ABC 7 - Scared Deer Enters Virginia Supermarket Blacksburg, Va. (AP) - A deer ran into a Kroger supermarket, scrambled in panic through the store for several minutes, then left through a back door.
Dating Software to Help Endangered Pandas Find Mate
BEIJING (Reuters) - International panda experts have designed computer software to help the charismatic and endangered bears find their ideal mates, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The software, developed by experts at a meeting in China, would analyze the health and bloodlines of each panda in captivity to find the best match while avoiding close relatives, the Star Daily said.
... In April, middle-aged panda Ling Ling was sent home to Japan from a Mexico City zoo where he failed to romance three female pandas. Zookeepers said Ling Ling, on his second "Mission Impossible" in Mexico, was not interested in his potential mates.
BEIJING (Reuters) - International panda experts have designed computer software to help the charismatic and endangered bears find their ideal mates, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The software, developed by experts at a meeting in China, would analyze the health and bloodlines of each panda in captivity to find the best match while avoiding close relatives, the Star Daily said.
... In April, middle-aged panda Ling Ling was sent home to Japan from a Mexico City zoo where he failed to romance three female pandas. Zookeepers said Ling Ling, on his second "Mission Impossible" in Mexico, was not interested in his potential mates.
Top Kyoto Minister Admits He Has Two SUVs
OTTAWA (Reuters) - So what does Canada's natural resources minister drive when he's not pushing ratification of the Kyoto climate change protocol?
Minister Herb Dhaliwal confessed that, well, he has two Volvos and two sport utility vehicles -- General Motors 4x4s, to be precise. One pair for Ottawa and one pair for his home in Vancouver.
OTTAWA (Reuters) - So what does Canada's natural resources minister drive when he's not pushing ratification of the Kyoto climate change protocol?
Minister Herb Dhaliwal confessed that, well, he has two Volvos and two sport utility vehicles -- General Motors 4x4s, to be precise. One pair for Ottawa and one pair for his home in Vancouver.
local6.com - Man Slashed In Fight Over Who Has Hairiest Buttocks Victim Cut In Head During Argument
MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A fight between friends over who had the hairiest buttocks landed one of them in the hospital and the other in jail, according to police.
MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A fight between friends over who had the hairiest buttocks landed one of them in the hospital and the other in jail, according to police.
Gay.com UK | News | Headlines | Gay Man Kills Woman In Religious Dispute A gay Chicago-area man stands accused of killing a woman who allegedly tried to persuade him to change his sexual orientation.
Police arrested Nicholas Gutierrez, 19, on Saturday after he confessed and the body of Mary Stachowicz, 51, was found in a crawl space beneath his apartment. He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempting to conceal a homicide and burglary, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
Authorities said Gutierrez made a videotaped confession, admitting that he became enraged during a conversation with Stachowicz because her questioning of his sexuality reminded him of debates with his mother.
Police arrested Nicholas Gutierrez, 19, on Saturday after he confessed and the body of Mary Stachowicz, 51, was found in a crawl space beneath his apartment. He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempting to conceal a homicide and burglary, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
Authorities said Gutierrez made a videotaped confession, admitting that he became enraged during a conversation with Stachowicz because her questioning of his sexuality reminded him of debates with his mother.
Montgomery Limits Donations to Schools so that all schools can be equally underfunded. Why not help the poorer schools to get donations of their own?
Why I Hate 95% of Other Women:
Here's a work-wide e-mail from one:
You are invited to attend the 2002 Ms. Women of the Year awards celebration. It’s the first time Ms. has come to Washington, DC for its Women of the Year awards. The awards are going to 13 feminist trailblazers and champions who make the world a better place for women.
The awards will be presented by Gloria Steinem and Eleanor Smeal to such historic and trailblazing women such as newly elected House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Also receiving awards are women such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Nia Vardalos, Lisa Leslie (WNBA), and Stand with Sisters for Economic Dignity, a welfare reform activist troupe. Please consider joining us at our awards breakfast to celebrate this group of extraordinary women and their accomplishments at the National Press Club in Washington DC the morning of December 9th.
Ms. Women of the Year Awards Breakfast
Monday December 9, 2002
9:00-11:00 a.m.
(program begins at 9:30)
National Press Club
529 14th Street, Washington, DC
Ballroom, 13th Floor
Tickets-$50 per person or $450 per table (10 people) at www.msmagazine.com/dec02/woty.asp
Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh.
After posting this I realized I had not fully explored my hatred and annoyance. First, aren't kindergarteners the only ones who have any business "celebrating themselves?" Ooh, we're Women, and we accomplish things!! And Billy can make the "moo" sound! If you're so great, maybe OTHER PEOPLE would recognize you, instead of your own ultra-inclusive group. The other thing that chaps me about this is the fact that it's posted on a board for everyone to read, because of course, who wouldn't want to celebrate women? Who wouldn't want to donate money to the Ms. Foundation, which works to keep partial birth abortion safe and legal? Once a colleague of mine sent out an e-mail on Maundy Thursday asking if anyone would go to Mass with her, and she was quietly notified that this was inappropriate for the workplace. That's fine, but this schlock of course isn't offensive to anyone, so onward, ever onward, with the Ms. Foundation.
