Goat Rapists Among Us Update.

Thank goodness we let the Repansycans turn Amerikkka and the rest of the world into a Hitlerian nightmare.

AP: FBI disrupts New York City tunnel plot

Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials said Friday.

FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists (Emphasis mine. Grounded Chuck*, call your office.) learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by destroying vital transportation networks, one official said.

Lebanese authorities, acting on a U.S. request, have arrested one of the alleged plotters, identified as Amir Andalousli, the other official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way.

*Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said, "This is one instance where intelligence was on top of its game and discovered the plot when it was just in the talking phase."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Tune in tomorrow, kiddies and hear The Real Junior Senator from New York tell us how Bush is violating our rights! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The planning for the tunnel attacks was first reported by the New York Daily News in its Friday editions, the first anniversary of the attacks on the London transportation system that killed 52 people.

The planning was not far along, one U.S. official said, but authorities "take aspirations of that sort seriously."

"At this time we have no indication of any imminent threat to the New York transportation system, or anywhere else in the U.S.," Richard Kolko, Washington-based FBI special agent, said in a statement to Associated Press Radio.

Due to time constraints, we now move to further action.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said that federal law enforcement and New York police have been monitoring a plot to attack New York's mass transit system for at least eight months.

"There was nothing imminent, but it was being monitored for long period of time," said King, who said he has received regular intelligence briefings on the alleged plot as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Instant translation: Our government has been spying on these decent folks longer than Susan Sarandon has been without food.

King said he had been unable to publicly disclose the plot because to do so would risk the investigation.

"This is ongoing, that's why I've said nothing about it until now," King said. "It would have been better if this had not been disclosed."

Wow. What a great idea. There ought to be a law!

The Daily News reported that the plotters wanted to blow up the Holland Tunnel, the southernmost link between Manhattan and New Jersey, in the hopes of flooding New York's financial district. The desired effect would be akin to the flooding that ravaged New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the newspaper said.

A government official with knowledge of the investigation said while the alleged plot did focus on New York's transportation system, it did not target the Holland Tunnel. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, would give no further details about the intended targets.

It's unlikely that any plan to flood the financial district would work because it is above the level of the Hudson River.

********************************************************************
UPDATED UPDATE

Roto-Reuters: Two more NY plot suspects held abroad: FBI

Two more suspects in a plot to attack a New York rail tunnel are in custody abroad, in addition to a man arrested in Lebanon, a senior FBI official said on Friday.

********************************************************************

OK, boys. Hemingway is dead and it wasn't all that cool to begin with.

AP: American paralyzed at Pamplona bull festival

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Odo of Urgell, bishop and friend of the poor who was also a former soldier. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.


Today's reading is Amos 8:4-6, 9-12.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 9:9-13.


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


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.


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.

If only Michael Moore had been there, he could have reasoned with those boys...

WGAL: Columbine Killers' Journals, Writings Released

DENVER -- Hundreds of pages of hate-filled diary entries, maps and documents offer a chilling insight into the minds of the Columbine High School killers.

Killers' Journals: Excerpts Full Text (Large File)

Images: Victims Killers' Home Video Target Practice

Receipts, money orders, a Texaco ticket for $50 worth of propane, and an outline for a 1998 high school term paper on Charles Manson are all among the more than 930 pages of documents seized from the homes and cars of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, following their 1999 killing spree at Columbine High School.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink released the documents Thursday, just a few weeks after he said he would turn over everything except the so-called basement tapes.

Mink said he was concerned that the audio- and videotapes could inspire copycat attacks.

The documents released Thursday also include an April 1999 calendar on which the words "death, afraid?" were written on the April 13 -- one week before the attack.

A long list of things to do was written in the space for Friday, April 16 -- including "get nails," "get gas cans," "get duffel bags," "get propane," and "finish fuses."

Klebold and Harris shot and killed 12 students and one teacher on April 20 -- then turned the guns on themselves.

When the government cowards refuse to protect the families of Our Boys, call the Patriot Guard Riders!

Hmmm...Real men versus faux Christians...What would Jesus do?

Visit the Patriot Guard Riders, Fyodor's Website of the Day.

