Dyspeptic Mutterings

Very interesting quiz about our dividing national house.

2012-01-25T23:06:00.003-05:00

How Thick Is Your Bubble?GuestScore » 11 out of 20 (55% )Result On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you

Don't make me feel sorry for Mitt Romney.

2012-01-25T14:30:00.002-05:00

If you ask, I don't make much of a secret for my disdain for Romney the politician. I think his political commercials should end with "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve of this message--at this time." But I think some of the attacks on his business experience are overblown. For example, he's paying a lot more in taxes than is commonly claimed.And he only makes slightly more per day than Jon Stewart.

The Hurricane of November.

2012-01-24T12:20:00.010-05:00

When I was around 9 or 10, a friend of mine said his uncle had told him a mini-hurricane once formed on one of the Great Lakes. Knowing, like most Michiganders, that the Lakes were formidable bodies of water, and knowing, like most fifth graders, bupkis about meteorology, it made sense.Much later on, after learning something of the mechanics of hurricane formation, I discounted it. The Lakes

Frederick Douglass and Irish emancipation.

2012-01-24T08:03:00.005-05:00

Donald McClarey at the American Catholic is always worth reading, but he absolutely knocks it out of the park with his history posts. This one is no exception, chronicling the meeting of the liberator of Ireland and the Elijah of emancipation.Not so by the way, Douglass' Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass is a must read. He revised it over time (the 1845 version protected those who

The Legislator-Lobbyist Complex at Work.

2012-01-23T19:00:00.003-05:00

Countrywide Chris Dodd's latest disgrace, shilling for SOPA.Note carefully how the hard-nosed journalists at MSNBC dutifully rub his tummy.

I keep hoping I'll wake up.

2012-01-23T18:58:00.003-05:00

The frontrunners for the 2012 Republican nomination are (1) a thrice-married lobbyist most recently on retainer for Fannie Mae, and (2) a one-term governor of Massachusetts who ran to the left of Ted Kennedy.I have that straight, right?I miss the smoke-filled rooms and surprise compromise candidates.

Bull. And also, shit.

2012-01-23T18:50:00.003-05:00

The latest experiment in "Why the Hell Not?" is underway in a Michigan federal court.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif"The undisputed sociological and psychological evidence demonstrates that unmarried persons, straight, gay or lesbian, are no less loving, caring and effective parents than those parents who are married to each other. In addition, there are very significant legal benefits for

Notes toward a new Catholic Dictionary.

2011-10-31T17:20:00.003-04:00

Clericalist, (ˈkler-i-kə-ˌlist), noun.A Catholic who, when confronted with Christ's threefold office of Priest, Prophet and King asks "What about comptroller?"

The Accidental Captivity Diaries of "T. Henry Price," Switched At Birth.

2011-10-28T12:27:00.011-04:00

Dear Diary:It is now Day 26 since I was mistakenly torn from the grasp of my undoubtedly-old-money family and placed in the care of...well, how should I describe them?Let me hasten to say that it would be entirely ungenerous of me to claim that I have not been well-cared for. Indeed, my material needs have been met with great alacrity. The red-haired wet-nurse, a charming and lovely woman whom I

The difference between observing our lives and living them.

2011-10-28T12:16:00.002-04:00

Hilary puts it beautifully in this essay. Read it all.I have the same problem, taking pictures of my kids' activities instead of merely watching them. Sure, they're great keepsakes. But was I fully there? A good question.This is probably why we are so irritated with tourists who take pictures of everything in sight. We instinctively know there is something wrong with it. I stopped taking

Gutless wonders, petty tyrants and chancery dwellers.

2011-10-26T15:13:00.007-04:00

But I repeat myself. Yes, I know there are good folks laboring in the bureaucratic halls of the Church--this isn't directed at you. As for the rest of you...The rector of the Cincinnati seminary managed to successfully retaliate against Rich Leonardi, long-time Catholic blogger extraordinaire and pointed, but usually civil, critic of the manifold problems of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.Rich was

Once I had a railroad, made it run...

2011-10-06T17:20:00.005-04:00

From the "Things that keep me up at night" File--this would be number 1.Yet it is some of those very conditions-the slashing of consumer debt (or deleveraging), reticence to spend and general risk aversion-that helps drive Rosenberg's depression case. "It will take time and shared burden by lenders, households and future generations of taxpayers before we hit bottom in this credit contraction,"

Thomas Henry, born on October 2, 2011.

2011-10-06T17:05:00.000-04:00

At 7:31am.A little more than four hours after Heather woke me with the news that her water had broken. Which changed me from slumbering to AIEEE! in less than a second. Thank God for the groundedness of my wife.And a big round of applause for my other children, who despite been awakened at 3:20am and not fed until around 7am behaved beautifully in the family lounge of the hospital.There's still

Anonymous commenters are the herpes of the internet.

