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Website of the Week
For those who are gluttons for listening punishment, here is my official myspace musician page.
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last modified May 11, 2008 at 18:16
I started today planning to write about the mythology based around selling one's soul to the devil, but I ran into this critical essay on Puritan beliefs and the short story "Young Goodman Brown."
From the essay:
"In the Puritan religion, believers dutifully recognized the negative aspects of their humanity rather than the gifts they possessed. This shadow of distrust would have a direct influence on early American New England and on many of its historians and writers, one of which was Nathaniel Hawthorne."
I think Puritans are mischaracterized by a mythos of misperception that has developed throughout the past few centuries and continues to warp into something totally unlike the real Puritans of old.
Many critics and scholars assume that the contemplation of one's sin and the grace of God is a dark corridor that leads to gloominess and desolation when in actuality, it leads to happiness and joy steeped in the amazing love of God.
We shouldn't be surprised that the world does not understand true Christianity because but for God's grace we'd be right along side them in their scathing denunciations of Christianity and its core beliefs.
Whereas Hawthorne may have delved into the recesses of original sin, self-examination, and assurance of salvation, Puritan thought in general dwelt less on man's sin but on the great God who in his amazing sovereignty and infinite love chose man for eternal life and removed him from the fiery hell of God's wrath.
I am baffled by the differing stories that I hear coming from the press in regard to the US' intent in the mideast. Some suggest that we are months from an attack on Iraq while others say that an attack is imminent.
I wonder if all this is a smokescreen for an attack on Iran (and perhaps Iraq, too). Let the conspiracy theories abound.
If any of you have the pleasure of visiting the French Quarter in New Orleans, be sure to stop at Aunt Sally's Creole Shop. They have some of the best pralines I have ever tasted in my life.
Afterwards, make sure that you stroll over to the Cafe Du Monde and have some delicious beignets covered in powder sugar with a cafe latte as you read your Wall Street Journal and listen to the street musician fill your ears with raw, unadulterated New Orleans jazz.
Nick Saban, the head coach of the LSU tigers, shows why he is the man in Baton Rouge: he is cool, collected, intelligent, and a master of the understatement.
Virginia Tech, of course, killed Arkansas State last week, but then again, Arkansas State went 2-9 last year. So we are hoping for a little overconfidence on the Hokies' part and aggressive playing on the Tigers part. It should be a great game.
Ah, college football. There's nothing quite like it.
On our anniversary, Kathleen and I dined at one of Oxford's finer restaurants, the City Grocery.
Afterwards, we enjoyed watching the Kudzu Kings rock the house down at Proud Larry's. And yes, Virginia, we had a ball.
Earlier this morning, I had written a scathing NPR blog item, but upon reflection have opted against doing so. Since brevity is the soul of wit...
Neoliberal Propaganda Radio.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
This is a powerful argument of the danger posed to the U.S. by Iraq and provides a descriptive account of Iraq's gassing of the Kurdish city of Halabja.
When we lived in Nashville, we had some neighbors from Kurdistan who despised Saddam Hussein and would often speak of the atrocities that he has committed against the Kurdish people.
AP (Mississippi) - On August the 23rd, 1997, the handsome and debonaire yet slightly roguish Joseph Hogue wedded the blushing but devastatingly beautiful Kathleen Laird of Meridian, Mississippi.
Upon news of this event, celebrations erupted worldwide as peoples of different cultures united to observe this momentous occasion with feasting, group hugs, and "the wave".
In Britain, one observer said, "Generally, I regard most Americans as capricious little dandiprats, but these two have made me reevaluate my worldview completely."
A Frenchmen, engrossed in the festivities, shouted "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" which coincidentally was being chanted by his cousins in south Louisiana simultaneously.
As we approach the five year anniversary of this event that has forever impacted the world as we know it, the happy couple shrugs off the global attention.
The couple released this statement: "We are just thankful that God has allowed us this precious time together. In humble and hopeful reliance on God's will, we look forward to many years together and hope that He continues to bless us as richly as He already has done. To God be the glory in all things!"
