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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Animal Interiors Indoor Soccer

Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 8:30 AM
Subject: Soccerdome


Great game last night

Great to have Yarek back after some 2 yrs or so.

This was our 4th game in a row decided on one point. We defeated the same team a few weeks back 3-2 before losing two in a row by a point.

Next week at 9p

Gerry

http://ezleagues.ezfacility.com/league.aspx?league_id=11034

Monday, April 23, 2007

Soprano MobSpeak

MOBSPEAK

file: a b c d e f g h i j l m o p r s t u v w


A friend of ours: mob shorthand for introducing one made guy to another made guy. "A friend of mine" is just another jamook on the street.

A trippa di zianata: "your aunt's tripe."

Action: a bet that a bookie "writes" and for which you pay him his "vig."

Administration: the top-level "management" of an organized crime Family—the boss, underboss, and consigliere.

Agita: anxiety, edginess, an upset stomach.

Anti-Trust Violations: what authorities call the mob practice of carving out exclusive territories. Wiseguys call them "mine."

Associate: one who works with mobsters, but hasn't been asked to take the vow of Omertá; an almost confirmed, or made guy.




The Books: a phrase indicating membership in the Family. If there is a possibility for promotion, then the books are open. If not, the books are closed.

Borgata: an organized crime Family.

Boss: the head of the Family who runs the show. He decides who gets made and who gets whacked. The boss also gets points from all Family business; also see don, chairman.

Buon' anima: salutation meaning rest his soul.

Buttlegging: bootlegging untaxed cigarettes.




Cafone: a peasant or lower-class.

Capo: the Family member who leads a crew; short for capodecina.

Cazzis: see Stugots.

Che bruta: How ugly you are.

Che peccato: what a pity, what a shame.

Chiacchierone: chatterbox.

Clip: to murder; also whack, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.

Code of silence: not ratting on your colleagues once you've been pinched—no longer a strong virtue in organized crime families. Also see Omertá.

Col tempo la foglia di gelso diventa seta: old Italian saying meaning, "Time and patience change the mulberry leaf to satin."

Comare (also goomah, goomar, or gomatta): slang for girlfriend or mistress. No self-respecting wiseguy is without one.

Come heavy: to walk in carrying a loaded gun. You shouldn't have lunch with a Russian drug dealer unless you "come heavy."

Confirm: to be made; see made guy.

Consigliere: a trusted Family advisor, who is always consulted before decisions are made. See Tom Hagen in The Godfather.

Crank: speed; in particular, crystal meth.

Crew: the group of soldiers under the capo's command.

Cugine: a young soldier striving to be made.

CW: FBI shorthand for Co-operating Witness.




Don: the head of the Family; see boss.




Eat alone: to keep for one's self; to be greedy.

Executive Game: a special-event card game for celebrities and other high-rollers.




Facia bruta: ugly face, something you call someone you don't like.

Family: an organized crime clan, like the Genoveses, the Gottis, or the Sopranos.

Fanook, or Finook: derived from "finocchio" or fennel, a derogatory term for homsexual or gay, i.e., people that wiseguys feel nervous around. A "mezzofinook" is half gay, sissy, bi.

Forbidden Fruit: the lure of a wiseguy to a nice Italian girl from the neighborhood.




G: a grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.

Gabagool: (capo cuoll) something to eat.

Gira diment: going crazy.

Golden Age: The days before RICO.

Goomah (sometimes pronounced "goomar"): a Mafia mistress; also comare.

Guests of the state or Guests of the government: going to prison, doing time.




Hit: to murder; also see whack.




In the wind: after you leave the Witness protection program you are "in the wind," meaning you're on your own somewhere out there.




Jamook: idiot, loser, lamebrained, you know, a jamook.

Juice: the interest paid to a loanshark for the loan; also see vig.




Lam: To lay low, go into hiding.

Large: a thousand, a grand, a G.

LCN: FBI talk for la Cosa Nostra, or translated, "Our Thing."




Made guy: an indoctrinated member of the Family. Essentially, you pledge your allegiance to the boss and the family for life. To even qualify, your mother has to be Italian.

Madonn': Madonna, common expression meaning holy smoke, holy cow, holy shit.

Mannagge: going to war with a rival clan or family.

Message job: placing the bullet in someone's body such that a specific message is sent to that person's crew or family; see through the eye, and through the mouth.

Mezza morta: half-dead.

The Mob: a single organized crime family; OR all organized crime families together.

Mobbed up: connected to the mob.

Mobster: one who is in the mob.

Mock execution: to whip someone into shape by frightening the shit out of them.

Moe Green Special: Getting killed with a shot in the eye, like the character, Moe Green, in The Godfather. One form of "sending a message."

Mortadella: derived from the Italian sausage, meaning a loser. As in "Guy's a fuckin' mortadella."

Mulignan (literal translation): eggplant. Another word for African-Americans. Also called "mooleys."

Musciata: mushy.




OC: FBI talk for Organized Crime.

Omertá: the much-vaunted Mafia vow of silence. In other words, don't rat on your friends. Transgression is punishable by death.

Oobatz: u'pazzu—crazy.

Outfit: a clan, or family within the Mafia.




Paying tribute: giving the boss a cut of the deal.

Piacere: "Pleasure to meet you."

Pinched: to get caught by the cops.

Points: percent of income; cut.

Poverett: poor person.

Predicates: an offense which the Justice Department can choose to "fold into" a RICO statute. As in, "This charge could be tough. It could have predicates."

The Program: The Witness Protection Program.

Pump and dump: standard practice for unethical stockbrokers. First drive up the price of a small stock by "encouraging" investors to buy it ("pump") and then sell you own shares ("dump") for a tidy profit.

Puttana: whore.




Rat: one who snitches or squeals after having been pinched.

RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Passed in 1970 to aid the government in clamping down on organized crime activities, its scope has since been broadened to prosecute insider traders and anti-abortion protesters.




Schifosa: ugly woman.

Sfogliatelle: an Italian pastry.

Shakedown: to blackmail or try to get money from someone; also to give someone a scare.

Shy: the interest charged on loans by loansharks.

Shylock business: the business of loansharking.

Soldier: the bottom-level member of an organized crime Family, as in "foot soldiers."

Spring cleaning: cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.

Strunz: strunzo—piece of shit.

Stugots: from stu cazzo or u' cazzu, the testicles. Tony Soprano's boat is The Stugots.




Taste: a percentage of the take. Tony gets a big taste from bookmaking or racketeering but only a little taste from medical fraud.

Tax: to take a percentage of someone's earnings.

This thing of ours: a mob family, or the entire mob.

Through the eye: a message job through the eye to say "We're watching you!"

Through the mouth: a message job through the mouth to indicate that someone WAS a rat.

Tizzun: Neapolitan derogatory term for black person.




Underboss: the second in command to the boss.




Va fa napole: "Go to Naples" (i.e., "Go to hell.").

