Blog Tag

Over on Ellasdevil's blog he's been doing a tag/meme type thing. And at the end he 'tagged' me for the same. So, here we go:

10 FAVORITES

Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Food: Italian
Favorite Month: May
Favorite Song: Ave Maria - It's beautiful
Favorite Movie: Godfather II
Favorite Sport: Football. I like most sport but football above all
Favorite Season: Late spring
Favorite Day: Saturday
Favorite Ice Cream: Mint Choc Chip
Favorite Time of Day: Early morning or late evening. When it's peaceful and quiet.

9 CURRENTS

Current Mood: Happy
Current Taste: BBQ flavour mini cheddars
Current Clothes: Trousers and shirt. Smart casual.
Current Desktop: The creation of Adam, where my blogger avatar comes from
Current Toenail Color: Normal. I don't paint my toe nails
Current Time: 20:34
Current Surroundings: My TV room
Current Thoughts: Making plans for the weekend

8 FIRSTS

First Best Friend: Brian (no surnames, for privacy)
First Kiss: Julie
First Screen Name: Jay3gsm. It's a play on my first name and my interest in mobile communication technology
First Pet: A rabbitt
First Piercings: I don't have any. Gross.
First Crush: Kirsty
First CD: I'm old. I don't remember, but it was possibly Guns n Roses, Use your Illusion I & II

7 LASTS

Last Cigarette: I've never smoked
Last Drink: Water, at lunch time
Last Car Ride: Driving home from work this evening
Last Kiss: From my daughter, last Sunday :)
Last Movie Seen: La Vita e' Bella (Watched on DVD last weekend)
Last Phone Call: With a business client this morning
Last CD Played: Fratellis (my new favourite band of the moment)

6 HAVE YOU EVERS

Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Friends: Yes (And married)
Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes, before I didn't care. Now I try not to.
Have You Ever Been Arrested: Yes
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No way!
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes.
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Yeah, it's a greeting. Full on, no.

5 THINGS

Thing You're Wearing: My crucifix
Thing You've Done Today: Worked. Nothing more interesting than that :(
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Mother Angelica on EWTN
Thing You Can't Live Without: My faith, now I found it I don't want to lose it.
Thing You Do When You're Bored: Read. Or sleep, if I can.

4 PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY

Work
Tony's Cafe
Fish shop
Shopping

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TOO

My sister
The priest
My friend

2 CHOICES

Black or White: White
Hot or Cold: Hot

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE

See my children grow into adults.

Ok, tag time. Easy, if you've read this, blog your own. If you do, let me know, I'll pop over and have a read.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

I received this email today, that I wanted to put on my blog. If only two people who care enough follow through and support the action, then it is worthwhile. This is a long post. It's a letter from Karl Keating, from catholic.com I don't live in America, but I can see the reason why this action is important. The Catholic Church is OUR Catholic Church, and we need to ensure that we don't allow disease to enter our faith and erode it from the inside. Please, read this letter and do what you can to help. The email allows use of the text, here it is in full:

How to Keep the Catholic Church from Being Undermined by Dissenters Who Have Lost the Faith and Are Trying to Destroy the Faith of Everyone Else, Too!

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers,

This is a painful letter for me to write.

Why? Because it deals with a painful problem that affects thousands of priests, nuns, deacons, and other individuals who are in charge of millions of souls.

The problem is the wave of theological and moral dissent that is in danger of overtaking the Church in America.

The dissenters—who are well organized—are systematically trying to subvert and “reconstruct” the very foundations of our Catholic faith.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

I’ve written many times to warn people about Call to Action, Women’s Ordination Conference, Catholics for a Free Choice, CORPUS (the National Association for a Married Priesthood), Dignity, FutureChurch, and many other self-proclaimed “change agents” present in the Church today.

They all have a similar agenda: to dismantle the existing structure and essence of the Catholic Church and then re-make it in their own image and likeness.

Their common concerns? They desperately want the Church to change its “rigid” stand on such issues as abortion, contraception, divorce, homosexual activity, women’s ordination, and married priests.

It’s almost hard to believe that these people are serious. But they are.

For many of us, it may even be hard to believe that
pose a serious threat to the Church. But they certainly do.

Did you know that at a recent Call to Action national convention (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), a couple of hundred priests were in attendance?

It’s true. Also present were many radical feminist nuns, religious educators, chancery officials, liturgists, theologians, and various Church bureaucrats.

Altogether, about 4,000 to 5,000 people were in attendance.

So, as you can see, this group of dissenters actually represents . . .

A Powerful Force within the Church Today!

And they have a clear, systematic agenda: to tear down the Church as we know it— you’ve been seeing it happen for the last 40 years—and then re-build it into a different “NewChurch” structured around their own agenda.

As proof, we here at Catholic Answers just finished an eye-opening new report that spells out this crisis in detail.

It’s titled Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing—and it’s devastating. It contains hard-hitting facts and quotations from the dissenters themselves about their plans for remolding the Church into something no faithful Catholic would recognize.

Their own words incriminate them.

One of the most insidious plans being laid by the dissenters is to have a “constitution” adopted by the Church—which would give so-called “rights” to “the people” (or, more accurately, to the dissenters).

The “Constitution for the Catholic Church” is being widely promoted right now by a group called the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church, which was founded in 1980 in reaction to Vatican censure of such radical theologians as Edward Schillebeeckx, Jacques Pohier, and Hans Küng.

Let me show you some of the key articles of this Constitution. You’ll be able to see for yourself how they would destroy the Catholic faith if adopted.

Article 1 is the most important of all—laying the groundwork for everything else to come.

It says, “All Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in all matters.”

Notice it doesn’t say “properly formed” consciences. You see, the dissenters believe that the final arbiter of any decision must be the person’s own conscience - regardless of whether it is properly formed or not.

Of course, if the Church were to accept this “ideal,” then the original standard—reliance on a properly formed conscience based on the authority of the magisterium—would be swept away, replaced by a mandate for pure moral relativism.

This is what leads men like Frank Bonnike, co-founder of CORPUS, to say, “I keep all the rules, but I also respect people who don’t keep all the rules. The key is to respect their consciences.”

Of course, the dissenters don’t really believe that all Catholics have the right to follow their consciences. Why? Because whenever orthodox Catholics oppose abortion, homosexual “marriage,” contraception, and the like, the dissenters viciously condemn us and ridicule our views!

As with “tolerance” and “non-judgmentalism,” this reliance on personal conscience is simply a tool that the dissenters use to further their goals.

You Won’t Believe These

Take a look at some of these other articles in the proposed charter and “Constitution for the Church” (you can read these on the ARCC website at http://arcc-catholic-rights.org):

Article 2: “Officers of the Church have the right to teach on matters both of private and public morality only after wide consultation with the faithful prior to the formulation of the teaching.”

Article 5: “All Catholics have the right to a voice in all decisions that affect them, including the choosing of their leaders.”

Article 16: “All Catholics, regardless of canonical status (lay or clerical), sex or sexual orientation, have the right to exercise all ministries in the Church for which they are adequately prepared, according to the needs and with the approval of the community.”

This blatant call for women’s ordination is repeated in Article 26: “All Catholic women have an equal right with men to the resources and the exercise of all the powers of the Church.”

Then there’s Article 28: “All married Catholics have the right to determine in conscience the size of their families and the appropriate methods of family planning.”

I don’t have to tell you what that means: The acceptance of abortion, sterilization, and all means of contraceptive and abortifacient birth control.

But here’s a real whopper.

Articles 30 and 31: “All married Catholics have the right to withdraw from a marriage which has irretrievably broken down. All such Catholics retain the radical right to remarry. All Catholics who are divorced and remarried and who are in conscience reconciled to the Church have the right to the same ministries, including all sacraments, as do other Catholics.”

These folks need to re-read Matthew 19:9, Mark 10:11–12, and Luke 16:18, which recorded our Lord proclaiming, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

But these dissenters ignore such a direct statement made by Christ himself. That’s why their ability to deceive themselves knows no boundaries.

And as if all that weren’t enough, here’s Article 32: “All Catholics have the right to expect that Church documents and materials will avoid sexist language, and that symbols and imagery of God will not be exclusively masculine.”

