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point"

"One point!?!!"

"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.

"Two points"!? Exasperated, the man cries.....

"At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God."

"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"

The Brotherhood of the iPod

You know, when I first would go places with the ear buds in and my iPod in my pocket, I'd get the oddest looks. Gradually it ocurred to me that people thought I had a hearing disability. I've never heard such clearly spoken English in my life. it was an interesting insight to the sorts of encounters that handicapped people must have a lot of the time.

However, yesterday it was all different. I was going to the dentist. As I left the office, the construction workers that wouldn't meet my eyes when I was going to work that morning, suddenly would look in my direction and smile at me (I'm going with the smiling versus laughing at me idea, here).

On the way to my car when leaving the dentist, listening to my iPod, I encountered a couple of guys strolling across the parking lot. Obviously not office workers by the way they were dressed, they looked more like the sort of guys you want to steer clear of so you don't get mugged. Remembering that I was supposed to appear self confident in the event of encountering muggers (oh and then there's the whole Christian brotherhood thing), I looked over and smiled. Then I saw that they had on headphones. They grinned at me and waved their MP3 players in my direction.

Me and my iPod. Making friends everywhere yesterday.

Blogger Spotlight

THIS NORMAL LIFE
This is a fascinating look at a family's daily life in a place that we usually only see on the evening news ... Jerusalem. We get insights into everything from immigration to shopping to religious observances to rites of passage, such as this in Red Lines.

It was only a matter of time before one of our kids demanded access to what may be the most rebellious, dangerous and terrifying activities known to parents in Israel.

In this case, the culprit in question was twelve-year-old Merav, and her act of teenage defiance? She wanted to ride the bus.

There are also little things that give me an insight into my own life and, indeed, my faith. Such as when the children talk to the father and call him "Abba." Right from the original "Our Father" ... and every time the children call their father by that word it reminds me of the trust and true relationship we are meant to have with God.

But that's just me. Swing by, peruse the archives, and see what strikes you about This Normal Life.

Asleep at the Wheel

Back before World War II, the conservative Saturday Evening Post ran an article written by the wife of a billiards professional. She told how part of her job as her husband's assistant was seeing that all was in order for his exhibitions. Among her duties, she had to make sure that the billiard balls were exactly at room temperature.

The Post's makeup editor decided that a subhead was needed here, so he wrote: SHE KEEPS HIS BALLS WARM. Nearly a million copies had gone out before someone woke up.

More Anguished English by Richard Lederer

This One Hit Me Right Between the Eyes

Faith is something we have to practice. It should shape all our decisions, big or small, at the same time it will usually show in the way we undertake our ordinary daily duties. It is not enough for us to give assent to the great truths of the Creed, to have good formation. We need besides, this to live our faith, to put it into practice. It should give birth to a life of faith, which should be both the fruit and the manifestation of what we believe. God asks us to serve him with the whole of our life, with deeds, with all the strength of our body and soul...

The practice of the virtue of faith in our daily lives adds up to what is commonly known as supernatural outlook. This consists in a way of seeing things, even the most ordinary, apparently quite commonplace things, in relation to God's plan for each person as regards his own salvation and the salvation of many others. It leads us to accustom ourselves to undertake our daily activities as though we were constantly glancing at God to see whether what we are doing is really his Will, whether ours is the way He wants us to do things. It leads us to get used to discovering God in people, to recognize him behind what the world calls chance or coincidence, in fact, to see his mark everywhere (F. Suarez, On being a Priest)...

The Christian's life of faith leads him, therefore, to be a man who has human virtues, because he practices his faith in his ordinary activities. He will not only feel moved to make an act of faith as he sees the walls of a church in the distance, but he will turn to God to ask him for light and help when confronted with a problem at work or at home. He will know how to attune his thinking when he has to accept a setback, when faced with pain or sickness, when offering up some joy, when he continues, for love, the work that he was about abandon through tiredness...

Ordinary Time Weeks 13-23 (In Conversation with God, Vol. 4)

This is from yesterday's devotional reading (ahem ... I'm running late on several things right now), but without daily practice of our faith then what is to distinguish us from anyone else? Nothing. Because if Christ doesn't change our lives and help us to see differently then our faith is nothing but hollow, hypocritical words. And, let me tell you, I fail often but I shudder to think of how little peace I would have if I didn't also succeed at least part of the time in turning to God and living my faith through all the parts of my day.

