Oh no! Not Shamu...

Story out of my backyard. San Diego news reports Shamu the Killer Whale attacked his trainer at Seaword.

My family and I were there this summer at Seaworld. Basically it's a must to arrive early in order to see the scheduled shows. The shows are awesome, however I guess just like you and I will wake up and say "Look, I just don't feel like going to work today!" and we stay home.

It looks like Shamu just had one of those days. Hopefully the trainer is not seriously injured. I can just imagine the children in the audience. Not an easy thing for a parent to explain.

Hopefully things will get back to normal. It's a nice day visit and if you top that off with dinner at "Old Town" for some good Mexican food, it makes for a day...or weekend.

More Nativity...

Just viewed a short video on CNN about the leading actress, Keisha Castle-Hughes who plays Mary in the movie, being pregnant. The interviewer, CNN's Sibila Vargas, made the comparison of the actress being "pregnant out of wedlock" the same as Mary being "pregnant out of wedlock."

What is the interviewer trying to say? That being pregnant out of wedlock is no big deal?

Let me see if I have this right:

1. Mary the Mother of God is pregnant out of wedlock; that's acceptable.
2. The actress, who played Mary, is pregnant out of wedlock: that's acceptable.

3. Therefore: It's acceptable to be pregnant out of wedlock

Doesn't hold water for me. First of all Mary's pregnancy was not the product of fornication.
The director even tried to make a further comparison of Keisha's boy friend and father of the child, is a carpenter too, just like St. Joseph. What a coincidence!

Oh brother, the twists and turns.

The movie shown at the Vatican is said to be very well done and I plan on seeing the movie myself.

Keisha is also to be commended on the decision to keep the baby. It's when the MSM steps in and adds their two cents.

It never adds up.

Papal Coverage...

Great link to all Papal Coverage at "Against the Grain"

Thanks to Michael of Evangelical Catholic

WCC +<><

Chicago and the Nativity Story Movie

"...the city of Chicago to ban advertisements for "The Nativity Story" movie from a local Christmas festival, fearing they might offend non-Christians."
(Read more...)


More political correctness. When in doubt, ban anything Christian.

Galatians 5:13

The quote from B16 during his speech.

Galatians 5:13. For you, brethren, have been called unto liberty. Only make not liberty an occasion to the flesh: but by charity of the spirit serve one another.

Also his continual call for genuine dialogue between all parties, religious, secular and/or otherwise. This will, in my opinion be know as his main message of his visit. It will continue tomorrow with his meeting with Bartholomew I.

I must say that Msgr. Robert Stern gave some great insight in his analysis of the moment. EWTN seems to be the only source on TV, however I'm sure there will be many Op-Eds tomorrow.

Much more coverage and analysis from my favorite blogs and websites. I'll pass on the links...

The Visit...

I was able to listen to the coverage of Benedict's first day of his visit on EWTN on my Satellite radio on my way home this evening. The coverage by Raymond Arroyo and Msgr. was well done. The good Msgr.'s review of he History of Turkey was most interesting. I plan on following up with a study on this history.

As I now type this post, the Pope is meeting with the Diplomatic Corps. The meetings and ceremonial itinerary seem a little tense. B16 has kept his silence and only speaking when necessary.

...I'll be right back his now speaking

B16 in Turkey

Here's the Holy Father itinerary as posted on the Vatican Website..

In God We Trust

This is a disappointing story. It appears the new presidential dollar will be making it's appearance in February of 2007 and it will have a significant change. The motto, "In God We Trust" will be relegated to very small print around the outer rim of the the coin.

This seems like a "so what" moment, however I can't help but feel a chipping away at our Christian heritage in this country. Europe has done this over the years until recently the EU refused to make any references to their Christian roots in the New Constitution.

I seem to remember a certain story about a certain frog in a certain boiling pot of water...

Death of a Spy

This story gives me the hebee jebees. This whole spy thing I know has been going around for a long time but it still sends a shiver down my spine when I read about it. Kind of makes me think twice about how safe we really are in today’s society.

What the heck is polonium-210? I had to look into this deeper. Evidently this stuff is pretty hard to get a hold of. According to this link "One ton of uranium ore contains only about 100 micrograms (0.0001 grams) of polonium"

"Polonium-210 is a very strong emitter of alpha particles. A single gram of polonium-210 creates 140 Watts of heat energy and is being considered as a lightweight heat source for thermoelectric power for spacecraft. Polonium-210 has a half-life of 138.39 days."

