Pazdziernik

Moving

2006-10-29T18:53:00.000-05:00

Pazdziernik will be moving to a new home: pazdziernik.typepad.com

Red October

2006-10-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

We are all saddened to learn about the death of Boston Celtic's Patriarch Arnold "Red" Auerbach (1917-2006) last night.

"I think Arnold was an absolute giant in the field. I have been around a lot of competitive people but his commitment to winning was absolute -- nothing was more important. He was relentless and produced the greatest basketball dynasty so far that this country has ever seen and certainly that the NBA has ever seen. This is a personal loss for me, Arnold and I have been together since 1950. I was fortunate that I was able to attend a function with him Wednesday night when he was honored by the United States Naval Memorial Foundation in Washington, and I am so glad now that I took the time to be there and spend a few more moments with him." — Bob Cousy

"Nobody has had as much impact on a sport as Red Auerbach had on the game of basketball. He was a pioneer of the NBA. He left his philosophy of winning championships, playing hard and playing as a team with several generations of players. He was truly a great manager of people because he got people to commit to who they were as people and what their role was on the team. He was exceptional at listening and motivating people to put out their very best. In my playing days he once gave me a loaded cigar and six months later I gave him one that was our relationship. We had a tremendous amount of fun and the game of basketball will never see anyone else like him." — Tom Heinsohn

"Beyond his incomparable achievements, Red had come to be our basketball soul and our basketball conscience; the void left by his death will never be filled." —David Stern, NBA Commissioner

Ora Pro Eo.

Photo: celtics.com

Flags of Our Fathers

2006-10-28T23:27:00.000-04:00

After seeing Flags of Our Father — directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Clint Eastwood and Stephen Spielberg — this afternoon in a theater, I now finally understand and appreciate Johnny Cash’s "The Ballad of Ira Hayes” (1964). Ira Hayes was one of the U.S. Marines who raised the flag atop of the Japanese Island Iwo Jima in February of 1945.

Flags opened in theaters on October 20, 2006. It was filmed very much like Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg’s Band of Brothers. Overall, I enjoyed Flags of Our Father. It was worth its R rating. The violence and language was harsh at times but not gratuitous. The action was very much in keeping with Band of Brothers (2001). (I read somewhere that Stephen Spielberg is preparing a “World War II Pacific theater” version of the “European theater” Band of Brothers.)

The battle scenes in Flags showed vividly the horror of war. Its was not on the war in the Pacific or even on the Battle of Iwo Jima, but rather both served as a backdrop to the story of the particular men who raised the flag. It alternated between the events on Iwo Jima leading up to (and shortly afterwards) the flag raising, and the heroic acclaim that the survivors of the flag raising received as part of a campaign to raise War Bonds to support the United States' effort in World War II. John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) and Keyes Beech (John Benjamin Hickey) were the central characters. The ordinariness, duty, heroics, and deference to the men who lost their lives at Iwo Jima make these characters noble. Adam Beach should surely get a supporting actor nomination for his portrayal of Ira Hayes!

War is real and the Iwo Jima story is real. Flags was especially edifying because it stuck to the “war and flag tour story” and did not get wrapped-up in any particular ideology as contemporary war-themed movies tend to. This movie is not for the “faint of heart”. If one is squeamish or otherwise would have trouble digesting the violence in the context of a battle, then perhaps another movie would be a safer bet. If you really enjoyed Band of Brothers —as I certainly did — then Flags of Our Father should be on your "must see" list.

Clint Eastwood's companion movie Letters From Iwo Jima will be released in Japan on December 9, 2006.

Photo: www.flagsofourfathers.net
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Iwo Jima, World War II

Grunge TV

2006-10-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

I like to watch quality television programming like the next guy (I think). Such programming is hard to find these days. When cable tv was first introduced I thought that it would offer a real variety of programming including frequent and easy-to-find “classic” movies on television: Movies that are always lauded at Oscar® time but I missed because I was not yet born. Such was the promise. Of course, nowadays, the “classic” channels and other channels are all seemingly offering the “least common denominator” fare targeted to the “coveted 18-34 demographic.” The “classic” movies are also rare to find at a local video store.

Parents Television Council (PTC) (founded 1995) is a nonpartiasn organization that tracks the content of primetime programs and their sponsors. They work with "elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards." I weekly, or at least now and then, hop over to their site to see what I’ve “missed” — most often for my good. “We’ve come a long way baby” from the early days of cable television, not to mention television in general. PTC is always noting that the primetime "family hour" —7:30 pm to 9pm are the parameters I think— is anything but family-friendly these days.

If you are wondering “where have the arts gone on television?” and “why are there 100 channels on cable and they all seem similar?” (read: no variety), then PTC’s October 2, 2006 article, Culture Watch Entertainment Industry News by Christopher Gildemeister, is a near “must read.” Here is an excerpt from Gildemeister's full on-line article:

Critics generally laud foreign film as superior to most American fare, yet the United States was one of first nations where film as a medium of artistic expression began; and inarguably America’s early success with the medium contributed to its worldwide popularity and encouraged the development of film as a medium of expression overseas. Thus, film can be considered one of America’s few native art forms, and as such is deserving of proper preservation and presentation.

Such was the original mission of the American Movie Classics cable network. Beginning as a pay service in October 1984, American Movie Classics became a resident of the “basic cable” tier in 1987. At its inception critics gushed over the network and its presentation of classic films, from famous epics to little-seen gems, including silent films, shown around the clock. The network – and the movies it showed – were free from commercial interruption, and thus were able to be viewed as their makers intended them. Spaces between films were often filled by Movietone Newsreels. The network also offered original documentaries on the art of film and the charmingly nostalgic drama Remember WENN. But the network abandoned its dedication to the American artform, and is now a general-interest network similar to others.

“American Movie Classics has devolved into just plain old AMC and, like the fast food chain KFC, refers to itself exclusively by acronym to shroud the content of its product. The word ‘Classics’ no longer applies, as you could watch AMC for days and never see one. The schedule used to boast Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton festivals, and films such as Katharine Hepburn’s debut in A Bill of Divorcement, and the rarely-screened Frank Capra feature The Bitter Tea of General Yen. Now, AMC is home to Halloween IV [and] RoboCop…All this was done, according to AMC, to attract a younger audience, because heaven knows there just aren’t enough cable networks devoted to the 18-34 demographic.” – David Hofstede, author of What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History.

AMC’s former niche on basic cable is now occupied by Turner Classic Movies, which emulates much of the presentation style and content of the old American Movie Classics; but the trend towards crasser programming may also be creeping upon TCM. The network currently advertises a program in which traditional film host Robert Osborne will face off against the younger and presumably trendier Ben Mankiewicz in arguments over film. TCM has also announced the debut in October of TCM Underground, a series to be hosted by Rob Zombie, director of such stomach-churning movies as House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects.

If cable’s treatment of classic film has become skewed toward more explicit violence and sex, it is as nothing compared with the fate of networks and programming originally devoted to the fine arts.

The Bravo network originated in 1980, and featured a gamut of programming devoted to all areas of art, from presentations of Shakespeare and other plays to grand and light opera, as well as more avant-garde productions. Occasionally classically-oriented top-quality drama from film and television were also presented, such as the acclaimed miniseries I, Claudius. But while the audience for arts programming tends to be both financially wealthy and fiercely loyal, it is also small. Furthermore, most of the viewers of fine arts programming are in the over-45 age bracket – an unpardonable sin in the eyes of network programmers and advertisers. After being purchased by NBC in 2002, Bravo began its evolution towards the déclassé format it currently occupies. Today, alongside such hit programs as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, one finds the raunchy standup comedy of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List; the Desperate Housewives-inspired The Real Housewives of Orange County; Work Out, featuring the clientele of a Beverly Hills gymnasium; Tabloid Wars, which chronicles the cutthroat world of salacious journalists; and presentations of such graphically violent films as The Silence of the Lambs and Pulp Fiction. And while Bravo’s executives gamely protest that nothing has changed, such statements are farcical when contrasted with the programming Bravo now offers.

PTC’s also lists regularly their Top Ten Best and Worst Shows for family viewing on prime time broadcast television.

Photo: Grunge Television © Shaun Lowe
Tags: Television, Parents TV, Christopher Gildemeister, David Hofstede

Cool Cash

2006-10-17T22:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski) issued a 50 zloty note depicting the last Patriarch of the West. (Pope Benedict XVI dropped the title “Patriarch of the West”). Karol Wojtyla (1920- 2005), born in Wadowice, Poland, was elected to the papacy on October 16, 1978 and took the name John Paul II. Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of this blessed event for the Church, Poland and the world.

Here is a nice description of this new legal tender:

The note was designed by Andrzej Heidrich. The obverse of the note symbolically depicts a role of the Holy See and the Pope’s mission in the universal perspective and the reverse features the pontificate of John Paul II from the Polish perspective by placing it in Poland’s most recent history.

The face of the note contains a portrait of John Paul II holding his pastoral cross against the background of a stylised globe, which is a symbol of the pontificate’s universal nature. The Pope is wearing his pontifical vestments and is performing a greeting gesture. In his hand, he is holding a crosier — a symbol of papal authority. The right-hand bottom side of the note contains the following inscription: “John Paul II” and the pontificate’s term: “16 X 1978 – 2 IV 2005.”