Vig: the interest paid to a loanshark for the loan. Abbreviation of vigorish; also see juice. Usually two points or 2%.




Waste management business: euphemism for organized crime.

Wearing it: showing off one's status in the organization by dressing the part. "Wearing it" usually involves an Italian suit, a pinky ring, a hankie in the breast pocket, gold cufflinks, and other ornamentation. Silvio has his own inimitable way of wearing it.

Whack: to murder; also clip, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.

Wiseguy: a made guy.




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Sunday, April 22, 2007

Cho on Ebay

Tech gunman bought ammo clips on eBay

By ADAM GELLER and CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writers 51 minutes ago

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech killer went to the Internet less than a month before the massacre to get ammunition clips that fit one of the two handguns he used in the rampage, an eBay spokesman said Saturday.
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Seung-Hui Cho also used the account to sell items ranging from Hokies football tickets to horror-themed books, some of which were assigned in one of his classes.

The online auction site lists the purchase date of the empty clips as March 22, about three weeks before the attack in which Cho, 23, killed 32 people and himself.

EBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the purchase of the clips from a Web vendor based in Idaho was legal and that the company has cooperated with authorities.

A search warrant affidavit filed Friday stated that investigators wanted to search Cho's e-mail accounts, including the address Blazers5505@hotmail.com, which Durzy confirmed was Cho's.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said investigators are "aware of the eBay activity that mirrors" the Hotmail account.

The eBay account demonstrates the prime role computer forensics and other digital information have played in the investigation. Authorities are examining the personal computers found in Cho's dorm room and seeking his cell-phone records.

One question they hope to answer is whether Cho had any e-mail contact with Emily Hilscher, one of the first two victims. Investigators plan to search her Virginia Tech e-mail account.

Experts say that when the subject of an investigation is a loner like Cho, his computers and cell phone can be a rich source of information. Authorities say Cho had a history of sending menacing text messages and other communications — written and electronic.

In late March, Cho bought two 10-round magazines for the Walther P22, one of the weapons used in the massacre.

Cho sold tickets to Virginia Tech sporting events, including last year's Peach Bowl. He sold a Texas Instruments graphics calculator that contained several games, most of them with mild themes.

"The calculator was used for less than one semester then I dropped the class," Cho wrote on the site.

He also sold many books about violence, death and mayhem. Several of those books were used in his English classes, meaning Cho simply could have been selling used books at the end of the semester.

His eBay rating was superb — 98.5 percent. That means he received one negative rating from people he dealt with on eBay, compared with 65 positive.

"great ebayer. very flexible. AAAAAA+++++" the buyer said of his Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl tickets, which went for $182.50.

Andy Koch, Cho's roommate from 2005-06, said he never saw Cho receive or send a package, although he didn't have much interaction with the shooter. Students can sign up for a free lottery on a game-by-game basis, and the tickets are free.

"We took him to one football game," he said. "We told him to sign up for the lottery, and he went and he left like in the third quarter, and that was it. He never went again. He never went to another game."

Durzy, the eBay spokesman, said the company has been assisting investigators since the start of the case.

"Within 24 hours, after Cho's identity was made public, we had reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance in any investigation," Durzy said. "In looking at his activity on the site, we can confirm that at no point that he used eBay to purchase any guns and ammunition. It is strongly against eBay policy to try to sell guns and ammunition."

Attempts to reach the Idaho dealer were unsuccessful.

Cho sold the books on the eBay-affiliated site half.com. They include "Men, Women, and Chainsaws" by Carol J. Clover, a book that explores gender in the modern horror film. Others include "The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre"; and "The Female of the Species: Tales of Mystery and Suspense" by Joyce Carol Oates — a book in which the publisher writes: "In these and other gripping and disturbing tales, women are confronted by the evil around them and surprised by the evil they find within themselves."

Books by those three authors were taught in his Contemporary Horror class.

Experts say things like eBay transactions can be hugely valuable in trying to figure out the motivation behind crimes.

An examination of a computer is "very revealing, particularly for a person like this," said Mark Rasch of FTI Consulting, a computer and electronic investigation firm. "What we find ... particularly with people who are very uncommunicative in person, is that they may be much more communicative and free to express themselves with the anonymity that computers and the Internet give you."

Cho's computer could hold a record of just about anything he has done, even of activities or communications he may have tried to erase. But Rasch said that likely will not be a problem, noting the way the gunman created a record of his thinking in videos, photos and documents.

"This guy wanted to leave a trail. He wasn't trying to conceal what he did," Rasch said.

___

Associated Press writers Kristen Gelineau and Allen G. Breed contributed to this report.

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Saturday, April 21, 2007

Not sure if some sort of sign this am

But on the way to Saturday am Mass I saw a fox eating a big tom turkey in the middle of the road.

LIMBO

Popes have taken Four Contrary Positions on the Fate of Unbaptized Infants





[This is only a brief overview of what popes have said about Limbo. For a fuller discussion of the history of the Limbo heresy, see Unbaptized Infants Suffer Fire and Limbo is a Heretical Pelagian Fable.]


Summary



Popes of the Roman Catholic Church have taken four contrary positions regarding the fate of infants who die without baptism.



The lot assigned by popes to the infants has gradually changed from including hell fire, through involving the pain of loss only and then no pain at all, to full beatitude in heaven.



1. Popes of the patristic era infallibly defined the doctrine of Augustine that unbaptized infants have the eternal torments of the damned in the fires of hell with the devil. We cite Pope Gregory the Great, Pope Zosimus and Pope Innocent I amongst others who taught this.



2. Pope Innocent III adopted the position of Abelard in the twelfth century that unbaptized infants will have the pain of loss but not the pain of fire.



3. Pope Pius X was the first pope to teach that unbaptized infants have no sufferings in his 1905 Catechism.



4. Recent popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have given us to “hope” that all unbaptized infants, and indeed all of humanity, will go to heaven.



First papal position



The XVI Council of Carthage (418) condemned the Pelagian fable that there is some place anywhere where infants who died without baptism live in happiness (Limbo).



The Council taught the Catholic doctrine that infants go into the fire to be eternally punished with the devil, being on the left hand at the judgement.



The teaching of Carthage was infallibly approved as a rule of the Faith by Pope Zosimus and Pope Innocent I and by the ecumenical councils, which were approved by other popes.



“It has been decided likewise that if anyone says that for this reason the Lord said: “In my house there are many mansions”: that it might be understood that in the kingdom of heaven there will be some middle place or some place anywhere where happy infants live who departed from this life without baptism, without which they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, which is life eternal, let him be anathema. For when the Lord says: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he shall not enter into the kingdom of God” [John 3:5], what Catholic will doubt that he will be a partner of the devil who has not deserved to be a coheir of Christ? For he who lacks the right part will without doubt run into the left [cf. Matt. 25:41,46].”



“Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment.” ( Matthew 25:41, 46)



This remained the teaching of the Church for several centuries. Indeed any contrary doctrine has been heretical ever since the popes made the teaching of Carthage infallible.



Pope Gregory the Great (-604) taught the eternal torment of infants in his Moralia on the Book of Job.



Gregory the Great: “For there be some that are withdrawn from the present light, before they attain to shew forth the good or evil deserts of an active life. And whereas the Sacraments of salvation do not free them from the sin of their birth, at the same time that here they never did aright by their own act; there they are brought to torment. And these have one wound, viz. to be born in corruption, and another, to die in the flesh. But forasmuch as after death there also follows, death eternal, by a secret and righteous judgment ‘wounds are multiplied to them without cause.’ For they even receive everlasting torments, who never sinned by their own will. And hence it is written, Even the infant of a single day is not pure in His sight upon earth. Hence ‘Truth’ says by His own lips, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Hence Paul says, We were by nature the children of wrath even as others. He then that adding nothing of his own is mined by the guilt of birth alone, how stands it with such an one at the last account, as far as the calculation of human sense goes, but that he is ‘wounded without cause?’ And yet in the strict account of God it is but just that the stock of mortality, like an unfruitful tree, should preserve in the branches that bitterness which it drew from the root. Therefore he says, For He shall break me with a tempest, and multiply my wounds without cause. As if reviewing the woes of mankind he said in plain words; ‘With what sort of visitation does the strict Judge mercilessly slay those, whom the guilt of their own deeds condemns, if He smites for all eternity even those, whom the guilt of deliberate choice does not impeach?’” (Moralia 9: 32)



Second papal position



Pope Innocent III (-1216) adopted the position of Abelard in the twelfth century. Abelard was the first theologian to dissent from the defined doctrine of hell fire for unbaptized infants.



According to Pope Innocent, infants suffer the pain of knowing that they have lost the vision of God but they do not have the pain of fire.



“Pope Innocent’s teaching is to the effect that those dying with only original sin on their souls will suffer ‘no other pain, whether from material fire or from the worm of conscience, except the pain of being deprived forever of the vision of God.’ It should be noted, however, that this poena damni incurred for original sin implied, with Abelard and most of the early Scholastics, a certain degree of spiritual torment.” (Toner, Catholic Encyclopedia 1910, Limbo)



Third papal position



Aquinas was the first major theologian to teach that the infants have no pain whatsoever, even a pain of loss. In fact he taught that they have a state of natural happiness. Yes, this is sounding more and more like the happy Limbo of the Pelagians, condemned by the Church at Carthage.



But no pope taught the doctrine that the unbaptized infants do not suffer in eternity until it was incorporated into the 1905 Catechism of Pope Pius X, most of which he wrote himself and the use of which he imposed on the diocese of Rome.



“Babies dead without baptism go to Limbo, where they do not enjoy God, but neither do they suffer, because, having original sin alone, they do not deserve paradise, but neither do they merit hell or purgatory.”



Fourth papal position



Recent popes have quite outdone their predecessors. They now give us to “hope” that unbaptized infants will be included in the universal salvation of all people.



Cardinal Ratzinger wrote as follows about the efforts of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.



“This state people called limbo. In the course of our century, that has gradually come to seem problematic to us. This was one way in which people sought to justify the necessity of baptizing infants as early as possible, but the solution is itself questionable. Finally, the pope made a decisive turn in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, a change already anticipated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, when he expressed the simple hope that God is powerful enough to draw to himself all those who were unable to receive the sacrament.” (God and the World, Ignatius Press, 2002, p. 401)



The new Catechism, published by John Paul in 1992, encourages us to hope that unbaptized infants go to heaven.



“As regards children who have died without baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,” allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without baptism.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1261)



Indeed, we are given to hope that all people will be saved.



“The Church prays that no one should be lost: ‘Lord, let me never be parted from you.’ If it is true that no one can save himself, it is also true that God ‘desires all men to be saved’ (1 Tim 2:4), and that for him ‘all things are possible’ (Mt 19:26).” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1058)



“In hope, the Church prays for ‘all men to be saved.’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1821)



Pope John Paul II wrote more assertively in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, telling women who have had an abortion, “you will be able to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord.”



In October 2004 John Paul asked the International Theological Commission to consider the question of the fate of unbaptized infants in the light of the “universal salvific will of God”. Its work has continued under Pope Benedict XVI and The Times recently reported as follows.



“Vatican sources said yesterday that the commission would recommend that Limbo be replaced by the more “compassionate” doctrine that all children who die do so “in the hope of eternal salvation.”” (Times, November 30, 2005)



John Paul seemed quite certain that all people will be saved. He was given to speak of Jesus as follows.



“Christ, Redeemer of man, now for ever ‘clad in a robe dipped in blood’, the everlasting, invincible guarantee of universal salvation.” (Message to the Abbess General of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour of St Bridget)



Update! Non-existent quote from Catechism of Pope Pius X



It has become clear that the passage maintaining the Limbo heresy is not in the early editions of the Catechism of Pius X. Thus the truth is that no pope has ever taught the version of the Limbo heresy that says that unbaptized infants go to a middle place where they do not suffer even the pain of loss. And yet almost all Catholics think that is what the Church has always taught on this matter! This well illustrates the necessity of looking to the ancient Fathers to see what the true Faith is.



Richard Ibranyi recently revealed as follows.



“I believe that my mistake in this case was providential because it proves a very important fact that I mention time and time again; that is, heretics misquote imprimatured books to defend their heresies. That is aside from the fact that many imprimatured books do contain heresy. I trusted the many sources that use the supposed following quote from the Hagan edition of the Catechism of Pope Pius X Catechism to defend the Limbo Heresy that dead unbaptized infants are not in hell.



“A Compendium of Catechetical Instruction (Also known as the Catechism of Pope Pius X), Monsignor John Hagan, 1910, English edition translated from a French version: ‘Babies dead without baptism go to Limbo, where they do not enjoy God, but neither do they suffer, because, having original sin alone, they do not deserve paradise, but neither do they merit hell or purgatory.’



“I knew that the Hagan edition of the Catechism of Pope Pius X contains the Salvation Heresy, so I assumed that it contained this Limbo Heresy that many said it contained. I should have checked the catechism to verify the quote before I used it in this section of my book. Upon investigation, I discovered that this Limbo Heresy is not in the Hagan edition of the Catechism of Pope Pius X. Therefore, beware of those who use this quote to defend their Limbo Heresy. This is just another example of obstinate heretics lying to defend their heresies, hoping their readers do not catch them lying.” (Damned Infants)







Pope St. Gregory the Great

Friday, April 20, 2007

Easter Homily

Fr Gene,

I enjoyed your Easter homily and thought it was proper to mention to 'inactive' Catholics that they could be in mortal sin if only attending mass when we have red or white flowers. But, I wish you would have went one step further to say if you are in mortal sin, and of course one way is by missing Mass--you can not take communion.

