video: Virtue of Prudence

We hear a lot about prudence and behaving in a prudent manner. But what does that actually mean?

Massive Wikileaks disclosure involves Vatican cables

As the uproar increases over Wikileaks publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential U.S. State Department cables online, the latest reports show that 852 of the communications involve the Vatican.

U.S. leaders are decrying Wikileaks founder, Australian Julian Assange, for incrementally publishing over 250,000 cables on his non-profit website. The cables are suspected of being leaked to Assange by 23 year-old U.S. army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, among others. Manning is currently being held at a military base in Virginia.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted the move Nov. 29 as “not just an attack on America’s foreign policy interests” but an “attack on the international community.”

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Pro-Life Group Tells Apple: Restore Manhattan Declaration App

What a farce...just a bunch of pro-aborts who evidently don't support real choice.

The pro-life organization behind the popular Manhattan Declaration has asked Apple CEO Steve Jobs to reconsider the company’s decision to pull its app from the popular Apple App Store.

Last week, Apple removed the Manhattan Declaration app that had been available to its iPhone and iPad customers. The move by the computer company came after opponents of the Declaration, which sets forth pro-life and pro-family values, circulated a petition calling the app a “hate fest” that promotes “hateful and divisive language.”  If it disagrees with the libs, it's automatically called "hate".

Change.org sponsored the petition, which, in part, had abortion activists telling Apple that “supporting efforts to restrict choice [abortion] is bad business.”

Manhattan Declaration spokeswoman Michelle Farmer told The Daily Caller today that the organization does not support hate or hateful rhetoric towards people who back legalized abortion and hopes Jobs will be open-minded of its concerns and tolerant of allowing the app at the Apple Store.

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Smithsonian Hosts Anti-Christian Exhibit

I read about this trash elsewhere, and I was glad to see that Bill Donohue is on the case.   I will not post pics here, but if you want to see why it is so offensive and wrong, they are HERE.  They wouldn't dare do this to another religion,  but Catholics/Christians are apparently a safe target.

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is currently hosting an exhibit, "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture," that features a video that shows large ants eating away at Jesus on a crucifix. The exhibit is replete with homoerotic images.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

According to Penny Starr of CNSnews.com, David C. Ward, co-curator of the National Portrait Gallery, says the video, "A Fire in My Belly," is one of the "masterpieces" of this exhibit. We call it hate speech. Perversely, there is a plaque at the entrance to the exhibit that says the Gallary is committed to "the struggle for justice so that people and groups can claim their full inheritance in America's promise of equality, inclusion, and social dignity." Somehow Christians didn't make the cut.

The creator of this "masterpiece" video is dead of AIDS. But he did not die without blaming society for his self-destructive behavior. David Wojnarowicz said, "When I was told I'd contracted the virus, it didn't take long for me to realize that I'd contracted a diseased society as well." Who did he blame? Besides some politicians and government workers, he fingered "those thinly disguised walking swastikas that wear religious garments over their murderous intentions." So Father John did it.

At least Wojnarowicz bared his soul. Ward just spins. Like others who have attacked Christians before with their "art," he says the ants crawling all over Jesus represent "the lack of attention to Christian teachings." So the ants are actually giving Christians a wake-up call! How thoughtful.

It does not matter that private sources funded this exhibition: the majority of the money afforded the Smithsonian Institution comes from the taxpayers. Accordingly, I am writing today to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees asking them to reconsider future funding.

Contact the Secretary of the Smithsonian, Wayne Clough: cloughw@si.edu

UPDATE: SMITHSONIAN PULLS VILE EXHIBIT

Direct Conversion May Make Embryonic Stem Cell Research Obsolete

 Some good news for stem cell research.  Using adult stem cells will avoid destroying life.

Scientists made a major step towards making embryonic stem cell research obsolete when they used direct reprogramming to convert adult stem cells to an embryonic-like state. Now direct conversion is moving the ball forward.

The process of direct conversion involves changing one kind of specialized stem cell into another kind — and it eliminates the need for controversial embryonic stem cells, which some scientists promote because they can change into most any kind of cells.

It is also an improvement on the direct reprogramming technique pro-life advocates applauded because it moved the debate in a more ethical direction.

“I think everyone believes this is really the future of so-called stem-cell biology,” John Gearhart of the University of Pennsylvania, who is engaging in direct conversion research, told the Associated Press.

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Pro-Christmas Billboard In NYC

Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why the Catholic League decided to erect a pro-Christmas billboard in New York City:

On the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel, American Atheists has a billboard with an illustration of a nativity scene that reads, "You Know It's a Myth: This Season Celebrate Reason." It was erected over the weekend.

The Catholic League now has a billboard on the New York side of the Lincoln Tunnel with a picture of a nativity scene that reads, "You Know It’s Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus." Our billboard also says, "Merry Christmas from the Catholic League." It is 26' x 24' and is located at Dyer Avenue and 31st Street [click here to see an image of our billboard].

We decided to counterpunch after a donor came forward seeking to challenge the anti-Christmas statement by American Atheists. Our approach is positive, and services the common good. Theirs is negative, and is designed to sow division. It's what they do.

