Did cookie monster steal a Giant gold biscuit?

OK, So I heard this on BBC and thought it was a joke at first. A newspaper in Berlin received a photo of a person dressed as Cookie Monster holding a Golden Buscuit. It is beleived that the biscuit in the photo is one that was stolen recently.The person who sent the photo also sent a note demanding that Chocolate cookies be sent to Children at a Berlin Hospital.

The cookie was stolen from a statue and was part of the sculpture gracing the facade of the German cookie company Bahlsen's at their Hanover Office. It is almost 100 years old. Behlsen's has offered 1000 Euros for any information leading to the recovery of the golden biscuit.

Catholic Board says NO to mandatory vacination for HPV

The Headline in the Trinidad Newsday newspaper says: VACCINATION STOPPED. The Article written by Janelle DeSouza dated Wednesday, January 30 2013 speaks of the Catholic School Board making issue of the administering of the vaccine for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

THE Ministry of Health yesterday announced the suspension of the administering of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination to girls in primary and secondary schools, through the ministry’s school-based immunisation programme.

This came on the heels of opposition from the Catholic Education Board of Management (CEBM) and revelations that other denominational boards were not properly informed of the vaccination drive and were not willing to allow vaccination to take place on their school compounds.

 But what do we know about the Human Pailloma Virus. Here is what Wiki says about it.... or them:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus from the papillomavirus family that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes. While the majority of the known types of HPV cause no symptoms in most people, some types can cause warts (verrucae), while others can – in a minority of cases – lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, oropharynx and anus. Recently, HPV has been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, HPV 16 and 18 infections are strongly associated with an increased odds ratio of developing oropharyngeal (throat) cancer.

More than 30 to 40 types of HPV are typically transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region. Some sexually transmitted HPV types may cause genital warts. Persistent infection with "high-risk" HPV types — different from the ones that cause skin warts — may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer.HPV infection is a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer.However, most infections with these types do not cause disease.
Most HPV infections in young females are temporary and have little long-term significance. Seventy percent of infections are gone in 1 year and ninety percent in 2 years.However, when the infection persists — in 5% to 10% of infected women — there is high risk of developing precancerous lesions of the cervix, which can progress to invasive cervical cancer. This process usually takes 10–15 years, providing many opportunities for detection and treatment of the pre-cancerous lesion. Progression to invasive cancer can be almost always prevented when standard prevention strategies are applied, but the lesions still cause considerable burden necessitating preventive surgeries, which do in many cases involve loss of fertility.

In more developed countries, cervical screening using a Papanicolaou (Pap) test or liquid-based cytology is used to detect abnormal cells that may develop into cancer. If abnormal cells are found, women are invited to have a colposcopy. During a colposcopic inspection, biopsies can be taken and abnormal areas can be removed with a simple procedure, typically with a cauterizing loop or, more commonly in the developing world — by freezing (cryotherapy). Treating abnormal cells in this way can prevent them from developing into cervical cancer.

Pap smears have reduced the incidence and fatalities of cervical cancer in the developed world, but even so there were 11,000 cases and 3,900 deaths in the U.S. in 2008. Cervical cancer has substantial mortality in resource-poor areas; worldwide, there are an estimated 490,000 cases and 270,000 deaths each year.

HPV vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil), which prevent infection with the HPV types (16 and 18) that cause 70% of cervical cancer, may lead to further decreases.

Wikipedia has a few things to say about Gardasil:

 Since Gardasil will not block infection with all of the HPV types that can cause cervical cancer, the vaccine should not be considered a substitute for routine pap smears.

 Merck (the manufacturer of Gardasil) was denied FDA approval to market Gardasil to women aged 27 to 45. Although it was found to be safe and effective in the prevention of genital warts, it was not effective in the prevention of cervical cancer in that age group.

