This Pilgrim's Progress

No Patriotic Superman!!??

Say it ain't so!! ..... The superhero in his latest flick is no longer fighting for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".   The screenwriters deliberately left out the "American Way" reference, because they thought that the phrase was loaded and ambiguous.  Apparently "the American Way" no longer means the same thing it did in the 40's and 50's according to these Bozo's. 

"So, you play the movie in a foreign country, and you say, 'What does he stand for? -- truth, justice and the American way.' I think a lot of people's opinions of what the American way means outside of this country are different from what the line actually means (in Superman lore) because they are not the same anymore," Harris says. "And (using that line) would taint the meaning of what he is saying."

Too bad they decided to release the movie right before the 4th of July, the most American of all holidays.

I've read a couple of reviews that have panned the writing and acting in "Superman Returns", and this put's the "nail in the coffin" for any desire on my part to see this movie.  I'm a product of the 50's and I watched Superman on TV as a youngster and read the comic books and watched the movies, because I liked what Superman stood for -- "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".

I guess the Big Guy better get a passport from the U.N. and turn in his membership card to the "Justice League of America"!!

Miscellany

Bruno news:   Apparently different museums in Germany are fighting over who will get to display Bruno's stuffed hide.  The Germans are going a bit nuts over this whole thing.

NY and LA Times:  After publishing the details of the U.S. program to track terrorist's money transactions, I think the Pentagon ought to declare the editorial boards at both papers  to be "Enemy Combatants" and round them up for a trip to Gitmo.  Of course after the court's ruling against the military tribunals, the editors would languish quite a while  as the administration works with Congress to fine-tune the exact wording that the majority opinion was requiring.  But then we would be feeding them at taxpayer expense, so maybe throwing them in Gitmo is not such great idea.  The final revenge will be seeing these dinosaur media disappear as competition and their increasing irrelevance causes them to lose revenue and collapse.

SCOTUS:  the ruling this week again illustrates why it's so important to get conservative justices nominated. The liberal majority will continue to legislate and assume non-consitutional powers from the bench. I heard someone say that maybe GW should ignore the court like Andrew Jackson did.  (I don't know if that was such a great idea!! Jackson ignored the court's ruling on the lawsuit the Cherokee Nation brought against the Federal govt. to prevent the confiscation of their land and removal to west of the Mississippi. ).

NY/LA Times (again): The best quip I've heard this week (Hugh Hewitt), is:  "The Fourth Estate has become a Fifth Column".  What is so amazing is hearing liberals asserting the idea that the Press somehow has a sacred position and the right to unilaterally decide what's best for our country's security.  They are so blinded by their biases they have no clue how far out into the ozone they have drifted.

World Cup: is there any sporting event more irrelevant than this one. Well, perhaps the Super Bowl which has become the premier event of the the secular American religion of Football. Cricket is pretty irrelevant, so is Golf , Bowling, NASCAR, and Wimbledon. What is it about sports that makes people so consumed by them??

Tour De France:  The latest drug scandal may cause this year's race to be eclipsed by the news of further investigations.  The old allegations against Armstrong were surfacing again this week. Maybe they will leave Lance alone now that is scandal has broken out.

Fourth of July: May God Bless our military as they serve in harm's way overseas. And may the Lord be with those families who have lost loved ones. And may we all show and express our thanks and appreciation for the sacrifice of those who've died and those who are serving and have served.

Have a great weekend!!

Bruno is gone.

Bruno, the European Brown Bear that's been terrorizing Bavaria was shot and killed by a hunter this weekend.  It's kind of sad, but it was probably the best thing to do  before he hurt somebody.  Bavarian officials were concerned because the bear was getting closer to populated areas, and had eluded every effort at live-capture.

To review, Bruno had wandered into Bavaria from Austria. He was part of a re-introduction of the species to the Alpine areas of Italy. Some of them had moved to Austria but had not caused any problems there. Bruno's appearance in Bavaria was at first welcomed, but soon he acquired a taste for livestock, often killing them without eating them. Bavarian authorities had authorized professional hunters to kill Bruno. They also tried to capture him using traps and special bear dogs from Finland to no avail.  The European Brown Bear is related to the North American Brown Bear, also known as the Grizzly, and grows to about the same size and has the same behavior.