2011-10-06T16:57:00.003-04:00

By which I mean they turn what should be a pleasurable exercise into a scabby one filled with discomfort, recrimination and regret.From the spammer file come these sub-literate gems from my spam catcher (which is a default function not set by me):Who is this wanker? Are all americans this imbecile? By Anonymous on OK. Things are somewhat better. on 10/1/11I guess you probably won't be publishing

OK. Things are somewhat better.

2011-08-25T09:53:00.003-04:00

Better, if not exactly good. It does not appear that I will be wearing a barrel nor carrying a sign that says "Will Offer Sardonic Commentary For Food." My credit rating will probably be pining for the fjords, but it wasn't exactly voom before that. As to when I might be offering sardonic commentary on a more regular basis, well...that's one of those hard to say things. Not as hard to say,

All is not well.

2011-08-17T17:27:00.002-04:00

The muse has left me temporarily, at least. More to the point, I've been undergoing some difficulties of late. Fortunately, none directly involve the family, who are all hale and hearty, and my marriage to the wonderful Heather is rock-solid. But, unanticipated financial difficulties, brought on by what seems to have been truly bad advice provided to us, appear poised to bite me on the ass.

The chickens...have come home...to ROOST!

2011-05-05T21:16:00.004-04:00

--Said in the voice of the President's former pastor.You know what's sadly funny, painfully ironic, and richly deserved: Spirit of Vatican II progressives objecting to nasty comments about their age.No, no--it's not nice to make the comments or see them made. I myself hope to grow old. But in this case it's rough justice. These are, after all, the folks who said out with the old, goodbye to

Thank you, SEALs.

2011-05-05T21:13:00.004-04:00

For ridding the world of that murderous, evil sack of shit. Thanks also to the Army Special Ops helicopter troops who got them there and back, along with the hard work of the CIA. Our country doesn't deserve such men and women, but we keep getting them anyway.Thanks.

Have a Happy Easter!

2011-04-21T16:17:00.002-04:00

Just another day of Resurrection denial.

2011-04-19T14:18:00.008-04:00

Yeah, the Reporter again, this time by Carol Meyer:Artist Ron DiCianni spent two years painting the largest mural ever of the resurrection, some 12 feet high and 30 feet wide, soon to be housed at the Museum of Biblical Arts in Dallas. Sounds cool. Looks good, from a small version. Probably have to see it in person to get the full effect.In a video about this work, he says, “The resurrection of

Something offensively stupid from the National Catholic Reporter.

2011-04-13T16:03:00.005-04:00

Which is like saying: "Today's Seattle forecast: Rain."Yeah, I know, I know--glutton for punishment.But I make occasional forays over into the stygian waters of NCR just to remind them that they aren't the mainstream, clear-thinking Catholic voice they think they are.It's the blog equivalent of the Doolittle Raid--not much damage, but, hey--remember us?Plus, the comboxes are near occasions of

Elizabeth is home.

2011-04-11T10:49:00.001-04:00

She's on breathing treatments (nebulizer) and antibiotics, but she's her old self, behavior-wise.Thanks.

Fungibility and nonnegotiables.

2011-04-10T11:02:00.004-04:00

Let's say I'm a billionaire pacifist. Upon my death, my will leaves a $10 billion trust fund which will donate to the Department of Defense in recognition of the American military's humanitarian relief efforts in places like Haiti, Pakistan, Indonesia, et al.I put in a codicil mandating that none of the trust fund money is to go to weapons or munitions.Have I betrayed my pacifist principles?

Kneel Before Zod.

2011-04-07T14:41:00.004-04:00

Brant Pitre's new book about the Jewish roots of the Eucharist has received the sniffy treatment in the National Catholic Reporter, in the form of a largely dismissive review, quelle suprise. The Rev. Richard T. Lawrence has determined that while it nicely points out that Jewish stuff, Pitre is a sinner who must wear the scarlet "U" for "Unscholarly."Well, allow me to retort, starting off with a

The last days of Nick Charles.

2011-04-06T15:56:00.004-04:00

If you aren't into sports, or weren't in the 1990s, you probably don't remember Nick Charles. Along with Fred Hickman, Charles was the anchor of CNN's Sports Tonight broadcast at 11pm. It was must-watch. Knowledgable, witty and with a great chemistry between the anchors, it beat the snot out of ESPN's 11pm broadcast in both quality and ratings. Alas, CNN jettisoned sports coverage in 2001 and

Vast improvement.

2011-04-06T15:51:00.002-04:00

Lizzie is doing much better today. She is still going to be hospitalized until Friday, but that looks more and more like the discharge date, too. Her oxygen mix has been decreased from 40% to 25% over the course of today, and she's getting more active and vocal. And ticked, from what I can hear over the phone.Thanks for your prayers and good wishes--they mean more than you know.

