Blog

Deus Caritas Est

I wish I had been mature enough to understand Monsignor Robert Sokolowski's homilies when I was little:

It would be hard to say that "God is love" apart from the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Even if one were to think that the deity is benevolent, one could still not say that it is love. That sort of divine love would be relative and not substantial in the deity.

Only because the Father gives everything to the Son, and because the Son and Father express their love in the Holy Spirit, can one say, with St. John, that God is love. I don't see how such an understanding of God could have arisen in philosophical thinking.

(Hat tip to Janice Walker.)

No Deposit, No Return

Don Knotts died on Friday.

Darren McGavin died on Saturday.

'Twas not a good weekend for old Disney colleagues.

Calling in the Big Youngs

I was wondering why Wal-Mart was getting such bad press lately - and then it dawned on me: they don't work with unions.

All is clear.

Civil rights leader and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young will become the public face of a Wal-Mart-backed group whose aim is to combat criticism of the world's largest retailer, the group said on Monday.

Young, who was an aide to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights protests of the 1960s and served as ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter, will serve as chairman of Working Families for Wal-Mart's national steering committee, the group said in a statement.

Ave Maria, Florida

If you were Catholic and had your choice, would you choose a Catholic town?

A former marine who was raised by nuns and made a fortune selling pizza has embarked on a £230m plan to build the first town in America to be run according to strict Catholic principles . . .

The Florida developers managing the project claim more than 7,000 people have already expressed interest in buying homes in the town. Retailers and other businesses are reportedly close to leasing 60% of the intended commercial space.

So what's the big deal? Personally, I would not choose to live there (mostly because I don't care for Florida weather,) but why does it matter if others would? I also would not choose to live on a kibbutz in Israel, but I don't mind if others do. The way I read it, no one is being held prisoner in the town, but it is being provided as a convenience for those who wish to raise their children (or maintain themselves) in a certain cultural atmosphere. Religion-based housing discrimination is, of course, against the law, but so what if the local businesses are required to uphold certain values. So what if the Ave Maria pharmacy won't sell you contraceptives? Florida has thousands of pharmacies. So what if the Ave Maria movie house won't show porn? Florida has hundreds of movie theaters.

Americans already segregate themeselves into little cultural bastions ("Chinatown," "Greektown," etc.) and common community values are observed within each. Heck, some people actually pay for the privilege of living in developments with ridiculous yard-maintenance rules and homeowner's associations. How is this any different?

Like Sands Through the Hourglass

Brent Taylor has pointed to me to the Death Clock.

Apparently, I am slated to die on Wednesday, February 24, 2055.

Gee, thanks, Brent. Thanks a lot.

Ode to a Maintenance Coder

From the semi-lucid mind of Gabe Sechan (with apologies to Robert Frost)

Whose code this is I think I know,
He does no longer work here though.
He will not mind me typing here
To howls of pain and tears of woe.

My coworkers all ran in fear
When this deadline did loom too near.
Vacation and sick days they take
So it would not stain their career.

I give my drooping head a shake
As I fix a stupid mistake,
And fight against the feature creep
I sob and beg for a short break.

The code belongs in the trash heap.
But I have paychecks yet to reap.
And lines to code before I sleep.
And lines to code before I sleep.

Adding Injury to Insult

A German court on Thursday convicted a businessman of insulting Islam by printing the word "Koran" on toilet paper and offering it to mosques . . .

The maximum sentence for insulting religious beliefs under the German criminal code is three years in prison.

'Tis a good reminder that European notions of free speech aren't quite that of America.

Imagine if Germany had held such views in, say, October of 1517.

Feeling a Rush?

Americans work less efficiently?

Workers completed two-thirds of their work in an average day last year, down from about three-quarters in a 1994 study, according to research conducted for Day-Timers Inc., an East Texas, Pennsylvania-based maker of organizational products . . .

"It just increases the expectations that people have for your production," Downey said.

Speaking of work productivity . . .

I Am a Team Player

I am tied for two of my favorite crews:

You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.

You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5). The universe is erupting into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much worse could things get? It doesn't matter, because no matter what you have your friends and you'll do the right thing. In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Cops would leave you alone.

. . . and Farscape too, but I never really watched that show.

You scored as Moya (Farscape). You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted. Now if only you could stop being bothered about wormholes.

Full results:

Life is good.

(Hat tip to Kevin Miller.)