The Bradford Era: Patriot Guard Riders to be in Bradford for fallen soldier's funeral

Protesters may plan to be at the location of the funeral of Master Sgt. Thomas Maholic on Friday, but a national motorcycle group plans to thwart any contact by the protesters with the Maholic family.

"Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family," explained Max Howerter, assistant director of public relations for the Patriot Riders Group.

"Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives: 1. show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families and their communities;
2. shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protester or group protester. We do this by turning our backs to them and holding 3' X 5' American flags on 6-foot poles to block them from the families," Howerter explained.

Everything is done through strictly legal and non-violent means, he added, stressing that Patriot Riders are not a protest group.

"We do not conflict with them. We do not talk to them," Howerter said.
"We build (the family) a tunnel of flags outside (of where the funeral is held) and all they'll see is American flags flying.

"We do this out of honor and respect," he said.

Explaining how their organization came about, Howerter said that about eight months ago, the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas was protesting a funeral of an American solider.

"A group of us veterans got together ... we decided we couldn't take this anymore," he said. "We decided to form an organization. Today we have over 42,000 members. A lot of us are veterans."

Howerter himself is a Vietnam veteran - one who was not treated well when he returned home all those years ago.

"What happened to us we don't want to happen to anyone else," he said vehemently.

Amen to that, Brother. Thank you and your comrades for your service to our nation, then and now.

"It's our honor to do this," he added emotionally. "We have quite a few members who travel eight hours one way to go to these."

He could not say how many members may be at the ceremony for Maholic.
According to the organization's Web site, where there is a discussion forum regarding the plans for Maholic's service, members are planning to come from Ontario, Canada, all around New York and Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey and even one from Fort Bragg, N.C., where Maholic was stationed.

Maholic was killed June 24 while on duty in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.

The group of riders, who all have one thing in common other than motorcycles, Howerter said, "have an unwavering respect for those who risk their lives for every American's freedom and security."

On the group's Web site, a few relatives of Maholic have posted responses thanking the members for their support and willingness to perform this service for military men and women.

"We will ignore the protesters, if any are so foolish as to show up," reads a message from a nephew. "If their means and motivation were not so vile, I would forgive them their ignorance. As it stands, I can only feel a slight amount of pity for them and their horribly skewed view of the world."

Anyone attending the services on Friday will see that the protesters are in the minority, Howerter said.

"You will see with your own eyes that patriotism still does exist in the United States," he said proudly.

And their patriotism and commitment to families of the military have been lauded by President Bush and by Congress, Howerter explained, saying the Patriot Riders were commended for "stepping up to do the right thing."

Closer to home, a contingent from the Open Arms Community Church will be at the services Friday to support the Maholic family and provide drinks to the Patriot Riders, explained Josh Hatcher, outreach pastor, Wednesday night.

The Rev. Mike McAvoy, pastor of Open Arms in Bradford, offered these comments.

"We as a church want to extend our apologies to the family of Thomas Maholic, the community of Bradford and God for this group's behavior and misrepresentation of biblical Christianity. We have been praying for the Maholic family for months before he was killed and continue to do so.

"We trust that the Maholic family and this community will see the love and truth of Jesus Christ demonstrated through the local churches of this community and will see that this group does not in any way represent us, our beliefs, or the person of Jesus Christ."

Not bad, Reverend. Not bad at all.

McAvoy added that the messages of the Westboro Baptist Church are contradictory.

"These people contradict themselves in their declared theology. They isolate Scriptures and focus on using them in a way to mask their own prejudice and hatred in the name of God."

The Bible says anyone who does not love does not know God, and since their message is devoid of love, they cannot be God's representatives.

"This group's picketing of a funeral shows no love or sensitivity, and is not only unloving toward a grieving family, but is hateful and sin," McAvoy said.

From The Get Your Paws Off Our Language Department:

I don't know what all the fuss is about. In twenty years we'll all be spelling in Spanish...

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Advocates push for simpler 'spelling'

WASHINGTON -- When "say," "they" and "weigh" rhyme, but "bomb," "comb" and "tomb" don't, wuudn't it maek mor sens to spel wurdz the wae thae sound?

Those in favor of simplified spelling say children would learn faster and illiteracy rates would drop. Opponents say a new system would make spelling even more confusing.

