it's been raining and gusty winds all day: we are signal 2, which is not too bad.
Not a lot of flooding yet, but depends on the run off from the mountains in the next day or two.
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Chinese hackers? What Chinese hackers
one of the under reported stories during the Obama administration was that China hacked a couple million federal personnel files, including mine.
John B.podcast discusses:
John B.podcast discusses:
Bill Gertz, senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon, Thaddeus McCotter of WJR, and Gordon Chang of the Daily Beast remind us that China compromised every file in OPM (Office of Personnel Management) – names, addresses, credit cards – tens of thousands, incl intelligence officers. The Obama Adm sent letters to tell them to “make adjustments” to all their use of documents. The Chinese took everything. The 22 million federal records stolen by Chinese are now being used with advanced AI software to conduct major information operations, whether targeting network administrators whom they want to hack further, or elections meddling. VP spoke of an internal CCP notice on an information warfare campaign in the US keying off the trade war, which they’re clearly engaging in. Online: ”We must carefully control our propaganda tone, . . . fire precisions strikes, sow discord to make different American groups collapse” — they’re targeting trade, first.
Family news
We are under a signal 2, and it is overcast but no rain or wind so far.
I have been sick with a chest cold.
Joy is in Canada visiting her daughter.
Kuya finished part of the harvest, and the next harvest is next week, so we are hoping the typhoon doesn't destroy the late crop
I have been sick with a chest cold.
Joy is in Canada visiting her daughter.
Kuya finished part of the harvest, and the next harvest is next week, so we are hoping the typhoon doesn't destroy the late crop
Monday, October 29, 2018
Space news
the Russian space program has problems. StrategyPage has a long essay about it.
----------------------------
Hayabusa 2 is going to land on an asteroid. LINK
----------------------
the WAGD podcast and trasncript on solar storms
and if you thought the Carrington event was scary, you should know about the Charlamagne event.
WiredUK article on how to survive a solar event.
Of course, a hacker taking out the grid could do a lot of damage too, as can typhoons, floods, hurricanes etc.
---------------------------
and David Reneke links to where you can download NASA ringtones.
----------------------------
Hayabusa 2 is going to land on an asteroid. LINK
The Hayabusa2 mission has already deployed two small hopping rovers (MINERVA-II1A and MINERVA-II1B) and a German lander called the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) on Ryugu within the past month. While the MINERVA rovers are still scouting Ryugu's surface, MASCOT's mission was short-lived, ending after only 17 hours and 7 minutes. MASCOT was designed to last only 16 hours on Ryugu's surface. "The mission focus is now on the successful retrieval and return of a surface sample," officials with the Planetary Science Institute, which is involved with the Hayabusa2 mission, said in a statement. To ensure that this phase of the mission will be a success, mission scientists had to pick a landing site that is not only interesting from a scientific perspective, but that is also safe for the spacecraft — something that proved to be more difficult than mission controllers initially expected.
----------------------
the WAGD podcast and trasncript on solar storms
and if you thought the Carrington event was scary, you should know about the Charlamagne event.
Jim Green: Are there other events like the Carrington Event even further back in the past?
Alex Young: There's one that's been talked about recently, called the Charlemagne Event because it's estimated to be within a period of about 774 or 775AD, somewhere in that period during the time of Charlemagne, and it was recorded in carbon-14 in tree rings. This event was 10 to 20 times bigger than the Carrington Event. And that's just massive. Jim Green: What would happen to our technological infrastructure if an event like that occurred today? Alex Young: It could be quite catastrophic. There have been studies by the National Academies that estimate that there would certainly be billions of dollars of damage, there are even estimates of up to trillions of dollars because it would have such a global impact on our technology infrastructure. We could see power outages across the globe and in interconnected power grids especially. There would also be impact to communications and we would possibly lose many satellites.more here.on the Charlemagne event
WiredUK article on how to survive a solar event.
Of course, a hacker taking out the grid could do a lot of damage too, as can typhoons, floods, hurricanes etc.
---------------------------
and David Reneke links to where you can download NASA ringtones.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
another day another typhoon
Rosita is nearing, and should pass by on Tuesday
we are busy harvesting rice: and then you have to dry it, which is usually done in the sun (they lay the rice out on streets, parkinglots, or tarpaulins to dry in the sun: If it rains it means you have to pay a rice mill to use a drier, which cuts into your profit... if this isn't done in time you end up with poor quality rice that is used for animal feed, and sells for a lower price. )
Sigh. The proposed track is wide: It could go right over us, or go north and miss us except for rain, as with the last typhoon.
we are busy harvesting rice: and then you have to dry it, which is usually done in the sun (they lay the rice out on streets, parkinglots, or tarpaulins to dry in the sun: If it rains it means you have to pay a rice mill to use a drier, which cuts into your profit... if this isn't done in time you end up with poor quality rice that is used for animal feed, and sells for a lower price. )
Sigh. The proposed track is wide: It could go right over us, or go north and miss us except for rain, as with the last typhoon.
the refugee pipeline (not in the news)
the "refugee" caravan in the news is of course being spun by both sides. The interviews are with poor moms who sob about fleeing violence but the photos show a bunch of young men, presumably who want jobs.
One wag on a conservative site suggested that US businesses who want blue collar workers should go down and hire them for construction and factory work, since there is a shortage of Americans signing up for these jobs.
As I have posted before: ten percent of Filipinos work overseas or on ships, most of them with legal contracts, and so maybe Trumpie boy should tell the Saudi prince to send his job recruiters to Mexico and Guatemala... to find workers as they do in India, Pakistan, and more recently, to East Africa.
the main problem? They would have to learn English, which is the lingua franca of the workers.
I have sympathy for the "migrants": I just resent that this is being spun by some for political reasons. Build the wall, and arrange for companies to recruit and people to get into the US easier and voila, problem solved. Oh yes: And an amnesty, as Ronald Reagan did.
My daughter in law is a proud US citizen who got her papers via this amnesty: She works full time, and her three kids are college grads. Works for us.
My son immigrated the usual way, but my other son, who lost his green card in a teenaged fit of anger when he went back to his home country, is now unable to even visit his brother in the USA. When he was interviewed, they turned him down, even though he owns a small business, because they figured he's disappear and find a job. Well, his plan was actually to find a job in construction, work all summer, and make some money to expand his business, but never mind. He was turned down for a visa, and can't afford 12 thousand dollars to pay the coyotes to smuggle him across.
My husband, a doctor, got into the US for further training and then got a visa to work in an area that needed doctors. He also became a US citizen and helped his relatives, who were doctors and nurses, get jobs to move to the mid west. Then we have a Navy Vet cousin living in Chicago. The US Navy used to recruit Filipinos who spoke English, mainly to work in the kitchens of ships. So in places like San Diego you can find a lot of people from our area.
So no, I am not worried about immigration.
However, it is an open secret that for low level jobs, employers would exploit and under pay illegals, and not pay their social security etc so they were cheaper to hire: And this contributed to the high unemployment rate in both the inner city and in the rust belt: when the mines and factories shut down, they often couldn't find work because the places were already filled with illegals. The Unions knew this, so should be backing Trumpie boy on the issue (and the blacks knew this too, as did legal immigrants of all types).
But the bleeding hearts who want to let everyone in forgets about the importance of screening out the riff raff. The crime wave after the Mariel boat lift was real. And young men without women tend to get into trouble: be it American soldiers or "yutes" pretending to be children to get into Germany as refugees.
however, there is a major refugee problem right now that is getting little publicity: The huge exodus from Venezuela, whose economy collapsed due to socialism. Even the Chinese are wondering if their investments are worth it.
GlobalVoices has an article with links to Venezuealans who are blogging their flight to another country.
a number of Venezuelan communities abroad have created Facebook groups, and use Twitter and other social networks to give support and advice in destinations like Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Spain — a virtual solidarity network for those who must leave their country.
Other means of help
The situation for Venezuelans leaving the country has worried some NGOs that support migrants. Among them, the Jesuit Network for Migrants and the Jesuit Service for Refugees from Latin American and the Caribbean who have designed a “virtual map” in order to help with people's safety while traveling to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador or Peru. The project is another example of the magnitude of the Venezuelan exodus, now considered to be the largest in the region in the last 50 years.
My suggestion: send someone down to screen these people and let a couple hundred thousand of these refugee in while you are at it.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Fil Am strippers in the news
from EdDriscoll at Instapundit:
And from Twitchy, another example of peak 2018 reached: Cesar Sayoc is the third stripper-related political story of 2018.
the OtherMcCain blog notes:
this is, of course, the second terrorism suspect with links to the Philippines, the first being the girlfriend of the Las Vegas shooter.
the third if you include the buddy of the OKCity bomber, whose wife was a Filipina and who had links with Arab terrorists living here.
And from Twitchy, another example of peak 2018 reached: Cesar Sayoc is the third stripper-related political story of 2018.
the OtherMcCain blog notes:
The ultimate “Florida Man” — a Filipino-American who pretended to be a Seminole, worked as a male stripper for a fake Chippendales company, used steroids, suffered from mental illness, hated his mother and terrorized the country by sending fake bombs through the mail.it got headlines in the papers here in the Philippines because he is a FilAm.
this is, of course, the second terrorism suspect with links to the Philippines, the first being the girlfriend of the Las Vegas shooter.
the third if you include the buddy of the OKCity bomber, whose wife was a Filipina and who had links with Arab terrorists living here.
conference on yutes
mainly bookmarked for later watching:
supposed to be about evangelizing yutes, but is being hijacked to push the gay rights agenda of the west (over the objections of African bishops, who remember how their people were exploited under colonialism).
"inclusivity" means shut up and let us win.
by the way, Tagle of Manila is running to be the next pope and is beloved of the "reformist" branch of the church.
We read all the time about the huge epidemic of HIV here in the Philippines: (actually it is few cases numerically when compared to places like Thailand, but the increase in percentage is used as a statistical way to lie).