Pig Poop

I am surely glad I don't live in Bavaria:

A village in the German state of Bavaria is recovering after being flooded with liquid pig manure.

The sewage was half a metre (1.6ft) deep in places.

Not a Neutral Pyongyang

Would it be such a bad thing if the U.S. presence was removed from South Korea?

Nearly half of South Korean youths who will be old enough to vote in the country's next elections say Seoul should side with North Korea if the United States attacks the communist nation, according to a poll released Wednesday . . .

A majority of those surveyed, 54.1 percent, said peaceful reunification was the preferred method for ending the division on the peninsula.

I presume that "reunification" would mean absorption into North Korea. I suppose it would be political disadvantageous for the United States to leave, but perhaps our presence is unnecessary if South Korea no longer cares to be protected from their northern neighbor.

If You Can't Google It, It Doesn't Exist

Is Google's image search going away?

The type of search with which Perfect 10 took issue is Google's "Image Search" function, which returns a page with tiny images -- known as thumbnails -- that fit the searcher's query . . .

The judge found, however, that Google did not violate Perfect 10's copyrights by linking to pages that Perfect 10 claims are using its images without permission.

I think Google should simply delete all database information related to Perfect 10. Sweet revenge.

I Am Fabulous

Are you in the mood for shameless flattery?

(Hat tip to Lori Donlon.)

Doctor, Nothing Will Stop It!

A blob is eating downtown L.A.:

"We were called . . . because there was a gooey substance, a tarry-type substance, coming out the underground electrical vaults, out of manhole covers in the street, through the sidewalks and possibly in one older apartment building," [Fire Department spokesman Ron] Myers said.

No one was injured in what amounted to a black lagoon.

If only Steve McQueen had been on hand to save the day.

Not All Danish Are From Denmark

Such is the uproar over those silly cartoons that even Kuwaiti companies are feeling the burn:

It's been 22 years since the Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Co. broke with its partners in Denmark, took Caroline the cow off its packaging and began importing raw materials for ice cream and cheese from other countries.

"In the first days, we (Muslims) were worked up and emotional," [KDD chairman Mohammed] Jaafar said. "But now the time has come for using reason, and realizing that our behavior is harming national industries."

Here's a note to any potential boycotters reading this post: KDD is not Danish. Do your research.

Cannot Identify Material Required

A man killed his roommate over toilet paper. Apparently, they ran out.

I can almost understand his rage. Anne, are you listening?

Westboro Baptist Church

Kevin Miller has a link to an article about Rev. Fred Phelps:

Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters . . .

At least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters, who at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell wrapped themselves in upside-down American flags. They danced and sang impromptu songs peppered with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and soldiers.

Huzzah for the Patriot Guard Riders. Honestly! How rude must people be?

How Is It Mailed?

Mike Magin has drawn my attention to the Tyvek jacket.

I'm not yet certain whether I am grateful.

What is Conception?

Father Kish sent me an article on a February 27/28 symposium on the The Human Embryo before Implantation: Scientific Aspects and Bioethical Considerations.

This is particularly interesting to me since I once listened to a biomedical researcher explain that his in vitro embryonic work was not antithetical to his pro-life stance since a human was not ensouled until uterine implantation.

I am curious to see what the Vatican says.

I See . . . Patterns

Visual Pattern Fluid Intelligence Test

Congratulations, you obtained a very high score.

Your overall percentile is 96% which means you scored higher than 96% of the people who have taken this test.

Booya. Go, me.

Boo! Hiss!

As parents increase their involvement in their children's eating habits . . .

Primero Food Service Solutions, developed by Houston-based Cybersoft Technologies, allows parents to set up prepaid lunch accounts so children don't have to carry money, said Ray Barger, Cybersoft's director of sales and marketing.

Parents also can go online to track their child's eating habits and make changes.

. . . they are losing control over their children's mental health . . .

One of the nation's leading medical groups, the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS), decried a move by the U.S. Senate to join with the House in funding a federal program AAPS says will lead to mandatory psychological testing of every child in America – without the consent of parents.

This is almost two years old, but I've just heard of it. It's part of the Bush administration's New Freedom Initiative and apparently is already causing waves in Texas, where children are being forced on regimens of psychotropic drugs without parental consent.

I'm sure that there are a lot of good things about the New Freedom Initiative, but I find this particular aspect repugnant and alarming. What is the Bush administration thinking?