Eether wae, the consept has yet to capcher th publix imajinaeshun.
It's been 100 years since Andrew Carnegie helped create the Simplified Spelling Board to promote a retooling of written English and President Theodore Roosevelt tried to force the government to use simplified spelling in its publications. But advocates aren't giving up.

They even picket the national spelling bee finals, held every year in Washington, costumed as bumble bees and hoisting signs that say "Enuf is enuf but enough is too much" or "I'm thru with through."

You never have a giant can of RAID when you need one.

Thae sae th bee selebraets th ability of a fue stoodents to master a dificult sistem that stumps meny utherz hoo cuud do just as wel if speling were simpler.

"It's a very difficult thing to get something accepted like this," says Alan Mole, president of the American Literacy Council, which favors an end to "illogical spelling." The group says English has 42 sounds spelled in a bewildering 400 ways.

Americans doen't aulwaez go for whut's eezy — witnes th faeluer of th metric sistem to cach on. But propoenents of simpler speling noet that a smatering of aulterd spelingz hav maed th leep into evrydae ues.

Doughnut also is donut; colour, honour and labour long ago lost the British "u" and the similarly derived theatre and centre have been replaced by the easier-to-sound-out theater and center.

"The kinds of progress that we're seeing are that someone will spell night 'nite' and someone will spell through 'thru,"' Mole said. "We try to show where these spellings are used and to show dictionary makers that they are used so they will include them as alternate spellings."

"Great changes have been made in the past. Systems can change," a hopeful Mole said.

Lurning English reqierz roet memory rather than lojic, he sed.
In languages with phonetically spelled words, like German or Spanish, children learn to spell in weeks instead of months or years as is sometimes the case with English, Mole said.

But education professor Donald Bear said to simplify spelling would probably make it more difficult because words get meaning from their prefixes, suffixes and roots.

"Students come to understand how meaning is preserved in the way words are spelled," said Bear, director of the E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Th cuntry's larjest teecherz uennyon, wuns a suporter, aulso objects.

Michael Marks, a member of the National Education Association's executive committee, said learning would be disrupted if children had to switch to a different spelling system. "It may be more trouble than it's worth," said Marks, a debate and theater teacher at Hattiesburg High School in Mississippi.

Wow. I find myself agreeing with the thugs who run the NEA. Everything is spinning...

E-mail and text messages are exerting a similar tug on the language, sharing some elements with the simplified spelling movement while differing in other ways. Electronic communications stress shortcuts like "u" more than phonetics. Simplified spelling is not always shorter than regular spelling — sistem instead of system, hoep instead of hope.

Carnegie tried to moov thingz along in 1906 when he helpt establish and fund th speling bord. He aulso uezd simplified speling in his correspondens, and askt enywun hoo reported to him to do the saem.

A filanthropist, he becaem pashunet about th ishoo after speeking with Melvil Dewey, a speling reform activist and Dewey Desimal sistem inventor hoo simplified his furst naem bi droping "le" frum Melville.

Roosevelt tried to get the government to adopt simpler spellings for 300 words but Congress blocked him. He used simple spellings in all White House memos, pressing forward his effort to "make our spelling a little less foolish and fantastic."

The Chicago Tribune aulso got into th act, uezing simpler spelingz in th nuezpaeper for about 40 years, ending in 1975. Plae-riet George Bernard Shaw, hoo roet moest of his mateerial in shorthand, left muny in his wil for th development of a nue English alfabet.

Carnegie, Dewey, Roosevelt and Shaw's work followed attempts by Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster and Mark Twain to advance simpler spelling. Twain lobbied The Associated Press at its 1906 annual meeting to "adopt and use our simplified forms and spread them to the ends of the earth." AP declined.

But for aul th hi-proefiel and skolarly eforts, the iedeea of funy-luuking but simpler spelingz didn't captivaet the masez then — or now.

"I think that the average person simply did not see this as a needed change or a necessary change or something that was ... going to change their lives for the better," said Marilyn Cocchiola Holt, manager of the Pennsylvania department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie, hoo embraest teknolojy, died in 1919, wel befor sel foenz. Had he livd, he probably wuud hav bin pleezd to no that milyonz of peepl send text and instant mesejez evry dae uezing thair oen formz of simplified speling: "Hav a gr8 day!"

No mermaids were harmed in the process of enforcing the owner's property rights.

