Excuse Me Media, But there are Still 4 Republicans In the Race. . . .

not just Romney & McCain. I know the media doesn't like Republican candidates that look like they really are Republican, but Huckabee & Ron Paul are still in the race. & Huckabee isn't trailing as bad as they make him out to be. The thing is, the MCCain is the MSM darling. & that scares me. While he has a few positives, he is at the bottom of my list.

I still don't understand why the Republican Party is trying to marginalize Ron Paul. He is the truest Republican there is. & 1 of the 2 with a solid Pro-Life record (Huckabee is the other).

Take a look at this video. It shows that those looking for someone who is in tune with the same ideas that Reagan had can find him in Ron Paul.

Anyhow, much of the media, including Fox, is counting Ron Paul & Huckabee out. This does seem to make sense for Ron Paul, he hasn't taken off, YET. & the media has been wrong in the past, so Ron Paul may have a surprize or 2 left. Also, I do not understand the negative reaction of Rush Limbaugh to these 2 either. McCain yes, Huckabee & Paul, NO!

The results in Florida yesterday have done in Edwards, why? The vote was a beaty contest. It means nothing. Yes, it is turning into a race between Obama & Shrillary Hillary. But by pulling out now, he is left with a handful of delegates, that may give him some power later, but if he'd stayed a bit longer, he'd have had more delegates & more power at the convention to get a few things his way.

As for Rudy, Florida was his well deserved swan song. He was never a seriour Republican candidate in my mind, esp because the only real Republican stand he had were taxes & defense. But the biggie, Pro-Life, not. His endorsement of McCain, adds to my concerns about McCain & my discomfort if he does get the nomination.

McCain is ahead for now in the delegate race. But Super Tuesday may hold a few surprizes. & I doubt if either party's winner will be anywhere near settled. (Stay tuned to see how right or wrong I am.)

Listening to Rush today, he did give me some long range hope for good to come out of a McCain or Hillary win in Nov. He pointed out how it took Carter to pave the way for Reagan "So it may well be that a President McCain or a President Hillary is what it takes to forge a conservative candidate who, as I was saying to the previous caller, incorporates all three legs of our stool." (Those legs Rush refers to are the economic, the fiscal; & the social conservatives.)

It may work out in the long run. But in the short run, it means a longer battle to end abortion & 4 years of 3500 children a day being murdered by abortion. That is more than I care to stomach. 511,000+ more children will have to die. At least. 1 is too many, that is infamia. It makes me wonder how much longer we can go on allowing these murders before God says: "BASTA!" & we will have to answer for our crimes, our sins. So, do we have a long run that we can rely on? I hope so, but suspect not.

"*Sigh* Okay, I'm gonna make this real simple..."

Any questions, doubts, etc. about what Jesus really thinks about abortion? I could tell you the answer, but. . . . .

Let's hear it from His Own Mouth:

HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTING THIS!?

H/T Catholic Caveman

Do Clones Have Souls?

Yes, according to Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D, Director of of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. His logic makes perfect sense.

Soulless Clones and Spineless Men

People are intrigued and repulsed by the idea of cloning humans. They sometimes express doubts that a cloned baby would have a soul, because the whole idea seems so offensive. They suppose that God would “refuse to cooperate” with cloning by never infusing a soul into a cloned human embryo.

Yet back in 1978 when the first human baby was created in a Petri dish by in vitro fertilization, one might likewise have argued that such an immoral action would result in God’s not infusing a soul into any baby that was manufactured in laboratory glassware. We currently have more than one million babies produced this way, all of whom do have souls infused by God.

Likewise even though we readily see how dropping nuclear bombs on cities of innocent people would be gravely offensive, we know that God does not “refuse to cooperate” by suddenly suspending the laws of physics that permit such bombs to detonate. Clearly, God chooses to respect the laws of physics he has established, and likewise he remains beholden to the powers of biology that he himself has set in motion, even if it is true that those same powers can be used for offensive ends by man.

Apart from purely miraculous interventions, which appear to be quite rare, God does not step in and break the humanly-initiated chain of causality which allows sinful actions and evil choices to play out with all their consequences. He invites us to make moral and upright choices ourselves, so that evil in our world might not spread further, but he doesn’t actively prevent us from doing evil by abrogating physical laws or refusing to ensoul embryos.

Human cloning, in the final analysis, is simply a technique for making an identical twin of someone, and while all of us have met various sets of identical twins over the years, none of us has ever met a pair where one of the twins lacked a soul. By similar reasoning, it is clear that the idea of a “soulless clone” is little more than an urban legend. Yet the mere discussion of a “soulless clone” serves to remind us how strikingly immoral human cloning really is, even as the mass media and various lawmakers vigorously promote a form of cloning known as therapeutic cloning.

The procedure for cloning is fairly simple in concept — it involves taking a nucleus (the “full genetic package”) from a body cell, like a skin cell, and transferring it inside a woman’s egg, after the egg’s own nucleus (the “half genetic package”) has been taken out. The presence of the “full genetic package” creates a new human embryo. That newly cloned embryo can either be killed in the laboratory for research, or allowed to live and grow by implanting it into a uterus, resulting in the birth of a cloned baby. That baby would be an identical twin of the person who donated the skin cell, in the same way that Dolly the sheep was the identical twin of her mother who donated the mammary cell used to start the process off. Grave ethical violations are always involved in both forms of cloning: “reproductive cloning” and so-called “therapeutic cloning.”

Imagine, for purposes of illustration, that the skin cell used for cloning was donated by Senator Ted Kennedy. The resulting cloned embryo would be the identical twin of the skin cell donor, so Senator Kennedy would have an identical twin brother who was an embryo. Two uses for that embryo could be proposed:
1) “Reproductive cloning” – the cloned embryo could be implanted into a woman’s uterus to make a live-born, cloned child (Senator Kennedy’s younger identical twin who would be his gurgling baby brother).
2) “Therapeutic cloning” – the cloned embryonic brother of the senator would NOT be implanted, but rather, he would be violated as an embryo, at the hands of researchers who would harvest his stem cells (for various noble purposes, like getting genetically matched cells to treat the senator for serious ailments as the senator gets older and more frail). This approach is sometimes termed “clone and kill.”

Taking advantage of others to use them as our own “repair kits,” while convenient for those experiencing bodily decline, is also intrinsically immoral. Senator Kennedy himself, like many other elected officials in our country, has promoted laws to encourage this form of research cloning.

“The advantage of therapeutic cloning,” Kennedy told the Boston Globe, “is, one, you can get the exact genetic match, and you eliminate the real possibilities of rejection, which is going to be key in this whole area of research.” “Banning it or prohibiting it, making it illegal, would be a major mistake. It's a big opportunity,” he added. “This is the time, and now is the moment, and Massachusetts is the place.”

The Senator is certainly correct about the benefits of an exact genetic match, because by having the same genes, a pair of identical twins can use each other’s organs for transplants, and they will accept those transplants without the need for any immunosuppressive drugs. But the deeper truth is that in therapeutic cloning, the cloned twin is not even given a chance at life, but he or she is expressly created for premeditated killing at the hands of researchers in order to benefit his or her older genetic match.

