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American journalist Marty Nemko considers family to be overrated. "Politicians, clerics, and just plain folks extol family as our most important institution. I believe family is overrated. So many people suffer inordinately from family. Millions of people don't even speak with a family member. Millions more spend years and fortunes on therapists, trying to undo the ills that family perpetrated on them. All this shouldn't be surprising. After all, unlike with friends, we are placed in our family of origin at random, with no say in the matter."
Rev. Dr Paul Galea replies...
There is no doubt that the ideal family exists only in the textbooks. This criticism is partly justified by the idealisation of the family. Although people have no choice as to which family they are born, it is inconceivable not to have one, and being deprived of one can be a much worse experience. Evolution has made it that the human offspring takes longer to be weaned and to start living independently. Ironically, the higher the standard of living the longer it takes to separate.
The argument that there are many who do not speak to members of their family or who spend fortunes to undo negative emotional experiences is a confirmation of the importance and relevance of the family especially in the development of the child. That something can go wrong at any stage of development is a misfortune that can happen also to the best of families.
What is more of concern behind such argumentations is the ideology that supports them. As contemporary society becomes more individualistic there is less appreciation of family ties. As the family becomes more variegated emotional bonds with strangers become more important than blood relationships. Furthermore, what we are seeing today is an anthropological regression as fathers become less and less involved in the life and upbringing of their offspring.
The biggest challenge to our families, however, is how to reconcile other interests with those of the family. Because of career and work people put family interests on hold, including procreation which follows a different schedule. The individual pursuit of happiness is severely challenged by the heavy toll that a family can exert. Dedication to a family requires an adherence to certain values and ideals. In their absence it is more convenient to underrate the importance of the family.
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In 2013 the German Bishops approved the use of Plan B in Catholic Hospitals in cases of rape with Vatican endorsement when this acts only as preventing ovulation. Pro-life organisations have often criticised this decision saying that research shows that this pill can also be abortifacient. Universe of Faith speaks to Dr. John A. Di Camillo from the National Catholic Bioethics Center(NCBC) about this matter.
1. Is there a difference between Plan B and EllaOne?
There is a significant difference between Plan B and EllaOne. EllaOne's direct effects is to prevent implantation (it is a progesterone antagonist like RU-486 and works up to 5 days after intercourse) whereas the data on Plan B (which is levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestogen that works up to 3 days after intercourse) suggest that it may be anovulatory and not abortifacient when given at certain times in the woman's cycle. So for practical purposes, EllaOne should never be administered even in the context of self-defense following sexual assault, whereas there may be grounds for administering Plan B under certain conditions.
2. What about research quoted by some pro-life organisations which says that Plan B can be abortifacient?
There has been and indeed continues to be debate concerning the mechanism of action of Plan B and in particular whether there is any time at which it could be given which would exclude the abortifacient mechanism. It has for some years been the understanding of NCBC, based on the existing scientific literature, that administering Plan B prior to the LH surge in a woman's cycle (shortly before ovulation) could in fact prevent ovulation rather than preventing implantation. As such, NCBC has held that it could be licit to administer Plan B following sexual assault with appropriate testing to ensure the proper timing. The NCBC has been considering recent data on the topic that seem to suggest otherwise and hopes that more data continues to emerge, since these are questions of scientific and medical fact which are the basis on which moral conclusions can be drawn. The fact is that the data themselves, obviously including the more recent data, are the subject of debate.
If new data convincingly overturn the previous data about the expected action at different times in the cycle, then it may be that Plan B should not be administered at all in Catholic facilities. This does not yet appear to be the case.
3. So what is the guiding principle in this debate?
Regardless of the outcome of this scientific debate, the guiding moral principle elucidated in n. 36 of the USCCB's Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services remains the same: a drug which prevents ovulation following a rape (and thereby prevents conception, defined as fertilization of the ovum, days before implantation of the resulting embryo) could be legitimately administered to a woman following a sexual assault as an act of self-defense.
If administration of Plan B is allowed, it should be under conditions that would provide at least moral certitude of the anovulant (not abortifacient) mechanism of action. NCBC has a protocol for this which is currently being updated.
Published: October 2016
Note: In January 2017, obstetrician Profs Bruno Mozzanega said in Malta that Plan B could also be abortifacient if taken before ovulation.
Further reading: Vatican Statement on the morning after pill, 2000.
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Universe of Faith interviews Fr James Alison and Fr Mark Sultana, two diocesan priests who offer different perspectives on questions regarding homosexuality.
1. You believe that the Church's teachings on homosexuality are false. On what bases do you say this?
FR JAMES: I believe the third order teaching of the Roman Congregations, which claims "the homosexual inclination… must be considered as objectively disordered", to be false. And I do so because many years of research have yielded overwhelming scientific and human evidence showing that what we call being gay is a non-pathological minority variant in the human condition, and not some pathology, vice or disorder that is a defective form of heterosexuality. Furthermore, the more gay and lesbian people are visible, the clearer it is to our friends and family that there is nothing inherently self-destructive about being who we are. There are other elements of teaching in this area, for instance, on the importance of sensitive treatment, avoidance of violence and so on, with which I am wholly in accord.
2. Why does the Church keep maintaining that the inclination of homosexuality must be seen as an "objective disorder" when with a few exceptions from some professionals, we can say that there is consensus from behavioral and social sciences and mental health professions globally that homosexuality is a healthy variation of human sexual orientation?
FR MARK: I believe that the Church – perhaps somewhat clumsily – is trying to accompany persons in our journey of faith. This journey is one which involves the entire human person – with our spiritual, personal, physical, moral and relational facets. I believe that through such an expression, which is not among the most helpful of phrases, the Church is trying to say that a homosexual genital relationship is not conducive to moral and spiritual growth.
Of course, there are aspects of such a relationship that are helpful – one can mention the virtues of patience and forgiveness which must be involved in any relationship. But one must also see that the meaning of a genital act cannot be completely arbitrary. Of course, it can express love, patience, forgiveness, empathy, sensitivity and much more. However it can only do so if one considers that the genital act has a grammar of its own. And that grammar includes the reciprocity of the sexes and the possibility of new life.
When the Church says that a homosexual genital relationship is intrinsically disordered, the Church is trying to point out that, in itself, it cannot fulfil the meaningfulness of such an act. 'Objective disorder' here has to do with the moral and the spiritual sphere. It is a textbook way of speaking, which is why it often comes across as being insensitive. But the Church says this to accompany, to illumine, and to help each person's conscience. The Church does not – and cannot – use the term to impute personal guilt. That is for God alone to do … who are we to judge! After all, we all know how hard it is to understand and to make decisions in this, and in other, personal areas. We all know how sensitive and personal the question of sexual identity can be. In all areas – perhaps including particularly the area of sexual activity – so many of us can look back and see that certain decisions we made, perhaps in good faith, were actually misguided. It would be helpful for us all to try to understand more deeply why the Church – that has so much experience in human affairs – is saying that such a genital relationship is not in and of itself conducive to moral and spiritual growth. I believe that this is nothing but an expression of the Church's care for each person… But I also believe that it could be expressed far better – with more love, compassion and understanding. After all, we are called to communicate the faith personally, accompanying one another in a journey which is sometimes fraught with doubts and difficult emotions. But we are accompanied by the Lord who is understanding, and merciful … who tells us the truth with love.
3. So how do you explain the inclination of homosexuality, which the Church says "must be seen as an objective disorder"?
FR JAMES: If you mean by this "why are there some people who are gay or lesbian?", then the answer will eventually come from the scientists who are working out what configuration of genetic, hormonal, and neurological matters underlie this variant. But that is what it appears to be: a non-pathological minority variant in the human condition, much more analogous to left-handedness (which we would all now agree to be non-pathological) than to anorexia (which we would all agree to be an objective disorder). The acts proper to anorexia, left unchecked, will tend to the self-destruction of the person, and so can be considered intrinsically wrong, or disordered; the acts proper to left-handedness will be good or bad according to circumstance.
Herein lies the problem for ecclesiastical logic. For in Catholic theology you cannot properly derive knowledge of what is from a prohibition: "Because it is forbidden to eat pork, therefore pigs must be seen as somehow improper". Instead, true prohibitions flow from proper knowledge of what is: "Because heated frying oil is dangerous to human skin, you should never use naked fingers to stir chips while they are being fried". So ecclesiastical logic cannot say "even though we know that being gay or lesbian is a neutral or positive way of being, nevertheless same sex acts are intrinsically evil", for that would be the equivalent of saying "While we know perfectly well that pigs are no more or less clean or unclean, proper or improper, dangerous to human health, than any other animal, nevertheless, to eat pork is always and everywhere prohibited". It would be an arbitrary command, one that had no particular regard for the good of the people on whom it was enjoined. There are religions for which such logic, the claim that a supposed divine command trumps human learning about what really is, would be appropriate but Christianity is not one of them. So, if Church authority concedes what appears to be true concerning the inclination (that it is a non-pathological minority variant), it can longer maintain what it wants to maintain: that all same-sex acts are intrinsically evil. This is why they use the phrase "must be seen": the link between what really is, and any prohibition flowing from it, is vital in Catholic Christianity. But if what "must be seen" turns out to be false, then the accompanying absolute prohibition falls as surely as does that concerning eating pork.
