Heart attack, in Italy. (via Drudge)
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Tony Soprano is Dead!
43 minutes ago
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Pope Francis and the Vatican’s ‘Gay Lobby’ by Philip Giraldi
Vatican Insider:
100 days of Francis: Reality and expectations
A summary of what’s new in Francis’ papacy, his most important messages and the changes introduced
Pope Francis proposes a multipolar vision of Christianity
According to the Argentinian theologian, Mgr. Sanchez Sorondo, Bergoglio has always tried to put the Lord’s Word into practice in social structures
Vatican Insider:
100 days of Francis: Reality and expectations
A summary of what’s new in Francis’ papacy, his most important messages and the changes introduced
Pope Francis proposes a multipolar vision of Christianity
According to the Argentinian theologian, Mgr. Sanchez Sorondo, Bergoglio has always tried to put the Lord’s Word into practice in social structures
When I dropped by Kinokuniya SJ last week and found that it had moved out of the old building (where McWhorter's used to be) back into its last space at the Yaohan (now Mitsuwa) building. The floor space for the bookstore has been reduced even more now, as the stationary department has been added to the bookstore. (It used to occupy a separate space in the Yaohan building.) Where are all the other small shops that used to be there? They probably didn't generate enough sales to stay in business. Declining customer base? The toy store hasn't been around for some time.
Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors"
His brand of R&B crooning may not appeal to everyone (and perhaps less than manly), but I did find the visuals of the music video to be captivating when I first saw it. But is it representative of "boomer" narcissism with its depiction of "boomer" romance?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Arn
The Imaginative Conservative: ARN: The Knight Templar (2007) by Mark Stilkenboom
Because of the review, I recommended the movie to Sarge who liked it a lot. He prefers it to Kingdom of Heaven, and he started watching the "extended" version, which was aired as a TV series. Guess I'll have to check it out as well.
Because of the review, I recommended the movie to Sarge who liked it a lot. He prefers it to Kingdom of Heaven, and he started watching the "extended" version, which was aired as a TV series. Guess I'll have to check it out as well.
Schumacher on Land
Schumacher Center for a New Economics: THINK ABOUT LAND
By Dr. E. F. Schumacher
A talk originally published by The Catholic Housing Aid Society
By Dr. E. F. Schumacher
A talk originally published by The Catholic Housing Aid Society
Romanticizing the Shogunate
Was watching the latest Taiga drama the other weekend, Yae's Sakura (八重の桜), and I was reminded of Abarenbo Shogun (暴れん坊将軍) because of the Tokugawa. I haven't seen any of the recent movies; will someone attempt to remake it in the near future?
I don't know at what time the original aired (or if it matters, in Japan) but the drama was PG entertainment.
At any rate, Yae's Sakura may turn out to be interesting as it covers the last days of the shogunate and the civil war that was part of the Meiji Restoration.
But it may be too feminist as well, even though it is based on a true story...
I wish I had seen some of Gō and Ryōmaden, but I didn't find out Tokyo TV had moved to the channel that also shows NHK World until last year.
I don't know at what time the original aired (or if it matters, in Japan) but the drama was PG entertainment.
At any rate, Yae's Sakura may turn out to be interesting as it covers the last days of the shogunate and the civil war that was part of the Meiji Restoration.
But it may be too feminist as well, even though it is based on a true story...
I wish I had seen some of Gō and Ryōmaden, but I didn't find out Tokyo TV had moved to the channel that also shows NHK World until last year.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Two From Ethika Politica
Conjugal Love as a Public Good by Aaron Taylor
It is a familiar argument against same-sex marriage, and why the "state" has an interest in promoting or legislating with regards to marriage, because children are the fruit of the conjugal union and become members of a political community. But when I read this I related it to what I had been thinking about our understanding of human goods - what is desired as an end and how. Good as a [quasi-]habitus versus good as an activity. Good can be used analogously, but does there need to be some clarification as to how it is used within moral and political discourse?
