Saturday, September 7

Not too chipper around here this evening - Gators lost and the Vols didn't look so great against mighty MTSU. Oh well...tomorrow's another day and another round of games.

As for me, the only concrete thing I accomplished today was making a skirt for Katie. Looks pretty good, except the waistband is a little squirrely - but she'll wear her tops so that little mistake will be covered.

For family and friends interested in Joseph: He's 17 months old now, and his vocabulary is just exploding. Let's see where he stands: Mama, Dad-dy, baby, ball (his favorite), tee-vee (yes - refers either to the box or the remote), walk, dog, kee-ey (kitty), key, cup, bye-bye, hi, ni-night, mine, wow, horsie (pronounced..heur-she - or something like that), Da-da (David), Kah-dee (Katie), nah (no) and wa-wer (water - that was today's addition).

He is, it should go without saying, into everything. Except, it goes without saying, his toys. Except for those dang balls - his Bob the Builder ball, his smiley face ball, his Tampa Bay Bucs ball, his Pro Football Hall of Fame ball, and whatever tennis balls he can dig out from the closet, all of which he flings at whomever is near, saying "Catchid!". He's a riot. Except at 2am, a time which I still,unfortunately, see him with great frequency.

Today (9/7) was the 75th anniversary of the first television transmission by Philo T. Farnsworth, who was for a time a resident of Fort Wayne.
Well, happy First Amendment to you, too, buddy...

Man cuts down tree some observers said bore image of Virgin

The man who took a chain saw to a tree in which some people saw the likeness of the Virgin Mary made no bones Friday about identifying himself and announcing he did it.
But the Fresno County Sheriff's Department didn't charge Bill Gaede, who cut down the tree Thursday morning and allegedly screamed, "You Catholics! There's your virgin," because they have no victim. And with no victim, they have no crime, they said.Detectives on Friday asked a circle of people praying around the felled trunk if someone would press hate-crime charges. All said no.


Priests fight for due process

Some priests of the Worcester diocese are circulating among themselves a letter that will go to the Vatican opposing the American bishops' new national sexual abuse policy and asking that accused priests be given due process under canon law.They contend the new policy actually puts more children at risk of pedophile-priests who are ousted from the priesthood. One priest who spoke under condition that his name not be used said priests feel “like we have no one to go to right now.” It is a difficult time for priests of this diocese and accusations of sexual misconduct continue to pile up. His view is, “The hierarchy just doesn't get it.”

Catholics fight pornography in their town

A large picture of Jesus Christ hangs over the purple and green Adult XXX store on U.S. 64, with the words "Jesus is watching you," emblazoned across the bottom of the billboard. The sign is a project of area Catholics to try to combat pornography in San Juan County.Charlie Harper, a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, spearheaded the campaign with his pastor, the Rev. Tim Farrell."I wanted something to be done to let people know that we as Catholics are opposed to pornography," Harper said.
Farrell asked his parish to fund the project telling members that pornography has no place in this community. Members of Sacred Heart Parish raised $3,000 in a Sept. 1 special collection to fund the billboard.


Happy 20th birthday to my son, Christopher!
Archdiocese doing nothing to reinstate falsely acccused priest

A sex abuse case against Monsignor Michael Smith Foster has crumbled, but the Boston Archdiocese hasn't come to his rescue despite promises to help restore the reputations of falsely accused priests. The inaction has been discouraging to clerics who hoped the archdiocese would respond quickly to the Foster case and the rare good news it offered priests, said the Rev. Paul Kilroy, a leader in The Boston Priests Forum. "It says there's confusion," he said. "Morale sinks a little lower."

A very positive look at the LA Cathedral:

Far more than simply a solemn house of worship, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels may be the most significant building to open in the United States this year. Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo defied or ignored almost every contemporary design trend embraced by his peers. Instead, the cathedral shares a trait with great churches of the past: mystery. The hint of worlds just beyond reach, discoveries just beyond sight