Excellent Activism

I generally decry the activist, whiny culture which seems more and more common in America. However, I truly love excellent activism couched in wit and reason. With that, I give you:

The Meatrix
The Meatrix 2

In trying to live a natural life, I become more sympathetic to the way animals are treated. I hate being treated as a cog in a machine; it seems unpleasant to them too. Also, grass-fed beef is absolutely delicious.

First Novel is a Lulu

A book review of Conspiracy Untold by Brad Leiphart

I have contemplated this review for over a week and I was unsure exactly what to say about Brad's first novel. It defied easy categorization and therefore, comparison was difficult for me. The basic style was reminiscent of Ludlum but the protagonist, Ryan Hull, was far more gruesome in his methods, like Jason Bourne but with less control. The novel also used the scenery of Philadelphia and the environs to good extent, just as Ludlum often vividly described the locales of his adventures. The story also contained many detective elements, yet Ryan was more gruff and direct than a PI written by Raymond Chandler. Fortunately the plot was also far easier to follow, which was a big plus over Chandler. My biggest complaint was the brevity of the novel, ending in under 300 pages.

Even though it was the first novel in The Corrosion Legacy series, I hoped for a more exciting climax, though I enjoyed the lively banter between the two principal characters which brought the novel to a close. Lively banter and the vivid action sequences were the biggest discriminators for this novel and I hope they continue in the next installment.

Stuff Catholics Like

A great new group blog has started up, called Stuff Catholics Like. Ironic Catholic has just written an excellent post on sex. Everyone knows Catholics like sex, right? Where else would those big families come from?

Practical Ease of NFP

In light of the previous exchange at I Have to Sit Down, I decided to write about what can be done, practically, by each spouse to make abstinence easier.

The single best thing that can be done to make abstinence easier is not to focus on it with all of one's mental power. I know, easier said than done. I notice that I constantly focused on abstinence in the first years of NFP. The focus on abstinence made it larger than life and it loomed over everything, casting darkness upon the things we were already doing to handle abstinence. At the worst, this attitude would have me counting the days since our last interlude, which only made everything more difficult. In this case, accurate charting was actually an obstacle to learning charity.

Putting the focus on abstinence was an extension of focusing on myself and focusing on the self is antithetical to developing virtue. All virtues are learned by dying to self in some form or another, and the sacrifice involved in abstinence is only beneficial if I actually sacrifice with the proper attitude, not just grudgingly endure what I am giving up until "go time."

The News is not New

I am happy that this article is brief and gets the facts straight, but I am tired of the journalistic slip of claiming newness in something old. The Church has condemned contraception, artificial or natural, since the Didache, if not earlier. Humane Vitae merely shocked the would by being constant. I imagine reporters waking up every day:

"Look the earth is still here!"
"Wow, the sun is shining!"
"Air, there is air!"

9 Weeks on Reliv

Neither I nor Reliv International make any health claims about our products. They are just optimal nutrition. The body is the miracle.

Health: I have been able to exercise a bit more but I don't think that accounts for my decrease in body fat. According to the same body fat scale that I have been using for years, there has been a noticeable decline in the fat percentage of my body. I am also down a few pounds and I can eat like I did in college.

Business: No new customers but I'm enjoying spending time to meet people who I would usually ignore, even if I never talk about the business. I have heard some excellent motivational speeches and received lots of training in sales. My support group has helped to bolster my confidence and keep me focused.

One of the eminently Christian aspects of Reliv is that the rich serve the poor. The people who have built successful businesses and pull down large incomes are the same people who help the young upstarts. Much is expected from those to whom much is given.

TOS vs. TNG vs. DS9

I have finally made that critical nerd decision. I have decided that Captain Kirk is my favorite Star Trek captain. Sure, he was an over-actor and he had an annoying trait of leaving the ship in the hands of some random chief while it was in mortal danger so he could beam down to the planet and talk things out. What clinched it for me was that he could deliver a joke (Picard couldn't) and he knew how to fight (Sisko fights like an actor). In general, the fight sequences have completely won me over to Kirk. His fight sequences involved throws, punches, kicks, and grappling. In DS9, every Federation officer threw double overhand smashes and Klingon warriors crumble. It is fake, even for acting.

I can't wait until my lovely, nerdy wife and I finish watching all of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and move on to Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) since we've already watched all of Deep Space 9 (DS9) that will only leave the dumb ones which I hope to convince my wife never to watch.

I am In Style

Choosing businesses by my small business philosophy has finally given me the determination to break the chains of cheap haircuts at SuperCuts. I went to a local salon which advertises in my parish's bulletion, the In Style Salon. I received an excellent haircut and had high quality conversation. Both of those experiences only occur randomly at SuperCuts, roughly once in every four visits. The price was steeper, but well worth it. I am planning to budget more money for haircuts in the future. There were some drawbacks, like having to schedule an appointment in their more restricted hours of operation, but those provided philosophical reward to me. I want to set my hours and have customers arrange to come to me, why should I expect other businesses to fit into my schedule? I have noticed that most businesses are populated by people who may want the same things. Sounds like the perfect application of the Golden Rule to me.

I Like Small Businesses

... and I can not lie. You other jobbers can't deny. When friend walks in with a big idea and a little business on the side, you get sprung."

I just couldn't resist that. Perhaps I should work to improve my self-control. Anyway, this quest to start my own business has tremendously increased my empathy for other entrepreneurs. As a result of that, I have been updating my Business Links. Please visit them and use them, if they are in your area.

By the way, I receive no compensation from any of these businesses (except for my own, obviously). I merely want to see them succeed.

7 Weeks on Reliv

Health: Well, I've had a massive sinus congestion for the past week as part of a cold. I've doubled my intake of Innergize and Classic. I definitely feel better after taking them, but I rarely get colds that last this long. I guess this could be a detoxification effect since I was hoping for sinus improvement anyway. I will have to wait and see. I've got another rash on my forehead, but my dry skin has returned so I feel like I am actually losing ground.

Business: I lost my first customer. Definitely a deflating experience. I have tried to come at this whole business venture with the attitude of failure is good, as long as it is educational. I am still learning how to focus through the failure and not let it deflate me. I am continually exceeding my goal of talking to someone new about Reliv every week, this gives me hope that I will eventually find more customers.

My biggest intellectual concern is the self-selection bias of the distributors. I am afraid the product only appears to work because the people who have no noticeable improvement, simply don't sell it or take it. Whereas, those people who happen to improve while taking it, incorrectly attribute their improvement to the shake. Of course, I can't prove either hypothesis but it weighs on my mind.

'Wit'

This might be the pinnacle of news reporting. An outspoken old guy who runs his own business, lives in Philly, and is pro-life. And I get a cheesesteak to go!

Fruitless News

The on-line news world is great. Like this article which roughly encapsulates the general mindset among Catholics who think the Church should be made into their image. The comments are also fun, mostly from bitter, gun-toting, religious anti-immigrant people, no doubt. I will have to comment soon, so scroll down all the way to the bottom and see if I did it yet.

I must say, I particularly love the irony of a woman claiming that the Church isn't "with it" or current, and then only citing data from 40 years ago.

Ratified Christian Truth

A man can not serve two masters, for he will love one and hate the other.