Here is a site that the contestants on Meet the Folks might find helpful.
How to Pass a Polygraph Test.
The times that I had watched the show, the people who truthfully answered embarrassing questions usually fared better than those who tried to lie about them.
Thankfully, in the real world, we have much better things to worry about than the goings-on in "reality-based" tv shows.
Jon's mention of the phrase from Back to the Future "My density has popped me to you" brought me back a few years.
I was such a reading nerd in junior high that when BTTF came out, I read the book first. Actually, I saw the movie on videocassette a few years after reading the book.
Do y'all remember how it used to be with movies? A movie would come out and it would be at least a year, maybe two before it came out on videocassette. I remember when I first walked into the video store and thought "Wow, there are so many movies out there!" Alas, how I miss those days of innocence and wonder.
Would you have guessed that this
is a manufactured home? It looks like the manufactured housing industry is doing a good job of filling the gap in the new housing industry, where lower income folks wish to buy a new home but cannot afford the ever increasing costs of custom built homes.
Found in my inbox this morning (and every morning for the past 2 years):
U N I V E R S I T Y D I P L O M A S
Obtain a prosperous future, money earning power,
and the admiration of all.
If you can get all this power through a diploma, then why isn't the spammer of this e-mail sitting comfortably on a yacht in the South Pacific instead of wasting my disk space?
Diplomas from prestigious non-accredited
universities based on your present knowledge
and life experience.
Prestigious non-accredited universities? Uh, like? Nothing seems to come to mind.
You mean my wife may qualify for a doctorate in psychology due to her experience raising our children? Wow, will she be excited!
No required tests, classes, books, or interviews.
So, there are optional tests, classes, books, and interviews?
Bachelors, masters, MBA, and doctorate (PhD)
diplomas available in the field of your choice.
So I could get an MBA in biology or forestry?
No one is turned down.
Wait until I tell my kids!
Confidentiality assured.
Whew, that was a major worry on my part!
CALL NOW to receive your diploma
within days!!!
1 - xxx - xxx - xxxx
Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including
Sundays and holidays.
I would think that 7 days a week includes Sundays, but that's just me.
(blues riff)
I had to break it to my baby
That fall's coming up real fast
I had to break it to my baby
That the good times never last
School's back in session, baby
I knew, I knew it wouldn't last.
(/blues riff)
Tonight, I start my second year in the part-time MBA program at Ole Miss. (Year 2 of a 3 year program) I resolve to keep up on my reading, to not only do good work but my best work, and to make a 4.0 for the semester.
Just in time for the fall season, CBS Survivor has released the profiles of their fifth season of Survivor which will be set in Thailand.
The members of the Hogue Household, however, have decided to exile our tv set to the attic and try to give ourselves a break from the silver idol of idleness. So no Survivor for this fall. Not sure what we are going to do for football, though.
To those of you who reside in the Ohio neck of the woods, it may vaguely interest you to know that I will be stopping by to visit my company's corporate headquarters in Cleveland for a few hours.
Which makes me wonder... Why are there so many corporate headquarters in Cleveland? Are there inducements to doing so for corporations or is the grass greener and the sky bluer in that region?
Excerpted from the Washington Times article NEA Delivers History Lesson:
The National Education Association is suggesting to teachers that they be careful on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks not to "suggest any group is responsible" for the terrorist hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people.
Suggested lesson plans compiled by the NEA recommend that teachers "address the issue of blame factually," noting: "Blaming is especially difficult in terrorist situations because someone is at fault. In this country, we still believe that all people are innocent until solid, reliable evidence from our legal authorities proves otherwise."
Kathleen, myself and the family took a trip to Starkville and had a great time just strolling around the drill field and eating in the Union. We also drove around Starkvegas and noticed a whole host of changes.
Baskin Robbins is now a new Lil Dooey's. Flo and Eddies has burnt down. Old Venice Pizza Company has set up a restaurant on mainstreet. Of course, we passed by 403 and 525 (on University). No doubt Judge Eshee has some new RUFer tenants.
