There are not too many things nicer than getting a surprise email ...

... from a friend saying that they are saying a prayer for you for no special reason and wishing you a blessed day.

What a treat and what a great reminder of how many friends God has given me.

I have a smile thiiiiiiiiiiis big right now.

Imagine the Potential

An inconvenient truth that we pray is heeded in the hearts and minds of our country.

From CatholicVote.

Small Businesses and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

Aquinas and More Sets Up CPSIA Central to Help Other Retailers

Colorado Springs, CO (January 20, 2009) – Aquinas and More Catholic Goods is announcing a new section of its blog, CPSIA Central, to help educate others about the CPSIA. This new law will affect Aquinas and More and many other retailers in the country, and the company is very concerned about the livelihood of other retailers who may not yet be well-informed about the law.

On February 10, 2009 the new law will go into effect and threaten many independent and small businesses. This law, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), mandates that every children's product – toys, books, apparel, CDs, and much more – marketed to and used by children aged 12 and younger be tested at an approved lab for a variety of toxins, including lead. This law is devastating to many small businesses who deal with or make children's items, because it requires testing to be done and documentation available by February 10 for retailers, or the products will have to be destroyed at that time. Testing isn't cheap – it can range from a couple hundred dollars to $4000 per item. Failure to comply with this law can result in a minimum fine of $100,000, and possibly even five years in prison. Retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers are all affected and responsible.

Somehow, this law is going largely unnoticed by the media and by many who will be directly affected once the law goes into effect. Aquinas and More Catholic Goods has set up a special section on its blog, Musings From a Catholic Bookstore, to help others educate themselves about this far-reaching law. CPSIA Central can be found here . This page was set up because, while calling vendors to see what they were doing about CPSIA, Aquinas and More discovered that the majority had never even heard of this law and so are obviously unprepared. In the interest of helping as many as possible understand and prepare for this law, CPSIA Central includes important information and polls to gauge how this will affect people.

Aquinas and More has also included a list of vendors who are certified and those who have been contacted but are not yet certified. As most people have been blindsided by this law only recently, very few are compliant. Of the 27 vendors we have contacted at the time of writing this release, only two are prepared with products being tested and documentation forthcoming. 16 of those 27 are currently researching the law, and were largely unaware of it prior to our call. Aquinas and More has yet to hear back from nine of those who have been contacted. Because there has been so little information about this law in the media or anywhere else, most vendors will most likely not be prepared with the necessary testing and documentation in time for the deadline, which is now only three weeks away.

For more information about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, check CPSIA Central frequently, as it will continue to be updated with the latest information. If you are a Christian vendor or retailer, please send Aquinas and More any updated information you might have so they can keep the information current on CPSIA Central.

I have read about this law recently and it almost seems tailor made to put small businesses out of business altogether. I realize that the overall goal is laudable but surely there is a better way than slapping down a bandaid like this.

Check out Aquinas and More's page and pass it on.

Congratulations President Obama from Your Loyal Opposition

Loyal opposition is the concept that one can be opposed to the actions of the government or ruling party of the day without being opposed to the constitution of the political system.

Wikipedia

When I read Steven Riddle's comments about this change in administration, what he said echoed my feelings. He used the term "loyal opposition" and it seems good to me.

I hope for more from President Obama than he has promised those of us who would like different solutions than he proposes. I pray for him and for all our leaders. Enjoy the inauguration and the celebrations because you are taking on a huge job in a time of great uncertainty. May God bless you and all of us, including your loyal opposition.

"Grades? I Don't Think We Have Those."

Hmmmm, no, we told Rose ... we were pretty sure that even a fine arts school has to have grades.

To her surprise she not only found a transcript, but also a Dean's List. Which she was on.

That academic scholarship (small but much appreciated) is assured for another semester. Whew!

On Coming Alive ...

Yesterday, this was the quote of the day.

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

Howard Thurman

A commenter mentioned:

True...but unhelpful to some of us. The thing that makes me come alive won't support my family...

I would like to gently encourage us to look past the immediacy of jobs. Remember, he didn't say ... earn a living by coming alive, did he? Let us take me as an example ...

In my case it is this blog. And also the podcast.

Also my Catholic women's book club. What fun and I get so much good from it.

Not to mention the Beyond Cana retreat that Tom and I help present twice yearly. Those are not only inspirational but the monthly formation meetings for the team help keep our marriage solidly anchored in reality ... and grace ... and the friendship and love of our friends.