So after Christian motorists have had their sensibilities assaulted as they exit New Jersey, they will experience a sense of joy, and satisfaction, as they enter New York City. It's what we do.

St. Andrew

The Saint of the Day for November 30 is St. Andrew.

Andrew, Peter's brother, and John were the first disciples to follow the Lord. With tender delicacy the Gospel (John 1:35-42) describes their first meeting with Jesus. Andrew did not belong to the inner circle of the apostles, Peter, James and John, and the evangelists narrate nothing extraordinary about him (John 6:8); but tradition (resting on apocrpyhal Acts) extols his great love of the Cross and of the Savior; and the Church distinguishes him both in the Mass (his name occurs in the Canon and in the Libera since the time of Pope St. Gregory I who had a special devotion to him) and in the Breviary.

The story of his martyrdom rests on the apocryphal Acts which lack historical foundation. The pagan judge exhorted him to sacrifice to the gods. Andrew replied: "I sacrifice daily to almighty God, the one and true God. Not the flesh of oxen and the blood of goats do I offer, but the unspotted Lamb upon the altar. All the faithful partake of His flesh, yet the Lamb remains unharmed and living." Angered by the reply, Aegeas commanded him to be thrown into prison. With little difficulty the people would have freed him, but Andrew personally calmed the mob and earnestly entreated them to desist, as he was hastening toward an ardently desired crown of martyrdom.

When Andrew was led to the place of martyrdom, on beholding the cross from a distance he cried out: "O good Cross, so long desired and now set up for my longing soul I confident and rejoicing come to you; exultingly receive me, a disciple of Him who hung on you." Forthwith he was nailed to the cross. For two days he hung there alive, unceasingly proclaiming the doctrine of Christ until he passed on to Him whose likeness in death he had so vehemently desired. --The legendary account of our saint's martyrdom has this value: it presents to us the mysticism of the Cross of later times.

video: Theo-Pyschology

What does Theology have to do with Psychology? Everything!

video: Wikileaks reveals Benedict XVI's election was a surprise for U.S.

Apparently, not even the sophisticated U.S. intellegence services were able to penetrate the walls of the Sistine Chapel.

Steve Johnston blames God for a dropped pass (and Tweets it)

Steve Johnson, reciever for the Buffalo Bills football team, dropped a pass that, had he caught it, would have been a game winning touchdown.  The Bills were playing the Steelers and the game went into overtime with the scored tied at 16. Pittsburg went on to win the game 19 to 16. 

After the game Johnson sent out a tweet that read "I PRAISE 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!!EVER!!! THX THO..."

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At least 10 bishops skip national collection for CCHD

10 Bishops to thank.

Despite a recent “review and renewal” of the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), designed in part to “woo back” bishops upset over their distribution of funds to groups advocating abortion and same-sex “marriage,” at least 10 bishops opted not to contribute to the national collection this year.

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U.S. bishops not contributing to CCHD’s national collection:

1. Bishop Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA)

2. Bishop John Barres (Allentown, PA)

3. Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA)

4. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE)

5. Bishop Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL)

6. Bishop James Johnston (Springfield, MO)

7. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington, VT)

8. Bishop Joseph McFadden (Harrisburg, PA)

9. Bishop Robert Morlino (Madison, WI)

10. Bishop Robert Vasa (Baker, OR)

St. Saturninus

The Saint of the Day for November 29 is St. Saturninus.

St. Saturninus was the first bishop of Toulouse. It is not known if there were Christians in the town previously or if his preaching won many converts, but whatever the case, he founded a small church there not long after his arrival.

To reach his parish, he had to pass before the capitol where there was a pagan temple. The pagan priests ascribed the silence of their oracles to his frequent passings. One day, they seized him ,and when he refused to sacrifice to their idols, they tied his feet to a bull which dragged him around the town until the rope broke.

Two devout women gathered up his remains and buried them in a deep ditch so that they wouldn't be profaned by the pagans. His successors, Sts. Hilary and Exuperius, gave him more honorable burial. A church was erected where the bull stopped, after dragging the dead bishop around the town. It still exists, and is called the church of the Taur (the bull). The body of the saint was transferred at an early date and is still preserved in the Church of St. Sernin (or Saturninus), one of the most ancient and beautiful of Southern France.

Movie Review: The Narnia Code

This documentary by Michael Ward purports to be about the secrets of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, but the majority of the film is a biography about the life of C.S. Lewis. After losing his parents at an early age, Lewis grew up in a foster home.  He was an atheist, and an educated man who attended Oxford.   One of his intellectual acquaintances (and influences in his life) was J.R.R. Tolkien,who eventually led Lewis to Christianity.

Much of the symbolism utilized in the Narnia movies has to do with the planets.  Studying the planets was the science of the times.  For example, in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" the snow symbolizes Saturn, and Christmas symbolizes Jupiter.  In "Prince Caspian", the trees and vegetation waking up, like spring, symbolizes Mars.   Even the month of March, when spring begins, was named after Mars.  

Lewis' studying of the planets and use of them as symbolism in his writing ties in with his Christianity, in particular, his favorite Psalm 19.  "The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech."

