Octopodial Chrome

It’s not being reported in the Western media, but there is a great persecution of Christians going on in Europe, in the Balkans. The Islamist terrorists whom we sponsored in the Balkan Wars of the late 1990s are doing their best to cleanse the Kosovo area of any trace of Christianity: pulling down centuries-old monasteries & churches and persecuting the inhabitants in hopes of restoring this piece of Europe to the Dar al-Islam. Archimandrite Nektarious Serfes is particularly concerned with their plight, doing his utmost to relieve Decani Monastery, one of the last to survive the Mohammedan’s desecration. He composed this prayer for those persecuted & suffering in the Balkans today, and I thought it meet to share with y’all.

In The Name Of The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy!

Our Lord and most loving God,
we Thy servants prostrate ourselves before Thee,
crying to Thee in prayer.
Thou art our Peace and Thou alone art our Hope.
Humbly we beseech Thee with tearful words
from the depths of our burdened hearts,
and we cry out to Thee to visit upon us Thy boundless Love.
In Thine unwavering kindness,
strengthen us at this time of continuing strife and struggle;
depart not from us for Thy people’s suffering seems endless.

So too do we beseech thy Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos,
to grant to all who hunger or who are otherwise in need,
her promise of Joy, Hope and Peace.
Send down upon all our suffering souls, O Theotokos,
thy Motherly Guidance and sure Protection.

Hear us, we beseech Thee, O Lord:
we plead for all Christian victims of those who now persecute our faith,
for all who are homeless, who are without food or adequate clothing,
who are without needed medical assistance.
And especially, for all left desolate by war and strife,
all victims of tribal conflicts and hatred,
of prejudice and intolerance, of ethnic cleansing
and all forms of discrimination or misapplied nationalism.

May all Thy children rest in the shelter of each other’s love
and in Thy boundless and indiscriminate kindness
which we Christians, obeying Thy command,
are charged to reflect toward one another.

By the prayers of Thy faithful saints from everywhere
and throughout all ages, O Lord, strengthen our suffering souls,
our aching hearts and our fragile bodies.
With Thy strong Hand, uphold them who in weakness cry to Thee:
hold them confidently in Thy Love,
comforting them in the sure knowledge of Thy salvation.

Teach us all the meaning of peace and especially
of Thy Peace which passeth human understanding.
Give us Grace to learn from Thine own supreme example
to always be prepared to assist any and all who are in desperation.
Keep us steadfast in Christian virtues in this time of ongoing conflict,
even when we lose sight of the path to peace
and good will is compromised by national and sectarian interests.

Keep us also ever mindful that we here in North America and Europe
who are comfortable enough to have surplus to share,
along with those who have lost all in strife-torn lands
and those who were born into abject poverty,
are all together beloved in Thy sight—
all of us together are Thy children and heirs of Thy Kingdom.
As such we are responsible for one another as brothers and sisters
of a single Christian family.

Lord, Thou givest of Thyself to us for nourishment.
Let none now perish of hunger or thirst
in lands turned desolate by the cold-heartedness
of those who hate Thee and persecute us, Thy people.
Thou, O Lord, didst feed the five thousand with bread and fish.
Stretch out Thy hand to feed Thy people now, both their souls and bodies,
wherever they may call upon Thee.

Through the hands and hearts of our Christian brothers and sisters
who have the will and the means to share with those in need,
feed and sustain those who hunger and thirst in blighted lands.
Inspire with Thy Loving Kindness those who have much
that they will give to help others who are struggling.

For Thou seest the devastation of war,
the outcome of hate and violence. Thou knowest intimately
the tears of the despairing; Thou understandest human vulnerability;
Thou art acquainted with pain and hunger, cold and homelessness;
Thou makest common cause with the widow, and with parents
no longer able to provide even for their children’s most basic needs.

Thou also knowest the means of those who enjoy Thy bounty
for they have nothing but what Thy loving Kindness has allowed
and in Thy Mercy hast bestowed upon them. Move our hearts
and guide us who have much to help those who need
by sharing what Thou hast graciously allowed us for ourselves.

We thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast gathered us all together
in Thyself, all of us Christian people: Thy universal and eternal Church.
For Thou didst come into our midst to make us one family—Thy family.
Raise us from the mire of our foolish squabbling and vain divisions.
Let us now serve one another according to our abilities and means
as all together serve Thee according to our understanding and devotion.

Let us remember one another in our prayers and in our charity.
For in Thee there is no East nor West nor North nor South, but one nation
and one people—the Christian nation of Thine own Christian people.
Of that body Thou alone art the Head at all times and in all places,
adored by all hearts, praised and exalted in all languages,
hymned and worshiped according to all cultures and customs.

Show us now, dearest Lord, how we may rouse our separated
Christian brothers and sisters to join themselves to us
to become a world-wide force of Christian love.
Only in Thee, Lord, can we overcome our self-inflicted divisions
and petty rivalries; only by Thy Grace may we rise up together
to wield our common Christian faith like a mighty shield
against those who aim to destroy Thy legacy in the world.

For we will need all hands and hearts, all prayers
and the resolve of all Christians to save the Serbian Orthodox Church
and the Serbian people, this branch of Thy Christian family
which today is in dire peril from Thine enemies.
We will need all to stand firm together against the rising tide
of anti-Christian sentiment that is engulfing our world.

Come to our aid, O Lord; save the persecuted Serbian people
and restore the plundered Balkan lands today lest they perish
and we Christians in North America and Europe,
having been heedless and unrepentant in our self-indulgence,
suffer the same fate tomorrow!

The Decani Monastery Relief Fund and International Orthodox Christian Charities, among others, are working to bring some share of mercy to the Kosovars.

Well, I just saw the DVD re-release of Top Gun, a film which was arguably the formative experience of my youth. I remember that Dad took me & Tom to see it in the theatre, maybe for my birthday—I don’t believe that John was there, as he was probably too young in ’86 (not even three), and Stephen wouldn’t be born until that August—and although I don’t really remember that experience, I know that it was a defining one. We boys in the schoolyard would discuss every single aspect of the movie. As an example, there were endless debates over whether or not Maverick cast Goose’s dog tags into the sea at the end or not: while it’s pretty obvious from the film that he does so, many of us adhered to the belief that he wouldn’t discard such relics so casually. These and other matter absorbed our every waking hour. I vaguely remember that Katie—the girl across the street—had a signed photo of Tom Cruise, or had met him, or the signed photo led us to believe that she had met him; regardless, she was well and truly cool for a very long period thereafter. The fact that her father was in naval aviation only confirmed the fact.

As boys, I know that we went through at least one Beta (it still plays, last I checked!) and two, maybe three, VHS cassettes of Top Gun, as all four of us boys absolutely loved the film. It offered everything: sports (the volleyball scene); love (Kelly McGillis); death (Goose); violence (the fighting finale); chaos (Maverick’s general misbehaviour); defeat and eventual triumph. It had large doses of humour and tragedy; it had snappy uniforms & attractive women (alongside the aforementioned McGillis there was a 24-year-old Meg Ryan); it had a pumped-up 80s soundtrack. What more could a boy want?

Seeing the movie as an adult, I still enjoy it. Yes, there are those who say that it’s homosexual and cheesy, but I don’t really think so. Even the infamous Tarantino monologue is really a cop-out. If McGillis represents heterosexuality and Iceman homosexuality, then we straights win: Maverick chooses her at the end. But besides the supposed camp undertones, it’s just a fun movie. Sure, it’s not great, in a film-for-the-ages sense, but it’s enjoyable—and isn’t that what we’re looking for in entertainment?

I will admit that the script is…lacking. Quite honestly, a great deal of the lines sound like something from Saved by the Bell—i.e. an adolescent’s idea of adult speech. But it’s all in fun, and that’s what matters. Heck, Shakespeare made a classic play out of two teenagers who couldn’t keep their passions in check! It really gets back to the same things I loved as a boy: the music; the characters; the melodrama; the fighting; the girls.

