The Easy Distraction

More uses for non-embryonic stem cells:

2006-11-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

Growing new heart valves for babies with heart defects, before they're even born. Read the article.

I also saw an article the other day about a treatment in which stem cells from the hip of a person having a heart attack could be used to prevent long term damage to the heart after the attack. Here it is.

And scientists can create liver tissue from non-embryonic stem cells, too. Learn more here.

Anyway, there are something like 70 uses and treatments for non-embronic stem cells either currently available or soon-to-be available. How many of those do you hear about in the news everyday? Probably none. And embryonic stem cells, proclaimed to be the Savior of the Human Race, have next to no current uses. They have "great potential," their advocates say. But all they're good for now is killing very, very young people and angering pro-lifers.

YouTube discovery

2006-11-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

Yeah, he is a hero. And sure, he was "larger than life." But I still never expected to see this video in the tribute to this man.

I couldn't resist

2006-11-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted in awhile, and probably won't post again soon, but I had to show someone this story: German Scholars Unveil "Politically Correct" Bible.

Sample: "According to the AFP news agency, the new version of the Sacred Scriptures was presented at a book fair in Frankfurt. Entitled, The Bible in a More Just Language, the translation has Jesus no longer referring to God as 'Father,' but as 'our Mother and Father who are in heaven.' Likewise, Jesus is no longer referred to as the 'Son' but rather as the 'child' of God. The title 'Lord' is replaced with 'God' or 'the Eternal One.' The devil, however, is still referred to with masculine pronouns."

Of course! The Devil is a man, Jesus is a hemaphrodite, and the First Person of the Trinity has a split personality. This is really one of those "Why didn't I think of that first!" head-smacking moments, isn't it?

Good job, "scholars." Way to replace all those offensive words, like "son." Also, who cares if scholars did it? Seems like a simple "find/replace" tool, like Microsoft Word has, would have done the job pretty well. Actually, that gives me a good idea. I think I'll make my own version of the Bible, but take out any references to houses, seeing, hearing, and walking. Because you know how I'm always saying the Bible is offensive to the homeless, the blind, the deaf, and people in wheelchairs.

Oh also, in my Bible, Jesus/Jesusina will reassure people by telling them that since people are equal to sparrows, God will provide for them. After all, it's obvious that the old, white men who transcribed the Bible were speciesist.

And the parable about the "Pearl of Great Price" will be changed to the "Pearl, or Diamond, or Whatever Pretty Rock You Feel Best Reminds You of Your Oneness with Mother Earth and All Her Creatures."

The "Loaves and Fishes"? Nope. The "Gentle, Easily Digestible Food Products," now. The twelve apostles? Not anymore. The five gay friends with their partners, four women with their stay-at-home husbands, and three cross dressers is what the Bible should say. I mean, we want to be inclusive, no matter what the costs, right?

Killer Raccoons

2006-08-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

Apparently in Olympia, Washington there is a pack of cat-killing raccoons prowling the neighborhood. So far they've killed at least ten cats, attacked a dog, and bit a person. Apparently the raccoons are so common and so daring that they have even worn a path through some backyards, where they travel every night while out on the prowl. Residents are afraid to go outside. What's a quiet, suburban neighborhood to do?

So far there have been three main suggestions: 1) store pet food inside; 2) feed pets inside; 3) hire a trapper to catch the 'coons. So far none have been too successful. The trapper has only caught one in the six weeks he's been trying. How can these animals be stopped?

I can think of several ways. Allow me to list just a few:

1) 100-grain, four-blade broadhead
2) 12 gauge
3) .22 long rifle
4) .38 special
5) javelin

Etc., etc., etc. Seriously, why has no one considered this? The raccoons are a nuisance. One larger-than-average raccoon is thought to cause most of the damage. Humane traps have failed to catch them. THEY TRAVEL THROUGH THE SAME YARD AT THE SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT. If someone foots the bill for my trip, I can be out there, kill the raccoons, and be back in time for me to head to Italy on August 29th. Plus: free coonskin caps for everyone.

Now, I love "the environment." I spend lots of time there. My favorite foods are born, grow up, and die there. But can an entire town not have one single person willing to fix this problem?

DO NOT READ IF EASILY OFFENDED -- Note: That neighborhood is full of weirdos anyway, it seems. Evidence: "'I see Kim sit by [her cat's] grave in their front yard every day ... talking or just being with her kitty,' Keeton said."

2006-05-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

2006-05-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

2006-05-14T20:11:00.000-05:00

2006-05-14T20:09:00.000-05:00

I made this for my Mom for Mothers' Day. It's an "antique bronze" statue of a hand holding a Double Gulp cup from 7-11. It doubles as a vase. Lest you worry, my mom loves Diet Cokes from 7-11, so that's why I did it.

Book Meme

2006-05-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Alex at Catholicae Testudines:

Grab the nearest book.
Open it to page 161.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions.
Don’t search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.

"I'm under no obligations to you at all."

Nice. That's from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Every Christmas the company I'm working for, MeadWestvaco, does a special printing of some selected book, and that was Christmas 2005. Bam.

The Quicker Vicar

2006-05-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

This priest sprinted to the bride's mother's house to get the rings. Four minutes before the wedding started. And he made it back in time.

Minimum Wage

2006-05-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

I think $9.37 is too high a minimum wage already.

So that I don't have to write anything, people please rant about minimum wages in the comment box.

This guy must be related to Chuck Norris and Jack Bauer...

2006-05-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

Read this article: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1588971.html?menu=news.quirkies.strangecrime

What a stud, right? He's the DeMatha of police officers. I especially like the part, "The thieves were already handcuffed and unconscious by the time Selendev's colleagues rushed in from the next room."

Disturbing

2006-05-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

I was in Books-a-Million the other day and I saw something that caught my attention. On a table of games there was a pair of dice. One of them had the name of a body part on each side; the other had a verb (hug, kiss, tickle, etc.). You can imagine the combinations that could result (but you probably shouldn't). Anyway, the thing that really caught my eye was this: on the bottom, in small print, was the phrase "Not intended for children under the age of 3."

Of course they meant that small children could choke on the parts, but still. It's a little disturbing, don't you think?

UMD: Basketball Champs

2006-04-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

I feel like I really should write a post congratulating the UMD women's basketball team on their national championship. I was only able to see part of the game (luckily the last part), and I have to say it was exciting. Now, I'm not normally one to follow women's basketball, but with the men's team sucking it up on courts all over the USA, I had to turn to the women for comfort. And they did not disappoint. They played well all season, and I'm glad I got the chance to see the game.

Note: DeMatha Catholic High School also did not disappoint. With a record of 34-1 this season, they won every tournament and championship they attempted. Amazing. St. John DeMatha, pray for us.

"The World's First Love"

2006-04-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

The World's First Love. That's the title of one of the books I'm reading right now. Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote it, so you know it's good, but I just wanted to share a few of the highlights.

Bishop Sheen was relating how the New Testament was written not to tell Christians what to believe, but to record what they already believed:

"A second fact to be remembered is that this Mystical Body of Christ has a memory, as we have a memory. If our physical life extends back forty-five years, we can remember two world wars. We speak of them as a living witness, not from the books written but from having lived through them, and maybe through having fought in them. We may later on have read the books about these two world wars. Yet they are not the beginning of our knowledge but only a recalling or a deepening of what we already knew. In like manner, Our Lord is the Head of the new humanity, the new fellowship, or the spiritual organism that St. Paul calls His Mystical Body. To this Mystical Body Christ is associated, first in His Apostles, and then in all who believed in Him throughout the centuries. This Body, too, has a memory, reaching back to Christ. It knows that the Resurrection is true because she, the Church, was there. The cells of our body change every seven years, but we are the same personality. The cells of the Mystical Body, which we are, too, may change every fifty or sixty years; yet it is still Christ that lives in that Body."

and

"Never once did Our Lord tell these witnesses of His to write. He Himself wrote only once in His Life, and that was on the sand. But He did tell them to preach in His Name and to be witnesses to Him to the ends of the earth, until the consummation of time. Hence those who take this or that text out of the Bible to prove something are isolating it from the historical atmosphere in which it arose, and from the word of mouth which passed Christ's truth. If there are three persons in a room, there are also in it six legs and six arms - but they never create a problem because they are related to the physical organsm. But if we found one arm outside the door, it would be a tremendous problem, because it is isolated from the organic whole. So it is with certain Christian truths, which are isolated from the whole - for example, the doctrine of penance if it is isolated from original sin. It is only in the light of the circle of truth that the segments of the circle have a meaning."

and

"No mother whose son has won distinction for himself, either in a profession or in the field of battle, believes that the respect paid her for being his mother detracts from the honor or dignity which is paid her son. Why, then, do some minds think that any reverence paid to the mother of Jesus detracts from His Power and Divinity? We know the false rejoinder of those who say that Catholics 'adore' Mary or make her a 'goddess,' but that is a lie. Since no reader of these pages would be guilty of such nonsense, it shall be ignored." Bishop Sheen then goes on to explain that since Jesus is on a different level than all other sons, it makes sense that Mary is on a different level than all other mothers.

Now, you really should read the entire book. If you want to borrow it, just let me know.

First, "Crap!" Later, "Thanks."

