About Funky Dung
Who is Funky Dung?
29-year-old grad student in Intelligent Systems (A.I.) at the University of Pittsburgh. I consider myself to be politically moderate and independent and somewhere between a traditional and neo-traditional Catholic.
I was raised Lutheran, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and joined the Catholic Church at the 2000 Easter Vigil.
Why Funky Dung?
I haven't been asked this question nearly as many times as you or I might expect. Funky Dung is a reference to an obscure Pink Floyd song. On the album Atom Heart Mother, there is a track called Atom Heart Mother Suite. It's broken up into movements, like a symphony, and one of the movements is called Funky Dung. I picked that nickname a long time ago (while I was still in high school I think), shortly after getting an internet connection for the first time. To me it means "cool/neat/groovy/spiffy stuff/crap/shiznit", as in "That's some cool stuff, dude!"
Whence Ales Rarus?
I used to enjoy making people guess what this means, but I've decided to relent and make it known to all. Ales Rarus is a Latin play on words. "Avis rarus" means "a rare bird" and carries similar meaning to "an odd fellow". "Ales" is another Latin word for bird that carries connotations of omens, signs of the times, and/or augery. If you want to get technical, both "avis" and "ales" are feminine (requiring "rara", but they can be made masculine in poetry (which tends to breaks lots of rules). I decided I'd rather have a masculine name in Latin. ;) Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what? :-P
Wherefore blog?
It is my intention to "teach in order to lead others to faith" by being always "on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful" through the "use of the communications media". I also act knowing that I "have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors [my] opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and [I] have a right to make [my] opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward [my and their] pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (adapted from CCC 904-907)
Statement of Faith
I have been baptized and confirmed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I, therefore, renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements.
I hold and profess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church.
I am obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. That is, I promote and defend authentic Catholic Teaching and Faith in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy infinite goodness, and, especially, for the love Thou hast shown unto me at my Confirmation. I Give Thee thanks that Thou didst then send down Thy Holy Spirit unto my soul with all His gifts and graces.
May He take full possession of me for ever.
May His divine unction cause my face to shine.
May His heavenly wisdom reign in my heart.
May His understanding enlighten my darkness.
May His counsel guide me.
May His knowledge instruct me.
May His piety make me fervent.
May His divine fear keep me from all evil.
Drive from my soul, O Lord, all that may defile it.
Give me grace to be Thy faithful soldier, that having fought the good fight of faith, I may be brought to the crown of everlasting life, through the merits of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Behind the Curtain: an Interview With Funky Dung (Thursday, March 03, 2005)
I try to avoid most memes that make their way 'round the blogosphere (We really do need a better name, don't
we?), but some are worth participating in. Take for instance the "interview game" that's the talk o'
the 'sphere. I think it's a great way to get to know the people in neighborhood. Who are the people in your
neighborhood? In your neighborhod? In your neigh-bor-hoo-ood...*smack* Sorry, Sesame Street flashback.
Anyhow, I saw Jeff "Curt Jester"
Miller's answers and figured since he's a regular reader of mine he'd be a good interviewer. Without
further ado, here are my answers to his questions.
1. Being that your pseudonym Funky Dung was chosen from a Pink Floyd track on Atom Heart Mother, what is you
favorite Pink Floyd song and why?
Wow. That's a tuffy. It's hard to pick out a single favorite. Pink Floyd isn't really a band known for
singles. They mostly did album rock and my appreciation of them is mostly of a gestalt nature. If I had to
pick one, though, it'd be "Comfortably Numb". I get chills up my spine every time I hear it and if
it's been long enough since the last time, I get midty-eyed. I really don't know why. That's a rather
unsatisfying answer for an interview, so here are the lyrics to a Rush song. It's not their best piece of music,
but the lyrics describe me pretty well.
New World Man
He's a rebel and a runner
He's a signal turning green
He's a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine
He's got a problem with his poisons
But you know he'll find a cure
He's cleaning up his systems
To keep his nature pure
Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man
He's got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He's old enough to know what's right
But young enough not to choose it
He's noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
He's a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He's a writer and arranger
And a young boy bearing arms
He's got a problem with his power
With weapons on patrol
He's got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control
Trying to save the day for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for the third world man
He's not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today
He's noble enough to know what's right
But weak enough not to choose it
He's wise enough to win the world
But fool enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
2. What do you consider your most important turning point from agnosticism to the Catholic Church.
At some point in '99, I started attending RCIA at the Pittsburgh Oratory. I mostly went to ask a lot of
obnoxious Protestant questions. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think deep down I wanted desperately
to have faith again. At that point I think I'd decided that if any variety of Christianity had the Truth, the
Catholic Church did. Protestantism's wholesale rejection of 1500 years of tradition didn't sit well with me,
even as a former Lutheran.
During class one week, Sister Bernadette Young (who runs the program) passed out thin booklet called "
Handbook for Today's Catholic". One paragraph
in that book spoke to me and I nearly cried as I read it.
"A person who is seeking deeper insight into reality may sometimes have doubts, even about God himself.
Such doubts do not necessarily indicate lack of faith. They may be just the opposite - a sign of growing faith.
Faith is alive and dynamic. It seeks, through grace, to penetrate into the very mystery of God. If a
particular doctrine of faith no longer 'makes sense' to a person, the person should go right on seeking. To
know what a doctrine says is one thing. To gain insight into its meaning through the gift of understanding is
something else. When in doubt, 'Seek and you will find.' The person who seeks y reading, discussing,
thinking, or praying eventually sees the light. The person who talks to God even when God is 'not there' is
alive with faith."
