Kipling
Because Rudyard Kipling grew up in the Far East
That is what he wrote about until he was deceased
For the smog of London never did look quite so fine
When he thought back to the jungles of Indian design.
But his poetry would speak about whatever he could see
And what he would say never left a mystery
For what he said, he said quite plainly, stating all in black and white
Which is why some critics said that he never got it right.
I have been fairly disinterested in John Kerry's latest gaffe. This made me laugh out loud though. Get it at Cafe Press.
Bridget and Rick pointed me toward this which is drop dead funny ... the blogger and his readers were puzzling over whether it was real or not and finally decided it was real. It certainly seems like something my brother and his pals would get in on humor-wise.
History can smash and bash the politics of today. Much of what we think are new events have occured over and over again, though often in different ways and with different outcomes. My History Can Beat Up Your Politics is a podcast that examines the historical foundation behind today's politics and provides layers and layers of historical insight to help you better understand current events.This speaker is an expert at raising a current area of political contention and then going back over American history to look at what the historical record shows is a real trend or possibility. He manages to do so without taking one side or the other and the analysis is so clear it makes even thorny issues such as immigration much easier to understand.
Professor Bob Packett has been teaching history for thirty-one years. His passion for history permeates his entire life, from the thousands of primary resource materials in his personal library, to his collection of historical artifacts.Bob usually has several series going at once. Lately I have heard several biographies of important Russian rulers, key events in the French Revolution, and, events from the life of Alexander the Great, bios of notable Egyptian rulers ... as well as the stray pirate biography thrown in here or there just for the heck of it. Bob makes it all fun to listen to.
Professor Bob loves to tell stories of the real people behind the often sterile descriptions found in history texts. His conversational style, filled with anecdotes, quips, and humor, will bring to life the characters of history.
This feast is a Holy Day of Obligation, which means you are obliged to go to Mass. Yes, skipping church today is in fact a mortal sin -- and one of the dullest in the book. Can you imagine being damned for blowing off the twenty-six-minute lturgy at your parish? You'd be the laughing stock of hell. Personally, we believe in making each of our mortal sins count; each one had better be worth the risk to our souls, the trip to Confession, the time spent purging our sins by reliving Groundhos Day over and over again. You get the idea.Besides all that, you can't foresee what graces you might gain from going ... aside from being with the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is good enough in and of itself.
Korean MartyrsLast year, Jean at Catholic Fire expressed gratitude to her favorite saints for their help on the way by listing them with a few of the traits she admires most. I'm going to do it again this year ... here's my list.SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTSWe remember in a special way that sanctity is accessible to everyone in their various jobs and situations, and that to help us reach this goal we ought to put into practice the dogma of the Communion of Saints. The Church invites us to raise our hearts and minds to the immense multitude of men and women from all walks of life who followed Christ here on earth and are already enjoying his presence in Heaven. This feast has been celebrated since the eighth century.
Clay Randall at Mental Pompeii has a fabulous post about embryonic stem cell research. As a doctor on his hospital's Ethics Committee he has the opportunity to live his convictions.A more succinct discussion comes from Catholic and Enjoying It.Note how NIH tries to minimize the fact that you're taking stem cells from an unborn person while at the same time trying to make the artificial distinction between fertilization occuring through sexual intercourse and fertilization occurring in the lab which is...well.....artificial. Perhaps they're hoping the the terms "trophoblast", "blastocoel", and "blastocyst" will disguise the fact that we're talking about a human being? While there is indeed "potential" in these embryonic stem cells, there is also potential in adult stem cells (umbilical cord, bone marrow, etc) which do not carry with it the same ethical considerations. Is it coincidence that rarely does the media discuss the problem of stem cell rejection by the immune system or the malignancies that can result?Here are a wonderful article that Randall linked to which point out what I had read elsewhere but couldn't find lately ... adult stem cells are getting good results in research while embryonic stem cells have major problems, like a tendency to cause cancerous tumors. I have to echo Randall's questions on this. Why don't we ever hear this from major media?The Wrong Tree: Embryonic stem cells are not all that by Wesley J. Smith
Basically, there are two sources of stem cells: embryos and Other (such as cord blood). To get stem cells from embryos you must kill the embryo. It's a form of cannibalism. I don't oppose stem cell research. I oppose *embryonic* stem cell research. The real reason ESCR is vaunted is not because of it miraculous healing powers (there is yet to have been a single cure for anything) but because there's big money to be made in an industry where embryos are manufactured and then cannibalized for medical use.The only advances that have not come unstuck through side effects that in turn are debilitating seem to be those from adult or umbilical cord stem cells ... that I have read of anyway. In fact, just today The Curt Jester draws our attention to a case where umbilical cord stem cells will be helping mightily, without loss of life or limb to anyone.
