Thursday, July 31, 2008

The Dairy Police




I'd like to read this one next. I wonder why they feel the need to enforce laws about raw milk and such? Yes, people get sick from it sometimes. That is what a disclaimer is for, right? I mean, why not sell it if someone wants to buy it and doesn't mind the risks? We sure have some weird laws. They make sense on a large scale, but not on a family farm.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A book to read



This book was sitting on Rikki-san's book shelf last night while I was babysitting. I've been "rearranging" a bit while she's gone, we'll see if she notices when she gets back on Friday. Tee hee.

I read half of it last night, and will read the other half soon. It explains fully what our Pope Benedict XVI meant when he said we have a problem: the culture of relativism. And he explains exactly why that is a problem and what a good conscience (or a bad one) has to do with it, and why the Church is so important, being the Rock that it is in muddy waters.

I am going to be sending it to some people. Stop once in a while to think and breathe. If you didn't know, Gonzaga makes everyone take three religion courses and four philosophy courses. I still am sort of wondering exactly what "Phenomenology" is, but I think it's the study of thinking about thinking, which could be called "Metacognition", but has a more religious bent, I guess. I am now really glad I had to break my brain on that stuff, or I'd probably be really hurting after reading this. It's not that hard, but it's best to take small bites.

I was especially happy because it gives real words to why I think honesty is So Important. Let's just say some other people in my life do not think it's as important as I do. More than one. They probably think I'm just mean. But I'm very aware of the slippery slope of lying, and I don't like it one bit. It's the beginning of the end of a well-formed conscience.

I'm going to buy this book on my next spree. I have to plan my sprees, you know.

China "lite" in the Philippines

I'm really surprised by this, but maybe I shouldn't be. It seems when Filipinos get to the US, two kids is all they have, at least in my husband's family. And it's a large family, because the grandparents were members of large families, but my husband's generation decided to have two each. I believe we are the only ones who decided to have more than two children. It is a Catholic country, but like US Catholics, sometimes that's in name only.
I'm with a priest friend of mine. I'm ready for a Church on a diet. I don't understand why people stay Catholic if they don't believe even half of what it teaches!
Anyway... here you go...

08/20/2004 14:16
PHILIPPINES
Church: "Two-child policy is anti-family"

Manila (AsiaNews) – A bill on managing population growth that was recently introduced in the House of Representatives met strong opposition from the Catholic Church for violating "religious and spouses' freedom".

The "Reproductive Health Act" was submitted by Congressman Edcel Lagman. It speaks of "reproductive health", "parental responsibility", "population management", ideas taken from United Nations documents that are inspired by a radical ideology.

Under the bill, "the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive policy on reproductive health in connection with sustainable human development and effective population management that values the dignity of every human person and affords full protection to people's rights".

The bill encourages "the limitation of the number of children to an affordable level of two children per family," and calls upon the government to "encourage two children as the ideal family size [. . .] to attain the desired population growth rate."

"Population management" will also involve preferential treatment. "Children from [two-child] families shall have preference in the grant of scholarship at the tertiary level."

The Filipino Catholic Church strongly opposes the bill. According to Attorney Jo Imbong, Legal Office Executive Secretary of the Philippine Bishops' Conference, "the bill makes a mockery of the inherent rights of the family. It defies the State's constitutional mandate to value and protect the institution of marriage, strengthen the family and foster its solidarity and full development," he said.

The two-child policy "violates the spouses' right to religious belief [which does] not only mean the freedom to believe but also includes the freedom to act on one's belief."

The bill also includes "a heightened nationwide multi-media campaign to raise the level of public awareness" about population issues. It also proposes a three-year tax exemption for manufacturers of family planning devices "and related reproductive health products."

The bill's backers argue that the country's population growth, which stands at 2.36% per year (the highest in the world), is the main cause for inadequate government educational and health programmes. Others like attorney Imbong believe that run-away corruption in government is the main cause of poverty among Filipinos. (SE)

e-mail this to a friend printable version

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Multiplication Savior!

Mom and Dad,
I love you dearly, but I am still scarred for life by having to memorize my times tables. Really. Thanks, Dad, for making a chart for my room, so that hopefully I'd have a breakthrough by osmosis. Thank you, Mother Catherine, for making Jeannie Potter practice the 8's and 9's with me til I got them in sixth grade, because I hated every minute and it took that long. Thank you, Mr. Berny, for making me do extra worksheets on fractions and multiplication, since it was apparent that I wasn't quite ready for Algebra in ninth grade because of these "missing links" in my mathematical education.

You all tried, but I still screw up the checkbook on a regular basis. General math is the bane of my life.

Thanks to the internet age, Gabe will not have this problem. In fact, I strongly doubt any of my children will, thanks to:


Timez Attack is a stunning new video game exclusively for learning multiplication tables. It's as high-tech and entertaining as a top video game, yet as rigorous and effective as one-on-one training with a skilled teacher. Trust me--you've never seen an educational game like THIS before.



AND BEST OF ALL, IT'S FREE! Unless you want the "cool levels".

What happened to the housekeeping??

This did. :)

Leaders Poem

My dishes went unwashed today,

I did not make the bed,

I took God’s hand and went with Him

To Cub Scout Camp instead.

That my house was neglected,

That I did not sweep the stairs,

In twenty years no one on earth

Will know or even care.

But that I have helped some little boys,

From childhood to adulthood grow,

In twenty years the whole wide world

Will look and see and know.

Lookin' for a doggy in the window...

We're considering getting a dog.

There. I guess that makes it real. I have had lots of dogs, but never in the city. DH has had one goldfish, that died, and we had a cat for a few years til we bequeathed him to my sister because of allergies.

The kids would love a dog.

Last week we borrowed our friends' poodle. They homeschool also, and live in our townhome group, and their poodle was a hit, with the kids and with allergies. No problema. In fact, she must have liked it here, because after the trial run was over, we were getting ready to go somewhere, and she was back! Her owners didn't know yet, because their two year old had let her loose. When Mommy came downstairs, the baby said, "Dog gone!" "What?" "Dog gone!" and pointed out the door. Hilarious. Dog was with us, and we gave her back. I guess she liked us ok!
She was a great size for our little place.

I looked up labradoodles, because I have a hankerin' for something bigger. They are $2000 at least from a breeder!!!!! Holy cow!

Nixed that idea.

Now, I am spending time on Petfinder.com. I did find something awful cute in Longview, which is not more than three hours away from here if the traffic is good, five if it's bad. It is a Poodle/Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. There is a whole litter of them. In fact, I bet it's the same shelter where my sister R. go her dog, Thalia, when we were kids. They should be 60 lbs when grown, and my math teacher when I was in high school had the Bernese Mountain Dog breed in his house. It was a lovely dog, and good with kids. Not high energy, though. That's probably a good thing, to counteract the poodle part. As long as it took after the poodle in hair quality, hence the lack of allergens, it would be fine. $200 is all, but of course I know that upkeep would cost something, too, and a puppy is a LOT of work, so I'm not sure I'm ready for a chewy puppy in this house. Especially one that has lots of growing to do. ARGH.