But what makes me even more upset is that the dissenters envision holding a “constitutional convention” in order to enact all of the demands described above, and they want to call it . . .

“Vatican III”

We already know how much damage these same people did to the Church in the name of “the spirit of Vatican II.” Imagine what they would do if they succeed in holding “Vatican III.”

One of the things they want, for instance, is for every continent, nation, diocese, and parish to have a detailed constitution of its own, whose articles and amendments would be arrived at by popular vote of the bodies of individuals concerned, one in each different area!

This is actually the key to fulfilling the dissenters’ dream of the destruction of the hierarchical Church.

They want to be the ones who ultimately hold power at the top. For example, their constitution would set up a complicated judicial system of diocesan, national, and international tribunals, culminating in a Supreme Tribunal whose job would be to hear cases charging illegal or unconstitutional actions…

By the POPE!

Bizarre but true!

And the constitution warns darkly, “There shall be no judicial appeal from the judgments of the Supreme Tribunal.”

And again, I’m not making this up. You can read it on their web site!

At the recent Call to Action conference, attendees were asked by a journalist what motivates them and why they don’t just leave the Church if they dislike it so much. A typical response revealed the true reason dissenters stay in the Church and are trying so hard to change it:

“The Church has absolutely no right to make us feel guilty
about activities that our consciences tell us are moral.”

You see, they know that if they leave the Church, they will be nothing special—just another gaggle of splinter groups in the great world supermarket of churches.

But like parasites, they seek to drain the “host” of its vitality for their own purposes. Also like parasites, the dissenters have gradually burrowed their way into the very structure of the Church.

Almost two-thirds of Call to Action conference attendees actually work for the Church! Many of them work in positions as pastoral assistants, teachers at Catholic schools and seminaries, or directors of religious education.

If they get their way, the Church won’t be able to teach anything other than “follow thy conscience.”

As proof, here’s a quote from Anthony Padovano, the current president of CORPUS:

“Conscience or so-called ‘cafeteria’ Catholicism is infinitely more beneficial for the Church than cathedral Catholicism. Cathedral Catholicism does not give us a community of believers, but an assembly of servants and slaves.”

What an insult to faithful Catholics!

Truly, their audacity knows no bounds. Mr. Padovano asserts that it is wrong for the pope to rule on birth control since he “has no personal experience” in the area, never having been married.

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, Padovano stated, “American Catholics will not allow this papacy to prevail. Some will openly resist; others clandestinely subvert; most will simply not comply.”

Yes, he’s that arrogant and defiant.

Who’s Really Obsessed with Sex?

When you look at the dissenters’ writings, you’ll notice that they accuse everyone else (especially our Pope) of being “obsessed” with sexual issues. But in fact, the people who are really obsessed are the dissenters themselves.

Even just a casual look at their literature reveals that most of their scribblings deal with sex-related subjects such as contraception, abortion, priestly celibacy, and homosexuality.

Dissident organizations that abound today are so preoccupied with sex—and especially . . .

Sexual Deviancy

For instance, one of the newer groups is New Ways Ministry—whose job is to advocate for gay Catholics and gay priests. Yep, just what the Church needs.

There’s DignityUSA, which boldly states in its mission statement:

“DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.”

CORPUS (a group of ex-priests who left ministry to get married) states its goal this way:

“We are committed to working for a renewed priesthood of married and single men and women in the Catholic Church. We continue to work for an inclusive priesthood . . . one that is open to women and men, married and single, gay and straight.”

It boasts on its web site that “on July 31, 2006, eight Roman Catholic women were ordained as priests in Pittsburgh. They were validly ordained by three consecrated female bishops.”

These people take themselves very seriously. And they’re in positions of power within the Church—especially at the parish level—so we need to take them seriously, too.

So, I want to send you a copy of our new research report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing—and I also want to ask for your help in getting it widely distributed to the millions of Catholics all across the United States.

Won’t You Help Us Sound the Alarm?

This report is must reading for every Catholic who loves the Church and cares enough to defend it.

That’s why, with your help, I want to send a copy of this report to as many Catholics as possible so they can take action in their own parish—because so much of the dissenters’ poison is now spread at the parish level through CCD classes and RCIA classes.

But we can’t send a single copy to anyone without your help.

The initial cost of this project will be approximately $150,000. We need to raise that money in the next 30 days so we can launch this vital defense of the faith.

As Fr. John Hardon, S.J., once pointed out:

“The Church cannot be destroyed, but let’s be clear: The Church in any particular country CAN be wiped out. We have some 1,900 extinct dioceses in the world today. Barring a miracle of grace, one diocese after another in the United States will disappear.”

Those are very sobering words—so we must take heed!

This is why we at Catholic Answers are so dedicated to getting widespread distribution of our new research report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

As you know, our central purpose is to defend the Catholic faith. And right now in America, it’s under severe attack by the dissenters.

If we don’t do something now, we will live to regret it. But even worse, our children and grandchildren will live to resent us for it, and millions will never know the faith at all.

They will wonder why we didn’t fight to save our beloved Church when we had the chance.

They Will Wonder If We Really Loved It at All!

We must not let that happen.

And we must not make the mistake of thinking that God will just take care of everything by himself. Listen: If we don’t fight to defend his Church, then we don’t deserve his help!

It’s that simple.

Looking on the bright side, this terrible onslaught of heresy, schism, and apostasy will actually serve to strengthen the Church in the long run—and get people to rally around the orthodox teachings of the faith.

People will be inspired to learn and live their faith so they can defend it.

Many vocations to orthodox religious orders will no doubt come out of this, too.

In a word, God will draw GOOD out of the evil we face . . .

. . . but only if you and I do our part to cooperate with him.

We at Catholic Answers are totally dependent on your generosity in order to send out our new report. As I mentioned, the initial cost will be $150,000—which we don’t have right now.

Therefore, would you be able to send us your gift of $35 or more to help with this project? In return, I will send you a copy of our eye-opening report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

If you can afford it, please dig deep and give $100 or more. It’s that important.

I know I’m asking for a lot. But the Church in America has virtually no one else to stand up for it and defend it besides faithful Catholics like you.

If you don’t stand with us, who will? And if we don’t defeat the dissenters now, when?

It’s Up to Each of Us to Do Our Part

The dissenters are working to dismantle the Church and replace it with an institution of their own design.

Consider this quotation from a leading dissenter, Fr. Bill Callahan:

“The Church system is showing such strains and contradictions that it is ready to crumble. Systems crumble much more readily if there are people marching around the walls, everyone with a little rock pick, working on their part of the wall. You can’t repel them all.”

To that I say, “Yes we can, Father. Watch us. There are more of us than there are of you. Leave our Church alone!”

Will you join me in this battle?

All you have to do is make your donation—by clicking here now.

We need to hear from you right away so that we know we have the resources to go forward.

So please donate now—and then pray harder than ever that God will bless our humble efforts on behalf of his Church.

As Fr. Hardon said, it will take a miracle to keep the Catholic Church in America from being destroyed from within by dissenters. So let’s start praying—and working—right now for that timely miracle.

God bless you, and I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Sincerely in Christ,

Karl Keating

p.s., One of the worst dissent groups in the Church today is Catholics for a Free Choice—the pro-abortion outfit established by Frances Kissling.

In our new research report, we expose CFFC—and we show why it’s anything BUT Catholic.

We also show you where it gets its money—millions upon millions of dollars a year.

Despite what you might think, the dissenters are well-funded by people who hate the Catholic Church and want to see it fall.

That’s why we need your financial help more than ever before—because this project can help stop the dissenters in their tracks. But only if we raise the money.

May God bless you for helping us and shower his graces upon you and your family for keeping the faith!

Click here to donate.

Conversion story

I've been reading some new blogs these last few days, and the ones I like I have been adding to my blogroll. Be sure to check them out. Today I read an excellent post over at the Historical Christian Blog. These lines were amongst my favourites:

I also realized that if I really, really trust Christ, then I must trust his words that he founded the Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it – and so they never have. To say that the Catholic Church failed and some ordinary man had to come along and re-found Christianity is to say that Christ failed. That is the implication in what Protestants say – and Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and any number of other groups who claim to have “found” the truth that was “lost.” But Christ could not have failed – and he does keep his promises, and always has. I trust that. And history bears it out, if you study the history of the faith in the first 1500 years of Christianity. It did not die out, and there have always been men and women of very great faith in Christ, in every era.