Ok, I feel a little better now. But I really do hate these people. Maybe when I calm down I will be able to pray for them, but not right now.
Here's a work-wide e-mail from one:
You are invited to attend the 2002 Ms. Women of the Year awards celebration. It’s the first time Ms. has come to Washington, DC for its Women of the Year awards. The awards are going to 13 feminist trailblazers and champions who make the world a better place for women.
The awards will be presented by Gloria Steinem and Eleanor Smeal to such historic and trailblazing women such as newly elected House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Also receiving awards are women such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Nia Vardalos, Lisa Leslie (WNBA), and Stand with Sisters for Economic Dignity, a welfare reform activist troupe. Please consider joining us at our awards breakfast to celebrate this group of extraordinary women and their accomplishments at the National Press Club in Washington DC the morning of December 9th.
Ms. Women of the Year Awards Breakfast
Monday December 9, 2002
9:00-11:00 a.m.
(program begins at 9:30)
National Press Club
529 14th Street, Washington, DC
Ballroom, 13th Floor
Tickets-$50 per person or $450 per table (10 people) at www.msmagazine.com/dec02/woty.asp
Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh.
After posting this I realized I had not fully explored my hatred and annoyance. First, aren't kindergarteners the only ones who have any business "celebrating themselves?" Ooh, we're Women, and we accomplish things!! And Billy can make the "moo" sound! If you're so great, maybe OTHER PEOPLE would recognize you, instead of your own ultra-inclusive group. The other thing that chaps me about this is the fact that it's posted on a board for everyone to read, because of course, who wouldn't want to celebrate women? Who wouldn't want to donate money to the Ms. Foundation, which works to keep partial birth abortion safe and legal? Once a colleague of mine sent out an e-mail on Maundy Thursday asking if anyone would go to Mass with her, and she was quietly notified that this was inappropriate for the workplace. That's fine, but this schlock of course isn't offensive to anyone, so onward, ever onward, with the Ms. Foundation.
Ok, I feel a little better now. But I really do hate these people. Maybe when I calm down I will be able to pray for them, but not right now.
Maggie Knows Best About Burkas "Every human society has a dress code, including our own, and the puzzlement over the idea that Muslim women can wear a veil and still enjoy sex is particularly embarrassing. It is also extremely dangerous to the larger and important task of helping Muslims who want to modernize. Elites who claim to want to promote a better understanding of Islam should start by realizing that democracy and human rights do not require sexual libertinism. To suggest that in order to modernize, Muslim societies need to embrace the worst of the trashy commercialism of Western culture is not true and deeply self-defeating."
Kairos asks: "So, next time you get worked up about your sexuality, or your wealth, or birth control, or women clergy, or married clergy, or anything else, put your conscience in the appropriate frame of mind, by asking 'Would I give this up if I were sure I had to?'"
BBC NEWS | Education Young people from even the most deprived backgrounds could outshine their more affluent peers if they regularly read books, newspapers and comics outside school, the report Reading for Change says.
Good Morning, Dave . . . - Computerworld The Defense Department is working on a self-aware computer.
Pro-Abortion Group Partners With Local Library System -- 11/20/2002 A financial agreement between Planned Parenthood of Central Texas and the City of Waco has enabled the pro-abortion group to incorporate its agenda into the local public library system.
The Planned Parenthood library also warns patrons that it can deny access "to anyone who has participated in protests," against the group.
Planned Parenthood of Central Texas distributed an Oct. 28 flier inviting the local community to an open house at its Audre Rapoport Library in Waco. The invitation obtained by CNSNews.com stated that the pro-abortion group's library is now a "branch of the Waco-McLennan County Public Library System."
The Planned Parenthood library also warns patrons that it can deny access "to anyone who has participated in protests," against the group.
Planned Parenthood of Central Texas distributed an Oct. 28 flier inviting the local community to an open house at its Audre Rapoport Library in Waco. The invitation obtained by CNSNews.com stated that the pro-abortion group's library is now a "branch of the Waco-McLennan County Public Library System."
Ben Domenech on hating the movie "Dead Poets Society" and its genre: "There's always some repressed student, and some rowdy student, and some homely yet kind-hearted student, and the teacher takes the initiative to mold all of these kids into real people. There's always that confrontational scene between the intellectual teacher and the wealthy aristocrat father who insists that his boy will not learn Walt Whitman, but real facts, dagnabbit! And there's always some kind of tragic moral victory at the end, and the teacher speaks his piece about the duty of a mentor to mold a child's mind into a man's. It might as well be a two hour ad for the National Education Association."
BBC NEWS | Business | Islamic institute blesses interest Conservative Islam's opposition to paying interest on savings could be in line for a shake-up after the most august institution in Sunni Islam gave its blessing to the practice.
Stand to the Right Why the hell is that moron from Ohio standing in front of you as you rush down the escalator and desperately try to make it to your train? Because he hasn't been educated properly.