I know better than to jump on that offer of a mix that I like, because I don't even have a crate and a crate that size won't even fit in our van, so it would have to lay on the floor in the car, etc. DH is probably not quite ready for this undertaking, either.

All the kids are, though. Really ready.

Maybe I ought to go sort dishes or laundry and clear my mind.
Tips, ideas, anyone?

Indeed. Who did pay for this and why?

Vatican spokesman condemns open letter to the Pope as ‘paid propaganda’

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi

Vatican City, Jul 25, 2008 / 12:09 pm (CNA).- It is “paid propaganda to promote the use of contraceptives” said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi today as he harshly criticized an "open letter to the Pope," which was run as a paid advertisement in the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera". The ad was signed by several "Catholic" organizations that are using the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae to criticize the Church’s teaching.

“First and foremost,” said Fr. Lombardi, “the authors are a part of a number of groups that are well known for their dissenting positions which are not limited to the mere teaching of marital morality but are also concerned with many other subjects (for instance the ordination of women) and that therefore for some time have been against the Magisterium of the Church.” Their outspoken rejection of the Church is “nothing new,” Lombardi said.

CNA first broke news of the letter on July 18, for more information on it read our story by clicking here.

The spokesman for the Holy See further noted that the long list of signers "should not impress, because it is often several national chapters of the same group, and many of these groups are fairly insignificant."

The "hardest accusation" that the dissident groups level against the Church, Lombardi says, is that “the Catholic position is the cause for the spreading of AIDS and therefore of pain and death, hindering enlightened public-health policies.” This claim, the spokesman asserted, “is openly groundless.”

“The spreading of AIDS – explained Fr. Lombardi – is completely independent of the religious affiliation of a population or the influence of the ecclesiastic hierarchies, and the policies in response to AIDS that are mostly based on the widespread use of condoms have largely failed. The response to AIDS requires far deeper and wider actions, where the Church is working on several fronts.”

Above all, the Vatican’s spokesman highlighted that the letter “does not remotely broach the true issue that is at the heart of the Humanae Vitae, i.e. the connection among the human and spiritual relation between husband and wife, the practice of sexuality as its expression, and its fecundity.” In the “letter,” pointed out Fr. Lombardi, “the word ‘love’ never appears. It seems the groups that wrote the letter are not interested in it at all. It seems the only hope of the couples and the world lies in contraception alone.”

“To understand the meaning of the Encyclical and its prophetic value,” explained Fr. Lombardi, “one should instead read again the Pope’s speech of May 10th to the participants in the meeting held in the Lateran for the 40th anniversary of the Humanae Vitae.”

After all, concluded Lombardi, “it’s clear it is not an article that expresses a theological or moral position, it is paid propaganda to promote the use of contraceptives. One should also wonder who paid for it and why.”

Friday, July 25, 2008

Where we've been all week!

Go ahead and take a look at the slide shows! Heidi takes a LOT of pictures.
You'll see all of us there somewhere. DH did Citizenship, I helped babysit "tagalongs" or little kids, and Gabe is in Bear Den 3. All three littles are with me in Tags. Hopefully you'll see two people we know on the fishing dock, too.
Enjoy!

http://silverlaketwilightdaycamp.googlepages.com/

Thursday, July 24, 2008

another home...

Gotta post it for someday. I'll have the best list of dream homes ever for our awesome realtor!

I can't get the picture to come through, but look up the MLS on your favorite site!
The only thing that worries me is flooding, being near Quilceda Creek.
:)


Listing Image
Price: $299,999
MLS#: 28066409
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.50
Status: Active

4914 110th St NE
Marysville, WA 98271




Comments
Price reduced $35k. Under assessed value. Bring your offer! Spacious 4 bed 2.5 bath home on huge greenbelt lot with park like yard overlooking Quilceda Creek on cul-de-sac. Masterbath w/jetted tub. Open kitchen. Hardwood floors in eating area & hall. Carpeting in rest of home. New/Remodeled Media rm wired for surround sound. Brick wood burning fireplace in living/dinning. Large laundry rm. Rec/bonus rm as well. 1 car garage + large structure for boat and/or RV parking. All the value w/no hassle.

General Property Information
SQFT: 2040
Year Built: 1960
Lot Size: 0.68 Acres
Fireplace: 1 Views: Yes
Garage: 3 Car Carport-Detached, G
Roof: Composition
Heat: Wall, Other-See Remarks
Fuel: Electric, Wood
Taxes: $3,356

Floors: Hardwood, Vinyl, Wall to Wall Carpet, See Remarks
Interior: Bath Off Master, Dining Room, Dble Pane/Strm Windw, Jetted/Soaking Tub
Exterior: Wood
Site: Cable TV, Fenced-Partially, Outbuildings, Patio, RV Parking

Listing Courtesy of: Northwest MLS / Keller Williams Rlty Bellevue

School Information
Elementary: Cascade Elem Middle School: Cedarcrest Sch High School: Marysville Pilchuck

Update on Life, midsummer 2008

Hi Y'all,

Ok, I just feel like writing today. Bear with me. It's probably because I don't want to be a 1930's housewife right now, see below! :)

What are we doing? Well, I think I will list a snapshot of our lives right now, just because it is nice to do that once in a while. I'm not known for my memory. It's really nice to go back sometimes and see how things were going. One fun thing is to write down your financial goals or other goals and then look at them two years later. It surprised me one year when I found that list and realized we'd met them.
Here's another example: When our #2 child was still in foster care, the SSI people called to see if he qualified for SSI payments as a person with a permanent disability that might affect their cognitive functioning and ability to get through school or get a job. He was 2. If a person qualifies, they get social security payments on top of adoption support, basically until they die or unqualify themselves somehow, as I understand it. I answered all the questions, and the guy on the phone kind of said, "Uh oh, that sounds like a lot of what his sister does, too.". And I thought, dear Lord, I hope it's going to get better because this one is not easy. And he's not. But he has gotten better. Right before the adoption, they called me back and asked me the same questions. This time I said, "No, I don't think so" to most of the questions about his behavior. And then the guy read to me my answers from last year. I was flabbergasted. Did I say that? Wow, he got a lot better than I thought! And it was true. And thank goodness, every year he gets "better". He has some quirks that drive us up the wall, but every year is a vast improvement over the one before. No SSI for him. Hooray! It's very, very hard to qualify for, by the way.

It's always nice to have a reality check.

So, what are things like this year?