Children are beneficial to the community in so far as they will be come "productive" members one day. But they are also goods in themselves, not only because they are given to us by God but also because they are the community's perpetuating of itself. It has been argued that the community has an interest (that extends to the power of legislating) in marriage (and family-formation) because children do not "belong" wholly to the family, but are members of the community as well. But what is the scope of the authority? Can it not only legislate the provision of adequate nutrition, but define "adequate nutrition"? Can parents be punished for giving their children too much soda? Is that child abuse or neglect? Do we start with an understanding of authority that starts with the community, or do we go from bottom up? Another example: "adequate education" - it is possible for a statist to make an argument that "homeschooling" is insufficient because it fails to meet the goals of education pertaining to communal life) and that all children must attend a public school.
This sort of approach would differ from that which seeks not to micromanage families but to protect the conditions of political and economic freedom which would allow families to exercise responsibility well. (See Thomas Storck, "Capitalism, Famlies, and Fathers" on the need for the government to protect families from those wielding economic power.)
How does one balance the interests of the community (or the "state") with the freedom and authority of parents and families? Is the concept of "subsidiarity" in Catholic Social Teaching enough to provide the theoretical basis for reconciling these claims?
The community should promote fecundity (or at least recognize it as a good) and moral preparation of parents-to-be and children is necessary for them to live well, to fulfill their responsibilities as parents and members of the community. But there is a difference between a tolerance for human frailty in order to respect human freedom and initiative and approving license.
Is this too simplistic: the primary purpose of the government is to maintain peace between families? One should avoid giving too much weight to the moral reality of the family - it is not an enclosed, distinct "sphere" of relations, but a part of the community. Still, it is not like the part of a physical or substantial whole. Family does encompass the "natural" duties one has to one's parents and ancestors, relatives, and children. And there is the [limited] authority of the husband and father over the wife and children. But the relations between men not of the same family, and so on? That is under the purview of the community.
The problem is that we are familiar with the modern nation-state as that which governs, rather than with an authentic republican government of men who actively desire to live together and grow in virtue.
The second piece: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of What? Individualism? by Michelle Bridge
"While philosophers from Aristotle to Machiavelli understood the importance of the common good over the importance of the individual, they erred by too far demeaning the individual. Aristotle thought that for the good of the polis, those who could not lead virtuous lives on their own should be slaves (Politics, 1.5); Machiavelli thought that a monarch must not be afraid to do wrong, sacrificing even his own conscience and soul to the common good (The Prince, Chicago, 1998, 15)."
This sounds like the contemporary liberal/Christian apologetic. What should those who can not lead virtuous lives on their own be left to do? Fend for themselves, without any external direction? Or should they be subject to the rule of another? It is that simple. This is not about human dignity, whether those who rule over others can treat them as property or less than human or unjustly.
Does the essay make of the Declaration of Independence a foundational document? Liberals may do so, but did the Founding Fathers view the document in the same way, as a statement of American political and moral philosophy? Or did they instead give the pride of place to tradition and social mores?
"America makes the opposite mistake, holding the good of the individual and his rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as supreme, and since the state must not assert itself over the individual in any way that may compromise these rights, the personal lifestyle preference of any may trump the common good of all, as it does in such issues as the legalization of abortion and gay marriage."
Maybe she is referring instead to what she takes to be majority opinion, which is tied to core liberal beliefs and proposition nation nonsense.
She refers to an essay by Michael Waldstein, "The Person and the Common Good," which is apparently unpublished.
It is a familiar argument against same-sex marriage, and why the "state" has an interest in promoting or legislating with regards to marriage, because children are the fruit of the conjugal union and become members of a political community. But when I read this I related it to what I had been thinking about our understanding of human goods - what is desired as an end and how. Good as a [quasi-]habitus versus good as an activity. Good can be used analogously, but does there need to be some clarification as to how it is used within moral and political discourse?