Der Spiegel's article on Bruno's death: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,423734,00.html

But is it Art??

The WSJ's Opinion Journal has a great commentary by Lionel Shriver about this summer's open submission exhibit of contemporary art at London's Royal Academy of art.  Seem's that one artist's submission, a scupture of a laughing head, was separated from it's base during shipment. Well, the head was rejected but the base or plinth was accepted and exhibited as a work of art.  It was basically a slab of slate with a small wood support for the sculpture.  Shriver's commentary says it best: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008540 .

Bavarian Bear Representative

With typical teutonic efficiency, Bavaria has appointed an official "Bavarian Bear Representative", biologist Manfred Woelfl. Here's Der Spiegel's interview: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,421797,00.html

Bruno Update

The heck with the World Cup, what's Bruno (The Scourge of Bavaria) up to!??

Der Spiegel reports that Bruno (aka "JJ1") wandered through a Bavarian village resting on the police station steps after snacking on a rabbit and a guinea pig!  That must have been a pretty small snack for a brown bear!!  Apparently the Finnish bear hunters and their special dogs haven't had much luck either.  That Bruno is one wily bear! I'm beginning to like this bear more and more. He is one heck of a Primary Predator!!

Father's Day 2006

I get pretty reflective this time of year due to Father's Day and my birthday coming around within the same month.

Some thoughts I have this year are on what me and my family have gone through the past six months.  I'm mostly thankful that none of us was injured by the fire, and we've weathered the stress and strain of living in a rental house and dealing with the issues that have come up. 

I'm also realizing that with our oldest child getting ready to go off to college this fall and our youngest having just a few more years of high school, that my role as a father is going through a rather significant change.

My children don't need me quite in the same way they used to, yet in some ways they need me even more. I'm finding that it's important for me to be an affirming and positive influence, encouraging them more than directing them. They don't need me to tell them what to do, or even how to do things. As they both make the first tentative "flights out of the nest", they just need to know that their parents are there for them and love and support them no matter what. Adulthood is kind of a scarey thing (even for a 54 year old), and they just need some encouragement as they approach it and it's rocky shoals.

I look back over the past as a parent and I just want to encourage parents to devote themselves to nuturing their children when they are young. Those years are so important, and yet so fleeting. Sometimes you fail as a parent, but if you have your eye on God and seek his counsel, the Holy Spirit fills in where you are weak.  The worse sin is to not be engaged and involved as a parent. Too many professionals get wrapped up in their career and neglect their families. You can't "outsource" your role as a parent.

Some things I've learned (imperfectly) over the years as a father:

• Humility is important, pride is not.
• A sense of humor is a vital resource.
• Don't neglect your marriage, a good marriage requires effort,  self-sacrifice, and humility.
• Let your anger cool before you discipline your children. Do it out of love, rather than out of pique.
• Heed the loving counsel of your wife. Mothers have a special insight into your children and have a lot of wisdom in that area.
• Take the lead on financial matters, don't let it default to your wife.  You are much more capable of dealing with it unemotionally, and it's your job as a provider to deal with the finances.
• Soft words are better than loud ones. I'm still learning this one. Women and children are frightened by loud and violent speech. Don't speak in anger, but hold your peace until your emotions are calm. This is harder than it sounds, but also very important.
• Trust the Lord. Plan for the future but don't worry or fret over those plans. The Lord will direct your path as long as you are in motion.  Failure to act or plan is not a decision, if you are "waiting on the Lord", you are wasting time.
• Put your family's welfare ahead of your personal interests or ambitions. Don't let your wants, desires, ambitions, weakenesses prevent you from doing your duty as a Christian husband and father. Be the protector, the Knight so to speak of your household.
• Pride is worthless, humility is priceless, and Humor makes light the heavy burdens of life.

Well, God Bless all you Fathers, Grandfathers, and Fathers-to-be out there!  And God Bless your families!!