The reverse of the note shows an episode which occurred during the Holy Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate of John Paul II and depicts a special relationship between the Pope and Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski. As the Cardinal paid homage, John Paul II rose and performed a memorable gesture to express his respect to the Primate of Poland. On the right-hand side of the scene there is a quotation from Letter to Poles read out by John Paul II to his countrymen who congregated in Vatican Paul VI Hall on the day immediately following the event: “There would be no Polish Pope on this Chair of St. Peter [...] had it not been for your faith undiminished by prison and suffering, your heroic hope [...]”. ("Nie byloby na Stolicy Piotrowej tego papieza Polaka [...], gdyby nie bylo Twojej wiary, nie cofajacej sie przed wiezieniem i cierpieniem, Twojej heroicznej nadziei [...]".) The space under the quotation bears the Pope’s facsimile signature and the date he uttered those words on, namely 23 October 1978. It is worth noting that in 2006 we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski’s death and the 50th anniversary of his release from prison.

An outline of the Jasna Góra Monastery and church under the text is to emphasise the role of the shrine of Jasna Góra in the history of Poland and life of the Holy Father and the Primate of the Millennium. The bands beneath their feet bear their Episcopal mottos, namely Totus Tuus — the motto of John Paul II and Soli Deo — the motto of Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski.

The graphic design of the note is modern yet full of symbolic. A watermark depicts a papal coat of arms of John Paul II. In the background behind the pastoral cross guilloche lines were placed with repeating images of fish, cross and the letters RP.

On the note, microlettering was used five times, so it is possible to see the names of the states visited by John Paul II during his papal pilgrimages through a magnifying glass. They fill out the outlines of the continents seen on the globe.

Both sides of the note feature a theme of Peter’s keys. On the face, white Peter’s keys framed into a square and bound by a string can be seen. On the reverse they are presented in olive colour. It is the so-called see-through register (recto-verso) – where the elements on both sides on the note complement each other and create a unity seen at the light. The inscription JP II is seen on the note depending on the angle of viewing – it is the so-called angle effect.

Some graphic elements of the note can be seen only in ultra-violet light. For example, on the face of the note UV light reveals red and celadon green papal coat of arms of John Paul II on the right side of the Pope. On the reverse of the note, in the UV light, Peter’s keys are seen, framed into a square and in the colour of orange.

All the notes bear the letter series of JP related to the Pope’s initials.

Euros are not yet legal tender in Poland. Each 50 PLN note will cost 90 PLN. The difference is to offset the cost of this special "collectors' note". A portion of the profits will go towards a foundation for “gifted young people for low-income families.”

The last revaluation of the zloty was on January 1, 1995: 1: 10,000. The current exchange rate to the US dollar is about 3.1 zloty per US dollar.

Tags: Poland, John Paul II, currency
Citation: “Poland’s first collector note” (Narodowy Bank Polski)

Great Joy Times Four

2006-10-15T23:58:00.000-04:00

We have great joy in the Church today! Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed four new saints for the Universal Church! Two from Italy, one from Mexico, and one from the United States.

St. Rafael Guízar Valencia (1878-1938), a bishop of Veracruz, Mexico, who is the first bishop-saint born in Latin America. Saint Rafael was ordained June 1, 1901 at the age of 23. He is the great uncle of Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi founder Fr. Marcial Maciel. St. Rafael was the brother of Fr. Maciel’s grandmother (Maura Guízar Valencia). He was also the brother of Bishop Antonio Guízar Valencia of Chihuahua.

St. Teodora Guérin (1798-1856) of France, born Anne-Thérèse, is Indiana's first saint. Sent by the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence to Indiana in 1839, the religious founded St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana in the United States.

St. Filippo Smaldone (1848-1923) of Italy was a diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart. He is known as the apostle of those who cannot hear or speak.

St. Rosa Venerini (1656-1728) of Italy, founded the Congregation of Religious Teachers Venerini and the first public school for girls in Italy.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) tells us the significance of these events:

By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors. “The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church’s history.” Indeed, “holiness is the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and missionary zeal.” (CCC 828)

It would be nice to see some new churches be named after these saints!

Photo: Saint Rafael Guízar Valencia
Reference: ZENIT.org ZE06101505
Tags: Catholic Church, Saints, Pope Benedict,Rosa Venerini,Filippo Smaldone,Teodora Guerin,Rafael Guizar Valencia

Valor: Specialist Richard Ghent

2006-10-13T23:53:00.000-04:00

Valor – n from the Latin valere to be strong; strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery

Valor as a virtue is surely not shown on the nightly news or discussed on talk shows with any frequency. It is safe to say that for that it is not cultivated in most government, Catholic or other schools and universities. Valor nowadays is perhaps only cultivated in military schools and some “rare” homes and other “rare” schools. It may be a forgotten virtue that some think perhaps only applies to the battlefield. It surely does apply to the battlefield and it’s edifying to read about the valor of New Hampshire’s own Richard Ghent ("NH Guardsman to receive Silver Star for valor while under fire" by Mark Hayward (October 13, 2006)) in Manchester’s Union Leader.

A New Hampshire Army National Guard soldier who charged enemy insurgents in Iraq with a 9mm handgun after being blown out of his Humvee will be awarded the Silver Star tomorrow.

Richard Ghent of Rochester, who was 20 at the time of the attack, will receive the third highest citation the United States military awards for valor. He is the only New Hampshire guardsman to earn such an award, according to the New Hampshire Army National Guard.

"I'm happy I'm getting it. I obviously feel I deserve it, but it's just doing what I was taught to do," Ghent said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Ghent's action took place on March 1 during a grenade attack that severely wounded fellow guardsman Jose Pequeno, the Sugar Hill police chief, and killed Vermont guardsman Christopher Merchant.

According to the narrative to Ghent's award, he was the first to notice the attack on the Humvee, which was patrolling a highway near Ramadi. A grenade hit him in the face, he yelled "grenade" and was ejected from the turret as he scrambled out of it.

Dazed and wounded in the face, Ghent quickly focused and demonstrated "great courage and intrepidity of action" by drawing his pistol and engaging the insurgents, according to the narrative for the Silver Star.

"(Specialist) Ghent charged the insurgents and drove them away from the Observation Post without any benefit of cover and concealment," the narrative reads. "(Specialist) Ghent held his ground, expending nearly all his ammunition, until relieved by elements of his platoon ..."

Ghent said the attack started a firefight that lasted about 45 minutes.

"Honestly, I don't think I was thinking anything at all," Ghent said. "I just knew what I had to do and did it."

Ghent received a bullet wound to his back, a laceration to his face and shrapnel wounds. He returned to the United States in late March. He is taking classes to become an emergency medical technician and is scheduled to enroll in the New Hampshire Fire Academy in March.

Ghent and Pequeno were serving with the 3,500-person 2/28 Brigade Combat Team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, which was made up of volunteer guardsmen and women from 22 states. The 28-member New Hampshire contingent had nicknamed themselves the Snowstormers.

He said he would like to see the United States set a timetable for a partial withdrawal from Iraq; major bases should remain in the country, however.

"It's almost like a safety spot for the civilians to go to," he said.

The award ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the National Guard armory in Manchester. Senior leadership from the New Hampshire National Guard, representatives of the state's congressional delegation and members of Ghent's unit, the 1st Battalion 172nd Field Artillery are expected to be on hand.

Pequeno suffered serious head injuries in the attack and is at a rehabilitation center in Florida, said Maj. Greg Heilshorn, a spokesman for the New Hampshire Guard.

Now that we have read about the valor of Specialist Ghent let’s apply valor to our ordinary lives.

Update Sunday October 15,2006:
Richard "Buddy" Ghent was awarded his Silver Star on Saturday. Read about it here.

"Buddy was never great in sports, but he tried them all, and he always gave it everything. That's something that comes from here," he (Pete Lambert, Ghent's grandfather) said, holding his fist to his chest.

Image: Union Leader October 13, 2006
Tags: Richard Ghent, New Hampshire, Silver Star, Iraq

Kenyans know the way

2006-10-13T19:17:00.000-04:00

Kenyans certainly know the way to San Jose. 11,536 registered runners participated in last Sunday’s Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, California. (15,000 runners were the pre-race target.) The top ten places all went to Kenyans! The men's and overall winner was Duncan Kibet. He was not an invited "elite athlete". Rather, Duncan had to pay his own way and his own $75 registraion fee. He is now like $8,000 richer. I'm sure in Kenya this will go a long way. I suspect he will use a good part of his prize money to compete in other races around the world.

1. 1:00:22 Duncan Kibet, 28, Kenya
2. 1:01:07 William Chebon, 23, Kenya
3. 1:01:56 Reuben Chebii, 24, Kenya
4. 1:02:08 Luke Kipkosgei, 30, Kenya
5. 1:02:21 Nicodemus Malakwen, 25, Kenya
6. 1:02:22 Joseph Chirlee, 25 Kenya
7. 1:02:31 Ernest Meli Kimeli, 20, Kenya
8. 1:03:39 Charles Kiama, 20, Kenya
9. 1:03:40 Julius Limo, 28, Kenya
10. 1:04:52 Davis Kabiru, 23, Kenya
11. 1:05:24 Pete Julian, 35, Colorado USA

The top female finishers also included Kenyans.

