Those interested in the recent media hubbub about the Catholic Church’s stance regarding condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS should give the following a read:
American Papist:
Where the condom controversy currently stands
Cardinal Martini roundup
Michael Liccione (Sacramentum Vitae):
Why the condom debate is big for the Church
The Catholic condom debate II
Jimmy Akin:
Condoms & HIV/AIDS
Contraception & Extra-Marital Sex
No, the title of this post does not mean that I’ve joined either the Creationist or ID camps. However, spammers certainly seem to be an evolutionary step backwards. It’s a shame spamming doesn’t give one leprosy. At least that would reduce their chances of reproducing.
"They may’ve signed up for the service to stay free of unsolicited e-mail, but people in Blue Security‘s "Do Not Intrude Registry" are getting spammed, the company said Wednesday."
One of my addresses has been one of those victimized. !@#$ wretched villainous scum. I wonder what kind of penance I’d get for castrating someone with a dull spoon…
Update 05/06/06: Here’s a timeline of PharmaMaster’s attack on Blue Security and members of its community.
"Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by d***less here."
Lawn mowers have been getting attention off and on for being serious smog culprits.
What I wish some people would discuss in these is the possibility of using a manual, non-powered mower, especially for smaller yards. Alternatives to conventional grasses, like Pennsylvania sedge (or another sedge species) or buffalo grass, also need less mowing yet still provide a nice traditional yard. Depending on considerations like local codes and how picky your neighbors are, more radical solutions could also involve turning part of your yard into a naturalized woodland or meadow area. It provides more visual interest from both flowers and also various birds and butterflies that you may attract. Once established, mowing, watering and pesticides are minimized.
Earlier, Funky explored Pius XII’s comments on family size. However, one thing that seems to come up frequently when discussing the idea of having large families is how to reconcile a large family with preserving the earth for future generations and caring for God’s creation. As I have said in the past, I think the problem lies in the impact per person rather than the number of people. If total impact on the environment = (number of people) * (impact per person), then by reducing the impact per person significantly enough, the environment can sustain more people. As Earth day fast approaches, I found it a fitting time to suggest 10 simple ways that each of us can help decrease the impact per person:
1. Eat less animal products. Now, I’m not insisting that everyone go hardcore vegan, but if you eat animal products twice a day, try once a day. If you eat them once a day, try once a week.
2. Eat more organic. All the pesticides and hormones that can go into food production have a negative impact on the environment, particularly in terms of water pollution.
3. Carpool/take public transport/bike/walk more.
4. Recycle and buy things with post consumer content.
5. Bring your own bags when you shop.
6. Buy in bulk and with as little packaging as possible.
7. Buy locally grown food and produced products.
8. Buy reusable items with as little processing as possible.
9. Open the windows instead of using the a/c.
10. Next time you purchase a car, buy one as fuel efficient as possible.
This list is not even close to exhaustive but a starting point. Please add your own in the comments section. Also, please talk these and other ideas up to as many people as possible so that it’s not just us tree huggers talking. We tend to get tuned out.
Here’s an interesting exchange between Peter (aka Theomorph) and a commenter about the efficacy of intercessory prayer.
“I still think that so long as anyone believes in the same God who made an appearance in the book of Job, the idea of prayer getting a person what he or she wants is theologically unsound. If I may paraphrase in the vernacular, God basically told Job, ‘Don’t f*** with me; I do what I want and you can’t stop me.'”