A Few Good Links (vol 1)

I need to clear my browser's tabs, so here are a few links which are sitting open on my browsers. Yes, plural, but not an exhaustive list. A lot of links go down the memory hole, as it were.

1. TJ Burdick has a post on the Ignitum Today site about how to join a third order. The step before the first step is to become a Catholic. For what it's worth, he lists four Orders which have third order/lay/oblate orders: Dominicans (Order of Preachers), Franciscans, Benedictines, and Carmelites.
2. Brandon Vogt has an interview with a Catholic physicist on the Strange Notions site. An excerpt:
   "regarding the relationship between science and faith, it is important to avoid two kinds of problems: those coming from concordism and discordism. We need to avoid them and instead need some kind of articulation. In fact, in the Catholics tradition we have this quest for articulation because we have the nice tradition of fides et ratio [faith and reason], intellectus quaerens fidem [seeking to understand faith], and fides quaerens intellectum [faith seeking understanding]. The First Vatican Council condemned rationalism—that is, reason alone without faith—but also fideism, faith without reason. It’s very nice to realize that in the Catholic tradition we have such a dynamic articulation between fides et ratio. I think this tradition proffers absolute respect but without breaking the autonomy of science and theology."
3. To the surprise of nobody, Obamacare is hurting the economy in a direct and tangible manner for many people. According to one poll, 74% of small businesses will be cutting employees (either by firing or cutting hours, and then there's "not hiring") as a direct result of Obamacare. waiting to hear of a single person whose life has been changed for the better by Obamacare.
4. A trip down memory lane: what it is like being a conservative on a liberal campus. Granted, there were a handful of other dedicated conservatives during my time at OSU--some were arguably more conservative and others more dedicated than I was. I made up for it by being the lone Catholic in the group. Also, not just down memory lane, since I am on an even more liberal campus now than then.
5. DARPA has unveiled a new "terminator-like" robot. It's going to be used for search-and-rescue purposes, apparently. That is, assuming that they aren't controlling it via SkyNet.
6. Tim Shaughnessy breaks down what may be the most widespread (and therefore overlooked) ideology of our day: "Contraceptivism." He also has this succinct explanation of ideology: "A main reason that a set of beliefs is labeled an “ism” is because the beliefs are flawed, philosophically or empirically."

That's it for now.