We love living in our city, because there is so much to do and so many people we know. We have parks, beaches, church, scouts, soccer coming right up, and tomorrow night, we are going to the Cross's "Redneck Party". Nearly all the people we know in the area are at least coming up for the evening, even if they don't stay the night. The family bought five acres and redid the house completely, and it's GORGEOUS. And quiet and nice and on a dirt road where I belong. Cue John Denver music right now, please.

I brought the tent up there but forgot the poles. This is why I'm doing it a day early. Hah. Now I just have to remember to look for them. It was time to reorganize the carport closet anyway...

Last week we did vacation Bible school, and the kids loved it, but the adults were tired. This week, we are doing Twilight Cub Scout Camp, and both of us are working it, so we are all there 4:30-9:30 every night. The kids LOVE it, and the adults usually do, but again, we are tired. I'll put the website up soon, it's really cute and has LOTS of pictures of our cute kids.

We found out that both Gabe and Dominic need surgery this fall, but they are for really minor reasons. Dominic technically doesn't need it, but we'll go for a circumcision anyway. Long story. We appear to have a family problem of something called "buried penis" or "hidden penis" where the webbing between the little boy parts is too much, and can spoil a circumcision. I think Gabe, being eight, would rather I didn't get into the details any further. Each surgery will only take 10 minutes, but they do have to be asleep for it. We've done this before with Gabe, twice. Argh. No more boy children!

DH applied for a lead position at his work, and he did not get it, but the good news is they are moving him back to Mon-Fri so he can have his Sundays back two weeks from now. Thank God. It isn't fun to go through Mass with four kids by yourself, and everyone wonders if you are married anymore after a while. We sometimes go Sat night, but it is so much better to just have Sunday off anyway. Maybe they are doing that to make nice that he didn't get the other job. He wasn't happy, but there you have it. I'm sure something will come along, and meanwhile, we're doing just fine.

We tried out the neighbor's poodle this week. Poodles are supposed to be less allergenic than other dogs, and our kids, esp. Brandon, seem to have a hankerin' for one. I miss a dog, too. So our neighbors let us borrow theirs in the daytime for four days. Her name is Suzette and she is all pooped out now. I guess she doesn't like car rides, because she panted and shook the whole time we took the tent to its destination. She's on the couch and quite comfy. I didn't want to like a poodle, but I have to say I'm warming to the concept of having one. I'd rather not have a strictly outdoor dog around here in the winter. DH says he can tell there is an animal in the house, but the skin is not going ape, so maybe we can do it. We're going to take our time, though. I hope to get something bigger, like a Labradoodle. At least now we know how the kids will be. They love having a dog. Dominic giggles every time she licks his face. So cute! They also clean your floor. I have no problem with that.

The garden is going nuts, finally. We have peas, strawberries, corn, tomatoes and beans, all in various stages of development. I meant to have lettuce, but something keeps eating it and I don't get around to doing anything about replanting it. But this is my most successful garden so far. We also planted a peach tree, two blueberries, and two cherries, all of which appear to be doing well. Yay for gardening!

I have but one more paper to grade for MODG, as far as I know. I think I got everything done and I'm really glad to get at least a year off. I love MODG, but I have to have more than one month a year to catch up with my own stuff, so this is that year. We have organizing to do if we ever hope to live in a bigger house. I'm not moving all this crap ever again.

Next summer will be the soonest we move, no worries. Anyone know of an acre with a decent four bedroom house around here somewhere? Five bedrooms would be better, but mostly so we can not have the computers in the living room anymore. Or the bedroom closet, where one of them is. We're not ready yet, but under 300K is our aim. I know, not likely, but we've been lucky before....

Ok, time to stop procrastinating. Have a beauteous last week of July, everyone!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

1930's Housewife Status

63

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

Teaching Shakespeare -- how to start?

I was contemplating this very question in the back of my mind somewhere, and I ran across this blog and magazine. Looks interesting...


What's So Great About Shakespeare?
by Linda Johnson

As a young mother, I wasn’t convinced that Shakespeare was worth studying, at least not by children. After all, his plays had bawdy jokes, frequent love-making and his personal life had some serious flaws. However, over time, as I studied Shakespeare’s plays and researched his influence upon the Englishspeaking world, I began to feel that my children would have quite a gap in their understanding of our world if I neglected Shakespeare. I would have to be careful how I approached it, guarding their little hearts while introducing them to yet another medium that reveals the human condition.

Here are Some Reasons Why We Study Shakespeare.

He is responsible for adding some 2000 words and phrases to the English language and his plays provide a comprehensive and thoughtful look at the human condition, dealing with the virtues of men as well as their vices - love, faithfulness, greed, honesty, selfishness, mercy, lust, power and justice are just a few.

As we study his plays, we understand ourselves better. His plays deal with the consequences of sin and yet Shakespeare is very liberal in showing mercy. I believe this is a very important theme in his works. Macbeth, although one of his darkest plays, reveals the power of unconfessed sin and its ability to destroy not just one, but many lives. It also exposes the dangers of witchcraft. His inspiration comes from historical events, mythological tales, and Biblical passages. He often refers to Christ, His teachings and other Biblical characters and morals. All of these sources are a vital part of our history. His plays provide rich fodder for meaningful discussions. They have intricate plots with many twists and turns, providing an excellent exercise in logic. His poetry is profound. Shakespeare and the sonnet go hand in hand. Lastly, they are thoroughly entertaining and stimulate the imagination.

Shakespeare’s plays, however, were obviously not written for young children, so why introduce them to a child? We all know that most high-school-aged students today do not enjoy studying Shakespeare.

I believe this is partly due to the fact that teachers expect understanding, enjoyment and analysis to occur in a single lesson. The student did not have enough time to develop an appreciation for the stories and the beautiful language. However, if you introduce children to the plays using expurgated versions in story form adapted especially for children, they will have developed an understanding of the stories and an appreciation for them by the time they are old enough to explore the important themes in greater detail.

It is evident that parents and educators from earlier times understood this. If you have read classic children’s literature, you will notice that the authors assumed the child reader was familiar with Shakespeare. Often, the characters named their pets after a person in one of his plays and the children acted out some of the tales in their backyards. Puck of Pooks Hill by Richard Kipling is a good example of this as well as books by Elizabeth Enright. Parents and educators understood the importance of familiarizing the children with the Bard slowly and gently. They were introduced to Shakespeare at an early age with copies of Edith Nesbit’s “Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare” or “Tales from Shakespeare” by Charles and Mary Lamb. Fortunately, these delightful books are regaining popularity among homeschoolers today and can even be found online and free of charge.

