tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80928962011-08-02T15:57:12.279-05:00Diary of a Catholic mathematician.jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.comBlogger8151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-52349548532881590832010-07-03T09:13:00.000-05:002010-07-03T09:14:17.862-05:00

For reasons that I do not care to elaborate, this weblog is hereby terminated.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-15466769939775088412010-06-27T09:23:00.003-05:002010-06-27T09:26:28.700-05:00

…oh, wait, no. Those are left-wing groups, doing the same things they've done for centuries. Not exactly news.Nothing to see here; let the kids have their fun. Keep looking out for those dangerous, gun-toting Tea Partiers, war veterans, and other possible terrorists.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-86774655201927871852010-06-25T18:17:00.004-05:002010-06-25T18:21:23.244-05:00

Why am I not at all surprised that Rolling Stone has been, hmm, "not exactly truthful" about what they said to McChrystal?For some mysterious reason, you have to read the entire article before coming to the real evidence:In the last question, the fact-checker asked "Did Gen. McChrystal vote for President Obama? (The reporter tells me that this info originates from McChrystal himself.)"Boothby

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-64290122092338520242010-06-24T14:02:00.002-05:002010-06-24T14:12:12.159-05:00

In Groups C and F of the world cup, the teams that advanced are teams that have won no more than one game.Spain, the supposed favorites to win, was humiliated in its first game — to Switzerland, a team that everyone was saying should have been happy just to show up.France was not merely humiliated; its team was a disgrace.New Zealand played better soccer than Italy. New Zealand!!!Slovenia played

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-64781209513171758582010-06-15T19:48:00.003-05:002010-06-18T08:48:23.545-05:00

I still remember how in the 1990 Cup Neapolitans whistled against Argentina when Italy played them in the stadium at Naples. In the words of one Neapolitan, ho fischiato il mio dilettissimo Maradona, e abbiamo perso lo stesso. I thought it was a neat phenomenon, but I was told later that it was in fact ugly, unsportsmanlike conduct by the Neapolitans. Still, it was less annoying than those awful

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-43808237694166560122010-06-11T06:39:00.003-05:002010-06-11T06:45:38.236-05:00

Doubtless you've heard of the fun that South Carolinians (not True Carolinians) had in their primary. (a) A woman raised as a Sikh who converted to Christianity has been called a Manchurian candidate and accused of infidelity, with one accuser even taking a polygraph test. (b) A veteran who won the Democratic primary for Senate gave no speeches, held no campaign events, and paid with $10,400 of

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-18016347602258842842010-06-10T22:01:00.002-05:002010-06-10T22:12:20.362-05:00

I accidentally prayed midday prayer from the wrong week, but I rather liked what Ps. 24(25) had to say anyway:Dulcis et rectus Dominus, propter hoc peccatores viam docebit;diriget mansuetos in iudicio, docebit mites vias suas.(Sweet and upright is the Lord, for this reason he will teach sinners the way;he leads the mild in judgment, and will teach the meek his ways. [or: will teach

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-81295437270636509332010-06-10T18:58:00.004-05:002010-06-10T19:29:17.561-05:00

From here; I've linked to references I've made to some. (Why are they out of order anyway? ;-))X what you’ve seenO what you saw some but not all ofBold what you particularly likedStrike-through what you hatedCLASSIC DISNEY——————————-[ X ] 101 Dalmatians (1961)[ X ] Alice in Wonderland (1951)[ X ] Bambi (1942)[ X ] Cinderella (1950)[ X ] Dumbo (1941)[ X ] Fantasia (1940)[ X ] Lady and the Tramp (

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-65870663437667848442010-06-08T23:00:00.003-05:002010-06-08T23:17:16.464-05:00

Yes, I broke down and watched The Prisoner. Which version? you ask. Both, I answer. The first one's better, isn't it? you ask, looking for affirmation. I shrug.It's hard to compare because they're so different. I don't think the second one is trying to remake the first; it's just taking some of the same ideas and running with them. Both series are somewhat disjointed, if you ask me; many episodes

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-11673478582337412292010-06-08T22:49:00.003-05:002010-06-08T23:00:18.773-05:00

This must be one of the signs of the apocalypse. One of my students just sent me an email that hails,Hey whats going on with Mr. Perry.This is wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. So I won't.Well, yes actually, I think I will, if only to express my incomprehension at modern times.Is it now proper to salute someone in the third person? Don't get me wrong; I like that, but I'm not

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-25288165938455722982010-05-29T12:59:00.003-05:002010-05-29T13:20:34.568-05:00

I happened to visit an old friend in blue Virginia the other day, and while driving about town we stopped in a bank so he could get his name corrected. (They had added an e to the end of his name: so, for example, if it had happened to me, the account name would have been "Johne Perry".) My friend had opened an account there because they were offering a free flip ultra camcorder, which Google

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-71148278839680145172010-05-28T08:19:00.003-05:002010-05-28T08:37:36.529-05:00

Two different weblogs (FT and Siris) I read refer to the Pew Research Center's quiz, "How Millennial Are You?" The higher the score, the closer you are to the Millennial generation supposedly, and those two authors reported a 19 and a 45.I got a 4.Yup, I'm in there with the so-called "Silent" Generation (1928-1945). I wonder if this means I can't relate to the new generation(s) (like my own!) and

