AFTER only its second year in existence, The Word and Associates — commonly referred to as the Catholic band — copped the 2012 Carnival Medium Band of the Year title for its portrayal
Exodus - the Second Book of the Bible.
Committee member and well-known Carnival Pierrot Grenade character Felix Edinborough, shared his joy with Newsday yesterday, saying, “We were hoping to place in the top five but as the results were called out, we didn’t hear our name and felt so disappointed. Then they said Exodus had won medium band of the year and I was pleasantly surprised. That was such great news,” Ediborough said.
Edinborough added that the $175,000 first prize would help the band pay off debts owing from its 2011 debut, when only 150 people registered to play. The presentation Genesis 1 — Creation copped seventh place in the Medium Band category last year. “We were in serious debt last year because bringing out a band costs lots of money and we didn’t get the numbers we were expecting. The recognition that comes from winning our category is also an incentive for us to keep bringing out creative costumes designed and manufactured right here in Trinidad,” Edinborough said.
Carnival 2012 was also better for “The Word and Associates” in terms of masqueraders the band went from about 150 revellers last year to over 300 this year. Edinborough said he is looking forward to even more people crossing the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah next year but said the band does not want to grow to an unmanageable size.
“We are enjoying being a medium sized-band and hope to see our numbers grow for Carnival 2013, but we don’t want to get too big. I hope our win will encourage more young people to play with us, once they realise you can have fun while wearing more than the usual bikini and beads costumes. Our win shows you can celebrate Trinidad and Tobago’s culture and creativity in a wholesome way, without the use of alcohol or drugs,” Edinborough declared.
The Catholic band committee member also expressed hope that winning senior medium band of the year 2012 would serve as an incentive to potential masqueraders to register with the band in the future. “Although we doubled our numbers this year, we were hoping for at least 300 people in one section but we ended up with about 100. So hopefully our win will earn the band more recognition and in turn, earlier registration.”
Edinborough added that the band started working on its Carnival 2012 presentation last September with the launch in November, during the limited state of emergency. Not so this time around, as “The Word and Associates” intends to begin work on Leviticus, its 2013 presentation, sometime after Easter.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Catholic band wins Medium Band of Year crown 2012
SASHA HARRINANAN has a very interesting article on the Newsday of Thursday, February 23 2012 entitled Catholic band cops medium band of the year crown.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Protestant leaders join battle against Obama insurance proposal
Here is an interesting article. it appeared on Iona institute website on February 21st 2012/ The Author is listed as "Admin"
Protestant leaders join battle against Obama insurance proposal
More than 2,500 Protestant leaders have signed a letter opposing the Obama Administration’s controversial mandate forcing religious institutions to cover abortifacients, sterilisations and contraception in their insurance plans.
The letter, published by the Family Research Council (FRC), a pro-family, pro-religion think tank calls the mandate “a severe blow to our religious liberty” and accuses the Administration of ignoring “the conscience rights of many Catholic and Protestant Americans”.
The letter says: “Our country was founded on certain freedoms, the first of which is the freedom of religion. The ability of a religious person to follow their conscience without fearing government intervention has long been a protected right for Americans. It is unfathomable to picture a country that would deny religious freedoms.”
Speaking at a news conference at which the letter was released, Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land said, "This is about conscience, not contraception. And it's about religious freedom.
"The Obama administration is trying to run roughshod over the consciences" of Catholics, evangelicals and others, said Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Lifesitenews reports.
Southern Baptist leaders have joined the leadership of the Catholic Church, other Protestant bodies and some Jewish organizations in expressing opposition to the rule since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Jan. 20 that health plans must cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services for employees.
The mandate requires coverage of contraceptives, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration, that can cause abortions, such as "ella;" emergency contraception, such as Plan B; and the intrauterine device (IUD). Those methods all have mechanisms that can prevent tiny embryos from implanting in the uterine wall. In the case of "ella," it also can block production of the hormone progesterone, destroying the placenta that provides nutrition to the embryo and causing the unborn child's death after implantation.
Opponents of the rule especially have protested its failure to provide an adequate religious or conscience exemption.
Like Land, FRC President Tony Perkins told reporters the issue is religious liberty.
