Hillary Gives Gifts....

H/t to Hot Air. Moooo!

Immanuel Kant: Wrong for America (Vote Nietzsche!)

On the other hand, Nietzsche was accused of expressing a "will to power" in kindergarten. Or at least that's what I heard from a high ranking member of the Kant campaign.



Hat tip to Hot Air.

Ring

Smile

Vows

Our Lady

Projection of leaves

Roman Drinking Party Etiquette

Staring contest

Corridor with lamps, illuminated by sun

Layers of concrete cut by afternoon sun

Faraday Cage on Top Gear: Hammond sits in Car whilst it is hit by Lightning

Eyes of the Villa dei Papiri

Portrait #1

Picture is not yet titled. Taken at the Getty Villa.

Fred Thompson lays down the first principles

The Campaign Spot at NRO has Fred dishing up a political philosophical smackdown on Charlie Rose:

CHARLIE ROSE: You constantly say in this campaign that you are a conservative. What does that mean today? Is George Bush a conservative?

FRED THOMPSON: Well, let's talk about me. (LAUGHTER) I thought we might get to that. I think that it means things that are consistent with God's design for man. It`s consistent with human nature. It's consistent with the lessons of history and the lessons of the ages. They found form in the Constitution, I think, and what our founding fathers believed. They understand that man can do great and wonderful things, but man is prone to error, and sometimes do terrible things. That too much power in too few hands is a dangerous thing, that power is a corrupting thing.

CHARLIE ROSE: In all of that, you didn`t mention abortion, gay rights — all things that have been part of recent presidential elections.

FRED THOMPSON: Those — well, you`re talking about different things there. Those are issues that are before us, which derive from principles. I don`t consider them to be...

CHARLIE ROSE: Principles.

FRED THOMPSON: ... the first principles. But the principles are what guides you in coming to positions with regard to the issues. You know, the Declaration of Independence said that our basic rights come from God and not from man. The founders talked about, you know, life and liberty and the importance of that. And everything is based on those basic principles. And I take those principles, and you know, for example, I come to a pro-life conclusion there. And when we had issues, you know, for eight years when I was in the United States Senate about whether or not the federal government should be funding, for example, abortion-related activities and things of that nature, you know, the application of those principles in that instance told me the answer was no, properly.

I like it when candidates go back to first principles. True conservatism seems only to be found coming from Fred.

Photos sorting

I am trying to label all posts with photos with the tag "photos" so you can view just photo posts...look for the link on the sidebar.

Layup

Introduction of Tobacco to Civilization -- Bob Newhart

Prayer request

I interviewed for two jobs at the beginning of the week. Not sure if I'm going to get either of 'em. Please pray to St. Joseph and St. Cajetan for me.

God Bless!

"Oh St Joseph and St Cajetan whose inspiration has been a light for multitudes of unemployed, bless our hearts with the light of Christ so that we may be a beacon for others and hold Him in our bosom as you also did. We implore thee for the special grace to endure our most troublesome times and not forget the poor in spirit and consequence. We ask that Our Lady Virgin be implored to pray for us sinners and for forgiveness for our transgressions through her Son made perfect on the cross. Please be by our side and guide us in the will of our Lord, Amen."

The Church on YouTube

According to a story on ZENIT, the pro-life movement, along with the Archbishop of Philadelphia, have discovered the effectiveness of YouTube:

YouTube has been a great boon to the nonprofit community because with it, a video can be instantly available anywhere in the world, says media producer Colin Mason. Mason, director of media production for the Population Research Institute (PRI) in Front Royal, spoke to ZENIT about the success the organization has had using the medium to spread its Catholic message.

PRI launched its first YouTube video in June as an introduction to its work and research. Its effectiveness led to a new effort called the "Viral Video Campaign."

The first video of the campaign, a 51-second pro-life video called "The Human Race" asks the question: "Humanity is rushing toward the future. But where are we headed?"



Mason said: "We've been having a good deal of success with YouTube and it has been responsible for a big chunk of the traffic on our Web site. People have expressed a lot of support for the videos -- their quality, message, etc.

