Proof cats are demonic

Resistance is futile

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) might just win the Democratic nomination for the presidency. If he should win the presidency, he will have to thank Seven of Nine in his inaugural address.

prayer request

If you find a minute today, please offer a prayer for the family of my coworker Carolyn. Her son Collin, who is a couple years older than me, has been stationed with the Army in Afghanistan. Another solider, an Afghan translator, and Collin were in an area where there was an explosion. The soldier died, but the other two survived. However, Collin's face, hands, and legs are significantly burned, such that he no longer has eyelids and the doctors formed a new nose for him made from shark cartilage. He is currently at a hospital burn unit in Texas, and his situation doesn't look good.

Update on 1/11: Thanks for your prayers. Collin is no longer under a medically-incuded coma, but he has yet to "awaken." He is not responding to painful stimuli.

so now you know

I've been tantalizing and frustrating certain family members this week by my insuations that I will be experiencing a transformative "life event." I guess I've done all that because it's always good to have a little mystery in life, isn't it? I wanted to throw some intrigue out there, and make people wonder what I was up to. Frankly, it's extremely heartening to know that there are people out there who are interested in my life and what to know what I'm up to.

But of course, I never meant to turn this whole thing into some kind of teaste.. I was going to tell you all eventually, and the sooner the better. I mean, I don't want my life to turn into a Lost episode or something where everyone's wondering, what's going to happen next? How crazy would that kind of life be. Brownie is chased by the smoke monster! Brownie finds a white stone and a black stone! Brownie blows up a submarine! Brownie wins millions of dollars! Okay, that would last one would be rather great, but still... you get the drift.

So now, let me tell you what all this talk has been about.

Ever since I was young lad, I knew I wanted to grow up and help people in some way. I became fascinated by the work of a very-extended family member... the relative of a relative of a relative. Cincy Sister, you know who I'm talking about. He worked as a counselor at my school, but I never had any interactions with him that way. Still, I was fascinated with the idea of sitting down and talking with people to help them sort out their problems.

So I entered college and did an extremely rare thing: I graduated with the major I initially declared. Psychology. I knew of course that there weren't piles of money to be made in the psychology field, but that wasn't why I got into it. I wanted to help people, and I thought that this would be a fine method for doing so. I went straight from four years of undergrad to two years of graduate school work, finishing a master's in mental health counseling before I turned 24.

Looking back, I think, Good grief I was so young. Why was I so sure of myself? How did I decide that this would be good work to do? And most importantly, why did I think I was doing myself any favors by working in a field that's becoming increasingly unstable? The truth is that health insurance - managed care, as we like to say in the biz - has made this field more unstable. People in private practice have found it difficult to support themselves because insurance companies aren't willing to pay for more than a limited number of sessions (usually 6-12), and so have turned to seemingly more stable jobs within a community mental health center (CMHC's). However, the CMHC's are taking pages from the business world and increasingly focusing on productivity - if a counselor isn't seeing enough clients, she could lose her job. A counselor can't count on others to "pick up the slack," as has been done in the past.

I considered my options. I thought of applying for Ph.D. programs in psychology. I talked with several people who had done this very thing, and learned that they weren't making that much more money than I was (who had only a lowly M.S. to follow my name). I wanted to stay in the healthcare field, because I still had - and have to this day - a strong desire to assist other people. I thought of med school, but soon dismissed the idea because it would consume too many years of blood, sweat, and tears. After all, I have a family, and most of the time they enjoy having me around.

What to do? A few years back, The Wife and I came upon a plan - I would stay in the healthcare field, but build upon the exeriences I already had. I would plunge into a field that's continually growing and in need of more people. I would enter a nursing program and become a Registered Nurse.

I've taken the first step. I'm currently enrolled in two classes, Human Anatomy and Lifespan Development, at IUPUI. Yes, I'm a college student once again. Slightly older, slightly bulkier, slightly less fresh-faced, but a student nonetheless.

I'm up for the challange. I'm ready to go.

Hillary's Voice

It appears that Senator Hillary Clinton is the New Hampshire primary winner, narrowly beating fellow Senator Barack Obama in a race that was thought to belong to him. I don't want to discuss the N.H. primary in detail, but instead want to focus on a few words from this article on MSNBC's site.

A quote from the Hill herself:

I come tonight with a very full heart and I want especially to thank New Hampshire. Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice. I felt like we all spoke from our hearts, and I’m so glad that you responded. Now together let’s give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me.

Words mean things, as we all know. With that in mind, it's important to consider what Hillary means by the "I found my own voice" line.

A few days ago, Hillary was speaking at a campaign stop in Portsmouth, NH. She "let slip a glimpse of uncontrolled emotion" when someone asked how the campaign had been affecting her and how she stayed "upbeat and so wonderful." She responded by saying with a cracked voice, "I don't want to see us fall backward as a nation," and acted near the point of weeping.

I wonder if this moment is what she referred to when she said she "found [her] own voice." Did she mean that she found a way to connect with some voters with a See? I'm not a robot routine? If she has only now found her own voice after all these years, whose voice had she been borrowing? Her husband's?

Whatever it was - and whatever you interpret it as being - it apparently worked. She has laid claim to the first primary in the nation, and we'll see if that claim gives her any momentum. She believes she is the one to keep America - you and me - from falling backwards. I just don't think she has the proper shoes.

lite blogging

Yeah, I haven't blogged the past couple days. There is a good reason for that, though, which is related to this.