"We will not tolerate any denomination having their religious freedom infringed upon by the government of the United States. If there ever was a separation of Church and State violation, this is it," Perkins said, speaking to reporters at a news conference held during the annual convention of the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville.
The refusal to provide an adequate religious exemption for the "contraceptive mandate" demonstrates a trend of the Obama administration, Land said.
"This is part of an attempt to atrophy, to nullify, to confine and constrain, and to emasculate and neuter religious freedom down to freedom of worship," Land told reporters. "The president and his administration consistently talk about freedom of worship. ... Freedom of worship is confined to the space between your ears and the space between your shoulders at home and church or home and synagogue or home and temple or home and mosque.”
The letter is the latest part of a growing campaign against the mandate. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have already rejected a so-called compromise on the part of the Administration, saying that “[t]he only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services”.
Earlier this month, President Obama proposed a change to his plan which he claimed would accommodate religious institutions with objections to the health mandate by relieving them of the requirement to pay for coverage of contraception, the Morning After Pill, which is an abortifacient, and sterilisation.
But the change still required them to enroll their staff in schemes that provide such coverage.
The USCCB responded to the move by saying that their original objection to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations was that they forced “private health plans — nationwide, by the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen — to cover sterilisation and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion”.
The bishops noted that all the other mandated “preventive services” under the HHS regulations address the prevention of disease, “and pregnancy is not a disease”.
They added: “Moreover, forcing plans to cover abortifacients violates existing federal conscience laws.”
In addition, they said that Obama’s mandate would saddle many individuals and institutions with the burden of facilitating services that the Church considers immoral, among them “insurers forced to write policies including this coverage; employers and schools forced to sponsor and subsidise the coverage; and individual employees and students forced to pay premiums for the coverage.”
While suggesting that the President’s changes deserved “careful moral analysis,” they nonetheless declared that “the lack of clear protection for key stakeholders — for self-insured religious employers; for religious and secular for-profit employers; for secular non-profit employers; for religious insurers; and for individuals — is unacceptable and must be corrected.”
Protestant leaders join battle against Obama insurance proposal
More than 2,500 Protestant leaders have signed a letter opposing the Obama Administration’s controversial mandate forcing religious institutions to cover abortifacients, sterilisations and contraception in their insurance plans.
The letter, published by the Family Research Council (FRC), a pro-family, pro-religion think tank calls the mandate “a severe blow to our religious liberty” and accuses the Administration of ignoring “the conscience rights of many Catholic and Protestant Americans”.
The letter says: “Our country was founded on certain freedoms, the first of which is the freedom of religion. The ability of a religious person to follow their conscience without fearing government intervention has long been a protected right for Americans. It is unfathomable to picture a country that would deny religious freedoms.”
Speaking at a news conference at which the letter was released, Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land said, "This is about conscience, not contraception. And it's about religious freedom.
"The Obama administration is trying to run roughshod over the consciences" of Catholics, evangelicals and others, said Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Lifesitenews reports.
Southern Baptist leaders have joined the leadership of the Catholic Church, other Protestant bodies and some Jewish organizations in expressing opposition to the rule since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Jan. 20 that health plans must cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services for employees.
The mandate requires coverage of contraceptives, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration, that can cause abortions, such as "ella;" emergency contraception, such as Plan B; and the intrauterine device (IUD). Those methods all have mechanisms that can prevent tiny embryos from implanting in the uterine wall. In the case of "ella," it also can block production of the hormone progesterone, destroying the placenta that provides nutrition to the embryo and causing the unborn child's death after implantation.
Opponents of the rule especially have protested its failure to provide an adequate religious or conscience exemption.
Like Land, FRC President Tony Perkins told reporters the issue is religious liberty.
"We will not tolerate any denomination having their religious freedom infringed upon by the government of the United States. If there ever was a separation of Church and State violation, this is it," Perkins said, speaking to reporters at a news conference held during the annual convention of the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville.
The refusal to provide an adequate religious exemption for the "contraceptive mandate" demonstrates a trend of the Obama administration, Land said.
"This is part of an attempt to atrophy, to nullify, to confine and constrain, and to emasculate and neuter religious freedom down to freedom of worship," Land told reporters. "The president and his administration consistently talk about freedom of worship. ... Freedom of worship is confined to the space between your ears and the space between your shoulders at home and church or home and synagogue or home and temple or home and mosque.”
