A few questions. . .

Lots of questions from y'all about the No-Philosophy-Doctorate-for-Fr-Philip News.  

Most of these questions are some version of:  where will you be assigned?  Don't know yet. Suggestions?

The next is:  what happened?  Nothing happened.  After reporting in to my Provincial and Regent and asking them for some clarification on my Roman Mission, they decided to call me home.  I think they miss me.  :-)

A couple of you asked whether or not I will get to teach philosophy.  Very likely.  There are a number of places where this could happen.  In fact, not doing the PhD probably makes it more likely that I will end up teaching philosophy somewhere.  Ph.L.'s are cheaper to hire than Ph.D.'s.

So, you're still gonna need all those philosophy books, uh?  Yup. 

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Coffee Bowl Browsing (Sorta-cranky Edition)

Heh.  Even their "revolutions" are market-tested, campaigned, and financed.  No wonder no one takes any of this leftist dribble seriously.

Their reality-challenged "demands."  It's about what you'd expect from a generation whose members were incubated as Wards of the State and graduated into the warm, comfy totalitarianism of the academic alter-verse.

A letter to the Brats in Manhattan:  "You know what [real working folks] don't worry about, ever? Smashing patriarchy and capitalism."

More on the dramatic decline in violent crime in Chicago after gun ban is ruled unconstitutional. 

Fast & Furious Lying:  Oh my, AG Holder lied to Congress about selling guns to Mexican drug cartels.  Gov't officials lying???  What's next?  Cheerleaders cheering?  Firefighters fighting fires?

Anti-Catholic Nannies in Canada fine a Catholic group for celebrating Mass.  It's the Frog in Boiler of Cold Water, folks.  Feel the water getting hotter.

Military archbishop rules out same-sex weddings at West Point's Catholic chapel.  Prediction:  some Pentagon bureaucrat is going to pull an arcane administrative rule out of his. . .ermmm. . .nose and close the chapel.

B.O. waives penalities against countries who use children as soldiers.  Still waiting for Leftist Outrage™.

First World Problems:  a fat tax in Denmark.

Pumpkin carving ideas. . .

Jim Jones' cult was a "social gospel" project.  The "Peoples' Temple" was actually a communist front.  Learn something new everyday. . .

LOTS of creepy Wikipages. . .

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Thanks. . .

Thanks to Jenny K. and D.J. for the Kindle Books!

I am well stocked for the months ahead.  Be assured of my prayers. . .

God bless, Fr. Philip, OP


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Arrivederci Roma!

I rec'd news yesterday morning that I am to finish the philosophy license and return to the U.S. for reassignment.

IOW, no philosophy Ph.D. for me. 

I wasn't expecting this bit of news at all.  There are a number of reasons for this change. . .let's just say that I am needed at home.

I am not at all unhappy about this change.  From the beginning I've been deeply ambivalent about starting another doctorate at 47 y.o. and about my ability and commitment to complete the work required.  I've been more or less a full-time student since 1982, and I am tired of taking exams, writing papers, etc. . . I know, I know:  Dominicans are always students. . .but Dominicans are not always enrolled as students in an academic institution. 

No word yet on where I will be assigned or what I will be doing.  Please pray for my provincial, Fr. Chris as he discerns our needs and how I can help meet them.

God bless, Fr. Philip

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On being cranky, flying monkeys, and mashed toes. . .

I've been in an uber-cranky mood all day. . .more on this later. . .

And then I saw this on facebook:

 And laughed so hard I smashed my toe on the underside of the desk. 

Not cranky anymore. . .but my toe hurts.


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Coffee BOWL Browsing

Headline you'll never see:  When He Was a Democrat, Perry Owned Ranch Named with a Racial Slur.  Yea, doesn't really fit the narrative.

TX Dems defend Perry.  Oddly, I never heard much about Perry one way or the other when I was in TX.  By design, TX's governor is relatively weak.

Don't visit this site if you think gov't is the solution to all of our problems.  

Looks like all those "Occupy _____" protests are really just fronts for public-sector unions. 

U.N. economist on Climate Change:  “One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy.  This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore. . .one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy.”

 

Pics and video of B.O. marching with black supremacist group, the New Black Panthers, in 2007.  Imagine Bush or Perry or Newt marching with the KKK. . .