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-12942971475968540922010-05-21T22:21:00.006-05:002010-05-21T22:52:00.312-05:00

My wife and/or I noticed a few things on our drive from Mississippi to Virginia. In no particular order:The large trees that line the interstates and main highways changed en route. In the Hattiesburg area they were almost all pine; in North Carolina we noticed a lot of deciduous trees mixed with the pine.I noticed today that the birds sound different at my parents' house than at my own. The ones

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-53077180025380727172010-05-21T10:23:00.004-05:002010-05-21T11:12:38.694-05:00

George Weigel appears to have only recently noticed that university commencements have turned into screaming matches:When did it become socially acceptable for adults to shriek like banshees when their graduate’s name is announced? …The award of a degree ought to mark a point of passage into adulthood. Parents, siblings, and friends who understand that might want to stop acting like berserk

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-24281039681575326082010-05-21T00:52:00.004-05:002010-05-21T00:57:00.580-05:00

My wife left for Russia today, taking the kids with her. They'll return in late July.I just wanted to say that I found TSA at Dulles Airport to be very helpful and considerate, both when I contacted them by email some months ago, and when we dealt with them in person today. A thank you to a bunch of civil servants whose job is definitely not easy.Thank you also to the Aeroflot personnel who were

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-20755964455770820752010-05-21T00:38:00.003-05:002010-05-21T00:52:52.229-05:00

A few years ago, it seemed that everyone was castigating Americans for not saving enough money. Castigating America for its deficit spending was old hat; what was new then was the castigation of Americans for imitating their government. The worrisome figure was that personal savings had declined to such a low rate that it was negative. Tut-tut, they said.Already a year ago, the tune had changed.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-90490670268319612302010-05-13T13:00:00.000-05:002010-05-13T13:12:14.936-05:00

Found online, below a code snippet of perl:This clearly doesn't need any documentation, since it is just one line…I'd complaing that only a guy who codes in perl would say something like that, but that wouldn't exactly be true. That said, I do hate perl.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-60998318165168509122010-05-13T12:53:00.003-05:002010-05-13T13:17:23.583-05:00

The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, published a wonderful astronomy story which, yes, I do think you should read. The comments are something else entirely, and are best typified by what is by far my favorite comment:Don't Americans have their own newspapers to read?Two points:The comment is attributed to Bob the builder, Queensland, Australia. The Daily Mail is a British newspaper. It would be

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-62112832491906312010-05-11T08:09:00.002-05:002010-05-11T08:15:16.548-05:00

This starts off promising, but ends stupid—much like Wuthering Heights does, only, this is shorter.h/t: First Thoughts* I tried to give Wuthering Heights a second chance recently, by watching some adaptation my wife had placed in our Netflix queue. Despite a spectacular performance by Tom Hardy (who looked more or less the way I had always imagined Heathcliff to look) it still strikes me as a

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-82265559866092627602010-05-09T23:35:00.004-05:002010-05-09T23:45:07.513-05:00

Last week I mentioned two reports that showed up in the newspaper:The spill would dissipate before reaching shore, and wouldn't have much effect.The feds were directing it towards the Mississippi Coast, because it would be easier to clean there.Both of them have turned up false. Oil has now turned up on the beaches of both Louisiana and Alabama… but not Mississippi. (If I understood correctly,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-87491787328994066362010-05-09T23:20:00.004-05:002010-05-09T23:34:56.813-05:00

An article from The Economist, five years ago, almost to the day: "Italy: The real sick man of Europe". A couple of days ago, one of those villainous bond rating agencies (Moody's) actually stated that Italy isn't among the nations at risk.Heh. I don't dispute that Italy's financial affairs were, and remain, in poor health.* I do wonder, though, how on earth The Economist missed Greece, Spain,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-32248592755310175272010-05-07T09:37:00.007-05:002010-05-09T23:47:35.226-05:00

The healthy, modernized Conservative party of Britian… still can't muster enough votes to govern.Over the last few months, I've read a lot of commentary about how a healthy, modernized conservative movement in the United States would look and sound like Cameron's Conservatives in the UK. I really, really hope that this election result puts an end to all that. The United States cannot now, and

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-91649232646521273932010-05-02T13:09:00.004-05:002010-05-02T13:27:55.691-05:00

For all the talk by Lega Nord about increasing federalism in the Republic of Italy (they used to talk about secession if I'm not mistaken), there is apparently a serious move in southern Lazio to secede, thereby getting away from the influence Rome has over the region.Italy is divided into Regions, which are subdivided into Provinces. Lazio is the region in central Italy that contains the soccer

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-2589980891325361882010-05-02T13:02:00.003-05:002010-05-02T13:09:48.357-05:00

Assuming our Representative to Congress is correct, the effect of the spill won't actually be that bad: it may dissipate, he said to the local newspapers. Perhaps. People on the coast are complaining about an awful smell in the air.Nevertheless, the Coast is preparing for the worst. If I understand an article in the Sun-Herald correctly, some officials have claimed that their discussions with

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-67328833491067513022010-04-27T11:42:00.003-05:002010-04-27T11:59:45.521-05:00