A Pressing Idea

A teenager has figured out how to kill anthrax:

Through a project for a statewide science competition, Central Catholic High School senior Marc Roberge discovered truth in the urban legend that ironing can kill anthrax spores in contaminated mail.

Instead, he substituted a more heat-resistant but harmless bacterial spore from the anthrax family that scientists often use as a surrogate.

A Capstone Event

James Bond has received a whuppin':

The new James Bond, Daniel Craig, now has some battle scars after being left toothless and bloodied when a fight scene for the new flick, "Casino Royale," did not go as planned . . .

A film insider says, "Daniel was filming with some minor actors when he got hit in the face. He was reeling from a heavy blow and staggered back holding his face. He put his hand to his mouth but the blood started to seep through his fingers - it was horrible."

I can't think this bodes well for the competence and suavity of 007.

Go Plath Yourself

Way to go, your alter poet is Jack Kerouac, who is by FAR the coolest!
Who is Your Alter Poet?

I saw some really good pieces today. Of particular note are The Gold Lunch (I want the CD with Bill Nighy!) and Lit (or: to the scientist I am not speaking to any more) by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (scroll down and be warned that the language isn't proper). I don't have speakers right now, but as soon as I do, I am going to listen to it.

I'm so glad our technologies allow us leisure for the arts to flourish.

Johari and Nohari

This should be interesting . . .

lmwalker's Johari window
lmwalker's Nohari window

Be brutal and use a pseudonym if you wish. I'm interested to see the results.

Shame! Shame!

In her first public appearance in Illinois, Cindy Sheehan spoke at Saint Xavier University, a "Catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, [that] educates men and women to search for truth, to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to serve wisely and compassionately in support of human dignity and the common good."

In her second public appearance in Illinois, Cindy Sheehan will be speaking at St. Pius V Church in Chicago. They are collecting money for the privilege of hosting her illustrious personage.

What is up with these Catholic institutions? Do they suppose Sheehan is some sort of peace-leader with Lisa Fithian at the helm?

Goodbye to G'Kar

Andreas Katsulas died.

Pity that. See the eulogy from the B5 creator.

(Hat tip to the attention of Tim Skirvin.)

Not Even Half-Geeky

Geek Light: You scored 43% geek!

Tastes great, less filling. You're the kind of geek that can pass under the radar of polite society. You probably like your computer, and can't go without checking your email. You live alone, or with roommates, and you have one or two hobbies that are considered "geeky."

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 72% on geekiness.

The What's your Geek Level? Test

(Hat tip to Tony Meizelis.)

A World of Tears

The Peter Pan ride may be more wild than previously thought:

A 71-year-old man visiting Disney World with his wife and granddaughter fell off a moving walkway leading to a Peter Pan ride and was pinned under a pirate ship that carries passengers through the attraction, an official with emergency services said on Wednesday . . .

The ride was closed for the rest of the night but reopened Wednesday morning, said Disney spokeswoman Lissette Campos. Campos said investigation determined there was no ride malfunction.

Except now there will be a caveat: "Children under 48 inches may not ride, nor may pregnant women and 71-year-old men."

The Mosquito

If you would like to keep small children and annoying teen-agers at bay:

Shopkeepers in central England have been trying out a new device that emits an uncomfortable high-pitched noise designed to disperse young loiterers outside their stores without bothering adults . . .

Once in their early 20s, people lose their capacity to hear sounds at such a high pitch.

Wrist-Wear

I mentioned that corporate America was tagging their employees, but I didn't even consider the potential for relationships:

Jennifer Tomblin and Amal Graafstra have made the most modern declaration of their affection for each other, with implanted electronic chips that allow them unfettered access to each other's lives.

It's called Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. Both have had a small electronic chip embedded under their skin that grants access to each other's front doors and home computers.

Wow - sharing a computer? I didn't think even marriage was as intimate as that . . .

Except I Can't Sing

Your results: You are Uhura

You are a good communicator with a pleasant soft-spoken voice. Also a talented singer.

70% Uhura
65% Jean-Luc Picard
60% Beverly Crusher
60% Deanna Troi
60% An Expendable Character (Redshirt)
55% Data
55% Geordi LaForge
45% James T. Kirk (Captain)
45% Spock
45% Chekov
40% Will Riker
30% Leonard McCoy (Bones)
30% Worf
25% Mr. Sulu
15% Mr. Scott

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz.

