Alarms in Discursions

Is it Ice or Salt?

2008-06-18T04:53:00.002-05:00

Scientists are puzzled by the mysterious white substance shown in photos sent back by the Mars lander. Is it ice or salt? Perhaps they shouldn't be puzzled. Maybe it's both---ice and salt. Maybe someone there just made homemade ice cream.

William F. Buckley Jr. Dies

2008-02-27T20:47:00.003-06:00

Conservative columnist William F. Buckley Jr. died today at 82. You can read about it here.

Cats that Glow in the Dark?

2007-12-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

And now, a useful new scientific breakthrough---Glow in the Dark cats. Can't find your cat at night? No problem with these new kitties. Read about it here.

If you teach the Faith, you can’t be a clown

2007-11-08T05:25:00.000-06:00

"If you teach the Faith, you can’t be a clown, says Pope Benedict... Who educates in the faith," he continued, "cannot run to the risk of appearing like a clown who plays a role, ..."

Case in Point. Read about it . Photo courtesy of Cathcon.

Light Show

2007-11-07T10:04:00.000-06:00

New lighting system for a church? A 60's Light Show? You decide. The photo came from here.

Emerald City Youth

2007-11-07T09:55:00.000-06:00

Emerald City Youth don their green sunglasses to avoid being dazzled by the brilliance of the Emerald City itself. The picture actually came from here.

Transformer Perishes

2007-11-05T05:14:00.000-06:00

Looks like Megatron suffered another defeat as a transformer exploded and burned. It is fortunate that this Decepticon was not able to wreak his havoc on the City of Houston. Fortunately we were spared this time. You can read about it here.

All Saints Day

2007-11-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Today we honor those who have gone before us into Eternal Life having lived lives of heroic virtue. These are the saints.

Honoring the Dalai Lama

2007-10-18T16:19:00.000-05:00

The Chinese government claims the U.S. has angered China by honoring the Dalai Lama. They see him merely as a Tibetan separatist. The real problem, the real source of their anger is not his politics, but that he has a certain moral authority and the Chinese government doesn't. Read about it here.

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

2007-10-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of some of the attendees at mass Oct. 7th at Most Holy Redeemer parish in San Francisco. Archbishop Niederauer claims he "saw no one in mock religious garb". Perhaps one of you out there could help the good archbishop spot the "nun" in "mock religious garb". I know this is a tough one. It's possible that the person in mock religious garb is out of range of the camera, perhaps to the right or left of the nicely-dressed couple in the center of the photo.

Road to Emmaus?

2007-10-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

Remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who weren't able to recognize the resurrected Jesus until he broke bread with them? Well, take a look at this representation of Emmaus in this window and see if you can recognize any of them. Or maybe this is supposed to be just the road. Photo from Cathcon.

Stick Figure School of Art

2007-10-03T13:14:00.000-05:00

Now I ask you---does this crucifix really help you to meditate on the human or divine nature of Jesus? Photo courtesy of Cathcon.

Guardian Angels

2007-10-02T17:20:00.000-05:00

Today is the feast day of the Guardian Angels. It's a good day to show gratitude for all the help and guidance our guardian angels have provided for us. Also a good day to say the prayer you may have learned as a child:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side
To light, to guard, to rule, and guide. Amen.

Have Wand, Will Wander

2007-09-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

Just in case you missed the Pagan Pride Day, here is a link to the article. Just click your mouse pointer on the link. Or touch your wand to it.

Mumbling in Latin

2007-09-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

Mumbling in Latin serves no purpose. Thus said Bishop Nogaro, upon canceling the planned mass from the 1962 Roman missal at the Shrine of St. Anne. The bishop wanted people to "pray properly", since "to mumble in Latin serves no purpose". Well, too bad the good bishop wasn't around for the benighted, past 1500 years of the church, when clergy went around "mumbling in Latin". He could have taught them all how to "pray properly". Only---what language would those proper prayers have been in? He would have had to translate them into dozens of different languages, probably hundreds of different dialects---I guess he would have been a pretty busy man! As the months stretched into years, he would have probably eventually exclaimed in frustration: this is taking too long! We need just one, agreed-upon language for the Church. My word---what a novel idea! I wonder what single language could fit that need...You can read about it here.

Mass Still Valid; Pope Still Catholic

2007-09-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

Here is some really shocking news for you: The Latin Mass that has been in use for centuries is still valid (usually referred to now as the Extraordinary Form of the Mass). Now for more shocking news: The Catholic Church is still the True Church, and the Pope is still the Pope. You can read all about this stunning, new development here. Mark Shea points out that there are "people who have somehow gotten it into their heads that there are two Churches, pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II." Hmmm...isn't that marked outside on the church message board? "St. Swithin's---a pre-Vatican II Church".

