Video: What Stops Population Growth?

Swedish scientist Hans Rosling presents a fascinating explanation, complete with visuals, of the "problem" of overpopulation. Although the message is actually quite simple, this is a very interesting presentation which rebuts some long-held popular assumptions about population growth. Rosling is believable, obviously sincere, and likable. He is calm, smooth, and quite reasonable in his approach.

His message is essentially that we must have small families in order to "save the planet." I believe this notion is erroneous on a number of levels, and of course it's nothing new, but what is new, it seems to me, is how persuasively smooth and appealing Dr. Rosling is in getting the message across. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that he's intentionally trying to manipulate people — nothing of the sort. I'm sure he is deeply sincere and simply wants to share the data he has been analyzing. And as I say, I myself find his presentation very interesting and credible.

If one didn't know better (and let's face it, most people today don't know better), this message, delivered so reasonably here, would make all the sense in the world. The problem is that it contains a great deal of truth and indisputable demographic evidence, but all of that is wrapped thickly and obscuringly around the kernel of untruth: that we must do what we can to have small families.

I plan to write more on this theme, but for the moment, watch this video and see how calm, how, smooth, and how reasonable the family planning message can come across . . .

If Only Disney Security Guards Were Allowed to Get Married . . .

. . . This kind of thing would never happen, dontcha know.

Disney Security Officer arrested for child porn.

Dear Lord, I am grateful for all Your many gifts. Especially this one.

Air America Radio, a progressive radio network that once aired commentary from Al Franken and Rachel Maddow, said Thursday it is shutting down immediately.

The company founded in April 2004 said it ceased airing new programs Thursday afternoon and will soon file to be liquidated under Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It began broadcasting reruns of programs and would end those as well Monday night. (continue reading)

Conan O'Brien's Career Advice for Kids

"Hosting 'The Tonight Show' has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. And I just want to say to the kids out there watching, you can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too."

— Conan O'Brien

Conan Bites $45 Million Worth of Dust

Real Preachers of Genius: Seeker-Sensitive Mega Church Guy

Irresistible Force Meets Immovable Object and Vice Versa

What would happen if a pair of Mormon missionaries showed up on the doorstep of a dedicated Jehovah's Witness? This humorous but insightful fictional dialogue is what it might sound like.

Elder Hawkins grinned as he approached the door. He and Sister Sarah had placed the Book of Mormon in four homes already this morning, and it wasn't yet noon. He rang the doorbell and stepped back. A tall, balding man wearing a large smile opened the door. Elder Hawkins saw the Watchtower magazine in the man's hand and his grin vanished.

— By David Washburn, This Rock Magazine, 1992 —

"Come in, come in," the man bellowed. "Don't just stand there. Come in and let's get acquainted."

Hawkins ushered Sister Sarah in and followed. They sat on a couch that the man indicated. "Hello. I'm Elder Hawkins, and this is Sister Sarah. We're from the Church of-- "

"I know. I can read your little name tags. Tell me, what do you think of the situation in the Middle East? Do you think it's leading anywhere?"

Hawkins shrugged. "Actually, Mr.-- ?"

"Call me Jack. Jack Overton's my name."

"Jack, then. We're here to ask a few questions. Do you believe family is important in today's society?"

"Sure do," Jack nodded. "That's why me and my family are preparing ourselves to live forever in paradise on Earth. Are you?"

Hawkins blinked. "I hadn't really thought about --"

"You need to."

"Tell me, Jack. Do you believe that today's society is trying to tear down the fabric of the family?"

"They're tearing everything down. It's no accident that blood transfusions transmit AIDS, you know."

"Blood transfusions. Tell me this, Jack. Do you believe that life goes on after death?"

"No. When you die, consciousness ceases. The only way to come back is if Jehovah raises you again to live in paradise on Earth."

"Oh, then you do believe we can return and live with Heavenly Father."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't change the subject. Do you believe it or not?"

Jack considered. "Well, not exactly with him, but we can return here."

"And be exalted to live with Heavenly Father."

Jack shrugged. "If you insist on putting it that way. But not everybody will get to."