Prayers would be welcome.

2011-04-05T12:33:00.002-04:00

Elizabeth, our 17 month old, was admitted to the hospital yesterday with respiratory distress. With the assistance of Tamiflu, Louis, Maddie and I weathered a case of the influenza, and we thought that Lizzie had the same. Three days of medicine didn't make a dent, which now makes sense since last night's x-rays determined that it was pneumonia. Today, the doctor leading her treatment team

Start the impeachment proceedings.

2011-04-04T16:22:00.005-04:00

Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has suggested we need to jail Americans who manage the childishly simple task of offending violent Muslim theocrats.Fortunately, we have Mark Steyn to take out the garbage:A mob of deranged ululating blood-lusting head-hackers slaughter Norwegian female aid-workers and Nepalese guards — and we’re the ones with the problem?I agree with the Instaprof: Lindsey Graham is

Happy (?) Confederation Day, Newfoundland.

2011-03-31T17:48:00.003-04:00

Today in 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland ended its separate existence and became a part of Canada. It's not been a happy marriage for the Newfoundlanders, and it was a very close vote in July 1948. Some bitter residents have called it "rigged," referring to the decisive (second) referendum day as "Black Thursday."The suspicion of Canada was deeply held for decades prior to the accession, as

My words sometimes taste like rawhide.

2011-03-30T13:27:00.006-04:00

Senator Durbin's Muslim civil rights hearings began this week. As a deliberate partisan rejoinder to Rep. Peter King's almost equally pointless Islamic radicalization hearings of a few weeks back, I decided to avoid following them. However, I learned there was going to be some Catholic input in them, in the person of the emeritus Cardinal Archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick. He's not

It's not financial Doomageddon.

2011-03-30T09:21:00.004-04:00

But it's a bit of a personal eye-opener. The price of milk increased $0.13 per gallon over the past week. We buy our milk at Costco, and in bulk to save us multiple stops during the week. Two Saturdays ago, skim and whole milk cost $1.95 a gallon. Last night, it was $2.08.No, it's not much and our demand is pretty inelastic. But Costco tries to hold off until the last minute on passing

Prayers would be welcome.

2011-03-29T14:05:00.001-04:00

I haven't been feeling well (moments of vertigo) over the past four days, and I'm trying to bear up under a financial burden I'm wrestling with. They may very well be related, actually.Thanks.

The most delusionally funny thing you will read all year.

2011-03-29T13:24:00.004-04:00

That would be Michael Sean Winters' encomium to the wise leadership of President Obama on Libya.It is a jaw-dropping exercise in virtuoso spin from start to finish, including "a"s and "the"s. For my money, this is the heart of the defense brief:Barack Obama is a careful man, with a careful mind. He really is, in terms of personality, the opposite of George W. Bush who was all for acting from his

Holy smokes--it's been more than three months.

2011-03-23T15:11:00.002-04:00

Yeesh.Er, I can explain. A lot of things happened/are happening, and some of them are even good.In the meantime, apologies--and yes, book reviews are inbound this week. It's a nice distraction.

Finally: the first-ever pulp zombie midrash on a New Testament passage.

2010-12-17T13:59:00.002-05:00

Eric Pavlat has the details.Very, very different. Some say sacrilegious, but I don't see it that way. Then again, I'm odd.

About that Chinese economic miracle...

2010-12-17T12:32:00.003-05:00

...sure is building a lot of empty places. As in entire cities where no one lives.Thomas Friedman, call your office.

Evidence of a later "Christmas Truce" unearthed.

2010-12-17T12:25:00.005-05:00

While the existence of a 1914 Christmas Truce during the First World War is confirmed, evidence of later Truces has been sketchy to nonexistent. Until now. From a letter written by a Canadian soldier, recently found by an historian.According to the letter, written December 30, 1916, another truce took place in 1916:Here we are again as the song says. I had quite a good Xmas considering I was

If you want a vision of sharia...

2010-12-15T17:18:00.002-05:00

...imagine a whip scoring a woman's face - forever.

Men are complicated creatures.

2010-12-15T14:01:00.003-05:00

It's funny because it's true.And this part depicts my gift-wrapping method with camcorder accuracy:Men do not like to wrap gifts. I think it was Dave Barry that said the first gifts given were the gifts to Baby Jesus. "Hence the term "wise men". Men don't understand the point in putting carefully coordinated paper with oodles of expensive ribbon on a package just to rip it off. (lingerie though

It's still a wonderful life.

2010-12-15T13:57:00.003-05:00

But Sean Dailey points out in a fine piece that it's not as simple as it appears:Such an analysis may strike fans of the movie as a bit off, given that, on a certain level, it is a cornball movie. It’s a Wonderful Life has corny dialogue, corny humor, slapstick, hijinks and low-jinks. But beneath all that, it also is a very dark film. Opening with George’s friends praying that he can be found

The Shrinking of Detroit.

