Monday, May 16, 2016

Whitsun Monday


So, the Easter season has come to its end, and it's Pentecost time. Here's the pysanka I made this year. Gradually getting better at it!


This is on the back of it, a traditional thing to put on pysanky. It's for 'Христос воскрес,' Russian for 'Christ is risen.'

Also, please notice the poll off to the right, about your preferred blog entry formatting.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Aitkin Age column: a requested response

My latest column for the Aitkin Independent Age is another response, this time to a column by my editor himself, who was a very good sport about it. The subject matter, however, is nothing good-natured, especially as our fallen nation's dictator seeks to impose it on all children.

A reader asked that if I, like her, disagreed with it, would I be willing to reply to Adam Hoogenakker’s editorial “It’s not about equal rights.” I do disagree, and am flattered to be considered a viable proponent for this view, which, according to one of our polls, is shared by many Age readers. I am also grateful to Mr. Hoogenakker for his gracious spirit of free speech and debate, as opposed to many who would have just called the reader and me transphobic.
In the conflict over allowing those who consider themselves a different sex from biological fact into whatever restroom they choose – with Target’s pro-transgender policy being the latest scuffle – the danger of sexual predators is a prime issue. About this, Mr. Hoogenakker says “I’ve never worried about [his children] being molested or violated” in a Target store restroom.

I would guess, though I could be wrong – and I deeply apologize if I am – that no one close to him was sexually assaulted as a child. This, of course, is a good thing and I hope it will always be that way, because such abuse should never happen. However, the outlook of one who was abused or knows those who were, might be different.
Read the rest here.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Film review: Batman v Superman


Ann Barnhardt has posted her long-awaited final video, on Diabolical Narcissism, Remember Lot's Wife. It is tremendously incisive, upsetting, illuminating, and important. Every adult today should see it; it is very needed information on both a personal and civilizational level.

What further I have to say here is quite insignificant in comparison, so do watch her video rather than read my entry if your time is limited.

A small mention that Miss Barnhardt makes in the video leads me to my first of my promised film reviews. She uses Man of Steel as an example of the mainstreaming of narcissistic lack of empathy: how after the final battle wherein Metropolis is practically leveled, with the implied deaths of thousands, Superman and Lois Lane seemingly disregard this tragedy, "googly-eyed" at each other, and kiss.

As I watched her condemn this, I couldn't help exclaiming, "The versus movie addresses that very thing!"

And so, my first film review according to my plan to be helpful to Catholic parents:

Batman v Superman

In short:
On my first viewing,

How good is it: Powerful performances, clever and interwoven writing, and moody yet radiant visuals create a tragic, gripping, and united film which yet strongly suggests a much larger story. Very much better than I had expected; I had been expecting a mediocre, boring thing with a lot of pointless explosions, posturing, and trying to copy the Avengers movies. It's not like that at all.

For whom do I recommend: Not for children under an age of mature understanding, around 13, because of moral complexity and swear words; also one line subtly implies one character may have been sexually abused as a child. In truth, I would not recommend it to anyone who does not have a fair amount of background knowledge and understanding of the original comics' stories, but for those who do, I recommend it whole-heartedly.

The full review is below the cut, and includes a specific spoiler that happens very early on, as well as some other spoilers that I try not to be too specific about and are probably known to anyone who has looked into the promotional material. I do not spoil most major revelations and turnabouts nor the ending.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

New header and new themes

As you can see, I've got a new header banner image, and changed the title of the blog to match the URL. I think the old title was a bit pretentious, and this is also more concrete and distinctive, so.

As also indicated by the banner and its messy electric array of images, I'm expanding this blog's function. I've been writing a lot more essays lately. The ones on here will probably mostly be about Catholic matters: the current state of things especially with the progression of the Kasperite heresy, but also theology for its own sake, systematic and speculative, which I enjoy a lot more.

Finally, considering that, due mainly to my coloring pages, my audience seems mainly to be made up of Catholic homeschooling mothers, I want to be of further help to this group, especially since I think it's one of the few things that has potential of hope for our civilization. So I think it might be helpful if I review media aimed at children, both as to how good it is in the absolute sense, and how appropriate it is for different ages of children.

I do watch a lot of things made for children, and I don't see that there's much of this from a Catholic perspective... There's Steven Greydanus, and that's about all I know of. And he just does movies, not shows, and, while I greatly respect the work he has undertaken and his success therewith, I often disagree with his assessments of films, not just aesthetic but also moral and theological. So! I hope that the reviews I'm planning will be informative for parents in this time where much of children's media is corrupted by anti-Christian propaganda for death-sucking perversion, but there are, conversely, also many works of great worth and beauty.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

My focus is crocused


From back in early spring, some crocuses in our father's garden.




Another photo I took of them made the front page of the paper!

Friday, May 6, 2016

Anniversary of an earlier birthday


My birthday was a Sunday while ago; I had recently gotten myself a dress I had wanted for a long time, the Wiz me Over the Rainbow jumperskirt by Baby the Stars Shine Bright.


I realized that it was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the best birthday of my childhood, a Wizard of Oz themed one, so once again I basically dressed like Dorothy for my birthday, including for Mass that morning!

(I absolutely refuse to surrender Wizard of Oz to the sodomites. Book or film, it never was and never will be about them.)

I still have this bow I wore for that birthday 25 years ago.

Tried to make proper strawberry shortcake... I think it turned out like it was supposed to, but it was kind of bland and didn't look very pretty.


And no action figure to put atop it this year! Ah well.