"Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world" Miguel de Cervantes said in Don Quixote de la Mancha (1602). Quixote, accompanied by his loyal servant Sancho Panzo set out in search of adventure and battled injustice in this novel which has been translated into more languages then any other book other then the Bible. His philosophy is consistent with the ancients. In ancient Greek "Know Thyself" was inscribed at the entrance to…
"…do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother . Rather be open handed and freely lend him whatever he needs. Deuteronomy 15: 7 "Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice.." Deuteronomy 24:17 "Speak up; for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8 "When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts…
Mr Bush has shown his determination to appoint ideologues to important political posts. He has no interest in naming people with balanced view points and instead names people with a very narrow biased position. As an example, he has now appointed Dr. Eric Keroack head of the Federal Family Planning programs. Keroack is an obstetrician-gynecologist who will supervise a $283 million dollar annual family planning fund which, includes dealing with providing access to contraceptive supplies and information with priority given…
In the Civil War it was called "soldier’s heart" and "nostalgia." In WWI it was called "shell shock" and "war neurosis." In WWII it was usually called "battle fatigue." It’s also been called "combat stress" and "post-Vietnam syndrome." People who suffer emotional reactions to trauma can develop these conditions and military personnel engaged in high stress activities are prone to have symptoms. Paul Rieckhoff has posted an article in Arianna Huffington’s excellent newsletter, The Huffington Post, in which he reports…
I’ve posted about global warming before (Nov 5, 2006), but the subject continues to be an important one. The Natural Resources Defense Council website says that carbon dioxide and other pollution collects in the atmosphere like a blanket and traps the sun’s heat. This causes the planet to warm up. Coal burning power plants are identified as the largest source of carbon dioxide in the U.S. and automobiles the second. The United States has just 4% of the world’s population…
The media reports that felony criminal charges have been filed against a researcher for the National Institutes of Health for "criminal conflicts of interest." The scientist had been a leading Alzheimer’s disease researcher at the NIH, but is charged with having negotiated a private secret deal with the Pfizer pharmaceutical company in connection with his government employment. It’s alleged Dr. Trey Sunderland received $285,000 in consulting fees and expenses by Pfizer while working for the NIH. Sunderland did not disclose…
Senator Trent Lott, has given us a classic illustration of this truth. This U.S. Republican Senator and former Senate leader has led the effort in the Senate to pass tort reform legislation. His state, Mississippi, is one the reddest of the red Republican states and Senator Lott, sometimes known as "the prince of darkness," has been it’s political leader. His anti plaintiff bias is well known. The Center for Justice and Democracy reports these past quotes from Senator Lott: (1)…
Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer was created by Robert L. May in 1939. May was a 35 year old advertising copy writer for the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago and was instructed to create an original Christmas story in booklet form. The store wanted to give it away as a free gift to shoppers during the Christmas season. May ended up writing about Rudolph. Originally, the reindeer was to be named Rollo and then Reginald, but both were rejected…
The Rev Mark Link, S.J., has written a number of booklets with reflections for mediation. They are filled with stories and metaphors that are both are entertaining and meaningful. They are available from Thomas More publishing (www.thomasmore.com) In one of them, A contemporary walk with Jesus, he refers to William Barclay, the Scottish theologian. Barclay was a Protestant scholar who wrote many books about religion including study guides for the Bible that are well written, interesting and filled with explanations…
Consumer advocate, Joan Claybrook, reports more about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s duplicity in concealing it’s political contributions in Public Citizen News (Nov-Dec 2006). I’ve previously written about the Chamber and their fraudulent political funding in support of big business. (Post of November 15th) The Chamber’s goal is to weaken the judiciary and laws which would put restraints on the activities of it’s supporters like Wal-Mart and other big corporate interests through "under the table" political funding. Public Citizen reports…