1. 1:09:17 Silvia Skvortsova, 31, Russia
2. 1:09:32 Edna Kiplagat, 26, Kenya
3. 1:10:05 Magdalene Makunzi, 23, Kenya

I have known for some time that the Kenyans have dominated distance running. Distance running is certainly not a “glamour sport”. It requires long and often lonely hours of training. The prize money is not that great except for the elite athletes.

Given my knowledge of the distance running scene, I did not expect to see any up-and-coming American youths finish strong. I was not disappointed in this regard. There were mostly older “recreational runners” among the 11,536 registered at the San Jose race. Nevertheless, it was edifying to see many youths and others giving it their best. Those who were out of shape and were on the course provided real inspiration (and competition!) For an inaugural event, everything was well done.

Photo: Duncan Kibet (by Action Sports International)
Tags: San Jose, Marathon, Duncan Kibet, Kenya

Baseball 2006: wrap

2006-10-01T22:10:00.000-04:00

Today is the last of the Major League Baseball season. For the Boston Red Sox their "hot stove" season began in August. My 2006 pre-season baseball picks can be found here. I did slightly better than last year. So here is this year's wrap-up. Let's see how I did:

AL
East
New York Yankees … I picked the Boston Red Sox. Injuries and a lack of a rotation doomed the Sox in the second half of the season. Surprisingly, the Yankees have had pretty good pitching all year. From top to bottom they have a well-rounded line-up.

Central
Minnesota Twins …I picked the Chicago White Sox. The Word Series Champions will not repeat. I did predict that the Detroit Tigers to win the Wild Card: “I would not be surprised if they earn the Wild Card this season with manager Jim Leyland at the helm.” Can you think of anyone else who made such an accurate prediction? The Tigers' manager Jim Leyland, an “old school manager”, should certainly be a lock for manager of the year.

West
Oakland Athletics … I picked the Los Angeles Angels. This division is always a tough one to pick, in part because Oakland always competes well despite a small payroll and is always “rebuilding.” The Angels, even at 89-73, were certainly the biggest disappointment of the year. (The Angels were my first little league team, so they are always a sentimental favorite around here.)

NL
East
New York Mets …Yeah baby. I nailed this one! At 97-65, they tied the Yankees for the best record in the majors. For the second straight year, my out-on-a-limb™ pick hit pay dirt!

Central
St. Louis Cardinals … Yeah baby. I nailed this one! After 105 and 100 win seasons in 2004 and 2005, respectively, they needed only 83 wins this year to clinch the top slot. A division win is, well... a division win.

West
San Diego Padres … I picked the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won the Wild Card, nevertheless. I did predict that the Friars would be in contention for a division win. Los Angeles has a solid team and should go far in the playoffs. We all learned that Nomar can still play: .303 20 93! It's good to see both him and Derek Lowe doing well for Los Angeles.

Now for my World Series™ prediction:
Drum-roll … New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Scratch, too easy, how about Minnesotta Twins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers? I like it. And now it's "on the record" for all to see! (and hopefully admire?)

Of course, here are the individual honors.

AL
Batting: Joe Mauer, Minnesotta (.347)
Home Runs: David Ortiz, Boston (54)
RBI: David Ortiz, Boston (137)

Wins: Johan Santanna, Minnesota; Chien-Ming Wang, New York (19)
Strikeouts: Johan Santanna, Minnesota (245)
ERA: Johan Santanna, Minnesota (2.77)

NL
Batting: Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburg (.344)
Home Runs: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia (58)
RBI: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia (149)

Wins: Harang, Lowe, Penny, Smoltz, Webb, Zambrano (16)
Strikeouts: Aaron Harang, Cincinnati (216)
ERA: Roy Oswalt, Houston (2.98)

Photo: Julio Franco September 30,2006 (Nick Wass/ AP)

DDT: Don’t call it a comeback…

2006-09-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) announced on September 15, 2006 that they have once again approved the chemical DDT for indoor use after a 30 year ban. DDT, first used in 1943, is an insecticide that was used to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes. DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is produced under many trade names. It was banned because of “environmental concerns”. I remember the big concern was that some linked DDT use to the weakening of the shells of Bald Eagle eggs. Weakened shells would cause more breaks in the eggs and ultimately less Bald Eagles. I unsure if scientific studies continue to uphold links like this. Nevertheless, the WHO’s strategy of combating malaria with mosquito nets and malaria vaccine development seems to have been (were?) failed approaches.

Like all chemicals DDT needs to be used responsibly.

“The scientific and programmatic evidence clearly supports this reassessment,” said Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, WHO Assistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. "Indoor residual spraying [IRS] is useful to quickly reduce the number of infections caused by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. IRS has proven to be just as cost effective as other malaria prevention measures, and DDT presents no health risk when used properly.” [1]

The anti-DDT campaign began in 1962.

Rachel Carson kicked-off DDT hysteria with her pseudo-scientific 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson materially misrepresented DDT science in order to advance her anti-pesticide agenda. Today she is hailed as having launched the global environmental movement. A Pennsylvania state office building, Maryland elementary school, Pittsburgh bridge and a Maryland state park are named for her. The Smithsonian Institution commemorates her work against DDT. She was even honoured with a 1981 U.S. postage stamp. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of her birth. Many celebrations are being planned. [2]

But views toward DDT have changed.

Views about the use of insecticides for indoor protection from malaria have been changing in recent years. Environmental Defense, which launched the anti-DDT campaign in the 1960s, now endorses the indoor use of DDT for malaria control, as does the Sierra Club and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The recently-launched President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) announced last year that it would also fund DDT spraying on the inside walls of households to prevent the disease. [1]

I’m certain that the “population controllers” are none too pleased with the WHO’s reasonable announcement.

Each year, more than 500 million people suffer from acute malaria, resulting in more than 1 million deaths. At least 86 percent of these deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally an estimated 3,000 children and infants die from malaria every day and 10,000 pregnant women die from malaria in Africa every year. Malaria disproportionately affects poor people, with almost 60 percent of malaria cases occurring among the poorest 20 percent of the world’s population.[1]

I’m also sure that the use of DDT will, once again, be another “political issue” tossed onto the table. The “anti-DDT” crowd will surely mis-represent the WHO’s position by garnering up images of airplanes indiscriminately dumping chemicals in the middle of the night onto both wildlife and urban areas. The WHO’s announcement was for indoor use only. Using the “outdoor use” straw man, this same crowd, rightly concerned about DDTs ecological aspects, will present the extinction of entire species as a likely outcome.

The “pro-DDT” crowd will welcome the “indoor use” DDT announcement as proof that the WHO recognized its failed strategy to save human lives, combat illness and poverty. Addressing the root of the problem (mosquitoes carrying malaria) with proven measures will be a sign of hope for millions of our brothers and sisters.

“Momma Said Knock You Out” – L.L. Cool J

Photo: Mosquito hanging on a blade of grass ©Adam Tinney
Citations: [1] “WHO gives indoor use of DDT a clean bill of health for controlling malaria” (WHO September 15,2006)
[2] “Call for DDT Opponents to be Held Accountable for Millions of Preventable Malaria Deaths” By Steven Milloy (JunkScience.com)
Tags: DDT, WHO, Rachel Carson

Boston Herald/Fox 25 Debate

2006-09-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

The first Massachusetts gubernatorial debate was Monday night. It was sponsored by The Boston Herald and FOX-25 TV and moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace. Republican Governor Mitt Romney, who allegedly has 2008 presidential aspirations, is not running for another term.

The candidates are Lt. Governor Kerry Healey, 46, (Republican), former Clinton Administration official Deval Patrick, 50, (Democrat), former Mass. Turnpike board member Christy Mihos (Independent) and astrologer (?) Grace Ross (Green-Rainbow Party). Some polls have Patrick with a 39 point lead over Healey. Mihos currently has about 5 points in the same polls. Ross has no chance of realistically winning although she claims to be leading all others with the 75 points if the people who do not vote or are not registered to vote are included!

I only caught the second half of the 70 minute debate. First the superficials: Kerry Healy looked great in a 1970’s style wide-open collar suit. Deval Patrick looked suave and smooth with a pink tie and dark suit. Christy Mihos was way over-tanned. Grace Ross wore a tie-dyed outfit. (She lists her birth date with the exact time — 11:03pm— for astrologers who may be interested.) From what I saw it was basically Patrick-Mihos-Ross vs. Healey. The issues I missed were education, taxes, and illegal immigration. The issues I saw were the Big Dig and fishing industry.

Lt. Governor Kerry Healey defended herself well against charges that the current administration “did nothing” in an attempt to clean-up the Big Dig mess. Romney and Healey were thwarted many times by the Massachusetts legislature in an attempt to gain control of the Big Dig. Christy Mihos appeared to have an “axe to grind” with Healey and Romney since he was fired from the Turnpike board by acting Governor Jane Swift in 2001. Although I think Healey defended herself well she was flustered at times. The question should have been asked of the other candidates what they would have done differently.

Patrick’s response to the “fishing industry” question was basically “keep them off drugs and have more treatment available.”

Basically nothing significant happened in the debate. Clearly I thought that Healey won given that it was 3 verses 1. Nevertheless, since “nothing happened” and no tough questions were put to Deval Patrick, and Patrick is in the lead, Patrick comes out the winner in this round.

