The Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross

This feast day is very personal to me for several reasons. One, I was taught for eight years by excellent Holy Cross Nuns. I spent six years of my life or so at Notre Dame, and this is the patronal feast of the Order.

I love this feast, also called the Exaltation of the Cross, commemorating the day that St. Helena found the true Cross of Christ. The feast day dates at least to the 7th century and in this week, when so many things are happening, let us pray for more veneration and love of the Cross of Christ.

We adore Thee, O Christ and we bless Thee,
Because by Thy Holy Cross, Thou has redeemed the world.

The Holy Trinity by Botticelli

Travellers, be careful

U.S. State Department alert: Embassies in Armenia, Burundi, Egypt, Kuwait, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia all issued warnings on Wednesday that don't report any specific threat but note that demonstrations can become violent and advise Americans in those countries to be particularly vigilant.

Also on Wednesday, between 300 and 400 Muslims protested outside the U.S. consulate in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca,

Pat Buchanan, the voice of reason again...

http://buchanan.org/blog/has-obama-called-bibis-bluff-5237?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PatrickBuchanan+%28Pat+Buchanan+Update%29

Prayer of St. Louis de Montfort

Today, I, a faithless sinner, renew in your hands my Baptismal vows; I renounce Satan forever, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, and will carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and will be more faithful to Him than I have ever been. With the entire heavenly court as my witness, I choose you this day for my Mother. I deliver and consecrate myself to you, my body and soul, myself, both interior and exterior, and the worth of my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to you the total right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, according to your wish, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.

Vatican Press Office Problems Again

UPDATE: Since I wrote this, the Vatican has changed its tune and issued a strong condemnation of the violence. Boy, that office needs to get its act together. Here is the link.

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/vatican-issues-strong-condemnation-of-libya-terrorist-attack


I am aware of a press release from the Vatican Press Office, which has poor credibility as an office for this reader. I am waiting for clarifications. Let us just say that the release was poorly worded and provocative, and, thankfully, not infallible, folks.

Last year, we had the trouble with the non-approved economic document from the Vatican which caused a scandal. One can look at Fr. Z. and archives for my comments on that dismal affair over a period of several days in October.

Now, we have another knee-jerk reaction press release, which I cannot believe would be approved by the Pope.

Last Advent, the Pope said the enemy is within the Church. Sadly, this may be true and some may be in the Vatican itself.

Violence is always to be condemned and violence as a means to an end is just only in defence against evil.

I am perplexed and ashamed that those in authority did not check or let this statement yesterday pass. More later on this subject...The most one can say is that it was badly worded. But it is insensitive to the dead and their families and falls into the deceit of those who perpetrated the violence. Why, I do not know

God bless all the families of those who were so brutally murdered in Libyan. God forgive those who believe in communist and Marxist revolution and those who would pander to men of violence for the sake of peace.

Catholics and men of good will did not provoke or start this violence.

1. We are what we believe. The only true religion is the Catholic religion. Islam is a man-made religion, not one of the two revealed religions which are Judaism and Catholicism. As Catholics it is our duty to spread the Gospel as commanded by Christ. If we give in to deceit and falsehoods in our own thinking, we cannot save souls. That is what we must do. Saving souls means understanding that there are objective truths revealed to us by the Trinity.

   We can objectively criticize a heresy or a false religion and we must. We do not have to use subjective arguments.

   I know many nice and polite, entertaining and gracious atheists. However, I try to win them over to the true Faith for the sake of their souls. Dialogue is not necessarily the meeting of equals. Atheists are wrong about their world view. Moslems are wrong about their views of the Triune God and His plan for salvation. We cannot pretend their views are of God or that we can merely ignore their own plans for world dominance. There is a lot of confusion concerning the politics of Islam. Islam is basically a materialistic religion, (as is liberation theology) which sees the necessity for a kingdom of religion on earth by any means, including violence. To say otherwise is to contradict the writings and history of this false religion. That some Moslems disagree with each other is not the question here. We cannot make comparisons with Christianity, as God is our founder. That the founder of Islam used the Bible and Torah for some of his ideas is known by scholars and obvious to keen readers. That the Moslems deny the Divine establishment of both the Old and the New Testament is a serious problem of their revisionist history. That they deny Christ and want others to deny Christ should be our concern.