The letter is the latest part of a growing campaign against the mandate. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have already rejected a so-called compromise on the part of the Administration, saying that “[t]he only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services”.
Earlier this month, President Obama proposed a change to his plan which he claimed would accommodate religious institutions with objections to the health mandate by relieving them of the requirement to pay for coverage of contraception, the Morning After Pill, which is an abortifacient, and sterilisation.
But the change still required them to enroll their staff in schemes that provide such coverage.
The USCCB responded to the move by saying that their original objection to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations was that they forced “private health plans — nationwide, by the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen — to cover sterilisation and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion”.
The bishops noted that all the other mandated “preventive services” under the HHS regulations address the prevention of disease, “and pregnancy is not a disease”.
They added: “Moreover, forcing plans to cover abortifacients violates existing federal conscience laws.”
In addition, they said that Obama’s mandate would saddle many individuals and institutions with the burden of facilitating services that the Church considers immoral, among them “insurers forced to write policies including this coverage; employers and schools forced to sponsor and subsidise the coverage; and individual employees and students forced to pay premiums for the coverage.”
While suggesting that the President’s changes deserved “careful moral analysis,” they nonetheless declared that “the lack of clear protection for key stakeholders — for self-insured religious employers; for religious and secular for-profit employers; for secular non-profit employers; for religious insurers; and for individuals — is unacceptable and must be corrected.”
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
What is the difference between Soul and Spirit
The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts. Hebrews 4:12
The above scripture has haunted me for years. My focus has always been :what is the difference between Soul and Spirit? It should have been that the Word of God penetrates to our deepest being.I came across the version below recently:
There is a defination of Soul as the breath of life and the spirit as the Immortal.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes the following on the soul (greek: Psyche)
On the Spirit it has this to say:
The more I read on one or the other, the more I get confused. I want a simple exact explaination. Without that. How can I be sure. How do I know the role of any of these.
On the Catholic Answers website I found the following:
So I am still not sure.... so I'll go along with the last answer.
The above scripture has haunted me for years. My focus has always been :what is the difference between Soul and Spirit? It should have been that the Word of God penetrates to our deepest being.I came across the version below recently:
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
There is a defination of Soul as the breath of life and the spirit as the Immortal.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes the following on the soul (greek: Psyche)
The soul may be defined as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated.....
The Gospel language is popular, not technical. Psyche and pneuma (spirit) are used indifferently either for the principle of natural life or for spirit in the strict sense. Body and soul are recognized as a dualism and their values contrasted: "Fear ye not them that kill the body... but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell."....
Descartes conceived the soul as essentially thinking (i.e. conscious) substance, and body as essentially extended substance. The two are thus simply disparate realities, with no vital connection between them. This is significantly marked by his theory of the soul's location in the body. Unlike the Scholastics he confines it to a single point — the pineal gland....
(And then after a very long article ends with this ditty) such is the Catholic doctrine on the nature, unity, substantiality, spirituality, and origin of the soul.
On the Spirit it has this to say:
the principle of life was often represented under the figure of a breath of air. The breath is the most obvious symptom of life, its cessation the invariable mark of death; invisible and impalpable, it stands for the unseen mysterious force behind the vital processes. Accordingly we find the word "spirit" used in several different but allied senses: (1) as signifying a living, intelligent, incorporeal being, such as the soul; (2) as the fiery essence or breath (the Stoic pneuma) which was supposed to be the universal vital force; (3) as signifying some refined form of bodily substance, a fluid believed to act as a medium between mind and the grosser matter of the body....
Matter has generally been conceived as in one sense or another the limitation of spirit. Hence, finite spirits were thought to require a body as a principle of individuation and limitation; only God, the Infinite Spirit, was free from all admixture of matter. Thus, when we find the angels described as asomatoi or auloi, in the writings of the Fathers, this properly means only that the angels do not possess a gross, fleshly body; it does not at all imply a nature absolutely immaterial.... (Angels are spirits but not infinite... only God is infinite.
The more I read on one or the other, the more I get confused. I want a simple exact explaination. Without that. How can I be sure. How do I know the role of any of these.