Well, maybe Tagle should go and preach the love of God and the need to respect God's law to the gay areas of Manila where the rich and the tourists cruise and take drugs with the poor who are prostituting themselves to support their families. Our gay relative says it's pretty rough there, which is why he prefers to seduce employees, but that's another story...
gays are part of the family here, so accepted. But like the curtain on the existance of "second wives", it means not to push what you are doing openly, as if it was okay.
we have had sermons about this in recent weeks: warning about the propaganda in the media. So Tagle is not representing the average Filipino when he kisses the asses of the "reformist" types.
And of course, the active Evangelical/Pentecostal types are out there promoting traditional values, and getting lots of converts among the middle class.
supposed to be about evangelizing yutes, but is being hijacked to push the gay rights agenda of the west (over the objections of African bishops, who remember how their people were exploited under colonialism).
"inclusivity" means shut up and let us win.
by the way, Tagle of Manila is running to be the next pope and is beloved of the "reformist" branch of the church.
We read all the time about the huge epidemic of HIV here in the Philippines: (actually it is few cases numerically when compared to places like Thailand, but the increase in percentage is used as a statistical way to lie).
Well, maybe Tagle should go and preach the love of God and the need to respect God's law to the gay areas of Manila where the rich and the tourists cruise and take drugs with the poor who are prostituting themselves to support their families. Our gay relative says it's pretty rough there, which is why he prefers to seduce employees, but that's another story...
gays are part of the family here, so accepted. But like the curtain on the existance of "second wives", it means not to push what you are doing openly, as if it was okay.
we have had sermons about this in recent weeks: warning about the propaganda in the media. So Tagle is not representing the average Filipino when he kisses the asses of the "reformist" types.
And of course, the active Evangelical/Pentecostal types are out there promoting traditional values, and getting lots of converts among the middle class.
Friday, October 26, 2018
ghouls and mystical creatures
Halloween is only celebrated at the malls etc. because Undos, all Saints day, is the big holiday.
But that doesn't mean there aren't ghouls and goblins around
But that doesn't mean there aren't ghouls and goblins around
Thursday, October 25, 2018
family news
Joy graduates from her caregiver course today.
she will leave to visit her daughter in Canada tomorrow.
Kuya is busy at the farm with the rice harvest.
The puppies were up at dawn chasing the feral cats that come each morning to eat breakfast. Noisy but so far the cats are faster than the puppies, as long as I don't let George the Cat killing labrador off his leash to chase them.
Next week is Undas, so we will clean up Lolo's gravesite tomorrow.
It is All Saints day November 1 when we honor the dead by visiting cemetaries, cleaning up the gravesites, and spending time there eating a meal and visiting with other relatives.
This is done in other East Asian countries although more often in the spring, and often includes Buddhist ideas of the afterlife, but I suspect the idea predates Buddhism as it does Christianity here: Buddhists in the USA love to feel superior and are agnostic, but folk Buddhism includes the ideas of heaven and hell. However, the Philippines was never Buddhist, and Islam actually discourages the emphasis on honoring dead bodies, as a reaction to the waste of money in the olden days.
Sort of like the huge fancy maseoleums in the cemetaries here.
Lolo's grave is underground, as he wished, but no open land was available, so his plot is between two plain house like structures, so we had to put a roof overhead and a gate to keep out thieves etc. it doesn't work that well: they still stole the light bulbs from the ceiling. Sigh.
A young girl was murdered by her druggie boyfriend in the cemetary two years ago, so now they lock the gate at night to that part of the cemetary, but the older areas with just graves and no houses, where Lolo's mom and cousins are buried in boxes above ground but no house over them, is are not gated
.
In Mexico they call it the day of the dead, but if you saw that in two recent cartoons, it only shows the gouls not the Catholic part of that holiday, in the same way that the Celtic holiday of Haloween has morphed into demon worship.
she will leave to visit her daughter in Canada tomorrow.
Kuya is busy at the farm with the rice harvest.
The puppies were up at dawn chasing the feral cats that come each morning to eat breakfast. Noisy but so far the cats are faster than the puppies, as long as I don't let George the Cat killing labrador off his leash to chase them.
Next week is Undas, so we will clean up Lolo's gravesite tomorrow.
It is All Saints day November 1 when we honor the dead by visiting cemetaries, cleaning up the gravesites, and spending time there eating a meal and visiting with other relatives.
This is done in other East Asian countries although more often in the spring, and often includes Buddhist ideas of the afterlife, but I suspect the idea predates Buddhism as it does Christianity here: Buddhists in the USA love to feel superior and are agnostic, but folk Buddhism includes the ideas of heaven and hell. However, the Philippines was never Buddhist, and Islam actually discourages the emphasis on honoring dead bodies, as a reaction to the waste of money in the olden days.
Sort of like the huge fancy maseoleums in the cemetaries here.
Lolo's grave is underground, as he wished, but no open land was available, so his plot is between two plain house like structures, so we had to put a roof overhead and a gate to keep out thieves etc. it doesn't work that well: they still stole the light bulbs from the ceiling. Sigh.
 |
| Lolo's mother and cousins buried here. He wanted to be buried here, but in recent years two cousins died and were buried in the plot, so no room unless we wanted another box. Some graves have three boxes one on top of another. |
 |
| Lolo's grave under the floor: Usually the coffin is place in a box on top of the floor because the water level is 3 feet down. But he wanted to be underground, so the floor is actually raised so we could follow his wishes. |
A young girl was murdered by her druggie boyfriend in the cemetary two years ago, so now they lock the gate at night to that part of the cemetary, but the older areas with just graves and no houses, where Lolo's mom and cousins are buried in boxes above ground but no house over them, is are not gated
.
In Mexico they call it the day of the dead, but if you saw that in two recent cartoons, it only shows the gouls not the Catholic part of that holiday, in the same way that the Celtic holiday of Haloween has morphed into demon worship.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Dead Reporters and refugees? We haz that
there is a big kerfuffle about the Saudis killing a spy/terrorism supporter/"reporter".
the story is murky, but the MSM is using it to blame Trumpie boy and demonize the Saudis. Hmm. who would want to destroy the alliance between the Saudis and the USA? I can think of quite a few people.
high on the list is Turkey:(whose gov't seems to be pushing the story as a power play in the game of thrones in the Middle East).
so who is reporting on the 200+ journalists jailed in Turkey?
and who is reporting on the journalists killed in the European Union?
the Philippines has long been a danger zone for journalists.
only 4 were killed last year, which seems to be lower than average.
Most of the murders are hit jobs by low level politicians or drug gangs against those who report on their corruption/crimes and this has been going on for years so don't blame Duterte.
and what about the journalists killed in Mexico and Latin America?
--------------------
An invasion of mostly men from Central America (with all sorts of others joining them) is planning to invade the USA.
this is obviously being funded by someone who wants to embarass Trumpieboy, but will backfire, because despite all the "poor mother fleeing with her babies" stories, because the actual photos show a bunch of angry young men.
the interviews of young men show them saying they plan to come in no matter what, and the pictures of the foreign flags they carry isn't generating sympathy either.
Hmmm... sounds like the Goths at the Danube. That didn't work out so well for the Roman empire.
Twitchy has a lot of tweets asking questions.
logistics logistics logistics.
WHO IS PAYING THEIR BILLS?
it is dangerous for women, and many seek to flee, as AlJ points out, but you know, as in the sob stories about "Syrian families" in Europe, the actual photos of refugee hoards mainly show young men, not families. which maybe is one reason behind what the story notes: many women migrants go missing.Sigh.
the dirty little secret is that if the US lets the borders stay open they will have millions trying to get in: and not just from Latin America.
nor is this a new problem: remember the Mariel boat lift, or the huge influx of refugees when South VietNam fell?
WAPO article in 2015 remembers back when there was a similar influx of Hatian "refugees" during the Clinton administration.
But the answer is to keep refugees close to home and resettle those who can't go home (i.e. ethnic cleansing, e.g. Rohingye, Sunni Syrians in Turkey).
if you include the "internally displaced", there are 65 million people who are refugees, i.e. forced to flee their homes,
and then you need to recognize the millions who seek to migrate for a decent paying job and security to raise a family. Ten percent of Filipinos are among this group: usually as legal temporary workers, i.e. OFW, but some who work without proper papers or who overstay their visas.
most of those coming into the US from Latin America are economic refugees, fleeing corrupt dysfunctional countries. So how do you "cure" this problem? It's not easy, and the SJW who lament about every dead bad guy are not helping the matter.
a lot of SJW hated the "school of the Americas" but the dirty little secret is that they were training the military to be professional and effective, instead of being thugs. So maybe what is needed is send in the equivalent of Blackwater to train police and military in these failing countries to control their thugs, and people won't have to flee.
of course, given the hysteria over Duterte's war against drug cartels, and his threat to crooked politicians, this might not be accepted by the SJW of the NWO, but it does work.
Duterte is cleaning up the Philippines, and now a similar guy just might get voted in as president of Brazil.
it can be done: look at Colombia, which has improved in recent years.
but the huge influx of Venezuelan refugees into Colombia and other nearby countries is causing problems too.... and this July article in the Miami herald notes how the US is helping to fund food and shelter for them.
==================
the story is murky, but the MSM is using it to blame Trumpie boy and demonize the Saudis. Hmm. who would want to destroy the alliance between the Saudis and the USA? I can think of quite a few people.
high on the list is Turkey:(whose gov't seems to be pushing the story as a power play in the game of thrones in the Middle East).
so who is reporting on the 200+ journalists jailed in Turkey?
and who is reporting on the journalists killed in the European Union?
the Philippines has long been a danger zone for journalists.
only 4 were killed last year, which seems to be lower than average.
Most of the murders are hit jobs by low level politicians or drug gangs against those who report on their corruption/crimes and this has been going on for years so don't blame Duterte.
and what about the journalists killed in Mexico and Latin America?