CNN.com - Global goofs: U.S. youth can't find Iraq - Nov. 20, 2002 Among 18- to 24-year-old Americans given maps:
87 percent cannot find Iraq
83 percent cannot find Afghanistan
76 percent cannot find Saudi Arabia
70 percent cannot find New Jersey
49 percent cannot find New York
11 percent cannot find the United States
I can't help but wonder if they asked them to locate their rear ends ...
87 percent cannot find Iraq
83 percent cannot find Afghanistan
76 percent cannot find Saudi Arabia
70 percent cannot find New Jersey
49 percent cannot find New York
11 percent cannot find the United States
I can't help but wonder if they asked them to locate their rear ends ...
What Would Jesus Insinuate About Christian Teaching?
A coalition of religious and environmental groups is launching a "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign Wednesday, hoping to get people to switch to more fuel-efficient cars.
I guess Jesus would work to persuade people to drive smaller cars that are more likely to prove lethal in an accident, rather than bigger cars that save lives. He divinely willed CAFE standards, you know.
A coalition of religious and environmental groups is launching a "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign Wednesday, hoping to get people to switch to more fuel-efficient cars.
I guess Jesus would work to persuade people to drive smaller cars that are more likely to prove lethal in an accident, rather than bigger cars that save lives. He divinely willed CAFE standards, you know.
Rattlesnake Kiss Nearly Kills Man
George was showing friends the snake he had caught on a recent trip to Arizona. Holding the 2-foot snake behind the head, he kissed it.
"I said, 'OK, man, you're being stupid, put it away,'" recalled Jim Roban. "He said, 'It's OK, I do it all the time.'"
After the second kiss, the snake bit him under his mustache. He dropped the snake on the kitchen floor, and Roban killed it with his cowboy boot.
George was showing friends the snake he had caught on a recent trip to Arizona. Holding the 2-foot snake behind the head, he kissed it.
"I said, 'OK, man, you're being stupid, put it away,'" recalled Jim Roban. "He said, 'It's OK, I do it all the time.'"
After the second kiss, the snake bit him under his mustache. He dropped the snake on the kitchen floor, and Roban killed it with his cowboy boot.
Abortion Foe Admits to Killing Doctor
Anti-abortion activist James Kopp admitted in a jailhouse interview that he killed a doctor who provided abortions, but said he only intended to wound the man, the Buffalo News reported.
"The truth is not that I regret shooting Dr. (Barnett) Slepian. I regret that he died," Kopp told the newspaper in an interview published Wednesday. "I aimed at his shoulder. The bullet took a crazy ricochet, and that's what killed him. One of my goals was to keep Dr. Slepian alive, and I failed at that goal."
Some of Kopp's friends had been defending his innocence, but I guess that is out of the question now. Kind of bizarre that he blames the bullet for killing Slepian.
Anti-abortion activist James Kopp admitted in a jailhouse interview that he killed a doctor who provided abortions, but said he only intended to wound the man, the Buffalo News reported.
"The truth is not that I regret shooting Dr. (Barnett) Slepian. I regret that he died," Kopp told the newspaper in an interview published Wednesday. "I aimed at his shoulder. The bullet took a crazy ricochet, and that's what killed him. One of my goals was to keep Dr. Slepian alive, and I failed at that goal."
Some of Kopp's friends had been defending his innocence, but I guess that is out of the question now. Kind of bizarre that he blames the bullet for killing Slepian.
Man oh man. YOU MUST CLICK HERE AND SEE THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD "HOLIDAY CARD." I can't add a thing to what Mark Shea has blogged about it.
Nazis Hoped Cocaine Would Help Win War BERLIN (Reuters) - The Nazis conducted tests on a cocaine-based "wonder drug" during World War II they hoped would enhance the performance of the war-weary German army, a German magazine reported on Monday.
The weekly Focus said crime researcher Wolf Kemper had discovered that Hitler was trying to develop the drug, code-named D-IX, in 1944. The pills were to contain a mixture of cocaine, the amphetamine pervitin and a morphine-related painkiller. Prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp who had been given the drug were reportedly able to march 55 miles with 44-pound packs without a rest.
Give me this, and the memory-erasing pill, and I'm good ...
The weekly Focus said crime researcher Wolf Kemper had discovered that Hitler was trying to develop the drug, code-named D-IX, in 1944. The pills were to contain a mixture of cocaine, the amphetamine pervitin and a morphine-related painkiller. Prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp who had been given the drug were reportedly able to march 55 miles with 44-pound packs without a rest.
Give me this, and the memory-erasing pill, and I'm good ...
Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / Harvard Law plan on speech causes stir - This article will make you root for Alan Dershowitz. Weird ...
POETRY MONDAY:
Older, by They Might Be Giants
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're older still
Time is marching on
And time is still marching on
This day will soon be at an end
And now it's even sooner
And now it's even sooner
And now it's even sooner
This day will soon be at an end
And now it's even sooner
And now it's sooner still
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're older still
Older, by They Might Be Giants
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're older still
Time is marching on
And time is still marching on
This day will soon be at an end
And now it's even sooner
And now it's even sooner
And now it's even sooner
This day will soon be at an end
And now it's even sooner
And now it's sooner still
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
And now you're even older
You're older than you've ever been
And now you're even older
And now you're older still
I'm in trouble: the Old Oligarch has finally realized that he, too, can blog funny things that I say. It's all taken wildly out of context. Yeah, that's it.