This sinister research represents a direct form of human exploitation, where the powerful and the wealthy violate the young and powerless. In fact, a patient who used therapeutic cloning would be destroying a family member, a blood relative, their own identical twin brother or sister, to obtain desired cells and tissues. When you clone to make a live born baby, on the other hand, as wrong as this still is, at least the cloned twin survives, breathes the same air, and has the chance to enjoy the good life that the rest of us enjoy each day.

The real paradox, then, is how our moral sensitivities have become so coarsened that many can no longer see how therapeutic cloning is actually worse, from the moral point of view, than reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning doesn’t produce soulless clones, but it does tempt some spineless politicians and scientists to radically misuse the remarkable powers of science that God has given us.

As an aside, 1 Senator Ted Kennedy is scary enough. More than 1 is unthinkable! Seriously, the Catholic Church has to many CINOs (Catholics in Name Only) as it is without multiple copies of them running arround. This article just showed how morally deficient he is. & how far from its moral roots this country has drifted when they continually elect people like him.

I remember the reboot of Superman by DC Comics in the late 1980s. The destruction of Krypton came about as the result of their creating clones for the very theraputic purposes we are proposing today here on Earth. It clearly caught the evil that cloning is. OK, I know that Superman is fiction. But so was 1984 & a lot of what was predicted there seems to be coming true today with PC Speak etc. So, I think the concerns expressed in the reboot are valid. & it isn't surprizing that in the latest reboot Time-Warner has made sure that the whole cloning story has disappeared. We can't have the youth of today questioning the MSM's headlong plunge into promoting pure evil questioned by the people who buy their products, can we? They want us to blindly accept their anti-life lies instead.*

If he were alive today Josef Mengele would be a hero. , cheered on by the MSM for his efforts. But then, to Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood & another MSM pet, he probably was a hero.

Fr. Pacholczyk, might I suggest a change in the title of the article: Clones Have Souls, Men Who Have Sold Theirs to Satan!

________________________

*Another prime example of this anti-life bias that I mentioned above can be found in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. Look up the meaning of Pro-Life in the online dictionary & you get a 1 word definition, "antiabortion". Nothing about respecting life, etc. I discovered this while using a hard copy from 1994 & came across the word while looking up another word. There it defined pro-life as "opposing the right to obtain a legal abortion."

But, it also undercuts the arguement by people who say I'm not pro-abortion, just pro-choice. The 1994 hard copy definition defines pro-choice as "advocating the right to obtain a legal abortion". Sounds pro-abortion to me. & the online dictionary has the same definition for both, "favoring the legalization of abortion". pro-choice is pro-abortion. I won't even go into what you get when you click on the learn more about at Encyclopedia Britannica link other than to say that you find plenty for pro-choice, zip for pro-life.

Bond Girls: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

There are several things you can depend on as a new Bond movie is about to come out. 1 of those things has to do with the latest Bond Girl(s) & how they stack up (no pun intended, there is no way to say this without a double meaning) to their predecessors. & with the announcement of Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko as the latest in Quantum of Solace, the debate on who are the best & worst begins anew. To a certain extent the lists are subjective. But some actresses who would have been perfect as a different Bond Girl were poorly cast for the role they got stuck with. & there was 1 Bond Girl (Woman) who was perfectly cast, even though this role was anything but glamourous, she had the chops like no other. (& yes, she made this list that I am looking at in this post. See if you can guess who. If not I'll tell you later.)

Some of the names were taken from the books, others were created for the movies. The book based names usually worked, but the originals were either hits or pale attempts to capture the Fleming talent for names with double entendre.

WHAT GETS ME IS THEY ACTUALLY PAY PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH THESE LISTS!!!!!

& in the case of Entertainment Weekly, the person they selected to have the honor was staff editor Joshua Rich. He got the priveledge of a photo gallery article, James Bond Babes: Best and Worst, where he chose his top & bottom 10.

The Top 10 1st:

10. MELINA HAVELOCK (Carole Bouquet) For Your Eyes Only (1981)
As the quintessential Bond girl-with-a-vengeance, she never smiles or says much as she gets even for the murder of her parents with a little crossbow and a helluva lot of determination. Still, with legs like those (among the most iconic images in all of 007-dom), who needs a personality?

9. TIFFANY CASE (Jill St. John) Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
She was devious and devilish, but that only made Bond — and, well, men everywhere — want her more. (Her terrifically corny-comely moniker didn't hurt, either.) But beyond all that, seeing this voluptuous lady running around a burning oil rig in a technicolor bikini was all it took to make Sean Connery's dreariest outing as 007 eminently watchable.

8. ROSA KLEBB (Lotte Lenya) From Russia With Love (1963)
Unsexy, you say? Not a real Bond girl? We beg to differ. Dr. Freud would have had a field day with this Russian agent's manic obsession with, er, sticking her knife (fabulously concealed in a tight leather shoe) into our hero. The first dominatrix Bond girl (and, amazingly, not the last), she never doffed her duds, but she was as memorable as they get.

7. WAI LIN (Michelle Yeoh) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
She wasn't the first woman of color to match wits with 007 (although, woefully, there haven't been many). But in 1997 she became the first one you could take seriously. Hong Kong action veteran Yeoh's skilled and savvy Chinese agent was the first babe that could be called superhot on a truly global scale.

6. XENIA ONATOPP (Famke Janssen) GoldenEye (1995)
Those eyes! Those thighs! And with a name like that, guys knew they were going to get what they'd secretly longed for: a woman who really does use sex as a weapon — and can't get enough of it. Onatopp (stop snickering!) is said to be the first Bond girl seen having an orgasm, and she returned 007's leading ladies to smooth sailing after years in the doldrums.

5. ANYA AMASOVA (Barbara Bach) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Bach may have been an American girl, but in the mid-1970s no more exotic a woman appeared on screen than her KGB spook (codename, ahem, Agent XXX). Equally at home fighting in the Sahara as rolling in the sheets, she was the Bond-girl response to women's liberation, in every respect 007's first modern equal.

4. VESPER LYND (Eva Green) Casino Royale (2006)
In 2006's re-energizing of the series, she fit the bill perfectly, embodying all the traits that characterize 007's most memorable minxes — the smarts of Pussy Galore, the drive of Melina Havelock, the sobriety of Anya Amasova, and the, ahem, jewels of Tiffany Case. An instant classic.

3. TRACY DI VICENZO (Diana Rigg) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
As it happened, Rigg replaced fellow Bond girl Honor Blackman on TV's The Avengers, where her Emma Peel became renowned as the toughest of dames. Opposite one-time 007 George Lazenby, however, she gave the series' most heartfelt and least comic performance as a lovelorn Mafia heiress, the only woman you could imagine the superspy settling down with.

2. PUSSY GALORE (Honor Blackman) Goldfinger (1964)
Really, her name alone would have been enough to rank her among Bond's best loves. But Brit Blackman rounded off Pussy's cardboard edges, introducing fans to the series' first real woman — a gorgeous dame who can fly a plane and kick butt (check out her rumble in the hay with 007) as well as coo and woo.

1. HONEY RYDER (Ursula Andress) Dr. No (1962)
The first truly was the best. The Swiss native's voice may have been completely dubbed over in postproduction, but, well, the goods were all hers. Her sultry walk out of the waves set the tone for every sexy-strong Bond girl who followed and led a generation of men to dream about lying down ''underneath the mango tree.''