I tend to want as little government involvement as possible in funding such things because I think that tends to make quite a few scientists jump on the funding bandwagon and forget their objectivity in order to get the bucks. I think of the global warming debate and how I have learned to distrust scientists precisely because they are going for the funds before the objectivity.I’m sure I’ll hear, “Anchoress, you’re so mean! What about if someone can be cured of diabetes thanks to Embryonic research?” Really? Is it worth it? As I wrote here, we’ve lost touch with the idea that maybe we’re supposed to play a hand we’re dealt and grow from it. We don’t want to know, anymore, from suffering. Which means we don’t want reality in our lives. I think John Paul II was zreally trying to teach that to us, in his later years. Contrary to the collective wisdom, there is power in, and value to, suffering. It actually may be more important to “be” than to “do.”
And I say that as a woman dealing with a chronic blood illness, and waiting to hear - finally - about a diagnosis that has taken a great deal of time to pinpoint. Both health issues are being looked into with ADULT stem cells, and that’s good news…I wouldn’t want any treatment derived from EMBRYONIC stem cells.
Given the choice, I’ll take the harder road, and keep faith with the Creator. If you think I’m a fool, then so be it, I’ll be a fool. I won’t live my life at the expense of a life not allowed to live. Maybe - as this 16 year old has figured out, the time I get is all the time I’m supposed to have.
Paul rates his afflictions as "slight" compared to the joy of God's kingdom (4;17). Nevertheless, he does not give the impression of being a person who finds afflictions easy to bear (4:8-9). A man who sometimes feels "crushed" and driven almost to despair (1:8) has not found a formula for rising above his problems. Paul does not float peacefully over troubled waters. Sometimes, perhaps, the evidence of God's power at work in him is simply that he doesn't throw in the towel.
A philosopher in Paul's day named Epictetus wrote that hardships show what a person truly is -- they expose the person's inner character. In Paul's view, difficulties reveal not so much our inner character as that of God. Our hardships are an opportunity for God to show his power (4:7, 10). This is not to deny the importance of human strength of character. From the hardships that Paul endured, it is obvious that he was a man of determination, endurance, and courage. But Paul recognizes that such human qualities are not enough. On a recent occasion, he admitted, he would have despaired if God had not intervened (1:8-9). He talks about God's encouragement frequently (1:4-7; 7:6-7; 13) because he needs it.
Apples
... or any other fruit for that matter. Not only is it disappointing as hell for a little kid expecting a Snickers, but there's a good chance it'll get smashed under the heft of the rest of the candy, leaving brown mush all over the candy they got from people who aren't total kill-joys.
Those crappy lollipops they have at the bank
They're free at the bank for a reason. Well, several reasons actually. The first being that they're almost free. You can get a two-ton bag of them at your local warehouse store for less than the price of one real Twix bar. The second reason is because they taste like crap.
Anything you made yourself
In your eyes, you're going out of your way to give kids a special and unique treat that goes above and beyond the normal fare. In their eyes you're giving them a crappy cookie that their parents will throw away as soon as they get home for fear of it containing razor blades. So, we guess this one is all right if you only give them to kids with neglectful parents. Or orphans.