My new business experiment has completely proven this Christian teaching and I am not alone. Even though there is massive awkwardness in my direct selling, home-based business, I would much rather do it than my high-paying corporate job. The more I perform my usual duties, the more cog-like I feel. I pray the Lord will give me the strength to keep going, and bless my efforts at self-employment a thousandfold. (though, a millionfold would be nice!)

Listening

Direct sales has raised my level of attentiveness to the lives of others. I have been engaging in more conversations with those people who are usually invisible: clerks, cashiers, fellow parents wrangling their children at rummage sales. Meeting people, even in brief conversation, is a very pleasant experience even when it isn't. The bad experiences give me much to pray about and the feeling that I may have brightened their day a little through some social contact. The good experiences remind me that we are all stuck together on this crazy, spinning mudball called Earth so we might as well enjoy each other.

To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, people are more real than you can imagine.

5 weeks on Reliv

So I've been on this health/business adventure for 5 weeks. Here's where I stand:

Health. After a bizarre rash and pimples on my forehead, this detox ended and my head returned to normal. No reversal in my receding hairline. I have been sleeping better; I am more refreshed after the same amount of sleep. I feel like I sleep 7.5 hours when I only sleep 6 hours. 7.5 hours is my ideal for an average night of sleep, so I'm functioning more ideally. I had strange pimples on my knees which quickly went away. My boil/ingrown hair has stopped improving though it improved steadily up until now. My skin is smoother and the clogged pores on my triceps have become smooth, as if I exfoliated every day (I didn't, loofahs are for girls).

Business. No new customers but I am slowly sharing my business with people I encounter. I attended a special event and met many Pennsylvanian distributors. They were genuine people, not polished salesman. They were friendly and respectful of differences (no dirty looks when I mentioned NFP). God was mentioned liberally and mutual support was abundant.

Money from Somewhere

The most ludicrous claim made by Robert Kiyosaki is that, somehow, money will appear when you need it. He recounted his experience, after his first start-up went bankrupt, of being nearly destitute. It seemed to him that money would show up when it was needed. For the first time, I have found that to be true. I have set aside my investment money and I am striving mightily not to touch it for personal use. This month, family funds are low but, so far, money has appeared exactly as I need it. Not so much that I could be profligate, just enough to keep on as we are. Kiyosaki repeatedly stressed the value of generosity and his board game seemed to indicate that he knew generosity related to the appearance of money when needed. Personally, I consider it a paycheck from the Big Boss.

An Important Request

Thanks to Peter at With a Grain of Salt, I read this post on how wives can help husbands with difficulties in abstinence. The comments go all over the place, but cover almost every issue related to the practice of NFP. It is an interesting exchange so I thought I would bring it to light. Hopefully, I can develop a post on the topic soon, using my comment as a starting point.

Back to Basics

As my dear reader may have noticed, my blog has diverged into some tangents which may not have anything to do with the quest to live a natural life. However much progress was made in the quest to discover true manhood this past Sunday. As always, the basics lead the way. The basics being, of course, Church and video games.

Sunday started with video games, since I splurged on Saturday and purchased the Windows XP versions of all the King's Quests and all the Police Quests for a total of $25. I began with KQI and showed my daughters how a true knight should handle himself, obedient to the crown and picking up every stray object in sight. That adventure was followed by Mass, with two exceptionally obedient daughters, one who won the praise of departing parishioners for her ability to genuflect and her charity in depositing her Rice Bowl money into the poor box.

Upon returning home, my brother invited me over to try my hand at Guitar Hero III and I was rather hooked. We played for a couple hours, though I never made it past the Easy songs, and discussed life, the universe, and everything. As a break from the carpal tunnel inducing guitar, we broke out Super Mario 3 for the NES and went to town. I was able to impress my brother by remembering obscure tricks like the White Coin Ship and the alternate text when beating a Koopaling in a Frog, Tanooki, or Hammer Brother Suit. I think the time spent in a house where four guys live was good for my soul, I rarely spend that much time around Y chromosomes. It also served as good preparation for my Knights of Columbus meeting that evening, where I received my second degree. It was an honor, and an excellent close to the day.

I believe that manhood was restored in my spirit through quests (even digital ones), prayer (Mass), fraternity (the best brother in the world, I mean it), and knowledge (sharing arcane game info to those who can appreciate it). May I learn more by traveling these familiar roads.

Religion is Like Direct Selling

I have read the comment a few times, while choosing a business, that direct selling is like a religious movement. Since religion is primarily shared through personal contact, many people note the similarities in method: sharing personal stories, a deep conviction that what is being shared is very important, and a hope of camaraderie. I have discovered recently that I prefer direct selling over the other option, mass marketing. I would rather that someone who I know approach me and offer me something which they have found useful as opposed to air-brushed models, high-tech stuntmen, and rich celebrities getting paid to talk for 3o seconds about something that they probably never heard of before their agent presented them with a deal.

I know it's a stretch but it seems that the principle of subsidiarity as John Paul II espoused, would prefer direct selling. Direct selling definitely occurs at a lower level of society than mass marketing. Just the thoughts of a man trying to live a natural life.

3 Weeks

I have been in the supplement business, and on the product, for over 3 weeks now. Business has been plugging along more easily than expected, due to the significant help from my sponsor and those supporting her. I have even had excellent support from distributors who have no financial ties to me whatsoever. I am very impressed at the caliber of people involved in this business since they would take the time to help me build up my clientele even though there is no financial gain for them. I consider that a sign of the commitment to ethics which Reliv has.

I have also noticed some improvements in my health, such as higher energy and better sleep, especially if I add an extra shake before I go to bed. I am a bit more anxious, but I think this crazy venture is causing that, since I was definitely anxious about this venture before I even drank a shake.

Even though business has been easier than expected, my first customers still seemed easy to get in comparison to my recent experiences. I keep looking for signs that I am supposed to be in this business, as opposed to volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center or something. With that in mind, I watched the promotional video which Reliv has, by clicking Play at the top of their website, and at the very end is a shot of Dr. Kalogris shaking hands with John Paul II while the Kalogris Foundation is feeding needy children. I consider that a small sign that I am somewhere on the right path.

Rhythm Method Beats Condoms

Although I am still surprised to see major media outlets mentioning the Standard Days Method, I am glad Georgetown is at least aware that NFP exists. The real meat of this article is the last paragraph which I will paraphase. The SDM is more effective than condoms. I was pretty sure about this and it is nice to see in the media, even if no one will pick it up beyond this story.

As always, I was disturbed by the casual mention of using condoms during the fertile time since that is not NFP but at least it's another avenue to move people past some contraception and towards a holy life.

Plan A

An excellent opinion piece in the Buffalo News was forwarded to me from the CCL Community. I simply love the closing line, "Plan B has failed. It's time to come up with Plan A." It's good to already know what Plan A is: chastity. I hope the world can learn quickly.

Annoyance Doesn't Sell

I learned a valuable business lesson from my wife yesterday. Annoyance doesn't sell. Even if you think you have an extremely useful product that will improve the quality of life of anyone who uses it, repeatedly telling them so will not help. Customers sell themselves; I only present the products.

As I believe most of my business lessons will teach me how to be a better Christian, I realize that respecting your customers and potential customers is just a variation on "Love Thy Neighbor."

