(no subject)

This weekend picked up a translation of Seneca's letters to Lucilius. I wanted to learn more about the Stoics and their possible influence on Christian ethics. As philosophical literature it makes for remarkably light reading. A random selection:

To want to know more than is sufficient is a form of intemperance. Apart from which this kind of obsession with the liberal arts turns people into pedantic, irritating, tactless, self-satisfied bores, not learning what they need simply because they spend their time learning things they will never need. The scholar Didymus wrote four thousand works: I should feel sorry for him if he had merely read so many useless works. In these works he discusses such questions as Homer's origin, who was Aeneas' real mother, whether Anacreon's manner of life was more that of a lecher or that of a drunkard, whether Sappho slept with anyone who asked her, and other things that would be better unlearned if one actually knew them!

This makes me wonder, somewhat ironically, if Seneca would disapprove of people reading his letters so many years after his passing and even the passing of his world and way of life.

(no subject)

The Master frequently reminded his disciples that holiness, like beauty, is only genuine when unselfconscious. He loved to quote the verse:

"She blooms because she blooms,
the Rose:
Does not ask why,
nor does she preen herself
to catch my eye."

And the saying: "A saint is a saint until he knows that he is one."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

(no subject)

The White House has again presented falsified evidence to support its claims about Iraq:

"A key piece of evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program appears to have been fabricated, the United Nations' chief nuclear inspector said yesterday in a report that called into question U.S. and British claims about Iraq's secret nuclear ambitions.

"Documents that purportedly showed Iraqi officials shopping for uranium in Africa two years ago were deemed 'not authentic' after careful scrutiny by U.N. and independent experts, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the U.N. Security Council."

See Some Evidence on Iraq Called Fake


The White House has also been collecting bids on the costs of rebuilding Iraq:

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Bush administration has asked at least five U.S. engineering firms, including a unit of Halliburton Co., to bid for a post-war Iraq rebuilding contract that may be worth as much as $900 million, according to a published report Monday.

"All five companies have submitted their bids or are preparing to do so after the U.S. Agency for International Development 'quietly' sent out a detailed request soliciting proposals from the likely bidders, the Wall Street Journal reported."

See Firms submit bids to rebuild Iraq

(no subject)

Posted by evergray

This is war.

Pass it on.

(no subject)

Posted in warprotest

"TERRIFIED Iraqi soldiers have crossed the Kuwait border and tried to surrender to British forces - because they thought the war had already started."

"They had heard firing and thought it was the start of the war.

"The Paras are a tough, battle-hardened lot but were moved by the plight of the Iraqis. There was nothing they could do other than send them back."

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/news/page.cfm?objectid=12715943&method=full&siteid=106694/

(no subject)

This cat that we took in during the hard freeze a couple of months ago had kittens yesterday, five of them. Suddenly, and strangely, all of the cats in the house are a lot more calm. Of course the new cat (and her five little ones) are completely isolated from the older cats, which helps.

I've been lazy about sending out the Mardi Gras stuff I promised to send out, but I have it with me today and will try to find suitable boxes for sending. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to find 4" cube or nearly-cubic boxes. This will remain to be seen.

I've also been lazy about taking the pics to be developed. Soon, my precious, soon.