At Home On Piety Hill

Loving the Rapist’s Child
This amazing story has to be at the top of the list, but my comments would only detract from this testimony to the power of love… I’ll shut my yap and move on to more trivial news and tidbits…

PimpMySafari.com
If you are a card carrying cult of Macintosh member and Safari is your browser, then this collection of plugins and widgets is a must. I still find Firefox to be noticeably faster, but it lacks many of the features of Safari. If you are running Windows, Linux, OS/2 (all sixteen of you, residing in former soviet bloc nations) or Solaris (um… sure), check out Firefox and make Microsoft earn their keep.

Study: Half Of Sexually Active Young People Get STDs
I recently overheard a fifty-something progressive lament the rising interest in abstinence-based sex ed for our government learning mills, as well as the erosion of the cultural advances he and his fellow yert-dwellers pioneered in the 60’s. I beg to differ. Their legacy of free love and boundless sexual freedom will endure for decades to come through unsightly facial sores, Carposi’s sarcoma, genital warts and cervical cancer. I know, I know… as an eminent intellectual in town wrote, those darn kids are gonna do it anyway, so why even bother getting the word out? Dr. James Allen, president of the nonprofit group American Social Health Association, should be flogged for his alarmist and hate-filled research and findings.

‘Flesh-eating’ germs on the rise, doctors warn
Speaking of alarmist! The chances of suffering the flesh-eating bacteria are the same as being struck by lightning or winning the lottery. This is just another case of tabloid journalism! It’s never going to happen to any of us! Not to worry, though… Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology at NYU Medical Center, assures worry-warts and sissies that they can avoid these infections by “…washing their hands, using an antiseptic and a bandage on all cuts and scrapes, and avoiding the sharing of towels, razors, clothing and athletic equipment.”

Postal Service Seeks 2-Cent Stamp Increase
Now, here’s something I’m passionate about. Congress passes a law, making the Postal Service overfund their retirement system, in order to coverup Congress’ profligate spending. This becomes a hidden tax, but the customers don’t know that. So, they direct their anger at postal workers. However, Congress didn’t bargain for Postmaster General Jack Potter’s shrewd comeback…

Apparently, Mouse Pads are So 2004
Dan Cederholm is really on to something here.

Labs Selling DNA Assessments
Finally, a service for adolescents and teens suffering from gender confusion! Here in Nevada County, students can lay aside their studies and ideological indoctrination, head down the hall to the school nurse and be spirited away for a simple test to determine if they have the gay or straight gene (without the meddling of their pesky parents). Although exhaustive research by reputable scientists has proven beyond any doubt (to journalists, anyway) that a “gay gene” exists, some backward hicks remain skeptical. In a related story, interest and funding seems to be lagging for scientists who have been conducting research to determine how genetics influence the sexual orientation of individuals who prefer the company of other species, small children, people other than their spouse, siblings, other members of their immediate families and a host of other anachronistic social taboos.

Breaking The Da Vinci Code
Wonder what all the buzz is about? Here’s a good place to start. Then, check out the second installment.

Drug-resistant staph infecting more people
More on resistant organisms, but this one has some real good advice about how to avoid getting a staph infection and the proper use of antibiotics.

Inside Move: Fanatics laying it on the line –’Star Wars’ fans stew in queue

If a movie isn’t playing at a theater, will its fans still line up outside? For “Star Wars” fans, the answer is a befuddling yes.

Former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne donned his Emperor Palpatine getup and joined 10 other diehard Star Wars fans outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater. There was just one small problem: 20th Century Fox plans to open the film at the ArcLight theater a few blocks away.

Okay, so it’s not really Ozzy, but you have to admit there’s a real resemblance. Anyway, on with the story… This simple truth did not deter the faithful wookies, droids and stormtroopers from observing their ritual outside Grauman’s . The revelation (that they had camped out at the wrong location) failed to dampen their enthusiasm and, in fact, made them even more resolute in the rightness of their position — that is, positioned in front of a theater to see a movie which will not be there! This comical situation provides some valuable insights into cultic thinking, which sometimes results when members of a committed band of devotees are confronted with information flatly contradicting their deeply held perception of reality.