The Unusual Silence

Power was out at work most of the day and, of course, that happened just as I was close to being done with the work I was slammed with that made all other things fade into the background. The power just recently came on long enough for Tom to copy the files so he can bring them home to me.

So, I'll be working at home tonight to catch up. And then catching up some more tomorrow morning.

If I haven't worked my way to anyone who has emailed me, rest assured I will do so but it will be tomorrow. Thanks, y'all!

HOWEVER ... I will still be watching Lost and getting a few comments posted about it. I'm just busy. I haven't died.

What Would You Choose for Your Last Meal?

Check it out at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Never Say Never: Podcasts

As some with those memories may remember (yes, Curt Jester, I'm talkin' to you), I previously swore that never would a podcast soil my dainty ears.

So if I sprinkle a lot of sugar on those words, will eating them be any easier?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Truth is, not only do I have limited time to listen to podcasts and also prefer to get my info in writing, but I was intimidated by the technology. I just couldn't figure out how to get the darned things into my iPod.

When Dom Bettinelli mentioned the podcasts that he listens to, I tried one more time. Lo and behold, I figured it out (actually very simple using iTunes for most podcasts).

I do not listen to many but have gotten hooked on four of them, which thankfully do not update more than once a week.

• LOST - the official podcast from ABC, this features the executive producers of the show who are the most enjoyable couple of geeks around. Not only are they fun to listen to but they will drop a few hints here and there about what is happening with the show. Update: Thanks to comments boxes intervention by Dom I see that if you search for Lost on iTunes and be sure to put "official" in the search as well, eventually you can find the official podcast from ABC. Whew! So much easier than what I was doing. (Also we find out that if you misstate something and put his name next to it ... then Dom comments ... AND you find out that he actually reads your blog sometimes. *screaming like a Beatles fan at a concert, y'all.* )
  


• BRENDA IN JAPAN - my all time favorite thus far. Brenda does these podcasts about her life in Japan for her family. Luckily for us she also posts them on iTunes. You get Brenda's top 10 countdown of favorite Japanese things, her tips on traveling, and much, much more. Not the least of which is Brenda's charming personality. I wondered how she was such a polished speaker and have just found out that she is a university professor and thus is used to public presentation. Go to iTunes' podcast directory and search for Brenda in Japan. You can subscribe from there.


• REEL REVIEWS - Insightful commentary about a really eclectic assortment of movies. This guy really loves movies and that is contagious. He actually had me considering renting "Ran" for a while. I definitely will be renting Murderball which I am not sure would have been a blip on my radar otherwise. Subscribe via iTunes (link on their sidebar).


• GRAPE RADIO - This is the most hit or miss of the bunch because I am not very knowledgeable about wine and these are wine geeks. Often the conversation is aimed at someone just like me and then it is fascinating. However, occasionally these guys have a guest who is more concerned with impressing everyone with who he knows or how long he has been in the wine biz than on informing. The hosts' enthusiasm is what keeps me coming back. Subscribe via iTunes (link on their side bar.) Also via Dom.


• BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - We are working our way slowly through the DVD of the first season (a welcome Christmas gift). When we get to the 9th show, which is where it looks as if the podcasts begin, then I will give these commentaries by the producer a shot. Mostly because they are recommended by Dom who was spot on with the Lost podcast recommendation. Subscribe via iTunes.
  

Let's Just Be Clear About This ... Jesus Founded the Church

Did he plan to "found" a church? Or is the church a thoroughly human movement that can only be associated with Jesus post facto? ...

Explanations of the origins of the church that assume Jesus himself had no intentions of founding a church are simply implausible.

I start out here to make a very basic point: Jesus followers who wish to eliminate, reinterpret or reduce the church face the problem that nothing in the New Testament is on their side. Seeing Jesus as the guru of individual Christians, or the church as some kind of accidental fan club that institutionalized a spontaneous spiritual experience, simply cannot be done without doing radical surgery on Jesus himself. A church-less Christianity requires such an edited, reworked Jesus, that the New Testament could no longer be read with any kind of integrity. This needs to be faced squarely and honestly.