Cacciaguida sez: "You probably like The New York Times if you think the Catholic Church needs fundamental changes in its teachings, while the Democratic Party has to figure out how to get its message out more clearly."
Ha!
Ha!
‘Noisy light’ new key to encryption Scientists at Northwestern University say they have harnessed the properties of light to encrypt information into code that can be cracked only one way: by breaking the physical laws of nature.
Cray unveils fastest supercomputer Cray announced on Thursday a new supercomputer that will leave its fastest counterparts in the dust. Cray’s X1 will offer up to 52.4 teraflops, or trillion mathematical calculations per second. Reaching that level requires 4,098 custom-designed 800MHz Cray processors.
Mercury News | 11/10/2002 | UC applicants face new test: truthfulness - Starting next year, the University of California system will begin spot-checking students' claims about their accomplishments and personal circumstances, an attempt to discourage them from embellishing or lying on their applications as competition for admission increases.
via the Cranky Professor, who seems to have started posting again. Hurrah.
via the Cranky Professor, who seems to have started posting again. Hurrah.
Pope Makes Historic Speech in Italy ROME (AP) - Pope John Paul II made a historic speech to Italy's parliament Thursday, urging Italians to work for world peace, uphold their Christian values and have more babies.
CNN.com - 'King of Pop' takes the stand - Nov. 14, 2002 - Yikes! Michael Jackson is looking pretty rough these days.
Someone I know wrote: So, if you were to give one reason why one should be Catholic rather than any other Christian denomination, what would it be? The most compelling argument I've heard so far is that, as nothing is worth fragmenting the unity of God's Church, it is important to belong to the church that is the "original" church. Interesting, and something I can get behind, being big on unity myself, but sticky in that not only the Romans claim the status of "original." I think the baptists are a bit far afield, but certainly the Orthodox have a compelling claim, and I've heard tell some Lutherans and Anglicans claim to be the last bastion of the "original." I've found the argument for "be Catholic because of the infallible Pope" argument to be utterly unsatisfying, for reasons I'll elaborate if anyone wishes. So, any thoughts?
My response: Dear Name,
I'm not sure what you mean by "the infallible Pope" argument, but Christ's promise to safeguard the institutional church from error is crucial to my decision to become Catholic. ("And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," (Matthew 16:18) "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16), and "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matt. 18:18), and "All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. God, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even unto the Consummation of the world" (Matt. 28:26)).
I was raised as a Lutheran. My maternal grandfather was a Lutheran minister, as was his father before him. I attended church every Sunday with my mother. (My father was absent after they divorced when I was 2.) As a young person, I had a number of problems with what I was taught in Church. Because I didn't know anything about other Christian churches, I assumed that they did not have any alternative explanations for the issues I had raised (!), so I eventually became an agnostic.
To give an example of the sort of objections I had - the Eucharist. I was taught early and often that Communion was just a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus - not the real thing, and also a symbol of our Christian community. To me this teaching had the same flavor as telling a small child that the dragon on the movie screen isn't real, even though it seems scary. I wondered why this elementary fact (clearly, it's bread, not flesh, right?) was the cornerstone of the Church's message. As a teenager, I became very impatient with our weekly church services. We had communion only every other Sunday, and I wondered why we even had it at all. After all, if it's just a symbol, I thought, can't we just acknowledge the symbolism and move on? For example, there's no point in reciting the "times tables" once you've memorized the equations by heart. (7x5=35, 7x6=42, 7x7=49). They're just a teaching tool. In the same way, I thought if communion was a big teaching tool to remind us of something we knew, we could just move on, because we had all already learned this. What frustrated me further was Jesus' command to "do this in memory of me." My takeaway from that statement was that God wants us to engage in an empty ritual over and over again to learn a basic point - that we're a community. Couldn't He come up with something better than that? It made about as much sense as God instructing us to floss weekly.
This objection was related to another objection I had - Why go to church at all? With communion now classed as pointless, the other thing we do at church is - read the Bible, which every Protestant knows one can do on his own. I was taught that we should go to church because Christians are a community, but I never got a great rationale for why this was the case. Sure, we all like to be around people who share our values, but is it essential? Church services seemed to something people had created because they all liked Christ and wanted to plan activities around that commonality, and I didn't care for the activities, but that seemed irrelevant to my Christianity.
But as you can infer, my view of the church was negatively affecting my understanding of Christ. Why would God be associated with something so lame? My atheist friends argued that church was an empty set of rituals designed to reinforce a set of socially accepted values, in part by teaching attendees that they weren't capable of making their own choices, and I was beginning to believe them. I wanted to develop myself into someone interesting, and Christianity did not hold much promise there either. The Lutheran church taught that we are all sinners, saved only by God's grace - not that God makes us holy, but that he "looks the other way," and for some unfathomable reason decides to pretend we're worthy of him even though we really aren't. This view did not give me much incentive to live a more Christian life. The way I saw it, I was trash no matter what I did, and if I would be saved it was because God ignored everything I did. Any "achievement" of mine was illusory, and I should not allow them to blind me to the fact that I was the moral equivalent of Hitler in the eyes of God. So why not do what I wanted to do and chalk sins up to imperfection? Or, alternatively, why not adopt an agnostic view of the world that allotted value to human qualities, and allowed me to stop feeling guilty no matter what I did, and start feeling happy when I achieved something? You can see which path I chose. Further, as an agnostic I felt that I was able to take responsibility for my behavior, whereas as a Christian, my good deeds would be attributable to God, while my bad deeds were due to my sinfulness.
