The Arrow's Path

I have been watching with some amusement (with my White Sox keychain bottle opener in hand), what the Chicago Cubs have been doing in the off season. Namely, they've been spending money like its going out of style. The Cubs have spent 239 million in the off season so far. This includes Alfonso Soriano for 136 million (yes, that's US Dollars). They fired Dusty Baker (the coach) and brought in Lou Pinella (the temper) for 10 million. There is still no end in sight. Rumor is they've offered pitcher Jason Schimdt a contract worth 45 million. The fact is, the Cubs have signed more in contract pay outs than their current budget will be able to handle, meaning the sound you will soon be hearing is the Chicago Tribune's Cubs For Sale sign flapping in the breeze. The Tribune is going out in style, ringing up a quarter billion+ in debt, only to turn turn around and force the next owner to pony up the money. Listen, fellers: Take it from the New York Mets: Money can't buy you ...

There has been much to do about one of the American news networks beginning to use the term "civil war" to describe the conditions in Iraq. The plain English meaning of the term "civil war" is "a war between political factions or regions within the same country" (source: dictionary.com). I am not certain I would classify what is going on in Iraq as civil war. But, all this begs the question then of what exactly is Iraq involved in, if not civil war? On first blush, one might be inclined to say de facto anarchy , but I am not sure if that term is completely accurate either, since, at least theoretically, you can have non-violent anarchy (again I stress in theory ), if anarchy is simply lack of government. There is some semblance in Iraq of government, inept as it might be. I think the rhetorial problem of definitions here revolves not only the modifier "civil" but also "war" itself. I think this is the trap that we walked into in Iraq in...

For those needing ideas for Christmas gifts but don't want to sell out to rampant commercialism, you might consider some of the fair trade ideas and businesses listed on The Ashram blog (Thanks to Kyle for digging this up). You will find an extensive list there. I am not giving warrant to the legitimacy of many of the links there, not because I have any particular reason to think any of those businesses are bad per se . I just am not familiar with a lot of them. That having been said, I will say that I do have some issue with how certain fair trade businesses are run. From an economic standpoint, I find their logic well intensioned but often flawed. Please don't misunderstand me on this point. I am not advocating that poor people should be ripped off or left to the mercy of economic powers beyond their control. But the problem I see (and I have had some first hand experience on this) that some fair trade organizations turn into liberal paternalism very quickly because they ar...

Several people have asked me exactly what sort of Jazz concert I went to at Ely Cathedral on Saturday, and why there was a jazz concert. Here is my synopsis on Duke Ellington and the concert I went to see. As Paul Harvey says, "And now for the rest of the story..." Duke Ellington was a master jazz composer and musician from the late 1930s to the year he died in 1974. Ellington, of course, grew up to become probably the premiere big band jazz style writer, hitting his peak in the World War II years. As big band jazz went into decline in the 1950's, Ellington struggled a bit, trying to adapt to the new themes that were erupting from the jazz genre. Interestingly enough, a form Big Band jazz made a brief renaissance in the early 60's, especially with the advent of Las Vegas. By this point in his life, Ellington likewise became hip again, as did Louis Armstrong and others from the vintage 30's jazz era. Ellington had become a very mature writer, mixing and composing a...

Occasionally, if I get the chance, I like to pop into an Orthodox liturgy. There is an Armenian (no not Arminian) church in Evanston. Westcott House shares its chapel with a Russian Orthodox church plant. I have been meaning to sit in on one of their Sunday services while being here in Narnia, and finally got around to it today. I could never be Orthodox because I am a flaming Augustinian, and Augustine never really happened in the East, but I enjoy the occasional Orthodox liturgy because it is just so foreign to what most folks (Catholic or Protestant) in the West get on a Sunday morning. The copious amounts of incense make Anglo-catholics look puritanical by comparison. One of the things that has struck me about the few times I get to pop into an Orthodox church is the quality of preaching, surprisingly enough. One thinks of Orthodox liturgy having so much mystery that actual exegetical preaching would seem to be on the back burner. That is completely not the case, at least from my l...

Having to watch college football from abroad (meaning checking sports scores online via ESPN or CNNSI after the fact), I for the life of me can't understand what all the hoohah is about Michigan-Ohio State this year and whether or not there should be a rematch of last week's game. I think it is an absolute no brainer that there not be. Other than themselves, who, prey tell, has either team played? Ohio State trounced Texas, which turned out to be a 3 loss team. Michigan beat...uh...Notre Dame which got hammered last night by USC to fall to 2 losses, and will probably have a 3rd come bowl season. Again, despite themselves, neither team has played a top ten team. I just don't understand why the Big Ten should be allowed to have a national title game to itself, when it allows these teams to schedule such pitiful regular season schedules. Just say, "No!" to inbreeding.

