Zenit: Papal Address at End of Way of the Cross
"Gaze on the Lifeless Face of the Crucified One"
Saturday, April 11, 2009
I have to admit that while I was travelling a couple of weeks ago I made a lot of use of the red Google notebook my brother-in-law gave me. It's rather handy, and has made me think of buying a moleskine notebook when this one gets filled up. (I don't think I'll be using it to write poetry... hahaha.) Where's the nearest distributor? It's handing for recording things I want to look up later, and jotting notes that may become useful for writing, or just further reflection.
What would make for a good sketchbook? It's been a while since I've visited an arts supply store. The last time I went to one... was with Sarge or the New Scot. There's an art store near the Landmark Center, Blick Art Materials, I believe... I don't plan on developing my drawing skills, but it seems like it's something children should be encouraged to do.
Source of pic: Moleskine vs. Rhodia
mo-le-skeena?
Moleskine Journals, Notebooks and Date Books, MoleskineUS
wiki
Rhodia Writing Pads & Notebooks French Notebooks with a Cult Following (distributed by Exaclair)
What would make for a good sketchbook? It's been a while since I've visited an arts supply store. The last time I went to one... was with Sarge or the New Scot. There's an art store near the Landmark Center, Blick Art Materials, I believe... I don't plan on developing my drawing skills, but it seems like it's something children should be encouraged to do.
Source of pic: Moleskine vs. Rhodia
mo-le-skeena?
Moleskine Journals, Notebooks and Date Books, MoleskineUS
wiki
Rhodia Writing Pads & Notebooks French Notebooks with a Cult Following (distributed by Exaclair)
See the Korean paintings depicting the events of the Triduum at this post by the Western Confucian: The Still Days. There's also a painting of the Resurrection.
More paintings by Kim Ki-Chang here.
More paintings by Kim Ki-Chang here.
Another reason why the federal system would be necessary
A continuation of this post.
If a people define themselves not just by a common lineage or genealogy and a common land, but also by a shared culture, then if the United States is composed of different cultures owing to the different origins of the first Anglo (and European) settlers who came here, should we not say that there are many American peoples, rather than a single American people? (Assuming that these differences have been maintained up to the present-day.) And if this is the case, and each culture has its own specific customs, should there be a single, central government ruling them all? Or should not each people be self-governing as much as possible, uniting if they wish, under some sort of federal government? (Rather than a centralized unitary national government?) While some laws governing trade between each people could be agreed upon at the federal level, how could the federal government be competent to decide upon more particular laws that would apply to all the peoples, if they have disparate customs settling the fundamental questions of justice?
(I ask the question about people and not of states to serve as a reminder that we need to come to a more clear understanding of how a people define themselvse [its self?].)
If a people define themselves not just by a common lineage or genealogy and a common land, but also by a shared culture, then if the United States is composed of different cultures owing to the different origins of the first Anglo (and European) settlers who came here, should we not say that there are many American peoples, rather than a single American people? (Assuming that these differences have been maintained up to the present-day.) And if this is the case, and each culture has its own specific customs, should there be a single, central government ruling them all? Or should not each people be self-governing as much as possible, uniting if they wish, under some sort of federal government? (Rather than a centralized unitary national government?) While some laws governing trade between each people could be agreed upon at the federal level, how could the federal government be competent to decide upon more particular laws that would apply to all the peoples, if they have disparate customs settling the fundamental questions of justice?
(I ask the question about people and not of states to serve as a reminder that we need to come to a more clear understanding of how a people define themselvse [its self?].)
Nullification Reconsidered
by Clyde Wilson
Dr. Wilson reviews Nullification: A Constitutional History, 1776–1833 by W. Kirk Wood.
by Clyde Wilson
Dr. Wilson reviews Nullification: A Constitutional History, 1776–1833 by W. Kirk Wood.
Friday, April 10, 2009
How schism becomes an option (From the comments to this post at American Papist.)
Do the 'seers' and Franciscans associated with Medjugorje fit the pattern?
Do the 'seers' and Franciscans associated with Medjugorje fit the pattern?
Distinguishing between final and efficient causes
Who has responsibility for the killing of Christ? Certain Jewish and Roman authorities? Or everyone? Rod Dreher repeats a certain misunderstanding of who is responsible in his "Crucify him!" I said:
Our collective "guilt" for the death of Christ is supposed to be made manifest in our participation in the Passion narrative in the ordinary form. Or, at least in the ordinary form here in the United States. [Is it in the GIRM for the new Missal? Or is it an invention by the American bishops or some committee or agency of the USCCB? Is the participation of the faithful included in the old Good Friday liturgy? I don't think so.]
Surely, Christ did die for all men, so that they might be saved and united with God. But is everyone responsible for his death? Did they bring it about, by putting him to death, or commanding that it be done? No. There is a difference between the efficient or agent cause (those who actually brought about his death) and the final cause (for what purpose, or whose sake, Christ chose to die on the cross).
I think that this sort of erroneous attribution promotes a false sense of guilt, or guilt for the wrong reasons, and adds to the stereotype that Catholics suffer from too much guilt (or wrong-headed guilt or even scruplosity). Like survivor's guilt? If someone sacrifices his life to save me from a grenade, am I responsible for his death? I didn't throw the grenade, but certainly he died in order to save my life, perhaps even out of love for me. I didn't cause his death as the agent or instrumental cause, but I was the reason behind why he died, the purpose of him choosing to die. I am only responsible for those things which I do or bring about directly through my actions, and I should only feel guilty for the evil that I myself have done.