I realized, in the end, that if I really believe that Christ is in control, then he also is in control of the Catholic Church, knows what he is doing there, and always has. Appearances to the contrary at different times in history, including our own present time, are due to a combination of human weakness and sin, and interference from the evil realm. These are prophesied in the bible, and the answer always given in the bible is to keep one’s eyes on Christ and remain as one, growing in knowledge of him. The bible does not give leaving and founding one’s own church as an option during difficult times – to do so is a direct contradiction of scripture. On the contrary, we are to stay put, keep our eyes on Christ, and refuse to get caught up in division and controversy. Our job is not to run the church or run away from the church, but to love the Church and each other in the Church, and Christ above all, as one, and stay put in the Church.

Check out the whole post here

Happy Father's Day

Today is the feast of St Joseph, earthly father of Jesus Christ, the man entrusted by God to be a father, a paternal figure, to Jesus Christ. I have a strong feeling for St Joseph. Whilst Mary, the Mother of God, rightfully receives full praise and recognition, I feel that St Joseph is sometimes ignored. Well, today is his feast day, and the day all fathers are recognised for their roles within the family.

Happy Fathers Day

Pray the Rosary - Pray the Gospel

I like Father Corapi. I like his style of delivery. I like to hear what he has to say and the way he has to say it. In this clip Father Corapi shows why Catholics pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the basis of the Rosary in the Gospel. Enjoy.

The Pope tells it like it is

Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic politicians on Tuesday that they must not vote for laws which go against Church teaching on issues such as gay marriage or abortion.

In a document summing up discussions at a meeting of bishops held in the Vatican in 2005, the pope said that Catholic legislators must be “aware of their social responsibility” and so cannot vote for laws that go against “human nature”.

They must strenuously defend the Church’s “non-negotiable values”, which are “respect for human life” and “family based on marriage between man and woman”, he added.

Benedict’s statement was seen as a clear reference to moves in several Catholic countries to introduce gay marriages, or at least to give legal recognition to gay couples.

Spain has already introduced gay marriage and Italy, home to the Vatican, is currently debating whether to give certain rights to unmarried couples, including gay ones.

The pope’s reference to “defence of human life” appeared to be a swipe at politicians in countries such as the United States, where some Catholic lawmakers have argued they must support measures allowing abortion because their voters want them.

Politicians must give “public testimony to their faith”, the pontiff said.

On other points, Benedict called for Sunday to remain a day of rest and for trainee priests to prepare to celebrate mass in Latin and to use ancient Gregorian chants in church.

Speaking to bishops, he reminded them of their duty to “constantly recall” the Church’s non-negotiable values, saying “this is part of their responsibility towards the flock entrusted to them”.

Touching on a point which has created tensions in the US Catholic Church, he stated unambiguously that bishops should not allow remarried divorcees to receive communion.

It's not always easy being a Christian. Sometimes you have to accept that what you want to do is wrong. Whilst you always retain the right to excercise freewill and choose, if it goes against the teachings of the Church you shouldn't claim that you follow that religion. Don't say you are a Catholic, if you practice homosexuality, or stand up for pro choice. You can't be a practicing Catholic, taking full communion, etc, and be pro abortion.

I'm happy we have a strong man like Pope Benedict in place, willing to tell it the way it is.

Americans are stupid

We all know that, right? Well, to be fair, I know a few people from America who are actually pretty damn clever. And I guess, in a country that size, they are going to have a fair share of ignorant people. But come on, how many sides does a triangle have? Name a country beginning with U? Who is Tony Blair? And they can't answer. Watch and see:

In My Language & being an unperson

Watch these video clips, then think. Afterwards, if you wish, post a comment.

Women encouraging toddlers to fight

It's a shocking story. Four women were in court the other day, on child cruelty charges, after film was found showing the women goading toddlers into fighting with each other.

In one scene, a three year old girl punches a two year old boy in the face. As he walks away crying, he is called 'a wimp, and a faggot' for not fighting back.

You cna read detail on the story over on the BBC website.

Even after arrest, the women appeared not to understand what they were doing was wrong, saying:

"I didn't see any harm in toughening them up. I done the same with my own children."

When you read such things you do really wonder about some people. What kind of family could they have grown up in themselves, that allows them to see no harm in these actions?

The things we do

I just received an email, and it talks about the silly, foolish, stupid and sometimes downright evil things we do:

The range of foolish and evil things of which we human beings are capable of never ceases to astonish. We destroy our bodies and sometimes our brains with controlled substances, even though we know better. We make stupid choices that we know in advance will lead to trouble. We devastate our marriages and friendships by repeating the same mistakes again and again. How often we've heard it said, quite correctly, 'she's married the same man again.'

And that's just the stupid part. There's also the downright evil side of us, the lying, cheating, stealing and killing, the willingness to wage war for no good reason, the willingness to tolerate an unjust society, the willingness to turn our backs on the poor and the suffering. All in all, between stupidity and downright evil, this human nature of ours seems a fairly nasty piece of work.

It's not wrong, is it? How much of yourself do you see in that quote? What could you do to make the changes, to be a different person? Very often it is the minor changes we make in our behaviour and our attitude that make the biggest differences.

Define racism

A serious point. What, to you, is racism?

Is racism discriminating against someone because they are a different colour from you? Or a different nationality? Or something else?

I was listening to the radio on the way home from work, and there was an article about black football managers, or the lack of. Apparently, there is only one current manager of one of the 92 league clubs who is black. It is suggested by some that this is a race issue, that clubs may be discriminating against black people by not giving them the managers job.

I find this very hard to believe. My opinion is always that the best person for the job should get the job. Whether they are black, white, yellow, or whether they are male or female or whether they are gay or straight, whether they are Christian or Muslim, it's all totally irrelevant. I object to positive discrimination, where people are offered jobs because of their race. If you're the best person for the job, you deserve it. Ability to do the job is much more important than fulfilling quotas to ensure a certain percentage of your workforce is of a particular ethnic background or sexual orientation or religious belief.

There's another good reason why I do not believe that racism is a factor. Of the four top teams in the UK, all four have a foreign manager. Until recently, the England national team had a foreign manager. Of the 20 teams in the Premiership, 9 have foreign managers. Hardly racist. Is it?

300 years

That's how old the UK is today. 300 years to the day when England and Scotland agreed to join unite. Not that you'd know it, there are no celebrations organised for the people to celebrate the birthday of their country.

The proud patriotic people with no celebrations to enjoy for 'their' country.

No surprises really, seeing the type of society we have in the UK. It's a pretty shitty place to live. I don't want to sound too negative, the UK does have some plus points. But in lots of ways the UK is not a pleasant place to be. Poor social structure, abusive kids with no manners, no respect, a me me me society, not a thought for others, selfishness and a society of alcohol abusers. Seriously, walk down any high street on a Friday or Saturday night and the place is covered with inebriated tossers. Then you add in the intolerance to immigrants, the lack of care for the elderly, a health system that is bankrupt, and a government that doesn't give a toss. I could go on but it would get pretty depressing.

Anything that made the UK a Great country has long gone.

Happy birthday, UK.

Equal rights for all

Today the Lords are sitting to discuss the law on banning goods and services to gay people. Currently this legislation is in force in Northern Ireland, and the government wish to enforce this law over England and Wales, too.

The basis of the law is it will make it an offence to deny people access to goods or services because of their sexual preference. So, for example, a hotel could not refuse to rent a room to a gay couple, a church could not refuse to rent out the church hall to a gay organisation, ec, etc.

Religious groups are against the law. They claim that it will force people of faith to condone acts which they believe to be improper. A printer may have to accept an order to print leaflets advertising a Gay Pride march. His belief tells him advertising such an event is wrong. But by law he would have to accept the job.

