Saturday, March 05, 2011
Download Alison Krauss's "Paper Airplane"
Available until March 7 -- you have to register for the newsletters/updates.
James Kalb, Squaring the Circle
Squaring the Circle
A review of The Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order by Daniel J. Mahoney
A review of The Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order by Daniel J. Mahoney
Robert Louis Wilken, Culture and the Light of Faith
First Things: Culture and the Light of Faith
How Christianity embraced and transformed Classical culture
Robert Louis Wilken
How Christianity embraced and transformed Classical culture
Robert Louis Wilken
Civility as a Necessary First Step to Political Life
Civility and Democracy by Patrick J. Deneen ·
Completely absent in the passing fury over the decline of civility was even a momentary reflection on the etymological origin of the word. Like the related word “polite,” civility can be traced back to an ancient word for “city” – cives in Latin, polis in Greek. This is hardly an incidental or irrelevant relationship. The ancients understood that there was an intimate relationship between life in the city and the activity of civilization. The city was not fundamentally understood (as in its liberal conception) as a vehicle of mutual convenience aimed at the pursuit of maximum individual self-fulfillment. Rather, the city was the necessary sphere in which humans became fully human, in which the higher parts of their natures were cultivated through practice and habituation to become self-governing and, with the limits of our inescapable self-ness, to be oriented toward a concern for the common good. The ancients understood that such an orientation required a life-long and concerted effort to combat the human propensity toward self-centeredness, and that it could only be effected in relatively small societies in which the distance between my immediate good and the good of the community was not too vast. Politics, and political life, was thus a kind of schooling in self-governance and common weal, with the aim of political life being the cultivation of citizens, not the encouragement of individual and self-defined goods.
In this context we can understand why “politeness” and “civility” are so closely connected to the ancient conception of politics. Manners – those expressions of civility and politeness – is a basic form of training in citizenship. By enacting a considerateness for others – even where this may not be actually our initial reaction – we become habituated into the practice of being other-regarding. Far from being punctilious and effected, manners are actually those earliest forms of training in civic life, the attendant “formalities” that make civic life more than simply a contrivance for self-interested individuals. They are also a kind of training in self-governance: for instance, table manners exist not to increase our capacity to consume more faster, but to slow us down, to allow us to ingest slowly, to reduce our consumption and at the same time to encourage the arts of conversation and companionship as the primary way we experience our most basic instinctual consumption (courtship customs, of course, afforded the same training in matters sexual).
An oldie by Jason Peters
On The Promiscuous Use of “Community”
I had to chuck at the following, which is quite profound:
I’m here to tell you that The Front Porch Republic is not a community—and for the same reasons that no “gathering” of individuals at any “place” on the internet is a community. Community requires bodies in an actual place—a place where whole human beings can live and move and have their being. That is, a community requires a place where we can walk, eat, kiss, defecate, give one another the finger, and go a progress through the guts of a beggar.
I had to chuck at the following, which is quite profound:
Item the Fifth: Give the Finger. And let life be understood in all its beauty and ugliness. The walking, eating, kissing (etc.), and fertilizing will necessarily involve some wrath and acrimony—that is, some flipping of the bird. Acrimony tends to follow people wherever they go. But a community marked by real people in real places is poised to deal with real middle fingers. Unlike a supposed community—like, say, the FPR—an actual community is comprised of people who flip one another off in physical proximity. They do so with real fingers extended in front of faces that attach to real names. They cannot hide behind the anonymity afforded them by the computer screen. Even the young boys throwing snowballs at cars after midnight will be found out sooner or later. As a thrower of late-night snowballs I know this to be true. The longed-for anonymity is always pretty short-lived. What we throwers learn is that it’s hard to dole out abuse anonymously in a place that takes seriously the business of caring for itself.
In such a place I don’t mind getting flipped off. But let’s be clear: someone who flips you off from a moving car is a placeless coward. Let disputes take place face to face. There will be fewer of them if they are not conducted in abstraction.
The Seattle Time: The food movement's role in revitalizing environmentalism
Guest columnist Jeffrey C. Sanders reflects on the history of the Northwest food movement and its potential for connecting east and west, city and country.
Guest columnist Jeffrey C. Sanders reflects on the history of the Northwest food movement and its potential for connecting east and west, city and country.