Some Caveats to Consider

Shakespeare does misbehave at times, but fortunately, the Elizabethan English veils such innuendos quite well and they pass unnoticed by the children. For this reason, I recommend that you do not use modern versions of the plays unless you plan to edit. Not all of his works are suitable for young people so you will have to be careful and do a little research. Generally, his comedies are more appropriate for younger children while his tragedies and histories may be saved for older children. It’s helpful to know that ‘lovers’ and ‘love-making’ are frequently used but this did not have the same meaning in the past as it does today. It referred to the attraction between two people and not the act of union, itself. Although the characters are adults, the stories are often unrealistic and very silly. They cause my children to scoff at the nonsense rather than produce an attraction for the opposite sex.

In Our Home

My children look forward to our weekly Shakespeare sessions. When they are seven or eight years old, I read aloud Nesbit’s “Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare” once a week, taking two weeks to complete a tale. We do this leisurely throughout the year. Shakespeare’s plays often have intricate plots, so in order to keep the characters straight in our minds, I divide a dry erase board into about 8 large grid squares and draw simple stick figures of the main characters as they are introduced. Then I jot down the first name of each character above each figure. My children do the same on their clipboards, dividing a piece of paper into squares and drawing their own stick figures. Young writers only write the first letter of each character’s name in each of their boxes. This simple method is quick and effective in introducing the story. The children get to use their hands while I read and don’t feel pressure to produce an artistic masterpiece. Sometimes, using Charlotte Mason’s narration methods, I let the children retell a portion of the story using paper dolls or popsicle sticks with the characters puttied<>

Older children, who are now familiar with the stories, are each given their own personal copy of a play. Together, we read aloud the play to each other, each of us assuming the role of a character or two. This takes several weeks to complete as I only allow about 15 minutes per week for this. Remember, ‘small bites.’ We don’t worry about understanding all the vocabulary but we keep a dictionary nearby. We don’t analyze, just enjoy the play, and of course, spontaneous natural discussions occur too.

If I can find an appropriate movie version of the play, then<>

By high school, my students are thoroughly acquainted with the story line of several Shakespearean plays and enjoy reading and talking about them. They are now ready to explore the deeper ideas behind the tales. I hand them a copy of “Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays” and over the next few years, they read several tragedies and histories along with Mr. Leithart’s insightful commentary and challenging questions. They may watch one of the recommended movies for older students found at the end of each chapter or attend a local play production.

We have found that when we studied Shakespeare’s plays in small, manageable bites, it was not only an easy and enjoyable family exercise but richly rewarding in many ways. Most importantly, it prepared the children for a deeper appreciation of humankind’s common struggles, and only after understanding is attained can wisdom be gained. Well known educator, Charlotte Mason summed up the Bard’s message aptly when she wrote:

“Shakespeare was as great a philosopher as he was a poet. That’s what he set out to teach us in every line. His characters ‘Leontes,’ ‘Othello,’ ‘Lear,’ ‘Prospero,’ ‘Brutus,’ demonstrate the same thing: that a man’s reason will try to bring infallible proofs to any notion that a person decides to take up. There’s no shortcut and no way around it; the art of life takes a long time to learn.”


Linda Johnson is a former public school teacher who has spent the last 11 years homeschooling her four children while living in the Middle East with her husband, a professional translator. She currently resides in East Texas.






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Monday, July 21, 2008

Jamee Silverstein

I have always thought that Jamee and Shel Silverstein must have been separated somehow, and are really closely related. Maybe God accidentally split a brain when he was creating Really Cool People, or something.
So here is her latest. At least her poetry is online, even if not officially "published". She put this on her facebook page today. Must have been a fun trip from Portland, OR, to DC.
I love you Jamoo!

Written by Jamee, this day:

At the risk of potentially offending friend(s) who may or may not be affiliated with certain airport/plane agency/company(s), here goes....

An informal Ode to midnight air travel... ahem hem.



First I sprinted for the gate
To catch my flight... which was late
At 12am, and you can stake
That I was happy... not irate.
Okay, so maybe I exaggerate

But once on board, I tell the truth
that I was smiling and forsooth,
I soon passed out -- perhaps uncouth
As my head lolled back and forth
Against my pleather booth

I missed out on the snack cart craze
Whilst my iPod played a string of praise
Against the reading lamps set to "Blaze"
I focused solely on the sways
of gentle turbulence... and prayed

Soon the sunrise came -- one lone ray
And BAM! Jarred awake by metal sleigh
Oh bliss, touchdown! Oh, JFK...
Another dash, dodge, sprint to Gate Far Away,
A bleary-eyed stagger to Seat 6A

Now here I am back at my desk
So grateful I can finally rest
Can't hardly wait for Christmas... yes
Another red-eye....
They're the best.

:-)

Is Media Coverage Fair?

Well, of course not.

But here are some interesting thoughts on why. Even members of the news media think that it's probably unfair. At least McCain knows he is a "known quantity" and is not squealing that he's being ignored. His pretty impressive record stands for itself. I imagine if the tables were turned, Obama would be yelling about some vast, right wing conspiracy. At least Hillary can't blame that this time. This time it was a vast, LEFT wing conspiracy, and it left her out in the cold.
Harumph. Politics.



By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer1 hour, 39 minutes ago

Television news' royalty will fly in to meet Barack Obama during this week's overseas trip: CBS chief anchor Katie Couric in Jordan on Tuesday, ABC's Charles Gibson in Israel on Wednesday and NBC's Brian Williams in Germany on Thursday.

The anchor blessing defines the trip as a Major Event and — much like a "Saturday Night Live" skit in February that depicted a press corps fawning over Obama — raises anew the issue of fairness in campaign coverage.

The news media have devoted significantly more attention to the Democrat since Hillary Rodham Clinton suspended her campaign and left a two-person contest for the presidency between Obama and Republican John McCain, according to research conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

News executives say there are reasons for the disparity, such as the continuing story about whether Clinton's and Obama's supporters can reconcile. They even partly blame McCain. By criticizing Obama for a lack of foreign policy experience, McCain raised the stakes for Obama's trip, "especially if he winds up going into two war zones," said Paul Friedman, senior vice president of CBS News.

Obama has traveled to Afghanistan and is expected to go to Iraq. He is also scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England. Network anchors stayed home during McCain's recent foreign excursions.

"The question really needs to be posed: Is this type of coverage fair?" said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. "This is nothing but a political stunt."

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh said none of this should be a surprise.

"My prediction is that the coverage of Obama on this trip will be oriented toward countering the notion he has no idea what he is talking about on foreign policy and defense issues and instead will prop him up as a qualified statesman," Limbaugh told The Associated Press. "McCain, on the other hand, is a known quantity on these issues and his position does not excite nor fit the mainstream media's narrative on Iraq and Afghanistan, so they simply ignore it and him."