I firmly believe that Top Gun is responsible for more military careers than any film before or since. It was filmed at the height of the Cold War, when America finally realised that it was fighting the good fight, but before we had actually won it. And many of us who saw it as boys would go on to sign up. My own brothers Tom & Stephen were almost certainly influenced by Bruckheimer & Simpson’s masterpiece, although I wonder how often they’ll actually admit it.

Now, the movie did get just about all of the facts wrong. I understand that pilots don’t actually have planes with their names on them, and their callsigns are very rarely used, and never in social situations, and that a plethora of miscellany about the film is screamingly wrong. But it’s just a film and if one isn’t a naval aviator then one doesn’t notice most of the nonsense. And, to this fellow, a lot of the look still appears accurate: the buildings and fixtures are what I remember naval installations looking like when I was but a lad.

Oh, and Top Gun in DTS Digital Surround is truly fun. You simply must try it…

Today we celebrate the Feast of Feasts, Christ’s Resurrection from the dead & His defeat of Satan. There can be no finer words than St. John Chrysostom’s on this day:

If any man be devout and loveth God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast! If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have laboured long in fasting, let him how receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness.

For the Lord, who is jealous of his honour, will accept the last even as the first. He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour. And He showeth mercy upon the last, and careth for the first; and to the one He giveth, and upon the other He bestoweth gifts. And He both accepteth the deeds, and welcometh the intention, and honoureth the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord; receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival! You sober and you heedless, honour the day! Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away. Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal Kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

Ever wanted to be a South Park character? Now you can, with South Park Studio. For what it’s worth, this is me:

Feel free to laugh, and to do so most heartily…

A school-child watered houseplants with water heated to boiling either by a stove or a microwave, then cooled. It turns out that the plant fed microwaved water did dramatically less than that with the stove-heated water. A proper scientific study would be useful, though—this one hardly qualifies.

The TSA detained a Marine travelling home from Iraq because he was on their watch list. Why was he on their watch list? Because he had gunpowder residue on his boots on an earlier flight. Why did he have gunpowder residue on his boots? Because he’s in the United States Marine Corps!

Will this lunacy never end?

Well, you anti-smoking yahoos, you authoritarians, you hateful fascist thugs, you bestial guardians of public behaviour: you’ve pretty much won the war on the noble weed tobacco; where will you turn your baleful gaze next? William Saletan believes that obesity is next on the block, as the anti-smoking industry gears up for its next massive campaign. Me, I’ll laugh as every anti-smoking morbidly obese person is publicly shamed—you taught your children to castigate me for smoking, now I shan’t lift a finger when you are mocked. You campaigned against the right of proprietors to choose whether to allow smoking in their establishments; now I shall smirk when you are no longer able to buy your sodas and junk food. You urged that my insurance premiums should be raised, without statistical evidence therefor (indeed, the numbers reveal that pipe smokers live longer than you teetotalling swine); now I shall enjoy the spectacle of your premiums rising to the sky.

What goes around comes around. Beware, for the suppression of smoking has formed a blueprint for bluestockings of every stripe. Where now we smokers are the oppressed, maybe next time it will be you.

There’s recently been a great deal about hybrid cars—those which get their energy from both gasoline and electricity. But as Jamie Kitman points out, hybrids aren’t a cure-all. Hybrid technology is useful for reducing mileage in certain situations, but not others.

I’m reminded of a billboard I saw yesterday which advertised an SUV which got all of 25 miles a gallon. My 15 year old sedan gets 35 and costs maybe a dozenth as much as that SUV, and the odds are that said SUV will be used for exactly the sort of errands my car is used for: commuting to & from work & church; getting groceries; running errands.

Iran has created the Special Unit of Martyr Seekers, a force of suicide bombers. Will no one rid us of this troublesome regime?

A cabdriver ended up playing harmonica in a packed concert hall due to being overheard by the band playing that night. Not too shabby!

Patrick Moore—a co-founder of the radical environmentalist group Greenpeace—is now advocating nuclear energy! It’s good to see that the man is seeing some sense in his old age…

An 18 year old Massachusetts man was sentenced to two years in prison for selling an undercover cop a strong teaspoonful of marijuana. This is absurd; it is wrong.

