- "'...That Very One I had in Mind!' "
(December 23, 2012)- Christmas, evangelizing, holidays, Jesus
- "'If Necessary, Use Words' "
(November 25, 2012)- evangelizing, family, Jesus, last things
Monday, January 28, 2013
Caught up on Reflections - For Now
I finally got Deacon Kaas's two most recent reflections posted:
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Business Not as Usual
Weather reports for my part of central Minnesota say the precipitation is "ice pellets." Here in Sauk Centre, it's rain: also about one degree below water's freezing point.
I haven't seen any cars going sideways, so either road conditions are still pretty good: or maybe everyone I saw is a really good driver. Maybe both.
Barring very extreme travel conditions, most of family will be heading for North Dakota tomorrow morning. Spiral Light Candle needs help, so we'll be getting candles ready for shipment. There's probably more to do, too: since I'll be doing something involving a computer.
Instead of writing a post for tomorrow morning, I decided to goof off this weekend.
One more thing: I still haven't decided on a blogging schedule for after this 'working vacation.' I talked about that on Thursday. (January 24, 2013)
I'll almost certainly have something posted next Sunday. 'See' you then.
Vaguely-related posts:
I haven't seen any cars going sideways, so either road conditions are still pretty good: or maybe everyone I saw is a really good driver. Maybe both.
Barring very extreme travel conditions, most of family will be heading for North Dakota tomorrow morning. Spiral Light Candle needs help, so we'll be getting candles ready for shipment. There's probably more to do, too: since I'll be doing something involving a computer.
Instead of writing a post for tomorrow morning, I decided to goof off this weekend.
One more thing: I still haven't decided on a blogging schedule for after this 'working vacation.' I talked about that on Thursday. (January 24, 2013)
I'll almost certainly have something posted next Sunday. 'See' you then.
Vaguely-related posts:
- "Taking a Break, Holiday, Leave, Sabbatical, Vacation: Whatever"
(January 24, 2013) - "Living in Minnesota: Or, Why We Need a Furnace"
(January 7, 2013) - "South Sudan, the Táin Bó Cúalnge, and Working for a Better World"
(January 6, 2012)
Particularly - "Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, Labels, and Money"
(August 2, 2011) - "Wealth, Poverty, Stereotypes, and Snidely Whiplash"
(March 8, 2011)
Science, Technology, and Being Human
'If God had meant us to fly, we'd have wings.'
In my youth, folks with that attitude sometimes showed up in jokes:
I think some of the all-too-common uneasiness about technology is how often we see new gadgets today.
It took us something like a million years to go from burning our fingers on fires to getting shocked by electric appliances. About the same time that electric power was changing how folks live, some of us were learning why carrying radium in one's pocket is a bad idea.
About a hundred years later, someone learned why it's a bad idea to turn off a nuclear reactor's cooling system. Remember Chernobyl?
It's no wonder that some folks seem a trifle overwhelmed by technology. The way we live has been changing: fast.
A short list of new tech, 1800-2000:
Science, honest research, seeking truth in this creation, can't threaten my faith: "...because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God...." (Catechism, 159) It's like Psalms 19:2 says:
1 The professor had 'done his math,' and determined where England's three computers should be installed: Cambridge, Teddington, and Manchester. This was in 1951:
In my youth, folks with that attitude sometimes showed up in jokes:
A little old lady on an airliner was obviously uneasy. Asked what troubled her, she replied: "We should all be where God intended us to be, at home watching television!"That's not my view of airliners. I've traveled by air a few times, and enjoyed the experience. I particularly liked having a window seat, just behind the wings. It was a treat, just before landing: watching a smooth wing come apart, becoming a sort of pop-art sculpture of control surfaces.
(December 3, 2012)
Fear and Change
Not everybody is as fascinated by wings, or other technology, as I am. Tech, particularly anything new, seems to make some folks nervous. I've seen grim warnings that:- Fluoridated water is a communist plot
- Bar codes are a Satanic plot
- Cell phones do Mind control
I think some of the all-too-common uneasiness about technology is how often we see new gadgets today.
It took us something like a million years to go from burning our fingers on fires to getting shocked by electric appliances. About the same time that electric power was changing how folks live, some of us were learning why carrying radium in one's pocket is a bad idea.
About a hundred years later, someone learned why it's a bad idea to turn off a nuclear reactor's cooling system. Remember Chernobyl?
Learning the Right Lesson
The lesson from these experiences isn't that fire is bad: just that we need to use our brains. I think it's also prudent to remember that we almost certainly haven't stopped developing new technology:- "Lemming Tracks: Fire; 1,000,000 Years of Sizzling Steaks and Burned Fingers"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (April 9, 2012) - "Horses, Gothic Cathedrals, and a Faith That Matters"
(July 9, 2011)
Particularly - "Radioactive Pigs Attack Germany - No, Really"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (August 4, 2010)
Change and Choice
Folks have quite a few options where it comes to our attitude toward change. Some are more sensible than others:"Nothing endures but change."About Lord Kelvin and oxygen: don't worry, we're not running out. Lord Kelvin's math was accurate, but the former president of the Royal Society didn't have all the facts about Earth's oxygen cycle. We probably have a few things to learn today, too: and that's not another topic.
(Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, via The Quotations Page (540 BC - 480 BC))
"During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them have done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think."
(Bernard M. Baruch) US businessman & politician, via The Quotations Page (1870 - 1965))
"In a recent lecture Lord Kelvin expressed alarm at the waste of oxygen by modern manufacturing processes. If this continues he estimated that in the course of 500 years there will be not enough of the gas left on the earth to support life."
(The Evening News, via Google Newspapers (July 16, 1901))
Blink, and You'll Miss Something
My father spent his early years in a corner of America where the family's horse pulled the plow, and a kerosene lamp was the latest thing in high tech. The year I was born, a professor said that all the calculating England would ever need could be handled by three computers.1 My family sometimes has that many in one room, if you count laptops.It's no wonder that some folks seem a trifle overwhelmed by technology. The way we live has been changing: fast.
Two Centuries: Steam Locomotives to Web TV
Around 1800, we didn't have Novocaine. Pain management during surgery was usually biting a leather strap. Two centuries later, we're developing better brain implants.A short list of new tech, 1800-2000:
- 1801 to 1899
- Anesthesia
- Antiseptics
- The Jacquard Loom
- The McCormick reaper
- Steam locomotives
- The telegraph
- A variety of electric lighting devices
(about.com: 1800s)
- 1900 to 1950
- Air conditioners
- Computers
- Analog
- Digital
- Kidney dialysis machines
- Penicillin
- Talking motion pictures
- Radio transmitters and receivers
- Zeppelins
- Okay: so not all inventions caught on
- 1951 to 2000
- Bar-code scanners
- Digital cellular phones
- Fortran programming language
- Optic fiber
- Radial tires
- Transistor radios
- Web TV
Faith and Science
Besides, learning about this vast creation, and developing new ways to use it, are part of what makes us the sort of creature we are. We wouldn't be human, if we weren't studying the world and making tools. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2293) How we use science and technology is where ethics come in. (Catechism, 2292-2295)Science, honest research, seeking truth in this creation, can't threaten my faith: "...because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God...." (Catechism, 159) It's like Psalms 19:2 says:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft."Related posts:
(Psalms 19:2)
- Technology
- "A 'Threat to National Security,' a New Spaceplane, and Asteroid Mining"
(January 25, 2013)
Particularly - "Technology, Freedom, and 'Love Your Neighbor' "
(January 18, 2013)
Particularly - "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
(January 14, 2013) - "Living in Minnesota: Or, Why We Need a Furnace"
(January 7, 2013) - "Truth, Justice, and Texting With My Son"
(August 12, 2012)
- "A 'Threat to National Security,' a New Spaceplane, and Asteroid Mining"
- This universe
- "News, Good and Otherwise: and Billions of Worlds"
(January 11, 2013)
Particularly - "Freedom, Joy, and Tau Ceti's Planets"
(December 21, 2012)
Particularly - "Conscience in the News; a Radar Map of Titan; Exploring Mars"
(December 14, 2012)
Particularly - "Alpha Centauri, Freedom, and Me"
(October 19, 2012)
Particularly - "Genesis, Optimus Prime, and Victorian America"
(April 10, 2012)
Particularly
- "News, Good and Otherwise: and Billions of Worlds"
- Creation in process
- "Taking Life a Thousand Years at a Time"
(June 10, 2012)
Particularly - "Eden - and - Adam and Eve Weren't German?!"
