Part of the Olympic Games festivities in London began today, with the first day of a week-long “Poetry Parnassus”–a gathering of some 204 poets, one from each country entering the games. Take a look here, at an interactive map of poems. I have sampled a dozen or so, and have come to a very familiar conclusion: [Read more…]
A long one today, but it had to be said.
Over at WWJTD, JT fields one of the classic apologetic arguments from incredulity:
there are things that are undeniably real (like love, ambition, sympathy) but do not stand up to scientific rigor. We live in a world appointed with these things (love, ambition, sympathy) and they would be real even if science did not exist to explain them.
Anyone who has not seen that argument thrown around, welcome to the internet, and how have you enjoyed your first few hours here? [Read more…]
They put up a cross
Nearly nine meters tall
And they said it was there
For the sake of us all
But the courts say the cross
Is now destined to fall
Cos it’s on the wrong side
Of the wall… [Read more…]
The media disparity
Is mostly due to rarity—
It’s “man bites dog” for headlines, but it’s “dog bites man”, page four.
And the “major blogger” narrative?
An ill-advised comparative;
It’s missing its criteria—but truth is such a bore… [Read more…]
We practice, and practice, and practice some more
With weight-training workouts, and sprints by the score
Though I don’t really know what we do it all for—
Which makes all this effort seem odd
We work through more pain than we care to admit;
The coaches and trainers, as well, do their bit,
In the end though, we know that it doesn’t mean shit—
We’re giving the credit to God. [Read more…]
No, it’s not a talent, it’s a disease. After the jump, my observations on the Sandusky verdict. Yes, these are my actual notes while watching the CNN coverage, and yes, they are in rhymed verse. And yes, they are better than the vast majority of the mainstream coverage. [Read more…]
The Philadelphia church abuse trial has ended, and the jury has returned a guilty verdict for the highest ranking priest thus far. Not surprisingly, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is using the verdict to show how utterly unhinged from reality he is: [Read more…]
I see progress, though it’s progress at a plate tectonics pace:
If an atheist was entered in the presidential race,
For the first time in our history it seems to be the case—
The majority’s not instantly opposed!
Fifty-four percent of voters told the pollsters “yes, we would”
If the atheist in question, every other way, was good
We are still the most unpopular—let that be understood
But the case is not immediately closed.
[Read more…]
A Fortnight for Freedom, the bishops declare,
Will show liberty under attack;
For too many years now, the church has lost ground
And it’s time to start taking it back… [Read more…]