4. The Church speaks of gays as "those who have this condition". She says it accepts the person but not his acts. Many gays feel offended and unaccepted by this. How can a gay person reconcile his sexual inclinations/feelings with his faith and feel welcomed in the Church?
FR MARK: The term 'condition' can be misleading because it connotes illness. I don't think that the Church wants to – or can – speak about illness. That is for others to do in their own areas of expertise.
I believe that the moral and spiritual questions have to do with our combatting the roots of sin within us – whether these involve envy or pride, greed or acedia, lust, anger or gluttony … probably the whole lot! These are tendencies which are not sins – but which incline us to sin.
And they are tendencies which we battle continuously. So, life is a continuous battle in this sense – a battle where we are not alone! A battle where we have continuous and instant access to an excellent medic. I believe that lust is a sinful root which we all experience – whatever our sexual tendencies. I believe that we all need forgiveness. I believe that no one saves himself or herself. I don't see any difference in this sense between persons –whether bishops or lay persons whether gay or straight, whether female or male. We are all sinners on a pilgrimage. We are all wounded. We are all welcomed by God.
5. The Church speaks of homosexual acts as intrinsically evil. What about those who live in a loving committed gay relationship and those who lead a promiscuous gay life, can these acts be put on the same level?
FR MARK: Obviously there is a world of difference – even morally and spiritually – between those who are in a committed and loving gay relationship and those who live a promiscuous life. At the risk of sounding pedantic, the sexual acts of the former persons are fuller with respect to personal meaning than those engaged in by the latter. One must say however – with a great deal of love and respect that those who live in a loving committed gay relationship still cannot enjoy the full meaning of sexuality … where this openness to the other involves a sexual reciprocity and a connotation of life which is immersed in a vital relationship with the creator. But they are all still members of the Church! They are all our brothers and sisters. We all have a spiritual life – that is, a connection with God – and the Lord does work in mysterious ways. We are all called to ask the Lord continuously "Lord what do you want of me?" … a question which is not always easy to ask but which always leads to life. And we are all called to encourage one another (and not sit in judgement!) to grow – perhaps very slowly – as disciples of the Lord.
6. If you are gay are you automatically called to be chaste? I mean is chastity the only way to lead a morally good life for a gay? From your experience have you encountered chaste and happy gay people? How easy/hard it is to live it out?
FR.MARK: We are of course all called to be chaste – just as we are all called to be loving and integral and just and honest! I do know gay persons who are serenely doing their best to be chaste. It is, of course, not easy … and it may be more difficult for gay persons (and therefore, I feel great admiration for these brothers and sisters and I believe that their efforts are often greater than they could be for most people) but it appears to be possible. Of course, the sacrament of reconciliation renews our chastity – as it does our honesty, justice, love and integrity – if it is wounded. So we can always hope!
7. Pope Francis said: "Experience teaches us: in order to know oneself well and develop harmoniously, a human being needs the reciprocity of man and woman." (April audience 2015) If a child is up for adoption and a gay couple and a straight couple with the same skills & interests are short-listed to adopt, what do you think the best interest of the child would be - to go with the gay or the straight couple?
FR JAMES: Bit of a trick question this, since when Catholic authorities have got involved with the precise legal issues surrounding adoption by same-sex couples, they have tended to take the line that Catholic adoption agencies must be exempt from even considering the possibility that in certain, rather limited cases, the most suitable adopting couple might be a same-sex one. For my part, I wouldn't dispute that in the huge majority of cases, the best arrangement is for a child to go to a straight couple, where one is available. But I would also insist, along with many highly responsible adoption workers, that there are particular occasions when the best option for a particular child, even given the possibility of a straight couple, is a particular same-sex couple, and that to refuse even to imagine that possibility is a triumph of ideology over the best interest of the child. Certainly there is no reputable evidence to show that children brought up by stable same-sex couples fare worse in any way at all than children brought up by stable opposite-sex couples.
8. Pope Francis said: "I ask myself, if the so-called gender theory is not, at the same time, an expression of frustration and resignation, which seeks to cancel out sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it." (April audience 2015) What is your reaction, is gender theory afraid of difference?
FR JAMES: To be perfectly honest, I don't know what is meant by "the so-called gender theory". The phrase you quote seems to be a sort of blanket calumny which casts something undefined in a negative light, without ever specifying exactly what, or why. I was sad that Pope Francis, who can call a spade a spade when he wants to, resorted to this sort of language. If ecclesiastics have something to criticize, they should do it clearly, exactly, and in a reasoned way, with a view to convincing those who have got something wrong, rather than preaching pabulum to the choir.
9. Some people say that heterosexuals do not talk in public about their sexuality, come out, and make an issue about their sexuality like gays do. What do you have to say about this?
FR JAMES: In our western world, public life speaks very loudly about the heterosexuality of those involved, with people taking this for granted as the assumed background of everything, and so not noticing it. You only notice this if you are a minority that doesn't share the same background assumptions. Imagine a world in which the standard presumption was that your significant other is of the same sex. So invitations, school dances, courtship, family events, holding hands on the street, photos on your desk at work, all reflect that assumption. I suspect that in such a world heterosexuals would want to stand up and insist on their right to be honest about bringing their other-sex partner to a dance, a family event, holding their hand or giving them a kiss on the street, having a photo of them on their desk etc. Initially, this might produce a frisson of objection that they were making too much of a fuss about something that should really be private. But with a bit of luck, their need to "come out" as straight would eventually be accepted. This can be appreciated quite clearly by anyone with a sense of what it was (and often still is) like to live with the background assumption of the naturalness of male domination, where women who insisted on pointing out where they do not share, and are being unjustly treated by, the dominant background assumptions, were regarded as being uppity, excessively ideological, or men-hating "feminazis", rather than simply truthful.
10. What's your advice to young people who are gay and feel they have a vocation to become a priest or nun?
FR JAMES: The more young people, gay, lesbian or straight, grow up with an expectation of straightforwardness and honesty in this field, the more the burden falls on religious authorities to be able publicly to match that honesty in their decision-making processes, and especially, in their treatment of their own recruits. So, I would say to young people with a vocation of this sort: "Seek out a Bishop or religious order of proven honesty. One whose formators in charge of the route to ordination or vows are not afraid to show public understanding that it is the their responsibility to offer a shared context of truthfulness within which you may develop into an obedient and truthful priest or religious. This is vital, whether you happen to be straight, gay or lesbian. Avoid like the plague those Bishops and religious formators who will want you to play some sort of "don't ask, don't tell" game. These will bind you into the practices of polished mendacity which so often characterize seminaries, houses of religious formation and clerical culture in general".
11. What do you think is the appropriate way of supporting gay people become who they are?
FR JAMES: How could there be "the" appropriate way? You are dealing with vastly different people, with a huge range of talents, qualities, problems, character defects, life-projects and so on. Such people will flourish in just the same ways as everyone else if given the chance to do so. For instance, we will soon have the first generation of young men and women for whom the real possibility of eventually being married to someone of their own sex will have been available to their imagination from earliest childhood. I suspect that they will be the generation who will be able to teach us what "sanity", "appropriateness" and "flourishing" look like in this matter. Since for them, being gay or lesbian will be a relatively small and not very remarkable, part of what makes their lives interesting, useful, frustrating, difficult, and open to the heavy challenges in so many other fields which we are bequeathing them.
12. What do you think is the appropriate way of supporting gay people become who they are?
FR MARK: I believe that the only way is through acceptance, love, respect and a process of accompaniment and listening. But this applies to all of us! The Christian life is a process where we recognize more and more deeply how precious we are in God's eyes and how far the Lord trusts us. It is a process where we realize that we are not loved by God because of our successes or achievements but we are loved regardless of these. This is a profoundly freeing love that enables us to recognize even our darkest defects and recognize in humility that that there is nothing that we have not rec
Fr Mark Sultana replies..."to be human means to be tempted."
Jesus is the Son of God who became human – he is, and remains, the second person of the divine Trinity who has personally and irrevokably become one of us. The incarnation means that he is fully human in that he has a human mind, a human will, a human memory and, of course, has a human body ... just like each one of us! The difference lies in sin. Jesus did not sin personally. He certainly was tempted just as we are tempted, however (Heb 4, 15) ... temptations were clearly put before Him many times. In this way he understands our weakness ... he both sympathises and empathises with us in our temptations. It seems clear that to be human means to be tempted!
However, it also seems clear that to be human is not necessarily to be sinful. Sin is a lack of humanity!! My sinfulness is my lack of solidarity, my lack of respect, my turning in upon myself in my relationships with God, with others and with creation. Unfortunately we all seem to be in the same boat so our involvement in our relationships is always prone to deceit, egoism and envy.
The incredibly good news of the incarnation is that Jesus is not like that at all! Not only, but he wants to share his purity with us so that we are always encouraged in the relationships which make up our lives ... we are never in a dead end – there is always hope for us. Not only, but he takes our sins upon himself so that, as it were, he – the guiltless one –makes himself guilty. He alone can enter into such selfless and effective solidarity with every human person! Not only, but he became human to share his divine, joyful, loving and immortal life with us. But that is another story ...
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Fr Paul Chetcuti SJ replies...
