For an 'Obamacon,' Communion Denied

An incredible article in the Washington Post about "Douglas Kmiec, a staunch Republican, firm foe of abortion and veteran of the Reagan Justice Department, [who] had been denied Communion."

Access the article here.

My quick take:

This is what you get when you have little people with a little power - the so-called little Napoleon wannabes - who don't think past their first step. The priest's actions, in my opinion, are completely out of line for so many reasons including: 1) Kmiec does not support Obama because of abortion; 2) Kmiec is staunchly against abortion; 3) the priest is clueless on Kmiec's relationship with God... and on and on. I almost want to say that priests like this dude ought to be excommunicated for being the antithesis of Christ's love. But, I won't advocate that.

Thankfully, though, people like this particularly priest are a minority in the Catholic Church. And, even more thankfully, there are priests who understand what it is like to be an individual outside of the confines of a church building.

As always, the Jayhawk's looking to hear your opinions, especially on this particular topic!

"The Same People"

Not sure if you saw this, but a reader posted the following article regarding the gay marriage topic: http://www.newsweek.com/id/139423. It's a quick read and one that's worth your 90 seconds.

"Do You Love the Job, or Just the Paycheck?"

An excellent article in the NYTimes about a topic that has been discussed on Jayhawk's Nest.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/jobs/01pre.html

"My sense of professional accomplishment was determined by the size of my bonus checks. I felt that my title and salary were all that I had to show for those long years of hard work, political maneuvering and Dilbertian despair.

"Like many of my co-workers, I thought I could eventually earn enough money to make up for the fact that I dreaded going to work every day. Then I would be happy, I told myself...

"But in fact, my high-paying but soul-draining job was beginning to take a toll on my personal life."

Oh so true, so true, so true, so true... and take away the 'high' from 'high-paying' and you begin to spell life with new letters: "m. i. s. e. r. y!"

Read the article and let me know what you think!

You're Gonna Miss This

A good reminder to those on the fast-track to nowhere...

You're Gonna Miss This

She was staring out the window of their SUV
Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"
She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and saysAnd s "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

--Trace Adkins

A Dilemma

In a suburb of a big town near a big city in a big state in the Midwest, there lived two friends. Their names were Eks and Wye. As their friendship grew over the years, they began to love each other. A lot. So they decided to do what people who love each other do - get married.

Eks and Wye are Pozlots - that's the name of their religion. The Pozlots have a very sacred text called the Winkrut. On page seven, paragraph 3 of the Winkrut, it says: "Any two individuals who decide to commit to each other in a long-term relationship must get married....Furthermore, the couple can be man-man, woman-man, woman-woman, neuter-man, neuter-woman, neuter-neuter. Irrespective, the two must get the blessings of the deity and the yutlutz" (akin to a Catholic priest, Protestant minister, Hindu priest, Jewish rabbi, etc).

So, Eks and Wye went to the Pozlots' sacred house - called a Riszeim - and got married. It made them immensely happy. Two weeks ago, they decided to buy a house, together as a couple. So, they visited a Realtor and looked for houses. Last week, they found a house which they both loved and so they decided to buy it. In the process of completing the paper work and obtaining the mortgage, the bank asked Eks and Wye, "Is this is a tenancy by the entirety purchase?" Eks responded, "Well yes, of course! We're married!" So, as is standard procedure, the bank clerk asked for a formal marriage certificate issued by the US government to prove that the individuals were married for the purpose of property law.

The next day, Eks and Wye went to the county court to obtain a marriage license and the county clerk said to them, "Hi! Welcome to the United States' Most Accepting County Courthouse! How may I help you?" Eks proceeded to ask for a marriage license. He showed the Pozlot religious marriage license which they had received from the yutlutz as proof that vows were exchanged with Wye.

After a brief moment, the clerk said, "Don't mind me asking, but you two look alike. I mean, you know, you both don't look like either girls or boys. Sorry, but what's your gender? I need to write it down so that I know the groom and bride." Eks and Wye respond, in unison, "Well, we're neuter." Wye went on to explain, "We were castrated when we were five and now we're neuter."