2010-12-13T16:48:00.004-05:00

Here is Detroit's problem, in a nutshell:There simply aren't the people in what was once one of the country's greatest cities.Did you know that Detroit came within an ace of getting the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Summer Games?Now, she's less than half the size she used to be. If the 2010 Census shows the City to have a population north of 800,000, I'll be stunned. And dubious.The mayoral

Bzzzt! I'm sorry, that's crap.

2010-12-13T16:33:00.004-05:00

The Big Ten announces its new Divisional alignments: Legends and Leaders.My thoughts:Dear Lord. That pretentious bongload of self-regard is the best you can do? Dumb. Terminally stupid. Reboot and try again.

Right in the wheelwell.

2010-12-03T16:48:00.003-05:00

A couple of months ago, you may recall this bit of eco-proselytizing involving exploding children. Even the writer for the above environmentalist website acknowledged the obvious hateful implications.Charming--and the scoundrel's "just a joke" defense was happily ineffective.But some Greens seem enamored with the "whack 'em!" solution.Chris Johnson found a new approach leading to the same result

I wonder who Aunt Bethany is going to mail her cat to for Christmas this year.

2010-12-03T11:53:00.004-05:00

Helen Thomas, the former White House correspondent whose career began during the second Cleveland administration, proves once again that Jew-hatred rots the brain.In a speech that drew a standing ovation, Thomas talked about "the whole question of money involved in politics.""We are owned by propagandists against the Arabs. There's no question about that. Congress, the White House, and Hollywood,

I just find this hilarious.

2010-12-03T11:50:00.002-05:00

Your mileage will vary, but I'm a cat person, so my internet Achilles heel is LOLcats.

So I was walking around Chicago a couple of weeks ago...

2010-11-22T17:03:00.005-05:00

Work occasionally sends me away from Motown, and such was the case a couple of weeks ago (nudge/hint to people inclined to wonder about my blogging frequency of late).I was gone for a full week--a real rarity--but it was something that had to be borne. Since I know Chicago about as well as the topography of Mars, I was cabbed about a lot. Returning to my hotel room on Tuesday evening, I looked

Madness.

2010-11-22T16:51:00.006-05:00

Why the Hell did this man have to be humiliated?[Thomas D.] Sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor who now wears a urostomy bag, which collects his urine from a stoma, or opening in his abdomen. “I have to wear special clothes and in order to mount the bag I have to seal a wafer to my stomach and then attach the bag. If the seal is broken, urine can leak all over my body and clothes.”On Nov. 7,

Happy Belated Quas Primas Day!

2010-11-22T09:48:00.001-05:00

The Feast of Christ the King, 85 years young.

I guess we won't have to make Costco runs for toilet paper any more.

2010-11-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

We'll just go to the nearest ATM instead.

Election Night Special.

2010-11-04T11:12:00.007-04:00

I'm neither blissed out nor displeased with the election results. Getting cranked one way or the other is a bad idea generally, and an even worse one with a volatile electorate and another election less than two years away.Still, I was following some national races with interest (the state/local ones were less compelling for whatever reason), and generally speaking the candidates I was rooting

"Qantas. Qantas never crashed." "Qantas?" "Never crashed."

2010-11-04T11:06:00.003-04:00

A big thumbs up to the level-headed crew from Qantas who managed to land their massive Scarebus after an engine apparently exploded.After the plane touched down in Singapore, the engine closest to the fuselage on the left wing had visible burn marks and was missing a plate section that would have been painted with the red kangaroo logo of the airline. The upper part of the left wing also appeared

Our dinner with the Stirlings.

2010-10-28T22:11:00.005-04:00

Steve Stirling and his wife Jan were in town for a local sci-fi convention two weekends ago, and they generously offered to take us out for dinner. Apparently, Dale III overheard me talking to Heather about what he was doing in town, and asked, as we pulled up to the hotel to meet them:"So, is he done entertaining the nerds yet?"Steve laughed out loud at that one. Jan and Steve are wonderful

Free speech isn't free.

2010-10-27T22:29:00.004-04:00

Former Canadian "Human Rights Commission" employee and noted Richard Warman continues his war against free speech and has filedyet another lawsuit-for-intimidation-purposes-only against the Canadian free speech blog, Blazing Cat Fur.Any financial help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.Can't say as I care for what you're breeding up there, Canada.

The tolling of the bells.

2010-10-27T12:28:00.005-04:00

They toll for us. Beautifully.In our new home, there is a Catholic church about four blocks due north. On a pleasant Sunday, it's a fine walk. It's also worthwhile--the Mass is reverent, the homilies solid, the people friendly to us and our squad. Architecturally--whoof. Built in 1956, the high altar is still intact, and there's even a baldacchino still in place. The spiritual descendants

Learn something new every day.