On the most pressing moral issues here’s what I gathered on the two major candidates (and Christy Mihos) from other sources:

Deval Patrick (Democrat): Pro-“homosexual Marriage”, pro-abortion, pro-child sacrifice for stem cell research

Kerry Healey (Republican): Against "homosexual Marriage", pro-abortion, pro-child sacrifice for stem cell research

Christy Mihos (Independent): Pro-“homosexual Marriage”, pro-abortion

Photo: Deval Patrick, left, Grace Ross, Christy Mihos and Kerry Healey (Photo by Nancy Lane)
Tags: Massachusetts, Kerry Healey,Deval Patrick

Three stages of Dehellenization

2006-09-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

This weekend I read Pope Benedict XVI’s lecture titled “Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections” given at the University of Regensburg on September 12th. As I suspected it had little to do with “insulting the Prophet Mohammed” or “attacking Islam.”

Rather, with broad strokes, Pope Benedict presented “a critique of modern reason from within (that) has nothing to do with putting the clock back to the time before the Enlightenment and rejecting the insights of the modern age.” He challenged the academics to overcome “the self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically verifiable” and made the argument that “theology rightly belongs in the university and within the wide-ranging dialogue of sciences, not merely as a historical discipline and one of the human sciences, but precisely as theology, as inquiry into the rationality of faith” thus allowing us to become capable of “that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today.” Thorough his lecture, Pope Benedict argued in favor of the “great task” of allowing faith and reason to once again meet in the university.

Pope Benedict XVI is both an intellectual and a man of Faith, so it is not unexpected that, like Pope John Paul II, he would have much to say in depth about the topic of “faith and reason.”

His argument quoted a dialogue between “Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both” as the point of departure to introduce the topic of faith and reason. This point of departure illustrated how a particular notion of God can hinder access to reason and, as a result, a worldview in which Faith and reason are not in harmony.

Its point was to illustrate that past academic studies have noted that for “Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.” Pope Benedict presented the commentary of others on this dialogue: A consequence of this notion of “absolute transcendence” would mean that, “God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.”

In his line of thought Benedict presented three “stages” of dehellenization that the Christian Faith has encountered (i.e., The separation of classical Greek philosophy from Faith.)

The first stage of dehellenization, Pope Benedict presented was during the Reformation in the sixteenth century.

[T]he Reformers thought they were confronted with a faith system totally conditioned by philosophy, that is to say an articulation of the faith based on an alien system of thought. As a result, faith no longer appeared as a living historical Word but as one element of an overarching philosophical system. The principle of sola scriptura, on the other hand, sought faith in its pure, primordial form, as originally found in the biblical Word. Metaphysics appeared as a premise derived from another source, from which faith had to be liberated in order to become once more fully itself. When Kant stated that he needed to set thinking aside in order to make room for faith, he carried this programme forward with a radicalism that the Reformers could never have foreseen. He thus anchored faith exclusively in practical reason, denying it access to reality as a whole.

Liberal theology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought the second stage of dehellenization according to Benedict.

[The] central idea was to return simply to the man Jesus and to his simple message, underneath the accretions of theology and indeed of hellenization: this simple message was seen as the culmination of the religious development of humanity. Jesus was said to have put an end to worship in favour of morality.

The third stage of dehellenization, according to Benedict, is now in progress. It has to do with pluralism, inculturation, and a “return to the simple Gospel message”.

In the light of our experience with cultural pluralism, it is often said nowadays that the synthesis with Hellenism achieved in the early Church was a preliminary inculturation which ought not to be binding on other cultures. The latter are said to have the right to return to the simple message of the New Testament prior to that inculturation, in order to inculturate it anew in their own particular milieux. This thesis is not only false; it is coarse and lacking in precision. The New Testament was written in Greek and bears the imprint of the Greek spirit, which had already come to maturity as the Old Testament developed. True, there are elements in the evolution of the early Church which do not have to be integrated into all cultures. Nonetheless, the fundamental decisions made about the relationship between faith and the use of human reason are part of the faith itself; they are developments consonant with the nature of faith itself.

Sola Scriptura, “morality without worship”, and re-inculturation of a “simple message” are the broad lines that Pope Benedict traveled in his Regensburg lecture. These are very interesting topics that are encountered often even, if they are not always identified as such. Given the depth and breadth of the lecture presentation, it is safe to say that these are the topics that occupy a great part of Benedict's time. (It is obvious that "insulting Islam" is no where in the Holy Father's orbit of interests).

Photo: Parthenon Temple in Athens © Patrik Rzezwicki
Tags: Pope Benedict, Islam, Bavaria, Catholic

Pickin’ a fight

2006-09-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI's lecture at the University of Regensburg, where he had taught theology, on September 12th titled “Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections” has caused quite a stir both in the mass media and in the Muslim world (at least what we learn through the same mass media). Benedict’s lecture, from reports of what I read so far, shows quite evenhandedly that he is clearly aware both of the irrational violence —often in the name of “religion” — in the East and the dehumanizing secularism that is suffocating the West.

Unfortunately, in many quarters of the Muslim community the reaction has been one of threats and violence, in addition to condemnation of his words and demands for a personal apology.

Unfortunately, Benedict's personal journey to his homeland will most likely be remembered for these violent negative reactions in other parts of the world. In his homily at an outdoor Mass in Munich on Sunday September 10, 2006, the Pope taught about Our Lord's reaction of love to the violence he encountered with his own suffering: A reaction and a God we all need...

The world needs God. We need God. But what God do we need? In the first reading, the prophet tells a people suffering oppression that: "He will come with vengeance" (Isaiah 35:4). We can easily suppose how the people imagined that vengeance. But the prophet himself goes on to reveal what it really is: the healing goodness of God. And the definitive explanation of the prophet's word is to be found in the one who died for us on the Cross: in Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, who here looks at us so closely. His "vengeance" is the Cross: a "No" to violence and a "love to the end". This is the God we need. We do not fail to show respect for other religions and cultures, we do not fail to show profound respect for their faith, when we proclaim clearly and uncompromisingly the God who has countered violence with his own suffering; who in the face of the power of evil exalts his mercy, in order that evil may be limited and overcome.

In Morocco, the newspaper Aujourd’hui questioned whether Benedict’s call for a real dialogue between religions was made in good faith.

“Pope Benedict XVI has a strange approach to the dialogue between religions,” the paper wrote in an editorial. “He is being provocative.”

The paper also drew a comparison between the pope’s remarks and the outcry in the Muslim world over unflattering cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published around Europe beginning last year.

“The global outcry over the calamitous cartoons have only just died down and now the pontiff, in all his holiness, is launching an attack against Islam,” the newspaper wrote. (Muslim Leaders Assail Pope’s Speech on Islam by Ian Fisher, NY Times, September 14, 2006)

Jimmy Akin, a Catholic apologist, posted his thoughts to his personal blog on the violent Muslim reaction to Benedict’s lecture: "Anyone Who Describes Islam As A Religion As Intolerant Encourages Violence" : “Basically, Islamic culture is infected with an ethos of rage and hatred, and it needs to grow up and stop being so thin-skinned,” says Jimmy.

I don't agree with Jimmy that Benedict's citation or his original words may have been a "gaffe" (major or minor). Pope Benedict, in my estimation, is simply following the example of the Sacred Humanity of Christ, of whom he is the Vicar of. I think that this is an aspect of Jesus of Nazareth, the God-man, that many —Christians included— give too little reflection on. Christ sought out others for dialogue (e.g. the Samaratin woman at the well and Zacchaeus the tax collector) and "picked fights" with the Jewish leaders (e.g. the Pharisees on many occasions). The direct and clear words of Christ were certainly hard for many to accept when he walked the Earth. His manner of dialogue was equally hard to accept at times. (His public ministry wasn't all a dazzling Sermon on the Mount. He challanged others in so many ways.) Do we expect the reaction of some to the words of his Vicar, Pope Benedict, to be any less easy to accept?

The reaction to the words and thoughts of the Vicar of Christ are certainly externalized in the Muslim world to much a greater degree than in the West where his words and thoughts more often need time to be internalized in those hearts where they are not met with indifference or distraction.

I suppose culture plays not an insignificant factor in these quite different reactions. Nevertheless, human passions always need to be kept in check. Temperance (self-control), along with Prudence, Justice and Fortitude are the cardinal virtues. We hear much about "Justice"— and rightly so— from the Muslim world. I wonder to what degree these other cardinal virtues are given consideration among the adherents of Mohammed?

Update: Saturday September 16,2006: After I read the full (provisional) text of Benedict’s lecture for myself, it seems pretty clear to me that he was not “picking a fight” with Islam. Benedict's citiation may have indeed been a "gaffe." My follow-up post can be found here.

Photo: Benedict XVI at his birthplace, Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, on Monday September 11, 2006 (Markus Schreiber/Associated Press)
Tags: Pope Benedict, Islam, Bavaria, Catholic

Labor without Wisdom

2006-09-04T16:49:00.000-04:00

Labor Day USA is traditionally the close of summer. It is a day-off from work for most of us and it is a day to spend with family and friends. It should be a day to reflect of human labor and thank God for the good human labor. We should especially reflect on the wisdom of our labor.

