Author: Michelle Arnold

From CNN.com comes another balanced piece about how the new Pope had better change to meet the expectations of a bunch of whining babies the more modernist members of his flock. Balanced, as is fairly typical for CNN, means drawing insights from a broad range of liberals. They lament-

Some experts are skeptical that Benedict will embrace modernity, believing he will instead focus more on internal church changes than on reaching out globally. That said, he remains — by definition — the leader of hundreds of millions of Catholics in most every corner of the world.

That’s nice at the end, there, where they grudgingly admit that he is the Pope.

I think (and hope) that those who expect this Pope to put his finger to the wind to test doctrine will be, not just disappointed, but dismayed. Of all the things for a Pope to embrace, mere "modernity" would be the most fatuous. Modern, by definition, means something that is already fading, already passing away, to make room for something even more modern. What is astonishing about modernity is how blindingly fast it becomes quaint and outmoded. Remember beanbag chairs? Polyester suits? Poodle skirts, for cryin’ out loud?

Mankind needs timeless truths, not the latest fads whipped up by doctrinal fashionistas. I can’t wait for the first encyclical.

In the words of G.K. Chesterton –

"My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have long ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday."

First Scary Monster disappeared because he was too, well, scary – then Elmo came along, and now the writers of the Sesame Street have apparently staged an intervention with Cookie Monster and have helped him to confront his addiction to sweets. He has now learned that cookies are a "sometimes" food. How did they accomplish this, I wonder? Did they force his eyelids open and make him watch movies of obese children? Wait, no! Cookie has no eyelids on his googly eyes. Did they quietly send him off to rehab, like an aging rocker?
I readily confess that I watched Sesame Street well into my teen years because there was a fair amount of semi-brilliant comedy on the show. Attention: Jim Henson has left the building.
The brilliance of the early Sesame Street was that it did not take itself too seriously. Sure, help the kids learn to count and spell and all, but throw in a lot of broad, goofy, stupid humor, too,  along with some pratt falls and pie fights. Well, I never actually saw a pie fight (those muppets would be hard to clean) but you get the idea. In those days Bert and Ernie were like Laurel and Hardy, or Abbot and Costello. A great number of their skits had no point at all, except a few minutes of idiotic fun. Ernie was a consumate pest, and Bert the ultimate straight man… er, straight muppet. Think Sponge Bob and Squidward.
PBS, though, has had to deal with the same changes as the Big 3 networks: Increasing competition leading to growing irrelevance. Hardly anyone is watching anymore, and the median age of the average Sesame Street viewer has been dropping over the years. It is now almost exclusively a pre-kindergarten show.
So, goodbye, Cookie. We’ll always have the "rectangle" sketch.
GET THE "HEALTHFUL!" STORY.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with the way things are made, the way they look. As a kid I was extremely nearsighted for a while before anyone discovered the fact. The result was that: (A) I had no interest in school, and (B) I developed the habit of examining things really closely, because that was the only way I could see anything. I appreciate artists who can paint in a very impressionistic style, but for me the details are the fun part. Hopefully, the other aspects of the composition are strong as well, so the details are part of a well-balanced whole. Detail is a big part of the beauty of any object. I don’t feel that my job as a Catholic artist is to bring beauty into the world, but to bring attention to what is beautiful in the world.
Now, I said all that to say this: If you have not yet discovered the music of Alison Krauss and Union Station, you owe it to yourself. She and her bandmates, particularly Jerry Douglas, display a rare depth and genius, as well as just pure musicianship; the details of a musical expression that is as meticulously crafted as it is heartfelt. Alison Krauss’s vocal cords should be declared a national treasure, and Jerry Douglas – well, he should be bronzed, or something.
Don’t settle for "interesting".  Life is short. Go straight for beauty.

Thought some of you might enjoy this picture I snapped looking out the window into our back yard. The bush on the right in the photo is apparently a favorite deer snack, especially during the winter. I was interested to find that there are two distinct types of White-tail deer in this area. The indigenous herd is almost a grey color. This happens to blend in extremely well with oak trees, and can make them hard to spot. The others (and I have this on very reliable heresay) were introduced from the Great Plains, and are more of a tawny color that might blend well with tall grasses and such.
So, Arkansas deer are, like – STEALTH deer.

