Al Qaida Denounces Pope

News Flash: Al Qaida doesn't like pope and they don't like him visiting Turkey. No surprise here. That whole needing to have reason with your faith just doesn't work for fanatics. I have noticed a pattern with the use of the term "Crusader." This is used derogatorily here and elsewhere when referring to the actions of "Western" countries that Al Qaida and other Muslims militants don't like. Remember when Bush changed the name of the operation when we invaded Afghanistan? In case any don't know, the Crusades saved Western civilization from being completely over-run by the Muslims when they invaded the Eastern Roman Empire. There were sins on both sides of that war, but the purpose of the Crusade was noble - and it did save "Western" civilization. A definite good thing. Tags: Pope, Al Qaida, Turkey, Crusades

Unethical - Guaranteed!

The academy is surprised that scientists claiming to perform unethical research are not always honest. You see, what we really need is a governing body to guarantee truthfulness in all unethical science. That way we are sure when someone has done what should not be done. That is just the kind of safeguards we need - not from the unethical behavior, but from the false reporting of it. WOW! The claim is that they want science to be about truth. I think they miss the point, what they are really asking is that science be about fact - truth does not belong to the purview of the fact seeking, ethics & morality be damned, just because I can, scientists. Not that I have an opinion or anything. Tags: Rant, Science, Ethics

RobK Defined

RobK -- [adjective]: Benevolent to a fault 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com Of course I found this at Ironic Catholic.

Type of Reader

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two. Dedicated Reader Book Snob Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm Fad Reader Non-Reader What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz Special thanks to Dyspeptic Mutterings where I first saw this. It seems pretty accurate.

USC vs. Notre Dame - from a So Cal Catholic

Yesterday Notre Dame and USC played once again, in what has for me been the most important game every year for every sport. This one tops them all. Why? I am Irish Catholic, so of course I was raised a Notre Dame fan. I remember saying that I wanted to go to ND when I was in third grade. But a funny thing happened to me along the way to the golden dome. I ended up not going there. I did spend some time at USC as a student, and going to the games as a student really gives you passion for a team. Now when I told my folks that I was going to USC, my folks nearly disowned me, but they have gotten used to it. They had better, they have a son in law who graduated from there - twice. So needless to say, I am conflicted now like I wasn't before my personal connection. Last night I rooted for USC, but felt bad for ND. Now only to show that I am the most neurotic football fan - I also taught at UCLA. So I kind of feel some loyalty there too. Though they are clearly third of three. Anyways, yesterday's game was fabulous and I am hopeful that USC beats UCLA and plays Ohio State for the title. Of course a Big 10/Pac 10 Champion match-up for the title should be played in the Rose Bowl - but let's leave gripes about the BCS for another day. Tags: Football, USC, Notre Dame

2 Week Old's Understanding of MOM

Milk Operations Management Tags: Mom, Humor

Thanksgiving

Click on picture to see a larger image. Ps 118:24-29 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house. The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise. Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever. Today is the day that Americans have set aside as a nation to give thanks for what we have received. I am thankful for God's enduring love and patience. I am grateful for His guiding hand. I am grateful for His people who have entered my life - my wife, my children - particularly baby Gracie who was just born, my family and my wife's family, my friends and colleagues. I am thankful for my Church - especially Pope Benedict and my local parish. I am thankful for my country - may she stay free and strong, and work to correct every flaw. I am grateful to be in Southern California -for the beauty both in nature and in the people. I am grateful for the gifts God has given me: prosperity, intelligence, good humor - may I use these for the greater glory of God. I am grateful as well for those who read this blog and the community that is developing here in blog-space. I am grateful for the life that God has given me. God, thank you for everything. Thank you for all of the graces you have bestowed. I love you. Amen. Tags: Thanksgiving

The Ironic Catholic: Dear Communion of Saints: Thanksgiving Meal Tips

The Ironic Catholic: Dear Communion of Saints: Thanksgiving Meal Tips SIC at The Ironic Catholic serves up some humorous tips.

In The Weeds

Click on picture to see a larger image. "In the weeds" is a term I learned in the corporate world. It is a term that means "so deep into the details that the big picture is missed." It is often a term derogatorily used in reference to a discussion or person in a meeting that is so focused on the details that they just don't get it. The image attached to this post shows what being lost in the weeds (or at least brush) looks like. That is my boy near the front making his way through the brush on one of our weekend adventures. His mom and his grandpa are in the background. With the brush so high, it is hard to see the boy – the brush is much bigger than he is. On this particular adventure, we had been wandering the paths around the Newport Back Bay. It was a beautiful November day (sunny, mid 70's), but as we kept trekking, we realized that we had gotten off the loop trail and were getting too far away from the car. With my wife pregnant and due at any moment (the baby was born the next day), we couldn’t afford to be far from transportation. But we could not see the fork in the trail that would get us back. We were so close to the brush, we just couldn’t see how to get where we wanted to go. Not being one for inaction, I led the way in search of the path. We first hit a dead-end, and had to reroute. We got up on a hill and I could see what looked like a line snaking through the brush. We had found the path! All it took was a bit of perseverance and a little perspective. When out and about in the world, we can find ourselves in some pretty thick vegetation. It can feel lonely or hopeless. But there is always a way through it. It takes perseverance and perspective to find the path, but it is there. You just have to have faith that you will find it. Tags: Perseverance, Faith, Being Lost