Pope Benedict's addresses this in his latest: POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html) :

The distribution and reception of the Eucharist
In this regard, I would like to call attention to a pastoral problem frequently encountered nowadays. I am referring to the fact that on certain occasions – for example, wedding Masses, funerals and the like – in addition to practising Catholics there may be others present who have long since ceased to attend Mass or are living in a situation which does not permit them to receive the sacraments. At other times members of other Christian confessions and even other religions may be present. Similar situations can occur in churches that are frequently visited, especially in tourist areas. In these cases, there is a need to find a brief and clear way to remind those present of the meaning of sacramental communion and the conditions required for its reception. Wherever circumstances make it impossible to ensure that the meaning of the Eucharist is duly appreciated, the appropriateness of replacing the celebration of the Mass with a celebration of the word of God should be considered. (153)

Also, of course First Corinthians 11:


quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I think the Apostle makes it clear that any possible benefit from receiving the Eucharist is more than countered by the great harm one for failing to "discern the body of the Lord."

The Eucharist is a vital part of salvation, but a cavalier attitude toward it is worse than ignorance of it.

Thanks

Gerry

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist

Fr Gene

Carl : Eucharistic Ministers;

I have cited several Church resources from the GIRM to the Vatican's, EWTN, and USCCB's websites, regarding extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist which is nicely laid out in black and white. It has occurred to me that along with some of our lectors that some blur the line of being lay-personnel to perhaps thinking they are higher than the rest of the congregation. EME's are not per se Eucharistic ministers. And never got why at Our Lady of the Fields they need to walk in with the priest and sit in a specially marked pew.

EME's are there to serve the priest. They are not supposed to be entering the sanctuary before the celebrant has received communion. I have also noticed some of these EME's making blessings to some of the children/ non-receivers of the Eucharist. Also, EME's are not to cleanse the communion vessels, which I have also continued to notice.

Thanks

Gerry

OLF LECTORS

Fr Jon,
Dan , Lectors:

I have no idea why lectors need to be on the sanctuary after there readings are done? I continue to see the same ones remain throughout the entire Mass. I have always been taught this is a holy area, and when it is continually habitated by laity, it confuses the role of these folks, plus a distraction.

The lector today at the 1230 Mass spoke, communicated, gestured to her daughter, whom was serving as an altar server during Mass. She wasn't needed as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist as well. Even more awkward and perhaps sacrilegious was she remained for the special prayer of the Divine Mercy, while the Eucharist was exposed and sat the entire time.

Gerry

Indulgences

Plenary Indulgence - General Conditions



The following "General remarks on Indulgences" from Gift of the Indulgence summarizes the usual conditions given in the Church's law (cf. Apostolic Penitentiary, Prot. N. 39/05/I):
1. This is how an indulgence is defined in the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471): "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints".

2. In general, the gaining of indulgences requires certain prescribed conditions (below, nn. 3, 4), and the performance of certain prescribed works ..... [in this case, those granted for the Feast of Mercy]

3. To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed. [i.e. one must be a Catholic, not excommunicated or in schism.]

4. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:

—have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

—have sacramentally confessed their sins;

—receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);

—pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

5. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" are suggested. One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father's intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.

6. For the sake of those legitimately impeded, confessors can commute both the work prescribed and the conditions required (except, obviously, detachment from even venial sin).

7. Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.


Back

Cho's VA Family feeling Hopeless

Va. gunman's family feels hopeless, lost By ALLEN G. BREED and AARON BEARD, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 20, 7:41 PM ET



BLACKSBURG, Va. - The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told The Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

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"He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf.

It was the Chos' first public comment since the 23-year-old student killed 32 people and committed suicide Monday in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

Raleigh, N.C., lawyer Wade Smith provided the statement to the AP after the Cho family reached out to him. Smith said the family would not answer any questions, and neither would he.

"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 Princeton University graduate who works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees American aid for Iraq.

"We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are changed forever because of what they witnessed and experienced," she said. "Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act."

Authorities are in frequent contact with Cho's family, but have not placed them in protective custody, said Assistant FBI Director Joe Persichini, who oversees the bureau's local Washington office. Authorities believe they remain in the Washington area, but are staying with friends and relatives.

Persichini said the FBI and Fairfax County Police have assured Cho's parents that they will investigate any hate crimes directed at the family if and when they ever return to their Centreville home.

The family statement was issued during a statewide day of mourning for the victims. Silence fell across the Virginia Tech campus at noon and bells tolled in churches nationwide in memory of the victims.

"We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, helpless and lost. This is someone that I grew up with and loved. Now I feel like I didn't know this person," Cho's sister said. "We have always been a close, peaceful and loving family. My brother was quiet and reserved, yet struggled to fit in. We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

She said her family will cooperate fully and "do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened. We have many unanswered questions as well."

Wendy Adams, whose niece, Leslie Sherman, was killed in the massacre, said of the family's statement: "I'm not so generous to be able to forgive him for what he did. But I do feel for the family. I do feel sorry for them."

"I do believe they're living a nightmare," she added.

Robert Jeffers of Idaho Falls, Idaho, a friend of slain 25-year-old student Brian Bluhm, said: "I hope people can see that the right action to take from all of this is love, not hate."

"Based on this sorrowful statement, it is apparent that the family grieves with everyone in the world," Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said.

Cho's name was given as "Cho Seung-Hui" by police and school officials earlier this week. But the the South Korean immigrant family said their preference was "Seung-Hui Cho." Many Asian immigrant families Americanize their names by reversing them and putting their surnames last.

While Cho clearly was seething and had been taken to a psychiatric hospital more than a year as threat to himself, investigators are still trying to establish exactly what set him off, why he chose a dormitory and a classroom building for the rampage and how he selected his victims.

"The why and the how are the crux of the investigation," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. "The why may never be determined because the person responsible is deceased."

During the campus memorial, hundreds of somber students and area residents, most wearing the school's maroon and orange, stood with heads bowed on the parade ground in front of Norris Hall, the classrooom building where all but two of the victims died. Along with the bouquets and candles was a sign reading, "Never forgotten."

"It's good to feel the love of people around you," said Alice Lo, a Virginia Tech graduate and friend of Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor killed in the rampage. "With this evil, there is still goodness."

The mourners gathered in front of stone memorials, each adorned with a basket of tulips and an American flag. There were 33 stones — one for each victim and Cho.

"His family is suffering just as much as the other families," said Elizabeth Lineberry, who will be a freshman at Virginia Tech in the fall.

President Bush wore an orange and maroon tie in a show of support. The White House said he also asked top officials at the Justice, Health and Human Services and Education Departments to travel the country, talk to educators, mental health experts and others and compile a report on how to prevent similar tragedies.

Seven people hurt in the rampage remained hospitalized, at least one in serious condition.

___

Aaron Beard contributed to this story from Raleigh, N.C.