Only when I was in college and began to speak with other people about Christianity did I learn what Catholicism taught on the issues that had led me to become an agnostic. I came to the conclusion for a while that although I was not a Christian, Catholicism was definitely the best kind of Christianity, as it was not plagued with the problems I had previously encountered. Other factors eventually led to my embrace of Jesus Christ and reception into the Church, and for the sake of brevity I will omit most of them here. The problems I have discussed above were definitely the most significant in keeping me out of the Church.
However, you might be interested in why I was attracted to Catholicism over another type of Christianity. My experience in the Lutheran Church has made me believe strongly that disunity in the universal Church leads to confusion of doctrine and unbelief, both for Christians and pagans. One of the essential factors in my return to Christianity was the understanding I noted earlier - that Christ has not only died for us, but promised that his Church on earth would be a reliable source of salvation for those who lived after his Ascension. A Christ who cannot or does not promise that is in my view ridiculous, as his sacrifice for us is only worthwhile if we can forever ally ourselves with him in some way. And since Christ has in fact promised us a recognizable Church that defends his teaching and sacrifice, there must be one. What Church is the recognizable defender of Christ? I believe it is the Catholic Church, for the following reasons - The teachings of the Catholic Church have conformed to this age the least of all the Christian Churches. The Catholic Church has institutional means of defining what it teaches and does not teach which have reliably safeguarded the Christian message over 2,000 years. In terms of your "original" question, the only possible answers to this question are the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, in my view. The Orthodox church has managed to preserve most traditional Christian teaching, however has fallen short on birth control - which is unfortunately a crucial shortcoming. I also believe that the headship of the Pope is consistent with the teachings of Christ and the practice of the early Christians.
That's the short answer. If you'd like to respond, feel free, or not as you prefer.
My response: Dear Name,
I'm not sure what you mean by "the infallible Pope" argument, but Christ's promise to safeguard the institutional church from error is crucial to my decision to become Catholic. ("And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," (Matthew 16:18) "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16), and "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matt. 18:18), and "All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. God, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even unto the Consummation of the world" (Matt. 28:26)).
I was raised as a Lutheran. My maternal grandfather was a Lutheran minister, as was his father before him. I attended church every Sunday with my mother. (My father was absent after they divorced when I was 2.) As a young person, I had a number of problems with what I was taught in Church. Because I didn't know anything about other Christian churches, I assumed that they did not have any alternative explanations for the issues I had raised (!), so I eventually became an agnostic.
To give an example of the sort of objections I had - the Eucharist. I was taught early and often that Communion was just a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus - not the real thing, and also a symbol of our Christian community. To me this teaching had the same flavor as telling a small child that the dragon on the movie screen isn't real, even though it seems scary. I wondered why this elementary fact (clearly, it's bread, not flesh, right?) was the cornerstone of the Church's message. As a teenager, I became very impatient with our weekly church services. We had communion only every other Sunday, and I wondered why we even had it at all. After all, if it's just a symbol, I thought, can't we just acknowledge the symbolism and move on? For example, there's no point in reciting the "times tables" once you've memorized the equations by heart. (7x5=35, 7x6=42, 7x7=49). They're just a teaching tool. In the same way, I thought if communion was a big teaching tool to remind us of something we knew, we could just move on, because we had all already learned this. What frustrated me further was Jesus' command to "do this in memory of me." My takeaway from that statement was that God wants us to engage in an empty ritual over and over again to learn a basic point - that we're a community. Couldn't He come up with something better than that? It made about as much sense as God instructing us to floss weekly.
This objection was related to another objection I had - Why go to church at all? With communion now classed as pointless, the other thing we do at church is - read the Bible, which every Protestant knows one can do on his own. I was taught that we should go to church because Christians are a community, but I never got a great rationale for why this was the case. Sure, we all like to be around people who share our values, but is it essential? Church services seemed to something people had created because they all liked Christ and wanted to plan activities around that commonality, and I didn't care for the activities, but that seemed irrelevant to my Christianity.
But as you can infer, my view of the church was negatively affecting my understanding of Christ. Why would God be associated with something so lame? My atheist friends argued that church was an empty set of rituals designed to reinforce a set of socially accepted values, in part by teaching attendees that they weren't capable of making their own choices, and I was beginning to believe them. I wanted to develop myself into someone interesting, and Christianity did not hold much promise there either. The Lutheran church taught that we are all sinners, saved only by God's grace - not that God makes us holy, but that he "looks the other way," and for some unfathomable reason decides to pretend we're worthy of him even though we really aren't. This view did not give me much incentive to live a more Christian life. The way I saw it, I was trash no matter what I did, and if I would be saved it was because God ignored everything I did. Any "achievement" of mine was illusory, and I should not allow them to blind me to the fact that I was the moral equivalent of Hitler in the eyes of God. So why not do what I wanted to do and chalk sins up to imperfection? Or, alternatively, why not adopt an agnostic view of the world that allotted value to human qualities, and allowed me to stop feeling guilty no matter what I did, and start feeling happy when I achieved something? You can see which path I chose. Further, as an agnostic I felt that I was able to take responsibility for my behavior, whereas as a Christian, my good deeds would be attributable to God, while my bad deeds were due to my sinfulness.