Here Comes Everybody

The Lord has now blessed me with the greatest Easter gift of all, the conversion of someone whose writing and thought I admire. John C. Wright has joined the Church and I couldn't be happier. To paraphrase, Wayne The Great, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

Humiliating Lent

I think the best lesson I learned from this humiliating Lent, is that I am completely undeserving of the joy of Easter. Lent definitely taught me humility, through my near total inability to offer a personal sacrifice for the Lord. Now that the joy of Easter is upon us, I realize how completely it is a gift from the graciousness of God.

It's Been One Week...

Since I've tried this Stunt of consuming the products which I have been trying to sell from my home-based business. So far, I don't have vast improvements in my health but I was pretty healthy to start with. I have noticed that I attain full consciousness more quickly in the morning, my hands seem softer, my eye strain headaches don't come immediately upon removing my glasses, and I'm moving more frequently. This doesn't amount to evidence yet, in my opinion, but it is promising.

Another Reason for Self-Employment

In order to develop my business, I need crazy amounts of support. Not only business support as I learn how do to it, but mental support since everyone seems to completely support the idea of working for a big faceless company. David Warren has offered some excellent intellectual support for self-employment by decrying the ever encroaching socialism of our times.

Silent Suffering

As Lent draws to a close, I thought it good to contemplate the silent suffering that some people in society are left to endure, due to corruption and greed. It is truly sad that those who reach out to these people are bad-mouthed in the public square. May God provide the necessary graces for all of those afflicted by abortion.

Feeling Green

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

Customer Number 1

No, that is not a typo referring to Governor Spitzer. I have actual sold my own retail goods to a genuine customer. I am thrilled. I can't believe how excited I am about the chance to help someone improve his nutrition and, consequently, his health. So far, this business is great. Intellectually, I know I will have setbacks but this is a huge accomplishment for me. When I tried Quixtar, I only ever sold one item to someone besides myself and I gave her the wholesale discount so this sale was one of my test for seeing if I can actually succeed in this home-based business.

Drug Water

Here is another article describing some of the pharmaceuticals which are present in municipal water supplies. I wonder how much anti-epilepsy medication I may be consuming?

Socialism Comes Softly

This greatly disheartening story out of California has me demanding choice. How dare California force such rigid orthodoxy on its citizens! I pray that this ruling galvanizes the Home School Legal Defense Association to protest unjust laws which cut to the heart of parenthood. It is a shame to see minorities persecuted just for being different, isn't it?

My favorite quote is the last one, when a woman claims that homeschooling is not "being in a place daily where they [children] would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety." If parents don't have a duty to ensure the safety of their children, who else possibly could?

Farewell to Armatron

A recent archaeological dig in my parents' basement uncovered a long lost toy from the 80's. I played with Armatron for years, even using it in my sixth grade speech on robots. Sadly, it had bitten the dust and it no longer worked. It would have required, at least, a new electric motor and the schematics to reassemble it. After all these years, I couldn't resist taking it apart to see if I could repair it and it immediately fell apart, gears and parts everywhere, to the delight of my daughters.

I don't think I could have parted with it in any other season but Lent. I am constantly amazed at how attached I am to worldly goods, even non-functional worldly goods.

Things that I Wish Weren't Parodies

If these were real, I would so buy them.

How the Minnows Were Lost

Here is another story about the devastating effects of hormonal contraception on the underwater ecology. It seems scientists can crush the population of Canadian fathead minnows by exposing them to artificial estrogen at 5 parts per trillion. The male fish start producing eggs, instead of sperm, after two years of exposure and the population plummets. Who would have thought that the use of birth control leads to rapid declines in exposed populations?

Writing Yourself Rich

One of the other obstacles towards loving my neighbor that has fallen since I began this business journey is the objection, "He only got rich by writing the book on how to get rich." As I read various books, I tried to put myself in the shoes of the rich man.

OK, I'm retired at 38. Wouldn't it be great if I could teach all my friends what I know so that they too could be retired? Our kids could play all the time and maybe we could start up that Bible Study which we never can find a good time for.

For the first time, it seemed eminently logical and kind to write a book about success in business. I do want all of my friends to be successful, so why wouldn't rich guys want the same thing?

Unavoidable Smut

Even as I enter the business world, I detest many of its methods. For example, I recently received an issue of Watch! for free in the mail. I never had to take custody of my eyes from my daily post before this publicity stunt. I was completely vindicated in my decision to cancel cable television and I happily recycled the magazine for a donation to the church. At least my business will never stoop to using sex to sell. Viva la Revolution!

Loving my Neighbor through Business

As I launch my entrepreneurial ventures, again, I bring an awareness of morality to the research I am doing into finance, business, and investing. That sense of morality, as well as that research, was completely lacking the first time I tried to start a business. I have already experienced great rewards from the research I am doing.

The first observation that has been important to me is that people get rich by providing a service to others. I know that some services would obviously be immoral, such as pornography, but for the first time, I think that maybe some rich people are really good at serving people. After all, McDonald's serves millions daily. Most of the books that I read indicate a social awareness and a desire to meet the needs of people which plays a big part in being a successful businessman.

A major prejudice dropped when I realized how much I had assumed that businessmen were successful only through deceit, maybe some of the rich actually helped millions of people. I hope to help people through Reliv as well as providing for my family.

Thrilling Commercial

I detest the insidiousness of television. I especially hate commercials which often ruin otherwise family-friendly programming. I am not at all fond of talking heads which are often, sadly empty. But I am willing to give the Today show a chance, since they will have Dawn Eden as a guest. I might even stay home from work and watch it.

Going Back to My Roots by Branching Out

Well, I believe it is official that the seven year itch has struck, fortunately in non-sinful ways. It is not a mid-life crisis, by definition, since my age still begins with the number two. Recently, I have been consuming personal finance books with rabid hunger and have only been able to divert myself by delving into the Outline of Sanity by the greatest author of all time. All of this culminates in the resumption of my entrepreneurial trajectory. I am a distributor of nutritional supplements for Reliv International. I plan to share my thoughts and journey on this blog, hoping that it helps someone else considering this life path.

For those astute people who question what this has to do with living a natural life, I plan to make my case through future posts but it can be summed up in a few sentences. A job, even one which pays a wage high enough to support a wife and kids, is unnatural when the employees feel like cogs in a machine. I consider home-based business to be closer to the way things should be. Especially since my grandfather and great-uncle were entrepreneurs, it is a chance to learn about my past by living like they did.

Beginning Again

My wife and I have completed the re-certification necessary to teach NFP according to the new program published by CCL. The process was mostly pain-free except for some technical errors in the new web-based training modules. The web-based training was of a similar quality to the web-based training which I received from my employer, better in some regards.

The culmination of this training was reading the new Student Guide which CCL published. There were a few typos, which irk a grammar nerd like me, but overall, I was very impressed with the guide. It covered the necessities and seemed to be a far better teaching tool than the old Art of Natural Family Planning (4th ed.). The Student Guide taught the basics in a simple, comprehensible manner and it did not suffer from the information overload of the Art. However, its strength was also its weakness. As a workbook, it will no doubt be a good teaching tool but students will be at a loss for more in depth information. CCL could easily remedy this situation by putting out a new comprehensive NFP guide, which I hope they do, after the rollout of the new materials is completed. Despite this weakness, I think CCL has done exactly what was necessary to re-vitalize its work.

