Reflecting on the Sox--Without Clemens

Ok, I no longer care whether Roger Clemens joins the Red Sox. I'm really starting to enjoy this current group of players and would almost hate to see it disrupted by a high profile addition. Besides, Curt Schilling provides enough drama as it is. Last night he bounced back from a few bad outings to sink the Yanks in a 6 strikeout butt kicking. I also enjoy how there is a good distribution of talent on this squad; of course Papi and Manny stand out as hitters, but Lowell, Youk, Willy Mo (gotta love the name), and others have been playing some solid ball. I know it's only the beginning of the season and a lot of things can happen, but I have to say I'm very impressed and, in a strange way, almost feel bad that the Yankees can't put up much of a fight.

24 Finale

Did anyone out there see the 24 finale? Overall, I thought this season was subpar, but I have to say that the writers really pulled it together at the end (yes, I realize it was all written earlier). I won't give the ending away but suffice it to say that I'm extremely excited about next season; the twist is a good one. For those who say the final episode, what did you think?

Nasar and Terrorism in the New Century

Craig Whitlock, at MSNBC, profiles captured Al-Qaeda leader Mustafa Setmarian Nasar. His tome on jihadist techniques for the new century highlights decentralization via small cells operating across the globe. The implementation of this stategy has already begun, notes Whitlock, as evidenced by the Madrid and London attacks.

Red (and Yellow and Blue) Badge of Hostility

This is not good news. Iran, it would seem, is not an up and coming homeland for minorities. Come on, how could anyone see malicious motives behind this new requirement foisted on Jews and Christians who make Iran their home? It’s just colored cloth right? As if it were required, here’s another apt reminder of the need to pray for Iran’s peoples.

Evangelicals and Gnosticism

N.T. Wright, appearing alongside Vampire-fan-turned-Jesus-admirer, Anne Rice, makes the fascinating observation that both sides of the cultural divide in North America exhibit gnostic tendencies. (The moderator--annoying most of the time--quipped that the two sides can be neatly divided according to their literary tastes: Left Behind or The Da Vinci Code.) In this context, Wright notes that many evangelicals follow the dualistic disdain for the physical here and now, in desiring to escape to the "there" of heaven, and possess the hubris-inspired certitude so characteristic of gnosticism. Are Wright's comments apt, or do they represent a caving in to postmodern relativism? Or somewhere in between?

Note: The interview is fairly long but worth listening to--for the most part.

Red Sox Fantasy

Just heard on NECN that Clemens will likely suit up soon. The question is, with whom will he play? Curt Schilling, while not disclosing any details, said on WEEI that he feels pretty good about the situation--i.e., Clemens playing for the Sox. I can't even imagine what it would be like to Clemens, Schilling, Becket, and Wakefield in the starting rotation with Timlin, Foulke, and Papelbon coming out of the pen. One word: unbeatable. Any thoughts on whether the fantasy--Clemens closing out his career in a Sox uniform--will come true?

Tuesday Links

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I’m hoping things will calm down enough to allow for more sustained posting, but here are some offerings for this afternoon. I’m trying to track down a podcast of an interview with NT Wright and will post it when, and if, it reveals itself to me.

MSNBC has an article up that gives air to some criticisms of The Da Vinci Code. You can find it here. HT: Jim Davila.

Jim links to an article which forecasts the effect that the Hamas political victory will have on Palestinian archaeology.

Meanwhile, Mark asks for iGod’s assistance in solving the Synoptic problem.

Bronson Arroyo

I already miss Bronson Arroyo. It was dissapointing to see him traded, especially as I feel, despite some difficulties last season, that he's a very versatile pitcher. Now we see that he's an overall versatile player. Not only is he pitching extremely well with the Reds, he's also hitting for the bleachers. The Sox should've kept the guy and used him in pitch hitting situations.

Gospel of Judas

NPR had a blurb on the "recently released" Gospel of Judas. After describing the circumstances of its discovery and the process of its restoration, the narrator concludes with the thought that (and I'm paraphrasing) perhaps next Easter we will be reflecting on the sacrifice of Judas.

Anyway, Mark Goodacre, over at the NT Gateway Weblog, provides some commentary on and plenty of links about the Gospel of Judas. Check it out here.

Abdul Rahman in Perspective

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, writing in the Weekly Standard (HT: The Counterterrorism Blog), puts in broad perspective Abdul Rahman's story. He points out that the official, or unofficial (by family members or the community), slaying of former Muslim converts to Christianity is commonplace in Islamic societies. What garnered media attention and international outrage (albeit belated, nearly tragically so) at Abdul Rahman's plight was the fact that the nation preparing to execute the man is one where the Western democratic values of human life and freedom of expression are supposed to be implicit in institutional decisions (Or else for what are our soldiers dying there?).