2006-03-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

Since I'm living in Richmond right now, Sierra and I sometimes meet halfway(ish) to go to a movie, or dinner, or something during the week. So on Tuesday she and I agreed to meet a theater in Stafford, VA to see 16 Blocks. It was pretty good. After the movie, we decided to go get gas before heading home. But I locked my keys in the car. Whoops. I called a non-emergency police number to try to get someone to come by with a SlimJim to unlock the door, but apparently police don't do that anymore. I could have called a locksmith, but that costs money, so I quickly put that option out of the picture. Luckily my car is stupid so the door doesn't close all the way unless you really slam it. Which I didn't this time, so there was a pretty big space between the door and the frame. And Sierra, always ready for anything, had a vast supply of equipment in her car that I could use to solve this problem. I found one and a half dowel rods, two pieces of wire from Cemetery of the Innocent flags, and a roll of duct tape.

After connecting all the pieces, I tried a couple different approaches. First, I tried to hook the wire around the latch. I figured pulling on it would unlock and open the door. It didn't. My car is old, and does not posses that technology. One idea down.

By this time, the gas station attendant and some random guy had come to help. With them telling me where to aim the wire, I tried to push the button to unlock the door. However, it takes too much force to push the button, so that idea was scrapped.

Then the random guy suggested simply knocking the keys out of the ignition and pulling them through the crack between the door and frame. With some effort I was able to twist the keys out of the ignition, but they didn't hook onto the wire. They flew onto the seat. That's not so bad, unless, in trying to grab them, they fall between the seats. Then I'd be [in not good shape]. So I bent the wire into a more effective poker/scooper, attached some tape to it, and went for the gusto. I was able to hook the keys, and careful, oh so carefully, lift them to the crack at the door. Then, with the random guy pulling on the door to make the crack bigger, I wedged my finger through and grabbed the keys. Victory. So I thanked the guys, thanked Sierra, and drove off into the night.

Update: Sierra has promised to send a picture of this device tomorrow. (Yes, I put it back in her trunk when I was finished.) So await it anxiously!

2006-03-29T23:09:00.000-05:00

This blog gets very few readers. That's probably because I don't post often and the posts have relatively unappealing content. Because of this low readership, though, I am very committed to my readers. So when Thomas asked in the comment box if I'd ever posted a picture of my Orange Chicken cake, I was more than happy to reply: Yes. But not on this blog. So, I figured, what the heck. I'll toss the picture up there and count it as an easy post.

(Note: This is a cake made to look like orange chicken, not orange chicken I'm calling a cake. The rice is cake with coconut, the chicken is cake from molds I made specifically for this project. DeMatha is number one, and finished it's season 31-1.)

Fall Retreat

2006-03-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

Fall Retreat was a long time ago now, but I had an experience there that I've been meaning to share. The main difference between the Fall Retreat and the other ones is that the Fall Retreat is silent, giving retreatants more time for introspection and listening to God. Many people come away from this retreat with graces and experiences that they've never before experienced. And I was no different.

What happened to me on retreat? I realized something. Something profound, that I'd never considered before. Something about how I relate to the people in my life. I realized that the quieter people are, the more I like them, the less they bother me.

Let me explain. It's not that I don't like talking with my friends, or wish everyone would take a vow of silence. But when you're on retreat and specifically not talking to people, there are no distractions. You can see people as they truly are, trying their best to figure out God's will in their lives. They seem more innocent, like little kids. It's weird, and I can't explain it. All I know is that on silent retreat, people don't get on my nerves.

Note: If you are reading this, please don't think it means that I hate you when you're talking. I don't mean that at all. I just mean that on silent retreat, without any distractions, it's much easier to see the image of God in people.

Spring break in Wal-Mart?

2006-03-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

Most students spend their Spring break relaxing at home or going to the beach. But for one student at Drake University, that wouldn't do. He decided that instead he would set a goal and then miserably fail to achieve it despite the lack of any opposition whatsoever.

Skyler Bartels wanted to live in Wal-Mart during his break. He wanted to see if the store could fulfill his every need. It was a Wal-Mart Supercenter, so that shouldn't be too tough, right? It has food, video games and movies, a hair salon, comfy furniture. How'd he do? He stayed for 41 hours. Out of the 168 he planned. What a stud. But wait, I'm sure he had a good reason to leave. The store manager probably called the police. Or maybe his grandmother needed a ride to the doctor. Nope. "I noticed the greeters pointing at me." Plus, "His debit account was frozen. He was exhausted and paranoid."

To make things worse, some reporter thought this was an accomplishment. "The great experiment" it was called. And now Skyler is famous for it, set to appear on Letterman, Good Morning America, and other big deals like that. Becoming a celebrity for reaching less than 25% of your goal. What a world.

Of course, part of me is just jealous. As someone who knows a little something about being in the news for weird stuff (after all, I was on TV and radio following my glorious Cicada Cook-off victory a couple summers ago...) I know how enjoyable the spotlight can be. But c'mon. I won. He didn't even finish.

2006-02-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

This is another picture of the cake.

2006-02-13T23:34:00.000-05:00

I made this cake for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. It's supposed to look like a heart (with chocolate roses around it, because hey, it's Valentine's Day). Also, DeMatha's basketball team is 24-0 this season.

Oh man!

2006-02-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

I've been gone from this blog for a long time. I've had a few ideas for posts over the last few months, but truthfully I am incredibly lazy and just never got around to it. I'm going to try to do better. Honestly. In an attempt to hold myself to it, I'm going to post a list of subjects I plan to blog on in the next couple days:

1. My experience on the Fall Retreat (yes, I know that was in November, and I should have posted about it by now)
2. My being reprimanded for disrupting my workplace.
3. DeMatha (I don't have any specific posts in mind, but chances are I'll bring this up)
4. My experience so far at my co-op in Richmond this semester.

That's all for now, but I'll be back soon.

Part Two

2005-10-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Attention: Do not read this post until you have read the one beneath it.

So far: So the Bad Guy and I are in the same situation: we both have knives at our sides and people trying to kill us. Are you ready for the more interesting part? Every little bit my partner is able to move her knife into the Bad Guy, he is able to move his knife the same little bit into me. So if the Bad Guy dies, I die. Wanting to preserve my own life, I struggle to push the knife away from my stomach, knowing that by doing so I am keeping my foe alive and therefore keeping my team from victory. I want him dead; I want to live. Unfortunately it seems that I can't have both. The three of us struggle for what seems like forever, the Bad Guy's knife slowly stabbing into me and my partner's knife gradually making its way into the Bad Guy. At this point the dream got a little fuzzy, but the next part I remember I was away from the Bad Guy and with other people (I can't remember who). The only other detail I can recall is that there was a large scar on my stomach just under my lowest left rib.

So that's all for the first dream. What do you think it means? A friend of mine already proposed a theory that I think is pretty good, but I'll wait and see what other people say before revealing it.

The second dream is much simpler, and possibly related to the first (I had it the night after the first dream, and, given a certain interpretation of the first, it fits quite well with it). All I remember from this dream is that I had a shadow that did things I didn't want it to do. It seems to me that they were usually things I considered wrong or inappropriate.

Ok, have at them. If you have a theory about what they mean, I'd be glad to hear it.

Dreams I had...

2005-10-25T00:28:00.000-05:00

I've had a few interesting dreams lately that I figured would help make a good comeback onto the blogging scene. The dreams will take awhile to describe and explain, and I'm tired, so I'll do a short series of posts on the subject rather than one really long one.

The first involved me and two partners fighting against a Bad Guy. The weapons used were knives, swords, and the like, no guns or anything fancy like that. Basically the Bad Guy was a much better fighter than we were, and we couldn't defeat him. Add to that his ability to pull an endless supply of swords and knives from his cloak, and you have one tough opponent. Eventually, after fending off many thrown knives and swords, I decided to try my best to defeat the Bad Guy and charged towards him. As I got to him (armed with a knife in each hand) he quickly stuck out his knife to stab me just under my lowest left rib. I was just barely able to get my knives into a scissor position in time to bind his blade; although the point of the knife was poking at my belly, it had not cut into me. Then, as I was struggling to force his knife away, my partner from the left ran up in an attempt to jab her (I always refer to this person as "her" or "she," although I don't really remember from the dream...I suppose the fact that I use feminine pronouns indicates that a woman had this role in my dream?) knife into the Bad Guy's side. However, due to his amazing fighting skills, the Bad Guy somehow managed to partially block the would-be-fatal stroke. Instead, my partner ended up with her knife point poking into the Bad Guy's side, but not penetrating it.

To be continued...

Yeah, I haven't posted in awhile...

2005-10-05T00:10:00.000-05:00

It seems like forever since I've posted on this blog. I apologize to all you loyal readers who check back every single day, sometimes many times a day, and are disappointed. What can I say? I've been busy.

I mean, I have to be on AOL Instant Messenger for like four hours every day. Sure, I can multi-task, but between reading the comics, eating, and listening to music, where am I supposed to fit blogging? And I haven't even mentioned all the time I spend on other oh-so-important projects (hanging out with the roommates, going to the CSC, sleeping, throwing darts, playing euchre). Plus classes and work. But, for you, I'm pushing all that aside right now to bring this New Post:

I was listening to Billy Joel's song Only the Good Die Young the other day and the following lines struck me:

"You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aww She never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me?"