A couple lately told me they went to the doctor as the woman was pregnant. The doctor asked her "would you like to test to see if the baby is downs syndrome?" She asked "and if the baby is what can we do about it?" "Nothing really. You can just abort." he replied. "No need then, somehow we already feel in love with this baby as s/he is" she said. It is there that love lives with pain.
Because our faith is not in the conditions of life. We are not living in this world to live certain things and not others. We did not come with a project which is fixed from before so what's important is that I am healthy, I have a good job, I have children. It is not to say that these things are not important but I am not living for them. These are circumstances and conditions and events in my life. I have been born to become the best that I can be with whatever my life circumstances are be they having health or not, having children or not, job etc. What's important is what I will become not what I have...that is what will remain, who I am, my identity... not what I do, what I have and what I don't have... but who I am.
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Fr Paul Chetcuti replies...
Thank God for your happiness. Do not let the lack of happiness in others reduce your own happiness. Instead, simply let it inspire you so you can share your joy with whom you can, and in ways you can.
This is what St. Paul meant when he said in the sufferings of others we are carrying "what is lacking in Christ's sufferings."
"Where there is no love, put some love..." the little giant woman Mother Teresa once said.
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Fr Paul Chetcuti SJ replies... "there's more to living for oneself."
This is not only about love but also about one's concept of life. You can look at it in a way to say I want to live a pain free life, so the euthanasia argument becomes the most logical conclusion i.e. when there is a certain amount of suffering I will stop living. What's important is that I won't suffer.
On the other hand, in the Christian vision what's important is that I live. Suffering in life, is to be embraced with a free heart. What Jesus said "no one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." A conscious act of a decision that you are going to accept life as a gift. And you will not decide the specifications of this gift. If we live it in this way our option will first be towards life not towards life rather than towards comfort. So, as a principle, we cannot say that euthanasia or suicide can be a favourable situation. We have done nothing to receive life and we should do nothing to take it away. Because if you accept that life is a gift, the gift itself decides the conditions.
This is why euthanasia becomes more so important. Because what's important is not that despite my pain I will remain near my wife who is so precious for me, my pain becomes second. On the contrary, the pain becomes such a first that you are not a good reason enough for me that I remain alive. That is the cruelty. For us the issue is I will remain alive for my own sake but there is another reason to remain alive – you – I will remain alive for you.
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Goodbye means "ouch!" Saying goodbye is always stressful. If you've ever had to say it, then you've experienced some amount of grief. Certainly the death of someone close causes grief, but so do lesser losses of daily living—only to a smaller degree.
Big losses, little losses; big griefs, little griefs—when you lose something in which you've invested yourself, it always causes stress. It hurts and leaves a wound that must be healed.
Grief is the process of healing that follows the loss. It is natural. And it is necessary. People react differently to loss, but regardless of how it is expressed, accepting and acknowledging the pain is an important first step in healing. Tolerance within the family for the many forms of expression is important. If the healing process is short-circuited by refusing to acknowledge suffering, the distress is compounded. When feelings are hidden to numb the pain, the healing process is delayed.
Unrecognized, unhealed grief leaves festering wounds. Unresolved grief is a factor behind a surprising amount of stress-related disease. At least one-third, possibly up to one half, of people hospitalized are suffering from a recent loss experience. Unfinished grief is a powerful source of distress.
So, what do you do about stress?
Grief isn't the problem; it's the solution.
People who go through surgery usually accept the fact that they won't regain full physical strength for quite some time. Often, however, persons with an emotional loss won't give themselves time to heal. They compound the problem by becoming impatient. You need to give yourself permission to feel the pain that follows loss.
After you've been hurt, it's natural to hesitate making new investments. Grief, however, calls for new investments. Look for people and challenges in which you can reinvest your love and attention.
Although grief is seldom an experience people choose, it is an opportunity for growth.
As a result of your pain, you will find you possess a new set of strengths. Use them to help yourself and others.
Loss signals life's impermanence. Grief reminds people of death. Faith helps you deal with others' deaths as well as your own. Every grief experience invites you to renew your acquaintance with the mysteries of life.
Share you grief with others. It keeps the healing process flowing. Join a group whose members are working through their own grief process and who are committed to caring. Sometimes you can't do it alone. Reach out.
Taken from the book: Helping Teens Work Through Grief Second Edition by Mary Kelly Peschy.
Compiled by: Bernardette Briffa
Published: March 2017
This is the story of the first ever Santa Claus also known as Father Christmas, who was in fact called Saint Nicholas or St. Nick. To this day people say that Saint Nick is the special friend of children.
3rd cen - The man who loved to help secretly
The man behind today's Father Christmas or Santa Claus was in fact born in the 3rd century in today's modern day Turkey. Nicholas parents died when he was only a teenager. Consequently he went to live with his uncle, a priest. His wealthy parents raised Nicolas to be a devout Christian. Responding to Christ's radical call of "give everything and come follow me", he gave away his inherited wealth. He spent a number of years in prison under the Roman Emperor Diocletian who ruthlessly persecuted Christians. After his release, he became renowned for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, his concern for those who suffer injustice as well as for sailors.
Nicholas tried to help secretly. He didn't want any attention or thanks. Years passed and he was chosen to become the Bishop of Myra. His concern for his flock went beyond the religious. For instance when Myra was experiencing famine he negotiated with some sailors coming from Egypt and bought wheat so thatno one went hungry. He helped people young and old who were in trouble. All his life Nicholas showed people how to love God and care for others.
The custom of giving presents at Christmas originates from him. Because...
In Nicholas' days, there was a man, once rich, who had fallen on hard times. Since the man could not afford a dowry for his three daughters, they were bound for a life of slavery or prostitution since they would remain unmarried, and unable to earn a living any other way. It is said that St. Nicholas heard of the family's plight, and secretly delivered gold to the family right before each daughter came of age. St. Nicholas wanted to keep his charity a secret, so when each of the daughters came of age, he dropped a sack full of gold down the chimney where it landed in the girl's stocking, which was hung on the fireplace mantel to dry.
Along the years - From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus
After Nicholas died, the people told stories of the good and kind things Nicholas had done. Sailors took these stories about Nicholas everywhere they went. The stories were about his special care he had for children, calming the seas, saving the innocent from injustice and providing food during time of famine. The more people learned about good, kind Nicholas, the more they wanted to be like him. Since the liturgical feast of St Nicholas falls during the Advent period, people have for these past 1000 years associated St. Nicholas with Christmas. For these past centuries, especially in Northern European countries, children started receiving gifts on the eve of St. Nicholas' day. The devotion towards Nicholas was so strong that the tradition is still present to this day in a number of European countries with a predominant protestant tradition.
1822 - Saint Nick in poetry
An early and famous poem is called A Visit From St. Nick written by Dr. Clement Clarck Moore to his own six children. It is also known as ''Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; ...
1864 - Saint Nick in song
Benjamin Hanby writes the song Up on the House Top probably inspried from the poem of Dr. Clement Clarck Moore.
"Up on the house top, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick..."
1900s - Saint Nick in advertising
In this period Santa Claus depictions were used in cartoon art in a bright red suit. He soon became entrenched in the social imagination when he was used by a drinking company to endorse its drink as the solution to 'a thirst for all seasons'. Other business' were quick to follow using the jovial Santa Claus to advance the commercial emphasis that dominates Christmas today.
However, symbols of the real Santa contained crimson or deep purple bishop robes, the bishop's crozier (shepherd's hooked staff), miter (pointy hat), a book (symbolising the scriptures), ship or anchor (from a story where Saint Nick is said to have calmed the seas), hanging stockings by the fire and candy canes.
Gifts for children today
It is highly recommended that parents or helpers of St. Nick buy small presents rather than big ones and help children appreciate whatever they get rather than ask for a particular present.
Thank you to Professor Adrian Gellel for the historical details in this article.
Further reading and other stories about St. Nicholas visit:
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Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" Jn: 4, 7. Who can really quench my thirst?
Fr Paul Chetcuti replies...
We thirst for so many things, a better life, more peace and greater serenity. But can we find at least one person in our life who really does quench our deepest thirst? Here we see Christ as somehow sharing the same thirst that we experience as humans. It is the thirst that remained torturing him right up to the cross: "I thirst".
What we are presented with here is a disappointed and frustrated Samaritan woman tired of having to constantly return to the well-water which never satiated her completely. Just as in her real love-thirsty life. She tried to quench her thirst through six different men but ended up disillusioned. And now, this seventh man seems to be no better. He wants to drink without even having a bucket.
We can really quench our thirst, only when we realise that our deepest thirst is for the intimate communion of ourselves with that of others. The only way to quench our thirst is therefore by the same thirst in our brothers and sisters. There is no other way of stopping the frustrating, vicious circle of running after the elusive happiness of our false hopes.
When we are children we hope that life will be better when we grow up, or when we get married, or when we fulfil our career ambitions, worldly success or comfortable retirement. Yet, like the Samaritan woman, our thirst never seems to go away and we still end up being disappointed and disillusioned.
It is only in quenching the thirst of others that we can quench our own. This is quenching the thirst of Jesus in others and the thirst of others for Jesus. Once we drink of the water he gives us, it becomes a source of 'living water' right within our very own hearts.
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Universe of Faith replies...