Speaking of lite, feast your eyes on the worst restaurant dishes, food that would totally blow your New Year's diet... that is, if you haven't blown it already. (Guilty!)

12 Days of Christmas

Pastor Jon Hay has been blogging through the 12 days of Christmas.

Alton Brown's deal

Alton Brown, host of Food Network's best show, has made a deal to stay on for three more years. He'll develop a new limited series, Feasting on Waves, which will no doubt be similar to his Feasting on Asphalt. With Emeril and Mario losing their deals with Food TV, it's good to know that Brown will be sticking around.

And, no, we aren't related. Brown is a common surname.

Challies Blog Tour

Tim Challies is "touring" several blogs to promote his book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. The tour runs from January 7 through January 18, and he's visiting quite the eclectic list. Challies' book stirred up quite a discussion at Justin Taylor's place.

Britney Spears in the hospital

Kim Cosmo has the details on Britney Spears' latest melt-down. It appears Britney has been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. If she did not sign an admit form, then her admission was involuntarily. I don't know about California law regarding medical admissions, but for someone to be admitted to a hospital against her will in Indiana, a doctor would need to have completed what is called an emergency detention form. A person can be admitted under emergency detention if she is deemed to be either a danger to herself, a danger to others (e.g., her children), or so incapacitated that she is unable to properly care for herself (e.g., she is running through the streets naked while experiencing a manic phase). Once the doctor completes the forms, they are taken to a judge for signature. The emergency detention form is good for 72 hours.

Life changes

I've got a life change coming up, one that starts incredibly soon. I know I'm being cryptic, but I'll fill you in on the details in the coming days.

Any life changes for you?

a raucous Caucus

Go here for the latest news.

Jeff Grenfield explains how the Iowa caucus goes wrong.

Evan Herrnstadt explains how Iowa controls the world.

Michael Moore has written a letter to his readers, saying he is endorsing... no one yet. No surprise, there. He liked Dr. Howard Dean last cycle, and we all know how that turned out. Moore's just happy that "W" will be outta there.

Update: Read Joe Gandalman's round-up and Doug Masson's assessment. David Brooks thinks there were two earthquakes, not one.

blogging & watching Dick Clark

blogging on New Year's Eve
Originally uploaded by Good Brownie

My daughter took this photo on New Year's Eve.

Brownie cameras

Besides the food, one of the great pleasures of dining at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Dayton (which I talked about here) is examining the antique signs and posters on the walls. There's a collection of old Ohio license plates in the restaurant waiting area.





I noticed one sign in particular, and knew I had to photograph it for the blog.




I never realized this company existed. How could I have missed it?

"I Am Legend"

***SPOILER ALERT - YOU'VE BEEN WARNED ***

I've been to New York City once in my life, in my teen years on a vacation with my parents and Cincy Sister's family. NYC is the most densely populated city in the United States, holding over 8.2 million souls in its five boroughs. A person could easily lose himself in the human sea that sweeps through the streets every morning, afternoon and evening. With that many people around him, he could easily hide and not be found. I found the city a marvel to behold.

As I Am Legend neatly shows, the city is even more a marvel with no one in it. The film begins with a lone man, gracefully played by Will Smith, and his canine companion racing through the deserted streets with a high-powered shotgun, chasing deer in a hot red sportscar. Years of neglect have allowed trees and tallgrass to break through the concrete, turning the urban jungle into a real one. Broadway signs for Wicked and a Batman/Superman movie (fanboys, take heart - it could happen!) cry out for attendees to come to stages that have been darkened for years. The scenes featuring a destroyed Brooklyn Bridge are particularly engrossing.

I Am Legend is based loosely on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, and tells the story of a man who believes himself to be the last person alive, or at least the last one alive on the island of Manhattan. Robert Neville, a virologist and an Army colonel, is apparently immune to strain of genetically-engineered measles created to cure cancer but with the unfortunate side effect of turning people into sunlight-abhorring mutants with super-human abilities. Neville left a radio message for anyone who might hear, explaining that he would be at a dock everyday "when the sun is highest" to offer food and shelter to anyone who comes. Besides hunting deer, he works on what he hopes to be a cure to help those who are infected.

What are the infected like? Well, they are never actually given a name, except perhaps by one character who calls them "dark seekers." The virus seems to disfigure those infected so that they become more like a CGI character than an actual human, so it's hard to have any kind of sympathy for them (at least not the same kind that Neville has). They also seem to have the ability to climb buildings and withstand an incredibly high pain level. Is there any kind of virus that comes to close to this?

There are so many spiritual themes present in the film that I found it hard to believe that Roger Ebert and Owen Gleiberman, two of my favorite reviewers, completely ignored them in their review. Perhaps Roger and Owen missed them, but I noticed several.

• In a flashback scene, Neville's daughter encouraged him to "follow the butterfly." Near the end of the film, Neville meets a character with a butterfly tattoo. The metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly represents new life. The spiritual implication here is that a new life is possible for those that are infected. The Christian begins her new life when she realizes that she is a sinner and only belief in the risen Christ can save her.
• Neville discovers that salvation for those infected lies within his own blood, since he is immune to the virus. The Christian believes that Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood, for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
• The infected can only move around in darkness; they cannot abide the light (John 3:19).
• Neville gives his life so that others can carry the cure to give to those infected. The Christian believes that Jesus offered His life to save sinners (Mark 10:45).