I'll bet you $20 no "celebrities" like "Daryl" Hannah threw themselves in front of a bulldozer.

Tracy Press: Protesters arrested as bulldozers move in to L.A. urban farm

Ten protesters were arrested Wednesday when they tried to stop workers from bulldozing a 14-acre urban garden.

Eight protesters broke onto the site shortly after noon and rushed the bulldozer as it made its way to the main entrance. Several demonstrators climbed onto the bulldozer, but were forced down by security and arrested by police. The confrontation comes just a week before a judge is scheduled to hear a lawsuit over the sale and ownership of the land.

Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman April Harding said protesters would be charged with felony vandalism and trespassing, and some would be charged with battery for allegedly punching the bulldozer driver and throwing a milk crate at a police officer. Neither the officer nor the driver were hurt, Harding said.

Earlier, one protester chained himself to the bulldozer and firefighters were called to cut him loose. Another was arrested for lying down in front of the bulldozer.

"What was once a beautiful set of gardens, if this goes through, will now be a pile of rubble," said Dan Stormer, an attorney for the farmers.

For years, neighborhood residents grew vegetables and flowers on the site rent free. But they were evicted three weeks ago after property owner Ralph Horowitz told them he planned to build a warehouse on the land.

The growers tried to fight the development plan but were unable to negotiate a deal. Horowitz offered to sell 10 acres of the land for $16.3 million to a trust set up on behalf of the farmers but the group was unable to raise the money.

A lawsuit over the property is still pending in which the growers' supporters challenge the city's sale of the land to Horowitz, arguing it was undervalued.

Horowitz originally owned the property, but the city seized it through eminent domain in the 1980s. When the city's plans for the land fell through, it passed control to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which arranged for the garden plots. Horowitz eventually sued over the property, and the city settled in 2003 by selling it back to him for $5 million, just over the $4.8 million it paid when it took the land away.

A judge agreed in May to evict the people still using the property for community gardens. Since then, dozens of protesters have been arrested. The effort attracted the support of activists and celebrities including Daryl Hannah, Willie Nelson, Danny Glover, Joan Baez and tree-sitter Julia Butterfly Hill.

Fyodor's Brain Teaser (sorry) of the Day.

Ok, kiddies. Which one of these is a genuine AP headline? (No fair peeking.)

A) 13 Palestinians, Israeli killed in Gaza offensive despite global warming

B) Bush: U.S. wants diplomacy with N. Korea even though global warming is greater threat

C) Shuttle astronauts visit space station;Ozone hole makes trip easier

D) Mexico's Calderon has 'insurmountable' lead in gas-guzzling limo, leftists charge

E) N.J. lawmakers close to ending shutdown;Increase in greenhouse gases feared

F) Facing prison, Lay believed he had future despite melting icecaps

G) Wildfires may be linked to global warming

H) Mauresmo advances to first Wimbledon final when her opponent bursts into flames


Ha! Gotcha! They're all fake because there's no such thing as global warming!

Sure, to their stockholders it's news...

...but I am having trouble getting fired up over this one:

AP: Pepsi told rival about stolen Coke secrets
Coca-Cola and Pepsi are usually bitter enemies, but when PepsiCo Inc. got a letter offering to sell Coke trade secrets, it went straight to its corporate rival. Six weeks later, three people face federal charges of stealing confidential information, including a sample of a new drink, from The Coca-Cola Co. and trying to sell it to PepsiCo Inc.

In case you have forgotten how a woman should look: Sophia Loren (The Last)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Al Gore, call your office...

...yes, Senator War Criminal, you too.


AP: Mexico's Calderon has insurmountable lead
Ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon built an insurmountable lead in Mexico's presidential vote count Thursday, but his leftist rival vowed to challenge the results in court.


AP: Calderon has slim lead in Mexico recount
Conservative candidate Felipe Calderon caught up to his leftist rival and passed him by a razor-thin margin early Thursday in a grueling, round-the-clock vote tally to decide Mexico's closest presidential race in history.

When is a 'hunger strike' just a bunch of fat commie losers pretending they are relevant in the real world?

Like I had to ask...

RTÉ News: Penn, Sarandon to join anti-war hunger strike

Awwwww...Isn't that cute? They're so concerned! They are going to starve themselves to death to wake up all us little people.

Brave, brave, celebrities...we are unworthy of you...