We are in the midst of teaching our first classes in the new method. I will do a more thorough review of the overhaul and the course after we have taught it.

More Natural Living

Jen at Et-tu has a great post that actually uses the words natural life in the way which I think of them. She has added balance to her life by forgoing the pleasure of trying to accomplish everything and venting that it isn't accomplished at the end of the day. I have been following a similar vein in my own life, trying to stop all work at a reasonable hour so that I can get to bed at a reasonable hour after a suitable amount of time for relaxation. It is my Lenten goal to add some more of this balance to my life. I am always glad for a fellow sojourner, even though this Lent seem determined to teach me humility through repeated failure.

May I learn the lesson that the Lord is teaching.

St. Frances (see above post), pray for us.

Beeping Doctor

So my eldest has been playing doctor recently, and I realized that things have changed since I played doctor with the good old Fisher Price doctor kit. When she takes my temperature, she beeps every few seconds until she is done. One of the side effects of co-sleeping and NFP, she hears a basal body thermometer beep every morning.

The End of Civilization

"British bureaucrat says all girls under the age of 20 are too young to breed. Denounced as misogynist."

I only made up the second part. Some people sure make it hard to respect your elders. I pray for the soul of every 12 year old girl in England.

Baby Boom

We have had two births amongst our friends in the last month so I just had to post a note of jubilation. You can check Ecclesia Domestica and Mommy Log for pictures of the adorable ones. May many more such cute blessings arrive into this world!

Kick Them Out

Useful co-sleeping tip #7: Don't be afraid to kick them out.

We have a toddler bed next to our bed (on my side) for our three year old to sleep in. Although she has spent all night in her own bed for about one and a half years, she has recently wanted more snuggle time in the early morning and has been asking to come into bed. I let her in as long as she promises to stay still. At the first motion that disturbs my return to sleep, I put her back in her bed. It has worked very well. She let me know recently that she crosses her legs to help her stay still. I can't imagine sleeping with my legs crossed but I'm thankful she has discovered her own way to obey.

Friendly Work

I always enjoyed visiting my friends when they were on the job. It was fun to know who was serving you food or cleaning your teeth. Now, I have moved to the digital age. Here is the enterprise of a recent acquaintance. Now I can have friends tell me how to eat better, too.

May He bless your work!

Any other entrepreneurs out there? I might be one soon, but mums the word so far.

New Research only 40 Years Old!

Via Roman Catholic By Choice, a Georgetown Doctor has just discovered CycleBeads, a form of the Rhythm Method that seems to have some modern popularity.

40 years from now...

"Georgetown Theologian discovers Rosary Beads."

Scooped my Wife

It's so rare that I get to observe new and cute behaviors from my girls, since I am stuck in the office eight hours a day. I heard this gem tonight and I wanted to report it before my wife did.

M.K.- "I need to get the lasagne down. Some people who have ladders can get it down 'cause it's highest."

Dad - "Where did you learn about lasagne?"

M.K.- "From the song we sing at Church."

Dad- "Could you sing the song for me?"

M.K.- "Lasagne in the highest, and peace to people on earth..."

Dad calls Pop and Mom-mom to relate the hilarity.

Antidote Anecdote

Sometimes problems come in twos, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If you have these problems, like I do, you should ask your doctor for Clavidel*.

Daughter, age 3: "I should ask my doctor about Clavidel."

Father reaches through television and strangles pharmaceutical advertising executive.

*Pharmaceutical names have been changed to protect father's lack of memory.

Attacking Manhood Like a Gazelle

I am embarking on another two journeys to figure out what manhood is. The first is financial. After reading Rich Dad's Prophecy, I had the fire again to improve my financial situation. Our situation is not dire by any means. It is fabulous. This is probably the exact life I have dreamed of since I proposed to my lovely bride. Now I'm feeling the passion to improve. The Lord has blessed me with so much. I want to be an excellent steward of these gifts so that they may provide more for the Kingdom and for my family.
Stewardship seems like a key ingredient in my manhood recipe. Biblically, stewards and shepherds were always men and I resonate with the idea of watching over valuable property and protecting it. Both jobs seem to require intense focus. How else do you notice one sheep missing out of one hundred? How else do you invest money well to return a good profit for the Master? It seems that a few other dear friends have the same passion for stewardship so I have trustworthy people with whom to discuss these ideas. I've also finally found a financial advice "guru" (though I loathe that word) who is a Christian, who is not divorced, who has children, who knows real estate, and who went broke and came back. He is Dave Ramsey and I just read his book More Than Enough. If only he were Catholic, I would be at peace but 4.5 out of 5 isn't bad.
I pray that he can help me discern how to be a better steward.

Stories are Best

Jennifer F. has yet another great post, this time concerning her conversion to the pro-life side of the world. It is a great story, full of interesting self-analysis and learning despite her own obstacles. The battle is being won.

Proficient Underachiever

I think I have created my new motto:

"Conserve your passion."

As a perpetually moving man, I often burn out on projects. I have a supernova of interest and shortly thereafter, I collapse into a white dwarf burning myself up. One of the tips I picked up from Robert Kiyosaki's books was to be an underachiever. Or, said in a more positive light, don't do everything you want to do right now, save some of it for later. I have found this to immensely improve my drive and interest in my various schemes. It also forces me to focus on those things for longer periods of... Look! Something Shiny!

How Chaste a Foundation

A book review of Emily's Hope by Ellen Gable
Full Quiver Publishing

by: James F. Volpe


The Couple to Couple League is updating all of its materials, as well as its method, in the first overhaul since inception. The Creighton System's NaPro Technology is having tremendous success and expanding all over the nation. The NFP movement has passed through its infancy and is in the growth spurts of puberty along with the daughters of the current generation of NFP users. All NFP using parents are concerned with how to pass on the beauty of the Church's teaching on sexuality to their daughters. Since many NFP users have discovered this beauty only after hard lessons in life, they wish to spare their daughters from these same growing pains.

In order to impart these lessons in sexuality, Ellen Gable has adopted my favorite pedagogy, teaching through novelization. In Emily's Hope, Mrs. Gable alternated between telling the story of Emily, living in the seventies and Emily's great-grandmother, living at the turn of the twentieth century. This proved to be a brilliant device which allowed for simultaneously explaining the separate time frames where contraception and abortion were legalized. The story of Emily covered many situations which those in the pro-life community experience: bigotry from doctors, confusion from friends, silence from family, witnessing to deaf ears, and sympathy from no one except a spouse. The story of Emily's grandmother covered the militancy and cold-heartedness of the birth control movement as well as the rationalizations often used by pro-abortion advocates. The book teetered on the edge of covering too much with these instructional vignettes, but, thankfully, the scenes did not become overwhelming and the story held together on its own merits.

As I witnessed Emily and her great-grandmother travel through their lives, I was reminded of another gloriously educational novel, How Firm a Foundation, by Marcus Grodi. That novel covered the tale of a Christian pastor as he followed the lonely road of Christ across the Tiber and into Roman Catholicism. Mr. Grodi wrote his novel to explain his journey to his parents, whom he loved very dearly but who could not understand his conversion to Catholicism. Mrs. Gable's novel covers the conversion of a young woman's heart. She wrote her novel to explain the beauty of the sexual powers to her goddaughters in case they could not understand the witness of her life. Both novels are works of love, explaining how deep love can be.

