I thought it was wrong to be gay. That it was a choice or a lifestyle. Then I got to know gay people and realized I was wrong. I thought it was wrong to be trans. That it was a choice or a lifestyle. Then I got to know trans people and realized I was wrong.

The Pride movement's use of the rainbow is quite consistent with the rainbow as mentioned in the story of Noah in Genesis. The rainbow is said to be a sign that God has made a covenant between God's self and ALL FLESH on earth. It's the sign that God is for everyone. He won't destroy anyone.

I am grateful this month for all the LGBTQ fans of baseball (and for presumably some gay ballplayers as well). It should be a game where all are welcome. If Pride Month makes you want to say unkind things about LGBTQ people, please reconsider what that says about your own heart.

Nailed it

I really like the way Alison thinks and talks about AI

The Pride movement's use of the rainbow is quite consistent with the rainbow as mentioned in the story of Noah in Genesis. The rainbow is said to be a sign that God has made a covenant between God's self and ALL FLESH on earth. It's the sign that God is for everyone. He won't destroy anyone.

"The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God: Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?

"Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices." -St. Teresa of Avila I know "God" is a loaded term for some, but read "Love" there and we are on track.

I did not realize how draconian the new Kansas law is toward trans people. The driver license is only the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to @craigcalcaterra.bsky.social for raising my awareness in his (subscription) newsletter today. www.cupofcoffeenews.com/cup-of-coffe...

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutually, tied in a single garment of destiny. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Love overcomes hate. Together we are America.

What's the point of being this unkind to our fellow human beings?

Or by having the reversal of thinking and feeling, mind and heart (i.e., repentance), that creates the kind of person who sees the weak, the poor, and the trampled-upon as being just as valuable as the rich and powerful and is therefore attracted to follow the Jesus path of love for others.

"Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing:

We're on the road to freedom We shall not be moved We're on the road to justice We shall not be moved We shall not, we shall not be moved We shall not, we shall not be moved Just like a tree that's planted by the waters We shall not be moved

South Minneapolis Singing Action. That is all.

Truly he taught us to love one another His law is love and his gospel is peace Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother And in his name all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we Let all within us praise his holy name Christ is the Lord

I'm listening to one of my favorite sages, Iain McGilchrist in a conversation with Paul Kingsnorth, and I thought this interchange between them was fascinating and very worthwhile:

This seminar by @alisongopnik.bsky.social was really good. It's ostensibly about AI, but ventures into some fascinating topics about childhood development and caregiving, and what I really loved was how Alison tied all that together. If this is where AI research goes, it makes me much more hopeful.

"When we hate and vilify others for ideological reasons, when we demonize and dehumanize others for nationalistic reasons, when we use and exploit others for economic reasons, we are on the highway to hell—we have chosen the well-worn road that leads to war and destruction."

Charlie Morton. One of the best men I've had the privilege of knowing in this game. Congratulations on an amazing career, Charlie. Thank you for your kindness, humility, and authenticity.

"Deciding on the methodology for data collection is a great way to make decisions without leaving fingerprints. Every decision about what to measure is implicitly a decision about what not to measure..." -The Unaccountability Machine

The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions and How the World Lost Its Mind, by @dsquareddigest.bsky.social, is one of those books that is changing the way I think about the world.

Our highest calling is to enjoy and show forth God's great beauty and splendor and the magnificent abundance of his gentle, humble, and faithful love forever and ever to all people and throughout the whole creation. (my riff on the Westminster shorter catechism)

"Earth's crammed with heaven And every common bush afire with God But only he who sees takes off his shoes The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries" -Elizabeth Barrett Browning, from "Aurora Leigh"

It breaks my heart that a large chunk of our society is looking for any reason to demonize trans people. Scapegoating is wrong. Obviously first and foremost because it harms people who are God's children and our brothers and sisters just as much as anyone else.

After listening to this podcast, I really want to read Rillera's book Lamb of the Free. Not sure I can summarize for those who don't want to spend 90 minutes on a podcast or aren't Christian theology geeks, but this topic has far-reaching consequences for our society, including the current crisis.

I'm not sure if I have the reach to the right type of nerd, but I found this fossil (?) west of San Antonio and would love to know wtf this is

Has Elon Musk actually listened to his child about the reasons she transitioned? A parent who loves their child will truly listen. This means different things at different ages, but at all stages it requires setting aside much self-centeredness. At least it has for me. But the rewards are great.

Today I learned that John Piper wrote two new verses to the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness", and wow, are they bad! I am sorry for inflicting this knowledge on you.

That's the thing about these bathroom bills. They definitely harm people, and they don't help anyone. It's the worst kind of political posturing. The heartlessness of these kind of bills and the associated discussion is beyond callous.

I've been listening to all the pain I've heard expressed in the last few days by people who suffered under Dobson's ideas. I haven't known what to say, but Marissa says it well.

Wise people are able to help other people sort through difficult issues and see them for what they are. But they may also have trouble sorting through their own issues and always seeing them clearly. An outside perspective can be helpful. Wise people are able to accept that kind of help from others.

what powerful stories medium.com/@mackinnon.j...

I'm trying to figure out what caused this damage to the pole at my bus stop. I'd say it was hit by a car, but that would have required it going the wrong way on a one-way street.

I talked to Billy Bean’s husband yesterday. He has a wish for Major League Baseball.

"Fastball... there's a high drive into left center field, Buckner goes back, to the fence, it is gone! What a marvelous moment for baseball, what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world! A Black man is getting...

So good. Worth a listen.

Outstanding work by JJ Cooper, showing that players--pitchers, batters, catchers, runners--are the best they have ever been. www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mode...

I am DEEPLY thankful, immensely grateful for the trans person in my life.

Ben Ingram and Joe Simpson are having fun on the broadcast today

I give you the hotel wallpaper. I cannot conceive what went through the mind of the designer.

I switched from Google to DuckDuckGo as a search engine a few months back, and let me tell you, I have no reason to ever switch back.

"Life is not a game; life is a gift. The purpose of life is not to win, the purpose of life is to learn to love well." -Brian Zahnd

If Claude Shannon could say, "Although I have made some progress in various outskirts of the problem I am still pretty much in the woods, as far as actual results are concerned," then maybe I'm in better company than I imagined.

Figures @danhirsch.bsky.social and @sammillerbb.bsky.social would be the ones to have covered this.

Really interesting question. I assume it would be one of the pre-expansion, pre-free-agency clubs, but I don't know for sure. E.g., 1907 Cubs went 107-45 and had a pretty strong roster of Hall-of-Famers, but I'm not sure it's best ever.