Real camo
flickr
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Taylor Green, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and platoon sergeant in Troop B, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, prepares his men for an air assault mission, here Feb. 21. ANA soldiers, Afghan National Police and other assets partnered with Troop B to search the village of Qual-e Jala for targeted individuals in order to ‘clear, hold, build’ Koh-e Safi District. While searching the village, the Troop B Soldiers and their partners killed one known insurgent, detained four others and also found assorted weapons which they gathered and destroyed. Task Force Redhorse is a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, also known as Task Force Red Bulls, and maintains security throughout Parwan Province. Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs
A U.S. Special Forces Soldier assigned to Special Operations Task Force – South sets up his security position during a patrol Feb. 25, 2011 in Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The SOTF-South Special Forces team in the area conducts regular patrols in order to bolster security as well as to meet with area villagers to assess development projects. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ben Watson)(Released). (flickr)
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Taylor Green, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and platoon sergeant in Troop B, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, prepares his men for an air assault mission, here Feb. 21. ANA soldiers, Afghan National Police and other assets partnered with Troop B to search the village of Qual-e Jala for targeted individuals in order to ‘clear, hold, build’ Koh-e Safi District. While searching the village, the Troop B Soldiers and their partners killed one known insurgent, detained four others and also found assorted weapons which they gathered and destroyed. Task Force Redhorse is a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, also known as Task Force Red Bulls, and maintains security throughout Parwan Province. Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs
A U.S. Special Forces Soldier assigned to Special Operations Task Force – South sets up his security position during a patrol Feb. 25, 2011 in Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The SOTF-South Special Forces team in the area conducts regular patrols in order to bolster security as well as to meet with area villagers to assess development projects. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ben Watson)(Released). (flickr)
"Beyond Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs"
Beyond Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by Kathy McMahon (EB)
No God, no religion? There can be no complete mental health for a fallen man, especially for one who rejects God.
Abraham Maslow - Father of Modern Management Psychology
Official Abraham Maslow Publications Site
PBS: A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Abraham Maslow
profile
wiki: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The Maslow Reading Room
Humanistic Psychology
HOLISM IN THE HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY OF MASLOW: A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE (INTEGRATION)
BASTIN J PARANGIMALIL, Marquette University
Modern Psychology and Catholic Understanding — part 1 and Part 2
J. FRASER FIELD
No God, no religion? There can be no complete mental health for a fallen man, especially for one who rejects God.
Abraham Maslow - Father of Modern Management Psychology
Official Abraham Maslow Publications Site
PBS: A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Abraham Maslow
profile
wiki: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The Maslow Reading Room
Humanistic Psychology
HOLISM IN THE HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY OF MASLOW: A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE (INTEGRATION)
BASTIN J PARANGIMALIL, Marquette University
Modern Psychology and Catholic Understanding — part 1 and Part 2
J. FRASER FIELD
The Archdruid Report: The Sound of Distant Hoofbeats
The Archdruid Report: The Sound of Distant Hoofbeats: "There are moments when the things nobody wants to talk about brush the surface, like deepwater fish rising briefly to catch the sun on their..."
Royal Diary: Wedding Dress Code Revealed
This video will probably expire eventually. The video at ABC Good Morning America might be up longer.
An Oldie by Christine Rosen
Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism (A timely reminder via Stephen Hand.)
The Examiner: This month’s San Francisco Early Music Society concert
This month’s San Francisco Early Music Society concert
SFCV
Hallifax & Jeffrey
On April 29: Hallifax & Jeffrey and friends: The Return of Forqueray
Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Berkeley, CA
(Barefoot Chamber Concerts)
SFCV
Hallifax & Jeffrey
On April 29: Hallifax & Jeffrey and friends: The Return of Forqueray
Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Berkeley, CA
(Barefoot Chamber Concerts)
Steve Sailer, The Onion: "Community college overwhelmed by dumb students"
Something from the Chronicle of Higher Education, but available to subscribers only: The Recurring 'Exam Dream'
I haven't had an exam dream (or late essay/report dream) for a while. They were rather irritating.
More feminist hype on the Chronicle? Despite Decades in the Game, Few Women Lead Athletic Programs. (Alas, this too is available to subscribers only. If the higher ed bubble blows, I hope it takes academic feminism and feminist academics down with it, but they will probably be around for a while longer, until it is obvious that many of these useless schools cannot be kept in existence.)
Something from the Chronicle of Higher Education, but available to subscribers only: The Recurring 'Exam Dream'
I haven't had an exam dream (or late essay/report dream) for a while. They were rather irritating.