   People died in the past two days because of fanaticism which is written into the texts. That Catholics choose to admit this fact or deny it is a question of honesty. Once we lose the ability to critique objectively anything which is not the truth, we lose not only our Catholic identity but our ability to be holy. Holiness is based on objectivity. The Catholic martyrs were objective critics. They knew the truth and refused to compromise. We cannot do less.

Catholicism is a Religion of History

Thanks to Wiki-Bede's Ecclesiastical History

Yesterday, even though there were some soft articles on cute, I set a record for posting. 13.

Today, I shall "go light" and let you all catch up on the posts of the last several days.

I am a member of the last generation of classical education until the revival in the 1990s and 2000.  What I got in high school are courses which some schools have revived.

History was a key course and not just one type of history but several years of history.

Sadly, people who have not studied world history, American history or European history are doomed not to see current events in the correct light.

There is a context for all political events. One may disagree on the nature of that context but one cannot deny it.

I see a lot of British and American people in denial because they do not have a historical framework for understanding current events.

I am very discouraged by this, especially when those people are Catholic.

Since Christ came into the world, we are a people of history. Our Church is historical.

We are based in history because of the Incarnate Christ.

If we do not understand this, we are basically not Catholic, but something else. We must remember and memorize. Even our Mass is a Memorial, as well as the event of Calvary, the Passion of Christ offered in an unbloody manner over and over again.

“To be steeped in history is to cease being Protestant”

wrote Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman.

He was not merely referring to the Fathers of the Church but the entire Incarnational history of the Catholic Faith.

We are a people of history. You can decide if you are a Catholic or not.
But, you cannot deny the history created by the Trinity for our salvation.

Salvation History is real. That term means we have a duty to learn history.

Or, the Church will disappear in areas around the world.

This is your decision as a Catholic.

Where are the young apologists?

Giovanni Battista Crespi The Blessed Virgin Guiding St. Dominic to Victory over the Albigensians

It may be too late, but we need a generation of apologists who are trained in debate and know the Catholic Faith inside and out. What I have seen in discussions concerning the events of the past few days indicates a woeful ignorance on the part of most Catholics regarding history, politics, civics, and debate.

What happened in the school systems of America and England was the destruction of rational discourse.

Very few young people know how to debate. They cannot think rationally and objectively. They do not have the knowledge they need to argue points of religion or politics.

We may have lost the battle already, or maybe not.

War is the result of a breakdown of communications and aggression. So there is an oppressor and a defender, offence and defence.

Why cannot some people understand that Catholics can take the offence in arguing and win? We have the best teaching in the world and God for the Founder of our religion.

Ours is not a man-made but a revealed religion and we are given grace to understand and appropriate our Faith.

What has happened is that relativism and subjectivism have destroyed people's ability to think.

One must learn how to think. Those who know how to think must teach others.

I taught logic for more years than I can remember. I taught debate. It must be learned.

Very few of my university and college students knew how to think before my classes.

They learned.

If Catholics cannot enter into debate and argument, we cannot evangelize.

Souls are being lost because some of us are lazy and many are ignorant of the Faith, even priests.

This must change.

We Catholics have 4,000 years of salvation history at our finger tips, as explained by the Catholic Church.
We have encyclicals, catechisms, sermons, the writings of saints, and more. We have the teaching of Christ, Who is God, Himself.

We can only win. We cannot lose the argument. But, if we are ignorant or lazy, we give the argument away.

And, we are not arguing or debating trivia. We are engaged in warfare for the souls of men and women. We are fighting for civilization.

If we lose, it is our own fault. We need prayer but we need intelligence and training as well.

For parents some advice from St. John Chrysostom

St John Chrysostom is a Doctor of the Church and a man for our time. His time was rent with serious splits among Catholics and the failing Roman empire.

His strengths were his great classical education and his intelligence, which coupled with faith brought about two mighty weapons against chaos-his oratory and exegesis of the Scriptures. We still use his sermons and insights today. Of course, all Byzantine Catholics owe him great gratitude for the sublime Divine Liturgy he wrote. It is beautiful. I have been in this church pictured below.

