I can't believe there's been almost no coverage on this -- credit card minimum payments will be going up substantially. This is really going to hit people hard. I'm really surprised they didn't go into this more gradually.

Update: Here's another story on this. I'm really surprised there hasn't been more coverage about this.

Netherlands: Government-Approved Killing Since 1998!

Those wacky Dutch are still at it -- now they've approved official standards for when babies can be killed with government approval.

Apparently the Nazi occupation didn't teach them very much about the value of life.

I am feeling somewhat better about things. Marie has been gone since 9/14 and so I've been a bit cranky, plus stress from work and not skating have not helped at all. I think, though, that I've resolved some of my issues and so I'm feeling better. Not that everything will necessarily work out for me as I'd hoped, but that I know where I stand on things.

Another interesting story in today's Arizona Daily Star on the resolution of the Diocese's bankruptcy case. Check it out.

This is pretty cool. Teams from the Mount Graham observatory's Large Binocular Telescope project have succeeded in moving the second of the telescope's 8.4m mirrors up the mountain.

The Diocese of Tucson has completed its Ch. 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The Arizona Daily Star is reporting how the abuse victims' lives will change. This bankruptcy case seems to have been a model for how such proceedings should go -- all concerned seem to have worked together to do what was best for the victims, instead of finger-pointing or grandstanding. It's encouraging.

"I know that nothing can take away the hurt and harm that happened to you," Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas told victims on Tuesday. "You are not at fault and you did not contribute to the hurt that happened to you. But I hope that today will be a continuing of the healing that will take place."

This is disturbing, but not surprising -- Testing doesn't stop HIV spread in porn industry.

Just a quick whine... I'm having a singularly bad week. I'm looking back to last spring and things seem like they were so perfect then, in many respects. *sigh* I'm sure things will improve but right now I just want to scream, cry or beat my head against the wall.

Shameless Plug

Gromagon Press is now taking pre-orders for Marie's book, Red Rings of Wax. While I am admittedly biased, I can truthfully say that it's a very good book and there's some really good stuff in there. Check it out. It's only $11, so buy one! Buy 2!

I went to the UA - Purdue football game last night. It was a very... intense game. We could have and should have won, but we lost 31-24. *sigh* See the Star's coverage of the game. Basically our defense was pretty solid, our kicking game was excellent, but the offense was inconsistent and plagued with costly mistakes and penalties. It was so frustrating! The good news is that most of the problems are fixable. Check out Greg Hansen's column for some good commentary.

Highlights of the evening -- a 51-yard field goal (wow!) by Nick Folk. The stadium was packed (56,400!). At halftime the youth league football players did their thing, which is always entertaining -- 10 or 12 year olds (maybe younger, they are pretty short!) playing football and the crowds going wild in a very supportive way. And the Pride of Arizona's new Led Zeppelin show is terrific.

Phew! This week at work was absolutely crazy. Very, very busy with a couple of projects that were all heating up at the same time.

This morning was a "choir retreat" for Collegium Musicum. We rehearsed for 3 hours, then had a potluck lunch. Our first concert of the year is November 6th I believe.

Tonight I'm going to watch the Wildcats play Purdue. Should be fun!

Marie left yesterday on a trip to visit friends and family. She won't be back until October 5th! I miss her horribly...

In other news, for those that don't read my skating blog, Tucson's only rink, Polar Ice, closed on September 9th. It's unclear when/if it will reopen; so I am on a forced break from skating :-(.

Today is my 42nd birthday... actually, it was my best birthday in many years, as far as I can remember. I slept really late (yea) after going to the football game last night (the Wildcats beat NAU 31-12). Then Marie and I went and had a picnic at Sabino Canyon and opened presents. She gave me a couple of really nice gifts -- things that are very personal and original and that no one else would think to give me. She really is the world's best girlfriend as far as I am concerned.

I've been having some discussions with Marie about Aquinas and his proofs of the existence of God. In researching this to try to understand it better myself and answer her questions I came across this cool article by Peter Kreeft. Check it out!

Whoa! Chief Justice Rehnquist has died. As if life weren't bizarre and strange and mixed up enough right now. This should make life very interesting, especially with the John Roberts confirmation hearings supposed to start Tuesday.