On the Catholic Answers website I found the following:
Some protestants believe the "soul" is the "spark of life" which all living things possess (trees, animals, etc), whereas the "spirit" is the essence of the Divine Nature which is specific to humans (who possess both soul and spirit), but the Catholic Church does not teach such a doctrine.
Actually, that is EXACTLY what the Church teaches.
A Soul is what animates living matter, without a soul, there is no material life.
This was affirmed by both Augustine and Aquinas.
St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica I-II, Q78, specifically articles 1-2
http://library.sebts.edu/ispencer/Gr.../FP/FP078.html
Plants have an "animative' soul, that provides the general necessities of life.
Animals have a "Sensitive Soul", that can respond to input from the senses.
Both of these souls are non Spiritual. They have a finite existance, the soul of plants and animals cease to exist when the life of the creature is over.
Humans, on the other hand, have a Rational soul. We know and understand good vs. evil. We can make decisions on such knowledge.
Our souls are also Spiritual. God IS Spirit (He is not made of Spirit, He IS Spirit). Our souls, unlike the animals, are made in the likeness and image of God. Our souls, therefore are Spiritual in Essence. We are, therefore unique in all of creation, being creatures of both matter AND Spirit.
The Angels, are creatures of pure Spirit.
So I am still not sure.... so I'll go along with the last answer.
New Cardinal ex Nuncio to Trinidad and other West Indian islands
Pope Benedict XVI elevated D. Manuel Monteiro de Castro, 73, to the prestigious College of Cardinals in an elaborate ceremony at the Vatican on Saturday.
Born in Santa Eufémia de Prazins, Guimarães, mainland Portugal, D. Manuel was elevated to the position along with 21 other new cardinals, including Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the head Archdiocese of New York, and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore.
At the Vatican since 2009, D. Manuel was appointment by Benedict XVI, in January 2012, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary. Previously, he had served as Vatican’s secretary of the Congregation for Bishops.
The College of Cardinals is best known for forming the assembly that names the new pope. With the new appointments, there are 125 cardinals eligible to vote for a new pope and 214 total cardinals. Cardinals who are over 80 years old are not allowed to vote.
Ordained priest in 1961 he was elevated to bishop in 1985. He is the third Portuguese appointed cardinal with, namely, Cardinal Emeritus D. José Saraiva Martins and D. José Policarpo the Cardinal of Lisbon.
In 1985 D. Manuel Monteiro de Castro was appointed archbishop and pro-nuncio to the countries in the West Indies that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, including The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, and apostolic delegate for the other territories, such as the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Netherlands Antilles.
- published in the Portuguese American Journal.
Manuel Monteiro de Castro
Cardinal-Deacon of S. Domenico di Guzman
Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary
Born: 1938.03.29 (Portugal)
Ordained Priest: 1961.07.09
Consecrated Bishop: 1985.03.23
Created Cardinal: 2012.02.18
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Bahamas (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Barbados (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Belize (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Dominica (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Jamaica (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Grenada (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Saint Lucia (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Trinidad and Tobago (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Delegate of Antille (1985.02.16 – 1990.08.21)
Titular Archbishop of Beneventum (1985.02.16 – 2012.02.18)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Antigua and Barbuda (1987.04.25 – 1990.08.21)
Apostolic Nuncio of Honduras (1990.08.21 – 1991.04.12)
Apostolic Nuncio of El Salvador (1990.08.21 – 1998.02.02)
Apostolic Nuncio of Namibia (1998.02.02 – 2000.03.01)
Apostolic Nuncio of South Africa (1998.02.02 – 2000.03.01)
Apostolic Nuncio of Swaziland (1998.02.02 – 2000.03.01)
Apostolic Nuncio of Lesotho (1998.03.07 – 2000.03.01)
Apostolic Nuncio of Andorra (2000.03.01 – 2009.07.03)
Apostolic Nuncio of Spain (2000.03.01 – 2009.07.03)
Permanent Observer of World Tourism Organization (WTO) (2007.12.07 – 2009.07.03)
Secretary of Congregation for Bishops (2009.07.03 – 2012.01.05)
Secretary of College of Cardinals (2009.10.21 – 2012.01.05)
Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary (2012.01.05 – ...)
Cardinal-Deacon of S. Domenico di Guzman (2012.02.18 – ...)
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Santorum in the News poking Obama
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum challenged President Barack Obama's Christian beliefs on Saturday, saying White House policies were motivated by a "different theology."