Hawkins took a breath. "You mean some people will go to hell."

"Hell no, I don't mean hell! There's no such thing."

Hawkins smiled. "So all can return and live with Heavenly Father."

"I'd still like to know what that means, but the answer is no. The ones who reject the truth go to oblivion. After they get their second chance, if they still reject it, they stay in oblivion."

"Second chance?"

"Don't you read your Bible? At the Last Judgment, where it says 'the books were opened.' That means --"

"Oh, you mean when our Brother Jesus returns."

"He's already here."

Hawkins flinched. "Where?"

"Here. On Earth."

Hawkins smiled at Sister Sarah. "Really? Where does he live?"

"Don't be silly. You can't see him. He's invisible, just like he was when his spirit rose from the dead."

"When his spirit-- Tell me this. Do you believe that God gave the Scriptures, insofar as they are correctly translated, to teach us how we can live with Heavenly Father?"

"Oh, yes. And we have the correct translation. It's called the New World Translation. "

"You have Joseph Smith's inspired translation?"

"Joseph who?"

"Sister Sarah is good at explaining prophecy. Go ahead, Sister."

Sarah cleared her throat. "Heavenly Father gave us the Scriptures through prophets who spoke for him. But the Bible wasn't enough."

"It's enough," Jack said, "But it's hard to understand without Watchtower study materials to interpret it."

"It isn't enough," Sarah said. "There's another Testament of Jesus Christ."

"Why do I want another one when the two I already have tell me all I need to know?"

Sarah frowned. "Because God gave it."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he wanted to, I guess. It's called the Book of Mormon."

"It was written by a moron?"

"No, Moroni gave it to Joseph Smith."

Jack blinked. "The city councilman?"

"No, the prophet."

"I hear Councilman Smith makes lots of profits, that's for sure."

"Not profit, prophet." She gathered herself and tried again. "When he was fourteen, Joseph Smith had a vision of two personages. One pointed to the other and said, 'This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.' Who do you suppose that was?"

"This is all nice, but we really should be talking about Armageddon."

Hawkins said, "Yes. The final battle when Jesus returns."

"I told you, he's already here. He returned in 1914 and established the millennial kingdom."

Sarah stared. "But that's supposed to be when all the Jews return to Palestine and all the Mormons return to Missouri."

JACK laughed. "I don't know where your misery comes into it, but Jesus returned invisibly in 1914. He's in the process of driving out the devil's minions. The devil is the author of the Trinity doctrine."

Hawkins said, "You don't believe in a Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?"

"I do, but they're not all gods."

"Of course they are. There are lots of gods. The Father has a glorified body, so does the Son. He took up his exalted body and returned to Heavenly Father after he died on the cross."

"It wasn't a cross. It was an upright stake."

"I beg your pardon?"

Jack sighed. "At any rate, his death and spiritual resurrection gave us the prospect of eternal life on a restored Earth."

"Spiritual resurrection? What do you mean?"

"He didn't rise bodily. When he appeared to the disciples, he used different bodies as he pleased."

Hawkins shook his head. "You've got it all wrong. He laid down his life and took it up again, just like Heavenly Father did in ages past."

"You're saying Jehovah died and rose, too?"

"Not Jehovah, the Father."

"Isn't the Father Jehovah?"

"No, he's Adam."

"Adam who?"

"Adam, the first man in the Bible."

"You're kidding."

"Not at all. Brigham Young told us--"

"Who?"

"Brigham Young. He was the spiritual successor to Joseph Smith."

"The city councilman?"

Hawkins slapped the arm of the couch. "Will you stop that? I want to tell you what God revealed to us through his prophet, Joseph Smith!"

Jack leaned back. "Don't get so excited. Tell away."

HAWKINS took a deep breath. "Now, the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph and told him where he could find some golden plates containing a book that told of an ancient American civilization. He found them and translated them. They were written in Reformed Egyptian."

"What's Reformed Egyptian?"

"A language that nobody knows."

"Did your Joseph know it?"

"No."

"But he translated it."

"Yes!"

Jack scratched his head. "Where are these plates now?"