There has been controversy over the side effects of the drug, however there is another reason that the US state bodies have taken issue with Gardisil: (again Wiki):

Medical groups, politicians and parents began rebelling after disclosure of a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign by Gardasil's maker, Merck & Co., to get state legislatures to require 11- and 12-year-old girls to get the three-dose vaccine as a requirement for school attendance.

Objections from doctors and parents groups were due to the vaccine protecting against a sexually transmitted disease, human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. They cited that vaccines mandated are typically for diseases spread through casual contact, such as measles and mumps. On February 20, 2007, Merck announced its immediate suspension of this campaign, which had been funded through a third party.

have you heard of Expose Abortion

Recently I heard of the website Expose Abortion: http://www.exposeabortion.com  It is a website build and promoted by Fr Frank Pavone and Priests for life. It exposes daily, quotes from people in the abortion 
community and people who have had abortion. Here are a few of them

• "I was finally able to remove the head and look squarely into the face of a human being…a human I had just killed." –   abortionist Paul Jarrett, MD

•  "The fetus passes through the catheter and either dies in transit as it’s passing through the catheter or dies in the suction bottle after it’s actually all the way out."  (Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.) 

• "I have taken the lives of innocent babies and I have ripped them from their mother’s wombs with a powerful suction machine." – abortionist McArthur Hill, MD.

•  "The Supreme Court's decisions…allowed abortion on demand throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy"(Paul B. Linton, Enforcement of State Abortion Statutes after Roe: A State-by-State Analysis, University of Detroit Law Review, Vol. 67, Issue 2, Winter 1990). 

• "A long curved Mayo scissors may be necessary to decapitate and dismember the fetus..."   (From the medical textbook Abortion Practice - Dr. Warren Hern, p.154, describing legal activity).

 

 As horrifying as the above is Father Pavone has some statistics that are equally horrific:

HOW MANY ABORTIONS OCCUR? - According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, in 2005, 1.21 million abortions took place in the United States. Some 42,350 of these occurred on women who were 16 to 20 weeks pregnant; over 13,310 occurred on women who were 21 weeks or more into their pregnancy. In 2004 there were 96,890 abortions on women who had had three or more previous abortions. From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions occurred in our country. No other single cause accounts for more deaths.

 WHY DO PEOPLE GET ABORTIONS? - Abortions are done mostly for non-medical reasons. As the abortion industry itself admits on the website of the Alan Guttmacher Institute, "[T]hree-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.”

Father Pavone gives us some options that we can follow regarding abortion:

Join our Prayer Campaign  -

Prayer is the foundation of everything we do in the pro-life movement. You can strengthen the movement, save lives, and change hearts and minds by praying explicitly each day for an end to abortion, for the babies and their parents, for doctors and public officials, and for all who are working in this great cause. At www.PrayerCampaign.org you can follow our prayer campaign throughout the year. You will find
• A daily prayer to end abortion
• Seasonal pro-life prayers (Advent, Lent, Easter, etc.)
• Novenas to prepare for special days (like January 22,
the commemoration of Roe vs. Wade)
• A Facebook cause to unite with others praying to end abortion

We invite you to join this effort and to promote it in your family, parish, school, pro-life group, website, and more!

Partner with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign  

At www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org, you can partner with the world’s largest movement of women and men who have lost children to abortion. By doing so, you can spread the word that healing and forgiveness are available to those who have had abortions. An individual, organization, or church can “partner” with the campaign and thereby

• Promote the opportunities for healing

• Use the testimonies (text, audio, and video) of those who have had abortions, to awaken others to the devastation it brings and to the healing Christ brings
• Invite men and women who are willing to share their abortion testimony to do so at gatherings, in churches, on radio and TV, or in private meetings with legislators and others.
• Invite those who have lost children to abortion to go to IRegretMyAbortion.com and indicate, anonymously if they prefer, that they regret their abortions. This creates a large chorus of voices showing the damage abortion does.