There are a few tense moments within the film, especially when Neville chases his canine companion into a dark building. Later in the film, Neville is forced to commit an act that he never wished to do. The look on his face is one of profound horror, and tells you what he is doing what actually showing the act. In that scene alone, Smith shows that he's become a premier actor.

"I dropped out of law school at Georgetown--where I could have learned how to become a highly paid attorney..."

Instead, she chose to critique politicians on television. Sacha Zimmerman reviews the ads streaming all over Iowa cornfields at this very minute.

She concludes:

And so, in the strange multiplex that is the '08 presidential race, there seems to be a little something for everyone: horror (Romney), science fiction (Giuliani), comedy (Huckabee), inspiration (Obama), John Waters (Clinton), and The Notebook (Edwards). If only I knew what the candidates' policies were.

(HT: Althouse)

as a new year begins, take time to consider your life

This prompted what may very well be one of the strongest posts from one of the Pyros.

2008 resolutions

Do you have any? My perennial resolution is to lose weight, but people who know me realize that it's a tough one. I've added a new one, though - I resolve to improve my writing skills. Not just here on the blog, but every time I write. I do a lot of writing in my work, more than what most people would think. I don't mean typing - I mean actual writing, with a pen and paper and everything. I also resolve to read more books than I did last year, but I don't know if I'll read this many.

If I'm truly going to improve my writing, I'll have to stay away from these words.

"a yummy New Year breakfast"

That's my eldest daughter's title for this post. Our first meal of 2008.



A two-egg omelette with bacon, chives, and cheese, accompanied by whole-wheat English muffins and a slice of processed American cheese. A perfect New Year's brunch.

end 2007 with a laugh

Hope you all had a good 2007. If you didn't, at least it's over.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in 2008.

If you need a good laugh to end this year, or one to start the next year, go here.

You're always gonna get it

where does "World" go to get pregnant?

India.

the Beast's Christmas

Santa gave her a dress, a cute little leopard print with a fuschia flower. She was, like, so excited.

the Brownie sisters

One of the great pleasures of the holiday season is getting together with family, particularly those that don't live close and aren't seen very often. This past week, I was able to spend time with both sisters. The younger sister* lives in nearby West Chester, Ohio, only a two hour drive from my house in Indianapolis. She's only 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, so I've dubbed her Cincy Sister. The older sister isn't as close - over ten years ago, she left the sunny skies of Ohio for the grey life of Panama City, Florida. Quite obviously, she's PC Sister.


One night last week, we fed on pasta and sourdough bread at one of Dayton's most famous downtown establishments, Spaghetti Warehouse. We sat at a large table in the back of the restaurant, where we could be as noisy as we wanted.


Here the sisters are, in all their glory. Cincy's on the left, and PC on the right.





* I designate them with the "older" and "younger" titles to set them apart. They are both older than me, the "younger" one by twelve years.

Thanks, but...

I believe Christianity is strong enough not to need the support of Congress.

The great debate - Is America a Christian nation?

• On Faith
• Freedom from Religion Foundation
• Catholic Education Resource Center
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Joel Osteen, Stuart Smalley, and those "The Secret" people

They all say pretty much the same thing.



(HT: BHT & A&O)

Merry Belated Christmas 2007

Hope yours was a good one. Mine was spent with family, half of whom I only see on rare occasions because of where we live (Indiana and Florida, two states that aren't exactly close to each other). We stayed with my parents, which meant no wireless capabilities. I didn't have a car to drive anywhere for some WiFi, and I didn't want to beg anyone to take me.

There were 28 people at my parent's house. 28! That has to be a record for the number of people able to fit into a 8X10 room. Well, my parents' house isn't exactly that small, but it sure felt like it. With wrapping paper and bows flying everywhere, it was utter chaos.

If you want to see some photos of my Christmas, go here to Salty Dog's place. I'm on the right side of this photo, between my mother in the turquoise sweater and my nephew with the hat.

10 Tidbits, Jolly Old Elf Edition

01. A Visit from St. Nicholas, more commonly known as Twas the Night Before Christmas, was first published anonymously in 1823. This poem and Thomas Nast's illustrations are largely responsible for how we envision Santa Claus today.

02. Yes, Virginia, there really was a St. Nicholas. Find out more about him here.

03. Santa Land purports to be the "first Christmas site on the Internet," founded in 1991.

04. Rudolph, who replaced Comet as Santa's favorite reindeer after a particularly nasty snowstorm, was created for a department store.

05. A good place to learn all about Santa's dwelling place is here.

06. There are many things in this world that are perfectly fine on their own but achieve legendary status when paired with something else. Among these things are chips & salsa, chocolate & peanut butter, and Santa & Coke.

07. Who's your favorite cinematic Santa Claus? He's been played by such actors as Edmund Gwenn, Tim Allen, Ed Asner, Tom Hanks, former wrestler Bill Goldberg, and most recently, Paul Giamatti.

08. Did Santa and the misses retire to Rancho Peñasquitos?

09. NORAD will track Santa tonight.

10. Although The Wife balks at the idea, I plan to take The Sweet One and The Cute One to this place, located in Santa Claus, Indiana.

Dayton on Wikipedia

I thought I knew a lot about my hometown city of Dayton, Ohio, but as I perused through Wikipedia, I discovered a number of things I didn't previously know.