(May 16, 2012) - "Clay, Elementary Particles, Photons, and God"
(January 25, 2012) - " 'In a State of Journeying' "
(January 18, 2012) - "Evolution, Space Aliens, and Two Millennia of Dealing With People"
(July 5, 2011)
- "Taking Life a Thousand Years at a Time"
- "Time, the Universe, and Space Aliens"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (April 20, 2012) - "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (September 24, 2010) - "Alien Life will Most Likely be - Alien"
Drifting at the Edge of Space and Time (April 12, 2010) - "Gods, Demons, and Used Spaceship Dealers"
Drifting at the Edge of Space and Time (February 13, 2010) - "Beautiful Space Princesses, Almost Certainly Not: Flying Whales, Maybe"
Drifting at the Edge of Space and Time (December 8, 2009)
1 The professor had 'done his math,' and determined where England's three computers should be installed: Cambridge, Teddington, and Manchester. This was in 1951:
"...I went to see Professor Douglas Hartree, who had built the first differential analyzers in England and had more experience in using these very specialized computers than anyone else. He told me that, in his opinion, all the calculations that would ever be needed in this country could be done on the three digital computers which were then being built - one in Cambridge, one in Teddington, and one in Manchester. No one else, he said, would ever need machines of their own, or would be able to afford to buy them...."
("Only 3 computers will be needed..." Forum post by Mark Brader, (July 10, 1985). net.misc. Citing Lord Bowden (1970), American Scientist, 58: 43–53; via "Thomas J. Watson," Famous misquote, Wikipedia)
Friday, January 25, 2013
A 'Threat to National Security,' a New Spaceplane, and Asteroid Mining
Don't expect a rant about the Satanic horrors of people who aren't like me, and why Islam is the worst thing since [political party] had a majority in Congress. That's not going to happen. Not in this blog, not by me.
I'm upset that someone in Iran is on trial for 'threatening national security' by opening a low-profile church. But I'd be upset if someone in America was on trial for opening a mosque. Freedom doesn't mean 'free to agree with me:' or shouldn't.
There are more than a billion of us alive today, but here in America we're a minority. Not as small a minority as a few decades ago, and that's another topic. In another way, I'm one of the majority of Americans who have some sort of religious belief. Here's what my fellow-citizens said they believed, in 2007:
In my case, it helps that I'm very aware that the Church is literally catholic, universal. I've been over this before:
Folks whose beliefs aren't approved by America's government leaders are much less likely to find themselves detained. This country has a fairly good record for tolerance. Not perfect, but we're better off than Iran. I've discussed tolerance, real and imagined, and 'national security,' in another blog:
(DLR, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"The SpaceLiner, which is being developed by the Institute of Space Systems at the German Aerospace Center...."
I'm not convinced that enough folks are willing to pay high prices for a 90 minute Europe-to-Australia trip. The Anglo-French Concorde was a modestly successful supersonic airliner from 1976 to 2003, so maybe there's a market for SpaceLiner.
On the other hand, much of the Concorde's commercial run was in the days before Information Age technologies made videoconferencing a practical alternative to business trips.
I'm a bit more optimistic about transportation systems like Skylon. Videoconferencing works just as well when folks are in low Earth orbit - but there's still the matter of getting gadgets and people up there.
The development of another spaceplane may seem far removed from 'spiritual' concerns. I see development of the SpaceLiner as another example of what it is to be human. Got gave us brains, and I said that last week. (January 18, 2013)
(Deep Space Industries, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"This illustration depicts Deep Space Industries' Fuel Processor class spacecraft for asteroid mining...."
The reaction of folks who sincerely loathe anything new could be a problem, or at least an annoyance. Folks who take Captain Planet seriously are, I think, likely to get upset when miners threaten the environment on asteroids. Coming from another direction, someone may achieve fleeting fame by declaring that asteroid mining is an offense against God: because asteroids are 'in the heavens.'
At the risk of sounding like one of the Planeteers, I think there's good reason for developing laws that deal with territory, property, and natural resources that aren't on Earth. We don't leave natural law behind when we leave Earth, any more than we escape the more familiar physical laws.
Natural law, ethical principles woven into this creation, is universal; and doesn't change. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1954-1960) Stealing was wrong when flint spear tips were the latest thing in weapons technology, and stealing will be be wrong when asteroid mining is as commonplace as farming is today.
Whether or not someone who takes iron from an asteroid belonging to someone else will be called a claim jumper, the act will be theft: and will be wrong. Defining exactly how ownership of asteroids and other extraterrestrial real estate will probable never be settled 'once and for all,' and that is yet again another topic.
Related posts:
I'm upset that someone in Iran is on trial for 'threatening national security' by opening a low-profile church. But I'd be upset if someone in America was on trial for opening a mosque. Freedom doesn't mean 'free to agree with me:' or shouldn't.
- Saeed Abedini: Christian and Threat to 'National Security'
- SpaceLiner - 'Almost-SpaceLiner,' Actually
- Asteroid Mining
Catholics, Tolerance, and Freedom
I'm a Catholic. My native culture's stereotype of Catholics being fettered by too many rules isn't accurate: but we do have rules. The important ones are specific applications of:- 'Love God, love your neighbor'
(Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31) - Everybody is our neighbor
(Matthew 5:43-44, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-30; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1825)
There are more than a billion of us alive today, but here in America we're a minority. Not as small a minority as a few decades ago, and that's another topic. In another way, I'm one of the majority of Americans who have some sort of religious belief. Here's what my fellow-citizens said they believed, in 2007:
- Protestant
- 51.3%
- Roman Catholic
- 23.9%
- Mormon
- 1.7%
- Other Christian
- 1.6%
- Jewish
- 1.7%
- Buddhist
- 0.7%
- Muslim
- 0.6%
- Other or unspecified
- 2.5%
- Unaffiliated
- 12.1%
- none
- 4%
In my case, it helps that I'm very aware that the Church is literally catholic, universal. I've been over this before:
- " 'Deeds Without Knowledge are Blind' "
(April 23, 2012)
Particularly - "Religious Freedom, Niemöller, and Muslims in America"
(April 7, 2011)
1. Saeed Abedini: Christian and Threat to 'National Security'
"Imprisoned Christian pastor banned from trial"I hope and pray that Saeed Abedini gets the strength to keep his faith: and that he is freed. As I said earlier in this post, don't expect a rant. I have a very low opinion of the Iranian government's track record on tolerance: and that's as far as I'll go here.