Whether you're a fan of the Narnia books or the works of C.S. Lewis, you will find this documentary insightful and informative.

http://narniacode.com/

St. Leonard Of Port Maurice

The Saint of the Day for November 26 is St. Leonard Of Port Maurice.

St. Leonard was born on December 20, 1676 in Porto Maurizio, Italy. He was given the name Paul Jerome Casanova by his father Domenico Casanova, a sea captain, and his mother, Anna Maria Benza. When he was 13, he was placed with his uncle Agostino to study for a career as a physician, but when the youth decided against medicine, his uncle disowned him.

He then studied at the Jesuit College in Rome. On October 2, 1697, he joined the Franciscans of the Strict Observance and took the name Brother Leonard. He was ordained in Rome in 1703. He taught for a while, and expected to become a missionary to China, but a bleeding ulcer kept him in his native lands for the several years it took to recover and regain his strength.

In 1709, he was sent to Florence where he preached in the city and nearby region. A great preacher, he was often invited to visit and preach in other areas. He worked to increase devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, and the Stations of the Cross. One of his accomplishments was to set up the Stations of the Cross in over 500 different places, including the Colosseum.

He was sent as a missionary to Corsica by Pope Benedict XIV in 1744. He restored discipline to the holy orders there, but local politics greatly limited his success in preaching. He returned exhausted to Rome where he spent the rest of his days.

He died on November 26, 1751 at the monastery of Saint Bonaventure in Rome.

video: What is he thinking?

In the rush to be well-liked, is Archbishop Timothy Dolan being too loose with his language?

Vatican begins construction of Nativity scene

video: Epic Fail!

Some serious problems have got to be solved with the way the Church communicates to the world.

Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions

The Saints of the Day for November 24 are St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions.

There are 117 martyrs in this group and although they died at different times, they were all canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988. Of the group, 96 were Vietnamese, 11 were Spaniards, and 10 were French. There were 8 bishops, 50 priests and 59 lay Catholics in the group. Of the priests, 11 were Dominicans, 10 belonged to the Paris Mission Society, and the rest were diocesan priests plus one seminarian. Certain individual martyrs were mentioned by name in the process of canonization: Andrew Dung-Lac, a diocesan priest; Thomas Tran-Van-Thien, a seminarian; Emmanuel Le-Van-Pung, father of a family; the Dominican bishops Jerome Hermosilla and Valentine Berrio-Ochoa; and John Theophane Venard.

St. Andrew Dung-Lac's name was originally Dung An Trân, and he was born about 1795 in a poor and pagan family in Bac-Ninh in North Vietnam. When he was twelve the family had to move to Hà-Nôi (Hanoi) where his parents could find work. There he met a catechist and got food and shelter from him. He also got education in the Christian faith for three years, and was baptized in Vinh-Tri with the Christian name Andrew (Andrew Dung). After learning Chinese and Latin he became a catechist, and thereafter taught catechism in the country. He was chosen to study theology, and on March 15, 1823 he was ordained a priest. As parish priest in Ke-Dâm he was tireless in his preaching. He often fasted and lived a simple and moral life, he was a good example for the people, and many were baptized. In 1835 he was imprisoned under emperor Minh-Mang's persecutions (he was called Vietnam's emperor Nero), but his freedom was purchased by donations from members of the congregation he served. To avoid persecutions he changed his name to Lac (Andrew Lac) and moved to another prefecture to continue his work. But on November 10, 1839 he was again arrested, this time with Peter Thi, another Vietnamese priest whom he was visiting so that he might go to confession.

Once again Andrew was liberated, along with Peter Thi, in exchange for money. Their freedom was brief. They were soon re-arrested and taken to Hanoi, where both suffered dreadful torture. Finally they both were beheaded December 21, 1839.

Husband Behind BirthOrNot Site Admits Abortion Vote a Hoax

Not surprising.  I blogged about this last week.  Attention-seekers like this give sincere pro-lifers  a bad name.

The husband behind the BirthOrNot web site that caused an international controversy over a vote on an abortion has now admitted the web site was a hoax.

Pete and Alisha Arnold put up the web site under the claim that they were conflicted over a decision about whether to have an abortion and take the live of their 17-week-old unborn child or give birth to the baby.

In new comments to CNN, Pete Arnold said his wife supports legalized abortion but he admitted the couple put the web site online knowing they never intended to seek an abortion.

Arnold also admitted what bloggers from both sides of the abortion debate revealed days ago — that he purchased the BirthOrNot.com web domain about four months ago — well before Alisha became pregnant.

“We chose our words very carefully,” Arnold told CNN about public statements saying the site was legitimate during the international press craze that followed the initial stories.

He said Arnolds, who live in Minnesota, wanted to put up a web site that would engage people on the issue of abortion because so many feel it’s a topic that doesn’t touch them personally.

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video: Hail to the Chief

The new President of the US Bishops Conference is being hailed as a Catholic Hero.

Justice Scalia: Founders Never Imagined Abortion “Rights”

In a speech at the University of Richmond in Virginia on Friday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia confirmed again his view that the Constitution contains no so-called abortion rights.