Along with newsworthiness, the question of fairness was discussed within ABC News before it was agreed Gibson would travel, said Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News." Also, if one network anchor decides to hit the road for a big event, chances are the others will follow.

"We have already been in discussions with the McCain campaign to try to afford them the same or a similar opportunity," Banner said. "We have gone to great lengths to be fair and provide equal time to both campaigns."

Shortly after Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, Gibson flew to Miami for a McCain interview, he said.

For each of the weeks between June 9 and July 13, Obama had a much more significant media presence. The Project for Excellence in Journalism evaluates more than 300 political stories each week in newspapers, magazines and television to measure whether each candidate is talked about in more than 25 percent of the stories.

Every week, Obama played an important role in more than two-thirds of the stories. For July 7-13, for example, Obama was a significant presence in 77 percent of the stories, while McCain was in 48 percent, the PEJ said.

Sure, there are some weeks Obama's going to make more news, said Tom Rosenstiel, the project's director.

But every week?

"No matter how understandable it is given the newness of the candidate and the historical nature of Obama's candidacy, in the end it's probably not fair to McCain," he said.

The Democrat has proven an attractive commodity; TV debates involving Democrats this campaign consistently drew more viewers than the Republicans. A Time magazine cover with Obama in 2006 was the second-best-selling of the year, and a Men's Vogue cover outsold every issue but the debut, according to circulation figures reported by Portfolio.com. Newsweek has done six covers with Obama over the past year, two with McCain. A Rolling Stone cover with Obama stopped just short of adding a halo.

If the attention gap continues, the campaign will essentially become a referendum on Obama, Rosenstiel said. While that may serve McCain's purpose — it beats a referendum on President Bush — it could leave the nation electing a president while the media are paying attention to someone else. Past press infatuations, like Howard Dean in 2004 and McCain in 2000, didn't turn into long-term affairs.

TV executives noted that Obama has courted attention, particularly for the overseas trip, more so than McCain. There's some danger involved, too. One Obama gaffe while overseas, or the appearance that he's not ready for an international spotlight, and the media's elite will be there to judge him, said Bob Zelnick, Boston University journalism professor.

Friedman cautioned against reading too much into things like PEJ's coverage index, noting that it's a long campaign. Yet it's an open question about whether Obama is simply a more interesting candidate at this point, partly because McCain has been on the scene longer.

While fairness is the goal, "what are we supposed to do, go gin up some story about McCain to get some rough equality of airtime?" he said. "I don't think so."

NBC News President Steve Capus said he finds it funny this is an issue, considering how much people have accused the press corps — and still do — of being too cozy with McCain. The Arizona senator had been a frequent guest of "Meet the Press."

"We're just trying to do our jobs," Capus said. "There's no question that there's great news value in Sen. Obama's trip overseas. That's why we are doing this."

___

Associated Press writer Ann Sanner contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

http://www.journalism.org/news_index

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A good story for a Sunday...

I like this one...


* Take my Son*

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had
everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often
sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son
went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle
while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and
grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.
A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son
gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to
safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He
often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this
package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I
think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was aportrait of his son, painted by the
young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the
personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes
that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and
offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what
your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to
his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them
any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his
paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great
paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his
gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will
bid for this picture?'

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous
paintings. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting. Who
will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see
the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the
son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime
gardener of the man and his son. 'I will give $10 for the painting.' Being
a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

'$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the
collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a
secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that
stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be
auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate,
including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the
auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Paula Update -- doing well!

Paula Mastro update

Posted by: "joe keegan" joeandlaurakeega@earthlink.net lkgnhome

Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:49 pm (PDT)

Hi Friends,
Paula came home from the hospital this afternoon and she's doing well.
Thanks be to God the pain isn't as bad as she anticipated. Paula was
blessed with many wonderful people caring for her at the hospital and she is
in good spirits. But it was a major surgery so your continued prayers are
needed as she heals. She's to rest and do no lifting at all this week...as
a mother of 8 this will be a big adjustment, and perhaps a bit challenging.

The surgery went smoothly and as far as they can tell the lymphnodes look
alright. She will know more on Wednesday when they receive the pathology
report..Please pray that the cancer was not close to the chest wall. If
cancer was close to the chest wall Paula will have to go through seven weeks
of radiation, five days a week. So please continue to life Paula up in
prayer. Pray for her complete healing and for her family as they walk this
journey with her.

And I must add, that I find Paula to be an absolutely amazing woman! After
surgery and all she's going through, I wanted to be there for her to lift
her spirits, yet I found she was the one filling me with hope and joy. She
has such a beautiful soul and it shines through her always, even when she's
suffering. Paula is an tremendous inspiration to me. May God bless her,
heal her and continue to use her as his instrument.

Mother Mary pray for us.

Laura Keegan

Saturday, July 19, 2008

British vs. American ideas on birth

This is a good one! www.greasyjoan.blogspot.com, thanks to the DHM, brings you this interesting study in how much we can deny research if it just doesn't serve our purpose.
I will interject here that I haven't done a home birth. I have done three water births with midwives, my husband, the occasional nurse, and my husband at a certified center. Last time there were two midwives and two midwifery students. Students have to have actively attended 100 births plus numerous classes before they can be certified. Many states currently outlaw midwife births outside of hospitals, because they are "unsafe". I have words for that. They sound like baloney, only more so. Notice the following talks about low risk pregnancies. High risk ones should be in hospitals. But we should have that choice, always!
For the record, we love www.birthcenter.com!!!

12 July 2008

Women and Children First?

The L.A. Times posted an opinion piece from author Jennifer Block. As you are well aware, the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists et al seem to be on the defensive. Perhaps it has to do with celebrities planning homebirths and making films about it.

These folks are all for patient autonomy when it lines their pockets, e.g., inductions of labor and maternal choice cesareans, but when it doesn't, they have a collective conniption. It's kind of fun to watch.

Block says:

Last year I flew to Britain to be with a good friend for the birth of her first child. She's American but married into Britain's National Health Service, lucky duck. The differences in the prenatal care she got there were striking. First and foremost, she never saw a doctor. As a healthy woman with a normal pregnancy, she saw midwives. And one of their first questions to her was, "So, would you like to give birth in the hospital maternity ward or at home?"


All the available evidence suggests that, with some caveats (the midwife is trained, certified in neonatal resusitation, the mother's health falls within normal parameters, and a cooperating hospital is close by) homebirth is a safe, reasonable choice for many women. Ironically, midwives in the countries whose childbearing outcomes are the best are not nurses as well.

Block goes on:

Organized medicine can't believe this. Dismissing the research evidence, the AMA resolution states that "the safest setting for labor, delivery and the immediate postpartum period is in the hospital" or an accredited birth center. In its own statement earlier this year, the American College of Ob/Gyns went even further, implying that women who choose home birth are selfish and irresponsible: "choosing to deliver a baby at home ... is to place the process of giving birth over the goal of having a healthy baby."