Photo March for Life

I used my photos to capture those who attended the march but whom I didn't expect to see:

Lutherans,

Anglicans,

Democrats,

Joe G. from the Penn State Newman Club,

General Robert E. Lee,

and, of course, Hillary.

And here are the pictures of the counter-protest by pro-choice advocates:

...

Oh, wait, I didn't see a single one another first for this March for Life, and hopefully the beginning of a trend.

"First" March for Life

This wasn't actually my first March for Life, it was actually number 4 for me, however, it was a march full off first time experiences.

It was the first time I stayed with the group I came. At my first march, I ditched my high school to march with my girlfriend. At my second and third marches, I ditched my parish to march with a friend's pro-life committee from a different parish. I tried to ditch my parish this time to attend the Blogs For Life event, but it didn't work. I was pleasantly rewarded by getting to know the wonderful pro-life committee at my parish.

It was the first time that I heard a presidential candidate speak. Alright, I know it was only Ron Paul but he was impressive.

It was the first time that I took pictures. I will post some soon.

It was the first time that I saw a complete rainbow, and felt hope that the end of the massacre is near.

Punish the Prophet?

Since word seems to be spreading, here are my two cents on this story. A brief synopsis: a priest gives a homily on sexual morality and NFP, a publicly known lesbian interrupts him and leaves during the Mass with her companion, and the bishop removes the priest from the parish.

I am fully aware that I lack reservation and often discuss things publicly which should not be discussed publicly. The text of the priest's homily is certainly innocuous in itself but it is quite possible that he deviated from the text in exceedingly frank ways. By analogy, homilies about abortion should also be somewhat indirect since I certainly don't want my three-year-old to ask me why a doctor would crush a baby's skull and suck out his brains with a vacuum. However, I completely understand a priest's desire to shake a parish out of its somnolence while heinous sins like contraception and abortion are overtly accepted. Still, such a drastic response for a first offence seems well beyond the bounds of justice and gives the impression that the bishop can be manipulated easily. In a world where some bishops barely rebuke heresy from the pulpit, it is sad that the Good News is punished so severely.

PNFPN Conference

The PNFPN and Philadelphia Catholic Medical Association will have an annual conference on March 1, 2008. It will be about Marriage Prep and will include some great speakers including Matthew Pinto who is both enlightening and funny. Go to PNFPN's website to register. Leave me a comment if you are going so I can meet you face to face, dear reader.

A Friar By Any Other Name

A friend, who is also a Dominican Brother, has written an excellent article on the power of the Holy Name.

The power of a name is one of the many lessons which my father taught me through example. He is fond of giving nicknames to anyone and any pet who he saw frequently. My aunt and uncle seemed to think that my father's naming of their new dogs was nearly as important as the baptism of their children. They waited eagerly for my Dad's pronouncement of Chester as, "Chester the Molester" or Clancy as, "Clance-dog." Dad also created nicknames for his sons, "Pasta and Chi-chi bean." To this day, we never found out which one of us was which so I guess it is a collective nickname. Dad called my wife's bunny rabbit, "Silver" for about 2 minutes, henceforth he is referred to as, "Hi Ho." (Say them together.) Dad makes special names to match the special relationships he has, and continues to mete out special relationships generously. Although, I think he is most fond for his own special name, "Pop."

Interestingly enough, Br. Peter has a special nickname which was not assigned by my father but by the Newman Club at Penn State. I couldn't get through a post on names without mentioning "JoeFromErie."

When Disney Was Right

While zombifying my children to Cinderella, I noticed that Disney used to transmit a philosophy of beauty. The first characteristic used as a comparison between Cinderella and the stepsister was their beauty. Cinderella was described as beautiful and charming while the stepsisters were described as awkward. We were taught as children that beauty was on the side of righteousness.

Contrast that to modern versions, where the antagonists are beautiful and the protagonists are awkward. Although beauty is often discovered by the protagonist, this just makes everyone beautiful, even her enemies. I think the lesson is better learned when beauty is aligned with obedience, charity, and humility from the beginning and evil is always ugly, no matter how hard it tries to be pretty.

Or, in other words, "Truth is beauty and beauty, truth."

The Holiest Strike Ever!

The Creative Minority Reporters have great news, a strike in Spain is saving hundreds of lives every day. The abortion workers union is striking and babies all over Spain are rejoicing. The Spanish government fears rampant birthing could ensue, destroying the environmentally-friendly national birth rate of less than two children per woman which the government has worked so hard to reduce. Furthermore, the government fears that increased tax revenue from all those children going to work in their adulthood could prop up failing government programs, alleviating the need for more taxes.

Pedro Dues, a bureaucrat for many years said, "The question isn't what happens with these births, but what happens to the after-births?"

Boosting the Business of Death

Thanks to Dawn Eden, I read this study which showed that most women who have abortions were using contraception at the time of the unplanned pregnancy.

This clearly demonstrates the economical reasons why Planned Parenthood encourages contraception. By encouraging more women to join the ranks of the hormonally altered, PP increases the pool of people who are more likely to have abortions and generate revenue for PP. Conversely, if PP chose to encourage women to abstain, those women would be statistically less likely to have abortions and therefore decrease revenue for PP.

Gateway drug to abortion is yet another reason to reject contraception, aside from the lethal damage to young babies, the physiological damage to the user, the pschological damage to a relationship, the environmental damage to the world, and the moral damage to your soul.

Zen and the Art of Tangelo Peeling

After crushing a few tangelos into a horrible pulp, I have decided to listen to my wife and learn some grace and delicacy. I took a lesson from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and decided that the first thing to do was to be at peace. I actually prayed for peace. I then prayed that God's will be done with this tangelo peeling. It was amazing, I never prayed so intently for something so small. Would that I could pray intently for big things so that His will be done. And I would not turn more important things into pulp.

Discount for Life

I have just enrolled as a pro-life blogger with the Catholic Information Center in D.C. As a lucrative benefit, I can receive a 15% discount on anything that I purchase in the store on January 22. I hope to be able to march but I am not sure about the logistics with the girls. If you are fortunate enough to be marching, go to the CIC and buy many things. You will also be able to meet Dawn Eden and get her to autograph your copy of her book, The Thrill of the Chaste. She will be selling them at 25% off.

I hope to create a variety of scintillating posts to entertain the throngs which will flock to my blog now that I am a registered pro-life blogger. Y'all come back now, y'ear!

I love Grandparents

Although I often fear that my kids' grandparents will spoil them rotten, a feeling directly attached to the mound of Christmas generosity which is still under our tree, I have been very thankful for their help of late and I wanted the world to know.

Over Christmas vacation, Pappy rose early in the morning as was his usual routine and he would watch my eldest daughter so that I could happily return to my long winter's nap. I bet I netted six extra hours of sleep while Maria got her fill of the Disney Channel with Pappy.

Recently, we have set up recurring, in-home babysitting with Mom-mom. She stops by twice a month to watch the girls while I either futz around the house or attend my Knights of Columbus meeting. On her last visit, I completely finished my daily to-do list and accomplished a few bonus activities from the seasonal to-do list. It was sweet!

So Little to Do, So Much Time

Strike that, reverse it.

Jen at Et-tu has this great post on organizing household life that I hope my wife reads. We both need practice on throttling back and being at peace with how little we can reasonably expect to accomplish in a day. I am reminded of the words of a truly sagacious friend of mine, "The years of small children are the years of tiredness."