We need some Chrysostoms. Pray for them. Now. St. John Chrysostom, pray for us and for the Church.

Here are two quotations from this great saint for parents.

Children must be instructed in the Scriptures, beginning with the learning of psalms and hymns.  "But now your children will utter songs and dances of Satan, like cooks, and caterers, and musicians; no one knows any psalm but it seems a thing to be ashamed of even, a mockery and a joke. There is the treasury house of all these evils. For whatsoever soil the plant stands in, such is the fruit it bears; if in a sandy and salty soil, of like nature is its fruit; if in a sweet and rich one, it is again similar. So the matter of instruction is a sort of fountain. Teach him to sing those psalms which are so full of the love of wisdom. When in these you have led him on from childhood, by little and little you will lead him forward even to the higher things"  (Hom. IX  On Colossians)

On the importance of instructing children in the Holy Scriptures. "Do you wish your son to be obedient? From the very first, "Bring him up in the chastening and admonition of the Lord." Never deem it an unnecessary thing that he should be  a diligent hearer of the divine Scriptures. For there the first thing he hears will be this: 'Honor thy father and thy mother'.  So then, this is for you. Never say, 'This is the business of monks'. Am I making a monk of him? No, there is no need he should become a monk. Why be so afraid of a thing so replete with so much advantage? Make him a Christian. For it is of all things necessary for laymen to be acquainted with the lessons derived from this source, but especially for children. For theirs is an age full of folly and to this folly are added the bad examples derived from the heathen tales, where they are made acquainted with those heroes so admired amongst them…[A child] requires therefore the remedies against these things. How is it not absurd to send children out to trades and to school, and to do all you can for these objectives, and yet, not to "Bring them up in the chastening and admonition of the Lord?" And for this reason truly we are the first to reap the fruits, because we bring up our children to be insolent and profligate, disobedient and mere vulgar fellows. Let us not then do this; no, let us listen to this blessed Apostle's admonitions "Let us bring them up in the chastening and admonition of the Lord". Let us give them a pattern. Let us make them from the earliest age apply themselves to the reading of the Scriptures…..Study not to make him an orator, but train him up to be a [Christian] philosopher. In the want of the one there will be no harm whatever; in the absence of the other, all the rhetoric in the world will be of no advantage. Tempers are wanted, not talking; character, not cleverness; deeds not word. These gain a man the kingdom. These confer what are benefits indeed. Whet not his tongue but cleanse his soul. I do not say this to prevent you teaching him these things, but to prevent your attending to them exclusively. Do not imagine that the monk alone stands in need of these lessons from Scripture. Of all others, the children just about to enter into the world especially need them." (Hom. XXI Ephesians)

TROPARION 4th Tone

 for the Feast of the Mother Sophia and Her Children shown above

The Church celebrates and is truly happy over the newly born children and their happy mother. Like the holy wisdom, she gave birth to three children equal to the three theological virtues. In the company of these wise virgins, she gazes on the Word and chaste Groom. We join her in her happiness and sing: O triple triumph - Faith, Hope and Charity - make us firm in faith, hope and charity!

And did these men die in vain?

European and American men have forgotten their history, their literature, their religion.........and they have forgotten their own identity. Men of the West, you have lost your souls.


La Chanson de Roland--A part of this grand epic:

CLXXXI

The heathens said, "We were born to shame. This day for our disaster came: Our lords and leaders in battle lost, And Karl at hand with his marshalled host; We hear the trumpets of France ring out, And the cry 'Montjoie!' their rallying shout. Roland's pride is of such a height, Not to be vanquished by mortal wight; Hurl we our missiles, and hold aloof." And the word they spake, they put in proof, They flung, with all their strength and craft, Javelin, barb, and plumed shaft. Roland's buckler was torn and frayed, His cuirass broken and disarrayed, Yet entrance none to his flesh they made. From thirty wounds Veillantif bled, Beneath his rider they cast him, dead; Then from the field have the heathen flown: Roland remaineth, on foot, alone.