Or is there something more sinister at work here? Is this kind of guilt more readily exploitable by the devil for his purposes (much like scrupulosity), just as domineering parents give their children a guilt trip and make them suffer? That is, parents might say that they had to suffer through a lot in order to bring up their children, and that therefore it is their children's fault they they suffered, and therefore the children are obligated to make up for the suffering. (As opposed to making a return on the debt for the benefits they have received from their parents.)
Now this is not to say that we should not be moved (that is feel) in some way that Christ chose to offer Himself on the cross in order to redeem us. We can feel guilt for our sins, for letting Christ down perhaps, but not for actively bringing about His death. (And it is not clear to me that the practice of thinking that we should avoid sin by thinking about the pain that we cause Christ on the cross through our sins is a psychologically healthy one.)
It is not the degree of what was suffered, but what was suffered that matters? Can we say that the pain Christ suffered was directly proportionate to the number of sins actually committed by all?
One of the most dramatic moments of any Catholic Christian's year is that moment in the Good Friday liturgy when, in the reading of the Passion, the entire congregation calls out, "Crucify him!" [Update: Reading this magnificent first chapter from Fr. Neuhaus's book on Good Friday (thanks Ross), I see that I misremember; the "Crucify him!" is spoken on Palm Sunday. -- RD] The point, obviously, is to bring home the solemn truth that it is we who bear the guilt for Christ's death. It was our sins that put him on the Cross. And less theologically, if we had been in that crowd that day, we likely would have stood with the masses in demanding Jesus' death.iirc, certain defenders of The Passion of the Christ and of the Gospel of John, in deflecting attention from controversy, have asserted that all are responsible for Christ's death. (Did Mel Gibson himself make this claim? I believe he did so in an interview, and also during one of the commentaries on the film.)
Our collective "guilt" for the death of Christ is supposed to be made manifest in our participation in the Passion narrative in the ordinary form. Or, at least in the ordinary form here in the United States. [Is it in the GIRM for the new Missal? Or is it an invention by the American bishops or some committee or agency of the USCCB? Is the participation of the faithful included in the old Good Friday liturgy? I don't think so.]
Surely, Christ did die for all men, so that they might be saved and united with God. But is everyone responsible for his death? Did they bring it about, by putting him to death, or commanding that it be done? No. There is a difference between the efficient or agent cause (those who actually brought about his death) and the final cause (for what purpose, or whose sake, Christ chose to die on the cross).
I think that this sort of erroneous attribution promotes a false sense of guilt, or guilt for the wrong reasons, and adds to the stereotype that Catholics suffer from too much guilt (or wrong-headed guilt or even scruplosity). Like survivor's guilt? If someone sacrifices his life to save me from a grenade, am I responsible for his death? I didn't throw the grenade, but certainly he died in order to save my life, perhaps even out of love for me. I didn't cause his death as the agent or instrumental cause, but I was the reason behind why he died, the purpose of him choosing to die. I am only responsible for those things which I do or bring about directly through my actions, and I should only feel guilty for the evil that I myself have done.
Or is there something more sinister at work here? Is this kind of guilt more readily exploitable by the devil for his purposes (much like scrupulosity), just as domineering parents give their children a guilt trip and make them suffer? That is, parents might say that they had to suffer through a lot in order to bring up their children, and that therefore it is their children's fault they they suffered, and therefore the children are obligated to make up for the suffering. (As opposed to making a return on the debt for the benefits they have received from their parents.)
Now this is not to say that we should not be moved (that is feel) in some way that Christ chose to offer Himself on the cross in order to redeem us. We can feel guilt for our sins, for letting Christ down perhaps, but not for actively bringing about His death. (And it is not clear to me that the practice of thinking that we should avoid sin by thinking about the pain that we cause Christ on the cross through our sins is a psychologically healthy one.)
It is not the degree of what was suffered, but what was suffered that matters? Can we say that the pain Christ suffered was directly proportionate to the number of sins actually committed by all?
"It's not my fault you hate Mexicans!"
Friday was a disaster in classroom management. The 5th grade class had been tolerable before, but the 2 or 3 trouble-makers continued to be disruptive today, and for some reason, they just rebelled at any attempt to maintain discipline and a quiet working environment. After I reminded them that I would be writing a note to their teacher about their behavior, and trying to punish them by keeping them in after school, one boy accused me of being racist(!) with the statement that is the title for this post. A couple of others were just plain disrespectful, dropping the F-bomb in Spanish. I don't know if I will be returning to the classroom, though I think I have one or two more days there.
I've seen spoiled white kids (3rd and 4th grades) behave poorly, but never have I seen one willing to use the F-word at their teacher. While the 5th grade students weren't so daring as to cuss in English, still to do it in Spanish when they know the teacher understands, or at least can guess the meaning of what they are saying is rather defiant.
Perhaps the attempt to manipulate the situation into one where the blame can be put on the teacher, by calling him a racist or hater, is worse than the cussing. Or does it reflect some the his frustrations at being unnoticed or even picked on by others?
Whose fault is it that the students act like this? Their parents? (After all, what can teachers and parents really do to discipline them?) What does this say about their character and culture? What is the causal relationship between poverty and the lack of character?
Maybe it has to be asked: would those who are enthusiastic about the immigration of Mexicans into the United States be so eager to have them here if they had to spend a day with Mexican-American children in the classrooms?
I've seen spoiled white kids (3rd and 4th grades) behave poorly, but never have I seen one willing to use the F-word at their teacher. While the 5th grade students weren't so daring as to cuss in English, still to do it in Spanish when they know the teacher understands, or at least can guess the meaning of what they are saying is rather defiant.
Perhaps the attempt to manipulate the situation into one where the blame can be put on the teacher, by calling him a racist or hater, is worse than the cussing. Or does it reflect some the his frustrations at being unnoticed or even picked on by others?