Only when I was in college and began to speak with other people about Christianity did I learn what Catholicism taught on the issues that had led me to become an agnostic. I came to the conclusion for a while that although I was not a Christian, Catholicism was definitely the best kind of Christianity, as it was not plagued with the problems I had previously encountered. Other factors eventually led to my embrace of Jesus Christ and reception into the Church, and for the sake of brevity I will omit most of them here. The problems I have discussed above were definitely the most significant in keeping me out of the Church.
However, you might be interested in why I was attracted to Catholicism over another type of Christianity. My experience in the Lutheran Church has made me believe strongly that disunity in the universal Church leads to confusion of doctrine and unbelief, both for Christians and pagans. One of the essential factors in my return to Christianity was the understanding I noted earlier - that Christ has not only died for us, but promised that his Church on earth would be a reliable source of salvation for those who lived after his Ascension. A Christ who cannot or does not promise that is in my view ridiculous, as his sacrifice for us is only worthwhile if we can forever ally ourselves with him in some way. And since Christ has in fact promised us a recognizable Church that defends his teaching and sacrifice, there must be one. What Church is the recognizable defender of Christ? I believe it is the Catholic Church, for the following reasons - The teachings of the Catholic Church have conformed to this age the least of all the Christian Churches. The Catholic Church has institutional means of defining what it teaches and does not teach which have reliably safeguarded the Christian message over 2,000 years. In terms of your "original" question, the only possible answers to this question are the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, in my view. The Orthodox church has managed to preserve most traditional Christian teaching, however has fallen short on birth control - which is unfortunately a crucial shortcoming. I also believe that the headship of the Pope is consistent with the teachings of Christ and the practice of the early Christians.
That's the short answer. If you'd like to respond, feel free, or not as you prefer.
Police Investigating Suspicious Vehicle in D.C. (washingtonpost.com) - The reason the Smithsonian metro stop was closed this morning.
Welcome to allnva! Now Is The Most Dangerous Time For Deer-Vehicle Collisions
(Richmond, VA) -- The Virginia Farm Bureau is warning drivers that now is the time to be on guard for deer. Spokeswoman Pam Wiley says October, November and December are the most dangerous months for deer-vehicle collisions.
(Richmond, VA) -- The Virginia Farm Bureau is warning drivers that now is the time to be on guard for deer. Spokeswoman Pam Wiley says October, November and December are the most dangerous months for deer-vehicle collisions.
Germs develop a deadly defense Drug-resistant bacteria discovered in Detroit
Staph aureusis a common pathogen that infects about 400,000 U.S. hospital patients a year. About one-quarter of them die. For decades, scientists have been dreading -- but expecting -- a staph aureusstrain to emerge that is resistant to vancomycin.
Some experts postulate that eventually, so many bacteria will develop resistance that antibiotics won't work and hospitals will be filled with people dying from infections, as they were in the 1920s.
Staph aureusis a common pathogen that infects about 400,000 U.S. hospital patients a year. About one-quarter of them die. For decades, scientists have been dreading -- but expecting -- a staph aureusstrain to emerge that is resistant to vancomycin.
Some experts postulate that eventually, so many bacteria will develop resistance that antibiotics won't work and hospitals will be filled with people dying from infections, as they were in the 1920s.
I've made the switch from Yahoo! to My Way. No pop-ups or banner ads. See the new e-mail address too.
TIME Magazine: The New Politics of Pot - Can it go legit? How the people who brought you medical marijuana have set their sights on lifting the ban for everyone
The Institute for Humane Studies - Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program Summer 2003 -- June 7 - August 15
Advance your career while advancing liberty!
The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program includes:
Washington, DC, Public Policy Internship
Career Workshops
Seminars and Speakers
$1,500 Stipend
Housing and Airfare
Application Deadline: February 15, 2003
Advance your career while advancing liberty!
The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program includes:
Washington, DC, Public Policy Internship
Career Workshops
Seminars and Speakers
$1,500 Stipend
Housing and Airfare
Application Deadline: February 15, 2003
Unleash the power of the blog: My boss, who recently got married, is considering becoming Catholic. I believe this is because she married a "Catholic," although they did get married outside, so I have no idea what the deal is there. She is a very smart, sharp, analytical, and busy woman. I would like to get her a book on Catholicism that she would actually have time to read (Cardinal Newman might be too long.) I would also prefer it not be written in a cutesy style as is the "Why Do Catholics Do That?" book. Any suggestions (in our friend the comments box) would be super. Thanks.