The Last Benediction of the Archbishop

CLXXXII

The heathens fly in rage and dread; To the land of Spain have their footsteps sped; Nor can Count Roland make pursuit Slain is his steed, and he rests afoot; To succor Turpin he turned in haste, The golden helm from his head unlaced, Ungirt the corselet from his breast, In stripes divided his silken vest; The archbishop's wounds hath he staunched and bound, His arms around him softly wound; On the green sward gently his body laid, And, with tender greeting, thus him prayed: "For a little space, let me take farewell; Our dear companions, who round us fell, I go to seek; if I haply find, I will place them at thy feet reclined." "Go," said Turpin; "the field is thine To God the glory, 'tis thine and mine."

CLXXXIII

Alone seeks Roland the field of fight, He searcheth vale, the searcheth height. Ivon and Ivor he found, laid low, And the Gascon Engelier of Bordeaux, Gerein and his fellow in arms, Gerier; Otho he found, and Berengier; Samson the duke, and Anseis bold, Gerard of Roussillon, the old. Their bodies, one after one, he bore, And laid them Turpin's feet before. The archbishop saw them stretched arow, Nor can he hinder the tears that flow; In benediction his hands he spread: "Alas! for your doom, my lords," he said, "That God in mercy your souls may give, On the flowers of Paradise to live; Mines own death comes, with anguish sore That I see mine Emperor never more."

CLXXXIV

Once more to the field doth Roland wend, Till he findeth Olivier his friend; The lifeless form to his heart he strained, Bore him back with what strength remained, On a buckler laid him, beside the rest, The archbishop assoiled them all, and blessed. Their dole and pity anew find vent, And Roland maketh his fond lament: "My Olivier, my chosen one, Thou wert the noble Duke Renier's son, Lord of the March unto Rivier vale. To shiver lance and shatter mail, The brave in council to guide and cheer, To smite the miscreant foe with fear, Was never on earth such cavalier."

CLXXXV

Dead around him his peers to see, And the man he loved so tenderly, Fast the tears of Count Roland ran, His visage discolored became, and wan, He swooned for sorrow beyond control. "Alas," said Turpin, "how great thy dole!"

CLXXXVI

To look on Roland swooning there, Surpassed all sorrow he ever bare; He stretched his hand, the horn he took, Through Roncesvalles thee flowed a brook, A draught to Roland he thought to bring; But his steps were feeble and tottering, Spent his strength, from waste of blood, He struggled on for scarce a rood, When sank his heart, and drooped his frame, And his moral anguish on him came.

CLXXXVII

Roland revived from his swoon again; On his feet he rose, but in deadly pain; He looked on high, and he looked below, Till, a space his other companions fro, He beheld the baron, stretched on sward, The archbishop, vicar of God our Lord. Mea Culpa was Turpin's cry, While he raised his hands to heaven on high, Imploring Paradise to gain. So died the soldier of Carlemaine, With word or weapon, to preach or fight, A champion ever of Christian right, And a deadly foe of the infidel. God's benediction within him dwell!

CLXXXVIII

When Roland saw him stark on earth (His very vitals were bursting forth, And his brain was oozing from out his head), He took the fair white hands outspread, Crossed and clasped them upon his breast, And thus his plaint to the dead addressed, So did his country's law ordain: "Ah, gentleman of noble strain, I trust thee unto God the True, Whose service never man shall do With more devoted heart and mind: To guard the faith, to win mankind, From the apostles' days till now, Such prophet never rose as thou. Nor pain or torment thy soul await, But of Paradise the open gate."

The Death Of Roland

CLXXXIX

Roland feeleth his death is near, His brain is oozing by either ear. For his peers he prayed - God keep them well; Invoked the angel Gabriel. That none reproach him, his horn he clasped; His other hand Durindana grasped; Then, far as quarrel from crossbow sent, Across the march of Spain he went, Where, on a mound, two trees between, Four flights of marble steps were seen; Backward he fell, on the field to lie; And he swooned anon, for the end was nigh.