I think that's a good point. People (especially bloggers, it seems, myself included) are so quick to condemn people, but often too slow to pray for them. As Catholics, that should be a top priority. It's unbelievably easy to forget that.

I could go on and on about the importance of prayer, but you all already know. It's just that everyone needs a little reminder now and then, and I needed a topic to post on, so I killed the proverbial two birds with the metaphorical stone.

Good Ol' Mass

2005-09-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, my brother and I alternate Sundays as sacristans at St. Jerome Parish, where we went to grade school. Well, this Sunday was my turn, so I was at St. Jerome's at 7:00 a.m. During one of the Masses, while I was in the rectory office manning the phones, I was reading some articles in a special edition of U.S. News and World Report, published on the occasion of Pope John Paul II's death. Being of the mainstream media, the articles featured many, many quotes from people critical of the Church, including Catholics who thought the late Holy Father had been too strict on matters such as abortion, birth control, women's ordination, homosexuality, celibate clergy, etc.

So after reading pages and pages about John Paul II and his legacy, seeing time and time again people ridiculing the Church or talking about how the papacy needed a complete overhaul, I actually began to worry that some of these dissenters and critics might have a point. "What about (insert random criticism here)?" "Well (some misunderstood/misinterpreted/other event in Church history) certainly doesn't sound right," I found myself thinking. Now, I hadn't been suddenly transformed into some Hans Kung or Garry Wills wannabe, but I could feel a little bit of upsetting inside of me.

But then 9:30 rolled around, and I headed upstairs to the Church for Mass. By the time Fr. Stack, the pastor, got up to his chair next to the altar, every bad thought I'd had in the last two hours melted away. Poof, gone. Alone downstairs, reading about bitter, disgruntled Catholics and others overly critical of the Church, I was vulnerable. But upstairs, in the Church, in the presence of Christ, in a community with hundreds of other people, waiting for a holy priest I have known since eighth grade begin the familiar, comforting, beautiful Mass that I've been privileged to know for most of my life, I felt practically invincible. (And all that at the very beginning of Mass!)

Thank God for Fr. Stack, Fr. Bill, Fr. Gareth, Fr. Woods, my parents, my friends, and all the other people who've had such a profound impact on my faith and my life. I pray that everyone else could be as lucky as I have been to know the people I do, and that if they can't, that I can do everything in my power to help them as much as the people in my life have helped me.

I know some of the people reading this have had similar experiences. If you'd like, feel free to share them in the comments.

(P.S. to the kind of people who would bring it up: No, I have not been brainwashed by the Powers that Be in Rome. I realized that people in the Church are far from perfect, and have made mistakes. If you feel the need to discuss specific ones, please email me or ask in the comment box.)

Because I said I would:

2005-09-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

Awhile back I was asked in a comment to talk some about the community at the Catholic Student Center. Although I had every intention of responding promptly, I didn't follow through. However, by coincidence, my good friend over at Catholicae Testudines wrote something that does a far better job than I could. You can see the entire post (and many, many other good ones) by clicking on this link, but I'll quote the most pertinent part of it here:

One thing I have noticed about groups or societies that have "good community" is that they don't get it by trying explicitly to have good community; it develops naturally among people who are working together, united in heart and mind, for something they love. The more excellent the goal and the more selflessly the people love the goal (and put that love into practice), the more "community" they will have.

To be part of a good marching band involves a lot of self-discipline. It's not "fun" the way playing a video game or watching a movie is fun, but even some of the people who complain the most come back year after year because they can't get enough of it. You must let people you may not like order you around even when you don't feel like it, do things precisely their way even when you think you have a better way, rehearse and perform even when you don't feel like it, acknowledge your dependence on the other people in the group, subordinate some of your individuality to the needs of the group and the goal. If you don't like it, you can always leave, but you can't achieve the goal on your own. Each instrument has its own part and though some are more attention-grabbing and just plain cooler (like trumpets) you can't waste your time slacking or bemoaning that you are not as high-profile as others. Sound familiar?

At the CSC we have tremendous "community" because we are devoted to God's holy Church that He gave us to bring us to Him. This is our safeguard against really being devoted to ourselves under the pretext of being devoted to God. Since love of God and neighbor is the object and total selflessness the ideal, there is really no possible communion or fellowship equal or greater in profundity (or even close) than the Communion of Saints (Saints = God's "holy ones" here on earth and those in heaven). And of course this one little Catholic college chaplaincy is not the only place where this occurs; it is wherever there are people who love God and His Church more than they love their own comfort or opinions. I had a demonstration of this this summer with the young men I worked with this summer helping the Dominicans: seven guys whom I had never met, but we all love the Church so we hit it off immediately and were like brothers (I like to think; which reminds me, with all this stuff going on it's been a while since I've written to them). We might disagree (even strenuously) about politics, what sports or movies we like, taste in liturgical music, or any number of other things; those things are still real, but being of one heart and mind in faith transcends them.

Please do not interpret this as a dig at Protestants or "triumphalism," but I really cannot see how this unity can be achieved under the Protestant system. Show me any ten Catholics, whatever their personal opinions, who are on fire with love for God and his Church, and I will show you ten people united in one faith. But show me any ten Protestants, on fire though they may be with love for God and His holy Scripture, and I will show you as many as ten people disunited because their personal interpretations of Scripture may conflict and they admit no transcendent authority to which they can appeal. They It would be vain for them to try to strip it down to the "fundamentals" that they all agree on because they would still be tailoring their beliefs to themselves rather than themselves to the Faith. But if they built their houses (even if they are different kinds of houses) not on the sand of arbitrary human authority but on the Rock that God has given us, then they would be secure.

[Please also note that I am not dissing God's word; the Church, from whom we have the Scriptures in the first place, is most solicitous to open their riches to us and to safeguard their true meaning.]

AIDS in Uganda

2005-08-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

I know that AIDS is a horrible problem in Africa. I realize that something needs to be done. But just giving out truckloads of free condoms is not the solution so many people seem to think it is. Personally, as a Catholic who agrees with and follows the Church's stance on birth control, I believe that abstinence is the best way to deal with this problem. Obviously, if you don't have sex, you won't get AIDS (or any of the other venereal diseases that are far too common even in our developed society).

However, I'm putting any arguments on the back burner for the sake of pointing out something stupid I read in an article today. Here are my favorite two quotes from it:

"Activists in both Uganda and the United States say the country is now in the grip of condom shortage so severe that men are using plastic garbage bags in an effort to protect themselves."

and

"From this you can see where Uganda is going ... people are desperate for condoms."

What?!? Plastic garbage bags?!? No one needs to have sex that badly. Sounds to me like a little self control is what is needed there. Sure, you might argue that those men aren't educated enough about "safer sex" to know that garbage bags don't equal condoms. But c'mon. If you trust a garbage bag to protect you from a life-ending (not life-threatening) disease so you can have a little bit of fun, you've got some issues. Those people need help alright, but increasing your national condom supply by 123% (see the quote by Ugandan State Minister for Health) isn't it.

Please pray for everyone living in Africa and those working so hard to help them.

2005-08-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

This isn't a very insightful post or anything, I just wanted to put up a picture of my newest "creation." I was bored at the Catholic Student Center one night, so I went out and bought a bunch of sticky notes and made an almost life-size sculpture on our pastoral assistant's door. It took about five hours (from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.), and was taken down only a few hours later when Michelle got to work, but I think it was worth it. After all, how many images of the Virgin Mary do you see made from sticky notes?

By special request...

2005-08-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

I was asked in the comment box recently to post about the Catholic community of which I am a part (yes, a comment, on my blog!). Since the Catholic Student Center is one of my two favorite things to talk about (the other being DeMatha Catholic High School, posts about which can be read in my May 15 post here or my February 28 post here), I'm more than happy to explain it to anyone who doesn't know.

The Catholic Student Center I spend so much of my time at caters to students at the University of Maryland. I've been here for three years now, and am not especially looking forward to leaving when I graduate. Luckily, many graduates continue to come to Mass and social events here after they graduate, and I'll likely follow that precedent.

Fr. Bill Byrne is our chaplain. When he first started here six or so years ago, I'm told only five or six people would show up for the daily Mass on campus. However, since that time Mass attendance has exploded, due in no small part to the charismatic personality and brilliant homilies of Fr. Bill. Now we have two daily Masses with a combined total of 75 people most days, and have moved from the smallest chapel on campus to the largest. We also have Eucharistic Adoration two or three times per week, four Sunday Masses (the 7:00 p.m. is often standing room only despite the 450 seats in the chapel), and countless social and service events. Fr. Bill brings people to Mass and closer to God than most any priest I've ever met, and I think it's important to mention that he does so without watering down the faith or its practice. Indeed, most of my friends have become more devout in college, not less as seems to be the unfortunate norm for kids my age. (Example: When Cardinal Ratzinger was elected pope, I was at the CSC with Fr. Bill and a few of my friends, high fiving and cheering because such a holy, orthodox priest was chosen.)

Aside from the amazing religious aspect of the CSC (as we lovingly call it), it's also the most fun place to hang out on campus. There's a pool table, a big screen projector TV with cable, a library with computers, a courtyard with a koi pond, a basketball hoop, and a big BBQ which the Knights of Columbus, of which I am a member, helped build. Speaking of Knights of Columbus, we have a chapter based right here at the CSC. We are also blessed to have a chapter of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

Another big draw: FREE dinner every Wednesday night during the school year, and often during the summer.