American actors Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon are to join a hunger strike protesting against the war in Iraq.

...oops, hold on a minute...

The fast began outside the White House in Washington yesterday, 4 July.
Each protestor is to give up food for 24 hours, passing the fast from person to person every 24 hours.

WTF???

This "rolling fast", which has been organised by woman's anti-war group CodePink, is to last until 21 September, International Peace Day.

Instant translation: We don't have the courage to take our moronic politics to the logical conclusion and actually kill ourselves.

Musicians Willie Nelson and Spearhead's Michael Franti, together with actor Danny Glover will also join Penn and Sarandon in the strike.

Michael who?

Get a load of this, kiddies:

Eurweb: GLOVER, SHARPTON JOIN SHEEHAN HUNGER STRIKE

Heck, Al Sharpton won't last ten minutes without pastry.


Jim Treacher of Mother, May I sleep with Treacher? has an even better idea for America's intellectualoid glitteratti:


How about a rolling oxygen strike? 24 hours each?

If somebody told you that a bunch of big-time Hollywood stars were planning something called a "rolling hunger strike," you'd probably be all like, "I'll bet it's Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn and those idiots, right?" Wouldn't you, fascist???

Well, okay, fine, you're right.

Posted by Jim Treacher at July 5, 2006 01:36 PM


We should send every one of these knuckleheads a copy of D. Keith Mano's The Bridge.

No, I take that back. They would think it describes paradise.

In case you have forgotten how a woman should look: Sophia Loren. (Part One.)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Israeli tv's Jewish-Moslem 'Wife Swap': It's not just Hollyweird, kiddies.

Remember, this is not a story about different religions that can't get along. It's a story about our moral and intellectual superiors willing to to exploit anything for a buck. (Or a shekel.)

The Times of London: Televised Arab-Israeli wife swap ends in culture clash and tears


They exchanged the meat-eater with the vegetarian, the religious with the secular. Yet only when the Israeli producers of Wife Swap pushed the boundaries and exchanged an Arab for a Jew did the wheels come off.

Amal Ahmed Abdullah, a 28-year-old Muslim from an Arab village near Jerusalem, tearfully packed her bags and quit the reality television show early. She bade her Jewish “husband” a terse farewell, unable to bear the increasingly rancorous rows.

By contrast Ayelet Movsowitz, 39, felt at home and went out of her way to fit in with her Muslim “spouse”, a world away from her farming community home in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee.

Kuperman, an Israeli production company, bought rights to the hit Channel 4 series Wife Swap. But after a successful first run that swapped Jewish families it decided go one step farther and take the show to the frontier of the country’s eternal conflict.

Arab Israelis, who make up 20 per cent of the population, and Jewish Israelis lead largely separate lives, and they rarely interact socially. The cultural gulf is enormous, with Arab Israelis discriminated against, identified with Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.

The question Wife Swap posed was simple: can Arabs and Israelis get along on a personal level, even if they seem destined to quarrel when politics enters the equation? The answer was mixed.

Mrs Movsowitz, a part-time secretary and mother of three, found herself immediately welcomed into the extended Ahmed Abdullah family, which is liberal and easy-going by Arab standards.

Wow. That sounds like ethnic profiling by the Times.

Like her “husband”, the gentle 36-year-old construction worker Karim Ahmed Abdullah, she made the effort to adapt, although she balked initially when she discovered that her surprise destination was the Arab town Ein Nakuba. She hoped aloud that it was not hostile.

But the pair developed a bond and, as the Wife Swap format demands, Mrs Movsowitz lived by the family’s traditions for the first four days and imposed her own rules for the second four. She even tried out her stumbling Arabic for the Ahmed Abdullah children and imposed some order, insisting that the children return home early after school to do their homework rather than hanging around the family restaurant, where their mother works 12-hour days.

Even when Mrs Movsowitz belatedly recalled just before Friday sunset and the start of the Jewish Sabbath that she had no wine to celebrate the religious ritual, Mr Ahmed Abdullah was unflappable. He rushed to a Jewish family nearby and the curious Muslim family subsequently looked on as she lit Sabbath candles.

That image of harmony was in stark contrast to that of Mrs Ahmed Abdullah and her “spouse”, Sean, 41, who started off on the wrong foot by revealing that he was not comfortable with her being alone with his three children.

