My Thanks to Hernan Gonzalez
Whose ploy seems to have worked for the moment--until blogger arbitrarily decides to alter another line of code. Their parsing engine doesn't like certain browsers and seems to not like even their standard browser from time to time. At any rate, I am very grateful for kind spirits like Hernan who simply looked at the code and suggested an imminently logical fix.
Guess I'll Just have to wait for it to go away again
Oh well, looks like it's here for a while. I'll just have to wait for it to go away. Commenting out the Scripture Verse didn't affect it. Things like this do make movable type and others look more desirable. On the other hand if it is (as likely) merely my incompetence, then Movable Type will only exacerbate the situation.
Now Let's See If I Can Even Post
Isn't debugging fun?
Templates Being Curiously Sensitive
Added a link to my side-column and suddenly everything is thrown off again. Went in to effect the only fix that seemed to mean anything last night and no result. I do wish that they would stop fooling with templates.
Found at Two Sleepy Mommies
But derived, from all indications from Quenta Nârwenion, this helpful list of abbreviations indicating Relgious Orders.
Urgent Prayer Request
Normally I avoid cross-posting as it would be a continual annoyance to anyone. But I received an anonymous request for prayers this morning from an individual who needs everything we can summon over the next few days. Please join me in praying for this person for peace, joy, and strength to sustain the effort required.
Some May Wonder about the Question of Mathematics
It occurs to me that not all may share my deep love and sense of awe in the face of mathematics. I have heard rumor of people, in fact, who don't even care for Math. Although that it simply beyond comprehension to me, I accept it on faith, knowing that even stranger things are known in the real world.
My love of mathematics stems from its perfect unity, its symmetry, its beauty. Mathematics is the most perfect end of argumentation and proof and it is the purest of sciences. Whether a thing "seems" like a circle or not, if it is not the locus of all points equidistant from a given point in the Euclidean plane, it is not a circle. Even if it doesn't look like a circle, if it meets the definition, it is indeed, and it behaves mathematically as a simple closed planar figure.
As some see the face of God clearly in all manner of abstruse, intricate, and infinitely fascinating, if confusing, theological and philosophical arguments, and some see the beauty of God in the beauty of creation, and some see God in His Holy Scriptures (all of which I acknowledge occur to me at times) I never fail to be bowled over by the face, eyes, ears, beauty, and hand of God that so clearly points out of the world of Mathematics and directly into my heart and soul. The Creator who did this, which I can to some degree internalize, did all that I cannot internalize--but if He created this system, it is enough to convince me that this is the One I should love and worship. Such beauty is beyond the hand of Man, it may only be revealed and opened up by people. God alone wrote this and perfected it, and leaves upon every turning of it His imprint. Even without Revelation and Nature, Mathematics alone would prove the existence of God to the heart that yearns for beauty and elegant simplicity. (in the sense of Aquinas). All Mathematics points to God, it's a wonder more mathematicians aren't mystics.
Did I Need a Test to Know This?
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More importantly, is it in any wise true?
A Possible Colleague of Mr. White?
Mr. Eric Weisstein, Wolfram Research, and the National Science Foundation give us this remarkable Mathematics page. I'm certain you could not imagine my excitement when I opened the link from the On-Line Books page and discovered a lead article that suggested that the Poincaré conjecture had, at last, been proven. Henri Poincaré's conjecture deals with a topic in three dimensional geometry that suggests that certain types of manifolds are always equivalent to an object known as a three-sphere. It appears that a Russian Mathematician by the name of Perelman has proven Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture which is a more inclusive conjecture regarding manifolds and their topological equivalents. Exciting news for those of us interested in the Math World. But more exciting is this wonderful page Mr. Weisstein has given us.
Splendid, beautiful, and incredibly exciting stuff!
A New Blog
Don McClane of Tancos fame, and sometime contributor to Catholic Bookshelf announces his new weblog. Jog on over and give him a big welcome to personal blogbom!
Samuel and Wittgenstein
A Samuel story that has pseudo-Wittgensteinian emanations. (See, I could be a Supreme Court Judge.)
Samuel has come home from school the last several weeks with various songs, memorized tidbits, and the usual encumbrances of starting school. But one that is most precious to a hoping father's heart follows. He has a couple of Bible verses under his belt, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." And perhaps more significantly, "I will hide thy word in my heart so that I may not sin against God." We hear these on a fairly frequent basis throughout the day, and I am caused to think of the distortion of Wittgenstein that has become PoMo de rigeur--that is , "Words make reality."
I have not read enough Wittgenstein to be able to verify or deny this formulation of his thought; however, it is a chief principle of the relativists and other situationalists who would have us believe that there are no absolutes. However, what I do think and believe is that those things that enter our language and our heads early and frequently do shape our world view. I am in favor of memorization of texts of all sorts, and of Bible texts in particular, because they impart to the recipient a "storehouse of hope." When these enter your life early, you are in a constant state of awareness of Someone called God, and of His Son Jesus. Now, there are many ways of making these Persons real, but none as salutary as memorization of His Holy Word.
So, if we look at Wittgenstein and derive from his work that words can shape our perception of reality (a truth no one can really deny given our experience with the propaganda of the media), what better words to shape our perception than those that lead us to Reality? I am delighted to hear from my young Son's mouth these most fragrant words of scripture. There is no music more compelling, no sound more desirable. Every day I must thank God for the gift given in these words.
A Small Tweak
In a spirit of fellowship and camraderie, not just to be mean, I share this snippet from Alban Goodier S.J.:
from Spiritual Excellence Alban GoodierPut a check upon self-seeking, on self-gratification, on looking for reward, and you will have cleared the ground. Be led by something more than mere argument, mere reasoning of your own, that dead and fallacious thing that is the offspring of man's short sight. See without turning aside the compelling force of truth in itself, of nobility in itself, of beauty in itself, of goodness in itself, wherever these may be found. Submit to them without drawing back; be guided by them without flinching. (p. 17)
Expect
Little or nothing in the way of posting this week. Happy Holy Week and Joyous Easter to all.