Thanks to the lovely Jeanetta for passing along this beautiful and moving tribute to Fred Rogers.

Some cool news today... I finally got the reviewer comments back on the paper Dr. Zeigler and I wrote and submitted (I blogged about this here). They're good comments, very helpful and thoughtful. Also in looking around I found this paper by Dr. Zeigler, in which he actually references the paper I wrote last year for SCI 2002. Very cool!

An interesting Slashdot discussion on Accidental Privacy Spills. It's in reference to this allegedly leaked email from a reporter at the World Economic Forum.

So, our diocese's Rite of Election is coming up on Sunday. Presumably as in years past, there will be liturgical dance during the Rite, despite the fact that many of the parish RCIA directors complain every year that it is inappropriate, etc. This year, presumably to try to stop the tide of dissent, the Catechumenate Board sent out a list of quotes from documents that purport to support the idea of liturgical dance. The only problem is that only one of the documents actually mentions dance at all, and that document is the much-reviled Environment and Art in Catholic Worship. Note that even the US Bishops have deprecated the importance and authority of EACW:

Environment and Art in Catholic Worship does not have the force of law in and of itself. It is not particular law for the dioceses of the United States of America, but a commentary on that law by the Committee for the Liturgy. However, it does quote several documents of the Apostolic See and in that sense it has the force of the documents it quotes in the areas where those documents legislate.

It's also helpful to note that the successor to EACW, Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship, doesn't mention dance at all. Check out the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments document, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines (2001):

Among some peoples, song is instinctively linked with hand-clapping, rhythmic corporeal movements and even dance. Such are external forms of interior sentiment and are part of popular traditions, especially on occasions such as patronal feasts. Clearly, such should be genuine expressions of communal prayer and not merely theatrical spectacles. The fact of their prevalence in one area, however, should not be regarded as a reason for their promotion in other areas, especially where they would not be spontaneous.

Check out Adoremus's critique of EACW. Does anyone know of an online copy of EACW?

Aristotle Esguerra's Confessions of an Accidental Choir Director has moved to a new home -- he's forsaken blogspot.com for his own hosting and traded in Blogger for Movable Type. I confess it's a very attractive site! Congrats, AAE!

The Arizona Daily Star eulogizes Fred Rogers -- Goodbye, neighbor.

Okay, I had to laugh at this -- ESPN's Page 2 has a poll on the Hottest Female Sports Personality. Really, now, can't we give them credit for their athletic talent without focusing on their looks? To be fair, apparently last week they also did a poll for hottest male sports personality, so they are equal-opportunity objectifiers.

Page 2 is always panting after Anna Kournikova so naturally they had to exclude her from this poll. The Arizona connection is that so far, former UA Wildcat softball player Jennie Finch is winning with 32% of the vote. Jennie's softball career at UA was.. well, astonishing. She finished the 2001 season with an NCAA record 32-0 pitching record.

A sad note -- Mr. Rogers has died. Like millions of Americans I grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and a nice neighborhood it was, too. Rogers was my brother in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men's music fraternity. He will be missed.

Jeanetta blogged about this article -- Caring for Your Introvert. It's pretty good. It ties in with my blog about being extroverted. Check it out; this sort of thing is one of the more positive ways that social science really can be helpful.

NASA reports it has lost contact with Pioneer 10. Pioneer 10 was launched in 1972 and is now in interstellar space, where it should reach Aldebaran in about 2,000,000 years. Check out the Pioneer 10 home page.

Wow! Really great news today, the Supreme Court rules against NOW. Yep, amazingly enough, the Supes ruled 8-1 that pro-life protesters can't be prosecuted under RICO. This is a really, really big break against NOW and PP's attempts to stifle protesters.

The Arizona Daily Star now has an entire section on Msgr. Trupia, the alleged child molester who is now living fat in Maryland and is still being paid by the Diocese. Trupia has apparently been successful in using his canon law degree to fight his laicization.

If you love Big Iron.... I mean, if you really love Big Iron... here's a classic VAX 11/780. Ah, the good old days!

Pew Lady writes about Hell. It's the February 21st column. Check it out, it's pretty good on why Hell is important and we need to talk about it more. Thanks to the beautiful Jeanetta for the link.

This is exciting... I got an email from my advisor today that the paper we submitted a while back was rejected, but with an invitation to resubmit. They asked for some more literature review and a few other things my advisor thinks shouldn't be too hard. So I might get published again, that would be really cool!

This is yet another silly quiz. I love the Veggie Tales though!

Take the test, by Emily.

Hmm. I appear to be backsliding a bit; I've gained a couple of pounds over the last couple of weeks. Nothing serious, but a reminder I need to be vigilant...

Mark Shea shares this great link: Peace in Middle Earth in our Time. I especially like:

“We need more time for diplomacy,” said a key member of the Middle-Earth Security Council, Saruman the White. “I am not convinced by the evidence presented by my esteemed colleague, Gandalf the Grey, or that the Dark Lord Sauron presents an imminent danger to the peoples of the West.”

Yet another silly quiz....


How Republican Are You?
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Check it out -- The Curt Jester exposes the truth about St. Blog's.