"We believe that these short, punchy videos are crucial in raising the YouTube generation's awareness of life issues."

Short, punchy videos huh. The video has good production values, aside from the narator, who seems to be doing his best imitation of the movie voice over guy.



Of course, not only are pro-life groups getting in on the action, but prelates are posting vlogs too. Another quote from the ZENIT article:

Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, is the first prelate to use the new media to reach his flock. During Lent 2007, a series of reflections on the Gospel given by the cardinal were posted on YouTube.

"The first video the cardinal posted was one of the most watched on YouTube," Donna Farrell, communications director at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, told ZENIT. "The reaction to the cardinal's reflections was amazing. We heard from people all over the world, Australia, the Philippines, Italy, and many in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, including one self-described '15-year-old skateboarder.'"

A "self-declared '15-year-old skateboarder'"? We now know that even though the Archdiocese is hip to the interweb, they are not hip per se.

"When it comes down to it, people like media," concluded Mason. "They like sound bites and video clips that entertain them during breaks or off-hours. So, if we can harness that power, the power of the short, pithy video clip, we can use it to raise awareness of our cause."

Heck, maybe they're on to something.



For those of you who don't get the reference, watch these:



It is wonderful that the Archbishop and these various pro-life groups are using YouTube. However, I don't believe these videos will have much of an impact. With the notable exception of Lisa Rose's undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood, which was picked up by the mainstream media, most of these videos will only be watched by Pro-lifers and Catholics.

The audiences of EWTN and Catholic radio are almost completely Catholic, and the audience for these YouTube videos will consist of EWTN viewers and Catholic radio listeners who have internet access. The utilization of new media brings the benefits of mass distribution and easy access at a very low cost. However, these groups shouldn't expect to get very many "self-professed...skateboarders" watching merely by posting on a hot new medium. Turning YouTube into an effective way to spread the gospel will require high quality videos. Otherwise, it will be the equivalent of Evangelical's attempts to reach the youth using video games (such as the one pictured below, with the laughable title Catechumen) or Christian rock music. They will not watch just because it's on YouTube just like the average kid won't play Left Behind just because it's a video game. While YouTube is a good medium for reaching the faithful and will likely remain such, its efficacy for evangelizing the "internet generation," at least for now, remains very low.


Kill those vampires for the LORD! (This game, according to the publishers, contains over 300 Bible verses. Great way to learn the Bible--using a pixelated sword to slay enemies).

The Humans Are Dead -- The Flight of the Conchords

The geometry of shadow as the projection of architectural form by means of lightwaves

Christus regnat

Father Paul, Thomas Aquinas College, Feast of Christ the King.

Incensed

I-5, 11:59 pm

Those apples tasted bad.

oops!

Kiss

Proof that I am working on Em's wedding pics. Enjoy.

news

Progressive "violence fantasies."


700 protestant cross-dressers. pass around the collection plate for abortion.

State of war

Rusty knives for giblets. Plastic wrap for piglets. Blood spilled on the floor. Black helicopters. We grant no second chances. You cannot escape. Jackboots kicking down your bedroom door.

what's playing

Tasik doesn't care for moody electronica inspired soundscapes. I dig though.

Mezzanine floor

From the "choir loft." TAC Chapel.
"i'm on the mezzanine floor/
never been here before"
--delirious?

(new) home

ORANGE IS FROM A FIRE.
smoke is in the air.
this feels like deja vu.

Despair at a lighthouse

My cousin in Hawai'i.

Lovely Lady

Bride Preoccupied

24 done, for now

Finished 24 Season one. Very very very very good.

Gainfully employed!

I got a job as a photog! (They use Nikon).

So I joined facebook

Two of Maria

Ant on lily

Mother Betty says, "Drink your beer!"

Tutor greeting of the week

trio

Dinner foreground; mountains background

A good photog team

Kakashi in Hawai'i

Evan in Kansas

weird face (both color and b&w)

Anticipation

Three inanimate objects

I didn't use any style presets or computer tricks on the picture of the measuring tape. The look was the result of clever use of flash.

t.duffman

I Turn My Camera On