There is nothing new about the political world being populated with phonies. There is nothing new about sound bites and photo ops so blatantly artificial they make us cringe. We’re getting use to fake issues and phony legislation has become more common, too. (A good and useful program stops being good or helpful when it begins to define “children” as 25 year olds. If Grad Students need health insurance why not create a low-cost co-operative for it rather than palm... Read more
Courtesy of my Li’l Bro Thom who sends me this stuff, a terrific and fun video from U2: Deacon Greg has someone calling “God’s House Band.” I don’t know about that, but it’s a great and inventive video, beautiful children, too. And it’s remarkable to think of how many of these performers, old and new, Bono either knew or worked with. I think Fausta would agree, though, that this video needs a little Bryn in it, too. And if didn’t... Read more
A few days ago I noted that Ron Hansen, the author of the book The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford upon which the new Brad Pitt film is based, is a Catholic Deacon. So it is not too surprising to read some of Barbara Nicolosi’s thoughts in her rave review of the film: The subtextual title of the film could be: “Living in Sin.” The film illustrates the destruction wreaked in human lives from habitually living... Read more
A while back I wrote a piece entitled Clinton Global Initiative’s Thuggish Member, about a FOB/FOH who had – to my way of thinking – crossed a line from advocacy, to thuggish zealotry: “It is my intention to destroy your career as a liar,” Mr. Eckhart wrote. “If you produce one more editorial against climate change, I will launch a campaign against your professional integrity. I will call you a liar and charlatan to the Harvard community of which you... Read more
I recall reading an article once, by I-forget-now, but the fellow who wrote it told of meeting Mother Teresa and finding himself giving her the lowdown on all his life difficulties. He said she just gave him a smile and said, “if you prayed, it would all be easier for you,” or something like that. Must look it up. She wasn’t being dismissive, just telling what she knew. I have no idea how much of this story and this exchange... Read more
Speaking at the National Press Club Tuesday evening, CBS “Evening News” anchor Katie Couric pulled back the curtain on her personal views of both the war in Iraq and former “Evening News” anchor Dan Rather. “Everyone in this room would agree that people in this country were misled in terms of the rationale of this war,” said Couric, adding that it is “pretty much accepted” that the war in Iraq was a mistake. “I’ve never understood why [invading Iraq] was... Read more
The Burmese monks are being fired upon, at least four Buddhist monks are dead, many wounded, and there are reports that many monks and nuns are being arrested. People of peace being answered with violence. Can they overthrow a military government? The Moderate Voice writes: This violence against peaceful innocents is all the more egregious because the Buddhist concepts many of the Burmese live by are antithetical to doing harm to others… The bootjack Burmese government seems it is counting... Read more
UPDATE::: Picked up the Oatmeal at Trader Joes yesterday, had it for supper last night and lunch today – really superb stuff!:::END A reader recently ordered two interesting products, the Roomba Robotic Vacuum and a Panasonic HyrdraClean Wet/Dry Shaving System, both of which I’m considering purchasing as Christmas gifts (yes, I begin shopping early for this large family). I wonder if the folks who made these purchases would be willing to let me know what they thought of them, either... Read more
It’s hard not to smile when you read Deacon Greg and see his excitement upon discovering other Deacons in the writing/mass communication profession. Here he gives a heads up on Deacon Ron Hansen, author of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is coming soon to a theatre near you, and also of the riveting Mariette in Ecstasy: Deacon Hansen cited the influence of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola on his storytelling. “One of... Read more
On the endless go-rounds about illegal immigration I wrote a while back: What if it’s all an illusion, just like the Cinco de Mayo “nationwide protests” by Hispanics was an ‘06 (election year) illusion that had nothing behind it in ‘07 (no elections). What if everyone is being played a little bit, here, being prompted to emotional reactionaryism as a means of reaching into and infecting those Americans of good-will who until the “flashpoint” and the sudden hue-and-cry couldn’t be... Read more
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