I haven't seen a non-science writer who understands stem cells as well as this one.
He discusses, of course, this fabulous news for science released last week.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Trust
Those who know me know that I survive by dint of a daily verse of Scripture, chosen from the day's Mass readings or the Divine Office. I just read the readings, and one verse "jumps out" at me. (I try to use Lectio Divina, but time constraints usually prohibit that.)
Today's threw me for a loop; the second time in the four months I've been doing this. Daniel 6 told me, "Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God."
Trust in God is the very issue that came up in November's spiritual direction. My medical problems (originally misdiagnosed as migraines, later re-classified as occipital neuralgia) have put me through--well, more suffering than I'm used to, anyway. It's been quite a roller coaster since December 2004, when the problem first started. Only now are we finishing up the minor issues, like why my gut has been hurting.
But I feel like I can't trust God. After what I've been through, my reaction really was, "If God did this to me when I trusted Him, I can't make that mistake again." Now, intellectually, I know God *allowed* it, not "did" it, but I'm talking about my emotions here. I also know that the medical problems really did work to my good--I have better control over my temper, I know more about what it means to "offer it [suffering] up," I'm more focussed on my family than on outside commitments (e.g. politics), I'm more sympathetic to the suffering of others, and I have a greater love for Christ, who suffered all of what I go through--purposefully.
But I still can't trust Him. Emotionally, I feel like I don't know what He's going to do to me next. Which is ridiculous, and intellectually I realize that there's a misconception of God there, a lack of theological hope, etc. So I'll get past it, with the help of my spiritual director. But it might take a while.
Daniel trusted in his God. Note the possessive pronoun "his." There's an intimacy there. And the word "because"--his trust resulted in his being unharmed. That goes against my thinking. And my thinking is what's wrong.
I may keep this verse for a couple of days. I'll try to write back with additional thoughts later.
Today's threw me for a loop; the second time in the four months I've been doing this. Daniel 6 told me, "Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God."
Trust in God is the very issue that came up in November's spiritual direction. My medical problems (originally misdiagnosed as migraines, later re-classified as occipital neuralgia) have put me through--well, more suffering than I'm used to, anyway. It's been quite a roller coaster since December 2004, when the problem first started. Only now are we finishing up the minor issues, like why my gut has been hurting.
But I feel like I can't trust God. After what I've been through, my reaction really was, "If God did this to me when I trusted Him, I can't make that mistake again." Now, intellectually, I know God *allowed* it, not "did" it, but I'm talking about my emotions here. I also know that the medical problems really did work to my good--I have better control over my temper, I know more about what it means to "offer it [suffering] up," I'm more focussed on my family than on outside commitments (e.g. politics), I'm more sympathetic to the suffering of others, and I have a greater love for Christ, who suffered all of what I go through--purposefully.
But I still can't trust Him. Emotionally, I feel like I don't know what He's going to do to me next. Which is ridiculous, and intellectually I realize that there's a misconception of God there, a lack of theological hope, etc. So I'll get past it, with the help of my spiritual director. But it might take a while.
Daniel trusted in his God. Note the possessive pronoun "his." There's an intimacy there. And the word "because"--his trust resulted in his being unharmed. That goes against my thinking. And my thinking is what's wrong.
I may keep this verse for a couple of days. I'll try to write back with additional thoughts later.
The week of great news
Wow--can things get any better around here?
1) Medical tests revealed that I don't have to have surgery on my abdomen! Hurrah!!! My problem should be easily treated with short-term prescription medicine.
2) I just got word from a museum and a library (both in Nebraska) that they have photos, obituaries, and even newspaper stories by and about my great-great-grandfather! We've lacked photos of him up until now, so this is huge. I'd say more, but I'm keeping it a secret from Little Things until, uh, the end of December... Anyway, for you genealogists out there, consider local museums as a source; it hadn't occurred to me until this week, and the photos were just there waiting all this time.
3) Watched The Incredibles with two friends, one of whom is a priest who'd never seen it before. The combination of scathing social commentary and the issues relating to one's personal philosophy really hit him, as did its insights into married relationships; he left amazed that a "cartoon" could be so good, saying he'd have to take a couple of ideas just to process all the ideas. It was my third time through, and I got things from it I hadn't seen the first two times.
4) I just this morning got invited to teach International Baccalaureate English next year. Have to pray on that one, but it's a huge honor.
5) Myxl, who just got third place in the children's division gingerbread house contest (and whom I hope has a shot of the Viewer's Choice Award, given some comments from a friend who visited the show), just earned three--count them, three!--Webelos cub scout badges at home, which will be added to the two he's so far earned at the meetings. That makes five, one more than is necessary to get his first "compass point" out of three possible. I'm so proud of him! (He was already the first in his den to get his compass patch, so he's really doing extremely well.)
1) Medical tests revealed that I don't have to have surgery on my abdomen! Hurrah!!! My problem should be easily treated with short-term prescription medicine.