A devout Roman Catholic who has risen to the top of Republican polls in recent days, Santorum said the Obama administration had failed to prevent gas prices rising and was using "political science" in the debate about climate change.
Obama's agenda is "not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs. It's about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology," Santorum told supporters of the conservative Tea Party movement at a Columbus hotel.
When asked about the statement at a news conference later, Santorum said, "If the president says he's a Christian, he's a Christian."
But Santorum did not back down from the assertion that Obama's values run against those of Christianity.
"He is imposing his values on the Christian church. He can categorize those values anyway he wants. I'm not going to," Santorum told reporters.
A social conservative, Santorum is increasingly seen as a champion for evangelical Christians in fights with Democrats over contraception and gay marriage.
"This is just the latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, and searing pessimism and negativity - a stark contrast with the President who is focused everyday on creating jobs and restoring economic security for the middle class," said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.
The campaign's response signaled a new respect for Santorum. Until this week, the Obama campaign appeared exclusively focused on Mitt Romney. Republicans are waging a state-by-state contest to pick a candidate to challenge Obama in November's election.
At a campaign appearance in Florida last month, Santorum declined to correct a voter who called Obama, a Christian, an "avowed Muslim."
Santorum told CNN after that incident, "I don't feel it's my obligation every time someone says something I don't agree with to contradict them, and the president's a big boy, he can defend himself."
QUESTIONS ROMNEY RECORD ON OLYMPICS
On Saturday, Santorum also took aim at Romney, his main Republican rival, on one of the central accomplishments of his resume, saying the former Massachusetts governor's rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics required millions of dollars in handouts from the federal government.
The attack was a response to the Romney camp trying to portray Santorum as a proponent of big government because of his use of earmarks while he served in the U.S. Senate.
"He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake Olympic Games - in an earmark," Santorum said.
"One of his strongest supporters, John McCain called it potentially the worst boondoggle in earmark history. And now Governor Romney is suggesting, 'Oh, Rick Santorum earmarked,' as he requested almost half a billion dollars of earmarks as governor of Massachusetts to his federal congressmen and senators. Does the word hypocrisy come to mind?" Santorum said.
Romney often talks of how he turned around the struggling Olympics organization and is appearing in Utah on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Olympics.
In a statement, the Romney campaign said Santorum was in a weak position to challenge its candidate on big spending.
"Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you end up shooting yourself in the foot. There is a pretty wide gulf between seeking money for post-9/11 security at the Olympics and seeking earmarks for polar bear exhibits at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Mitt Romney wants to ban earmarks, Senator Santorum wants more 'Bridges to Nowhere,'" said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
A devout Roman Catholic who has risen to the top of Republican polls in recent days, Santorum said the Obama administration had failed to prevent gas prices rising and was using "political science" in the debate about climate change.
Obama's agenda is "not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs. It's about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology," Santorum told supporters of the conservative Tea Party movement at a Columbus hotel.
When asked about the statement at a news conference later, Santorum said, "If the president says he's a Christian, he's a Christian."
But Santorum did not back down from the assertion that Obama's values run against those of Christianity.
"He is imposing his values on the Christian church. He can categorize those values anyway he wants. I'm not going to," Santorum told reporters.
A social conservative, Santorum is increasingly seen as a champion for evangelical Christians in fights with Democrats over contraception and gay marriage.
"This is just the latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, and searing pessimism and negativity - a stark contrast with the President who is focused everyday on creating jobs and restoring economic security for the middle class," said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.
The campaign's response signaled a new respect for Santorum. Until this week, the Obama campaign appeared exclusively focused on Mitt Romney. Republicans are waging a state-by-state contest to pick a candidate to challenge Obama in November's election.
At a campaign appearance in Florida last month, Santorum declined to correct a voter who called Obama, a Christian, an "avowed Muslim."
Santorum told CNN after that incident, "I don't feel it's my obligation every time someone says something I don't agree with to contradict them, and the president's a big boy, he can defend himself."
QUESTIONS ROMNEY RECORD ON OLYMPICS
On Saturday, Santorum also took aim at Romney, his main Republican rival, on one of the central accomplishments of his resume, saying the former Massachusetts governor's rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics required millions of dollars in handouts from the federal government.