Whose fault is it that the students act like this? Their parents? (After all, what can teachers and parents really do to discipline them?) What does this say about their character and culture? What is the causal relationship between poverty and the lack of character?
Maybe it has to be asked: would those who are enthusiastic about the immigration of Mexicans into the United States be so eager to have them here if they had to spend a day with Mexican-American children in the classrooms?
Papal homilies from Thursday's liturgies in Rome @ Zenit:
Papal Homily at Chrism Mass
"Being United to Christ Calls for Renunciation"
Pope's Sermon at Mass of Lord's Supper
"Look Upon the World With Eyes of Love"
Along with...
Meditations for Good Friday Via Crucis
Benedict XVI to Lead Event at Colosseum
Papal Homily at Chrism Mass
"Being United to Christ Calls for Renunciation"
Pope's Sermon at Mass of Lord's Supper
"Look Upon the World With Eyes of Love"
Along with...
Meditations for Good Friday Via Crucis
Benedict XVI to Lead Event at Colosseum
Paraclete Press Good Friday special feature
Hear the Passion narrative according to John at the special Paraclete Press page. There is also a link on that page which enables you to download the track. (From the Gloriæ Dei Cantores Schola CD, I Am With You.)
(via Mere Comments)
(via Mere Comments)
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Did I mention that I saw Randy Couture at the Nashville International Airport on the way back to CA last Thursday? Some man asked me to take a photo of him, and it wasn't until I had taken the photo that I realized the other man was Mr. Couture. I wasn't sure at first, until another fan called him by his first name. I didn't want to take a photo of him, though I suppose it wouldn't have made this post for the blog more interesting... He sorta looked like this, without the injury to his face:
That is to say, he had stubble on his face--which, in my opinion, makes him more good-looking.
Related Links:
wiki
Exclusive Interview: UFC Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture
RANDY COUTURE INTERVIEW: PART 1 - MMA WEEKLY
RANDY COUTURE INTERVIEW: PART 2
UFC 74: Randy Couture Interview
Interviews - Interviews MMAFighting.com
UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®
The Mixed Martial Arts News Website
MixedMartialArts.com
NLM: Tenebrae from the Benedictines of Norcia, Italy
The monastery website seems to be down for the moment? No, it's a problem with IE, or IE on my computer. The website is working fine on Mozilla. Here is the link for Tenebrae 09.
Maundy Thursday: Parts 1 2 3 4
Related links:
The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny: Thanksgiving Mass of Father Benedict Nivakoff, OSB
The monastery website seems to be down for the moment? No, it's a problem with IE, or IE on my computer. The website is working fine on Mozilla. Here is the link for Tenebrae 09.
Maundy Thursday: Parts 1 2 3 4
Related links:
The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny: Thanksgiving Mass of Father Benedict Nivakoff, OSB
Crucem Sanctam Subiit (Full audio) - Le Chant des Templiers
It is Ensemble Organum, so the interpretation of the chant is very Eastern...
Organum Cirma
A Discography of Ensemble Organum
Harmonia Mundi
Amazon.com: Chant Des Templiers /Ensemble Organum
It is Ensemble Organum, so the interpretation of the chant is very Eastern...
Organum Cirma
A Discography of Ensemble Organum
Harmonia Mundi
Amazon.com: Chant Des Templiers /Ensemble Organum
NLM: Compendium of the 1955 Holy Week Revisions of Pius XII: Part 6.1 - Blessing of the New Fire, Procession, Exultet, Prophecies and Chrism Mass in Rome [Update].
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI holds up the Gospel during a Chrism Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, April 9, 2009. The Chrism Mass marks the start of the Vatican Easter celebrations. Benedict XVI celebrated a Holy Thursday Mass that included the traditional blessing of holy oils -- some of which the church will send to the earthquake zone as a sign of closeness to the stricken population. (AP)
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI prepares to blow the Holy oil as he celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI blows into the blessed oil as he celebrates the Chrismal Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 9, 2009. (Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI leaves at the end of the Chrismal Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 9, 2009. (Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI holds up the Gospel during a Chrism Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, April 9, 2009. The Chrism Mass marks the start of the Vatican Easter celebrations. Benedict XVI celebrated a Holy Thursday Mass that included the traditional blessing of holy oils -- some of which the church will send to the earthquake zone as a sign of closeness to the stricken population. (AP)
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI prepares to blow the Holy oil as he celebrates the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 9, 2009. (Getty)
Pope Benedict XVI blows into the blessed oil as he celebrates the Chrismal Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 9, 2009. (Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI leaves at the end of the Chrismal Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 9, 2009. (Reuters)
California Catholic Daily: “Holy war against the Catholic Church”
Devotees of bizarre ‘Saint of Death’ popular with drug traffickers call for jihad against Church in Mexico after military destroys several of their shrines
The Western Confucian: The Kkottongnae Shootings and More Details Emerge on the Kkottongnae Community.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Crunchy Con brings to us a piece written by Russell Hittinger on Clear Creek Monastery (from Crisis magazine, 1999).
How easy it is for us to forget the war that was waged against the Church in the 18th and 19th centuries by the secular governments.
But more than 150 years ago, Benedictine monasticism was revived at Solesmes under conditions that would have seemed even more unusual. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, from Lisbon to Vienna, European civil authorities declared war on monasticism. As Rousseau said, "Wherever the Clergy constitutes a body it is the master and lawgiver in its realm." Religious orders constituted such a "body" par excellence. Deriving their authority from Rome, they enjoyed independence from the local church and from civil powers. Such imperium in imperio was unacceptable to the new European regimes. Monastic institutions were an affront not only to the state but also to the new civic culture of republicanism. Garat l'Aine declared in the Assemblée Nationale in 1790 that the religious vow "is a civil suicide." Monks, he alleged, detach their affections from things of the world without giving anything back to society in the form of schools, hospitals, or orphanages. In a word, he said, monks are "useless."