He told the audience during his speech, that is only now drawing attention, that the founders of the nation never envisioned a right to an abortion when drafting the Constitution that is supposed to guide the federal courts.

Scalia criticized, according to an AP report, those who misinterpret the 14th Amendment’s due process clause to include abortion.

“But some of the liberties the Supreme Court has found to be protected by that word—liberty—nobody thought constituted a liberty when the 14th Amendment was adopted,” Scalia said. “Abortion? It was criminal in all the states.”

Scalia repeated his view that the Constitution should be taken literally, as written, rather than interpreting it to include rights not intended to be protected under law.

“The Constitution says what it says and it doesn’t say anything more. For flexibility, all you need is a legislature and a ballot box,” he added, in terms of how abortion advocates should attempt to change the constitution if they want to have legal abortions.

By allowing the Supreme Court to create rights not enumerated by the Constitution – “you’re allowing five out of nine hotshot lawyers to run the country.”  Exactly...Roe v. Wade is responsible for more than 50 million abortions, based on the decision of 7 justices.

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A Vote For Bristol Palin on Dancing With the Stars is Pro-Life

Paul Kengor shares some thoughts about Bristol Palin's success on Dancing with the Stars, and how the liberals are having fits over it.  LOL.  I will also be watching (and voting) tonight!

Tonight, I plan to do two things I’ve never done before and will hopefully never do again: I will watch Dancing with the Stars and send a text message — actually, a bunch of text messages.

The occasion, of course, is Bristol Palin, who continues to dance her way to the finals on one of the culture’s most popular TV shows. She glides merrily along not with the support of the New York/Hollywood elite that stand in judgment of her, but with the enthusiastic approval of millions of us Neanderthals out here in the Hinterland-and to the great chagrin of perpetually angry liberals.

Without the backing of us boors in fly-over country, Sarah Palin’s daughter would have been booted long ago. Alas, like her mother, she is buoyed by the affections of countless regular Americans who — praise be to God — don’t give a damn about the New York Times.

And as Bristol trots to victory after victory, the pressure cooker that is liberal America rises and rises and rises, boiling over with customary ferocity.

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Optional Memorials of St. Clement I, St. Columban and Bl. Miguel Pro

The Saints of the Day for November 23 are  St. Clement I, St. Columban and Bl. Miguel Pro

St. Clement is the third successor of St. Peter who ruled the Church from c. 92 to 102 and is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. Pope St. Clement wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which is one of the most ancient and precious documents surviving from early Christian times; it shows his profoundly religious spirit, wholly imbued with the mystery of the things of God and love of Christian unity.

The most famous of Irish monks, St. Columban was born around 525-530. Well educated and desiring to be a "pilgrim of God," Columban traveled to France and founded several well-disciplined monasteries as centers of religion and culture. Because of difficulties he decided to return to Ireland. A shipwreck directed him towards Rome and to the founding of his final monastery, at Bobbio in Italy. The aged Abbot died on this date in 615. His feast was moved from November 21. It is celebrated on November 23 by Benedictines and Ireland.

Fr. Miguel Pro was born in Guadalupe, Mexico, in 1891. The Mexican government began a major persecution of the Church in 1911. Fr. Pro completed his studies in Belgium and was ordained a Jesuit in 1926. He returned to Mexico and performed his ministry heroically until November 23, 1927. He was caught and condemned for being a Catholic priest. Fr. Miguel Pro ended his life facing the firing squad with his arms outstretched until he became a living cross. He called out the words, Viva Cristo Rey! as his body was wracked with a hale of bullets. He was proclaimed "blessed" by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988.

video: The Pope in the News!

Analysis: What the Pope really said about condoms

Pope Benedict XVI’s comments on condoms in a new book-interview have whipped the media into a frenzy.

Many reports interpreted the words as a dramatic shift from Church teaching, but experts say that nothing has changed.

On the afternoon of Nov. 20, the Vatican's semi-official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano released a series of excerpts from the new book-interview called "Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and the Signs of the Times," by the German journalist Peter Seewald.

The newspaper, jumping the scheduled world release, chose to publish only two paragraphs of what is a more extensive response from the Pope to the question of whether the use of condoms could be justified to confront the problem of AIDS transmission.

This fragmented presentation did not give a full view of the Pope's words. But it said enough to lead some international media sources to conjecture that the pontiff had made a "U-turn" on Catholic teaching against contraception.

The actual text of the Pope’s remarks extends over two full pages. It begins with interviewer Peter Seewald asking the Pope about his statement to a reporter during his March 2009 trip to Africa that condoms are not a solution to the AIDS pandemic.

The Pope responds by reaffirming his answer. “People can get condoms when they want them anyway,” the Pope told Seewald. “But this just goes to show that condoms alone do not resolve the question itself. More needs to happen.”

Memorial of St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr

The Saint of the Day for November 22 is St. Cecilia.

Cecilia was so highly venerated by the ancient Roman Church that her name was placed in the Canon of the Mass. Already in the fourth century there was a church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, erected on the site where her home had stood. Her martyrdom probably occurred during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus, about the year 230. In 1599 her grave was opened and her body found in a coffin of cypress wood. It lay incorrupt, as if she had just breathed forth her soul. Stephen Maderna, who often saw the body, chiseled a statue that resembled the body as closely as possible. Since the Middle Ages, Cecilia has been honored as patroness of Church music, a practice having its source in a false application of a passage from the Office (cantantibus organis).