It'd be a mistake to talk about the greatness of the CSC without mentioning its retreats. There are two in the fall (one for first-time retreatants and another open to everyone) and one in the spring. They're all held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and, I can honestly say, have changed my life. I've also met some of my best friends on those retreats.

Other blogs by Catholic Terps:

Catholicae Testudines (one of my favorite blogs ever)
Catholic Girl Talk (run by some of the Lady Terps)
An American Catholic in Russia (by my former roommate)
The Mad Engineer (by a current roommate)
The Humdrum Life of the Egotistical (the official blog of my apartment, not updated much over the summer)

Note: This is only a partial response to the request. I didn't have time to finish it today, but I wanted to get something up. Hopefully the rest, with more of a focus on community building, etc. will be posted soon.

Garry "My arguments make no sense" Wills

2005-08-23T21:51:00.000-05:00

I admit, I don't know much about Garry Wills, or his work, but these two quotes of his from an article about the late Pope John Paul II caught my eye:

"The pope attacks biblical fundamentalism, but his approach to women's ministry is absurdly fundamentalist. Jesus chose only men apostles...so there is something essentially male about priesthood. Yet he also chose only Jews, who spoke Aramaic, who were married...and those requirements are not imposed in modern conditions."

(John Paul II said the celibate priesthood helps promote marital fidelity.) "By this standard, Jews or Protestants, lacking a celibate priesthood, would be incapable of marital fidelity."

I know I don't need to explain to my readers why these are stupid (all four of them are very intelligent), but I think I'll mention a few things anyway.

First of all, Jesus couldn't have chosen Catholic men as apostles, since...um...well...He hadn't instituted the Catholic Church yet. So He chose our "spiritual older brothers" as apostles. As for Aramaic, that was the language of the area during Jesus' time. Simple. And only married men? I don't think that's even accurate.

And for the second quote: Are you kidding me? I wasn't aware that saying that something helps accomplish something else means that the "something else" is impossible without the "something." Aluminum bats help hit home runs, but are homeruns impossible without aluminum bats? (Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds would say no.) My contact lenses help me see, but can I recognize my family and friends without them? (I hope so, or I've been talking to - and occasionally hugging - a lot of strangers.) Daily Mass helps me become a better person, but can I be a good Catholic without it? (I don't know. But why would I want to find out?)

I find it hard to believe that Garry Wills, an author and professor, actually believes what he says in these quotes. Rather, I'd wager that he simply disagrees with the late JPII and, lacking any good arguments, is latching onto whatever he can conjur up to try to make himself feel better.

Memory Meme

2005-07-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

What I was doing 10 years ago: I had just finished fifth grade at St. Jerome's School. I don't think I did much at all. Hopefully if I do this meme again 10 or 15 years down the road it'll be more interesting.

5 years ago: I had just finished my sophomore year at St. John DeMatha High School (you know, the school that you wish you went to). Becoming an upperclassman meant that I moved from a blue blazer for school to a maroon one. I broke my arm during wrestling season this year and, regrettably, never re-joined the team. I was an altar server still, answered phones for the St. Jerome's Rectory part time, and I think worked at DeMatha during the day (or was that the next summer, I can't remember).

1 year ago: I was working in the mail room of the Physics building on campus. I also worked a few hours per week for the Elementary Particle Theory group, arranging their speakers and visitors and such. I don't work at either of those jobs anymore. Now I work in the Machine Shop in the Physics building on campus. Also, one year ago I was getting back from a trip to Florida which I won by taking first place in the Cicada Cookoff with my friend Joey. Our winning recipe was Cicada Fried Rice. Mmm...cicadas. I wish there were more around this year. Not only were they good for winning free trips and getting you on the TV news in Canada, they were a good distraction from studying for finals.

Yesterday (Sunday): I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to be at work at St. Jerome's by 7:00 a.m. My brother and I alternate Sundays setting up for the three Masses and answering the phone and door. You know, for seven years now I've worked for St. Jerome's in some way or another. After I got off work around 1:00 p.m., I went home for awhile to rest (it being the Lord's Day and all), then went to the Catholic Student Center on campus for Mass at 7:00 p.m.

I'm tagging the guys over at Catholicae Testudines and the girls at Catholic Girl Talk, plus Sebastian at An American Catholic in Russia and Alan at The Mad Engineer.

Of course, anyone is welcome to tell about their 10 year, 5 year, 1 year, and yesterday memories in the comments box...

One of the worst (or the worst) things I've ever read:

2005-06-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

I can barely believe this is real: "Abortionist accused of eating fetuses"

I can't believe people like this exist in this world...

IQ test?

2005-06-10T21:14:00.000-05:00

Your IQ Is 140

Your Logical Intelligence is Genius
Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius
Your General Knowledge is Genius

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

I generally don't put much faith in online IQ tests, but since this one liked me, I figured I'd post it. I'm sure I'll soon regret it, though, when all of my readers score significantly higher than I did. But hey, I beat Jeff over at The Curt Jester (one of my favorite blogs ever, go read it), so that's good enough for me.

Note: Lest anyone mistakenly think I'm intelligent, I believe a disclaimer is in order: I'm just lucky and a good guesser. Anything I say or write should be considered suspect, since I only rarely know what I'm talking about.

Book Meme

2005-05-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

Because I was told to do this by Mary over at Catholic Girl Talk:

1. Total Number of Books I've Owned: I have no idea, but I'm going to guess somewhere around 250. A pretty conservative estimate I think, considering the number of books I read for literature class each year in high school. Also, when I was younger, frequent trips to the library were the name of the game.

2. Last Book I Bought: Lately I've just been borrowing books from the Catholic Student Center on campus, but let's see...the last book I bought was The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis. It was excellent, and is currently on loan to one of this blog's very few devoted readers.

3. Last Book I Read: The last book I finished might also be The Screwtape Letters. I could be wrong, though. Currently on my plate, however, are More Guns, Less Crime, by John R. Lott, Jr.; The Lamb's Supper, by Scott Hahn; and A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton G. Malkiel.

4. Five Books (or Sets of Books) That Mean a Lot to Me: I assume The Bible and The Catechism are off-limits, so:

- Go Dog, Go: This was the first book I read on my own. Nothing fancy, but hey, you have to start somewhere.

- Orthodoxy: If you haven't read this amazing book, by G. K. Chesterton, let me know. I will lend it to you. Everyone should read it. If you borrow my copy, it already has a few of the best parts pagemarked with post-it notes, so that's a plus.

- Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters: I'm sure that all of C. S. Lewis' work is worth reading, but these two are especially important. Rarely have I read books and felt so strongly that they were written specifically about me.

- Calvin and Hobbes: This comic strip, by Bill Watterson, has absolutely no equal. It's funny and intelligent, and I love it. I have a copy of every Calvin and Hobbes book ever published, which I still read from time to time. I've always meant to write an article (or a book, if I'm feeling ambitious) about the important life-lessons contained on those pages, but, not surprisingly, haven't yet gotten around to it.

- Three Philosophies of Life: This is the only Peter Kreeft book I've read so far, but it's excellent. It basically examines life philosophically from three Biblical perspectives: Ecclesiastes - Life as Vanity; Job - Life as Suffering; Song of Songs - Life as Love. This book contains my favorite discussion about the existence of evil in the world. Currently it's on loan to a friend of mine, but when I get it back, anyone is welcome to borrow it.

Disclaimer: With the exception of Go Dog, Go and Calvin and Hobbes, I read all of these books within the last year or so. I think, not surprisingly, I have a bias towards the more recent books, and I imagine I'm not alone. A few great books I've read that didn't make the top 5: The Sea-Wolf (Jack London), The Aeneid (by Virgil, in Latin and English), Hamlet (if you don't know, I'm not telling you), Beowulf (by who knows who?), Norton Anthology of British Literature (various authors), How Did They Die? (Norman and Betty Donaldson), Ordinary Americans (Linda R. Monk - editor)....and on and on and on and on. If anyone wants to borrow any of these, I still have copies of most of them, so let me know.

5. Tag 5 People to Have Them Do This: Well, every blogger I know has either aleady done this or already been tagged, so I'll go another route. Readers, please post a comment with your responses to any or all of these. I'd love to hear about your book lives, and see what you think of mine. Thanks.

What is this world coming to?

2005-05-26T00:20:00.000-05:00

I've seen a couple commercials tonight for this new anti-wrinkle cream. For men. Male readers of this blog (all two of you): would you ever use such a thing? I hope not. It's weird. Men don't use anti-wrinkle cream. For one, it's for girls. For two, shaving exfoliates your face, and is generally all the skin care any real man would ever need.

Too many sissies in this world...

Suncreen causes skin cancer?

2005-05-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

Sunscreen may cause skin cancer.

Is there anything (besides God and the people and things that help you on your path to Him) that isn't bad for you in some way? I mean, c'mon. I also heard about this on TV news, but they attributed the study to some guy at Harvard, which was strange.

It makes sense, though, that you shouldn't overuse sunscreen. Besides the fact that it contains some potentially harmful chemicals, it also prevents your body from using the sun to produce vitamin D, which helps prevent disease.