I conclude that Jesus, from the outset, intended to found a continuing movement, and that movement is the church as we see and experience it, imperfectly and often far removed from Jesus, in history.

The Internet Monk begins by wondering how he became identified as being with the emergent church (which I still do not understand) and, in the process, proceeds to give us cogent reasoning that Jesus founded the church and intended us to be a part of it.

Thank you! Recently I have come across an odd trend among a few people that ask questions such as do we follow Jesus or do we follow the church that Paul founded? Or to say that Jesus worshipped as a Jew so the only way to really follow him is to follow Jewish customs ... or perhaps to become Jewish. Then we have people who say that they don't need to go to church ... they can worship God without any church. I have seen these sorts of ideas raised in more than one blog.

Talk about bewildering ... to me, anyway. Paul was the first to point the way to Jesus whenever anyone tried to do otherwise, to say that he was simply living and teaching what Jesus taught and revealed. Yes, his writings and teachings helped explain what Jesus revealed but we are "Christians" not "Paulists."

As for the idea of worshiping as Jews, Jesus was the Messiah, which they deny. Yes he worshiped as an observant Jew but He completed and fulfilled the law ... which to me at least necessarily indicates that he moved it along into something new. Baptism. The apostolic leadership. The Eucharist. Knowing that Jesus is the Son of God ... both fully human and fully God. Jesus gave us these things.

Probably the most commonly heard of these three ideas is that people don't need to go to church to worship God. That is both true and false. You can worship God from anywhere you are, at any time of day or night. On the other hand, it is meeting in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ that keeps us centered, keeps us focused, keeps our eyes and heart on God. I need the Eucharist. I need the support and advice and admonitions and reminders of my priest and my fellow worshippers. It feeds my soul in a totally different way than solitary prayer and worship. That is how we are made. Jesus knew it and provided for it.

I thoroughly realize that I am not saying any of this very well and certainly am being sketchy in supporting my thinking. There is much that I am leaving unsaid. That is why I am pointing people toward the Internet Monk. He has doctrinal issues with Catholicism but at the base he has more solid understanding of Christian theology than many Catholics I know.

Go. Read. Jesus founded the church for us to worship and serve in together ... as Christians.

My Quote Journals

I have been asked by a few people about the quote journals that I refer to in my daily "Background Music" posts.

This is where I am low tech. I buy a blank book with lines on the pages. As I come across quotes I like I write them in the journal. There is no particular order. As they come up, I enter them. It is as simple as that.

One person has mentioned that is not an easy way to retrieve the quotes. True. But that is not the point of the journals. It is simply to keep the quote I like (and we all know that I am all about quotes, right?).

The quotes are predominantly Catholic or Christian inspiration. However, as time has gone by (I am almost done filling a second journal) I have taken to adding significant scripture as well as a few quotes that amuse me. (Not the sidebar quotes. Those I keep in some unpublished Blogger files.) For me to take the trouble of handwriting a quote, especially some of the longer ones, it has to really hit me where I live. Often weeks will go by without my entering anything.

The quotes that appear in Background Music are in order as I go through from the beginning, alternating between the two journals daily.

And that's really all there is to it.

It's a Lovely Day in the Neighborhood

ANOTHER SON TO BECOME A FATHER

I have for some time thought about the priesthood, and I can now say that yes, I will be a priest. That is where I want my life.

It's a good thing that Darren's mother is a careful reader. I totally missed this declaration of vocation at A Catholic Life. Congratulations Moneybags ... this has me grinning!

WELCOME HOME OWEN
Owen of Luminous Miseries and his family were received into the Catholic Church yesterday. Well I remember how wonderful that time was for me and I am joyful in welcoming these new brothers and sisters.

Owen has taken us with him on the journey from being a Protestant minister with unavoidable questions as he has made his way toward crossing the Tiber. I am looking forward to getting a glimpse of how things proceed on this side.

Serenity Now!

SERENITY 2?
DVD sales seem to be doing pretty well at the moment and that is what will dictate a sequel says Sci-Fi Wire. Via Looking Closer Journal.