Study and Live the Pro-life Spirituality

Defending the unborn is not simply a “hobby” or a political ideology. It is a spirituality, an aspect of one’s discipleship of Christ. You can study and commit to live the spirituality of being pro-life, and the particular virtues that go with it, by visiting www.MissionariesoftheGospelofLife.org. By doing this you will be given specific reading material that will deepen your understanding of the pro-life movement, such as Fr. Frank Pavone’s book Ending Abortion, Not Just Fighting It, and his daily devotional, Pro-life Reflections for Every Day.

You will also be able to connect with and be encouraged by like-minded people around the world who are also committed to this spirituality. You will meet them through our conference calls, online networking, and “Life cell” meetings in local communities. Visit www.MissionariesoftheGospelofLife.org. Ask for our introductory manual online or by calling 888-735-3448.

Minority Outreach

Priests for Life assists the African-American and Hispanic communities to realize that the pro-life movement belongs as much to them as to anyone else. Resources designed specifically for these communities are available, as are speakers and strategic alliances. You can help promote the pro-life message among African Americans by going to www.AfricanAmericanOutreach.org, and within the Hispanic community at www.SacerdotesPorLaVida.org.

Tune in to “Defending Life”

From the privacy of your own home, you can learn from the experts about the best pro-life strategies and most compelling pro-life testimonies by tuning in to “Defending Life,” the world’s largest, longest-running TV series about abortion and the pro-life movement. Hosted by Fr. Frank Pavone, this series airs on EWTN, the world’s largest religious broadcasting network. It can be heard on radio and internet as well. You can also order DVDs of the programs. Visit www.priestsforlife.org/defendinglife for details.

Connect with us Online

We have an extensive online presence serving multiple needs of the pro-life community.   Our main website is www.PriestsforLife.org, and there you will find the links to the various facets of our ministry. You’ll be able to

Connect with us on Facebook (www.priestsforlife.org/facebook),
You Tube (www.priestsforlife.org/youtube)
and Twitter
• Hear homilies Fr. Frank and the other priests have given (www.priestsforlife.org/audio) and watch our videos (www.priestsforlife.org/video).
• Sign up for our email alerts
• Send us your prayer requests (see our home page www.priestsforlife.org )
• Ask any question you have and get an answer! (www.AskFrFrank.com )

And much more…
Follow Fr. Frank Pavone on Twitter
www.twitter .com/frfrankpavone

Exercise Political Responsibility
 

The pro-life movement works across party lines and calls everyone to rediscover that the foundational principle of government the right to life, and the duty of government to protect life. Moreover, if we want our public policies to be based on that principle, then it’s necessary to participate in elections and in communicating with those who are elected. At www.PoliticalResponsibility.com, you can learn more about the many activities you, your family, your organization, and your church can take part in to make a difference in public policy. You can learn about how to register voters, find information about candidates, get people to the polls, and hold public officials’ feet to the fire so that they deliver on their promises.

Catholic Culture in Trinidad and Carnival

And so the Carnival season is here again. My childs Catholic High School run by the Spiritans is having a Carnival "jump up". Parents are invited to send money to make costumes.

Some may say it is our culture to join in the Carnival. I would agree. However, I say it is also our culture to be Catholic. To that end, we need to have as big, or bigger, an Easter celebration. Well, Easter is during the school break and just before the break there is end of term exams... and the excuses go on.  But who can I complain to. Even our church leaders get caught up in the carnival.

Meanwhile our church suffers from a shortage of priests and our "Catholic Schools" children suffer from a lack of  TRAINING in Catholic fiath and works.  You would think that we want our children to grow up to be good Catholics, upright citizens and honourable religious.