CXC

High were the mountains and high the trees, Bright shone the marble terraces; On the green grass Roland hath swooned away. A Saracen spied him where he lay: Stretched with the rest he had feigned him dead, His face and body with blood bespread. To his feet he sprang, and in haste he hied, He was fair and strong and of courage tried, In pride and wrath he was overbold, And on Roland, body and arms, laid hold. "The nephew of Karl is overthrown! To Araby bear I this sword, mine own." He stooped to grasp it, but as he drew, Roland returned to his sense anew.

CXCI

He saw the Saracen seize his sword; His eyes he oped, and he spake one word "Thou art not one of our band, I trow," And he clutched the horn he would ne'er forego; On the golden crest he smote him full, Shattering steel and bone and skull, Forth from his head his eyes he beat, And cast him lifeless before his feet. "Miscreant, makest thou then so free, As, right or wrong, to lay hold on me? Who hears it will deem thee a madman born; Behold the mouth of mine ivory horn Broken for thee, and the gems and gold Around its rim to earth are rolled."

CXCII

Roland feeleth his eyesight reft, Yet he stands erect with what strength is left; From his bloodless cheek is the hue dispelled, But his Durindana all bare he held. In front a dark brown rock arose He smote upon it ten grievous blows. Grated the steel as it struck the flint, Yet it brake not, nor bore its edge one dint. "Mary, Mother, be thou mine aid! Ah, Durindana, my ill - starred blade, I may no longer thy guardian be! What fields of battle I won with thee! What realms and regions 'twas ours to gain, Now the lordship of Carlemaine! Never shalt thou possessor know Who would turn from face of mortal foe; A gallant vassal so long thee bore, Such as France the free shall know no more."

CXCIII

He smote anew on the marble stair. It grated, but breach nor notch was there. When Roland found that it would not break, Thus began he his plaint to make. "Ah, Durindana, how fair and bright Thou sparklest, flaming against the light! When Karl in Maurienne valley lay, God sent his angel from heaven to say 'This sword shall a valorous captain's be,' And he girt it, the gentle king, on me. With it I vanquished Poitou and Maine, Provence I conquered and Aquitaine; I conquered Normandy the free, Anjou, and the marches of Brittany; Romagna I won, and Lombardy, Bavaria, Flanders from side to side, And Burgundy, and Poland wide; Constantinople affiance vowed, And the Saxon soil to his bidding bowed; Scotia, and Wales, and Ireland's plain, Of England made he his own domain. What might, regions I won of old, For the hoary - headed Karl to hold! But there presses on me a grievous pain, Lest thou in heathen hands remain. O God our Father, keep France from stain!"

CXCIV

His strokes once more on the brown rock fell, And the steel was bent past words to tell; Yet it brake not, nor was notched the grain, Erect it leaped to the sky again. When he failed at the last to break his blade, His lamentation he inly made. "Oh, fair and holy, my peerless sword, What relics lie in thy pommel stored! Tooth of Saint Peter, Saint Basil's blood, Hair of Saint Denis beside them strewed, Fragment of holy Mary's vest. 'Twere shame that thou with the heathen rest; Thee should the hand of a Christian serve One who would never in battle swerve. What regions won I with thee of yore, The empire now of Karl the hoar! Rich and mighty is he therefore.'

CXCV

That death was on him he knew full well; Down from his head to his heart it fell; On the grass beneath a pine - tree's shade, With face to earth, his form he laid, Beneath him placed he his horn and sword, And turned his face to the heathen horde. Thus hath he done the sooth to show, That Karl and his warriors all may know, That the gentle count a conqueror died. Mea Culpa full oft he cried; And, for all his sins, unto God above, In sign of penance, he raised his glove.

CXCVI

Roland feeleth his hour at hand; On a knoll he lies towards the Spanish land. With one hand beats he upon his breast: "In thy sight, O God, be my sins confessed. From my hour of birth, both the great and small, Down to this day, I repent of all." As his glove he raises to God on high, Angels of heaven descend him nigh.