At least now I have a good reason for hating sunscreen ("I hate the smell" and "I hate how it feels" don't work too well as excuses for protecting yourself). Condolences to all the girls out there though, who now have even less a chance of ever rubbing sunscreen on my shoulders...

Not a good thing...

2005-05-20T13:07:00.000-05:00

Human embryo cloned for the first time...

Yikes.

Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

I went with friends to see a 10:30 showing of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith tonight. Even though I told myself not to get my hopes up (due to the upsetting nature of Episodes I and II), I went in expecting a good movie. And I wasn't disappointed. The dialogue was still a little iffy, but the action sequences were awesome and the plot was very enjoyable.

I also found the "subtle" political messages very interesting. For a better description of them than I could give, I recommend visiting Catholicae Testudines. They don't have too much up about it yet, but since two of its three authors were at the theater with me tonight, I predict they will soon. And their posts are always quality.

Another thing: If you've ever seen the Jedi as religious figures, after this movie you will more fully understand why the Catholic Church doesn't allow priests to marry.

Since I don't want to spoil the movie for you, I won't say anything more, except that I highly recommend seeing it.

I had to post this:

2005-05-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

What is this world coming to? The April 25, 2005 edition of The Windsor Star (an Ontario newspaper) contained a story about Waddah Mustapha, a hairstylist who was recently awarded the equivalent of US$270,000 for damages he suffered due to the discovery of a fly in an unopened bottle of water. Apparently, due to this horrific episode, he and his wife vomited, and he "required extensive psychotherapy for nightmares, loss of sense of humor, increased argumentativeness, lack of desire to shower regularly, and constipation." Can you believe that? And just imagine what he would've won if he'd actually opened the bottle, or drank out of it? What a huge, huge loser. He's either a liar and an opportunist, or the biggest sissy I've ever heard of.

If I had been the judge in that case, I'd have ruled against Mustapha and punished him by making him eat one fly for every dollar he sought in damages.

P.S. - Unfortunately, you have to pay to see the entire article, which is why I didn't post a link. Oh well. Take my word for it, I wouldn't make this stuff up.

Just in time for Revenge of the Sith...

2005-05-18T14:28:00.000-05:00

Air Force Seeks Bush's Approval for Space Weapons Programs

A Death Star may still be a long way off, but these ideas are still pretty high-tech (read: cool). Lest you doubt my analysis:

"In April, the Air Force launched the XSS-11, an experimental microsatellite with the technical ability to disrupt other nations' military reconnaissance and communications satellites. <>Another Air Force space program, nicknamed Rods From God, aims to hurl cylinders of tungsten, titanium or uranium from the edge of space to destroy targets on the ground, striking at speeds of about 7,200 miles an hour with the force of a small nuclear weapon. A third program would bounce laser beams off mirrors hung from space satellites or huge high-altitude blimps, redirecting the lethal rays down to targets around the world. A fourth seeks to turn radio waves into weapons whose powers could range 'from tap on the shoulder to toast,' in the words of an Air Force plan."

In my opinion, these beat missile silos on Earth any day of the week.

In a very Star Wars-esque manner, General Lance Lord, leader of the Air Force Space command, remarked that "Space superiority...is our destiny," he told an Air Force conference in September. "Space superiority is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our vision for the future."

The Air Force defines space superiority as "freedom to attack as well as freedom from attack" in space.

There are, of course, obvious moral implications when dealing with weapons, especially ones as powerful as these. I won't get into that here (although you are free to comment on it), but let it suffice to say that, in general, I believe the moral issues have more to do with how weapons are used, not with the weapons themselves. After all (to slightly modify the phrase), "[Huge laser, nuclear, radio wave, etc. weapons launched from space] don't kill people, people kill people." And for another cliché: "The best offense is a good defense."

Found this interesting article:

2005-05-17T17:53:00.000-05:00

After watching The Best Simpsons Ever on Sunday night, I started thinking more about how religion is depicted in the show. Although you'd be crazy to say the show is about religion, you'd have to be blind not to notice the religion references prevalent in so many episodes.

This article does a great job of outlining religion in Springfield (I'd call it an essay, but then you might not read it). It's not perfect, and I don't agree with everything it says exactly, but it's more thorough than anything I'd come up with. So take a look, please, and tell me what you think.

"Once you go Vatican, you never go back again." - Homer, explaining to Marge his newly discovered love of the Catholic Church

DeMatha is awesome...

2005-05-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

I've long felt that DeMatha Catholic High School is the best school in the nation. Most people, however, are unfortunately unfamiliar with it, with most of their knowledge about it coming from the news (local and national) or from sports announcers (who often point out to viewers/listeners which college and professional athletes graduated from DeMatha - often a daunting task, since there are so many).

You don't have to just take my word for it anymore, though. Sports Illustrated, the sports magazine that everyone knows, has composed a list of the top 25 High School Athletic Programs. Note: You'll still have to rely on me to tell you about DeMatha's excellence in other categories, and I'm sure I'll still mention how great we are at sports, but read it anyway.

I wasn't too happy about being ranked #2 out of 38,000, initially. But after looking at it, I realized that it was an acceptable ranking. The #1 school, after all, has four times as many students and has been around more than twice as long as DeMatha. Besides, they never had Morgan Wootten, the Greatest Coach of All Time (and a darn good teacher, too). Not to mention the fact that we dominate "[d]espite lackluster facilities -- the wrestling team practices in an old auto warehouse, and the football team is forced to play games at a nearby school." Note: This will soon be changing, due to the acquisition of new property by DeMatha which, last I heard, was going to be converted into football fields, a new gym, a math/science building, and some other good stuff. Just think how awesome we'll be then. Oh man.

So: donate money to DeMatha to get that new property developed. Then send your sons there.

"Remember...You are a gentleman and a scholar."

Yet another reason to hate abortion...

2005-05-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

Of course we all already know that abortion is a great evil and unacceptable for any reason, but a recent French study has just given us another reason to hate it (and a reason to like France?). The study, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, provides conclusive evidence of a link between abortion and premature birth in the future pregnancies. Dr. Moreau, the leader of the study, sums it up by noting that "[t]he results suggest that induced abortion can damage the cervix in some way that makes a premature birth more likely in subsequent pregnancies." In fact, women who have abortions are 1.7 times more likely to give birth to a baby at less than 28 weeks' gestation. Babies born at that point in the pregnancy often die soon after birth, and many that survive suffer disabilities.

To me, this information alone seems like enough to turn people away from abortion. Pro-lifers are hoping that this is the case. In response to the study, they are pushing for a policy that requires women to be told that having an abortion could put future babies at risk (past studies have been inconclusive, so women are currently not warned of this danger).

I doubt this study will get much coverage in the mainstream media, so please spread it around if you can. Thanks.

Kingdom of Heaven

2005-05-15T08:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I saw the new movie Kingdom of Heaven. It was better than I expected, but my expectations were pretty low. I guess I was glad I went, but I don't think I'd pay to see it again. However, I did learn a few things.

I learned that Catholic priests are generally not very good people. They're greedy, selfish, and all around bad guys. And they just get worse the higher in the hierarchy they climb.

I also learned that Christians in general aren't anything special. Besides being war-mongers and fornicators, they're also thieves and liars. They're pretty much the definition of hypocrisy. And the best Christians are the ones that don't fully believe in Christianity.

Before seeing this movie, I also didn't know that Muslims are much better people, on the whole, than Christians. They're just, holy, and tolerant. They're also merciful. Forget the saints...Saladin (the Muslim leader) is my new patron.

*Sigh*...what an awful movie.

More blogs

2005-05-15T08:08:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know about them already, I thought I should point out a couple blogs you might be interested in. They're both updated more than mine, with posts that are more intelligent and better written.

Catholicae Testudines is the blog that inspired me to start this one. It's funny. It's smart. It's applicable to everyday life. It's faithful to the Catholic Church. It's pretty much everything you could ever want from a blog. If you don't read it, you're missing out.

Catholic Girl Talk is another one I read a lot. Although I'm not personally a girl, I am a big fan of them, so seeing what they have to say is often interesting and insightful. Mary does a great job keeping the blog up to date (which is amazing considering her responsibilities at The Diamondback and as a student who actually does work). The other two girls could probably post a little more often, but seeing their names at the top of the page is pretty fun.

So there you have it. If mine is the only blog you read, adding those two to your list should give you about a 1200% increase in available blog. Enjoy.

Since it's been so long, I made this post extra good!

2005-05-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

I suspect that very few of you have heard this song. To my knowledge it was never widely played on the radio (if it was played at all). That's okay. That's what I'm here for.

The song is The Man Comes Around." It's from the Johnny Cash CD American IV: The Man Comes Around, released in 2002. Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Danny Boy, and Desperado are some of the other great songs on this CD. If you want to borrow it, just ask. (Story: I first heard this CD being played in CDepot. After hearing a few of the songs on it, I decided it was awesome and bought it. The girl at the counter was really happy, because that meant she could take it out of the CD player and put on something else. But what does she know?)