Here's another source..

Kind of makes one think twice about ordering the spicy tuna roll. The London Metropolitan Police have ruled this a suspicious death rather than murder.

What the.....?!

"The ex-spy was moved to intensive care last week after his hair fell out, his throat became swollen and his immune and nervous systems suffered severe damage."

What a horrible way to die. And to think they haven't ruled out that Litvinenko may have poisoned himself.

Yah-right.

Rest in peace Alex. May God have mercy on your soul.

Turkey after Turkey

I've been thinking about B16's visit to Turkey this Thanksgiving. News outlets are gearing up for the next News Headline and they seem to be centering on the Pope's travels to Turkey.

This article, "Pope Death Threats Put Turkey On High."
in the UK Telegraph is one of many more to come. The Times Magazine cover last week wasn't very amusing either.

"Turkey's religious-affairs minister has announced that during his visit next week, Pope Benedict XVI should declare that Islam is a religion of peace."

Truth is B16's middle name.

"Ali Bardakoglu told the Reuters news agency that the Pope should make it clear that violence is caused by "fallible and misguided humans," not religious beliefs."

That sounds familiar. Didn't B16 already say that in his speech at Regensburg?

Benedict's meeting with Bartholomew could be very fruitful. Benedicts leanings toward a more Traditional approach seems to have hit a pleasant cord with the Eastern Church.
(Read Here)

This next article kind of surprised me...at first.
"Sales of a controversial Turkish novel about a conspiracy to kill Pope Benedict XVI are soaring ahead of the pontiff's historic visit to Turkey next week, reported AKI.

“The Plot against the Pope”, by Yuvel Kaya, has Opus Dei, a subversive Masonic lodge, and the CIA colluding to make the Pontiff's murder a pretext for a U.S. attack against Iran."

Thank you Dan Brown for your inspiration...

It would be so easy to canel the trip, however B16 and JPII are an inspiration to all.

"Do not be afraid..."

Thanksgiving & The Weedend

What a great 4 day weekend!
Thanksgiving festivities and I also celebrated a birthday. We're slowly working thru our turkey left overs...maybe enough for a couple of days more.

I don't think turkey will be on our Christmas Menu. I've had enough turkey for a while. I always like Thanksgiving morning though. My family has always gotton up, not too early, but early enough to all pitch in and prepare the turkey and the side dishes. As the kids got older they pitched in a little more each year. I think they'll carry this tradition on in their own families.

I have quite a bit to be greatful for and I kind of used this 4 day break to reflect on God's blessings.

I hope your Thanksgiving + Weedend was a joyous one.

WCC +<><

NOT Married with Children

Back in 1987 and more recently on TV reruns, most people are familiar with the very dysfunctional Bundy family.

Today's news headlines tell us "4 in 10 U.S. children born in 2005 were out of wedlock"

The teen birth rate in on the decline which is good news. The increase seems to stem from mother's who's careers have caused a delay in family building. And many are not bothering to have the marriage vows get in their way either. Both men and women are the cause of this trend of course.

It's not uncommon to for me to overhear a water cooler conversation of men in their forty's and early fifty's that have babies and grade schoolers at home. Some are even just having their first child.

Many of the young engineers at my place of employment are getting married later in life (30's seems to be the popular age) and some tell me that marriage is very unnecessary altogether.

Hummm?

I guess for some it is in God's plans for them to marry later in life, but I don't think his plans include 4 out of 10 children.

I know 2 couples at church who have about 16 children between them. They are the happiest people I know. It's great to be around them. Their children seem so joyous and mature. The younger ones are the best behaved children at mass on Sunday and the older ones keep them in line and direct them in the prayer of the mass.

They are great examples to our society.

The Thanksgiving Story...

"Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford, 1630-1647.

I don't know why I never knew about this book or rather journal before today. As a grade schooler, we were told the tale of the first Thanksgiving and the Banquet with the local Native Americans. My education in the matter never went any further, until I heard it discussed on the radio.

I quickly did a google search and... wala! (The internet can be such an amazing tool..)

This is very interesting stuff. To think we actually have the handwritten journal from an actual attendee of the 1st Thanksgiving!