Raisins
Possibly the crappiest item on the list, those little boxes of raisins never get eaten. People generally give them out under the pretense that they want to make kids healthier. In reality, they give them out because they hate fun. It's Halloween, let kids eat a friggin' Milky Way.
Brandywine Books
Cardinal Sean's Blog
Evangelical Catholicism
Fast Forward Film Reviews
In the Light of the Law
Luminous Miseries
Old Testament Space Opera
Shouts in the Piazza
Standing on My Head
Trousered Ape
Having been in this situation just two days ago, and yesterday ... I am THERE on this feeling.
In my case, abandoning myself to God means a couple of things. First, once I have realized the problem, I tell Him I need help (and yes, I tell ... not ask ... so you can see how much help I need!).
Secondly, I turn to one of several prayers that I repeat like a mantra when I am feeling like that. Sometimes it is: "Jesus give me your strength."
Sometimes it is a Hail Mary because I know she had days like this too.
Sometimes it is: "Lord have mercy on my and bless (insert name of person I am annoyed at)." This prayer especially has the tendency to make me remember how I have habits that are JUST LIKE the ones that are annoying me in the other person. That goes a long way to making me calm down.
Which prayer? Whichever comes to mind and it is usually one of these. But I hang onto it like a lifeline, over and over, until the moment (or moments) pass and I don't need it any more.
That is the help that God gives me ... the right prayer to help me put my head down, BITE MY TONGUE, and get through it. And when I fail to do the above (sadly, this is often also but gradually getting less), He gives me the grace to recognize it and go apologize.
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER: Jules has a few choice pumpkins as well as excellent quotes to help you combat the fear. Now that's my kinda post!
Go ahead ... eat a spider. Gourmet magazine shows you how.
A Song of Myself
The notes all twine together, forming into song
And though the beat keeps going, the melody seems wrong.
The major chords are cold, boring, distant at their core
But if you listen longer, you may hear something more.
Almost nonexistent against the unmarked tune
There’s a trill of something different making its debut
Maybe a quiet laugh or a glint in the eye
Then it disappears as if awaiting a reply.
And if you sit quite still and listen hard so you can hear
The notes will play again, this time with some good cheer.
At first it just repeats as the volume starts to climb
But the right kind of listener knows that good songs can take time.
Then the pattern starts to change and the rhythm will increase
As we begin to come to the crescendo of the piece.
Now that is a concept that never occured to me for all that I have been used to the idea of thinking of Mary as the first Christian. I am already quite fond of the rosary mystery where Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. It may be my second favorite, right after the wedding at Cana. But this adds a whole new dimension for meditation. Wow!In those days Mary arose and went with hasteIn the scriptures Mary is a person of action but not frivolity; she does not pursue activity for its own sake. Rather she acts with God at His prompt and pace. Why did Mary decide to go to the home of Elizabeth? Undoubtedly the Holy Spirit, who had come upon her (Lk 1:35), unfolded the reason for the angel's reference to Elizabeth's pregnancy. Her state, as she considered what she should do was described by St. Peter Julian Eymard:
into the hill country, to a city of Judah.Luke 1:39The Word was in Mary's womb. He inspired His Mother to visit Elizabeth; Mary carried to John his Master and King. John could not come, for his mother was too old to undertake that journey; Jesus Christ went to him. He did the same for us: we could not go to God; God came to us."... This is the first Christian missionary journey undertaken for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Unborn Jesus initiates it, He and his mother go out prefiguring the missionary journeys initiated by Jesus, when He sent out first the twelve apostles and then the seventy disciples two by two (Mk 6:7 and Lk 10:1). Christians traveling on mission, in pairs, had not only a spiritual and psychological purpose, but also an ecclesiastical one; the two together are in communion one with the other, experiencing Christ's power acting through them and their different gifts and talents. In the case of pregnant Mary, here we have the quintessential communion, the epitome of communion with Christ. Two lives intertwine in the messianic mission and the world's greatest love.Unborn Jesus Our Hope by George Peate