CrissB

Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 9:29 PM


> hi!
>
> wat is Big Guys?
> today I had one of the best days ever!
> heres a list
> -Pop came over
> -My friend, Madi came over
> -Me,Madi,Pop,and my mom went to Olive Garden
> -my mom dropped me and Madi off at her house
> -Madi's sister works at Disney World(a character)
> -Madi has a cool house
> -her backyard has a pool,pool slide,diving board,jacuzzi,swingset, and secret hideout
> -she has 3 dogs: Belle(lab), York(lab), Wienet or as I like to call her, Wieny(miniture doxen)
> -played DDR(Dance Dance Revolution)
> -went to the 5th grade dance at 7:00 together
> I loved my day!!!!!!
> CrissB
>

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Mens Soccer--end of Winter Season

Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:33 AM
Subject: 4th place--team whom defeated us last night--was 1st


Mon >35 men 2nd div Standings
GP W L T GF GA PTS GD WP
ASA Shooters 10 6 1 3 53 35 21 18 0.600
DILF`s 10 6 2 2 57 40 20 17 0.600
Pumpkin Eaters 10 5 2 3 61 51 18 10 0.500
Animal Interiors 10 5 4 1 57 51 16 6 0.500
Next Week 10 5 4 1 44 43 16 1 0.500
Milan 10 4 3 3 35 32 15 3 0.400
Force Majeure 10 4 4 2 36 47 14 -11 0.400
Oxygen Deficit 10 3 5 2 43 49 11 -6 0.300
Motorola 10 3 6 1 39 55 10 -16 0.300
Rainbow 10 2 5 3 36 42 9 -6 0.200
Masters United 10 1 8 1 34 50 4 -16 0.100



http://ezleagues.ezfacility.com/team.aspx?team_id=74310

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Uncle Bill and Pope Benedict's 80th

Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 6:38 PM
Subject: Pope marks 80th birthday with huge Mass - Yahoo! News


I guess in great company

Happy Birthday Uncle Bill


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070415/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_pope_s_birthday

Friday Fastings

The Holy Season of Lent
Fast and Abstinence.

It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a constituent part of repentance, of turning away from sin and back to God, includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is unlikely to remain on the narrow path and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5; Ez. 18:30, 33:11-15; Joel 2:12; Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38). Christ Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk. 5:35). The general law of penance, therefore, is part of the law of God for man.

The Church has specified certain forms of penance, both to ensure that the Catholic will do something, as required by divine law, while making it easy for Catholics to fulfill the obligation. Thus, the 1983 Code of Canon Law specifies the obligations of Latin Rite Catholics [Eastern Rite Catholics have their own penitential practices as specified by the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches].

Canon 1250 All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.

Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.

Can. 1253 It is for the conference of bishops to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.

The Church, therefore, has two forms of official penitential practices - three if the Eucharistic fast before Communion is included.

Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Moral theologians have traditionally considered this also to forbid soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste.

On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. Since this was not stated as binding under pain of sin, not to do so on a single occasion would not in itself be sinful. However, since penance is a divine command, the general refusal to do penance is certainly gravely sinful. For most people the easiest way to consistently fulfill this command is the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year which are not liturgical solemnities. When solemnities, such as the Annunciation, Assumption, All Saints etc. fall on a Friday, we neither abstain or fast.

During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere, and it is sinful not to observe this discipline without a serious reason (physical labor, pregnancy, sickness etc.).

Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of the 60th year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem contrary to the spirit of doing penance.

Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.

Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual.

One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the duties of our state in life. When considering stricter practices than the norm, it is prudent to discuss the matter with one's confessor or director. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to the will of God.

---- Colin B. Donovan, STL

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Scott Lewis

THEY DIED HELPING OTHERS

by Craig W. Floyd

Several years ago, I remember sitting on the couch at the home of a woman named Arlene Lewis. She was on oxygen and only had a matter of weeks to live. Cancer had taken its deadly hold. Yet, friends and family had gathered at her home and Arlene was in her usual good spirits. After all, everyone was there to remember and honor her son, Scot S. Lewis, a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer who was shot and killed in October 1995.

Earlier in the day a memorial service was held at the cemetery where Scot was buried. Scot's partner, Keith DeVille, had spoken about his friend and colleague. He told of how they were just seven minutes from going off duty when they were flagged down by a motorist who needed help. According to Keith, the situation was right up Scot's alley-he loved to help people.

The man, it turned out could neither speak, nor hear. Later, it was learned that the man wanted to report that his home had been burglarized. But Scot would never know. As they waited for an interpreter to arrive, another motorist drove up and pretended to know the deaf man. His name was Melvin Darnell Pate. He engaged in some friendly conversation, then got out of his car, walked up to Scot, pulled out a gun and without any provocation whatsoever, shot him in the head at point-blank range. Pate had been on a three-day drug binge and simply decided to go out and kill a cop. He tried to escape after grabbing Scot's gun, but Officer DeVille fatally shot him as he was attempting to get away.

Like Scot Lewis, so many of the officers honored at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. were simply offering a helping hand when they were tragically taken from us.

On May 11, 1924, Wilmington (DE) Police Matron Mary T. Davis was all alone on the second floor of the Wilmington jailhouse with the only female prisoner, a woman named Annie Lewis who had threatened her husband with a pistol. When Matron Davis noticed water coming out of Lewis's cell, she unlocked the door and went in to help. It was all a ruse, though. Lewis had broken the water pipe leading to the sink and used it to break pieces of concrete from the cell wall. As soon as Davis entered, Lewis used one of the chunks of concrete to launch a vicious and fatal attack against the 67-year-old police matron. The funeral procession for Matron Davis was the largest Wilmington had ever seen. The inscription on her gravestone explains why. It reads, "Mary T. Davis - A Friend to All."

Charlie Barton was a 35-year law enforcement veteran who served with the Loudoun County (VA) Sheriff's Department. He had a way of lifting the spirits of those around him, usually with a joke, but his friend and colleague, Tod Thompson, said, "When the bell rang, Charlie went to work." On August 21, 1995, Deputies Barton and Thompson were on a flight to Mississippi to bring a wanted felon back to Virginia when their plane experienced engine trouble and crashed. The two deputies survived the crash, but were unwilling to leave the plane until they helped the other passengers out first. As he was offering assistance, Deputy Barton was hit hard by a flash of fire when the plane exploded. He clung to life for another 14 hours before he succumbed to his severe burns.

Jimmy O'Connor seemed to be living a life of destiny. Twenty-seven years earlier he was born at home on the bathroom floor, delivered by two policemen. It only made sense that Jimmy would go on to become a Chicago police officer. On September 16, 1995, Jimmy was off duty and sitting in his truck talking to two female friends standing alongside when another car pulled up and a man reached out and snatched one of the women's purses. Jimmy immediately gave chase and after managing to overtake the other vehicle and blocking its path, he got out with gun drawn and identified himself as a police officer. Shots were exchanged and both Jimmy and the other shooter were killed.