This isn't about Orwell's Animal Farm, honest. Rather, this story starts with a Nebraska (?) county official who couldn't (he claims) get an official photo of the president despite repeated requests (he claims), so he put up a photo he found of the president… smoking. Naturally,* this drew a complaint, so the photo came down.For some reason this reminded me of a story my Italian Nonno used to

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-23030681868579742082010-04-25T21:07:00.004-05:002010-04-25T23:00:47.655-05:00

As I wrote earlier, the idea to summarize each book of the Bible comes from this post at Lutheran Forum. My choice:I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and hers;He will strike at your head,while you strike at his heel. (3.15)The verse Rev. Wilson chose was,In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (1:1)A commenter made a different suggestion:Now

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-51379561043471860972010-04-23T16:42:00.005-05:002010-04-23T17:05:49.045-05:00

Sarah Wilson at Lutheran Forum had an idea whose greatness cannot be summarized in a few words: pick one verse from each book of the Bible as its representative. (h/t)I don't agree with all the representatives, but that's to be expected, I think: any such list is inherently subjective. As at least one commenter points out, we Catholics will naturally pick the correct verse will sometimes choose a

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-87959531952052521252010-04-20T14:32:00.003-05:002010-04-20T14:37:09.672-05:00

According to an article in a recent issue of AMS Notices, the Pythagoreans referred to their founder as The Man. (ο ανθροπος? they didn't say)The author noted that any correlation with modern American argot was purely coincidental, but that makes them all the more awesome in my book.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-89344475515127281362010-04-18T22:45:00.003-05:002010-04-18T22:47:16.549-05:00

I can only vouch for Donald Knuth's work (I use TEX daily) but you would think that a list like this would put to rest the lie that one cannot be both a committed Christian and a solid intellectual. Indeed, a number of those on the list are scientists.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-59923750787671547932010-04-16T12:51:00.002-05:002010-04-16T12:54:50.109-05:00

Happy feast day of St. Bernadette! Some quotes I find online:Jesus, my God, I love you above all things.I must die to myself continually and accept trials without complaining. I work, I suffer and I love with no other witness than his heart. Anyone who is not prepared to suffer all for the Beloved and to do his will in all things is not worthy of the sweet name of Friend, for here below, Love

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-13701036477364074152010-04-16T08:25:00.002-05:002010-04-16T08:28:46.730-05:00

Was just reading the Wikipedia page on the Liberal Democrats (the British political party, not the American political faction) and came across this:Nevertheless, LibDems appear not to accept other Wikipedia editors' right to add factually correct but politically embarassing comments to this page.Heh. This will probably be gone soon, but it's classic.Here's a snapshot:

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-25577084473973052032010-04-12T08:27:00.003-05:002010-04-12T08:32:40.300-05:00

Didn't expect this, considering the source.Voicing honest feelings might be good when you're a private citizen, but in government it is self-indulgent. Venting is not foreign policy.…The Obama administration needs to grow up, recognize that in the real world Karzai is the best partner it has and roll out the red carpet for him when he finally gets to the White House on May 12.The entire article

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-26268706434842773072010-04-10T00:04:00.004-05:002010-04-16T19:37:52.186-05:00

I defended Cantalamessa last week, and I've defended Benedict a few times in the past week (here, here, and here). I've expressed my disappointment with the media's propensity to bury deep within a story facts that are inconvenient to the insinuations of a headline and the first few paragraphs, if not flatly contradicting said insinuations.Nevertheless, the Vatican is shooting itself in the foot.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-51440036820340971752010-04-09T22:21:00.005-05:002010-04-10T09:54:04.743-05:00

The AP says:The future Pope Benedict XVI resisted pleas to defrock a California priest with a record of sexually molesting children…Well, no, not actually.Oportet proinde hanc Congregationem subjicere huiuscemodi casus accuratiori examini, quod longius temporis spatium necessario requiret.Interim Excellentia Tua ne omittat oratorem paterna qua pollet cura sequi, eidem insuper apte patefaciendo

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-3560356712331106452010-04-09T22:10:00.006-05:002010-04-10T09:28:27.866-05:00

Today's Latin message on my board* was,Quis custodiet ipos custodes."Who watches the watchmen."My reply,Ipsæ custodes."The watchwomen."EIther they didn't get it, or I had to explain it too long and the humor value wore off, or… it just isn't that funny. I like it, though.(Please don't tell me I have the Latin wrong.)*For the context of the recent trend of Latin messages on my board, see , part 3.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-37101994318020635472010-04-07T22:27:00.004-05:002010-04-07T22:46:53.742-05:00

I took two kids to see How to Train Your Dragon the other day. We don't go out often; we watched the 3-D version, and it was the 3 year-old's first time in a movie theater, so enthusiasm abounded. I was somewhat enthusiastic myself because I'd read several reviews that said it was a great movie, one of the best of 2010, even.If so, it's been a really, really bad year in film.The film wasn't

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-11423687333949503792010-04-07T08:48:00.004-05:002010-04-07T09:07:55.028-05:00

I expected Sandro Magister to report on the story surrounding the accusations against Pope Benedict. I didn't expect him to come to Pope Benedict's defense by pointing out that meritless accusations have been leveled by Benedict, and reported credulously by the international media, from the beginning of his pontificate:[O]gni volta, su un terreno diverso, è colpito in Benedetto XVI proprio l'uomo