Those things not only benefit me ... make me come alive, as it were ... but hopefully also help another person or two. And except for the hotel for the Beyond Cana retreat time, they are largely free or very inexpensive, except for the time that I invest. Any one activity like those above are enough to help make us come alive.

For Tom an example is meeting with the guys he went through CRHP with.

For one daughter it is swing dancing (free lessons and minimal cost on dance nights). For another it is delving deep into movies.

A friend last night spoke of coming alive when she became a 3rd order lay Dominican. You should have seen her face light up. It was beautiful. (My goodness gracious, I see that she went home and began writing about it right here!)

At The Deacon's Bench that quote is being applied to serving the poor, but I also see it as something that the men who stepped up and became deacons have done. They don't make a living becoming deacons for the most part but they are fulfilling their highest potential ... and I think they would tell you that it was another step on the way to coming alive.

We can't always see an immediate benefit, just as I didn't when my husband encouraged me to begin a blog. But guess what? We actually have gotten work from people who saw Happy Catholic. So you never can tell how God is going to use that pursuit of what he built into you ... that coming alive ... to your benefit either.

Don't fall into the trap of simply applying that quote to practicalities. Break your thinking out ... come alive.

Really, really, really quick review of Greener Than You Think by Ward Moore

Because I'm crazy busy but just finished listening to this book from Librivox, read by Lee Elliott who did such a great job that I am going to look for more narrations from that source.

WOW!

I want to do a better review than that later but here's the description from Librivox:

Do remember reading a panic-mongering news story a while back about genetically engineered “Frankengrass” “escaping” from the golf course where it had been planted? That news story was foreshadowed decades previously in the form of prophetic fiction wherein a pushy salesman, a cash-strapped scientist, and a clump of crabgrass accidentally merge forces with apocalyptic consequences. A triple-genre combo of science fiction, horror, and satire, Greener Than You Think is a forgotten classic that resonates beautifully with modern times. This is a faithful reading of a 1947 first edition text.

So timely.

Such a surprise ending.

So very funny! Low key funny but it is there continually and emphasized perfectly by Elliott.

Can't praise this book enough.

Worth a Thousand Words

Snoozy Cat
taken by D.L. Ennis at Visual Thoughts

Off to the Pro-Life Mass and March Today - Updated With Video Link

If we don't stand up and counted, no legislators will know that we care.

That is what I realized last year at my first Pro-Life March. Please consider being there if there is one in your area.

As Bishop Vasa says:

Regardless of how many years have passed since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Decision and regardless of how prevalent and routine abortion has become in this country, the simple truth remains, it is an act of extreme violence to the pre-born child and to the distressed mother. Thus, if anyone says, "I love God" and still favors abortion, he is, to quote St. John, a liar. May we all live out faithfully what it means to love God.

He says much else, all of it good, as does The Curt Jester where I saw the bishop's letter.

Go and read...

On a personal note, we're meeting Heather there and I am expecting to see a few others I know as well. I hope it's standing room only, spilling out into the halls.

What Happened at the March
Mark Windsor, the founder of the feast for me with his fasting and praying monthly challenge, and one daughter prayed the rosary at a nearby abortion clinic. He says:

We got there right at 8:00 and went to the abortion clinic. ... You'd have loved the clinic scene this year. My guess is that there were about 4x the number of people this year as last. They were on both sides of the street and on the next block as well. There were also only 5 "clinic support" people there instead of a dozen. It was enough to warm the heart (while freezing the hind quarters).

Unfortunately their household is falling prey to the flu and his daughter began getting feverish before Mass so they had to go home. Hope everyone pulls out of it fast, Mark!

We attended Mass first at the cathedral. I had forgotten just how moving the red rose ceremony is. As Heather writes:

A representative born in each year since 1973 comes forward and places a red rose in a basket before the altar. Each person and each rose represents about 1.2 million people whose lives were violated and destroyed before they were even born.

As they place the rose in the basket deep bell is rung once. It makes it a very solemn occasion. The last person, representing the current year, is a pregnant woman. Just looking at all those people, thinking of all the baby boys and girls who have been murdered in that time was sobering. It made it more tangible somehow.

Two things resonate more than any other from Bishop Farrell's fine homily. The first is that we must never give up hope. The second is that a true culture of life would make it inconsequential if Roe v. Wade were never overturned ... for the simple reason that no one would avail themselves of it. This hadn't occurred to me before. It cast me back to a recent email conversation with a downcast friend in which I fell back again upon my favorite example of triumph against all odds. First century Christians. They lived the culture of life, of being true disciples of Jesus Christ, in such a genuine way that they changed the world despite not being able to affect laws. We can do the same.

