Monday, July 31, 2017

A Visit to Rome (I)

Beth and I visited Rome last month. It was my first time there, and Beth's first time since college. Here are some photos! 











I hadn't thought about the theologian Lonergan since doctoral days! 


These two guys, outside a restaurant near the Vatican, look very familiar....













Scenes in and around The Mausoleum of Hadrian (Castel Sant'Angelo)























"Are you not entertained?"


And.... the Coliseum!   































Today's GOP Leadership

I haven't gathered news items to post for quite a while, partly because I find the daily news so distressing.

But today I enjoyed a piece by Paul Krugman, "Who Ate Republicans' Brains?" which summarizes what's frustrated me about today's GOP leadership. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/opinion/republicans-trumpcare-obamacare-lies.html?smid=fb-share

A piece from Colorado that complements Krugman's thoughts:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/344713-colorado-gop-rep-declares-the-republican-party-is-dead

And Mike Lofgren's take, "Must they have so little dignity?" http://billmoyers.com/story/republican-platform-little-dignity/

Here is a piece about the president's latest removal from his inner circle:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/us/politics/anthony-scaramucci-white-house.html?_r=0

Another piece has to do with "Putin's bet on a Trump presidency" which did backfire:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/us/politics/putins-bet-on-a-trump-presidency-backfires-spectacularly.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

And a piece about the chaos in the administration:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/us/politics/trump-white-house-obamacare-health.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article


Saturday, July 29, 2017

Bible in a Year: Enormous "Child's Bible"

When we're in Vienna, we love to visit St. Anne's Church (Annakirche), not too far from St. Stephen's Cathedral. Daughter Emily's choir performed at the church in 2008 (and at St. Stephen's, too). We like to stop by both churches whenever we're in the city. I even have a photo of the St. Anne's sanctuary as my phone wallpaper.



Just down the street on Annagasse is a store called the Antiquariat Löcker. A couple years ago, I stopped by, browsed the religion section (where I usually look), and noticed a large red book in English, The Child's Bible: Being a Consecutive Arrangement of the Narrative and Other Portions of Holy Scripture (London: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., 1883), "with upwards of 200 original illustrations". Although a heavy addition to my luggage, I couldn't resist the topic, the pretty cover, and the heartwarming inscription from a long-ago family somewhere.

For a child's Bible, it's huge! Here's a picture of it, with a CD in comparison. Don't let your kid drop the book on a foot or a pet….

The book has a lot of content, with nearly 250 different Bible stories or other kinds of passages that children can learn. I did have to look up several. I can't imagine many of us adults being familiar with so many passages. What a interesting way to learn and test yourself on some basic Bible content!