After a fussing session with the exchange student printer and the library Windows 98 BC computer, I printed the final essays for this term. Its all down hill from here, baby!

Actual Conversation Overheard at Westcott: (Some names and faces have been changed to protect the innocent.) Ordinand 1: Let's go for dinner. Archer: Sure Ordinand 2: Where? Ordinand 1: How about the Chinese place around the corner? Archer: Ooh...sweet. Ordinand 2: Which one? Ordinand 1: You know, the one next to the book binder shop. Ordinand 2: Oh right...the...uh...what's the name of it...the Stinky Buddha. Archer: Why would I want to eat at a place called the Stinky Buddha? Ordinand 2: no, no, Stinky Buddha...that doesn't sound right Ordinand 1: Yeah, I think its the Obese Buddha, or something like that. Ordinand 2: That still does not sound right...um...The Big Buddha. Ordinand 1: Brilliant. That's the one. Archer: Right! Big Stinky Obese Buddha...let's go! And I once thought recalling pastoral conversations for CPE verbatims was a worthless talent.

As promised on Monday before I caught this cold I have been battling all week, I promised the Seaburian folk some pictures of Roger's churches where he is Curate. The older one here is a Domesday Church. I found it to be the perfect C of E country parish church. This chair was in the inside of it. Notice the Green Man carved into the top. I have a bizarre reader demographic, ranging from several monks, an Anglican insurgent, and an Elvis impersonator. So you never know what weirdo is reading my blog. To this end, I blurred out the address and phone number because I'm retentive about internet security. As Monty Python used to say, "And now for something completely different..." Here is Roger's other church, a 1960s modern. See anyone you recognize?

There is quite a cadre of American exchange students at Westcott term.We schemed to put together a Thanksgiving dinner for the Westcott students who have never really had an American Thanksgiving and were curious about the tradition. The kitchen staff were quite helpful, and prepared a nice formal dinner for all the students with Turkey, etc. We the American students pitched in and cooked several pumpkin pies, biscuits (that was all me), cranberry sauce, etc. We had the dessert and the mulled cider in the common area/Westcott Bar. And we called it a dessert because the Brits call every dessert a "pudding" which in American lingo is a specific dish in itself. (FYI-unless that's John, I have no idea where the wig on the wall came from in this picture.) Being by far the most conservative American in the bunch who has no problem being respectful to the American flag as a community symbol, I had absolutely nothing to do with the decorations believe it or not (other than bein...

Roger was kind enough to take me on a tour of Peterborough Cathedral, about an hour or so drive away. This cathedral had one of the most interesting examples of ceiling art I have seen. Very Norman arches I might add. Here's the unusual ceiling design. Sorry about the lighting. I have tried to tinker with the photos to brighten them but it was dark outside, making the cathedral inside quite dark inside. This was over the main altar, quite beautiful I must say. The 12 disciples are displayed. Buried here is Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Historians believe she was probably the one wife he did actually love, if such a man was actually capable of it. Mary, Queen of Scots was originally buried here, but has since been removed to Westminster Abbey in London, ironically to be buried next to her half sister, Elizabeth I who ordered her beheading. The Scottish flags are still mark the place, however. Outside the gate there was a lovely if somewhat random Merry-go-rou...

This weekend, Roger C., was kind enough to have me down to his place. They told me to pass along a hearty hello to the Seabury folks. We went sight seeing around his new curacy and his hometown, of which I will be posting pictures sporatically throughout the week. Those familiar with Charles Dickens will recognize the Eight Bells pub, which is coincidentally in Roger's hometown. If you can't read the inscription here, it talks about this being the Pub referred to in one of Dickens novels where Bill Sikes and his dog take refuge after the murder of Nancy. Two points if you can name the novel. Stay tuned for more photos of The Archer's adventures with Roger...

I have to admit I told a fib in an earlier blog entry because I did not think I could pull off what I just have. When I was in Rome this weekend, I did actually manage to snap several surreptitious photos of the inside of the Sistine Chapel. It was all dreadfully Mission: Impossible-esque as they were all without a flash as I was palming my camera upward when the guards weren't looking. I have managed to piece them all together and lighten them all up drastically. They turned out pretty nice actually. This is the actually ceiling, or as best as I could reconstruct it from the 15 different shots. This was Michaelangelo's early work, when he was about 31. If you look closely, you can see all the stories of creation, expulsion from the garden, Noah, etc., on the interior. Portraits of Old Testament prophets and such are on the outside. There was a major restoration project in the 80s, which took off several centuries of candle and incense soot, revealing for the first time in mod...

Have a look at this website . It is quite possibly the most theologically disturbing thing I have ever seen. I happened to find it via a news item on msnbc.com earlier, so it must be legit. Feminists be warned.

