Not bad since Catholics are supposed to be all opposed to science. (get the facts about The Galileo Controversy)

Speaking of science ... First off, my prayers are with those in the path of Hurricane Dennis. The following example will show you why I do not trust the press all that much. Consider the following quotes from the following articles.

Fierce early storms bode ill for season

It also is the earliest occurrence of a Category 4 hurricane in the Caribbean, and possibly the U.S., meteorologists say.

Dennis affecting local travelers

Dennis is also the first storm this intense to hit the country during the month of July.

To me the slight of hand in the wording of these statements is most bothering to me. Both of them imply that this is the earliest that a Cat 4 has formed in the Atlantic basin AND made landfall. I have even seen people on the Internet using these quotes in global warming discussions to show that things are happening that have never happened before.

Fact: This would have been the earliest in July that a Cat 4 had made landfall in the US if Dennis had not, by miracle, collapsed before moving ashore.
Fact: Hurricane Audrey made landfall in southwest Louisiana on June 27, 1957 as a Category 4. Maximum sustained winds were 145 mph and the death toll was near 400.

Now go back and read the statements in those articles again ... With the first statement, there is no possibly to it. Audrey made landfall in June. Case closed. As for the second statement, yes, a storm this intense this early in the season is unusual but it has happened before. Interesting how the second piece of information gives a tiny bit more perspective to the intent behind such clever wording. In fact, consider that four named storms in early July set record ... This is a good article pointing out another thing that IS unusual about all of this. Still, the year 1959 started off with a bang similar to this year and ended up with 11 storms. According to the NWC FAQ the record is 19 storms (1995) ... I find it interesting that weird things were happening in the 50's yet only one of these articles managed to mention that. I wonder why nobody has drawn the parallel between these last couple of seasons and then? Finally, how come I can verify these statements were misleading with a few web searches and yet these articles manage to make it to press? I thought there were fact checking teams at most newspapers or at least a process to ensure that information is being accurately portrayed.

In the debate about mans role in global warming, I want facts. Facts exist and they can make a compelling case. Clever wording and omission of information that tries to prove to me that the sky is falling is unecessary and it undermines the press by giving me, the reader, the indication that the whole truth is not something the press really cares about any more.

Is it about agenda or news? Make up your mind and be blatantly honest about it. Don't try to hide one in there and say it is the other.

What I am reading online today

Music leads pianist to a life of Catholicism
Aristotle on Abortion
Creationism talk suggests need to revisit Catholic education
Catholics cannot support abortion rights-Vatican - read it and weep pro-abortion heretics.
My Launchcast Radio Station - Dappled Things has a LAUNCHCast station.
Do Protestants Become Catholics for Love? - IMHO, too many folks convert to Catholicism to marry someone and for that reason alone. It cannot, however, be ignored that an increasing number of folks ARE converting for doctrinal reasons, including the author of this blog and many other folks that I know and have encountered online and in person.
Fornication, contraception, and the laughter of God - An EXCELLENT essay on Catholic sexual morality and the standard two wrongs make a right mentality that prevails within a large percentage (majority?) of lay Catholics.
A Christian boy band hits New York City and the girls go wild - Intersting ... I plan to do a little research on this in the near future.