All discrimination is wrong. But people do discriminate. Just because it is wrong doesn't stop discrimination. But it is also wrong to force people by law to take an action in which they believe is immoral for them. If a Christian has a B&B and a gay couple wish to rent a room, is it wrong for him to deny them, based on his beliefs? Where would the discrimination be? Against the B&B owner being forced to accept something he sees as wrong? Or against the couple who wish to rent the room? As it stands, each party is being forced to accept some form of dicrimination against their particular lifestyle and beliefs.

Ultimately you can't legislate for every eventuality. There will always be those who feel they have been wronged against in one way or another. The government needs to realise that it cannot enforce action onto every sub minority section within the population to appease all people. It won't work. It cannot work.

Seven new wonders of the world

Six of the original seven wonders of the world no longer exist. There is a campaign by a non profit organisation in Switzerland to replace them with new more modern man made wonders.

On of the choices available is the colossuem in Rome:













This will definitely be one of my choices in my vote. Whenever I visit Rome the Colosseum never fails to impress. It is a mighty, immense structure. If you want to cast your vote for your favourite, click here and register online. The top votes will be announced at a convention in Portugal, on the 07.07.07

Real life hero

There are many people in the world, who do heroic acts. Think of firemen who run into blazing buildings to rescue people trapped. That's heroic. Think of any situation where someone puts their life on the line for yours. It's a heroic thing to do; even more so for someone you don't know, have never met, and have no feeling for.

In New York, a 50 year old guy named Wesley Autrey risked his life to save a stranger. Waiting for a train on the New York subway, a fellow passenger had a seizure and fell on to the track. Cameron Hollopeter, 20, is still in hospital having tests to find out why he had the seizure.

When Hollopeter fell on to the tracks, Autrey jumped down to help. A train was coming, there was no time to pull Hollopeter to safety. So Autrey wrapped his body around Hollopeter, lying as snug to the side as he could. The driver saw the event in front of him and hit the emergency brakes but two carriages passed over them, missing the two by centimetres. There were grease marks from the bottom of the carriages on the woolen hat Autrey was wearing, that's how close the trains passed.

Afterwards, when Autrey turned up to work, late, his boss did not initially believe his reason for being late until he saw the story appearing on the net.

Autrey has been given the bronze medallion, for outstanding achievement and exceptional citizenship. He has also been given cash rewards, and other gifts, to thank him for his brave actions.

Autrey's 4 & 6 year old daughters were there at the time of the incident, and saw their father save Hollopeter's life. Autrey has commented "You see somebody in distress, you help out" - "I was just in the right place at the right time" After receiving his award and the gifts he said "Good comes to those who do good" "What better way to start the new year than to save a life?"

Wesley Autrey is a real life hero.

Happy New Year

Happy new year to all. We can all have hopes and wishes, resolutions and changes we intend to make with the beginning of a new year. Make your goals realistic ones and you will achieve them.

All the best for 2007.

Thought for the day

It is not 'Peace on earth and goodwill to all men.' It is 'Peace on earth to all men of good will.'

Merry Christmas

Jesus is for life, not just for Christmas

Yeah, nothing original in the title. But I'm not feeling very creative today.

I have just been reading this article over at the Guardian website. It's a pretty poor representation of religion in what is supposed to be a Christian country. Christians are out numbered almost 2-1 by non-believers. And 82% of those questioned believe that religion does more harm than good.

It's a very sad statistic. Religion itself does not do harm, it is the followers of religion who do wrong in the name of their faith that causes harm. Surely that's obvious enough?

One statistic that surprised me is only 13% of people who claim to be Christian go to church at least once a week. But 54% are going to attend church over Christmas? Why? If you can't be bothered to worship week on week, why bother worshipping at Christmas? I find it hard to believe that people can't find one hour a week for God. But, just because it's Christmas, they think they should make the effort. I pray they find it in themselves to come back to church more often.

Mozart's music library

There is nothing better than good music. And Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a genius at creating fine music.

For the first time, the whole Mozart music library is available to download from the net, for free. There is more information over at the International Mozart Foundation

A fool and his money

In the UK we have lots of channels on satellite that basically show crap programs. Apparently it's cheaper to run a satellite channel than pay for advertising, hence we even have a channel that just promotes Audi cars.

Anyway, most of these channels run stupid quiz shows during the day and night. They will have a question on screen that tempts you to phone in and answer an initial question. You then have the option to go on and answer further questions with the promise of further prizes to be won. All the time your phone bill is going up at astronomical rates, as the charges for calling these premium rate lines can be up to £1.50 a minute!

I was listening to the radio on the way home, there was a guy on being interviewed. In one month he had run up a phone bill of £10,000 calling these silly programs! £10,000! Incredible.

There's no such thing as easy money and it never fails to amaze me the number of people who have yet to learn this.

Money talks in BA row

BA have announced that they are going to review their dress code following the row over a worker refusing to cover up her cross. BA said jewelery should not be visible when an employee was on duty.

However, money talks, and BA have decided to review their policy. The decision to suspend the worker for wearing a cross put BA squarely at the centre of a public debate, with many members of the public taking the decision to boycott the airline until BA backed down. Face with loss of income from boycotts, BA announced their policy review.

Takes money to induce a bit of common sense, it seems.

Casino Royale

I don't go to the cinema often. Although the film experience is usually good, with large screen, loud sound, comfy chair, etc, you always need to be wary of the fools who would rather play around with their mobile phones than watch the film they've paid to see. But when the new James Bond films come around, I usually take the risk. I went to see Casino Royale last night and it was worth the trip. This is easily one of the best Bond films, ever. And thankfully the audience paid attention to the film and not their phones.

A lot of die hard Bond fans were annoyed when Daniel Craig got the role. I think mainly because he has blond hair! How stupid. Whatever their reservations were, Craig carries the role of masterfully. The whole film from beginning to end kept my attention. Great stunts, good script, well crafted Bond quips, not the Roger Moore style iffy puns.

I'd recommend any Bond fan to see the film, don't be put off by the early anti Craig hype. I'd recommend any action film fan to go see, I'd recommend anyone looking for a good night at the cinema. It was so good I'll probably go again.

Sometimes browsing the internet you find stuff of real quality. Not often. The debate is surrounding Global warming, here.

The quality, is here:

I evade my personal responsibility for the things I choose to do. I blame the government, the oil companies, George Bush, the economy, the wealthy and anybody else I can think of for the destruction that my lifestyle causes.

I put my comfort, my convenience and my conformity ahead of the lives and livelihoods of thousands of future generations, and I try not to think too much about my daily contribution to the destruction of the world that was left to me by thousands of past generations. I put myself far, far ahead of my ancestors and descendants and take from them for the most trivial of reasons.

I ignore the real human pain, suffering and death that my behavior causes. I turn the page, switch the channel, and change the topic of conversation. I pretend that the science isn't definitive yet, or that there's no point in changing before others do, and I convince myself that 'scientists' will come up with a technological solution that will make my lifestyle and me OK.

I avoid, I deny, I justify and rationalise, I pretend, I project, I squirm and squeeze and do whatever I can to maintain my concept of myself as a good person while still doing what I do. I evade my moral responsibility a day at a time in the hope that reality will somehow be different tomorrow morning.

I steal from those who live far away from me, and who I do not know because I see their pain as cartoon pain, and not fully real. I casually destroy what future generations will depend upon to live because they have yet to be born and it is only me, and my time and my normalcy that is important.

I am like those who, sixty years ago, did their jobs and lived their normal lives and didn't ask questions about where their jewish neighbours had gone. I am like those who participated in slavery and other atrocities, except that the effects of my crimes will outlast all those others.

And it is OK, because today I am normal, and busy, and have other things on my mind and, if what I do is really so bad so many people wouldn't be doing the same, would they?

But when, in the hours before I die, I think back upon my life and what it has meant, I must do one thing. I must hope and hope and pray and pray that there is nothing beyond life and beyond time and beyond myself, that there is no balance, no karma, no morality and no justice.

Because if there is, and I do what I do, knowing what I know....

Well, lets not think about that.

Hunger & Malnutrition 'unacceptable' in our modern age

In an address given to The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States stated:

“hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world that has levels of production, of resources and of know-how capable of putting an end to this scourge and its dramatic consequences."