The march was really great ... there were about 2,000 people, twice the number of last year. Tom and I have vowed to make notes this year and remember to encourage our friends join us. 2,000 is good but not enough! The march is not difficult but when one has never done it then the idea is intimidating.

The bishop had a very strict directive about behavior during the march. He wanted no chatting, no goofing around or offensive remarks or signs. He reminded us that we were marching with the Lord as did the people of Israel when they marched out of slavery. Wow. It was a much quieter and more meditative walk with small groups here and there praying the rosary aloud or singing.

It really was something to pause at the turn and look back (as everyone ahead of us was doing) and see the solid line of marchers going on as far as the eye could see. We were near the front and waited close to 15 minutes at the law building before everyone got there. Amazing.

Also inspiring were the cars that would honk as the police held them back so we could pass. Once we all looked and saw the driver of the car vigorously applauding the entire time the march went by ... simultaneously the passenger held up a shirt to the front window (couldn't see what was on it but it was clearly in support). Another time, on the way back, a driver similarly honked and when we all looked over, he gave us vigorous thumbs up.

Right before we continued the march (didn't retrace steps but went on around to finish the square, so to speak, winding up at the Baptist church), we sang the first two verses of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Sounds corny but as is so often the case with that sort of thing it left me teary-eyed.

Heather has a much more comprehensive report. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos she took ... and you can now see them here.

Here's one which particularly caught my eye not only because it was great to see the clergy marching too, but because this particular priest is our Vicar for Clergy, who will be celebrating our Saturday Mass at the Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreat. (You know how I like to link everything together ... with the slightest excuse!)


Here is a short video that gives a sense of being there. Thanks to Laura for this!


Heather points us toward the Catholic Pro-Life Committe Dallas photos ... where I saw my friend Ronda who is also the STA pro-life go-to gal. She was one of those who carried a red rose for those who were killed in her birth year. It made it all the more poignant for me thinking of how many people like her we were missing knowing ...

The Unknown Ricardo Montalban - Faithful Catholic - Updated

Out of everything I’ve seen him in, I like to imagine Armando was the character most like Ricardo Montalbán in real life. You see, I took a small interest in Mr. Montalbán’s off-screen doings when in 2002, just after my return to The Church, he received the first annual Spirit of Angelus Award, an honor given “for a body of film work of surpassing quality complemented by a faith lived with integrity and generosity.” At his acceptance speech, he noted that his Catholic faith was the most important thing in his life, followed closely by his marriage. It wasn’t just talk. He remained happily married to actress Georgiana Young for 63 years (63 YEARS!) until her passing in late 2007. On the Church side, in 1998, he was recommended by his Bishop for membership as a Knight in the Order of St. Gregory the Great, an award given by the Vatican to acknowledge an individual's particular meritorious service to the Church.

Read it all over at The B-Movie Catechism.

How appropriate this cartoon from Savage Chickens is, after the commentary in the comments box about The Wrath of Khan.

This 'N' That

Things We Like

• Whiskas Purrfectly Fish. Of course, this is the cat's choice. She insisted I put it first. She comes racing from anywhere in the house as soon as it is opened and begins gobbling it up with most unbecoming haste. She's never liked a cat food this well. And I like that it is in a pouch ... very easy to open, etc.


• German gingerbread. This was a gift from my brother and his family as they have unfettered access to such things. We got a big container of it for Christmas. It comes in all different sorts of shapes and sometimes is glazed and sometimes is chocolate covered. The most amazing thing is that although the gingerbread itself looks all alike ... they somehow manage to make each sort taste different. It is truly an art which the Germans have perfected.


• Spaced. This is the television show that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) did before their movies. Somewhat slow moving it is nonetheless hilarious. Chock full of sci-fi, pop culture, and video game references, it chronicles the adventures of a guy and girl who pretend to be a couple in order to fulfill the rental requirements for a decent flat. You either will like this or you won't. We all do except for Rose who prefers to ignore it while doing soduku. But 3 outta 4 ain't bad!


• Interweave Knit Magazine. Especially when I was about to subscribe after not getting it for a while ... and then they sent me a 50% off "please come back" subscription offer. Score!
  
  
• Finishing things. A New Year's resolution of sorts was to do one thing at a time and resist flitting off when halfway through a project to begin something else. So hard and yet so very satisfying. I realize from the difficulty I'm having with this one that I'd gotten deep into the habit of distraction in practically everything.
  