Gartenstein-Ross makes a cogent big-picture point, though:

THE ABDUL RAHMAN CASE presents an opportunity for the West, but only if we refuse to view this as an isolated incident. When Abdul Rahman awaited trial, Representative Tom Lantos wrote a letter to Hamid Karzai stating: "In a country where soldiers from all faiths, including Christianity, are dying in defense of your government, I find it outrageous that Mr. Rahman is being prosecuted and facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity." Lantos was correct, but he did not go far enough. This is not only an outrage in countries being defended by Western soldiers. The unjustifiable punishment of apostates from Islam is an outrage wherever it occurs.

Read the whole article here.

Christian Teen Rally "Fitting"?

Other than this article, I haven't seen much news coverage of this Christian teen rally in San Francisco. (That might be because I've been holed up at home trying to get some work done.) This rally was organized to respond to the secular values marketed to teens and young adults through today's popular culture. My initial feelings are mixed, but I'm interested in hearing some other thoughts, particularly as my church community group has been considering what it means to act as God's image--his representative--in exile. Are these types of rallies an appropriate way to express our role? Are they "fitting" for the time in which we live? Thoughts?

Barbra and the End Times

Yes, there is a connection. Just saw this news flash about Barbra's upcoming tour. Better bring out the generator, stock up on batteries, and buy gallon jugs of water, because she's back, and trials and tribulations heretofore not seen since, well . . . , Yentl, are about to be experienced.

Afghan Christian

Michelle Malkin questions here who will raise a voice to save Abdul Rahman, Afghan convert to Christianity, who now faces execution for renouncing Islam. My guess is that, in an effort to avoid a public confrontation over this issue, especially as it involves the volatile Muslim/Christian dimension (cf. the Muhammad cartoon saga), the U.S. is using only back channel methods to urge Rahman's release (or acquittal, if it comes to that). However, even though the issue is a stormy one, it seems like religious freedom is a crucial, non-negotiable tenet that must be confronted head on and publicly.

Also, here, by the best columnist in the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby, is an apt reminder of the justifiable moral reasons for going to war in Iraq. I was an initial opponent of the war (I'll share why at some point in the future), though one who was (and is) sympathetic with its goals, and who is now eager that it be prosecuted thoroughly. Jacoby reminds me why ambivalence about our foreign policy is no excuse to turn a blind eye to injustice and suffering. Check it out.

(hat tip: real clear politics)

Ireland, day two, part 2--Dublin Night Life Revisited

Yep, it's a winner!

"And it's no nay never, no nay never no more! Will I play the wild rover, no never no more!
Life couldn't be better.

Ireland, day two, part 1--North from Dublin

Feels pretty good.

Street at Howth Head, a suburb of Dublin. To the left, there is a view of Dublin Bay.
Howth Head remains a working fishing port and here are the boats to prove it.Malihide Castle, home of the Talbot family for over 800 years and recently bought by Dublin County Council in 1976 for public viewing. It was said that 14 cousins of the Talbot family sat together for breakfast the morning of the Battle of Boyne and all were dead by nightfall.

Ireland, day one, part 3--Dublin Night Life

The Temple Bar area in Dublin CityTraditional Irish music at the Auld Dubliner, our favorite pub in Dublin City

Our first Guinness of the night--a look of contentment.


Digging in. No time to talk!

Ireland, day one, part 2--Dublin

The Liffey River, which bisects Dublin. South of the Liffey, to the right, is currently the more visited part of the city, as it hosts Trinity College, Grafton Street (replete with retail stores), and the well-known Temple Bar area.

Here I am just inside the gates of Trinity College.


The busy Grafton Street, at a relative down time.
View of St. Ann's Church from Grafton Street.

Ireland, day one, part 1--Dublin

Neat pathway leading from our B&B in Contarf to the bus stop, where we will catch a bus into Dublin City.

Here comes our bus--driving, of course, on the wrong side of the road

An outdoor market north of the Liffey River in Dublin City

Meat market that we stumbled across at the worst possible time--when we were starving and desperately searching for somewhere to eat

Sabbatical

I'll be gone for about a week--off to NH for a church retreat and then off to good ol' Ireland. Here's what I'll be studying on plane on the way over.

Blog Highlight--Living in Berlin

Sage, a friend and former coworker, has been sojourning this year in Berlin, Germany, where she is taking courses at the Free University of Berlin (I see that it's Girl's Day at the University--whatever that means; I thought everyday was Girl's Day). Unbeknownst to me, though, Sage has been keeping a blog diary of her experiences as she studies there and narrows down the list of possible PhD programs she will attend upon her return to the States. Check out her blog.