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-18881031249685474342010-04-02T20:28:00.004-05:002010-04-02T21:32:17.775-05:00

In the Washington Post I read,At a solemn Good Friday service, Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher likened the tide of allegations that the pontiff has covered up sex abuse cases to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism."An extended quote from the homily isn't there; it's chopped into bits and pieces. Fortunately, the Italian news media are up to the job. In La Corriere della Sera I read:

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-67358312659475231952010-04-02T09:53:00.002-05:002010-04-02T10:43:05.879-05:00

Pope Benedict has recently been associated with the "quashing" a canonical trial against a priest in the Milwaukee archdiocese who engaged in some deeply unholy behavior. For example, from this article in USA Today:[A] case has come to light in which Ratzinger's deputy at the Congregation told Wisconsin bishops to quash a church trial for a priest alleged to have abused up to 200 deaf boys.I find

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-2508705234860200282010-03-30T16:03:00.001-05:002010-03-30T16:05:16.398-05:00

Under Benedict, the church has brought back the Latin Mass in limited form, courted Anglicans disenchanted by the ordination of gay and female bishops and moved toward bestowing sainthood on Pope Pious XXII -- who has been criticized for not doing more to denounce the Nazis.—sourceEmphasis added.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-21369328807069852162010-03-26T08:12:00.002-05:002010-03-26T09:12:54.684-05:00

Here are some quotes I've picked up over recent years. See if you can identify the quote with the author. Better yet, pick the quote that belongs to the "true conservative". For answers, click on "Read More" or look below the line. A man of principle, [John McCain is] not afraid to take tough positions, and he doesn't shy away from a fight. He's not worried about what's popular or partisan or

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-39325634049095750842010-03-25T23:25:00.004-05:002010-03-26T09:22:52.935-05:00

If, like me, you think the annual college basketball championship is less interesting than a good novel, then you might want to take a gander at First Thoughts' Tournament of Novels. There's only one word for it: AllKindsOfAwesome.First Thoughts, by the way, is the weblog of First Things, a journal founded by the late Fr. John Neuhaus, and now maintained by Christians of a more traditional

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-63918736171388230662010-03-21T12:47:00.016-05:002010-03-21T14:07:42.940-05:00

Italians are preparing to go to the polls for regional elections. Italy being Italy, the election season has featured high drama. This year is especially notable for drama, for two reasons.First, the party in power (Berlusconi's Popolo della Libertà) isn't running any candidates in Rome. Why not? You see, electoral officials in Rome are obsessed with trivial inanities such as, say, following the

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-69001048252873354842010-03-21T12:24:00.006-05:002010-03-21T14:30:57.802-05:00

My son asked me at lunch today, So your Spring Break starts tomorrow, right?I fixed him with a perplexed look. Where have you been? My Spring Break was last week.It was his turn to be perplexed: he was at home all week, on his own Spring Break. But you worked all week.Welcome to real life, I sighed.Spring Break started with a huge disappointment, but got better. I had spent two or three months

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-2758843107820320952010-03-07T05:47:00.002-06:002010-03-07T06:06:23.493-06:00

I sometimes answer questions on Yahoo! Answers, since it can be interesting. Usually the Faith & Spirituality section is filled with what you'd expect—trollers and baiting&madsh;but sometimes someone asks a genuine question. For example, some people occasionally ask, What is your favorite Bible verse? or Which part(s) of the Bible do you find hardest to deal with?I don't much object to the verses

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-49085374530066333192010-03-01T21:40:00.003-06:002010-03-01T22:18:37.035-06:00

One of my favorite Italian foods is one that I've never found in the States. Essentially it consists of some kind of filling baked between two circles of pizza dough which have been pressed together along the edge. My family and friends said that the tiella was devised by fishermen's wives so that their husbands could take with them something that would last for the several days that they were

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-7178472036083107922010-02-21T21:48:00.003-06:002010-02-21T22:30:30.417-06:00

My older daughter gave me the best Valentine's Day present ever: she lost her voice.I'm kidding, of course. Worse, she lost it thanks to croup. I don't know what's more frightening: the sound of croup; the fact that in nearly three decades of life as an asthmatic, I had never heard this sound before; or the fact that I heard this godawful sound coming from my three year-old daughter, who's had

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-21912518812982468362010-02-21T21:28:00.003-06:002010-02-21T21:48:53.833-06:00

I was watching the Olympic snowboarding the other day, and I noticed that the American team was dressed in what looked for all the world like flannel shirts and jeans.Okay, sure: they were matching flannel shirts and jeans, but all the same: if your "uniform" consists of the stuff that half my high school acquaintances considered daily wear, then you can't possibly be involved in a real sport.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-7339268985518962512010-02-18T08:37:00.003-06:002010-02-18T08:56:48.615-06:00

I was listening to NPR this morning and heard this:China's centuries of legal traditions emphasized that justice was about the end result — that is, nabbing the bad guys, and not about due process.The construction of the sentence startled me: did the reporter really mean to imply that justice is "about due process"?Whether justice is about "nabbing the bad guys" is arguable. I don't care for that

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-35593979105148394552010-02-16T20:14:00.002-06:002010-02-16T20:45:28.691-06:00