2) I just got word from a museum and a library (both in Nebraska) that they have photos, obituaries, and even newspaper stories by and about my great-great-grandfather! We've lacked photos of him up until now, so this is huge. I'd say more, but I'm keeping it a secret from Little Things until, uh, the end of December... Anyway, for you genealogists out there, consider local museums as a source; it hadn't occurred to me until this week, and the photos were just there waiting all this time.
3) Watched The Incredibles with two friends, one of whom is a priest who'd never seen it before. The combination of scathing social commentary and the issues relating to one's personal philosophy really hit him, as did its insights into married relationships; he left amazed that a "cartoon" could be so good, saying he'd have to take a couple of ideas just to process all the ideas. It was my third time through, and I got things from it I hadn't seen the first two times.
4) I just this morning got invited to teach International Baccalaureate English next year. Have to pray on that one, but it's a huge honor.
5) Myxl, who just got third place in the children's division gingerbread house contest (and whom I hope has a shot of the Viewer's Choice Award, given some comments from a friend who visited the show), just earned three--count them, three!--Webelos cub scout badges at home, which will be added to the two he's so far earned at the meetings. That makes five, one more than is necessary to get his first "compass point" out of three possible. I'm so proud of him! (He was already the first in his den to get his compass patch, so he's really doing extremely well.)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Why Clinton can't win and Huckabee can
This post started as a reply to my big sister Little Things, but it outgrew itself.
1) The nation hasn't elected a senator president but twice in the last 75 years. We like governors and vice presidents to be presidents, but not senators. This factor works against Clinton and for Huckabee.
2) With any political campaign, you have to consider the general election's "anti" vote. For example, Romney, as the nominee, would have to fight the anti-Mormon contingent of the Republican Right, who would really have to be courted quite hard not to just stay home. Guliani attracts such a strong "anti" vote from the Right that they've threatened a third-party bid (well, fourth-party, if you count Bloomberg). However, Huckabee lacks the strong "antis" so far, as far as the general election goes.
Clinton has such a high "anti" factor that people who have never participated in politics before would actively volunteer just to ruin her chances (and in my social circle, I know some of these people). It's not nice, nor is the vehemance of their vitriol logical, but there we are.
Here's an excerpt from pollster.com that plays off that idea:
A new SurveyUSA automated survey of 523 registered voters in oregon [sic] (conducted 11/9 through 11/11) finds:
General Election Match-ups:
McCain 48%, Clinton 45%
Clinton 46%, Giuliani 45%
Clinton 48%, Romney 44%
Clinton 50%, Huckabee 40%
Obama 45%, McCain 45%
Obama 51%, Giuliani 40%
Obama 52%, Romney 37%
Obama 54%, Huckabee 33%
Obama handily outperforms Clinton in each match-up. Huckabee's low name recognition nationally (compared to prior candidate McCain, Hizzoner Guliani, and front-runner/multi-millionaire Romney) accounts for his poor performance in these polls.
3) America doesn't tend to go for Democratic presidential candidates. From 1966 to the present, the U.S. has only elected two Democrats to the presidency. One was elected in the wake of the Watergate scandals. The other failed to get past 50% either time he ran.
This works against Clinton and favors Huckabee.
4) Immigration is the dark horse issue that could really work against Democrats. I'm pretty liberal on immigration (I supported the bipartisan McCain/Kennedy reform package), but the nation doesn't share my views. Clinton, already shown vulnerable here, will be walloped on immigration, no matter who the GOP candidate is.
More disturbingly for Dems, most African-Americans agree with Republicans on immigration. Some have already held their noses and voted Republican over abortion and gay marriage; if immigration pulls even an additional 5-10%, the Dems could be in real trouble, working to the advantage of the Republicans. BTW, Huckabee, in his Arkansas re-election bid, earned 49% of the African-American vote statewide. (Ironically, Huckabee is actually fairly moderate on immigration, despite all his nay-saying, but immigration will still be used as a "wedge" issue.)
P.S. As a registered Dem, I'm voting for Obama, who has really impressed me of late with his statements on education.
1) The nation hasn't elected a senator president but twice in the last 75 years. We like governors and vice presidents to be presidents, but not senators. This factor works against Clinton and for Huckabee.
2) With any political campaign, you have to consider the general election's "anti" vote. For example, Romney, as the nominee, would have to fight the anti-Mormon contingent of the Republican Right, who would really have to be courted quite hard not to just stay home. Guliani attracts such a strong "anti" vote from the Right that they've threatened a third-party bid (well, fourth-party, if you count Bloomberg). However, Huckabee lacks the strong "antis" so far, as far as the general election goes.
Clinton has such a high "anti" factor that people who have never participated in politics before would actively volunteer just to ruin her chances (and in my social circle, I know some of these people). It's not nice, nor is the vehemance of their vitriol logical, but there we are.