2010-10-26T13:25:00.001-04:00

Did you know Münchausen syndrome by proxy is a "new model of Church"?I sure didn't. Interesting.

The first rule of Purge Club is you don't talk about Purge Club.

2010-10-25T15:48:00.006-04:00

The Catholic blogosphere, rather like the rest of the net, is a mixed bag. Even the orthodox ones run the gamut. For some reason, that's news today. It's not particularly impressive, though it does correctly note that blog reporting brought to light the problems with CCHD fund recipients. And, yes, some Catholic bloggers who pride themselves on their orthodoxy misplace the charity button and

The perils of undergoing a classectomy.

2010-10-22T13:56:00.003-04:00

The side-effects are lifelong and difficult to treat, as a distinctly churlish commentator at the Reporter demonstrates.In the past, Winters was a sometimes-challenging read, but his increasingly-venomous streak has made it not worth the bother.

Thank God for grown-ups.

2010-10-22T13:21:00.003-04:00

A Muslim writer protests the Williams firing.And in even better news, a group of American and Canadian Muslims stand up for free speech. I especially appreciate this part:We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment that is being expressed across our nation. We are even more concerned and saddened by threats that have been made against

Half the World.

2010-10-22T12:39:00.016-04:00

Waaaay back, during the abortive attempts of the Iranian people to be free of the Revolutionary Guard and the Jew-hating messianic dwarf who fronts for them, I said I was going to post something about one of my favorite cities: Esfahan (Isfahan), Iran.The traditional capital of the Safavid dynasty, Esfahan is an architectural marvel, as well as a center of Persian culture. Indeed, the city is

"I think he can hear you, Ray."

2010-10-22T11:49:00.003-04:00

Juan Williams' sin was simply in voicing NPR's own fears out loud.In the end, NPR did not post the cartoon, although it is readily available around the Internet. Many listeners wrote to say that they were disappointed with that decision.. . .Listeners who are strong First Amendment advocates say NPR's response is insufficient. Many have written asking that NPR join with other American media and

Blogivaria.

2010-10-21T14:29:00.003-04:00

Mark Sullivan moved, quite a while ago (not that I updated my link--yeesh) to The Jury Box. Sorry, Mark. And start blogging again--you're making me nervous.Mike Inman informed me that he's no longer blogging, but you can find him on Facebook, the last refuge of the ex-/hibernating blogger.Thomas McDonald, Plenipotentiary Gamemaster and Lord Savant of Fun, has the State of Play blog up and

Crocodile tears.

2010-10-19T18:49:00.006-04:00

Or, "Progressives pretend to be upset about the iconoclasm they've tried to ram down everyone's throats since 1965."The merry band of lassies and lads at the Reporter claim to be appalled--just appalled!--by a pastor's decision to cover a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I agree--it's a horror. The Archbishop is screwing this one up.But...color me skeptical that the folks at the Reporter are

Finally--they're getting the turbo encabulator off the ground.

2010-10-17T14:49:00.001-04:00

Good news in this video press release.

Who's the "Islamophobe" again?

2010-10-17T14:41:00.003-04:00

"Think about it: if the average Joe expresses anxiety over Islamic fundamentalism, they’re called Islamophobes. But if an editor removes a comic in which Mohammed isn’t even present, that’s not honest to Allah Islamophobia?Look, the media can’t have it both ways. They cannot criticize the public for concerns over Islam and then pull this stunt over a fear they may get stabbed in front of a

Star Trek meets Kesha.

2010-10-15T16:51:00.001-04:00

The results are surprisingly good. Then again, James Tiberius Kirk classes up every joint he visits, so maybe it's not such a surprise.

It will change your life. Forever.

2010-10-15T16:42:00.004-04:00

I bring you...Italian Spiderman.No, no. Don't thank me. I do what I do...out of love. Your joy is thanks enough.

Apparently Echo flounced off in a snit with the template upgrade.

2010-10-15T08:55:00.001-04:00

I will attempt to retrieve them as soon as I can. We apologize for the technical difficulties. In the meantime, the Blogger comment system should be functional.

The Currency Wars are getting closer.

2010-10-15T08:50:00.005-04:00

Enjoy the spiraling ride:Today’s USD slide and EUR, GBP, JPY & AUD gains serve to highlight the ever decreasing (or perhaps that should be unvirtuous) circles of FX intervention and reserve diversification, i.e. Asian central bank intervenes (buys USD), then diversifies USD, thereby putting renewed downward pressure on the USD, which in turn forces more intervention. I believe this is known both

Here's the new abode.