"The Bradford journal is the sigle most complete authoity for the story of the Pilgrims and the early years of trhe Colony they founded...(read more)"

This journal also has the history surrounding the historical date; of the struggle these brave souls underwent to start a new life in the new world. Of the 102 Mayflower Pilgrims, the first winter claimed over half their number.

You got to read this amazing story...

Comming Soon: Feast of Christ the King

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I for one, have much to be thankful for. I read this short but hope filled article over at Dr. Marcellino's website.

Feast of Christ the King is on Sunday and this is a nice prep for the coming of Advent.

"This Sunday's feast celebrates the fact that there is one who is remarkably different. He came to serve all, even His enemies. He truly was a Son of Man, with a vulnerable human nature. But He was also truly Son of God. Not in some mythological sense, like the Pharaohs, or the wishful thinking sense, like the Caesars, but really and truly, the Immortal, the Eternal, taking the form of a mortal man in a specific time in history"

Give thanks to our KING JESUS CHRIST.

Priestly Art...

I thought I'd plug an artist from my Parish. Father Bill Moore very well know artist (at least here in California) with a gift for the Abstract...

Father is from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His paintings sell for thousands and every penny goes back to his congregation and to many charities.

He designed the stain glass window for St Ann's Church, Kaneohe Hawaii as well as St.Holy Name of Mary Church , San Dimas, California. His most resent show will be in Palm Desert at Eleonore Austerer Gallery in January.

He is a very holy man and his homilies mimic his style of painting...Abstract

I love his art!

"We live in hurried times - and are
inundated with countless images; my art
asks us only to slow down and consider
the essential textures, colors and shapes
that can feed our souls"

Father Bill Moore SS.CC

New book by B16

Catholic News Service has the details, with Amy Welborn over at Open Book
commenting on it.

Can't hardly wait...

Bush Daughter...not the real tragedy...

I just read a news post on the Bush daughters mishaps in Argentina. They were robbed and one of their bodyguards was badly beaten.

That's a tragedy in itself, but for me the real tragedy was reading the comments that were sent in below the article.

I couldn't believe some of the posts. Most centered on a They deserved it! mentality. Some claimed to know that what was stolen was a Gucci style purse and a jewel studded cellphone and of course the War in Iraq is tied into the girls mugging.

Go figure...

What a sad state we're in when people can take joy in someone else's pain.

I not sure what to make of this but it leave a sourness in the pit of my stomach.

Johansson Slams Bush...

I saw her first in the movie "The Horse Whisperer" and since then again in other movies including the resent "The Island".

If only they would just stick to acting.... (heavy sigh)

Scarlett Johansson "boasted about being so "socially aware" she gets tested for HIV twice a year. A staunch Christian, Bush is vehemently anti-abortion and is seeking to have the operation made illegal in all US states. During his time as Governor of Texas, Bush overhauled the state's sex education system and high school students were taught abstinence was the only way to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Johansson says, "We are supposed to be liberated in America but if our President had his way, we wouldn't be educated about sex at all. "Every woman would have six children and we wouldn't be able to have abortions."

how sad....

...He descended into Hell...

I often get the question ask of me "Did Jesus really descend into Hell...we say this in the creed every Sunday?"

First Things periodical has a new article entitled "Balthasar, Hell, and Heresy: An
Exchange"s

...have a read. Enjoy

Building a Wall

The debate is still going on, to build a border fence or not. Kind of puts a new thought to the saying "What would Jesus do?"

Over at The Ratzinger Fan Club website, there's a synopsis of the internet debate between fellow Catholics ( Cafeteria Closed, American Papist & Evangelical Catholicism) as well as others chiming in over building the Mexican border fence.

What's a Catholic to think. Should we build it or not? Does it go against Catholic teachings on charity? Is there a limit to our love of Neighbor? Does National Security weigh in on this issue?

A good discussion and lots of prayer is a must.

Stuff I ponder late at night when everyone is asleep:
- Lot, while stuck in Sodom and Gomorrah offered up his daughters to save the heaven sent visitors that took refuge in his house. Could I do the same?

- Jesus tells us to give our shirt when we have already given up our coat...

- If I error by allowing a criminal into the country thinking he is a hungry homeless immigrant and he causes harm maybe even death...possibly my own

...and

If I turn away a hungry homeless immigrant who really is hungry and homeless, who I think is a terrorist...

How will God judge me?