The new constitutional democracies in Europe used every means at their disposal to eliminate monasticism. Within one generation, only 30 of 1,500 Benedictine abbeys survived in Europe. Cluny, the capital of medieval monasticism in the West, was closed and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Citeaux and Clairvaux likewise were confiscated and turned into state prisons. At La Trappe, the Trappists were rounded up for chain gangs, and some of the monks were sent to the penal colony of Conenama in French Guiana. By 1803, every one of the 68 Carthusian houses in France and the 18 in Germany had vanished under the legal and extralegal policies of the new regimes. Augustinian Hermits disappeared forever from Portugal, where they once had 50 monasteries. At the end of the 19th century, 500 Dominican houses had dwindled to 80, and the total number of friars plummeted from 25,000 to about 3,000. The consecrated life of religious was over, or so it seemed.
How easy it is for us to forget the war that was waged against the Church in the 18th and 19th centuries by the secular governments.
Michael Gurian, The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance, and Direction in Their Lives (via Dr. Helen).
USA Today: Q&A: Michael Gurian says boys need societal nurturing, too
Google Books (Also at Google: The Wonder of Girls, The Wonder of Boys, The Minds of Boys, and The Soul of the Child: Nurturing the Divine Identity of Our Children .)
The Michael Gurian Educational Institute
Instapundit interview from 2006
Michael Gurian on Parenting
Holy Week Schedule at St. Margaret Mary's:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
5.00pm - 7.00pm Individual Confessions
HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 9
5:00pm - EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE LATIN MASS; Procession, Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
8:00pm - HOLY MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER with Washing of Feet, Procession and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00pm.
GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10
8:00am - Lauds and Stations of the Cross.
NOON - The Liturgy of the Hours and Lenten Lamentations.
1:30pm - Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord with Veneration of the Cross & Holy Communion.
3:00pm - Novena to the Divine Mercy at 3:00pm & Adoration of Jesus in the Tomb.
5:00pm - Good Friday Liturgy - Extraordinary Form of Latin Rite & Veneration of the Cross.
After the Liturgy; Adoration of Jesus in the Tomb until 9:00 p.m.
HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 11
8:00am Lauds and Blessing of Food for the First Meal of Easter from 8:00am - 2:00pm (every hour on the hour), Adoration Jesus in the Tomb & Confession.
3:00pm - Novena (The Chaplet of Divine Mercy)
4:00pm - Vigil of Easter according to the Extra-ordinary Form of the Latin Rite
8:00pm - Easter Vigil Sung English/Latin Mass (fulfills Sunday obligation) RCIA Candidates receive Sacraments of Initiation. Resurrectional Procession.
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12
8:30am - English Mass preceded by Lauds
10:30am - Sung Latin Mass (Novus Ordo Mass)
12:30pm - Extraordinary Form of the Latin Mass
3:00pm - The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (every day till Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
5.00pm - 7.00pm Individual Confessions
HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 9
5:00pm - EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE LATIN MASS; Procession, Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
8:00pm - HOLY MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER with Washing of Feet, Procession and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00pm.
GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10
8:00am - Lauds and Stations of the Cross.
NOON - The Liturgy of the Hours and Lenten Lamentations.
1:30pm - Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord with Veneration of the Cross & Holy Communion.
3:00pm - Novena to the Divine Mercy at 3:00pm & Adoration of Jesus in the Tomb.
5:00pm - Good Friday Liturgy - Extraordinary Form of Latin Rite & Veneration of the Cross.
After the Liturgy; Adoration of Jesus in the Tomb until 9:00 p.m.
HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 11
8:00am Lauds and Blessing of Food for the First Meal of Easter from 8:00am - 2:00pm (every hour on the hour), Adoration Jesus in the Tomb & Confession.
3:00pm - Novena (The Chaplet of Divine Mercy)
4:00pm - Vigil of Easter according to the Extra-ordinary Form of the Latin Rite
8:00pm - Easter Vigil Sung English/Latin Mass (fulfills Sunday obligation) RCIA Candidates receive Sacraments of Initiation. Resurrectional Procession.
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12
8:30am - English Mass preceded by Lauds
10:30am - Sung Latin Mass (Novus Ordo Mass)
12:30pm - Extraordinary Form of the Latin Mass
3:00pm - The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (every day till Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19)
Bishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone's installation will take place on May 5, at the Cathedral of Christ the Light. I haven't found a time yet. The schedule of Holy Week liturgies at the cathedral.
From the website for the Diocese of Oakland:
Oakland Diocese March 23 press release
Bishop Cordileone press statement
Bishop Cordileone biography
From the website for the Diocese of Oakland:
Oakland Diocese March 23 press release
Bishop Cordileone press statement
Bishop Cordileone biography
Peter Hitchens, Conservative liberty and left wing liberty. He cites Leonard Hoffman, The Universality of Human Rights and the Importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I haven't been able to find it through Google, as he suggested, but I did find this (source) through Yahoo.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration for Human Rights
Questioning the Universality of Human Rights
Issues in IR: Bridging the Communitarian/Cosmopolitan Divide
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration for Human Rights
Questioning the Universality of Human Rights
Issues in IR: Bridging the Communitarian/Cosmopolitan Divide
Thousands converting back to Hinduism: truth, or propaganda?
by Nirmala Carvalho
by Nirmala Carvalho
In Kalyan, in Maharashtra, Hindus are celebrating the "reconversion" of 1,130 families. The guru Narendra Maharaj urges the faithful not to be corrupted by the Christian missionaries, and calls on them to vote for the parties that defend the Hindu community. Bishop Fernandez: Christians must continue to spread the message of love, and the values of the Gospel.