The attack was a response to the Romney camp trying to portray Santorum as a proponent of big government because of his use of earmarks while he served in the U.S. Senate.
"He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake Olympic Games - in an earmark," Santorum said.
"One of his strongest supporters, John McCain called it potentially the worst boondoggle in earmark history. And now Governor Romney is suggesting, 'Oh, Rick Santorum earmarked,' as he requested almost half a billion dollars of earmarks as governor of Massachusetts to his federal congressmen and senators. Does the word hypocrisy come to mind?" Santorum said.
Romney often talks of how he turned around the struggling Olympics organization and is appearing in Utah on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Olympics.
In a statement, the Romney campaign said Santorum was in a weak position to challenge its candidate on big spending.
"Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you end up shooting yourself in the foot. There is a pretty wide gulf between seeking money for post-9/11 security at the Olympics and seeking earmarks for polar bear exhibits at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Mitt Romney wants to ban earmarks, Senator Santorum wants more 'Bridges to Nowhere,'" said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
Catholic News Editorial Critique - February 19, 2012
First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller
You know, I have a love hate relation with the Archdiocese of Port of Spain Catholic newspaper. I think that this should be the place I go to read all about the issues that have occurred in the Catholic world. Or a place to go to find out what our politicians are thinking about issues that affect Catholics. A rallying banner for Catholics to get up and protest... make our voices heard.
In some ways the newspaper is, but in many ways it is not.
Today I read the editorial from June Johnson the Editor of the Catholic News. Now usually this editorial is carried on the Sunday Newsday Newspaper as well. And perhaps that is why she tackled the issue that she did in the Editorial column - Sharing allegiances???
The issue is that a group of officers searched the house and confiscated the computer (at his work office) of a Newsday reporter. The Police Commissioner said that he knew nothing of it. The Minister who the police group is accountable to said he knew nothing of it. No one was held accountable. Still, Ms Johnson took issue with something the Police Commissioner said. And she has a right to do so.
I felt that Ms Johnson wrote with a passion that needs to be expressed more...
We as Catholics need to be the protectors and the watchdog for high Moral living in the country. We can't leave this up to Pentecostal Pastor Cuffie alone.
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller
You know, I have a love hate relation with the Archdiocese of Port of Spain Catholic newspaper. I think that this should be the place I go to read all about the issues that have occurred in the Catholic world. Or a place to go to find out what our politicians are thinking about issues that affect Catholics. A rallying banner for Catholics to get up and protest... make our voices heard.
In some ways the newspaper is, but in many ways it is not.
Today I read the editorial from June Johnson the Editor of the Catholic News. Now usually this editorial is carried on the Sunday Newsday Newspaper as well. And perhaps that is why she tackled the issue that she did in the Editorial column - Sharing allegiances???
The issue is that a group of officers searched the house and confiscated the computer (at his work office) of a Newsday reporter. The Police Commissioner said that he knew nothing of it. The Minister who the police group is accountable to said he knew nothing of it. No one was held accountable. Still, Ms Johnson took issue with something the Police Commissioner said. And she has a right to do so.
I felt that Ms Johnson wrote with a passion that needs to be expressed more...
We as Catholics need to be the protectors and the watchdog for high Moral living in the country. We can't leave this up to Pentecostal Pastor Cuffie alone.
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Are Trinidad Catholic schools preparing our children for heaven or earth?
I am not a big fan of Carnival. When it comes to carnival there is a fish and fowl mentality. Either you love it or you hate it. I don't hate it. I just think that it is not for me. Carnival originated from Catholicism - A time for feasting and frolicking before the fasting of lent.
My issue with Carnival is not Carnival, but Catholics priority to Carnival- Specifically in the Schools. There is a sense of we MUST partake. Well OK. But if we are to partake we must give Catholic Tradition and education as big a billing or a bigger billing.
Our Synod Mandate this year - the second Pastoral Priority is Revitalising Catholic Culture and Identity. The Pontifical Council for Culture has some recommendations for this. One States:
So I received a list of School activities for the term. Fund raisers, school meetings, carnival activities, tests and Ash Wednesday. ASH WEDNESDAY ALONE! Comon man! A Catholic school should have feast days and Catholic club activities and dates noted on the school term agenda. Are we raising children to join the secular world, or are we raising children to live their life for heaven?
