Touchstone Magazine - Mere Comments: Eighth Day: Touché Socrates!

re: Eighth Day Books, their catalog, and the book So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance, by Gabriel Zaid; trans. by Natasha Wimmer...

The Corner on National Review Online: Not Your Average Harvard Feminist

re: "...Serrin Foster, head of the group Feminists for Life, mourns the death of Benazir Bhutto, who she calls “an international advocate for women and children, born and unborn, especially those in developing countries.” / Foster says of the former Pakistani prime minister: “A pro-life feminist, Bhutto consistently promoted a holistic approach to addressing the needs of women by emphasizing the empowerment of women. Bhutto urged world leaders to address health issues including increased nutrition and immunizations. She advocated the protection of women from domestic violence and war. And she connected the need for education of girls and women to their ability to work, and a woman’s ability to work as essential to achieving economic independence. / Foster adds: “Bhutto also refused to choose between meeting the needs of women or between protecting unborn children from abortion,” Foster said. Bhutto called the common practice of gender selected abortions “tragic” and said it “still haunts a world we regard as modern and civilized.”..."...

Dr. Sanity: THE LOGIC OF TERROR

re: "Much is being written and said about Benazir Bhutto's assasination and the mythology and reality of her life. I think the most important issue that needs to be remembered by the West comes from Cliff May at The Corner:..."...

Mankind is more than the janitor of planet Earth | spiked

re: "...The reduction of man to an eco-janitor, a being who creates waste and thus must clear it up, is more than a cynical attempt by isolated Christian leaders to connect with the public. Yes, Williams, Owen, the Holy See and Co. no doubt hope and believe (mistakenly, I’m sure) that adopting trendy Greenspeak will entice people to return to the church. But the move from focusing on love for God and one’s neighbour to focusing on ‘respect for the planet’ represents more than a rebranding exercise: it signals a complete abandonment by the Christian churches of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. And in this sense, it is not only God that is being downgraded by the new nature-worshipping priests; so is humanity itself. And that’s enough to make even a committed atheist like me worry about the current direction of the Christian churches."

hat tip: Frank Wilson

At A Hen's Pace: A Return to Tradition

re: "Thanks to my friend Jen in Seattle for pointing out this article! If you've been a reader here for awhile, you know I've been doing an on-again, off-again series on why we are planting an Anglican church: what drew us, from evangelical backgrounds, to this form of worship, and why we think it will grow... [snip]... The Baptist church that I grew up in held their first-ever Ash Wednesday service last year! Anyone else noticing a return to tradition in your church?"...

AMERICAN FUTURE » Tom Friedman on the NIE

re: "Friedman has just returned from the Bahrain security conference, at which “all the buzz” was about the latest NIE on Iran. Friedman says that it left every Arab and European expert he spoke to “baffled” — “not in its conclusions, but by why those conclusions were framed in a way that is sure to reduce America’s leverage to negotiate with Tehran.” /In his New York Times op-ed, Friedman presents an interesting analogy..."...

Global Anglican Future Conterence

re: Archbiship Jensen: "A Global Anglican Future Conference is planned for June 2008. The aim of the Conference is to discuss the future of mission and relationships within the churches of Anglican Communion... [snip]... I want those in the fellowship of our Diocese to know what this is about and why I am involved..."...

Anglican Church Finder

re: "The AAC answers calls daily from individuals who want to leave their Episcopal churches but don’t know where to turn. Below are some resources available to assist you in finding an orthodox, Anglican-tradition church nearby..."...

Two Perspectives on the Bible and Contemporary Issues

re: "This week, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS has featured two different perspectives on the Bible and its relevance to contemporary issues. On Tuesday, Ray Suarez interviewed Dr. Peter Gomes, Minister of the Harvard Memorial Church and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University, about his new book, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus. /On Wednesday he presented an interview with me about my new book, Cultureshift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth [due to be released January 15]. /The audio versions of the segments are available online, as are full transcripts of the interviews. Dr. Gomes' book is worthy of a full review, which will appear here in coming days. I appreciate the fact that Ray Suarez and The News Hour dealt with both of us far above the level of soundbites..."...

