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Interesting things. Shulamite
English does not have a word in common usage that means what "soul" used to mean. If it did, then Atheists, Scientists, Catholics, and everyone ease would not be disputing over whether the soul exists, but what the soul is. The word "soul" used to mean "that by which living things live", but over time, the word came to mean "a spiritual substance" or "the ghost of a man". With this new imposition, the "soul" was by no means a self- evident thing, but a rightly disputable thing. We lost the root meaning of the word, and were left powerless to take that root meaning and expand its notion to include the particular truth that the human soul is immortal
I also like his "Architectonic Syllogisms" very much. Thesis: Political rights require God. Patum Pepperium channels the late Horatio Nelson
Considering that the England I gave my arm, my eye and my life for can't commemorate my sacrifice--and the sacrifice of hundreds of my officers and men--in proper style leads me to wonder if that sacrafice wasn't misbegotten. What, after all, were we doing out there on the waves, not touching land for months--sometimes years--at a time, weathering every kind of sea while maintaining blockades, shadowing enemy squadrons and engaging them in ferocious, muzzle-to-muzzle battles? For all the foll-de-roll purveyed at your universities nowadays, the fact remains that men will die willingly for the right idea. And those ideas--as well as the names of those who died for them--should never be forgotten.
Acton Institute (not a blog, but still...)
The pursuit of scientific or technological progress for its own sake should never be considered the highest good. A scientific pragmatism, which views humans and animals primarily in terms of utility, will always be an inadequate guide for ethical considerations. It violates the dignity of human beings as image-bearers of God and abandons the norms of responsible stewardship.
Zenit carries this report on some of the behind the scenes media concerns the Vatican had when JPII passed away:
In the period between April 1 and 24, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications provided accreditation and assistance to 4,843 communicators involved in television, radio and photography. The Press Office of the Holy See provided credentials to about 2,500 journalists. Obviously, for the TV people and photographers, we had to guarantee visual access through selected locations and rotating pools. For the major ceremonies, we also had to inform TV networks of the availability of the images from St. Peter's Basilica and Square -- and it was necessary for us to start a Web site independent of the official Vatican site which was overwhelmed with inquiries. Through that Web site, we were not only able to keep those in Rome informed but also to make it possible for 155 networks in 84 countries to receive the needed information and texts to bring a live telecast of the funeral of Pope John Paul II to what was certainly one of the largest audiences in the history of television.

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