At the end of class I told Sr. Bernadette that I wanted to enter the Church at the next Easter vigil.
3. If you were a tree what kind of, oh sorry about that .. what is the PODest thing you have ever
done?
I set up
WikiIndex, a clearinghouse for reviews
of theological books, good, bad, and ugly. It has a long way to go, but it'll be cool when it's finished. :)
4. What is your favorite quote from Venerable John Henry Newman?
"Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."
5. If you could ban one hymn from existence, what would it be?
That's a tough one. As a member of
the Society for a Moratorium on the Music of
Marty Haugen and David Haas, there are obviously a lot of songs that grate on my nerves. If I had to pick
one, though, I'd probably pick
"Sing
of the Lord's Goodness" by Ernie Sands.
Pingback: > the smedley log
Funky,
Not sure if you new of the connnection, but Komen Foundation gives a lot of money to Planned Parenthood! 🙁
Here’s a link on some info. Not sure if the Pittsburgh Chapter does or not. Or just do a Google search on Planned Parenthood Komen. There’s a lot out there.
http://www.lifeissues.org/AbortionBreastcancer/komen/fact_sheet.pdf
My wife used to volunteer at SJK races, until it was revealed that the Foundation is a very significant and dedicated contributor to Planned Parenthood. It’s unfortunate that such a worthy cause decides to lay with the Culture of Death.
Thanks Roz for posting the link so I don’t have to look it up.
-swf
1) I’ve already paid my registration fee.
2) As far as I know, the proceeds of this race go to breast cancer research. Komen may indeed give oodles of money to PP, but they are funding abortion services from donations made specifically for breast cancer research would be fraud.
3) I have not seen evidence that Komen grants go to abortion services.
4) As a result of 1-3, I’m still running the race and I’m not telling people not to donate in my name.
5) If someone can prove that Race for the Cure donations go to PP’s abortion services (or pro-choice lobbying), I may change my mind on number 4. I want evidence, though, not heresay.
I’m almost afraid to ask, but is there anything wrong with the Fathersday 5/10K sponsored by Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education and Support?
It seems that grants are given by individual chapters. Here’s the list of Pittsburgh grant recipients in 2005.
We have the same sort of issues at work when we do our annual United Way donation drive, where there is a clear option to make directed donations to specific agencies.
While the United Way may have affiliations with Planned Parenthood, my directed donations (and the matching funds my employer provides) don’t go there.
There’s a big difference. Hopefully this misconception doesn’t hinder your fundraising, Eric.
Actually, howard… Your refusal to give to Planned Parenthood via the United Way doesn’t affect PP’s total allotment from the United Way at all. The way those campaigns usually work is that the local chapter of the United Way promises a certain amount of funds to each agency before the campaign begins. Although individual donors can, and do, direct their donations, such directed donations don’t reduce the original allotments to the agencies. So, even though your $100 isn’t going to PP, PP’s allotment isn’t reduced by $100. Instead, the United Way will just shuffle the funds so that PP gets all its money.
(That’s United Way’s dirty little secret. My former employer reassured us that we could direct our donations, but when I looked into it I realized that it’s just smoke and mirrors.)
Nota bene: Each local United Way chapter decides which organizations to support. Not all chapters give money to Planned Parenthood. The chapter in my new city gives money to a pregnancy resource center, and to the Boy Scouts (another controversial group), but not to Planned Parenthood.
Emily,
All that aside, I don’t contend that my refusal to support Planned Parenthood changes what other people allow their money to support. That would be quite naive. But if (and it’s a big if) every single person who donated to the United Way directed their donations away from a specific agency, it really wouldn’t matter what agreement existed between the United Way and that agency. If nobody who donates allows their money to go there, the river will run dry. There’s no legal way around it.
But the salient point is that the percentages promised to member agencies have no effect on a donor’s directed support. Whoever else’s donation is supporting Planned Parenthood, mine absolutely is not. And I have the receipts to prove it. If they have been falsified, I’d sure like to know it.
If you’ve heard different, I’d be curious to know more about your source.
“If nobody who donates allows their money to go there, the river will run dry. There’s no legal way around it.”
Granted, but most United Way donors don’t put restrictions on their gifts. In fact, most local United Way campaigns I’ve seen pressure donors to give unrestricted gifts.
“Whoever else’s donation is supporting Planned Parenthood, mine absolutely is not.”
And that ought to be true (I have no proof that it isn’t). But neither are you depriving Planned Parenthood of support.
For this reason, I choose to make my charitable donations outside the United Way campaign. Because in that way, I *am* depriving Planned Parenthood of some United Way support — because if the campaign falls X percent short of its goal, what usually happens is that all member agencies’ allocations are reduced by X percent. If I choose to donate to all the UW agencies except Planned Parenthood outside the United Way campaign, the other agencies get their money, Planned Parenthood gets less money, and I sidestep the whole moral quagmire. That’s what I prefer to do.
(Now, if this is a chapter that simply eliminates funding for certain agencies if the campaign falls short of its goal, that’s another question.)
Does United Way do good work? Absolutely. I have no problems donating to the United Way chapter in my new city, because it doesn’t give funds to PP. But plenty of local chapters do.
I walked Komen with Nancy and ran the Father’s Day one myself and intend to do both this year as well.
I hope that doesn’t totally kill your fundraising!
i just signed up 🙂
Pingback: Ales Rarus - A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog » 14th Annual Race for the Cure 5K