It is interesting to note that the "pentecostals" and their like, label Carnival as bad and do not propogate it. It is interesting to note that pentecostal churches and tents keep poping up everywhere. (They are growing)

It is interesting to note that islam condemns Carnival and more and more we see muslims in religious garb walking our streets in areas that we would not normally see them.(they are growing in their faith)

It is interesting to note that the Hindu faith in Trinidad has grown because it has been strengthened by the two umbrella organisations using radio. It is interesting to note that both groups condemn the behaviour that Carnival brings about and suggests their members to not take part.... (many hindu's are rediscovering their faith)

It is interesting to note that  Catholics membership in Trinidad is in danger of shrinking. We have 60,000 active members (who go to church weekly), but who are we?  Our schools are being hijacked,  our faith is being hijacked, or very (Catholic) Culture is being highjacked..... and we sit by and let people say for us...  "CARNIVAL IS OUR CULTURE".

Were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony against Abortion? - YES!

The Catholic League sent out this press release on January 22nd 2013. It is very illuminating:

“An abortion kills the life of the baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health” Those are not the words of a pro-life activist in 2013—those are the words of Planned Parenthood fifty years ago. So what’s changed since 1963? After all, abortion still kills. What’s changed is the decision of Planned Parenthood to float a fiction: it decided that the nascent feminist movement had to include the right of a woman to kill her unborn child. In doing so it broke ranks with the first feminists.

When President Obama invoked Seneca Falls yesterday in his Inaugural Address, he sought to call attention to the first women’s rights convention in that upstate New York town in 1848. What he didn’t say is that the organizer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, saw abortion as another case of treating women like property, “and it was degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” Susan B. Anthony also branded abortion as anti-women.

Pro-abortion feminists know that abortion kills. Here’s an example. Gloria Allred, the famous feminist lawyer, was once asked on TV whether it would be better if there were no abortions. She refused to budge, saying, “Not necessarily.” Yet three years later when she took the side of a pregnant woman, Laci Peterson, who had been killed by her husband after naming her unborn baby Connor, Allred contended, “The fact that there are two individuals who are dead here, Laci and Connor, that has to be the most important consideration of everything.” She got it exactly right—there were two individuals who were murdered.

Hillary Clinton upset some feminists in 2005 when she said, “We can all recognize that abortion in many ways represents a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women.” She did not say why abortion is sad, or how it was different from any other surgical procedure, and she didn’t have to: everyone knows abortion kills.

Praising God when the power goes out

I am not sure what woke me up, but I decided to have a drink of water so I went to the kitchen. As I crawled back under the cover suddenly everything went black and quiet. The computer and the fan shut down. No more humming. I got up again and went for a torchlight. I heard a voice and recognised that the children were stirring . I gave them torchlights and went outside in the cool early morning. The blackout covered the entire valley. It was two o'clock in the morning and the stars shone so bright. It was so dark and quiet.

I am not accustomed to being still - to being quiet. The night was so peaceful I decided to pray. "Thank you  God ..."

Some may say I don't have much, I say I have plenty, by the grace of God. I sat out there for about an hour before the crickets and frogs decided to make a loud racket. Then I went back to bed. Thankful for the time I had with God.

criticizing Catholic Priests

My brother and I were talking about the church recently. As a lay minister he had issues with several priests who like to have things done their way. "Well," he said, " You have to be humble and accept their choices otherwise there is the danger of you judging  them wrongfully."

I don't know. Even among the populous we have to be our brothers keeper. While we turn our cheeks to certain things we have to stand up for those who cannot or will not stand up for themselves. We cannot let the morally wrong be the only ones with a voice.

So in that vain, I think if we see the clergy doing or saying something that is not right we should say something about it. I remember having my son baptised in the church at Saint Anns in Trinidad, and the priest walking in fast, recognising that some parents had not yet come, and storming off back to his abode with the words, "call me when y'all ready." I got upset. Here was a wonderful opportunity for this priest to sit and chat with his parishioners. What did he have to do that was so important that he could leave his SCHEDULED time for baptism to run off. How can I respect that priest when he tells me I need to be patient and kind. How can I listen to him with sincerity.

