From the Associated Press:
BERLIN: Germany's national railway wasn't about to risk sending a trainload of soccer fans to a German Cup match without beer.
....
"In order not to endanger the good mood" of the passengers, railway officials halted the train in Wuppertal for 25 minutes and had a replacement part delivered by taxi, a police statement said. It added that there was no trouble among the fans.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Feast Of The Transfiguration
Transfiguration - Lorenzo Lotto, 1510-12
Luke 9:28-36
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,* one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen;* listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
From Fr. John Dear's sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 5, 2005.
Tomorrow, we commemorate two events, one a great holy event, the other an evil, demonic event. On the one hand, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, when he was revealed as the face of the God of peace, as he exploded with the spiritual power of inner nonviolence and unconditional love into the light of the world, the fullness of love and peace for the whole human race. So beautiful!
On the other hand, we remember that 60 years ago, our country dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and vaporized 140,000 people in a flash and did it again three days later in Nagasaki. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker, called our bombing of Hiroshima, "the anti-transfiguration," and said in effect that we have rejected Jesus' loving nonviolence, and created our own demonic light, the blast of the bomb, the dark cloud, and instead of bringing light and peace to the human race, we are bringing death and destruction to all.
....
First, we have to recognize and name, that we live in the culture of the anti-transfiguration.
....
And this anti-transfiguration culture is trying to instruct us, the church, on sin and morality, telling us what is right and wrong, distracting us from the criminal, immoral, and sinful murder of 130,000 Iraqis in the last two years or the development of these weapons at Los Alamos. Unfortunately, many people in the church are being misled by the culture of the Bomb. So like Dorothy Day, we have to be clear about our predicament.
Second, I would say, because of this, because of our story, we are called to go forth into this culture to fulfill Jesus' mission of Transfiguration nonviolence.
....
I think that as his followers, our job is to carry on that mission of transfiguration nonviolence, to follow Jesus down the mountain, confront systemic injustice, and go with him to the cross with perfect nonviolent, forgiving, suffering love.
How do we do this? The voice from the cloud says first we have to listen to Jesus which means we have to take time every day...to hear what Jesus is saying to us, and then go and do it.
And when we listen to Jesus, we hear a few simple commandments: Love one another; love your neighbor; forgive one another; be as compassionate as God; seek first God's reign and God's justice; do unto others as you would have them do unto you; put down the sword and Love your enemies." That is the mission for the rest of our lives.
PRAYER
O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
READINGS
Psalm 99 or 99:5-9;
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Peter 1:13-21
I am not a pacifist. I am not courageous enough to be a true pacifist. I wish I were. Pacifism is not talking about hating war and linking to Fr. John's web site on my blog. Pacifism is active. It's "getting in the way" as the Christian Peacemaker teams do when they put themselves between the warring parties and risk being kidnapped, like the four team members in Iraq, with one of their number, Tom Fox, being killed.
It's Fr. John hammering on an F15 nuclear fighter bomber in an effort to "beat swords in plowshares," according to the biblical vision of the prophet Isaiah, and going to jail for civil disobedience and destroying property.
No, I am not in their company. God bless and keep them and all who strive for peace and justice.
On Iraq
Please go read this from The Cunning Realist. He's a conservative. He says so right on the sidebar of his blog.
And this from IOS at Who Is IOS? Watch the video for a glimpse of our oh-so-confusing life in Bushland.
Thanks to my man Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief for the links.
The motto of Wounded Bird is: when you have nothing of your own, borrow, borrow, borrow.
And this from IOS at Who Is IOS? Watch the video for a glimpse of our oh-so-confusing life in Bushland.
Thanks to my man Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief for the links.
The motto of Wounded Bird is: when you have nothing of your own, borrow, borrow, borrow.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Can Anybody Help Me?
From Scout at First Draft comes a link to wonderful music video made by the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund. The group used parts of Scout's video and stills that she took during her visits to New Orleans after Katrina in their music video, "Can Anybody Help Me?"
One For One
Someone in the comments here mentioned that it was good to have Gail Collins, writing for the the New York Times again, and indeed, it is (alas, behind the wall). This is from her column titled, "Getting One for the Price of One":
This week, Rudy Giuliani is focusing on health issues, attacking Democrats’ plans to get the government more involved in covering the cost of medical care. In a campaign tour of New Hampshire town meetings, he used the word “socialism” so often that it crowded out the old nonterror-related record-holder, “Ronald Reagan.” Other frequently repeated nouns were “choice” (good) and “France” (bad).