And he's not wrong. It's a disgrace that in a world where we like to think we live in a civilised manner we allow people to die of hunger. It's a disgrace that we should be ashamed of, but no one seems to care about. Enough food is wasted in western culture that could easily feed people in the so called 'Third world'.

It's unfair, it's unjust. Hunger & poverty are not misfortune. They are injustice.

Save the planet, save money

What other incentive does a capitalist world need to do their bit to save the planet? Maybe the problem is the short term outlook people have means they can't see the long term benefits of spending money now to save money in the future.

But you needn't spend thousands, not even hundreds, to be doing 'your bit'. If every household in the UK replaced just three standard lightbulbs with energy saving bulbs, the energy saved in a year would supply ALL street lighting in the UK. Energy saving bulbs are a few pounds each. Everybody should be using energy saving bulbs, and there should be a social unacceptance from the majority for those who do not. It is unacceptable that people continue to use standard light bulbs. I would support a measure that increased substantially the cost of standard light bulbs to make them a less attractive buying option. And don't forget, low energy light bulbs means lower energy costs. Even ensuring when you boil the kettle for a cup of tea that you only use the amount of water required rather than filling the kettle each time is going to show a difference, and more significantly if everyone done this it WOULD make a difference.

Other ways to reduce your energy consumption, save money on your fuel bill and at the same time help reduce climate change are:

Double Glazing
Loft Insulation
Cavity Wall Insulation
Draught Proofing
Get a new boiler
Fit thermostatic radiator valves
Use energy saving appliances - New washing machines and dishwashers are much more economical on fuel and water usage, sometimes by up to 40%
Solar panel heating - It's suggested solar panel heating can supply all heating needs in the summer and 50% of those required in the winter. A government grant can subsidise the cost of solar panel installation by up to 50%

So some of these measures require an initial outlay. But the savings are there, for your pocket and for the planet. So what's stopping you?

Murder a child because they are disabled

Medical experts are claiming a debate is needed on active euthanasia for babies who are born severely disabled.

I find the whole argument sick. How can anyone who even considers themselves a civilised person even think about murdering a baby because that child happens to be disabled? Every life is sacred, and no one has the right to end the life of another just because it does not conform to what we expect.

I don't go in for all the fancy medical jargon, euthanasia, assisted suicide, call it whatever you will. The taking of another life with full knowledge of what you are doing is murder. And it is wrong. There's no grey areas on this subject.

Saddam to die

So, the Iraqi court has found Saddam guilty. Hard to see how they could have come to another decision, really. The sentence, is death. By hanging. How gruesome. I really have a problem with capital punishment. I used to think differently, but not anymore.

If anyone cares to, please explain to me how murdering Saddam atones for his crimes? Since when did punishing murder by committing murder ever achieve anything? Saddam may have been an evil, cruel, sadistic dictator, but how can we justify his murder?

Blog tagging

I never even knew blog tagging existed. How cool. I was tagged by Ellasdevil. Here goes:

Do you like the look and contents of your blog?
I'm happy enough not to want to make changes. The look is light on the eye, and I don't see many other blogs with this template. I like my links and history down the left. I'm using the new blogger beta service, it's so easy to add extras to the blog. As for content, I'm not sure. I didn't want to write a 'today I went to work.' 'This evening I went....' 'Here's a picture of the kids...' etc. So I just pick up on things I see in the news and give my opinion. The biggest topic at the moment is the climate change the earth is going through. Seriously we really need to wake up and do something before it's too late.

Does your family know about your blog?
Unlikely. None of my family have an interest in blogging. And I've never told them about it.

Can you tell your friends about your blog? Do you consider it a private thing?
I could. I don't though. The username is the same I use all over, so if someone who knows me finds the blog then it'll be obvious it's me. But it's not a topic of conversation.

Do you read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? Or do you try and discover new blogs?
I do. I don't always make comment but I do read the blogs, regularly. Above all the blogs I have linked in my favourites. I also scan technorati for blogs about subjects that interest me.

Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example...
Did it? Does it? I don't think of my blog in that way. It's just a place where I can give my opinion, and share it with anyone who cares to read.

What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you have a traffic counter?
Number of visitors means little. It's nice to know people read, and that it creates a reaction. I don't have a counter, but I do check to see where people come from. I love the fact that anyone, pretty much anywhere in the world, can pop along, drop by, and have a read.

Do you imagine what other bloggers look like?
Nope.

Do you think blogging has any real benefits?
I'm sure it does. It's great that blogging gives people a chance to have their say. Share your opinion on a global level. Write something interesting and share it with others. Exchange opinion and idea. Learn about other people, and how they view things. That can only be a positive thing.

Do you think that the blogosphere is a stand alone world community separated from the real world?
It is a community in it's own right but it is not separated from the real world. It's a reflection of opinion from people who live in the real world. Mostly. Some blogs are just plain wacky.

Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?
No, not at all. Some extreme sites can be a bit sick. But I like to read opinion that challenges and opposes my own. Staying safe and reading/sharing opinion only with like-minded people is boring. I like to challenge my beliefs.

Do you think that criticising your blog is useful?
Yeah, sure, why not. Throwing around abuse for the sake of it helps no one. But if I write something that offends, or you don't like, say so. If I am out of order, criticise. Make it constructive. Lets build conversation.

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your blog if you died?
No, not at all. There are more important things I would like to make sure are dealt with when I die than this blog. Lets keep it in perspective.

Which blogger has had the greatest impression on you?
There isn't one.

Which blogger do you think is the most similar to you?
I haven't yet found one who shares my opinions.

Name a song you want to listen to?
I'll name the song I listen to more than any other. Buddy Holly - It Doesn't Matter Anymore. I love that song.

Tag some people
Err.....

The most popular Saint to the Italians

Is San Padre Pio. When an Italian Catholic asks a Saint to intercede, Padre Pio is the most nominated Saint. The survey was commissioned by Famiglia Cristiana, a weekly Christian magazine.

Padre Pio was quoted as favourite Saint by 31% of those surveyed. Second was Sant'Antonio da Padova, with 25%. A distant third was Santa Maria, Madre e Vergine, with 9%. San Francesco d'Assisi came next with 7%, Santa Rita with 3% & San Giuseppe and the Crucified Christ with 2% Only one in 10 nominated San Cristoforo, San Michele, Madre Teresa or Santa Chiara.

But although over 70% of Italians pray for intercession to the Saints, it would seem they are not as well informed about the Saints as this would suggest. 75% recognise San Francesco as Patron Saint of Italy, but only 37% were able to also nominate Santa Caterina of Siena as Italy's second Patron Saint, often confusing her with Santa Chiara of Assisi.

Virtually everyone nominated San Gennaro as the Patron Saint of Naples, 83% nominated San Marco of Venezia & Sant'Ambrogio of Milan. Just under half were able to nominate Santa Roslia of Palermo, whilst only 29% knew San Petronio as the Patron Saint of Bologna.

Climate change - will we do something now?

So, climate change is the big story on all media today in the UK. Front page of the newspapers, lead story on news bulletins on TV and radio. Yay. People are realising that we need to act before it's too late. Because if we don't, the cost to future generations would be significantly more than the cost to our generation. Well, someone has to pay. And if the only reason people are starting to become concerned is an economical one, rather than genuine concern for the planet we live in, I suppose it's a start. The single biggest threat to mankind in recent years. Climate change is happening, and we need to do something about it.

There are lots of contributory reasons to climate change. The earth only has so much resource, and what there is we abuse and waste as if it were an unlimited source. This sentence points to one fact. There are too many people on the earth. Population is higher now than it ever has been. There are too many people, draining the earths resources. I'm not the only one to think so.

We all need to do our bit to ensure that life on our planet continues as it is meant to. Too many times I hear people say "What difference can I make on my own?" Well actually if each person made a solitary contribution, added together that can be quite a change. A popular one for me at the moment is low energy lighting. Switch your lights to low energy bulbs, and you save money on a) replacing bulbs so often as they last longer and b) on your electricity bill because they use less energy. There you go, what more reason do you need to make the change? If you join me in making the change, then your cousin makes the change, then Aunt Ethel across the road, then your parents, then your dad's best friend at work, and then his brother, and then his sister in law, then her Uncle Joe..... Can you see where the chain leads? Singular action won't necessarily make a noticeable impact. But start to add all those singular actions and you get a noticeable difference. So, what are you waiting for?

