Frank Frazetta, R.I.P. - UPDATED

Along with the news that Lena Horne died, came the news that Frank Frazetta died also. It may be that you, like me, have no idea who that is.

There is a very easy way to illuminate you ... how could any of the Conan books gained their heights without his illustrations? Certainly my formative years would have been poorer without vans and posters featuring Frazetta's work.

Will Duquette provided what is my favorite of all the illustrations I have seen today. Brandywine Books has a good tribute.

UPDATE
Here's another tribute from lines and colors where artist tributes are what they do best and where they found some stunning sf art without naked babes or warriors. Who knew that existed in his portfolio?

Lemon Cake Recipe

At long last, as promised, I found some time last night to prepare this post over at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen. Yellow cake layers, tart lemon filling, lemon butter frosting ... mmmm, mmmm. What are you waiting for? Go try a piece!

Happy Birthday, Dearest Rose

Once again, Rose will be celebrating her birthday away from home, with our celebration postponed until she arrives home at the end of the month.

That didn't mean I wasn't looking for cake ideas, though I will never be able to mold a shoe out of chocolate.

We miss Rose so much and can't wait to get her home again, even though it will be for just a short time. Have a wonderful day, dear Rose, and find a delicious piece of cake to eat somewhere. I'm sure Chicago offers many a delightful choice of bakeries.

Google Doodle for Rose's Birthday

Just because I thought she'd find it amusing.

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

You may have noticed I've been somewhat absent lately ...

... punctuated with spurts of returning and posting items of interest.

I have a big project that I've been working on for a while. I can foresee it going through August or September.

I'm sorry to have not been around as much as I'd like (believe me, the stacks of things I want to share are pretty tall). Just thought I'd drop in for long enough to make a vague excuse!

Now, don't we all feel better?

I will continue to post as much as I can whenever I get time. Thank you for your patience!

Best article on Mothers' Day you will read today ...

... or any other day. The Curt Jester's usually right and he's definitely right about this one. Go read.

My mother continued: “Two hours later, your father came home all frostbitten. As I helped him off with his coat, I told him that the social worker had stopped by.—‘What did she want?’—I told her that I was expecting. She became very upset. She said that she’d be back on Thursday to take me to this doctor, who would make my period come. If I refuse to go, they might take our benefit cards away.

“Your father stood there for the longest while without saying a word. Finally, he spoke: ‘Very well, let them! Let them have their cards back! The Lord will provide.’ ”

At that point, my mother got to her feet and knelt down beside me. “Mom,” I insisted, “would you please stop this!”—“No! Let me finish!

Oh, My Gravy!

Who are we pulling for to win The Amazing Race?

Do you even have to ask?

Only the most lovable team since the hippies back in season ... well, a while back. Jet and Cord McCoy from Tupelo, Ok.

They are the real thing. Oh, my gravy!

May the best blogs truly prevail and the losers skulk off in shame!

Yes, voting has begun in the Cannonball Awards, celebrating excellence in the little blogs in the Catholic blogosphere. I am not nominated but did manage to nominate a blog for practically every category ... although I may not have always matched up those blogs properly with the categories. C'est la vie.

Go vote. More importantly, go explore (links to all the nominated blogs are here). There's something good waiting for you to find it over there.

Time and Again, Get Religion Shows Us How to Really Read a News Story

Seriously. They remind me to think when I read. Papal Politics or Piety is a sterling example as you can see from this bit.

Jason Berry of the National Catholic Reporter has done some great reporting on how Father Maciel was able to cultivate allies in the Vatican — by buying them off, basically. His work is mentioned in this article, too.

As much as the story attempts to link the delays in dealing with the case to Ratzinger, Cardinal Angelo Sodano is the one who comes off as the culprit. But it’s this part of the story that I want to highlight:

In 2001, all clerical sex abuse cases had been ordered sent to Cardinal Ratzinger’s Congregation. [Italian journalist Sandro] Magister said he believed that as the cardinal became increasingly aware of the problem’s magnitude, he ordered that old cases — including the Maciel matter — be re-examined.

And in late 2004, it was clear that Cardinal Ratzinger would be playing an important role in a future conclave to elect the next pope. And with the pope’s health and power waning, Cardinal Ratzinger may have felt a freer hand in acting against a figure protected by others in the Vatican — possibly to clear the decks for the next pope, possibly to remove a stain on John Paul’s record or his own, should he be considered for the papacy.

One of the worst things a reporter can do is make claims about the motivation of actors in the story. Unless you’re a reporter with a special talent for mindreading, I guess. So these motivation claims really shouldn’t have been made. Particularly since they are sourced to precisely no one.

But isn’t it interesting that when the reporters were pulling motivations out of the air, they didn’t suggest that Ratzinger might have actually moved against Maciel because he wanted to do the right thing and he finally had the opportunity? There are people who would suggest just that. Including Magister, who has made such statements on the record. And in this interview, he speaks very favorably of the Pope’s work in eradicating “the filth” in the priesthood — also suggesting he’s motivated not by politics but by a desire to purify the church.

Yes, their stories are all that interesting, that good at pinpointing where a reporter turned a blind eye or didn't think far enough.