• Jonathan Dayton, for whom the city is named, never set foot in Dayton.
• There is a city named Dayton in 23 states, but mine is the most well-known. I also have family in the Dayton of Tennessee, home of a famous trial.
• I knew C.J. Cregg hailed from Dayton and even traveled to the city to meet with her father and speak at her old high school (West Dayton High, which BTW doesn't exist in RL), but I didn't realize the Incredible Hulk came from the Gem City as well.
• Who knew there was such a musical genre as Christian metalcore? Dayton claims one band of this genre - The Devil Wears Prada.
• Dayton has more patents per capita than any other American city.
• This is something I already knew but have to mention because she played on the Dayton Lady Hoopstars team with my neice Jessica - Tamika Williams Raymond is from Dayton.

we got dates

Kim Frabricius, in a sermon about remembering one of Christianity's most significant dates in history, mentions memorable recent dates like 9/11/01 and 8/31/97 (the day Princess Diana died). I'm surpised he didn't bring up two dates that stand out for me as ones to remember: 3/30/81 (the Reagan assassination attempt) and 1/28/96 (the space shuttle Challenger disaster).

"A 13 shot venti soy hazelnut vanilla cinnamon white mocha with extra white mocha and caramel."

What is it? Only the most expensive drink at a Manhattan Starbucks.

I thought $5 was pretty costly...

(HT: Metafilter)

winter solstice

It's tonight, the longest night of the year.

"it’s the best description I have yet read of a huge economic problem that we know how to solve"

David Leonhardt of NYT named his pick for the top economics book. It's about everyone's favorite topic: healthcare.

10 Tidbits, Special Christmas Edition

1. Twenty-five Christmas movies we love. (HT: The Anchoress)

2. The Barna Group conducted a poll which revealed 75% of Americans believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. The poll doesn't reveal how many of those same Americans actually live as if it is true.

3. Brent thinks everybody loves Santa Jesus.

4. Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, says that there were no three kings that came to the inn in Bethlehem. Oops! Ben Witherington says there was no inn in Bethlehem.

5. Should the Advent move to November?

6. Have you been to one of these? The top ten holiday light shows.

7. Have you visited Frankenmuth, Michigan? It's the home of Bronner's, reportedly the world's largest Christmas store. They've got a spot on their site where you can put up on a map pictures of your decorated home. Of course, some people don't know how to decorate well.

8. Timmy Brister points to a non-Christmas song that is actually about the first time the God-Man came to eath - and the second.

9. You can read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol online.

10. For The Wife:

Mormon questions

FoxNews recently submitted 21 questions about the Mormon faith to officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Rob Bowman and James White examined the answers.

You can read the Book of Mormon online.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 13

Time's Person of the Year

It's Vladmir Putin. We were all the person of the year last year, so I guess he's technically a repeat. If you had ran Russia, you would have been picked again, too.

...and I thought the Democrats in Congress were [against] the Iraq War...

The Senate, by a 70-25 vote, approved $70 billion for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, "without restrictions that Democrats had insisted on for weeks."

Twenty-one Democrats and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman — who stood with Republicans at a post-vote news conference — voted with every Republican but Gordon Smith of Oregon to approve the Iraq funding.

Democrats again failed to win votes to force removal of U.S. troops or set a nonbinding target to remove most troops by the end of next year.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 12

The inflatable Santas and snowpeople have been quite popular this year.

Design*Sponge

Have you been here yet? Lots of cool stuff.

From the site:

Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 25,000 daily readers. Click here for PRESS on design*sponge.

Design*Sponge editor Grace Bonney has a unique angle on the industry, working as a freelancer with top publications like House and Garden, New York Home, Food and Wine, Better Homes and Gardens, CITY Magazine, Time Out New York Kids, Archinect, The New York Post, Everyday with Rachael Ray and others. In addition, she wrote a weekly design column for the Philadelphia Inquirer for two years and has worked as Style Editor of HGTV’s Ideas Magazine.

brownieland

I've got a city. Visit often!

Andrew's picks

In case you were wondering - and I 've no idea how many of you actually were - Andrew Sullivan likes Obama and Paul.

Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007

Dan Fogelberg lost his battle to prostate cancer. I can't truly say that I've been a fan of his music, but I liked "Along the Road" so much that I chose it when I was asked to sing for an honors ceremony at my grad school.

"Can I have your autograph?" "Get away from me!"

Go here to find out the best and worst of celebrities when it comes to signing autographs. Captain Jack Sparrow is the best with a pen, and Ricky Bobby is the worst.

I've always thought of obtaining autographs from celebrities as a weird practice. What do you do with the autograph when you obtain one? Do you frame it on the wall someplace? Do you put it in a book? My wife has a baseball autographed by the great Stan Musial. It's in the house somewhere...

Have you ever seen a celebrity on the street? I don't mean at a sports event or a concert hall or a movie premiere, where you're supposed to see them. I mean in some totally random place. I've only seen two that I can remember.

I sang in the choir, called the Concert Chorale, all four years in college. Every February we would go on tour for a few days. My sophomore year we sang in several churches around Washington, D.C. We had a few hours free time to travel about the city - by foot, of course - on a Saturday, so several of us spent the time wandering around the Mall. As I was walking around the Vietnam Vets Memorial, I spotted Peter Graves. I daringly approached him and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but are you who I think you are?" He whispered, "I suppose so," and walked on. One of his companions gave me an extremely dirty look, but I didn't care. I talked to Captain Oveur. Unfortunately, he didn't ask if I enjoyed gladiator movies.