Despite her own long working hours, unusual for Arab wives, who almost always stay at home, Mrs Ahmed Abdullah was horrified by Mr Movsowitz’s workaholic tendencies. His long days as a sales and marketing manager left little time for the children, a pattern that Mrs Ahmed Abdullah demanded he break, but to no avail.

Sparks flew and tears flowed as one spat ran into another. The pair quarrelled incessantly, apparently unable to see each other as anything but a stereotype. She wanted to watch the news on al-Jazeera, but he decreed CNN. In the kitchen she forgot Jewish dietary laws and mixed dairy with meat, to his consternation.

For one of the children’s birthdays she had the cake decorated with Arabic script. She also played Arabic music. “What’s this music?” asked an exasperated Sean, standing in a room full of Jewish children and their parents. “You’ll just chase everyone away.”

The quarrel grew more heated. Mrs Ahmed Abdullah could not stand the tension and packed her bags, leaving with a tearful good-bye for the children.

Roy Oz, the executive editor of the show, said that the friction was not caused by their religious differences.

“Their differences were not cultural but personal,” he said. “The cultural and religious differences only served as the point of conflict for these two. The reason they couldn’t get on was simply because they’re such different people.”

Hey, Senator Fuss Foolsgold! I double dare you to run on the economy!

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Auto Dealers Overflow With Over 100,000 Job Openings

The National Automobile Dealers Association estimates there are more than 100,000 jobs available at 20,000 dealerships across the nation, chairman William Bradshaw said.

That figure was supported by a January survey of 657 new-car dealers commissioned by McLean, Va.-based Automotive Retailing Today, a coalition of major auto manufacturers and dealers. It found that there are an estimated 105,000 openings in various positions, including sales, management, administration and service, mostly in the South and Midwest.

Bradshaw said dealerships have job openings for several reasons: sales have increased; mechanic work now requires more computer skills; financing auto loans has become an expected service; and larger dealerships open long hours seven days a week need more administrative and management employees.

Some positions, such as accounting or marketing, may require a college degree, but most, including sales and management, don't. A high school diploma, some technical training and a desire to work from the bottom up are all that are required, dealers say.

Sales jobs can bring in six figures depending on commission (the industry average for sales is $43,000 a year, according to the Dealers Association), and technicians or painters can earn between $70,000 and $100,000 a year at a busy location. Financing, accounting, marketing and other office jobs typically pay around $50,000 a year, Bradshaw said.

Ack! Say it ain't so, Sophia!

A world-historical beauty puts her legacy in jeopardy. Pirelli must have made her a monetary offer she couldn't refuse.

Daily Mail: Sophia Loren, 72, poses for sexy calendar

Screen legend Sophia Loren is to grace the cover of the world famous Pirelli calendar at the ripe old age of 72. The Italian beauty will pose in a slinky see through black dress

Unsurprisingly, the proper creation and maintenance of cannon is a lost art.

From The Barre Montpelier Times Argus (!) comes the worst July 4th celebration tragedy story of 2006.

Bethel man killed in homemade cannon explosion

BETHEL, VT — Police have released details about how a Fourth of July tradition turned fatal this holiday weekend for a 20-year-old Bethel man killed by shrapnel from a homemade cannon.

Several families had gathered near the home of Randy and Pam Trask in Bethel to fire guns and a homemade cannon on a makeshift firing range on the Trask property, according to Det. Sgt. Todd Illingworth with the Vermont State Police.

The weapon had been fired without incident about 200 times since it was constructed two years ago, Illingworth said, but early Saturday afternoon the gunpowder-fed cannon exploded and killed Colby Madden.

"It's an annual event where friends and families get together and they like to fire firearms, including this homemade cannon," Illingworth said Tuesday. "Tragically, the rear portion blew apart and projectiles went 30 feet directly to the left and to the right of the cannon and he was struck by them."

He said Madden was standing about 30 feet from the device.

Madden, a 2004 graduate of Whitcomb High School who lived with his family, was working as a carpenter in Bethel. He enjoyed sketching and drawing, riding his dirt bike, target shooting and classic automobiles, according to an obituary.

"He was just an absolutely awesome and very much loved person," said his mother, Pamela Drury.