TIME.com: W. and the "Boy Genius" - Interesting article on the President and Karl Rove's roles in the recent campaign. Bush calls Rove "Turd Blossom" on bad days, and they call their Strategic Initiatives Office "strategery." I love it.
Films to Be Rented on the Internet The effort, called Movielink, allows people to download films over a high-speed Internet connection. It is the industry's alternative to the distribution of pirated films over peer-to-peer computer networks... Movielink offers individual titles for $1.99 to $4.99. The compressed files average about 500 megabytes in size and take about an hour to download with a high-speed DSL or cable modem connection. ...The full-screen quality is roughly equivalent to that of a VHS tape, but suffers as the image is enlarged. Viewers can pause, fast forward and rewind the films.
The movies can be viewed an unlimited number of times during a 24-hour period. The movies delete themselves after the one-day license expires, and will sit on the computer hard drive for 30 days if not watched.
Movielink is offering the movies in file formats developed by RealNetworks and Microsoft, which have their own copy protection and compression schemes. The files are encrypted and will not play the movie if it is sent to another computer.
The movies can be viewed an unlimited number of times during a 24-hour period. The movies delete themselves after the one-day license expires, and will sit on the computer hard drive for 30 days if not watched.
Movielink is offering the movies in file formats developed by RealNetworks and Microsoft, which have their own copy protection and compression schemes. The files are encrypted and will not play the movie if it is sent to another computer.
Yahoo! News - Microsoft Memo Says It's Been Ineffective In Combating Open Source Microsoft believes many of its efforts to market its products against Linux and open source are backfiring, according to an internal memo leaked and posted on the Internet.
Particularly ineffective tactics inclue legal arguments and name-calling, the memo says. Top Microsoft executives have said open source is a "cancer."
The memo says the slam campaign just isn't working.
"Messages that criticize OSS, Linux & the [general public license] are NOT effective," the memo says. "Messaging that discusses possible Linux patent violations, pings the OSS development process for lacking accountability, attempts to call out the 'viral' aspect of the GPL and the like are only marginally effective in driving unfavorable opinions around OSS, Linux, and the GPL, and in some cases backfire. On the other hand, 'positive' OSS, Linux, and GPL messages are very effective -- both across geographies and audiences."
Particularly ineffective tactics inclue legal arguments and name-calling, the memo says. Top Microsoft executives have said open source is a "cancer."
The memo says the slam campaign just isn't working.
"Messages that criticize OSS, Linux & the [general public license] are NOT effective," the memo says. "Messaging that discusses possible Linux patent violations, pings the OSS development process for lacking accountability, attempts to call out the 'viral' aspect of the GPL and the like are only marginally effective in driving unfavorable opinions around OSS, Linux, and the GPL, and in some cases backfire. On the other hand, 'positive' OSS, Linux, and GPL messages are very effective -- both across geographies and audiences."
Salon.com Politics | Clearing the bench: Image shows "Spectral fetus haunting the Supreme Court" according to O.O. He's right.
toledoblade.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who attended a Conference on Christian Sexuality here say that church approval of blessing same-sex unions and ordaining practicing homosexuals could cause them to question their continued involvement in the ELCA.
toledoblade.com Younger Catholics embrace traditions - article on NFP/Humanae Vitae Guru Janet Smith. I thought she would look different for some reason.
toledoblade.com A couple who take a natural approach
Going against the flow on the subject of birth control?
Going against the flow on the subject of birth control?
FrontPage magazine.com Anti-Americanism is part of a new secular "religion," consisting of the various ideological movements generated in the sixties. These movements answer to the need for a higher collective goal in a world where, to many, traditional religion no longer makes sense.
A followup to the "Konto" post - Cacciaguida reports: "When I was a kid, I thought that 'Penthouse' was the largest number there was, because it was the highest on the elevator buttons in my apartment building."
Heresy of Mohammed - The Founder of Islam, the faith of Muslims The Mohammedan movement was essentially a "Reformation," and we can discover numerous affinities between Islam and the Protestant Reformers - on Images, on the Mass, on Celibacy, etc.
I never played D&D, but what the heck.
I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Cleric Fighter
Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.
Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.
Primary Class:
Clerics are the voices of their God/desses on Earth. They perform the work of their deity, but this doesn't mean that they preach to a congregation all their lives. If their deity needs something done, they will do it, and can call upon that deity's power to accomplish their goals.
Secondary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn't to say that they aren't intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.
Deity:
Tyr is the Lawful Good god of justice. He is also known as Tyr Grimjaws, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, and Blind Tyr. He appears as a warrior, missing his hand. Followers of Tyr are concerned first and foremost with justice - discovering the truth and punishing the guilty for their crimes. They wear blue and purple robes with a white sash, a white gauntlet on the left hand, and a black gauntlet on the right, to symbolize Tyr's lost hand. Their preferred weapon is the warhammer. Tyr's symbol is a set of scales resting on a warhammer.
Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of
NeppyMan (e-mail)
I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Cleric Fighter
Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.
Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.
Primary Class:
Clerics are the voices of their God/desses on Earth. They perform the work of their deity, but this doesn't mean that they preach to a congregation all their lives. If their deity needs something done, they will do it, and can call upon that deity's power to accomplish their goals.