On our first year wedding anniversary, The Wife and I spent a few days in Chicago. We enjoyed an extremely late dinner at the Four Seasons hotel. As we were leaving through the main doors, we saw a man bending over his luggage on the sidewalk. He looked up, and I instantly recognized him to be Judd Nelson. He must have read the recognition on my face, because he immediately looked down at his luggage again. He had nothing to fear, however, as The Wife and I walked past him without a word.

"I think we'd be fools not to be aware of his contributions."

Author Phyllis Tickle discusses in this interview, among other things, Hugh Hefner's cultural impact.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 11

This house, down the street from mine, had so many lights that I decided to take two shots. This is the right side of the house.

Here we have the left side of the house.

30 years of LucasFilm Christmas cards

I so wish I could receive one of these.

Sinatra's Second Act

Benjamin Schwarz examines Frank Sinatra's life post-1953:

Although that point can be debated, the 1950s—more precisely, the period from 1953 to the mid-1960s—was clearly the era of Sinatra’s supreme artistic achievement and deepest cultural sway. It amounted to the most spectacular second act in American cultural history. In the early 1940s, following his break with the Tommy Dorsey band, Sinatra had emerged, thanks largely to swooning bobby-soxers, as pop music’s biggest star and a hugely popular Hollywood actor. By the end of the decade, he was all but washed up, having lost his audience owing to shifting musical tastes and to disenchantment over his reported ties to the Mob, and over his divorce, which followed a widely publicized affair with Ava Gardner, whom he married in 1951. He soon lost his voice (he would never fully recover his consistently accurate intonation and precise pitch), his movie contract with MGM, his record contract with Columbia, and Gardner—their passionate, mutually orrosive entanglement plainly and permanently warped him. But in 1953, his harrowing, Oscar-winning performance as the feisty, doomed Maggio in From Here to Eternity made him a star again.

If your life had a Second Act, what would you imagine it to be? Have you already had one? I'm certainly imagining one for my life, but I'll only allow what that is to reveal itself with time.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 10

This house is a few blocks away from mine.

Julia Carson, 1938-2007

Representative Julia Carson died today, losing her battle to lung cancer. She had served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 until her death.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 9

This dwelling place is a few blocks from mine - one of those houses that are too long to walk to but too short to drive.

What I'd like for Christmas...

This book, please. I'd be more than happy.

"Vocalise"

Pastor Mark Daniels, in this post, mentions one of my favorite songs by Steve Taylor, "Harder to Believe Than Not To." This song really speaks to me, not only through the powerful words but through the incoporation of one of classical music's most brilliant pieces - Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise."

If you want to listen to the "Vocalise," this interpretation is especially gorgeous:

Hillary's mom wants you to vote for her daughter

Wow. Next time I interview for a job, I'm going to videotape my mom giving me an endorsement.



Some thoughts:

• She's using her mother in a political ad, so it's fair game to critique her for this. I usually refrain from either making or listening to critiques about the family members of political officials, but not when they have become part of the campaign.
• "She never was envious of anybody." Instead of coming across as a casual statement, these words sound as if they were spoken to address an accusation - specifically, that has always been jealous of Bill's political power. Does anyone really believe this, that Hillary never envied anyone? I don't. You don't run to be President of the United States without first thinking I want that.

(HT: Althouse)

Brent, the weekly town crier

Brent has a lot of links this week, including several top 2007 lists, which I always enjoy perusing.

Christmas Carols

Do you have any favorites? Many people sing them this time of year, including atheists. My favorite is probably "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."

Pixar's in-jokes

If you are a fan of Pixar's films like Toy Story and The Incredibles, you know that the characters from these films often make appearances in other films. How many have you spotted?

(HT: J. Overstreet)

this morning's breakfast

I stopped for a rare treat today: breakfast from Starbucks. A cranberry bliss bar and a grande soy no-whip peppermint mocha (the fave drink of my guitar-strumming nephew-in-law). Pure deliciousness.

Season 4

Not long now...

Golden Globes

The list. What do you think? I've only seen one of the films nominated - Ratatouille - but there are many nominated ones I want to see, including American Gangster, Sweeney Todd, and I'm Not There. Odd to see The Sopranos get only one nomination, for Edie Falco's Carmela - I thought surely there would be more since it was the last season, but you never know how these awards are going to go.

Ten tidbits 8

1. 25 skills every man should know. I already know how to do #'s 10, 12, 14, 15, and 17. (HT: The Presurfer)


2. Did Hillary express that she doesn't really have any "experience?"


3. Megachurches across the country. (HT: Smart Christian)

4. Tom Neven has a series on "Godless Hollywood": 1, 2, 3, and 4.

5. What is your RoeIQ? Test your knowledge of Roe v. Wade. (HT: Joe Carter)

6. "Honestly, Honey, I shouldn't be drunk. I only had one glass of beer."

7. Golden Compass vs. Narnia: the box office results. Dollar signs, not theological ideas, are what Hollywood cares about.

8. Kim Fabricius: Ten propositions on Richard Dawkins and the new atheists

9. A blog for fathers - Dads are Disciplers (DAD) (HT: Jonathan Moorhead)

10. "Electron Ban Structure in Germanium..." {Warning: language!} (HT: In the Agora)

top 10 bad books everyone reads

Anthony Esolen at Mere Comments has given his list for the 10 most undeservedly popular books.