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (January 24, 2013)
"An American citizen imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith has been barred from attending his own trial and faces serious danger, warned a legal team monitoring his case.
" 'Iran has continued its lies and disinformation campaign to deflect attention from its abuse of this U.S. citizen for his faith,' said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice.
"In a series of Jan. 21-23 blog posts, Sekulow cautioned that the Iran is trying to punish 32-year-old pastor Saeed Abedini for his Christian beliefs.
"The Iranian-born pastor has been charged with attempting to undermine national security by helping to create Christian house churches in the country. Although such churches are technically legal, the regime claims that the pastor has tried to turn young people in Iran away from the national religion of Islam...."
Folks whose beliefs aren't approved by America's government leaders are much less likely to find themselves detained. This country has a fairly good record for tolerance. Not perfect, but we're better off than Iran. I've discussed tolerance, real and imagined, and 'national security,' in another blog:
- "Bahrain, Foreign Troops, and - Maybe - the Last Stand of Kings"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 18, 2011) - "America, Racism, and What Didn't Happen at Virginia Tech"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (January 22, 2009)
Particularly - "WWII and Japanese Americans, the War on Terror and Muslims: Learning the Wrong Lesson"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (February 15, 2008) - " 'They're all Muslims' - This Does Not Help"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 29, 2007)
2. SpaceLiner - 'Almost-SpaceLiner,' Actually
(DLR, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"The SpaceLiner, which is being developed by the Institute of Space Systems at the German Aerospace Center...."
"Hypersonic 'SpaceLiner' Aims to Fly Passengers in 2050"I don't doubt that technical issues involved in making a vehicle like SpaceLiner will be dealt with by 2050, 37 years from now. What I think is less certain is the business end of this vehicle.
Jeremy Hsu, SPACE.com (January 24, 2013)
" A hypersonic 'SpaceLiner' would whisk up to 50 passengers from Europe to Australia in 90 minutes. The futuristic vehicle would do so by riding a rocket into Earth's upper atmosphere, reaching 24 times the speed of sound before gliding in for a landing.
"Many challenges still remain, including finding the right shape for the vehicle, said Martin Sippel, project coordinator for SpaceLiner at the German Aerospace Center. But he suggested the project could make enough progress to begin attracting private funding in another 10 years and aim for full operations by 2050.
"The current concept includes a rocket booster stage for launch and a separate orbiter stage to carry passengers halfway around the world without ever making it to space. Flight times between the U.S. and Europe could fall to just over an hour if the SpaceLiner takes off - that is, if passengers don't mind paying the equivalent of space tourism prices around several hundred thousand dollars...."
I'm not convinced that enough folks are willing to pay high prices for a 90 minute Europe-to-Australia trip. The Anglo-French Concorde was a modestly successful supersonic airliner from 1976 to 2003, so maybe there's a market for SpaceLiner.
On the other hand, much of the Concorde's commercial run was in the days before Information Age technologies made videoconferencing a practical alternative to business trips.
I'm a bit more optimistic about transportation systems like Skylon. Videoconferencing works just as well when folks are in low Earth orbit - but there's still the matter of getting gadgets and people up there.
The development of another spaceplane may seem far removed from 'spiritual' concerns. I see development of the SpaceLiner as another example of what it is to be human. Got gave us brains, and I said that last week. (January 18, 2013)
3. Asteroid Mining
(Deep Space Industries, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"This illustration depicts Deep Space Industries' Fuel Processor class spacecraft for asteroid mining...."
"New Asteroid-Mining Venture to Be Unveiled Tuesday"I think this makes a lot of sense. Some asteroids are very rich in iron and nickel. Until very recently, the only time we've been able to get these resources was when they fell to Earth:
Mike Wall, SPACE.com (January 21, 2013)
"A new asteroid-mining company will unveil itself to the world on Tuesday (Jan. 22) and is expected to present an ambitious plan to exploit the resources of deep space.
"The new private spaceflight company, called Deep Space Industries, Inc., will reveal its plans at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Tuesday at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying in California. The new company is the second audacious project aimed at tapping the myriad riches that asteroids harbor.
"Deep Space seeks to launch 'the world's first fleet of commercial asteroid-prospecting spacecraft,' according to a press advisory the company sent to reporters. 'Deep Space is pursuing an aggressive schedule and plans on prospecting, harvesting and processing asteroids for use in space and to benefit Earth.'..."
- "Iron Meteorites"
"The Hearts of Long-Vanished Asteroids"
Geoffrey Notkin, Aerolite Meteorites, geology.com
- "Who Owns the Asteroids? Space Mining Project Raises Legal Questions"
Leonard David, Space Insider, Space.com (July 10, 2012)
Dealing With Something New
Legal wrangles many not be a serious problem: provided that lawyers and judges involved understand that asteroids are as much part of our world as is New York City's upper west side.The reaction of folks who sincerely loathe anything new could be a problem, or at least an annoyance. Folks who take Captain Planet seriously are, I think, likely to get upset when miners threaten the environment on asteroids. Coming from another direction, someone may achieve fleeting fame by declaring that asteroid mining is an offense against God: because asteroids are 'in the heavens.'
Getting a Grip
I hope to spend eternity in Heaven. I'm also about as sure as I can be of anything that I couldn't get to Heaven in a spaceship. There's a pretty good discussion of Heaven in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1023-1029, and that's yet another topic.At the risk of sounding like one of the Planeteers, I think there's good reason for developing laws that deal with territory, property, and natural resources that aren't on Earth. We don't leave natural law behind when we leave Earth, any more than we escape the more familiar physical laws.
Natural law, ethical principles woven into this creation, is universal; and doesn't change. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1954-1960) Stealing was wrong when flint spear tips were the latest thing in weapons technology, and stealing will be be wrong when asteroid mining is as commonplace as farming is today.
Whether or not someone who takes iron from an asteroid belonging to someone else will be called a claim jumper, the act will be theft: and will be wrong. Defining exactly how ownership of asteroids and other extraterrestrial real estate will probable never be settled 'once and for all,' and that is yet again another topic.
Related posts:
- Freedom
- "Studying Thousands of Worlds; Defending Life and Conscience on Ours"
(December 28, 2012)
Particularly - "Life, the Universe, and Badminton"
(August 3, 2012)
Particularly - "Freedom: A Privilege for 'Us,' and not 'Them?' "
(August 20, 2012) - "John Fisher, Thomas More, and the Big Picture"
(June 22, 2012) - "Supporting Freedom, and Other Subversive Activity"
(June 22, 2012)
- "Studying Thousands of Worlds; Defending Life and Conscience on Ours"
- Technology
- "Guns, Gamma Ray Bursts, and Roller Coasters"
(January 4, 2013)
Particularly - "Technology, Freedom, and 'Love Your Neighbor' "
(January 18, 2013)
Particularly - "News, Good and Otherwise: and Billions of Worlds"
(January 11, 2013)
Particularly - "Postcards From Mars; an Embarrassing Arrest; and a New(ish) Website"
(August 31, 2012)
Particularly - "Principles, Politics, Parkas, and a Robot on Mars"
(August 17, 2012)
Particularly
- "Guns, Gamma Ray Bursts, and Roller Coasters"
- Humans and nature
- " '...Efficient Use - Not Abuse - of
Natural Resources...' "
(January 21, 2013) - "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
(January 14, 2013) - "Nature: and the Responsible Use of Freedom"
(November 19, 2012) - "Nature: 'Wise Use,' Yes;
'Reckless Exploitation,' No"
(November 12, 2012) - " 'The Natural Environment ... God's Gift to Everyone' "
(October 29, 2012)
- " '...Efficient Use - Not Abuse - of
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Taking a Break, Holiday, Leave, Sabbatical, Vacation: Whatever
The last time I changed my schedule for this blog was in October of 2011. I'm not sure that I'll do again soon, but I definitely need a rest.