Apart from the fact of her martyrdom, we know practically nothing about her that is historically genuine. Among other details the breviary offers the following:

Cecilia led a life of prayer and meditation and had vowed lifelong virginity, but a youth by the name of Valerian, relying upon the approval of her parents, hoped to marry her. When the wedding night arrived, she confided to Valerian, "There is a secret, Valerian, I wish to tell you. I have as a lover an angel of God who jealously guards my body." Valerian promised to believe in Christ if he would be enabled to see that angel. Cecilia explained how such was impossible without baptism, and Valerian consented to be baptized. After he was baptized by Pope Urban and had returned "He found Cecilia in her little room lost in prayer, and next to her the angel of the Lord was standing. When Valerian saw the angel, he was seized with great terror." The angel handed to them a bouquet of fiery red roses and snow-white lilies as a reward for Cecilia's love of chastity, a bouquet that would not wither, yet would be visible only to those who love chastity. As a further favor Valerian besought the conversion of his brother Tiburtius.

Upon arriving to congratulate the newlyweds, Tiburtius was astounded by the unspeakably beautiful roses and lilies. As soon as he was informed regarding their origin, he too asked for the waters of baptism. "St. Cecilia said to Tiburtius: Today I acknowledge you as a brother-in-law, because the love of God has made you despise the idols. Just as the love of God gave me your brother as a spouse, so it has given you to me as a brother in-law." When Almachius, the prefect, heard of the conversions, he ordered Maximus, his officer, to arrest and imprison all of them. Before being put to death, they instructed Maximus and his family, and baptized them during the night preceding execution.

At dawn Cecilia roused the two brothers to struggle heroically for Christ, as the glow of morning disappeared, Cecilia called: "Arise, soldiers of Christ, throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Cecilia pursued her victory as the soldiers willingly listened, "We believe that Christ is the true Son of God, who has chosen such a servant." Led before the prefect, she professed her faith in Christ, "We profess His holy Name and we will not deny Him."

In order to avoid further show, the prefect commanded her to be suffocated in the baths. She remained unharmed and prayed, "I thank You, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, that through Your Son the fire was extinguished at my side." Beheading was next in order. The executioner made three attempts (the law prohibited more) and let her lie in her blood. She lived for three days, encouraging the poor and dedicating her home into a church.

Movie Review: Unstoppable - PG13

Based on a true story.

Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and Will Colson (Chris Pine) both work for  the same railroad company.  The difference is, Barnes has just been given notice to retire early, and Colson is just starting with the company.


While they are on an assignment together, someone else allows a train to get lose.   The problem is this train has about 36 cars, and 9 of them are carrying a hazardous chemical.

The story is about efforts to stop the train, several of which fail.   There is not  much plot beyond stopping the train, but there is plenty of action, and I really enjoyed the interaction between Barnes and Colson.   Rosario Dawson is also very good as Connie Hooper.

A very entertaining movie.

http://www.unstoppablemovie.com/

Did the Pope Just Change Church Teaching on Condoms?

NO He did not.

Despite media claims of a revolutionary change, Pope Benedict is not altering Catholic teaching on condom use or justifying the disordered use of sexuality, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi has explained.

In a Nov. 21 statement from Vatican Radio, Fr. Lombardi discussed the Pope’s comments in Peter Seewald’s forthcoming book “Light of the World: the Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times.”

In these comments “the Pope is not reforming or changing the teaching of the Church but he reaffirms it, putting it in the perspective of the value and dignity of human sexuality as an expression of love and responsibility,” the spokesman said.

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Book Review: "Deceit" by Brandilyn Collins

Joanne Weeks’ best friend Linda disappeared 6 years ago and was declared dead.  One night, a mysterious stranger stops Joanne on the road and tells her that Linda was killed by her husband Baxter and to prove it, Joanne will need to use all her skills as a skip tracer to find the one witness to the crime:  Linda's foster daughter Melissa.

The two challenges that make the search more difficult are that Melissa doesn't want to be found, and if she is, the whole town of Vonita thinks Baxter is a great guy. 

The search turns out to be more difficult and dangerous than Joanne anticipated, and she soon finds herself the hunted one.

I like the characters:  Joanne is strong and clever, her sister  Dineen is supportive and sympathetic,  her friend Perry is supportive and clever,  Dan the District Attorney is very astute.  But I think the best developed character is Melissa.   

Joanne is a Christian, and sometimes struggles with it when she must use deceit in her job  as a skip tracer and it is thrown back in her face.

The story-telling moved at a good pace, and look for a big twist at the end.

A good story that I really enjoyed.

Archbishop Burke Becomes Cardinal Burke

St. Bernward

The Saint of the Day for November 20 is St. Bernward.