Go read it all and then take a further look around. We should be reading all news stories this way, but more than anything we should be dissecting how the news covers faith.

Friday Retreat: Now That's Good Catechism

B-Movie Catechism, how I love you for both making me laugh and reminding us all of the bigger picture.

Now go and read, smile and remember and then ....

Hey, what did you expect?

Oh, right.

Well, head right on over to The Anchoress for a contemplative retreat day.

She does it her way. I do it mine. (Or rather B-Movie Catechism does.)

I'm Part Neanderthal? How Exciting!

In a significant advance, the researchers mapped most of the Neanderthal genome—the first time that the heredity of such an ancient human species has been reliably reconstructed. The researchers, able for the first time to compare the relatively complete genetic coding of modern and prehistoric human species, found the Neanderthal legacy accounts for up to 4% of the human genome among people in much of the world today.

What a fascinating story. I love these sorts of discoveries. It's exciting. So does this mean we all have to reread The Clan of the Cave Bear? Pleeeeeease don't make me!

In which we set out, a certain someone makes inquiries, and we discover the best time for lunch.

Yes, it's time once again for another installment of that rapidly-becoming-more-intrepid duo, Davies and Carruthers as they get set for espionage in 1903 Germany. The Riddle of the Sands, chapters 10-11, are up at Forgotten Classics.

I wonder if something is wrong with me ...

I watched this video.

Tom sent it for work.

It is beautifully done. You should watch it too.

But the whole time I was watching the video say, "Maybe it means saying NO when everyone else is saying yes." or "Maybe it means saying YES when everyone else is saying no."

All I could think of is that I already have the book.


The one that is the start of a conversation ... that makes everything different.

It's not a manual.

It's not a how to.

Though I have one that helps me with that if I have questions.



But they both tell me how to be different.

By being fully alive. By being who I was created to be.

I'm still doing what I was before (mostly), but I have come alive.

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

Howard Thurman

So I watch a business book trailer and all I can think of is my faith.

Maybe something is wrong with me.

Or maybe I just already have been shown how to be ... different.

Hello Baby!

Hello Baby from StrawberryFrog on Vimeo.

The app that lets you ... experience baby development like never before—at simulated life-size, right on your iPad ... from week 4 to week 40.

I've gotta love an app that talks about a 4-week-old as if it is a real baby. In other words, says what everyone knows.

Via Eric Sammons.

Ah yes, Cinco de Mayo

The truth is that Cinco de Mayo has been promoted by alcohol advertising into a major holiday like Mexican Independence Day but in Mexico Cinco de Mayo it is not a major holiday at all. It's mainly celebrated in the City of Puebla, where it commemorates the Mexican army's defeat of French invaders on May 5, 1862. ...

Mexico Bob has the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on this misunderstood holiday.

There would be no pagans, if we were true Christians." -Saint John Chrysostom.

“The problem with faith ... is it kind of screws up your priorities. Your priorities shouldn’t be about saving your own (butt), which is the focus of Christianity.” So says Bill (Religulous) Maher in a recent edition of Newsweek magazine. Is he right?

Tony Rossi has a good article which looks at some examples of Christians living their faith and providing a good example for those around them.

However, I felt a certain sympathy for Bill Maher who obviously has not been privileged to run into a Christian truly living to the best of their abilities in a Christ-like fashion. It made me think of the quote with which I titled this post.

That in turn made me remember an encounter by Sandra Bullock when meeting the family who lived the original story told in her movie The Blind Side.

Sandra's perceptions of Christians changed with meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy, the woman she portrays in The Blind Side. Leigh Anne showed Sandra the reality of Jesus Christ by simply being herself and being real. Until meeting Leah Anne, Sandra was comfortable in her definition of Christians.

Bullock says she now has "faith in those who say they represent a faith." Through getting to know Leigh Anne, Sandra saw the authenticity of religious faith. "She was so open and honest and forthright," Bullock shares. "And I said, wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn't preach."

We don't know who is watching when we are going about everyday life. It doesn't need to be something big, although many of the most inspiring examples are big steps of faith that have a big effect.

In each case, however, we notice that it is because the Christians in question were trying their best to follow Jesus' example, not trying to impress someone else. The benefits they appreciated most were those that they themselves felt from their sacrifices. It was that faithfulness that God used to do wonderful works that stood out to others. Which gives us food for thought ... how faithful are we, no matter who is watching. After all, God sees it all. What am I giving Him to work with?

UPDATE
I see that The Anchoress also was meditating on Rossi's piece, in a similar but different way ... as fits right in with her theme of the paradoxes of Christianity.

Simple Pleasures: Outside the Office Window

Chris came over and told me to come look in the window outside his office.

There was a baby Scissor-tailed Fly Catcher. Fully fledged, on a branch, looking much of a muchness with mama who was on a nearby branch. Without the full length of tail though, and without the subtle red feathers around the wing.

This baby showed his recent emergence from the nest as well in the extreme width of opening beak to ... chirp? ... yelp when hopping off a branch into the air. You could imagine that wide maw opening insistently for a worm (or fly?) to be dropped in.