Did Jesus die for the Klingons?  "Christians, in particular, might take the news [of the existence of extraterrestrial life] hardest, because the Christian belief system does not easily allow for other intelligent beings in the universe. . ."  This is nonsense.  There is nothing in Christian doctrine that precludes the existence of extraterrestrial life, or their inclusion in salvation history.

Hysterical predictions of local pols prove to be. . .well. . .hysterical.  Dramatic drop in Chicago's violent crime rate after the Supremes overturn the city's gun ban. 

Feds inflate census figures for same-sex couples by 160%.  Now, why would they do that?

May Catholic get piercings, tattoos, etc.?  Generally speaking, I think tattoos are a bad idea for Catholics.  This is not a hill I'm willing to die on.  Piercings--other than ear piercings--also strike me as a bad idea.  Not gonna die on this hill either.  Discuss.

Great story on America's only pontifical seminary:  the Josephinum.

The Procrastinator's Creed!  Nos. 4 and 11 are my personal favs.

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Prayer request

Just a quick note to say THANKS for the travel prayers and the exam prayers. . .

I realize how many HA readers keep me in their daily prayers. . .as I pray daily for y'all!

When (and if) I pass the license exams, I will be poised to start the PhD.  What happens after that is a mystery.

Please add an intention to your prayers for me:  to know what I must do and for the strength to do it.  

NB.  That sounds cryptic, I know. . .there's nothing strange or monumental going on.  Just normal stuff.  

Mille grazie and God bless. . .Fr. Philip

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A Lovely Mistake. . .

Made it to Rome!

Good trip. . .I made a mistake on my seat selection when I checked in on-line Friday afternoon.  Got to Heathrow this morning and saw that I was seating in the middle way up front.  No, no, no.  Ample Friars are not made to sit in the middle.  So, I told the nice lady at the counter that I had obviously made a mistake and could she help me fix it.  (I may have shed a small tear. . .actually, it was sweat but I sniffed a few times and she bought it. . .).  Anyway, she told me to present myself at the gate counter to see what they had available.  AND!  AND!  She didn't charge me for my ridiculously oversized bag o'books/clothes/etc.  When I got to the gate counter, another nice lady told me that the first nice lady had reassigned me to business class!  And not only did I get business class, but I got all three seats on my row. . .and since we were on a British Air jet, we were served Afternoon Tea.  As the Brits says, "Lovely."

And just in case I didn't get the message that God loves me best. . .I was met at the gate of the Angelicum by a young friar named Juan Carlos who insisted on hauling that 80lbs. bag of books/clothes/etc. up the stairs of the university.  

Now, if only someone would bring me a scone and some tea. . .

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Volo a Roma!

Headed to London this morning to catch a plane back to Rome.

License exams take place next Friday (8th) and Saturday (9th).  Please keep all the students in prayer.

God bless, Fr. Philip

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Coffee Cup Browsing

10 Things Catholics Should Know about the New Mass Translation. . .we've been using the new translation for about month here in the U.K.  No exploding heads, no pew riots, no increase in domestic violence, no cats and dogs sleeping together. . . IOW, none of the disasters predicted by the dino-left.

(NB.  One criticism of the new setting for the Gloria. . .it's almost unsingable. Every time we've tried it here, it's pretty much been a disaster.)

The probability of you existing is about as close to zero as you get!

Reason #6,589,362 to dissolve the U.N. and use that ugly building in NYC as storage.

The South will rise again!  "Americans, black and white alike, are moving in record numbers to a part of the country where taxes are low, unions are irrelevant, and people love their guns and their faith."

Christian pastor condemned to die in Iran b/c he refuses to recant his faith.  (NB.  The B.O. White House has denounced the sentence.  Score one for B.O.!)

P.C. multi-cultism ain't the future:  "Vigilant Americans must restore the founders’ vision before multiculturalism forever eclipses our last vestiges of liberty."

Speaking of P.C. multi-cultism:  more evidence that our universities have become "nurseries of nonsense." 

Very interesting. . .though I don't plan on getting arrested anytime soon, if I do I'll remember to keep my big mouth shut.

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Belated D/L's and Grazie's. . .(UPDATED)

Speaking of the Kindle Wish List. . .mille grazie to Glenn S. and "HomeBirth Mom" for their contributions to my Kindle collection. . .