Things We're Reading

• The Shining by Stephen King. Hannah finished this recently and there is nothing like the fun of discussing a favorite book with someone who's just read it. She had some interesting observations that I hadn't thought of since I read it so long ago (though many, many times). For instance, she pointed out that true evil doesn't vary it's lies. Jack is told that the house wants him. Of course, we all know that the house wants Danny. Jack knows it too which is why he becomes so jealous and angry towards him. Well, that and the fact that he's going crazy. She's reading The Stand now and we are having a lot of fun talking about that too.
  
  
• The Word Made Fresh by Meredith Gould ... how to be a church communications employee AND a Christian. Ha! More challenging than one might think.
  
  
• Eating India by Chitrita Banerji ... expat and culinary historian looks at the food of India while traveling the Great Trunk Road
  
  
• Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece ... finished this one. A fantastic YA story from 1956 of a stripling off on his first Viking raids. Unpolitically correct but has plenty of empathy and heart. Waiting for the sequels to come from the library.
  

My Pick for Overlooked Musical

Scott at Good News Film Reviews has three musical recommendations. Go see his comments ... I'll wait ...

He is wrong only in that The Sound of Music should NEVER be anyone's number one musical. It is good for kiddos but it is treacly and I much prefer Singin' in the Rain which has the virtue of being a fantastically funny movie as well.

I must say that I never thought of classifying The Wizard of Oz as a musical but I can see where that would come from.

I have never been able to make it all the way through The Fiddler on the Roof. Hate it. Now, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. THAT is a top three musical pick. Especially when you consider that they were running very short of film and thought of cutting the "Lonesome Polecat" number because they could only do one take. Everyone wanted to try anyway and it was perfect. That is amazing because they had to chop axes in sync and other such feats.

Check it out.



In case that left you feeling as if those brothers were sissies, I can't resist adding the barn raising dance. One-upmanship and athletic talent ... to music.

Worth a Thousand Words

Turtle on the Path taken by AC Parker

If I hadn't seen the name of the photo I would have been puzzling over just what this object was. And then once you know ... it all comes into focus! I love it!

Thanks to Kate for sending me to his photo blog. Check it out as he has some great photos for sale over there.

Pittsburgh Pilgrimage Point: Baby Elephants!

Not Catholic related but what is better than an adorable baby elephant? Unless it is two adorable baby elephants.

Whenever we visit somewhere it seems as if we always wind up at the zoo. This elephant page at their website makes me think the Pittsburgh Zoo is a pretty good one. Pittsburgh's Zoo and Aquarium is one of only six such combos in the country.

Why do we care about Pittsburgh? We're seeing if anyone wants to join us so we can make a Pittsburgh trip into a Pittsburgh Catholic pilgrimage! Check out the link and let me know if you are interested.

Not Only am I Not Smarter Than This Sixth Grader ...

... I suspect that most current day sixth graders would not do well with these questions either.

Take a look at this 1916 history test from a Brooklyn parochial school. Via Deacon Greg.

I Blame It All on Hypnotoad and the Egg

They really didn't put their hearts into it ... I must have a very stern talk with them!

Seriously, much thanks to everyone who voted and also to the Weblog Awards folks who worked so hard to give us all so much fun. I can't imagine how much work this was. Just consider the statistics: "This year's turnout was simply amazing; 3.2 million page views, 2 million visitors, and 933,022 votes cast in 48 categories." Wow!

Congratulations to Father Z. in the Best Religious Blog category and all the winners, who you can see here.

She's Got a Fever
Not for a cowbell though. Heather has blog award mania and lists upcoming awards we can look forward to ... including ... The Catholic Blog Awards!

A Comment on the Movie Doubt

SPOILERS about ending included.

Rose went to see Doubt yesterday and came back with a positive review. She said the movie was fine, criticized the director for such obvious work of screen angles to make his point ("We get it," she said, "There is doubt. You can stop canting [slanting] the angles so much. Sheez.") Well, I never knew that was the point of some "canted angles" so moving on.

My question was about the story line since that is a movie I don't feel interested in seeing. Rose was surprised and quite pleased that the very traditional nun was the one who was right instead of going with the easy ending of criticizing her and letting the pleasant priest be right. She said that there was very little doubt left via many small clues by the end of the movie that the priest had been a child molester, that his mother allowed it, and that the only one standing up for the kid was the unlikable, strict nun played by Meryl Streep. In fact, the indictment against the Church for moving him and making him pastor of another parish was made all the stronger for her reaction.

This brings to mind something that a friend of mine said once (maybe it was Marcia?), that the decrease in nuns was among the many factors that helped create the conditions of the Church's sex scandal. "They kept an eye on the priests," she said. "Nothing got by them."