Compare that to this information in Britain's NHS-issued handout my friend was given at her first prenatal appointment: "There is no evidence to support the common assertion that home birth is a less safe option for women experiencing uncomplicated pregnancies." In a joint statement last year, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Midwives said, "There is no reason why home birth should not be offered to women at low risk of complications, and it may confer considerable benefits for them and their families."

The AMA's statement calls for legislation that could be used against women who choose home birth, possibly resulting in criminal child-abuse or neglect charges. The group says this is about safety, but with no credible research to back up its claim, this argument falls flat. Women are simply caught in a turf war over the maternity market, and it would appear that the physicians' groups are perfectly willing to trample the modern medical ethic of patient autonomy -- grounded in our legal rights to self-determination, to liberty and to privacy -- in their grab for control.


So often we forget that the AMA/ACOG are *trade organizations*, not nice people in white lab coats making objective, scientific decisions based on all the evidence for the benefit of women and children. They are doing what they are supposed to do for their members, that is, protect their market share and find ways to get more.

They can do that in several ways. Creating a demand for their service, check. Keeping out competitors, check. Legislating that all potential customers use services of their members, working on that one.

It's lack of respect for maternal autonomy and restraint of trade, purely and simply. Posted by greasy joan at 7/12/2008 |

Friday, July 18, 2008

Krauthammer on Obama

Wow. I didn't know he was quite this pompous. Really? Wow. I don't think I have words for how little I respect this man. But you'll see some pretty interesting examples below. I really like Charles Krauthammer.

Obama Hasn't Earned A Place At Berlin Gate

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER | Posted Thursday, July 17, 2008 4:30 PM PT

Barack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The supporting cast — a cheering audience and a few fainting frauleins — would be a picturesque way to bolster his foreign policy credentials.

What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn.

President Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation.

When President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

Who is Obama representing? And what exactly has he done in his lifetime to merit appropriating the Brandenburg Gate as a campaign prop?

What was his role in the fight against communism, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the creation of what George Bush 41 — who presided over the fall of the Berlin Wall but modestly declined to go there for a victory lap — called "a Europe whole and free"?

Does Obama not see the incongruity? It's as if a German pol took a campaign trip to America and demanded the Statue of Liberty as a venue for a campaign speech. (The Germans have now gently nudged Obama into looking at other venues.)

Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?

Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted "present" nearly 130 times.

As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.

It is a subject upon which he can dilate effortlessly. In his victory speech upon winning the nomination, Obama declared it a great turning point in history — "generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment" — when, among other wonders, "the rise of the oceans began to slow."

As economist Irwin Stelzer noted in his London Daily Telegraph column, "Moses made the waters recede, but he had help." Obama apparently works alone.

Obama may think he's King Canute, but the good king ordered the tides to halt precisely to refute sycophantic aides who suggested that he had such power. Obama has no such modesty.

After all, in the words of his own slogan, "we are the ones we've been waiting for," which, translating the royal "we," means: "I am the one we've been waiting for."

Amazingly, he had a quasi-presidential seal with its own Latin inscription affixed to his podium, until general ridicule — it was pointed out that he was not yet president — induced him to take it down.

He lectures us that instead of worrying about immigrants learning English, "you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish" — a language Obama does not speak. He further admonishes us on how "embarrassing" it is that Europeans are multilingual but "we go over to Europe, and all we can say is 'merci beaucoup.' " Obama speaks no French.

His fluent English does, however, feature many such admonitions, instructions and improvements. His wife assures us that President Obama will be a stern taskmaster: "Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism . . . that you come out of your isolation. . . . Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."

For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is? We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more.

As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when "our planet began to heal." As I recall — I'm no expert on this — Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas.

© 2008 Washington Post Writers Group

Northwest Adoption Exchange

Every once in a while, I just have to look. It's a compulsion. I can't actually do anything to help, because my house is full, and because I'm quite sure I'm already having days where I can stare the end of my rope right in the teeth. I need not push myself into the funny farm!

But if you know people who want kids, and want them now, here's a great place to get them. It covers several states. NWAE lists kids who need to be adopted, but they all have some level of special needs. Some are not too bad, some are severe. Here's a group that captured my eye, but I know I'd need serious help to parent this bunch...

Go to www.nwae.org.

Child's name: Marcus, Johnathan, Mercedes, Christopher and Camron
Number: C7042-46
Birthdate: 7/98, 12/01, 12/02, 5/04 and 1/06
State: Oregon
Listed: June 2008

If you have completed an adoption homestudy and would like to have your information forwarded to this child's worker, contact us.

MARCUS (7/98), JOHNATHAN (12/01), MERCEDES (12/02), CHRISTOPHER (5/04), and CAMRON (01/06) are looking for a caring, nurturing adoptive family where they can grow up together. The children, who are legally free, came into care in February 2006. With their structured, nurturing foster family and other therapeutic supports, the children are making significant strides. Yet, they all have a long ways to go in the healing process.

PLEASE NOTE: These children need highly skilled adult(s) with a very good grasp of how neglect and abuse can impact a child’s sense of self worth and overall development. Emotional strength, patience, understanding, and commitment will be needed in abundant amounts as the children will need time to learn to trust their new folk(s) and to from attachments. In addition to parenting, the adoptive family will be able to advocate for the children’s educational and therapeutic needs and social development.

A happy nine-year-old, Marcus is affectionate and usually very enjoyable to be around. While he likes to be considered one of the “older” kids and enjoys helping, he sometimes needs to be reminded that he’s a kid and not a parent. Marcus benefited this past year from having academic supports in school to help him manage his symptoms of attention difficulties and high energy. Also, he has support from his foster parents and therapist in learning to manage his feelings of anger instead of acting them out and developing some self-soothing techniques.

Johnathan is a very affectionate six-year-old who hungers for attention. This past school year, despite his attention difficulties and high energy, he made great strides academically and behaviorally with the support of an individual education plan. Johnathan can be game for trying new things, such as different kinds of seafood. He also likes to assist with chores, especially when it involves feeding the family dogs. Because neither Johnathan nor Marcus were taught to be responsible for their behavior and choices, nor really ever disciplined or told “no” in their birth family, they are struggling with these issues in foster care. Jonathan is also struggling with fears about what is going to happen to him and to his siblings.