....
You may remember a while back that Rudy Giuliani was touting his wife, a nurse, as an important adviser to him on health matters. This was around the time that he told Barbara Walters that he would be “very, very comfortable” having her sitting in on Cabinet meetings and policy discussions about her area of expertise.
So Judith was expected to be part of the New Hampshire health care tour. But her plans seemed to have changed about the time a new Vanity Fair profile emerged, one that makes her sound like a particularly unpleasant combination of Catherine the Great and Britney Spears. The article, by Judy Bachrach, accuses her of everything from demanding a separate airplane seat for her handbag to putting her husband in harm’s way by forcing him to retrieve a bag of health bars from the hotel during a security lockdown.
Oh dear. Catherine the Great and Britney Spears. Is she going to be called upon to do a quick fade-out? Is she going to be angry at Rudy for making her stay in the background? She doesn't sound like a background person to me, and she's not shy about demanding her rights.
Many of the anonymous quotes in the Vanity Fair piece seem to have come from past and present Giuliani employees, who are particularly bitter about Judith’s alleged attempts to elbow out his closest aides and confidants. This is not something you as a voter need to worry about since Giuliani’s closest aides and confidants tend to be extremely expendable hangers-on.
(We will revisit this issue sometime later when we discuss how chauffer-turned-police commissioner Bernard Kerik came to be nominated for chief of Homeland Security.)
Yes, remember that hero of 9/11, Bernie Kerik, who came close to being in charge of Homeland Security? He of the alleged "secret love nest" where he conducted his “passionate liaisons.”
To protect his wife from unnecessary sniping, all Rudy needs to do is say that he was looking at the world through the eyes of love when he seemed to be envisioning her as a future weapons inspector. (“She gives us a lot of advice and a lot of help in areas where she’s got a tremendous amount of expertise — biological and chemical,” he said in 2003.)
Rudy's candidacy seems like one big joke to me, but we elected a joke twice and I'm not laughing. I suppose that I should hope that Rudy becomes the Republican candidate for president, but one never knows. By trickery or through dirty campaign tactics, he might get elected.
Who would have believed that one who actually served in Vietnam, would come to be viewed as a wimp and a liar, rather than the one who disappeared from the Air National Guard and never gave an explanation?
Good to have you writing again, Gail.
This week, Rudy Giuliani is focusing on health issues, attacking Democrats’ plans to get the government more involved in covering the cost of medical care. In a campaign tour of New Hampshire town meetings, he used the word “socialism” so often that it crowded out the old nonterror-related record-holder, “Ronald Reagan.” Other frequently repeated nouns were “choice” (good) and “France” (bad).
....
You may remember a while back that Rudy Giuliani was touting his wife, a nurse, as an important adviser to him on health matters. This was around the time that he told Barbara Walters that he would be “very, very comfortable” having her sitting in on Cabinet meetings and policy discussions about her area of expertise.
So Judith was expected to be part of the New Hampshire health care tour. But her plans seemed to have changed about the time a new Vanity Fair profile emerged, one that makes her sound like a particularly unpleasant combination of Catherine the Great and Britney Spears. The article, by Judy Bachrach, accuses her of everything from demanding a separate airplane seat for her handbag to putting her husband in harm’s way by forcing him to retrieve a bag of health bars from the hotel during a security lockdown.
Oh dear. Catherine the Great and Britney Spears. Is she going to be called upon to do a quick fade-out? Is she going to be angry at Rudy for making her stay in the background? She doesn't sound like a background person to me, and she's not shy about demanding her rights.
Many of the anonymous quotes in the Vanity Fair piece seem to have come from past and present Giuliani employees, who are particularly bitter about Judith’s alleged attempts to elbow out his closest aides and confidants. This is not something you as a voter need to worry about since Giuliani’s closest aides and confidants tend to be extremely expendable hangers-on.
(We will revisit this issue sometime later when we discuss how chauffer-turned-police commissioner Bernard Kerik came to be nominated for chief of Homeland Security.)
Yes, remember that hero of 9/11, Bernie Kerik, who came close to being in charge of Homeland Security? He of the alleged "secret love nest" where he conducted his “passionate liaisons.”
To protect his wife from unnecessary sniping, all Rudy needs to do is say that he was looking at the world through the eyes of love when he seemed to be envisioning her as a future weapons inspector. (“She gives us a lot of advice and a lot of help in areas where she’s got a tremendous amount of expertise — biological and chemical,” he said in 2003.)