Stuck in Traffic

2007-09-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

Here is part of What's Wrong with the World: Massive traffic jams. And it's getting worse. Commuters are wasting the equivalent of one to two weeks a year stuck in traffic. "Drivers waste nearly an entire work week each year sitting in traffic on the way to and from their jobs, according to a national study released Tuesday." You can read about it here.

Summorum Pontificum

2007-09-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

Today, on the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross, the Summorum Pontificum goes into effect--- Deo gratias.

Maybe She Should Consider the Bus

2007-09-13T08:46:00.002-05:00

"A woman who went to court to pay a traffic ticket drove there in a stolen car and ended up behind bars, authorities said." She had already "...been in court less than a week before and was acquitted of possessing a stolen tag but convicted of driving without a license..." You can read about it here.

Well, at least she was going to pay her ticket!

Collyridianism encore?

2007-09-13T08:17:00.000-05:00

"Calling it a "very grave situation," the Vatican has excommunicated members of a controversial Quebec Catholic movement, the Army of Mary, for their heretical beliefs that derive from the writings of Marie-Paule Giguère, an 86-year-old mystic who claims to be a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary....In her writings, Mme. Giguère described visions and messages she received from God, explaining that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is fully divine, and also that, as her modern incarnation, so is Mme. Giguère. Rather than the traditional Catholic Trinity - in which God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are each fully divine and part of a three-part deity - the Army of Mary now speaks of a "quinternity," including Mary and Mme. Giguère...They would say that they would not subscribe to some of the limitations that we would put on the creed." You can read about it here.

Well...isn't that what the [Nicene] Creed is for? To describe who God really is (and is not)? The "limitations" are there to make sure that we are proclaiming the Truth about who God is, and not error.

2007-09-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Stand up comedian Kathy Griffin won an Emmy last weekend. 'In her speech, Griffin said that "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."

She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, "This award is my god now!" '

She is a fallen-away Catholic that became an atheist. Now I suppose she is an "Emmy-ist". Since she claims that the Emmy is her god now, it might be useful for her to inquire whether this new god will forgive her sins and lead her to heaven. You can read about it here.

Quote for the Day

2007-09-10T13:15:00.001-05:00

"Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision." ---G.K. Chesterton--- Orthodoxy, 1908

How Many Sexes Are There?

2007-09-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

According to Argentinian doctors, there are two sexes, male and female. Well, since the human race has been in existence for untold thousands of years, I'm glad they finally straightened that one out!
Unfortunately, that's sure to be controversial in Europe and North America, where agenda has sometimes been allowed to triumph over Science, or even Common Sense. You can read about it here.

Quote for the Day

2007-09-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." - ILN, 4/19/30.
G.K. Chesterton

Quote for the Day

2007-09-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

"The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice." - A Defense of Humilities, The Defendant, 1901. G.K. Chesterton.

Quote for the Day

2007-09-03T13:11:00.001-05:00

"It is the main earthly business of a human being to make his home, and the immediate surroundings of his home, as symbolic and significant to his own imagination as he can." -G.K. Chesterton.

Folk Singer Pete Seeger Chastises Stalin

2007-09-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

Folk singer Pete Seeger finally chastised Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin in song. It's good that Mr. Seeger recognized that "Uncle Joe" was really "Bad, Old Uncle Joe", but what took him so long? Stalin died in 1953 and Pete Seeger himself is 88 years old. Right there on the cutting edge of political commentary.

Superman---A Venezuelan Citizen?

2007-09-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

Apparently Superman voted in the Venezuelan election. Make that two men claiming to be Superman (or was it the same one voting twice?) And I didn't even know he was a Venezuelan citizen! You can read the story here. It's not clear if Superman voted for Hugo Chavez, but one of the "Supermen" was interviewed on state television. I rather doubt he would have been interviewed if he had voted for the "incorrect" party. The report unfortunately doesn't tell us how Batman, the Flash, or the Green Lantern voted.

No Good Comic Operas?

2007-09-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

"We have had no good comic operas of late, because the real world has been more comic than any possible opera." - The Quotable Chesterton. This image comes courtesy of the American Chesterton Society blog.

May the Force...

2007-08-30T14:05:00.000-05:00

Not to worry, fellow bloggers and readers! Luke Skywalker's light saber is right here in Texas. That's good news. But in the event of a planetary emergency, who is qualified to wield it?

Nun Gun?

2007-08-24T09:12:00.000-05:00

Oh dear...bell's broken! Well, this ought to wake them up in time for Matins!

Rock and Roll Star

2007-08-24T09:09:00.000-05:00

If you wanna be a Rock and Roll Star/Just listen now to what I say
First get an electric Guitar/become a priest/then learn how to play..

They Stand in Wrapped Attention

2007-08-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

Another mass in which "creativity" has run amok. Let me guess---Austria? These images came courtesy of Cathcon.

No Reincarnating Without Government Permission!