Food Gestapos Strike Again!

This week had a number of interesting "science & tech" stories  (living fossils -bird-squirrel, Hawking's latest, Gates stepping down, etc.) ,  but the one that caught my eye was about the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) suing KFC over the fast-food chain's use of cooking oil containing trans-fats.

Steven Milloy in a Junk Science article on Fox, correctly points out the whole "fat is unhealthy" argument has never been proven conclusively by science.  That includes the old argument against animal fats like beef tallow, lard, and butter and tropical oils like palm oil, as well as newer partially-hydrogenated oils (vegetable shortening, margarine). 

Obesity is caused by a number of inter-related factors, and science is still trying to nail down the specifics.  Lack of activity plus gluttony plus genetic factors make a difficult stew of pathology to nail down. In the end it is science once again trying to make us "victims", rather than having us be responsible for our own behavior (sin).

KFC and other fast-food companies have been reluctant to change oils because it affects the taste of the food. If the chicken doesn't consistently taste yummy, who's going to buy it!! 

Back in the 60's and 70's  animal fats were the big, bad, bugaboo and the scientists, including CSPI, wanted everyone to switch over to vegetable based oils because they were supposedly better for you. So margarine and shortening were pushed as replacements for lard and butter. And we were supposed to use "poly-unsaturated" oils rather than good old olive-oil or peanut oil in our salad dressing. The whole fat thing also destroyed the flavor of milk!!  Low-fat or non-fat milk tastes like liquid chalk and is awful!! 

As a kid growing up we always used margarine for our toast. I really didn't mind because I didn't know what butter tasted like. When I became an adult and started oooking (and baking) for myself I discovered that butter and olive oil were delicious, and you actually tended to use less because of the rich flavor. I also discovered that about Maple syrup, and nowadays in my household pancakes aren't pancakes unless they are slavered with real butter and real Maple syrup!!

For myself, I find that my appetite is quenched by rich and spicey flavors. I tend to eat less and feel more satisfied if the food is well seasoned and delights the taste-buds.  If it's bland I tend to eat more than I need to just to feel "full" or satisfied. I like to cook with full-flavors and use ingredients that are not over-processed. I like fresh vegetables that are steamed but not-over cooked, with maybe some butter (or olive oil) and salt for seasoning.

"Made from scratch" is always better for you and tastes better, but having the time to cook is a big challenge for modern families. Busy schedules keep us not only from having the time to cook well for our families but to also spend the time socially as a family around the dinner table.  I've become addicted to eating in front of the TV, and that's a very bad habit, but please, don't have Congress pass laws prohibiting fast-food, convenience-foods, or bad TV habits.  In the end it's our responsibility to take care of our own and our family's health, not the  Nanny-State's!!

"World's Smallest Political Quiz"

Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt for alerting me to the "World's Smallest Political Quiz". 

I tested out as solidly conservative, no surprise to me!  My personal issues score was 30% and my economic issues score was 70%.

Hugh says he came out as a centrist, which makes sense. I have always thought that Hewitt was NOT a traditional conservative. He has too much patience/tolerance for the loonie left! He actually responds to their inane arguments as if they are rational, thinking people.

I like their description of a conservative:

CONSERVATIVES tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently

support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates "traditional
values." They oppose excessive government control of business,

while endorsing government action to defend morality and the

traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong

military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market

economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.

Take the Quiz and let me know what you think about it's accuracy!

Tattoos

The WSJ has an interesting editorial on tattoos by Naomi Riley, one of their editors for their Taste page.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110008523

After some witty and interesting commentary she makes her real point in the final paragraph:

"As we have learned from the horrendous clothing fads of recent years, appearances do matter, which is presumably one reason people get tattoos in the first place. But there is something to be said for dressing to fit in and thinking to stand out.

Vince Hemingson, a tattoo historian and Canadian filmmaker recently raved to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about the marvelous messages of tattoos: "Great tattooing really tells the story of someone's life, if people take the time to think it out." Alas, they rarely do. "