Our First Pastoral priority (first Synod Mandate) was New Evangelisation. Vernon Ramkhelwan In a May 22 2011 article on the Port of Spain Archdiocese website says that Evangelising isn't working:
The reason it isn't working, Vernon, is because we get the kids up to go to school, we go to work. We pick up the kids. They do home work. We cook, clean, and try to get some me time. We need re-enforcement when the kids are not with us. THAT is the role of the CATHOLIC school.
Our current Archbishop Joe Harris says that "the priesthood is an endangered species but the Church cannot exist without priests. Pray that your son becomes a priest. Help him imagine himself as a priest.” Parents often encouraged their children to become lawyers, doctors, engineers or other professionals for the financial benefits, he added. “But we need to pray that they become holy doctors, holy lawyers or holy engineers,” so that they could give back to society." - Where can we reinforce this your grace other than in the SCHOOLS.
Well,I am told that the Archdiocese has a plan. I don't know where we are with this plan. The plan says that "there will be well rounded students by 2015".
Well. I don't know that that plans speaks about promoting Catholic teachings and ensuring that the catholic child becomes well versed with what we do as Catholics: Feeding the poor, visiting the sick, praying and interceding, being good people.
I want to plead to Catholic School Principals. Make an effort. Our church needs it. Our Nation needs it. Do not let Carnival have a bigger billing than Easter and Jesus.
My issue with Carnival is not Carnival, but Catholics priority to Carnival- Specifically in the Schools. There is a sense of we MUST partake. Well OK. But if we are to partake we must give Catholic Tradition and education as big a billing or a bigger billing.
Our Synod Mandate this year - the second Pastoral Priority is Revitalising Catholic Culture and Identity. The Pontifical Council for Culture has some recommendations for this. One States:
Addressing the split between the Gospel and culture. We need to regain the depths of our own tradition and take hold of our identity as Catholics before we can become relevant and make an impact on society.
So I received a list of School activities for the term. Fund raisers, school meetings, carnival activities, tests and Ash Wednesday. ASH WEDNESDAY ALONE! Comon man! A Catholic school should have feast days and Catholic club activities and dates noted on the school term agenda. Are we raising children to join the secular world, or are we raising children to live their life for heaven?
Our First Pastoral priority (first Synod Mandate) was New Evangelisation. Vernon Ramkhelwan In a May 22 2011 article on the Port of Spain Archdiocese website says that Evangelising isn't working:
One of the weaknesses of the Church in Trinidad and Tobago is its inability to attract more vocations. This problem has been around for some time and there has been the constant call for national prayers to fill the void. But the situation tells us one thing – the New Evangelisation – has not been powerful enough
The reason it isn't working, Vernon, is because we get the kids up to go to school, we go to work. We pick up the kids. They do home work. We cook, clean, and try to get some me time. We need re-enforcement when the kids are not with us. THAT is the role of the CATHOLIC school.
Our current Archbishop Joe Harris says that "the priesthood is an endangered species but the Church cannot exist without priests. Pray that your son becomes a priest. Help him imagine himself as a priest.” Parents often encouraged their children to become lawyers, doctors, engineers or other professionals for the financial benefits, he added. “But we need to pray that they become holy doctors, holy lawyers or holy engineers,” so that they could give back to society." - Where can we reinforce this your grace other than in the SCHOOLS.
Well,I am told that the Archdiocese has a plan. I don't know where we are with this plan. The plan says that "there will be well rounded students by 2015".
An approved Catholic Education Strategic Plan produced under the aegis of the Catholic Education Board of Management (CEBM), was presented to and accepted by Archbishop Edward Gilbert in April 2011 by a Strategic Planning Committee chaired by retired Justice Annestine Sealey. The plan, according to the Introduction, “is the culmination of extensive analysis and assessment of environment and strategic options for Primary level Catholic Education.”
Well. I don't know that that plans speaks about promoting Catholic teachings and ensuring that the catholic child becomes well versed with what we do as Catholics: Feeding the poor, visiting the sick, praying and interceding, being good people.
I want to plead to Catholic School Principals. Make an effort. Our church needs it. Our Nation needs it. Do not let Carnival have a bigger billing than Easter and Jesus.
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