Monthly Archives: August 2008

The Partisans are All Wet

First there was some yahoo on the Right telling people to pray that Barack Obama’s outdoor nomination acceptance speech would be rained out. Not to be outdone, and maintaining the balance of lunacy in the universe, the Left has its own yahoo saying that hurricane Gustav is proof of God’s existence because it will likely disrupt the Republican National Convention.

This is what happens when people conflate religion and partisan ideology with “politics.” Maybe we could try for a political discourse grounded in facts and reason. Just this once? Maybe?

They Finally Convinced Me

I have Comcast cable internet. When it works, the speed of the connection is great. But there are just too many times when it doesn’t work. Moreover, Comcast has some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced—on the phone, in person, via the web.

But now, with internet usage on the rise, instead of adding more infrastructure or otherwise improving what it offers, Comcast would rather just limit its service. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Time to start looking at DSL.

WTF?! Wednesday: Guest Rant!!

Surprise, surprise… I’m not the only one with a rant!  I’ve had a number of folks contact me about wanting to contribute to a “WTF?! Wednesday” post, or to Reality 101 in general.  Some aren’t comfortable yet with broadcasting their names all over the internet (Can you believe that?  Someone uncomfortable with the thought of their name or information scattered all over the place… the nerve…), others want the lovely shield of anonymity (from?  Who knows… family, friends, colleagues… hell, people can be judgemental, ya know?), and even others just want to let loose and rant.  I say, “Have at it!”   (See the rules below)

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Heroic Disappointment

John McCain went on Leno last night. In reference to a recent gaffe, when McCain couldn’t remember how many houses he owns, Jay asked him, “How many houses do you have?”

Everybody knows that John McCain was a prisoner of war, that he suffered more than five years of imprisonment. Most people, even those who serve in the military, do not experience such terrible things in service to their nation, and McCain certainly deserves respect for what he gave.

But when he responded to Jay Leno last night, he turned that awful time in his life into a trite dodge:

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Bishop to Celebrate Mass for the Catholic Medical Association

For all those Pittsburghers in medicine, nursing, dentistry and other healthcare fields (which is probably a good chunk of the population), please mark this on your calendars:

Sunday, September 21, 2008



Mass @ 9:00 a.m., Holy Family Chapel,
UPMC-Mercy Hospital

Bishop David A. Zubik, D.D. – Main Celebrant


Breakfast Program to follow in Sr. Ferdinand M. Clark Auditorium


Speaker: John F. Brehany, Ph.D., S.T.L.
Executive Director and Ethicist, National CMA


Topic: The Future of CMA is Now!


This is run by the Pittsburgh Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. Write to info@cathmedpittsburgh.org for more information.