--------------------
An invasion of mostly men from Central America (with all sorts of others joining them) is planning to invade the USA.
this is obviously being funded by someone who wants to embarass Trumpieboy, but will backfire, because despite all the "poor mother fleeing with her babies" stories, because the actual photos show a bunch of angry young men.
the interviews of young men show them saying they plan to come in no matter what, and the pictures of the foreign flags they carry isn't generating sympathy either.
Hmmm... sounds like the Goths at the Danube. That didn't work out so well for the Roman empire.
Twitchy has a lot of tweets asking questions.
logistics logistics logistics.
WHO IS PAYING THEIR BILLS?
it is dangerous for women, and many seek to flee, as AlJ points out, but you know, as in the sob stories about "Syrian families" in Europe, the actual photos of refugee hoards mainly show young men, not families. which maybe is one reason behind what the story notes: many women migrants go missing.Sigh.
the dirty little secret is that if the US lets the borders stay open they will have millions trying to get in: and not just from Latin America.
nor is this a new problem: remember the Mariel boat lift, or the huge influx of refugees when South VietNam fell?
WAPO article in 2015 remembers back when there was a similar influx of Hatian "refugees" during the Clinton administration.
well, Trumpie boy can't do that: Gitmo is full.
In the early 1990s, tens of thousands of refugees fled Haiti and sought refuge in the United States following the military coup that overthrew President Jean Bertrand Aristide. They did not include Islamist terrorists, but many posed another perceived threat: They had HIV. Instead of admitting them into the United States, President Bill Clinton ordered the Haitian refugees be held at Guantanamo, and then repatriated back to Haiti.
But the answer is to keep refugees close to home and resettle those who can't go home (i.e. ethnic cleansing, e.g. Rohingye, Sunni Syrians in Turkey).
if you include the "internally displaced", there are 65 million people who are refugees, i.e. forced to flee their homes,
and then you need to recognize the millions who seek to migrate for a decent paying job and security to raise a family. Ten percent of Filipinos are among this group: usually as legal temporary workers, i.e. OFW, but some who work without proper papers or who overstay their visas.
most of those coming into the US from Latin America are economic refugees, fleeing corrupt dysfunctional countries. So how do you "cure" this problem? It's not easy, and the SJW who lament about every dead bad guy are not helping the matter.
a lot of SJW hated the "school of the Americas" but the dirty little secret is that they were training the military to be professional and effective, instead of being thugs. So maybe what is needed is send in the equivalent of Blackwater to train police and military in these failing countries to control their thugs, and people won't have to flee.
of course, given the hysteria over Duterte's war against drug cartels, and his threat to crooked politicians, this might not be accepted by the SJW of the NWO, but it does work.
Duterte is cleaning up the Philippines, and now a similar guy just might get voted in as president of Brazil.
it can be done: look at Colombia, which has improved in recent years.
but the huge influx of Venezuelan refugees into Colombia and other nearby countries is causing problems too.... and this July article in the Miami herald notes how the US is helping to fund food and shelter for them.
==================
Family news
There was a moderate earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island where my granddaughter is studying, but apparently she and some of the other students are camping out somewhere and not allowed phones, but presumably they are okay.
Joy is sick but won't stay in bed and working hard. I got mad at her, and told her to spend a day in bed to feel better, but she won't.
Kuya went to a trade fair Sunday and is busy with the harvest at the farm.
We still have three puppies left and they are growing large. They now have discovered that they like to chase cats. So it tends to get noisy when they suddenly turn on the cats and voila, things fall down as the cats climb and go out every window and door.
They are too small to kill the cats, but I suspect in a month or two we will have to start burying the feral cats that eat here.
Sigh.
Joy is sick but won't stay in bed and working hard. I got mad at her, and told her to spend a day in bed to feel better, but she won't.
Kuya went to a trade fair Sunday and is busy with the harvest at the farm.
We still have three puppies left and they are growing large. They now have discovered that they like to chase cats. So it tends to get noisy when they suddenly turn on the cats and voila, things fall down as the cats climb and go out every window and door.
They are too small to kill the cats, but I suspect in a month or two we will have to start burying the feral cats that eat here.
Sigh.
Live not by lies
Robert Royal reports the meeting on "yutes" is following the plan to sneak in approval of the gay lifestyle, in contrast to what we now see in the church: acceptance of people who are tempted by same sex attraction but who try to live their faith.
Unless someone goes out of his way to tell you about his sexual orientation – as my friends did with me – who would know for sure? They were free to go to Confession, Mass, Communion. and at least one, as I learned, was seriously working with Courage, the very fine and orthodox[3] ministry to people with same-sex attraction.
Something different is being proposed by Cardinal Cupich, Fr. Martin, a whole host of Catholic bishops and activists, and maybe soon by the Synod itself: the Church’s acceptance of people with same-sex attractions as homosexuals.
A lot of the subversion of the various churches and religious orders in the past 50 years was done this way: Sneak in a bland idea that sounds good, but hides the larger agenda, put the "reformers" in charge, cite pop psychology to silence those who object, ignore the lessons of the past, drive out the pious who say no, and voila, the Church of what's happening now!
in contrast, Father Z notes that Msgr Charles Pope (no we are not being sarcastic: That's his name) defends Cardinal Vigano, who is telling off the Pope and not staying silent despite criticism from the Pope's minions and silence from the world's MSM.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, this was the first concern of most every priest: the moral condition of souls, including his own.
Today, many bishops and priests, as well as many parents and other leaders in the Church, seem far more concerned with the feelings, and emotional happiness of those under their care than with their actual moral condition....
Passing and apparent happiness eclipses true and eternal happiness.
Further, silence in the face of horrible sin, deferring to and fawning over powerful churchmen, and cultural leaders of this world seems to outweigh any concern for the harm caused to the souls and lives of others.Italics mine.
Yes, too often, the only thing that really matters, the salvation of souls, is hardly considered...
In all of this, Archbishop Viganò still has that “old-time religion.” He takes seriously Jesus’ admonitions regarding Judgment Day, his many warnings about Hell and the absolute need to decide whom we will serve: God or the world, the Gospel or popular culture, the flesh or the spirit.
Viganò’s final two paragraphs could not be clearer:
You can choose to withdraw from the battle, to prop up the conspiracy of silence and avert your eyes from the spreading of corruption.
You can make excuses, compromises and justification that put off the day of reckoning.
You can console yourselves with the falsehood and the delusion that it will be easier to tell the truth tomorrow, and then the following day, and so on.
On the other hand, you can choose to speak. You can trust Him who told us, “the truth will set you free.” I do not say it will be easy to decide between silence and speaking. I urge you to consider which choice — on your deathbed, and then before the just Judge — you will not regret having made.one is reminded of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's essay Live Not By Lies.
Sigh.
the church has been through this before and it only takes one man with courage to keep the faith alive.
St Athanasius pray for us.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Outlander
I am busy reading the next book in the Outlander series so I will be able to keep up with the series, (since I tend to miss episodes)
which will start it's next season in November. The story moves from Scotand and the west Indies to the Carolina mountains and includes a subplot with Jamie and Claire's daughter who has gone back in time to find her birthfather.
.
which will start it's next season in November. The story moves from Scotand and the west Indies to the Carolina mountains and includes a subplot with Jamie and Claire's daughter who has gone back in time to find her birthfather.
.
RICO? it wasn't just the bishops in Pennsylvania
OnePeterFive blog reports that the Justice Dept might use the RICO laws to look into child abuse/trafficking behind the charges against Wuerl and McC.
a little late, don'tcha think? We lay folks knew about this in the early 1990s but no one would listen.
I don't know the details about Wuerl, except for rumors, but I do know that the corruption of the local bishops in Altoona went deeper than the church covering up abuse of children: they had links to the mob, and to crooked judges.
UKMail discusses the links between the Altoona bishops and the local judicial establishment.
but if they want to look into child trafficking, maybe they should extend their investigation.
Did the people in Penn state not think fondling a young boy in a shower was serious because the local church didn't take this type of behavior seriously and the boy didn't seem upset? i.e the Sandusky scandal at Penn State... he abused boys from the charitable organization he founded. link2
a local priests promoted the normalization of homosexuality in the Penn State area, as did the psychologist who screened applicants for the diocese.
there is a link between Sandusky, Judge O'Kicki and the disappearance of an attorney investigating them.
and a story of how O'Kicki and others in the local legal profession let the bishops off the hook.
and the court system was also corrupt. O'Kicki escaped to Slovenia (how convenient).
not a Slovenia link, but a Slovokian organization helped Adamec get his job. from the bishops accountability org:
and I haven't even gotten into the Pittsburg mob links, the drug pipeline in the area, or the corruption in the UMW union link2
a lot of corruption out there, and even when the locals complained and the newspapers documented the problems, no one listened.
Joseph Yablonsky call your office.
a little late, don'tcha think? We lay folks knew about this in the early 1990s but no one would listen.
I don't know the details about Wuerl, except for rumors, but I do know that the corruption of the local bishops in Altoona went deeper than the church covering up abuse of children: they had links to the mob, and to crooked judges.
UKMail discusses the links between the Altoona bishops and the local judicial establishment.
but if they want to look into child trafficking, maybe they should extend their investigation.
Did the people in Penn state not think fondling a young boy in a shower was serious because the local church didn't take this type of behavior seriously and the boy didn't seem upset? i.e the Sandusky scandal at Penn State... he abused boys from the charitable organization he founded. link2
a local priests promoted the normalization of homosexuality in the Penn State area, as did the psychologist who screened applicants for the diocese.
there is a link between Sandusky, Judge O'Kicki and the disappearance of an attorney investigating them.
and a story of how O'Kicki and others in the local legal profession let the bishops off the hook.
and the court system was also corrupt. O'Kicki escaped to Slovenia (how convenient).
not a Slovenia link, but a Slovokian organization helped Adamec get his job. from the bishops accountability org:
In 1996, The Wanderer published a six-week series on Bishop Adamec’s “reign of terror” in the diocese...