I didn't catch this year's flu: but am dealing with something like a cold. I could just 'keep on keeping on,' or I could be sensible. I've decided that I need something from this list:
I know what they'll be doing, but nobody's told me what it is that I'll be doing: except that it involves a computer. With my background, that doesn't narrow the possibilities nearly as much as you might think, and that's another topic.
By then I'll have decided whether to go back 'on schedule' here, or take a longer break. There are some art projects that I haven't found time for, so I wouldn't be doing nothing more than sitting at the end of a dock, pretending to fish.
Since it's January in Minnesota, that would be a chilly pastime: even by my standards. That's, you guessed it, yet another topic.
Vaguely-related posts:
Life Happens, and a Decision
More accurately, there's quite a bit of my non-writing life coming up next week. I started 'catching up' on next week's posts, when I decided that what I really wanted to do was take some time off.I didn't catch this year's flu: but am dealing with something like a cold. I could just 'keep on keeping on,' or I could be sensible. I've decided that I need something from this list:
- Break
- A pause from doing something (as work)
(Princeton's WordNet)
- A pause from doing something (as work)
- Holiday
- Leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
(Princeton's WordNet)
- Leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
- Leave
- The period of time during which you are absent from work or duty
(Princeton's WordNet)
- The period of time during which you are absent from work or duty
- Sabbatical
- A leave usually taken every seventh year
(Princeton's WordNet)
- A leave usually taken every seventh year
- Vacation
- Leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
(Princeton's WordNet)
- Leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
Candles, a Computer, and a Non-Vacation
What I'm looking forward to next week isn't "leisure," so at least some of my time off won't be any sort of a vacation. The family business, Spiral Light Candle, will be keeping my wife and a majority of my kids busy next week.I know what they'll be doing, but nobody's told me what it is that I'll be doing: except that it involves a computer. With my background, that doesn't narrow the possibilities nearly as much as you might think, and that's another topic.
What's Ahead
I plan to write tomorrow's post, and Sunday's, and then take a break from this blog at least until a week from tomorrow.By then I'll have decided whether to go back 'on schedule' here, or take a longer break. There are some art projects that I haven't found time for, so I wouldn't be doing nothing more than sitting at the end of a dock, pretending to fish.
Since it's January in Minnesota, that would be a chilly pastime: even by my standards. That's, you guessed it, yet another topic.
Vaguely-related posts:
- "A Post: but Not the Regularly-Scheduled One"
(December 10, 2012) - "Due to Lack of Interest, Monday has been Cancelled"
(November 26, 2012) - "Getting Back to a Normal Schedule: Maybe"
(July 5, 2012) - "A Change in Schedule"
(October 2, 2011) - "Faith With a Cold"
(October 18, 2010)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Jesus: Human, But Not Just Human
My last few posts about the Incarnation focused on Jesus as a human being: someone who occupied a particular spot, who learned stories he or his family heard, and whose appearance was fairly ordinary.
Jesus is human: but not just human.
John 1:1-5 and 14 makes that fairly clear: God "made his dwelling among us." (John 1:14) Jesus had knowledge that the rest of us - don't.
Me? I've read Job 38:1-42:6. We've learned a bit about this vast universe since that book was written: but I can no more fit a curb to the Pleiades than Job could. As I've said before: God's God; I'm not.
What Jesus "immediately knew in his mind" was knowledge, not guesswork:
What sets Jesus apart is that he also said that he would rise after three days. Human beings who are killed don't do that. We stay dead. Jesus didn't and that's another topic. (March 11, 2012)
Jesus was also remarkably specific about what Peter was going to do:
That got the surviving disciples' attention. One of my favorite bits from the Bible is what happened after Jesus left:
Details of how we carry out those orders changes as the centuries roll by, but our basic instructions haven't:
I take God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, very seriously: as well as the Last Judgment. What I think of wannabe prophets is another matter:
Jesus doesn't seem to think we need to know God's timetable. That's okay by me:
Jesus is human: but not just human.
John 1:1-5 and 14 makes that fairly clear: God "made his dwelling among us." (John 1:14) Jesus had knowledge that the rest of us - don't.
"...Not Yet Fifty Years Old..."
Jesus said 'I am God' very clearly: "...before Abraham came to be, I AM." (John 8:58) That comes right after this exchange:"Jesus answered, 'If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, "He is our God."Jesus, the Word made flesh, was "not yet fifty years old" at that point. But Jesus, the Son of God, "was in the beginning with God." (John 1:2) Small wonder that some folks have had trouble, trying to understand how a person could be coeternal with God, and have been born at a particular time, and in a particular place.
"You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word.
"Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it 22 and was glad.[']
"So the Jews said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?' 23 "
(John 8:54-57)
Me? I've read Job 38:1-42:6. We've learned a bit about this vast universe since that book was written: but I can no more fit a curb to the Pleiades than Job could. As I've said before: God's God; I'm not.
Jesus: Not Just Human
Jesus is human. He's also God. That gives him a kind of knowledge that nobody else has. Jesus knew, and knows, God the Father as a son knows his father; and Jesus knew what other people were thinking:"Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, 'Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?Sometimes I 'know' what someone else is thinking. More accurately, I can make an educated guess, based on what I know about the person and what's happening at the moment.
(Mark 2:8)
What Jesus "immediately knew in his mind" was knowledge, not guesswork:
"...The Son in his human knowledge also showed the divine penetration he had into the secret thoughts of human hearts.107"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 473)
Jesus, Peter, and Denial
Jesus knew he was going to be killed. This alone could have been a reasoned prediction. By that time my Lord had insulted powerful men in Jerusalem, and topped that off by claiming to be God. A person wouldn't have to be divine, to know that going back to Jerusalem would be risky, at best.What sets Jesus apart is that he also said that he would rise after three days. Human beings who are killed don't do that. We stay dead. Jesus didn't and that's another topic. (March 11, 2012)
Jesus was also remarkably specific about what Peter was going to do:
"He began to teach them that the Son of Man 7 must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days."
(Mark 8:31)
"5 And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, 'Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.'
"They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one, 'Surely it is not I?'
"He said to them, 'One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.
"For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, 6 but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.' "(Mark 14:18-21)
"Then, after singing a hymn, 9 they went out to the Mount of Olives.
"Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed."
"But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.'
"Peter said to him, 'Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.'
