Totalitarian Pennsylvania Update. (Extra Special Vinny Fumo Edition)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Fumo's lawyer responds: Charges are political
Richard A. Sprague attacked the U.S. attorney's motives yesterday and called the 139 charges against State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo nothing more than a malicious effort by the Bush administration to drive powerful Democrats from office.

BLAME BUSH! That's all you've got, Vinny? You should have hired a better mouthpiece than that senile old clown Sprague.

Philadelphia Tribune: Fumo’s indictment puts corruption on trial again
There’s no connection, but the similarities have been seen before. If convicted, state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo may find himself among familiar faces behind bars.

Philadelphia Tribune: Fumo quits powerful Appropriations committee
A federal grand jury has been investigating whether state Sen. Vincent Fumo extorted corporate donations for a charity in his district.

Awwwwwwwww! Seriously curtailed vote buying prospects for Vinny from now on. How sad.

KYW: Councilman DiCicco Under Spotlight After Fumo Indictment
The indictment of Pennsylvania state senator Vincent Fumo ( see related story ) has one of his allies on Philadelphia City Council in an unwanted spotlight.


Philadelphia Daily News: Jill Porter Fumo might get off, but may never overcome Queeg-ish image
If you think federal prosecutors have created such an airtight case against state Sen. Vince Fumo that a conviction is inevitable - think again.

Phillyburbs.com: Fumo's lawyer says staff worked hard out of love for boss
Indicted state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's legal camp fired back at federal prosecutors Thursday, accusing them of malice, and defended Fumo's use of state workers for personal and political chores.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Patriot News: Fumo quits leadership of PHEAA's board
State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo relinquished his board vice chairmanship of the state's college financial aid agency yesterday, making it the second leadership post he has abandoned in four days.

The Daily Times: Fumo’s alleged improprieties hit Delco
State Sen. Vincent Fumo’s alleged fraud reached into Delaware County in the summer of 2002, when a nonprofit group he controlled spent $14,500 on a Democratic candidate from Upper Darby, according to federal authorities.

Golly. I wonder how many times Vince Fumo voted to snatch the guns of law-abiding Pennsylvanians...

The Sentinel: Fumo pleads not guilty, gives up 200 guns
Philadelphia - State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges he used state workers and a nonprofit group for his personal and political benefit, and surrendered more than 200 firearms as a condition of his bail.

Vickie Lynn Hogan, Requiescat in pace.

She was a beautiful woman, but that never really matters, kiddies. I am sure there are millions and millions of lives being wasted all around us all the time. Only hers was lived publicly. It does not matter why.

May God have mercy on her soul and her son's. May He also comfort her family (especially her infant daughter) and her true friends.

AFP: Judge orders body of Anna Nicole Smith preserved for paternity case
A judge rejected a request for an emergency DNA test on Anna Nicole Smith by lawyers waging a paternity suit over her daughter, but ordered the former Playboy model's body be preserved until a hearing later this month.

USA Today: TrimSpa mourns death of spokeswoman, Anna Nicole Smith
Weight-loss supplement company TrimSpa has devoted its website to its late spokeswoman, Anna Nicole Smith, with photos and a message from the company's CEO and founder.

Yhe Old Gray Whore: Anna Nicole Smith Leaves Behind Legal Battles
The legal entanglements for former Playboy Playmate and diet diva Anna Nicole Smith did not end with her death on Thursday.

AFP: Late Playmate Anna Nicole Smith autopsied amid drug claims
A medical examiner was conducting an autopsy on late Playboy centerfold Anna Nicole Smith, amid speculation the former model and reality TV star may have been abusing drugs.

Roto-Reuters: Video sold of battle to save Anna Nicole Smith
Grainy video footage of paramedics working on the unresponsive body of Anna Nicole Smith turned up on the Internet and on German television on Friday a day after the sudden death of the former Playboy model in Florida.

AFP: Autopsy set for US pop celebrity Anna Nicole Smith
An autopsy is set to be performed on the late Anna Nicole Smith, amid speculation the former Playboy centerfold and reality TV star may have abused drugs.

WPLG Click10.com: Anna Nicole Smith's Mom: Drugs To Blame For Death
The mother of former Playboy playmate and model Anna Nicole Smith blamed drugs Friday for her daughter's sudden death that ended an extraordinary tabloid life at just 39.

E! Online: Anna Nicole Smith's Sudden Death
The journey that took Vickie Lynn Hogan from topless bars in Texas to worldwide fame as platinum blonde Anna Nicole Smith ended Thursday in a sixth-floor hotel room in Florida.

Speaking of Mr. Goldberg...

...here are a couple more excellent columns courtesy of the Manchester Union Leader.

Jonah Goldberg: Sen. Webb forgot that we are still in Korea
"As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be-President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. 'When comes the end?' . . . And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end." This was part of freshman Virginia Sen. Jim Webb's much ballyhooed stentorian Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union address.

One wonders if the untold millions of North Koreans who've starved, bled and died since then would similarly applaud Eisenhower's courage and wisdom. For more than half a century, North Korea has been a prison-camp society beyond the imagining of George Orwell, where public executions for stealing food are familiar events. The man-made famine of the 1990s alone claimed the lives of up to one million people (hard data from Stalinist regimes are difficult to come by).

