The New Beginning

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Christian Bale as George W.?

IGN with the info:

In an interview with GQ Magazine, Stone reveals who his first choice was to play Bush in his forthcoming biopic. "We were turned down by everybody for money, including your Aunt Gertrude. It was humiliating. I make no bones about it. I think this is a great subject. I don't think I have a bad track record. I needed a star, though, and Josh Brolin was not a star."

Stone continued, "Originally I went for Christian Bale. We did some rigorous prosthetic tests and spent a lot of dough — thousands and thousands of dollars — and then Christian said, 'I just don't feel like I can do it.' I met Josh and liked him. He was more rural Americana. But man, he was scared s***less."

Dancing with the Stars, Season 7

Dancing with the Stars. Yahoo! TV; Season 7 celebrity couples

One of the celebs this season is Rocco DiSpirito.

Julianne is back!

DWTS7 - Cody & Julianne - wk 1

DWTS Season 7 ( Cody & Julianne) 9/22/08
ET Weekend with DWTS Season 7 - 9-20-08
Access Hollywood with Julianne Hough
Cody Linley and Julianne Hough
E! - Cody Linley on DWTS
ET - Cody & Julianne Rehearse

YouTube - Official Juicy Fruit Commercial ft. Julianne Hough

Guess Which Celebrity is Partnering with Wrigley’s Gum (Photos)
Julianne Hough hearts Juicy Fruit
More photos here.
watt-up.com

Edit. Just watched the first episode--Miss Hough's partner sounds like the typical brash, cocky pretty boy who thinks he is all that, claiming superiority over others. How many young males go around sporting that kind of attitude? Too many. I'm surprised he didn't start saying 'dawg.'

Trailer for Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) @ Apple

Perfect website for you Sarge? haha. I looked at the sign-up page and the photos--are they for real? I suppose it's not any less secure with regards to privacy than other singles sites, which also allow for browsing. Alas, it has a rather small database.

(via Mark Shea)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Photos: The Holy Father in Albano Laziale

source: Daylife.com

Pope Benedict XVI greets parishioners as he visits a cathedral in Albano, outside Rome, September 21, 2008. Pope Benedict on Sunday urged world leaders at this week's U.N. general assembly not to allow the global financial crisis to distract them from efforts to try to wipe out poverty and disease. (Reuters)

Pope Benedict XVI blesses parishioners as he visits a cathedral in Albano, outside Rome September 21, 2008. Pope Benedict on Sunday urged world leaders at this week's U.N. general assembly not to allow the global financial crisis to distract them from efforts to try to wipe out poverty and disease. (Reuters)

Pope Benedict XVI (C) prays in the cathedral in Albano Laziale on September 21, 2008 at the end of the mass to mark the end of restauration of the church. The pontiff called in his Sunday Angelus prayer on the planet's leaders to act "with courage" to eradicate hunger and poverty before the start of the September 25 UN summit on Ojectives of the Millenium in New York. (AFP/Getty)

Fumes of incense waft above Pope Benedict XVI, centre, during a ceremony in Albano's cathedral, on the outskirt of Rome, to bless a new altar, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008. The pontiff appealed Sunday to world leaders to take action to end extreme poverty and hunger when they meet at the U.N. General Assembly. Benedict spoke to pilgrims at his summer palace in Castel Gandolfo about a high-level meeting at the General Assembly to take stock of progress on goals to end poverty. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito)

Pope Benedict XVI (R) sprays incense around the new altar of the Albano Laziale's cathedral on September 21, 2008, during a mass to mark the end of the restauration of the church. The pontiff urged world leaders at this week's UN general assembly not to allow the global financial crisis to distract them from efforts to try to wipe out poverty and disease. "I would like to invite them again to take up and implement with courage the measures needed to wipe out extreme poverty, hunger, ignorance and the scourge of pandemics, which especially affect the most vulnerable," he said after his Sunday mass. (AFP/Getty)

Pope Benedict XVI pours oil on the new altar of the Albano Laziale's cathedral on September 21, 2008, during a mass to mark the end of the restauration of the church. The pontiff urged world leaders at this week's UN general assembly not to allow the global financial crisis to distract them from efforts to try to wipe out poverty and disease. "I would like to invite them again to take up and implement with courage the measures needed to wipe out extreme poverty, hunger, ignorance and the scourge of pandemics, which especially affect the most vulnerable," he said after his Sunday mass. (AFP/Getty)