Runaways

I was amazed to hear that 200,000 people are reported missing in the UK every year. That's a massive amount. And it's only the reported numbers. Surely there are more than that. Where do these people go? I understand that people disappear for a variety of reasons, children runaway from abuse, adults run away from debts, families, etc. But 200,000?

From the BBC:

On 19 December, 1995, Diane Lilburn walked out of her home in Lincolnshire. She left no note for her mother and stepfather, she simply disappeared.

Her parents spent the next six years trying to find her, but with no sightings or leads their search was ultimately fruitless. Her mother Peggy had to try to come to terms with the fact her daughter might never come back.

In a last-ditch attempt Peggy contacted the National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH), after learning about the charity from a television programme. It found her daughter within a month, tracking her down to Brighton.

Diane was reunited with her family and told them she had run away from home because she was gay.

The NMPH does an amazing job. The BBC article states how, unlike police, NMPH has no access to things like mobile phone records, bank records, etc. But they generally find 70% of missing people.

Information on missing persons organisations can be found here.

Brits waste more energy than others in Europe

The UK wastes more energy than other countries in Europe, according to a report from the energy saving trust.

Top offences include leaving electrical equipment on standby, leaving mobile phone chargers plugged in and turned on, after the phone has finished charging, and leaving lights on.

Nothing more than pure laziness really. Especially when you consider most Brits prefer to take the car for short trips to the shop rather than walk.

When will people get the message? If you want to learn more about how you can do your bit, check out the energy saving trust website

No arrests during ramadan

I saw a story posted on USSneverdock earlier. It is one of those stories that I really find hard to believe. One of those 'jaw-dropping, surely this can't be true' stories. Apprently, Manchester police have been told to avoid arresting arresting Muslims wanted on warrant during Ramadan. You can find the story here:

Police to avoid Ramadan arrests

Why are authorities in the UK running scared of Islamic faith? As said on the original post, Britain is going totally mad

How can you justify murder?

I heard a story on the radio on my drive home. A man, David March, helped his wife to commit suicide. Mrs March suffered from MS and had often expressed her wish to end her own life "While she could." She did not want her condition to deteriorate to the stage where she felt her quality of life was not worth living.

Mr March returned home one evening to find his wife had taken an overdose and put a plastic bag over her head. Mr March tightened the bag, and shortly after his wife died.

This is the story as I heard it on the radio this evening. I really feel for Mr March, how difficult times must have been for him since his wife's death. I hope the end of the court case brings some closure on the episode to Mr March and he can live a serene life for himself.

But the story raises a point to me. Is it ever right to kill someone? I don't want to make Mr March the subject of my question, the story is just to illustrate one of the many combinations of "but what if?" when it comes to assisted suicide.

I can't see how it is ever justified to take the life of another human being, no matter what the circumstance may be.

"But what if that person is ill?" "But what if that person wants to die?" "But what if I have had enough of this life?"

I can't justify it. Can you?

Pope urges opposition to 'deviant love'.

At a national convention of the Catholic church today, Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to oppose moves towards leagalising 'weak and deviant' unions.

He urged them to fight "with determination ... the risk of political and legislative decisions that contradict fundamental values and ethical principles rooted in human nature"

The Pope said they had to defend "the family based on matrimony, opposing the introduction of laws on other forms of unions which would only destabilise it and obscure its special character and its social role, which has no substitute".

In another section of his speech, the Pope stated that the Church had to say "'no' to weak and deviant forms of love".

He said the Church wanted instead to say "'yes' to authentic love, to the reality of man as he was created by God".

In his address to the Catholic convention, the Pope was also applauded when he said the Church had to continue to defend "life in all its phases, from conception until natural death".

He said the Church did not want to be "a political agent" but wanted to help shape social policy.

Goblins & giants

It has been predicted in a report today that humans will divide into two distinct sub-species in 100,000 years from now.

Descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative, whilst the "underclass" humans, will evolve into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures.

The forecast has been made by Dr Oliver Curry, after spending two months investigating the ascent and descent of man over the next 100 millennia. He suggests within a thousand years humans will evolve into coffee-coloured giants between 6 and 7ft tall. But Dr Curry said centuries of sexual selection was likely to create more and more genetic inequality.

The logical outcome would be two sub-species, "gracile" and "robust" humans.

Dr Curry said: "Things could get ugly, with the possible emergence of genetic 'haves' and `have-nots'."

Other predictions included:

• Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve.
• Men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises.
• Women will develop lighter skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, even features and smooth hairless skin.
• Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.
• Improved nutrition and medical science will see people growing taller and fitter, while life-spans are extended to 120 years.

Italian hand expressions

It's one of the wonders of the Italian language. As well as having a beautiful melodic language, Italians talk with their hands. If you ever wondered what those gestures mean, watch the video clip below. (Beware, contains a few strong words):

Freedom of expression

Wearing a cross for religious reasons is a personal thing. The right to express yourself by wearing a cross should not be restricted by your employer. As long as you complete your tasks in a professional manner, the fact that you wear a crucifix is irrelevant.

It is a symptom of the screwed up society we live in that people assume Christianity offends, and do all they can to remove it from every day life, but bend over backwards to accomodate every other religion or fad cult for fear of upsetting the followers.

So people rename Christmas to 'Winterval'. Even though most followers of different religions aren't bothered by Christmas and even join in the celebrations. I propose we rename Divalli. I'm open to suggestions on what we rename it to.

Italian MP's are ignorant

Le Iene is one of the better programs on Italian TV. It airs on Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset network. This week the show was not allowed to transmit a report where they had proven that some Italian MP's had recently taken drugs. Out of 50 MP's, 16 had taken canabis, 4 had taken cocaine.
The MP's were set up. They believed they were going to participate in a TV interview. The makeup artists were not applying make up. They were taking sweat swabs for testing. The Italian privacy authority did not allow the show to air the report.

So, instead, they interviewed MP's outside Italian parliament and asked them some general knowledge questions. Several MP's were unable to answer questions on Darfur. Another failed to answer the question "What is Guantanamo?" When told it is a US terrorist prison camp the MP replied it was in 'Iraq or Afghanistan'.

More than one MP was convinced Nelson Mandela was from South America, whilst another was clueless as to why he had won his Nobel.

It really is pretty shocking. But I'd bet if you were to blindside MP's from England, or America, or pretty much anywhere with some general knowledge questions they would fail too. Without a script most politicians are lost.

Ecological debt

Today marks the day that the earth enters into ecological debt. There is a parameter that is used to measure the resources the earth can provide on a yearly basis. Those resources measured for this year have already been used.

Using this measure, which is provided by an independent organisation based in the UK called New Economics Foundation, it was first calculated that 'Eco debt day' happened in 1987, on the 19th December. Since then the day has been anticipated on a yearly basis. And this year it arrives at the beginning of October.

This is significant. It shows that humanity lives in ecological balance with the earth for just three quarters of the year. And if nothing is done to remedy this, Eco debt day is only going to come round sooner & sooner each year.

There is something we can do, but the question we need to ask ourselves is, "Do we care?"

We need to use less of the earths natural resources, and we need to use more renewable resource. Lets do it now, before it is too late.

We're doomed

Seriously. There are so many nut jobs out there in this big old world of ours, all who think they are the ones who are right in their interpretation of the word of God. It's clear, it's not God who is the cause of most of the wars & conflicts, it is the people who twist the words in the Bible for their own purpose. Take a look at this video clip. I've not heard of this woman before, and I hope I never have to hear from her again. Whatever it is she is spouting, it's clear there is no christian thought or compassion in what she says. When I hear the words from people like her, and words from similar nutters from other religions, I just despair.

Fast day for CAFOD

There are a lot of good charities out there, doing work that would only be noticed if they stopped doing it.

Every year CAFOD organise two 'fast days'. A day where you go without, to give to those who don't have.