2010-10-14T22:48:00.005-04:00

The Burrow 2.0:Yes, we are positively giddy about it. Home, sweet home never meant so much as it does now.

Lazy narratives to push.

2010-10-14T13:25:00.010-04:00

Did you hear the one about the Koran being burned as a protest of Islamic doctrine?No no no no no--not by the Pentacostal microchurch led by Terry Jones.Because, you know--they didn't actually burn any Korans.No, I'm talking about Charles Merrill, the wealthy gay artist-of-some-sort. He actually destroyed an artistically-significant Koran gifted by King Hussein of Jordan (and valued by some at

It's the Artists!

2010-10-08T13:45:00.005-04:00

Some are describing this as "vandalism" or even "violence":A truck driver from Montana who is accused of destroying a controversial piece of artwork at a public art gallery in Loveland was scheduled to appear before a judge through a video link on Thursday afternoon.Kathleen Folden allegedly screamed "How can you desecrate my lord?" on Wednesday at Loveland Museum and Art Gallery just before

Adjectives.

2010-10-08T12:59:00.005-04:00

There's one glaring problem with this otherwise-laudable statement from a Catholic perspective.What is it?How about this:The threatened burning of copies of the Holy Qu’ran this Saturday is a particularly egregious offense that demands the strongest possible condemnation by all who value civility in public life and seek to honor the sacred memory of those who lost their lives on September 11. The

I like blogging. Honest.

2010-10-08T12:52:00.003-04:00

Trust me.All I can say is that the last few weeks have been entirely too eventful. The good news is that my mother in law will be going home on Monday. No, that's great news, and thanks for your prayers. What we had feared might be dementia proved to be temporary disorientation, thanks be to God. The family's doing fine, too. We're settling in, and I should have pictures up soon. Elizabeth

One hell of a week.

2010-07-30T12:12:00.005-04:00

My mother-in-law has been in the hospital since Monday with a bad infection--basically, an untreated ear infection gone septic. She's had it for, oh, I don't know--4 weeks now. Heather told her to get it treated when they met at Mass on Sunday, and Mom agreed--but ended up calling the ambulance because she couldn't walk.The first kicker--we didn't find out until yesterday. The good news is

Interesting...

2010-07-21T15:05:00.001-04:00

I write likeStephen KingI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!Your mileage will vary.

April? Really?

2010-07-21T13:21:00.003-04:00

Wow. Yeah...been a long time since I posted. Sorry about that.Well, it's not like I haven't been busy. We successfully acquired the larger house, the 1720 sq. footer I mentioned waaay back in April. It passed the inspection and the neighborhood examination quite well. It's quiet, and festooned with Lawn Nazis (I mean that in the best possible sense of the phrase, of course). My car

No house, then house.

2010-04-27T17:11:00.003-04:00

Have I ever said that I hate house-hunting? The short of it is I pulled our offer on the previous bungalow after the city housing inspection left me queasy. That, and a big stretch of recurrent stagnant water in the central part of the yard which defied easy remediation. I pulled it and felt much better, as those who Facebook know.So, we kept looking. And found another bungalow. Only bigger

Um, about that whole "going silent again" thing...

2010-04-12T18:54:00.003-04:00

As noted somewhere below, Stately Price Manor 1.0 is in desperate need of an upgrade. We have, over the course of the past few weeks, started house shopping, a task I sorta like and largely hate. The upshot is that we've managed to find a likely candidate over the past week and have outbid the impudent lout who dared to submit an offer. We are going to be having the place inspected over the

Pass the Soma.

2010-03-31T14:22:00.002-04:00

A comparison of George Orwell to Aldous Huxley, from Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. I think we're getting closer to Huxley's dystopia every single day.What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley

Theocracy, anyone?

2010-03-18T13:16:00.000-04:00

I've read and enjoyed retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters' political columns for years, and I am also a fan of his novel writing--specifically, the grimly-entertaining if overtaken-by-events The War in 2020. Despite the fact 2020 was written shortly after America's paranoia about being reduced to Japan's granary peaked (remember that?), it is an excellent read, the story of an arrogant,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T17:14:00.002-04:00

As I said to my eldest daughter when we were buying cabbage on Saturday afternoon:"I understand this is a really big deal for you people."

Naval battles are almost never as decisive as land battles.

2010-03-08T14:42:00.002-05:00

As I explain with magisterial force and eloquence in the comment box to this Inside Catholic article. While important and decisive in its own way, the battle of Lepanto didn't "save Europe" any more than the Battle of Midway "saved America."That's not a function of the particular battle between Don Juan and the Sultan: rather, it's just the way naval battles go. Boots on the ground decide the

Well...