Pope Benedict XVI, at center, celebrates mass in Albano's cathedral, on the outskirt of Rome, during a ceremony to bless a new altar, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008. The pontiff appealed Sunday to world leaders to take action to end extreme poverty and hunger when they meet at the U.N. General Assembly. Benedict spoke to pilgrims at his summer palace in Castel Gandolfo about a high-level meeting at the General Assembly to take stock of progress on goals to end poverty. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito)

Photos: The Holy Father with HRH Princess Infanta Doña Cristina

source: Daylife.com

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by Princess Infanta Dona Cristina of Spain (R) during a private audience at the Vatican on September 19, 2008. (AFP/Getty)

Pope Benedict XVI is pictured with Princess Infanta Dona Cristina of Spain (L) and Duke Ignacio Urdangarin Liebaert of Palma de Mallorca (2nd L) during a private audience at the Vatican on September 19, 2008. Man (2nd R) is unidentified. (AFP/Getty)

Pope Benedict XVI is pictured with Princess Infanta Dona Cristina of Spain (L) and Duke Ignacio Urdangarin Liebaert of Palma de Mallorca (R) during a private audience at the Vatican on September 19, 2008. (AFP/Getty)

official profile
Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca

'i' Restaurant

Or "Ai" (Love) -- but I think the loh baan is Cantonese. The corner where it is located has been home to Chinese restaurants for a while--the last two apparently had difficulties staying in business. We decided to go try it since we had a coupon. Heh.

We ordered the salty and spicy pork, which was ok (perhaps a bit too fatty, but comparable to what we've had elsewhere), and the laat ji chicken--this was too laat, nearly ruining my taste buds. We also ordered mango milkshakes--my mom said the ones at McD's were thicker, which is true. I wonder if the smoothies would have been a better choice.

The restaurant has more upscale pretensions than the two it has succeeded--my mom thought that it was a place where couples would go on a romantic date. I would agree, but the only couples I could imagine coming here for that purpose would be Chinese [or Taiwanese] 40-somethings. I think the restaurant is trying to attract the well-off Chinese inhabitants of the area and offer an alternative to the other Chinese restaurants in the area. (Even though Dynasty has the look of a fancier Hong Kong restaurant, it mainly serves families and such. I wouldn't go there for 'formal' dining--there isn't any privacy there.) I just don't see Chinese Americans in their 20s wanting to go there for a date.

The large windows are just wrong for a restaurant trying to be more upscale. (Where's Gordon Ramsay when you need him? I don't think he'll ever do a makeover on a Chinese restaurant.) There's not much that can be done about that, I suppose--the building was originally built as office or retail space, not for a restaurant. If the restaurant had a view of something pleasant, perhaps that would make up for the windows and the feel of the place, but it's looking out on the busy intersection of Blaney and Stevens Creek.

I think it's too late for a New Urbanist vision of Cupertino to be implemented.

The restaurant is hiring wait staff, which it is in need of. Ahem.

Would we go back there? Probably not. Entrees range from $10-$15 (Chef's Specials are higher); noodles, chow fun are $9 to $10. The food is ok, but I think Pan Tao would be a better choice, food-wise. One could pay a little bit more for ambience at 'i.'

Yelp

Someone posted this at Facebook--Facebook profiles can be used to detect narcissism.

The researchers, whose results appear in the October issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, gave personality questionnaires to nearly 130 Facebook users, analyzed the content of the pages and had untrained strangers view the pages and rate their impression of the owner’s narcissism.

The researchers found that the number of Facebook friends and wallposts that individuals have on their profile pages correlates with narcissism. Buffardi said this is consistent with how narcissists behave in the real-world, with numerous yet shallow relationships. Narcissists are also more likely to choose glamorous, self-promoting pictures for their main profile photos, she said, while others are more likely to use snapshots.

Untrained observers were able to detect narcissism, too. The researchers found that the observers used three characteristics – quantity of social interaction, attractiveness of the individual and the degree of self promotion in the main photo – to form an impression of the individual’s personality. “People aren’t perfect in their assessments,” Buffardi said, “but our results show they’re somewhat accurate in their judgments.”

