In defense of Catholics’ right to marry

I am completely in favour of allowing Catholics to marry. I think it would be unfair and a huge mistake to deny them that right.

Catholicism is not an illness. Catholics, even though many people do not like them or feel they are strange, are normal people and should have the same rights as if they were, for example, engineers or homosexual.

I am aware that many of the ideas and attitudes of catholic people, such as their obsession with sexual matters, may feel strange to other people. I know that they could be accused of encouraging risky practices, such as their reckless and deliberate ban of the use of condoms. I am also aware that some of their traditions, such as worshiping instruments of torture, may offend some people. Some may even say that marriage between Catholics is not a real marriage, as it is based on a religious ritual done before their god and not on a union between two people.

I believe that all these reasons, most of which are highly exaggerated in the media, are still not a sufficient reason to ban them from getting married.

Another common reason I have heard against allowing catholic people to marry is that their religion strongly condemns having children outside of a marriage. This could cause a large increase of marriages just to “save face” or to have sex (as their religion prohibits sex outside of a marriage) which could lead to an increase in domestic violence and broken homes. I always say that domestic violence and broken homes are not exclusive to catholic families and, as we cannot read people’s minds, we should not just assume that catholic couples get married for the wrong reasons.

On the other hand some might say that a catholic marriage is not a marriage and it should be called something else. I think that this is missing the point and going into a semantic discussion that leads nowhere, a marriage is a marriage and a family is a family.

Speaking of families, I would also like to address a different issue which I hope you won’t dismiss without giving it some thought: I am also in favour of allowing catholic people to adopt children.

I know some of you will be shocked at this idea. I know many of you will be thinking:” Catholics adopting children? Won’t those children end up Catholic too?” I always answer the same thing. Thought it is true that children with catholic parents have a much higher probability of ending up catholic (though the same is not necessarily true of children of engineers or homosexuals) I have already stated that Catholics are people just like the rest of us.

In spite of some people’s opinions there is no definite proof that catholic parents are any less prepared to raise a child, nor is there any proof that the religious bias of a catholic household negatively affects a child’s upbringing. Adoptions should be judged on a case by case basis and it is up to the adoption agencies to determine whether the parents are suited to raise a child or not.

To sum up, I firmly believe that Catholics should be allowed to marry and adopt in spite of the opposition from certain parts of society.

They should have exactly the same rights as engineers and homosexuals.

Freely translated from an original post from psicobyte.com

Rereading the past

The other day, while surfing through wikipedia, I stumbled on “Ulysses” by Tynneson. I remember I read this poem when I was a boy and I loved it. I still think it is a great poem but I´m surprised at how my interpretation of it has changed since then.

I remember that when I first read it I thought it was a poem about adventure and how old king Ulysses missed the open sea and discovering new things. It kindled a flame for exploring in my heart that is still there and which I believe will burn for a while yet.

As I was rereading it the other day I realised that it was not about missing adventure but about not giving up on your dreams. While Ulysses does miss the open sea, what he is doing is refusing to accept events as they unfold. He is fighting back at a life that seems to be pushing him in one direction even though he wants to go in another one. It is about regretting the chances you did not take but also about how it is never too late to take that step and put your life back on track.

This poem is one that always strikes me whenever I read it (both times! ). I’ve been thinking a lot about it since I rediscovered it and it has helped me realise a few things about my life. I guess Skármeta was right when he said that poetry does not belong to who writes it, it belongs to who needs it.

You can read the full poem by clicking here but I´ll leave you with my favourite part:

Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

What will our children know?

I have always been fascinated by the Dodo. Since I was a small boy I had a hard time understanding how a species could be wiped off the face of the earth by humans. There was a time when I thought that that kind of thing only happened in the past, I have since learned otherwise.

Now it seems like another species we all know and love will be joining the Dodo on the list of species our children will never enjoy. The member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted last week not to ban the trade of bluefin tuna. The worldwide population of bluefin tuna has dropped over 80% in the last 40 years and the future looks grim.

I love bluefin tuna but I would also like my children to be able to enjoy some delicious tuna sashimi. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has done such a poor job at imposing fishing quotas that it  was dubbed the International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna. The world’s number one consumer of bluefin tuna is Japan who is notorious for not respecting bans on fishing and not really worrying too much about the sustainability of our ocean wildlife.

So with this rant I ask you to think twice before ordering some bluefin maki and maybe if we all do our bit to preserve this delicious fish our children won’t have to ask us: “Daddy what was a tuna?”

Revisiting the past

I never knew my grandfather (on my mother’s side), he died a few months before I was born but I always heard good things about him. He was kind and generous and had a great sense of humour. He was also a General in Franco‘s army and head of the secret police.

This was a fact(the secret police part) that I was unaware of until much later in my life but I accepted it rather easily and moved on. Recently, however, an article appeared in the press which detailed my Grandfather’s involvement in operation Mincemeat on the side of the “Bad guys”. This really affected my mother as she had been unaware up until that day of the darker side of her father’s life.

All of this made me think of major historical “Bad guys” and what their families might think of them. I never knew my grandfather but I’m sure he was a great guy and loved his family very much but to most people he was probably an evil person. I guess what I really wonder is how should a person be remembered, how he was or for the things he did? I’m sure my grandfather did some reprehensible things during his life time but to me he will always be the loving father my mother described.

Panem et circensis

I am not a very big football (soccer) fan. In fact I miss most matches and don’t mind who wins or loses. I’ve always thought that it is all a big business but I somehow forgot its real meaning: to keep people entertained and talking about inconsequential things. It’s a lot cheaper than declaring a war!

I am originally from Spain, though I live in Ireland. In the emerald isle I generally manage to avoid football matches and only go to the really big ones. I enjoy watching the game but I generally don’t get caught up in the quasi-religious fervor that seems to grip some of the fans. However, whenever I go back home I find it a lot harder to avoid.

Here in Spain football is everywhere! Half the news is dedicated to it and I get the feeling that it is the most important aspect of everyone’s life. It’s all about who wins and (sometimes more importantly) who loses.

People get so caught up in this that they forget the things that should really be discussed. Nobody seems to really worry about the 19% unemployment rate or that we are the country with the worst perspectives for recovery in the whole eurozone. Nobody talks about our disgraceful educational system that is condemning a whole generation of students. Nobody seems to question how we got here and what things need to change.

I know that asking for the abolition of football is too much but I just ask you… Is it really that important to you? Is fighting with someone because the team they have decided wants to win is different from the one you want to win more important than working together to get Spain out of the grave it has dug for itself?

Keanu Reeves is immortal

So silly, it’s funny

http://borscht.org/thanks/cbn_halloween_daniels.html

Article regarding the demonic aspect of Halloween Posted on CNB.com. The article was pulled pretty quickly.

By the way, Facebook has blocked the article because some Facebook users (and some of my work colleagues) find it offensive

Cell Size and Scale

Ever had trouble wrapping your head around how small an atom really is? This should help: Cell Size and Scale.

Now that’s what I call knowing your target market!

This video (apart from being awesome) is a clear example of targetted marketing.

Now that’s what I call vocal “chords”

I stumbled on this video the other day and was amazed! Try listening to it without watching the video and see if you can tell when the guitar is playing and when he is singing.