A good concordance will help with references to bees in the Church Fathers, but it’s hard to work on the topic of bees without mentioning the Reverend Jonathan Swift, who (in the 1704 Battle of the Books) gave the classic metaphorical use, the phrasing of which survives in English to this day: Bees fill their “hives with honey and wax, thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light.”

I can’t remember how it happened exactly, but yesterday I decided to write an essay about bees–bees in the history of Christian culture, to be more specific. Modern preachers rarely mention them, but Origen, John Chrysostom, Lactantius, Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Augustine all spoke about bees. Early versions of the Exsultet, the prayer of the Church at the lighting of the Paschal Candle, sing the praises of the bees who provide the wax for the candle, though today’s English translation doesn’t even convey the bees’ brief mention in the Latin rite. In any event, if readers of the blog know of good appearances by bees in the writings of the Church Fathers, popular devotion, or the rites of the church, please e-mail me.

Their stats are undeniable, but their character has called into question their eligibility for the ultimate honor the baseball community can bestow: a place in Cooperstown. Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, even Shoeless Joe Jackson—all have their defenders and their detractors.

But the person who should enter before any one of the above—should it prove possible to separate out drug use or criminal activity from the totality of a career on the field—is Roger Maris.

Some would say that, on merit and stats alone, Maris doesn’t quite cut it. That’s debatable. But here is a guy who, before steroids and HgH, did what no one could do for 34 years—break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record for a team whose fans had already chosen a favorite. Among Maris’ rewards was the ignominy of the virtual asterisk after that famous “61.”

Then Maris’ family had to watch McGwire shatter that record—only to find out later that the St. Louis first baseman had done so juiced.

The threat of that asterisk after “61” seems ludicrous now in comparison with the asterisk contemplated for, say, Bonds’ record. Moreover I think it would send just the right signal to open the doors of the Hall of Fame to a guy who lost his hair from the stress of competition—and not from liver damage.

Rush’s four (count em) Mac Pros went kaflooey with Leopard. And so he is weighing whether to appeal to Steve Jobs personally to do something about it, now that the latest Leopard update has proved to be a disappointment.

In the end, Rush knows that he’d probably only make things worse, given that Jobs is a lefty who hearts Al Gore. (And Gore hearts Apple, on whose board he sits; see if you can pick out how many times the Apple logo appears in An Inconvenient Truth.)

So Rush may be stuck with his bent laptops.

As someone who found Leopard to be a downgrade from Tiger (try running your DVDs on an iMac G5 before and after), I sympathize. But it could be worse: Just remember the Apple III . . . and The Newton . . . and The Cube . . .

Yesterday, Nathaniel mentioned the Washington Post editorial on Iraq. Today, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal follow suit. The Times even notes some progress:

Good news is rare in Iraq. But after months of bitter feuding, Iraq’s Parliament has finally approved a budget, outlined the scope of provincial powers, set an Oct. 1 date for provincial elections and voted a general amnesty for detainees.

The Journal is a bit more positive:

Yesterday, the Iraqi Parliament passed a budget, approved an amnesty for thousands of detainees and enacted a crucial law on provincial powers. Sunni lawmaker Adnan al-Dulaimi called it “the greatest achievement possible for the Iraqi people.”

…

What is certain is that next January U.S. forces will still be deployed in Iraq in large numbers. Securing the conditions by which they can drive out al Qaeda and tame the Shiite militias, deter Syria and Iran, and guarantee Iraq’s integrity and freedom would be a worthy legacy for this Administration, and a useful inheritance for the next.

Progress toward a peaceful resolution in Iraq is, of course, something that must remain in our daily petitions.

The trash isn’t picked up on time, and the public schools are failing, but at least New York City is on top of condom distribution. New Yorkers will be greeted by city health officials today handing out special NYC condoms; the slogan: “get some.”

Article here and here (with streaming video of the ads).

The city wants New Yorkers to “get some” this Valentine’s Day. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene unveiled its 2008 safer sex awareness campaign with new posters, banners, and TV ads featuring a colorful and sexy message. The city also unveiled a new look for the wrapper of its free condom.

The slogan is — wait for it — “Get Some.”

Street teams from the health department will meet commuters around the city Thursday to hand out the new NYC Condom for Valentine’s Day, officials said.