Pam Trask was inside her home when the cannon misfired. After she heard the cannon fire a second time, she said, someone knocked on her door and told her about the explosion.

When she got to the field where the cannon had been fired, she found that Madden was unconscious and bleeding from the wrist, neck and mouth, she said.

"It is the worst thing that ever happened to any of us," said Trask.

Friends made rescue attempts before an ambulance crew arrived to take Madden to Gifford Hospital, Illingworth said. He was pronounced dead at 2:17 p.m.

Hartford Fire Department Lt. Chris Dube said he has heard about similar cases.

"The people who make them are probably not qualified to make something of that magnitude," Dube said. "That's stuff you don't play with. It's extremely dangerous to begin with, and even more so when it's homemade."

Illingworth said the cannon was designed to fire wooden dowels. The cannon is loaded with a palmful of shotgun powder, paper towel wadding and lit with an inserted fuse in the rear of the cannon.

The cannon had already been fired Saturday prior to the fatal accident.

"I'm not looking at this as a criminal incident," Illingworth said. "I'm looking at it as very tragic accident. The investigation will continue, but that's not my focus."

He would not say who owned the three-foot long cannon with a 2-1/2 inch diameter barrel, but he said the weapon did not belong to the Trask family.

Madden was not a resident of the property where the cannon was fired.

"We all have our hobbies and they like firearms and cannons. A lot of people have homemade cannons — this isn't an unusual hobby. It's just a reminder that we always must be safe whenever we're dealing with any kind of explosives, be it on July Fourth or any other day."

Joel Stein actually thinks he's clever.

Although I have always admired the dedication to education and intellect that is a tradition of my brothers and sisters of the Hebrew persuasion, I must admit that Joel Stein is not only the dumbest Jew of whom I have ever heard or read, he may be in the Top Ten of dumbest men ever, regardless of religion or ethnic origin. (More of Citizen Stein's personal evidence of human devolution may be found here.)

LA Times: Eek! A flag on my lawn!

I walked out Saturday afternoon to discover an American flag planted outside my house, like the work of some incredibly stupid explorer.

My first panic was that, like the North Pole or the moon, the United States was laying claim to my house. I was finally getting payback for not reading those long, boring articles about eminent domain.

But my bigger panic was over what to do with it. I'm not a flag-waving kind of guy, but I knew damn well that I couldn't just throw it in the trash. Throwing away a flag is very, very bad. It's just as bad as burning it, which, I believe, brings 30 years of bad luck to your country, leading it to repeat the same mistakes. Like sending troops abroad to fight in open-ended civil wars.

So I was going to have to keep this flag for the rest of my life.

Much like you, at about this point, my wife, Cassandra, got sick of this conversation. So she plucked the flag out of our planter and threw it away, not even in the recycle bin. This is a woman who hates both political parties.

I immediately retrieved it and read the note attached: "Wishing you a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday." It was from Victoria Massengale, a real estate agent. And not just any real estate agent. As her website proclaimed: "Victoria has been honored to represent the sales of homes such as the Vince Vaughn and Tawny Kitaen estates." The latter of which, I'm guessing, consisted of a 1987 Jaguar.

In a grueling 13-hour span, Massengale had flagged nearly every house in Beachwood Canyon and the Oaks — 2,000 homes in all, at a cost of $2,000 — while also putting flags and red-white-and-blue ribbons on roadside signs, lampposts and telephone poles. I vowed to never get on Massengale's bad side; there would be starred-and-striped horse heads everywhere.

It was a sweet gesture, if one that hinted a little too desperately that the real estate market is softening. But it threw me into a moral tizzy. Why didn't I want a flag in front of my house? Why didn't I ever have one before? Would it be wrong to, late that night, assume that my next-door neighbor would enjoy two flags outside his house?

Former California Republican Party Chairman Shawn Steel, who has 30 U.S. flags and raises one each day on his 25-foot flagpole, told me that the star-spangled real estate ad was indeed a real flag. Not only should I not throw it away, I shouldn't leave it out at night, at least not without a spotlight.

Panicked, I called my friend Tally Barr, who lives down the street. Her take was that she was pretty psyched about getting a free flag. When I pressed her on disposal methods, her theory was that if she never touches it, she's not responsible: "I'm going to let nature take its course. Eventually, it will just be a stick, and I won't feel bad throwing it away."