My wife and I were watching the pairs Olympic skating a few nights ago. We missed the first group, but we really liked the Russians (too bad they slipped) and the last (?) pair. Besides the great skating, that last pair had quite a few unique things going on:male of African descent with a Polish-sounding last name;woman of European descent with a Slavic-sounding last name;French clown outfits;

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-21891727013220117172010-02-11T20:42:00.002-06:002010-02-11T20:46:49.973-06:00

I don't do much Eucharistic adoration myself, and I won't offer any excuses. I wish I did it more, and I find Fr. Barron's defense of this devotion welcome.[The] assertion that only unlearned people would give themselves to the practice is simply untenable on empirical grounds. …The “tension” between the liturgy and the tabernacle, insisted on by far too many post-conciliar theologians, is phony,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-90666150541381523422010-02-07T18:07:00.010-06:002010-02-08T08:34:59.842-06:00

6:00With the first quarter almost over, the Saints' defense is looking as tired as the beer commercials , giving major yardage to the league's worst rush.The best thing about the game so far are, without doubt, the Doritos commercials.6:40No, Dr. Love, that commercial did not work. The TruTV one immediately after was much better, though.As for the game, just when the Saints were starting to look

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-27650775976211702782010-02-02T08:36:00.002-06:002010-02-02T09:05:16.041-06:00

The other day in the car, I changed the radio station away from something my son was listening to. I have a rule that we only listen to "music" that (a) actually carries a melody, and (b) doesn't contain objectionable content. The first is to encourage my children to listen for beauty, rather than passion; the second is, well, obvious.You don't understand, my son said, this is a new generation,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-62374616592324025972010-01-24T13:16:00.011-06:002010-01-25T00:16:25.495-06:00

I want to write a brief review of my digital camera. Good luck finding this camera in any store; they don't make it any more, let alone sell it. Amazon currently offers three used models for sale at $50, but as with most things in technology, the manufacturer moved on.So the camera is a FujiFilm FinePix 2600. It offers 3x optical zoom with a 2MegaPixel image at highest resolution. It comes with a

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-55256323692888801022010-01-24T12:32:00.004-06:002010-01-24T13:04:08.271-06:00

The second reading today, about the Church as the body of Christ, sent my mind wandering a bit, and it occurred to me that we can infer from this an interesting explanation of the Real Presence. Someone has probably said this before—it wouldn't surprise me if my subconscious was dredging up something I've read long ago—I just hope that, if so, I'm dredging up something correct, and not marring it

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-90784574560736788792010-01-19T23:47:00.003-06:002010-01-20T00:02:29.937-06:00

Easy: they were three of the largest of the original 13 states. Smaller states like Rhode Island, Delaware, and New Hampshire so feared the power of a Congress that was purely representational that the writers of the Constitution created the Senate precisely so that smaller states could obstruct the ambitions of larger ones.All three, moreover, have contributed important statemen and presidents

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-58485427390603652462010-01-15T21:42:00.005-06:002010-01-15T22:03:19.259-06:00

A priest gave me a bit of wisdom the other day that I think worth sharing. A paraphrase:You cannot change the past; do not dwell on it. Say a prayer for those whom you may have offended long ago; perhaps God has brought them to mind precisely because they need prayer. Offer your regrets to the only one who was at your side both then and now, and ask him to guide your future.The context of what I

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-88582949070253587352010-01-10T12:51:00.002-06:002010-01-10T13:49:32.209-06:00

According to US News & World Report, Mississippi is the second-best state at giving as many students as possible an above-average education.Well, no, not really. But it can look that way if you don't pay attention to too many details. On page 75 of the January 2010 issue, we find a table that ranks schools. When sorted by the column, "Silver or better (% of total)", the list looks like,1.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-25864206923498275392010-01-06T22:59:00.004-06:002010-01-06T23:04:18.865-06:00

A conversation between my wife and me.Are you ashamed sometimes of America when you are abroad?I'm not, but some Americans are ashamed when they go abroad.Why?Well, they still believe the old Soviet propaganda.Какой propaganda?That we're the single greatest cause of evil in the world.Это не propaganda. You should be proud of yourselves at being the best at something.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-45409984229955365902010-01-04T20:04:00.003-06:002010-01-04T20:11:12.135-06:00

According to Wikipedia, the average low for Hattiesburg in January is 36o. Last year, the first week's highs were in the 60s and 70s, which is actually not far off the average. This year, many of our highs are lower than the average low, and our lows are in the teens. I feel like Minnesota's weather decided it was too cold up there, and moved south.All of this surely means one thing: since Brett

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-54610665768753343342010-01-03T22:35:00.001-06:002010-01-03T22:37:01.407-06:00

I deleted the post I wrote earlier today. The more I thought about it, the less comfortable I was with what I had written: namely, I thought I hadn't expressed well what I was trying to say, and probably expressed something I wasn't trying to say. Rather than re-edit the thing, I thought it best to delete it. Apologies.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-13673703846042679262009-12-31T23:32:00.003-06:002010-01-01T00:43:05.902-06:00

Speaking of the end of a decade whatever, I'd just like to acknowledge that the past ten years of my life a huge improvement over the previous ten. Not necessarily financially—I earn more money, but between inflation and the family, I'm actually poorer per capita than ten years ago. But I'd much rather be the man I am now than the teenager I was twenty years ago, or the man I was ten years ago.If