Turning over the plot of that movie it sounds as if the screenwriter (who I believe was also the director) knew that well.

Upcoming Events

March for Life

Tom and I will be there for the Mass and the March, meeting Heather early at the church to pray some of the rosary.

I was shocked last year to hear that the thousand of us who showed up were the largest number they'd ever had. Like most people I know, I had assumed that everyone else was showing up. Don't make that assumption. The only numbers politicians will really understand are large numbers of people moved enough to show up in the middle of winter to defend unborn babies' lives.

Full details can be found here for the Dallas March for Life.

Mark Shea is Coming to Dallas Wylie!

Mark Shea is coming to Dallas! Woohoo! Tom and I will be there as well. I think that Heather will be there also and maybe some other pals of mine.

It is free but they are requesting pre-registration in order to plan for the lunch. St. Anthony's website is here. You can download a newsletter and various posters that have information about upcoming talks.

It's the Last Day to Kiss the Egg!

Finally, I hear you saying, those darned Weblog Awards will be done!

Yes, but not without a last exhortation to kiss the egg for the little Jamaican bobsled team in this race.

We're going for second place but we'll give it all we've got.

So, c'mon ... kiss the egg!

(And if you don't know what that means
then get to a video store and catch up on Cool Runnings)

Let's get the vote out.




Voting ends today at 5:00 p.m.

Also of interest: This article which identifies what we largely know ... most blog awards are popularity contests, no matter how they try to balance nominations and award selection. The results can be swayed by blogs who flog the vote. This was written by a blogger finalist for the Weblog awards who promised his readers he wouldn't ask for their votes (noble fellow ...)

I would just like to take this opportunity to say ... what awards aren't popularity contests? Isn't that the point? Popularity means that something is commonly liked or approved. The Oscars? C'mon ... Heath Ledge will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and probably win. He deserves it for his excellent acting but we all know that underlying that is his early, tragic death. Let's take something that is not nearly as well known ... The Hugo Awards for science fiction. Run by and voted on by fans. Yep, fans.

As for flogging the vote, that too goes on throughout the awards worlds. More, it is the tone of the flogging that I would wonder about than the fact that it happens. Around here, the only reason for it is to have fun with a contest which (let's face it) I'm not going to win. But I'm going to enjoy it anyway ... and hopefully others will as well. If I were a definite front-runner then I'd drop it altogether because it wouldn't be sporting. Not everyone takes this attitude, but let's face it. These are blog awards that mean exactly nothing if we aren't having fun. Truly, these are the awards where anyone who is a finalist is already a winner simply because of the numbers of people submitting nominations.

Ironically, the person who wrote the article ... sent it to me via email saying, "I thought this was something you and your readers would find interesting." Flogging readership for his article? Why I believe he is ...

Gene Wolfe Doesn't Get the Feminine Mind-Set

Warning: spoiler in the last paragraph.

An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe is a pulp thriller that includes aliens, South Sea gods, and two enigmatic men vying for the hand of a young actress on the rise. Imagine the results if Raymond Chandler, H.P. Lovecraft, and Walter B.Gibson (creator of The Shadow) all conspired to write a book together, set 100 years in our future. Despite how odd that sounds, the first two-thirds of the book is fairly straight forward. When you get to the last part, it suddenly takes off as if a rocket was lit under you and the reader is left hanging on for all they're worth to keep up.

It is a fun ride and one that I enjoyed. Except for a key part of logic, it all held together. Unfortunately that key logic is integral to the very last line of the book which sums it all up. Essentially describing the reasons for a complete change of heart, actress Cassie delivers a long monologue while walking down the street with a friend. It rang so false that I was convinced she was doing it to poke for reactions of possible betrayal from her friend. Not so. It turns out that the change of heart described, which rang so falsely, was intended to give Cassie the reason for every subsequent action she takes. It took me a long time to realize that but I was able to suspend my disbelief until reading the last line of the book, which depends completely upon our belief in that speech.

No takers here. If that is how Wolfe and his editors think that a woman can change her mind in the way described about a man who she loathes and fears, then they have another think coming. If one is going to hang an entire section of a book, indeed that book's denouement, upon one set of emotions entirely replacing another, then that part at least needs to be real and human and ring true. Perhaps few women read Wolfe's books. I don't know about that. However, as one who does I can testify that such a patently false shift in Cassie's motivation feels like a cheap, easy trick a la "a shot rang out and everyone fell dead." Certainly it makes me lose respect for the author and editors who simply seem lazy in retrospect. It's too bad because I really liked the book and was willing to overlook the false feel until that final line which tied everything to Cassie's faked feelings.