Narcissism is a trait of particular interest, Campbell said, because it hampers the ability form healthy, long-term relationships. “Narcissists might initially be seen as charming, but they end up using people for their own advantage,” Campbell said. “They hurt the people around them and they hurt themselves in the long run.”

The tremendous growth of social networking sites – Facebook now has 100 million users, for example – has led psychologists to explore how personality traits are expressed online. Buffardi and Campbell chose Facebook because it’s the most popular networking site among college students and because it has a fixed format that makes it easier for researchers to compare user pages.

Some researchers in the past have found that personal Web pages are more popular among narcissists, but Campbell said there’s no evidence that Facebook users are more narcissistic than others.

Makes for a nice follow-up post to this.

Daniel McCarthy: Bob Barr Implodes

Mr. McCarthy includes the following news: Ron Paul endorses Chuck Baldwin.

Let's see if Mr. Baldwin makes it to the California ballot in November.

Links:
Constitution Party of California blog
American Independent Party (California)
Robert Bernhoft Will Argue for Chuck Baldwin in California Court
--Court date was August 28... any more recent news?

According to How to vote for Chuck Baldwin in California, both Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Castle (the VP candidate) will be official write-in candidates in California.

Chuck Baldwin at the AIP Convention, June 28, 2008, Part 1:

Complete playlist.

Benson

Benson is also available online at Hulu. I remember the last few minutes of the series finale--Benson had risen through the ranks to become Lt. Governor, iirc. He ended up running against the Governor for his office, which had put a strain on their friendship. But they reconciled, and were sitting on the couch in front of the television, waiting for the results of the election. I watched the series when it was in syndication, not when it originally aired. What is the quality of this sitcom? I don't know--I don't think I'm impartial enough to judge rightly. (Much of the humor had to do with Benson rescuing the air-headed Governor from this or that mess.) I am thinking that the writers over at Chronicles probably don't like modern sitcoms very much, and the inanity of much of the humor probably has much to do with it. I never really watched The Honeymooners, but I did watch a lot of I Love Lucy during our trips to Arizona. In fact, I watched a lot of sitcoms while in Arizona--The Facts of Life, Hogan's Heroes, The Beverly Hillbillies, to name a few. I didn't get to play with the cousins that often. The TV made up for a lack of playmates... not a few of those sitcoms, including Benson, were Witt-Thomas-Harris productions.

I don't watch much TV these days--NCIS, Kitchen Nightmares, The Unit, 24... Season 3 of Heroes premieres tonight, but I won't be watching that. (While I currently don't have a TV, much of what is on TV can been viewed online.)

Edit. I forgot about Life. Season premiere is available at Hulu (for 5 days) and at NBC.

Crunchy Con: Matt Simmons: Our crunchy-con future

Tea at Trianon: Review of the Biography of the Duchess by Amanda Foreman
(edit: includes a link to this review of the movie by Rex Reed -- I won't be paying money to see it!)

Originally entitled Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, the biography has been renamed The Duchess with the release of the movie.

This week on BBC Radio's Early Music Show

Domenico Zipoli--

Domenico Zipoli was thought to have disappeared from European musical life just as he made his mark with the publication of his first work, the Sonate d’intavolatura per organo e cimbalo. Did his early promise fade and leave him resigned to a life of obscurity? Well, no. Scholars had known for a while that there was another Domenico Zipoli, active just after this time in Paraguay, but it wasn't until the 1950s that it was realised that the two composers were in fact one and the same.
Zipoli had joined the Jesuit reductiones and gone to South America - music played a pivotal role in in the missions, fulfilling the Jesuits’ aim of transmitting the idea of God to the natives. The music he composed there was thought to be lost, until at the beginning of the 1960s when a mass for three-part choir (without bass), soloists, two violins, organ and continuo was located, reading: “copied in Potossi, in the year 1784”, that is 58 years after the composer’s death. The fact that over half a century after Zipoli’s death his works were still performed in Argentina and in Higher Peru clearly reflect his importance. Then, in 1972, 5000 pages of manuscript music were accidentally discovered in East Bolivia, among them a large number of complete works by Zipoli. They were being used as toilet paper in the bathroom of the church sacristy!
Catherine Bott explores the life and music of this amazing man, wrongly thought to have disappeared from musical life as quickly as he had appeared.