1. The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran
2. The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels
3. Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
4. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
5. Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
6. Sister Carrie, Theodore Drieser
7. Candide, Voltaire
8. Catch-22, James Heller
9. Ulysses, James Joyce
10. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

The only one I've read is Frankenstein. Although it is in my library, the last time I actually read it was for a college class on science and technology. Shelley presents some very high-minded concepts about the morality of scientific progress, especially for the era in which she lived. The questions she raises are very similar to the ones raised in the film Jurassic Park by Ian Malcolm about the ability to create dinosaurs. I think Esolen should give Frankenstein more credit; after all, where would Boris Karloff's career have gone if he hadn't played the electricity-powered monster?

did you call this one?

iPhone is the invention of the year.

proof I really [am] a dog person

I laughed so hard at this.

Counselor Joel

Brent at Colossians 3:16 believes Joel Osteen should hang out his therapist shingle.

"I always wanted to be a June bride."

You may or may not have heard about the Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson. He was in the news in 2003 because he didn't become just any kind of bishop in the Episcopal Church USA, but the first openly homosexual bishop. A divorced father, Robinson has been with his partner Mark Andrew for two decades. He recently spoke to students at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

"I always wanted to be a June bride," said Bishop Gene Robinson at a talk on Nov. 27 at Nova Southeastern University."It may take many years for religious institutions to add their blessing for same-sex marriages and no church, mosque or synagogue should be forced to do so. But that should not slow down progress for the full civil right to marry," Robinson said. "Because New Hampshire will have legal unions beginning in January, my partner of 20 years and I will enter into such a legal union next June."

Robinson had his chance to be a June groom when he married his wife, but now he wants to wear the other shoe, or gown, or whatever. Can we presume that the bishop knows that the word bride has always been in reference to a woman? Perhaps since he is such a proponent of change, he desires to change the meaning of that word, too.

the poster

Here. Plus some spoilery stuff.

WalkScore

How walkable is your neighborhood? My little town-within-a-town scored 40 out of 100. How about you??

two Nativities

This Nativity scene is from the baptist church right around the corner.


This scene is from a house in the neighborhood.

The second scene has a much more intimate and sacred feeling than the first. However, I wish that the baby looked more like a newborn child and less like a boy who will soon start to walk.

forget it, Belloq - you can't stop me from getting this

I usually don't get too excited about toys, but I can't wait for this!

in just a few hours...

...we will all watch the Patriots finally lose.

What do you think?

Update at 5:38 PM: Pats lead, 14-13. The Steelers were down by 11, so it's getting better. I can't believe I'm actually rooting for Pittsburgh - this may be a first.

Update at the half: Pats lead, 17-13. You've got to give credit to Pittsburgh for staying close. I saw some people giving the Pats a 10.5 point spread. Of course, the last two teams the Pats played stayed close and would up losing.

Update at end of game: Ugh.

"I can't believe that they would allow children to be exposed to this kind of thing without warning!"

Is The Nexus trying to be The Onion with this kind of thing?

Parents at a 12:50 showing of "The Golden Compass" in Fort Worth's Eastchase district were both shocked and appalled to find that the movie was preceded by a trailer for the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the novel "Prince Caspian", which some parents fear may cause their children to read a series that promotes spiritual belief and "denigrates Atheism."

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 8

Who says you can't play on the teeter-totter in the snow?

evangelizing suburbia

Joe Thorn shares some of what he's learned about evangelizing in suburbia.

1. Door-to-door evangelism is seen as an unwanted invasion.
2. Initiating conversation at Starbucks is welcome.
3. The evangescript is perceived as invasive and fake.
4. Showing how real-life concerns connect to the gospel is well-received.
5. The churched are often as clueless about the gospel as the unchurched.

questions for an incandescent reindeer

You've seen this holiday classic, right? It's unavoidable at this time of year. A mother gives birth to a child with a luminary nasal cavity. The child is ridiculed by friends and becomes an outcast. The child finds companions and together they seek refuge amonst abandoned toys, but are rejected by the toys' leader as well. The child and his friends are hunted by a gigantic and fearsome beast, so the child decides to leave his friends and return home. Having learned that his family has left to seek him out, the child finds them in the lair of the beast. The story ends with the taming of the beast, a joyous homecoming, and a legendary journey through a storm to deliver presents all over the world.

As I watched it this year, I couldn't help but be struck by several things.

• Although I realize that mystery is an indelible part of this story, I can't help but wonder exactly how Rudolph was able to exhibit bioluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs in sea creatures like fish and squid, not land animals like caribou. Some scientists suggest that animals with bioluminescence use it to attract mates, and it certainly helped Rudolph develop a relationship with the doe Clarice.
• Even though Rudolph shows remarkable flying abilities, he is shunned solely because of his bioluminescence. Santa Claus himself, who doles out presents to the children of the world, shows an extreme lack of tolerance - and even disdain - for different kinds of reindeer.
• Hermie, an elf who should be happy in his work as a toymaker, decided that he should be a dentist. How did he learn about dentistry? I seriously doubt he would have any contact with someone beyond the North Pole borders. No elf had ever talked of dentistry before. How did he gain such knowledge of orthodontia?
• King Moonracer flies around all night looking for toys. How is he able to stay away during the day to "hold court" in his castle?
• When it comes to the toys on the Island of Misfit Toys, I guess we have to consider that they were made by human toymakers and not Santa's elves. After all, we would have to seriously question the effectiveness of Quality Control if the elves were able to put out defective toys. Perhaps the toys were made in China, which would explain a lot...
• Even though they both old land in the frozen north, Santa seemed unaware of Moonracer's domain. How could he not have known?
• Yukon Cornelius tells Hermie that abominable snowman are particularly fond of swine. Are there many pig farms in the tundra?
• What is it about an abominable snowman's molecular/chemical/bone structure that enables him to bounce?