A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT » Congress Defunds Border Fence, But Looking To Fund La Raza

re: "...As incongruous as it may seem to sane people with the requisite common sense that perpetually eludes this Congress, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) has introduced HR-1999 (the “Hope Fund Act of 2007″) that would fund (see bill’s summary) the National Council of La Raza with a gift-wrapped bounty of taxpayers’ dollars. Writes John Wallace in an Op-Ed piece for News Blaze: //The American people should also be aware that there is also a bill currently in Congress (HR-1999) to fund the National Council of La Raza, an anti-assimilation, pro-illegal alien organization. This bill asks the American people to give this pro-amnesty organization $5 million dollars in 2008 and $10 million a year for each fiscal year thereafter..."...

Rumors of Glory: The Conscience of an Anglican - Books & Culture Magazine

re: Alan Jacobs explains why he has mostly stayed out of the public arguments about the Episcopalian/Anglican conflicts, even though he has left the Episcopal Church for reasons of conscience. Column mentions in passing the book Wayward Christian Soldiers by Charles Marsh...

Captain's Quarters: Turks Using US Intel To Hit Iraqi Targets (Update: Rice In Iraq)

re: "If we can't stop the Turks from invading Iraq, at least we can control their target selection. That appears to be the strategy this morning, as the Turks moved in and hit at rebel bases within the autonomous Kurdish area in northern Iraq. The Bush administration has walked a tightrope for months on the increasing provocations of the PKK and the inevitable response..."...

Captain's Quarters: Kicking Up The Ruckus

re: "Newsweek has launched a new feature at its website called The Ruckus, in conjunction with the Media Bloggers Association. The Ruckus will track the postings of nine bloggers on the presidential race from now until Election Day in November -- including Captain's Quarters..."...

FIRST THINGS: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life

re: Robert P. George: "The obligations and purposes of law and government are to protect public health, safety, and morals, and to advance the general welfare—including, preeminently, protecting people’s fundamental rights and basic liberties. /At first blush, this classic formulation (or combination of classic formulations) seems to grant vast and sweeping powers to public authority. Yet, in truth, the general welfare—the common good—requires that government be limited..."...

Captain's Quarters: The Terrorist Plot No One Talked About

re: "A terrorist conspiracy to attack military sites and synagogues developed among prison Muslims for years, and yet hardly any mention of the conspiracy made the news. The Los Angeles Times picks up the story no one else seems interested in reporting, noting that two of the accused have pled guilty to the conspiracy... [snip]... The investigation started as a routine probe into a gas-station robbery. Police in Torrance discovered the group's manifesto, a list of targets, and a post-attack warning for people to avoid contact with Jews and non-Jewish supporters of "the Zionist state". Torrance called in the feds, who believe that the group had almost completed its preparations for a major attack in Los Angeles..."...

Great Books CD Series - Prison Fellowship

re: "...This new CD series by Dr.Kenneth Boa—a fascinating teacher and prolific author himself—helps you delve into the greatest books ever written that were influenced by a Christian worldview. Each month you will receive a CD that gives insights into a particular book and its author—gems of knowledge and perceptions that give new clarity to what you’re already reading or whet your appetite to dive into the book..."...

Joust The Facts: "Belief In" Global Warming

re: "...Wall Street Journal carried a Holman Jenkins Jr. column on the patron saint of rising ocean levels, Nobel Prize winner Al Gore, the former VP. It's a very good read, if you can get past the subscriber wall. I found one quote particularly interesting. Mr. Jenkins first notes the psychological work of another couple of Nobel Prize winners: //How this honor has befallen the former Veep could perhaps be explained by another Nobel, awarded in 2002 to Daniel Kahneman for work he and the late Amos Tversky did on "availability bias," roughly the human propensity to judge the validity of a proposition by how easily it comes to mind. /Their insight has been fruitful and multiplied: "Availability cascade" has been coined for the way a proposition can become irresistible simply by the media repeating it; "informational cascade" for the tendency to replace our beliefs with the crowd's beliefs; and "reputational cascade" for the rational incentive to do so..."...

Happy Catholic: The Twist in This Adventure-Thriller is Catholicism

re: "...I like this sort of thriller which tends to be straight forward between good and bad guys, full of action, and in praise of the dedicated military man's prowess. Recent books I've enjoyed of this genre include Empire by Orson Scott Card and Karl's Last Flight by Basil Sands. I hadn't come across Tom Grace's books before but this book [The Secret Cardinal] is singularly of interest to Catholics who also enjoy the genre. Grace became aware of the struggle between the church and the Chinese government when he read a transcript of Sen. Joseph Lieberman's tribute on the death of Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei. This sparked Grace's further investigation into the situation which in turn led to this book. Not only is there the action of rescuing the Cardinal, but of a papal conclave which has a mole in its midst leaking news about Yin's escape..."...

Admitted “In The Blink Of An Eye” « Expat Yank

re: "...IRIS is far superior to what U.S. citizens and “green card” residents have to endure to enter the U.S. The booth opens as you approach, you step in, and a plumy female recorded voice tells you “Look into the mirror“. You stare ahead, and your iris is within seconds checked against the registered database, in which your immigration details are stored..."...

The Common Room: Quiet Strength, a Memoir

re: "I picked up Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy when the Equuschick was in the hospital nursing her pancreas. I have always enjoyed reading biographies about leaders. Leadership is needed in our nation, in our churches, and especially in my gender. We need servant leadership that is gentle, strong, and effective. We need leaders who care enough about others to step up and say, "Follow me, I'll smooth the path for you and accept responsibility for our direction."... [snip]... I highly recommend this book..."...

Considerettes » Emotionally Tied to Embryonic Stem Cells

re: "Now that normal skin cells can be made to mimic embryonic stem cells, you’d think that the big push to keep destroying embryos and the ethical considerations that accompany it would pretty much die out. You’d be wrong. Michael J. Fox, one of the more vocal and visible players advocating embryonic stem cell research, will have none of that..."...

Dr. Sanity: BANKRUPT PHILOSOPHY EXPOSED, BUT MALIGNANT LEADER SOLDIERS ON

re: "The totally bankrupt ideology espoused by Hugo Chavez (and admired by his Hollywood fan club) was, sooner or later, bound to lose its ongoing struggle against the forces of reality. "21st Century Socialism" never had much of a chance of bringing anything but devastation to the Venezuelan populace... [snip]... Chavez can still do great harm since he will remain in power until 2013; and, with his sort of malignant personality, it is very likely he will. But it has become clear that his touted "21st Century Socialism" is just the same, tired, old 20th century Marxist bull, proven to be toxic to human society. It was already well on its way to poisoning all of Venezuela, and we can expect continued societal deterioration, increased poverty, and endless misery in that part of the world for a while. Whether this one democratic vote can really stop the sociopathic forces of socialist opporession remains to be seen..."...

The networks protect us from dangerous ideas « Bookworm Room

re: networks refuse to run ads thanking the military...

World On the Web » Gore vs. Faulkner

re: "...Probably the most famous Nobel speech belongs to William Faulkner, who accepted his (for literature, of course) on this date in 1950. Gore’s and Faulkner’s speeches can be compared rather easily. /Faulkner’s speech came in the beginning of the cold war, when nuclear war and the A-bomb were about to start scaring the you-know-what out of everybody. Faulkner’s speech and Gore’s are eerily similar in that they both speak about a Big Problem and What’s To Be Done in Face of It. Some think Faulkner was being a little progressive and utopian in his speech, but I think the Christian, even the Calvinist, can see that Faulkner understood something about the soul when he said..."...

hat tip: Phil

Father joins Navy to honor son who died in Iraq | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

re: "...His son, Marine Lt. Nathan Krissoff, 25, had been killed in a December 2006 roadside bomb explosion in Iraq. /Months later, Krissoff came to a carefully considered decision: He would honor his son by leaving a flourishing orthopedic practice, a comfortable life, to join the Navy as a combat surgeon.
But his application for an age waiver was mired in paperwork. /So, on that August day in Reno, when Bush went around the room and asked if there was anything he could do, Krissoff spoke up. /"I said, 'Yeah, there is one thing. I want to join the Navy medical corps and I gotta get some help here,' " recalled Krissoff, 61, who lives in California, near Reno. /Three days after that meeting, the Navy called. /His waiver had been granted..."...

hat tip: cdr salamander, via PalmTree Pundit