For the most part I agree with this list. It's big weakness, it limited itself to the Eon/Danjaq films. If we stick to those films, the only 1 I wouldn't have put on this list was Wai Lin. She did a great job. But not quite top tier. She'd be in the running for the top 20 though. Instead I would have put MayDay (Grace Jones) from A View to a Kill on the list. She was over the top enough without being unreal. MayDay was someone I would like to meet. Grace Jones character was paired with Christopher Walken's, 1 of the better villians. She was 1 of the few actresses who could star with him & not be overwhelmed. Grace Jones was able to definitely hold her own. (In some movies, Walken needed an actress he could overwhelm because of the story, not here.) It was their 2 characters & how they played off each other that made this movie better than it would have. In AVTAK there were 2 weaknesses in it that made it a good, not as great Bond movie as it should have been. 1 weakness was Roger Moore was WAY too old. The other will come up in to bottom 10.

1 that I was very pleasently pleased to see on the list was Tracy DiVincenzo. Too many people hate the character because she married Bond. Most of those are people who have never read the Fleming novel. OHMSS played very closely to the book. & Diana Rigg did a great job of catching the weaknesses, brokeness, hurts, & strengths that made up Tracy. Another thing that people held against the movie was George Lazenby. While there was room for improvement (it was 1 of his 1st major acting jobs.) he did a better job than most give him credit for. Part of that was the fact that a lot of people wanted Sean Connery, not a new guy. He was treated worse than Daniel Craig in some ways. (Note: Tracy's father, Marc-Ange was the head of the Union Corse, not a part of the Mafia.)

As I said, a big weakness with this list is that it was limited to the Eon/Danjaq films. That means it left off 1 of my favorite Bond Girls & 1 of the best villians in any of the movies. To put her on 1 would drop Vesper Lynd to the 2nd 20 with Wai Lin. She was good & caught Vesper fairly well, but this character outways her in so many ways. So, who am I talking about? Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never Again. She has the sexiest walk down a staircase that I have ever seen in a movie. She was so deliciously egotisticaly evil. That says it all for me. The scene leading up to her death is a classic. I could go on & on. & like the Walken/Jones matchup, she was perfect opposite Klaus Brandauer (Max Largo).

Now, have you guessed who I agree with on this list, that most people would never expect to see on it? If you said Rosa Klebb played by Lotte Lenya you were right. This was late in her career. She began her career in 1920s Germany theater. Her 1st big role was that of Jenny in Die Dreigroschenoper (3 Penny Opera). Later she starred in the original Broadway production of Cabaret. Lenya's experience made her uniquely suited for Klebb. She caught the heart of Klebb as Fleming wrote her.

Now on to the worst. This list is a even more subjective & there were a few others that I might have debated about adding rather than some of these.

10. OCTOPUSSY (Maud Adams) Octopussy (1983)
Swedish model-actress Adams was gorgeous, the only woman to play a leading love interest in two different movies (she got offed halfway through The Man With the Golden Gun), and the only one to have a whole film named after her character. And yet, for all that, do you remember a single thing about her biggest role? Neither do we.

9. BIBI DAHL (Lynn-Holly Johnson) For Your Eyes Only (1981)
To appeal to younger filmgoers — or maybe just fans of Ice Castles — the producers cast the then-22-year-old figure skater to jump a few triple axels around the then-53-year-old Roger Moore. She was harmless at best, but it took more than one vodka martini for us to wash the icky daddy-daughter innuendo (especially her goofy ski-lodge flirtation) out of our minds.

8. HOLLY GOODHEAD (Lois Chiles) Moonraker (1979)
Bond babe? Try bland babe. Chiles worked the CIA counter-espionage thing just fine, and none of 007's ladies looked better in zero gravity (of course, nobody else actually made it to outer space, thank God). But the ex-model was the worst victim of one of the biggest Bond Girl traps: a thorough lack of chemistry with her leading man.

7. PAM BOUVIER (Carey Lowell) License to Kill (1989)
We see what the Bond brain trust was trying to do by naming their main dame after Jackie O (and even winking to that fact during one extended sequence). But Lowell fumbled this attempt at giving 007 a modern, independent counterpart by turning her into a nagging pest. Who cared if she and our hero ever got it on? She just needed to shut up.

6. MARY GOODNIGHT (Britt Ekland) The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)
Come on, what self-respecting Bond girl would tremble at the sight of...Herve Villechaize? Another Swede who was all sex and no spunk, Ekland may have had one of the series' best bikinis, but her dopey, doltish portrayal was a turnoff as much to filmgoers as to fans of Ian Fleming's novels, in which Goodnight is one of 007's closest allies.

5. HELGA BRANDT (Karin Dor) You Only Live Twice (1967)
The un-exotic German star's SPECTRE spy and short-time lover (those piranhas gobbled her up even faster than 007 did) looked out of place in a movie where Sean Connery was getting sensuous sponge baths on Japanese mountainsides. Watching Bond cut off her dress was like watching him finally get it on with Rosa Klebb. Eeeew.

4. KARA MILOVY (Maryam d'Abo) The Living Daylights (1987)
Timothy Dalton's first Bond Girl got off to a promising start, appearing through a window as a rifle-wielding KGB assassin. And yet, inexplicably, she fast devolved into a charmless wimplet, dragged around the snows of Europe and the deserts of Afghanistan with a blank stare — and a cello that always seemed to be in the way. A freakin' cello!

3. CORINNE DUFOUR (Corinne Clery) Moonraker (1979)
An attempt to sex up the series with the star of the French soft-core spectacular The Story of O backfired when Clery wound up the weakest of the second-tier Bond girls, those who pop up for three scenes and then haplessly die. Mlle. Dufour could fly a helicopter, but she got outwitted by Bond in two seconds and outrun by some deadly dogs in one. C'est un scandale!

2. STACEY SUTTON (Tanya Roberts) A View to a Kill (1985)
Roberts was beautiful, sure, but she was also totally miscast as a geologist with a vendetta. (No wonder she got upstaged by Grace Jones' glowering henchwoman.) The squeaky-voiced former Charlie's Angel gave off so little steam that we half forgot that Bond Girls were supposed to be smart and sexy.

1. DR. CHRISTMAS JONES (Denise Richards) The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Let's review: Denise Richards played Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist who wore a tank top and hot pants. Bloody hell, even Q didn't have a gadget to help Bond escape from that disaster.

Let's start with #5, Helga Brandt (Karin Dor) in You Only Live Twice. Who? She was probably 1 of the least memorable of the minor Bond Girls. It took me a while to finally remember any more than her death scene. & I still can't really remember much more.

Many of those on this list are fine actors. The problem was the way the role was written. Maud Adams was OK in Octopussy. But I think her role of Andrea Anders in The Man With the Golden Gun was better written & gave her more depth of character. Octopussy seemed very much 1 dimensional. I do remember a few things about the role, like where she tells in a few sentences the story line of the short story the movie got its title from. Her assistant, Magda, had more personality. (She also had a cameo in A View to a Kill.)

I liked Britt Ekland as Goodnight, somewhat. But, as written, Mary Goodnight was mostly unbelievable. In the books Goodnight was Bond's secretary until he went missing. In The Man With the Golden Gun Fleming made her Bond's assistant. She was very capable. In the movie they wrote her as a bubble-headed blond. If they had followed the lead of the book, this would have been a much better role.

Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi Dahl suffered from "Roger Moore is too old as Bond to be credibly attractive to her character" syndrome. Julian Glover (Kristatos) was 8 years younger than Moore & in much better shape as well as better looking. & Bibi was turned off by him. It would have worked with a Bond in his late 30s, not 54 yr old Moore. If so, I don't think she would have made this list.

I know this is heresy, but the problem with Holly Goodhead (besides the name) was that they had her fall in bed (in space) with Bond. As her character was written, it made sense for her to not like Bond. But there is no way she ever would have fallen for him, let alone make love to him in a space shuttle.

Pam Bouvier, good idea, bad writing at points. Same with Kara Milovy. These 2 started off with great promise that the script "wimped out" on. They should have been much stronger women, less dependant on Bond. The fault lies more in what the actresses had to work with than their acting.

Now for the top 3. Corinne Dufour, see Pam & Kara. Dr. Jones could have been that good looking. See Holly Goodhead for the rest. Her falling for Bond was unbelievable.

That leaves Tanya Roberts. She was perfect as Midge in That 70's Show. She was OK as Stacey Sutton. The character was written poorly. Stacey should have been a much stronger woman. He is right, Tanya Roberts was miscast here.

I have to add a caveat here. I enjoyed every Bond movie. Some were better made than others. But, they are still Bond, & that covers a few of the sins. Not all.

There are others that I could argue for to make both lists. Like I said, these lists are somewhat subjective. Still it is fun to see what other people think. Even if you don't agree.

The Heretic Whisperer

CAUTION: Some pictures may be too intense for the yout' of America. 1 picture may be too intense for anybody.)

The Catholic Caveman (aka Vir Speluncae Catholicus) has finally found something to occupy his time since his retirement from the Marine Corps. & in doing so, has found a way to deal with a problem that has plagued the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church for decades. Taking his cue from The Dog Whisperer, Ceasar Milan, he has become The Heretic Whisperer. In fact he has already received a very important endorsement from Fr. Erik Richtsteig. He calls it "one of his BEST IDEAS EVER!" This means Cavey can now proudly display the Fr. Richsteig, Heretic Hunter Seal of Approval in his advertising of his service. ( as shown below)

Benedictus, etc! Fr. Erik Richsteig - The Heretic Hunter

The Heretic Whisperer

Soon coming to basic cable

Those pesky heretics within The Church. Burning them at the stake works wonders... but that's sooooo 16th century. It's time for us to rehabilitate The Church by training the heretics among us.

And how exactly do we go about this? As we are rapidly approaching our second decade of the 21st century, we have to utilize 21st century methods. And that means getting in their heads.

When you go to Mass, dress like you are actually going into God's House... dress like you mean it, not like you're on your way to a beer bust at the beach.

Just your mere appearance in a coat and tie will discombobulate the Minister of Fawning when you first walk in. Bad Minister of Fawning! The Domino Effect will follow. You've just begun to get in their heads. Remember... establish dominance.

Again, if you're at a Novus Ordo Mass, invariably the choir will be practicing all the way up to the start of Mass. Bad Minister of Really Crappy Singing! Obviously, they've forgotten that prior to Mass is the time for contemplative prayer, not for croaking their way through I am the Wonder Bread of Life. Interrupt them by starting a Rosary. Don't worry if anyone get's pissed off at you. You have The Blessed Mother in your corner. Remember... establish dominance.

If you happen to be at a Novus Ordo Mass, kneel for Holy Communion. Nothing pisses off a heretic more than someone actually showing respect for The Eucharist. Bad Minister of the Pretend Priesthood/Poncho Lady! And it intimidates the hell out of 'em, as well. And they now know you mean business. Remember... establish dominance.

If none of the above works, roll up a copy of the Baltimore Catechism and SMACK 'EM HARD Right on the nose. Bad Heretic! A hardback copy if you can find one. Remember... establish dominance.

Sometimes, the old ways work best. There are those who may accuse you of being a caveman. Don't allow that to distract you. Show the world how up-to-date you can be. Trade in that faithful yet antiquated wooden club for an all-aluminum Louisville Slugger. Remember... establish dominance.

I have a parish here in DBQ he can start at. That alone should fill his 1st season's series of episodes. So, what cable network will it be on? EWTN?

(Photos of Vir Speluncae Catholicus courtesy The Catholic Caveman

Photo of Fr. Erik Richsteig courtesy Orthometer

Seal designed Allen J. Troupe c 2008 Used with my generous permission & permission to use it is freely extended to Cavey & Fr. Richsteig.

Note to Fr. R. The "Benedictus, etc! came from the ending of a letter from the late Archbishop James J. Byrne to a group I belonged to.)

St. Joseph's 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys Devotion

1 of the great devotions to St. Joseph is the 1 called the 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys of St. Joseph AKA The Devotion of the 7 Sundays. It is usually done to ask St. Joseph's intercession for a specific need. This devotion as it is known today was composed by Ven. Januarius Sarnelli, C.SS.R in the early part of the 18th Century. However the devotion to the Sorrows of St. Joseph goes much further back. St. John Chrysostom wrote of St. Joseph's life in terms of "sorrows & joys".

Then in 1536, Fr. John da Fano wrote about St. Joseph appearing to two shipwrecked monks that the Saint had saved off the coast of Flanders. "Two Fathers of the Franciscan order were sailing along the coast of Flanders, when a terrible tempest arose, which sank the vessel, with its three hundred passengers. The two Fathers had sufficient presence of mind to seize hold of a plank, upon which they were tossed to and fro upon the waves, for three days and nights. In their danger and affliction, their whole recourse was to St. Joseph, begging his assistance in their sad condition. The Saint, thus invoked, appeared in the habit of a young man of beautiful features, encouraged them to confide in his assistance, and, as their pilot, conducted them into a safe harbor. They, desirous to know who their benefactor was asked his name, that they might gratefully acknowledge so great a blessing and favor. He told them he was St. Joseph, and advised them daily to recite the Our Father and Hail Mary seven times, in memory of his seven dolors or griefs, and of his seven joys, and then disappeared."

So, what are the 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys?

1. The doubt of St. Joseph. (Matt. 1:19)

The message of the Angel. (Matt. 1:20).
2. The poverty of Jesus' birth. (Luke 2:7)

The birth of the Saviour. (Luke 2:10-11).
3. The Circumcision. (Luke 2:21)
The Holy Name of Jesus. (Matt. 1:25).
4. The prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34)
The effects of the Redemption. (Luke 2:38).
5. The flight into Egypt. (Matt. 2:14)
The overthrow of the idols of Egypt. (Is. 19:1).
6. The return from Egypt. (Matt. 2:22)
Life with Jesus and Mary at Nazareth. (Luke 2:39).
7. The loss of the Child Jesus. (Luke 2:45)
The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:46).

As you notice each of the 7 Joys corresponds to 1 of the 7 Sorrows. & each has a Scriptural basis.

The devotion can be prayed at any time. But, traditionally it is prayed for the 7 Sundays before the Feast of St. Joseph in March. That is normally on 19 March, but due to when Holy Week falls this year it has been transfered to 15 March. That means that this year (2008) today is the day to begin it.

Part of the devotion is to receive Communion in honor of St. Joseph on each Sunday. Then sometime during the day take the time to meditate on the sorrows & joys. Then ask the request followed by praying an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be. There are 2 main ways to practice this devotion. 1 is to meditae on all 7 Sorrows/Joys each Sunday. Or 1 set every week for the 7 weeks.