2010-03-05T13:24:00.003-05:00

I suppose I should start blogging again. The funny thing is I gained three followers since I stopped almost two months ago, which is kinda hilarious. A hint, maybe?For the curious: Things are fine, actually. Hectic, but fine. We're trying to get short sale approval for the fridge box we are currently living in. The process is best described as proctological. From the recent market surveys

Horror in Haiti.

2010-01-13T10:57:00.004-05:00

First, respond. Mercy Corps gets my money because it does good, and not well.Also, pray:I do not believe we Christians are obliged -- or even allowed -- to look upon the devastation visited upon the coasts of the Indian Ocean and to console ourselves with vacuous cant about the mysterious course taken by God’s goodness in this world, or to assure others that some ultimate meaning or purpose

Still trying to figure out what to blog.

2010-01-13T10:54:00.004-05:00

Not whether, but what. A course change might be in order. Tacking into the wind, and what not.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'MMMMMM SAILING AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY....Oh, and I'm waxing wroth with the new commenting system, which is supposed to work (since, you know, I paid for it). The dashboard pretends not to know that I have, you know, paid for it.

A disturbing story.

2010-01-05T12:35:00.003-05:00

A more accurate description would be "one evangelical," because the case for Mr. Lively's foreknowledge of the scope of the law looks pretty solid. Any advocacy of the death penalty for homosexuals is horrific. It should go without saying, you'd think.

Experiencing techical difficulties.

2010-01-04T15:55:00.002-05:00

As some of you may know, Haloscan was acquired by another company. As all of you know, all free things come to an end. Still, the new owners had a reasonable price, so I ponied up for the new comments. That, and I hated to lose the old archives. The transition to the new commenting software should be completed in a few days, so be patient. Hope you and yours had a blessed Christmas (which

From the people who brought you collective farming, Chernobyl and the near-destruction of the Aral Sea...

2009-12-31T09:53:00.004-05:00

...a proposal to blast a wandering asteroid.Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T11:36:00.002-05:00

Since it's still the Christmas season.We had a mostly good one. CM made his annual pilgrimage to the Burrow and unnecessarily rained gifts upon all of us, the kids being especially fond of Carnival Games for the Wii. "Life skills," the Much Better Half says. "For careers as carnies."Dream big.I say mostly good because my pet cat of 15 years, Molly, died early December 27th. She'd been fading

The "Advent Conspiracy."

2009-12-16T17:20:00.004-05:00

An idea whose time is long, long overdue:But to a growing group of Christians, this focus on the commercial aspect of Christmas is itself the greatest threat to one of Christianity's holiest days. "It's the shopping, the going into debt, the worrying that if I don't spend enough money, someone will think I don't love them," says Portland pastor Rick McKinley. "Christians get all bent out of shape

Sic transit gloria mundi.

2009-12-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

Jeffrey Smith has a magnificent pictorial post up about one of my favorite places on Earth, the island of Torcello in the Venetian lagoon.Once home to 20,000 people, it is now inhabited by less than 100. Hemingway loved it, too, and rightfully so.Jeffrey's pictures focus on the Basilica, which confirmed my love for all things Byzantine, as I've pointed out ad nauseum.Here are a few more, which

Not an according-to-Hoyle miracle....

2009-12-16T11:33:00.004-05:00

But close enough for government work.Friends went to visit Aunt Margie at the hospital yesterday evening.She greeted them with a chipper "How are ya doin'?"!We're all a little flattened, but in a good way. She's scheduled for a couple more weeks of observation/rehab, but she's raring to get home.Christmas came a bit early, thanks be to God.

Notwithstanding the horrible news.

2009-12-14T12:09:00.004-05:00

I'm going to go ahead with a long-promised review of the Harry Potter books, which I finished a while ago and am going over.To reiterate, here is the scale for certain popular/notorious themes. I've slightly altered it to balance out the numbers (1 is now 0):Occult/Dark Magical Themes0: James Randi5: David Copperfield10: CthulhuThe Dumbledore Gaydar Detector0: Stacy Keach5: Rupert Everett10:

Prayer request.

2009-12-14T12:03:00.003-05:00

My Aunt Margie, one of my Dad's sisters, is dying. She and her late husband, my Uncle Don, used to watch my brother and me when my parents went on vacations. She taught us Yahtzee and always made sure we had the name brand cereal in the little boxes. Spoiled us right rotten, and this continued into late life, granting us permission to hunt on her property over the past decade plus.She's

I think I've figured it out.

2009-12-11T15:46:00.003-05:00

As we muddle through the ever-shifting, tilting chaos of our house, hollering, laughing, cajoling, cheering, raising eyebrows, tripping and tipping over decrepit and/or new adopted animals, stuffing yet another child in amongst the decks, somehow keeping all the balls in the air, I think I finally understand.I know who we are.We're the bloody Weasleys.No, seriously. Welcome to the Burrow!

Brownsville's in good hands.