More feminist hype on the Chronicle? Despite Decades in the Game, Few Women Lead Athletic Programs. (Alas, this too is available to subscribers only. If the higher ed bubble blows, I hope it takes academic feminism and feminist academics down with it, but they will probably be around for a while longer, until it is obvious that many of these useless schools cannot be kept in existence.)
Friday, March 04, 2011
Paleo Diet Leaders Art DeVany and Robb Wolf On Nightline 3-1-11
ABC News: Meet the Caveman Dieters: Inside the World of Paleo Diets and Caveman Work-Outs
By JOHN BERMAN and SARAH HODD
ABC News: Meet the Caveman Dieters: Inside the World of Paleo Diets and Caveman Work-Outs
By JOHN BERMAN and SARAH HODD
Sarge Missed Out
Special Forces Underwater Operations School
U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers at the Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key West, Florida.
U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers at the Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key West, Florida.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Building Catholic Communities
The website appears to be no longer available. There is a recording of a lecture by Timothy Ehlen, who was the director of Building Catholic Communities, for a conference organized by St. Benedict Center.
Something from Br. André Marie: Christendom’s Building Blocks — Catholic Communities.
Something from Br. André Marie: Christendom’s Building Blocks — Catholic Communities.
What If...we stopped using money? by Keith Farnish (EB)
But money as a facilitator of exchange seems to be necessary for a society which has a greater differentiation of labor. While I do think we should adopt a simpler way of life, it is not apparent to me that a barter system could enable the development of the polis and more advanced cultural institutions like the university.
But money as a facilitator of exchange seems to be necessary for a society which has a greater differentiation of labor. While I do think we should adopt a simpler way of life, it is not apparent to me that a barter system could enable the development of the polis and more advanced cultural institutions like the university.
Roundup Ready alfalfa — Monsanto’s big goof?
Gene Logsdon, The Contrary Farmer
I think RR alfalfa is a big mistake for another reason. Weeds are rarely a problem in alfalfa cut for hay, so who needs the stuff. Alfalfa seed is expensive enough as it is. If biotech alfalfa seed goes up horrendously in price like biotech seed corn has, who would want to buy it?
Gene Logsdon, The Contrary Farmer
I think RR alfalfa is a big mistake for another reason. Weeds are rarely a problem in alfalfa cut for hay, so who needs the stuff. Alfalfa seed is expensive enough as it is. If biotech alfalfa seed goes up horrendously in price like biotech seed corn has, who would want to buy it?
Benedict XVI on One of My Favorite Saints
On St. Francis de Sales
"A Teacher Who Gave to His Disciples the 'Spirit of Liberty'"
Pope Benedict XVI's attendants prays during the Pontiff's weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on February 23, 2011. (Getty/Daylife)
"A Teacher Who Gave to His Disciples the 'Spirit of Liberty'"
Pope Benedict XVI's attendants prays during the Pontiff's weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on February 23, 2011. (Getty/Daylife)
The Imaginative Conservative: Not By Politics Alone: Conservatives must initiate their own long march through the institutions of culture by Claes G. Ryn
Jimmy Moore with Two Legends of the Paleo Diet Movement
The LLVLC Show (Episode 449): ‘The Paleo Diet’ Author Dr. Loren Cordain Clarifies Position On Saturated Fat (mp3)
official webpage for the podcast
The LLVLC Show (Episode 451): Paleo Legend And ‘The New Evolution Diet’ Author Art De Vany (mp3)
official webpage for the podcast
Plus: Do Ketones Fuel Cancer? The Low-Carb Experts Respond
official webpage for the podcast
The LLVLC Show (Episode 451): Paleo Legend And ‘The New Evolution Diet’ Author Art De Vany (mp3)
official webpage for the podcast
Plus: Do Ketones Fuel Cancer? The Low-Carb Experts Respond
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Another Long Day
I did end up going to the Aquinas Lecture at the DSPT tonight. I was able to stay awake for the first part of the lecture, but by the middle the insulin-induced coma came upon me. I felt hot also--I don't know if that was due to the ambient temperature in the room, or if it is an effect of the insulin. Too many carbs at Barney's in Berkeley? Barney's is like The Counter -- a full-service restaurant. It is slightly less expensive. I had the spicy curly fries -- they were spicy, but otherwise not so tasty. Not enough salt? These were served with Ranch dressing. I had Barney's Big Burger, which was ok, but the outer surface was burnt more than I would have liked. I think the burgers at The Counter taste better, but I don't know where that restaurant gets its meat. Barney's, like Bongo Burger, is supplied by Niman Ranch, so this is the second time I've had a Niman patty. I found it to be rather dry both times, but I did order it medium well (and it turned out being more well-done than medium.) The patties aren't seasoned with anything else? Would I get better results cooking with Niman ground beef at home?