You can find the devotion here with the original prayers by Ven. Januarius. (It also has additional suggestions for ways to practice this devotion.) Or you can find them here with an additional commentary here. This 1 is set up to do 1 set each week, but, as I said, you can do all 7 each week.

St. Theresa of Avila, 1 of the Doctors of the Church, had a great devotion to St. Joseph. She was often known to say hos St. Joseph responded to her prayer requests by requently obtained for her much greater favours than those for which she had petitioned.

Many other saints & blesseds like Andre Bessette, also had a deep devotion to Jesus' foster father. He was used powerfully by God to bring about miracles of healing. He was humble & knew who it really was performing those miracles. "I am nothing ... only a tool in the hands of Providence, a lowly instrument at the service of St. Joseph. People are silly to think that I can perform miracles. It is God and St. Joseph who can heal you, not I," he was known to say.

As I have gotten older I have come to a great appreciation of the important role that God had for St. Joseph, not only during his lifetime, but even now as he is in Heaven with his beloved spouse, Mary & his son Jesus. I once read a comment that Mary's love for us is like that of a mother for her children. If so, then St. Joseph's has to be like that of a father. Neither is equal to that of God, but it is reflective of God's love & in total alignment with it & with God's plans for each & every one of us.

I've pointed out before why it is Scriptural to ask the saints to intecede for us, so I won't repeat that here. (The Intercession of the Saints In Heaven*) So, it only makes sense to ask St. Joseph to intercede for us. St. Joseph still has his fatherly perogative (Luke 2:52) in Heaven. So, if St. Joseph knows what is in alignment with God's perfect will, who better to pray for our needs to be best met.

(Note: This devotion is not some magical vending machine where you put in the coin & get back a candy bar. The purpose of any devotion is for you to grow closer to God & more in alignment with His will for you. It develops a greater openess to letting God work in your life. That is the reason these devotions bear fruit.)

Bishop Morlino: Catholics for a Free Choice are NOT Catholic

On 17 January 2008, Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Diocese of Madison, sent a letter to members of the Wisconsin Legislature making it clear than any claims by Catholics for a Free Choice to represent a valid Catholic viewpoint is a lie.

Human Life International had to following to say about Bishop Morlino's brave stand in faithfully exercising his role as Chief Shepherd of the Madison Diocese:

HLI Lauds WI Bishop’s Stand against ‘CFFC’

FRONT ROYAL, VA — The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today applauded Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, for his letter to the Wisconsin Legislature pointing out the illegitimacy of the rogue group calling itself “Catholics for a Free Choice” (CFFC).

“Perhaps CFFC should call themselves ‘Catholics Against Conscience’ given the maneuver they are trying to pull in Wisconsin,” Father Euteneuer said. “CFFC is trying to block a conscience clause in a law regarding so-called ‘emergency contraception,’ which would protect health professionals in the state from being forced to dispense the abortion-causing drug, also known as ‘Plan B.’

“That would bring the cynical irony of their existence full circle,” Father Euteneuer said. “CFFC cites a false concept of conscience to support their claims that one can be ‘pro-choice’ and a Catholic in good standing. CFFC also issues a misnamed publication entitled Conscience.”

Father Euteneuer said, “I salute Bishop Morlino for reiterating what Human Life International and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have said all along: that no one can responsibly claim both to be Catholic and pro-choice.”

Bishop Morlino said, “CFFC is, practically speaking, an arm of the abortion lobby in the United States and throughout the world. It is an advocacy group dedicated to supporting abortion. It is funded by a number of powerful and wealthy private foundations, mostly American, to promote abortion as a method of population control. Thus, I reaffirm, ‘Catholics for a Free Choice’ is not, in fact, Catholic because its members don’t accept basic Catholic teaching. So, it comes as no surprise that when I teach basic Catholic doctrine, which they don’t recognize as such, they call it ‘political maneuvering’ – a claim that is as frivolous as their claim to be Catholic is irresponsible.” (Emphasis in the original.)

Father Euteneuer said, “Thank God for shepherds like Bishop Morlino. On this day when we commemorate the tragic Roe v. Wade decision—which has claimed nearly 50 million lives and damaged countless women over 35 years—his action reminds us there are still wolves in Catholic clothing ravaging God’s little ones.”

For Immediate Release
Contact: John Mallon, 405-720-2575
January 22, 2008
johnmallon@cox.net

You can read the entire text of Bishop Morlino's letter here.

I want to add my commendation to that of HLI. In this day & age too many bishops wimp out & won't take a strong stand for life, if they even take a stand. An example is the recent statement by the Georgia Bishops opposing an amendment to the state Constitution that would ban abortion. An amendment that Planned Parenthood of Georgia clearly sees as doing just what the bishops claim it won't. If they are opposed to it & so are the Bishops, then the Bishops are on the same side as PP & have, IMHO, taken a stand in support of abortion as a result.

Bishop Morlino is no stranger to controversy. & has spoken out strongly in defense of life. At times he has even had to deal with priests in his diocese who have attempted to undermine Catholic teaching in this area. I suspect some of those priests support CFFC & will again attempt to undermine his efforts. He has made it clear in the past that he will not allow this & I suspect he may have to do so again. & he may also get some opposition from his fellow Wisconsin Bishops given he repudiates the Wisconsin Catholic Conference stand that gave CFFC the ammo the used in their letter. (Given the fact that he sent a copy of the letter to Jerome E. Listecki, Bishop of the Diocese of LaCrosse, he may have at least 1 bishop on his side.)

We need to pray that God bless Bishop Morlino for his efforts as well as strengthen & protect him from the attacks that WILL come.

I would also like to add this prayer by Judie Brown of American Life League for the American Bishops:

"Dear God in heaven, please grace each bishop with wisdom, fortitude, and pro-life integrity.

We ask this in Christ's name, Amen."

Fr. Euteneuer & the 2008 March for Life

The March for Life and the Religion of Abortion

It goes without saying that the annual March for Life is one of the most exciting and unifying events in the international movement to defend life. 100,000+ pro-lifers converged on our nation’s capital this week, more than half of whom were under the age of 25, and declared that the slaughter of the innocents is never going to be accepted as a permanent institution in our nation. Abortion-promoters would be hard-pressed to show the world that they could sustain such a massive public movement in their favor for 35 straight years. I can only say, “Bravo!” to all the people—especially the kids—who made great sacrifices to join us in Washington this week.

It also goes without saying that the little tin gods in the media did their level best to ignore and obfuscate this colossal event. When the homosexual propaganda film star, Heath Ledger, died of a drug overdose on two nights before the March, that provided the hedonistic media the perfect reason to wail and gnash their teeth for a prolonged period of time about their immoral agenda and derail coverage of the life event. I will pray for Mr. Ledger’s immortal soul, but at the same time his death is a study in contrasts with the March for Life. The Brokeback Mountain star was only 28 at the time of his demise. It was his massage therapist who discovered his body that morning. A thumbnail sketch of his adult life might look something like this: Hollywood glitter, money and status, cohabitating with a girlfriend, a child out of wedlock, an activist for an immoral lifestyle, drug overdose and then death at a very young age. It’s a real tragedy, but the culture of hedonism and death was dramatically played against the culture of life and life in Washington DC that day.