Children are beneficial to the community in so far as they will be come "productive" members one day. But they are also goods in themselves, not only because they are given to us by God but also because they are the community's perpetuating of itself. It has been argued that the community has an interest (that extends to the power of legislating) in marriage (and family-formation) because children do not "belong" wholly to the family, but are members of the community as well. But what is the scope of the authority? Can it not only legislate the provision of adequate nutrition, but define "adequate nutrition"? Can parents be punished for giving their children too much soda? Is that child abuse or neglect? Do we start with an understanding of authority that starts with the community, or do we go from bottom up? Another example: "adequate education" - it is possible for a statist to make an argument that "homeschooling" is insufficient because it fails to meet the goals of education pertaining to communal life) and that all children must attend a public school.
This sort of approach would differ from that which seeks not to micromanage families but to protect the conditions of political and economic freedom which would allow families to exercise responsibility well. (See Thomas Storck, "Capitalism, Famlies, and Fathers" on the need for the government to protect families from those wielding economic power.)
How does one balance the interests of the community (or the "state") with the freedom and authority of parents and families? Is the concept of "subsidiarity" in Catholic Social Teaching enough to provide the theoretical basis for reconciling these claims?
The community should promote fecundity (or at least recognize it as a good) and moral preparation of parents-to-be and children is necessary for them to live well, to fulfill their responsibilities as parents and members of the community. But there is a difference between a tolerance for human frailty in order to respect human freedom and initiative and approving license.
Is this too simplistic: the primary purpose of the government is to maintain peace between families? One should avoid giving too much weight to the moral reality of the family - it is not an enclosed, distinct "sphere" of relations, but a part of the community. Still, it is not like the part of a physical or substantial whole. Family does encompass the "natural" duties one has to one's parents and ancestors, relatives, and children. And there is the [limited] authority of the husband and father over the wife and children. But the relations between men not of the same family, and so on? That is under the purview of the community.
The problem is that we are familiar with the modern nation-state as that which governs, rather than with an authentic republican government of men who actively desire to live together and grow in virtue.
The second piece: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of What? Individualism? by Michelle Bridge
"While philosophers from Aristotle to Machiavelli understood the importance of the common good over the importance of the individual, they erred by too far demeaning the individual. Aristotle thought that for the good of the polis, those who could not lead virtuous lives on their own should be slaves (Politics, 1.5); Machiavelli thought that a monarch must not be afraid to do wrong, sacrificing even his own conscience and soul to the common good (The Prince, Chicago, 1998, 15)."
This sounds like the contemporary liberal/Christian apologetic. What should those who can not lead virtuous lives on their own be left to do? Fend for themselves, without any external direction? Or should they be subject to the rule of another? It is that simple. This is not about human dignity, whether those who rule over others can treat them as property or less than human or unjustly.
Does the essay make of the Declaration of Independence a foundational document? Liberals may do so, but did the Founding Fathers view the document in the same way, as a statement of American political and moral philosophy? Or did they instead give the pride of place to tradition and social mores?
"America makes the opposite mistake, holding the good of the individual and his rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as supreme, and since the state must not assert itself over the individual in any way that may compromise these rights, the personal lifestyle preference of any may trump the common good of all, as it does in such issues as the legalization of abortion and gay marriage."
Maybe she is referring instead to what she takes to be majority opinion, which is tied to core liberal beliefs and proposition nation nonsense.
She refers to an essay by Michael Waldstein, "The Person and the Common Good," which is apparently unpublished.
"Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be crazy cat ladies."
Pappas, you take notice too.
Scientists: Men have Always Preferred Youth
Relationships in America: an Infographic
Do you suffer from Bitchy Resting Face? Hilarious parody explains why women look 'sad or angry for no reason'
You-Go-Girlism Is More Toxic Than Feminism
Dr. Helen: John Hawkins interviews me about my book Men on Strike.
“Alarmingly, eight out of ten women believe that men ‘never stop being childish…’”
Women Fighting Against Feminism
Scientists: Men have Always Preferred Youth
Relationships in America: an Infographic
Do you suffer from Bitchy Resting Face? Hilarious parody explains why women look 'sad or angry for no reason'
You-Go-Girlism Is More Toxic Than Feminism
Dr. Helen: John Hawkins interviews me about my book Men on Strike.