Side note: Those of you who know of Johnny Cash probably never considered him to be very religious. I didn't either, until fairly recently, when I bought two of his CDs (American IV and God). Apparently later in his life he had something of a conversion. "I am persuaded that nothing can separate me from the love of my God," he wrote in the CD insert. Not only that, one of the pictures is a close-up of his hand, and he's wearing a ring with a Crucifix.

Anyway, back to the song. According to the insert with the CD, Johnny Cash based this song loosely on the book of Revelation, with other Biblical references scattered throughout. "I must have written three dozen pages of lyrics, then painfully weeded it down to the song you have here." Wow. Three dozen? The finished song only takes 3 or 4 minutes to sing. "Eventually I shuffled my papers, so to speak, drew out four or five pages, and wrote my lyrics." That's impressive, I think. I really wish I could see those original thirty-six pages, though. But anyway, take a look at the lyrics and hear the song here.

This post comes with homework. If you think you're up to it, in addition to your regular comments, leave a comment pointing out to everyone where different lines from the song come from in the Bible. It'll be fun. I promise. I'll even start you off:

1. I think the stuff about "the whirlwind in the thorn tree" is from Psalm 58. Johnny Cash must have a different translation than I do, but I think it fits with the themes in his song.

2. The casting of the golden crowns is from Revelations 4: 10.

3. The virgins trimming their wicks part is from Matthew 25, the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Okay, so I know I took the easy ones, but you're all much smarter than me. You're up to the challenge. Go for the gusto.

This has to be illegal...

2005-05-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

Planned Parenthood's newest brilliant idea...

Rather than go through all the hassle of having to get a prescription, driving to the pharmacy, filling out paperwork, etc., now you can just go to Planned Parenthood, fill out a "short application," and receive a free box of Emergency Contraception.

What is wrong with these people? Aside from the obvious moral issues with Emercency Contraception, what about risks, or side effects, or dangerous interactions with other drugs? Isn't the point of making a drug presecription so that a doctor can make sure it's safe for you to take? So you won't get sick or die? I guess the people at Planned Parenthood don't care about that. It's almost as if they don't value human life at all. Oh wait...I guess we shouldn't be surprised when people who kill children for a living disregard women's health.

Surely this is illegal. Think the police will do anything? Post comments, please, and let me know if you hear of any developments.

Are you secure in your faith? Then don't tell anyone!

2005-05-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

I was reading reviews of Mere Christianity on Amazon.com today and came across this gem from a guy who rated the book one out of five stars.

"[I]f one is secure in one's faith, why preach?"

Hmm. Can anyone out there possibly conceive of a reason why someone with faith might want to share it with others? Maybe so that they can have faith, too? Maybe so that they can be part of the same joy and peace that God freely gives to anyone who asks?

Rather than listen to some quack on Amazon.com, let's go straight to the source: "Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19)

Regardless of what that guy says, Mere Christianity is an excellent book. If you want to read it, feel free to borrow my copy.

Disturbing

2005-05-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

This kind of thing really freaks me out.

Before continuing to read this post, click on the link and at least see what I'm talking about.

It's not that I'm against medical advancement. It's that human/animal hybrids are scary. Sure, the researchers say they're just looking for ways to grow human organs in animals (for use in transplants), but how long until some idiot scientist with an ego too big for his lab coat decides to take it to the next level? According to this article, they're already making mice with partially (1%) human brains. The researchers say they have no plans to make "mostly human mouse brains," but want to get clearance just in case. Don't worry, though: any animals displaying human-like behavior will be immediately killed (probably so they won't sue the scientists...just imagine how angry you'd be if you were trapped in a mouse or a sheep body).

You may have heard of something like this before... Maybe if we change the setting from mainland college laboratories to an island in the middle of the ocean, and if we pretend the reporter who wrote this article landed on that island after a shipwreck... Oh yeah! I remember! It's nearly exactly like The Island Of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells.

That link you don't have to click on, but you can if you want.

Now, I realize that these experiments will likely never get to the level of Dr. Moreau's. But they still bother me. Stem cells, gene manipulation, etc. Freaky business. Please comment on this post (especially you, Alex, if you have time, on the religious aspects of such research).

I really envy people...

2005-04-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

who have decided to enter religious life, or are married, or are even seriously dating someone. It seems to me that those people are so lucky, if for no other reason than that they don't have to keep looking for whatever it is they want. It's so frustrating, for me at least, to not have That Decision made. Should I be a priest? Should I be dating someone? I feel like if only I knew, if only I had that security of being able to say to myself "This is what I'm doing...This is where I'm headed," I'd be a much more content person. I also think I'd be a lot more productive. I know I'm young, and I hopefully have a lot of years ahead of me, but it's driving me crazy. This applies to other aspects of my life, too. What will I do for a living? Where will I live? My life has no direction, and that bothers me. I want to know now.

Of course, it's not really up to me. If you've read anything on this blog before, you can probably guess who I'm about to say is responsible. That's right, you figured it out. The Big Man. If I don't have any clue about the direction my life is headed, there must be some reason. I just haven't figured out His plan yet. Part of me wants to say it's because I'm such a Renaissance man that I have a plethora (yes, a plethora) of paths available to me. However, the part of me that has some sense realizes that, more than likely, it's because I haven't paid enough attention or haven't accepted what God has in store for me. Whatever the reason, I'll just have to wait it out.

Waiting isn't too bad, though, I guess. And after 20 years, I'm getting pretty good at it. I still envy those people that have realized a vocation to religious life, or are in a relationship, or even who have some idea where their life is going, but I try to keep in mind that, if I play my cards right, eventually I'll figure it out. And that's one of the many great blessings God has given us: once we achieve happiness, it doesn't matter how long we took to find it. We're just glad to be there. And He's glad to have brought us.

In The Screwtape Letters, one of the books I'm currently reading, author C. S. Lewis tells us that one of the Devil's most useful tactics is to keep a person overly focused on "the future," thereby neglecting both the present and eternity ("[T]he Present is the point at which time touches eternity."). Read the book for more, but that should be enough for this post. Maybe I've been focusing too much on the future? Not unlikely. I'll have to cut that out...

Replay

2005-04-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

This is actually the second time I have posted this piece. I just figured that, since my blog isn't exactly the most popular one on the internet, people who read it now might not have seen this post when it first came out on February 28th. If you have read it, you can still comment on how awesome these three saints are.

Anyone who knows me well knows I went to DeMatha High School. Many people also know that I loved it there, and take every opportunity I can to tell people how much better it is than other schools. St. John de Matha, after whom the school was named, founded the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians) in 1198 to free Christian slaves imprisoned by the Moors. Needing large sums of money to ransom so many captives, the Trinitarians placed their fund-raising efforts under the guidance of Mary. They were successful in raising the money, and in gratitude St. John de Matha bestowed on Mary the title "Our Lady of Good Remedy."

But I digress. The point of St. John de Matha's life that I'm looking to highlight is a story from before he founded the Trinitarians. While sitting by a stream discussing John's idea to free Christian slaves, he and a fellow hermit, St. Felix of Valois, were given a vision of a white stag (which would later change color and become DeMatha High School's mascot, by the way) with a red and blue cross between its antlers. This cross later became the symbol of the Trinitarians. I know what you're thinking. "Cool story. That DeMatha must be awesome. But is that story really worth a blog post?" Yes. Because there's more. I've recently found two (yes, two) more saints with very similar stories.

St. Hubert of Liege, who lived centuries before John de Matha, was mentioned in the first post of this blog. Unlike John de Matha, Hubert wasn't on good terms with God at first. But one day during a hunting trip he spotted a deer with a crucifix between its antlers. He then heard a voice commanding him to repent, which he did. He later became a priest, and even later my patron saint, since he is the patron of hunters, archers, and machinists, all of which apply to me.

St. Eustachius preceded both Hubert and John de Matha. He was a general in Emperor Trajan's army in ancient Rome, but was removed from his post after converting to Christianity. Why did he convert, you ask? Allow me: while on a hunting trip, Eustachius saw a glowing cross between the antlers of a stag. He then received a prophecy that he would suffer for Christ. This prophecy was fulfilled - and I mean really fulfilled - in the year 188, when he and his family were cooked alive inside a bronze bull (after being tossed to lions, who simply ignored them) for not sacrificing to idols in thanksgiving for a military victory.

Three saints, three deer, three crosses. About 500ish years apart in each case. It'd be interesting to see if I could find another saint with a similar story in the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance. That'll have to be for another day. If I find something, rest assured that I will not keep it to myself, because I just know how interested you all are in this topic...

As if I needed another reason to like Pope Benedict XVI...

2005-04-26T01:02:00.000-05:00

According to this Associated Press story I found on Yahoo! News, then-Cardinal Ratzinger prayed that he wouldn't be elected pope. "As the trend in the ballots slowly made me realize that — in a manner of speaking the guillotine would fall on me — I started to feel quite dizzy. I thought that I had done my life's work and could now hope to live out my days in peace. I told the Lord with deep conviction, 'Don't do this to me.'" At this point you might ask, "But Mike, how does that make you like him more? He just compared being elected pope to being in a guillotine. That doesn't sound awesome to me." If you're thinking that, then you obviously didn't click on the link and read the article. Go do it now.