Secondary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn't to say that they aren't intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.
Deity:
Tyr is the Lawful Good god of justice. He is also known as Tyr Grimjaws, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, and Blind Tyr. He appears as a warrior, missing his hand. Followers of Tyr are concerned first and foremost with justice - discovering the truth and punishing the guilty for their crimes. They wear blue and purple robes with a white sash, a white gauntlet on the left hand, and a black gauntlet on the right, to symbolize Tyr's lost hand. Their preferred weapon is the warhammer. Tyr's symbol is a set of scales resting on a warhammer.
Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of
NeppyMan (e-mail)
Demonstrating its ultimate hypocrisy, Planned Parenthood is requiring parental consent for "children under age 18" to participate in the organization's poster contest. Meanwhile, the organization argues all around the world that children under age 18 should not require parental consent for abortion.
Under the "Terms and Conditions" section of the Planned Parenthood website advertising the Roe at 30 Artwork and Poster Contest, condition # 3 states: "Children under age 18 must have a parent or legal guardian's permission to submit their designs and for us to publish it along with their name."
Strangely, the organization has subverted legal requirements of parental consent prior to abortions by minors and actively lobbied and argued in courts against such legal protection of children.
Under the "Terms and Conditions" section of the Planned Parenthood website advertising the Roe at 30 Artwork and Poster Contest, condition # 3 states: "Children under age 18 must have a parent or legal guardian's permission to submit their designs and for us to publish it along with their name."
Strangely, the organization has subverted legal requirements of parental consent prior to abortions by minors and actively lobbied and argued in courts against such legal protection of children.
From Mark Shea at HMS Blog: "CAN YOU COUNT TO INFINITY?" My five year old, Sean, asked his brother.
Matthew replied that infinity is a really big number. "What's the biggest number you can think of?"
Sean said, "Konto."
Matthew said, "Well, you can add one to Konto."
Sean said, "No. That's too big.'
Matthew asked, "How big is Konto?"
Sean replied, "It's 20 plus 9."
"That's 29," said Matthew.
"It's also Konto."
Sean thinks different.
Matthew replied that infinity is a really big number. "What's the biggest number you can think of?"
Sean said, "Konto."
Matthew said, "Well, you can add one to Konto."
Sean said, "No. That's too big.'
Matthew asked, "How big is Konto?"
Sean replied, "It's 20 plus 9."
"That's 29," said Matthew.
"It's also Konto."
Sean thinks different.
Joey Green Discover hundreds of little-known uses for well-known products, by just clicking on a product!
Yahoo! News - DOES EUROPE KNOW BEST? Maggie Gallagher asks: "If Europe is so good at resolving work/family dilemmas, why is the European family disappearing?"
Yahoo! News - Fundraiser Could Get You Divorced SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian law firm has offered up a free divorce as a prize in a Red Cross auction to raise funds for victims of the Bali bombings.
The Australian: Gay Games begin [November 04, 2002] In his Saturday night Gay Games opening ceremony speech, Justice Kirby applauded the growing rationality of the human race.
Gay.com UK | News | Transgender Gay Games Athlete Competes In Men's And Women's Events
Transgender ice hockey athlete Jamie McCulloch yesterday competed twice in the Gay Games - once as part of the Boston men's hockey team, and a second time as part of the women's team.
Transgender ice hockey athlete Jamie McCulloch yesterday competed twice in the Gay Games - once as part of the Boston men's hockey team, and a second time as part of the women's team.
St. Mark's choir strikes an untraditional chord The Sunday service is about to begin, but this is no ordinary worship. For one thing, it's come as you are, which often means fleece, jeans and maybe a head of green hair. People sit in the dark. There's no pastor, sermon or offering plate coming at you. And then there are the clumps of people lying prone on the cold, bare, concrete floor.
Yahoo! News - Bush Remarks on Wife Draw Criticism - Fun article on Bush's public comments about his wife.
Weird. The only other reference to the word "overpenguin" found by Google comes from TheStoa:: Free Llama With Kid's Meal.
O.O. says, "One of the squirrels should just gather up all the nuts and sell them to the other squirrels. Then he'd be the Oversquirrel. I'd like to be the Oversquirrel."
Zorak: "Really? I mean, how great would that be? You'd still be a squirrel."
O.O.: "Well, it would be pretty good to be the Overanything if you were already that thing. But if I had to choose between being the Overpenguin and being a man, which would I choose? I don't know, I'd probably still be a man ... Yes, you can blog this."
Zorak: "Really? I mean, how great would that be? You'd still be a squirrel."
O.O.: "Well, it would be pretty good to be the Overanything if you were already that thing. But if I had to choose between being the Overpenguin and being a man, which would I choose? I don't know, I'd probably still be a man ... Yes, you can blog this."
Yahoo! News - Sexy Putin Storms Into the Pop Charts Few ex-KGB spies have been immortalized. But Russian President Vladimir Putin, already sure of his place in history, is fast becoming a pop icon -- thanks to a racy all-girl band.
"I want a man like Putin," croons a saucy female voice on Russian radio.
"I want a man like Putin," croons a saucy female voice on Russian radio.
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