Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 416

A prayer for dogs

Michael Dirda reviews Mr. and Mrs. Dog by Donald McCaig, hailed as “the Mark Twain of dog writers.”  It’s about two dogs that the author took to the World Sheepdog Trials.  The event was opened with this prayer from a man named John Seraphine: “Lord, we thank you for our dogs — your simple gift [...]

“We are all Thatcherites now”

Fareed Zakaria gives an overview of how the recently-deceased Margaret Thatcher changed the world’s economies: Consider the world in 1979, when Thatcher came to power. The average Briton’s life was a series of interactions with government: Telephone, gas, electricity and water service, ports, trains and airlines were all owned and run by the state, as [...]

Dark lightning

Thunderstorms create bolts of lightning, as we all know.   Scientists have recently discovered that they also create bolts of energy that we cannot see:  pulses of radiation–X-rays and Gamma-rays–that are being called “dark lightning.” From Ivan Amato: A lightning bolt is one of nature’s most over-the-top phenomena, rarely failing to elicit at least a ping [...]

LCMS nominations

This item is for those interested in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  Everyone else may look away.  The nominations for president and other offices, which will be voted upon at the upcoming convention July 20-25, have been released.  It looks like the current president and other conservative, confessional types have an overwhelming advantage.  I give [...]

Sanctification and Vocation

The estimable Anthony Sacramone has been carrying on a fascinating and helpful discussion (in two posts here and here on Jonathan Fisk’s  Broken) about the Lutheran view of the Christian life, how it perhaps doesn’t do enough with sanctification.  I think the missing link, so to speak, is the doctrine of vocation.  Here is a [...]

Happy Baptism birthday to me

I didn’t grow up a Lutheran, so I don’t have the Baptismal sponsors or the Baptism anniversaries that lifelong Lutherans generally do.  But not too long ago, I discovered my Baptismal certificate.  It happened on April 10, 1960.  You non-Lutherans will appreciate that it was not an infant baptism.  I was 9.  It was a [...]

The next step in internet TV

As a follow-up to our ZeroTV discussion, I present to your information about Aereo, a website that will stream live television broadcasts that it picks up over the free airwaves.  Broadcasters and Cable moguls alike are trying to stop this venture in the courts, but so far to no avail. I have questions for both [...]

Church authority vs. state authority over marriage

As gay marriage becomes the law of the land in many jurisdictions and, very likely in the near future, in the whole country, some Christians are saying, well, marriage is a religious function anyway.  Let the state do whatever it wants in regards to redefining marriage.  Or, better yet, let it get out of the [...]

A new economic boom?

The U.S economy is still in the doldrums.  But former general and CIA director David Petraeus and Brookings scholar Michael O’Hanlon see the possibilities of a new economic boom on the horizon.  IF the government doesn’t mess it up. Here are the promising developments: ●An energy revolution. We are the world’s largest producer of natural [...]

Louisville wins, as do some Cranachers (sort of)

Louisville beat Michigan to win the NCAA basketball championship. In our Cranach contest, no one picked the winner, but quite a  few picked Louisville to be in the final two: Dr. Fundystan, Aletheist, A. MacPhee, and EGK.  Dennis gets another imaginary prize for coming the closest to predicting the little school that comes out of [...]