Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
New concept? Hardly, New York City allowed it in the late 1940's: Many objected to the rich subsidies offered Metropolitan Life, then the largest private corporation in the nation, as well as the firm’s refusal to rent to minorities. Others criticized the complex’s design and layout. Metropolitan Life wouldn’t allow schools, churches, libraries, or other …
Continue reading "Keeping the Riff-Raff Out by Keeping Churches Out"
One thing I have discovered in being both a follower and a participant of the church world is that there are many meetings. This isn't to say that the church world has a corner on meetings (yes, I'm aware of Hebrews 10:25) but I'm specifically thinking on those gatherings beyond the parish setting. I'm coming …
Continue reading "What Anglicans Should Call Their Gatherings"
That's an understatement, as China's Shuanghui acquires Smithfield Foods: Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., China’s biggest pork producer, agreed to acquire Smithfield Foods Inc. (SFD) for about $4.72 billion to boost supplies for the nation that’s the biggest consumer of the meat. Closely held Shuanghui, parent of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co. (000895), will pay …
Les Reflets was one of the premier Christian folk groups out there during the Jesus Music era, period, as they demonstrated in De l'abondance du coeur, la bouche parle. Here are a couple of more albums (?). Villanelle/Pour emmanuel (J 410 502) Not really an album, but they "speed things up" by issuing a 45 …
Continue reading "Les Reflets: Villanelle/Pour emmanuel, and Et Ils Suivirent Jésus"
We've had another bridge collapse, this time on the I-5 in Washington State. So we can, for the moment, get away from debating natural disasters and discuss something we just might be able to do something about: fix our deteriorating transportation infrastructure. I'll repeat what I said about this six years ago, after the I-35 …
Continue reading "Dealing With What We Can: What the I-5 Collapse Reminds Us Of"
Her rage against "abusive theology" is palpable: I can abide differences when it comes to theology related to gender, the atonement, biblical interpretation, science, evolution, predestination and free will. Let’s debate those issues vigorously, but with grace and truth and love. But I cannot abide this theology that turns God into an abuser. I cannot abide this …
I was pleasantly surprised to read in phys.org that some researchers are coming to the conclusion that Victorian era people were more intelligent than those of us who have come after. With all the self-congratulating blather about the Flynn curve and just reflexive over-confidence, a corrective is in order. (It's probably too much to ask …
Continue reading "The Victorians Were Really Smarter After All"
At the end of this post I am reposting a June 2005 piece entitled "Finishing the Job:A Watergate Reflection". My central thesis at the time--a contrarian one then and now re Watergate--was that Nixon's scandals were payback for his attacks on the left during the anti-communist 1950's, and that the left, with the golden opportunity …
Continue reading "Is the Left Finishing the Job? The Moment of Truth Has Come"
Just about anyone raised in a Pentecostal or Holiness church in the last century will recall the prohibition of going to movies. The traditional argument against this was that, if one went to the movies and paid the admission price one was supporting the sinful Hollywood people and companies who made them. That argument just …
Continue reading "The Old Prohibition Against Movies Makes a Comeback"
George Conger defends the relevance of 1960's paedophilia advocate Daniel Cohn-Bendit in a religion blog: What makes this a Get Religion story is the context of the European press environment. I am not defending or excusing the Catholic Church. I am however pointing out inconsistencies and double standards in media coverage. The attack, of course, …
Continue reading "Going Around and Coming Around on Paedophilia"
Positive Infinity 