Science and technology, especially in the so-called “developed world”, is increasingly consuming larger parts of human labor. It should be obvious that all that is technically possible is not always ethical, moral or licit. Wisdom needs to always accompany human labor. Unfortunately, science and technology that is supposed to serve man is increasing —at a disturbing pace— to degrade and to dehumanize people.

Couples Cull Embryos to Halt Heritage of Cancer by Amy Harmon (N.Y. Times, September 3, 2006) presents a “case study” of human labor lacking wisdom.

As Chad Kingsbury watches his daughter playing in the sandbox behind their suburban Chicago house, the thought that has flashed through his mind a million times in her two years of life comes again: Chloe will never be sick.

The means to justify the idealistic end of “Chloe will never be sick” include in vitro fertilization (love replaced with a technique) and “quality control” of genetic screening (eugenics).

Prospective parents have been using the procedure, known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or P.G.D., for more than a decade to screen for genes certain to cause childhood diseases that are severe and largely untreatable.

Now a growing number of couples like the Kingsburys are crossing a new threshold for parental intervention in the genetic makeup of their offspring: They are using P.G.D. to detect a predisposition to cancers that may or may not develop later in life, and are often treatable if they do.

For most parents who have used preimplantation diagnosis, the burden of playing God has been trumped by the near certainty that diseases like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia will afflict the children who carry the genetic mutation that causes them. The procedure has also been used to avoid passing on Huntington’s disease, a severe neurological disease that typically does not surface until middle age but spares no one who carries the mutation that causes it.

The “procedure” used to avoid passing on Huntington’s disease includes, not healing Chloe, but rather selecting Chloe as worthy of human development and consigning her siblings to be either frozen or destroyed.

But every time Mr. Kingsbury looks at Chloe, with her blue saucer eyes and her tantrums that turn abruptly to laughter — and back — he knows it was worth it.

If Mr. Kingsbury could look at his other children, frozen or destroyed, we would hope that he would change his conclusion.

Many of those exploring P.G.D. are the first generation of women to have reached reproductive age after their mothers developed cancer and tested positive for one of the breast cancer mutations. They see it as saving not just their children but generations of descendants from the same fate.

“I was very relieved to know that I would not have to pass this gene on to my children,” said Michaela Walsh, 20, a junior at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., who found out she carries a BRCA mutation. She has already decided she wants to use P.G.D. when she has children. “My mother told me that the only worse thing than having cancer twice was having to give the gene to me.”

But the same knowledge makes others who carry the mutations take particular offense at the selection procedure, which they say implies that they themselves, and many members of their family, should never have existed. It raises the specter of eugenics, they say, in the most personal terms.

“It’s like children are admitted to a family only if they pass the test,” said Denise Toeckes, 32, a teacher who tested positive for a BRCA mutation. “It’s like, ‘If you have a gene, we don’t want you; if you have the potential to develop cancer, you can’t be in our family.’ ”

Other critics oppose preimplantation diagnosis on the grounds that it could be used to select against homosexuals, women or people with disabilities. It reduces people to their genes, they say, and paves the way for the pursuit of children designed to suit parental ideals and for discrimination against those born with perceived imperfections.

Medicine should always help people. I suppose P.G.D. only “helped” Chloe to “pass the genetic test” that her siblings “failed.” P.G.D. as a technology does not produce “designer babies”. Rather, it destroys those who fail to meet pre-conceived criteria.

Human life should always be respected and accepted as is and not be subject to quality controls. P.G.D. and related technologies seems to come from fear: Fear of defects and imperfections. Fear of human life. Fear of its mystery and its drama.

How many wonderful people are missing because of P.G.D.? Human labor as biotechnology is in urgent need of wisdom.

Photo: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Genesis Genetics Institute (detail)
Tags: Eugenics, Genetic Testing, preimplantation genetic diagnosis

Annapolis (2006)

2006-09-04T00:12:00.000-04:00

For our rainy Labor Day Holiday Weekend Annapolis (Touchstone 2006), written by Dave Collard and directed by Justin Lin, was our video pick in these parts. Based on the tagling “50,000 Apply. 1,200 Are Accepted. Only The Best Survive” and remembering clearly the action-packed trailer with explosions, fighter jets and so forth, I expected Annapolis to be either an action-packed adventure of naval life or an in-depth look into United States Naval Academy. Annapolis was neither.

Instead the story focused on Jake Huard (James Franco), a wait-listed applicant to the US. Naval Academy, who is told of his acceptance a few days before freshman orientation. Huard is an amateur boxer who works in the shipyards with his father on building naval vessels. It is a story of an undisciplined and hard-headed young man who want to fulfill his dream of being a naval officer.

The story was as much about boxing as it was about the Freshman (Pleb) year at the Academy. Cole (Tyrese Gibson) is the commanding officer for Huard’s brigade. He is a marine officer who makes Huard’s life especially difficult once he discovers that Huard is the “weak link” of the group. A boxing match between the two during the annual “Brigade Championship”, when all are equal in the ring regardless of rank, is the climax of the film.

Overall, Annapolis, was positive and respectful towards the military. It presented a high honor code and the consequences that follow if the code is broken. This was very edifying, given real-world scandals in the Academies and in the Navy, in particular. Regardless of these scandals, Hollywood is indeed able to present the good and the ideal of Academy and Naval life. My hope is that Hollywood would treat other institutions in a like fashion.

The “bonus features” showed that the producers and director of this movie were extremely conscientious to get the details of Academy life correct. They hired former Naval Academy graduates to train the actors and extras and to act as consultants. In particular, they stopped the director from having Cole hold an umbrella over himself in the rain while he drilled the cadets. A commanding officer would never do such a thing. He would get wet like the rest. My hope is that Hollywood would be as conscientious in gettting the details correct of other institutions in a like fashion.

My impression was that this movie was a light version of An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). The drama of turning civilians into naval officers took back seat to the storyline of Huard's boxing and his contention with Cole.

Other cast included: Jordana Brewster —nice name, Jordana— who played Midshipman Ali as Huard’s love interest and trained Huard both in boxing and in academy life; and Boston/Dorchester’s own (and former “New Kid”) Donnie Wallberg who played Lt. Commander Burton.

Photo: James Franco and Tyrese Gibson
Tags: Annapolis, Justin Lin, James Franco, Tyrese Gibson

Requiem for a Parish

2006-08-30T23:40:00.000-04:00

"Requiem for a Parish" by Emily Stimpson appeared in First Things back in February 2006. I had been meaning to post about it but I realized after a while that some articles speak for themselves. It is about the closing of St. Stanislas Catholic Church built by Polish immigrants in Steubenville, Ohio.

An Early Hot Stove Season

2006-08-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

It looks like the Hot Stove season has already begun for the Boston Red Sox. Going into last Monday, they were only 1 game back of the Empire in the AL East:

W L Gb
New York 68 46 -
Boston 68 48 1
Toronto 63 55 8

The Sox’s “big showdown” at home against the Central-leading Detroit Tigers (77-41) and the East-leading Yankees last week provided some “classic AL East baseball” that I haven’t seen in a while. (Detroit used to be in the AL East before MLB went to three divisions in each league.) If you love baseball last was the week to be at Fenway Park or follow the games on T.V. or radio. However, it was also the “classic” late season collapse for the Red Sox. Let's document this one well for posterity...

Monday: Detroit 7 Boston 2
Tuesday: Detroit 3 Boston 2
Wednesday: Detroit 4 Boston 6
Friday (1): New York 12 Boston 4
Friday (2): New York 14 Boston 11
Saturday: New York 13 Boston 5
Sunday: New York 8 Boston 5
Monday: New York 2 Boston 1

This afternoon the AL East standings are:

W L Gb
New York 75 48 -
Boston 69 55 6.5
Toronto 66 58 9.5

With 38 games yet to play it's all but official: hope is lost in Beantown and throughout Red Sox Nation. I suppose after winning the World Series in 2004 things are back to “normal.” For Red Sox fans the 5 game sweep by the Empire will go down as the “Collapse of ’06.” "It was a nightmare," said David Ortiz. The current situation seems to be analogous to the Red Sox being down 3 - 0 to the Empire in the 2004 best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

Why the collapse? We can't blame the manager Terry Francona. Overall, he has done a great job with this team. The Red Sox made no trading deadline moves. Their pitching is shaky. Pitchers Curt Schilling and David Wells have been pretty solid but they have had little run support and no support from the ‘pen. Unlike the 2004 team, they have no set rotation. Their bullpen is shot. Trot Nixon, Jason Varitek, and Matt Clement are all injured. GM Theo Epstein basically conceded the season yesterday. He, along with the rest of us, has an eye on '07 already! We still have 4 games in the Bronx in September to perhaps, sweep back the Empire iff —that's if and only if — the Sox can get some arms on the mound.

Reliever Mike Timlin gave his perspective on last week's devestating events:

"We are going through the fire. We are going through the low times. Character's not built on top of a mountain, it's built in the valleys where you can really see it and that's where we are right now. We're in the low valley. When you're on the bottom of your game, it shows what kind of people you are as a team when you come together to play and we're trying to come together in a low time." ("No rest coming for weary Red Sox" by Howard Kussoy / MLB.com)

Red Sox fans certainly want a team with character. We also want a team with wins.