Not to be outdone by the godless media, the Planned Parenthood in Schenectady, NY also staged its own drama of the absurd. They dedicated a new 18,000 square foot killing center that day and had three members of the abortion “clergy” come out and “bless” it! What I have always said about abortion as a demonic religion was on graphic display in NY as we were marching for life in DC. Two “ministers” came to do the blessing from a “reformed” church—their view of “reform” is obviously different than ours. The (male) reverend used the occasion to proudly announce a new doctrine to the three dozen devotees of sacred abortion: the right to privacy is endowed by God, he said. Now, we cannot even find the “right to privacy” in the US Constitution and yet this fellow makes a new religious right out of whole cloth. Don’t ask the demonic religion for a good grounding in history or logic. The other abortion clergyman was a rabbi who blew the shofar as a way to show support for reproductive rights. Our friend Rabbi Yehuda Levin who blows the shofar most years at the March for Life will have a field day with that one.

The most absurd aspect of the blessing ceremony, however, was when the Rev. Larry Phillips of Schenectady's Emmanuel-Friedens Church led the congregation outside to lay hands on the brick and mortar and to declare that the killing center was “sacred ground.” Ugh. The hierarchy (Planned Parenthood), the acolytes (clinic workers), the congregation (supporters) and the ministers were all at the abortion temple that day worshipping the god of abortion. And the demons were so pleased.

St. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that our battle is not against flesh and blood. It is against the principalities and powers of this world of darkness. The darkness is spreading, but the Light of Christ shines forth in all those wonderful kids and their parents that showed the world that life will win in the end.

“The light shines on in darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it.” (Jn 1:5)

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,

President, Human Life International

2007 Razzies Nominees Announced

& I Thank God that I haven't seen any of the movies nominated.

The 28th Annual Razzie nominations were recently announced. The awards are given out to the worst of the worst by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation (GRAF) on the night before the Oscars. The awards were created in 1980 by John Wilson & 1st awarded in 1981. Unlike the Motion Picture Academy, anyone who is willing to pay $25 to join ($20 per year to renew) can vote for the winners(?). The winners are announced the night before the Oscars. & yes, an occasional winner has shown up to get his or her award. & what does the winner get? The person is awarded a gold-spray-painted, $4.89 statuette that signify their “winners” stank. (Picture at left, description from official website)

So who are the nominees this year for the least coveted award out there? What did GRAF members see as the worst of 2007?

(From their press release) Topping the field with 9 nominations is I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, a Lindsay Lohan “vehicle” that proved as dangerous for its star as any car she ever ran off the road. An oddball cross-breeding of the HOSTEL/SAW genre of “teen torture porn” with elements of the old PATTY DUKE SHOW, I KNOW stars Lohan as psychically connected twins. KILLED ME copped nominations as 2007’s Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Director and Worst Screen Couple (Lohan appearing opposite herself). It also pulled off the feat of the first ever double Worst Actress nod: Lohan is individually listed for each of the two characters she so lamely portrays. But last year’s Oscar® loser Eddie Murphy managed to steal Lohan’s thunder by garnering himself a record-setting FIVE nominations in a single year. The Latex-laden, nearly laugh-free “comedy” NORBIT, in which Murphy plays three distinct (and decidedly stinky) characters “won” Eddie a chance to take home trophies for Worst Supporting Actor (as the Asian character Mr. Wong) Worst Supporting Actress (as the hideous 400 pound harpy Rasputia) and Worst Actor (as the title character) as well as having Murphy compete alongside himself for Worst Screen Couple. For having co-written the misbegotten mess, Eddie is also a Worst Screenplay nominee. Tying with NORBIT’s total of 8 nominations, and rounding out the Trifecta of the Truly Terrible, is 1999 Worst Actor “winner” Adam Sandler’s gag-inducing “gay romp” I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY, the plot of which has Sandler and co-star Kevin James as New York firemen who pretend to be a married gay couple to scam medical benefits for James. In addition to Worst Picture, I NOW PRONOUNCE was pronounced a contender for Worst Actor (Sandler) Worst Supporting Actor (James) Worst Supporting Actress (Jessica Biel) and Worst Screen Couple (Sandler and EITHER James OR Biel). Rounding out the Worst Picture field are the BFF B.O. bomb BRATZ and the duddy sequel DADDY DAY CAMP. Other well-known names getting their share of blame in this year’s RAZZIE® competition include former Oscar winners Cuba Gooding Jr. (Worst Actor for both DADDY DAY CAMP and NORBIT) Diane Keaton (Worst Actress for BECAUSE I SAID SO) and Jon Voight (Worst Supporting Actor for 4 titles, including BRATZ).

Full List of Nominees

Worst Picture
Bratz: The Movie (Lions Gate)
Daddy Day Camp (Sony/TriStar/Revolution)
I Know Who Killed Me (Sony/TriStar)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (Universal)
Norbit (DreamWorks)

Worst Actor
Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider, National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Next
Jim Carrey in The Number 23
Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Daddy Day Camp and Norbit
Eddie Murphy in Norbit (as the character of Norbit)
Adam Sandler in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Worst Actress
Jessica Alba in Awake, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck
Logan Browning, Janel Parrish, Nathalia Ramos and Skyler Shaye in Bratz: The Movie
Elisa Cuthbert in Captivity
Diane Keaton in Because I Said So
Lindsay Lohan in I Know Who Killed Me (as the character of Aubrey)
Lindsay Lohan in I Know Who Killed Me (as the character of Dakota)

Worst Supporting Actor
Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Kevin James in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Eddie Murphy in Norbit (as the character of Mr. Wong)
Rob Schneider in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Jon Voight in Bratz: The Movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, September Dawn and Transformers

Worst Supporting Actress
Jessica Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Next
Carmen Electra in Epic Movie
Eddie Murphy in Norbit (as the character of Rasputia)
Julia Ormond in I Know Who Killed Me
Nicollette Sheridan in Code Name: The Cleaner

Worst Screen Couple
Jessica Alba and either Hayden Christensen (Awake), Dane Cook (Good Luck Chuck) or Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
"Any Combination of Two Totally Airheaded Characters" in Bratz: The Movie
Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan ("as the yang to her own yin") in I Know Who Killed Me
Eddie Murphy (as Norbit) and either Eddie Murphy (as Mr. Wong) or Eddie Murphy (as Rasputia) in Norbit
Adam Sandler and either Kevin James or Jessica Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Worst Remake or Rip-off
Are We Done Yet? (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House)
Bratz: The Movie ("a rip-off if there ever was one")
Epic Movie ("rip-off of every movie it rips off")
I Know Who Killed Me (Hostel, Saw and The Patty Duke Show)
Who's Your Caddy? (Caddyshack)

Worst Prequel or Sequel
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Daddy Day Camp
Evan Almighty
Hannibal Rising
Hostel: Part II

Worst Director
Dennis Dugan for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Roland Joffé for Captivity
Brian Robbins for Norbit
Fred Savage for Daddy Day Camp
Chris Sivertson for I Know Who Killed Me

Worst Screenplay
Daddy Day Camp (Screenplay by Geoff Rodkey and David J. Stem & David N. Weiss)
Epic Movie (Written by Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer)
I Know Who Killed Me (Written by Jeffrey Hammond)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (Screenplay by Barry Fanaro and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor)
Norbit (Screenplay by Eddie Murphy & Charlie Murphy and Jay Sherick & David Ronn)

Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Captivity
Hannibal Rising
Hostel: Part II
I Know Who Killed Me

What is sad is that there are several great actors in the above list who have done some excellent performances in the past. But they are not the 1st & definitely not the last to make mistakes in their careers.