I have managed to attract interest from a couple of people from Westcott house about maybe coming over to Seabury for the fall term. At this point, its only in the very initial stages of course negotiations, etc., but I am excited about the prospect, as both candidates would be great additions to the Seabury-Westcott exchange program.

I got into a snit with the postal worker (all this was after a snit with the cook in Westcott's refectory on an unrelated matter) yesterday because they were trying to charge a commission for cashing a traveler's cheque. Besides the fact that I had been in there more than once and never had to pay that processing fee before, they were trying to tell me they had to make a commission. I replied that that was silly because I was going to buy almost 17 pounds worth of stamps, so they were in fact making a profit and that a 5 pound processing fee was in fact a 25% commission on a 20 pound cheque that I was trying to use to buy stamps. I finally said the heck with it and went to the SPCK bookshop and bought a card, and then went back to the post office and bought stamps, so they didn't get their 5 pound commission. Caveat Solicitor I suppose. That got me to thinking about how the postal systems work in Europe. Because they are largely different than the US Postal systems. I also...

As promised, here are some pictures of Rome. I'm talking Toga-wearing-grunting-Gladiator-limb-chopping-manly-man Roman Rome, not that Christian fluff... ;) It also gives me the shameless opportunity to quote an immortal philosopher, "Toga!" Marty! Fire up the Flux Capacitor...its time for some time travel... Here is the one thing in Europe I have always wanted to see: Il Colosseo. The Colosseum. This half of the Colosseum was used as a quarry in the Renaissance to rebuild parts of Rome, namely the Vatican. This is the inside of the Colosseum. The Colosseum would actually have had a tarp roof to keep the rain off as well as wooden floors covered in sand for the gladitorial events. You can see how the floor system would have worked by looking at the partial floor in the immediate foreground. You can see how the walls would have been under the wood floors for gladiator housing, etc. When the Colosseum opened, they had an antiquity style World's Fair and the floor was fl...

Read today's Foxtrot .

I was in Rome this weekend. I am back safe and sound in Cambridge, albeit a little tired. You can in fact tour Rome in a day and half. I couldn't believe how cheap the food was. I had pizza, spaghetti, scampi, and a glass of wine for less than ten Euros. I also got to tour the Colosseum and the Roman forum which I will post later. I took over 200 pictures, so I am still sorting through them. I really downsized these photographs for blogging, so the quality isn't really great. There are just so many though, I had to. If you want to see a detailed high resolution of any of these, let me know. Here is a shot from St. Peter's Square, looking up at the Papal apartments. They would not let you take any pictures in the Sistine Chapel, but anywhere else, including St. Peter's Basilica was fine. It was chilly, but the sun was shining all day, which apparently is unique for Italy at this time. It's impressive, but the Protestant voice in my head kept telling me this was all ...

I seem to be on a blogphotopalooza, but since I will be in Rome this weekend, I have to get all my blogging done now. My mother e-mailed me some pictures from our backyard. Since we don't get good East Tennessee falls here in Cambridge, this reminded me of life back on the other side of the Wardrobe.

I also ran across this bizarre phenomenon a while back that I've been meaning to post. What's wrong with this picture? Bank of Scotland...flying a Canadian flag. Give me' my free'dom, eh!

This is a photo I took of a lamp that was in the restaurant I have dinner at in Canterbury. The waitress thought I was a lunatic for taking pictures of lamps.

I offer these prayers from the BCP about the US national election: From pg 822 (National Prayers section) of the BCP: " 24. For an Election Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States (or of this community) in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." And for our country, regardless of whatever happens tomorrow (Pg 820 of the BCP): "18. For our Country: Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for ourheritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always proveourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will.Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, andpure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defendour liberties, and fashion into...

When I was in Canterbury over the weekend, I got to visit the ruins of St. Augustine's monastery. (That's Augustine of Canterbury, not to be confused with my hero Augustine of Hippo.) They let you walk around the ruins, and you get this little headset of narrative of what stuff is. They also included this audio bit about what life was like for a monk, and it had all these sound effects to listen to as you walked through the ruins. Having been involved in radio before, I was impressed at the part where you walk into the old altar area and the audio guide played the entire Matins office in chant while you stand there amongst the old monastic chapel. Here's a cameo appearance by the big man himself, or at least his grave. Once one of the most hollowed pilgrimage sites in all of England, Henry had the shrine destroyed and this simple marker placed over his grave. I was especially fond of this shot. A flower among the ruins. There's a sermon in there somewhere. This picture ...

Call girls bishops (?!?!)...I really have no earthly idea what this was about, but my trip to Canterbury has finally allowed for the discovery of concrete conclusive proof that some things are best left to mystery. An added bonus that I did not see until I developed the picture was the little sign pointing down saying, "Warning: Steep Drop." Hell is a long way down there I suppose.