If you have any thoughts on this, feel free to add them in the comments section.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 7

that time of year again

You can generally be at rest and assured that when December arrives, the MSM will cover stories and articles related to Christmas and the birth of Christ. Time or Newsweek, and sometimes both, will feature Jesus, Mary, Joseph or some other person involved in the Nativity story on the magazine cover.

This time, Benedicta Cipolla is writing for WaPo about the wisemen. Oh, you thought there were three of them?

The scene ingrained in the public imagination -- a stately procession of three kings in turbans, crowns, elaborate capes and fancy slippers, with an entourage of servants and camels trailing behind -- is a common image in books and films, but it isn't from Scripture.

In fact, there's no evidence in the Gospels that the Magi were kings, or even that there were three, much less that they sidled up to a manger on dromedaries exactly 12 days after Jesus's birth.

"Legends pop up when people begin to look closely at historical events," said Christopher Bellitto, assistant professor of history at New Jersey's Kean University. "They want to fill in the blanks."

"Time" to look at Rob Bell

Rob Bell is featured in a small-ish article of Time magazine. I have to confess, I don't know much about him. I understand that he pastors a church, he produces some videos, he is involved with the emerging church movement, and some people don't care for his theology. I know he's written a couple of books, his latest with the very provocative title of Sex God. He was in Indianapolis last week for his tour.

UPDATE: Bell has his supporters as well. As with anything, don't just believe other people's words about Bell, positive or negative. Check it out for yourself.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 6

This house features Santa's reindeer, including the beloved Rudolph.

Huckabee & Obama

So much for Romney's speech. Governor Huckabee is doing quite well.

Questions about religion—in particular skepticism about Romney's Mormonism—appeared to play a role in the latest results on the GOP side. The survey was completed on the day of the former Massachusetts governor's much-heralded speech in College Station, Texas, addressing his religion, though most respondents probably had not heard it. Still, only a small number of the 540 Republican voters surveyed in Iowa (10 percent) said they wanted to hear more from Romney about that issue, and close to half (46 percent) said at least some Iowa Republican voters will not consider supporting Romney because of his Mormon faith. More than a quarter (27 percent) said they don't consider Mormons to be Christians, and one in six (16 percent) said they are less likely to support Romney because he is a Mormon.

Huckabee's religious credibility, by the same token, appears to be a key factor behind his surge. Huckabee has opened up a huge lead among evangelicals, who are likely to make up about 40 percent of GOP caucus-goers on Jan. 3, the survey found. Among all Republican voters who identify themselves as evangelicals, 47 percent support Huckabee while only 14 percent back Romney. Among nonevangelicals, the two candidates are dead even at 24 percent apiece. Even so, a majority of Republican voters indicated that other issues, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration, health care and Iraq, are more important than religion.

As for the Democrats, Obama is proving that Hillary is less than... 'inevitable.'

Unlike the GOP race, standings in the Democratic campaign have not changed dramatically since the September NEWSWEEK poll in Iowa. However, Barack Obama has gained some ground, moving to within a point of Hillary Clinton among all Democratic voters (29 percent vs. 30 percent), with John Edwards in third place at 21 percent. Among those most likely to attend the caucuses, Obama has moved substantially ahead of Clinton, 35 percent to 29 percent, while Edwards falls back a bit, to 18 percent. Obama also gets more support from those who say they will "probably" attend a Democratic caucus (40 percent vs. 27 percent for Clinton). While the Illinois senator's lead among Democratic caucus-goers in this poll is not large enough to be statistically significant, things seem to be trending his way, Hugick said. "It's evolving into a two-person race, with Edwards hanging on," he said.

"His Dark Materials" links

Rob Bowman has provided an excellent round-up of articles and posts about Phil Pullman's trilogy.

Use The Golden Compass as a teaching moment. (HT: BHT)

Is it Atheism for Kids?

An interview with Phillip Pullman.

Hugh Hewitt jumps the shark

This is probably the smuggest posting I've seen in a long time. Hewitt has lavished so much praise on Mitt Romney's speech that he might as well light up a cigarette and pour himself a brandy.

Mitt Romney threw a long ball today and scored. There can be no objective argument against that conclusion. Why? Because Romney is running for the GOP nomination, and his remarks, both in delivery and substance, were lavishly praised by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and James Dobson, not to mention Mark Steyn, Fred Barnes and Charles Krauthammer -and these were just the seven people I heard on a long drive south to San Diego and then in a hotel room before leaving to post this and give a speech. I am sure when I get a chance to review the blogs more widely late tonight, there will be many others, though in fact every single one could denounce Romney and it wouldn't matter given the line-up of assessments just listed, to which I add mine from earlier today.