Playlist:

Zipoli: Sonate d’intavolatura: Toccata
Dominique Ferran (organ)
K617037
Track 2

Zipoli: Sonate pour Violon et basse continue
Les Soloists de l’Ensemble Elyma
K617037
Track 10

Zipoli: Partite (do maggiore) from Sonate d’intavolatura per cimbalo
Sergio Vartolo (harpsichord)
TACTUS TC682602
Track 14

Zipoli: Deus In Adjutorium – Domine Ad Adjuvandum
Coro de Ninos Cantores de Cordoba/ Ensemble Elyma/ Gabriel Garrido
K617027
CD 2 Track 1

Zipoli: Beatus Vir
Coro de Ninos Cantores de Cordoba/ Ensemble Elyma/ Gabriel Garrido
K617027
CD 2 Track 4

Zipoli: Misa Brevis - Kyrie
Coro de Ninos Cantores de Cordoba/ Ensemble Elyma/ Affetti Musicali Buenos Aires/ Cristina Garcia Banegas (organ) / Gabriel Garrido
K617036
Track 1

Zipoli: Letania I En Do
Coro de Ninos Cantores de Cordoba/ Ensemble Elyma/ Affetti Musicali Buenos Aires/ Cristina Garcia Banegas (organ)/ Gabriel Garrido
K617036
Track 7

Related links: Domenico Zipoli Institute (Ah, so it is officially affiliated with IVE.)
Fonógrafo-Domenico Zipoli

Crunchy Con: The Orthodoxy of tomorrow

He refers to "The Orthodox Church of Tomorrow," by Fr. John A. Peck

Sunday, September 21, 2008

AICN: Emilie de Ravin To Skip Season Five Of LOST!!

Zenit: Papal Homily at Albano Cathedral

Papal Homily at Albano Cathedral

"When Believers Are United by Charity They Become the House of God"

ALBANO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI' homily today at Mass in the Cathedral of Albano, Italy, near the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. The cathedral's altar was dedicated at this Mass.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Today's celebration is so rich in symbols and the Word of God that has been proclaimed helps us to understand the meaning and value of what we are doing here. In the first reading we heard the story of Judas Macabeus' purification of the Temple and the dedication of the new altar of holocausts in 164 B.C., three years after the Temple had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes (cf. 1 Macabees 4:52-59). The Feast of the Dedication, which lasted eight days, was instituted to commemorate that event. This feast, initially linked to the Temple, where the people went in procession to offer sacrifices, was also connected with the illumination of the houses, and it survived in this form after the destruction of Jerusalem.

The sacred author rightly underscores the joy that characterizes that event. But how much greater, dear brothers and sisters, must our joy be, knowing that every day on this altar, that we are preparing to consecrate, the sacrifice of Christ is offered; on this altar he will continue to immolate himself, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for our salvation and that of the whole world. In the Eucharistic mystery, that is renewed on every altar, Jesus is really present. His is a dynamic presence, which seizes us in to make us his, to assimilate us to him; it draws us with the power of his love, bringing us out of ourselves to unite us with him, making us one with him.

Christ's real presence makes each of us his "house," and we all together form his Church, the spiritual edifice of which St. Peter speaks. "Come to him," the apostle writes, "a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Somewhat developing this beautiful metaphor, St. Augustine observes that through faith men are like wood and stone gathered from forests and mountains for building; through baptism, catechesis and preaching they are cut, squared, and filed down; but they only become the Lord's house when they are ordered by charity. When believers are reciprocally connected according to a determinate order, mutually and closely arranged and bound, when they are united together by charity they truly become the house of God that does not fear ruin (cf. Sermon 336).

It is therefore the love of Christ, the charity that "never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:8), the spiritual energy that unites those who participate in the same sacrifice and who nourish themselves from the same Bread broken for the salvation of the world. Is it indeed possible to be in communion with the Lord if we are not in communion with each other? How can we present ourselves divided and far from each other at God's altar? May this altar upon which the sacrifice of the Lord will soon be renewed be for you, dear brothers and sisters, be a constant invitation to love; always draw near to it with a heart open to the love of Christ and to spreading it, to receiving and bestowing forgiveness.