China’s grand plans for eco-cities now lie abandoned
Christina Larson, Yale Environment 360
Mostly conceived by international architects, China’s eco-cities were intended to be models of green urban design. But the planning was done with little awareness of how local people lived, and the much-touted projects have largely been scrapped.
Christina Larson, Yale Environment 360
Mostly conceived by international architects, China’s eco-cities were intended to be models of green urban design. But the planning was done with little awareness of how local people lived, and the much-touted projects have largely been scrapped.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Hayley does have a second album
of English versions of Japanese songs... from her website:
The track list for the second album (source):
Japanese title / Reading in Japanese / English meaning
1. 蕾 / Tsubomi / A bud
2. 三日月 / Mikazuki / A crescent moon
3. 未来へ / Mirai e / To the future
4. ママへ / Mama e / To mother
5. LOVE LOVE LOVE / LOVE LOVE LOVE / LOVE LOVE LOVE
6. 秋桜 / Cosmos / Cosmos
7. 童神～ヤマトグチ～ / Warabigami / A child god
8. ママに捧げる詩 / Mama ni sasageru uta / Mother of mine (by Bill Parkinson)
9. いつも何度でも / Itsumo nando demo / Many times always
10. フラワー / Flower / Flower11. ねむの木の子守歌 / Nemunoki no komoriuta / Singing a lullaby under the silk tree
More info on the second album (and samples).
Hayley Westenra - Love Love Love
Ugh... who sang this song originally? I can't remember. They used it for the opening song to a Tokiwa Takako drama, about a deaf man...
Hahaha... easy to find out on Youtube. DREAMS COME TRUE!
LOVE LOVE LOVE／DREAMS COME TRUE
Their English version of this song
A live performance. A performance in 2006.
And together with Boa...
Boa with Dreams Come True (English Subbed) Love X3
And the opening from the drama, Aishiteiru to itte kure.
Dreams Come True - Love Love Love OPENING JDrama
Thought I'd repost the following...
徳永英明 恋におちて-Fall in Love-
I just found out that my 'Hayley Sings Japanese Songs 2' album has debuted in the national Japan pop chart at no.16! This is a huge achievement for an international artist so a big thanks to my Japanese (and international too actually!) friends :) I appreciate your support.You can get the first one through Amazon (or cdjapan or HMV Japan).
The track list for the second album (source):
Japanese title / Reading in Japanese / English meaning
1. 蕾 / Tsubomi / A bud
2. 三日月 / Mikazuki / A crescent moon
3. 未来へ / Mirai e / To the future
4. ママへ / Mama e / To mother
5. LOVE LOVE LOVE / LOVE LOVE LOVE / LOVE LOVE LOVE
6. 秋桜 / Cosmos / Cosmos
7. 童神～ヤマトグチ～ / Warabigami / A child god
8. ママに捧げる詩 / Mama ni sasageru uta / Mother of mine (by Bill Parkinson)
9. いつも何度でも / Itsumo nando demo / Many times always
10. フラワー / Flower / Flower11. ねむの木の子守歌 / Nemunoki no komoriuta / Singing a lullaby under the silk tree
More info on the second album (and samples).
Hayley Westenra - Love Love Love
Ugh... who sang this song originally? I can't remember. They used it for the opening song to a Tokiwa Takako drama, about a deaf man...
Hahaha... easy to find out on Youtube. DREAMS COME TRUE!
LOVE LOVE LOVE／DREAMS COME TRUE
Their English version of this song
A live performance. A performance in 2006.
And together with Boa...
Boa with Dreams Come True (English Subbed) Love X3
And the opening from the drama, Aishiteiru to itte kure.
Dreams Come True - Love Love Love OPENING JDrama
Thought I'd repost the following...
徳永英明 恋におちて-Fall in Love-
Phillip Blond, Red Tory (via Rod Dreher)
But if conservatism is to be more than just moralism plus the market, the logic of a revivified conservatism must also be applied to the economic sphere. The development of an economy that genuinely shares the benefits of growth is a precondition for transforming
the lives of us all. The primary economic basis of a new conservatism is that all should be owners of some realisable or tradable asset. For an increasing number wages are no longer enough to secure the fundamentals of life. In some diverse and yet to be achieved manner, everybody needs an alternate source of income, be it share ownership, employee share options, or an equity stake in a local mutual enterprise. Conservatives need to acknowledge that poor people are poor not just because of dysfunctional behaviour but also because they lack capital and therefore the ability to invest and transform their lives. So ending poverty must mean tackling income dispossession (perpetually low wages which force people into debt is a form of indentured servitude) and lack of initial possession. Asset welfare could initially accompany and then replace income welfare, and then end altogether, since self-subsistence would have been achieved. Mortgages need to be provided, in a mixture of at-cost loans and shared equity, to the most blighted areas of Britain, to ensure a property-owning democracy extends to those who lack this most primary form of stabilisation and security.
Local economies should be developed and encouraged, rather than the current situation of regional clone towns where every shopping centre is the same. Monopoly capitalism, especially in our local retail centres, needs to be penalised, with differential tax and rate benefits accruing to the producers and retailers of local markets. Likewise, decentred regional and central funds could help neighbourhood entrepreneurs to secure a family business and change a street and its environs. In this regard, Conservatives need to realise that in the end the free market is unpatriotic. A disengaged capital has no loyalty to Britain, its people, its history or its future. Conservatives must recover the notion of 'patriotic capital' - a resource dedicated to a renewed Britain of real investment and widely distributed property.