Saint Berward served as the thirteenth Bishop of Hildesheim, Germany during the middle of the tenth century. His grandfather was Athelbero, Count Palatine of Saxony. After having lost his parents, Bernward was sent to live with his uncle Volkmar, Bishop of Utrecht. His uncle enlisted the assistance of Thangmar, the pious and learned director of the cathedral school at Heidelberg, for the boy's education. Under the instruction of Thangmar, Bernward made rapid progress in Christian piety as well as in the sciences. He became very proficient in mathematics, painting, architecture, and particularly in the manufacture of ecclesiastical vessels and ornaments of silver and gold.

Saint Bernward completed his studies at Mainz, where he was then ordained a priest. In leiu of being placed in the diocese of his uncle, Bishop Volkmar, he chose to remain near his grandfather, Athelbero, to comfort him in his old age. Upon his grandfather’s death in 987, he became chaplain in the imperial court, and the Empress-Regent Theophano quickly appointed him to be tutor of her son Otto III, who was only six years old at the time. Bernward remained at the imperial court until 993, when he was elected Bishop of Hildesheim.

His knowledge and practice of the arts were entirely employed in the service of the Church. A man of extraordinary piety, he was devoted to prayer as well as the practice of mortification.

Shortly before his death in 1022 he was vested in the Benedictine habit. He was canonized by Pope Celestine III in 1193.

video: Laity to the Rescue

The current Rebellion in the Church has been largely carried out by clergy. It's time for the laity to step forward and quench the fires. And one leading bishop couldn\'t agree more.

Dominican sisters to appear again on ‘Oprah’

One of the nation’s most thriving religious communities has announced that some of its members will be featured for a second time this year on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The show will air on November 23.

“The response from the first show was so positive that the Sisters were asked if we would be open to another opportunity to share our life,” the community said in a statement. “We have accepted this invitation in the hopes of reaching an audience we might not otherwise reach with the witness of our life and the Gospel. Please join us in praying that the show will be for the good of souls and the honor of God.”

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Minnesota couple put abortion to an online vote

Abortion is tragic enough.  It is even more disturbing to see it trivialized like this.  We're talking about a human life here.

A Minneapolis, Minnesota couple is making waves across the Internet with a web site they created allowing the public to vote on whether or not they should give birth or have an abortion.

Pete and Alisha Arnold are both 30 and they are 17 weeks pregnant with a perfectly healthy baby nicknamed “Wiggles.” The unborn baby is just weeks away from viability and past the point at which most women have had an abortion.

However, the Arnolds have set up a website, http://www.birthornot.com because they aren’t sure whether they want to become parents — despite the fact that that journey has already started for them.

To “make a difference in the real world,” the couple has set up a poll on their website to allow the public to make the final decision for them.

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St. Raphael Kalinowski

The Saint of the Day for November 19 is St. Raphael Kalinowski.

Saint Rapahel was born in 1835 as Joseph, son of Andrew and Josepha Kalinowski in present day Lithuania. Saint Raphael felt a call to the priesthood early in his life, but decided to complete his education. He studied zoology, chemistry, agriculture, and apiculture at the Institute of Agronomy in Hory Horki, Russia, and at the Academy of Military Engineering in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Saint Raphael became a Lieutenant in the Russian Military Engineering Corps in 1857. During his post he was responsible for the planning and supervised the construction of the railway between Kursk and Odessa. He was promoted to captain in 1862 and stationed in Brest-Litovsk. In Bret-Litovsk he started, taught, and covered all the costs of a Sunday school, accepting anyone interested.

In 1863 he supported the Polish insurrection. He resigned from the Russian army and became the rebellion's minister of war for the Vilna region. He only took the commission with the understanding that he would never hand out a death sentence nor execute a prisoner. He was soon arrested by Russian authorities and in June of 1864 he was condemned to death for his part in the revolt. Fearing they would be creating a political martyr, they commuted his sentence to ten years of forced labour in the Siberian salt mines. Part of his sentence was spent in Irkutsk where his relics have been moved to sanctify the new cathedral.

Upon his release in 1873, he was exiled from his home region in Lithuania. He moved to Paris, France, and worked as a tutor for three years. In 1877 he finally answered the long-heard call to the religious life, and joined the Carmelite Order at Graz, Austria, taking the name Raphael. He studied theology in Hungary and then joined the Carmelite house in Czama, Poland. He was ordained on January 15, 1882.

Saint Raphael worked to restore the Discalced Carmelites to Poland, and for church unity. He founded a convent at Wadowice, Poland in 1889 and worked with Blessed Alphonsus Mary Marurek. He was a noted spiritural director for both Catholics and Orthodox. He was considered an enthusiastic parish priest and spent countless hours with his parishioners in the confessional. Saint Raphael died in 1907 and was cannonized by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

Disturbing Picture of the Day

NEWSWEEK cover portrays Obama as Hindu god Shiva

video: You Against the World

Sometimes, it is you against the world. Sometimes, you just have to stand up for what is right - like Santa Claus did!

Four in 10 say marriage is becoming obsolete

A very sad commentary on today's society. 

As families gather for Thanksgiving this year, nearly one in three American children is living with a parent who is divorced, separated or never-married. More people are accepting the view that wedding bells aren't needed to have a family.