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-46850539660187399672009-12-31T23:12:00.005-06:002009-12-31T23:30:46.612-06:00

Some people are all wrapped about today being the end of a decade. They're out getting extra drunk right now to commemorate the event.Others are all wrapped up about it not being the end of a decade, because we have no year zero. Since the numbering system starts with 1—there being no year 0 AD—decades start in years ending with a 1, so the decade doesn't end until next year. So there, says they,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-12470490982776837022009-12-30T12:58:00.006-06:002009-12-30T13:25:54.993-06:00

When reflecting on the cost in both time and money of maintaining a family, I've wondered how on earth men can maintain mistresses. I just don't see how it's possible unless you're filthy rich, grossly irresponsible, or both. But along comes a psychologist from France (where else?) to illuminate the real obstacle.My mother passes along this story that I missed in Corriere della Sera, who are

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-14093913694454123552009-12-27T21:40:00.003-06:002009-12-27T22:51:19.787-06:00

I had mentioned a book of Russian religious tales, Тихий ангел пролетел. I also like the first story in the text, and its theme can be related to the Christmas season, so I thought I'd give a translation here. I especially like how the the story characterizes the result of "good Christian upbringing" to be generosity.He who desires less, receives moreA. AfanasyevOnce there were three brothers.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-19910445339724069442009-12-26T16:10:00.002-06:002009-12-26T16:17:15.685-06:00

Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of our God, who humbled himself in order to exalt us. It is our duty to do the same, to love as we are loved.The devil, ever on the alert for ways to disfigure the soul, has discovered that he can inflate us with stress and family quarrels at Christmastime, so as to distract us from this, our responsibility.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-21921679971241086162009-12-24T16:09:00.003-06:002009-12-24T16:37:52.715-06:00

I found the following tale from Soviet times in the book Тихий ангел пролетел (A quiet angel has flown by), a book my wife brought from Russia:They closed the church in a certain village. As they were throwing icons out of the building, a quiet, gloomy crowd gathered around the ruined relics.One of the Commissars shouted at the villagers, There is no God! None, no God! Here, look!… And he began

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-2556466219723969002009-12-23T02:05:00.003-06:002009-12-23T02:14:39.070-06:00

A letter sent to all liturgical ministers at my parish church included several notes on procedures and practices. The following admonition startled me:Out of respect for God and the people assembled to worship, it is very important that all liturgical ministers keep always a proper and modest attire when serving. No tennis shoes, jeans, shorts... Ladies, please, no low cleavage. Blouses,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-40173029392800554072009-12-22T20:51:00.008-06:002009-12-22T21:46:45.390-06:00

The constant drumbeat of news telling people how bad life is in the South never seems to end. In case you haven't been paying attention: we're poorer, fatter, sicker, dumber, and more violent than the rest of the country. We're also more "conservative"*, have fewer labor unions, virtually no public transit, get pregnant out of marriage more often, etc. So say all the media outlets based in… uhm,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-28707055657622449812009-12-20T12:15:00.003-06:002009-12-20T13:37:52.080-06:00

My family has, and uses, a Health Savings Account. I think they're one of the best health care reforms ever proposed. They were enacted during the Bush years, which is one reason I have a hard time believing the conventional wisdom that Republicans are dead set against any health care reforms. Then again, if your idea of health care reform involves demonizing insurance companies in public while

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-18724143949967338682009-12-19T08:20:00.005-06:002009-12-19T09:01:29.353-06:00

According to an Italian periodical, the best province in Italy to make a living (in all senses of the word, rather than merely financial) is Trieste. (Tree-ess-teh. The final e is not silent in Italian.)The full list is here. The province where my mother's family originates, Latina, is #81 on the list. I (used to) have a pen pal who lives in the Cuneo province, #22 on the list (but down from #13

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-17139742982115219552009-12-17T11:38:00.004-06:002009-12-17T11:50:52.581-06:00

The 13th Day, a portrayal of the 1917 events at Fatima, is now available on DVD from Netflix.My opinion? This is no Bernadette, nor even a Song of Bernadette. The film needs to be longer, to provide more detail, and to develop the characters more.The children are little more than cardboard cutouts of sanctity, lit with sepia; their govenrment opponents are little more than cardboard cutouts of

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-40317428386322831342009-12-13T13:05:00.004-06:002009-12-13T22:14:26.454-06:00

You thought our partisanship had gotten bad? Someone punched Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi in the face today, while he was signing autographs for fans. The year had been pretty bad for Berlusconi; old and new scandals were rocking him, including suggestions of ties to the Mafia, but violence upon him is likely only to re-solidify his popularity among his supporters. (Of course, I've been

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-4198966458449188072009-12-11T23:09:00.004-06:002009-12-11T23:46:54.088-06:00

Not a day after I wrote that 50% compliance with the law in Naples is something of an accomplishment, the city outdoes itself. The latest news is that someone stole the city's Christmas Tree. In fact, they stole it the very night after it was installed in the Galleria Umberto I. That's an enormous hall situated in the center of the city.And you thought I was kidding about Neapolitan attitudes

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-79598908493946195132009-12-08T01:02:00.003-06:002009-12-08T01:39:31.439-06:00