In this regard the Gospel passage that was proclaimed a little while ago offers us an important lesson for life (cf. Matthew 5:23-24). It is a brief but pressing and incisive call to fraternal reconciliation, a reconciliation that is indispensable if we are to present our offering worthily at the altar; it is a reminder that takes up again a teaching that is already quite present in the preaching of the prophets. The prophets vigorously denounced the uselessness of those acts of worship that lacked the correspondent moral dispositions, especially in relation to one's neighbor (cf. Isaiah 1:10-20; Amos 5:21-27; Micah 6:6-8). Every time that you come to the altar for the Eucharistic celebration your soul opens to forgiveness and fraternal reconciliation, ready to accept the apologies of those who have hurt you and ready, in turn, to forgive.

In the Roman liturgy the priest, having offered the bread and wine, bows toward the altar and prays in a low voice: "Lord, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice that we offer with humble and contrite hearts." The priest thus prepares to enter, together with the whole assembly of the faithful, into the heart of the Eucharistic mystery, into the heart of that celestial liturgy to which the second reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, refers.

St. John presents an angel who offers "incense together with the prayers of all the saints, burning them on the altar of gold placed before the throne" of God (cf. Revelation 8:3). The altar of sacrifice becomes in a certain way the point of encounter between heaven and earth; the center, we could say, of the one Church that is at the same time heavenly and in pilgrimage on earth, where, in the midst of the persecutions of the world and God's consolations, the Lord's disciples proclaim his passion and death until he returns in glory (cf. "Lumen Gentium," No. 8). Indeed, every Eucharistic celebration already anticipates the triumph of Christ over sin and the world, and shows in mystery the splendor of the Church, "immaculate bride of the immaculate Lamb, Bride that Christ loved and gave himself up for to make her holy (cf. "Lumen Gentium," No. 6).

These reflections draw our attention to the rite that we are about to perform in this cathedral of yours, which we admire today in its renewed beauty and that we rightly desire to continue to make welcoming and decorous. It is a task that involves all of you and that, in the first place, calls upon the whole diocesan community to grow in charity and in apostolic and missionary dedication. Concretely, it is a matter of bearing witness with your life to your faith in Christ and the total confidence that you place in him.

It is also a matter of cultivating ecclesial communion that is, first of all, a gift, a grace, fruit of God's free and gratuitous love, that is, something divinely efficacious, always present and working in history, beyond all contrary appearances. Ecclesial communion is, however, also a task entrusted to the care of each individual. May the Lord grant you to live an evermore convinced and active communion, in cooperation and co-responsibility at every level: among the priests, the consecrated, and the laity, among the different Christian communities of your region, among the various lay groups.

I now address my cordial greeting to your bishop, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, whom I thank for the invitation and for the courteous words of welcome with which he wished to receive me in the name of all of you. I would also like to express my sentiments of fervent best wishes on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his episcopal consecration.

I direct a special thought to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, titulary of this suburbicarian diocese of yours, and who today joins his happiness with yours. I greet the other prelates who are present, the priests, the consecrated persons, the young people and the elderly, the families, the children, the sick, embracing with affection all of the faithful of the diocesan community spiritually gathered here.

A greeting to the civil authorities, who honor us with their presence, and in the first place to the Lord Mayor of Albano, to whom I am also grateful for the courteous words he addressed to me at the beginning of the Mass. Upon all I invoke the heavenly protection of St. Pancrazio, to whom this cathedral is dedicated, and the Apostle Matthew, whom the liturgy recalls today.

I especially invoke the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day -- which crowns your efforts, sacrifices and work to provide this cathedral with a renovated liturgical space, with opportune interventions, the ambo and the altar -- may the Madonna obtain for you in our time the possibility of writing another page in daily and popular sanctity, which will be joined to the other pages that have marked the life of the Church of Albano over the course of the centuries.

