Month: January 2008

What could possibly go wrong? The first marijuana vending machines have opened in Los Angeles allowing those with legal medical prescriptions easy access to the drug. The machines can only be used by patients who are prescribed marijuana for health reason. The machine offers six types: Red Bud, Jamaican, Hawaiian Gold, Ditch Weed, Cheech and Chong Royal, and Spicoli Bong Fodder.
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Perfect website for bathroom reading: Random History. All sorts of interesting histories on little subjects.
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More young men are opting to stay single, and they’re creating their own pig culture. This article explores it in great detail, though I admittedly didn’t read the whole thing (it’s monstrously long for screen reading). It makes the important point: It’s part of men rebelling against feminized culture. Society forces men and women together, from the workplace to the watering holes, and the men are expected to act like women, even through women are the newcomers (people who disdain accommodating the Muslims, take note). Guys are better off getting a close group of friends and acting like pigs. It’s also chock full of facts, websites, and interesting side lines. Excerpt:

We can argue endlessly about whether “masculinity” is natural or constructed—whether men are innately promiscuous, restless, and slobby, or socialized to be that way—but there’s no denying the lesson of today’s media marketplace: give young men a choice between serious drama on the one hand, and Victoria’s Secret models, battling cyborgs, exploding toilets, and the NFL on the other, and it’s the models, cyborgs, toilets, and football by a mile. For whatever reason, adolescence appears to be the young man’s default state, proving

Jerusalem is blanketed in snow, and we’re sitting on ice and -1 (-21 wind chill). School is cancelled, which disappoints my K-8 children. It’s Catholic Schools Week, and today was supposed to be movie day. They were supposed to go downtown to the movie theater for a show. Oh well, maybe they’ll get to re-schedule.
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I ran across this: The Patron Saint of Computers. Interesting, though I’m not sure what he thinks when computers crash, trailed by a string of profanities. Maybe we (okay, I) can yell “St. Isidore” next time.
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That’s it for today. The work crunch has returned, and I’m pressed for time. … Read the rest

A great day: The Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas.

As a non-Catholic, I became intrigued with St. Thomas through Chesterton’s The Dumb Ox, and became an admirer when I read Josef Pieper’s Guide to Thomas Aquinas. A Lutheran with no inclination to become Catholic, I remember I was stunned and even offended when I read that Martin Luther called Aquinas a “chatterbox.” I understood Luther’s dislike of philosophy, but an ad hominem directed at STA? From someone blessed with Luther’s ample intellectual gifts? It unsettled me. Whether it played a role in my eventual conversion, I’ll never know.

Of all the Aquinas books I’ve read, I think I’d recommend this one the most: The Human Wisdom of St. Thomas. Deep and practical philosophy distilled into hundreds of bite-size passages. Great for those spare three minute periods we find during the day.
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When you hear “chaperone,” what do you think?

The question became important to me over the weekend. I had volunteered to chaperone a high school trip to Steubenville, Ohio this coming summer. It turns out they probably neither need me nor have room for me, but when I was talking to the trip coordinator, I was taken back. He described the weekend for me: “When we get there, you’ll have an initiation session. It’ll talk about what the weekend is about, how to deal with the children’s experiences, and things like that. Later on, you’ll be the group leader of a small group session. Then later . . . “.

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Initiation session? About what? How to prevent kids from sneaking out of their rooms at night? Group leader? I … Read the rest

“The love of the truth seeks out the quiet of contemplation.”

St. Augustine… Read the rest

Does anybody know of a Catholic site that acts as a “clearinghouse” of sorts for Catholic charities, a site that says “This charity is good” and/or “This charity is bad”? I thought maybe the USCCB would provide a list of endorsed charities, but it doesn’t (not that I could find, anyway).

Also: There are sites out there that rate charities based on the charities’ percentage of giving (___% of each dollar donated goes to charity). I can’t seem to locate them now. Any links are appreciated. … Read the rest

Beer stimulus package: $1,200 per couple, plus $300 per kid. My rebate: $3,300.00.

Earlier versions of the bill capped the number of child rebates at three (which makes no sense; if they’re giving child credits because people with kids have more expenses, why cap it at three?). This version doesn’t cap it at three. I couldn’t find anything in conventional sources, so I went to a tax service my firm subscribes to (Tax Notes Today) and found this statement: “The bill would also provide $ 300 per child for every family eligible for the rebate, with no limit on the number of children per family.”
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The Gay Eudemon:

Chalk one up for the homosexual pranksters: You see that guy on the right, Marcus Simeone? I’m pretty sure he’s a flaming homosexual. The person who sponsors the ad (Gregory Kennell) posted a mildly pro-gay comment to my post yesterday. I clicked on the link he provided, and the evidence “came out.” I had earlier told Mr. Kennell that the ad would stay up until February 15, and I’ll keep my word. Heck, I’ve gotten accustomed to the gay guy in the right sidebar, so I’ll be a little sad to see him go.

Pretty funny: The ad sponsor invited me to New York to see Simeone’s show (see combox), which I’ve concluded is a homosexual cabaret. Man, that’d be unsettling, especially if I showed up after hitting NYC bars all afternoon and my gaydar was impaired: I settle in with a beer, start looking around, it starts to hit me. . .

Incidentally: If you’re wondering about my diligence before I accepted the … Read the rest