[Amazon] adventures in predictive analysis

I just logged in to Amazon, and the New For You recommendations:

The Bro Code (Paperback) by Barney Stinson (Oct 14, 2008)
Recommended because you purchased How I Met Your Mother - Season Three and more

X-Men: Messiah Complex (Paperback) by Ed Brubaker (Nov 26, 2008)
Recommended because you purchased Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2: Dangerous and more

Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days (Paperback) by Joss Whedon (Oct 15, 2008)
Recommended because you purchased Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind and more

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First on its "daily sample of items recommended for you" was:

We Don't Need to Whisper ~ Angels & Airwaves (Audio CD)
Recommended because you purchased Walking Off the Buzz
      I recognized the artist because their song "True Love" is on one of the mixes I downloaded from mjules.

It also recommended me Fumbling Towards Ecstasy ~ Sarah McLachlan (Audio CD) "because you said you owned 1200 Curfews [Indigo Girls] and more"

And even more weirdly, Fallen ~ Evanescence (Audio CD) "because you said you owned Puddle Dive [Ani DiFranco] and more"

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My personal category cloud (I guess):

Any Category   Adventure   Alt-Country & Americana   Alternative Folk   Contemporary   Dark Horse   DC Comics   Fantasy   Folk Rock   Genre Fiction   Graphic Novels   Guides & Reviews   History & Criticism   Indie Rock   Literature   Movie Tie-Ins   Pop   Popular Culture   Qualifying Textbooks   Science Fiction   Science Fiction & Fantasy   Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic   Superheroes   Television   Traditional Folk   Young Adult 

[textdump] prayer, work in the world, human rights, etc.

Last night I was looking up what I used as an Advent joy sadhana verse in years past and found:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before our God to prepare the ways, to give knowledge of salvation to God's people by the forgiveness of sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
-Luke 1:76-79

I remembered the sermon Tiffany preached on that passage, on "go before out God to prepare the ways," which of course connects with the part in Molly's sermon this past Sunday on "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

And I'm still singing Tracy Chapman to myself:

Don't be tempted by the shiny apple
Don't you eat of a bitter fruit
Hunger only for a taste of justice
Hunger only for a world of truth
'Cause all that you have is your soul

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Recently I asked my mom (on behalf of a friend) for suggestions of a prayer to swap out for the Hail Mary when praying the rosary.

She suggested the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" -- or just, "Lord have mercy"). She said, "It serves the same purpose of distracting your cognitive brain so you experience the presence of God."

I'm really bad at just being in the presence (similarly: listening for God).

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Catching up on the Velveteen Rabbi blog:

( on loving God with all of your being )

( on making conditional vows to/with God )

I was reading Velveteen Rabbi's writeups of the Second North American Conference on Judaism and Human Rights (aka, Rabbis for Human Rights [RHR] 2008) earlier this week, and the idea that has really stuck in my mind is the idea of the importance of human dignity. [This also reminded me of Moi's post on lashon hara.]

( Excerpts from the plenary session Zionism, Israel and Human Rights: )

( From her writeup of Rabbi Brian Walt from the plenary session Introduction to the vision and program of Rabbis for Human Rights – North America: )

( From the session Human Dignity, Defense of Life, and 'Ticking Bombs': Torture in Jewish Law and Values; Teaching the RHR Materials on Jewish Values and the Issue of Torture: )

( Of the study session The Dignity of Work and the Indignity of Slavery, she writes: )

( The session entitled Religious Jew, Secular Zionist: Thoughts on Jewish Theology and Israel featured Rabbi Arthur Green. Excerpt: )