We coined the word "Green Catholic" to describe those people who wish to improve their ways of caring for the world around them in the vision of the social teachings of the Catholic Church. It is much more than being environmental friendly. It's a way to become more connected with oneself, with nature, the poor, the socially excluded and with God. Below is an A-Z list suggesting how to start becoming a "Green Catholic". The number in the brackets indicates the paragraph number from the Pope's letter On Care for our Common Home which speaks on the topic. All points are also linked to an article on the topic in case you'd like to read some more. Enjoy and good luck with your trying!
Are your ways of travelling creating too much pollution? (20)
Boycotting proves to be successful in changing ways business is done. (206)
Creating community spaces wisely with green areas available for the pleasure of all is essential. (44,45)
Decrease pesticides. (34)
Find time to pray.(233-237)
Get real in your relationships and go beyond the virtual. (47)
Hear the opinions and needs of indigenous people. (145)
Inspire others by consuming less. (203, 222)
Juggling too many things can become tiring. Slow down and rediscover your lost values. (114)
Keep the common good in the first place. (54)
Let's create biological corridors when building highways, dams etc so that species can emigrate. (35)
Movements in favour of life, the environment and social justice are all related together. (91)
Nature is God's caress. Enjoy it to recover your true self. (84)
Overconsumption not overpopulation is the real problem. (50)
Quick and easy profits can cause terrible injustices, much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained.(36)
Rest and refresh yourself on Sundays, also through mass. (237, 68, 71)
Supporting small producers is a right and duty of civil authorities. (129)
Value and protect biodiversity, especially those found in wild forests and coastal zones. (24, 32-42, 169, 190)
Water should be at a price that the poor can afford. (27-31)
Xcuse me? You do not acknowledge the world has an environmental problem? (59)
You can do your part in caring for creation because we all do some small ecological damage. (8)
Zooming through many data and screens can create mental pollution.
Becoming a green Catholic is a process, it is embarking on a lifestyle which respects the environment and fellow human beings. Pope Francis thinks that we are at kindergarten level when it comes to holistic ecology. He believes that people are looking for believers when it comes to how to look after God's creation. Much can be done. Let's change ourselves and do what we can for nature!
Published: February 2017
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Fr. Mark Sultana replies... it's about re-experiencing
One must keep in mind that, in Jesus' Hebrew mindset, to remember is far more than recalling an event; it is a re-presentation of a past event so that it is really lived in the present. When, for example, the Passover is celebrated, it is those who celebrate who are freed, not just their ancestors. The Greek word term used in the Gospel is 'anamnesis', which means 're-experience'. Jesus is not asking His disciples to merely use symbols to meditate on his death. He is asking his disciples to re-experience the paschal event itself, using the sacraments of His Body and Blood given for us.
We can also notice how the word remember is used later in the crucifixion account in Luke's Gospel: when one of those crucified with Jesus asked Jesus to "remember me when you come into your kingdom" he was not merely asking Jesus to "think about him" as we might remember people whom we met in class last spring. He was asking Jesus to remember him in in the sense that he could really be present in heaven with him. Indeed this is how Jesus understands 'remembering': he responds, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (see Luke 23:42-43).
In this light, when we remember Jesus at the Eucharist, we are not simply recalling past events; liturgical remembering makes us present to the event. The real and living presence of the Lord in the Eucharist is also made very clear by Jesus in John 6, 53-56 where Jesus speaks in a very literal manner of "eating the flesh of the Son of Man" and "drinking his blood". It is significant that the context is one where Jesus had every opportunity to provide a softer or metaphorical interpretation of what he could have meant by himself being "the living bread that came down from heaven". Instead, he intensifies his language by emphasises the realism of his words. Jesus rather scandalously stated that one must eat (he uses trogein which is a very graphic and almost crude term which has none of the possible nuances of phagein) the flesh of the Son of Man. It is very hard to give a symbolic or metaphorical meaning to these words. Indeed it is very hard to give anything but a realist interpretation to Jesus' words. When Jesus used the words 'This is my body' (which are practically the same words as those Jesus uses in John 6, 51), he was not speaking poetically; he was effecting a creative act that brings about his "real, true and, substantial presence".
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Josette Vassallo replies... "acknowledge the bad behaviour, forgive and work on your own self-transforamtion."
I empathise with you as I felt the same way years ago. I was criticised and laughed at by my colleagues and friends when I said that I'm a Catholic. They would bombard me with the bad examples given by church goers and priests alike. This attitude robbed me of all peace making me feel very disturbed. During this time my life as a Catholic was more based on morality, and sometimes I struggled hard to live up to good moral standards prescribed by the church and the gospel, not to say that there were times when I failed.
However, my faith took a turning point when I attended a talk by a Catholic speaker who said that our Catholic Faith is first and foremost a loving personal relationship with a merciful God. He insisted on the importance of daily prayer and explained that prayer is not just asking things from God but an opening of our heart to Him to allow Him to reveal Himself to us and to be the Lord of our lives. He explained that one way of doing this is by meditating the Scriptures. Scripture is the living word of God through which God speaks to us individually (also as a church but individually as well) in our particular circumstances. The God of Jesus Christ, besides being the head of the Catholic Church, is also a personal God who desires to reveal Himself to us individually. This talk had a great impact on me and so I decided to spend time in daily prayer. At the beginning this was quite a struggle but as I persevered I started to look forward to my prayer time. The reason is that what I had learnt about God in my past now became an experience. It was like having a best friend, the more you spend time together the more you get to know him/her. The result is that the more you spend time with God, and meditate on His word, the more He starts to transform you and create you afresh in His own image and likeness. So your mentality, the way you speak and react, your attitudes in general will be more in tune with those of Jesus. You will become more Christ-like and besides personal prayer, participating in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, will give you the grace to be a witness of the faith that you proclaim.
In this way you will start to have peace and be at ease in the Catholic Church as your heart starts being transformed in the Heart of Christ which is an overflowing well of unconditional love and mercy. Those who walk closely to Him will experience this love and mercy for their fellowmen, no matter what scandals the latter perform within the church. Not only so but the greater the sinner, the greater the scandals he performs, the greater will your love and mercy for him be. The more will you beg Our Lord to save him, the more you will try, if it is in your power, to do good to him. Your indignation for the wrongdoing will remain, but your merciful love for the wrongdoer will grow even more and you will try to defend him even from the condemnation that others throw on him. It is similar to the episode of the adulterous woman who was brought before Jesus. Her accusers told Jesus that according to the Jewish law that woman had to be stoned. But Jesus told them "the one without sin will throw the first stone at her" and one by one they left and only Jesus remained with the woman. Actually He was the only sinless one who could have thrown the first stone. Instead His merciful love healed her and saved her.
Don't take me wrong. Abuses by priests or Church people are detestable and tarnish the image of the Church as the Body of Christ, but I cry out with Jesus crucified "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do'.
Let us do likewise.
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Fr Mark Sultana replies..."acknowledge that the most fundamental thirst in your life is for God."
My life, your life depends on God ... We live, breath, work, sing in God. Your most fundamental relationship is with God ... always, at every moment in your hectic life. Do seek God with all your heart ... thirst for God, or rather acknowledge that the most fundamental thirst in your life is for God.
You need to become aware of God ... that you are precious in God's eyes and that God looks at you with love ... always. I guess it is often more difficult to allow God to love me than it is for me to love God! You will come to realise that God's love for you is always greater!
To become aware of this beautiful gaze bearing your life, you need to pray ... so do dedicate five minutes to prayer every day ... just plan your prayer time. You can pray wherever you are. You can pray in so many ways ... just being silent in God's presence; praising God; pleading with God ... you should even attempt to listen to God. Just be aware that you are in the presence of God and try to ask God how God is looking at you.
With time you realise that God's gaze is always one of love ... even if you feel ashamed about something. With time you realise that God speaks ... and you start become aware of what God is saying through an attentive awareness of the peace present ... or absent within you as you decide, talk, act. If you are seeking God, peace of heart is a sign that what you are thinking agrees with what God wants.
Do pray for others, do pray with others. Pray for others ... that is a form of love. Pray with others, particularly through the liturgy - particularly the mass - which is our praise to God in the name of all humanity and our receiving God's gifts ... not just for us but intended for all. The peace and joy God gives is not just for me but for all those I meet. I realise that I am called to be the locus of God's healing presence. I pray that I may realise that Jesus loves me and gave himself up for me. And that is no small thing ... it gives me joy and courage continuously.
Do recognise that belief and unbelief live together in your soul ... and do pray: Lord help my unbelief!! But never lose courage ... the good Lord will never let you go no matter how messy your life is. Do ask for forgiveness ... you need it as I do!
I believe that you will slowly realise that, despite the mess and the confusion in your hectic life, you will experience more peace ... and you will be able to bring a gift of peace with you.
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Fr. Mark Sultana replies... "food touches our body, our life and our spirit."
Food expresses relationships – biological and social, personal and festive. Food is both a need and a symbolic gesture. We can eat in so many ways – hurriedly or sedately, alone, in a crowd, or in an intimate setting; we can eat raw food or food produced by slow cooking. We can eat healthily or badly. Food touches our body, our life and our spirit ... it touches us personally.