Married to This World

Dawn Eden has this great post on a topic of exceeding interest to me. I have been trying to understand the Biblical verses relating to how married people are focused on this world and I think she has some real insight. Not surprisingly, the answer to my unspoken dilemma over the proper use of my material goods in this world is to love God more deeply. Why am I always surprised?

Happy New Year!

I have not forgotten about you, loyal reader. We have continued our usual Christmas tradition of contracting a virus of some virulent stripe. I have noticed that not only does the frequency of illness increase with more children, but the duration of illness increases also. I had great difficultly being convalescent while preventing my, now recovered, children from pulling ornaments off the Christmas tree and striking each other with their new toys.

Too Much Giddiness

Blog compliments go straight to my head. Having been complimented only a week ago over at With a Grain of Salt, I was already a bit giddy. However, yesterday I received the best blog compliment ever. Ellen at Full Quiver Publishing has asked me to review her book Emily's Hope and she promised to send me... wait for it... a complimentary copy! I have made it. My blog has launched me into the dizzying echelons of fame and glory.

Best of all, the book is about the Church's teaching on sexuality and takes place partially in the Philly area. It is the zenith of my blog. The perfect apex of all that I aspire to do here.

Now, if only I can work on humility so that glory may be given to God.

NFP Nutrition

An article in Newsweek which says that life begins at conception, that improving your diet and lifestyle can aid fertility, and that fertility problem increase for women as they get older. This article seems like it contains a lot of good information, I haven't finished it yet because it is so long. However, it does ratify CCL's approach of improving your diet to improve your fertility.

Other NFP Chapter Sites

It appears that an Iowa City chapter has posted a website. Here's a little prayer, and a link, so that many may be drawn to learn more about NFP.

Do Re Meme

I have been tagged at With a Grain of Salt and I couldn't be happier. I've been given a chance to talk about my favorite subject, me, in my favorite manner, quirky and silly. I know, I know, I have to work on the humility but I'm still giddy over the compliment that I have, "...a unique brand of humor." So here they are, eight silly things about me:

1. After five years of deep contemplation, I have just recently decided that my favorite movie is Clueless. With The Princess Bride as a close second. I swear. I'm decided. Entirely. Even though The Incredibles and The Sixth Sense were also close. Clueless, for sure.

2. I memorized all the words to "His Cheeseburger" by Mr. Lunt of VeggieTales fame in order to serenade my girlfriend. She became my wife.

3. I compulsively reset digital clocks after a power outage or daylight savings time. Even when the power has blinked off twice in five minutes. I have to reset those clocks. I also reset the clocks at work. What if someone needs to know the time and looks at the microwave and only sees a zero?

4. It is only with great difficulty that I can fall asleep without brushing my teeth. Even when I'm all snuggled up in bed and starting to doze off, as soon as I realize I haven't brushed my teeth, I feel uncomfortable. Try to guess the profession of my mother.

5. My best Scrabble Bingo (for non-players, that is when you use all seven tiles from your rack and get a 50 point bonus) was the word "NINETEEN" from a rack of EEINNNT on a triple word score. I also accomplished my lifetime dream of getting a fist turn Bingo. I think the word was "WARBLED" but sadly I don't remember.

6. My favorite mental word game is semordnilap. That is, words that spell a different word when reversed. My favorite is "deliver" and "reviled" but my proudest moment was shocking my dad at about age 10 with "wolf" and "flow." This is a great way to rack up extra points in Boggle.

7. One of my remaining lifelong dreams is to do Catholic Stand-Up comedy that is faithful to the Magesterium. I'm slowly building up a repertoire through this blog and in my journal so don't go stealing my ideas. I have a lot of work to do just to catch up to Jeff Miller.

8. In the winter, when I am inside for a while, my ears get really hot and my hands get really cold. I often balance this out by posing like a "Hear No Evil" monkey.

I tag everyone from my "Friend's Pages" sidebar, but I don't really expect any of them to do it. But they are still my friends.

Not Know? Yes!

The title of this post is a reference to a common phrase which Pop has taught his granddaughter. She will say, "No" to something and he will say, "Not no, yes!" In this case, I am applying it to this great story of another Catholic who entered the sacrament of marriage without being fully prepared. He did not know God's teaching on contraception even though he obviously knew about the teaching against abortion. He writes an excellent witness to life.

Old Spice

One of the most bizarre movie experiences of my life, second only to Eyes Wide Shut with my most conservative friend, was catching a 6pm showing of SpiceWorld with a bunch of my college buddies. Yes, I voluntarily attended. Yes, we were all surly, single dudes. Fortunately, we were gentlemanly enough not to respond to the "come hither" looks being sent our way by teenie-boppers, also known as jailbait.

What a long way I've come. The Spice Girls are on a reunion tour and trying desperately to ignore their current stations in life as mothers and re-capture their original careers as living Bratz dolls. I have learned that womanhood has little to do with gyrating hips, in S&M gear, in front of thousands of immature girls and boys. True womanhood is present in sweatsuited cleaning binges and long nights of nocturnal nursing.

It's Here!

I'm sure you have been waiting with baited breath, like me and my wife, for the release of the new Art of NFP by the Couple to Couple League. Well, it is now available to one and all with a special discount to current member of CCL. Buy it now before it hits the New York Times bestseller lists! It makes a perfect Christmas gift for all those contracepting Catholics that you know!

Nonna and Noel Nokids say, "You want her to observe her what?"

It's going to sell faster than The Golden Compass, so buy it today.

Aggie Nostic says, "I'm waiting for Pullman's next series where kind materialistic children assassinate the Buddha by standing on his respirator tube. But until then, I'm engrossed by The Art of NFP. oh wait did I say engrossed?"

Motherhood vs. The Nanny State

Feminine Genius has a great summary post on why the nanny state is insidiously evil and how motherhood is triumphing.

I am so thankful to have a wife willing to raise our children and the means to provide the best care-giver to my children.

A Brown Thanksgiving

I finally succeeded in reading The DaVinci Code over Thanksgiving, putting my family and in-laws through about two dozen sighs of disbelief and tirades against various egregious errors in the text. I actually kinda like his writing, as an intellectual adventure a la Indiana Jones. I just wish Brown had common sense and the ability to reason, although I am aware that these qualities are often lacking in ex-patriate Americans. I read so much about the book that there weren't many surprises but the surprises that did get me were pleasant. I tried not to complain about the obvious research errors and focused on using reason to point out the stupidities.

Here is my hit list:

1. How secret can a secret organization be if a list of all of its members is in a government library and is titled, "The Secret Dossiers?"

2. Do benevolent organizations that claim to care about the truth, continue to hide that truth, even after 'all the experts' have suggested it?

3. Dan Brown always wants to have his cake and eat it. How can the true nature of the Holy Grail be a secret if dozens of books have been written about it?

4. The left side has been associated with evil since the ancient Greeks. This would make them misogynists as well, since according to him femininity has always been associated with the left side.

5. Judaism in the years B.C. also didn't allow women as priests so the non-conspiracy goes back to them as well.

6. The Catholic Church and Islam are the only major world religions that continue to associate intercourse and fertility, every other one has separated them with contraception. That makes the Church and Islam the only true 'fertility cults.'

