Author Archive

2nd Day of Christmas Realities Under the Fedora

Posted: December 26, 2019 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Today is the 2nd Day of the Christmas Season which will be continuing officially until January 12 the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which is both the last day of Christmas and the 1st Sunday of ordinary time.

Because it is the 2nd day of Christmas and because disability has made me a little short today I will be shopping for what would be considered “late” Christmas gifts for her and paying less.

Celebrating all the days of Christmas has its advantages.

I’m sure the ring doorbell has its advantages, here is one of its disadvantages:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Every smart device from your doorbell to your car is a computer and any computer is only as secure as the dumbest and most careless person who knows your password or sets up your network makes it. And really if you think your eight year old’s bedroom is so unsafe that you need a camera in it you need to move your family into a cave in the mountains or something.

I know cable news networks need to fill time but can we stop the debate on if the President is “officially” impeached or not? I know that rules lawyering is all the rage in America these days but let’s drop the pretense. This president was impeached, it was a political impeachment, one without foundation which is going to destroy the electoral prospects of those who pushed it and diminish the power of congress and the value of impeachment as a check on actual presidential corruption for all time. But it IS impeachment.

I recently read Bishop Robert’s Barron’s short book “Open Letter to a Letter to a Suffering Church”. While the Bishop might have some novel opinions concerning the current population of hell I don’t think I’ve read a better book on the subject of the sexual scandals that have been revealed in the church in the last two decades. He provides historical perspective, diabolic and scriptural perspective while not sugar coating the causes nor the responsibility of the local bishops or the Vatican.

Most importantly he does a fantastic job making the argument that leaving the church is not a solution. If you’re a Catholic and haven’t read this book (you can finish it in an hour) do so.

While the voters are not cheering the Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg campaigns at the moment they are providing both the media and political consultants a very Merry Christmas.

In the wake of Bloomberg’s official presidential campaign launch on Nov. 24, he’s invested $57 million in TV advertising, putting him on track to overtake fellow billionaire Tom Steyer in the coming weeks, who has spent just over $60 million since July, according to data compiled by Advertising Analytics.

Nothing warms the heart of a political consultant or a TV or Radio station than Christmas stockings full of cash provided by billionaires with unlimited funds to make them. Ironically they are both likely to become what a lot of people (including at first me I confess) thought the Donald Trump campaign would be, a full employment scheme for consultants to milk for a few months. Donald Trump turned out to be smarter than that, It remains to be seen if his Democrat counterparts will prove the same.

The Reason For the Season

Posted: December 25, 2019 by datechguy in Uncategorized

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus 2 that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,and she gave birth to her firstborn son. 3 She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Luke 2:1-20

Ungodly Tom Brady New England Patriots AFC East Title Thoughts Under the Fedora

Posted: December 24, 2019 by datechguy in nfl, Sports
Tags:

On Saturday the NE Patriots beat a Buffalo team that despite almost being shut down in the 1st quarter held a lead going into the 4th to clinch their 11th straight AFC East title.

When you’ve got a a guy who has won 6 superbowls a division title might not seem to mean much so to give you some perspective consider the following

The last time the Patriots did not win their division George W Bush was president and Tom Brady was injured and out for the year.

Not counting Tom Brady there are four Patriots with 10 years experience who have played their entire careers in Foxborough Devan McCordy (10 years) , Matthew Slater (12 years), Julian Edlman (11 years) and kicker Stephen Gostkowski (14 years) of those only Gostkowski and Slater have played on a Patriots team that has not won the AFC East and that was the year Tom Brady was injured in game one and out for the season.

Not counting Tom Brady Ben Watson is the player on the Patriots with the most NFL experience playing in his 16th NFL season. He started with the Pats from 2004-2009 and then going to the Browns, Saints, Ravens and Saints again before returning to the Patriots this year. Other than the year that Brady was hurt in game one he has never played in an NFL season that the New England Patriots have not won the AFC East.

