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Beckfest: Thoughts on Parenting

I found this post very helpful. I hadn’t considered the sin (and terrible burden) of idolizing my children. Most days, I don’t need to worry about that, but I do it in my heart. I know I do. Read on: Beckfest: Thoughts on Parenting

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Phrase for the day: Abelian Groups

In mathematics, an abelian group, also called a commutative group, is a group (G, *) such that

a * b = b * a

for all a and b in G. In other words, the order of elements in a product doesn’t matter. Such groups are generally easier to understand.

Abelian groups are named after Niels Henrik Abel. Groups that are not commutative are called non-abelian (rather than non-commutative).

From Wikipedia

For Ron and Douglas, who surely understand this joke:

Abelian groups

What’s abelian and purple? An abelian grape!

Definition 5.6.1 Let $ g$ and $ h$ be two elements of a group $ G$. We say that $ g$ commutes with $ h$ (or that $ g, h$ commute) if $ g*h=h*g$. We call a group commutative (or abelian) if every pair of elements $ g, h$ belonging to $ G$ commute. If $ G$ is a group which is not necessarily commutative then we call $ G$ noncommutative (or nonabelian).

Example 5.6.2 The integers, with ordinary addition as the group operation, is an abelian group.

Now the reader should understand the punchline to the joke quoted at the beginning! (Let uncontrolled laughter ensue!)

From some smart Navy site

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Peace Like A River: Monday Winds of War Briefing

Fellow M.O.B.er, Jeff Kouba, posts his Winds of Wars update. He really puts a lot of work into these updates and I need to start reading them more thoroughly! Good job, Jeff! Read more at: Peace Like A River: Monday Winds of War Briefing

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Interview with A Balanced Breakfast on FM107


Well, I just had my first blog interview on A Balanced Breakfast with Ian and Margery Punnett. I’ve listened to Ian and Margery Punnett on the radio since their show’s inception. I even listened to Ian Punnett when he was still on AM1500 KSTP. For better, for worse, and the Dr. Laura affair, I love their show (even when I’m mad at it temporarily)!

Welcome to Katie’s Beer if you are visiting because you heard me on the show! Look around the blog and check out my links to the right. I have a series of links about me, if you are curious about who I am and why I blog. I have a second blog dedicated to religious topics, Be Strong in the Grace. I am also a member of several group blogs, including Purpose Driven Drinking (by invitation only and the only female on the blog!), the Lutheran Carnival and the Luther Library Project.

Like a good blogger, I gave my props to the M.O.B. and my beloved Confessional Lutheran Blogosphere. Without those two groups, and my blogging mother Swansmith and my blogging father, Daniel of Random Thoughts, I would not be writing today.

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Lutheran Carnival XVI: Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829)

Niels Henrik Abel

It’s up!!! The 16th Lutheran Carnival has been published over at the Terrible Swede’s blog. He adds an engineer’s touch and highlights Lutheran mathematician, Niels Henrik Abel. Read the carnival here: Lutheran Carnival XVI: Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829)

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Musical Ramblings: Photo Tour of Kyiv

St. Prince Vladmir overlooks the land to which he brought Christianity.

Musical Ramblings: Photo Tour of Kyiv

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“I shall cling to Christ as a burr clings to a coat!”

Happy Birthday to the Morning Star of Wittenberg!

Katherine Von Bora Luther was born on January 29, 1499 in Hirschfeld (near Meissen, Saxony), the daughter of an impoverished noble. Her life and death are a great inspiration to me, although I can’t claim to have many of her characteristics. Besides fully managing a large and busy household, she was a very educated woman and was a great comfort to her husband. Most striking to me are her last words which clearly illustrate the reason for her joy: “I shall cling to Christ as a burr clings to a coat.” Below is a collection of biographies of the life of Katie Luther.

The First Lady of the Reformation

Written by Gaylin Schmeling and featured in Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Lutheran Synod Quarterly

Katherine von Bora is the best known woman of the Reformation because she was Luther’s wife. While Katherine has been eclipsed in history by the great fame of her husband, she was far from a wallflower. She was a rock of support at her husband’s side throughout their married life.
Katherine was born in January of 1499, and at the age of ten she was placed in the nunnery at Nimschen near Grimma when her father remarried.

In the 1520s the writings of Luther began to infiltrate the nunnery. The message of salvation through faith alone in Christ brought comfort and peace to the sisters’ hearts. A number of them turned to Luther for advice and he counseled escape, which was shortly accomplished. On April 7, 1523, Katherine and the other sisters reached Wittenberg. Luther felt responsible for finding suitable mates for the former nuns and managed for the most part, but this was not the case in Katherine’s situation. This may be due to the fact that she had her eye on Luther. In any event Luther and Katie were married in June of 1525. Their relationship probably was not the most romantic at the start, yet years later Luther would declare, “I would not exchange Katie for France or Venice, because God has given her to me, and other women have worse faults.”