CXCVII

Beneath a pine was his resting - place, To the land of Spain hath he turned his face, On his memory rose full many a thought Of the lands he won and the fields he fought; Of his gentle France, of his kin and line; Of his nursing father, King Karl benign; He may not the tear and sob control, Nor yet forgets he his parting soul. To God's compassion he makes his cry: "O Father true, who canst not lie, Who didst Lazarus raise unto life agen, And Daniel shield in the lions' den; Shield my soul from its peril, due For the sins I sinned my lifetime through." He did his right - hand glove uplift Saint Gabriel took from his hand the gift; Then drooped his head upon his breast, And with clasped hands he went to rest. God from on high sent down to him One of his angel Cherubim Saint Michael of Peril of the sea, Saint Gabriel in company From heaven they came for that soul of price, And they bore it with them to Paradise.

Men of the West Series is Tagged

If one wants a series to read, such as Men of the West, one only has to click on the tag at the bottom of the posts. Just a reminder for some readers....

13th Century Stained Glass Roundel from Chartres Cathedral, showing Roland Attempting to Break Durendal and Blowing His Olifant

Oh no, my home town is losing the St. Louis Cardinal affliation

http://qctimes.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/midwest-league/cards-likely-not-to-renew-affiliation-with-quad-cities-river/article_b83b9838-fce2-11e1-8bfb-0019bb2963f4.html

And we have one of the most beautiful ballparks in all cities of that league.

Many professional players learned their skills here. I hope another team offers to come in. When I was a kid, the Braves were the affiliates.

But, as a die-hard Cardinal fan, this has been a plus to have the Red Birds here in the Quad-Cities.

Sad...

The President's Response is Disgraceful and Weak

Our president's response is a disgrace. May the souls of those killed, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and the staff in Libya, rest in peace. These dedicated people were killed because of violence against freedom of speech.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/u-s-ambassador-killed-in-libya-20120912


and response from Romney:

“I’m outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi,” Romney said. “It’s disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”

Romney’s remarks came before the White House confirmed Wednesday morning that U.S. ambassador to Libya, John Christopher Stevens, was among those killed in the Benghazi attack.

Romney foreign policy adviser Rich Williamson told Foreign Policy magazine Tuesday evening, before the deaths were reported, that the attacks were related to Obama’s “failure to be an effective leader for U.S. interests in the Middle East.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/09/12/romney-calls-obama-response-to-libya-attacks-disgraceful/

and my response...

I would never apologize for a crusade to save the lives of those who are weak and being forced to live under the black flag. Today is a day of celebration in the Catholic Church, not only because of Mary’s Holy Name, but because of her intercession in helping the West stop the onslaught of Islam. To deny that is to deny our history as Catholics and Westerners.

That is part of our history. We should be proud of it. But, I am afraid there are few if any more Rolands, or Sobieskis or Prince Eugenes, not among Catholics. We are not a pacifist religion. We never have been. We have a right to defend ourselves. We have few Protector Men left. That is the tragedy of our civilization. That is the tragedy of Catholic women and children.

As to Cairo, all this was planned. The supremacists are on the move.

 You can buy the black caliphate supremacist flags online. There are no accidents in history. England has seen these.

And the black flag  in Cairo is not merely the flag of Al Qaeda, but the black flag of the Prophet. I looked this up on an Islamic flag site. The Muslims, and I say this like a mantra, have long memories.

“The major flag of the Prophet was known as “Al- Uqaab”, it was pure black with and without symbol or marking. Its name and color was derived from Quraish’s national flag.” Just google Islamic flags. Additional markings were accrued over the centuries by other caliphates. There is a YouTube showing the black flags of the caliphates in a demonstration in India in February of this year. it was a terrifying exhibition of the real faith of Islam. If people want to know things, it is not hard to find out.

All this was planned to coincide with this holy and great day for Catholics, the Holy Name of Mary whose gracious intercession won the Siege of Vienna in 1683. To know history is to know our Catholic roots and identity.

There are no accidents in Islam and there are none in Catholicism either.

These demonstrations had nothing to do with the movie and the apologies of both potus and Clinton, as I said on my blog this European morning, are despicable, grovelling and deceitful.

The statistics in this video are alarming--check it out

Spot the problem in the United States policy

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/12268/islam-black-flag-flies-over-egypt

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Giuliani-terror-confused-Qaida/2012/09/12/id/451535

Happy Feast of the Holy Name of Mary

The Education of Mary

Happy Feast Day!