Texas State Trooper Mark Phebus, 23, was on his way home to Houston after a weekend visit with friends in Oklahoma when he spotted what appeared to be a two-car traffic accident along the side of the road. It was after midnight on September 17, 1990, and Trooper Phebus stopped to offer assistance. After identifying himself as a police officer to the man and woman involved, he walked back to his car to get a flashlight. Everything seemed routine up to that point. But Trooper Phebus had unknowingly placed himself in a terribly dangerous situation. The traffic accident was actually the result of a violent domestic dispute between a man and his estranged wife. When Mark went to get his flashlight, the man got a handgun from his car. As Trooper Phebus approached, the man pointed the gun at Mark's face and pulled the trigger.

At the funeral, Pastor Wayne Hicks said, "Mark chose to live a life of service to others . . . he died for what he believed in. He may have saved a woman's life that night. Mark died a death of honor and valor."

Patrolman Thomas Strunk, a three-year veteran of the Billerica (MA) Police Department, was also off duty on March 27, 1985, when he put himself at risk. He was on his way home from the doctor's office with his wife, Nancy, and three young sons in the car with him. They were just a few miles from home when Tom saw a car ahead of him swerving all over the road. After following the vehicle for a short distance he became convinced that the driver was probably drunk and posed a serious threat to others on the road. He decided to pull the car over. He walked to the man's car, identified himself as a police officer, and asked the driver to please step out of his vehicle. Instead, the man immediately tried to flee. No doubt the man's drunken state, his prior criminal record and the drugs he had in the car all contributed to that decision.

Patrolman Strunk reacted quickly. He reached into the car and tried to shut the engine off and take away the keys. But the man rolled the car window up, trapping Tom's arm. The man then sped off, dragging Tom alongside at speeds reaching 55 miles per hour. With his wife and sons watching from their car in horror, the car crashed into a pole and Tom died less than an hour later.

As so often happens in drunk driving cases, the man who murdered Tom Strunk threw himself on the mercy of the court and plea bargained a light sentence. Meanwhile, Nancy and her three sons cling to the memories of a wonderful husband and father-a man who died helping others while doing the job he loved.

-30-

Craig W. Floyd is Chairman of the National law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Visit www.nleomf.com for more information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

(NOTE TO EDITOR: This article will be published in the April 2007 issue of AMERICAN POLICE BEAT, a national law enforcement publication. It may be reprinted in whole, or part, in your publication, but it must include the following attribution: "Reprinted with permission of the author and AMERICAN POLICE BEAT.")

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Mens Soccer w/ a 5-4 lost last night

Mon >35 men 2nd div Standings
GP W L T GF GA PTS GD WP
DILF`s 9 6 1 2 53 35 20 18 0.667
ASA Shooters 9 5 1 3 49 32 18 17 0.556
Pumpkin Eaters 9 5 1 3 59 47 18 12 0.556
Animal Interiors 9 5 3 1 54 47 16 7 0.556
Next Week 10 5 4 1 44 43 16 1 0.500
Milan 9 3 3 3 30 29 12 1 0.333
Force Majeure 9 3 4 2 31 43 11 -12 0.333
Motorola 9 3 5 1 35 48 10 -13 0.333
Oxygen Deficit 9 2 5 2 36 45 8 -9 0.222
Rainbow 9 1 5 3 32 40 6 -8 0.111
Masters United 9 1 7 1 31 45 4 -14 0.111