The Left have raised the question: did Bush lie? This may be audacious, considering their own track record, but it is a valid issue. The Christian Science Monitor’s John Hughes examines the evidence and concludes that Bush did not, in fact, lie. Hussein had spent the last decades convincing the world, his allies, his enemies and even his own generals that he had chemical weapons—but he did not. There was no way for our president to know that Hussein was bluffing. We called his bluff, and he lost.

Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms assaulted a college student returning home from a pirates-and-ninjas event. One agent was quoted, Seeing someone with something across the face, from a federal standpoint—that’s not right. I’m wondering why there’s any federal standpoint involved. Amusingly, the agents in the included picture are quite pot-bellied…

Not many folks today remember Gopher a once-popular precursor to the World Wide Web. And yet there are those who regret its passing, believing that it had much to offer; some are even keeping the dream alive by running their own Gopher sites. Others point out that Gopher and the Web are equally bad replacements for the client-and-protocol world which came before.

I tend to agree with this last point of view. There was a time when file transfer called for a File Transfer Protocol, mail called for a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol; there were even protocols for phone directories and so forth: each did one thing, and did it well. Nowadays everything is crammed into a web browser, which does all things, none of them well.

Accordion Guy has a harrowing tale of a girlfriend who completely made up her life—from where she worked, to her history, to her family. A lesson for us all.

Reason magazine points out the disturbing prevalence of cops killing animals—and the disturbing fact that people don’t care nearly as much for the indignities visited upon their fellow citizens as those visited upon beasts.

Wired magazine has great quotes from neophobes throughout the ages. My favourite is this:

The indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced…at the English Court on Friday last…It is quite sufficient to cast one’s eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs, and close compressure of the bodies…to see that it is far indeed removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is…forced on the respectable classes of society by the evil example of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion.

The Times of London, 1816

Good stuff!

Today my best friend from college passed his PhD. defense—he is now Doctor Philip Branch Forshee. I’m very happy for him (and proud of him), but I must admit that it makes me feel very old. Just today at lunch I was talking about how Phil & I had discovered that ramen noodles make the perfect post-party food: water, salt & carbohydrates in proper proportions to forestall hangovers.

But that was very nearly half-a-dozen years ago, and we’ve moved on since then. For one thing, each of our bars now is worth several times our combined bar then…

Still, it’s very strange when one’s best friend becomes a doctor. Doctors are old men, not guys one once played golf with!

Here’s a quick little political math quiz. How well did you score?

Discover magazine has a cool article on bacteria in man. An interesting datum is that for every one of our own cells we have ten bacteria inside ourselves. Assuming that the bacteria weigh the same as other cells (a poor assumption, I know), that means that there’re only about 16 pounds of me that are me—and 164 that are bacteria!

Fascinating to read how some of the bacteria are essential, and others are harmful, and how the whole thing is rather a delicate balance, as killing off the mildly harmful stuff can open the door to the even worse.

Leonard Sax asks what’s happening to boys: more and more are demotivated, staying in their parents’ homes far too late and not achieving much. My thought is that it’s due to the fact that society is increasingly feminine: girls are coddled and supported in their idiosyncrasies, while boys are looked down upon, considered behavioural problems and generally not given a chance to contribute their unique skills. Ours is a post-masculine society—this is not good, but it is. How we resolve this problem is a very great mystery.

All I know is that when the great masculine role models are a bunch of grown men wearing spandex and touching one another’s behinds, we men are in a great deal of trouble…

Jonathan Rauch writes very interestingly on the hazards of polygamy. In short, every man with two wives (and polygyny far outstrips polyandry) is taking a potential wife from some other man, and the societal effects can be quite violent indeed.

It’s an interesting problem: from a sheer rights perspective, surely citizens have the right to contract their private affairs as they like! I think that—as ever—the solution is to eliminate marriage as a legal grant of rights: rather, allow free citizens to contract (or covenant, if that’s your preferred terminology) as they like, and allow anyone to recognise those contracts as he likes—but don’t mandate recognition of any of them.