Let Them Be Little

Click on picture to see a larger image. So we had a new baby girl last week. She is adorable, and she is even doing pretty well at night - sleep deprivation has not started. We are definitely blessed with this addition. Our oldest, Maggie, is also a girl - it is hard to think that she was born 10 years ago. Sometimes it seems like she is growing so fast. Thankfully, a few things happened the past week that showed me she is not grown yet. She still has her childhood innocence, and will for a while yet (God willing). First, the image above captures a moment last weekend - the day before Gracie was born. We were exploring the Newport Back Bay preserve, and she found this shell that she HAD to share. To still be so excited to want to share her find with Daddy.... Well, I sure appreciated it. Second, she just served at her first mass today. Now that is a milestone that points to her growing up (one that only we boys had when I was a kid). The thing that struck me though, was how much smaller she was than the other children. My thought was that she is only in fifth grade. It was a wonderful reminder that while growing up, she still has a long way to go. BTW, she did her part flawlessly. Third, after mass, there was a craft fair where the kids got to put together ornaments for the upcoming advent season. She went at it with the gusto you would expect in a child. I am very proud of her and excited to see how she will grow...but I still like my innocent little girl. Tags: Growing-up, Dad, Little Girls

Friday's Feast

I've seen these around - most recently at Ukok's place. Thought I would participate. The original site is at: http://fridaysfeast.blogspot.com/ Appetizer Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets? Nope. While I am a definite X-File fan, "I want to believe," but I just don't see the evidence. Soup What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did? I lived in the South. Back in grad school, I said I wouldn't live in the South. BTW, I like the South now. I learned a lot while there. I am glad to be back in So Cal, though. Salad Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school? I owe so much to so many, I don't know how to choose and feel. Grad school: My advisor, Dan Ozer - he helped mold my philosophy. He also mentored me in developing the skills I use to make a living. Undergrad, Lisa Bridges - she convinced me to go to grad school where I did. High School: There were 5 in high school that were important to me: Fr. Ziemann (Religion, Dean of Students), Sr. Leo Francis (Chemistry, Physics), Coach Crowley, Mr. Edwards (History), and Mr. Squires (Math). They taught me so much, I have no idea where to begin. Grammar School/Jr. High - Sr. Delores - she made me believe I could do more academically than I had. Main Course If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why? A homeless person. It is hard for me to understand their life - I wish I could better understand. Dessert What is your favorite dish to prepare? Grilled Tri-tip steak and home made salsa. Tags: Friday Feast

Baby Grace

Click on a picture to see larger imagea. Yeah! Baby Grace has finally arrived! She was born healthy on 11/12! Give thanks to God, for He is good!

El Camino Real

Click on picture to see a larger image. I live near El Camino Real which connects all of the California missions. In Spanish, camino means road or way and real means royal or splendid. But real also means real (just like it is spelled in English). Typically, people translate it as the royal road, but I like the more poetic interpretation of the real way, or (if you will) the true path. Given my understanding of history, I know that my interpretation is not the most likely - but I suspect the padres may have enjoyed the play on words. The talk of paths gets to a topic I have thought about for years: the path that people are on (especially me). Being trained as a personality psychologist and raised a Catholic, I often thought about the concept of free will, a concept that most behavioral scientists flatly reject. The faith that most psychologists/scientists hold is that if they only knew all of the right variables, they could perfectly predict human behavior - it is completely determined. A corollary of this is that given all of the variables in play at any given time, a person can do no other than he or she does - there is no such thing as free will. Now, as a Catholic, this was a concept I rejected. Thankfully, I had an advisor who was very philosophically minded. We had many debates on philosophy of science, the existence of God, and free will - though I think I frustrated him on this particular issue. During those conversations I developed my perspective that combines both the idea that behavior can be determined AND can be chosen freely. People typically go through life on auto-pilot. Life happens to them. They react, largely automatically, from a repertory of learned responses. Their goals and ambitions are prescribed to them more than they are chosen, and they plod away at life - much like sheep. They may have free will, but it doesn't often manifest itself. They float through life, tossed about by the currents of society governed by the automatic short-cut responses built into each person's psychology. Life is more accidental than intentional. The road they are on, is a road provided by the world around them. People CAN choose to act, if they really want to. They just usually do not really want to. They can do the difficult things. They can choose to not let their past guide their actions. They can choose to buck what society tells them. In my mind, that is how you can account for saints or other extraordinary people (including the bad ones). You see, while the materialist empiricist has faith that they will eventually be able to explain everything, they can't now. I believe that they will never be able to completely predict human behavior, and can partially predict behavior only because people go with the flow, and let the currents guide them. They can choose differently, but don't typically do so. Now this may not always be a bad thing. Sometimes, we need to attend to only some areas where we must choose, and others are put on auto-pilot. This can be a sane strategy. But if we live our lives without consciously making choices, what kind of road are we on? El Camino Real, or the primrose path? If you don't choose, the choice gets made for you. Tags: choice, Catholic,Christian, free will