(Hat tip to Darren Hron.)

Can 1993 Be Considered "Classic?"

I took What Classic Movie Are You? quiz that my sister Barbara sent to me.

If I take the nine question version, I am

If I take the eighteen question version, I am

If I take the twenty-seven or the forty-five question version, I am

So what does this mean? I suppose it means I initially come across as maudlin and full of self-pity; I become adventurous and fun on better acquaintance and I am colorless and depressing when you really get to know me.

Stupid personality quizzes.

Michelle Malkin Reports

My very own alma mater has suspended two students for publishing those controversial cartoons in a Daily Illini article that referred to the cartoons as "bigoted and insensitive."

[Suspended editor-in-chief Acton H.] Gorton said on Tuesday that other editors were in the same room when the cartoons were laid out on the newspaper's pages and did not object. He also said he continues to stand by the decision to publish the cartoons.

(Hat tip to Lori Donlon.)

I Suppose It Would Curb Adultery

I would not be comfortable with Motorola implanting an RFID tag in me:

CityWatcher.com, a private video surveillance company, said it was testing the technology as a way of controlling access to a room where it holds security video footage for government agencies and the police . . .

“There are very serious privacy and civil liberty issues of having people permanently numbered,” said Liz McIntyre, who campaigns against the use of identification technology.

Watch Out for Mummies

I am fascinated by the fact that we can still find massive chunks of ancient history, this time in Pella, Greece.

The eight-chambered tomb dates to the Hellenistic Age between the fourth and second century B.C., and is the largest of its kind ever found in Greece. The biggest multichambered tombs until now contained three chambers.

The complex is dominated by a central area surrounded by eight chambers colored in red, blue and gold dyes. Three inscribed stone slabs inside bear the names of their female owners, Antigona, Kleoniki and Nikosrati. A relief on one of the slabs depicts a women and her servant.

Does He Go Green?

Lou Ferrigno, the former Mr. Universe and star of "The Incredible Hulk" television series, will be sworn in tomorrow as a Los Angeles County reserve deputy sheriff.

Don't make him mad.

A New Industry

Hamas wants to make Palestine independent:

Displaying the first clear signs of leadership over the Palestinian Authority, Hamas leaders said Wednesday they plan to make the Palestinian economy independent of Israel's . . .

Since the intifada broke out in 2000, Israel limited the number of these laborers greatly for security reasons, causing Palestinian unemployment to skyrocket. Israel said last year it wanted to stop all Palestinian workers from entering Israel by the year 2008.

At first I was concerned that this would be mighty devastating to the Palestinian economy and - let's face it - it probably will be. But since Israel is looking to economically disenfranchise the Palestinians anyway, perhaps their independence will help to secure them financial aid they might otherwise lack. I have an inkling that a better standard of living would do wonders for Palestine's global perspective. In any case, I hope the disgruntled among them are too busy building up their new economy to plan any terrorist attacks.

Which Would You Rather Have?

Pay attention to Google invasions of privacy:

"Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers," said EFF staff attorney Kevin Bankston.

"We think this will be a very useful tool, but you will have to give up some of your privacy," said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience.

Just be aware.

I'm All Out of Faith

I don't quite know what to make of George Clooney.

By Definition

Oh, yeah. That's what I'm talkin' about!

(Hat tip to Rene Hendrix.)

The Hate Continues

Oh, and did you know that those offensive cartoons are really Bush's fault?

Lands Sakes!

Marian Morris saved an exotic bird with mouth-to-beak resuscitation:

Marian Morris saved her brother's exotic chicken, Boo Boo, by administering "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation on the fowl after it was found floating face down in the family's pond . . .

"I breathed into its beak, and its dad-gum eyes popped open," Morris said. "I breathed into its beak again, and its eyes popped open again. "I said, 'I think this chicken's alive now. Keep it warm.'"

She wanted to see if she "still had it." Frankly, the story was only mildly interesting, but I could not not post an article that had the words "dad-gum" in it!

DTV

Make sure you have a digital TV by February 17, 2009:

The legislation links TV and the budget because the government expects to gain $10 billion or more from auctioning spectrum that broadcasters will relinquish once they stop sending analog signals.

After Feb. 17, 2009 all TV broadcasts are to be in digital, a format that promises higher picture definition, more programming streams and efficient use of scarce spectrum.