Incidentally, this is why fasting is undertaken as a spiritual exercise and this is also why eating disorders often have spiritual roots. What to eat is, in this sense, a moral and even a spiritual matter. One is of course not to eat too much – that would be unhealthy and a wasteful use of resources; it also coarsens the soul. With respect to fast food, one should consider questions like the wage and the working conditions of the workers, together with the sourcing of the ingredients. In Lent 2015, a fast from fast food was suggested in the US.
The Church teaches that we can include meat in our diet. While we must care for animals and treat them humanely, this does not mean that animals cannot be eaten. What we must not do is cause animals needless suffering and death. This means that we must reflect on the means by which meat is obtained. Are animals raised for meat treated well or are they the victims of industrial use? Do the production methods of any given meat-provider reflect a "religious respect for the integrity of creation" (CCC 2415-2418)? Is too much arable land which would yield grain and produce to feed people being used instead to grow cattle feed – or used to produce biofuel? Ultimately, we must apply the principles of good stewardship when making decisions about what to eat and how to live.
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Fr David Cefai SJ replies...
It is a great temptation to feel so in these situations. However, no matter how you feel, God is always present in your life. Whether you feel abandoned or you feel loved, God is always with you. He is always present in our lives, not just in Church or in prayer but also in our daily routine, our very basic one; eating, washing, sleeping etc. In both what is sacred and what appears profane, God is constantly with us. Even when life hits hard, he is still there.
Saint Sr Maria Faustina Kowalska, the polish nun who recieved messages from Jesus about mercy in the 1930s, wrote that "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls" (Diary 367). These messages are approved by the Catholic Church. Jesus keeps inviting us to believe in him and experience his "oceans of mercy", his immense love for us. Whatever we have done, even if they are terrible things, even if we have caused others to suffer, even if we haven't kept our word, we can always start anew.
We in turn are invited to be merciful to others by showing kindness, by creating this mental filter of kindness. Before we speak we should ask ourselves whether these words are kind or unkind words. We should make this constant effort to spread kindness.
I have witnessed a couple who were on the verge of separation. They have been through a lot of hurt and pain. But when I invited them to start believing in Jesus' mercy, to think of his love coming out of his wounds, to stop saying unkind words and make an effort to have a kind look and kind words, they started a long and laborious journey which left fruit. Today their house is a Christian home and they still practise these things in bad moments.
Ask Him. He will listen to you.
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Fr Sandro Vella. O.Carm replies... these are choices that include.
I admit that there are Biblical texts where God seems to choose between one and the other. Many a time this choice is done in view of his plan. The one who is not chosen is not destroyed but is given another role. I am referring, as an example, to the choice between Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. Regarding the choice of the Jews as a people in both the Old and the New Testament, God chooses for himself the Jews so that through them he will eventually get through all the nations, So, again, it is not a choice that excludes. This is why the Jews are referred to as those "through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world." Wisdom 18:4.
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Fr. Paul Chetcuti SJ replies... love and pain can live together.
I've met a woman whose husband had an affair with another woman. She has two children. She forgave him. Her capacity to say my husband's betrayal won't cancel my love for him, we call that forgiveness. Living with that suffering, the betrayal, means, that you will accept that you will be loving a man who has made that mistake. It doesn't mean you won't feel the pain of the betrayal anymore or that you won't forget the mistake that has been done, but love can live, can cope with betrayal, if it's truly love.
The same goes for the husband, he also has a big challenge to say the fact that there was a moment went I betrayed my woman it doesn't mean I don't love her or I can't love her. He has to live with that burden, with the scar of the betrayal, but he is still capable of loving. He can still say I was stupid at the time but I still wish to be with her, to love her always and in everything. Now that he has made that mistake, it doesn't mean that he has to throw away everything. It will be throwing away the trust I have in my capacities and my genuineness.
We love in a genuine and insufficient way. But it is still love. It is genuine, it doesn't mean I'm a hypocrite, as long as I admit my mistake. This was Jesus' style. Peter betrayed him, but Jesus never told him "goodbye, you're fired." Jesus asked him "Do you love me, with your betrayal?"
We can only love each other in this way. I betrayed you because I went with another woman, but you also betrayed me when all you thought about was the children, the clothes you bought and forgot all about me, as if I don't exist, because you were too happy with them. You wanted to be a fully dedicated mother and forgot me. At the same time can I blame you, can I say you didn't love me becuause we had children? Maybe, you were not able to balance things out but it doesn't mean you didn't love me. It means that that's how you could love at that moment as your priorities got mixed up.
This means that love can survive all failures, as long as we do not reduce ourselves and others for our failures. It has to be a choice. If in your eyes I have become "a betrayer", I have no chance. "Betrayer" will become my label and you will forget all the good that I've done, how I have helped you in different life circumstances. All that you have forgotten. What' s left is only my betrayal. This is what happens when the definition of the person becomes the betrayal.
When I do this both on others and myself, both are mistaken. Love (love = God & God = love), that love, knows how to live with these failures. It's what Jesus said when he was asked: "How many times should we forgive? "7 for 77 times". That symbolic 7 which means 'always'. Indeed, if you love, don't you always have to forgive? Love is not giving 3 chances and if you use them all you're lost. But, many a time isn't this want we all do because our love is limited?
In another case, a woman, betrayed by her husband a few months after her marriage is now living with another man. Can I say that the love for her present partner is not true? She will live a love which is not the love she wished for. She wished to love her husband forever. It is that intention which she had. But she couldn't cope. And her husband couldn't cope giving her all that love. It is two-way. She could have been stronger and said I love this man and I will remain faithful. I know people who have lived the rest of their life alone and raised their children alone to remain faithful to what has been promised. Some of us are strong to say it, some of us are not. But this doesn't mean that the less strong are not capable of loving. Love and pain can live together.
Pain is always a deficiency, a limitation, a piece of death, a weakness. If I have a whitlow in my finger it's a little death in my finger. A sin is also a little death of love, that's why we say 'mortal sin'. It doesn't mean that if I had a heart attack and some cells have died, than all my heart has died. But don't cells won't heal, they have died. But with the ¾ heart that I have left, I still can do a lot. We all have, 3/4ths, ½, 5% of a heart given all the blows life has given us, but we can still love.
But, have you personally met people who have lived this love & pain together, who have forgiven?
Yes, a lot of concrete cases. Mostly women, some men as well. But many a time women get badly treated.
A separation case...Many a time forgiveness is also related to children, "I want to give my children an experience of love which does not betray" one of these women told me "so if their father has betrayed them, I will not betray them. At least they will have one parent who remained loyal to the marriage promise till the end. That's what I wish to give to my children." This is an experience where the woman has been abandoned by the husband and has raised the children alone. There are many more others like hers.
When a couple remained together... This is great suffering. Not much are capable to live this love. The strong are lonely it is said. However, God will not judge our performance but how much we have loved with our handicaps.
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Fr Paul Chetcuti SJ replies... "Afterlife is pure relationship which is not mediated through our bodies."
In afterlife I will be liberated from my bodily needs because the relationship itself becomes the beginning and the end of all that I am.
In heaven we do not lose our identity but I will discover that my identity as Paul because I have found what you mean to me and what I mean to you. I will discover what my mother means to me and what I mean to her in its totality; what is special for me in my relationship with my friends. We are too small yet to experience the same oneness of the afterlife now, because in this world we are limited and we cannot experience everything. To reconcile what is precious for me and what is precious for you is sometimes very hard due to our differences and limitations.
In heaven these things are conquered. We experience perfect reconciliation of all the differences. This is what St. Paul means when he says that God becomes everything for everyone. This for me is the most beautiful definition of heaven.
So why did Christ eat fish after he rose from the dead? That is a bodily need.
Because to arrive at that stage we should not renounce and lose what we had when we were with our limitations. Because our identity, is formed from all these limitations that you are a woman, I am a man, that your eyes are brown and mine are blue. That is essential, none of this is lost but without the cells and molecules that we had. So if you had brown eyes it will remain a part of your identity, the way that your brain works is part of your story. No person can be a person without a story.
So, when Jesus ate fish, this new resurrected life which I have is not in spite of these limitations which I have to eat, like you (the apostles) have to eat but it is thanks to. Becuase had I not a need to eat etc, then I would have become a ghost, an idea. It is the body which makes an idea real. Like we say in the Bible "resurrection of the bodies". This body has been transformed but not abandoned or discarded. Because the experience that our spirit was born and nutured in a body, that experience will remain, our body will carry that experience. So, Jesus, to show that he was not an idea in the air, asked for food and showed the signs of the nails. But it was a transformed body.
Transformed body, though we find hard to understand, we have already partially experienced it. The experiences of play that I did when I was a child or in my mother's womb, are all memories in my body. The body has memory. There is continuity between the body that I have today and the body I had when I was a 3yr old. But the body I had as a 3yr old has disappeared completely. When I look at my nails, though somewhat the same I cannot say that they are the same nails that I had when I was 3 yrs old, I have cut so much of it and threw away, my heart today is not the same which I had back then, but it's still the same heart. The same can be said for all the parts of my body. The only link which I have between my body today and my body back then is neither the cells nor my specifications but all these parts make me, me, Paul. There is continuity in change. This is talk about the spiritual life. Like when Jesus said see how the spirit cannot be spirit without a body?