Question: What to Josh McCown (QB Eagles) , Drew Brees (QB Saints) , Matt Bryant (K Falcons) and Adam Vinatari (K-Colts) have in common with Tom Brady?

Answer: They are the only active players in the NFL to play during a season where Tom Brady as the Patriots starter did NOT win the AFC East (2002).

The last time Tom Brady failed to win an AFC East title for the Patriots Spiderman staring Tobey Maguire was the #1 movie in the country, the 1st Harry Potter movie was released, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was not yet complete How you Remind me was the #1 song of the year and Michael Jordan was still playing in the NBA.

Tom Brady has won more division titles as a player than the following franchises have won in their history.

  • Buffalo Bills
  • New York Jets
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Houston Texans
  • Tennessee Titans\
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • Oakland Raiders
  • Denver Broncos
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Washington Redskins
  • Detroit Lions
  • New Orleans Saints
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Seattle Sea-hawks
  • Arizona Cardinals

There is likely no current college football player who has a living memory of an uninjured Tom Brady failing to win an AFC East Title

Tom Brady has won more division titles than the University of Alabama since division titles were introduced in 1992.

In this year’s postseason people are thinking that Lamar Jackson is the man to beat in the East with Patrick Mahomes and Deshawn Watson behind him. All three have beaten Tom Brady’s Patriots this season.

But if when the dust settles in the AFC, if Russell Wilson, Jimmy G. Drew Brees or Aaron Rogers or whoever comes out of the west finds that their path to Superbowl Glory runs through Tom Brady, while there will be a lot of people upset and disappointed, not a single one will be surprised.

I’m old enough to remember when “Is the Pope Catholic?” was a Rhetorical Question

Posted: December 23, 2019 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
Tags: , , ,

One of the advantages of actually reading scripture, having been brought up by devout Catholics and having a faithful priest is that if a Pope says something like this:

The first is all. In front of an unbeliever the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I have to do is speak. I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony to awaken the curiosity of the other who says: “But why do you do this?” And yes, I can speak then. But listen: Never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing. If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus. Proselytism is not done, the church does not grow by proselytism. Pope Benedict had said it, it grows by attraction, by testimony. Football teams proselytize, this can be done. Political parties, can be done there. But with faith there is no proselytism. And if someone says to me: “But why?” Read, read, read the Gospel, this is my faith. But without pressure.

emphasis mine

I can reference the opinion of a higher authority in the Church (again emphasis mine):

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.  When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore,  and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Matt 28:16-20

Furthermore I recall a fellow named Paul who said this:

I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!  As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed! Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ

St. Paul to the Galatians 1: 6-10 Emphasis mine

Now I don’t pretend to be anywhere near as well trained and educated in theology than the Holy Father nor more familiar with scripture as a whole but as a person with a Computer Science Degree I can certainly read and comprehend a plan set of instructions with the best of them.

So while the Holy Father’s words on living your faith and setting an example are well taken I think I’ll decline to share his advice to judge those who choose to spread the Gospel in the very way that the apostles were instructed by Christ.

Incidentally if you told me as little as ten years ago that I’d hear a Pope say something like this I wouldn’t have believed you, but I’m not worried.

Given the Catholic church survived the Romans, the Huns, the Rest of the Barbarians, the 1st Islamic Invasion, the Black Death, Napoleon, Hitler & the Cold War it’s certainly going to outlast Francis we’ve had 2000 years of Popes and lately we’ve had a good run of saintly ones so I guess we were overdue for a Lemon.

After all Lemon Pope is still the Pope until God decides he isn’t so I will endeavor to give all the respect that the chair of Peter set up by Christ himself deserves trusting that God knows what he’s doing even if I don’t.

And don’t forget pray for the Pope remembering that he is no more and no less deserving of and in need of the mercy of God than anyone else.

Update: Forgot to give a hat tip to Insty here, my bad.

Update 2: Lemon Pope? sounds like a song…

♬ Lemon Pope very iffy

And his message ain’t so sweet

but the truth of the old Gospel

Is impossible to beat ♬

I’m here all week, try the veal.

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