In the course of the series of articles, allegations were made that Bishop Adamec had purchased his bishopric, with a multi-million dollar donation to the building of the U.S. bishops’ new headquarters in Washington, D.C. near the campus of the Catholic University of America. Allegedly, Adamec obtained the funds through the Slovak Federation.
The allegations published by The Wanderer received no official response, but at that year’s meeting of the conference of bishops, the bishops spent most of their executive session discussing punitive actions against The Wanderer for publishing the expose on Adamec.
and I haven't even gotten into the Pittsburg mob links, the drug pipeline in the area, or the corruption in the UMW union link2
a lot of corruption out there, and even when the locals complained and the newspapers documented the problems, no one listened.
Joseph Yablonsky call your office.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Viva La Difference post of the day
LATimes: once people are rich enough not to worry about starving to death, men and women are different in their wants and needs and personalities.
of course, there is a huge overlap in individuals but nevertheless there is a difference.
The findings, published Thursday in Science, suggest that on the contrary, gender differences across six key personality traits — altruism, trust, risk, patience, and positive and negative reciprocity — increase in richer and more gender-equal societies. Meanwhile, in societies that are poorer and less egalitarian, these gender differences shrink.
“Fulfilling basic needs is gender neutral,” said Johannes Hermle, a graduate student in economics at UC Berkeley who worked on the study. However, once those basic needs like food, shelter and good health are met and people are free to follow their own ambitions, the differences between men and women become more pronounced, he said.
The new work is based on data collected by the Gallup World Poll in 2012.
Quote of the day
“He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. …” (Newman’s prayer.)...
On my walk home this evening I saw a panhandler with a dog. He also had an iPhone, which he was diligently consulting. Even the beggars in this city are computerized! And there are places where anyone can go to get warm. Food is available for the harder cases; Guvmint Nanny has programmes for that. What the poorest of the poor in fact lack, is any sense of belonging....
But no, no one does: for there is God, and inmost grace, in gladness or in sorrow. It is there when it is sought, never failing; as a nest or lair, which one may make cozy; and within, a soul which God created, and can never be thrown away. “He has not created me for naught. …”
Consider the matter in its eternal dimension. For, “When I get home there will be tea.”
from an essay by David Warren, about those of us who are old and alone:
Church news
MarkMallet defends Medjugorje.
ironically, JP2, Francis and Benedict say it's okay. But then the extreme branch of the UberTrad Catholics hate all of them (and VaticanII) so they oppose it, often taking quotes or incidents out of context or equating fringe nut cases who latched onto the place as representative of the whole.
The ubertrads are those who Pope Francis calls rigid, and they are small in number.
The problem? Anyone who criticizes Pope Francis is smeared as ubertrad in order to silence any criticism of his actions.
Sorry, buddy, not true. A lot of us are angry at how Francis is destroying church belief in the Eucharist and the holiness of marriage. And I won't even go into the boy loving bishops scandals.
The uberTradcath right opinion on Medjugorje is based on the crusade against the place by Michael Davies.
Thirty years ago, while searching (before the internet) about information on Soros (who at the time was having his pro euthanasia agenda infiltrate the end of life movement with great subtlety) I searched for some information on Soros in a Davies newsletter: when I got it, it was so one sided, vile and full of hatred it gave me intellectual heartburn. Later, I read his screed on Medjugorje, which was a similar hit job.
On the other hand, one Protestant charismatic preacher found it a place of grace ... even though he wasn't too sure about all that Mary stuff... so ironically I first heard about the place in the early 1980s when I read about it in a Protestant magazine.
Of course, our beloved bishop (/s) in Altoona hated the place and there were articles in our diocesan newspaper against going there: saying we should "obey" the wishes of the local bishop, which is the same argument we hear today against the place.
Right. Trust the bishop. (/s). The bishop of Altoona also hated the Catholic charismatic renewal, and the Marian novenas so beloved by the Eastern European types who worked in the steel mills and mines. Indeed, the diocesan newspaper ridiculed the locals for all those "bathtub Madonnas" that dot the area.
But the diocese newspaper praised the gay friendly churches in Penn State (uh, Sandusky link?) and the trendier than thou nuns teaching enneagrams (claiming they were ancient Islamic mysticism when actually they were invented fifty years earlier by a fake "new thought" teacher, and had no scientific validity for psychological understanding.)
well anyway, when I went to Medjugorje, it was with a prayer group from the local Russian Orthodox church, and I found it a place of grace.
so why Russian Orthodox church?
Well, the local priest had a bible study, and because the bible studies in the Catholic churches were usually run by trendier than thou nuns or non existent, half of his class were Catholic.
It says a lot that, when the Satanists left dead animals and graffiti on two churches in that small town, the two churches that they chose were this Russian Orthodox church and the small bible church where my son attended school. Almost as if they knew their real enemies.
speaking of Orthodoxy:
GetReligion has the background on the recent split in Orthodoxy between the Russian and Greek Orthodox movements. It's about the Ukraine more than dogma. (see this link).
Confusion reigns.
Sigh.
-----------------
update: Pope Francis uses the language of psychology and sociology and moderistic "me too" ideas about the family and sexuality. What he is not able to do is to recognize the subtleties that folks know in their heart but have trouble explaining.
He uses modern "concrete" thinking and forgets the poetry. And those who say" Wait a minute that's not quite true" get thrown into his equivalent of the "baskets of deplorables": not just the "rigid" uber right branch of the church, but the ordinary pious folk trying to live an upright life, who find that they are being condemned by this "inclusive" pope.
But there are a few bishops with the courage to try to explain what he is getting wrong using the language of faith and poetry.
here is an example:
In contrast to the "ain't it awful" shouting going on, a subtle criticism of the superficial approach to family morality in the "conference on yutes" can be found here.
which explains why Chaput is not a Cardinal but marginalized with other intellectual opponants of Pope Francis' "reforms", such as Cardinal Burke or Cardinal Sarah.
I apologize for my burst of writing on this but it is something that I have a little bit of expertise in...(in the past, I put such things on my personal blog because I knew what had gone on but didn't dare write it without verification.)
ironically, JP2, Francis and Benedict say it's okay. But then the extreme branch of the UberTrad Catholics hate all of them (and VaticanII) so they oppose it, often taking quotes or incidents out of context or equating fringe nut cases who latched onto the place as representative of the whole.
The ubertrads are those who Pope Francis calls rigid, and they are small in number.
The problem? Anyone who criticizes Pope Francis is smeared as ubertrad in order to silence any criticism of his actions.
Sorry, buddy, not true. A lot of us are angry at how Francis is destroying church belief in the Eucharist and the holiness of marriage. And I won't even go into the boy loving bishops scandals.
The uberTradcath right opinion on Medjugorje is based on the crusade against the place by Michael Davies.
Thirty years ago, while searching (before the internet) about information on Soros (who at the time was having his pro euthanasia agenda infiltrate the end of life movement with great subtlety) I searched for some information on Soros in a Davies newsletter: when I got it, it was so one sided, vile and full of hatred it gave me intellectual heartburn. Later, I read his screed on Medjugorje, which was a similar hit job.
On the other hand, one Protestant charismatic preacher found it a place of grace ... even though he wasn't too sure about all that Mary stuff... so ironically I first heard about the place in the early 1980s when I read about it in a Protestant magazine.
Of course, our beloved bishop (/s) in Altoona hated the place and there were articles in our diocesan newspaper against going there: saying we should "obey" the wishes of the local bishop, which is the same argument we hear today against the place.
Right. Trust the bishop. (/s). The bishop of Altoona also hated the Catholic charismatic renewal, and the Marian novenas so beloved by the Eastern European types who worked in the steel mills and mines. Indeed, the diocesan newspaper ridiculed the locals for all those "bathtub Madonnas" that dot the area.
But the diocese newspaper praised the gay friendly churches in Penn State (uh, Sandusky link?) and the trendier than thou nuns teaching enneagrams (claiming they were ancient Islamic mysticism when actually they were invented fifty years earlier by a fake "new thought" teacher, and had no scientific validity for psychological understanding.)
well anyway, when I went to Medjugorje, it was with a prayer group from the local Russian Orthodox church, and I found it a place of grace.
so why Russian Orthodox church?
Well, the local priest had a bible study, and because the bible studies in the Catholic churches were usually run by trendier than thou nuns or non existent, half of his class were Catholic.
It says a lot that, when the Satanists left dead animals and graffiti on two churches in that small town, the two churches that they chose were this Russian Orthodox church and the small bible church where my son attended school. Almost as if they knew their real enemies.
speaking of Orthodoxy:
GetReligion has the background on the recent split in Orthodoxy between the Russian and Greek Orthodox movements. It's about the Ukraine more than dogma. (see this link).
Confusion reigns.
Sigh.
-----------------
update: Pope Francis uses the language of psychology and sociology and moderistic "me too" ideas about the family and sexuality. What he is not able to do is to recognize the subtleties that folks know in their heart but have trouble explaining.
He uses modern "concrete" thinking and forgets the poetry. And those who say" Wait a minute that's not quite true" get thrown into his equivalent of the "baskets of deplorables": not just the "rigid" uber right branch of the church, but the ordinary pious folk trying to live an upright life, who find that they are being condemned by this "inclusive" pope.
But there are a few bishops with the courage to try to explain what he is getting wrong using the language of faith and poetry.
here is an example:
In contrast to the "ain't it awful" shouting going on, a subtle criticism of the superficial approach to family morality in the "conference on yutes" can be found here.
The IL,(i.e. document guiding the council on youth) in its original form, is a collection of dense social science data with very little evangelical zeal. It speaks constantly about accompaniment, which is important, but it contains almost no confident teaching. It can’t and won’t convert anybody. Hopefully, the synod fathers will fix this....