http://ezleagues.ezfacility.com/league.aspx?league_id=9247

MySpace

Perspectives: MySpace, MyKids, MyHome
Rebecca Grace - Guest Columnist OneNewsNow.comApril 10, 2007
In February, the LA Times posed the following question: Who's to blame when a 13-year-old, referred to as Julie Doe, lies about her age, meets an older guy on MySpace.com, and accompanies him to dinner and a movie before allegedly being sexually assaulted by him in a parking lot? According to Judge Sam Sparks, the fault does not rest with MySpace.com -- a social-networking site with over 100 million users that is growing at a rate of approximately three million new profiles per month.
Social-networking sites are a popular new means of online communication that is here to stay. Instead of gathering at the local hangout, kids now meet in the virtual world of MySpace and similar sites, such as Facebook.com, Friendster.com and Xanga.com. These sites allow users to create personal profile pages that represent who they are, or a least who they claim to be. It's similar to a souped-up diary on public display.
"It's an online community that is part chat room, part movie theater, part shopping mall, part bar, part concert, and part slumber party," wrote Jason Illian, author of MySpace MyKids: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Kids and Navigating MySpace.com and cofounder of MySpaceMyKids.com.
Unfortunately, this virtual world of socialization that connects millions with the touch of a button doesn't exist without problems and dangers, which have caused many people to view MySpace as nothing but a sexual predator's playground and a portal to pornography.
A new approach
But Illian, an experienced speaker on teen issues, sees it differently, especially after researching the subject in response to questions from parents. "One of the things that I'm passionate about is just relationships, in general," Illian told the AFA Journal. "And MySpace has become a huge platform for people to build relationships -- both good and bad."
He claims that MySpace, when used correctly, can be a positive tool that actually strengthens the family. Illian feels so strongly about this that he has written a book and collaborated with Brandon Cotter to create interactive resources to educate parents on the use of MySpace and to encourage them to be proactive in their children's online activity.
"The media, in general, has jumped on the MySpace panic button causing people to fear what they don't understand," Illian explained. "So ... I started really learning about MySpace and all the tools that were available. As I started digging deeper and deeper, I saw that there were some real positive aspects to this, too."
But he doesn't deny that there is vulgar language and sexually explicit material on the site. He doesn't deny that users, specifically teens, misrepresent themselves on the site in a quest for popularity and acceptance. He doesn't even deny that using the site incorrectly puts users at a high risk of attracting sexual predators.
"[You have to] understand that there are dangers but understand that they are preventable," Illian said.
When proper steps are taken to prevent these dangers, MySpace becomes a helpful tool for parents to invest in the lives of their techno teens.
A valuable tool
"One of the greatest positive aspects about MySpace is that it opens lines of communication," Illian explained. "Our teens now struggle with things that we didn't struggle with when we were 14 or 15 years old .... MySpace can be a platform [for parents] to learn about these struggles."
Teens post a myriad of information on MySpace.com. Some teens may use their profiles to post Scripture and initiate faith-based conversations. Others may use their profiles to promote their sexuality, drug use and drinking binges. Either way, it's an open door to the heart of a teen, and Illian encourages parents to walk through it -- but not without caution and a proper perspective.
For example, Illian recently spoke with a father who saw his son's MySpace account which displayed conversations about pot smoking, among other topics. "It was a red flag to me," Illian quoted the father as saying. "It was a warning sign, and now I can realize that what my teen is dealing with is just a symptom of a deeper-rooted problem there .... Had it not been for MySpace, I may have missed it."
This is a prime example of what Illian is talking about in terms of using MySpace as a communication tool to strengthen the family.
"His teen highlighted something, and now he is getting a chance to deal with it in a positive way," Illian said of the situation. "You can either blow up and lose your cool about it, which would probably drive your teen underground. Or you can use it as a teachable moment and say, 'OK, now that I know the issue here, I have to figure out how to deal with that.'"
In addition to creating a platform of communication, Illian also believes that MySpace helps kids and teens become savvy people in the Internet world. "The Internet is going to be here when they're adults," he explained. "If we teach them how to use it well, as kids, and teach them how to find good information and how to put positive content out there, it can be a great teaching tool."
A parental responsibility
But in order for all of this to take place, Illian informs parents that they must be proactive -- and many parents are not. "A lot of parents don't even know what they're upset about," Illian said.
To be effective parents, they have to educate themselves in advanced technology. Illian knows that many parents are hesitant of doing so after hearing the horror stories about MySpace, like that of Julie Doe.
"However, what they don't know is that [Julie's] parents didn't know that their daughter had been chatting online for months, didn't ask any questions about who was picking their precious little girl up from school and who this guy was," Illian explained. "They didn't do any of the parental things you would normally do, and MySpace got blamed for all of that."
In the end, the judge ruled in favor of MySpace and not the parents who sued News Corp, owner of the site, for $30 million claiming MySpace did not offer enough protection for its members. The parents didn't win their case "because it was a parenting issue, not a MySpace issue," Illian concluded.
"If anyone had a duty to protect Julie Doe, it was her parents, not MySpace," ruled Sparks, according to an LA Times article.
"What makes good parents in the real world is them being intimately involved in their kids' lives," Illian added. "It's no different on MySpace." This intimate involvement means doing such things as spot-checking a child's account on a regular basis, which can be done in about 10 minutes a week.
But Illian is quick to point out that parents must first decide if MySpace is even right for their children. Some children may be too immature for it. Others may be in harm's way because of poor use of the site. "If parents are uncomfortable with some of the images [and other material on MySpace], I recommend that they don't let their kids on MySpace," he said.
However, he does encourage parents to have a balanced approach to the issue. Becoming too polarized in their perspectives can only exacerbate the existing problems or create new ones. "Technology is simply a platform," Illian explained. "It's not inherently good or bad. It's how it's used based on the users."
A wealth of resources
Illian helps cultivate a balanced perspective of MySpace, expands on the points mentioned in this story and discusses many more in his book and on the interactive website. The book, MySpace MyKids, is divided into three parts that consist of eight chapters, complete with Scripture. In the book, he offers practical information about MySpace that is easily understood.
The website, MySpaceMyKids.com, is an interactive workshop that guides parents through 12 informational sessions ranging in topic from how to set up a MySpace account to how to utilize MySpace's security features. Access to the website for one year can be purchased for $49.95. During this one-year period, users will be able to log in to the site and review the workshops as many times as they would like. They can also check back for possible updates and additional seminars. After completing all the workshops that are presently available, parents will:
know how to navigate MySpace and set up their own account;
know how to check their teen's account;
be aware of the three main threats to kids who use MySpace;
know how to protect their teens;
have a thorough understanding of MySpace and social networking.
The MySpace MyKids project is for parents, teachers, pastors and anyone who has teens who are active in the online world. Children and teens can benefit from the lessons, too, especially if they complete them alongside their parents. Illian said the book is written from a Christian perspective, whereas the workshop is presented from a family perspective.
"Either way, we are believers, so we have a biblical foundation in all that we do," he said. "Even though there are families who don't consider themselves Christians, they are going to have struggles with their kids online. I hope that we can equip them, as well."
Because, after all, "At the end of the day," Illian said, "there is no better Internet filter than parents."Rebecca Grace, a regular contributor to OneNewsNow.com, is staff writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the April 2007 issue. Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates OneNewsNow.com.
All Original Content Copyright 2006-2007 American Family News Network - All Rights Reserved

Monday, April 9, 2007

Prayer for the intercession of Pope John Paul II

Approved Prayer for the intercession of Pope John Paul II

O Holy Trinity,we thank you for having given to the ChurchPope John Paul II,and for having made him shine with your fatherly tenderness,the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendour of the Spirit of love
He, trusting completely in your infinite mercyand in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherdand has pointed out to us holinessas the path to reach eternal communion with You.
Grant us, through his intercession,according to your will, the grace that we implore,in the hope that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.
Taken from:L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English6 July 2005, page 9
L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Cotton Candy Man for NY Yankees

Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Live CD Recording!
Monday, June 4
Tuesday, June 5
Wednesday, June 6
8pm
$26.50

Since its inception nearly ten years ago, Gaelic Storm continue to broaden the musical horizons of the Celtic music genre by creating compelling originals and fresh arrangements steeped in Irish traditional melody and acoustic instrumentation combined with their unique blend of world rhythms. Released on July 25, 2006, the band's latest album Bring Yer Wellies (Lost Again Records) debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. While most Annapolitans can still recall seeing them on the screen in 1997, Gaelic Storm was catapulted out of their formative pub haunts by an appearance in the blockbuster film Titanic, as the "party band" in the steerage scene they prefer to have a pint with them before, during and after every show!

Gaelic Storm
Event Date & Time Venue
Gaelic Storm
Monday 6/4/2007
8:00 pm EST Rams Head On Stage
Annapolis, MD


Gaelic Storm
Tuesday 6/5/2007
8:00 pm EST Rams Head On Stage
Annapolis, MD


Gaelic Storm
Wednesday 6/6/2007
8:00 pm EST Rams Head On Stage
Annapolis, MD

HOLY TRIDUUM

Today
Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. email article Email this article
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April 4, 2007

Sundown today, Holy Thursday, marks the beginning of three sacred days (Triduum) that changed the destiny of the human race. Few of us have sufficient time to make use of all the following prayer suggestions during these holy days, but it would be a tragedy to let this season of grace go by without taking some time for extended prayer and reflection. So steal away for as much time as you can and let the Spirit help you pick and choose which devotions will best help you make the most of this special time. See also the other Triduum readings, prayers, and resources in the Lent and Holy Week sections of The Crossroads Initiative Library.

Holy Thursday

Jn. 13:1-18:27 deals with the words and deeds of Jesus on the evening of Holy Thursday, including washing the feet of the disciples, the Last Supper discourse, the priestly prayer of our Lord, Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter's denial. Prayerfully read as much of this as you can — these are some of the most powerful and moving chapters in the entire Bible.

Good Friday Morning

Repentance for Complicity in Christ's Betrayal (approx. 60 min.)

Read Lk. 22:39 through Lk. 23:26, but only after asking the Holy Spirit to answer these questions in the course of your reading:

1. In what way am I an accomplice in the betrayal and execution of the Lord?

2. Who in the gospel narrative do I most resemble: The disciples asleep in the garden? The cowardly Peter? The irresponsible Pilate? Someone else?

3. Write down the answers in your journal, if you keep one.

In response to the Spirit's prompting:

1. Pray a prayer repenting of the particular sins in your life that have made you an accomplice in the Lord's betrayal and execution.

2. Confidently ask the Lord to help you to root these sins out of your life.

3. Engage in any spiritual warfare necessary to dislodge the Enemy from the area of your life under consideration.

4. Finally, seal this process by a slow, prayerful reading of Psalm 51. You might even feel led to memorize a portion of it.

Putting on the Mind of Christ (approx. 30 min.)

Now that we have cast off the "mind" of darkness, we can put on "the mind of Christ."

1. Read Phil. 2:5-11 and consider how Jesus' humble self-offering on the cross was the perfect manifestation of his "mind."

2. Read Phil. 2:1-5, 14-15 and see how St. Paul commands us to have the same mind as the Lord.

3. Ask the Lord what particular characteristics of his mind he wishes to impart to you in a new way during these special days: Humility? Obedience? A new degree of service? Love? Some other? Ask Him to show you how this is to be worked out concretely and practically in the present circumstances of your life. Write in your journal whatever the Lord tells you.

4. Say yes to what He wants to do in you and ask Him to make it happen by the power of His Spirit.

5. Use Psalm 116, one of the "Hallel" Psalms prayed by Jesus at the Last Supper, to express your gratitude to the Lord for freeing you from sin through His death and for bestowing upon you His mind.

Good Friday Afternoon

The most solemn time of the whole Christian year is from noon to 3:00 PM on Good Friday since that was the time of the Lord's agony on the cross according to the Gospel of John. During this time, we should strive to honor the death of the Lord in the most personal and heartfelt way possible.

1. Meditate slowly and deeply upon Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53:13. This is the song of the Suffering Servant.

2. Read Zech. 12:10 and respond with silent prayer of mourning and adoration. You may want to make use of "the Jesus Prayer" which consists of the following petition repeated over and over: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

3. In Jesus' time, the way to refer to a Psalm was not by its number but by its first line. Jesus' cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," is the first line of Ps. 22. Read the entire Psalm slowly as if the whole thing were Jesus' prayer from the cross.

4. Meditate on Hebrews 9:11-28. This scripture relates how Christ the High Priest, by the shedding of his own blood, enters the sanctuary once and for all.

5. Read the selections from Melito and Ephrem found as a pdf download in the Holy Week/Triduum Library of http://www.dritaly.com./ Use the thanksgiving prayer on the same sheet to help you express gratitude for what the Lord did for us through his suffering and death.

Holy Saturday

Today is a day of waiting, a day of silence. Most Christian churches allow no celebrations on this day, including burials, weddings, Eucharist or Lord's Supper, etc. In some churches, communion is only offered to those in imminent danger of death! All this is a tremendous reminder of salvation by grace working through faith (waiting). Our Christian life is completely dependent upon the Lord's resurrection, but there is absolutely nothing we can do to make this happen. So we wait and meditate on the statement of the Apostles Creed: "He descended into hell."

1. Ponder Psalms 16 and 24. The "gates" mentioned in the latter psalm can refer to the "gates" of hell, which Jesus, the man with clean hands and pure heart, enters after his righteous death in order to liberate those who are held captive there.

2. Meditate on Romans 6:3-11.

3. Read the amazing Holy Saturday homily preserved from the days of the early church as found in the Lent-Holy Week library of http://www.dritaly.com/.

Easter Week

The Resurrection of the Lord is too great an event to celebrate for only one day! Following the Jewish practice of celebrating the Passover for eight days (an "octave"), the early Church celebrated Easter in high gear for an entire week. One great way for us to continue this tradition is to read a different resurrection Scripture each day of Easter week and attend the Eucharist daily or at least on as many days during the Easter octave as we can.

Mon. Mt. 28: 8-15

Tues. Jn. 20: 11-18

Wed. Lk. 24: 13-35

Thurs. Lk. 24: 35-48

Fri. Jn. 21: 1-14

Sat. Mk. 16: 9-15

Sun. Jn. 20: 19-31

Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA and adult and teen faith formation, with a special emphasis on the Year of the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the Sacrament of Confirmation.

(This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)
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Tuesday, April 3, 2007

WII: Cooking Mama

Category: Simulation
Players: 2 players simultaneous
Release Date: Mar 20, 2007
Publisher: Majesco Sales Inc.




Everyone in the kitchen! Hot on the heels of stir-fry surprise Cooking Mama DS, Majesco whips up two-chef competition in Cooking Mama: Cook Off—a unique family game designed specifically for the Wii. Step-by-step, recipe-by-recipe, help Mama cook international dishes from 10 different nations and watch as the realistic foods actually change in appearance based on your actions!

Features:


The Wii Remote is your ultimate cooking utensil, putting you in total control of the cooking action as you chop, grate, slice, stir, roll and much more! Hold and point it in many different ways depending on the task (i.e. upright to mash potatoes, lengthwise to fry in a pan, etc.) to get the real sensation of cooking in a kitchen. Watch out, kids – you might learn something useful!
All-new Cooking Challenge Mode lets you and a friend go head-to-head in the ultimate multiplayer cook off to determine who can cook the fastest with the fewest mistakes.
Use 250+ foods to create 55 real world dishes from America, France, Japan, India, Mexico, England, China, Spain, Germany and Italy. From hot dogs to pan fried crab to bouillabaisse, Cook Off challenges you to make it all!
Play against 10 unique computer controlled international characters to earn unique items for your kitchen.
Realistic graphics with real-time effects make you feel like you’re actually cooking. Adjust your timing and make decisions about your next course of action based on what you see on screen (i.e. if food is starting to look burned, quickly remove it from the burner). We can’t say it enough: you might actually learn something productive!
Earn bronze, silver, and gold medals from Mama based on the quality of your cooking.
Practice mode allows you to fine tune your cooking skills without being judged

Monday Night Soccer

Mon >35 men 2nd div ( February, 2007)
Standings | Schedule | News | Details Register online



Mon >35 men 2nd div Standings print

GP W L T GF GA PTS GD WP
Pumpkin Eaters 8 5 0 3 52 39 18 13 0.625
DILF`s 8 5 1 2 44 30 17 14 0.625
Animal Interiors 8 5 2 1 50 42 16 8 0.625
ASA Shooters 8 4 1 3 38 30 15 8 0.500
Next Week 9 4 4 1 36 36 13 0 0.444
Force Majeure 8 3 3 2 29 32 11 -3 0.375
Motorola 9 3 5 1 35 48 10 -13 0.333
Milan 8 2 3 3 25 25 9 0 0.250
Oxygen Deficit 8 2 4 2 31 36 8 -5 0.250
Rainbow 8 1 4 3 29 36 6 -7 0.125
Masters United 8 0 7 1 27 42 1 -15 0.000