…you must be talking about Naples, where a police sting of restaurants, pastry shops, and cafes has found that 28 out of 36 restaurants failed to issue a receipt for purchases. That's not so bad, actually; 47 out of 50 pastry shops and cafes failed to issue a receipt. You read that right: a mere 6% compliance with the law. Welcome to Naples!The question that comes to my mind is, how on earth do

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-59734519909179741202009-12-05T19:06:00.002-06:002009-12-05T19:20:10.473-06:00

This entry at Brandon's weblog Siris has a lot to think about. I went to write a reply just now, but I fortunately read the comments first, so I had to pause to think more. Now I've gone & made a fool of myself for sure with my comment.Don't wade into philosophical waters when there are philosophers about. ;-)

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-42551751396078917412009-12-04T23:49:00.003-06:002009-12-05T01:31:22.687-06:00

FIFA drew the groups for the World Cup 2010 tournament today by lots. Over the last few years I have developed a highly sophisticated formula* that predicts quite accurately** the final results. I don't have time*** to consider all the teams, but here are the ones I care about most:Four years ago I stunned a fan by referring to Team USA as "a bunch of pathetic, overrated losers". The

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-3084827634332008422009-12-04T09:49:00.002-06:002009-12-04T09:54:56.513-06:00

See here.I was somehow the first to comment (thank you, Google Reader) and my contribution is heavy on foreign and foreign-themed films. So much for my nationalist sentiments. ;-) In fact, I took my list from last year's list, so if I were to think hard about it I would add more films.I may try something similar here in a few weeks.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-56178131531060484392009-12-03T00:10:00.005-06:002009-12-03T00:30:01.396-06:00

This is one of the most beautiful, original, and moving things I've ever seen:It's from a show named something like, "Ukraine's Got Talent". (You can kind of guess it from the website in the upper left corner.) For those who don't read Ukrainian, the final words are,Ты всегда рядом: You are always with us.I guessed that myself (that's what the Russian would mean), but more on the translation (and

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-92850713437817612009-12-02T22:22:00.004-06:002009-12-04T09:59:48.833-06:00

I would like very much to emphasize one of the tags below: this is a Largely uninformed rant.With that out of the way, I want to think aloud about this post by Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy.After reading Somin's post, I have to say that I agree with all of it except two things.(1) The assertion,[N]ationalism is second only to communism as the greatest evil of modern politics.In my opinion,

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-538798704209897702009-12-02T21:56:00.004-06:002009-12-02T22:14:25.173-06:00

My wife told me today this joke from Soviet times:A woman asked her servant about the commotion on the streets. It's a revolution! the servant answered with excitement.The woman grew somewhat excited herself. Oh, wonderful! My grandfather fought in the last century's revolution! What do the revolutionaries want?They say they want to make poor people rich!Oh, this is different, the woman mused. My

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-68876742880693782582009-12-02T20:12:00.004-06:002009-12-02T20:19:53.168-06:00

…well, not really. After all, I've been in at least one Wal-Mart that doesn't sell Fanta, or at least not the Fanta that someone asked me to find, and I know that Fanta exists.All the same, last night I was in dire need of wire nuts and an electrical outlet—never mind why, I'm sure your imagination can fill in the details—and it was after 10pm, so the home improvement stores were closed, Radio

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-64480012294063705932009-11-22T22:00:00.004-06:002009-11-23T02:46:49.431-06:00

I'm not the only dissatisfied viewer of the late Battlestar Galactica re-imagining; I've found some complaints across the net. It's a huge disappointment for me; I really liked the show's early direction. However, I haven't seen anyone complain about what really bugged me, so I decided to collect my thoughts and see if anyone could confirm or (more likely) correct me.The biggest offense: The Plan

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-4051703814634323722009-11-22T21:36:00.005-06:002009-11-22T22:00:11.073-06:00

I recently watched two great comedies from across the pond. The first is a French film, The Dinner Game. Netflix describes it thusly,Writer-director Francis Veber's clever comedy shadows a group of French intellectuals who gather each Wednesday night for a dinner game, in which the challenge is to bring along the most idiotic guest. Pierre (Thierry Lhermitte) thinks he's found a ringer in

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-74738565963515680392009-11-17T00:26:00.004-06:002009-11-17T01:12:16.246-06:00

The other day I gave my elder daughter something to eat. She dropped it, and without pause reached down, picked it up, and popped it into her mouth. My wife rolled her eyes and sighed, Русский не поваляет, не поесть.I understood everything except the third word. My wife translated, "A Russian can't eat, unless he wipes the floor with his food. It's a Ukrainian proverb. My father's mother used to

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-50523746820091922052009-11-16T21:07:00.004-06:002009-11-16T21:44:29.750-06:00

National Review Online's corner has pointed out that, according to the government's own website, the stimulus bill created 2,873.9 jobs in New Hampshire's "00 Congressional district". It also created jobs in the 6th, 4th, and 27th districts.This is weird, because if you look at the website you see that they spent over a million dollars in the 4th district, and created all of 0 jobs. Think about

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-75217563271757814802009-11-15T20:30:00.002-06:002009-11-15T20:40:44.514-06:00