Gender ideology treats the body as an instrument to be upgraded, or clay to be manipulated.
In contrast, Christian faith sees the body, not as some kind of “wetware” or clay capsule, but as integral and essential to who we are. God became man to redeem human flesh, not to render it meaningless.
The family, by its nature, is carnal and fertile. A man and a woman become one flesh. New life results. It’s beautiful, it’s mysterious, but it’s not efficient.
To a certain kind of modern mindset, that inefficiency is offensive.
At the heart of gender ideology is a resentment of the weakness and limitations of the body.
At the core of today’s attacks on the family is a hatred of the mutual dependence that families demand, and a distrust of the love within a family that seals it tight as a unit. In the end, all of today’s sexual aberrations and dysfunctions boil down to a rejection of creation; of the natural order as it is.
which explains why Chaput is not a Cardinal but marginalized with other intellectual opponants of Pope Francis' "reforms", such as Cardinal Burke or Cardinal Sarah.
I apologize for my burst of writing on this but it is something that I have a little bit of expertise in...(in the past, I put such things on my personal blog because I knew what had gone on but didn't dare write it without verification.)
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Psychiatry and abuse
I often point to the psychiatric link in normalizing the reassignment of abusive priests based on what we were taught in our psychiatric rotations in medical school. Some of these came from Freud: Ideas like children made up abuse claims because they fantasized the abuse.
indeed the 1979 UK Whitehall report suggested lowering the age of consent to 14, because
more here.indeed the 1979 UK Whitehall report suggested lowering the age of consent to 14, because
Girls as young as 12 'may not only want to take part in but initiate sexual activity', said 1979 Home Office report
Some ideas floating around in the recent past were loosely based on Freud's ideas that sexual repression was bad: such as teaching teenaged boys that if a girl said no, she meant yes, and raping her was okay because it helped her get rid of her hangups.
Or the idea the federal government should encourage teenage sex.
Or even the idea that having adults mentor young children into sex would prevent them from having sexual hangups and they would be better adjusted as adults.
And then there was the idea that once we had abortion on demand, by getting rid of the fear of pregnancy we would see more sexual activity, and indeed since we wouldn't have any more unwanted chidren that child abuse would disappear.
Right.
The worst one was a 1981 article in Newsweek after a TV film about incest was shown. The Newsweek article lamented that we shouldn't report cases of incest because it would destroy the family
not to mention that honest criminals would mistreat the poor guy if he was jailed.
ironically, it is this same type of psychiatric thinking that led to many of the American bishops to protect the priests accused of various levels of molestation. The bishops obeyed the experts: some because they were weak, others because they were stupid, and alas some because they were gay and who were they to throw the first stone?
CRUX reports how Father Harvey influenced a more kind and gentle approach to pedophilia/pederasty.
In a 1992 article in Crisis, a conservative magazine, Harvey described the arguments he had offered at the Ninth Bishops’ Workshop in Dallas in 1990. Harvey argued that priests who sexually abused minors often did so because of sexual addiction, and therefore guilt could not be imputed. On that basis, he claimed bishops could not impose canonical penalties. Instead, he argued, most should be rehabilitated and returned to ministry.
While he went on to note that there should be certain conditions, such as barring participation in overseeing youth ministry, he criticized bishops for a double standard in not treating abuser priests the same way as they often treat alcoholics or drug addicts, who are generally sent to rehab and then put back in the field. In the article, he criticized bishops moving toward a zero-tolerance policy...Father Harvey didn't make up these ideas of course:
One of Harvey’s closest associates and clinical influencers was psychologist Richard Fitzgibbons, who trained at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center, and who went on to found the Institute for Marital Healing....
This August, a Pennsylvania grand jury report chronicling seven decades of abuse of more than 1,000 victims at the hands of 300 abuser priests specifically excluded the Philadelphia archdiocese, largely because an earlier investigation there had already highlighted the efforts by Cardinals John Krol, Anthony Bevilacqua, and Justin Rigali in covering up abuse of minors and knowingly transferring offender priests rather than removing them from public ministry.
As it turns out, those decisions relied on methods taught and advocated by Fitzgibbons and Harvey.italics mine.
I wonder if the Dr. Fitzbgibbons is the one quoted in this recent article in CNA? He dares to note the link with homosexuality and with narcissim and anger. He published this in an article on it in the Linacre quarterly
the argument is that punishment will cause people to avoid being treated.
True.
what we don't know is how successful was his own treatment, and if he has statistics on little things like relapse vs rehabilitation.
Can you cure pedophilia/pederasty?
this 1988 article says they have no clue about it.
PsychologyToday admits they don't know either.
lots of studies including using hormone blockers etc. but this 1997 study says the results are "unclear".'
one problem: Lack of compliance.
a 2003 review summarizes several articles and says it works, if they remained under treatment.
Nearly all of the studies used self-reports to measure the effects of medication. Duration of follow-up was between 6 months and 7 years and revealed that there were no relapses if patients remained under treatment.italics mine. Presumably the self reports are accurate, right? (the answer? self reporting is not very accurate:(this study shows 30 to 99 percent accuracy).
Bioethics article discusses the problem mainly lamenting the need for privacy so they can be treated.
So we have a problem.
The bishops are correctly being blamed, but no one is talking about the ones who advised the bishops. I will leave the lawyer articles to someone else, but one of the ones who aren't getting criticized are the doctors who advised the bishops.
We see lots of psychiatric explanations of why men abuse children/teenagers/adults who are in their power, but what about psychiatrists who treated them, told the bishops they were cured, and let them go back to work? True, often they did so with advice to keep them away from children, but that didn't work out well, did it?
So this is a major scandal for the medical community. So who is naming names?
AKACatholicblog has more on it here, and names names.
One is Dr. Money, whose theories on sex vs gender sound strangely like those being pushed on the public by the gender police.
From the NYTime obituary:
the theories were not as much about the general public but based on the rare medical problem of intersex children with ambiguous genitalia. This led to his involvement with gender confusion and he was behind the push to medical/surgical treatment of these children.
Early in his career, Dr. Money coined the terms "gender identity," to describe the internal experience of sexuality, and "gender role," to refer to social expectations of male and female behavior. The two concepts still drive much research into sexual identity.
The problem? one of the major examples on which he based his work turned out not to be true.
Wikipedia article on David Reimer.
and he eventually committed suicide. Sad.
The psychologist John Money oversaw the case and reported the reassignment as successful and as evidence that gender identity is primarily learned. The academic sexologist Milton Diamond later reported that Reimer's realization he was not a girl crystallized between the ages of 9 and 11 years[3] and he transitioned to living as a male at age 15. Well known in medical circles for years anonymously as the "John/Joan" case, Reimer later went public with his story to help discourage similar medical practice.
another physician named in the article is Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, who worked with one Father Harvey in an organization aimed at those with same sex attraction.
from crux:
until at least 2011, Fitzgibbons continued to play a role in treating abusive priests and advocating for their return to ministry in Philadelphia, one of the dioceses most affected by sexual abuse.
While today Courage maintains its strict compliance with the charter, at the time of its adoption, Harvey expressed regret that too many bishops were pushing abusive priests out and advocated a path of treatment.
“In short, the predominant view of the bishops in the ’80s and ’90s was that such men should be given a second chance which included spiritual support, individual spiritual direction, and careful supervision,” he wrote in 2002. “From personal pastoral experience, I saw good things happening with these priests. I also was aware that some of these bishops took good care of the youth who had been victimized by priests.” Summarizing his views on zero-tolerance, Harvey wrote, “I have grave difficulty with [that] opinion.”
NationalCathReg article refers to stories in the Kansas City Star and accusations by SNAP.
In that case, the priest was taking pornographic photos of a young girl, but the good doctor has also been quoted as blaming the pedophilia scandals in general on the fact that the perpetrators are gay, and saying that the Philadelphia grand jury report overdid it.
You see a lot of hair splitting here: Pedophilia bad, Pederasty, i.e. preying on young teenagers, iffy (and common in both the gay and hetero community, another fact no one wants to discuss), and gay relationships between adults, even if the adult is vulnerable to you punishing him or her if they object, is fine.
the problem? Narcissism. they lie about what is going on and rewrite it in their mind to make themselves the hero.
They aren't seducing that 13 year old boy: They are "mentoring" him to feel comfortable in his sexuality.
It works for girls too: When I was in medical school the book Lolita was used as an example of how young teenage girls really really wanted to have sex with older men, and it wasn't until I read "reading Lolita in Tehran" that I realized the novel showed the self serving manipulation of a sexual predator, not a teenage vixen seducing an innocent older man.
from the above CNA article quoting the John Jay report:
The psychiatrist also reviewed the findings of the John Jay researchers, who reported that 81percent of the victims of clerical sexual abuse were male, 51 percent of whom were age 11-14, 27 percent were aged 15-17, 16 percent between 8-10, and 6 percent were under 7 years of age, emphasized Fitzgibbons.
we catholic layfolks just say: well you took a vow not to do anything, so stop quantifying if your sin is bad or really really bad.
as for WWJD? Millstone, anyone?
as for these doctors: Hippocrates said don't sleep with your patients, but ten percent of psychiatrists admit they do so.
So when will we see the medical "ME TOO" scandal hit the pages/
Stories below the fold
A follow up on the kerfuffle of Eliz Warren claiming she was part Cherokee, although her family had no ties with the tribe nor did they keep any customs from that ancestor.
In the meanwhile, Trumpieboy signed the law to recognize the six Virginia unrecognized tribes.
....
.........
....
and now that Warren is again running, she is trying to make nice with groups that actually represent Native American interests, but some are sceptical given her lack of actual deeds. True, she is backing a law to have the Feds help with the Amerindian women who disappear, but this was done in 2018, probably thanks to the publicity on the problem with the film WindRiver... and the act is still in committee.
maybe she should start by helping the IHS, which is still a mess due to understaffing and lack of infrastructure.