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.' "
(Mark 14:26-30)
Death and Beyond
Not long after that, Peter denied that he knew Jesus. Three times. (Luke 22:56-62) Jesus was publicly executed, and buried in a borrowed tomb: and then stopped being dead. (March 16:6)That got the surviving disciples' attention. One of my favorite bits from the Bible is what happened after Jesus left:
"When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.Two thousand years later, that's still a good question - or implied advice. Jesus left us with orders and a promise. (Matthew 28:19-20)
"While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
"They said, 'Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.' "
(Acts 1:9-11)
Details of how we carry out those orders changes as the centuries roll by, but our basic instructions haven't:
- "Same Mission, Same Basic Message, New Century"
(May 31, 2011)
On Standby Alert for Two Millennia
Writing and publishing 'End Time Bible prophecies' is a sort of cottage industry here in America.I take God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, very seriously: as well as the Last Judgment. What I think of wannabe prophets is another matter:
- "Apocalypse Whenever"
(June 14, 2011) - "Last Judgment: Attendance Mandatory"
(May 21, 2011)
Jesus doesn't seem to think we need to know God's timetable. That's okay by me:
"'But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.Related posts:
"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
"It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
"Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
"May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
"What I say to you, I say to all: "Watch!" ' "
(Mark 13:32-37)
"5 He answered them, 'It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
"6 But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'
"When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight."
(Acts 1:7-9)
- "Jesus, Knowledge, and Stories From Egypt"
(January 16, 2013)
Particularly - "Jesus: Human; Really Human"
(January 9, 2013)
Particularly - "Jesus, God, and What St. Augustine Said"
(December 26, 2012) - " 'He Emptied Himself' "
(December 4, 2012) - "Christmas: Mything the Point"
(December 18, 2011)
Monday, January 21, 2013
"...Efficient Use - Not Abuse - of Natural Resources..."
The notion that Christianity is bad for the environment has been remarkably durable. Apart from wishful thinking on the part of ardent secularists, I think Victorian-era attitudes got confused with Christian teachings: and that's another topic. (October 29, 2012)
I've been taking my time with section 50 of "Caritas in Veritate," where Benedict XVI discusses responsible stewardship over nature. This is the sort of 'environmentalism' I can take seriously: which is something of a relief, since I developed 'environmental awareness' in the '60s: and never discarded it.
I've had to fine-tune what I think about environmental issues, as I learn more about what the Church teaches. Mostly, it's been a matter of my understanding more clearly why it's important to leave something for the next generation.
That inner quote, starting with "after pondering," is from something the Pope wrote for the World Day of Peace, 2008:
Catholics are expected to take responsibility very seriously: that's one stereotype that's not far from the truth, and that's yet another topic.
I'm not entirely sure what "that covenant between human beings and the environment" is. It may be connected with our being made "in the image of God." I want to think about that some more - and do a bit of research.
More:
I've been taking my time with section 50 of "Caritas in Veritate," where Benedict XVI discusses responsible stewardship over nature. This is the sort of 'environmentalism' I can take seriously: which is something of a relief, since I developed 'environmental awareness' in the '60s: and never discarded it.
I've had to fine-tune what I think about environmental issues, as I learn more about what the Church teaches. Mostly, it's been a matter of my understanding more clearly why it's important to leave something for the next generation.
"That Covenant Between Human Beings and the Environment"
There's a lot going on in this excerpt:"...This means being committed to making joint decisions 'after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying'[120]...."Benedict XVI is writing about "our grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations." It's a bit of a challenge, since we're expected to leave humanity's home in good working order when we're through: and preferably in better shape than we found it.
("Caritas in Veritate," 50)
That inner quote, starting with "after pondering," is from something the Pope wrote for the World Day of Peace, 2008:
"...If the protection of the environment involves costs, they should be justly distributed, taking due account of the different levels of development of various countries and the need for solidarity with future generations. Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying...."He had been saying that humanity is a family, that our home is "the earth," and that we're responsible for what we do with our home.
("Message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace 2008")
Catholics are expected to take responsibility very seriously: that's one stereotype that's not far from the truth, and that's yet another topic.
I'm not entirely sure what "that covenant between human beings and the environment" is. It may be connected with our being made "in the image of God." I want to think about that some more - and do a bit of research.
Natural Resources, Efficiency, and Values
"... One of the greatest challenges facing the economy is to achieve the most efficient use - not abuse - of natural resources, based on a realization that the notion of 'efficiency' is not value-free."I'm about as sure as I can be that the responsibility of preparing a world for future generations does not mean keeping everything the way it is now. This world is designed to change, to be in a "state of journeying" - - - And that's yet again another topic.
("Message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace 2008")
More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"
"Caritas in Veritate"
More:
- "Address of Benedict XVI to the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization in New York"
Benedict XVI (April 18, 2008) - "Message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace 2008"
Benedict XVI (January 1, 2008)
- "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
(January 14, 2013)
Particularly - "Nature: 'Wise Use,' Yes;
'Reckless Exploitation,' No"
(November 12, 2012) - " 'The Natural Environment ... God's Gift to Everyone' "
(October 29, 2012)
Particularly - " 'Solidarity Among All Creatures,' Saint Francis of Assisi, and Environmental Awareness"
(April 3, 2012) - " 'In a State of Journeying' "
(January 18, 2012)
Sunday, January 20, 2013
'Too Many' People?
I don't think 'too many' people are alive today. Even if I did, deciding who should go would involve some awkward decisions: and serious ethical problems.
A few decades back, for example, I returned to a place in Minnesota's lake country. I remembered it as a nice, secluded area. It still is, compared to the near north side of Minneapolis: but quite a few folks had built houses among the trees. I can't blame them. It's still a nice place, but not quite so empty.
That's a fairly trivial change. Others are anything but insignificant.
Colonial empires started unraveling during the 20th century. The process could be going more smoothly. Again, I've been over that before, in another blog:
Not long ago, folks in one part of Africa got tired of being starved by their national leadership. I've posted about economics, ethnicity, and ethics before:
I live in small town in central Minnesota. I've lived in downtown San Francisco, and Dunseith, North Dakota. San Francisco had an enormously larger population than Dunseith, and there were a whole lot more of us on each acre in the city. But I don't think San Francisco is 'overpopulated.'
It helps that San Francisco is designed a little differently than rural towns. The part I lived in was built up between a half-dozen and ten levels above ground, plus a few below.
Globally, I'm pretty sure we could feed about a thousand times as many people as are alive today: using agricultural technology from the 1970s. Or, we're about one thousand times over the 'carrying capacity' for our species: and will die horribly in about a month. (October 31, 2011)
Producing that much food won't happen any time soon: particularly for folks who are still catching up on what's happened after the Industrial Revolution. And that's another topic.
Those individual differences make each of us unique - and give each of us our own sort of opportunity to help our neighbors.
One reason I'm cautiously optimistic about what's ahead is that we have never had so many folks alive at the same time: and able to communicate with each other more easily than ever before.
What we do with that opportunity - is up to each of us.