With this marriage the Black Cloister of Wittenberg became the first Lutheran parsonage. With marriage came also an entirely different lifestyle for Luther. Katherine brought order out of chaos at the Black Cloister. Not only did she provide a clean house and a made bed, which were an unknown luxury for the unmarried Luther, but she also brought about financial responsibility. She kept Luther from giving away everything they had and she put the household on a budget. Katherine helped support the household by managing a farm and a brewery. It was not long before Martin and Katherine had still more responsibility. Within eight years they became the parents of six children. Three sons and three daughters were born to this union. They also raised a number of orphaned relatives.

Katherine was a faithful wife to Luther. In times of sickness she was his compassionate nurse. In Lutherís dark periods burdened down by the struggles of life, Katie was able to comfort him with that same long hidden Gospel treasure that God through Luther had restored to the world. Katie was indeed Luther’s faithful rib. Katherine saw the death of her beloved husband in 1546 and outlived him by six years. In the summer of 1552 the plague broke out in Wittenberg. By fall Katie decided they had to leave. On the way the horses became frightened and bolted. Katie jumped from the wagon and was seriously injured. For months she lay suffering and finally died in the Lord on December 20, 1552.

One of the greatest legacies the church has received from the marriage of Martin and Katherine Luther is the Lutheran parsonage. The Luther home became the example for future Lutheran parsonages and Lutheran homes in general. The Luther house was given to hospitality. It was filled with children, students, and relatives. There was always a place for those in need. It was a place of culture and music and of joy and happiness.

This heritage continued even in the Lutheran Church in America. The early Lutheran parsonages were shelters for the needy, inns for travelers, and centers of culture. Frontier parsonages such as the home of Elisabeth and Ulrik Koren were a great blessing to the Lutheran Church. May the Lutheran home and parsonage always be a place of hospitality. This is the legacy of Katie Luther, the first lady of the Reformation.

CATHERINE VON BORA was only eighteen at the time Martin Luther issued his now famous 95 theses from Wittenburg. She had lived in a convent since she was three; her father had taken her there after her mother’s death. Catherine and several of the other nuns at the cloister heard of Luther’s Biblical teaching. Once they believed the principles Luther taught, they wanted to leave the cloisters. When Luther heard of this, he encouraged a merchant friend to help them escape.
Merchant Kopp often delivered herring to the convent, and one evening in 1523, he bundled twelve nuns into his wagon in the empty fish barrels! Several of the nuns returned to their families; Luther helped find homes, husbands, or positions for the rest.
Within two years after their escape, all the nuns had been provided for except one–Catherine. Gradually, through the persuasion of friends and his father, Luther proposed to marry Katie himself.
Luther had been given the building of the Augustinian monastery at Wittenburg by the Elector, and into the monastery Katie moved after her marriage in 1525. She cleaned up the monastery and brought some order to Luther’s daily life. Luther wrote a friend, “There is a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage. One wakes up in the morning and finds a pair of pigtails on the pillow which were not there before.” After a year of marriage Luther wrote another friend, “My Katie is in all things so obliging and pleasing to me that I would not exchange my poverty for the riches of Croesus.” Luther, the former celibate monk, now exalted marriage, exclaiming, “There is no bond on earth so sweet, nor any separation so bitter, as that which occurs in a good marriage.”
Katie managed the finances of the family and helped free Luther’s mind for his work of writing, teaching, and ministering. Luther called her the “morning star of Wittenberg” since she rose at 4 a.m. to care for her many responsibilities. She made the beer, Luther’s favorite brew, for the household and guests. She took care of the vegetable garden, orchard, fishpond, and barnyard animals, even to the butchering of them herself. Often there were as many as 30 students, guests, or boarders staying in the monastery, all of whom came under Katie’s care. Luther was often ill, and Katie was able to minister to him in his illnesses because of her great medical skill. Katie’s life was not just concerned with the physical, however. Martin encouraged his Katie in her Bible study and suggested particular passages for her to memorize.
In time the Luthers had six children and also raised four orphan children; the family became a model for German families for several centuries. Luther viewed marriage as a school for character. Family life helped train Christians in the virtues of fortitude, patience, charity, and humility.
After Martin’s death in 1546, Katie lived six years. She lived to see her children, except Magdalena who had died young, achieve positions of influence.

Source: Christian History Institute

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Smoking Gun interview on Pundit Review Radio tonight

Pundit Review authors, Kevin Whalen and Gregg Jackson.

From Pundit Review Radio…

“What a show we have lined up for Sunday evening.