My other neighbor, Holly Purcell, who is also a real estate agent, had a conflict of her own: "I haven't been able to get rid of the one on our lawn, as it is a flag and it is the Fourth, but she is a competitor." Then, finding the bright side, she mischievously added, "I also wonder about so many people being away this weekend and the sprinklers and the dog pee." Seriously, this market is a month from crashing.

Feeling stuck, I finally confronted Massengale. It turned out that I wasn't the only one.

"I started getting Angry Santa phone calls," she said. "I had a guy say if I did something like that again, he'd take me to court for trespassing and littering. One person said, 'Thank you so much for the flag. We're going to burn it on the Fourth of July, so we'll let you know when we need another one.' I was like, 'Oh, dude.' "

When I asked her what I was supposed to do with my flag, she suggested that I store it until next year so I can display it again. I was starting to wonder if flag storage was just another way for real estate agents to talk you into a bigger house.

Massengale told me that in the town she grew up in near St. Louis, most people kept a flag up all year. Even though I've seen tons of neighborhoods that do this, I've never actually lived in one. I've also never lived in a neighborhood that had those flags reminding you of the holidays and seasons. In fact, I've always looked down on those places. If you need semaphore to inform each other that it's going to get hotter in the upcoming months, nobody is putting a magnet school in your community.

So the reason I didn't want to put a flag outside wasn't because I disapprove of our international policies. It was because I didn't want to associate myself with the other people who put them up, and with their unquestioning, tribal, us-versus-them, arrogant mentality. Though I love being American, I don't want to proclaim it as the sole basis of my identity.

Feeling satisfied with that answer, I tucked my flag away. Then I looked out my window and noticed that I have huge Buddha heads outside that you can't miss from the road. And I'm Jewish.

Like everyone else, I'm just blindly trying to fit in with my clique. And, even if it was weird, getting redecorated for the weekend by someone else's clique was kind of cool.

Though Massengale is going to be bummed when she Googles the rules about taking down the mezuza I'm going to put on her door.

Don't worry, Stein old boy. There are still plenty of real men in Flyover, USA willing to risk their lives so you can go right on making an ass of yourself in public, though I don't know why.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr. She is the patroness of children, children of Mary, girls, loss of parents, martyrs, rape victims, young people, and against poverty. She was canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII; the ceremony was attended by 250,000 including her mother, the only time a parent has witnessed her child's canonization. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Maria Goretti was a beautiful, pious farm girl, one of six children of Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. In 1896 the family moved to Ferriere di Conca. Soon after, Maria's father died of malaria, and the family was forced to move onto the Serenelli farm to survive.

In 1902 at age twelve, Maria was attacked by 19-year-old farm-hand Alessandro Serenelli. He tried to rape the girl who fought, yelled that it was a sin, and that he would go to hell. He tried to choke her into submission, then stabbed her fourteen times. She survived in hospital for two days, forgave her attacker, asked God's forgiveness of him, and died holding a crucifix and medal of Our Lady. Counted as a martyr.

While in prison for his crime, Allessandro had a vision of Maria. He saw a garden where a young girl, dressed in white, gathered lilies. She smiled, came near him, and encouraged him to accept an armful of the lilies. As he took them, each lily transformed into a still white flame. Maria then disappeared. This vision of Maria led to Alessandro's conversion, and he later testified at her cause for beatification.


Today's reading for the Feast of St. Maria Goretti is 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 31:3-4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 21.
Today's Gospel reading is John 12:24-26.



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


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.


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.

Scriptural Snippets

I think you'll agree this squashes that whole hell-on-earth kerfuffle...

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

1:13. For God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.
Quoniam Deus mortem non fecit nec laetatur in perditione vivorum

1:14. For he created all things that they might be: and he made the nations of the earth for health: and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor kingdom of hell upon the earth.
Creavit enim ut essent omnia et sanabiles nationes orbis terrarum et non est in illis medicamentum exterminii nec inferorum regnum in terra

1:15. For justice is perpetual and immortal.
Iustitia enim inmortalis est

2:23. For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him.
Quoniam Deus creavit hominem inexterminabilem et ad imaginem suae similitudinis fecit illum

2:24. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:
Invidia autem diaboli mors introivit in orbem terrarum