"The angel took them back to heaven."

Jack smiled. "That's too bad. It would have been nice to have a New World Translation of the Christian Reformed Egyptian Scriptures."

"Why? Joseph Smith translated them perfectly under God's inspiration."

"How do you know that?"

"I prayed to Heavenly Father and he showed me."

"How did he show you?"

"When something is true, don't you feel it? Isn't that feeling you get how you know it's true?"

"Oh, yes. That's how I know my Watchtower is true and this isn't."

"You're wrong. I feel that we're the true church."

"Your feeling is wrong. I feel that we're the right one."

"Your feeling is wrong."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not." Jack stood. "I'm thirsty. Would you like some coffee?"

"We never pollute our bodies with coffee unless our church owns the company. Do you have any tomato juice?"

"I never buy tomato juice. It looks too much like blood, and the Scripture says you're not supposed to eat blood. It's no accident that blood transfusions transmit AIDS, you know."

Hawkins stood. "Tell you what. We need to be going. Just let me leave you with a thought. If you became convinced that these things are true, would you be baptized in the Mormon Church?"

"I've already been baptized into Jehovah's kingdom. Have you?"

"Not that I know of."

"That's too bad. You need to be baptized into his kingdom and then sell books and magazines so you can avoid oblivion. But don't worry. He'll give you a second chance when the books are opened, anyway."

Hawkins shook his head and opened the door for Sister Sarah. "Goodbye, Jack. Thanks for talking to us."

"Same to you," Jack said as he followed them to the door. "By the way, if you're going door-to-door, watch out for the lady two doors down. She's a Christian Scientist. Now there's a strange religion."

Hawkins glanced at Sister Sarah. "Thanks for the tip. We all need to be on guard against religious fruitcakes, don't we?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, don't we all."

Source: This Rock Magazine

---

David Washburn freelances from Powell, Wyoming. Reprinted with permission from The Door, P.O. Box 530, Yreka, CA 96097

John Wayne: "The first thing I'll teach my daughter is the Lord's Prayer"

"Miracle On The Hudson" Passenger To Recount Life-Changing Journey

When: January 29, 2010

Where: Belmont Abbey College

When U.S. Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese and lost both engines minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport on the afternoon of January 15, 2009, Frederick Berretta, an amateur pilot himself, knew before most of his fellow passengers that something was seriously wrong.

As the roar of the jets quieted and the aircraft ceased to climb, the pilot, Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger, guided the powerless plane towards a desperate crash landing in the Hudson River and announced, "Brace for impact."

Berretta fingered the prayer book in his pocket and tried to prepare himself for death. He felt a "nudge" on his conscience; a keen realization that he had to do something. But what?

Come hear Frederick Berretta recount his life-changing journey in a talk entitled “Flight of Faith: My Miracle on the Hudson,” on Friday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. in the Abbey Basilica at Belmont Abbey College.

Mr. Berretta’s talk is the second event of 2010 sponsored by the Bradley Institute for the Study of Christian Culture, and admission is free to the public. Seating capacity is limited to 225, so to reserve your seat, please CLICK HERE or call Jillian Maisano at 704.461.6869. A cultural credit will be awarded to students.

Mr. Berretta will be signing copies of his new book, Flight of Faith: My Miracle on the Hudson, at a wine and cheese reception after the talk. The reception is co-sponsored by Saint Benedict Press, publisher of Flight of Faith, and the Catholic Shoppe at Belmont Abbey College and all are cordially invited.

More about Frederick Berretta:

Frederick Berretta grew up in southeast Florida and is the son of a stockbroker. His parents' divorce when he was a young boy sparked his search for a greater truth in life. Although he was exposed to many different Christian denominations in his youth, he embraced Catholicism in his mid-twenties. Throughout his twenty-year career in investment management, he did his best to live his faith fully despite a demanding job, and the challenges of raising four children, and losing a parent and a son in the same year. Frederick Berretta’s experience of surviving a nearly fatal plane crash in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009 profoundly affected his Catholic faith and led him to a deeper trust in God's mercy and providence.