2007-08-23T07:57:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought you had seen it all. Now the government of China has moved to make it illegal to reincarnate without their permission. Read the article in Newsweek. Some governments are just beyond parody! In a way, though, it's a good thing that reincarnation doesn't really happen. If it did, there would be the danger that those who decreed that government permission was needed to reincarnate could find themselves coming back as Equus asinus.

Monstrance

2007-08-21T05:51:00.000-05:00

This is a monstrance commissioned for the Pope's visit to Austria. The monstrance will stay in the Am Hof church after Pope Benedict's visit. One can't help thinking that the object and design would have been better employed as a suncatcher instead of a monstrance. And it would need to be smaller and lighter...most people wouldn't want a 40 lb suncatcher in their window.

Hurricane Dean

2007-08-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Dean, now a Category 5 storm, is about to slam into the Yucatan peninsula. It should make landfall there about 2:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Tropical Storm Erin

2007-08-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

Tropical Storm Erin hit the coast of Texas today, and we have been getting thunderstorms off and on since this morning. There was street flooding in Houston just in time for midday traffic. I guess this is a warning to be prepared for more severe weather, should it come, since hurricane season doesn't end until November 30th.

Feast of the Assumption

2007-08-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Today is a major feast of Our Lady, The Feast of the Assumption. This commemorates the day in which Our Lady was assumed, body and soul into heaven to be with God.

2007-08-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

Dover Publications has decided to reprint G.K. Chesterton's Tremendous Trifles. This certainly is happy news. This book has such gems as "A Piece of Chalk" and "The End of the World".

Replacing an Old Car

2007-08-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

Do you own an old car? Do you live in Texas? The state may help you replace it. Read here.
I believe you have to live in or near Houston, Austin, or Dallas-Fort Worth.

2007-08-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Feast Day of St. Dominic! For your edification, I have provided this link so that you can read what kind of penance St. Dominic exacted from a heretic who had renounced his heresy. It's in the second letter:

It Looks Like a...

2007-08-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

What's with modernists anyway? They want houses to not only look like churches, but actually be former churches. And yet they insist that actual Churches look like something else! This photo is from Cathcon

Together We Are Strong

2007-08-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Gemeinsam sind wir stark! Auf Englisch:Together we are strong! While this maxim may sometimes be true, we must be careful that we are struggling for the right things as we celebrate our strength. It's like saying "Change is Good!"---Really? All change? A happy, prosperous family suddenly thrown into poverty because of a loss of a job during a country-wide depression? That's a change. Is that good? Together we are strong---but our very strength could carry us right into the rocks that prudence and sensibility would have bid us avoid. Witness the boat in this picture from Cathcon. It seems to have run aground, a victim of the very strength of those attempting to steer it. And since he was standing at the rear of the boat, perhaps the priest should have delivered a stern warning.

Is this a chapel?

2007-08-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

If you weren't told this is a chapel, would that designation have immediately sprung to mind? Assuredly not. And even after you were informed that it was a chapel, would you have guessed that the chapel was Catholic? Again, probably not. Nothing visible here would cause you to identify it as such. That contest appears to be operating here as well. You know, the secret contest to design buldings that are litugically bizarre and aesthetically awful. This picture comes courtesy of Cathcon.

Is it Architecture Alone?

2007-08-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

Someone who has been reading these examples might think I have something against Modern Architecture alone.It's not just architecture that shows the limitations and deficiencies of Modernism. It's just that the architectural specimens are so visible and such obviously expensive mistakes that they make easy primary examples. They can serve as a jumping off point for less obvious and more subtle modern errors.

Well Here's Another

2007-07-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

Here is another building trying so hard not to look like a church. This is going to be the cathedral in Oakland, California. There seem to be so many of these horrendous buildings, built at phenomenal cost, both in dollars and in shredded aesthetics. Unfortunately they could be around for a long time. Hopefully some future generation will come to its senses and think of disposing of these monstrosities---but how? Maybe they could eventually try to sell them off, but then they would have to count on some organization willing to take on these cultural mistakes.

The Waffle Inn of Fatima?

2007-07-30T06:24:00.000-05:00

The appearance of these monstrosities makes one wonder if there is some sort of secret contest being held. The contest is to determine who can design the most liturgically bizarre or the most aesthetically ugly church or chapel. If there were such a contest, they would have to be held more often than merely annually, since these things seem to spring up so often. If you waited an entire year, you would have to wade through so many of them it would be difficult to make a choice in awarding the prizes.

First Post

2007-07-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

" But the great towns have grown intolerable..." -----G.K. Chesterton

This is the first post in my new blog created by me, for all those alarmed by certain aspects of modern life. It's hard to say what precipitated my plunge into the blog world---probably a combination of the contradictions of modern life and reading authors like G. K. Chesterton, who was also somewhat uncomfortable with some aspects of modern life. And that was last century! What would he have said today? I had read through numerous blogs, and thought: I could do that!
And today I gave myself permission.