One also wonders: When are our troops going to come home? Technically, the Korean War isn't really over. We're merely enjoying a cease-fire -- much like the one we had with Iraq in the 1990s.

While Webb favors a "formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq," our forces in South Korea have been there for nearly six decades. Something tells me the anti-war base of the Democratic Party doesn't have that sort of timetable in mind for Iraq.

So, except for the fact that the Korean War didn't end, our troops are still there, and the outcome has been the source of humanitarian and national security nightmares, Webb's salute to Eisenhower's statesmanship really strikes home.


Jonah Goldberg: Biden was right, Obama is articulate
Here's irony for you. Last spring, focus-group guru Frank Luntz said that Sen. Joseph Biden should be considered a front-runner in the Democratic Presidential primaries because so many Democrats in New Hampshire and Iowa judged him to be -- wait for it -- "articulate."

I should back up. Biden is famous for his brain's chronic inability to hold brake fluid. Once he revs his engines, the motormouth can't be stopped, and he just keeps talking and talking and talking. My theory is that those constant smiles where he displays his shiny fake teeth are the facial equivalent of flashing your brights while driving, signaling to those in Biden's path, "I can't stop this thing!"

Anyway, Biden is running for President. On the day he announced, the New York Observer released an interview in which it was clear Biden had no brakes. Asked about Barack Obama, the Democratic wunderkind, Biden said: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

This statement didn't amuse some folks -- and highly amused others, particularly his Democratic rivals. A plain reading is indefensible (as Biden has admitted). First, the word "candidate" is missing, so it reads like he's talking about blacks generally, which everyone agrees is preposterous. But even with that caveat, he seems to be saying that Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Alan Keyes were lacking some or all of those attributes -- mainstream, articulate, bright, clean or nice-looking. Feel free to play pin-the-adjective on the former candidates. But all I will say is that I've met Alan Keyes, and whatever his other flaws, he's so clean you could eat off him.

What I find fascinating is that the least offensive adjective describing Obama -- "articulate" -- has caused the most offense. The New York Times ran a lengthy essay by Lynette Clemetson on the troubling and pernicious racism behind the oft-used compliment for well-spoken black people. The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson penned a similar meditation arguing that "articulate" is essentially code for not scary to whites. "It's being used to describe a black person around whom white people can be comfortable," writes Robinson.

I don't know about that. Senator Token's socialist power lust creeps me out to no end...and I'm not as white as some.

Obviously, there's ample truth here. Colin Powell, for example, was routinely described as "articulate" when he was pondering a Presidential run. But you know what? Powell is articulate. Moreover, if you ever heard him talk to inner-city kids, you'd know he puts a great deal of importance on speaking and writing ability. Why? Because much of low-income black America has a problem in this regard (as does much of low-income white America, I should add).

It's weird: Everyone agrees that our schools are disproportionately failing African-American kids, that there is a cycle of dysfunction afflicting large swaths of lower-class black America. But if you ever point to the consequences of those failures, even in the most oblique and glancing way, someone cries "Racism!"

Clemetson spoke to a host of hyper-successful blacks who are weary of being called "articulate." But nowhere do Clemetson and the people she interviewed address the fact that not all of black America is as articulate as Condoleezza Rice or D.L. Hughley. It's as if white America just made up the idea that proper diction and speech is lacking in some quarters of black America.

D.L. Hughley?

Many blacks are deeply sensitive to all of this. Indeed, the whole "Ebonics" fad -- a social-science neologism conceived to describe black slang as a distinct dialect, which it is -- was designed to cover up the fact that large numbers of black Americans are not articulate in mainstream American English. But as Bill Cosby and others have noted, simply because Ebonics describes something real doesn't mean it's in the best interests of black people to embrace it.

Again, I think complaints from elite blacks about the overuse of the word "articulate" are well-taken to a point. However, not only is it not the code word some are making it out to be, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and even Biden himself are routinely described as "articulate," and President Bush is relentlessly dubbed "inarticulate," yet nobody thinks that means he's being called "black."

Heehee!

But more important, (Shouldn't that be "importantly"? Or am I just being antisemitic? - F.G.) the word "articulate" is used to describe eloquent blacks both truthfully and in an important context. Large swaths of black America are not articulate enough to succeed in the 21st century. We are constantly being told that we need a "national conversation" about precisely this sort of thing.

But when even the most well-meaning whites use the word "articulate" to describe successful blacks, they're called racist. It's no wonder that national conversation is so slow in getting started.

Jonah Goldberg concedes too much to the Heat Nazis...

Even so, this column won't come in handy when you face one of those Goebbels of Science geniuses who try to drown reason with a flood of big lies. It makes too much sense.

National Review Online: Global Cooling Costs Too Much
There are no solutions in the realm of the politically possible.

Public policy is all about trade-offs. Economists understand this better than politicians because voters want to have their cake and eat it too, and politicians think whatever is popular must also be true.

Economists understand that if we put a chicken in every pot, it might cost us an aircraft carrier or a hospital. We can build a hospital, but it might come at the expense of a little patch of forest. We can protect a wetland, but that will make a new school more expensive.

You get it already. But in the history of trade-offs, never has there been a better one than trading a tiny amount of global warming for a massive amount of global prosperity.

Earth got about 0.7 degrees Celsius warmer in the 20th century while it increased its GDP by 1,800 percent, by one estimate. How much of that 0.7 degrees can be laid at the feet of that 1,800 percent is unknowable, but let’s stipulate that all of the warming was the result of our prosperity and that this warming is in fact indisputably bad (which is hardly obvious).

That’s still an amazing bargain. Life expectancies in the United States increased from about 47 years to about 77 years. Literacy, medicine, leisure and even, in many respects, the environment have improved mightily over the course of the 20th century, at least in the prosperous West.

Given the option of getting another 1,800 percent richer in exchange for another 0.7 degrees warmer, I’d take the heat in a heartbeat. Of course, warming might get more expensive for us (and we might get a lot richer than 1,800 percent too). There are tipping points in every sphere of life, and what cost us little in the 20th century could cost us enormously in the 21st — at least that’s what we’re told.

And boy, are we told. We’re (deceitfully) told polar bears are the canaries in the global coal mine. Al Gore even hosts an apocalyptic infomercial on the subject, complete with fancy renderings of New York City underwater.

Skeptics are heckled for calling attention to global warming scare tactics. But the simple fact is that activists need to hype the threat, and not just because that’s what the media demand of them. Their proposed remedies cost so much money — bidding starts at 1 percent of global GDP a year and rises quickly — they have to ratchet up the fear factor just to get the conversation started.

The costs are just too high for too little payoff. Even if the Kyoto Protocol were put into effect tomorrow — a total impossibility — we’d barely affect global warming. Jerry Mahlman of the National Center for Atmospheric Research speculated in Science magazine that “it might take another 30 Kyotos over the next century” to beat back global warming.

Thirty Kyotos! That’s going to be tough considering that China alone plans on building an additional 2,200 coal plants by 2030. Oh, but because China (like India) is exempt from Kyoto as a developing country, the West will just have to reduce its own emissions even more.

A more persuasive cost-benefit analysis hinges not on prophecies of environmental doom but on geopolitics. We buy too much oil from places we shouldn’t, which makes us dependent on nasty regimes and makes those regimes nastier.

Environmentalists like to claim the “energy independence” issue, but it’s not a neat fit. We could be energy independent soon enough with coal and nuclear power. But coal contributes to global warming, and nuclear power is icky. So, instead, we’re going to massively subsidize the government-brewed moonshine called ethanol.

Here again, the benefits barely outweigh the costs. Ethanol requires almost as much energy to make as it provides, and the costs to the environment and the economy may be staggering.

Frankly, I don’t think the trade-off is worth it — yet. The history of capitalism and technology tells us that what starts out expensive and arduous becomes cheap and easy over time.

Lewis and Clark took months to do what a truck carrying Tickle-Me Elmos does every week. Technology 10 years from now could solve global warming at a fraction of today’s costs. What technologies? I don’t know. Maybe fusion. Maybe hydrogen. Maybe we’ll harness the perpetual motion of Sen. Joe Biden’s mouth.

The fact is we can’t afford to fix global warming right now, in part because poor countries want to get rich, too. And rich countries, where the global warming debate is settled, are finding even the first of 30 Kyotos too fiscally onerous. There are no solutions in the realm of the politically possible. So why throw trillions of dollars into “remedies” that even their proponents concede won’t solve the problem?

The Gorehound thinks it's ok for Slave China to pollute because he is a communist too.

CNews: Gore calls on industrialized countries to take lead in fighting global warming
Madrid - Emerging economies such as China are justified in holding back on fighting greenhouse gas emissions until richer polluters like the United States do more to solve the problem, former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday.

Mother Goose and Grimm both get it.

My Idiot Italian Cousins Update.

Roto-Reuters: Italy matches to go ahead, even without fans
Italy's football teams have decided to play this weekend, even if many of the matches will take place in empty stadiums due to new anti-hooligan measures, the head of the country's clubs' association said on Thursday.

Religion of Peace and Love and People of the Book Update.

AP: Violence erupts at Jerusalem holy site
Jerusalem - Israeli police stormed the grounds of Islam's third-holiest shrine Friday, firing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of Muslim worshippers who hurled stones, bottles and trash in an eruption of outrage over Israeli renovation nearby.

Did you ever notice how it is never called the holiest site in Judaism?

The clash at the end of noon prayers came after days of mounting tensions over the work and raised concern that protests at the site could spread to the West Bank and Gaza, as they did at the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. No serious injuries were reported.

About 200 police streamed on to the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, to try to quell Muslims rioting over the repair work on a centuries-old ramp, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Clouds of tear gas rose up at the holy site and stun grenades set off sharp booms. A doctor treating some of the injured, Dr. Khalil el-Baba, said officers fired rubber bullets at protesters, but police denied that.

Riot police with their helmet visors pulled down scuffled with worshippers, some of them middle-aged or elderly. Medics tended several injured people lying on the stone pavement. Jewish worshippers were evacuated from the Western Wall plaza at the foot of the compound.

The situation grew especially volatile after some 150 protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al Aqsa mosque at the complex.
But police did not enter the mosque. The protesters began to leave about 90 minutes after they holed up inside the building, following negotiations between officers and Muslim representatives, negotiators said.

But three hours after the initial clash, police were still chasing demonstrators in the narrow alleyways and on the rooftops of the Old City. Near Lion's Gate, police fired stun grenades after teenagers threw stones, iron bars and at least one firebomb at them, police said. The cobblestone walkways in the area were littered with rubble and vegetables thrown by protesters.

O ye worshippers of death! Must I trot out the Hippocratic Oath again?

NBC 5 Chicago (via AP): Study: Doctors Hide Options On Moral Grounds
A disturbing (WOW! That is a new record, kiddies, even for the totalitarian wannabes at the AP. Only one letter into the "news" story and they are editorializing! I guess ol' Hippocrates will have to make an appearance below. - F.G.) number of doctors do not feel obligated to tell patients about medical options they oppose morally, such as abortion and teen birth control, and believe they have no duty to refer people elsewhere for such treatments, researchers say.

Because some things are wrong regardless of one's desire to commit them. The Natural Law? Mortal sin? Ring a bellwith anybody?

The survey of 1,144 doctors around the country is the first major look at how physicians' religious or moral beliefs might affect patients' care.

The study, conducted by University of Chicago researchers, found 86 percent of those responding believe doctors are obligated to present all treatment options, and 71 percent believe they must refer patients to another doctor for treatments they oppose.
Slightly more than half the rest said they had no such obligation; the others were undecided.

See the Hippocratic Oath, below.

"That means that there are a lot of physicians out there who are not, in fact, doing the right thing," said David Magnus, director of Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Ethics.

Ditto, Dave, you dumbass.

According to an American Medical Association policy statement, doctors can decline to give a treatment sought by an individual that is "incompatible with the physician's personal, religious or moral beliefs." But the physician should try to ensure the patient has "access to adequate health care."

Referring someone to someone else who will aid them in doing wrong is also wrong. The bottom line, kiddies? Don't trust doctors. You may get a thoroughly modern one.

The survey did not examine whether these doctors act on their beliefs - that is, whether they actually withhold information or refuse to refer patients. But the researchers calculated that tens of millions of Americans might be going to such doctors.

Hey, Mengele, why don't you just kill those doctors who don't worship death like you do?

"Conscientious objection is fine ... as long as it doesn't conflict with the rights of the patient," Magnus said. "You can't abandon the patient or essentially coerce the patient by saying you won't do the procedure or refer them to someone else."

WRONG!

It is a question of right versus wrong, not a question of "rights". Every man's first obligation is to God. (Or his conscience, to you unbelievers. Such is the dignity of man -- not that the left-fascist death-lovers believe in any such thing.) A doctor is next obligated to uphold the oath of his (once?) noble profession. (See the Hippocratic Oath below.)

The study was published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine and led by Dr. Farr Curlin, a University of Chicago ethicist and internist. The findings were based on a survey mailed to 1,820 practicing U.S. family doctors and specialists, chosen randomly from a national database; 63 percent responded.

Doctors describing themselves as very religious, particularly Protestants and Catholics, were much less likely than others to feel obligated to tell patients about controversial treatments or refer them to other doctors, and were far more likely to tell patients if they had moral objections.

Amen to that, my Brothers!

Pray for the doctors, kiddies. They are being coerced into worshipping death by their brethren who have lost their minds and stifled their consciences!

The bottom line? Find yourself an orthodox Catholic doctor, kiddies. That way, everybody involved has a better chance of getting out alive.

Overall, 52 percent said they oppose abortion, 42 percent opposed prescribing birth control to 14- to 16-year-olds without parental approval, and 17 percent objected to sedating patients near death.

Female doctors were much more likely than male ones to feel obligated to refer patients for treatments they personally oppose, far less likely to present their own objections to a patient and slightly more likely to disclose all treatment options.

Dr. Jeffrey Ecker, chairman of the committee on ethics at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said he was encouraged that most doctors agreed patients deserve to be told about all appropriate medical options and referred to other doctors when needed.

"There is reason to be concerned about those that don't do it," Ecker said. He added that it is possible many doctors in the survey who opposed such disclosures and referrals may be practicing in specialties where they don't face those issues.

He said doctors must let patients explicitly know if they are opposed to particular services.

One big problem area, Magnus said, involves emergency room doctors and emergency contraception for rape victims. He said it is considered standard care to offer the morning-after pill, but that is not done in some Catholic hospitals, according to one small study. Ecker said doctors opposed to emergency contraception should avoid working in an ER for that reason.

Why must the innocent baby conceived in rape be punished with death? How sick and disordered must you be to swallow that one, ladies?

Two wrongs do not make a you-know-what.

It would make more sense to execute the rapist.

Curlin noted prior research by his team found doctors may be a bit more religious than others - 46 percent of doctors said they attend religious services at least twice a month, compared with 40 percent of the general public. But he found doctors are less likely to carry their religious beliefs into their daily work, with 58 percent saying they do so, versus 73 percent of the general public.
Curlin said that in light of the new survey findings, if a patient "anticipates wanting a controversial treatment and they don't know already if their physician opposes it, then they should ask."
"I hope it leads to more substantive conversations between doctors and their patients," he said.


Here is the Hippocratic Oath, in all its ancient glory. Learn it, love it, live it, kiddies, even if you are not doctors. Some of those ol' dead white European pagans still make more sense than a lot of our present-day moral and intellectual superiors.

All emphasis below is mine.

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfil according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfil this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.Translation from the Greek by Ludwig Edelstein.

From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

May God have mercy on the souls of those among us who are more wicked and ignorant than our pagan ancestors.

Fyodor lays some Latin on you.

From the Latin for the Illiterati calendar:

corpus sine pectore - a body without a soul

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Michael Febres Cordero, an Ecuadorian de La Salle Brother, the first native vocation there. A teacher, he was honored with membership in the great Academie Francaise. Michael died near Barcelona in Spain after teaching for many years and serving as a model of prayer and charity. In 1936, his intact body was returned to Ecuador. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1984. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.


Today's reading is Genesis 3:1-8.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7.
Today's Gospel reading is Mark 7:31-37.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.

Take Back The Memorial! Update.

Please sign the Save the 9/11 Memorial Petition: http://www.savethe911memorial.com/petition.html

September 11th Families Launch National Media Campaign

September 11th Families Kick-off National Campaign Appealing to the American People to Urge Change at Ground Zero Memorial

New York - Family members of relatives lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 representing major 9/11 family organizations held a press conference today in New York City and unveiled a national media campaign asking the American people to help them “Save the 9/11 Memorial” at Ground Zero. Family leaders object to current plans that will list most of the names of 2,979 people who perished in the attacks of 2001 and 1993 without reference to age, affiliation, location and, in the case of uniformed service members, rank. The group plans to place 60 second television ads in New York City markets.

The campaign’s first ad, entitled “Missing at the Memorial,” features the familiar images of the missing flyers which were posted all over New York City in the attack’s immediate aftermath by relatives of the victims and which identified their loved ones by age, company, and floor location in the World Trade Center. The flyers became the first spontaneous memorials embraced by the public. The ad says that Mayor R. Bloomberg, chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, wants a “cold, random list of names.” Families and former co-workers contend that the current plan to list victims without any personal references, and in an order intended to appear random, robs victims of the human qualities that rallied and sustained the nation. The 9/11 groups believe that narrative information associated with the names will enable future generations to better appreciate how the historic attacks were actually experienced by the country.

“We do not accept that these people died ‘randomly,’ or ‘in no discernable order’ which to future visitors will be exactly the same thing,” said Edith Lutnick, whose brother Gary, 36, worked for the firm of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the North Tower. “Turning human beings into featureless casualties is a distortion of history. Instead of conveying the story of 9/11, this memorial will express the dark point of view of the terrorists who murdered them.”

Family members believe that leaving the 2,400 mostly civilian victims without affiliations and in no discernable order, creates a two-tier memorial consisting of flesh and blood people on the one hand and anonymous casualties on the other. The disparity is particularly painful for families of more than 1,000 victims whose remains were never recovered.

The families and representatives of uniformed service associations contend that World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is building an extravagant memorial that will not resonate with visitors because it does not convey the attacks in personal terms. They believe that leaving the civilians without identification diminishes the noble sacrifice of first responders because it ignores the people whom they gave their lives to save.

Family members said that identifying group affiliations for New York City first responders is a step in the right direction, but stripping them of their rank is a slap in the face to their service and sacrifice. 100 officers, including Chief of the Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. were among the 343 members of the FDNY who perished.

“My brother, Capt. Billy Burke with Engine 21, didn’t send his men into those towers,” said Michael Burke, who spoke at the press conference, “he led them in. And he did not leave, telling a friend who begged him to get out after tower two fell, ‘This is my job, this is who I am.’ How will visitors get a sense of that, if we don’t tell them?”

Family organizers, survivors and representatives of uniformed service personnel are asking the public to come to the website, Save the Memorial, and sign their online petition asking that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation list the names of the victims in the manner leaders of 32 family groups and representative supported in a 2004 agreement.

The :60 ad can be view by logging onto www.savethe911memorial.com.


The following September 11 victims family organizations supported today’s press conference:

Advocates for 9/11 Fallen Heroes
Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund
Coalition of 9/11 Families
9/11 Families for Safe & Strong America
Skyscraper Safety Campaign
Take Back the Memorial
W. Doyle Support Group
Where to Turn
WTC Families for Proper Burial
WTC Family Center
World Trade Center United Family Group


The Save the 9/11 Memorial Ad
Share the ad with your friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhkWfjdtJGQ

Sign the Save the 9/11 Memorial Petition: http://www.savethe911memorial.com/petition.html

Now, a word from a moderate mohammedan.

Why would a moderate mohammedan love that vile piece of left-fascist Hollyweird propaganda known as "24"?

In Defense of '24'
by Emilio Karim Dabul

An Arab-American defends the real-life Bauers.

I am an Arab-American as well as a fan of "24." The two things are not mutually exclusive, despite what the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other such groups have to say about this season's opening episodes possibly increasing anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice in American society.

Most of the terrorists represented in "24" through the years have been Arab Muslims. Why? Well, probably because most terrorists today are, in fact, Arab Muslims. As a descendant of Syrian Muslims, I am very well aware that the majority of Muslims world-wide are peaceful, hard working, and law abiding. That still does not change the fact that the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. today comes not from the ETA, the IRA, etc., but from one group: Islamic terrorists.

And this is what makes "24" a compelling drama every week. Instead of pretending Islamic terrorists don't exist, the show presents frighteningly real worst-case scenarios perpetrated by Osama bin Laden's followers. So CAIR thinks it's over the top for the terrorists in "24" to blow up Los Angeles with a nuke? Please, if bin Laden and his crew had nukes, most of us would be way too dead to argue over such points.

There is a dangerous trend in the U.S. today that involves skirting the truth at the risk of offending any individual or group. When Bill Cosby talks to African-Americans about self-respect and responsibility, and says publicly what many have been saying privately for years, he's branded a "reactionary," "misinformed," "judgmental," and so on. When "24" confronts America's worst fears about al Qaeda--whose goal remains to kill as many Americans as possible whenever possible--the show is said to be guilty of fueling anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice.

Well, here's the hard, cold truth: When Islamic terrorists stop being a threat to America's survival, viewers will lose interest in "24," because it will have lost its relevancy. Until such time, I will continue to watch "24"--because, believe it or not, the idea that there are Jack Bauers out there in real life risking their lives to save ours does mean something to me.

Amen to that, Brother.

And as for "24" causing a possible backlash against Muslims and Arab-Americans, where's the evidence of that? The show is now in its sixth season and there hasn't been one recorded incident of any viewer ever slurring or attacking any Muslim or Arab-American because of something that happened on the show. More to the point, in the latest episode President Palmer stated, "The American Muslim community is the greatest line of defense against these terrorists." He advocates strengthening ties with Islamic leaders across the U.S., and is opposed to measures that would in any way infringe upon the constitutional rights of Arab Americans.

That said, I would certainly welcome more characters in movies, TV programs and novels who reflect the overall Arab-American experience. Truth is, most of us don't have bomb-making skills or a desire to become human missiles. And there are Muslim and Arab-American CTU heroes out there, as well as doctors, superdads, women scientists, etc. But just as it took Saul Bellow to give literary voice to the Jewish-American experience, we need our own storytellers to weave the pastiche of tales that make up Arab-American life.

Yep.

In the meantime, the next time a journalist decides to report on Arab-American concerns about shows like "24," maybe he could actually talk to someone other than CAIR and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and seek out Arab-Americans with a different point of view. We actually do exist.

And maybe that same reporter could take a closer look at CAIR. Ask CAIR about the Holy Land Foundation and its support of Hamas. Ask it about the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the CAIR board member who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in that case--yet still sits on CAIR's board. Look a little closer, and maybe you'll find that CAIR has good reason to get nervous about shows like "24."

Because terrorists and their supporters continue to hide among us in plain sight, we need Jack Bauer, now more than ever.

Mr. Dabul is a free-lance writer and the author of "Deadline," a novel about modern terrorism.

The greatest sinner I know.

That was the title of a sermon preached by one of my favorite priests years ago. The greatest sinner he knew was himself. (This from a man who had heard confessions for decades.)

And the greatest sinner each of us knows is...well, I'll let last Sunday's readings give you a hint.

Isaias 6:1-2, 3-8

6:1. In the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple.
In anno quo mortuus est rex Ozias vidi Dominum sedentem super solium excelsum et elevatum et ea quae sub eo erant implebant templum

6:2. Upon it stood the seraphims: the one had six wings, and the other had six wings: with two they covered his face, and with two they covered his feet, and with two they flew.
Seraphin stabant super illud sex alae uni et sex alae alteri duabus velabant faciem eius et duabus velabant pedes eius et duabus volabant


6:3. And they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory,
Et clamabant alter ad alterum et dicebant sanctus sanctus sanctus Dominus exercituum plena est omnis terra gloria eius

6:4. And the lintels of the doors were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Et commota sunt superliminaria cardinum a voce clamantis et domus impleta est fumo

6:5. And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts.
Et dixi vae mihi quia tacui quia vir pollutus labiis ego sum et in medio populi polluta labia habentis ego habito et Regem Dominum exercituum vidi oculis meis

6:6. And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar.
Et volavit ad me unus de seraphin et in manu eius calculus quem forcipe tulerat de altari

6:7. And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed.
Et tetigit os meum et dixit ecce tetigit hoc labia tua et auferetur iniquitas tua et peccatum tuum mundabitur

6:8. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me.
Et audivi vocem Domini dicentis quem mittam et quis ibit nobis et dixi ecce ego sum mitte me


1 Corinthians 15:1-11

15:1. Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received and wherein you stand.
Notum autem vobis facio fratres evangelium quod praedicavi vobis quod et accepistis in quo et statis

15:2. By which also you are saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.
Per quod et salvamini qua ratione praedicaverim vobis si tenetis nisi si frustra credidistis

15:3. For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: Tradidi enim vobis in primis quod et accepi quoniam Christus mortuus est pro peccatis nostris secundum scripturas

15:4. And that he was buried: and that he rose again according to the scriptures:
Et quia sepultus est et quia resurrexit tertia die secundum scripturas

15:5. And that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.
Et quia visus est Cephae et post haec undecim

15:6. Then was he seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep.
Deinde visus est plus quam quingentis fratribus simul ex quibus multi manent usque adhuc quidam autem dormierunt

15:7. After that, he was seen by James: then by all the apostles. Deinde visus est Iacobo deinde apostolis omnibus

15:8. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due tine.
Novissime autem omnium tamquam abortivo visus est et mihi

15:9. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Ego enim sum minimus apostolorum qui non sum dignus vocari apostolus quoniam persecutus sum ecclesiam Dei

15:10. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me hath not been void: but I have laboured more abundantly than all they. Yet not I, but the grace of God with me:
Gratia autem Dei sum id quod sum et gratia eius in me vacua non fuit sed abundantius illis omnibus laboravi non ego autem sed gratia Dei mecum

15:11. For whether I or they, so we preach: and so you have believed.
Sive enim ego sive illi sic praedicamus et sic credidistis


Luke 5:1-11

5:1. And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesareth,
Factum est autem cum turbae inruerent in eum ut audirent verbum Dei et ipse stabat secus stagnum Gennesareth

5:2. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Et vidit duas naves stantes secus stagnum piscatores autem descenderant et lavabant retia

5:3. And going into one of the ships that was Simon's, he desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting, he taught the multitudes out of the ship.
Ascendens autem in unam navem quae erat Simonis rogavit eum a terra reducere pusillum et sedens docebat de navicula turbas

5:4. Now when he had ceased to speak, he said to Simon: Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught.
Ut cessavit autem loqui dixit ad Simonem duc in altum et laxate retia vestra in capturam

5:5. And Simon answering said to him: Master, we have laboured all the night and have taken nothing: but at thy word I will let down the net.
Et respondens Simon dixit illi praeceptor per totam noctem laborantes nihil cepimus in verbo autem tuo laxabo rete

5:6. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.
Et cum hoc fecissent concluserunt piscium multitudinem copiosam rumpebatur autem rete eorum

5:7. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking.
Et annuerunt sociis qui erant in alia navi ut venirent et adiuvarent eos et venerunt et impleverunt ambas naviculas ita ut mergerentur

5:8. Which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Quod cum videret Simon Petrus procidit ad genua Iesu dicens exi a me quia homo peccator sum Domine

5:9. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.
Stupor enim circumdederat eum et omnes qui cum illo erant in captura piscium quam ceperant

5:10. And so were also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus saith to Simon: Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Similiter autem Iacobum et Iohannem filios Zebedaei qui erant socii Simonis et ait ad Simonem Iesus noli timere ex hoc iam homines eris capiens

5:11. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed him.
Et subductis ad terram navibus relictis omnibus secuti sunt illum

Not only did Isaias, Peter, and Paul know they were unworthy, they proclaimed that fact to God Himself. Yet not only were their sins forgiven, they were made instruments of His will by the One True God whom they had defied and offended.

Such grace is available to all men, regardless of how great their sins may be...

Perfidious Persia Update.

AP: Iran to hit U.S. interests if attacked
Tehran - If the United States were to attack Iran, the country would respond by striking U.S. interests all over the world, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday.

And that would differ from the situation we face today?

Progress, baby.

Coffee, the magic elixir...

The fanatical disciples of the neodarwinist religion tolerate no other faith...

...They are the intellectualoid equivalent of the goat rapists.

Seattle Times: Fossil feud erupts in Kenya

Nairobi — Deep in the dusty, unlit corridors of Kenya's national museum, locked away in a plain-looking cabinet, is one of humankind's oldest relics: Turkana Boy, as he is known, the most complete skeleton of a prehistoric human ever found.

But his first public display later this year is at the heart of a growing storm, one pitting scientists against Kenya's powerful and popular evangelical Christian movement. The debate over evolution versus creationism — once largely confined to the United States — has arrived in a country known as the cradle of humankind.

Now, kiddies, you know I am no fan of protestantism, but Bishop Adoyo deserves at least as much respect as a pile of bones.

"I did not evolve from Turkana Boy or anything like it," says Bishop Boniface Adoyo, head of Kenya's 35 evangelical denominations, which he claims have 10 million followers. "These sorts of silly views are killing our faith."

BTW, the world needs more men named Boniface.

He is calling on his flock to boycott the exhibition and demanded the museum relegate the fossil collection to a back room, along with a notice saying evolution is not a fact, merely one of a number of theories.

Against him is one of the planet's best-known fossil hunters, Richard Leakey, whose team unearthed the bones at Nariokotome in West Turkana, in the far north of Kenya in 1984.

"Whether the bishop likes it or not, Turkana Boy is a distant relation of his," said Leakey, who founded the museum's prehistory department. "The bishop is descended from the apes, and these fossils tell how he evolved."

Not only is Leakey's statement rude and disrespectful, it is ignorant and unscientific. He has no idea who the bishop's ancestors were. Once again, we can detect the odor of politics masquerading as science.

Among the 160,000 fossils due to go on display is an imprint of a lizard left in sedimentary rock, dating 200 million years, at a time the Earth's continents were beginning to separate.

Dinosaur fossils and a bone from an early human ancestor, dating 7 million years, also will be on display, along with the bones of short-necked giraffes and elephants whose tusks protrude from their lower jaws.

They provide the clearest and unrivaled record yet of evolution and the origins of man, scientists say.

The highlight will be the 5-foot-3 Turkana Boy, who died at about age 12 and whose skeleton had been preserved in marshland before its discovery.

It will form the center of the exhibition to open in July after a $10.5 million renovation of the National Museums of Kenya, financed by the European Union (EU). The EU says it has no concerns about the displays and the museum can exhibit what it wishes.

Followers of creationism believe in the literal truth of the Genesis account in the Bible that God created the world in six days.
Adoyo believes the world was created 12,000 years ago, with humans appearing 6,000 years later. He says each biblical day was equivalent to 1,000 Earth years.

Adoyo's evangelical coalition is the only religious group voicing concern about the exhibition.

See the Catholic Encyclopedia's excellent article explaining the One, True Church's teaching on evolution here.

Also see Pope John Paul II's statement about the mistaken idea that faith and science are enemies, Truth Cannot Contradict Truth.

Leakey fears the ideological spat may provoke an attack on the priceless collection, one largely found during the 1920s by his paleontologist parents, Louis and Mary Leakey, who passed their fossil-hunting traditions on to him.

Yeah, like the world is plagued by roving bands of protestant terrorists.

The museum, which attracts about 100,000 visitors a year, is taking no chances.

Turkana Boy will be displayed in a private room, with limited access and behind a glass screen with 24-hour closed-circuit TV. Security guards will be at the entrance.

"There are issues about the security," said Emma Mbua, head of paleontology at the museum. "These fossils are irreplaceable and we wouldn't want anything to happen to them."

Insurance coverage could run into millions of dollars, she added.
Mbua, a Protestant, is a little taken aback at the controversy but has no problems reconciling her faith to the scientific evidence.
"Evolution is a fact," she added.

"Turkana Boy is our jewel," she said. "For the first time, we will be taking him out of the strong room and showing our heritage to the world."

An insult, Shakespeare style.

From the Shakespeare's Insults calendar:

Thy mother took into her
blameful bed
Some stern untutored churl, and
noble stock
Was graft with crab-tree slip*,
whose fruit thou art...
(The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth 3.2.212-214.)

*cutting

Suffolk to another lord of the court, Warwick

Happy Birthday to the Boy Scouts!

The Boy Scouts of America were founded on this date in 1910.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, the patroness of Sudan.

Born in 1868 to a wealthy Sudanese family at Oglassa, Darfur, she was kidnapped by slave-traders at age 9, and given the name Bakhita by them. Sold and resold in the markets at El Obeid and Khartoum, finally purchased in 1883 by Callisto Legnani, Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied Legnani to Italy in 1885, and worked for the family of Augusto Michieli as nanny. She was treated well in Italy, and grew to love the country.

An adult convert, joining the Church on 9 January 1890, she took the name of Josephine as a symbol of her new life.

She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italy in 1893, taking her vows on 8 December 1896 in Verona, and serving as a Canossian Sister for the next fifty years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute. After a biography of her was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions.

St. Josephine Bakhita died on 8 February, 1947 of natural causes in Italy.


Pray for us, all you angels and saints.


Today's reading for the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita is 1 Corinthians 7:25-35.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 25:1-13.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.

Fyodor lays some Latin on you.

From the Latin for the Illiterati calendar:

currus bovem trahit - the cart draws the ox

DAY 168: PLUTO HELD HOSTAGE

The Online NewsHour: Astronomers Debate Pluto's Planetary Status
Members of the International Astronomical Union voted in August to reclassify Pluto as a "dwarf planet." Many astronomers, however, are unhappy with the demotion -- they question its scientific validity and the way the decision was made.


McKinney Messenger: Discovery Learning Center kindergarteners create solar system
Pluto may not technically be a planet anymore, but that didn't stop the students in Linda Portnoy's kindergarten class at the Discovery Learning Center from including the diminutive former planet in their models of the solar system.

CBS 4: Local Astronomers Gather On 'Save Pluto Day'
Sunday, February 4th is International Save Pluto Day. In November the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto to a "dwarf" planet saying our ninth and most distant planet from the sun does not match new planetary guidelines.

Roto-Reuters: Pluto's fate sends shiver through toyland
While scientists debated Pluto's fate last summer, Fisher-Price executives were forced into a debate of their own: What would become of their Planet Heroes action figures if Pluto lost its planet status?