One fast day is during lent, the other during harvest. Today is the fast day for harvest. They make it really easy. All you are expected to do is miss a meal. For most this would be lunch, but depending on your circumstances you could miss breakfast or dinner. CAFOD ask that you donate what you would normally spend on one meal, and they will pass on that money to help people in a region of the world where they don't have access to the luxuries we in western civilisation take for granted.

This year CAFOD are focusing on a small village called Lushebere in DRC. You can read more about it here:

CAFOD fast day

Anyone can join in with the fast day. It's not proper fasting, you are giving up one meal. How you do that, and whether you do it properly is a matter for you. I guess you don't even need to fast if you prefer not to, just donate what you spent on a particular meal.

Jesus camp

I heard this story a few days ago and saw some items on the net, but this is the first video clip I've seen. Honestly, I'm astonished. It's shocking the way these kids are being fed religion. Believing in Christ and following an honest, truthful, fulfilling life is not reflected anywhere in this clip.

It's a news piece about a documentary aired in America. Whether the documentary is one sided and gives an unbalanced view of this whole set up or not, I couldn't comment. Ive not seen the whole program yet. Take a look at the clip. Make up your own mind.

No more room in UK prisons

Prisons in the UK are almost full. Of 80,000 places available, only around 160 remain available.

When I first heard the story, and I heard the 80,000 figure, I immediately thought "That's not many" After all, this is a country with around 56 million inhabitants. 80,000 prison places is not a lot.

So who's fault is it? Surely the responsibility lies with the government? Law enforcement ultimately lies at the governments door. It would seem we need more prisons, but I assume building more is a lengthy process. UK prisons are full, now. We don't have time to wait. Doesn't mean they shouldn't start building two or three more though

In the meantime, I assume that we will have to put up with prisoners being released early, & criminals knowing that being sent to prison is becoming less & less likely, as there is no room for them.

Poor management by the government all round, it seems. But I suppose we are used to that by now, from Blair's government.

Pregnant teenagers 'smoke to get small babies'

I couldn't believe this story when I heard about it. But apparently, teenage girls smoke during pregnancy to ensure they get a smaller baby.

I find it outrageous, disgusting, shocking, amazing that teenage girls would consider putting their unborn baby at harm in this way. For their own selfish ends, really. They believe that by having a smaller baby it will hurt less when they give birth.

Well, the facts are, smoking during pregnancy 'can' mean a smaller baby. As well as affecting the childs growth potential, not to mention the harm that child suffers as it develops, all the chemicals and nicotine and other horrible elements from tobacco smoke passing through to the child from the mothers blood, the increased risk of asthma in the child and other breathing difficulties.
But having a smaller baby does not guarantee a less painful childbirth. If you don't want the pain don't get pregnant. It's a simple enough solution, that even todays dumbass teenagers should be able to understand.

More than outrage, disgust, shock and amazement, though, I just feel so sad that teenagers who get pregnant have so little understanding of what they are doing that they are ignorant of the harm they do to their unborn child. It's a very sad situation. If they are so ignorant of such basic facts, how can they ever be ready to be a parent?

2.6 billion

2.6 billion. That's the number of people in the world who have no access to basic sanitation facilities according to a recent UN report.

No clean water, no adequate toilet facilites. In a world where some countries spend billions of pounds on weapons, 2.6 billion people do not have clean water.

Of the 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to proper sanitation, about 2 billion live in rural areas, some two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa and 37 percent in South Asia.

It's shameful, but because it's not happening 'to us' or 'on our doorstep' nobody seems to care.

Quality of prison life

The busiest jail in London is over run with vermin & cockroaches. The staff treat the inmates with disdain and assault is common place.

Prisoners may be in jail because they have committed crime, but does that mean they should be treated with no respect as a human being? Does it mean they deserve to live in rat infested jails? I thought conditions like these had died out with the Victorians.

Being a criminal doesn't mean you deserve to be treated in an inhumane way. Sure, commit a crime and you get punished. But if you treat a human like an animal, he'll act like one. It's disgusting that such a thing happens, and is allowed to happen.

Climate change

Climate change is a fact. We abuse the resources on the planet, we throw chemical shit into the atmosphere at a rate the earth can't cope with. This wonderful planet, which has amazing balance in life, everything in proportion . A positive for every negative. But what is not accounted for is the ignorance and 'who gives a shit' attitude that we show it every day.

Resources are finite. The way we live our lives today is not sustainable. Is it too late to make a change? Who can know. What is certain though, it's not too late to try. Lets see what we can do.

The biggest problem is peoples response: "What can I do that will make a difference?" Well, as it goes, quite a lot. If you use low energy light bulbs instead of normal bulbs, little will change. If one million people use low energy bulbs instead of ordinary bulbs, it will make a difference. If five million make the change, again it will make a difference. And so on.

So you can see, what we do individually does make a difference, to the collective change. And that was just one example. Every day I learn of new ways I can make a difference. If I can do it, then it isn't that hard.

So turn of the tap whilst brushing your teeth. Walk to the local shops instead of driving. Re-use those plastic bags. Recycle your rubbish. Turn off lights when not in use. Reduce your central heating by a few degrees. I promise you won't notice, but if everyone done the same the difference would be immense. There are so many different ways, different things we can do. Lets not be the generation that destroyed the planet.

Torture in Iraq 'worse than ever'

I really grieve for those poor Iraqis. Thrown into turmoil, their country invaded, and things have just got worse and worse.

Saddam is gone, which surely long term is a good thing. The problem is nobody filled the leadership void. So you now have security forces, militia groups and anti US groups running amok. There is no law and order. Murder is common place. And reports claim that bodies in morgues in Baghdad bear signs of extreme torture and abuse.

It must be a real hardship living in Iraq these days. Every day there is mass murder. I grieve for the poor innocent victims.

Police force selects candidates on race

It's not easy being a police officer. Certainly not a job I could do very well. I'd be too emotionally involved if I were to turn up to a crime scene to see a woman whose husband had just knocked her senseless. I'd be too frustrated seeing all hard work I put in to removing degenerates of society from the streets put back there by courts who don't have the power to hand out real sentences that are justified by the crime committed. (Sometimes, it would seem, they don't have the balls to give out proper sentences either)

So when I see a police officer, I want to know that the person entrusted with enforcing the law was the best candidate from applicants for the job. That the person possessed the right qualities to do the job. I don't want to know whether that person is black, white, brown or yellow. Whether that person is male, female, gay or not. I really don't care. What is important is in a time of need, when a police officer is required, when action needs to be taken, that the person there is good at their job. Simple as. Ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, totally irrelevant.

Gloucestershire police force has been found guilty of trying to 'increase diversity' in its force by rejecting 108 candidates, whose only failing was the fact they were white, male.

Of course you have to lay the blame to some degree with the government here, who lay down targets forces are expected to achieve for increasing ethnic minority representation within the police forces.

Judge not on race, colour or creed, just on ability to do the job. It's not hard. Is it?

Freedom of expression

Freedom of expression and the right to freedom of speech. The right to hold certain beliefs. The right to express those beliefs. The rights of others. Respect for other people. Respect for other religions.

It's a fine balance. Sometimes people get it wrong. Some want it all their own way. Some feel they can criticise but want to be protected from criticism. Some wish to provoke without recourse to their actions, whilst reacting to any provocation, real or imagined.

We all remember the cartoons which upset followers of the Islam faith. If these caricatures upset, why do they then respond in the same fashion against the Pope? Which image upsets? Which offends?

The Pope's real threat

Originally posted here:

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/008071.php

Please visit the link above, there are links at the bottom of it to other sources of information. The text, here:

Many people have written about the controversy over Pope Benedict's recent remarks at the University of Regensburg, where he quoted a medieval emperor about the barbarity of forced religious conversions. In a replay of the Prophet Cartoon madness, Muslims only escalated their rhetoric after the Vatican apologized for any offense the quotation may have given followers of Islam. Despite apologizing Wednesday for quoting Manuel II's words from 1391 (but not for its argument against violence in religion), Muslims burnt effigies of the Roman Catholic leader and staged demonstrations around the world:

Protesters took to the streets in a series of countries with large Muslim populations, including India and Iraq. The ruling party in Turkey likened Pope Benedict XVI to Hitler and Mussolini and accused him of reviving the mentality of the Crusades. In Kashmir, an effigy of the pontiff was burnt.