Actually, on second thought, you needn't worry about it. The government has helpfully set aside $1 billion to subsidize the purchase of converters for people who don't have the necessary equipment.

Harry "Boomerang" Reid

Harry Reid got more from Jack Abramoff than just a Republican scandal:

[Senate Democratic Leader Harry] Reid, D-Nev., has led the Democratic Party's attacks portraying Abramoff's lobbying and fundraising as a Republican scandal.

Reid has assailed Republicans' ties to Abramoff while refusing to return any of his own donations. He argues there's no need to return the money.

What's the old saying? I'm rubber, you're glue . . . ?

Peggy Lee Sings

Lady and the Tramp is coming to DVD!

I know what I will be doing on February 28th.

(Admittedly, Lady and the Tramp is only my second favorite Disney cartoon. Sleeping Beauty is still the ultimate!)

Oh, the Pettiness of Me!

Barbara Boxer is urging Sheehan not to run:

California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer today urged anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan not to challenge the state's senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, in the June Democratic primary . . .

"[S]he's more valuable out there not as a candidate," Boxer said of Sheehan and her anti-war effort.

Boxer too? Oh, how I would love for Sheehan to run!

The Folly of Women

As pretty as the female form is, I don't think that Vanity Fair magazine is doing the young actresses any favors:

When not-so-classy celebs strip off, it's considered a bit base but when a 'serious' actress does it...well, it's art, daahling . . .

The photo was also meant to feature Wedding Crashers star Rachel McAdams, but she lost her nerve and decided nudity wasn't for her.

It was a good move on Rachel McAdams part, and I respect her the more for it.

I just think the whole "bare it all" thing is so cliché. Everyone does it - Ann Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Jessica Simpson - no one is exempt. And, frankly, the fact that they all believe they are doing something original and daring should give us a sense of how inherently changing such an exposure truly is. But once it's done, it's done. The young starlet "grows up" by bucking the modesty and mystery of her youth and is surprised to find a "so what?" reaction at the other end.

I suppose that's why I admire actresses like Aishwarya Rai. It's nice to know that modesty can still be a virtue prized in itself.

Picturing Mohammed

A few words about the Mohammed cartoons . . .

While offensive, I don't think the caricatures of Mohammed are any more insulting than the political cartoons we see every day and I was more-than-slightly annoyed by the difficulty I had in finding them. Among the interesting media comments on point:

Four top editors at the New York Press, a weekly in New York City, resigned Tuesday after being ordered, they claim, to pull the Danish cartoons -- from an issue that centers on the dispute. Editor in chief Harry Siegel charged that the Press leadership "has suborned its own professed principles. For all the talk of freedom of speech, only the New York Sun locally and two other papers nationally have mustered the minimal courage needed to print simple and not especially offensive editorial cartoons that have been used as a pretext for great and greatly menacing violence directed against journalists, cartoonists, humanitarian aid workers, diplomats and others who represent the basic values and obligations of Western civilization" . . .

Eric Mink, commentary editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, explains in a column today: "If a government controls what can and cannot be distributed, it’s called censorship. If a media outlet decides for itself what to include and exclude from its products — whether for journalistic or economic reasons, out of respect for possible sensitivities of some readers or concern about possible impact on its community — it’s called editorial judgment.

I can't diss Mink's sentiment, but I find myself more in line with the reasoning of Siegel. When something visible creates that much controversy, the world is curious to see it. Frankly the level of suppression of these "lines on paper" causes me to wonder whether the Islamic demonstrators have actually seen the items they despise:

"They want to test our feelings," protester Mawli Abdul Qahar Abu Israra told the BBC.

"They want to know whether Muslims are extremists or not. Death to them and to their newspapers," he said.

In a much more reasonable backlash, at least one Iranian newspaper is retaliating with a contest for Holocaust cartoons. The Danish newspaper that sparked the controversy has already offered to publish them.

I guess the bottom line is this: I think disgruntled individuals operate within their rights when they peacefully protest and express their displeasure. I think there is a problem when they cross the line into violence. And when all is said and done, it is a cartoon. The whole thing is just silly.

(See also the commentary by E. Nough.)

You've Got Mail!

Only the biggest sell-out would choose to sit on The AOL Throne.

Especially Louis Braille's Birthday

The Google Holiday Logos are just too cute for words.

(Hat tip to my mom.)