Photo: David Wells Monday August 21, 2006 (redsox.com)
Tags: Boston, Red Sox, Baseball

The First Photograph

2006-08-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered what the first photograph made by man was? I never really have wondered about this but I recently discovered that it was by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. It was taken at his country house in Burgundy, France and made on on pewter. It is currently in an oxygen-free case at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The Ransom Center features a nice on-line exhibition of photographs, including "The First Photograph."

The significance of the "photography revolution" seems always to take a back seat to the revolution that Johannes Gutenberg's printing press started in 1447 in communicating information, in telling stories, and in documenting history and so forth. Post-modern debates in linguistics (or more accurately, "the philosophy of language") commonly challenge the philosophical notion that "the sign really is a signifier for the absent now present" in an attempt —perhaps, unintended— to explain interpretation which leads ultimately to an underminding of the understanding of the reality of being and of objective truth, etc. Perhaps, more thought on the reality "captured" and re-presented to us through photography (and other visual medium) will lead post-modern philosophers and others to a rediscovery of reality and things as they are: A truth independent of impressions, experiences and the like.

Read more about Joseph Niépce and "The First Photograph" here .

Photo: "View from the Window at Le Gras" (1826)
Tags: photography, Joseph Niépce, philosophy of language

To Make Present the Ultimate Mystery

2006-08-12T14:56:00.000-04:00

The Liturgy is at the heart of Catholic life. Those who have an active interest in the Liturgy, in terms primarily of going deeper into this reality, may be hard to find. Nevertheless, there are many diverse opinions of the concrete form the Liturgy should take “in practice.” Regardless of variations or changes in external form (e.g. from Latin to vernacular, i.e. English in English-speaking areas, and the orientation of the priest after the Second Vatican Council) Catholics should always approach the Liturgy with serenity and clarity.

Aidan Nichols, O.P. has a nice treatment of the Liturgy in Christendom Awake (©1999 T&T Clark Ltd). He writes about the unfortunate “secularization” of the Liturgy and that “The ‘re-enchantment’ of the Catholic Liturgy is the single most urgent ecclesial need of our time.” Fr. Nichols counters the idea —one that I have heard so often from both Catholics and non-Catholics — that external beauty is self-serving.

Too often we hear that the Mass as celebrated should be ‘more like the Last Supper’. It is little likely that the Last Supper bore a close resemblance, in, for instance, its seating arrangements, to the idealized and ‘modernised’ iconography offered in such famous paintings as da Vinci’s Ultima Cena. Was Leonardo making a covert proposal for the liturgical reordering of the Eucharistic assembly? To my knowledge, no art historian has suggested this. He understood better than his later twentieth-century co-relogionists that the Mass is not a repetition of the Last Supper but a celebration of what Christ instituted on that occasion — something significantly different.

Behind that appeal to render the Mass ‘more like’ what happened in the Cenacle there lies, one fears, a hostility to the ritual integument with which the Catholic instinct, in both West and East, has ever clothed the Church's worship. The still-Anglican John Henry Newman answered the objection well in advance:

Did our Saviour say that magnificence in worshiping God, magnificence in His house, in its furniture, and in its decorations, is wrong, wrong since He has come into the world? Does He discourage us from building handsome Churches, or beautifying the ceremonial of religion? Did He exhort us to niggardness? Did he put a slight on architectural skill? Did He imply we should please Him the more, the less study and trouble we gave to the externals of worship? In rejecting the offering of Herod, did He forbid the devotion of Christians?

This is what many persons think. I do not exaggerate when I say, that they think the more homely and familiar their worship is, the more spiritual it becomes. And they argue, that to aim at external beauty in the service of the Sanctuary, is to be more like the Pharisees, to be fair without and hollow within; that whereas the Pharisees pretended a sanctity and religiousness outside which they had not inside, therefore everyone who aims at outward religion sacrifices it to inward…

Persons who put aside gravity and comeliness in the worship of God, that they may pray more spiritually, forget that God is a Maker of all things, visible as well as invisible; that He is the Lord of our bodies as well as of our souls; that He is to be worshipped in public as well as in secret.

Our tongues must preach Him, and our voices sing of Him, and our knees adore Him, and our hands supplicate Him, and our heads bow before Him, and our countenances beam of Him, and our gait herald Him. And hence arise joint worship, forms of prayer, ceremonies of devotion, the course of services, orders of ministers, holy vestments, solemn music, and other things of a like nature; all of which, as it were, the incoming into this world of the Invisible Kingdom of Christ…

There words were addressed to Evangelicals. But a century and a half later, within Catholicism itself, a primate of France, Cardinal Albert Decourtray, in an essay ‘Mystère et morale’, found worse: a liturgical horizontalism reinforcing and reinforced by a secularisation mentality.

After twenty-five years of conciliar reforms, would it not be as well to take stock? Can we dare accept they hypothesis that this great movement, so beneficial in itself, might partly be at fault? … We are turned so much towards the assembly that we often forget to turn ourselves, together, people and priests, towards God! Yet, without this essential orientation, the celebration no longer has any Christian meaning.

The purpose of the Liturgy is to make present the ultimate Mystery — not to explain it away.

In addition to Liturgy, Aidan Nichols' Christendom Awake presents topics such as "Faith and Culture", "Doctrinal Consciousness", "Christian Philosophy", "Ecumenism", "Feminism", "Material Culture" and the "Priestly Mission." This text is certainly not a Stephen King "quick read". A "Doctrinal Consciousness" post may be coming soon...

Photo: Catholics at Mass in Shaanxi province (CNS/Sean Sprague)
Quotes: J.H. Newman, ‘Offerings for the Sanctuary’; J.H. Newman, ‘The Visible Temple’; A. Decourtray, Documentation Catholique 21 June 1992
Tags: Catholic, Liturgy, John Henry Newman, Aidan Nichols

Web 2.0 “Kids”

2006-08-07T23:55:00.000-04:00

BusinessWeek this week (August 14,2006) features Kevin Rose on the front cover. He is the feature of the lead article ”How This Kid Made $60 Million In 18 Months” by Sarah Lacy and Jessi Hempel. Rose we learn started Digg.com . We also learn that Digg.com (Version 3) launched on June 26th and is now the “24th-most popular Web site in the U.S.”.

From the title of the article alone we expect an eleven year-old “business genius” to be featured. From the front cover photo in addition to the title we expect to read about an eighteen year-old “business genius.” After “digging” (pun intended) into this article, we also learn that this “kid”, Kevin Rose is 29 years old. You have to be kidding me. You HAVE to be kidding me.

I know that maturity comes later in life for many in our contemporary culture and that adolescence is now defined by the psychological professions near twenty-five. Now, we have a twenty-nine year-old “kid”. You have to be kidding me!

Lacy and Hempel’s Bweek article describes Digg.com’s business model, the “fear” that they are putting into “Old Media” and the drama of the “geek life” of Rose and some other new internet entrepreneurs.

Rose grew up in Las Vegas. His father is an accountant, and his mom “just chills,” he says. They lived in a three-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac. Standard middle-class America. His computer love affair drew scorn from schoolkids so Rose transferred to a public vo-tech in 1993 to study computers and animation. “It was a chance to be with other nerds,” he says.

In 1999 he dropped out of the University of Las Vegas to join the action in Silicon valley, where he took coding jobs for dot-coms. That led to his gig as the TechTV host, which transferred him to Los Angeles in 2003. But Rose was bored. He hated L.A. If it hadn’t been for his friendship with [Marc] Adelson [of Netscape fame], he might never have pursued the Digg idea. The two met when Rose interviewed Adelson, 35, founder and chief technology officer of data center company Equinex, on TechTV in 2003. Here was another guy actually doing something. Rose and Adelson quickly hit it off. Adelson played the grown-up, a role he still relishes, saying things like, “Kevin, you’re 29 now you need to stop wearing your pants lower than your boxers” (advice Rose still ignores). But he believed in Digg from the beginning.

Well, there your have it: A homemaker mother who “just chills”. An education of computers and animation. Boredom. Equating “doing something” with growing a business. Having colleagues play the “role” of a grown-up and not seeing Peter Pan in the mirror.

Photo: BusinessWeek August 14,2006
Tags: Kevin Rose, Digg.com

Two Lights

2006-08-05T11:21:00.000-04:00

The “adult contemporary”, f.k.a. “soft rock”, king, Five For Fighting, a.k.a. John Ondrasik, is back with a new ablum Two Lights (Columbia Records). His last two efforts America Town (2000) and The Battle for Everything (2004) featured the hits “Superman (It’s not easy)” and “100 Years”, respectivly. Outside of the Superman-theme context, “Superman (It’s not easy)” has perhaps the most absurd lyrics (e.g. “It’s not easy to be me”) apart from The Who’s Baba O’Riley (“I don't need to be forgiven”).

Two Lights is continuity with his previous work that features a familiar soft sound and observational lyrics. However, this time around, “Two Lights” gives way to a less self-absorbed worldview. There are hopeful signs that he is attempting to grow beyond the exclusive Philistine genre that forms the malaise of most contemporary popular music that seeks “to present a message” rather than “just be fun.”

John Ondrasik makes an effort through music to support our men and women — strange days indeed for women— who are in the military in service to our country and others.

Freedom Never Cries

I Saw a man on the TV
In a mask with a gun
A man on the TV
He had a ten-year old son
I Saw a man on the TV
His son had a gun
He says that he's coming for me

I never loved the soldier until there was a war
Or thought about tomorrow
'til my baby hit the floor
I only talk to God when somebody's about to die
I Never cherished Freedom

Freedom never cries.

I Wrote a song for a dead man
To settle my soul
A song for a dead man
Now I'll never grow old
I Wrote a song for a dead man
Now I'm out in the cold
What's a song to a dead man to me?

Two Lights

He was young just 23
Didn't have to go
But it was the man he wanted to be
Like every son he was an only one
One day he came to me, said
Freedoms nothing to look over
Till each man can stand upon its shoulder
I'll right you mountains of letters
Each one a little bit better
And know I'll never be alone

Ondrasik’s voice can be a bit disconcerting but it’s refreshing to hear a nice range including his characteristic falsetto that’s not a falsetto. I can’t really point out any duds on Two Lights. It may take a few spins to warm up. “Easy Tonight” (a nice acoustic version is available on iTunes) and other songs from America Town required such a “warm up” here, very close to the Southern New Hampshire border.

You may visit Five For Fighting here.

Tags: John Ondrasik,Five For Fighting

"Patriots" by Langguth

2006-07-30T11:03:00.000-04:00

It’s still July and I have my first “summer book” finished! This year I kicked off the “summer pool fare” with a historical selection: Patriots: The Men Who Started The American Revolution by A.J. Langguth (©1988 Touchstone).

Patriots spans the politics of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1761-62) to General George Washington’s “farewell” before Congress at the Maryland State House in Annapolis in 1783. Langguth does not add the “pomp and dramatics” of a historian like David McCullough. Nevertheless, Patriots is a nice read that balanced the key personalities and significant events very well. It is not a biography on any particular person, although it did give sufficient detail — without the drudgery— about the lives of the key men and women in America, Britain and France. The significant events are presented in context of the day without any gloss of ideology. This is something that all good history books should do.

Patriots avoids an iconic presentation of the patriots, the British and their sympathizers (the Tories) by which the activities of the American Revolution overshadow the real men themselves. Rather, the men in Patriots appear human with both virtues and flaws. The patriots, not surprisingly, were not “one big happy family.” Their common cause was Liberty and they were willing to pay the price for this ideal.

I found most interesting the activities of Massachusetts (1761-1775) with James Otis, Samuel Adams, Massachusetts Governor Francis Bernard, Massachusetts Chief Justice and later Governor Thomas Hutchenson, John Adams and John Hancock (later Governor as well) as the lead characters. The British and Tories in Massachusetts certainly suffered injustices from the Patriots. Likewise the colonists suffered at the hands of the British. It was interesting to read how disturbances and grievances escalated into full rebellion. It was also nice to read about familiar towns such as Lynn and Salem!

General Washington’s command of the war naturally took center stage in Patriots for the period of 1776 to 1783. After reading Patriots I now have a greater appreciation of France’s aide of money, troops and navy in helping America to win independence from Britain. I also have gained a greater admiration of George Washington and his leadership in the face of numerous discouragements.

After the peace treaty with England signed in Paris on September 3, 1783, American representative John Jay wrote, “If we are not a happy people it will be our own fault.”

So, if you want to learn more about Paul Revere, Billy Dawes, King George III, British Generals Thomas Gage, Henry Clinton, William Howe, and John Burgoyne; Britain’s Lord North, William Pitt, Admiral Richard Howe and Lord Cornwallis; Alexander Hamilton, Nathan Hale, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Nathanael Greene, Ben Franklin, Dr. Benjamin Church, Dr. Joseph Warren, Richard Montgomery, Lord Stirling, John Sullivan, Charles Lee, Horatio Gates, Silas Deane, Aaron Burr, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, Mary Hayes (a.k.a. “Molly Pitcher”); France’s Marquis de Lafayette and Admiral de Grasse; Thomas Jefferson, Martha Jefferson, Martha Washington and of course General George Washington, and the events of the American Revolution written in a popular and engaging style then Patriots is the book to read.

A.J. Langguth’s Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence is due in November. I’ll wait to read the reviews before considering this one.

Photo: Colonial re-enactment © Mark Grenier
Tags: Langguth,American Revolution, Patriots

Vocation and Freedom

2006-07-29T15:25:00.000-04:00

“What is God calling me to do with my life?” is a question that should be on the mind of each one of us. Specifically, “To which vocation am I called by God?” should be given serious thought in addition to the general — and hopefully obvious—questions of “What good should I do and evil avoid?” and “What talents should I put to good use?”

On the July 13th edition of Catholic Answers Live Jimmy Akin responded to a question from Kevin from Portland, Oregon on this topic. Jimmy’s response was very insightful and I thought that it would be well-worth a second look.

K.: I’m trying to understand God’s call to a person and a vocation they have in their life. I searched through the Catechism so I definitely see a strong teaching of vocation of marriage and family life and people being called to that vocation. I also see obviously people being called to the vocation of the ministerial priesthood but I’m kind of curious, is there a call perhaps to anyone to the vocation of a single lay state?

J.A.: Without it being a consecrated lay state?

K.: That’s correct.

J.A.: Well, you sometimes hear folks use that language talking about a “vocation to being single.” So, they will kind of present there as being four vocations and they will say “vocations to the priesthood or the clergy, really. Vocations to the religious life. Vocations to the married life” and they add “vocations to the single life.” I’ve even heard folks pray for more vocations to all four of those things which I guess translates in to praying for there to be more people because everyone would have one of these four if those are the four.

However, the Church does not use “singleness” as a vocation. This is something that has just popped-up recently. Frankly, it’s been done as a way to try to make single folks feel included like they have a special vocation too that’s comparable to these others. As a single person myself I appreciate that, but this is not the language that the Church has traditionally used when talking about vocations.

A vocation, at least the way the term has been used historically, is a specific state of life that is recognized as specially consecrated in a way that the Church recognizes. So, obviously, if someone has Holy Orders that’s a specially-consecrated state. If someone is married and has that Sacrament, that is also a specially-consecrated state. If someone has taken religious vows of consecration, that’s also a consecrated state.

But being single and not having one of those forms of consecration is not itself consecrated. Singleness is not sacred in the way that those other things are sacred. What singleness would seem to be —at least to me— is a state of potentiality from which one can move into one of the other states and acquire a special consecration.

I don’t use “singleness” as a distinct vocation. It may be a permanent state that someone’s in. Someone may stay single but it itself is not a consecrated state and thus not a vocation in that sense.

K.: Would that mean perhaps if a person lives as a single lay person for their entire lives they have missed their vocation? Would that be a consequence of the single state?

J.A.: I don’t like to think about vocations in those terms. I know that sometimes folks do use that language about “missing your vocation” and that can make people feel awful bad. But the Church does not really use that language either in its documents.

There’s often an idea that people that people have absorbed that God has one vocation for somebody and they need to be on the lookout for it and if they miss it, they’re in trouble. And they can even view it as sinful if they “miss” their vocation. But that’s not the way the Church looks at vocations. Vocations are something that are freely offered and accepted. So, no one is under any obligation to accept a particular vocation. If you think that God may be showing you a vocation to the priesthood then that’s really great but you’re not obligated under that pain of sin to accept. It’s an offer that God makes for “Here’s how you can do some good.” But you choose whether or not you want to take up the offer. The offer is free in that you are not under that pain of sin to accept.

The same way, if you think that God is maybe leading you towards marriage. What God is doing is offering you a way to do good in the world through the married vocation but you’re not under the pain of sin to get married. And the same thing is true of the religious life.

Vocations really are opportunities that God gives us to do good through a specially-consecrated state but one must have human freedom in choosing to accept that vocation or not. No one can be compelled to accept the priesthood. Not one can be compelled to accept a marriage. No one can be compelled to accept religious life. Those are things that need to be accepted freely in order for the vocation to bear the kind of fruit that God wants it to.

So, I don’t think in terms of people “missing their vocation” because if you don’t pick up one opportunity or pick up an opportunity at the moment you may take an opportunity to embark on a vocation at a later time.

Supernova

2006-07-25T23:42:00.000-04:00

It’s week 4 of the reality/talent television show Rock Star: Supernova (CBS). For “something different” and since music holds my interest I decided to check out this show. Last year’s Rock Star: INXS (July to September 2005) produced a new lead singer for the Australian band INXS to replace Michael Hutchense (1960-1997). Of course, the winner of that competition, J.D. Fortune, is a man who sounds and looks like Hutchense.

Supernova is a new band that is forming by Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), and Jason Newsted (Metallica). I’m not a big fan of their former groups although I do like some of their songs.

The format is that the contestants —both men and women— perform a well-known song on Tuesday and is given feedback by the band members. The television audience votes and the bottom three vote-getters have to perform again on Wednesday. The band then makes the choice of which one is to leave. David Navarro (Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers) is also a judge. I'm sure that as the show progresses the contestants may be asked for some "original" songs or arrangements. Currently, I like hearing the familiar tunes.

This week Gilby Clarke, on lead guitar, joined Jill Gioia as she performed “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones. His comments were most edifying — and I will search for a transcript of the exact quote. In his analysis he pointed out that her performance and vocals were good but when she began to “grind” it turned him off. With great passion Clarke said that "it's cheap." He explained that she did not have to use her sexuality to cheapen herself. He explained that her voice and overall “prerformance” were good enough to please. Clarke also said that she "lost him" when she started the “grinding.” These comments were quite surprising to hear from a “hard core” rock star. Signs of life and hope?