Also, the above list is typical of most of Hollywood's output these days. & why I rarely go to a movie any more. The Oscars list, while better made, has only a couple movies that I would even consider seeing in the theater & even fewer I would consider renting. & the best film of 2007, Bella, despite all the other awards & recognition that it garnered (top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, the "People's Choice Award"; Heartland Film Festival, Crystal Heart Award & its $100,000 grand prize; Rotten Tomatoes, best foreign language film of 2007; 2007 Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award; filmmakers, Eduardo Verastegui & Alejandro Monteverde, received the Smithsonian Institutes "Legacy Award" for it's positive contribution to Latino art and culture; The director of the Department of Citizenship gave Alejandro Monteverde (director), the "American by Choice" award at a White House reception for Bella's positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the U.S.; the Mexican Embassy honored Verastegui and Monteverde and gave Bella a screening at their annual Cinco De Mayo celebration), didn't even get a nomination for an Oscar.

The 1 good thing I can see coming out of the writers strike in Hollywood, is that there will be a few less badly written pictures produced this year. But I suspect (unfortunately), that there will still be more than enough with what is in the pipeline for the Razzies to have a full slate next year.

It will be interesting to see who walks away with this year's (dis)honors for their bad work.

Razzie Award logo, trophy etc are protected by copyright law & belong to The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. Use of picture etc is merely for news/informational purposes only. Nothing in this post shall be construed as infringing on or affecting their rights to such properties.

007's Quantum of Solace

The title & some plot details of the New Bond movie have come out over the last couple of days. & it looks like the new movie will be a worthy successor to the reboot Casino Royale. The new movie will be titled Quantum of Solace. The title is taken from the Ian Fleming short story. It appeared in the collection For Your Eyes Only. & while it doesn't look like they will probably be taking anything from the short story for movie, but, given the plot of the short story, it strikes me as an appropriate title. Why? Let me look at the plot of the movie 1st & then I will say why I think the title works.

(Synopsis is taken from the official website)

QUANTUM OF SOLACE continues the high octane adventures of James Bond (DANIEL CRAIG) in CASINO ROYALE.
Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.
Forensic intelligence links an MI6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (OLGA KURYLENKO), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (MATHIEU AMALRIC), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation.
On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (JOAQUIN COSIO). Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.
In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organisation.

The movie takes up the action shortly after the end of Casino Royale. Remember, at the end of that movie Bond has just beaten up Mr. White & uttered the famous line, "My name is Bond, James Bond." for the 1st time. Now we see what happens next. Bond sets out to find out all he can.

In a way, this movie is clearly being faithful to a plotline from the novels Casino Royale & Live & Let Die. In the book, when Bond discovers that Vesper was killed by Smersh he vowed revenge aginst the Soviet orginization. & he has his 1st chance in the next novel. & it is revenge which clearly drives this plot. In this case, not against Smersh, rather it is this new super orginization that he goes after.

Interestingly enough, the orginization that White works for bears a stronr resemblence to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from the novles & movies. But is it? Time will tell. Part of me won't object to it being a totally new orginization. But, since this is a reboot, it would make sense to reboot S.P.E.C.T.R.E. also.

Now, as for why I think the title is appropriate. To explain, we need to go back to the short story that the title is taken from. In that story Bond attends a dinner party at the Government House in Nassau. Afterwords he makes a comment which leads to the Jamaican Governor telling him a story about a civil servant who was betrayed by his wife. The story goes on to tell how he exacted his revenge on her. & what happened to her. The title comes from a psychological theory of the governor of how much betrayal a person can take in a relationship.

In this case, it looks like Bond is looking for some solace for his loss. But even more than mere revenge, he is out to find answers. & hopefully those answers will give him some solace for his loss. Or as Daniel Craig put it in an interview: "Bond is looking for his quantum of solace and that's what he wants, he wants his closure. Ian Fleming says that if you don't have a quantum of solace in your relationship then the relationship is over. It's that spark of niceness in a relationship that if you don't have you might as well give up. " So, it is clear that this is the next step in the development of James Bond into the agent Ian Fleming made him into. Will they work the short story in as a back story like they did in Octopussy? is yet to be seen.

Judi Dench is back as M. Her character of M is being developed even more, including some of the backstory. There are some things from the original M that could be added, but given the difference in gender, marital status etc, not everything would work. & it sounds like M is the 1 who gets to use the gadgets.

Jeffrey Wright returns as Felix Leiter. He thus becomes only the 2nd actor to play Leiter in more than 1 movie. (David Hedison being the 1st in Live & Let Die & Licence to Kill.) Hopefully they will develop his character a little more than they were able to in Casino Royale. In fact, I hope they take a cue from the novels & include a bar/food scene. They have an opportunity to really develop the friendship theme usually missed, except a bit in L&LT and more so in Licence.

It also looks like Rene Mathis will be returning. & hopefully exonerated. Still no Q or Moneypenny. It may work for 1 more movie, but they will have to bring them back. They were always 2ndary characters, but they are important, they did help move the book plotlines along. They can't be ignored forever. & in fact, if M is using some new gadgets, Q could be successfully introduced without needing to meet Bond.

On to the Bond villians. I am not familiar with Joaquín Cosio who plays General Medrano. The same is true about Mathieu Amalric as the cheif villian Maurice Green. But they are both established actors. So, if the roles are well written they should do good.

Now for the Bond Girls (Women for you PC freaks). Gemma Arterton plays Agent Fields, an MI6 field agent who operates in Bolivia. At 21 she may be the youngest spy in the series. This is only her 4th movie. But she has been in demand in England, so she holds some promise. Then there is the main Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko as Camille. Camille also has revenge on her mind, but why? I can come up with a couple of good reasons, going back to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. & the later novels. But, from what I've read, it isn't too likely. But if they do take a bit of the plot from John Gardner's For Special Services, remember, you read it here 1st.

The 1 big question that remains to be seen is the theme song. Quantum of Solace does lend itself to a song title. But, it doesn't have to be used. It depends on the artist they get to do it. I just hope it, & the song are decent.

From what I have seen of the early filming & the story line, I am impressed. As I said at the start, this promises to be a worthy sequel.

Is it 7 November 2008 yet?

Note: In doing some checking out of the reactions to the title I came across a lot of griping about the title. It reminded me of the comments made about the choice of Daniel Craig as Bond before Casino Royale came out. I wonder how many of these people who hate the title, & for the most part didn't seem to know that it is an Ian Fleming title, were the same people to criticize the selection of Craig before the movie came out?

As for me, I like the title. As I point out above, it makes perfect sense to me based on the title's origin. The short story is 1 of my favorite Bond stories. So, maybe I am a bit prejudiced. Still, I think it works. So, to those of you who don't like it, get over it!

ITV News Report:

BBC News Report:

Sock It To Me?

While it initially appeared as a special in September of 1967, this is the day that Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In official premiered as a TV Series on NBC.

The show was considered somewhat radical for its time. In retrospect, it seems pretty mild, but for its time it did take some risks.

Among the catchphrases it made popular were:

"You bet your sweet bippy!"