Related posts:
Change Happens
A half-century back, 'serious thinkers' seemed convinced that nothing would stop the post-WWII baby boom: except the the famines, plagues, and general unpleasantness attendant on a smorgasbord of predicted disasters. I've posted about these secular analogs to 'End Time Bible prophecies', mostly in another blog:- "Lemming Tracks: Blasphemy! Or, 'We're All Gonna Die' Predictions That Fizzled"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 30, 2010) - "Lemming Tracks: Ice Age, Global Warming, Climate Change, and Living Scared"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 19, 2010) - "Earth Day, 2010 - or - We Won: Deal With It"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (April 22, 2010)
A few decades back, for example, I returned to a place in Minnesota's lake country. I remembered it as a nice, secluded area. It still is, compared to the near north side of Minneapolis: but quite a few folks had built houses among the trees. I can't blame them. It's still a nice place, but not quite so empty.
That's a fairly trivial change. Others are anything but insignificant.
Colonial empires started unraveling during the 20th century. The process could be going more smoothly. Again, I've been over that before, in another blog:
- "Tolerance, Change, America, and the World"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 22, 2012)
Particularly - "Armenian
GenocideVote: Turkey Displeased"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 5, 2010) - "Don't Like American Politics? It Could Be Worse"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 2, 2009)
Particularly
Food Shortages
Food shortages of one sort or another are nothing new:- "How Egypt was felled by famine - in 2180 BC"
Betsy Mason, New Scientist (January 26, 2002) (Magazine issue 2327)
Not long ago, folks in one part of Africa got tired of being starved by their national leadership. I've posted about economics, ethnicity, and ethics before:
- "Hunger; an Ethical Imperative; and People"
(April 2, 2012) - "South Sudan, the Táin Bó Cúalnge, and Working for a Better World"
(January 6, 2012) - "Sudan, Election Results, and Genocide: Not Much to Do, But Pray"
(May 1, 2010)
Particularly
'Overpopulation' and Daniel Boone
What's 'overpopulated' and what isn't depends partly on individual preferences. Daniel Boone apparently didn't actually move every time he saw smoke from a neighbor's chimney. On the other hand, but I'm pretty sure that he'd have felt claustrophobic in today's lower east side of Manhattan. (Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (March 5, 2010))I live in small town in central Minnesota. I've lived in downtown San Francisco, and Dunseith, North Dakota. San Francisco had an enormously larger population than Dunseith, and there were a whole lot more of us on each acre in the city. But I don't think San Francisco is 'overpopulated.'
It helps that San Francisco is designed a little differently than rural towns. The part I lived in was built up between a half-dozen and ten levels above ground, plus a few below.
Globally, I'm pretty sure we could feed about a thousand times as many people as are alive today: using agricultural technology from the 1970s. Or, we're about one thousand times over the 'carrying capacity' for our species: and will die horribly in about a month. (October 31, 2011)
Producing that much food won't happen any time soon: particularly for folks who are still catching up on what's happened after the Industrial Revolution. And that's another topic.
Seven Billion Individuals
Today's world has problems: but having 'too many' people isn't one of them. Convincing some of us that it's okay for folks to enjoy freedom is an issue - and yet another topic:- "Freedom for 'People of Any Faith or No Faith At All' "
(November 9, 2012)
Particularly - "Freedom, Fear, and the Internet"
(September 28, 2012)
Those individual differences make each of us unique - and give each of us our own sort of opportunity to help our neighbors.
One reason I'm cautiously optimistic about what's ahead is that we have never had so many folks alive at the same time: and able to communicate with each other more easily than ever before.
What we do with that opportunity - is up to each of us.
Individuality and 1 Corinthians 12
Here's part of what got me started on today's post. It's today's second Bible reading:"3 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;Finally, a disclaimer I make once in a while: I've got the full teaching authority of "some guy with a blog." I don't speak for the Catholic Church.
"there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
"there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
"To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
"To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
"to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
"to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.
"But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. "
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
Related posts:
- Diversity
- "A Billion Ways to be Catholic, and the Spider-Man Principle"
(December 9, 2012) - "Individuals, the Common Good, and All That"
(May 13, 2012)
Particularly - "Faith and Obedience"
(March 25, 2012) - " 'We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites...' "
(August 5, 2011) - "Speaking in Tongues and Getting a Grip"
(June 1, 2011)
- "A Billion Ways to be Catholic, and the Spider-Man Principle"
- Population
- "New York City, Sauk Centre, and a 'Brain Pool' "
(August 20, 2012) - "Population Explosion, Birth Dearth, and a Changing World"
(June 9, 2012) - "7,000,000,000 People, More or Less: Why I'm Not Alarmed"
(October 31, 2011) - "Sustainable African Development: And Swift's Modest Proposal"
(May 6, 2010) - "Daniel Boone and the Megalopolis"
Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (March 5, 2010)
- "New York City, Sauk Centre, and a 'Brain Pool' "
- Science and technology
- "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
(January 14, 2013) - "Studying Thousands of Worlds; Defending Life and Conscience on Ours"
(December 28, 2012)
Particularly - "Earth Day, 2012: This Catholic's View"
(April 22, 2012)
Particularly - "Beauty, Science, and a Crazy Idea"
(March 14, 2012) - "Horses, Gothic Cathedrals, and a Faith That Matters"
(July 9, 2011)
Particularly
- "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
Friday, January 18, 2013
Technology, Freedom, and 'Love Your Neighbor'
"Knowledge is power: and I like power:" Cobra Bubbles had that line, in "Stitch! The Movie." It's one of my favorite movie quotes. What each of us does with the power we have: that's where ethics and free will come it.
I decided that this week's 'in the news' post would focus on technology, with a quick look at some folks putting 'love your neighbor' into practice:
I strongly suspect that we aren't hearing about "car crimes" because too many folks in America own cars, and went through the experience we call 'getting an education.' in government schools: and that's another topic.
What some folks say about guns suggests, strongly, that hoplophobia is real. The term probably isn't in your dictionary: partly because it's fairly new; partly, I think, because a remarkable number of America's 'better sort' are scared silly of weapons:
I'm not afraid of what most people are likely to do with individual freedom. Some folks have demonstrated that they can't be trusted with:
Internet access is increasingly important. Today's information technology, and social structures folks are developing, breaks the near-monopoly that traditional information gatekeepers had. That scares folks who like the status quo, and I've been over this before:
I also think that technology is potentially dangerous: all technology. For example, a simple hammer can do serious damage to my thumb if I miss the nail I'm trying to pound into place.
Some tech is particularly apt to do damage. That's why we have rules about how and where I can get LP gas cylinders filled. That stuff's dangerous.
I could, by tampering with the safety mechanism in an LP gas cylinder's valve, set off an explosion that would destroy my house, severely damage my neighbor's homes, and kill my entire family.
I won't, because I know that doing so would be wrong: as well as illegal.
I also won't push for a ban on LP gas sales, or start a grass-roots effort to abolish outdoor gas grills: even though killers in the Columbia school murders carried propane bombs. That's because I think that human beings are able to use our reason and free will: and decide that we won't act on some crazy impulse.
Instead, here's some common-sense advice:
"Grilling Safety Tips - Part 1"
nfpadotorg, YouTube (June 1, 2009)
video, 2:52
More:
But, like anything involving human beings, 'it ain't easy.'
I remember the afterglow of the 'good old days' dramatized in "The Snake Pit." The impulse to 'lock up the loonies,' like the impulse to abolish guns, might result in unintended consequences.
(Bigelow Aerospace, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"Artist's conception of the private-sector supplied Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) to be launched around the summer of 2015...."
