AFLAC is in the building, pitching their insurance. http://twitpic.com/17r6bh

Watching “Up” with one of my Jesuit brothers. The first 10 minutes always makes me cry!

Here’s a story that’s not funny… except for the fact that it really is…

A man from California was arrested this morning for DUI. — Now that in itself isn’t a big enough story to warrant national coverage. — The twist in this story that puts it over the top is the fact that the driver in questions is a Republican Senator… who was leaving a gay club… who has a history of voting against any equal-rights (i.e. “Gay Rights”) bill that come across his desk.

Yup… nothing tickles us like hypocrisy.

From CBS13:“Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets. Ashburn, a father of four, is a Republican Senator representing parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino Counties with a history of opposing gay rights.”

More after the Jump »

Dear “To Do” list… you may have noticed that I’m kicking your butt today… and you TOTALLY deserve it! – Peace, Fr. Robert

Thanks Dell, for improving the 1-click download process with your broken, 8-step download manager! — Now THAT’S Progress!

I’m now enjoying executive meetings – Not sure if that’s because the meetings are actually fun, or if I’ve just become institutionalized.

I’m more than a little worried about my peeps in Hawaii. Prayers for you…

Watching a 6-0 ISA-FIN hockey game (1st quarter) online, but the stream keeps dying, making me reload and watch commercials every 30 secs.

Went to TWIT to check “This Week in Computer” and got one of those full-screen “Congratulations, you are the Winner!” screens. WTF?

Trying to book a Hawaiian Air flight to the islands and discovered FIA Services canceled my Hawaiian Credit card without telling me. FAIL!

Sunny in DC. Perhaps the storm will pass us by?

In a legal precedent that is certain to have chilling affects on the development of social media, an Italian court had handed down convictions for three Google executives who were accused of privacy violations. These convictions stem from a video that was posted to YouTube.com showing an autistic boy from being bullied. The video was taken down by YouTube once they were made aware of the content, but the Italian prosecutor argued that they should have “sought consent from all concerned parties” before allowing the video to be shown.

From the BBC: “Richard Thomas, the UK’s former information commissioner and consultant to privacy law firm Hunton & Williams, said the case was “ridiculous”.

“It is like prosecuting the post office for hate mail that is sent in the post,” he told BBC News. “

Of course, perhaps we should expect this from a country with a Supreme Court that once overturned a rape conviction because women who are wearing jeans can’t be raped.

Here’s a little news item that will be of interest for fans of director Martin Scorsese, the author Shusako Endo, or the Society of Jesus.

From the MTV Blog: “Based on Shusako Endo’s historical novel of 17th century Japan, it’s the story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan to investigate the fate of their mentor, and to continue the spread of Catholicism in Japan. But they find the Christian population driven underground, their mentor in prison, and a political and religious climate that is fraught with danger, torture, and personal anguish. It has been a dream project for Scorsese for more than a decade, although he only just announced his intention to film it this past summer. He plans to start production in New Zealand later this year, though he has no distibutor yet (finding one shouldn’t be a problem), and will be financed by his collaborator Graham King.”

I know a lot of people, many of my brother Jesuits among them, who drew strength and inspiration from this book. If you’ve never heard of Endo, or read “Silence” you owe it to yourself to crack it open and see a side of religious life that isn’t often portrayed in religious or anti-religious media. — In other words… it’s worth a read.

I’m reading the “secret” documents of the Jesuits as envisioned by conspiracy wackos. Wow… We are some serious superhuman villians!

Last night I watched Shaun White throw down a ridiculous first run on the half-pipe to earn his second Olympic gold medal in as many games. As the last competitor in both runs it was clear that he had returned to form, far beyond and above his competitors. His air was bigger, his turns sharper, his tricks more difficult and his confidence more exuberant. He earned every ounce of that gold medal and then some.

But there was another story on slopes last night, not as big or important, but just as impressive in the response it has generated. Japanese snowboarder Kazu Kokubo had two almost-great runs that had the athlete flirting with a place on the podium. Kokubo didn’t medal. In fact, he fell flat on his face in his first run… perhaps a bit symbolic of the trouble that Kazu is having off the snow with his own countrymen.

From CNN: Olympic snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo is the talk of Japan. Not for his athletic ability — but for his appearance. The 21-year-old member of Japan’s national team unwittingly caused outrage from cabinet-level government lawmakers to the patrons at the corner pub when he arrived in Vancouver for the winter games. Kokubo was wearing the team-issued uniform, which consisted of a suit, shirt and tie. But he wasn’t wearing it quite right. Kokubo’s shirt was untucked, his pants hung low below his hips, and his tie was loosened revealing an unbuttoned shirt. Kokubo sported dark glasses indoors and double nose piercings. He also wore his hair down, revealing a mane of dreadlocks.

More after the Jump »

It must be getting warmer because I’m hearing a continuous roar from sheets of ice falling off the roof!

Playing hooky today… getting a ton of “quiet work” done in my room at the Jesuit residence. Sometimes the best office is not the office.