Mercedes, a sweet five-year-old girl, has made significant strides since coming into foster care. With consistency, nurturing and on-going therapy, she should continue to make good progress. Mercedes has lots of interests and a favorite pastime in reading with her caretaker. While she enjoys independent play, she also enjoys some of the activities that engage her younger brothers. She has fun playing with toy cars and trucks and with her dolls. She also loves to be cuddled, especially while watching cartoons. Mercedes, who has multiple special issues, needs help in lessening behavioral and emotional symptoms of past trauma, attention difficulties, high energy, Pica, and attachment issues. She also needs a safety plan in place at home with very attentive parental supervision because of her lack of good boundaries and her sometimes aggressiveness. For the 2008-2009 school year, she will have an individual education plan to assist her with comprehension and retention of information when she begins kindergarten.

A happy-go-lucky three-year-old, Christopher loves having stories read to him. He enjoys playing with his toy airplanes, pretending to be a pirate, and watching TV – even the news! He loves being outdoors and is currently learning to ride a bike. As yet, Christopher has not learned the benefits of sharing his toys, and he can be difficult to redirect when he doesn’t want to do something.

Camron is a sweet two-year-old boy. He loves to eat, have stories read to him and create with PlayDoh. He enjoys time outdoors with his caretakers. He also likes to play outside and “help” with the yard work, especially pulling weeds. Camron has severe asthma and must be in a smoke free home and kept away from certain pets. Unlike Johnathan who enjoys all kinds of foods, Camron is a picky eater.

A family willing to invest these things in the children will be rewarded with a lifetime of fun memories and lots of love.



S
ubsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

Return to Oregon's Waiting Children index or see next child in Oregon index.

View another state index: Alaska, Idaho, Washington.

Copyright © 2008 Northwest Resource Associates. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

And then I got JunkMale

Huh. I looked up JunkMale's blog, since he had a comment about that last post, and he had something really cool. If you are reading and are not yet aware, I'm white and my husband is Filipino. Specifically, I'm Irish, English, Scottish, and most importantly, I'm half Finnish. Let's just say that my sensibilities are opposite of my husband's, and it's led to some pretty strange fights, sometimes. Not way out there, just odd topics. We may both speak English, but sometimes our lack of shared language goes way beyond male vs. female, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" kinds of stuff.

At the following link, you will find a four part series of what it is like for a high status Korean college student in the US to fall in love with the all-American white girl, and what his parents have to say about such things. I have to give my Filipino in-laws some credit, the wedding and preparations weren't too bad, even though we were young. But afterwards? That's a whole 'nother story I'm not prepared to blog just yet. Someone might be looking.

Enjoy!

http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2006/11/our-turbulent-engagement-part-1.html

Education and Obama

Wow. It doesn't matter where you came from or who your parents are? Just throw your past away and let a stranger determine how you will go?
Really?

Um. I think I'll just sit here and yelp too.

This is from www.heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com.

I'm sure it was meant under the best of terms. Flattery will get you everywhere with the NEA. Hooray, I don't have carry a membership anymore... I proudly carry an HSLDA card, now.

Enjoy, or yelp, as you please:

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Yelp

That's pretty much what I did when I read this quote from Barack Obama in an address to the American Federation of Teachers:

Real change is finally giving our kids everything they need to have a fighting chance in today’s world. That begins with recognizing that the single most important factor in determining a child’s achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from; it’s not who their parents are or how much money they have. It’s who their teacher is. It’s the paraprofessionals and support staff and all of you in this room.


Read here for more from Junk Male, who is able to be much more coherent than I at this point- I'm still in the yelping stage.

(No, I doubt very much Obama meant it. He pretty much says whatever flattering words he things will down easy to the audience at the time. But still. YELP!)

Prayers for Paula answered.... Praise God!

Yay Paula! Prayers for successful surgery, details below:

Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:57 pm (PDT)

Dear St. Thomas More families,

Praise be Jesus. Your prayers have been working and your comforting
words have warmed my heart. I can see the Lord working in every area
of my life. I found out last Monday I had breast cancer, tuesday I
was in for a biopsy, wednesday was the news that it was cancer in my
right breast with almost half being filled but that I caught it
miraculously early because most woman with that much cancer it could
have been more invasive. The docter said he see's over 300 woman a
year and I'm 1 of the 300 that it was contained. I said "Its God".
This type of cancer was caused by estrogen and is very curable. I am
having surgery this friday to have my right breast removed along with
some lymphnodes to make sure all is ok. I will pray that the cancer
was not to close to my chest wall. If so radiation and other means
may be needed to take this away. Your continous prayers are
appreciated and working to keep the mood in our house on a more
upbeat level.

Yesterday I came home with Chris after meeting with the surgen to a
house filled with college students many of you would know them. Some
attending the UW others working hard at there jobs. These kids I've
known some since 14 now in their 20's. And I can tell you. You have
raised amazing kids. My yard looks lovely and I'm excited for the
grass to grow so we can enjoy summer picnics and bbq's outside and
even a formal dining room that was a school room is now a beautiful
eating area for family to enjoy being together for meals as it was
painted and re organized. Thank you again to all those kids if you
are reading my email.

To sum everything up, don't take a day for granted, kiss your kids,
hug your husband and truely take the moment to say "i'm listening".
Call upon the Blessed Mother for she has been in every situation we
as mothers have been in. We were chosen to be mothers from the day we
were born. Calling on her and relying on her son most gracious love
is what we are called to do. We are servants but servants that smile.
I've learned that through these working breasts :) from nursing
babies or giving hugs or a place for my husbands or childrens head to
rest. Their not coming for a pillow, its not about the flesh. Their
coming to a mother's love. And this can and always will be said
through our hands, eyes, ears, words etc. Continue to be praise
worthy mothers, take your moments to scream in the bathroom or cry
behind closed doors but continue to trust and see the joy and laugh.
You all are wonderful moms and it shows through your kids.

Sincerely in Christs love,

Paula Mastro

Ps. I will update Sherri Mack as to my condition and assistance with
the meals that have been offered to our family. Her number is (425)
337-0332. Thank you again.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

We're watching a four part series of preaching by Fr. John Corapi. Look him up on wikipedia. We heard him speak at the Marian conference in Spokane in 1998. Strangely enough, our good friend Tammy was there, too, and now we are godparents to her two adopted kids. How cool is that?

Anyway, here are some quotes from him which were listed on the wikipedia website. I couldn't post just one!