When then all the body ceases, we would have arrived at a stage where the spirit can assume to have a voice without having the need to have vocal chords, tongue etc. How I don't know. The mistake we do is that, we either say - that the body is not important but the soul is lie in olden times when people want to almost become a spirit, today it's the opposite – the body has taken such a central place that it is the other extreme, the body has almost become just a cover, a facade. Like Descartes, the philospher did, he found identity only in thought, cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), I find it very much superficial. So, we create a dichotomy, something which we did so much as Church. Our spirit is not an entity in a cover.
I cannot think about anything – say justice with the consciousness of the body. My body is an integral part of what is my sense of justice. What Jesus said whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers, you have done unto me. Love cannot be just a sentiment, it means that I wash you, I give you clothes etc These are all spiritual experiences which are forming our souls. Because our body is the way in which we can enter in a relationship with others. This is why the Church insists so much that every human being should be born out of a relationship because the body is destined to become relationship so it needs to come from a relationship.
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text:
Originally posted on FOX Sports | Last updated 11/14/12
So, about that job opening in Toronto ... One managerial vacancy remains in the major leagues, and it just so happens to be in the dugout of the franchise that pulled off one of the biggest blockbusters in baseball history. Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck are about to join the Blue Jays, and Canadian baseball fans can speak credibly about October aspirations once again. Reyes and Buehrle led the procession of free agents to Miami last winter, as owner Jeffrey Loria (fleetingly) fulfilled his dream of putting a star-studded team in Little Havana. One last-place finish -- and one managerial firing -- later, they have traded South Beach for Southern Ontario. Toronto is one of the world's best cities -- welcoming, cultured, diverse, and, yes, starved for winning sports teams. But it hasn't been viewed as a destination city for baseball in roughly two decades, since the Blue Jays' most recent postseason appearance in 1993. Now the Blue Jays have ...
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tuesday 30th of May 2017 05:21:59 AM
Home ---> Razer Drivers ---> Razer Ouroboros
Download Razer Driver for window 8. You can find all drivers for Razer. Windows 7
drivers may run on windows 8 also windows 7 drivers on windows 8 also find Razer windows xp driver and
Razer windows vista driver.
Razer Ouroboros window 8 drivers. Razer Ouroboros Drivers


text:
Ch I: The Not-So-Much Talent ShowMature
The sky was a bright blue, birds were singing, a family of deer was quietly wandering a fenced in field. I drove through the empty streets with caution. Roadkill was a thing of the past, and I was determined it would remain that way, especially since so much more wildlife had sprung up. I made my way patiently to the tiny music store in town, across from the big church I had been to once or twice several years ago.
I visited the shop frequently, so breaking in was no problem. I mastered lockpicking as a distraction project and consequently every store in town was now 'open for business,' as well as they could be with no patrons. Or employees. Or owners.
Usually I rode my bike (gotta stay in shape for that special no-one,) but today I was raiding the store and needed something to carry everything. I popped the trunk and slipped inside, flipping the lights on and plugging my boombox in. I couldn't go anywhere without it- the silence was mentally crippling. I busied myself with collecting one of every instrument they had and loading up the car while singing along with Brett Dennan. I would have to come back for a drumset.
Once I had acquired all I needed, it was time to set up for the special talent show I had planned for all my friends. But first I needed friends. I hopped back into the car and drove to Walmart. I hated this place more than anything- it was huge, echoed, impossible to keep safe from wildlife. Just plain scary. My imagination tormented me best in this place- shadows flickered in my peripheral view, unidentifiable noises crept in behind the music. I just quoted Jeff Dunham's old man puppet line over and over like a mantra to get myself through every time I had to come here 'Welcome to Walmart. Get your shit and get out, get your shit and get out, get your shit and get out...'
The problem was, if I ran and grabbed stuff, I started to feel like there really was a reason I was running and I'd panic. But if I went in with a good head on my shoulders, deliberately picking my way through, that meant I spent more time in this hell, more time for paranoid thoughts to creep into my brain.
I thought this place sucked before when there were people...but without them it was so much worse.
I knew exactly what I wanted and where it would be this time, so I chose a happy medium- walk quickly and sing my versions of Disney songs very loudly.
"Look at this crap, isn't it cheap? How many fluffy plushies do I need?" I belted as I tossed stuffed animals into my cart. "Now I think it's time to go. Skip the checkout, and let's roll." I booked it out of the store and emerged panting in the parking lot.
"Walgreens has stuffed animals!" I kicked the cart in my frustration and it bumped the door of the car I had left running at the front doors.
I had already set up chairs (taken from the University) in a semi circle in the parking lot of the apartment building I was living in. I went to work, putting each stuffed animal in its own chair. Now I had to name them. I had a stack of sticky name tags I ended up having to pin to most of them since they wouldn't hold onto the fake fur. It took a while, but eventually everyone had their own name, and I moved on to the instruments, setting them up on the tables. I had several extension cords winding their way over to hook up an electric keyboard, microphone, karaoke machine, and tv. Today was going to be a blast, a last hurrah before I took a road trip around the US in hopes of finding others, but I planned on sailing to other countries if I couldn't find anyone here.
"Martha, I'm going to need you to remain seated during the show," I scolded a stuffed Pomeranian, picking it up and settling it back in its chair.
"Hellooooo Mollyville! Welcome to the Long Goodbye Talent Show! I'm your host, Genevieve Jettson- please put your paws, claws, and hooves together for our first act, Trumpet to the Moon!" I hit a key on the keyboard, and an applause track played. I bowed and selected the trumpet from the array on the tables.


text:
We're very proud to be among the finalists of the 2012 Bully Award!
"This year's finalists were selected on the basis of excellence in innovation, the promise of growth, and the potential to weather the changes and challenges inherent in the TMT sector," said Farley Duvall, Founder and CEO of White Bull Summits. "The applicants were incredibly strong this year – a clear indication of the wealth of innovation coming out of Europe."
White Bull Summits conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2012 Bully Awards finalist list. Thirty winners (ten winners per category) will be announced live at the third annual, invitation-only White Bull Summit 2012, Pathways to Exit event in Barcelona on October 3, 2012.
Follow the action on Conferize or go to the event website.
Check out the rest of the finalists here.
Fingers crossed!


text:
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Chief Driggers douses Chief Bulanow in red paint on Red Nose Day
In a friendly competition to determine who was the reddest on Red Nose Day, North Charleston's police and fire chiefs went head to head to raise money for children in poverty.
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A special finance committee meeting to be held in the third floor Buist Conference Room, North Charleston City Hall, 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC. Contact: Municipal Clerk Ellen Clark ...
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North Charleston's FREE 4th of July Festival at Riverfront park features nationally recognized musical guest, family activities, and concludes with the largest fireworks display in the State.
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The City of North Charleston will host its annual Veterans Day tribute on Friday, November 11, 2016 from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm at Park Circle featuring a a keynote by retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent "Flo" Groberg. We ask veterans and the public to join Mayor Keith Summey and City Council in this special ceremony. Each year, over 500 veterans in attendance are honored.
All veterans in attendance will be recognized and will receive a specially designed commemorative coin. To receive a coin, veterans are urged to RSVP no later than November 4 to (843) 740-5801, (843) 745-1028 or via email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Prior to the ceremony, from 9:30 am – 10:30 am, a story swap will be held in the Felix Davis Community Center. Veterans will have an open opportunity to share memories and stories about their service with fellow veterans. The story swap is open to the public. Veterans wishing to speak should RSVP to (843) 740-5854.
In addition, the 1st Combat Camera Squadron will provide photo and video displays from the perspective of the Air Force during past wartime strategic, operational, worldwide crises, contingencies, joint exercises and humanitarian operations. The 1st Combat Camera Squadron is a tenant unit at Joint Base Charleston, and the largest active duty combat camera unit in the Air Force. Combat Camera acquires still and motion imagery in support of classified and unclassified air, sea, and ground military operations.
Lunch for all event attendees will be provided immediately following the ceremony with the Charleston County School of the Arts Jazz Band performing during the luncheon.
The Department of Defense and the Veterans Day National Committee once again selected North Charleston as a Regional Site for Veterans Day 2016. North Charleston is one of two regional sites in the State of South Carolina and has received this designation for six consecutive years.
Retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent "Flo" Groberg was born in Poissy, France, May 8, 1983. Groberg became a naturalized U.S. citizen, Feb. 27, 2001, and graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., in June of the same year.
Groberg attended the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and competed in varsity track and cross country. In May 2006, Groberg graduated from UMD with a bachelor's degree in criminology and criminal justice.
Groberg entered the Army in July 2008 and attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga. He received his commission as an infantry officer, Dec. 4, 2008. After completing Infantry Officer Basic Course, Mechanized Leaders Course, U.S. Army Airborne and U.S. Army Ranger Schools, he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., as a platoon leader.
In November 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Lethal, with responsibility for the Pech River Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Upon returning home in June 2010, he continued serving as a platoon leader until he was reassigned as an infantry company executive officer from October 2010 to November 2011. He was then assigned as the brigade personal security detachment commander for 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He deployed again to Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in February of 2012, with Task Force Mountain Warrior. He was promoted to captain in July 2012.
