Something I wish I didn't know...

The actor who voiced Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) was arrested on charges that include stalking.

"Robbins was the voice of Charlie Brown for TV specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Story >


[2013-01-23]

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Say something else in that ear...

"I don't understand how trivial differences on metaphysical questions that can't be demonstrated to be right or wrong can possibly lead people to kill each other.

There is a human flaw that underlies this type of disagreement that is entirely independent of race, religion, gender, or historical context.

Perhaps our fears (and related behaviors) are vestiges of survival instincts left over from days when killing first and asking questions later was more often than not the wiser course of action. That was a very, very long time ago."
--Clarence 0ddbody

[2013-02-14]

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Papal Typo

The Pope apparently doesn't tweet ex cathedra[1]. Note the typo...

Sat 2/2/2013 6:02 AM


Sat 2/2/2013 7:03 AM


[2013-02-11]

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Overheard

“When [Jesus] wanted fully to explain what his forthcoming death was all about, he didn’t give them a theory. He didn’t even give them a set of scriptural texts. He gave them a meal.”

--NT Wright, Simply Jesus

[2013-01-17]

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[1]
When communicating ex cathedra, the Pope is regarded as infallible by Roman Catholics. Of course, it is possible that someone else actually does the Pope's tweeting, or there may be an allowance for linguistic stumbles that plague us all, or, of course, tweeting is not ex cathedra. Nothing really meaningful here, I just found it interesting.

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The Rhythm of Rudeness

There seems to be a change in how human bodies interact with other human bodies, at least in my universe. People are less likely to hold the door for you, say thank you when you hold it for them, or accommodate your path through their personal space in a stairwell, hallway, doorway, etc.

I'm sure this is normal in big cities, but it's new(er) for me in this city.

If I might share a short story along this line from a trip to Chicago, at a fancy hotel in the financial district. I was in line at the counter to check in, behind someone else. They finished their business and moved on. I inched forward and waited to be called by the receptionist, who was finalizing paperwork.

I left what in my experience is a comfortable distance between me and someone waiting to call me forward. It's the same distance I use at the bank, the pharmacy counter, the Secretary of State, etc. Approximately three feet.

Apparently, in Chicago that distance means I am loitering, for an eager woman huffed and moved into that space and was promptly served. The receptionist didn't say anything like "that gentleman was waiting." In fact, it went downhill from there. When I did reach the counter, I was treated very rudely, and when I got to my room, a clerk called up to say my credit card had been declined.

The card was fine. I told him to try it again, and if I have to come down and discuss this at the receptionist's desk, it will be unpleasant.

He didn't call back.

I'm inclined to be angry, but what's the point. There are a gabillion small people in the world who think they are more important than others.

As Truman Capote said, the rich are different than you and I. (For all of Truman's wit and wealth, he was rejected by the rich and famous he so much admired.)

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I don't travel much, but I have stayed in some large cities and fancy hotels and I know the etiquette. You can probably tell that if I have a choice, I prefer Holiday Inn, a continental breakfast and cup of coffee in the morning, and maybe a copy of USA Today.

 

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I don't understand the rhythm of rudeness. It does have a cadence[1]. You have to shrug and move on. Some folks are accustomed to putting themselves before others.

 

 

 

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[1]
Folks who know me know that I hate the word "cadence" when it's used in a business context - eg, for the interval of a media campaign. I'm twinging a bit using it here. It's a form of self-therapy. Cadence cadence cadence cadence....

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Started: 2013-02-07

Characterized by a Certain Emptiness

Sat !
2013-02-16


Religious commentary may not always be logical, rational, or compelling, but it's often sincere and genuine.

Have you spent much time listening to atheist/progressive talk? I have. It's fascinating, informative, insightful, and entertaining, but it's also often characterized by a certain emptiness[1]; you can detect it after a lot of listening, and the same echo can be sensed in radio, TV, print, etc., and in fact anywhere there is no ultimate appeal to a deity or a fixed measure of fairness, justice, etc.

At the moment, I'm making no claim that this is good or bad, right or wrong. It's just an observation.

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[1]
It's impossible to describe this feeling without emotionally-loaded language, but it's proper to note it and treat it separately, which is why I am footnoting it. The feelings I am often left with after listening to a conversation among atheists is depression (being right is just about outwitting the other guy), frustration (the other guy is often an embarrassing rube), and hunger (an hour of talk yields nothing new or satisfying).

It's very possible, given my upbringing and the materials I consume, I am "tuned" to hear sincerity in some religious matters and hollowness in some atheistic ones, ie, that my cognitive filter sifts new information in a way I can't control.

How does one know this?

I think that is impossible. It would take someone outside myself to explain where I am wrong, but that person thinks through his own filters, so that's no help.

Until we're able to be sure that the color you call green is the same color I call green (the mental perception, not the light wavelength), I cannot trust another person's insight into my own.

Of course, that is, unless we allow for revelation (divine messaging) in which this insight bypasses our filters, or corrects them so we see things rightly.

I'm not a a philosopher. Others have devoted lifetimes to this subject. Clarence just thinks about it a l lot.

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Started: 2013-01-29

... he half-expected to be terrified with the sight of Marley's pigtail sticking out into the hall.

I've worn a ponytail for much of my Midwestern corporate career and have, by my choice, circumscribed my opportunities and partially defined the opinion of others around me, sometimes bad, sometimes good. We are judged by how we appear.[1]

[2012-03-24]

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I learned recently of a pet cemetery that cremates aborted fetuses along with deceased cats and dogs.

Story >

What have we come to.

We discard the unwanted unborn with our dead animals..

[2013-01-23]

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[1]
The law prevents official sanction for nonconformity. But it still happens and always will. You can't legislate a private opinion. I don't wear a ponytail right now. My LinkedIn picture  is current, but I l like this picture better; you may have noticed it's also at the top of this blog.

I've given my ponytail it to Locks of Love a few times now. Somewhere a sick child is wearing Clarence's hair. I think that's nice.

 

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