Like anything else we do, ethics apply to scientific research. (Catechism, 2292-2295) The idea that at least some folks are "beyond good and evil" may seem attractive, but that's not how things work. (December 17, 2012; March 9, 2012)
This vast universe is filled with wonders: Including, we learned recently, billions of planets somewhat like Earth in our home galaxy. (January 11, 2013)
Closer to home, a physicist is designing a laboratory test for a sort of prototype warp drive. (Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 30, 2012))
We live in exciting times.
Vaguely-related posts:
I decided that this week's 'in the news' post would focus on technology, with a quick look at some folks putting 'love your neighbor' into practice:
- Dealing with Dangerous Technology
- Putting "Love Your Neighbor" Into Practice
- BEAM in Orbit: For Starters
Neighbors, Love, and Expectations
Catholics are told to:- Love God, love your neighbor
(Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31) - See everybody as our neighbor
(Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30)
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1825)
- "Battling Sin, Living in Hope"
(July 25, 2012) - "The Power to Hurt: Or Help"
(June 27, 2012)
Particularly - "Sin, Freedom, and Toy Monkeys"
(May 23, 2012)
- "Gray Afternoon of the Soul"
(April 29, 2012) - " 'Religious People aren't Reasonable?' "
(December 18, 2011) - "You think You had a Bad Day? Elijah, Jezebel, and a Reality Check"
(January 16, 2011) - "Emotions, the Frontal Cortex, The War on Terror, Anarchists, and the Illuminati"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 23, 2008)
1. Dealing with Dangerous Technology
"Obama-backed gun bills considered a long shot in Congress"These "gun bills" benefit from what happened in Connecticut recently. Oddly, I haven't run into impassioned demands that public schools, or automobiles, be banned: although both were involved in the killings.
Matt Smith, CNN (January 17, 2013)
"Despite supporters' hopes that this time it's different, President Barack Obama's new call for restricting some semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines will face deeply entrenched resistance in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and could be a long shot even in the Democratic-led Senate...."
I strongly suspect that we aren't hearing about "car crimes" because too many folks in America own cars, and went through the experience we call 'getting an education.' in government schools: and that's another topic.
What some folks say about guns suggests, strongly, that hoplophobia is real. The term probably isn't in your dictionary: partly because it's fairly new; partly, I think, because a remarkable number of America's 'better sort' are scared silly of weapons:
"Hoplophobia"
Wikipedia
"Hoplophobia is a pejorative[1] neologism originally coined to describe an 'irrational aversion to weapons, as opposed to justified apprehension about those who may wield them.'[2] ..."
Power, Censorship, and 'Gun Control'
I don't mind folks having individual power, even if it's the sort of power that comes from knowing how to technology. That's why I'm not afraid of people owning and using:- Guns
- Substances like
- Printing presses
- Fax machines
- Computers
(Another War-on-Terror Blog (June 27, 2008))
Guns, Internet Access, and Public Safety
A paragraph or so ago I said that I'm not afraid of people having the power that comes from owning and using technology. That's not entirely true.I'm not afraid of what most people are likely to do with individual freedom. Some folks have demonstrated that they can't be trusted with:
- Guns
- Investments
- Internet access
Internet access is increasingly important. Today's information technology, and social structures folks are developing, breaks the near-monopoly that traditional information gatekeepers had. That scares folks who like the status quo, and I've been over this before:
- "A Catholic Blogger In the Digital Continent"
(November 15, 2010)
Particularly - "What is an Information Gatekeeper?"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (August 14, 2009)
Particularly
- H. R. 3144
United States House of Representatives (July, 2007)
(from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-110hr3144ih/pdf/BILLS-110hr3144ih.pdf (January 17, 2013))
Technology and Decisions
I think that the multiple murders in Connecticut before Christmas were tragic, and avoidable.I also think that technology is potentially dangerous: all technology. For example, a simple hammer can do serious damage to my thumb if I miss the nail I'm trying to pound into place.
Some tech is particularly apt to do damage. That's why we have rules about how and where I can get LP gas cylinders filled. That stuff's dangerous.
I could, by tampering with the safety mechanism in an LP gas cylinder's valve, set off an explosion that would destroy my house, severely damage my neighbor's homes, and kill my entire family.
I won't, because I know that doing so would be wrong: as well as illegal.
I also won't push for a ban on LP gas sales, or start a grass-roots effort to abolish outdoor gas grills: even though killers in the Columbia school murders carried propane bombs. That's because I think that human beings are able to use our reason and free will: and decide that we won't act on some crazy impulse.
Instead, here's some common-sense advice:
"Grilling Safety Tips - Part 1"
nfpadotorg, YouTube (June 1, 2009)
video, 2:52
More:
- "Grilling"
National Fire Protection Association
But, like anything involving human beings, 'it ain't easy.'
I remember the afterglow of the 'good old days' dramatized in "The Snake Pit." The impulse to 'lock up the loonies,' like the impulse to abolish guns, might result in unintended consequences.
2. Putting "Love Your Neighbor" Into Practice
"Catholic hospital in Jordan struggles to help Syrian refugees"Aside from the 'feel good' angle, I think this news item is a good example of what happens when Catholics are allowed to practice our faith. We're obligated love our neighbors: and act as if that attitude means something. I've written about that now and again:
Estefania Aguirre, CNA/EWTN News (January 17, 2013)
"A Jordanian Catholic hospital is appealing for more money to help with the growing influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict in their homeland.
" 'What we're asking for is just to help us help others,' said Sister Alessandra Fumagalli, at a Catholic Near East Welfare Association gathering on Jan. 16 at the Vatican.
" 'It's really an emergency,' she added.
"Sr. Fumagalli made her remarks at the headquarters of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, speaking alongside Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri and the Archbishop of Ottawa, Terrence Prendergast...."
- "Recovering From Sandy: Breezy Point, Queens; Santiago, Cuba"
(October 31, 2012) - "South Sudan, the Táin Bó Cúalnge, and Working for a Better World"
(January 6, 2012) - "Charity, Nuns, and an Overloaded Helicopter"
(April 28, 2011)
3. BEAM in Orbit: For Starters
(Bigelow Aerospace, via Space.com, used w/o permission)
"Artist's conception of the private-sector supplied Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) to be launched around the summer of 2015...."
"Inside NASA's Deal for an Inflatable Space Station Room"The article focuses on habitat technologies Bigelow Aerospace has been developing, how they're marketing BEAM, and how similar inflatable modules may be used as we begin traveling to the Moon and Mars. I think it's likely that BEAM and similar structures will be the Quonset huts of the 21st century.
Leonard David, Space Insider, Space.com(January 16, 2013)
"A new deal between NASA and a commercial spaceflight company to add a privately built module to the International Space Station could lead to future uses of the novel space technology beyond low-Earth orbit, space agency and company officials say.
"NASA will pay $17.8 million to Bigelow Aerospace of North Las Vegas to build an inflatable module, test it and prep it for flight. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is to be launched around the summer of 2015.
"The space agency and Bigelow officials provided details of the contract in a Las Vegas briefing today (Jan. 16)...."
Science, Technology, and Being Human
I don't see why God would give us brains, unless we were expected to use them. Learning about this astonishing creation, and doing something with it, are an important part of being human. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2293)Like anything else we do, ethics apply to scientific research. (Catechism, 2292-2295) The idea that at least some folks are "beyond good and evil" may seem attractive, but that's not how things work. (December 17, 2012; March 9, 2012)
This vast universe is filled with wonders: Including, we learned recently, billions of planets somewhat like Earth in our home galaxy. (January 11, 2013)
Closer to home, a physicist is designing a laboratory test for a sort of prototype warp drive. (Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 30, 2012))
We live in exciting times.