Done? Good. See what I mean? He didn't want to be pope, he prayed not to be pope, but when it came down to it, he practiced what he preached before the conclave, about Christ calling Peter even to places he did not want to go (John 21:15-19). Even though it was the last thing he wanted, Cardinal Ratzinger conformed his will to that of God (as expressed by the Holy Spirit through the cardinals) and committed himself entirely to his new role as head of more than a billion people worldwide; to arguably the most tiring, difficult job in the world. And I'm sure, when all is said and done, he'll be glad he did. After all, as Garth Brooks sings, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." Unanswered, in this case, meaning "not answered in the way you had hoped, but rather answered perfectly by God in a way you might not understand." Yes, I just quoted a country song to explain my thoughts about our new pope.

There are other things in this article that I like. I'm not going to go into detail, because it's late, but just give a quick list:
1. He admits that it is difficult to follow Christ. "He who is looking to be comfortable has come to the wrong address." Bam. What more could I add?
2. He is humble. He admits he may make mistakes, but reminds us that he is the pope, and we need to trust him. "I ask you for your trust when I make errors or when I say things that aren't easily understood, because the pope has to say these things. If we stick together, then we will find the way."
3. He's funny. While apologizing for arriving late to the audience, he joked: "The Germans are used to punctuality. I'm already very Italian."

I was thinking today...

2005-04-25T00:47:00.000-05:00

about our wonderful new pope, Benedict XVI. Eventually the thought crossed my mind, "What if Pope Benedict says something or institutes some course of action, and I don't like it, or disagree with it?" Now, that's not a happy thought. It's not the same as disagreeing with your parents, or with your friends, or your elected official. If I disagree with the pope, the Vicar of Christ, God's go-to guy, about something regarding our religion...I am wrong. I can't argue my way out of it. I can't chalk it up to personal differences and "agree to disagree." Holding a contradicting view against the pope is not fun. Because it means that if I want to do the right thing, if I want to do whatever I can to grow closer to God, I have to change. And change is a scary thing.

Fortunately, I've discovered that when I disagree with the Church on some issue, if I take the time to learn about it, pray about it, and talk to people smarter and far better than I am, I'll eventually come around. Before too long, I'll realize that the Church is right, and I agree with her after all. And knowing that you're right is a good feeling. From this point, it still may not be easy to stay on the straight and narrow path, but at least I know which path it is. And besides, it builds character. I'll take the rough and tumble struggle for sainthood over a moral relativist's "Do what you feel is right" attitude any day.

I need the Church and the pope to tell me how to live my life. God knows I'd screw it up if I tried to do it by myself.

To sum up: I don't do what I "feel" is right. I do what I'm told (by those with legitimate, proper authority in religious and moral matters, because they know more than I ever will, and because that's what they're for).

Amendment: After discussing this post with about half of my readers (i.e., 2 of them) I decided I needed to modify it slightly. I think it's important to point out that I meant for the ideas expressed in this post to apply to doctrinal matters only; I didn't mean to imply that all Catholics should be exact clones of whoever holds Peter's chair at the time. As Thomas A. of Catholicae Testudines said, "Legitimate diversity is not equal to religious liberalism." Hopefully my future posts, in addition to being more interesting and intelligent, will be less confusing.

Habemus Papam!

2005-04-20T15:09:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday morning I put up an away message asking people to call me if a new pope was elected, so I could leave class and go watch it on TV. While I was at noon Mass, Sierra called and left a message, so I went with a bunch of people down to the CSC to watch. (note: Jane McGrath also saw my away message, and called while I was on my way to the CSC. To everyone else, who saw the message but didn't call: you are so lucky I got to see it, or I'd be very angry. And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.)

Once I was in the Conference Room at the CSC, I was glued to the TV. On the edge of my seat, I waited for them to announce the name. After what felt like hours, they finally did. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. The Enforcer. God's Rottweiler. Der Panzer Kardinal. Pope Benedict XVI. So we all clapped and cheered, and I high-fived Alex. Of course we'd have been happy no matter who was chosen, but it being someone we already know and like made it even more exciting.

I need to read his books. I can't wait to read his encyclicals. I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to whatever happens next...

Thought this was interesting:

2005-04-20T11:15:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a non-practicing Catholic friend of mine today, and took the opportunity to ask him his views on Pope Benedict XVI. Since he agrees with the Church on some issues but not on others, and doesn't go to Mass, I thought it'd be interesting. I was right.

I expected him to dislike Pope Benedict XVI. I thought that, since his personal views on sexuality, birth control, etc. were opposite those of the Church, the election of such a staunch defender of dogma would drive him crazy. I was wrong. He likes the new pope. Why? Because he likes the idea of a guy who absolutely refuses to water down his beliefs or the beliefs of his Church. He respects (and agrees with) Pope Benedict's position that "Truth is not determined by a majority vote" (although he currently disagrees about what that truth is). He considers relativism one of the stupidest ideas around. I was somewhat shocked. Though he disagrees with Pope Benedict XVI on many issues, he sees the value and the greatness of a pope who sticks to his guns. He is attracted, as I know so many of us are, to Pope Benedict's orthodoxy. Here is the funniest excerpt from the conversation:

(I asked my friend what he liked about the Church)
"Jesus said to Peter 'Can you take care of this [expletive deleted] while I'm gone?' and then he said 'Can you take care of some [expletive deleted] for me?' and then that guy said to the next guy 'Can you watch this [expletive deleted] for me?' It's cool that it (the papacy) has been handed down since Jesus. Like, we still do things the same way now as we did then."

Okay, so maybe his rant wasn't theologically perfect. Maybe it wasn't delivered in the most tactful, appropriate manner. But I think we can all agree there is something there. It hits on some important points. I definitely see a foundation to build on. Please let's all pray that he'll come around and return to the Church.

A funny thing I found:

2005-04-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in Finance class bored today, as usual, lamenting my choice of major and the pointlessness of my academic career, when I came across something interesting. Apparently some programmer out there has created a Christian IM robot that you can talk to. Check it out by IMing MathetesChristou. Supposedly its main objective is to evangelize, but I don't imagine it will get many converts; it makes no sense. Here are a few samples of my conversation with it:

MathetesChristou: I am Catholic.
mcarroll2002: me too
MathetesChristou: Ah, so we are not that different.
mcarroll2002: except i am a person
MathetesChristou: You're NOT a person!
mcarroll2002: then what am i?
MathetesChristou: Mmm, yeah.

a minute later...

mcarroll2002: mary is your mother?
MathetesChristou: You leave my mother out of this!
mcarroll2002: who is your patron saint?
MathetesChristou: My patron saint is the kitchen god, who was smiling at me as the realtor turned the key.

What do you think of that? Pretty funny, huh? I'm going to go talk to it some more. Hopefully I'll post again soon.

Requiescat in pace

2005-04-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

As you are all aware, our beloved Pope John Paul II died Saturday. I was at the Catholic Student Center when it happened, with some of my best friends. We said a rosary, draped the CSC sign and doors in black, and moved the portrait of the Holy Father into the chapel.

I had the privilege of attending one of this pope's last public audiences, and I'll never forget the experience. You'd think he was a rock star, the way people yelled and cheered. It was easily the highlight of the trip, made even more special by the knowledge that seeing him was a once in a [earthly] lifetime opportunity for many of us. We won't see him again until we make the trip to the big papal audience in the sky.

I don't know a lot, but even I can see how great this pope was and what a great influence he had on the Church and the world. So I spent yesterday and today trying to decide what to write about him. I finally realized sometime tonight that no matter what I wrote, it wouldn't be good enough. There is no way I could compose anything to adequately describe John Paul II and his papacy. His life - and death - speaks for itself. Just ask an observant Catholic, or any of the millions of people of other faiths who have grown to love him. I can't say it better, so I won't even try.

I thought this was a little weird

2005-03-30T00:49:00.000-05:00

I was walking past the Student Union today, on my way to work, when I saw the Socialist Workers table set up on the sidewalk. First thought: "Those people are always crazy." Second thought: "Maybe I'll grab a copy of their newspaper to read if work is slow. I could always use a good laugh." So I picked one up as I walked by. I didn't stop at the table, because the guy was talking to some other passer-by. Then I heard a voice: "That's a dollar, if you can." So I told him I didn't want it that much and put it back on his stack.

Does that seem a little weird to anyone else? The guy wouldn't let me have a copy of The Socialist Worker. I had to buy it from him. For a dollar. I know he doesn't pay a dollar per copy for them. Could it be that this guy, preaching the gospel of socialism to anyone who would listen, was trying to turn a profit? To benefit from capitalism? Perish the thought! I guess maybe if I'd paid the dollar, the paper would have enlightened me to the point that my feeble mind could comprehend this apparent contradiction...

Makes no sense

2005-03-08T00:15:00.000-05:00

My dad showed me an article from the March 5 edition of The Washington Times. You can read it yourself here, but I'll give you the condensed version. Basically, a 16 year old girl decided to end her pregnancy once it started to show. The solution, she decided, was to have her 18 year old boyfriend, the father of the babies, stomp on her stomach until the babies were dead. He reluctantly agreed, and soon she was being rushed to the hospital with a badly bruised stomach and two lifeless babies inside of her. This is a sad, horrible story. The fact that her increased size convinced her that killing her developing twins was a good idea is appalling, and the way she carried it out isn't too sunshiny either. However, that isn't the point of the article. The boyfriend was charged with murder under the state's (Texas) new law protecting the unborn. The girl, though, faces no charges because it was "her right to choose." The fact one person can be charged with murder while the other is charged with nothing only emphasizes the utter ridiculousness of the entire system. I don't even know what to say about it. Anyone with the tiniest amount of sense can see how wrong this is. Regardless of whether you think abortion is right or wrong, a Constitutional right or an indication of society's failure toward women, you can certainly agree that there is a problem here.