Great story at washingtonpost.com. The five myths are:Housing is a great long-term investment.The homebuyer tax credit makes buying a house more affordable.Homeownership is good for society because owners make better citizens.It's safe to buy a house with a very low down payment.Owning a home is cheaper than renting one because you save on rent.On the other hand, the article also makes an

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-63803770323884946042009-11-07T09:16:00.003-06:002009-11-07T23:18:41.682-06:00

The European Union's Court of Human Rights recently ruled that the Italian government must pay damages to a family whose daughter had to endure the sight of a crucifix in every classroom. The National Catholic Registrar's daily blog offers disdainful commentary here; the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera editorializes here. Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy, has said that crucifixes

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-311423505028335442009-11-07T09:07:00.002-06:002009-11-07T09:16:36.111-06:00

An interesting point of view. I agree with the conclusion, but for different reasons. My reason is more the effect of: the vast majority of students attending universities are grossly unprepared and lack motivation. You can make up for lack of preparation if you are seriously motivated. Trouble is, most people fresh out of high school think that "motivation" means attending class and attempting

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-51488554968691456582009-11-06T10:52:00.003-06:002009-11-06T11:01:10.949-06:00

Another gem of Wikipedia's:Though of great historical value, the poem is devoid of all literary excellence, and at times is even extremely clumsy and barbarous.Never mind the subjective evaluations. "Barbarous"? What does that even mean in a poem?Update! It turns out that I can't blame Wikipedia for this at all. No, this is another place where Wikipedia lifted word for word from the Catholic

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-52328186931139870832009-11-06T09:26:00.002-06:002009-11-06T09:28:56.184-06:00

An interesting and insightful article at Forbes' website. Most of it agrees with discussions I've had with my wife. I wish it were longer, and the fact that he says nothing about the war in Kosovo nor the financial collapse in Russia is disappointing, but it's a good start nevertheless.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-46835693392878361702009-11-01T19:02:00.005-06:002009-11-01T19:23:18.802-06:00

I've been repainting parts of the house, and last week I thought I'd spend an hour or two on a section of fascia and eaves. I only finished that section today.What happened? In my quest to do a good job, I removed the gutters from their brackets, then started scraping away the old wood. I discovered that it had decayed pretty badly; I think I'm the first person to repaint that section in

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-80238912070579154712009-11-01T18:58:00.002-06:002009-11-01T19:01:43.650-06:00

I did some traveling late last week. It was business travel, to visit a well-known researcher and exchange ideas. It was rewarding, but exhausting.It reminds me of what I like most about this job: the chance to work, for however short a while, on the most interesting problems I've ever known, with some of the most brilliant minds in the business.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-22578795895111599392009-10-23T09:45:00.002-05:002009-10-23T09:46:15.874-05:00

An interesting discussion on the sage-devel list, with all kinds of different answers and rationales. (Including, at one point, "none".)

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-23786623655919168822009-10-21T11:54:00.003-05:002009-10-21T11:56:46.927-05:00

…or anywhere else that the nephila komaci can be found.Unh-unh. You couldn't pay me to move there. Fire ants are bad enough.(Yes, I know that these giant spiders have no venom that works against humans. That's beside the point. Tolkein's novels, as well as too much time spent observing spiders close up, have had their effect.)

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-22685997964263736042009-10-17T23:52:00.002-05:002009-10-17T23:57:27.378-05:00

A few days of rain and humidity, and now it's so cold we've had to don the sweaters and turn on the heater. I was happy for the cooler weather up until the wheezing kicked. That's cold, dry air for you.Fall's changing colors may not be enough to remind a man of his mortality, but walking around with a canister of albuterol sulfate in his pocket will certainly do the trick.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-27396464157431715672009-10-17T23:41:00.004-05:002009-10-17T23:52:19.428-05:00

On the weblog's right hand sidebar, a Blogger Plugin shows Plato quotes. I looked at it just now and read,False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.That reminds me of a verse I remember from a poem,words cannot be just airformed into pleasing soundsif falsehood be their aimthen false is that which formswhat then what shall i claimwhat refuge have i foundif

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-42355248659123668352009-10-10T23:20:00.000-05:002009-10-10T23:21:19.009-05:00

To be updated as time goes by."needs some love" or "gets some love" instead of "needs some attention" or "gets some attention". I hear this a lot in respect to computer programming: as in, "the ATI drivers have gotten some love." Aside from the general overuse of "love" for things that are aspects of love rather than love itself, don't you hear what you sound like?"reboot" and "reset" for "

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-87195532217195638932009-10-10T23:16:00.001-05:002009-10-10T23:18:13.457-05:00

My son is looking for a comb. Note the time I'm writing this. That's 11 PM, as in POST meridiem.I know people say that teenagers are like this, but I wasn't. Come to think of it, that explains a lot about my life.

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092896.post-7564724920901019732009-10-09T08:19:00.004-05:002009-10-09T09:12:34.873-05:00

It's been an awful week for Prime Minister Berlusconi. The Italian version of the Supreme Court rejected a law that immunized the top leaders of the Italian government from prosecution, which means that several prosecutions into Berlusconi's past will resume. In his subsequent remarks to reporters, Berlusconi was genuinely angry:We will move forward. We have governed five years without [the

jack perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14681558050302289235noreply@blogger.com0