Vaguely-related posts:
- Technology
- "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
(January 14, 2013) - "Truth, Justice, and Texting With My Son"
(August 12, 2012)
Particularly - "When to Call Tech Support, When to Read the Bible"
(January 14, 2011) - "Bigelow Aerospace, Private Space Station, International Enterprise"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (October 20, 2010) - "DC Gun Ban, Online Censorship, Individual Rights, and Power to the People"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (June 27, 2008)
- "Advanced Technologies and Responsible Stewardship"
- Science
- "Alpha Centauri, Freedom, and Me"
(October 19, 2012)
Particularly - "Another Step Closer to a Practical Warp Drive: Maybe"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 30, 2012) - "An Ancient Brain, Politics, and Searching for Life on Mars"
(October 12, 2012)
Particularly - "Taking Life a Thousand Years at a Time"
(June 10, 2012) - "Science isn't a Four-Letter Word"
(January 29, 2012)
- "Alpha Centauri, Freedom, and Me"
- Getting a Grip
- "Guns, Gamma Ray Bursts, and Roller Coasters"
(January 4, 2013)
Particularly - "Freedom, Joy, and Tau Ceti's Planets"
(December 21, 2012)
Partlicularly - "Connecticut School: Mass Murder and Prayer"
(December 14, 2012) - "9/11, Just War, and 'Death to Mickey Mouse' "
(September 11, 2011) - "CCSU Students Talk About Guns: Naturally, Their Professor Called the Police"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 4, 2009)
- "Guns, Gamma Ray Bursts, and Roller Coasters"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Advertisement
Unique, innovative candles
Visit us online: | |
Spiral Light Candle | • Find a Retailer • Spiral Light Candle Store |
Popular Posts
-
We are involved in a war which was raging when the current event, which we call the universe, began its existence. This war's origins ar...
-
My name is Brian Gill. In keeping with the customs of my culture, the first name is one which my parents chose for me, the last is the name ...
-
Kidney failure isn't always fatal these days. Hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis can keep someone alive until a transplant donor sh...
-
Australopithecus deyiremeda, a newly-discovered member of humanity's family, was in this week's news. We're also learning more...
-
My wife gave me a familiar 'did you really say that?' look a few days ago, after I said I didn't understand why so many folks ar...
Label Cloud
1277
abortion
ADD
ADHD-Inattentive
Adoration Chapel
Advent
Afghanistan
Africa
America
Amoris Laetitia
angels
animals
annulment
Annunciation
anti-catholicism
Antichrist
apocalyptic ideas
apparitions
archaeology
architecture
Arianism
art
Asperger syndrome
assumptions
asteroid
astronomy
Australia
authority
balance and moderation
baptism
being Catholic
beliefs
bias
Bible
Bible and Catechism
bioethics
biology
blogs
brain
Brazil
business
Canada
capital punishment
Caritas in Veritate
Catechism
Catholic Church
Catholic counter-culture
Catholicism
change happens
charisms
charity
Chile
China
Christianity
Christmas
citizenship
climate change
climatology
cloning
comets
common good
common sense
Communion
community
compassion
confirmation
conscience
conversion
Corpus Christi
cosmology
creation
credibility
crime
crucifix
Crucifixion
Cuba
culture
dance
dark night of the soul
death
depression
designer babies
despair
detachment
devotion
discipline
disease
diversity
divination
Divine Mercy
divorce
Docetism
domestic church
dualism
duty
Easter
economics
education
elections
emotions
England
entertainment
environmental issues
Epiphany
Establishment Clause
ethics
ethnicity
Eucharist
eugenics
Europe
evangelizing
evolution
exobiology
exoplanets
exorcism
extremophiles
faith
faith and works
family
Father's Day
Faust
Faustus
fear of the Lord
fiction
Final Judgment
First Amendment
forgiveness
Fortnight For Freedom
free will
freedom
fun
genetics
genocide
geoengineering
geology
getting a grip
global
Gnosticism
God
God's will
good judgment
government
gratitude
great commission
guest post
guilt
Haiti
Halloween
happiness
hate
health
Heaven
Hell
HHS
hierarchy
history
holidays
Holy Family
Holy See
Holy Spirit
holy water
home schooling
hope
humility
humor
hypocrisy
idolatry
image of God
images
Immaculate Conception
immigrants
in the news
Incarnation
Independence Day
India
information technology
Internet
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jesus
John Paul II
joy
just war
justice
Kansas
Kenya
Knights of Columbus
knowledge
Korea
language
Last Judgment
last things
law
learning
Lent
Lenten Chaplet
life issues
love
magi
magic
Magisterium
Manichaeism
marriage
martyrs
Mary
Mass
materialism
media
medicine
meditation
Memorial Day
mercy
meteor
meteorology
Mexico
Minnesota
miracles
Missouri
moderation
modesty
Monophysitism
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mother's Day
movies
music
Muslims
myth
natural law
neighbor
Nestorianism
New Year's Eve
New Zealand
news
Nietzsche
obedience
Oceania
organization
original sin
paleontology
parish
Parousia
penance
penitence
Pentecost
Philippines
physical disability
physics
pilgrimage
politics
Pope
Pope in Germany 2011
population growth
positive law
poverty
prayer
predestination
presumption
pride
priests
prophets
prostitution
Providence
Purgatory
purpose
quantum entanglement
quotes
reason
redemption
reflections
relics
religion
religious freedom
repentance
Resurrection
robots
Roman Missal Third Edition
rosaries
rules
sacramentals
Sacraments
Saints
salvation
schools
science
secondary causes
SETI
sex
shrines
sin
slavery
social justice
solar planets
soul
South Sudan
space aliens
space exploration
Spain
spirituality
stem cell research
stereotypes
stewardship
stories
storm
Sudan
suicide
Sunday obligation
superstition
symbols
technology
temptation
terraforming
the establishment
the human condition
tolerance
Tradition
traffic
Transfiguration
Transubstantiation
travel
Trinity
trust
truth
uncertainty
United Kingdom
universal destination of goods
vacation
Vatican
Vatican II
veneration
vengeance
Veterans Day
videos
virtue
vlog
vocations
voting
war
warp drive theory
wealth
weather
wisdom
within reason
work
worship
writing
Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin
Background:
- • "Worthy of belief" Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin
- • "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. Principles and Guidelines," 15; Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican City (December 2001)
- • "Basic
Information on Apparitions, Diocese of Green Bay
- (Archived from (www.gbdioc.org/images/stories/Evangelization_Worship/Shrine/Documents/Basic-Information-on-Apparitions.pdf on December 8, 2010)
- Catechism of the Catholic Church on:
- • "Apparition of Mary, Champion, Wisconsin: A Pilgrimage? Not for Me" (April 10, 2011)
- • "Wisconsin Apparitions Okay: Champion, Wisconsin: Not Necedah" (December 8, 2010)
- • "Wisconsin chapel approved as first US Marian apparition site" Benjamin Mann, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (December 9, 2010)
What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?
From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.
I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.
For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.
Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.
Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.
I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.
For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.
Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.
Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.