The newspaper reported that round bowls caused fish to go blind. No one at Rome council was available to confirm this was why they were banned.

I feel much better about this world and the people I live in it with when I read stories like this…

Read all about it: “Rome Bans Goldfish Bowls”

‘Blind fish’. That would be a good name for a band. …ROCK!

Halloween, because of it’s association with all things dark and spooky is supposed to be something unbecoming of an upstanding Christian to take any part in…at least for some evidently. And it’s understandably an easy target what with all those scary costumes and skeletons. Many years I get told, (and mostly by my wife who forgets what I explained the year before), that Halloween is something that celebrates darkness and because of that antithetical to our beliefs and something we should stay away from.

For myself it’s always been simple. My parents, who when young were very restrained in their choices with respect to popular culture because of their faith , never seemed to think it strange to dress my sister and I up in home-made costumes, like most other children and escort us around the trailer park collecting our candy. We loved getting our hands dirty and scooping out the innards of a gourd onto newspaper on our front porch making ready the jack-o-lanterns. So as a youth I’d have the impression that certain types of music were satanic for instance, but that Halloween was about dressing up and going to school in silly, terribly uncomfortable costumes, and collecting a whopping great bag of candy; half of which would be gone by the next day.

…And my view hasn’t changed. (Apart from the fact that I’d have to be at gunpoint to dress up in a costume).
Halloween is an opportunity for my son to dress up as a cute little purple dinosaur and give out candy to other cute little creatures that come to the door. If some think that there are dark forces involved in Halloween I believe they’re right; but the same dark forces are involved in all of the most mundane events any of us take part in on any day of the week. I wonder if they’re as wary of the satanic influences that have them not missing an episode of ‘The Amazing Race’ ? I suspect a lot of what some Christians believe about Halloween falls into the category of simple superstition…

A good balanced Christian perspective on Halloween from Answers in Action that I end up looking up every year to read to my wife. Maybe she’ll remember this time…

“Regardless of the position you take regarding your family’s response to Halloween, all Christians can rejoice that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4); that we can “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7); and that through the cross Christ has “disarmed principalities and powers,” and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15).”

Besides, it’s not Halloween – it’s Reformation Day!

New meme going around in which you throw your name into Google along with ‘needs’ and grab the first 10 that come up, underlining the ones that actually apply to you. What a lark.

1. Darren needs a hobby [No please, no more hobbies thank you]
2. Darren needs a shave; a woman; a life; to get off his Big New York Ass [Well, a better shave anyway]
3. Darren needs SAS training [Yes, indeedy-do]
4. Darren needs parents who will enjoy his many attractive qualities while being realistic about his limitations. [Yeah, why didn't you guys ever enjoy my attractive qualities?! Why?!...er]
5. Darren needs windows that can take a licking and keep on ticking. [Windows are pretty solid I think]
6. Darren needs all the extrastrength, determination and luck that he can muster to survive trials which slice, burn and almost drown him. [Oh yeah, baby! Bring on the trials!]
7. Darren needs to clear his briefcase before he goes to the conference and set up his local sales calls well before he’s on the plane.
8. Darren needs to be with (his wife) Heather and the kids now. [Uhm sorry honey, you didn't know about the other family?]
9. Darren needs an alert, energetic Guide Dog. [ Now thats a handy proposition]
10. Darren needs all his survival skills to get through safely. [Yeah, yeah, I know...I'm working on my SAS training...]

H/T Crusty Curmudge

What in the who now? Actually quite enjoyed THIS ARTICLE on ‘becoming one’ with depravity and rejecting consumerism. Not much Zen in Zen Calvinism, but that ain’t a bad thing to be sure.