Kindle Wish List motto:  Books To Keep Me Sane While Doing Philosophy.  

:-)

P.S.  Per Lynn's suggestion from the combox:  all but one of the books on the Kindle Wish List are under $3.50.  

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Historic levels of distrust in the gov't among Americans. . .well, given what a gigantic screw-up the gov't is, we'd be foolish to trust it, right?

Dem governor suggests that we suspend Congressional elections. . .

87% of doctors do not think that the AMA represents their views.  What happened?  ObamaCare. 

Fr. Schall on the legal persecution of the Church in the U.S. 

Excellent piece on the difference btw The Documents of Vatican Two and the often sneering, dismissive commentary of Pro Progs who commune with the "spirit" of Vatican Two.  

Science proves driving gender stereotypes to be true; i.e. Women Really Are Bad Drivers.  (ducks/runs).

Time to abolish the DHS?  Hmmm. . .abolish another way for our politicians to dole out our money to keep themselves in office. . .doling out our money???  Nawwwww. 

Cartoon insights into the question:  why do Catholics who hate the RCC stay in the RCC?

P.S.  Since the response to my last Kindle Wish List Update was so good. . .thought I'd try it again.  :-)  <-- cheesy grin. . .

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License Update. . .

License News. . .

The 20 page "themes schema" is done and sent.  The T.S. is a collection of 2 page outlines/biblio of 10 themes assigned according to your section (anthropology, history, Aquinas).  The hard part of me was keeping the outlines/biblio to just 2 pages each.

Also, got the Lost Thesis recopied, rebound, and shipped to Rome.  Only cost me $80!   Still wondering why my lost thesis is my problem given that I didn't lose it. . .

Speaking of Rome. . .my flight back to the Eternal City leaves Saturday.  License exams, etc. take place Sat., Oct 7th.  Keep us in prayer, please. 

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Prayers, please: thesis missing

The Devil is after me again. . .

I've been working feverishly this week to put the final touches on the last piece of the license process:  the Theme Outlines, i.e., 10 themes from the history of philosophy outlined in two pages each with a short bibliography.  Sounds easy!  Just two pages!  Easy-cheesy.  Yea.  Try stuffing the history of the ontological argument for the existence of God--all 12 versions--and all the criticisms of each version into two pages.  Fun, fun. . .

Anyway. . .while I am busy cruising the history of philosophy and outlining stuff, I learn from the dean of my department in Rome that the secretary's office of the university has lost all three copies of my license thesis.  Way back in June of 2010, I asked one of the brothers to hand the thing in for me b/c I needed to catch a plane and the university office was closed when I went to hand it in. 

Now, it's lost.  So. . .send those prayers to St Anthony for me!!!

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Brit Lefties won't understand the Tea Party.  Yup.  I can attest to that fact from personal experience.  

With the predictability of a Swiss clock:  anti-Don't Ask Don't Tell group agitates for expanded "rights" after winning the repeal of DADT.  

Another reason to dissolve the U.N.:  ". . .the fate of the peace process and of American influence in the Middle East fell to Gabon, Nigeria, and Bosnia, the way any smart, sane international assembly would want it."

$16 million for muffins?  "I know you’re angry, but don’t forget that DOJ made some extra cash this year selling AK-47s to Mexican drug cartels. Those muffins are paid for, dude."

Ironically, it's the Diversity Industry in the universities--allegedly devoted to including the disadvantaged--that's pricing the poorest out of a college education.

FBI analyst:  Islam is the problem not individual terrorist groups who happen to be Muslim.  I don't know enough about Islam to know if he's right about this.  His assertion strikes me as overly broad.

Catholic campus ministry wins suit against UW!  Congrats!

Catholic Charities in IL would lose half its funding b/c of the state law allowing same-sex couples to adopt kids.  More evidence that SSM is all about hurting the Church.

Fr. Robert Barron on the supernatural elements in Catholicsm. . .part of his new PBS series on the faith.  PBS?  Yes, PBS.  Hmmmmmm. . .

Foreign aid, the U.N., and a $16,000 a night hotel suite for the Prez of Rwanda.  NB.  which country at the U.N. has the best record for paying NYC parking fines?

When pigs fly. . .

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