Cute Wednesday Two--Cute Dog

Well, I have three cat videos to one dog photo. I need some dog photos. A cute Illinois dog....very nice.

The Sartre of Cats--I love this.........what can one do about ennui?

This very intelligent cat also reminds me of Camus and L'Etranger. If I were teaching again, I would use these. I hope Henri finds meaning.....

Pay attention, Westerners: Sam's Speech

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/netanyahu-obama-israel-nuclear/2012/09/11/id/451404?s=al&promo_code=1008A-1

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/09/11/cairo-us-embassy-protesters-prophet-mohammad/70000126/1#.UFAUyLKPV5V

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/netanyahu-to-obama-wait-for-what-wait-until-when/

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/white-house-declines-netanyahu-request-to-meet-with-obama.premium-1.464328

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/52597/World/International/Mob-sets-fire-to-US-consulate-in-Benghazi-witness.aspx

http://news.sky.com/story/983922/us-official-killed-in-libya-prophet-protest

Three Happy First Communicants-Cute Wednesday One

The face of joy and love. Praise God for raising up new generations of Catholics. Bless these three lovely children. Pray for them. Pray for vocations. I love the white mantillas and the adorable dresses. They have a great mum and a great dad. The parish priest just blessed their new rosaries.

Pigs and the Financial Times

Here are two photos of places I know well in Iowa. The soy bean field has been saved near Clinton, Iowa because of irrigation. Clinton is a place where I taught for awhile. That farmer did a great job. Not all farmers were so fortunate. The cornfield near McCausland is ruined. My state, Iowa, is the leading producer of soy beans. We have had a terrible drought. Soy beans are expensive because so much of the crop was ruined. Have you ever wondered what soy beans are used for in your diet and in the diets of animals? the Financial Times explains the soy drought will affect your ability to eat pork. English pig farmers are giving up on raising pigs. The feed is too dear.

I cannot eat soy because of one medication which I take. Soy interferes with the absorption of this med.

So, I have to read labels and labels and labels.

Everything which has soy in it will increase in price because Iowa has a drought, and all the neighbouring soy states.

Soy is in soy sauce, of course, and other yummy Japanese things, but here is a real list from this site:

Baked Goods
Soy protein is used in the manufacturing of breads, cookies, crackers and other baked goods. Soy protein improves texture; holds moisture; creates cake richness; whitens bread; extends shelf-life; reduces breakage and crumbling; enhances nutrition; improves manufacturing, handling and machine ability; and improves mouth feel and overall quality as perceived by the consumer. 




Breakfast Cereals
Soy protein is used extensively as an ingredient in hot cereal mixes and breakfast bars to boost protein value and quantity.

Pasta
Pasta products can be fortified with soy protein to increase nutritional value. For instance, the U.S. National School Lunch Program uses soy-fortified pastas with 15 to 17 percent protein content.

Beverages and Toppings
Soy isolates are used in coffee whiteners, liquid whipped toppings and pre-whipped toppings. They also are used in sour cream dressings to emulsify fat, control viscosity and provide textural characteristics. Instant beverages used as meal replacements often contain soy concentrates and soy isolates as a source of protein.

Meat, Poultry and Fish Products
Processed and whole meat products can be improved by adding soy protein, which provides the product flexibility and cost stability consumers demand. Adding soy protein to meat and poultry products can enhance moisture holding, texture, binding and cohesion, product yield, juiciness, protein quality, appetizing color and appearance, longer shelf-life, palatability and total nutrition.

Dairy-Type Products
A number of dairy analog products have been developed with soy protein, including imitation milk, imitation cheese, non-dairy frozen desserts, coffee whiteners, yogurt and others. Soy protein lowers cost, improves nutrition and reduces allergenic response.

Milk Blends
Many companies produce soy and milk protein blends for food manufacturing, combining the two to offer protein content similar to milk in a non-fat dry milk form. The different blends are used as a complete or partial replacement for non-fat dry milk in baked goods, sauces, meat products and other foods.

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