While The Counter is more expensive, I think the quality of the food there is slightly better than Barney's. Next time I'm driving in the area, I'll try True Burger.
My right thumb joint has been hurting -- inflammation due to gout, brought upon by lack of water this week, I'm guessing.
Br. B was at the lecture tonight, but I am not sure if he left because there was no more room, or if he left immediately after the end of the lecture.
While The Counter is more expensive, I think the quality of the food there is slightly better than Barney's. Next time I'm driving in the area, I'll try True Burger.
My right thumb joint has been hurting -- inflammation due to gout, brought upon by lack of water this week, I'm guessing.
Br. B was at the lecture tonight, but I am not sure if he left because there was no more room, or if he left immediately after the end of the lecture.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
The solution I have been using for a while.
Low-tech Magazine: Insulation: first the body, then the home by Kris De Decker (EB)
There is another way to reduce energy consumption for space heating that does not have any of these disadvantages: lowering the thermostat and putting on more clothes.
There is another way to reduce energy consumption for space heating that does not have any of these disadvantages: lowering the thermostat and putting on more clothes.
Food Wastage and Gourmet Dumpster Diving
Andrew Zimmern takes a trip through San Francisco’s “Bizarre” alternative food scene
Andrew Zimmern:
"I went out expecting that the food tossed away was an apple here an apple there," he says. Instead, they discover huge amounts of packaged food: 50 pound crates of bananas, 10 pounds of strawberries, and boxes of lettuce."
Bizarre Foods
Andrew Zimmern Fights Homelessness With Bizarre Foods
Food Not Bombs; SF Chapter
Andrew Zimmern:
"I went out expecting that the food tossed away was an apple here an apple there," he says. Instead, they discover huge amounts of packaged food: 50 pound crates of bananas, 10 pounds of strawberries, and boxes of lettuce."
Bizarre Foods
Andrew Zimmern Fights Homelessness With Bizarre Foods
Food Not Bombs; SF Chapter
CSM: With Russia's $650 billion rearmament plan, the bear sharpens its teeth
Is Russia likely to face a conventional war? Or is a 4GW opponent more likely?
The impressive shopping spree comes on the heels of a painful military reform that severely downsized Russia's conscript Army, eliminating 9 out of 10 Soviet-era units and cutting 200,000 officers. The goal now, experts say, is to equip Russia's new lean-and-mean, largely professional armed forces to face 21st-century threats. These are mainly considered to be regional conflicts such as the brief 2008 Russo-Georgian war, which highlighted military shortcomings.
Is Russia likely to face a conventional war? Or is a 4GW opponent more likely?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Go Not East Nor West, But South, Young Man...
Wendell Berry, "The Country of Marriage"
Short Q&A with the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Bluegrass Blog.
"Go West, Young Man."
Red Phillips, Announcing the League of the South Annual Conference
Short Q&A with the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Bluegrass Blog.
"Go West, Young Man."
Red Phillips, Announcing the League of the South Annual Conference
Jordi Savall Interview
Jordi Savall a "El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio" (21.02.2011)
Jacques Moderne - 3 Bransles de Bourgogne
MARAIS - Second Livre de Viole 1701 - SAVALL & Co..avi
Jacques Moderne - 3 Bransles de Bourgogne
MARAIS - Second Livre de Viole 1701 - SAVALL & Co..avi
From the Chronicle of Higher Ed
AFP: Indigenous Ecuadoran woman humbles US oil giant
Yahoo
How responsible are Americans in general for this? "We just use the gasoline, we don't tell them how to get the oil..." Still, shouldn't we feel badly about the environmental costs to maintain our way of life?
RUMIPAMBA, Ecuador (AFP) – She has no legal training, and doesn't speak the Spanish that dominates government in Quito but indigenous villager Maria Aguinda helped bring a landmark judgment against US oil giant Chevron for polluting the rain forest she calls home.
The diminutive grandmother whose modest home sits near marshes clogged for decades in sticky oil has been at the heart of the David-and-Goliath case, and spoke out after Chevron was slapped last week with a $9.5-billion fine, among the heaviest ever handed down for environmental damage.
How responsible are Americans in general for this? "We just use the gasoline, we don't tell them how to get the oil..." Still, shouldn't we feel badly about the environmental costs to maintain our way of life?