Here's an excerpt from pollster.com that plays off that idea:
A new SurveyUSA automated survey of 523 registered voters in oregon [sic] (conducted 11/9 through 11/11) finds:
General Election Match-ups:
McCain 48%, Clinton 45%
Clinton 46%, Giuliani 45%
Clinton 48%, Romney 44%
Clinton 50%, Huckabee 40%
Obama 45%, McCain 45%
Obama 51%, Giuliani 40%
Obama 52%, Romney 37%
Obama 54%, Huckabee 33%
Obama handily outperforms Clinton in each match-up. Huckabee's low name recognition nationally (compared to prior candidate McCain, Hizzoner Guliani, and front-runner/multi-millionaire Romney) accounts for his poor performance in these polls.
3) America doesn't tend to go for Democratic presidential candidates. From 1966 to the present, the U.S. has only elected two Democrats to the presidency. One was elected in the wake of the Watergate scandals. The other failed to get past 50% either time he ran.
This works against Clinton and favors Huckabee.
4) Immigration is the dark horse issue that could really work against Democrats. I'm pretty liberal on immigration (I supported the bipartisan McCain/Kennedy reform package), but the nation doesn't share my views. Clinton, already shown vulnerable here, will be walloped on immigration, no matter who the GOP candidate is.
More disturbingly for Dems, most African-Americans agree with Republicans on immigration. Some have already held their noses and voted Republican over abortion and gay marriage; if immigration pulls even an additional 5-10%, the Dems could be in real trouble, working to the advantage of the Republicans. BTW, Huckabee, in his Arkansas re-election bid, earned 49% of the African-American vote statewide. (Ironically, Huckabee is actually fairly moderate on immigration, despite all his nay-saying, but immigration will still be used as a "wedge" issue.)
P.S. As a registered Dem, I'm voting for Obama, who has really impressed me of late with his statements on education.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Predictions for the 2008 Presidential Race
1) If Mitt Romney loses in both Iowa and New Hampshire, he'll drop out of the race.
2) If Hilary Clinton is nominated, she will not win the presidency.
3) If Hilary Clinton loses Iowa and Michigan, she will not win the nomination unless there's a kingmaker (uh, queenmaker?) involved.
4) If Rudy Guliani is nominated, a third party candidate will take near 15% of the national popular vote, if not more.
5) If Mike Huckabee wins both Iowa and South Carolina, he will win the nomination, Mitt Romney will be his VP candidate, and they will win the general election in an electoral landslide.
2) If Hilary Clinton is nominated, she will not win the presidency.
3) If Hilary Clinton loses Iowa and Michigan, she will not win the nomination unless there's a kingmaker (uh, queenmaker?) involved.
4) If Rudy Guliani is nominated, a third party candidate will take near 15% of the national popular vote, if not more.
5) If Mike Huckabee wins both Iowa and South Carolina, he will win the nomination, Mitt Romney will be his VP candidate, and they will win the general election in an electoral landslide.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I've been tagged
I've been tagged by my better half to write eight random things about myself. Here's me:
1) I live in the house I was brought to from the hospital. I teach in my alma mater. At one point, I was teaching 9th grade English in the room in which I was taught 9th grade English--that was too weird even for me. Anyway, the prime minister (aka my wife) says I live at 5709 Memory Lane.
2) I'm descended from at least eight people who rode on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal for me.
3) I think I look good in cranberry and forest green, but my actual favorite colors are purple and silver, which I really wouldn't want to wear.
4) My parents met at a science fiction convention, as did the prime minister and I. (Not so likely for my kids, as we've stopped going.)
5) I'm a former Unitarian Universalist, which means that when I prayed, it was "to whom it may concern."
6) Polar bears are my favorite animal. Have been for years. I really see God's beauty, power, and playfulness in these creatures.
7) I support Mike Huckabee for president, and I think Pat Robertson and NRLC were totally out to lunch with their endorsements. Oh, and I'm a lifelong Democrat.
8) I have about 7500 comic books in the back basement, but I'm probably going to let go of about half of them as soon as I figure out how to use eBay.
Whew! Eight random facts in eight minutes. I don't blog enough to tag other people, so you'll have to consider yourselves tagged . . .
1) I live in the house I was brought to from the hospital. I teach in my alma mater. At one point, I was teaching 9th grade English in the room in which I was taught 9th grade English--that was too weird even for me. Anyway, the prime minister (aka my wife) says I live at 5709 Memory Lane.
2) I'm descended from at least eight people who rode on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal for me.
3) I think I look good in cranberry and forest green, but my actual favorite colors are purple and silver, which I really wouldn't want to wear.
4) My parents met at a science fiction convention, as did the prime minister and I. (Not so likely for my kids, as we've stopped going.)
5) I'm a former Unitarian Universalist, which means that when I prayed, it was "to whom it may concern."
6) Polar bears are my favorite animal. Have been for years. I really see God's beauty, power, and playfulness in these creatures.
7) I support Mike Huckabee for president, and I think Pat Robertson and NRLC were totally out to lunch with their endorsements. Oh, and I'm a lifelong Democrat.
8) I have about 7500 comic books in the back basement, but I'm probably going to let go of about half of them as soon as I figure out how to use eBay.
Whew! Eight random facts in eight minutes. I don't blog enough to tag other people, so you'll have to consider yourselves tagged . . .
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