Trumpieboy threatened to cut their budget, but replace it with grants.
Don't ask me... I've worked on and off in the IHS since 1974 and things did get better, but problems still remain. Tribal takeover is helping in some hospitals, but since I retired over ten years ago I am uncertain what's going on now.
--------------------------
in the earlier post I mentioned the black Cherokees. Here is a film on that:
In the meanwhile, Trumpieboy signed the law to recognize the six Virginia unrecognized tribes.
....
.........
....
and now that Warren is again running, she is trying to make nice with groups that actually represent Native American interests, but some are sceptical given her lack of actual deeds. True, she is backing a law to have the Feds help with the Amerindian women who disappear, but this was done in 2018, probably thanks to the publicity on the problem with the film WindRiver... and the act is still in committee.
maybe she should start by helping the IHS, which is still a mess due to understaffing and lack of infrastructure.
Trumpieboy threatened to cut their budget, but replace it with grants.
Don't ask me... I've worked on and off in the IHS since 1974 and things did get better, but problems still remain. Tribal takeover is helping in some hospitals, but since I retired over ten years ago I am uncertain what's going on now.
--------------------------
in the earlier post I mentioned the black Cherokees. Here is a film on that:
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Sexual abuse again
bookmarking for later watching:
=================
his book Sacrilege can be found here.
psychiatrist link noted in the talk. The psychiatric fads that justified a lot of this behavior as not harmful, very common/normal, or even "good" for young people has been covered up, just as Freud's ideas that claims of abuse are fantasies not real are not discussed.
Other gay bashing articles:
Harvey Milk was a pederast (and Jim Jones a communist).
Sort of like noticing Matthew Shepherd was a drug dealers who liked the rough trade, the myth is stronger than the truth.
ironically, modern films that "push" homosexual sex as normal might not be helping the propaganda.
It was my granddaughter who pointed out that the romance "call me by your name" showed a man grooming a boy and then not stopping when he said no.
(sort of like the "Grey" series of SM porn, where the man grooms and manipulates an inexperienced young woman, the story is portrayed as romance).
and how many noticed Oscar Wilde was portrayed as a martyr in the recent film, but the film also correctly noted he also seduced teenage prostitutes in English slums and poor European countries, not to mention he gave his wife syphilis (yes, I know: the modern diagnosis is Multiple sclerosis, but I am old enough to remember when Syphilis was called the Great pretender, including symptoms similar to MS).
so if the PC can correctly condemn the founding fathers who owned slaves, and the men in Hollywood who prey on young women, isn't it time to do the same for gay icons?
But this might explain the reticence of both the press and the hierarchy in the chuch to point fingers toward charming men like Cardinal McC and Wuerl, whose actions were known about for years but never reported. They had so much charm, and did deeds of charity toward others, but should this mask the fact that they prey on those they have power over, even though their victims were of legal age?
I am Catholic, but the problem exists in other churches.
LINK1 LINK discusses one infamous case: a nice guy who backed all the right causes while seducing men who came for counseling or who worked under him.
It's hard to condemn a charming friend who seems to be doing so many good things. Sort of like why cops and docs are hesitant to "out" their bad apples.
=================
his book Sacrilege can be found here.
psychiatrist link noted in the talk. The psychiatric fads that justified a lot of this behavior as not harmful, very common/normal, or even "good" for young people has been covered up, just as Freud's ideas that claims of abuse are fantasies not real are not discussed.
Other gay bashing articles:
Harvey Milk was a pederast (and Jim Jones a communist).
Sort of like noticing Matthew Shepherd was a drug dealers who liked the rough trade, the myth is stronger than the truth.
ironically, modern films that "push" homosexual sex as normal might not be helping the propaganda.
It was my granddaughter who pointed out that the romance "call me by your name" showed a man grooming a boy and then not stopping when he said no.
(sort of like the "Grey" series of SM porn, where the man grooms and manipulates an inexperienced young woman, the story is portrayed as romance).
and how many noticed Oscar Wilde was portrayed as a martyr in the recent film, but the film also correctly noted he also seduced teenage prostitutes in English slums and poor European countries, not to mention he gave his wife syphilis (yes, I know: the modern diagnosis is Multiple sclerosis, but I am old enough to remember when Syphilis was called the Great pretender, including symptoms similar to MS).
so if the PC can correctly condemn the founding fathers who owned slaves, and the men in Hollywood who prey on young women, isn't it time to do the same for gay icons?
But this might explain the reticence of both the press and the hierarchy in the chuch to point fingers toward charming men like Cardinal McC and Wuerl, whose actions were known about for years but never reported. They had so much charm, and did deeds of charity toward others, but should this mask the fact that they prey on those they have power over, even though their victims were of legal age?
I am Catholic, but the problem exists in other churches.
LINK1 LINK discusses one infamous case: a nice guy who backed all the right causes while seducing men who came for counseling or who worked under him.
It's hard to condemn a charming friend who seems to be doing so many good things. Sort of like why cops and docs are hesitant to "out" their bad apples.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Side effects of Psychiatric therapy
you always hear about the "side effects" of various medicines used in psychiatry, but do you know this?
yes, and ditto for the "side effects" of medications.
Ah, but what about the "side effects" of no treatment of any kind?
The toxic side effects of THERAPY:
40% of people experience more distress from cognitive behavioral therapy, study finds
Millions of Americans have or currently go to therapists Cognitive behavioral therapy is widely considered the safest, most effective non-pharmaceutical treatment for common mental illnesses
A new German study estimates that 43 percent of talk therapy patients experience 'side effects' like anxiety and break ups
But the researchers say these my be 'unavoidable' parts of the healing process
yes, and ditto for the "side effects" of medications.
Ah, but what about the "side effects" of no treatment of any kind?
Scandal update
I linked earlier to a site that discussed the gossip that the Wuerl scandal, that said his firing and "golden parachute" actually would lead to him having more power.
GetReligion discusses and has several links to news articles on the scandals, including this one that has affirmation of the gossip:
the back story of this is the rumors about the gay agenda being pushed at the conference on yutes that the Vatican is holding. Many suspect the conclusions have already been written to push gay rights. as one sees here, where a "delegate" who is pushing the meme: "inclusion".
Well, the irony is that one does not "join" the Catholic church as one does a protestant church. Anyone can go to mass, and no one cares.
however, to say not to preach repentance from sin so one doesn't feel "excluded" is wrong. And to let people living in sin to receive the sacraments is wrong, as Paul pointed out.
So does "inclusion" include welcoming gays and prostitutes? How about murderers, mafia hit men, crooked politicians and businessmen who steal everything in sight, or crooked politicians who order hits on their political rivals?
Yup. they are all here at mass. No one is chased out unless they openly flaunt their sin.
In the past, the laws were strict, but it was understood that people were in dilemmas and that God would give them mercy.
But now we face not just sin in our bishops, which has been around since Eli's sons schtupped those visiting the Ark of the Covenant or Judas skimmed donations given to Jesus to support his work.
What we have now is a Pope whose minions want to change the laws themselves, because niceness is the highest rule (never mind those who are harmed when they wink at sin). This is something very very different.
So how the church should act when confronted with sinners?
If one is too strict, they will leave in despair and anger and never be open to repent, but if one is too lax, you end up with people who simply don't know what they are doing is wrong.
And maybe instead of "reforming" bishops by looking the other way, the Pope should have study sessions on St Gregory the great's instruction about how to find good bishops and how those bishops should rule.
The church has over a billion people and has been around for 2000 years, so it's not as if we face something new. Most Catholics know the clergy is not the church: And the mass is more about meeting Christ in the sacraments than it is about glorifying the pastor or even "celebrating" each other as in some "modern" Catholic churches.
The bishop/priest is a sinner? Well, he is still a priest. And his ability to give you the sacraments is not changed any more than if your doctor was sctumping all the nurses or cheating the IRS would mean that your penicillin wouldn't cure your pneumonia.
so do you leave because of corrupt bishops? Or do you stay because that is where you find God?
Oscar Romero was just canonized, to the delight of the left and despair of the right wing in the church. watch the movie here.
But he faced the problem that I saw in Africa: Do you remain silent when faced with atrocities by the government and by the "rebels", or do you confront them? He dared to criticize government atrocities and was killed, but you know, quite a few priests who criticized the "rebels" in various third world hellholes also were killed (quite a few were killed by FARC in Colombia, for example, and we had priests and sisters killed by both sides when I worked in Zimbabwe in the 1970s.)
so do I leave the church because of Wuerl's sins, or do I stay because I knew priests and bishops who were martyred for defending the rights of the people?
GetReligion discusses and has several links to news articles on the scandals, including this one that has affirmation of the gossip:
the gossip said Dolan lost in the fight over who would control US bishops, but this article (predating the resignation) has Dolan defending Wuerl.
Now, if you read the long New York Times piece on Wuerl’s exit — with evidence that his power in Rome may actually increase ...
Dolan and Wuerl represent, in a sense, the “old guard” of U.S. bishops. Although not aggressively orthodox, the two rose to prominence during Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate.italics mine
,,, Although Dolan famously capitulated to LGBT activists, allowing them to participate in New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, and applauded Michael Sam for announcing his homosexuality (“Bravo!”), neither he nor Wuerl is as radical as some in the clique of Francis-appointed prelates including Cardinals Joseph Tobin and Blase Cupich and Bishop Robert McElroy.
the back story of this is the rumors about the gay agenda being pushed at the conference on yutes that the Vatican is holding. Many suspect the conclusions have already been written to push gay rights. as one sees here, where a "delegate" who is pushing the meme: "inclusion".