The Keystone is not the Only Stone

One of my dear wife's favorite bloggers, MommyLife, has apparently decided to swim the Tiber. I love reading her story and vicariously feeling the rush of conversion that I felt for my wife, Jen of Et-tu, and Francis Beckwith.

However, the comments reminded me of a smaller conversion in my own life, the conversion from "business casual" (sneakers, jeans, sweater) to business casual (shoes, slacks, button-down shirt, tie, sometimes sweater). Everyone always asked why I did it, but no one expected more than one reason. I had at least six reasons but everyone would zone out after one or two. I contemplated the conversion for months, piling up the pros and cons. The final tipping point, or keystone, was when my wife said that she always dreamed of having a husband who came home in professional attire, but there was a large edifice already constructed. MommyLife seemed to have been convince of Catholicism by the political arm of pro-life movement which she saw as mostly Catholic. Her commentors hook onto this little issue and miss the edifice which supports it, doing a dishonor to her and the Christian faith.

Omnipotent Bachelorhood

I noticed during my last bout of bachelorhood that being the only person in a house encourages feelings of omnipotence. The only things that entered the house were those which I brought and everything stayed where I put it. I felt sorta God-like in my humble abode. On the contrary, being part of a family teaches humility, since I had little idea of where things came from, or where they were going when there were little ones toddling about.

Eden Regained

by: James F. Volpe

A review of The Thrill of the Chaste
by: Dawn Eden


I must admit that I was salivating over the thought of reading this book for months. I am an avid reader of Ms. Eden's blog, The Dawn Patrol, and her writing style impressed me. The book does not slack from her witty, concise, and current prose. She shares many of her experiences with unchastity in a humorous, frank manner. Most amazingly, she shares these intimate moments without being gossipy and gratuitous in detail. It is rare these days to find any popular books which don't contain gratuitous sexual imagery or innuendo, so for a book which is dealing heavily with this subject to handle it tactfully is very impressive.

Throughout the book, Ms. Eden wove in the Christian understanding of marital relations by juxtaposing it with the Sex and the City philosophy as espoused by Carrie Bradshaw from the popular television show. Not surprisingly, her experience taught her that television deluded its viewers. Television, and pop culture in general, had shown strong women as those who used sex to get love. She actively followed this philosophy for years until realizing that it had not led to any serious, loving relationship and, furthermore, it was turning her into someone who was incapable of finding such a relationship. Once she knew this, she began actively loving everyone, instead of just those who took her to bed. She turned herself into a loving person, so that she can hopefully find the man that the Lord has for her. Resigned that the Lord may have other plans for her, she shared how she is far closer to marriage now than she ever was in the past.

The book defied my expectations by being more than the memoir of a past, sinful life but also an insightful look into how the ways of the world had deceived a young girl while the ways of the Lord brought her hope and fulfillment, while keeping her clothes on.

Drinking alone

Useful co-sleeping tip #6: Don't drink and sleep.

It seems reasonable to take all possible precautions when co-sleeping, since this is a world that, in general, will not support your choice to co-sleep. This severely reduces the amount of alcohol which can safely be imbibed. I find myself drinking the most when I am alone, that is, on nights when Jen is away with the girls.

I suppose this isn't really a co-sleeping tip, so much as a statement of fact.

And, yes, drinking makes me use appositives more frequently, why do you ask?

Go about Your Business, Nothing to See Here

Yet another study indicating severe medical consequences from contraception. I find it interesting that various life changes (stop smoking, exercise more) are suggested except for the culprit (stop contracepting). Where are medical malpractice attorneys when you need them? Can you imagine the same advice being dished out if Lipitor showed the same consequences?

Only Questions

I love to use this blog to share deep and meaningful insights which draw my readers closer to the great mystery of Love, Himself. However, recently I am full only of questions sparked in bizarre corners of my mind by Robert Kiyosaki. I wish to be a true man, knowing that if I live the truth, I follow Him who is Truth.

This book causes me to think it is truer manhood to be a business owner and investor than to be a well-paid employee. It is all difficult to ponder. Being a provider is one of the standard fatherly criteria which I accept, and now I wonder how independent a provider I have to be, even though I know I am entirely depended on the Provider of All Good Things. But He is independent, isn't He?

A Baby's Breath Silent Auction

The Silent Auction to raise funds for a local crisis pregnancy center is on November 9 at Columbia Station. Please come, just don't bid against me for the Wii.

Some of the items up for grabs are: a set of braces (val $5,000, min bid - $2,600), signed Eagles (Westbrook and Dawkins) jerseys, signed Dawkins football, signed Chase Utley baseball, tickets to the Eagles, Sixers, Villanova and Wings games, the hot video game Wii, a home catered dinner for six by Satisfying Suppers, tickets to The High School Musical, Rivercrest, artwork, jewelry and more.

Public Service

I became a catechist for my parish as a way to serve, and to study the schooling system as it exists in the modern world. As a teacher in-service evening, we attended a dinner and presentation designed to give catechists from all over the county (technically cluster) a chance to learn and share ideas and helpful pedagogy.

The discussion amongst me and my fellow teachers was truly invaluable and enlightening. It was the best advice and encouragement I could possibly have received, including support in my desire to have my children homeschooled. Unfortunately, the presentation by Dr. Eileen McGrath of RCL publications was, at best, unhelpful and, at worst, a temptation away from the faith. I could only stomach an hour of the presentation since it was a better use of my time to return home and tuck my girls into bed. Her sources and experts consisted primarily of self-help gurus like Robbins, Dyer, and Chopra. Her main thrust seemed to be the power of positive thinking as "self-care." I had no idea how this applied to catechists and the best application I have come up with in the last week is not to harangue your students. As if I needed that warning.

Some of her talking points seemed to directly contradict Church teaching, such as, "We are not born negative." I believe that original sin and its stain are pretty big negatives. The other tired teaching she spouted was, "We are made in the image of God so we are divine." If I was divine, there would have been a small, concentrated spurt of fire and brimstone at that point, therefore, I am not divine. I can only send out this small public service announcement to my readers. If you want to learn the faith, read a the life of a saint or the Catechism or the Bible just not anything written by Dr. Eileen McGrath.

Real Education

David Warren has another brilliant essay. Not an explicit advocation for homeschooling, yet a mighty strong stab at the beast of industrial education.

What I Need to Know about Feminism, I Learned in Kindergarten

The most basic precept of kindergarten: boys go in the boys' restroom and girls go in the girls' restroom.

I pray that this distinction is never forgotten, although some states are attempting to eradicate it. In this spirit, I have segregated my links appropriately and added two brilliant blogs: Feminine Genius and Et-tu. Check them out if you haven't already.

Class Already!

We will be teaching a class on Friday October 26. It's a feast or famine business, sometimes we have no students for months, other times we have to start one class before we have finished the previous one.

E-mail me if you want to sign up for this class as a refresher or a new student couple.

Too Much, Too Fast

Peter, at With a Grain of Salt, has two excellent posts up. The first pertains to birth control and over-population with an excellent chart showing that while the population has doubled in the last fifty years, the GDP has quintupled. The second deals with some snide comments that Church is not for men.

Thanks Peter, for all the great thoughts to mull over.

