Monday, May 23, 2011

Notables and Linkables

* The Suburban Banshee notes an online archive of some of Turing's documents, and discusses his trip to Dayton.

* Joe Trabbic has an interesting series of notes on Heidegger:

Heidegger and Catholicism: Some Very Introductory Notes
Heidegger and the Question of Being, Part 1
Heidegger and the Question of Being, Part 2: Being in the Early Heidegger
Heidegger and the Question of Being, Part 3: Being in the Early Heidegger (cont'd)
Heidegger and the Question of Being, Part 4: Being in the Later Heidegger

There will be more in the series, over time (a long time, apparently).

* The CDC's guide to surviving a zombie apocalypse. (ht) I suppose you have to have a sense of humor in their line of work.

* On the issue of torture, Julian Baggini says never say never and H. E. Baber says utilitarianism is the best we've got to work with. Both are wrong, of course. We don't really get much of an argument in either post, but they were both just answering a question.

* Bollywood vs. Islamic extremism. As to the all-important Sheila vs. Munni issue, Munni is prettier, but Katrina Kaif, if you are reading this and want to try to change my mind, that's an experiment I'm willing to try.

* St. John's Episcopal Church Montclair is having an interfaith service:

While there’s no minaret at the church, the words of “Allahu akbar,” (God is greater) will none-the-less invite both Christians and Muslims to worship side by side. During the interfaith service, verses from the Holy Qur’an will complement readings from the Holy Bible, including during Communion, embracing the traditions of both religions.

Yes, that sounds like a typical ecumenical venture from the Episcopalians: while reading the Qur'an, according to which Jesus did not die on the cross but was rescued by God, we'll celebrate Communion, which represents and proclaims the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Perhaps readings of Sura 4 can complement readings of 1 Corinthians 11; that will no doubt work well -- we'll both embrace the Crucifixion and the view that it is an insult against the All-Merciful, thus blending the two communities in peace and love.

Really, this is why Episcopalians are so exasperating: if they were really serious about blending the communities and embracing the traditions of both, they'd close down their church and become Baha'is.