The first time I tuned in to Johnette Benkovic’s show on EWTN I figured (like a true male chauvinist pig) that her "Living His Life Abundantly" program would focus on "women’s issues". I guess I expected her and the female guest to talk about, what, the family budget? How to keep the kids quiet during Mass? I quickly saw how wrong I was. I actually made myself late for work because I became so absorbed in their discussion about the culture of United Nations. I have watched a number of times since, appreciative of her faith, her perspective on cultural issues and her personal warmth.
Her husband has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she has cancelled personal appearances to be at his side. She is asking for our prayers.
THIS LINK to the story on Catholic Exchange gives more information, as well as an address to which may be sent cards or personal notes.
God Bless You and your family, Johnette, You are in our prayers.

You aspiring comic writers out there, here is an idea that just screams to be inked. The Mesa, Arizona police department is seeking funding for research into training monkeys to do police work.
In real life the monkeys would be used to unlock doors, or search rooms ahead of teams of human officers, but expanding on the concept wouldn’t be difficult.
GET THE STORY.
I’m not a writer, so I don’t know about story arcs and all that, but I’m pretty sure it should involve Kung-Fu. Now, go to it!

There is a ton of analysis out there on BXVI, being that he was already a well known figure before he assumed the papacy, which is unusual in itself. Here is a little snippet from an interview of religion writer David Van Biema on TIME.com., that suggests that this Pope is not fearful of losing members over questions of doctrinal purity.:

He (BXVI) has previously indicated that he would be comfortable with an extremely small Church, preferring a small church of true believers to a larger one whose numbers are swelled by people he would not see as good Catholics. Benedict XVI has previously argued that it is not unhealthy for church to be a counter culture rather than a dominant player in secular Western society.

Gee, I always wanted to be "counter-cultural". It appeals to my internal hippy. I have always said that if Natural Family Planning had been invented by a ponytailed professor in the ’60s, it would be all the rage. Hey, man, no chemicals, no artificial anything. Just you and your soul-mate doing what comes naturally.

Read the whole article HERE.

Already conservatives are on the defensive, trying to calm the irrational fears of the fringe (theological) left of the Church, assuring them that Pope Benedict won’t be that bad. Even FOX News has been sucked into this. Just now I saw a piece all about the concerns of "many American Catholics" that the new Pope is too authoritarian and traditional.

Hel-lo-o-o-o? You could just as easily frame the story this way: "Many American Catholics Elated at Conclave’s Outcome" or "Many American Catholics Eager For New Pope’s Likely Reforms". Why let these shrieking harpies set the agenda?

I confess, I did check in at BeliefNet last night just to revel in Andrew Sullivan’s perplexed rage. His most telling comment was comparing Benedict XVI to JPII. How does Sullivan think the new Pope will stack up against the most beloved figure of modern times? He laments that he will be "even more hardline" than JPII.

Let’s hope pray so!

READ SULLIVAN’S RANT HERE, if you can stomach it. I found it most enjoyable.

One of the sub-sets of modern music that I enjoy is that of historical songs, or songs that reference history in neat ways. Gordon Lightfoot’s Edmund Fitzgerald is good, but his Canadian Railroad Trilogy will make the little hairs stand up on your neck. Al Stewart has some good ones, as well as The Band and others.

So I’m driving around in my SUV (168,000 miles and counting!) and listening to Dire Straits playing Telegraph Road and I look up and notice that I am driving on our very own "Old Wire Road". It runs brokenly through about 3 counties here locally and is obviously, well, old. It is the road that ran along the original telegraph route through these parts, and runs smack past a Civil War battlefield, also. The Dire Straits song is about another telegraph road, around Detroit, and the changes it brings to the generations that grow up around it. Mark Knopfler’s worn-leather voice and lyrics hauntingly capture the emptiness of blind progress, and he can also play guitar like crazy.

Some pictures and info about the road, the song and how Mr. Knopfler was inspired to write it, can be found HERE.