In Case You Haven't Considered Homeschooling Yet

This is a great article, I am thankful when anyone on the AP notes that this is happening. The only thing I don't like is the figures used. They naturally encouraged comparison but were not on the same scale. The article says that there were 2,570 teacher who were punished for sexual misconduct in the years 2001-2005. The number given for the Church was 4400 priests accused from 1950-2002. The first problem is comparing punishments to accusations since obviously there are more accusals than punishments. The second problem is comparing a 4 year span to a 52 year span. The yearly rate of abuse is 662 punishments/year for teachers versus 89 accusations/year for priests. That means for every 8 teachers who are found guilty of abuse, one priest is accused.

I know that number is this field are hard to acquire and difficult to trust and I don't fault the AP for reporting what it did, since I'd rather some news about this come out as opposed to the media blackout which is the norm. It would be nice for a follow-up article to go into the governmental protections afforded to public schools (for example, a cap on potential awards in a trial) and the lack of protections afforded to private schools and the Church since this disparity is why so many sharks circled the Church yet none feast on public schools.

CHT: Curt Jester

Stop Me If You've Been Here Before

Well, I've been reading Rich Dad's Prophecy for the past few weeks, and I'm thinking of investigating further. Now, I've read a few books like this and I hate the power of positive thinking but this guy seems different. It could be that I'm frustrated with work. It could be that I've seen a few "signs" and I might be making too much of them. It could be that my daughters are growing faster than daisies on Miracle-Gro and I just want to be home so much. But the author makes a lot of good points based on reason, economics, and law, and I feel obliged to investigate but I don't want this to consume me or my family either through loss of time or loss of money.

I would love to hear from any father who has tread this ground before. I could use some good advisors and prayers. I hope to figure this out quickly.

Paydirt

Every now and then I get the hankering to track down someone I was friends with in college just to see what google can turn up. To that end, I recently made my best discovery ever when I turned up this page. Apparently, the husband of a dear college friend took the time to write a book and get it published by Lulu, a publish-on-demand company. I ordered the paperback yesterday so I am eagerly waiting its arrival. Although my book queue is pretty deep and this book isn't a genre I would usually read, I hope to delve into it soon.

This discovery also allowed me to do one of my favorite hobbies, which is giving free publicity to my friends' various ventures.

You better click all those links! Don't you want to know what my friends are up to? C'mon!

In Unheard News

Not that I follow any major media outlets anymore, but this story is heartening, not just for the right thing being done, but for judges actually judging instead of arbitrarily striking down laws.

Good News

Though many of us were saddened at the loss of ProLifeSearch, it seems a trustworthy group has taken up the mantle and started ProLifeInternet on the same premises. Hopefully, this time the money will do more good.

It's good to have a home page again.

Smart Women Reveal All

There is a great post on Danielle Bean's site. The best quote from the comments is:

Men, generally, do not understand the concept of the "hint."

Guys, read it all to learn what your wives are thinking. There are many treasures in this refreshingly frank conversation.

Imagine, if you can...

The Kippley's blog has an excellent, speculative post on breastfeeding education in the 50s. It is based on the idea that if ecological breastfeeding had been advocated in the 50s, the ground might not have been fertile for the widespread dissent from Humanae Vitae.

Mr. Kippley correctly points out a correlation which is often ignored: the increase in bottlefeeding coincided with the decrease in space between children. So it was not the Church which caused children to be born too close together, the blame can more properly be placed on the formula companies who opened a new market by targeting healthy mothers for their product instead of being satisfied with saving the lives of thousands of orphans who had no other choice but formula.

Pushing the Limits

I recently finished reading the book, Everything Conceivable by Liza Mundy. I knew picking it up that it would be one of those books that was a challenge to make it through without throwing it out the window. I was right. There were definitely a lot of "chuckable" moments. But since it was a library book I refrained from chucking it, managed to finish it and decided to share some of my thoughts with you here.

The book is about all the new technologies which are making it possible for almost anyone and everyone to have children, regardless of their age or level of natural fertility.

It starts out recounting an unusual request made to a California pastor. A parishioner who recently had given birth to twins was requesting that the pastor write in some part for the egg donor at the baptism. The pastor says, later in the book, that she thought for a minute then had no problem writing the ceremony.

This is just one of the many subtle, or not so subtle, ways in which the author normalizes the use of these technologies. She repeatedly points to religious and pro-life people who think that these technologies are perfectly acceptable, as a way of implying because there is no consensus on these issues, then there are no moral guidelines at all. Relativism at it's best.

Despite the slant however, it was an interesting, if horrifying, read. The book details all aspects of assisted reproductive technologies, from artificial insemination to IVF, from sperm and egg donors to surrogates, from married couples who want a child, to gays, lesbians and single-by-choice moms. There are several chapters dedicated to discussing the boom in multiple births, twins, triplets or more. And one dedicated to discussing what to do with "left over" embryos.

One of the most horrifying chapters to me was the one on "selective reduction," the process by which a high-order multiple pregnancy is "reduced" down to a "manageable" size, usually twins. Ms. Mundy reports that the doctor who pioneered "selective reduction" had seen one pregnancy of twelve fetuses. She goes on to say that the woman's doctor was not truthful about the number of fetuses, telling her that there were six instead of twelve. Ms. Mundy does not report on the outcome of the pregnancy, but one can assume that all but two were aborted.

The way in which the doctor lied outright to this woman is just one example of how unscrupulous many in this field are. Even Ms. Mundy refers to assisted reproductive technologies as the "wild west" of medicine. Of course, she thinks more regulation is in order.

In this she is mistaken. More regulation will not change the essential problem with these technologies, as that lies in the fundamental immorality of most of the methods. Only when people stop trying to play God and instead repent will there be any end to the horrors that are detailed in this book.

For anyone who wants a better view of what's wrong with the world this book is for you.

Unknown Death

There has been an interesting and sad debate afoot in Connecticut. The Catholic bishops there have decided to comply with a law saying that Plan B must be offered to victims of rape without depending on the results of an ovulation test. Since Plan B may prevent implantation of a newly conceived life, this could result in an early chemically-induced abortion.

It is interesting to read about the moral debate as the Church develops its doctrine on the topic of non-marital contraception. It is tremendously sad that this debate occurs while an unknown number of little ones are flushed down the drain. Join me in praying that the number lost is zero.

CI

This is my one hundred and oneth post at this blog. Thanks to all of you who read it. I hope I may one day share an illuminating thought on it.

Maybe I can come up with invisible text for my eleventy-first post!

Hardliners

I promised myself that there would be some punishments that I never used on my children. I came very close to crossing that line this weekend when my adorable little one woke me up at 7am on a weekend where my eldest chose to sleep in until 7:30am. I could have really used those 30 minutes so punishment was in order. I subjected my little one to Julia Robert's acting (Mystic Pizza). My eldest awoke and spared my little one further punishment. As a demonstration of contrition, I put in a Dora video and let them be purified of foul influences.

Jen and I finished the movie later and I was surprised that I enjoyed most of the movie. Primarily due to a young Vincent D'Onofrio who delivers the best line in the movie, which is unfortunately soiled by a mild vulgarity. To paraphrase, he tells his fiancee how bad he feels because he wants to marry her and she only wants his body and won't commit. It sums up fornication quite nicely and pleasantly contains the role reversal of the man being more committed to love than the woman.

By the way, a free trial month of Netflix to the first person to get the reference in the title of this post.