The current tax burden needs to be redistributed so that corporations and the individually wealthy pay a far fairer share of their income to the Treasury so that everybody else pays substantially less. At the latest estimate, the tax loss to the treasury of the amount held in offshore tax havens by the individually rich amounts to at least £110 billion a year - roughly what it costs to finance the whole of the NHS. The loss from corporate tax avoidance
is probably twice this figure. Instead of relentlessly agreeing to big money bidding down the local tax regimes, we could initiate a general agreement on tax - and since we already do this under the auspices of GATT for tax on trade, I see no good conceptual reason (except ideology) as to why similar concords cannot be struck in this area.
Perhaps the least developed aspect of the current conservative renaissance is the most important: culture itself. Conservatism may well provide the institutions and funding for a revival of civil society, and if it limits the state to achieve this, then it might also, to attain a similar end, constrain the market. But what is most crucial is that we have a culture of interactivity and mutuality to fill this vacated space. Currently, with our emphasis on glamour and sedentary pleasure, we wholly lack any defenders of a high culture. Instead we have a debased public realm of constructed gratification and unreflective demand. High culture is high not because of any perceived elitism on the basis of class, but because the better is superior to the worse, and the good is desirable over and above any evil. We can have any form of public space we want, but unless the Conservatives really go back to the future and try to restore a common but high civilization, one that binds all Britons together in a vision of a culture worth participating and believing in, then we will fragment into the self-interested libertarian subjects that we so very nearly already are. A recovery of a national virtue culture is required. One that allows all the different cultures, races and creeds of modern Britain to eschew multi-culturalism and create a new binding common way of life of shared values and higher belief. For it is only on this basis that something called society can be restored.
Fr. Stanley Jaki, OSB, RIP
Death of Rev. Stanley Jaki - News & Events - Seton Hall University
Seton Hall U. page
source
Other links:
wdtprs
The hermeneutic of continuity: Fr Stanley Jaki RIP
First Things » Blog Archive » Fr. Stanley Jaki, R.I.P.
Philosophy of Science Portal: Deceased--Stanley L. Jaki
William Cinfici: Father Stanley Jaki, Rest in Peace
Rev. Stanley L. Jaki
STANLEY JAKI ON GENESIS ONE
SOCRATES OR THE BABY AND THE BATHWATER
Death?
The Origin of Science
'Science can't explain Creation of the Universe'
Seton Hall U. page
source
Other links:
wdtprs
The hermeneutic of continuity: Fr Stanley Jaki RIP
First Things » Blog Archive » Fr. Stanley Jaki, R.I.P.
Philosophy of Science Portal: Deceased--Stanley L. Jaki
William Cinfici: Father Stanley Jaki, Rest in Peace
Rev. Stanley L. Jaki
STANLEY JAKI ON GENESIS ONE
SOCRATES OR THE BABY AND THE BATHWATER
Death?
The Origin of Science
'Science can't explain Creation of the Universe'
Over at Fr. Z's blog there is a discussion of the Acton Institute and economics: The “social” Magisterium and Acton Institute.
Steve Sailer on the architectural style proper to [Southern] California: "Personally, I would like to see more public buildings in the Spanish Mission style."
I agree.
I agree.
Dave Lindorff, Politicizing Accounting
The accounting profession might seem like the last place that you’d find serious political hanky-panky going on, and it’s probably not on very many people’s A-list of fun subjects to read about, but the Financial Accounting Standards Board, a quasi-governmental body that has statutory authority to regulate and establish the rules by which public companies, including banks, do their books, has just caved in to pressure from those banks and from the large number of members of Congress who pocket huge piles of campaign swag and perks from those banks and other public companies, and gravely undermined the integrity of corporate balance sheets.
This may sound incredibly arcane, but what the FASB has done is declare that assets held by companies (including banks) on their books will no longer have to be valued at their current market value. Under new guidelines, effective retroactively to March 15, these assets can now be valued at what the corporate managers think (or pretend to think) they will be worth at some time in the future when they might try to sell them.
via Crunchy Con: Borderline Reality
Rod Dreher's introduction: "Delore Zimmerman at the fantastic New Geography site has a collection of US maps showing what the nation would look like if it broke up according to various theories. "
Rod Dreher's introduction: "Delore Zimmerman at the fantastic New Geography site has a collection of US maps showing what the nation would look like if it broke up according to various theories. "
AICN and Star Trek
Harry has seen the future of STAR TREK and it will live long and prosper!!!
Quint has seen JJ Abrams' STAR TREK!
TREK reviews pour in from the Drafthouse screening!
STAR TREK thoughts from around the web...
I had forgotten that ILM was handling the F/X. How much of the film's final look is due to their work? How can the movie avoid comparisons to Star Wars when the F/X looks so similar?
Harry Knowles: "There’s some powerful thoughts about the future of our people in STAR TREK. That we as a people could be those people in a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years. If we can put away childish notions of borders and differences. If we can culturally keep our differences and celebrate our commonalities. At our best, STAR TREK is our future. Not BLADE RUNNER. Not TERMINATOR. Not any other Science fiction that I’ve seen, but STAR TREK. It’s where I HOPE we’re headed."
This is the false hope that secular humanism offers... Gene Roddenberry had no use for God in his fictional universe or his life.
Let Me Be Frank: Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek, Humanism, and Me
Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991)
Intereview with Gene Roddenberry
Quint has seen JJ Abrams' STAR TREK!
TREK reviews pour in from the Drafthouse screening!
STAR TREK thoughts from around the web...