A study by the Pew Research Center, in association with Time magazine, highlights rapidly changing notions of the American family. And the Census Bureau, too, is planning to incorporate broader definitions of family when measuring poverty, a shift caused partly by recent jumps in unmarried couples living together.

About 29 percent of children under 18 now live with a parent or parents who are unwed or no longer married, a fivefold increase from 1960, according to the Pew report being released Thursday. Broken down further, about 15 percent have parents who are divorced or separated and 14 percent who were never married. Within those two groups, a sizable chunk — 6 percent — have parents who are live-in couples who opted to raise kids together without getting married.

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Vatican warns China over bishop's ordination

The Vatican warned Beijing on Thursday not to force Catholic bishops loyal to the pope to attend the ordination of a bishop who is a member of the state-backed church that does not recognize the pontiff.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Vatican was "disturbed" by reports that the government was compelling Catholic bishops to go to the ordination ceremony next week of Father Joseph Guo Jincai in Chengde.

"The Holy See would consider such actions as grave violations of freedom of religion and freedom of conscience," Lombardi said in a statement.

Catholics in China are divided between one Church that recognizes the pope and his authority to name bishops and a state-backed "patriotic association" which names its own bishops.

Relations between the two had been seen to be improving, so Lombardi's tough statement was a surprise.

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Democrats for Life Takes Big Shots From Pro-Life Leaders

Jill is right.  I am Republican, but for a while I supported Democrats for Life, hoping they could spread a pro-life view throughout the Democratic party.  It soon became apparent they will tow the pro-abort party line. 

Jill Stanek, the pro-life blogger and famed nurse who exposed the brutal practice of live birth abortions at her Chicago-area hospital, is taking the biggest shot yet at Democrats for Life of America over abortion and health care.

DFLA has spurned the rest of the pro-life movement by going it aloneover the passage of ObamaCare and calling pro-life advocates liars and supporters of violence because their legal analysis shows the new law doesn’t contain provisions to adequately stop abortion funding.

The formerly respected pro-life Democrats group has come under fire for its erroneous analysis of the ObamaCare bill and for its attacks that went as far as siding with a congressman in his elections complaint against the pro-life group Susan B Anthony List that could result in fines or jail time.

Stanek has written a new opinion column at WorldNetDaily going further than any pro-life leader or group has in that she says Democrats for Life should specifically be excluded from key pro-life gatherings and meetings until it has a change in leadership.

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Optional Memorials of the Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul, apostles; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

November 18 is the Memorial of the Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul, apostles and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul
Today's feast is a spiritual journey to two holy tombs, that of St. Peter and that of St. Paul in Rome. These two basilicas, marking the place of each apostle's martyrdom, are the common heritage and glory of Christendom; it is, therefore, easily seen why we observe their dedication.

Abbot Herwegen makes the following observations on St. Peter's in Rome. The Eternal City has two principal churches, St. John Lateran and St. Peter's. Since ancient times the Lateran basilica, the mother of all churches on earth, has been the church proper to the bishop of Rome in his position as head of the local community. Here the Lenten season was opened and the Easter liturgy solemnized. The basilica of St. Peter, on the other hand, was the church of non-Romans, of pilgrims who journeyed to the city where the two great apostles were martyred. Here those celebrations were held which expressed the universal character of the Roman Church, e.g., Epiphany and the noon Mass on Christmas. The Introits, Lessons, and chants of both these feasts are best explained as proclaiming Christ's universal dominion and His royal majesty.

The third lesson gives the history regarding the construction of the two basilicas. Among the holy places which the first Christians held in honor, those sites were especially dear where the bodies of holy martyrs lay. Great veneration was accorded that area of the Vatican Hill where the grave of St. Peter was located. From all lands Christians made pilgrimages to it as to the rock of faith and the foundation of the Church. In due time the legend arose that Emperor Constantine the Great, eight days after his baptism, took off his diadem, threw himself humbly upon the earth, and shed many tears. Then with pick and shovel he started digging and, in memory of the twelve apostles, carried away twelve baskets of ground; thereby he set the boundaries of the basilica to be built in honor of St. Peter. When finished, the edifice was solemnly consecrated by Pope Sylvester I.

Pope Sylvester had ordered the altar to be of stone; he anointed it with chrism and decreed that in the future only stone altars were to be used. A new church, the present St. Peter's, was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626. The ancient basilica of St. Paul was destroyed by fire in 1823; a new structure was consecrated by Pius IX on December 10, 1854, the occasion of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

In the perspective of the liturgy, the two churches honored today are prime examples connoting the heavenly Jerusalem. The liturgy excels in the pedagogy of passing from the material to the supernatural — the precedent for which on the point in question was already set by the author of the Apocalypse.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Philippine was the daughter of a prominent French lawyer and was educated by the Visitation nuns, whom she later joined. During the French Revolution the Order was dispersed and for some years she served the sick and the poor as well as fugitive priests.

In 1804 she joined the Religious of the Sacred Heart, founded by St. Madeline Sophie Barat. When Bishop Dubourg of New Orleans asked for nuns for his young American diocese, Philippine begged for permission to go with him. She was forty-nine years old when she arrived at St. Louis, Missouri, with four companions, and established the first convent of the Society at St. Charles.

