THE SHOULDER BONE IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE LUNG BONE!!! So why is my shoulder hurting so badly (I slept on it funny, but not funny ha-ha) even as my lungs slowly clear of oobleck? Frustrated. Read more

ME ON MARRIAGE: Given the CA decision, I’ve put up links to some of my older posts and articles on same-sex marriage, at MarriageDebate…. Read more

THE YALE DAILY NEWS FROM WEDNESDAY, MAY 21… 1969. Completely fascinating, from the front-page articles to the dry-cleaning ads. No joke. Via E-Pression. Read more

PUSH ME AROUND: Blog/relief part two. So the last time I did a blog/relief drive, people did do stuff. I’m going to try that again. If you email me and tell me that you have made even a small contribution (monetary, in-kind, blood, volunteer, whatever) to disaster relief since seeing this post, I will write any of the things in the list below (you pick) and post it here. I’m offering blog posts for people who donate to charities, especially... Read more

JOHN HEARD ON NEWMAN’S BEATIFICATION. Read more

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: This article by Alan Bray, about Christian recognition of same-sex loving friendship in the Western Church, is just amazing. It’s via the awesome John Heard, who seems to think it needs a disclaimer; I really don’t. I’m guessing that Bray eventually takes his research to places I wouldn’t go. (The headline goes there, but that likely isn’t his fault.) But this particular article is beautiful, insightful, heartfelt, just overflowing with everything I want from research into our past.... Read more

PLANNER’S PUNCH: I’m really only posting this because otherwise I might forget that I wanted to use the post title. Being a “pater” is metaphysically horrible for the paternalists–whereas those on whom they exercise their expertise will generally work around the paters’ proclamations, with relatively less harm to the subjects’ souls. “Structures of sin” (which are our only contemporary options, I suspect) are always metaphysically worse for the people in power. But bureaucracy is the sweatshop of the urban welfare... Read more

COME TO PAPA: More on mintiness. So after I’d done my growling about the Pope, I found some really lovely, inspiring accounts of Benedict XVI’s visit. I’m going to keep these in mind the next time I’m tempted to skid from a historical, cautious mintiness into a defensive callousness. It’s beautiful, in itself, to be able to see the beauty of the Bride of Christ in the person of the Pope. scroll down to “a personal reflection” I can’t ever... Read more

SOMETHING NASTY IN THE WOODSHED OF MY LUNGS: Well, that was a refreshingly random post with which to leave you all! My apologies to readers. I was traveling, and then coughing. I managed to contract bronchitis (say it like Lenny Bruce! Bronchhhhhhitis!) and have been spending a lot of time pulling the covers over my head, coughing, and feeling sorry for myself. (Note to parents: I AM FINE. I have antibiotics. This is an unusually mild bout of respiratory annoyance,... Read more

“THE ONLY ENTERPRISES THAT REALLY FOCUS ON THE FUTURE”: Just ran across a several-years-old email in which I recalled a conversation between two friends–an evangelical Christian, and an ex-evangelical financier–in which the financier praised “religion and the stock market” for being, in fact, the only enterprises etc. An earlier moment in that same conversation involved the evangelical noting that all the worldly glory of the nations would pass away, and the financier replying, “Yeah, I’m really struck by the way... Read more