In the 9pm EST hour, we are excited to announce that we will have with us Andrew Goldberg, the Managing Editor of the fabulous web site The Smoking Gun.

What a week for The Smoking Gun, having debunked author James Frey and his million little lies. Without a doubt, this is the most talked about story in America this week. What a site to see Oprah eat a big slice of humble pie. Here is the post that started it all…

…Find out right from The Smoking Gun how they discovered Frey’s web of lies and what it has been like to them since this story blew up into a national phenomenon. If you would like to watch Frey squirm on Oprah, click here.

You can stream the show live at WRKO and call us toll free with questions at 877-469-4322.

About Pundit Review Radio
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin & Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. This unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening at 8pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Leader.

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Glen on A.I.5: San Francisco

Katharine McPhee

Glen of Territorial Bloggings offers his thoughts on the San Francisco auditions:

The only glimpse we were given of true talent was the audition of Katharine McPhee. While I found myself a little put off by her vocal coach/”stage-mother” mom (folks who push & live through their kids that much always make me more than a little uneasy…), Kathryn herself seemed very sweet & reasonably well adjusted. She’s also cute as a button. And, most importantly, the girl can sing! Barring an unfortunate meltdown in Hollywood or the semi-finals, or the emergence of someone that we’ve yet to see (ala Bo last season) in the auditions, I’m thinking that Catherine is right up there with Kellie Pickler, Paris Bennett, & Lisa Tucker as my current picks to make the finals.

News on Katharine McPhee…


Yep, she’s got experience. Just this past March she starred as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun at the Cabrillo Musical Theater in Thousand Oaks, California.

“Katharine McPhee’s portrayal of Annie stands out, and she lights up the stage with her presence.”

She also had a small part in the 2006 film, Crazy.

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Glen on American Idol: Greensboro

It’s that time of year to turn to my American Idol experts, Glen of Territorial Bloggings and Terrie of Every Opinion. Terrie hasn’t posted her thoughts yet, but Glen is doing a great job of recapping the auditions. I would like to say that this season, so far, has been wonderful. Last year, my first year of watching American Idol, I did not take the time to watch the auditions phase. This year, it has been very enjoyable. Glen posts very similar thoughts to mine. Thankfully, I haven’t developed an embarrassing crush on any boy crooner…yet. (I won’t say the name!)

Ah, Greensboro, NC. For 6 years I lived ~45mi East of Greensboro (in Chapel Hill), and for 6 years I lived ~40mi West of Greensboro (in Winston-Salem). And for 3 years I made the trip to UNC-Greensboro & back 2-3 times a week for evening classes as I earned my MS in Information Technology and Management from the Bryan School at UNC-G in 2001. In other words, I put in my time on I-40! So, I like it whenever AI goes to NC. I wasn’t expecting all that much from the auditions, mind you, but I still was looking forward to the “local color” footage that would be shown.

In the end, 33 kids (and since I’m almost 40 , I feel justified in calling all the contestants kids…) made it through to Hollywood, bringing us to a total of 85 (34 from Chicago, 18 from Denver, & 33 from Greensboro) thus far.

My overall impression of the Greensboro auditions? Eh…

Only two singers jumped out at me as having the goods to emerge from Hollywood as bona fide Finalist-level talents: Kellie Pickler and Paris Bennett. Read on…

I found a fun fact about Kellie Pickler. In August, she sang at the opening of the Walmart in Albemarle! A true novice! (hat tip to Idol Thoughts) Not surprisingly, Kellie’s got herself a fan website already.

Regarding Paris Bennett, I found this at About.com:

Last night on American Idol judge Randy Jackson was obviously in awe of the grandmother of one of the contestants auditioning in Greensboro, North Carolina. The contestant was 17-year-old Paris Bennett, and her grandmother was Ann Nesby. While Ann Nesby is not a household name to most viewers, she is one of the most acclaimed vocalists in gospel music circles.

Ann Nesby was the lead vocalist for the gospel choir Sounds of Blackness. They are a 40 voice group and 10 piece orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With production assistance from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they were catapulted to national acclaim with the album The Evolution of Gospel released in 1991.

Listen to:

Ann Nesby has since left the group, but she is now an acclaimed gospel solo artist. Randy Jackson was accurate in his assessment that Paris Bennett “has the lineage.” However, she has obviously cultivated her own style and presence having walked in and knocked the judges dead with a Dixie Chicks number followed by what Bennett identified as a Billie Holiday song.

Note: The second song Paris sang was in fact the jazz classic “Take Five,” originally written by Paul Desmond and performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Lyrics were later added by Iola Brubeck. One of the definitive vocal versions of “Take Five” was recorded by Carmen McRae in 1961.