Cold, hunger, illness, poverty, and opposition were the lot of the young community, but the indomitable courage of the holy foundress overcame all obstacles. She opened a school for Indians and whites at Florissant, the first free school west of the Mississippi. She established houses at various places which were the beginnings of noted schools and colleges conducted today by the Society. Her one ambition, however, was to work among the Indians. She was seventy-one years old when she obtained the coveted permission from Mother Barat, who wrote: "Don't try to stop her; it was for the Indians that she went to America."

With three companions she traveled by boat and oxcart to Sugar Creek, Kansas, to labor there among the Potawatomi's. Their convent was a wigwam, they slept on the bare ground, and the food was coarse. They opened a school for Indian girls and taught them sewing, weaving, and other household arts. Philippine thought herself a failure because she could not master English, much less the Indian language, but her holiness made a deep impression on the Indians who called her "the woman who always prays," because she spent so much time in the chapel. A priest said of her: "The Indians used her kindness as one uses water — without thinking of it, for they were sure of finding it always fresh and pure."

The severe winters and the lack of proper food sapped her health and she was sent back to St. Charles. Here she spent the last decade of her life, praying "for her Indians" and for the Society which she had established and which was growing rapidly. She died at St. Charles, thinking herself a failure, yet she was the first missionary nun among the Indians, blazing the trail for a host of valiant women who were to follow her.

video: Rebellion and Loss of Faith

The result of the Rebellion in the Church is that people lose their faith.

Bristol Palin Makes a PSA for Abstinence

I'm glad Bristol is doing well on "Dancing With the Stars"

Pro-Life Congressman John Boehner Elected New House Speaker

Congressman John Boehner, a pro-life advocate who led the fight against the abortion-funding ObamaCare legislation in the House was unanimously elected today by his Republican colleagues to become the next Speaker.

GOP members of the incoming Congress held a closed-door vote during a meeting in the Longworth House Office building.

Boehner faced no opposition and three pro-life House members, Reps. Dave Camp of Michigan, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and Steve Stivers of Boehner’s home state of Ohio, placed his name into nomination and gave speeches on his behalf.

“Since his first days in Congress, John Boehner has stood up to Washington and stood up for the American people,” said Camp, according to a Politico report. ”

As one of the architects of the Contract with America, John demanded the federal government be more limited and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

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House Democrats Keep Pro-Abortion Nancy Pelosi as Leader

Thank You!  The best thing for Republicans and pro-lifers is to have CINO Pelosi as the face of the Democrats.

Americans may have rejected pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her pro-ObamaCare allies in the 2010 midterm elections, but House Democrats voted Wednesday to keep her as their leader.

In a secret ballot vote today, Democrats voted 150-43 to re-elect Pelosi to the top spot in the party caucus — albeit a demotion to House Minority Leader from the Speaker position.

Pelosi faced a challenge in North Carolina Rep. Health Shuler, a Democrat who typically votes pro-life and voted against the ObamaCare legislation that allows abortion funding.

Shuler said on Sundaythat he would run against Pelosi after Republicans defeated them overwhelmingly for control of the House.

Shuler told CNN’s Joe Johns on “State of the Union” he knew he doesn’t “have the numbers to win,” but would run anyway.

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Movie Review: Cool It - PG

This is a documentary by Bjorn Lomborg, the author of "The Skeptical Environmentalist" (upon which this film is based) and the founder of Copenhagen Consensus Center, a think tank/environmental research center.. 

Bjorn has tried to bring some common sense and reason to propose solutions to  the issue of global warming.  While he acknowledges the problem of global warming, his point is that the consequences are greatly exaggerated by Al Gore in "An Inconvenient Truth"  and by other environmental alarmists.  As a result of his views,  He was attacked quite viciously, being labeled an environmental heretic, a liar, and the devil incarnate .  This reaction actually made me think of how Jesus was treated, of how irate people can be when confronted by the truth.

To support his position, Bjorn points to the goals set by the Kyoto protocol and by the European Union.  Their goal would  reduce global temperature by 2/10 of a degree by the end of the century.  Bjorn asserts that we can do as well for less.

The methods used by environmental alarmists are also challenged.  The main tactic can be summed up as FEAR.   The threat of natural disasters such as hurricanes and rising sea levels is augmented by an increase in malaria and the extinction of polar bears.  The scenes that really touched me were school kids drawing pictures of impending disaster and daily measuring their emissions.  It was heartbreaking to see children living in such fear.

What I really liked was that Bjorn spent quite a bit of the film discussing possible solutions.
Some of the proposed solutions include:

splitting hydrogen and oxygen

growing algae that produce fuel

nuclear energy which also burns its own nuclear waste

wave energy from the ocean

urban cooling

geo-engineering

Admittedly, not all of these ideas will provide the answers.  But some of them showed enough promise to at least merit further research.

I found Cool It to be very thought-provoking.  In the interest of full disclosure, I am very skeptical of global warming, but the part I liked most was the search for alternative energy sources, which I strongly feel we need to pursue to ween ourselves off of our oil dependency.

http://www.coolit-themovie.com/