  • "In the end, you and I will be in Heaven or Hell, forever. Period!"
  • "I'm not going to hell for anybody!"
  • "Let me tell you how NOT to have vocations: 1) disobey the Church. 2) Do not accept the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church. 3) Bad mouth the Pope and send them to lousy seminaries. You will have NO vocations! Kiss 'em goodbye! It is absolutely fatal to play fast and loose with faith and morals. Things are getting better but we've gone through a very dry period in the Church. I can give you example after example of religious congregations and dioceses that are doing just great with vocations. Why? Because they're faithful. Period. Because they're faithful. They don't play games with the Doctrine of the Faith. They don't try to promote in seminarians a kind of attitude of liberal dissent. That is the kiss of death and I can prove it time and time and time again that wherever that is done, there are no vocations. And there won't be. There won't be. Where things are done properly, there are vocations. It's not hard. It's not rocket science."
  • "Tolerating homosexuality brought down Greece, it brought down Rome and mark my words, it will bring down the United States." (In relation to the US Supreme Court decision in Lawrence vs. Texas which decriminalized homosexual sex.)
  • "Sometimes people will say 'Well I've outgrown my faith.' I've met eight zillion people who have said 'Yeah I used to be Catholic...' Well what are you now? And they may be Buddhist, or who knows what other nonsense? And they sometimes say 'Well I outgrew my Catholic faith, I became more sophisticated, I became more educated.' There's something I have found. Now I have some education. I have earned five university degrees, most of them with highest honors. I'm not bragging, I'm just saying that to let you know that I respect education. I have a high regard for education. But in my many years around the education establishment, I was given a great revelation by God, and the revelation is: a lot of people done been educated into imbecility."
  • "I’m not doing my job if I’m not telling you the truth. When I say something risks your immortal soul spending eternity in hell, you can believe it. So believe this…the act of masturbation can cause you to spend eternity in hell. Just masturbation and just once…it’s a mortal sin, a sin against chastity".
  • "The Holy Spirit is a divine artist; we're like a lump of clay. We've heard that analogy that we're clay. We carry this treasure within us in earthen vessels. We know an artist, a sculptor can work in clay. Clay is soft. Clay is malleable. Clay can be easily formed. The Holy Spirit is a divine artist. Are you clay? Or are you marble? Artists can work with marble too. Marble's very cold and hard though. How does an artist work with marble? He chips away at it. You've been wondering why God's been chipping away at you? It's painful to lose pieces of yourself isn't it? Gotta do it. There are things in us that have to go. You can't be egocentric, you've got to be Christocentric. You can't be self-centered and hope to be sanctified. You've got to be centered on Christ. It's a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit forms Jesus within us. No cross? No crown. No pain? No gain. No way around it--if there was a shortcut, I'd know it and I'd tell ya."
  • "People say to me, 'If Christ doesn't appeal to me, why can't I just try to sincerely follow some other faith?’ To that I say, ‘Give Christ a second try, the devil will always be there, waiting for you to reject the truth’. Now...I know that’s kind of politically incorrect these days. But that’s what the Bible says, you read it for yourself, you don’t have to take my word for it. I’m sorry, I didn’t write it but I can read well enough to know what it says. Of course, the Bible wasn’t written just for today, it was written for yesterday, today and tomorrow, until the end of time. Perhaps would should concentrate on making today conform to the Bible, rather than complain that it doesn’t fit with our happy vision of how things should be.”
  • "More than once I’ve had discussions with persons who say, things, based on a misunderstanding. […] ‘Oh you Catholics worship images.’ No we don’t, ‘yes you do,’ no we don’t, ‘yes you do,’ no we don’t! The final retort to that is… I have a doctorate, in Catholic theology that I have earned the hard way; by sitting in university classrooms for twelve years. I know what we believe! You get a doctorate in Catholic theology? What do you know about it? Nothing! You don’t know anything about it. You're saying things that are born of misunderstanding or ignorance."
  • "Ah, California, the land of fruits and nuts. Well, let me tell you, when I lived there I met plenty of both!"
  • "There are people who say, ‘oh every time Catholics make the sign of the cross they re-crucify Christ.’ Look, that’s what comes under the theological classification of happy horse manure! Got it, that’s what that is. That’s bologna, absolute bologna! They don’t know anything about our religion, and I don’t purport to know anything about theirs. I respect theirs, respect ours. When we make the sign of the cross we are simply making a statement of faith. I believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and I believe in the sign of the cross, because that is the sign of our salvation!"

McCain's proudest pro-life moment

I'm glad someone noticed this...

Living the Pro-Life Message: John McCain's Adoption Makes His Views Real

by Laura Echevarria
July 7
, 2008

LifeNews.com Note: Laura Echevarria is a LifeNews.com opinion columnist. She is the former Director of Media Relations and a spokesperson for the National Right to Life Committee and has been a radio announcer, freelance writer active in local politics.

I learned something new about John McCain this week.

I knew that he and his wife had an adopted daughter and that Cindy McCain had brought her home as an infant after visiting Mother Teresa in India.

What I did not know was that when they brought their little girl back to care for her and save her life, they brought back another little girl as well. She was adopted by one of McCain's aides. The story in the Jerusalem Post reads:

Also little-known is the story of McCain's youngest child. As a result of a 1991 Cindy McCain visit to Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh, the McCains adopted an infant daughter dying from a host of health issues.

The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save the little girl's life, so the McCains, already the parents of six children, brought the child home to America, and paid for desperately needed surgeries and years of rehabilitation.

That child is their teenage daughter Bridget. In fact, there was a second infant girl brought back from the orphanage that the McCains saved. She ended up being adopted by one of McCain's aides, Wes Gullett, and his wife. "We were called at midnight by Cindy," Gullett has stated, and "five days later we met our new daughter Nicki at the LA airport."

This fall, Nicki will be a high school junior. Even after years of expensive medical treatment for the child, Gullett says, "I never saw a hospital bill" for her care. It is an extraordinary man who commits himself to such generous and heroic acts; it is an extraordinary politician who won't utter a word about such acts for political aggrandizement.

We in the pro-life movement want to see our politicians really mean it when they say they are pro-life. How many candidates would adopt a severely ill child, bring home another very ill child, pay for the care of both and not blow their own horn about it? I can think of very few.

The pro-life movement has butted heads with John McCain in a number of areas such as embryonic stem cell research and campaign finance reform but John McCain has a very long record that consistently attests to his pro-life credentials. I believe that he will appoint justices in the mold of Roberts, Thomas, Scalia and Alito. I believe that he will continue to promote pro-life policies firmly established under Presidents Reagan and Bush (41) and continued under our current president. I believe that John McCain will do what we in the pro-life movement hope to do: advance the pro-life cause.

I also firmly believe that John McCain will pick a running mate who will work with him on these issues and fit comfortably with the pro-life movement.

Some pro-lifers will choose to sit out this race and not vote, but if they do, their non-vote will allow Barack Obama a greater chance of taking office.

Obama clearly is even more pro-abortion than Bill Clinton which, I'm sure, most of us didn't think was possible. When he was in the state legislature, Barack Obama voted against the Illinois version of the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act and spoke out against it. Contrast this with John and Cindy McCain who were willing to bring home two severely ill infants, adopt one and pay for the care of both.

John McCain won't blow his own horn, but I will. What more can the pro-life movement need for proof than to find a candidate who puts his words into action and doesn't use those actions for political gain?