Eric Scheske

Happy New Year. Consistent with TDE tradition, no blogging today, though I will take a moment to reflect upon what one of the announcers said toward the end of the game last night: "You have to wonder what a loss like this does to the Michigan State brand."

Shockingly, this song is big with our youth today. It restores my faith in our country's future:

In case you missed it, the next Sherlock comes out on Friday [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/features/news/sherlock-special-premiere-january-2016/] . > Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) return as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the acclaimed modern retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle'

> Here's what led "Obi-Wan Kenobi's" Alec Guinness to convert to the Catholic Church #StarWars [https://twitter.com/hashtag/StarWars?src=hash] https://t.co/E9Su348SIG > — Patrick Madrid (@patrickmadrid) December 28, 2015 [https://twitter.com/patrickmadrid/status/681614843108048898]

> Philadelphia's Pink Sisters have prayed nonstop for 100 years https://t.co/EmAURP5Oh8 via nypost > — The Daily Eudemon (@TheDailyEudemon) December 29, 2015 [https://twitter.com/TheDailyEudemon/status/681652663012986880]

The holidays and technical problems have combined to cripple TDE. Regular blogging will hopefully resume tomorrow.

Today is the Feast of St. Stephen. The good old Catholic Church loves its paradoxes: The day of intense joy followed by a day of sobering reality (with the bloody feasts of the Holy Innocents and Thomas Beckett coming shortly). Joy and martyrdom, love and hatred of love, Everlasting Life

“He rules the world with truth and grace.” –Isaac Watts ++ “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” –Charles Dickens ++ “The Incarnation”¦illuminates and orders all other phenomena, explains both our laughter and our logic, our fear of the dead and our knowledge

Looking for ways to stand out this Christmas? Here are some classy ideas: Replace all your manger scene characters with Star Wars figures. Hit on women while caroling at the local old folks home. Blare “I'm Mr. Heat Miser” from your house all night on Christmas Eve. Make