Rudy's candidacy seems like one big joke to me, but we elected a joke twice and I'm not laughing. I suppose that I should hope that Rudy becomes the Republican candidate for president, but one never knows. By trickery or through dirty campaign tactics, he might get elected.
Who would have believed that one who actually served in Vietnam, would come to be viewed as a wimp and a liar, rather than the one who disappeared from the Air National Guard and never gave an explanation?
Good to have you writing again, Gail.
Post Deleted
My post on the MadPriest photo contest is gone, [I] deleted [it]. I had misgivings about posting it in the first place. I should listen to my inner voice. When I don't, I often make mistakes.
This post has been edited for clarity. The words in brackets were added.
This post has been edited for clarity. The words in brackets were added.
Fudpucker
Here's my latest in tongue-twisters - seen on the back of a tee-shirt:
If a fudpucker could puck fud, how much fud could a fudpucker puck if a fudpucker could puck fud.
Say it quickly. How did you do? I had to say it several times before I got it right.
Maybe this is an oldie, and everyone else has seen it. In that case, sorry. Sometimes I don't keep up.
If a fudpucker could puck fud, how much fud could a fudpucker puck if a fudpucker could puck fud.
Say it quickly. How did you do? I had to say it several times before I got it right.
Maybe this is an oldie, and everyone else has seen it. In that case, sorry. Sometimes I don't keep up.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Thank You, Time Magazine
From Time Magazine by Michael Grunwald:
The most important thing to remember about the drowning of New Orleans is that it wasn't a natural disaster. It was a man-made disaster, created by lousy engineering, misplaced priorities and pork-barrel politics. Katrina was not the Category 5 killer the Big Easy had always feared; it was a Category 3 storm that missed New Orleans, where it was at worst a weak 2. The city's defenses should have withstood its surges, and if they had we never would have seen the squalor in the Superdome, the desperation on the rooftops, the shocking tableau of the Mardi Gras city underwater for weeks. We never would have heard the comment "Heckuva job, Brownie." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema) was the scapegoat, but the real culprit was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which bungled the levees that formed the city's man-made defenses and ravaged the wetlands that once formed its natural defenses. Americans were outraged by the government's response, but they still haven't come to grips with the government's responsibility for the catastrophe.
And haven't I been saying this over and over? I am so pleased that a national news magazine is telling this story. Maybe now folks in the rest of the country will "get it".
There's this on the mostly inept and not-to-be trusted US Corps of Engineers:
But Corps officials have also committed to restoring the surge-softening marshes, cypress swamps and barrier islands that are disappearing at a rate of a football field nearly every half-hour. They say they now understand that the survival of New Orleans depends on a sustainable coast. "This is not the Corps of old," says Karen Durham-Aguilera, director of the agency's Task Force Hope. "The world has changed, and the Corps is changing too."
So. Now they understand about the marshes. I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath for the Corps to keep the promise about the restoration of the marshes. It's not entirely the fault of the Corps, which is funded mainly by earmarks, with politicians meddling in a heavy-handed manner in their plans and projects.
The article is well done. Grunwald did his homework before writing his story, which is more than I can say for other prestigious journalists. I don't agree with every single statement in the story, but he mostly gets it very right.
Thanks to Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief for the tip to the story.
The most important thing to remember about the drowning of New Orleans is that it wasn't a natural disaster. It was a man-made disaster, created by lousy engineering, misplaced priorities and pork-barrel politics. Katrina was not the Category 5 killer the Big Easy had always feared; it was a Category 3 storm that missed New Orleans, where it was at worst a weak 2. The city's defenses should have withstood its surges, and if they had we never would have seen the squalor in the Superdome, the desperation on the rooftops, the shocking tableau of the Mardi Gras city underwater for weeks. We never would have heard the comment "Heckuva job, Brownie." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema) was the scapegoat, but the real culprit was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which bungled the levees that formed the city's man-made defenses and ravaged the wetlands that once formed its natural defenses. Americans were outraged by the government's response, but they still haven't come to grips with the government's responsibility for the catastrophe.
And haven't I been saying this over and over? I am so pleased that a national news magazine is telling this story. Maybe now folks in the rest of the country will "get it".