Some may say he was having an off day, and I can accept that, except that other parishioners had similar issues with him at different times. Now, this priest has a following that would leave their parishes to go in which ever parish he is in to give him support and attend his masses. The old people in Trinidad has a saying " Every stale bread has it's moldy cheese".

There is the old saying that PRIESTS ARE PEOPLE TOO. Which means that they are not perfect and fall victim to human feelings and imperfections. But does that mean that I should not speak to or chastise the priest. NO! I MUST SPEAK UP. Even at the risk of having a "PLANK IN MY EYE" How else can that priest be a better person if not guided and helped along by us. When he shows his bad side to none catholics they would say "See how those catholics are?" Surely, an unfair statement.

A bishop tends to support his priests. So when one complains to the bishop, one must be careful that the complaint is valid and that one is not just "telling on the priest" as a child may complain on another child. The Bishop will act if the complaint is valid.

But what does CANON LAW say about priest and their behaviour (a good thing to quote when reporting a priest). In relation to the transfer of or removal of a pastor Canon law 1741-3 states that proceedings can be made through the Bishop if there is "loss of a good reputation among upright and responsible parishioners or an aversion to the pastor which it appears will not cease in a brief time". So the community has to come together.... good luck on that one.

 It interesting to note that I could not find anywhere in canon law where it states a priest must be kind and full of love. NO. We find that in another, more important book - The Bible.

Despite what you think of priests we have to remember one thing. The life of a priest is not an easy one. He has made a choice that we have decided we did not want to make, to that end, when we criticise a  priest, please be gentle, please be kind, please talk to him with love.

Island of Dominica rocks the Catholic airwaves with a new radio station for 2013

The island of Dominica has launched a Catholic radio station which aims to evangelise and promote the Catholic faith.It was officially  launched on Sunday 6th, January 2013. An Article from Dominica News online says:

Director of the station, Monsignor William John-Lewis said the station has been running test signals since November 25th, 2011 and will be used as a tool of evangelisation and bringing the gospel to the masses.

“We will have all the devotions of the Catholic Church, in addition we will have other programmes which will be somehow not only to instruct people on the faith but also deal with life of the people,” he said.

Msgr. John-Lewis added that the main focus of the new station is authentic integral human development. According to him, programmes on justice, health, counselling, and other aspects of life will be an integral part of the station. He also noted that a vibrant youth programme is being put in place by the youth secretariat for young adults on the island.

“The station will be commercial free and will be sustained by the listeners and people who are sympathetic to the cause,” he noted. Msgr. John-Lewis stated that they will be calling on Catholics around the island to pledge their support to keep the station up and running. Meanwhile, he indicated that one major challenge of the station is a not being able to reach the entire island because of a location for the 40ft antenna.

“We have been looking for a spot where we can relocate our transmitter so that we can have a broader coverage and that is still being worked out. However, we have the use of one cable provider Marpin 2k4 and we are in conversation with SAT who have promised to give us a dedicated station,” he pointed out.

The station can also be heard  live on its website http://dominicacatholicradio.org/

Hate crime - Catholic mistaken for muslim and attacked

The news story was hard to swallow. The catholic let the hater live. Some people are just better than others. I don't know if I would have restrained myself. This guy is truly better than me.

So here's the news in short:

 

Cameron Mohammed, 24, ( photo) was shot 20 times with a pellet gun in Walmart parking lot, in Tampa Florida.

The shooter mistook Cameron for a muslim because of his appearance - He looks Indian (or asian - to use the american description).

The shooter was Daniel Quinnell (25 years old)

Quinnell reportedly asked Mohammed if he was Muslim or from the Middle East before shooting at close range

Mohammed was born in Florida, his parents are from Trinidad, HE IS CATHOLIC.

Mohammed had a licensed gun on him at the time of the attack but chose not to fire because 'I'm not going to decide this man's fate'

Quinnell probably still does not know how lucky he is to be alive.