SLC Bloggernacle Gathering

In honor of Ronan’s trip out to Utah to deliver a lecture at BYU on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 8 am in room 382 of the JSB, I invite all those who are so inclined to attend a bloggernacle gathering in SLC at my home that evening at 7 pm (or whenever). Come by and meet Ronan, even if you are able to attend his lecture at BYU, and hopefully other bloggernacle participants.

We had a bloggernacle gathering at my house last year at this time, and all who came had a good time (ditto for the gathering hosted by Ryan Bell in SLC earlier this year). We hope to repeat that positive experience and to see those who came last time as well as others whom we have not yet met. (Someone tell Bob Caswell–I doubt he reads ABEV.) If you are interested, email me for my address at jfowles at gmail dot com.

UPDATE: In addition to Ronan and John, Jordan will also be at this gathering. I (Jordan) hope to finally meet some of you! Please join us! We’re REAL!

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Ouch! Forget Bannergate

Take a look at this poignant piece of internet fiction from last week’s Times Online (hattip: The Free West). How would the press of today view the trial of Adolf Hitler, had there been one? This fiction is downright painful (it cuts to the center, so to speak).

Child # 13 for Berlin Woman

A 55 year old woman in Berlin has given birth to her thirteenth child. Six of her children have already grown up and moved out (her oldest is 34). I always enjoyed seeing large families in Germany, but I never saw one this big!

German Federal President Horst Köhler will be the child’s god-father. In Germany, the President can choose to become a god-parent when a woman has seven living children, including the newborn. But the President can only become a god-parent once per family.

An interesting thing about this story is the woman’s own feelings about children in Germany. She says that she initially only wanted to have one child but is very happy about all of her children and hopes that her story will encourage more women in Germany to have more children.

In truth, this will be a good idea considering the declining birthrate in Germany and the havoc that will wreak on social security and the German welfare state in the very near future (not enough workers per retiree to fund social security and other social programs).