ABULAFIA :: Zeitgeist






2 0 0 4 NEXT > JANUARY 05 JANUARY 04 JANUARY 03 JANUARY 02 JANUARY 01 2 0 0 3 DECEMBER 04 DECEMBER 03 DECEMBER 02 DECEMBER 01 NOVEMBER 04 NOVEMBER 03 NOVEMBER 02 NOVEMBER 01 OCTOBER 03 OCTOBER 02 OCTOBER 01 SEPTEMBER AUGUST 02 AUGUST 01 JULY 02 JULY 01 JUNE 02 JUNE 01 MAY 02 MAY 01 APRIL 02 APRIL 01 MARCH FEBRUARY JANUARY WEDDING			Olentangy River. The Rte. 315 scenic byway has "high water" sings posted. F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 0 4 Escape Feeling very penned in lately, I escaped and took a short drive up through Delaware County, along the Olentangy River. Stopped at Meijer on the way back. I purchased a new carbon monoxide detector for the house, as I had misplaced the old one sometime around the furnace troubles. This of course guaranteed that I would find the old one as soon as I returned, so there now exist CO detectors for both the upstairs and the downstairs. (It was on top of a box under the buffet -- really, I'd looked Everywhere else before). F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 0 4 Friday evening diversion. Quark and Netscape may both be disfunctional. But for different reasons. Suggest to Netscape that they should include a function to determine the astrological characteristics of a child born at any time during the 23rd century, and there is a pretty good chance it will be included in the next version. Suggest to Quark that something integral and basic to their software life multiple undos ought to be included and you will be roundly ignored. -- Discussion over lunch. F E B R U A R Y 5 , 2 0 0 4 Choir rehearsal Bexley afterwards. A rare sunny day last week. A shell that has seen better days, stripped of interior woodwork and left to suffer. Olde Towne, Columbus, Ohio. Despite offers from neighbors who would like to restore it, the owner (who, need it be said, does not live nearby), hangs onto it without taking any steps to improve it. In five years, I have seen nothing accomplished but doors and woodwork thrown onto the front lawn. F E B R U A R Y 4 , 2 0 0 4 5.7 / 5.8. What's the difference? Freehand's chart function simply refused to give me 5.7. Repeatedly (I can be stubborn, too). I tried the argument "I'm the human, you're the computer: Do what I say" to no avail. I'm sure 5.8 will do just fine. F E B R U A R Y 3 , 2 0 0 4 Bundled, wrapped and freeze-dried. Me -- and still cold. The Last Samurai Helen Dewitt \| Powells Finished it up today. Very good. I would have more to say and link were I feeling any better. Maybe tomorrow. Power of music Older generation hopes that other national anthem will live on \| Dispatch At a performance last year by the Boys Choir of Harlem in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Barbara Zuber dutifully rose to her feet as the program began with Lift Every Voice and Sing. Some young black girls seated near her did not. Zuber stared at them until she got their attention. She explained in hushed tones that the song, the Negro national anthem, celebrates freedom, dignity and heritage — and that they should stand. ... For Kim Harris, a folk singer and musician who performs nationally to schoolchildren and the public with her husband, Reggie, the song is a history lesson in itself. "That’s what I like about the song. It speaks about the past, the present and future in a voice that all can understand," said Harris. I can only get through the first verse from memory, but what a wonderful anthem it is. Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring Ring with the harmony of liberty Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies Let it resound loud as the rolling seas Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us Facing the rising sun Of our new day begun Let us march on Till victory is won! "The lines of this song repay me in elation, almost of exquisite anguish, whenever I hear them sung by Negro children," James Johnson wrote in 1935. NPR (listen to the report to hear the song). The wire article in the Dispatch ran with a local photo of Cantor Jack Chomsky leading a choir, possibly singing Lift Every Voice. It looks likely that it was taken at a BREAD event, and I do recall being led in the song by Cantor Chomsky. With extended pauses on rise, taught, brought, and sun. F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 0 4 Still cold Me, that is, and the air outside too -- though not as cold. It rose above freezing and melted lots of ice and snow and then commenced raining, so we are deep in water everywhere. When's that next freeze? Samuraing It's a really good book now. F E B R U A R Y 1 , 2 0 0 4 To bed Bundled in more blankets Links 911? 9/11? Moroccans detained in '911' mix-up \| CNN Seven delegates from the Moroccan parliament were detained at Portland International Airport for several hours in what appeared to be a mix-up involving language barriers. ... visiting the country as part of a goodwill tour ... The delegation could not speak English to explain the documents, said [Andrew Coose, of the Transportation Administration Department]. It turned out that the group's host in Dallas, a previous stop, had given them instructions to call 911 if they got into trouble, but it was mistaken for a reference to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Coose called the incident "absolutely unfortunate." Good to know we're building up that goodwill. White House Says Congress Underestimated New Medicare Costs \| New York Times When President Bush signed the [prescription drug benefit] legislation on Dec. 8, the Congressional Budget Office said it would cost $395 billion in the decade from 2004 to 2013. On Thursday, the White House put the cost at $534 billion. Mr. Bush will try to explain the difference when he submits his budget to Congress on Monday. I'm guessing the explanation will go little beyond "Surprise!" The administration now says the actuaries' cost estimates have been over $500 billion since last summer. Also worth noting: Mr Bush's budget does Not include the costs of the Iraq war. We're just pretending that will be free, because we already have a $500+ billion dollar deficit and we wouldn't want to make it look worse, would we? There are of course other costs not included (restructuring the alternative minimum tax, for example), and all the off-budget expenses that have kept even more red ink invisible for many years. Medical error \| Washington Post editorial Amy Goldstein reported in the Post yesterday that administration officials had a pretty good idea as the bill was being debated that they would deem the $400 billion figure unrealistic. So which would be worse -- that the president knew, or that he didn't? Either way, the bottom line is the same, namely that this is an administration that doesn't give a hoot about the bottom line. Continuing in the too much debt and bad consequences thereof theme: House of cards \| Dispatch Big Bear prepares to fold in wake of Penn Traffic's bad business bets Big Bear’s loyal customer base and strong profit margin — the company earned a record $16.3 million in its 1988 fiscal year — attracted the attention of Penn Traffic’s chairman, Gary Hirsch. ... Penn Traffic won Big Bear but ended up with a huge debt. According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the financing included $150 million in notes at 123⁄4 percent and $165 million at 133⁄4 percent — or $41 million a year in interest alone. ... Hirsch left in 2000 with a $3.4 million payout, part of a nearly $5 million severance deal with Miller Tabak. Between 1989 and 2000, Hirsch and the investment firm received $30 million from Penn Traffic. To Columbus Freshes They had a great spread of sandwiches and vegetables set for us. We survived the Natural Family Planning speech, which was kindly worded such that we could "request" further information should we so desire. I tried to keep Mrs. Fresh's attention in case she actually asked what we thought about it -- I figured as the non-Catholic I could probably get away with more. Plus I was still a little sick and definitely non-combative, so I wasn't likely to try to get into a dispute. An ELCA perspective: Within the realm of human sexuality, intercourse is a joyful means of giving oneself in the mutual expression of love. It is within the permanent covenant of marital fidelity that the full potential of coitus to foster genuine intimacy, personal growth, and the responsible conception of children is realized. Because the Lutheran Church in America holds that sexual intercourse outside the context of the marriage union is morally wrong, nothing in this statement on "Sex, Marriage, and Family" is to be interpreted as meaning that this church either condones or approves premarital or extra-marital sexual intercourse. Scientific research has not been able to provide conclusive evidence regarding the causes of homosexuality. Nevertheless, homosexuality is viewed biblically as a departure from the heterosexual structure of God s creation. Persons who engage in homosexual behavior are sinners only as are all other persons—alienated from God and neighbor. However, they are often the special and undeserving victims of prejudice and discrimination in law, law enforcement, cultural mores, and congregational life. In relation to this area of concern, the sexual behavior of freely consenting adults in private is not an appropriate subject for legislation or police action. It is essential to see such persons as entitled to understanding and justice in church and community. ... Some issues related to conception control The ethical significance of the use of any medically approved contraceptive method within a covenant of marital fidelity depends upon the motivation of the users. A responsible decision for or against having a child will include evaluation of such factors as the health of the potential mother, a reliable prognosis concerning the health of a possible child, the number and spacing of other children, the family s economic circumstances, and the rapid growth of population. People have a right not to have children without being accused of selfishness or a betrayal of the divine plan; and every child has a right to be a wanted child. All persons are entitled to receive from governmental and voluntary agencies information about conception control. Some Issues Related to Abortion In the consideration of induced abortion the key issue is the status of the unborn fetus. Since the fetus is the organic beginning of human life, the termination of its development is always a serious matter. Nevertheless, a qualitative distinction must be made between its claims and the rights of a responsible person made in God s image who is in living relationships with God and other human beings. This understanding of responsible personhood is congruent with the historical Lutheran teaching and practice whereby only living persons are baptized. On the basis of the evangelical ethic, a woman or couple may decide responsibly to seek an abortion. Earnest consideration should be given to the life and total health of the mother, her responsibilities to others in her family, the stage of development of the fetus, the economic and psychological stability of the home, the laws of the land, and the consequences for society as a whole. Persons considering abortion are encouraged to consult with their physicians and spiritual counselors. This church upholds its pastors and other responsible counselors, and persons who conscientiously make decisions about abortion. I don't agree with everything there, either. Thoughts maybe more later. Charlie worried He sat up every time I coughed in the night, walked up to 1/2 an inch from my nose, sniffed, and apparently satisfied that I was still breathing went and flopped back down at my side. > JANUARY 05			L I N K S AAA Abulafia Boardwalk Bread CHN Christ Lutheran Church NCCHS Neighborhood Research Institute Old Oaks Olde Towne Polyphony INTP Business First Business First Daily Edition Call and Post Columbus Alive Columbus Dispatch Columbus Free Press Columbus Post Communicator News The Daily Reporter Inner Art The Lantern The Other Paper Suburban News Publications Short North Gazette NBC4 Columbus WSYX 6 10TV WBNS ONN BBC World Service CNN Christian Science Monitor The Guardian IndiaTimes Newsday New York Times StarTribune Washington Post Washington Times AfricaPundit William F. Buckley Jr. Command Post Crooked Timber Daniel W. 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