Transcendence

Last Monday, I posted a James Gunn reminiscence of the alleged origin of "Sturgeon's Law."

While down in Nanticoke, I pulled an issue of Galaxy (the September 1975 issue, exactly) out of storage and came across a rather complementary quote by Spider Robinson in a review-essay on the "Golden Age" of SF and the then-current (even more so now current) wave of nostalgia and the wealth of quality reprints that such nostalgia demands. While praising the best of the past, Robinson does not tarry there, but instead is optimistic about the future of SF, refusing to relegate the so-called Golden Age to any past era.

"Put down that axe, sir, and let us discuss this like gentlemen. I will concede that we live in decadent times--they don't, for instance, make guitars like they used to. Every area in which individual craftsmanship and professional pride have been phased out has declined, inevitably. But SF is not produced by an assembly line of sullen transients, much as it seems that way at times, and by its nature it cannot help but improve. Mass Man's output gets steadily worse, but things made by and for individuals always get better."

Righteous or Right?

I'm so outside of the loop as far as current events go, yet I have, of course, heard of the recent Pat Robertson scandal. I have nothing to add to the conversation, but Dave Lily has put up a brief angry post on the subject that I think is worth linking to here.

"To claim authority for his own statements from the actions and teaching of Bonhoeffer left me aghast, pissed off, helpless, speechless, FULL of speech (angry, mostly swear words unfortunately), and likely dozens of other things I didn't even notice. How dare he? Where does he get off?

Bonhoeffer became involved with an assassination attempt on Hitler's life because there are some things greater than one's country. Robertson called the Chavez's assassination because nothing is."

Ichabod

The Outbursts of Everett True is good stuff. I went from being in a crabby mood after having two consecutive cans of soda falling onto the ground and exploding on me to uncontrollable belly-laughing after reading some Everett True.

Living in a small upper apartment with a pregnant wife and two children made the following strip all the more funny for me.

Race Suicide

Hearts in the Air

I love my wife and my wife loves me.....


Hey diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, dee!

State Fare



No blogs for me. This weekend is our trip to the NY state fair. Once we return to Buffalo, I'm going to a couple of shows, classes start Monday, and Jonathon Winters will be in town for a short while to play some German board games.

Invincible Iggy

The Roman definition substitutes for the ancient motto of Tertullian, outside of Christ there is no salvation, and Cyprian’s motto, outside of the church there is no salvation, the motto, “outside the Roman church there is no salvation.” –extra ecclesiam romanum nulla salus. This was meant by the Fourth Lateran council, 1215, when it declared “the universal church of the faithful” to be the body outside of which no one at all is saved—extra quam nemo omnino salvatur. Eugene IV in 1441, affirmed that “the Holy Roman church fully believes that all who are outside of it, Pagans and likewise also Jews, heretics and schismatics cannot become—fieri non posse—partakers of eternal life but will go to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Pius V, opened his fulmination against Elizabeth by declaring that “outside the one holy Catholic and Apostolic church,” over which God has placed the Roman pontiff, “there is no salvation.” In the nineteenth century Gregory XVI added to the statement that men “are saved only in the Catholic religion” the declaration that “those who die in heresy cannot attain to eternal life.” His successor, Pius IX, in his allocutions, December 9th, 1854, and August 10th 1865, announced it to be “a most assured dogma and a matter of faith that outside the Apostolic Roman church it is not possible for anyone to be saved and that those who resist its authority and are obstinately separated from its unity and from St. Peter’s successor cannot obtain eternal life.” The Romanist who ventures to look upon intelligent Protestants as included in the number of the saved defies such utterances (emphasis mine -jro). If the pope is infallible on any matter, he ought to be infallible when he defines the terms of salvation.

from Our Fathers Faith and Ours, by David Schaff

(It is important to note that Schaff deliberately uses the word intelligent before Protestant in contrast to those of us who are "invincibly ignorant".... Oh, to be invincible!)

Sabbath High

Pews: they are a violation of the regulative principle.

Trout

Just tonight, I've decided to complete my collection of the Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon. Currently, I own three of the ten volumes. Soon, I'll own all ten.

James Gunn writes:

Of course what became known as Sturgeon's Law was then only a sentence in a talk that Ted gave to the entire convention; total membership was only 750, and there was no need for separate programming. The general thrust of Ted's remarks was that science fiction was the only genre that was evaluated by its worst examples rather than its best. "When people talk about the mystery novel," Ted said, as I remember, "they mention The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. When they talk about the western, they say there's The Way West and Shane. But when they talk about science fiction, they call it 'that Buck Rogers stuff,' and they say 'ninety percent of science fiction is crud.' Well, they're right. Ninety percent of science fiction is crud. But then ninety percent of everything is crud, and it's the ten percent that isn't crud that is important. and the ten percent of science fiction that isn't crud is as good as or better than anything being written anywhere."

Bathroom Readers

Spike may be pleased to know that I'm on my way through the 4th chapter of the Desert novel.

I had committed to reading it starting on the 1st of July. Spike, due to circumstances, didn't get it to me to me until several days into July, and by that time my resolve had broken down. I'm still not sure what kind of block I was suffering from, but I've had the same block with many other books that I've put off for a long time.

So far, I am really enjoying it and have only had some quibbles with some phrasing, but don't know that I have any better suggestions.

Anyhow, I brought it into the bathroom to read on the toilet tonight, which is a sure sign of something.

Here's a snippet that I read (and enjoyed) tonight:

"Since when were you going to be a priest?" asked Isaac, as soon as we got in the car.
"Since when I was 12 and foolish," said Frank.
"No sex," said Dennis.
"Yes, but a costume and a purpose," said Frank, "just like a superhero."

Better dead than red?

I'll most likely be homesteading once debt is paid off (though probably for a long time supplemented with a library job).

I've been impressed with several homesteading communities, some of them kookier than others....

But I think that I've finally found one that might be the perfect match for my family:

The Homestead Project
"To arrive, survive, and thrive"

I can't believe how much land there is out there for the taking!

Gernsback Galore

The 2005 Hugo winners have been announced.

Leithart Spotting

Date: 6/5/2005
Title: The Blood of Naboth
Passage: 1 Kings 21
Speaker: Peter Leithart

You can find the mp3 file here:
http://www.reformationcovenant.org/sermon.asp?ID=205

Also:

Leithart's own translation of 1 Kings 21

Written sermon notes