C. S. Lewis Quotes and Election Perspective

Perhaps I am an optimist. Perhaps I am just delusional. While I am disappointed in some of the election results, I am not as upset as others I have read online. Maybe it is because I am not enamored with either party, and would be disappointed no matter what the result in one way or another. Regardless, it is what it is. Life goes on. I have been reading C. S. Lewis lately, and a couple of quotes in Mere Christianity may be worth thinking about regarding society and the recent elections. "You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society." "If individuals live only 70 years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilisation, which may last for a thousand years is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilisation, compared with his, is only a moment." I take two points here. One, let's stop worrying about the state quite as much as we do - it is far less important than individuals. The state is important only to the degree that it can help or hurt individuals on their eternal journey. We need to do what we can here, and move on to the more important focus. Second, we should focus more on developing the kind of person that can create a good society. Elections are good, politics are fine, but the values we care about should be important every day. We have to live them, convince others that these values are true, and help others to live them - not through law or coersion, but by convincing them of their veracity. Making laws is not the best way to change hearts. But changing hearts is a good way to change laws. Maybe we need to do more to change hearts. Tags: Politics, Catholic, Christian, Quotes

Back Online & Thoughts About Elections

I have been without internet connection since mid-day Monday. It is tough being disconnected, especially when you rely on the Internet so heavily. Working at home, being without it makes doing business that much harder. We also do not have any news on the arrival of the baby. We are waiting for her to decide to come - it is any day now. I'll keep all posted when she finally arrives. It looks like we all had a bit of bad news yesterday with the elections. I was disappointed that the three pro-life measures lost. The one in CA got 47% of the vote, and while that is a loss - it is not as bad as one might expect for liberal leaning California. It is also no surprise given how much money spent by Planned Parenthood trying to scare voters. I wish that the pro-life side was more sophisticated in marketing and convincing people. Grass roots is good, but a professional marketing can make a huge difference. As for the elections, I don't know what to think. I am a voter without a party. I am a registered Democrat, but I am pro-Life. That means, I can actually vote for very few Democrats. But it is hard to vote for Republicans. They get the pre-birth life issues and gay marriage correct, but are wrong on most of the rest of their platform. Aside from these issues, the Republican party is the party of big business and the rich. And the values of these two groups do not align with my values. But the ultra-left values of San Franciscan Nancy Pelosi don't align with my values either. In terms of why people voted the way they did, I am confused. I get the corruption issue, but I think most Americans are wrong about the war. People supported the war at the start, and now they don't. I am the opposite. I thought it was wrong to get into the war, but I also think that we have to clean up the mess we made - no matter how difficult. We may all agree that the current strategy is wrong, but a cut and run strategy would be rather irresponsible and (IMO) cowardly. It was wrong to start the war in Iraq, but it also would be wrong to leave the mess we created without a solution. Just my thoughts.

Dr. Seus Makes the Fifth Commandment Clear

This is from Ironic Catholic by visiting blogger Jovial Catholic. Visit the site for the whole post - but I had to share this part! You shall not kill them in the rain. You shall not kill them on a train. You can not, will not, on a boat. You will not, will not, with a goat. Not in the womb! Not in a tree! Not in a war! You let them be! Do not kill them as embryos. Do not kill them with Cheerios. Do not kill them with a mouse. Do not kill them in a house. Do not kill them in the chair. You’re not God, so it’s not fair. Do not kill them here or there. Do not kill them anywhere! Remember how you killed the Lamb? So stop the killing, says the great I Am! (c.f. Dr. Seuss, “Green Eggs and Ham”)

Halloween Saints & Angels

Click on picture to see a larger image. The kids had to dress up as Saint for Halloween if they wanted to dress up for school. Maggie went as Esther, because she saw a movie about Esther with her Grandma and Grandpa last week. Mike went as St. Michael, because of his name sake AND the sword. Maggie changed into a pirate at night, with a costume she made by hand with her aunt. No pictures ready on the pirate at this time. At first I was not a big fan of changing the tradition of monsters, ghosts, and other such costumes. But the kids had fun this way too, and they did learn something as well (about their saints). Tags: Kids, Catholic, Saints, Halloween