To find out more about the book, visit www.flightoffaithbook.com

Cube Illusion Video

Scott Brown's Massachusetts Senate Victory A Bitter Pill for Some

The Courtship of Greg's Puppet

Yes, I know, that headline weirds me out a little bit, too. But trust me, Greg Willits is a fine Catholic fellow, he has a wicked-cool trophy wife (he married up), he's creative, he's a dedicated family man, he prays the rosary, he's bald (which makes me feel good about myself), and he's funny (this video notwithstanding).

Olly olly Agcas free

Weird. Sad.

Time Machine: See Market Street in San Francisco Days Before the 1906 Quake

The Flixxy website, where I got this footage, contains the following caption:

This film, originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on historical record, even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!). It was filmed only four days before the quake and shipped by train to NY for processing.

And here's what Market Street looks like today, over 99 years later:

Mr. Kilpatrick Comes Home

My grandson, Killian Patrick Madrid, born three months premature, came home from the hospital NICU a couple of days ago. My sincere thanks to all of you who have been praying for Killian and his parents, Tim and Nina. They are now happily all together under the same roof. Deo Gratias. (Click the pic for details on Tim's blog.)

Trouble in Paradise. What's Wrong With This Picture?

"Our Haitians brothers and sisters are trapped in the misery of their earthquake nightmare while luxury cruise ships still dock at private beaches there!"

That was the comment I made on my Facebook page yesterday. I included a link to this story: “Cruise Ships Still Find a Haitian Berth.” I have a problem with that.

Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? In Luke 10:25-37 we see that he stopped what he was doing in order to attend to the urgent need of the man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. Whatever errand he was on, whatever legitimately important thing he needed to attend to, he stopped what he was doing so that he could do something even more important. And in so doing, as we read in the Gospel, it cost him money to do so.

Lots of people responded to my FB post, some with disgust, others with a reminder that at least the cruise ships in question are doing something to help. Here is my follow-up post explaining why I still see this cruise-ship-cavorting-in-Haiti situation as a problem that goes beyond bad taste and potentially negative PR for the cruise lines:

Thanks, everyone, for your good and insightful comments on this. The reason I chose that article to link to is (as some of you noted) because it includes "the rest of the story," about how the cruise lines are doing something to help. That needs to be said.

However . . . there is still a serious problem with all this. The stricken people of Haiti are experiencing excruciating suffering on an enormous scale a short distance away from where others are resting comfortably in the arms of luxury.

In my estimation, it poses more than just a problem of bad taste for the cruise ships to continue docking in "safe" parts of Haiti. I don't think they should.

By way of an analogy, it's kind of like this:

Imagine that your house burned down and half your family was incinerated. You have nowhere to go, because you're poor and destitute, so you camp out in the ruins of your yard and smoldering house.

You've stacked the charred bodies of your dead family members (children, spouse, etc.) in a corner of your yard hoping that someone will arrive to assist you in burying them. And you wait, miserable, hungry, injured, and grief-stricken.

And then . . . your neighbors (a few of whom have thoughtfully stopped by to bring you a box of doughnuts, a jug of water, and a blanket) go forward with their plans for the neighborhood block party.

The date for the party was set months ago, mind you, and everyone has gone to trouble to save the date on their schedules, so nothing can be done about it except to have the party.

And so, while you huddle in anguish, waiting for rescue, your neighbors on either side and across the street from you have their merry block-party, which abounds with plenty of succulent food, tasty beverages, music, and all-around bonhomie.

All of this is happening right near you and your burned out house and the stack of your family's corpses in the corner.

So . . . given all of the above, do you think your neighbors are doing the right thing? Or is there something better they could be doing instead of throwing their block party?

My problem with the cruise lines is not that they are catering to their guests' bought-and-paid-for right to a week of fun in the sun. That's what cruise lines do. My complaint against them is that they are choosing a far lesser good than the one they should and could choose, it seems to me.

See also this article in the NY Times (photo credit: NY Times).

And let's not forget these solemn words of Christ about just this sort of thing:

And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.

And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:

Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.

And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting (Matt. 25:31-46).