Just so you know:

2005-03-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

I decided to change the name with which I sign my posts from "Hubert of Liege" to "Mike." There are two main reasons for this. First, now people are less likely to ask me "Is that really your blog? Your name isn't Hubert." Second, "Hubert of Liege" was not really appropriate for my other blog, The Humdrum Life of the Egotistical, which chronicles the happenings in that most famous of apartments, 2103 Prince George's Hall. For anyone interested in a blog updated regularly, you won't find a better one.

Quote of the Moment

2005-03-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." – Robert Louis Stevenson

I don't really have anything deep or insightful to say about this quote. It's just that, when I saw it, I instantly thought of St. Therese of Lisieux. Don't you think this sounds like something she could say? Anyway, since this seems to be a saint blog, I figured I'd put it up, even though Mr. Stevenson isn't up for sainthood as far as I know. Because it reminded me of St. Therese, it also reminded me of two sort-of sermons I once heard: "The Little Pretzel" and "The Cheese Ball."

I don't have time to restate these entire orations here, so I'll just point out the basics. The Little Pretzel doesn't worry about the world, or what it's doing with its life. It just loves God, and is loved by God. That's all. The Cheese Ball mostly consists of little tiny air pockets. The Cheese Ball represents humanity, or the soul, and the air pockets represent the emptiness that can only be filled by God.

As anyone who knows me well knows, I don't drink enough to have come up with these myself. However, I won't name the source, out of respect for her privacy. Besides, most of you know who she is anyway...

And now, for something a little different...

2005-02-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about this post for awhile. None of the saints mentioned have special connections with February 28, as far as I know, but they're still top-notch, and this post is still worth reading. Maybe. Do it as a favor, please, at least.

Anyone who knows me well knows I went to DeMatha High School. Many people also know that I loved it there, and take every opportunity I can to tell people how much better it is than other schools. St. John de Matha, after whom the school was named, founded the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians) in 1198 to free Christian slaves imprisoned by the Moors. Needing large sums of money to ransom so many captives, the Trinitarians placed their fund-raising efforts under the guidance of Mary. They were successful in raising the money, and in gratitude St. John de Matha bestowed on Mary the title "Our Lady of Good Remedy."

But I digress. The point of St. John de Matha's life that I'm looking to highlight is a story from before he founded the Trinitarians. While sitting by a stream discussing John's idea to free Christian slaves, he and a fellow hermit, St. Felix of Valois, were given a vision of a white stag (which would later change color and become DeMatha High School's mascot, by the way) with a red and blue cross between its antlers. This cross later became the symbol of the Trinitarians. I know what you're thinking. "Cool story. That DeMatha must be awesome. But was it really worth taking away my Saint-of-the-Day?" Yes. Because there's more. I've recently found two (yes, two) more saints with very similar stories.

I'm a bad, bad blogger...

2005-02-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

I wish I could say that I've been too busy to post for the past week. I wish I could say that I was hunting wolverines "up north." Or I wish I could say that I was overseas helping build shelters and dig wells for orphans in war-torn third-world countries. Heck, I'd even settle for being able to say that I've been too sick to write, a la Thomas A. on Catholicae Testudines. But I have none of those excuses. I just got lazy. As Carolyn Hax, author of the relationship advice column "Tell Me About It," which I read (right before the comics) in the Washington Post Style section every Wednesday and Friday to marvel at other people's problems and inability to solve them, would say, "Twenty lashes with a wet noodle." (I guess that's supposed to be painful?) Anyway, the saints I would have written about are:

February 23: St. Dositheus
February 24: St. Praetextatus
February 25: St. Walburga
February 26: St. Victor
February 27: St. Leander of Seville

If anyone reading this is particularly interested in one or more of these saints, and is for one reason or another incapable of researching them himself, I'd be glad to make a special post. Just let me know.

St. Margaret of Cortona, Penitent

2005-02-22T00:33:00.000-05:00

St. Margaret was born in 1247 at Loviano, Tuscany, in Italy. Her mother died when she was seven, and troubles with her stepmother led to her eloping with a nobleman from Montepulciano (no one knows his identity for certain). In 1274 he was murdered, leaving Margaret and their son alone. Margaret attempted to return to her father, but was refused (some scholars contend that her father would have taken her in, but her stepmother wouldn't allow it). After being turned away, she eventually found asylum with the Friars Minor at Cortona. There she struggled to live a holy life, and became a Franciscan tertiary in 1277. From this point on she lived in strict poverty, begging for her food, and continued to minister to the sick. In the same year she had the first of the revelations for which she is primarily known. She then lived in intimate communion with Christ, Who at first addressed her as "poverella," meaning "poor one," and later as "My child." She eventually prevailed in opening a hospital for the sick poor, and even instituted a group of Tertiary Sisters (known as le poverelle) to supply nurses for the hospital.

There is much more to the story of St. Margaret's life, but I have two exams to study for. Her death on February 22, 1728 had been revealed to her, and she currently lies incorrupt in a shrine in Cortona dedicated in her own name. She was canonized on May 16, 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII.

Her patronage includes: against temptation, falsely accused people, hoboes, insanity, loss of parents, midwives, penitent women, people ridiculed for their piety, reformed prostitutes, sexual temptation, single laywomen, and tertiaries.

PRAYER God our Father, through the intercession of St. Margaret of Cortona we renew our resolve to fulfill the obligation of Lenten penance. Be with us as we turn from sin and hear the Good News. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessed Noel Pinot, Priest and Martyr

2005-02-21T03:15:00.000-05:00

Noel Pinot was born in 1747, ordained in 1771. In 1788 he was made pastor of a parish in Louroux-Beconnais, France, where he became known for his ministry to the sick. In the midst of the French Revolution, Pinot refused to take an oath contrary to the principles of the Church, resulting in banishment from his parish for two years. However, the holy priest returned in secret to minister to his parishoners, and even convinced some clergy who had bent to the will of the new government to renounce their civil oath and reaffirn their loyalty to the Church.

After a brief period of open ministry (a counter-revolution had gained ground, then lost it), Pinot was again a wanted man. While preparing for Mass early in 1794 he was captured, fully vested, and dragged through crowds of hostile spectators and soldiers in the streets before being imprisoned for nearly two weeks (note the similarity between Pinot's experience - Mass, capture by soldiers, ridicule, execution - and our Lord's Passion - Last Supper, capture by soldiers, ridicule, execution). On February 21, 1794, he was executed for steadfastly refusing to take the government oath, and encouraging others to reject it also. He went to the guillotine still vested for Mass and reciting the opening words of a pre-Vatican II Mass: "I will go to the altar of God, to God Who gives joy to my youth." Beatified in 1926, his canonization is pending.

PRAYER Almighty and eternal God, You endowed Blessed Noel with spiritual strength to choose death rather than renounce Your Church. Help us to love the Church and never do anything that harms her. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Something New and Exciting!

2005-02-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

If I had any readers, they undoubtably would have noticed that there have been exactly zero new postings since the day this blog was created. Indeed, over the last month and three weeks, I've often forgotten that I started a blog in the first place.

But that's all about to change.

As per a suggestion from the most prolific poster on my most beloved blog, I've decided to change the theme of this blog from "Whatever I Feel Like" to "Saint(s) of the Day and Whatever I Feel Like." This does two important things: first, it forces me to post regularly; second, it gives me preassigned subject matter for those days (about 363 of the 365 a year) when I don't have any thoughts of my own worth sharing. Simple, right? I can do this. It's the blogging equivalent of boxed cake mix. How could I go wrong?

Opening Day

2005-01-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

So here it is: the most anticipated blog on the entire internet. I was going to write some books, but found I didn't have the discipline. Do not despair, however; the books will be written. All that's left is to find the time, subject matter, focus, and talent. Until then, please accept my rants, ramblings, ideas, and observations as my most earnest attempts to entertain you, more than likely my only reader, and to distract myself from whatever I should be doing.

St. Hubert of Liege

2005-01-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

Although this isn't a strictly religious blog, there will be religious posts. And, I hope, even the non-religious posts will be "tainted by my Catholicism," as a Jewish friend of mine so eloquently (and complimentarily, in my opinion) branded everything I do. St. Hubert of Liege was born in seventh century Holland, and is the patron saint of archers, dogs (especially poorly behaved ones), forest workers, hunters, machinists, mathematicians, and the like. He had a conversion experience while hunting, in which he saw a Crucifix between the antlers of a stag he was pursuing, and heard a voice commanding him to turn to the Lord (just by the way, St. John de Matha, nearly 500 years later, also discovered his calling with the help of a vision involving a stag with a Cross between its antlers). This he did, and renounced all his worldly possessions before studying to become a priest. He is best known for his first-class preaching and his generosity to the underprivilaged. Also, he evangelized much of the Ardenne region (Belgium, France, and Luxemburg) before correctly predicting the date of his own death on May 30, 727.