Certainly, as your bishop noted, difficulties, challenges and problems are not lacking, but the hopes and the opportunities for announcing and witnessing to God's love are also great. May the Spirit of the risen Lord, who is also the Spirit of Pentecost, disclose his horizons of hope to you and strengthen the missionary drive in you to the vast horizons of the new evangelization. Let us pray for this, continuing our Eucharistic celebration.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

B16: On the Last Who Are First

On the Last Who Are First

"Being Called Itself Is Already the First Recompense"

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Perhaps you remember when, on the day of my election to the pontificate, I addressed the crowd in St. Peter's Square and I presented myself, in an off the cuff way, as a worker in the Lord's vineyard. Well, in today's Gospel (cf. Matthew 20:1-16a), Jesus recounts the parable of the owner of the vineyard, who at different hours of the day calls laborers to come work in his vineyard. And in the evening he gives to all of them the same wage -- one denarius -- provoking the protest of the laborers who had been there from the first hour.

It is clear that that denarius represents eternal life, a gift that God reserves for everyone. Indeed, precisely those who are considered "last," if they will accept it, become "first," while the "first" can run the risk of becoming "last." The first message of this parable is in the fact itself that the owner does not tolerate, so to speak, unemployment: He wants everyone to work in his vineyard. And in reality, being called itself is already the first recompense: Being able to work in the Lord's vineyard, putting yourself at his service, cooperating in his project, constitutes in itself an inestimable reward, which repays all toil.

But this is understood only by those who love the Lord and his Kingdom. Those who, instead, work solely for the pay will never recognize the value of this priceless treasure.

St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, is the one who reports this parable that is read in today's liturgical feast. I would like to emphasize that Matthew experienced this story firsthand (cf. Matthew 9:9). In fact, before Jesus called him, Matthew was employed as a publican and for this reason was considered a public sinner by the Jews and was excluded from "the Lord's vineyard."

But everything changes when Jesus, walking by the customs house, looks at him and says "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him. From publican he immediately became a disciple of Christ. From being "last" he finds himself as "first," thanks to the logic of God, which -- for our good fortune! -- is different from the world's logic.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts," the Lord says through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, "your ways are not my ways" (Isaiah 55:8).

St. Paul too, whose special jubilee year we are celebrating, experienced the joy of feeling himself called by the Lord and working in his vineyard. And how much work he did! But, as he himself confessed, it was God's grace that worked through him, that grace that transformed him from a persecutor of the Church into an apostle of the Gentiles. "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain," St. Paul says. But he immediately adds: "But if living in the body means doing work that is fruitful, I do not know which to choose" (Philippians 1:21-22). Paul understood well that working for the Lord is already recompense on this earth.

The Virgin Mary, who a week ago I had the joy of venerating at Lourdes, is the perfect vine in the Lord's vineyard. From her there grew the blessed fruit of divine love: Jesus, Our Savior. May she help us to respond always and with joy to the Lord's call, and to find our happiness in the possibility of toiling for the Kingdom of Heaven.

What does it say about our young people when the way Kelly and Brenda talk to each other doesn't seem to have changed in 14 years? (And what else needs to be said about 20-somethings playing teenagers? Or acting in general?)

One hears the loose, causal style of talking among children, tweens, and teens--apparently many never grow out of it. (I don't think it can be identified completely with the way Californian teenagers talk.) I wish I had a technical vocabulary to explain what I meant. Inflection is part of it, but it's not all.

Some may say that it is more expressive (of emotion, or state of mind)--and that while some cultures prefer to use the words themselves as the primary means of expression (if at all), others like to use tone and pitch, pronunciation, and body language as well. I suppose fuddy-duddies would not be complaining if what was being said had some depth to it. Instead, we have a lot of vocal performance, but not much [acquired] intelligence behind it. Hence the complaint, it just sounds juvenile.

Brussels Journal: Cologne: A Tale of Two Mayors

Brussels Journal: Cologne: A Tale of Two Mayors

One of the two mayors to which this essay refers is Konrad Adenauer, who was also the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (wik).

Germany (Chancellor Konrad Adenauer) takes his seat at the Council table.
(NATO Photo 850kb
Ref. no: 426/31)

He sounds like a fascinating figure and Catholic statesman--I'd like to read more about him.