Bishop Elliott's Address to Ordinariate Festival
The Anglo-Catholic
Ordinariate Portal
Bishop Peter Elliott - Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Related:
The Saint Bede Studio Blog: Oratory of Bishop Peter Elliott
Parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Ordinariate Portal
Bishop Peter Elliott - Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Related:
The Saint Bede Studio Blog: Oratory of Bishop Peter Elliott
Parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Peak Oil Resolutions as a Necessary First Step for Civic Planning
Rob Hopkins, Ingredients of Transition: Peak oil resolutions (EB)
Given the primary locus of authority is the state, not the county or municipality, I think peak oil resolutions passed by towns and counties will be of limited effectiveness. Because it is the state that is sovereign, concerns about population and sustainability have to be addressed at that level, I believe.
Given the primary locus of authority is the state, not the county or municipality, I think peak oil resolutions passed by towns and counties will be of limited effectiveness. Because it is the state that is sovereign, concerns about population and sustainability have to be addressed at that level, I believe.
PCR Trying to Protect the Power of Congress
Why a Government Shutdown Would Imperil the Power of Congress (American Conservative)
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
I don't think it would be the first time that the imperial presidency has taken over for Congress, but Congress probably doesn't have have the backbone to shut down the government in the first place. The Republicans wouldn't even think of impeaching Obama for failing to defend DOMA.
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
Congress should think twice before forcing a government shutdown as the consequences could be the loss of the power of Congress to control spending through authorization and appropriation bills.
Congress permitted President George W. Bush to accumulate new powers in the executive, and these powers have passed to Obama. Bush succeeded in establishing that as a wartime commander-in-chief he had the “inherent power” to disobey the laws against torture, spying on Americans without obtaining warrants, and indefinite detention. In addition, Bush used signing statements in ways inconsistent with his oath and obligation to uphold the laws of the United States, and he took the U.S. to war based on lies, deception, and fabricated “evidence,” an offense that qualifies as treason.
With these precedents, it is a simple matter for President Obama to declare that, with the U.S. at war in a world of growing instability, he has the inherent power to ignore the debt limit and to continue financing the government with the creation of new money by the Federal Reserve.
Congress could try to protect its loss of the power of the purse by impeaching Obama. But how credible would it be to impeach a wartime president who is using the same “inherent power” of his office that Congress permitted the previous president to use?
The powers that Bush asserted not only violated statutory law, but also set aside constitutionally guaranteed rights that are the essence of American liberty. Yet, Congress made no attempt to restrain him with impeachment. How then does Congress impeach a president who is merely using his power to keep a government at war operating?
As President Bush’s acts were not deemed impeachable offenses, it seems likely that Congress has lost its power to impeach through default.
I don't think it would be the first time that the imperial presidency has taken over for Congress, but Congress probably doesn't have have the backbone to shut down the government in the first place. The Republicans wouldn't even think of impeaching Obama for failing to defend DOMA.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Army Combatatives
Union Army combatatives? More like the transformation of warriors into MMA fighters.
Soldiers may need to restrain prisoners, but they really shouldn't be used as police or be employed in nation-building.
And female fighters beating males? What are they doing wrong? (Yes, there are co-ed tournaments. Like I said before, the Union Army has been messed up for some time, and social engineering is not new.)
Last night I was at Red Robin in Dublin with my sisters and their families... Dublin, like Pleasanton (and the surrounding areas), is quite white. How many of the people living in those areas used to live in the Bay Area but decided to move because they wanted to live in white areas? And where did all the other whites go?
There's a word commonly used to describe this juxtaposition...
At the 5 PM Mass tonight, one of the local LC priests gave the homily at the local parish... the subject of the homily? Matthew 6:24 and following. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." And yet it is alleged that the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and many of those in leadership positions have been using the order as a way to make money.
I did note that the priest, whom I had not seen before, is young and rather good-looking. How would he respond if he were told that he was deliberately targeted for recruitment because of his good looks?
I did note that the priest, whom I had not seen before, is young and rather good-looking. How would he respond if he were told that he was deliberately targeted for recruitment because of his good looks?
The Perfect Human Diet?
In Search of the Perfect Human Diet
Karen De Coster recommended the website...
Plus: Strong is the New Skinny and Blogs for the SINS Body Transformation Challenge…
Karen De Coster recommended the website...
Plus: Strong is the New Skinny and Blogs for the SINS Body Transformation Challenge…
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