“Alarmingly, eight out of ten women believe that men ‘never stop being childish…’”
Women Fighting Against Feminism
Article on Transition Town Movement and Rob Hopkins in The Guardian
Local, self-sufficient, optimistic: are Transition Towns the way forward?
Locally grown food, community-owned power stations, local currencies … can small-scale actions make a difference? Yes, according to the Transition network – in fact, it's our only hope
Related:
New video: ‘Launching’ The Power of Just Doing Stuff
Locally grown food, community-owned power stations, local currencies … can small-scale actions make a difference? Yes, according to the Transition network – in fact, it's our only hope
Related:
New video: ‘Launching’ The Power of Just Doing Stuff
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Scratch Another One
Sweet Tomatoes - No more "oriental" salad with chicken - it's not a vegetarian salad with just wonton strips. At the Sunnyvale location at least small bins of chicken meat is no longer available for purchase. (My mom says there used to be shrimp as well.) Who wants to pay $10 for rabbit food?
It is disheartening to see how a certain ethnic group in San Jose exhibits a failure to parent, leaving their children (especially their daughters) to navigate adolescence on their own. You could defend the parents by saying they're too busy working in order to survive, but apparently these parents have no problems buying mobile devices and internet access for their children. I won't be surprised if some of them get pregnant in the next 4 years.
Over in the U.K.: The £49bn bill we pay for children who can't celebrate Father's Day: The devastating financial - and human - cost of our fatherless society by Peter Hitchens
Related:
A Fathers Day call to repentance.
Over in the U.K.: The £49bn bill we pay for children who can't celebrate Father's Day: The devastating financial - and human - cost of our fatherless society by Peter Hitchens
Related:
A Fathers Day call to repentance.
News about Fr. Rutler
He is being transferred from Our Saviour.
Most Recent Column from Fr. Rutler
The Church of St. Michael is near Pennyslvania Station; I could drop by the church next time I travel to NYC. What is its interior like? Has there been much wreckovation?
Church of the Holy Innocents
Misc.
Why Are There Still So Many Train Stations Named Penn Station?
Most Recent Column from Fr. Rutler
The Church is vaster than any particular parish, beloved as ours is for many far and wide, and while I am moving to the far other end of our island on the West Side, it is not like going to the moon. I am to be pastor of St. Michael’s Church near Pennsylvania Station and administrator of Holy Innocents Church in the Garment District. St. Michael’s is on the southern perimeter of what New Yorkers long ago came to call “Hell’s Kitchen,” but that is not the Hell from whose fires we pray to be saved. It is actually a quickly changing neighborhood, and I shall have some responsibility for extending the work of the Church to meet the needs of the residences and new businesses that are expanding there.Who could possibly replace him at Our Saviour?
The Church of St. Michael is near Pennyslvania Station; I could drop by the church next time I travel to NYC. What is its interior like? Has there been much wreckovation?
Church of the Holy Innocents
Misc.
Why Are There Still So Many Train Stations Named Penn Station?
Press Conference with Marcel Peres
From April 2013: 11 MARCEL PERES καλλιτεχνικός διευθυνής Ensemble Organum & CIRMA .
The info for this clip says it's Ensemble Organum singing; I have not heard it before.
The info for this clip says it's Ensemble Organum singing; I have not heard it before.
More Kunstler and Orlov
A recent interview with Dmitry Orlov - C-Realm Podcast 365: Communities that Abide (via Club Orlov)
From 2008: 96: Kollapsnik & the Ripping Yarn
Related:
A Clear Picture of What to Expect
The five stages of collapse
by James H. Kunstler
From 2008: 96: Kollapsnik & the Ripping Yarn
Related:
A Clear Picture of What to Expect
The five stages of collapse
by James H. Kunstler
Saturday, June 15, 2013
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