As I read this article in Variety magazine, I sensed an allegory coming on. I was struck by the unique way each individual dealt with the mental discomfort experienced when confronted by “anti-Star Wars” naysayers. Beyond that, I recognized some of the same thought patterns I had followed as a cult member and still do as a Christian, when my faith is challenged! Let’s identify and label some of these faulty responses with actual quotes from the article.

Denial
“We’ve heard all this before,” said Sarah Sprague, one of the designated spokesmen for the group. In 1999 and 2002, there were plenty of rumors (ultimately false) that the previous two pics weren’t going to open at the Chinese… Fox and the ArcLight… say they expect “Revenge of the Sith” to play the ArcLight… And Sprague was adamant the line isn’t moving to the ArcLight. “This is still the epicenter for ‘Star Wars’ fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren’t at the Cinerama Dome.”

Cognitive dissonance, giving way to mental confusion, ending in nihilism
“Even if it’s not here, we’ll just go see it somewhere else. We’re not doing this just for the movie.”… “What’s the point of lining up at the ArcLight if someone is going to go online and get the best seat in the house?” But wouldn’t that still make more sense than spending a month outside a theater that isn’t playing the movie? “Lining up for anything, what part of that makes any sense?” she responded philosophically.

Pragmatism in the face of contradictory and incontrovertible facts
“The telling thing is — for me, at least — if the film is not playing at the Chinese … I have zero desire to see it at all,” a fan who calls himself Obi Geewhyen posted on the message board at Liningup.net. “I’m in it for the lineup only and don’t give a darn about the conclusion of this lackluster, so-called ‘Star Wars’ series.”

True believers acknowledging the problem, while overestimating their ability to manipulate fate
A media-savvy bunch, those waiting at the Chinese hope press interest in covering (and most likely mocking) them would persuade George Lucas and Fox to move the booking.

Acknowledging the obvious, yet holding on to any sliver of hope
After the last two “Star Wars” films, “We’re all a little beaten down,” she said. “But this one could be it!”

The Christian exercises faith in historical, time and space events… what Francis Schaefer calls “true truth.” If these events did not take place, then Paul tells us that we are more pitiful than the Star Wars crew out in front of Grauman’s.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:14 - 19

If you or I shy away from uncomfortable facts or refuse to consider serious challenges to a cherished idea or worldview, there could be serious consequences. We can’t say “I didn’t know.” And, we cannot shirk our responsibility to know what we believe and why we believe it. “I was deceived” is not a valid excuse for ignorance. Jesus put it this way:

If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. Matthew 15:14

Notice that both the follower and the leader end up in the same pit. You know, it really does matter what you believe and it if what you believe is “true truth.” Jesus claimed to embody truth:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. John 14:6

That’s a claim worth looking into.

Bunny Days
Today is Bunny Days (sic) in Mission Viejo California, the pioneering planned community and birthplace of famous modern artist, Sam Salisbury (1977). “This family-oriented event includes egg hunts, carnival game booths, crafts, family games, pony rides, and a visit by the ‘Bunny.’”

Meanwhile, at a senior community on the other side of town, a different sort of hunt takes place. While children roam the landscape, searching for colorful Easter eggs at Bunny Days, the Casta del Sol homeowners have hired a sniper to whack marauding bunnies, which are allegedly reaking havoc on native shrubs and plants, according to this March 25th story in the LA Times.

South O.C. Community Has Rabbits in Its Sights
“It’s a quality-of-life issue,” said Councilman Lance MacLean. “They’re a pest. We really weren’t left with a whole lot of options. We have tried trapping, so we’ve kind of gone to our last resort.”

Other interesting solutions included arming seniors with shoulder fired rocket launchers or tazers for personal protection:

“Maye Russ, head of the community’s greenbelt committee, has been lobbying City Hall to allow residents to arm themselves against the rabbits for three years. She said a recent informal poll showed that nearly 90% of residents were in favor of shooting bunnies to protect their landscaped lawns.”

Stealthy and humane predators have been used in other locales to control the “wascally wabbits,” but proved problematic in the Casta del Sol ecosystem, because of the natural hunters’ lack of discrimination:

“In past years, the city considered bringing in foxes but backed off because they would go after not only rabbits, but also small dogs and cats.”