I had previously only known Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen), from Malden, Massachusetts, as a rock star to make some sensible comments that did not pander to the basest of the rock and roll genre. It will be interesting to see any response to Gilby Clarke’s comments.

Update July 27,2006:
Here are some comments from the "fan site" on Jill Gioia:

"Ok folks, was it just me or did Jill go a wee bit overboard with the bump and grind on Gilby? I like her voice, but that was painful to watch. Too desperate, and too focused on getting Gilby's attention." — Luella

"jill was embarrassing, she's a bit too old (mid-30's) for such behavior." —Suedehead

"For me, jill looked like she wanted to get attention from anyone who's watching the show, but.. she did it with a wrong person.. what gilby said made total sense, and i can guarantee, back into the house, jill's gonna be p*****.. lucky her, navarro was there to help neutralize the poison heheh.. owh well, wrong action with a wrong guy.." — River_Rooney

Photo: supernovafans.com
Tags: Television, Supernova, Gilby Clarke, Jill Gioia

The Nature of Peace

2006-07-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

With the Hezbollah militia attacking the State of Israel and the State of Israel attacking the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, it seems that true and lasting peace for the Middle East may be a way off. Let's hope that the "end game" has not already begun.

The Israeli air attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has its headquarters, continued throughout the day and evening, after heavy raids on Saturday against Hezbollah offices and apartment houses and, the Israelis said, bunkers underneath them where Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, has spent much of his time.

Streets were deserted, littered by debris, broken glass and parts of shattered buildings. Heavy plumes of black smoke rose over the city in the late afternoon as Israeli jets circled over the shut Beirut airport, hitting fuel storage tanks and an oil refinery.

“We are facing a real annihilation carried out by Israel,” Lebanon’s information minister, Ghazi Aridi, said after an emergency cabinet meeting. Beirut had an eerie, empty feel, with many residents having fled to the surrounding mountains. (“Israel Strikes Lebanon After Hezbollah Missile Attack” by Jan Mouawad and Steven Erlanger, July 17, 2006, N.Y. Times)

Much thought, analysis and rhetoric has already been given as to why this military operation by The State of Israel commenced last week. President George W. Bush gave his opinion on “stopping the violence”:

“In my judgment, the best way to stop the violence is to understand why the violence occurred in the first place,” Mr. Bush said. “And that’s because Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon into Israel, and because Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. That’s why we have violence.” ("Israel Widens Scope of Attacks Across Lebanon" by Greg Myre, July 16, 2006, N.Y. Times)

We all perhaps know and understand to a degree to the consequences and results of war. The “root cause” of some sort of injustice seems to be readily identifiable. Much less thought it seems —if we can judge from what is written — is given to the nature of peace. Fortunately, the Second Vatican Council’s “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World” (Gaudium et Spes , December 7, 1965) authoritatively addressed this topic.

Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. Peace results from that order structured into human society by its divine Founder, and actualized by men as they thirst after ever greater justice. The common good of humanity finds its ultimate meaning in the eternal law. But since the concrete demands of this common good are constantly changing as time goes on, peace is never attained once and for all, but must be built up ceaselessly. Moreover, since the human will is unsteady and wounded by sin, the achievement of peace requires a constant mastering of passions and the vigilance of lawful authority.

But this is not enough. This peace on earth cannot be obtained unless personal well-being is safeguarded and men freely and trustingly share with one another the riches of their inner spirits and their talents. A firm determination to respect other men and peoples and their dignity, as well as the studied practice of brotherhood are absolutely necessary for the establishment of peace. Hence peace is likewise the fruit of love, which goes beyond what justice can provide.

That earthly peace which arises from love of neighbor symbolizes and results from the peace of Christ which radiates from God the Father. For by the cross the incarnate Son, the prince of peace reconciled all men with God. By thus restoring all men to the unity of one people and one body, He slew hatred in His own flesh; and, after being lifted on high by His resurrection, He poured forth the spirit of love into the hearts of men.

For this reason, all Christians are urgently summoned to do in love what the truth requires, and to join with all true peacemakers in pleading for peace and bringing it about.

Motivated by this same spirit, we cannot fail to praise those who renounce the use of violence in the vindication of their rights and who resort to methods of defense which are otherwise available to weaker parties too, provided this can be done without injury to the rights and duties of others or of the community itself.

Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But insofar as men vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as well and make these words come true: "They shall turn their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaias 2:4). (Gaudium et Spes, No. 78)

Gaudium et Spes recognized that some military actions may be necessary but that these should be tempered:

[I]t is one thing to undertake military action for the just defense of the people, and something else again to seek the subjugation of other nations. Nor, by the same token, does the mere fact that war has unhappily begun mean that all is fair between the warring parties. (Gaudium et Spes, No. 79)

Gaudium et Spes, readily points out that respect, dignity, and brotherhood are required for peace: “A firm determination to respect other men and peoples and their dignity, as well as the studied practice of brotherhood are absolutely necessary for the establishment of peace.”

Surely peace on earth will be obtained where “personal well-being is safeguarded.” It will be obtained when respect, dignity, and brotherhood are extended to innocent and blameless human life and the family in addition to nations, peoples, and true cultures. Let’s all pray for true peace and not for simply the avoidance of war.

Photo: Man in Lebanon (Tyler Hicks/ New York Times; July 17,2006)
Tags: Lebanon, Hezbollah, Israel, Middle East, Peace,Vatican

Another Lost Tradition

2006-07-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

Boston claims to be a city of tradition. And certainly it is is some respects. As time advances these traditions are being lost. The Boston Celtics seem to be in the forefront of abandoning tradition. Crowds at the old Boston Garden were notorious for "sitting on their hands" so "piped-in crowd noise" was added. This faux noise was so distracting as to be embarassing. Next, traditional organ music was replaced with pop and rock music, supposedly to attract a younger crowd. (The "Walker Wiggle" also seemed to typify the decline of the Old Green.)

Three years ago when the "Danny Ainge as general manager" era began the traditional black sneakers were replaced with white ones. The Celtics had always worn only black sneakers. I thought that something simple and distinct as black sneakers could surely be saved. I was wrong. (I just can't picture Larry Bird or Kevin McHale playing in white sneakers.) Next, the "alternate jerseys" of green and black, and green and gold combinations were added to the traditional, sharp and distinct green and white ones. At this point I did not recognize the Celtics anymore. Now, 21 "Celtics' Dancers" are going to be added next season! The Celtics had been the only team I know of that did not have any cheerleaders or dancers. I'm sure that these girls won't be doing any Celtic/Irish steps, which would be nice to see.

I'm sure a life-sized mascot like "Wally The Green Monster" will be added next. The Boston Red Sox lost their "no mascot " tradition when Wally first made his appearance at Fenway Park. He was booed when he was first introduced and some thought that he would never return. Now he is accepted as part of the Red Sox family.

The simplicity that used to make the Boston Celtics unique is long gone. Let's hope that the pretty parquet floor wil not be taken away next. If the Celtics really want to keep tradition then they should focus on winning another World Championship —to add to their 16 World Championships— and forget about these superficial makeovers. It has been 20 years since the last championship and another one does not seem to be on the horizon.

Photo: Celtics.com
Tags: Boston Celtics

Gabriela

2006-07-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday in Newport, Rhode Island, Australia’s Patrick Rafter,33, and Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini, 36, along with 8 others were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Gabriela is perhaps the world’s all-time best female athlete. As such her induction into the hall of fame is no surprise!

She won the US Open in 1990, the Wimbledon Doubles title in 1988 (with partner Steffi Graf), and a silver medal in the 1988 Olympic Games. She was also part of the 1996 Argentine Olympic team.

Overall, Gabriela won 27 WTA Tour singles championships and 14 doubles championships; was ranked in the top 10 for ten consecutive years (1986-1995). Her career winnings were $8,785,849.

"In her playing career, Sabatini was graceful, athletic and elegant, a sound baseline player who switched successfully to the serve-and-volley game. She was glamorous, and the crowds loved her. Sports Illustrated noted her “brooding good looks.” (“Off the court, Sabatini is still in her prime” by Frank Litsky, N.Y. Times, July 16,2006)

From her induction speech:

"I was a very introverted person and it wasn't easy for me to relate to others. Tennis has exposed me to so many things in such positive ways that perhaps I wouldn't have experienced it if it wasn't through tennis."

"Today I am convinced that tennis is not only a sport, it is giving you the opportunity to open your mind, to travel all over the world, to get to know people and relate to others to have a commitment and responsibility, to grow and mature at an early age, to face and overcome obstacles, all of which I can apply in my everyday life. All of these things have made me the person I am today and that is why I am so grateful to this sport."

Gabriela currently lives in Buenos Aires and sells 14 perfume titles like ”Bolero” (recommended for casual wear) and ”Tempermento” (recommended for evening wear). She also has a rose named after her. Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth and John F. Kennedy also have named roses.

Congratulations to Gabriela!

Photo: Gabriela Sabatini at the Australian Open in 1994 (William West/AP)
Tags: Gabriela Sabatini,Tennis, Rhode Island