So, should the clerk proceed with the process of issuing a marriage license or not?

The Chain of Love

What would an ideal world be like? Clay Walker answers in the following song:

The Chain Of Love

He was driving home one evening,
In his beat up Pontiac
When an old lady flagged him down,
Her Mercedes had a flat
He could see that she was frightened,
Standing out there in the snow
'Til he said I'm here to help you ma'am,
By the way my name is Joe

She said I'm from St. Louis,
And I'm only passing through
I must have seen a hundred cars go by,
This is awful nice of you
When he changed the tire,
And closed her trunk
And was about to drive away,
She said how much do I owe you
Here's what he had to say

You don't owe me a thing, I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you

Well a few miles down the road,
The lady saw a small cafe
She went in to grab a bite to eat,
And then be on her way
But she couldn't help but notice,
How the waitress smiled so sweet
And how she must've been eight months along,
And dead on her feet

And though she didn't know her story,
And she probably never will
When the waitress went to get her change,
From a hundred dollar bill
The lady slipped right out the door,
And on a napkin left a note
There were tears in the waitress's eyes,
When she read what she wrote

You don't owe me a thing,
I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you

That night when she got home from work,
The waitress climbed into bed
She was thinkin' about the money,
And what the lady's note had said
As her husband lay there sleeping,
She whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright, I love you, Joe

Don't Worry

Written By Rebecca St. James and Matt Bronleewe

On the corner of Fifth and Broadway
I was walking to the grocery store on Third
I saw a man up on a box
He seemed a little unorthodox
He was preaching up a storm
As I walked on by he said

Don't worry about your life
Cause if you hold it too close
You'll lose it
Don't worry about your life
So won't you let go
Before it's gone

A little further on I saw a beggar on the street
He asked for change and then gives me his life story
Says he was a millionaire, made some bad decisions there
Now a dollar fifty could feed him for a week
And he said

Don't worry about your life
Cause if you hold it too close you lose it
Don't worry about your life
So won't you let go
Before it's gone

Then I see the birds
I watch them fly
They've got everything they need
They show me why I can be free
Knowing You will care for me

Finally at the grocery store
My mind is filled with many thoughts
As I bump into a girl I knew from high school
She said "What's different about you girl?"
And I smiled and said this is what I know is true
And I'll pass it right along to you

Don't worry about your life
Cause if you hold it too close you lose it
Don't worry about your life
So won't you let go before it's gone

Fed speech comparison

Taken from the Wall Street Journal.

Ducklings...

S&P 500 Forecast: 1170

Late last year, and again earlier this year, I stated - right here on Jayhawk's Nest - that we can expect the S&P 500 index to retrace to 1170. Some of you probably thought that I was delusional.

Well, today, David Kostin, the chief US investment guru for Goldman Sachs, said that he expects a "swath of lowered profit guidance," and as a result "the S&P index to reach 1,160" over the "near term."

Need another opinion?

Scott Anderson, chief economist at Wells Fargo, is equally pessimistic, describing the bullish views of some market players as "bordering on delusional".

You can find the full article here.

It's good to know someone, err... sometwo, agrees with me.

You've been warned.

Rock Chalk Champions!

Roy Forgiven!

Life Inc.: Purpose

I recently had another non-unique question: what exactly is the purpose of my life? We sometimes wander aimlessly, it seems, in an effort to get to a final mission in our lives. We take jobs, get involved in organizations, and participate in events - sometimes, not always - as a means to hopefully get to the end of our greater calling. "This internship will look good on my resume" or "That job would would be great resume candy," etc. We hope to meet someone who will channel us to the correct career path, in the hopes that we will land our dream job. Even within a specific professional career, we're constantly searching for the best and most perfect place for ourselves.