2009-12-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!Bishop Flores is leaving Detroit to head up the Diocese of Brownsville. Actually, he's going home.He's a great one, and Brownsville's in the best of hands.Now just let us be briefly bitter here in Motown as we deal with our loss. He was scheduled to speak at our parish in January. Looks like that's off....

We don't deserve men like this, but we get them anyway.

2009-12-07T13:25:00.006-05:00

First, the living:Navy Lieutenant John William Finn, 100 years old and the last living Medal of Honor winner from Pearl Harbor. I saw an interview with him in a recent History Channel documentary about Pearl Harbor. Basically, he just set up a .50 caliber machine gun and blazed away for two hours, getting multiple wounds in the process. "They kept bringing ammo out to me. I'd have kept firing

Thank you.

2009-12-03T09:53:00.003-05:00

To God for the rebirth in Christ of our youngest on the Feast of Christ the King. Elizabeth accepted the Sacrament of Baptism with demure, if puzzled, grace. Thanks also to Shelly and CM for standing witness to this blessed event.Elizabeth is doing well, inflating as we speak. She's on the brink of smiling, too, and is even jabbering slightly. I'm not surprised as to the latter--she has to

That's right--Christmas is coming.

2009-12-03T09:49:00.003-05:00

Done shopping yet? We haven't managed to get the tree up yet, though this weekend should do the trick. Still, we had a nice early Christmas with my parents, who abscond to their "camper" [think air conditioning, cable, full sized bathroom, bigger than my first apartment, etc.] in Arizona after Thanksgiving every year.Mom and Dad are currently winding their way westward, so prayers for a safe

Sounds good to me.

2009-12-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

I'd have just thrown them [the WTC murderers] out of helicopters, myself.S.M. Stirling | Homepage | 11.28.09 - 9:01 pm I propose that the helicopter in question hover at precisely 1,368 feet off the ground.

Dyspeptic Mutterings

Very interesting quiz about our dividing national house.

Don't make me feel sorry for Mitt Romney.

The Hurricane of November.

Frederick Douglass and Irish emancipation.

The Legislator-Lobbyist Complex at Work.

I keep hoping I'll wake up.

Bull. And also, shit.

Notes toward a new Catholic Dictionary.

The Accidental Captivity Diaries of "T. Henry Price," Switched At Birth.

The difference between observing our lives and living them.

Gutless wonders, petty tyrants and chancery dwellers.

Once I had a railroad, made it run...

Thomas Henry, born on October 2, 2011.

Anonymous commenters are the herpes of the internet.

OK. Things are somewhat better.

All is not well.

The chickens...have come home...to ROOST!

Thank you, SEALs.

Have a Happy Easter!

Just another day of Resurrection denial.

Something offensively stupid from the National Catholic Reporter.

Elizabeth is home.

Fungibility and nonnegotiables.

Kneel Before Zod.

The last days of Nick Charles.

Vast improvement.

Prayers would be welcome.

Start the impeachment proceedings.

Happy (?) Confederation Day, Newfoundland.

My words sometimes taste like rawhide.

It's not financial Doomageddon.

Prayers would be welcome.

The most delusionally funny thing you will read all year.

Holy smokes--it's been more than three months.

Finally: the first-ever pulp zombie midrash on a New Testament passage.

About that Chinese economic miracle...

Evidence of a later "Christmas Truce" unearthed.

If you want a vision of sharia...

Men are complicated creatures.

It's still a wonderful life.

The Shrinking of Detroit.

Bzzzt! I'm sorry, that's crap.

Right in the wheelwell.

I wonder who Aunt Bethany is going to mail her cat to for Christmas this year.

I just find this hilarious.

So I was walking around Chicago a couple of weeks ago...

Madness.

Happy Belated Quas Primas Day!

I guess we won't have to make Costco runs for toilet paper any more.

Election Night Special.

"Qantas. Qantas never crashed." "Qantas?" "Never crashed."

Our dinner with the Stirlings.

Free speech isn't free.

The tolling of the bells.

Learn something new every day.

The first rule of Purge Club is you don't talk about Purge Club.

The perils of undergoing a classectomy.

Thank God for grown-ups.

Half the World.

"I think he can *hear* you, Ray."

Blogivaria.

Crocodile tears.

Finally--they're getting the turbo encabulator off the ground.

Who's the "Islamophobe" again?

Star Trek meets Kesha.

It will change your life. Forever.

Apparently Echo flounced off in a snit with the template upgrade.

The Currency Wars are getting closer.

Here's the new abode.

Lazy narratives to push.

It's the Artists!

Adjectives.

I like blogging. Honest.

One hell of a week.

Interesting...

April? Really?

No house, then house.

Um, about that whole "going silent again" thing...

Pass the Soma.

"I think he can hear you, Ray."