ANCHORESS SAYS FIREFLY RULES
So say we all! In fact, she says the series was better than Cowboy Bebop. I tell ya, the lady has good taste!

In the News: The Elephant in the Room

WHO'S ACTING WHITE?

Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folds will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.

Sen. Barack Obama, Keynote Address, Democratic National Convention, 2004

Economist Roland G. Fryer has a fascinating editorial about the peer pressure faced by black and Hispanic students to perform poorly to fit in.

I'D CONVICT

Angry about the way an ex-girlfriend used his car and parked it without locking the doors, Gerome Alexander left a brief message on her telephone answering machine: "I'm going to catch you, and you're going to get yours."

That one call could send Mr. Alexander to prison for the rest of his life.

The 35-year-old Garland man is one of 59 convicted sex offenders in Texas who were released from prison and placed under civil commitment after being deemed sexually violent predators.

I don't know a single person who would make a telephone call like that. Considering this guy was released early and this is how he acts? Back in the slammer. No question.

Read the rest of the story and you'll discover that he has admitted to viewing pornography, drinking, and more that are all parole violations. How about having a girlfriend at all? That was off limits. Or having a car? Also off limits. It looks to me as if this lawyer wants to make her name on one issue. Shame on her.

What made me madder than all the rest is the way the story is written. It begins with that seeming attempt at showing the injustice of it all, "That one call could send Mr. Alexander to prison for the rest of his life." Don't even. Because if you don't read any further you will take away the impression that this poor guy is being hunted down for nothing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Shame on them for bad journalism.

IT DON'T COME EASY

Differences among Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants over issues such as homosexual activity, abortion, euthanasia and other moral questions "are not on the top of the hierarchy of truths" -- like the belief in Jesus as savior is -- "but they are very emotional and, therefore, very divisive," [Cardinal Walter Kasper] said.

Just five or six years ago, he said, Catholic bishops and leaders of some other churches seemed ready to explore concrete steps their communities could take toward organizational unity.

Since then, however, it has become clear that "both the ecumenical mood and the ecumenical situation worldwide have changed so radically as to virtually run counter to the ecumenical movement toward unity," he said.

Thank you, Cardinal, for pointing out what the rest of us always knew was gonna be a problem. Even when I wasn't Christian at all I wondered about that call to ecumenism. We can all get together on some things but the whole reason there are different denominations is that we can't agree on the big basic issues at one level or another. Otherwise why be Catholic? If what the Faith stands for is just the same as everyone else, well, then what difference does it make? And it does make a difference.

Via that vicarious blogger, Rick Lugari.

I Didn't Remember to Tape 24 ...

... which is very necessary to help with our Prison Break hiatus replacement needs. Hmfph!

I see that it is being rerun on Saturday so if I tape the second installment tonight then we can catch up. Whew!

Would that all my problems were so small and so easily fixed!

Parents and Knitters

The top ten ways why being a parent is like being a knitter.

1. You have to work on something for a really long time before you know if it's going to be okay.
   


2. They both involve an act of creation involving common materials, easily found around the house.
   


3. Both knitting and parenting are more pleasant if you have the occasional glass of wine, but go right down the drain if you start up with a lot of tequila or shooters.
   


4. With either one, you can start with all the right materials, use all the best reference books available, really apply yourself, and still get completely unexpected results.
   


5. No matter whether you decided to become a parent or a knitter, you are still going to end up with something you have to hand wash.
   


6. Parents and knitters both have to learn new things all the time, mostly so that they can give someone else something.


7. Both activities are about tension. In knitting, the knitter has control of the amount of tension on the object in progress. In parenting, the opposite is true.
   


8. No matter how much time you spend at knitting or parenting, you are still going to wish you could spend all your time at it. Which is odd, since both activities are occasionally frustrating that you want to gnaw your own arm off.
   


9. Knitting and parenting are both about endurance. Most of the time it's just mundane repetitive labor, until one day, you realize you're actually making something sort of neat.
   


10. One day, you will wake up and realize that you are spending hours and hours working at something that is costing you a fortune, won't ever pay the bills, creates laundry and clutters up your house, and won't ever really be finished ... and the only thing you will think about it is that you can't wait to get home and do more.
    

Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee