Sadly, I tried to pick NFL games on Thursday 12/7, Sunday 12/10, and Monday 12/11. Once again, I produced a sub-par 7 and 9 record. I may have to go with the opposite picks from here on out...
Monday, December 11, 2006
Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.
Today is the Feast of Pope St. Damasus I, who commissioned St. Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin and changed the liturgical language of the Church from Greek to Latin. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.
Today's reading forthe Feast of Pope St. Damasus I is Acts 20:17-18, 28-32, 36.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 110:1, 2, 3, 4.
Today's Gospel reading is John 15:9-17.
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.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Hef, call your office.
If my son was involved, I'd beat his ass raw with the heaviest leather strap I could find.
Then I'd hand him over to the police.
The Salt Lake Tribune: Teens accused of pressuring girls into nude photo shoots
Boys at Monticello High School have allegedly been pressuring girls to pose nude and then were sharing the photographs with others.
More than 30 girls may have been victims in what San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy is calling a child pornography case.
Lacy said his office has completed its probe and referred its findings to the Utah Attorney General's Office for possible criminal charges.
As many as eight boys are believed to be involved, though four appear to have been the biggest culprits, Lacy said.
Some of those teenagers have turned 18 and could face charges as adults.
"Some of this has been going on for two or three years," Lacy said. "By the time we got the report, it just kind of snowballed."
In some instances, boys drove girls into the mountains near Monticello. The boys told the girls that if they wanted a ride down, they needed to bare themselves for the camera, authorities said.
Photographs were taken with cell phones and exchanged through cell communication and by computer, Lacy said.
The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, based in the Attorney General's Office, participated in the investigation.
John Soltis, the attorney general's office prosecutor assigned to the case, said he is reviewing the evidence but declined further
comment.
San Juan School District Superintendent Doug Wright said investigators came to Monticello High School at the start of the school year to interview students. The district told the detectives that administrators must be present in the interviews so the investigators elected to speak to students off campus, Wright said.
Wright said the district has no knowledge of any of the incidents occurring at school, and no students have been disciplined.
I have no doubt it will soon be discovered these boys have some sort of mitigating psychological problems or perhaps their fathers beat them with heavy leather straps. And, of course, those girls were just asking for it - what with their breasts and all.
Valuable Allies in the Global War on Terror Update.
CBS News: Saudi Citizens Funding Iraq Insurgents
High-ranking Iraqi officials and the U.S. Iraq Study Group say private citizens in Saudi Arabia are sending large quantities of cash directly to Sunni militants in Iraq, an allegation denied by the Saudi government ?
Free Internet Press: Saudi Arabia Fires Security Consultant For Iraq Remarks
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it had fired a security adviser who wrote in the Washington Post that the world's top oil exporter would intervene in Iraq once the United States withdrew troops. Saudi Arabia's government said last weekend that there was no truth in Nawaf Obaid's Nov. 29 op-ed column, which suggested that the kingdom would back Iraq's Sunni Muslims...
Nope, no goat raping terrorists in the good ol' US of A...
WGAL: Man Accused In Plot To Attack Mall
Chicago -- An Illinois man has been arrested by federal agents on charges of planning to set off hand grenades in a shopping mall.
Authorities said the man was arrested Wednesday when he met with an undercover agent in a parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four grenades and a handgun.
Federal officials said that in September, 22-year-old Derrick Shareef became acquainted with an FBI cooperating witness, and confided to him that he wanted to commit acts of "violent jihad" against civilians, as well as other crimes.
Hmmm..."jihad"...where have I heard that word?
He has been charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
An indictment was unsealed in federal court on Friday, alleging the plot on an unnamed shopping mall. The man was scheduled to appear in federal court later Friday.
Penguins Update.
The slumping Penguins are 11-11-5, good for 27 points and fourth place in the Atlantic Division. They are 4 points behind the Islanders and 5 points behind both the Devils and the Rangers.
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Pens blow lead, lose in shootout
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the New York Rangers, 3-2, in a shootout Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
LeClair assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre again
Penguins notebook
Bad German Opera Update.
Remember the opera designed to offend just about everybody, kiddies? (See Mozart wrote what?) It seems a few of their props are missing...
AFP: Berlin opera's heads of Mohammed, Jesus go missing
Severed heads of the Prophet Mohammed, Buddha, Jesus and Poseidon that were to have been used in a hotly disputed staging of a Mozart opera in Berlin this month have vanished, the opera house has said.
The Gettysburg Battlefield is a national treasure. The Cyclorama building is an ugly and shameful edifice that must be destroyed.
The Morning Call: Group sues, seeks to save Gettysburg building
The National Park Service wants to demolish a modernistic visitor center on one of the most significant sites of the Gettysburg battlefield, but an architectural preservation group is suing because the building itself is historically important.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in a Washington, D.C., federal court is the latest escalation in a long-standing dispute over the fate of the Cyclorama Center. Built in 1958 by famed modernist architect Richard Neutra, the visitor center is named for the large, circular painting of the famous Civil War battle.
Its construction was part of a massive nationwide park modernization plan, and the building is eligible for registration as a national historical landmark.
It was built, however, near one the highest points on Cemetery Ridge, a key defensive position where nearly 1,000 Union soldiers were killed or wounded during Pickett's Charge.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation said in 1999 that the Pennsylvania battlefield's significance trumped that of the building and recommended tearing it down. Park officials plan to open a new museum and visitor center in 2008.
The lawsuit, filed by the Recent Past Preservation Network and Neutra's son, argues the government is violating federal preservation laws. The lawsuit claims the Park Service did not adequately study the effect of the demolition or consider other uses for the building.
The Park Service had no comment Wednesday.
A description of the plans on the service's Web site, however, says the new visitor center will be located alongside the battlefield in a low-lying area that saw no major battle action.
The Cyclorama painting will be moved to the new museum.
Seeing the painting is a must for every visitor to Gettysburg.
The Virginia-based preservation group said in its lawsuit that it does not oppose the plan to restore the battlefield and would not object if the building was moved off the park.
If it is so important and they love it so much, why don't the geniuses from the RPPN pay to have this abomination moved to their headquarters where they can display it with pride?
Every Civil War battlefield is too important to be cluttered with monstrosities built to glorify the fetishes of modernist, materialist fools.
The War Against the Natural Law continues apace.
Wait'll you get a load (sorry) of their Pez-like dispensers shaped like phalluses!
AP: Drugmaker makes chewable contraceptive
Looking for a contraceptive that's convenient — and tasty? The first chewable birth-control method, a tiny, spearmint-flavored tablet that also can be swallowed without chewing, has hit pharmacy shelves.
It is time to lock up your daughters, kiddies...
Jeane Kirkpatrick, Requiescat in pace.
A great lady and a great American has left us.
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, an unabashed apostle of Reagan era conservatism and the first woman U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, has died.
The death of the 80-year-old Kirkpatrick, who began her public life as a Hubert Humphrey Democrat, was announced Friday at the senior staff meeting of the U.S. mission to the United Nations.
Spokesman Richard Grenell said that Ambassador John Bolton asked for a moment of silence. An announcement of her death also was posted on the Web site of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-oriented think tank here where she was a senior fellow.
Kirkpatrick's assistant, Andrea Harrington, said that she died in her sleep at home in Bethesda, Md. late Thursday. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Kirkpatrick's health had been in decline recently, Harrington said, adding that she was "basically confined to her house," going to work about once a week "and then less and less."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said that Kirkpatrick, who had a reputation as a blunt and acerbic advocate, "stood up for the interests of America while at the U.N., lent a powerful moral voice to the Reagan foreign policy and has been a source of wise counsel to our nation since leaving the government two decades ago. She will be greatly missed."
Karlyn H. Bowman, a colleague of Kirkpatrick's at AEI, called her "always insightful. Always interesting. Very thoughtful about modern American politics and foreign policy. A wonderful colleague."
Bowman also said that Kirkpatrick, who had been elevated to the U.N. post by President Reagan in 1981, had "served with great distinction" at the U.N. "She was a great patriot, a champion of freedom and we will certainly miss her at AEI and the country."
Kirkpatrick was known as a blunt and sometimes acerbic advocate for her causes. She remained involved in public issues even though she'd left government service two decades ago. She joined seven other former U.N. ambassadors in 2005 in writing a letter to Congress telling lawmakers that their plan to withhold dues to force reform at the world body was misguided and would "create resentment, build animosity and actually strengthen opponents of reform."
Bill Bennett, a former secretary of education under Reagan, the nation's drug czar under the first President Bush and a leading conservative opinion-maker, called her "very forceful, very strong, a daughter of Oklahoma, great sense of humor. She held her own."
Bennett said the Iraq Study Group so prominently in the news "would have been better with Jeane Kirkpatrick on it ... She had no patience with tyrannies, said they had to be confronted, you couldn't deal with tyrannies, that there were some people you could work with — these people you couldn't." (Thanks to AP for this obituary.)
Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. Pray for us, Blessed Mother.
Today's first reading for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Genesis 3:9-15, 20.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4.
Today's second reading is Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 1:26-38.
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.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
A good woman is hard to find.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Steyn explores the phenomenon of distaff self-destruction in its many forms.
Quartet of ladies shows where we're headed
Have you seen a movie called ''Four Jills In A Jeep''? Don't worry, it's not at the multiplex. It came out in 1944. A wartime movie, about the contribution of the gals to the big existential struggle. Great title, and downhill after that. This column is, metaphorically speaking, four Jills in a jeep: It's about a quartet of ladies who provide useful glimpses of where we're heading.
The first is Fatma An-Najar, a 64-year-old grandmother who had a livelier Thanksgiving than most grandmas. She marked the occasion by self-detonating in the town of Jebaliya, and, although all she had to show for splattering body parts over the neighborhood were three "lightly wounded" Israeli soldiers, she will have an honored place in the pantheon of Palestinian heroes. She was, according to the official statistician from the Hamas Book Of Records, the oldest Palestinian suicide bomber ever. And, naturally, her family's pleased as punch.
"We are really happy," her son Zuheir told Agence France-Presse. "She told us last night that she would do a suicide operation. She prepared her clothes for that operation, and we are proud. 'I don't want anything, only to die a martyr.' That's what she said."
Awww, bless the sweet l'il ol' biddy. She wouldn't have wanted to die a long lingering death in some old folks' home. This is the way she wanted to go: quick and painless, except for any Zionists in the immediate vicinity.
An-Najar gave birth to her first child at the age of 12. She had eight others. She had 41 grandchildren. Keep that family tree in mind. By contrast, in Spain, a 64-year old woman will have maybe one grandchild. That's four grandparents, one grandchild: a family tree with no branches.
Which brings me to our second Jill: the new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to run a national division of the Anglican Communion. Bishop Kate gave an interview to the New York Times revealing what passes for orthodoxy in this most flexible of faiths. She was asked a simple enough question: "How many members of the Episcopal Church are there?"
"About 2.2 million," replied the presiding bishop. "It used to be larger percentage-wise, but Episcopalians tend to be better educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than other denominations."
This was a bit of a jaw-dropper even for a New York Times hackette, so, with vague memories of God saying something about going forth and multiplying floating around the back of her head, a bewildered Deborah Solomon said: "Episcopalians aren't interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?"
"No," agreed Bishop Kate. "It's probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion."
May God have mercy on all souls.
Now, that may or may not be a great idea, but it's nothing to do with Christianity, only for eco-cultists like Al Gore. If Bishop Kate were an Episcogorian, a member of the Alglican Communion, an elder of the Church of Latter-Day Chads, this would be an unremarkable statement. But, even in their vigorous embrace of gay bishoprics and all the rest, I don't recall the Episcopalians formally embracing the strategy that worked out so swell for the Shakers and enshrining a disapproval of reproduction at the heart of their doctrine.
Which brings me to our third Jill in the jeep: Scarlett Johansson. Like every other sad middle-aged loser guy, I fell in love with Scarlett's fetchingly pert bottom in the opening of ''Lost In Translation,'' and it pains me to discover she's no different from Bishop Kate's generation when it comes to being in thrall to the cobwebbed pieties of the 1960s. In a bit of light Bush-bashing the other day, she attacked the president for his opposition to "sex education." If he had his way, she said, "every woman would have six children and we wouldn't be able to have abortions." Whereas Scarlett is so "socially aware" (as she puts it) she gets tested for HIV twice a year.
I would like to say I am surprised, but I am not. Again, it is not surprising that thinking people don't pay attention to what Hollyweirdos "think".
Well, yes. If "sex education" is about knowing which concrete condom is less likely to disintegrate during the livelier forms of penetrative intercourse, then getting an AIDS test every few months may well be a sign that you're a Ph.D. (Doctor of Phenomenal horniness). But, if "sex education" means an understanding of sexuality as anything other than an act of transient self-expression, then Scarlett is talking through that famously cute butt.
Here's the question for Bishop Kate: If Fatma An-Najar has 41 grandchildren and a responsible "better educated" Episcopalian has one or two, into whose hands are we delivering "the stewardship of the earth"? If your crowd isn't around in any numbers, how much influence can they have in shaping the future?
Well, the Episcopal head honcho and even Scarlett Johansson are not the most powerful figures in the world, so let's usher on our fourth Jill: Condoleezza Rice.
"The great majority of Palestinian people," said the secretary of state to Cal Thomas the other day, "they just want a better life. This is an educated population. I mean, they have a kind of culture of education and a culture of civil society. I just don't believe mothers want their children to grow up to be suicide bombers. I think the mothers want their children to grow up to go to university. And if you can create the right conditions, that's what people are going to do."
Cal Thomas asked a sharp follow-up: "Do you think this or do you know this?"
"Well, I think I know it," said Dr. Rice.
"You think you know it?"
"I think I know it."
Wow. Condi has no more of a clue than Scarlett.
So many of our present woes are due to thinking we know things. To our four Jills in the jeep, let's add one Jim, apparently back at the steering wheel in the current war: James Baker, renowned foreign policy "realist" and the man Beltway wags are currently referring to as "the acting secretary of state." The "realists" think that "containment" and "stability" are wise strategies. In fact, they're the absence of strategy. The fertility rate in the Gaza Strip is one of the highest on earth. If you measure the births of the Muslim world against the dearth of Bishop Kate's Episcopalians, you have the perfect snapshot of why there is no "stability": With every passing month, there are more Muslims and fewer Episcopalians, and the Muslims export their manpower to Europe and other depopulating outposts of the West. It's the intersection of demography and Islamism that makes time a luxury we can't afford.
We can argue about exactly what this trend means, but not that it means nothing. At the very minimum, I'd suggest, it means the Episcopal Church is irrelevant to "the stewardship of the earth" and that Scarlett Johansson will end her days on an earth whose stewards regard being tested for HIV twice as a sign of many things, but not, on the whole, "social awareness."
From The Desk Of Fyodor Garibaldi...
To: The Others
RE: It
Every once in a while, Your Humble Servant feels compelled to disabuse some visitors of the misconceptions and prejudices festering in their heads.
1) This is a place for me to put my stuff.
2) I do not want fans. I would like to have readers.
3) All of you good little kiddies who get it may disregard the balance of this memo and proceed to the next post. As for the rest of you...
4) Congratulations. You found someone (on the Internet, of all places!) with whom you disagree. How novel. How clever of you.
My guess is you haven't been paying attention since puberty set in.
5) No matter how much you wish things were different, nothing here is about you. Nothing here is for you. This is my little idiot corner of Bloggerdom - of me, by me, and for me.
That being said, I do hope you find it interesting, edifying, and occasionally amusing. If not, go away. I will not lose any sleep over it and neither should you.
6) Your opinion of my opinions interests me not at all. Opinions are like...toes: Everybody has nearly a dozen of them and some people's are webbed.
7) Your opinion of my methods, madness, tactics, stratagems, peccadillos, idiosyncrasies, foibles, intellectual bona fides, vocabulary, morality, immorality, politics, character, cheesesteaks, and cheesesteaks, taste in women, religious beliefs, et cetera, interests me even less.
8) The bottom line? I do not care what you think. (Yes, you. That's right, even you. Yep, you guessed it, even you.)
The fact that you seem to care about what I think amuses me for about three seconds every time you remind me of it.
9) Here is a little magic trick for you. Simply ignore me and I will not vex you any longer. I wish I could do that to you, but I must regularly purge my mailbox of your clutter or else I might miss some of those wonderful unsolicited money-making opportunities.
10) You do not understand because you do not want to understand. You do not get it because you think you know.
By the grace of Almighty God, your ignorance is not invincible. But it is willful.
11) I will regularly re-post this memo for even the most obstinate and slow-witted of the beasts may be taught by repetition.
Fyodor's Pro Football Picks of the Week.
1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.
Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.
2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.
3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.
4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were any good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.
5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.
That being said, here are my NFL picks for this week.
Thursday 12/6
Cleveland (+7.5) at Pittsburgh
The Steelers continue to screw up next year's draft position by winning again. But they don't cover. Take the Browns and the points.
FINAL: Steelers 27 Browns 7 - Fyodor loses! (For a couple of hours it seemed like last season...)
Sunday 12/10
Atlanta (-3) at Tampa Bay
Another UP week for the man with the expressive fingers. Take Atlanta on the road.
FINAL: Falcons 17 Buccaneers 6 - Fyodor wins! (Opposite, schmopposite!)
Baltimore (+3) at Kansas City
Hmmm...an interesting spread. (A word to the wise: avoid interesting point spreads like the plague.) I'll take the Ravens.
FINAL: Ravens 20 Chiefs 10 - Fyodor wins!
Indianapolis (-2) at Jacksonville
Colts need to bounce back. Pick the Colts on the road. (I am picking way too many road teams. This week could be a disaster.)
FINAL: Jaguars 44 (!) Colts 17 - Fyodor loses! (WOW.)
Minnesota (+1.5) at Detroit
I can't believe I'm picking the Lions to cover, but I am.
FINAL: Vikings 30 Lions 20 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)
New England (-3.5) at Miami
I must go with Brady to cover on the road. (I am a sick, sick, man.) Pick New England.
FINAL: Dolphins 21 Patriots 0 (!) - Fyodor loses! (Wowee wow wow.)
NY Giants (+3) at Carolina
The Which Teams Will Show Up This Week Bowl. If Wenke starts for the Panthers, I will scream. Take Carolina.
FINAL: Giants 27 Panthers 13 - Fyodor loses! (Aggggggggghhhhhhhh! Wenke!)
Oakland (+11) at Cincinnati
I'll take the Raiders and the points because all the Bengals are in jail.
FINAL: Bengals 27 Raiders 10 - Fyodor loses! (That's what I get for picking Oakland.)
Philadelphia (-1) at Washington
The Crummy Game of the Week! The Eagles are slightly less crummy. Pick Philly to cover.
FINAL: Eagles 21 Redskins 19 - Fyodor wins! (Actually, Garcia looks pretty good...)
Tennessee (+1.5) at Houston
All pile on the Vince Young bandwagon! Take the Titans to cover. FINAL: Titans 26 Texans 20 - Fyodor wins! (Is David Carr officially a bust?)
Green Bay (+4) at San Francisco
I'll take the 49ers at home.
FINAL: Packers 30 49ers 19 - Fyodor loses!
Seattle (-3.5) at Arizona
Another NFC West snorefest. Pick the Seahawks.
FINAL: Cardinals 27 Seahawks 21 - Fyodor loses! (The refs, obviously.)
Buffalo (+3.5) at NY Jets
I can't take the Bills, so I will pick New York unenthusiastically.
FINAL: Bills 31 Jets 13 - Fyodor loses! (The Jets come up really, really, small.)
Denver (+7) at San Diego
Cutler can't cut it yet. Go with the Chargers.
FINAL: Chargers 48 Broncos 20 - Fyodor wins!
New Orleans (+6.5) at Dallas
Take the Saints and the points.
FINAL: Saints 42 Cowboys 17 - Fyodor wins!
Monday 12/11
Chicago (-6) at St. Louis
Who's worse than Rex Grossman? The Rams, that's who. Pick the Bears.
FINAL: Bears 42 Rams 27 - Fyodor wins!
Hank Aaron Is STILL My Home Run Champ Update.
The man with the Amazing Growing Head, cap in hand, begs some fools to give him way too much money.
News Channel 5 Cleveland: Barry Bonds Shows Up At Owner Meetings
Lake Buena Vista - There were no "slugger wanted" signs hanging at the baseball owners meetings in Florida, but that didn't stop Barry Bonds from acting as though there were.
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About Me
- TheChurchMilitant
- First of all, the word is SEX, not GENDER. If you are ever tempted to use the word GENDER, don't. The word is SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! For example: "My sex is male." is correct. "My gender is male." means nothing. Look it up. What kind of sick neo-Puritan nonsense is this? Idiot left-fascists, get your blood-soaked paws off the English language. Hence I am choosing "male" under protest.