There's this on the mostly inept and not-to-be trusted US Corps of Engineers:
But Corps officials have also committed to restoring the surge-softening marshes, cypress swamps and barrier islands that are disappearing at a rate of a football field nearly every half-hour. They say they now understand that the survival of New Orleans depends on a sustainable coast. "This is not the Corps of old," says Karen Durham-Aguilera, director of the agency's Task Force Hope. "The world has changed, and the Corps is changing too."
So. Now they understand about the marshes. I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath for the Corps to keep the promise about the restoration of the marshes. It's not entirely the fault of the Corps, which is funded mainly by earmarks, with politicians meddling in a heavy-handed manner in their plans and projects.
The article is well done. Grunwald did his homework before writing his story, which is more than I can say for other prestigious journalists. I don't agree with every single statement in the story, but he mostly gets it very right.
Thanks to Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief for the tip to the story.
One Small Sad Story
A sad snippet from Juan Cole's daily post on news from the Middle East. This from Reuters:
KIRKUK - Police found the bodies of five brothers, all day labourers, who had been kidnapped near al-Rashaad district 40 km southwest of Kirkuk a day earlier. A sixth brother, six or seven years old, was found nearby unharmed.
Multiply stories like this many times, and you get a picture of the suffering and grief we have brought to a country which had done us no harm.
KIRKUK - Police found the bodies of five brothers, all day labourers, who had been kidnapped near al-Rashaad district 40 km southwest of Kirkuk a day earlier. A sixth brother, six or seven years old, was found nearby unharmed.
Multiply stories like this many times, and you get a picture of the suffering and grief we have brought to a country which had done us no harm.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Bad News From Mississippi
Mississippians are suffering from the same woes as Louisianians as they try to pull their lives back together after Katrina.
From Ana Maria at A. M. In the Morning:
Once again, Mr. Foot-in-Mouth Diseased Insurance Commissioner of the State of Mississippi—George Dale—has implied that the majority of Americans ought to move. That’s right, George Dale thinks that the 55% of Americans whom the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency reported live within 50 miles of our nation’s gloriously beautiful coastlines should move from our homes, families, communities, places of worship, jobs, and friends . . . and that if we don’t, then—by George—we get what we deserve from the worst of Mother Nature.
Oh, George, you are such a horse’s patoot!
Hey, George! That's me and lots of other people too!
Perhaps George Dale would like to list the “safe” geographical places in our nation so that the 55% of us who live within 50 miles of our nation’s “unsafe” coastlines can immediately pack up and move to this alleged “safe place”. By the way, according to the Census Bureau, 55% of our nation’s population equals 167 million Americans. I wonder where George is anticipating us to move? Where exactly is this fictitious place where we can live outside of harm’s way?
Plus, she pitches hardballs at the insurance companies who are trying to weasel out of paying what's due to their customers. She's talking about a local politician, George Dale, the Mississippi State Insurance Commissioner, but her subject is applicable to many of us who could be next in the path of a natural (or not so natural) disaster. What chance does the ordinary citizen have when the public official whose job it is to regulate a business takes sides with the business he's supposed to regulate, against the interests of people who pay his salary?
From Ana Maria at A. M. In the Morning:
Once again, Mr. Foot-in-Mouth Diseased Insurance Commissioner of the State of Mississippi—George Dale—has implied that the majority of Americans ought to move. That’s right, George Dale thinks that the 55% of Americans whom the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency reported live within 50 miles of our nation’s gloriously beautiful coastlines should move from our homes, families, communities, places of worship, jobs, and friends . . . and that if we don’t, then—by George—we get what we deserve from the worst of Mother Nature.
Oh, George, you are such a horse’s patoot!
Hey, George! That's me and lots of other people too!
Perhaps George Dale would like to list the “safe” geographical places in our nation so that the 55% of us who live within 50 miles of our nation’s “unsafe” coastlines can immediately pack up and move to this alleged “safe place”. By the way, according to the Census Bureau, 55% of our nation’s population equals 167 million Americans. I wonder where George is anticipating us to move? Where exactly is this fictitious place where we can live outside of harm’s way?
Plus, she pitches hardballs at the insurance companies who are trying to weasel out of paying what's due to their customers. She's talking about a local politician, George Dale, the Mississippi State Insurance Commissioner, but her subject is applicable to many of us who could be next in the path of a natural (or not so natural) disaster. What chance does the ordinary citizen have when the public official whose job it is to regulate a business takes sides with the business he's supposed to regulate, against the interests of people who pay his salary?
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