“They wanted the church to be more open [...] a multicultural church that’s open to all, that should not be judgmental, a community that makes everybody feel at home, reflecting the message of Jesus Christ,” Morales said, according to a Vatican translator. “The church should not discriminate against minorities or people with different sexual orientations or who are poorer, no.” They also wanted a church more “welcoming” to “fragile” people, as well as a more representative role for women.
Well, the irony is that one does not "join" the Catholic church as one does a protestant church. Anyone can go to mass, and no one cares.
however, to say not to preach repentance from sin so one doesn't feel "excluded" is wrong. And to let people living in sin to receive the sacraments is wrong, as Paul pointed out.
So does "inclusion" include welcoming gays and prostitutes? How about murderers, mafia hit men, crooked politicians and businessmen who steal everything in sight, or crooked politicians who order hits on their political rivals?
Yup. they are all here at mass. No one is chased out unless they openly flaunt their sin.
In the past, the laws were strict, but it was understood that people were in dilemmas and that God would give them mercy.
But now we face not just sin in our bishops, which has been around since Eli's sons schtupped those visiting the Ark of the Covenant or Judas skimmed donations given to Jesus to support his work.
What we have now is a Pope whose minions want to change the laws themselves, because niceness is the highest rule (never mind those who are harmed when they wink at sin). This is something very very different.
So how the church should act when confronted with sinners?
If one is too strict, they will leave in despair and anger and never be open to repent, but if one is too lax, you end up with people who simply don't know what they are doing is wrong.
And maybe instead of "reforming" bishops by looking the other way, the Pope should have study sessions on St Gregory the great's instruction about how to find good bishops and how those bishops should rule.
The church has over a billion people and has been around for 2000 years, so it's not as if we face something new. Most Catholics know the clergy is not the church: And the mass is more about meeting Christ in the sacraments than it is about glorifying the pastor or even "celebrating" each other as in some "modern" Catholic churches.
The bishop/priest is a sinner? Well, he is still a priest. And his ability to give you the sacraments is not changed any more than if your doctor was sctumping all the nurses or cheating the IRS would mean that your penicillin wouldn't cure your pneumonia.
so do you leave because of corrupt bishops? Or do you stay because that is where you find God?
Oscar Romero was just canonized, to the delight of the left and despair of the right wing in the church. watch the movie here.
But he faced the problem that I saw in Africa: Do you remain silent when faced with atrocities by the government and by the "rebels", or do you confront them? He dared to criticize government atrocities and was killed, but you know, quite a few priests who criticized the "rebels" in various third world hellholes also were killed (quite a few were killed by FARC in Colombia, for example, and we had priests and sisters killed by both sides when I worked in Zimbabwe in the 1970s.)
so do I leave the church because of Wuerl's sins, or do I stay because I knew priests and bishops who were martyred for defending the rights of the people?
No CDIB card here, fellahs, just move along
Tulsa TV station posted the Cherokee response to Elizabeth Warren's blood test that show she might be 1/64th AmerIndian.
however, each tribe decides who they want to be members
this sounds confusing, which it is, especially with urban Indians and with those who are of multiple tribal ancestry.
And the IHS won't treat you if you are from Mexico or Canada, even if your tribe has members on both sides of the border.
on the other hand, in Oklahoma, we did treat the Cherokee freeman, who would not pass a blood test.
and there are on going controversies about the "unrecognized tribes". Many of these have a long history that can be traced in county records, and are suing to get recognition.
In some states, due to intermarriage, there are a lot of people with some AmerIndian ancestry, especially in places like Tennessee or Oklahoma, most of whom never try to get benefits because they have assimilated into the white or black local communities and have no tribal ties.
but to be eligible for benefits and/or affirmative action, you are supposed to prove your ancestry via the CDIB card.
On the other hand, there are lots and lots of white folks who "discover" they have a "Cherokee" ancestor, and become "born again Indians", often pretending to be shamans to sell books or get prestige among their new age friends. Others, like Warren, use this vague history to get jobs, or to sell counterfeit art work and artifacts.
the real controversy about Warren is that she used her vague history to get an affirmative action spot. She now denies it, and an "investigation" has cleared her of this charge, but there are many places where the university mentioned her as a minority, so who told them she was a "minority"? Why would they do that if she hadn't used her "history" to get a job under affirmative action?
Of course, this is Harvard, who bragged about Warren being a "minority" while routinely discriminates against East Asians....
so the scandal is that essentially by lying/exaggerating her Indian ancestry, she got job preference over other minorities who actually had been discriminated against.
Now, affirmative action is supposed to be there to help those who had suffered discrimination. and to help those who live in poverty on the reservation, or as "urban Indians", not rich white folks from Tulsa who had no cultural tribal ties, but wanted freebies.
"A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person's ancestors were indigenous to North or South America.
Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is prove.You need a CDIB card to get treated at an IHS hospital, or to be eligible for government benefits.
A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood (both abbreviated CDIB) is an official U.S. document that certifies an individual possesses a specific degree of Native American blood of a federally recognized Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community.[1] They are issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs after the applicant supplies a completed genealogy with supporting legal documents such as birth certificates, showing their descent, through one or both birth parents, from an enrolled Indian or an Indian listed in a base roll such as the Dawes Rolls. Blood degree cannot be obtained through adoptive parents...
however, each tribe decides who they want to be members
For example, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians requires at least 1/16 degree of Eastern Cherokee blood for tribal membership, whereas the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Higher Education Grant for college expenses requires a 1/4 degree minimum.[2] A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood does not establish membership in a tribe. Tribal membership is determined by tribal laws and may or may not require a CDIB or may require a separate tribal determination of ancestry or blood degree.[3]How to get your CDIB card.
this sounds confusing, which it is, especially with urban Indians and with those who are of multiple tribal ancestry.
And the IHS won't treat you if you are from Mexico or Canada, even if your tribe has members on both sides of the border.
on the other hand, in Oklahoma, we did treat the Cherokee freeman, who would not pass a blood test.
and there are on going controversies about the "unrecognized tribes". Many of these have a long history that can be traced in county records, and are suing to get recognition.
In some states, due to intermarriage, there are a lot of people with some AmerIndian ancestry, especially in places like Tennessee or Oklahoma, most of whom never try to get benefits because they have assimilated into the white or black local communities and have no tribal ties.
but to be eligible for benefits and/or affirmative action, you are supposed to prove your ancestry via the CDIB card.
On the other hand, there are lots and lots of white folks who "discover" they have a "Cherokee" ancestor, and become "born again Indians", often pretending to be shamans to sell books or get prestige among their new age friends. Others, like Warren, use this vague history to get jobs, or to sell counterfeit art work and artifacts.
the real controversy about Warren is that she used her vague history to get an affirmative action spot. She now denies it, and an "investigation" has cleared her of this charge, but there are many places where the university mentioned her as a minority, so who told them she was a "minority"? Why would they do that if she hadn't used her "history" to get a job under affirmative action?
Of course, this is Harvard, who bragged about Warren being a "minority" while routinely discriminates against East Asians....
so the scandal is that essentially by lying/exaggerating her Indian ancestry, she got job preference over other minorities who actually had been discriminated against.
Now, affirmative action is supposed to be there to help those who had suffered discrimination. and to help those who live in poverty on the reservation, or as "urban Indians", not rich white folks from Tulsa who had no cultural tribal ties, but wanted freebies.
Monday, October 15, 2018
Family news
the cook's daughter in law just lost her baby: it delivered early, but was okay so they sent him home and he died a few hours later.
She delivered in a "birthing" center, not a hospital, but they are understaffed so might have missed something. I suspect congenital heart disease which runs in her husband's family.
Sigh.
The cook has lost two sons in recent years, and she just was diagnosed with diabetes. But she still works for us, and sleeps as a security guard at one of our relative's medical clinic. She is here for three meals a day, which comes to 12 hours, but the average time she spends buying food an cooking is about half that time... the rest of the time she is outside gossiping, or selling lotto tickets for extra money.
When I shop, I always go with her or her daughter for safety reaons. It is safer nowadays, but still we hear of robberies now and then.
Why should theives be afraid of a 70 year old woman who is only 5 foot tall and weighs less than 100 pounds?
Because she has a lot of sons who would kill anyone who hurts her. And because she knows most of the tricycle drivers in town. And she probably knows a lot of (ex) NPA types too.
Her family traditionally works for our extended family and some of them still live in a hut in our cousin's back yard: most of the sons live nearby, and drive "tricycles" i.e. motorcycles with side cars for short trips, and one son and two daughters work for the family as cook/cleaner/security guard. Alas, the youngest son who the family did manage to put thru college and became a school teacher, died of a congenital heart problem two years ago.
the big problem for her? no social security. If she gets sick, it is the extended family who does the caretaking.
I am paying social security for her daughter who works as a part time maid/laundress, but the cook is too old to start an account.
but for right now, she is the one keeping the family together: her salary is low, but being a traditional Filipina, she probably keeps the leftover money from the food budget. And I give her money to cover the school expenses of three grandkids. And when there is a medical emergency, I give her extra money.
It would actually be a lot cheaper to give her a regular wage, but we are still traditional in our area, where help is considered part of the family.
But our stepson and wife do pay help modern style with a higher wage but only extras for emergencies and holidays. Which is probably why they go thru maids/gardeners about once a year.
She delivered in a "birthing" center, not a hospital, but they are understaffed so might have missed something. I suspect congenital heart disease which runs in her husband's family.
Sigh.
The cook has lost two sons in recent years, and she just was diagnosed with diabetes. But she still works for us, and sleeps as a security guard at one of our relative's medical clinic. She is here for three meals a day, which comes to 12 hours, but the average time she spends buying food an cooking is about half that time... the rest of the time she is outside gossiping, or selling lotto tickets for extra money.
When I shop, I always go with her or her daughter for safety reaons. It is safer nowadays, but still we hear of robberies now and then.
Why should theives be afraid of a 70 year old woman who is only 5 foot tall and weighs less than 100 pounds?