I had forgotten that ILM was handling the F/X. How much of the film's final look is due to their work? How can the movie avoid comparisons to Star Wars when the F/X looks so similar?
Harry Knowles: "There’s some powerful thoughts about the future of our people in STAR TREK. That we as a people could be those people in a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years. If we can put away childish notions of borders and differences. If we can culturally keep our differences and celebrate our commonalities. At our best, STAR TREK is our future. Not BLADE RUNNER. Not TERMINATOR. Not any other Science fiction that I’ve seen, but STAR TREK. It’s where I HOPE we’re headed."
This is the false hope that secular humanism offers... Gene Roddenberry had no use for God in his fictional universe or his life.
Let Me Be Frank: Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek, Humanism, and Me
Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991)
Intereview with Gene Roddenberry
Monday, April 06, 2009
Sarge, you might be interested in this tidbit: Exclusive: Elizabeth Mitchell trading 'Lost' for 'V'? I guess it is time to catch up on Smallville: 'Smallville' exclusive: Mind-blowing sneak preview!
Something from December 2008: Exclusive: Fresh 'NCIS' spin-off intel.
Something from December 2008: Exclusive: Fresh 'NCIS' spin-off intel.
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are at it again: Paul of Dune, which is supposed to be the "direct" sequel to Dune, taking place between Dune and Dune Messiah. This was released late last year, but I only came upon it tonight. So far their novels have been average, but not as good as the original. I don't think this new trilogy (tetralogy?), the Heroes of Dune, will be much different. Still, I'll look for it next time I'm at B&N or Borders.
wiki
Paul of Dune Book Reviews SCI FI Weekly
The SF Site Featured Review: Paul of Dune (podcast)
Macmillan: Paul of Dune: (Dune): Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
Paul Of Dune by Brian Herbert And Kevin J. Anderson
Dune 7 Blog
Dune Novels Timeline
Arrakis.RU - Interviews
Paul of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson
Paul of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson by torbooks
"Dune: Spice World" - Interview with Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson
Interview Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Paul of Dune—From a Hero to a Tyrant
Paul of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson
Paul of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson - Video
Video: Paul of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson
alternate site
Hunters of Dune interview on Flickr
Hunters of Dune Interview with Herbert and Anderson by torbooks ...
Jessica of Dune Cover Art & Interview
Dune wikia
Yahoo! stills for Fighting. Trailer. Apple. I think this is supposed to be another reality-based fighting movie, aimed at a certain urban demographic (or those who would like to pretend that they're a part of that demographic).
official site
Fighting Movie Trailer, Reviews, Photos, Cast Hollywood.com
Plus: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen robots revealed and Star Trek stills
Some photos from Vespers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. (You can spot a certain Carmelite, I believe.)
The Dawn Patrol -- Prof. Freddoso addresses rally: Notre Dame protest is about President Obama's actions & intentions, not merely his beliefs
(via Amy Welborn)
Also from Dawn Eden: Latest on the Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi crisis, which links to The Legion, Regnum Christi, canon law and pastoral advice
(via Amy Welborn)
Also from Dawn Eden: Latest on the Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi crisis, which links to The Legion, Regnum Christi, canon law and pastoral advice
In defense of Dr. Fleming
More Cultural Enrichment
Is Dr. Fleming engaging in Asian-bashing or making racist comments? After all, there are Anglo-Americans who engage in mass murder, killing, and other acts of violence. But let us try to keep in mind his main points:
1. Immigrants are usually not prepared to assimilate into this country.
2. While he agrees with Ms. Walker's point, he also posits that certain cultures may have different standards regarding justice, honor, and the use of violence.
3. Finally, he echoes what Dr. Helen's posted -- the passivity of self-perceived victims yields to erratic, violent behavior.
Is Dr. Fleming engaging in Asian-bashing or making racist comments? After all, there are Anglo-Americans who engage in mass murder, killing, and other acts of violence. But let us try to keep in mind his main points:
1. Immigrants are usually not prepared to assimilate into this country.
On VDARE Brenda Walker speculates that it is the immigration experience that is to blame: “Immigrating to a completely foreign culture is a vastly more disorienting experience, where the possibility for failure is real and life-affecting. Remarkably, many foreigners come to this country with no knowledge of English or understanding of how the society works, yet expect to find jobs, navigate a complex modern culture and somehow achieve the American Dream of deluxe home, trophy children and other bragging rights to impress the homies.”What does the National Government do to help immigrants assimilate into this country? None--it is assumed that the process will happen naturally, but since they are not asked to settle in a stable community which will aid in integration, how can this possibly happen, except haphazardly? Is the situation any better than the patients being in charge of the insane asylum? The country as a whole may not be in a state of a bedlam, but that is the problem with looking at things solely from a national perspective, instead of the local situation. (For example, certain parts of Los Angeles.)
2. While he agrees with Ms. Walker's point, he also posits that certain cultures may have different standards regarding justice, honor, and the use of violence.
This is surely part of the story, but we know too little of the cultures of these immigrants to rule out the residual effects of the killers’ cultural traditions.If such cultural differences exist, is it wise to admit members of that culture into the United States, if they have no intention of repudiating their own culture and adopting another, or are 'set in their ways'?
3. Finally, he echoes what Dr. Helen's posted -- the passivity of self-perceived victims yields to erratic, violent behavior.
Some Asian men seem so passive and emasculate that they must have trouble coping in a more macho society, where they have to endure what they regard as attacks on their sense of honor. When they snap, they snap not like predators that can turn off their violence, but like the jackdaws that will peck an enemy to death, because they are not wired for fighting and the rituals that defuse violence.But are some cultures more prone than others to creating what less tactful people might call losers? Certainly there are dysfunction American families or families that lack a real father to raise psychologically healthy and moral sons. But do we check the family life of those who petition to immigrate to this country? And should we? (The basic unit of a society is not the individual, but the family, and who can disagree that family dynamics can have a profound impact on the moral formation and psychological development of the children?)