As well, it was adorably laughable when mama suddenly soared skyward and he took off, chirping madly, and flying jerkily too far to the left and overcorrecting too far to the right. It's tough to adapt flight to a really windy day if you haven't done it much.

Later, they both were on branches outside my office window. Mama sat calmly, her steely eye regarding baby as he would launch himself into the air, hover jerkily with much mad chirping and then somehow wind up back on another branch.

Chris said he thought perhaps baby was practicing that famous move which helped name them. You've got to hover to catch flies after all.

St. Paul: He's back, he's manga, and this time ... it's personal

We all know that with St. Paul it was always personal. Right?

This is not specifically Japanese manga, but a graphic novel that should entertain young readers (12+).

Paul's a young Jewish firebrand who kills or captures anyone who follows the new sect of Christianity. His closest friend, Septus, is a renegade Roman officer who helps Paul dominate the countryside. Paul gains a mentor but loses his friends when he finally embraces truth. He faces death at the hands of his closest companion, betrayal, constant danger, and destroyed love. Lose yourself in this epic reimagining of first-century Palestine.

I really enjoyed Paul: Tarsus to Redemption. One thing you've got to admit, scriptural stories are bigger than life (even though they usually were life) and lend themselves very well to dramatic depictions graphically.

The only point that somewhat confused me was the beginning ... who was Paul's blond buddy, why were they going to see the rabbi, and so forth. However, I believe that I was bogged down by my adult knowledge of St. Paul and trying too hard to connect it with the book. Once I "let go" then I was able to fully sink in and enjoy the story telling.

Likewise, I appreciated the ending of the book (is that a potential sweetheart we see on the scene?) completing the story full circle, even though it is clear that Paul will be traveling on. In fact I went back and read the beginning again. Whereupon it all made perfect sense. This graphic novel tweaks St. Paul's story only in the sorts of details that the best storytellers use to make their tales come alive. It is true to Biblical roots.

As I mentioned when I excitedly posted because this book was on the way ... if only Paul had shed some of those streaming manga tears, my joy would have been complete. He comes thiiiiiis close. So near and yet so far. Well there is always volume two to hope for.

I never met a girl yet who didn't enjoy stuff written for the guys, but in case you've got more feminine readers around than I did you might want to check out the upcoming Judith: Captive to Conqueror.

The Israelites have returned to their homeland after the Babylonian captivity, but now a new threat looms on the horizon. Holofernes, the wicked and conniving general of the Assyrian army, is sent to conquer all the world's temples, and now heads toward the Promise Land. But in Bethulia, the one city that stands between the Assyrians and Jerusalem, is Judith, the only woman with enough faith and courage to defend the Temple with her life.

Oh yeah. She's got it going on.

Discounted Subscription to First Things for Their Blog Readers

Hoochee mama, this is what I have been waiting for!

How good a discount is it?

First Things is great at writing but not so canny that they point out you are getting a half-price subscription, so as the advertising person I will do so. Dispensing with the niceties of never using whole numbers as a retailer, essentially you are spending $20 for a $40 subscription.

Via that First Things blogger par excellence, The Anchoress where you will find the all-important discount code!

This Tremendous Lover: Pride and Pride's Offspring

More of This Tremendous Lover. I have never heard this put quite this way or made quite so clear.

All such colored and touching accounts as are given of Eve's weakness owing to the charm of the fruit, to her thirst on a sultry day, to her lack of consideration--are quite incorrect. Since Eve had the gift of integrity, there could be no question of any weakness caused by a rebellion of sense-appetite. On the contrary, she knew clearly--far more clearly than we can imagine--what such a transgression of God's law would mean for herself, for her husband, and for the whole human race of whom she was to be the mother. And yet, "She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat" (Gen 3:6).

... To find the real malice of their sin, we have to look into their minds and try to realize the enormity of their pride and disobedience.

For that was the sin of our first parents--pride and pride's offspring, disobedience. We must remember the perfection of Adam's nature. His mind was endowed with powers and with knowledge that have never been surpassed by any of his fallen children. Unclouded by passion, he saw life clearly; he knew quite well that God had raised him quite gratuitously to a special share in His own divine nature and had made him His friend. He knew further that he was to be the father of the human race, and he was endowed with the wisdom and knowledge necessary for the instruction of his offspring. He knew, too, that his sharing in God's life by grace was dependent on his obedience to God, and he clearly understood that if he lost that grace by the forbidden sin, it was lost not merely for himself, but for his children.

Knowing all that, he calmly and deliberately decided to rebel against God's express command; and by his pride and rebellion he rejected God's plan for the happiness of the whole human race. ...

You would have to read the beginning of the chapter to see how the author leads us to the understanding of Adam's and Eve's natures that he sums up here. Suffice it to say, it is compelling and logical. I don't know why I always thought of Adam and Eve as being just more innocent versions of humans as we are now. It puts a different perspective on what I thought of as them simply being tricked by the serpent. The serpent tricked them into even considering the thought of disobeying but precious little pressure was put to bear when you think about it. It was a deliberate choice. Which is just what we do, whether it is a little or great transgression we undertake. We know deep down if we are headed down a dangerous road. In that we are like our most famous ancestors.