Because she has a lot of sons who would kill anyone who hurts her. And because she knows most of the tricycle drivers in town. And she probably knows a lot of (ex) NPA types too.
Her family traditionally works for our extended family and some of them still live in a hut in our cousin's back yard: most of the sons live nearby, and drive "tricycles" i.e. motorcycles with side cars for short trips, and one son and two daughters work for the family as cook/cleaner/security guard. Alas, the youngest son who the family did manage to put thru college and became a school teacher, died of a congenital heart problem two years ago.
the big problem for her? no social security. If she gets sick, it is the extended family who does the caretaking.
I am paying social security for her daughter who works as a part time maid/laundress, but the cook is too old to start an account.
but for right now, she is the one keeping the family together: her salary is low, but being a traditional Filipina, she probably keeps the leftover money from the food budget. And I give her money to cover the school expenses of three grandkids. And when there is a medical emergency, I give her extra money.
It would actually be a lot cheaper to give her a regular wage, but we are still traditional in our area, where help is considered part of the family.
But our stepson and wife do pay help modern style with a higher wage but only extras for emergencies and holidays. Which is probably why they go thru maids/gardeners about once a year.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Ancient history from a global perpective
several world history audiobooks on youtube. Most seem to be incomplete, but for your enjoyment here are a few links.
Aldrete History of the ancient world A Global perpective.
part one
part 2
part 3
part 4
......................
Harmon: a people's history of the world part one
===============
the Anglo Saxon world.
----------------------
Aldrete History of the ancient world A Global perpective.
part one
part 2
part 3
part 4
......................
Harmon: a people's history of the world part one
===============
the Anglo Saxon world.
----------------------
Climate change: we haz that
One of the theories behind the Bronze age collapse (1200 BC) was climate change that cause migration and invasions.
I have linked in an earlier post to Eric Cline's audiobook about this, but internet Archive had the ebook LINK
And one of the theories behind why the Indus Valley civilization collapsed was a period of drought, which also caused the fall of the Old Kingdom of Egypt.
Wikipedia calls it the 4.2 kiloyear event. (2000 BC)
But right now I'm trying to finish reading the book The Horse the Wheel and Language and came to the part where they said the Indo European migration was spurred by drought conditions.
Wikipeda calls it the 5.9 kiloyear event. (4000 BC).
hmmm...
and this doesn't include the 8.2 kiloyear event or the younger Dryads (12000 BC).
and this doesn't include more recent warming and cooling times like the medieval warm period or the little ice age.
In other words, climate change cycles occur alas frequently, and alas often are associated with the fall of civilizations.
I have linked in an earlier post to Eric Cline's audiobook about this, but internet Archive had the ebook LINK
And one of the theories behind why the Indus Valley civilization collapsed was a period of drought, which also caused the fall of the Old Kingdom of Egypt.
Wikipedia calls it the 4.2 kiloyear event. (2000 BC)
But right now I'm trying to finish reading the book The Horse the Wheel and Language and came to the part where they said the Indo European migration was spurred by drought conditions.
Wikipeda calls it the 5.9 kiloyear event. (4000 BC).
hmmm...
and this doesn't include the 8.2 kiloyear event or the younger Dryads (12000 BC).
and this doesn't include more recent warming and cooling times like the medieval warm period or the little ice age.
In other words, climate change cycles occur alas frequently, and alas often are associated with the fall of civilizations.
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Scandal we haz that
don't complain: You'll be told this is an "attack on a papacy" so shut up (and continue to send money).
--------------
First Things summary here.
I hear Wuerl is finally getting the can (I despise him because he ruled in Pittsburgh when the Altonna scandal was going on. Don't tell me he didn't know about all the priests cruising the gay bars in Pittsburgh back then).
His resignation is being accepted while the news quotes lots of folks saying how wonderful he is.
Apparently Thou shalt not criticize your fellow clerics is the rule in the Vatican.
Oxford University’s Dr. Joseph Shaw told LifeSiteNews that Pope Francis’s Oct. 12 letter accepting Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation “makes it very clear” that he doesn’t want to punish his subordinate. “In the Roman Curia and in many Bishops’ Conferences there is a widespread attitude that bishops and senior officials should never be publicly disgraced: there should be no ‘brutta figura‘ [loss of face],” Shaw explained. “Even when sacked for bad behaviour, they should be allowed to depart in a dignified manner.” “One would expect, then, a carefully-worded and diplomatic send-off from the Pope on such an occasion, but Pope Francis’ letter goes far beyond this. It sounds like a letter written by a political leader forced to sack an underling very much against his will,” he continued.however the DA in Pennsylvania is less approving of his conduct.
"It is unacceptable that then-Bishop Wuerl ... oversaw and participated in the systematic cover-up that he did when leading the Pittsburgh Diocese and that he is now able to retire seemingly with no consequences for his actions," Shapiro said. "We can't rely on the church to fix itself."
But the Jeramiah of the Catholic blogosphere (NSFW) says no: she compares his resignation to the coverup in the Goldman Sach scandal. He is just being kicked upstairs with the Vatican version of a golden parachute. And she points out the back story of Dolan trying to get rid of Wuerl, and who alas has lost.
added comment; Yes, she is vulgar and over the top. But someone needs to show righteous anger over the lives destroyed by these sociopaths.
EcclesIsSaved (a satire site) version here.
and the meeting on yutes sounds like business as usual.
Sigh.
St Peter Damian call your office.
so why do I stay a Catholic? Because most priests remain faithful, and although the church scandal is severe, but ignores the majority of good priests.
And because the infiltration of the church by the immoral is nothing new: What really upsets me is that this Pope is sowing confusion about Jesus: mixing good and bad ideas and ridiculing those of us who say WTF?
Medical stuff
from my medical blog:
Corruption in the Chinese Pharmacutical industry.
actually just a snip from a longer report from Strategy Page on China, but the article has a lot about Chinese aggression against it's neighbors and how people in China are "disappearing".
-------------------
the latest fad: The New Jersey Diet.
-------------------------------
Typhus in the homeless.
bring back DDT?
-------------------------
magic, deity or an alive "nature" did it?
Another "Scientific" article that tells us "nature" did X.
Well, if you follow Darwin, this is nonsense: random chance is behind these things.
If you assume that there is a pattern or plan behind evolution etc. you are assuming there is a deity behind the rules directing the way the pattern unfolds. But if you hint of this in the literature, you are branded as an unscientific Jesus freak.
But when you say "nature" did "X", you assume "nature" has intelligence and plans. essentially you are a pantheist.
all three of these ideas: chance, God or pantheism, are not "Science" but philosophy, and none of them can be proven.
---------------
CSI 1850: Smallpox.
PBS special on a body found in a cemetary.
------------------------------
what if you saved a life and nobody cared?
GWBush saved 16 million lives, but got little thanks for it.
------------------
Ancient plagues.
-----------------------------
HIV in China.
---------------------
the Showman who saved 6500 lives.
-----------------------
what are kids actually doing?
A discussion of the CDC's youth risk survey.
--------------------
cook stoves with wood or coal causes asthma.
well, duh.
scidaily article here.
--------------------
Calorie lables mean people lose weight?
other headlines in medicine.
Lifestyle changes can help lower high blood pressure.
true, but I could never get Lolo to stop using his soy sauce.
Probiotics are useless.
But the study was done on healthy people.
Cholera epidemic in Harare.
Deteriorating infrastructure to blame.
Monkey pox in the UK
luckily not fatal
Leptospirosis is a risk after flooding and typhoons
---------------------------
Flu or MERS
catching influenza on the haj.
------------------
Corruption in the Chinese Pharmacutical industry.
This latest incident was so scary that even North Korea refused to buy low cost medicines from China because of the growing popular belief (in China and North Korea) that too many Chinese made drugs were probably ineffective.
actually just a snip from a longer report from Strategy Page on China, but the article has a lot about Chinese aggression against it's neighbors and how people in China are "disappearing".
-------------------
the latest fad: The New Jersey Diet.
-------------------------------
Typhus in the homeless.
bring back DDT?
-------------------------
magic, deity or an alive "nature" did it?
Another "Scientific" article that tells us "nature" did X.
Well, if you follow Darwin, this is nonsense: random chance is behind these things.
If you assume that there is a pattern or plan behind evolution etc. you are assuming there is a deity behind the rules directing the way the pattern unfolds. But if you hint of this in the literature, you are branded as an unscientific Jesus freak.
But when you say "nature" did "X", you assume "nature" has intelligence and plans. essentially you are a pantheist.
all three of these ideas: chance, God or pantheism, are not "Science" but philosophy, and none of them can be proven.
---------------
CSI 1850: Smallpox.
PBS special on a body found in a cemetary.
------------------------------
what if you saved a life and nobody cared?
GWBush saved 16 million lives, but got little thanks for it.
------------------
Ancient plagues.
-----------------------------
HIV in China.
---------------------
the Showman who saved 6500 lives.
-----------------------
what are kids actually doing?
A discussion of the CDC's youth risk survey.
--------------------
cook stoves with wood or coal causes asthma.
well, duh.
scidaily article here.
--------------------
Calorie lables mean people lose weight?
what is not explained: if the 45 calories was in everyone, or if they added up everyone and divided it by the number of people....
even if this was true for everyone, and everyone cut their calories by 45 calories, how much weight would they lose?
Cawley calculated that over a three-year period, the calorie cut would lead to weight loss in the range of one pound.
assuming they don't go home hungry and then scarf down some potato chips and beer.----------------------
other headlines in medicine.
Lifestyle changes can help lower high blood pressure.
true, but I could never get Lolo to stop using his soy sauce.
Probiotics are useless.
But the study was done on healthy people.
Cholera epidemic in Harare.
Deteriorating infrastructure to blame.
Monkey pox in the UK
luckily not fatal
Leptospirosis is a risk after flooding and typhoons
---------------------------
Flu or MERS
catching influenza on the haj.
------------------
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