Have any of you ole State grads been back in the past few years?
I have to admit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent has not been my favorite of the different Law and Order series, but I am starting to appreciate the cockiness and brilliance of the main investigator more and more. Of course, that is what irked me so much at first. Ironic, I suppose.
Kathleen and I watched Moulin Rouge again last week and I think that we both agree that it has to be one of the most well-made movies of all time. From beginning to end, it is a superb package that is knit together with unmatched brilliance. IOHO (in our humble opinion), that is. There are some objectionable elements to the movie, but all in all it is a masterpiece among its peers.
Elvis, we sure do miss you, you old hounddog.
The world is chock full of scandal, kidnappings, murder, and myriads of other terrible events. Two items of good news for your viewing pleasure:
Texas Kidnapped Baby Found Alive and Healthy
Serial Killer's Kidnap Attempt Foiled in Baton Rouge
Looking through VH1's list of one hit wonders for their upcoming show One Hit Wonders hosted by William Shatner, there are some memorable ones, some forgettable songs, and then there are several musical groups/musicians that I was surprised to see listed.
Memorable (Play it again, Sam):
"Whip It" by Devo
"99 Luftballoons" by Nena
"Take On Me" by A-ha
"Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Riders
"Puttin' On the Ritz" by Taco
Forgettable (What were we thinking?):
"Achy, Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus
"Barbie Girl" by Aqua
"Whoomp, There It Is" by Tag Team
"Hot Hot Hot" by Buster Poindexter
Deserving of Greatness (Their music rocks, what gives?)
"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor
"Unbelievable" by EMF
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
"No Rain" by Blind Melon
Mark Steyn, of the National Post, speculates as to what will unfold in the political landscape of the Middle East once the Iraqi regime is toppled.
Unbeknownst to most Americans, due to the laziness of our scandal-happy media, many Middle Eastern countries teeter on the edge as freedom protestors continue to grow in number. If and when Iraq falls, this may start a domino effect of crumbling governmental administrations in the Middle East and may pave the way for more democracy friendly (and therefore, US friendly) governments.
May the Lord tear down these walls to the spread of the Gospel and create a mighty church among the Middle Eastern peoples.
Lake Pickwick, Great Pickwick,
Son of the Tennessee River.
Its gentle waves are rough displays
Of subtleties not yet rendered,
Not yet rendered by means of splendor
Found in the written world
Of books, words, and letters tender,
Nor in the musings of poet rogues
Who think too long on river odes.
My wife and I are reading in Samuel and are pretty amazed at the deception employed by David to Achish of the Phillistine city of Gath. David, while running from Saul, took refuge with Achish.
This is strange because God had just powerfully demonstrated his protection of David by allowing him to sneak into Saul's camp on two different occasions and to hold Saul's very life in his hands.
David, while living in the lands of Achish, would raid Amalekite and Phillistine cities destroying every male and female inhabitant. He did this to keep word from getting back to Achish. Then, David would tell Achish that he was raiding southern Judah and other Israelite lands. Achish was none the wiser and believed David.
Another question that has arisen is the issue of polygamy. At this time, David had three wives: Michal, Abigail, and another whose name I can't remember.
Is polygamy wrong? Why did God allow this among His followers in Israel? Didn't God even tell David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba that He would have given him more wives had he asked of God? Yet God gave Adam one wife and said that it was good.
Any light that some of you more "learned" folks could shed would be appreciated.
Introducing two new excellent entrees in the realm of Reformed blogdom:
Jereme Chapman, the eldest of the amazing Chapman clan, is quite an amazing fellow himself. Getting married in October, Jereme is providing everyone with a glimpse into all the goings on, via his blog Shikamoo.
Gideon Strauss, has an excellent offering to the Reformed blogs domain, picking up where Scott left off in providing a profligate amount of thoughts and insightful commentary to the delight of hungry thinkers and Calvinists alike.