We may read every career self-help book, talk to industry and career experts, and even pray and still be at a loss of where exactly we fit into the grand jigsaw puzzle - career-wise and in life. And, often, not being able to find or see our individual purpose in the general scheme of life can be discouraging. We may begin to doubt our abilities, question the decisions we've made in the past (and even irrationally blame ourselves for them), and begin to simply lose hope of ever striking our 'mission.' It's a dangerous path.

Recently, I was presented with a very powerful image that helped me better - not fully - understand how to think of our purpose in life. Last Sunday, during mass, one of the altar helpers who carried the candle down the isle of the church had Down syndrome. It was incredible to see him walk down the isle very reverently, willingly, and with great purpose, serving a special role in the service.

Many people today write-off children (and adults) with Down syndrome as unproductive members of society. It is easy to do so since most people cannot relate to them. People with Down syndrome are often neglected and their goals in life are never discussed, but only assumed. Yet, this altar helper's actions served as a stark and important reminder that only God knows our grand mission in life. The altar server's presence and actions were vital to the overall service, and his purpose at that point in time served as a microscopic view of our daily purpose in life.

I don't know whether or not he fully comprehended the reasons behind his actions in the service. Similarly, we often do not know the reason(s) why we do what we do - in school, at work, or elsewhere. Instead, we simply continue our quest in hopes to search for our 'purpose in life.' Sometimes aimlessly, sometimes hopelessly.

But, the most important lesson I learned: don't write-off yourself. Our purpose, just like the altar helper's, is to serve God. He did it in a more literal sense: during mass in a church.

In our daily lives, we serve God through our quest to quench our mysterious yearning for a greater purpose - in our actions, our thoughts, and our intentions. In all of these, love is the primary ingredient. Much like the joy and the love that was exhibited by the altar helper while he held the candle, so must we hold our candles with sincere appreciation and love, no matter what the destination or the environment.

Hence, our purpose is indeed to love and to serve God.

Champion Jayhawks Party Videos

Video of crazy partying in Lawrence, Kansas here!!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

http://www2.ljworld.com/videos/sets/2008/apr/08/6news_championship_celebration/

ROCK CHALK CHAMPIONS!

CONGRATULATIONS

2008 NCAA BASKETBALL

CHAMPIONS!!

ROCK CHALK

JAYHAWK!!

PS: The last time KU won the championship (1988), the S&P 500 was up 8% for the year.

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK! GO KU!!

PS: Sorry, Roy.

It's time to pray again

Our Father, who art in Lawrence,
Hallowed by thy game.

Thy bracket come,
Thy upset will be done, in San Antonio as it is in Allen Field House.

Give us this day our deserved game,
and forgive us our turnovers,
as we forgive Roy who double-crossed against us.

And lead us not into defeat,
but deliver us from Roy tears.

For Kansas is the basketball kingdom,
And the tradition,
And the glory,
For ever and ever.

Amen!

Life Inc.: Suffering

On my way to work this morning, I had a strange but non-unique thought. Given the choice, would most people choose to live, i.e. be born and go through the whole life sha-bang? For most people, perhaps as many as 80% of people it seems, when looked at from a superficial standpoint, I think the answer is no. That's a rather depressing thought and statement - don't you think?

Most of the reasoning stems from the purpose behind our lives and the juxtaposition of suffering in the world that comes with it. When I think of the billlions of people who toil day and night (and in between) to simply make ends meet, the unquantifiable amount of poverty, disease, hunger, injustice... around the world, I start to wonder what really is the purpose of all this. And, then, on the opposite spectrum, we have private islands, pristine private beaches, personal attendants, private jets... you get the picture. It really sucks to suffer.

So, why bother with the whole life thing (if given a choice at the beginning)? What's the purpose of living anyway, and more importantly of suffering through all of it? It doesn't make the sufferer happy, it doesn't make those watching the suffering happy, it doesn't create any value - or does it? Are you actually doing a disservice by having kids? After all, they are prone to the same suffering existent today, aren't they?