As a result of his actions, Groberg sustained the loss of 45 to 50 percent of his left calf muscle with significant nerve damage, a blown eardrum, and a mild traumatic brain injury. Groberg spent his recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from August 2012 through May 2015. He was medically retired from Company B Warriors, Warrior Transition Battalion, as a captain, July 23, 2015.
Groberg's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars; the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the U.S. Army Parachutists Badge, the U.S. Army Ranger Tab, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Groberg currently resides in the National Capital Region and is a civilian employee of the Department of Defense.
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We are about to enter one of the best times of the year to buy a property. The market is quiet, everyone is busy doing Christmas things, but builders need customers. They are keen to get rid of last year's stock before the new year kicks off, and they know everyone will feel broke in January.
And unlike the past few good years, this year mortgages are becoming harder to get and the market is slowing down, with five interest rate rises over 18 months. So there will be incentives in place for buyers willing to give up a Christmas party or two to go scouting for a home.
Barratt Homes, for example, is offering guaranteed three per cent fixed-rate mortgages for two years at a number of its new developments. Most developers are reluctant to advertise price cuts, preferring to dress up reductions in the form of stamp-duty refunds, mortgage deals and paid deposits. But price discounts — possibly 10 per cent or more — are available if you haggle, according to one industry insider.
"We're already seeing special offers thath are particularly attractive to first-time buyers who are ready to move and can complete before the year-end," says David Bexon of property website SmartNewHomes.
The key to securing a good deal is to find a property that has to be sold — say, the last remaining home at a site the developer wants to move on from, or where the developer is under pressure to sell quickly, perhaps because its financial year-end is in December.
All housebuilders quoted on the Stock Exchange have to keep shareholders happy and need to demonstrate that sales targets have been met. Often there is a flurry of activity in the days before their reporting deadline, with eager sales staff willing to make offers. Companies with a December year-end include George Wimpey, Linden and Persimmon. Barratt has joined rivals Redrow and Bovis Homes and confirmed that the challenging market has hit sales.
Barratt, which reports half-year accounts in December, is offering three per cent fixed-rate mortgages for two years at sites in north and west London, including Wallis House, the Art Deco former Glaxo headquarters in Brentford, and Lockhouse, a canalside scheme in Camden. Prices are from £225,000 and £349,995 respectively. Call 020 8326 7277.
Houses and flats to rent in Camden Town
Houses and flats for sale in Camden Town
Demand in the capital is weakest for mid-market flats in the £500,000 to £1 million bracket, reports James Hyman of estate agent Cluttons. This is probably due to the credit crunch and reduced City bonuses. Canny buyers should be able to strike good deals in City-fringe locations.
Worth investigating is Number One Lamb's Passage, off Chiswell Street, EC1. This scheme was acquired last summer by Nicholas King, an M25 commuter-home developer who might now be rueing the day he paid a top-of-the-market price.
Studio flats are being advertised from £350,000, one-bedroom flats from £427,500 and two-bedroom flats from £620,000. Call 020 7657 8371. The development of 80 flats is being built on the site of a former squash club, close to the Barbican. Completion is due in winter 2009.
Part-exchange deal
Buyers who can act quickly are in the strongest bargaining position, so have your mortgage lined up and your solicitor poised to act. If you have yet to sell your home, doing a part-exchange deal with a developer may be an acceptable solution. Barratt is offering to pay 100 per cent of the value of a buyer's existing home if they purchase a new one at Kenley Park, a leafy scheme of family houses close to Caterham on the Hill, Surrey. Prices are from £349,950 to £565,495. Call 020 8668 9277.
Gimmicky incentives, such as free holidays and cars, are not common because London buyers are perhaps too cynical. Ultimately, the only way to be sure a deal is a good one is to know the local market: which developments are selling well, which are struggling, which represent good value for money and which are offering genuine price cuts.
Clearly it is worth negotiating hard where prices are a little above the stamp-duty thresholds of £250,000 and £500,000. Parking spaces (anything between £15,000 and £75,000 in London) are another obvious bargaining counter. David Bexon believes that in the current climate, an ex-show flat could be bought for up to 15 per cent less than its market value. "A developer won't want to keep a marketing suite open if it's down to the last few apartments," he says.
You have to ask yourself with "fag-end" developments why the remaining properties have not been bought already. Show flats aside, it is usually because they are the least desirable homes, perhaps at the rear of the development overlooking a car park. So you need to be sure of what you are getting, especially if buying off-plan, and not be totally driven by the sweeteners on offer.
It's great to have a new place
First-time buyer Daniel Dar-Nell got an early Christmas present when he secured a £21,000 reduction on a one-bedroom flat originally priced at £240,000.
Daniel, 25, is manager of Kingston Grammar School's Queen Elizabeth II Theatre, in Surrey, and had been renting nearby before snapping up his new home at a development called Reflexion in Hounslow town centre.
"I had tried taking advantage of the Government's first-time buyer initiative but kept coming up against huge stumbling blocks because I wasn't a key worker or a council tenant," he says.
"My parents were willing to put up a five per cent deposit and I managed to get Barratt to match this by saying I would buy there. I also asked them to throw in a few freebies, such as flooring, which they did.
"When the mortgage valuer visited, he said the flat was worth a little less than I had agreed to pay. This gave me more ammunition and I negotiated a further reduction.
"I love it here, and it's great to have a brand-new place where nothing needs to be done. It's a home rather than an investment but I'm confident I've bought the flat for a good price. Buying has got to be better than paying rent into a black hole."
Prices at Reflexion start at £225,000. Call 020 8572 3668.
Houses and flats to rent in Hounslow
Houses and flats for sale in Hounslow
New-build bargains
* Water Colour, a 500-home scheme in Redhill, Surrey. Developer Linden Homes is offering a pre-Christmas mortgage subsidy worth up to £18,000 over two years. Two-bedroom apartments are priced from £242,500. Call 0845 260 6606.
* Barratt's Dream Start initiative enables first-time buyers to get on the property ladder without a deposit. They pay 75 per cent of the purchase price and the remaining 25 per cent is deferred interest-free for up to 10 years or paid back when the property is sold. Barratt pays £1,000 towards legal fees and stamp duty, and carpets and appliances are included. Available at schemes in Crawley, Harlow, Basingstoke and Reading; prices from £147,000. Call 01293 532771.
* Candlers Mews, Twickenham. Last three homes priced from £699,950. Michael Shanly, the developer, is offering to pay £1,000 a month mortgage subsidy until March 2009. Call 01372 225007.
* Queens Square, Maidstone. Bryant Homes will pay £600 a month into a buyer's bank account for two years. Prices from £150,000 to £282,000. Call 0845 013 0728.
* Mosaic Apartments, Slough. Stamp duty, legal fees and five per cent deposit paid at this scheme by Durkan Homes. Prices from £152,995. Call 01753 518557.
* George Wimpey will pay a £600-a-month mortgage subsidy for two years on selected plots. Visit www.georgewimpey.co.uk.
* Persimmon is offering part-exchange deals plus £1,000 towards removal costs at developments in Abingdon, Borehamwood, High Wycombe, Stevenage and Bracknell. Call 0845 676 0183.
Houses and flats to rent in Borehamwood
Houses and flats for sale in Borehamwood
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On Sale from $59
The Nautilus print edition, published in partnership with MIT Press, contains some of our best online content, brand new original contributions from the world's best thinkers, and gorgeous full-color, full-page art. If you order today, your subscription will begin with our March/April 2017 issue, in which preeminent American writer Cormac McCarthy publishes his first-ever nonfiction science article, on the nature of consciousness.
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IP firm Mathys & Squire is the first legal tenant of the Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe.
The firm has signed a 15-year lease for 28,500 sq ft on the fifteenth floor of the iconic building, joining other business tenants including broadcaster Al Jazeera, venture capital group Foresight and hospital group HCA.
Partner Paul Cozens said the firm would sub-let a portion of the floor until the firm had expanded to fill the whole space.
Mathys & Squire moved in on Monday (17 March) and currently has 114 members of staff in the Shard.
The firm also has smaller offices in Cambridge, Manchester, York, and Reading. Last year it turned over £23m, and employs a total of 132 staff, patent and trademark attorneys.
Law firms to have considered moving into the Shard included Trowers & Hamlins, which looked at the building when it was planning an office move in 2011 (21 July 2011).
Ashurst, DLA Piper, Eversheds, legacy Norton Rose and Rosenblatt Solicitors all took roles on the building's construction (5 July 2012).


text:
€ 66,49
Lieferbar innert 2 Wochen
April 2001
PortraitSimon Winlow is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at theUniversity of Teesside.
Pressestimmen'Simon Winlow has taken the study of contemporary urban violence to a new level of sophistication. His subtle examination of the emergence of violence as a marketable asset represents cultural criminology at its best.'Richard Wright, University of Missouri-St. Louis and U.S. National Consortium on Violence Research'I can't think of any other sociologist in this country who has ever travelled quite so dangerous a road in search of a viable thesis as Simon Winlow ... This is qualitative sociology at its best: revealing, disturbing, counter-intuitive, and compelling.'Laurie Taylor, The Independent'Simon Winlow, in his pioneering ethnography of contemporary masculinities [does] what few qualitative researchers are willing or able to do ... This ethnography at the edge takes an unprecedented step in the right direction.'Qualitative Research 'Badfellas offers a fresh approach to the study of masculinities and crime. Simon Winlow succeeds in drawing attention to ho
Untertitel: bibliography, index.
Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Erscheinungsdatum: April 2001
Seitenanzahl: 204 Seiten
Format: gebunden


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|111 m²
|Tipo de imóvel
|Estadia Mínima
|2 noites
Este condomínio limpa pacífica na extremidade da cidade, fica a um minuto do famoso lago com patos, na área do campo de golfe e um parque de jogo e com em 5 minutos para supermercado e restaurantes. É uma grande fuga, fronteira com trilhas e estradas secundárias para caminhadas, ciclismo, trenó ou apenas apreciar as belas vistas. viagem rápida para o centro, a 5 minutos a qualquer área da cidade. quarto da rainha 1 master com um loft segundo w / 2 gêmeos, e 1/2 banho. Este é o lugar para ficar.
Duas noites no norte do Arizona
** Compre 5 noites e ganhe 2 noites grátis !! As datas devem ser entre 05 de janeiro-abril 30, 2017
LIVRE DA NOITE no norte do Arizona
** Compre 2 noites e ganhe 1 noite grátis !! As datas devem ser entre 05 de janeiro - 26 de fevereiro de 2017
This condo is freshly updates, actually looks brand new on kitchen, bath and furniture. Nice comfortable beds and furniture. Very convenient to take off from there walking to hikes, pond, restaurant, golf, I was really glad to find this place
Loved the area - so much I'm going back next summer AND in winter to ski. First time in Flagstaff - 5 weeks to get out of the heat. Condo was very comfortable. Fireplace not used (not cold enough). Hardwood floors in main level very nice. Kitchen is older and needs updating but had no trouble cooking everything - grill worked great! Dogs loved being on balcony talking to the other neighborhood dogs - left screen door open much of the day. Trish (the property manager) was absolutely amazing - best customer service ever. She was very attentive and answered all of my texts immediately!
This condo has nice plush carpet which is rare in a rental. Super comfy on your feet! We had expected to have trouble sleeping due to other reviews about the beds, but found the beds to be comfortable. All of the layers of bedding on the master were a plus when it was snowing in May. The kitchen and baths are old, but function fine. The master bath has a warming light which is a bonus in the cold. The owner requires you to wash and put away all towels and dishes before exiting, which may mean (as it did for us on arrival) that your towels very obviously were not cleaned by the previous renters. Our trip was short, so we chose to skip the showers and just use hand-towels we brought from home.
We loved the location, and enjoyed our stay once we got into the home. The owner was kind, just not good at communicating, or details, and thus our pre-trip experience left much to be desired. We had trouble getting our stay booked due to communication, as she wanted (offered?) for us to purchase privately, and not through VRBO. We were booking a few days out so we ended up booking through VRBO, which we felt better about, to move the process along. We've never before been required to sign a contract directly from an owner, and when I insisted that the numbers and also the details (she kept forgetting our pet) be correct, I was met with resistance and told it really didn't matter. It did matter, a lot, so I didn't back down. She finally agreed, and resent a correct document. Word of warning, make sure you download the contract you sign and have it with you. That is the only place you will find the address, and BOTH the old and new contracts were deleted and inaccessible after we signed. She was convinced the new doc was still accessible. At 1:30am we sat outside the condo searching through our bags for our computer to see if we could locate the downloaded file with the address on it so that we didn't attempt to open a neighbor's door. That was a pain. A simple email stating it would have been much nicer. (Side note: The street address doesn't exactly match Google.) I had to ask twice for the details of how to unlock the home. As I said, communication pre-trip was unprofessional and lacking. Previous rentals have quickly sent us a message with the home's address, lock codes and anything else we might need, before we asked. This one was like pulling teeth.
Everything in order with Trish. A comfy, practical and clean house. Just a couple of complaints, the hot water runs out very fast and the mattress of the principal bedroom is uneven so it was a little uncomfortable. But in general we were very pleased.
The property was easy to find. Nice, quiet location. Super cute inside. Our kids enjoyed it. The manager of the property was very helpful and easy to work with. Response time was very quick, professional, and nice.
The bed was not very comfortable, and the television had a positional cord, making it difficult to watch, but we weren't there a lot, so it was fine. All in all, it was a great visit to Flagstaff.
To start, communication from the owner/manager had much to be desired. They never followed up with specifics. That should have been the tell all for the future. Upon arrival there was a broken lamp upstairs and the dishwasher did not work. Paper plates were left to use instead. The kitchen utensils, pots etc were filthy. I had to hand wash everything before use. The coffee mugs were so small; 3/4 of a cup in volume. I prefer something a bit larger. As we got into the condo for the rest of the evening we noticed that there was so much dust everywhere, we wondered when it was actually cleaned last. The lower level does not have a heat register to blow hot air, so space heaters are available. The only problem is that when you use them, it trips the circuit breakers; just another discomfort. Lastly, the listing states there is a DVD Player & WiFi Internet available. Well, the DVD player did not work and neither did the WiFi. As we needed to connect for some work, we couldn't. At least a Starbucks is nearby. I could go on about lack of simple kitchen amenities like sugar, S&P and ice in the freezer, but no. I think you get the picture.
Upon making my comments to the owner/manager; there did not seem to be any urgency as I mentioned. They did not believe me. Though they were aware of the broken lamp and dishwasher not working etc. You'd think they would have offered a discount on the Overly Priced Holiday Rates. But no. This place is not worth the price they offer. Keep your money and don't stay here. Find one of the many inexpensive motels along Rt. 66. Probably much more charming and you know you'll get what you pay for.
Este condomínio coloca você em acesso muito conveniente para Grand Canyon, Sedona, Lake Powell, Williams e todas as atrações da área, ainda dobrado em particular na periferia da cidade em um ambiente cénico calma para um grande final do deleite dia, com cadeiras e churrasqueira na varanda para apreciar a natureza circundante e da paisagem. Com a ser uma localização central para todas as viagens de um dia popular, Sedona, Williams, página, o Grand Canyon e muitos mais em rota para estes. Você vai passear o caminho lagoa e sentir-se em paz com a definição circundante, mas você pode ser tão ativo quanto você gostaria com back-estradas, trilhas, campos de golfe e driving range e muito o que fazer dentro de uma caminhada de 5 minutos em qualquer direção. The Mall e muitos restaurantes, gás e mantimentos, estão com a 5 minutos de carro. Este condomínio tem uma lavadora / secadora com uma cozinha totalmente equipada e funcionamento e TV de tela plana para seus programas favoritos.
|Validade da Tarifa
|por noite
|Noite (fim de semana)
|por semana
|por mês *
|Pacote ou Evento
Tarifa Básica
Estadia mínima: 2 noite(s)
|Taxa de animais de estimação
Rates are subject to change until reservation is confirmed. All Pets must be pre-authorized. There is a $25. daily pet charge.
Visit our website www.mycabinhomes.com for more photos and information.
* Tarifa mensal aproximada. O valor real dependerá dos dias em que você de fato se hospedar no imóvel.


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text: When wanting to use codes and the usual ALT code doesn't work TRY engaging the number-lock key FIRST and then ALT (plus sign) code. For Windows machine It is a good thing to have a viewer like THE FONT THING To see all the font characters. The Font Thing works with Windows 10 if you make the download choice 2. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html All fonts are not the same so having a viewer makes things much easier


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Building an incinerator on Shek Kwu Chau could put many drug addicts back on the streets and at increased risk of relapse, the head of one of the city's biggest drug rehabilitation centres says.
Nestled deep in the lush woods of the island, just 20 minutes by ferry from Cheung Chau, is the Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre.
For more than half a century, some 20,000 drug users in total have battled addiction on the tranquil island at the facility, which offers mock Roman baths, Chinese pavilions and Greek sculptures. The centre is partially funded by the government.
"This island has an element of natural attractiveness," said centre superintendent Patrick Wu Shun-on. "Too bad this is land rented from the government. If we say we don't like it here, we may have to look for somewhere else to move."
If the planned incinerator were to be built on a reclaimed portion of the southern part of the island, Wu said the ensuing noise, light and air pollution would increase patients' stress levels and deter drug users from seeking help at the facility.
"The distance from some of the dormitories to the proposed site [of the incinerator] is less than a few kilometres. The construction of five to six years will be very hard for us," he said. "Many patients suffer from insomnia and often sleep during the day, when construction would be in progress". The facility is currently home to 210 patients.
The expansion of three landfills and construction of the moving-grate system that converts waste to energy on the island won approval from the Legco environmental affairs panel last month despite opposition from residents of nearby islands.
The plans must now be approved by the Legco public works subcommittee later this month before funding approval is sought from the Finance Committee.


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text:
Six feet under (D.Daniels)
Six feet under the ground, he lies without a sound.
What happened on that fateful evening? Nobody, but him, shall ever know. He went to the old redundant hospital. To explore the unknown was his plan. He didn't count for monsters, lurking in the shadows.
For they were what drove the patients and workers away. What made the hospital close down. The unexplained increasing death rate. Patients that went in reasonably healthy came out in body bags.
The darkness sucked the life from him; leaving him in the town centre.
Six feet under the ground, he lies without a sound.