Just in case you have been locked in a closet for the past couple of months, a serial killer is on the loose in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He (or she) is responsible for the brutal deaths of three young women.
As a result, the Lakes around LSU have been closed to walkers and recreationists, LSU has stepped up security, and everyone has the heebyjeebies.
Also, requests for gun permits are escalating as folks try to find ways to protect themselves from this lethal threat.
Add this to increasing concerns about the spread of the West Nile Virus across Louisiana and you now have a jambalaya of unease, fear, and worry. At least we have football to look forward to, for better or worse.
John Derbyshire, of NRO, writes of the Million Man Atheist March On Washington and of his early exposure to the angst and ire of atheism:
My father was in fact a militant atheist. He wasn't just indifferent to religion, as the great majority of English people are (and as my mother was): he hated it, with a passion. He would initiate conversations with perfect strangers by saying: "Isn't it obvious that all the world's ills are caused by religion?" At Easter, when the TV news always had a clip of the Pope blessing the crowds in St. Peter's Square, Dad would rise up from his armchair, shake his fist at the screen, and yell: "You bloody fools!"
His father, however, neglected to pay attention to the religious schooling that he was getting outside his home during his school's daily Anglican service.
Derbyshire proceeds further to describe how vastly different the attitudes toward religion are in the United States versus countries like England and China.
In the United States it all works out to a peculiar result. Religion is stronger here than it is in any other first-world nation, but so is atheism. God is honored here more than in any other free country, and He is also hated here more than anywhere else. Two of the most striking things about this country, to a foreigner, are the breadth of religious belief, and the number of people you meet who are angrily, bitterly anti-religious. There are angry atheists in other countries, of course, as the example of Derb Senior illustrates; but I have never met so many as I have met over here. The dominant mood in England — and in Europe, too, I think — is indifference. Nobody much cares about religion. In the U.S. pretty much everybody cares, one way or the other.
I find this bracing. It adds a dimension to public life that other countries don't much have. The abortion issue, for example, is a tremendous national topic here. In the other two countries whose politics I know well, England and China, it is insignificant. China is a dictatorship with a rigorous population policy, including forced abortions and much social pressure to abort when pregnancy occurs without the approval of the authorities. Those policies are unpopular and widely resented; but the morality of voluntary abortion is not an issue at all. People have a utilitarian approach. If a woman wants to have an abortion, she has one, and nobody thinks anything of it.
I must admit the allure of the NBC show Meet the Folks has somewhat drawn me in as part of the viewing audience. As a father, however, there is no way in Hades that either of my daughters would ever be allowed to date three random cute guys that may or may not be Christians.
One other thing about MTF, is the lie detector test reliable in those circumstances, i.e. the father asking a boy intimate details about his life and feelings? I doubt it.
For those of you who watch Fear Factor, can you tell me where they get the menu for the challenges? What I really want to know is whether coagulated blood and all that other nastiness can be good for you at all. Is there a nutritionist on staff? I certainly hope so.
Maybe I need to just turn the darn thing off.
Sunday, I met Rick Capeeza from Beautifulfeet while visiting Auburn Avenue. I think that it is ironic that when bloggers meet, their isn't a whole lot of conversational ground that hasn't been covered already within the blogs.
Today, August the fifth, is the seventh wedding anniversary for Jon and Ann Barlow. Congratulations! May God bless you and many others through you.
Also, today is my youngest brother Samuel's 18th birthday. This means that every one of my brothers and sisters (all 11 of us) is officially an adult. Happy Birthday, Sam, you big lug.
Last night, I began to reflect on the Internet and when I first became acquainted with it. For some reason, it seems like it has been around forever.
The first time that I learned how to use the Internet was during my freshman year of college in the fall of 1995. Back then, it was more of a novelty and lacked the business focus that it has now.
Back then, getting e-mail from people would make my day. That was one of the ways in which I got to know my future wife, i.e. through writing e-mails to each other.
Do you remember the old Mosaic browser? And the speeds were so slow that waiting several minutes for a page to load was pretty much customary. Things have definitely changed.
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