It is impossible to answer why suffering exists to fully please every person with the question. Your guesses are as good as mine. Why did God create suffering? It's an extremely hard question, if not an impossible one, to answer. However, I think we can look at the meaning of love in order to find some solace and the beginnings of an answer.

When our hearts ache and our minds are numbed by all the suffering around us, we are melted and brought to our knees in an effort to love the victim of this suffering. For instance, when we see a family go through unimaginable trials e.g. a gruesome death of a loved child, we - almost instinctively - react with compassion. Whether we act on that instinct and do something about it is a different story altogether. But, for a split second, I think it is fair to say that there is an outpouring of love to those in need of it - at the very least in spirit. This love that emanates from us is a natural instinct that fills a void and a vacuum that lacks it or has just lost it. In this example, the family has lost a source (and receiver) of love.

It is probably fair to say that seeing others suffer brings out the sympathy, kindness, compassion, charity, and unselfishness that lies in the deep abyss of each one of us. In essence, all these 'feelings' are a derivative of love. Every one of us, regardless of talent, intelligence, race, religion, gender, family background, hair color, political leaning, wealth, title or health, has the ability and inclination to react to suffering in the ways described above, in some form or another. Furthermore, this 'love' is one for which we constantly thirst to give and to receive. To give a few examples: we want to have "meaningful careers", "create change in the world", "help others", "have a happy family", etc. In the case of watching suffering, we want to give love to others; when we suffer, we seek love from others.

Love, then, is a primary element that makes us human, as opposed to simply an object of existence or a "living thing." Suffering is the lack of love, internal or external. It exists to bring about the love that is intrinsic in each one of us and exists within us. Whether we exercise it or not is a matter of choice. It unifies people beyond any boundary imaginable - racial, religious, cultural, political, hobby-based, any one. Everyone of us no matter who we are or how cruel we are - today, in the past, or in the future - has the capacity to love and to receive love.

God is love. His first two commandments are: love Him, and love others. In order to appreciate Him and His love for us, suffering must exist. Without it, we are unable to love, or to receive love. And, as a result, we are unable to know God.

F'd on Facebook

Do you post your life on Facebook? You may want to think again. Recently, a computer techie was able crack into pictures posted on the site, but to which he had no legal access. The bug has since been fixed. However, there are generally more cockroaches in such cases and there's no reason to believe a second and much larger hack attempt won't be successfully disasterous to its victims.

For the entire article, click here.

Bernanke's Rhapsody?

SING TO THE TUNE OF 'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY' BY QUEEN

Is this the real price?
Is this just fantasy?
Financial landslide
No escape from reality

Open your eyes
And look at your buys and see.
I'm now a poor boy (poor boy)
High-yielding casualty
Because I bought it high, watched it blow
Rating high, value low
Any way the Fed goes
Doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama - just killed my fund
Quoted CDO's instead
Pulled the trigger, now it's dead
Mama - I had just begun
These CDO's have blown it all away
Mama - oooh-hoo-ooo
I still wanna buy
I sometimes wish I'd never left Goldman at all.

(guitar solo)

~~~

I see a little silhouette of a Fed
Bernanke! Bernanke! Can you save the whole market?
Monolines and munis - very very frightening me!
Super senior, super senior
Super senior CDO - magnifico

I'm long of subprime, nobody loves me
He's long of subprime CDO fantasy
Spare the margin call you monstrous PB!
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
Peloton! No - we will not let you go - let him go
Peloton! We will not let you go
(let him go !)
Peloton! We will not let you go - let me go
Will not let you go
let me go (never) Never let you go - let me go Never let me go – ooo
No, no, no, no, No, NO, NO ! -
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
S&P had the devil put aside
for me
For me, for me, for me

~~~

So you think you can fund me and spit in my eye?
And then margin call me and leave me to die Oh PB - can't do this to me
Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here

Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
No price really matters
No liquidity
Nothing really matters - no price really matters to me
Any way the Fed goes.....

Penned by a Bear Stearns (BSC) guy.