At Friday prayers in the Iranian capital, Teheran, a leading ayatollah described the Pope as "rude and weak-minded". Pakistan's parliament passed a motion condemning the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, criticised him hours after a grenade attack on a church in the Gaza Strip. ...

The head of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, said the remarks "aroused the anger of the whole Islamic world".

Similar comments were made in other Muslim capitals, raising fears of a repetition of the anger that followed the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper earlier this year.

All this has shown is that Muslims missed the point of the speech, and in fact have endeavored to fulfill Benedict's warnings rather than prove him wrong. If one reads the speech at Regensburg, the entire speech, one understands that the entire point was to reject violence in pursuing religion in any form, be it Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or Bahai. The focal point of the speech was not the recounting of the debate between Manuel II and the unnamed Persian, but rather the rejection of reason and of God that violence brings

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practise idolatry.

This is really the crux of the argument, which is that argument, debate, and rhetoric are absolutely essential in forming any kind of philosophy, including religious doctrine. The words of sacred text do not cover all situations in the world, and therefore development of a solid philosophical body of thought is critical to growth and wisdom. That requires the ability to challenge and to criticize without fear of retribution, a difficulty that most faiths struggle to overcome.

Islam, on the other hand, doesn't bother to try. Benedict never says this explicitly, but Islam's demands that all criticism be silenced turns doctrine into dictatorship, which rejects God on a very basic level. A central tenet of most religions is that humans lack the divine perfection to claim knowledge of the totality of the Divine wisdom. Islam practices a form of supremacy that insists on unquestioned obedience or at least silence of all criticism, especially from outsiders, and creates a violent reaction against it when it occurs.

Islam bullies people into silence, and then obedience. We saw this with the Prophet Cartoons, a series of editorial criticisms that pale into insignificance when seen against similar cartoons from the Muslim media regarding Christians and especially Jews. It is precisely this impulse about which Benedict warns can occur in any religion, but modern Muslims show that they are by far the widest purveyors of this impulse.

Unfortunately, the Muslims are not the only people who missed the point. The New York Times editorial board joins Muslims in demanding an apology and an end to criticism of Islam:

There is more than enough religious anger in the world. So it is particularly disturbing that Pope Benedict XVI has insulted Muslims, quoting a 14th-century description of Islam as “evil and inhuman.” ...

Muslim leaders the world over have demanded apologies and threatened to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican, warning that the pope’s words dangerously reinforce a false and biased view of Islam. For many Muslims, holy war — jihad — is a spiritual struggle, and not a call to violence. And they denounce its perversion by extremists, who use jihad to justify murder and terrorism.

The Vatican issued a statement saying that Benedict meant no offense and in fact desired dialogue.

The Times missed the point, too. They aren't satisfied with the explanation offered by the Vatican. They want a "deep and persuasive apology" for Benedict's temerity in criticizing the use of violence and rejection of reason in religion, and specifically using a six-hundred-year-old quote that insulted people who regularly insult everyone else, including other Muslims. The Times counsels surrender to the threats and the violence.

Benedict opposes both. That's the real threat behind the Pope's speech, and don't think the radical Muslims don't understand it.

Holy war?

Yep, another post on this subject.

The Pope makes a speech in Bavaria last week. In that speech he quotes a 14th century emporer who had said that the prophet Mohammed had brought the world only "Evil and inhuman things" The Pope said the comment was a bit brusque. He never said he agreed with the comment.

Normally most of the world doesn't give a monkeys huff what the Pope says. But those few words in a long speech seemed to upset followers of Islam. How dare the Pope infer criticism on the prophet Mohammed.

As if Islam, Muslims & Mohammed can be considered above criticism?

The Pope regrets some people take offence at his words. So he apologises. Not enough for some people, it seems. It would appear the apology would only be acceptable if the Pope were to get down on bended knee and pledge allegiance to Allah!!

Meanwhile, the nice, peaceful, loving followers of Islam burn effigies of the Pope, protest and threaten violence.

And now, 'Al Qaeda' issue a warning, vowing to wage war on worshippers of the cross. They threaten to 'break the cross and spill the wine'

Right. And this all makes neutral observers of this situation believe that in fact the Pope has slighted followers of Islam, and in fact their religion is one of peace??

There are two options. Either Islam is a violent religion, whose followers believe that any who criticise or fail to bow down to Allah deserve to die - Spreading the faith by the sword - or the Isalmic faith has been abused by these people, used for their own end.

The evidence is there, draw your own conclusions.

A simple request

If anyone who passes by this blog happens to have a good understanding of the Koran and the teachings of Islam, please get in touch. I am curious to learn what I don't know, and so far have been unable to find a reliable source of information. I'd appreciate if anyone can help.

And still they complain

During Sunday service yeterday, the Pope offered an apology to any and all Muslims who happened to be offended during a speech he gave last week.

It seems however that it is not enough for some people. His apology was not heart felt enough. Perhaps if he were to lay down and receive 50 lashes as punishment, maybe that would suffice?

A totally crazy situation. The argument has been hijacked by extremists for political reasons, taking the comments out of context, and using them for their own purposes. And the peaceful followers of the Islam faith demonstrate their displeasure by attacking churches and burning effigies of the Pope....

Apparently there is a moderate majority who follow the Islam faith. I would suggest that this 'moderate majority' do something to reclaim their religion from the extremists.

An apology has been offered. Have the good grace to accept it, understand that no offence was meant, that comments have been taken out of context, and lets move on.

Junk food kids

Everyone knows that kids eat too much junk food. Ready packed meals, crisps, chocolate, junk, junk & more junk. Obesity is a big problem in the UK, following the US model of eating more than you need whilst not getting any excercise.

Recently, some people have started to take notice and tried to make an effort to bring about changes. TV chef Jamie Oliver started a camapgin to bring in real food (i.e. freshly prepared and cooked that day) into schools for lunches, a better choice of fresh fruit and vegetables and removing some unhealthier options.

There have been many studies which prove how a proper diet can improve health. There is also proof that a proper diet improves behaviour rates, and helps kids concentrate better. Avoiding soft fizzy drinks stuffed full of sugar is a good start.

And ultimately, it's parents who need to take responsibility for how kids eat. Parents need to encourage children to eat a better variety of foods, and to get off their lazy asses and go outside to play. Fresh air and excercise.

Instead, we find that outside a school in Yorkshire, two mothers are instead running a 'Junk Food Meals on Wheels' service. They take the childrens orders for fish n chips, burgers, sweets, chocolates, fizzy drinks during morning break and bring the food over at lunchtime.

Julie Critchlow & Sam Walker. You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Pope Benedict upsets the Muslims

It seems the over sensitive Muslim community has been taking offence at recent comments made by the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI made comments in a recent speech how the concept of Holy war is 'contrary to God's plan'.

The Pope's comments are not anti Islam. He was making the point how science and philosophy in western culture have separated themselves from faith, leading to secularisation in Europe.

Secularisation has made it difficult for the West to understand cultures where faith is fundamental.

During his speech the Pope reflected on dialogue between a Byzantine emperor and an 'educated Persian' on the subject of Christianity & Islam and the truth of both. Pope Benedict specifically focused on the distinction between Mohammed's teaching on Jihad & Christianity's view that spreading faith through violence is wholly unreasonable.

I don't see why this would upset anyone? It is a valid point, made well. The use of violence in any form to force someone to conform to your own views is wrong. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God.

You can read the Pope's speech here:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/bavaria06/message9.htm

9/11

I've rewritten this post at least four times. It's hard to put into words sometimes, without wanting to be misunderstood or mis-interpreted.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade centre in New York. In total 2,749 people lost their lives in those terrorist attacks. Innocent victims. They were especially in my prayers today.

Also in my prayers are the thousands of innocent victims who have lost their lives since the attacks in New York. All human, not one less important than the other. All equal before God.

I pray for remembrance of those lost, and for the hope of a better world in the years to come.