It seems to me that some solution could be reached by bringing together the organizers of Bunny Days and the Casta del Sol homeowners. Perhaps next year Bunny Days could include a barbeque dinner for the entire community.

I was craving some Himalayan food on a sunny Saturday last Fall, so I decided to head down the Rough and Ready Highway to Didi Bhai. As I neared the old market, I saw an estate sale on the left side of the road. I couldn’t stop because I was on a mission: a buffet of curry, chutney, nan bread… you understand. So, on my way home I stopped and browsed around the small house and yard for treasures. I found one. The deceased are Christians and I found a few missing books for my library. There was also a Bible in near mint condition… leather, New American Standard… perfect for special occasions! So, I bought it… I think I paid $1. Later that week, I picked up the Bible to pull out old bulletins and other odds and ends. It had a cool bookmark in it with a list of all the books of the Bible. Then, I noticed a newspaper clipping that looked very familiar… it was a Letter to the Editor and the title was Only one God. It was folded in half, so I turned it over and there was my name! It was a Letter to the Editor I had written over 15 years ago and this person had clipped it out and kept it in their Bible all this time!

I bought some of those little library book pockets and put one in the Bible for the clipping. It will also include a little note about how it came to me… for posterity and to remind myself, from time to time, that God is involved in the little things, as well as the big!

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in — behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Psalms 139:1 - 6

Denise and I passed by Area 51 on the way to visit my mom in Las Vegas. After pulling off the road to swap pilot / navigator duties, a rare vehicle was sighted. I’d heard of these ships and seen grainy, doctored photos in the past. But, we have definitive proof of our close encounter with one of these elusive, mysterious craft:

Notice the twin propellers aft. You can see the boat registration near the bow on the starboard side. A canvas canopy over the bridge shields the crew from the sun and the rain. Bizarre…

Our family lived in Maine from 1993 – 1997 and the area we lived in was ripe with chance meetings of fate, because so many celebs and “power people” vacation or retire there. Here’s just one example. More will follow and fans of the old TV comedy, Green Acres, will want to watch later posts under this heading.

Most people who flew out of our area to the rest of the United States and the world would leave on the 6AM flight out of Bangor International Airport. It was a large plane, flying to Logan International in Boston, where connections were made with the rest of civilization.

On one such flight, we had landed at Logan and were deplaning. I was doing the ol’ sideways shuffle up the aisle to exit the plane and there was one person left in First Class, getting his stuff together. He was stooped down and when I was at his aisle, he stood up and turned directly in my direction. I came face to face with a man who, at one time, was one of the most powerful men in the entire world – Caspar Weinberger. I quickly looked to my left and the captain of the airplane was standing at the cockpit door… he gave me a smile and the “yeah, it’s him” nod. I turned back to Cap, our eyes met again, we said nothing and I turned and exited the airplane.

I was pretty excited to be a foot away from such a monumental figure in world history, but nobody else seemed that impressed. Maybe you’re not real excited either, but this is just a teaser — many more will follow. How about you? Have you ever had an unexpected collision with a major power broker or member of the glitterati?

Providence or serendipity? Kismet or fate? What do you make of those unexpected meetings or events, which occasionally brighten your routine existence? Do you attribute them to chance or fate? Or, do they fall somewhere in between? I suppose it depends upon your presuppositions – those foundational verities, which you call upon to make sense out of the puzzling jumble of events we call life or being.

Well, whatever the source, isn’t it the coolest thing to bump into some celebrity or an old friend or participate in some momentous event (subjectively speaking, of course), like Forrest Gump? I seem to have had more than my share of those magical moments and I’m going to write them down, one at a time, and post them under the above title. Perhaps they will, in turn, remind you of a significant example of serendipity from your past. If so, tell us all about it.

Oh, and in case you are interested, I come down on the side of providence. I don’t see a single event in my life that hasn’t “crossed God’s desk” for approval. Yeah, I know that raises some complicated philosophical questions, but I’m content in my ignorance and grateful for God’s grace.

Psalms 31:14 & 15 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands…