Rotundus.com

“If Only . . .” Living with Regrets

"We live with regrets because we think we should. We think it’s the right thing to do—that it is our duty before God. But ... the Kingdom of Heaven is regret-free. The truth is that the triune God liberates us from past regrets. His will is being done. Bank on it. Neither your human limitations nor your sins hinder the good plans of your sovereign Father."

Will you marry me - temporarily?

An article on prostitutiontemporary marriages in Iran. It's a bit of a strange place - also performing the world's second largest number of sex-change operations.

Quebec lawyers might ask Ottawa to take over criminal justice system: spokesman

Talk about excessive demands: "The lawyers walked off the job Feb. 8 — effectively shutting down criminal trials in Quebec — in a bid to secure better working conditions and a 40 per cent pay increase"

Hockey puck may visit moon in X Prize plan

Not too surprised that this is a Canadian entry in the Google Lunar X Prize competition. To quote one of the participants: "I'm almost 15 years in Vancouver and I'm just curious who will be faster: I will send a puck to the moon or the Vancouver Canucks will win the Stanley Cup." Anyone care to make a wager on that?

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

An unexpectedly theological tome - looking at the junk (literal rather than metaphorical) in people's lives. Amazing how easy this sort of thing can be to ignore in your own life. Also looks at this as being an interior problem; that cleaning up the exterior mess won't help without a corresponding interior change.

And Thereby Hangs a Tale

Jeffery Archer seems one of the few authors whose short stories I like.

Atonement

The novel by Ian McEwan which, despite the title, isn't a Christian book. A long drawn out beginning, but I actually enjoyed this one in the end.

Outliers: The Story of Success

This book makes the case that success is in large part due to opportunities, and that even apparent disadvantage may represent a hidden opportunity. Reminded me a little bit of some of Tim Keller's work, reflecting just how much you owe to where you're placed. Hard work is still required, but that's not the only thing.

Don't Waste Your Life

It seemed like a rerun - almost more a condensation of a few aspects John Piper's previous books. I wouldn't really advocate reading it if you're familiar with his other work.

There may be a significant amount of genetically modified food already in your diet. For example, about 80% of Canadian canola is genetically modified. Now it seems that genetically modified fish may be soon to arrive on American plates - it got approved by the US FDA last year (if you'd like to read the 180 page committee documents, see here). No labeling of these products is, of course, to be required. Read the AquaBounty description of these "advanced-hybrid salmon, trout, and tilapia" which are "reproductively sterile". This couldn't possibly have any unexpected or undesired consequences no doubt.

The FDA's approval process seems to have been rather sketchy:

• An atypically short public review period,
• examination of a grand total of 6 fish raised under different conditions than likely to be seen in practice,
• a review committee with one only expert on fish and numerous individuals affiliated with genetic-engineering companies.

That said, you can do some freaky-looking stuff by breeding too - not just with genetic modification techniques.

Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable?

Mark Bittmann talks about the latest USDA dietary guidelines: "When it comes to eating more “good” food, the report is clear, because that can’t harm producers. When it comes to eating less of what’s “bad,” the language turns to “science,” because telling us which products to avoid — like a 3,000-calorie fast-food “meal” or a box of low-fat but chemical-laden crackers — would play badly with industry. Instead we’re told to avoid SOFAS. Where’s that SOFAS aisle?" (SOFAS, if you're curious, stands for Solid Fats and Added Sugars).

Kitchen scraps to be banned from trash across Metro Vancouver

The byline: "After changes made, most area cities will reduce garbage collection to once every two weeks, with organics picked up weekly."

Justin Bieber attacks abortion – huge coup for pro-life lobby but how long before Hollywood shuts him up?

Kind of surprising - hope that doesn't change.

Why Is Gas Cheaper In Midwest? Thank Canada

Or blame the lack of development of more gas pipelines.