"Verrry Eeenteresting!... but shtupid"

"Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!"

"Oh, that Henny Youngman."

"Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere."

"Here come de' judge!"

"One ringy-dingy...two ringy-dingies...A gracious good afternoon. This is Miss Tomlin of the telephone company. Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"

& of course:

"Sock it to me!"

Then there were such unforgetable characters as Ernestine, the telephone company operator, The Farkel Family - featuring Frank & Fanny Farkel, such kids as Simon & Gar Farkel (the twins, both girls, 1 black 1 white), Sparkel Farkel (Hiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!) & their next door neighbor Ferd Berfel, whom all the children bore an amazing resemblence to, Wolfgang the Nazi soldier (who had a crush on Lucy), Piotr Rosmenko, Gladys Ormphby & her dirty old man with the walnetos beau Tyrone F. Horneigh, Edith Ann & my favorite sportscaster Big AL (Hi there sports fans!

Anybody who was anybody appeared on the show. It launched Tiny Tim's career. An appearance by Richard Nixon has been credited with helping him get elected. Maybe, maybe not. But still fun to watch him.

Anyhow here are a few clips. Time for me to "Sock it to You:

Day of Penance & Prayer 2008

Just a reminder that today is the day that the Catholic Church has set aside for people to pray & do acts of penance in reperation for the sin of abortion in the USA. Mass is a part of it. But each of us are expected to do something else in addition to Mass. This could include fasting of some sort (a favorite food or drink, a meal, TV, cell phone etc), praying an extra rosary, or spending some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle (at least 15 minutes to a half an hour) or at an Adoration Chapel, give alms (esp to a Pro-Life organization like Birthright or your local Right to Life group), spend extra time reading Scripture, or pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. These are just a few of the specific things you can do. But we are expected to do something.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has some resources for prayer on their website. They include: Rosaries for Life (meditaions for the Luminous, Sorrowful & Glorious Mysteries), A Holy Hour for Life: Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament (There is also A Holy Hour for Life that is intended for a liturgical exposition but the Scriptures, etc are good for personal reflection as well.), Litanies for Life, & Intercessions for Life (These are mainly for Mass but can be adapted for your personal prayer time.). So, now you have no excuse not to do something.

In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass “For Peace and Justice” (no. 22 of the “Masses for Various Needs”) should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

(Image:Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Guido Reni)

Don't Tell Congress About This, I already Have a Beef With the Pork They Spend:

Sweden to study belching cows

The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (yes it is a government agency) awarded the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala $590,000 to do so. About 20 cows will participate in the project.

According to the AP article: "Project leader Jan Bertilsson said that the cows involved in the study will have different diets and wear a collar device measuring the methane level in the air around them."

Yup, another bit about the whole Global Warming scare. Given that this is the same country that has the Nobel Peace Prize. & that it was given to Algore, I guess this should be no surprize.

I think the money would be better spent by not being spent & let the overtaxed Swedes have a reduction in what they pay so they can give the money to charitable orginizations who will help feed, cloth & house the poor.

Is global warming happenning, maybe. Is it being caused by us? Despite Algore's claims, we don't definitely know. IMHO he is using junk science. I've seen enough evidence that the Sun may play a part & other evidence that I will talk about some other time.

For now, all I have to add is suddenly I am hungry for a nice big juicy medium rare steak.

"Tell me, are you a Christian, child?"

"Ma'am, I am tonight."

1 of the things that has been going arround during the campaign is the claim that Obama was raised & may still be a Muslim. He has begun to fight back against the claims.

At a rally to kick off a weeklong campaign for the South Carolina primary, Obama tried to set the record straight from an attack circulating widely on the Internet that is designed to play into prejudices against Muslims and fears of terrorism.

"I've been to the same church — the same Christian church — for almost 20 years," Obama said, stressing the word Christian and drawing cheers from the faithful in reply. "I was sworn in with my hand on the family Bible. Whenever I'm in the United States Senate, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. So if you get some silly e-mail ... send it back to whoever sent it and tell them this is all crazy. Educate." (Obama takes on question of faith)

He has evcn put a page on his campaign website titled Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, And Is a Committed Christian to deal with it.

I've got a suggestion for his campaign. Maybe Obama should get Cher to endorse him. Then when he is in Tennessee campaigning for the 5 February 2008 Dem primary he can announce his new campaign song & have her sing it. Now that she has stopped touring, she should have the time. Anyhow here is the song:

Just a suggestion!

More on A comment I Received

Yesterday I posted Comment I Received About Papa Benedetto v La Sapienza. I realized that I forgot to add 1 thing. We need to pray for this alledged Messiah. We need to pray that God opens his eyes to the truth. That he be set free from his delusion & that he come to know Jesus IS the Christ (Messiah). That Jesus IS Lord & Savior as well as the fact that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus nearly 2000 yrs ago. & especially that he be set free from bondage to any lying spirits that may be operating in his life.

Who Is Really Getting an Abortion in the USA

FaithMouse by Dan Lacey

(added 12:36 AM 22 January 2008)

Accoding to an AP report, Who's getting abortions? Not who you'd think, it isn't a frightened teenager, nervously choosing to terminate an unexpected pregnancy like Planned Parenthood & the other merchants of death try & portray it as. In fact, teens make up only 17% of those getting an abortion (& the pregnancies most likely to be caused by rape, incest, etc, that PP loves to cover up also.)

According to the article: "Half of the roughly 1.2 million U.S. women who have abortions each year are 25 or older." & "A disproportionately high number are black or Hispanic." That later statistic is no surprize given the history of PP & its founder Margaret Sanger, a racist & eugenicist who was a public supporter of Hitler's racial policies until it became politically incorrect because people began seeing what she & he really were aiming at.

13% of American women are black. Yet they have 35% of the abortions according to Centers for Disease Control figures. & while spokespersons for PP deny it, it is a genocide.

Dr. Alveda King (who spoke at the West Coast March this weekend) makes it clear that the problem is encouraging young people to have sex. “We give free sex education, free condoms, free birth control. That’s almost like permission to have free sex, and the higher the rate of sexual activity, the higher the rate of unintended pregnancy.” She calls for the opposite message, to wait until after marriage.

Anti-abortion activist Day Gardner, President of the National Black Pro-Life Union, has this to say: “We don’t talk about it. It’s a silent killer among us.”

1 of the big arguements given in support of abortion is the myth of "economic hardship". There are many groups that offer women alternatives. 1 of those groups is Birthright International. Here in Iowa they recently opened a new location in Waterloo.

So what does Birthright do? According to their website the orginization "provides caring, non-judgmental support to girls and women who are distressed by an unplanned pregnancy. Using its own resources and those of the community, Birthright offers positive and loving alternatives. Birthright presents many services and refers for many more. We provide friendship and emotional support, free pregnancy testing, and maternity and baby clothes. We also give information and referrals to help clients meet legal, medical, financial, and housing needs. Birthright treats each woman as an individual who deserves kindness and respect, as well as personal attention to her unique situation. All Birthright services are free, absolutely confidential, and available to any woman regardless of age, race, creed, economic or marital status."

Despite the claims, abortion is never a necessity, not even for health reasons any more. Those children have the right to live. & for whatever reason, whether because of financial problems where the mother &/or father can't afford to have & keep the child, or plain old selfishness, because the mother doesn't want to be bothered, there IS someone out there who wants & can care for that child.