What Hewitt is saying, in effect, is this: It doesn't matter what you puny little people think of Romney. The important people - Limbaugh, Hannity, et al - really, really like him. So get on our bus - and I include myself because I agree with those people and I'm just as important as they are - or shut up.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 5

This house is just down the street from Chez Brownie.

"All that you know is about to change."

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 4

Apparently the Simpsons live here.

Hannukah Harry may bring you a ham

He just has to stop at New York's Balducci's first.

8:25 AM on a December morning

The sun rises to dissipate the morning fog ---

"If order and stability make you a villain, then I'm proud to be the Darth Vader that America needs."

Cat conversations

Everyone already has this up on his or her blog, but I can't help but follow the crowd. It's just too funny, and I'm a dog person.

Heather Kuzmich

Who is Heather Kuzmich? She is a contestant in the latest season of the CWs America's Next Top Model. What makes her so special is not just her physical appearance, but her diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. She was unfortunately eliminated last week from the competition, but the spotlight has brought a focus to her illness.

From the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

Asperger syndrome (AS) is a developmental disorder. It is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of a distinct group of neurological conditions characterized by a greater or lesser degree of impairment in language and communication skills, as well as repetitive or restrictive patterns of thought and behavior. Other ASDs include: classic autism, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Unlike children with autism, children with AS retain their early language skills.

The most distinguishing symptom of AS is a child’s obsessive interest in a single object or topic to the exclusion of any other. Children with AS want to know everything about their topic of interest and their conversations with others will be about little else. Their expertise, high level of vocabulary, and formal speech patterns make them seem like little professors. Other characteristics of AS include repetitive routines or rituals; peculiarities in speech and language; socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior and the inability to interact successfully with peers; problems with non-verbal communication; and clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements.

Children with AS are isolated because of their poor social skills and narrow interests. They may approach other people, but make normal conversation impossible by inappropriate or eccentric behavior, or by wanting only to talk about their singular interest. Children with AS usually have a history of developmental delays in motor skills such as pedaling a bike, catching a ball, or climbing outdoor play equipment. They are often awkward and poorly coordinated with a walk that can appear either stilted or bouncy.

snow day

Snow has come to Indiana at last.


I have two pine trees in my backyard. This one is right next to the house.

We're fortunate, I guess, that we don't live way up north where even more snow fell. I'm sure my family members in Florida are quite jealous of all the white stuff we have - the only white stuff they have is sand and the occasional whitecaps of the waves. Don't worry. They'll be able to enjoy it when they come north in a few weeks. If it's still here, that is.

"Prince Caspian" trailer

Forget Phil Pullman, his critically panned movie, and his Narnia-hating screed. I'm ready for this.

Kos' "worst"

I have to admit, I used to read Daily Kos regularly. Though not usually insightful, I found many of the posts to be informative. I stopped reading, though, when the diarists pushed Kos more and more out of the spotlight with stuff like this. Click on the link if you must - it's not fair the faint of heart.

"I'm a little lad who loves berries and creme."

Sing!

It's easy-peasy.

Advent & Christmas

Michael Spencer has some good suggestions for distinguishing between Advent and the increasingly secularized "Christmas" season.

"The music could only mean one thing: Abercrombie & Fitch was lurking just around the corner."

Matt Synder of City Pages wrote about his experiences while spending a week at the pinnacle of commerce, the Mall of America.

Hillary wants you to know how smart Obama is

In what must surely be the most juvenile example of dirt-digging that I have seen in some time, Hillary Clinton's camp is pointing out Barack Obama's "flaws" by giving "evidence" of a life-long desire for the presidency. (As if she never had that...) Team Hillary must be in desperation mode if they think they need to do this - post a press release that details reported past statements by Obama regarding the presidency.

I think this has an unintential effect, however. By highlighting two specific examples, Hillary is actually showing the world how smart Obama appears to be. He reportedly wrote two essays entitled "I want to become President" while in school - in third grade and in kindergarten. I don't know about you, but I was learning to read in kindergarten - I did not yet have the ability to write an essay. I doubt Hillary did, either.

More on this from the Anchoress.

Since I'm a Democrat, I felt compelled to send this email to Team Hillary:

The press release about Senator Obama's reported life-long desire to be President Obama is probably the most juvenile thing that Team Hillary could do. By listing all the times he supposedly said he wanted to be president, you have actually shown him to be highly intelligent. How many people in Team Hillary can say they were able to write essays in kindergarten? This press release seems to be an act of desperation, more than anything else.

the neighbors' Christmas lights, 3

Even though I don't live close to this house, I am compelled to include it. Some of the readers of this blog know why.

I love Jeff Caylor!

I haven't listened to one track of his music, but Jeff Caylor is already my new favorite artist. Here's why:


A couple weeks back, I wrote a post about my (former) love of Christian music and my desire to step once again into its waters. I was inspired to write the post after visiting the Christianity Today website and reading about their picks for the best music of 2007. I included the top choices in my post.


Soon afterwards, I received an email from Jeff, whose album Okay is listed at #5. He said that he had seen my post and offered to send me his CD - FOR FREE! How could I refuse? I gave him my address and told him that I would certainly write down my thoughts about his music and post them on the blog.


And, today, it came!



Thanks, Jeff! - you're incredible! I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'll certainly let you know when I do.

Proof the NFL is still scared of Janet Jackson

Tom Petty will be performing the half-time show at the upcoming Super Bowl. I hope the Colts make it again, but I fear that the team from Massachusettes will be there.