From the comments, a recommendation of
ADENAUER'S GERMANY AND THE NAZI PAST
The Politics of Amnesty and Integration.
By Norbert Frei. Translated by Joel Golb. 479 pp. New York: Columbia University Press.
Google Books

Truth and Reconciliation - New York Times

More links:

Konrad Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany by Charles Williams (Amazon)
Truman Library - Konrad Adenauer Oral History Interview
BBC - History - Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967)
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung - Policy Expertise Worldwide
wiki: Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Foundation : Philippines

Doug Bandow, Empire of Nothing

(on the EU)

Never again

Just returned from lunch over at Crazy. It was bad, enough to make one swear off Asian buffets forever. (Though I wouldn't rule out the higher-quality ones that you might find in Hong Kong.) KK said McDonald's would have been better. (Or Denny's.) Sad but true. I don't know where our family will go to have a meal now. Baja Fresh? Chili's? I don't think I've been to the Chili's near my parents' house for more than 10 years.

(Last night was the last time for HT too. "For real." Everything is too salty there.)

The pilot episode of Burn Notice has a brief lesson on dealing with bullies. Michael teaches the son of one of his 'clients' how to defend himself and take down a bully at school.

How is bullying handled in a typical school? Is the disciplining of a bully left to the teacher, or is this the primary responsibility of the principal? It seems that bullying is serious enough that the principal would need to get involved, along with the parents. If a teacher were to see two children fighting on the playground or in the classroom, the teacher should step in and find out what the cause is. And if one of the children has been bullying the other, then that should be dealt with in the appropriate manner. But what if the bullying takes place off school grounds, and the children being victimized tells the teacher? Some measures may be taken by the school against the bully, but that may not put a stop to the bullying, if it happens off campus. What does the teacher tell the student then? Or does the teacher only advise the parent? What are the legal ramifications of a teacher telling the student to defend himself in such a situation?

In the past, would schools and male teachers have handled incidents of bullying differently? Nowadays I wouldn't be surprised if administration is quick to get the police involved.

Some parents teach their children to be reactive (avoid getting hurt) rather than proactive (confronting the bully)--and this does seem to me to be the wrong way to deal with it (especially for boys). Many East Asians tend to be averse to the use of violence, failing to make a distinction between a just response and unjust aggression. (And this may be the case for many mothers?) "Stay out of trouble" can also be the dominant operative social principle for many.

Is anarcho-tyranny a necessary feature of the Nanny State? Did the same causes that led to the rise of a bureaucratic state also foster an unhealthy 'maternalism' on the part of those in authority, in which justice is ignored in favor of a false peace? Have more recent social developments reinforced this? While teaching, I have not heard of many examples of the victim being reprimanded or punished for defending himself, but it would not surprise me if it happens.

When fathers fail to teach their son how to "man up"...

Chrissy Crowley vids

Chrissy Crowley Troy MacGillivray Tim Chaisson Andrea Beaton

Chrissy Crowley, Troy MacGillivray, Andrea Beaton, etc.

ChrissyCrowleyBand

Shetland Folk Festival 2007: Troy MacGillivray

Hanok

The traditional Korean house. While I do appreciate East Asian architecture, I wonder if traditional forms and materials are sufficient, now that we have a better understanding of energy efficiency, heating and cooling technology, etc. It seems to me that wood, by itself, is not a very good insulator, and that there are better materials available. Can traditional East Asian architecture be applied to 'green' or eco-friendly materials, or be transformed into sustainable architecture?

I've thought about building a house or school using traditional East Asian architecture here, but I think such buildings would stand out too much, unless they were in an East Asian neighborhood or something similar.

wiki: Hanok
Traditional Korean Houses (Hanok)
Hanok Living, Old & New
JoongAng Daily article

Korea Times: Hanok Village in Jeonju

JEONJU HANOK VILLAGE
Jeonju Hanok Living Experience Center
Jeonju, Hanok Village pictures from korea photos on webshots
Jeonju Hanok Village (全州韩屋村庄) - WW
joyful Jeonbuk !!: About Jeonju Hanok Village
Hangook Summer blog

Namsangol Hanok Village
Jaapan-Blogging from Tokyo and Hamburg: Namsangol Hanok Village
Seoul Searching - Namsangol Hanok Village
Namsan Hanok Village

Hanok (Korean-style housing) Village | North Jeolla (Cholla ...

Bukchon Hanok Village
Gallery of Buchon Hanok Village
wiki: Bukchon Hanok Village
KBS: Bukchon Hanok Village

More links:
hanok-de

Time review of The Duchess.

Edit. Seraphic Single has seen the movie.