Coming next weekend on the BBC's The Early Music Show:
11 Apr 2009 13:00–14:00
BBC Radio 3
Philip II and Mary Tudor
Lucie Skeaping presents music from both the courts of Philip II of Spain and Mary Tudor.
Algis Valiunas, The Great Breath of Hell
Mental illness has become almost trendy: books and pamphlets name historical figures touched by some form of madness; newsweeklies announce an explosion in childhood diagnoses; advertisements everywhere proclaim the latest drug to cure the blues. Yet blistering psychosis, impossibly far removed from ordinary experience, still bears a stigma. What is life really like for those afflicted by a major mental illness? Algis Valiunas reviews four recent books that provide a window into the modern way of madness.
From Public Discourse: Richard W. Garnett: How the No-Establishment Rule Does (and Does Not) Protect the Freedom of Conscience
The Constitution’s no-establishment rule does protect the liberty of religious conscience, but not in the way, or ways, that we usually think.The Witherspoon Institute.
Brad Miner, Civility and Morality
Urbanity is a word that first began to be used in the sixteenth century, and it was the goal of education and the embodiment of the attitude of courteous people all the way through until at least the nineteenth century. It remains the goal of a remnant even today. In 1586 – to be exact — Angel Daye characterized urbanity (which he noted was not a word in common usage) as “ciuile [civil], courteous, gentle, modest or well ruled, as men commonly are in the cities and places of good gouernment.” In other words, an urbane man displays civility.
Dr. Helen: Narcissism and victimhood: A deadly combination?
But people will still push for greater restrictions on gun purchases and ownership.
But people will still push for greater restrictions on gun purchases and ownership.
Fr. Z: Braga Rite in Providence - follow up with photos
Here are the photos.
Edit. NLM post--Palm Sunday Rites According to the Missal of Braga
Here are the photos.
Edit. NLM post--Palm Sunday Rites According to the Missal of Braga
Crunchy Con: Jimmy Carter was right (which refers to Sean Scallons' Carter Conservatism: The 39th president’s modest proposal.)
Apparently one of my high school classmates is single and pregnant. These details are obvious from what she's written on Facebook. How she became pregnant or by whom... these answers have not been revealed. Another entry for the "You have no shame" log? She seemed rather sweet and innocent and high school. I don't know what happened since then. American culture corrupts.
Gloriana?!?
Never heard of them. The face of the new young Country? The one song I heard, played during the first episode of the CBS special feature, sounds like insipid pop turned into country. (It also reminds me of some Christian rock/praise music.) Are the members really from the South? Their accent, if they have one, is very slight...
Gloriana: Road to The Academy of Country Music Awards - Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
MySpace
gloriana fans
'Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (via The Western Confucian)
I wouldn't mind taking a look... of course, there is a book with photos of what is being exhibited: Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400–1600 - The Metropolitan Museum .
Links: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Art Review - 'Art of the Korean Renaissance'
Exhibition - Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400–1600
Art of the Korean Renaissance 1400-1600 Asian Art Newspaper
Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Korean Renaissance Art
AP: Obama embraces Muslim world with speech
Robert Spencer comments. Think we'll have any restrictions on Muslim immigration or visas into the U.S. during the Obama administration?
Robert Spencer comments. Think we'll have any restrictions on Muslim immigration or visas into the U.S. during the Obama administration?
Widow Maker
source
source
official site
MySpace
Widow Maker, Bluegrass, Supersonic EPK - Sonicbids
Widow Maker - Please Don't Say That You Love Me Again
Widow Maker - Hog Killin' Time
Widow Maker - Lady Of The Lake / High Level Hornpipe
Widow Maker - St Anne's Reel / Big John McNeil
Craig Korth and Byron Myhre live on CKUA Radio
More at YouTube - widowmakerbluegrass's Channel.
CD Baby: WIDOW MAKER: The Awful Truth
The Awful Truth from Widow Maker
Misc:
European Bluegrass Blog
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Palm Sunday
Catholic Encyclopedia
Palm Sunday
Byzantines.net - Palm Sunday according to the Byzantine Rite Tradition
Holy Week - Easter / Lent - Catholic Online
Palm Crafts
Palm-Passion Sunday by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.
An artistic tradition flourishes for Palm Sunday - Los Angeles Times
More icons:
source
source
source
Looking through match.com profiles, I am amazed to see how many women in their late 20s and early 30s are saying that books in the Twilight series are their last read, or among their favorites... more ammo for the misogynist.
Catholic Media Review: Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series
Steven D. Greydanus
Is Twilight Anti-Christian? Yes.
Catholic Media Review: Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series
Steven D. Greydanus
Is Twilight Anti-Christian? Yes.
Buddy MacMaster at Boston College
Buddy MacMaster Cape Breton Fiddler 80th Birthday clip 1
Buddy MacMaster In Concert Cape Breton Fiddler Clip 2
I didn't know he made a special appearance at BC (in 2004?). I'm sorry I missed it...
Links:
wiki
Buddy MacMaster : Biography
Buddy MacMaster - News, Interviews, Biography, Lyrics, Songs
BUDDY MACMASTER--THE MAESTRO !
Hunter Baker, Richard John Neuhaus and the Rockford Institute: Filling Out the Details?
I didn't know that he was associated with The Rockford Institute in the past.
I didn't know that he was associated with The Rockford Institute in the past.
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