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Year: 2007

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The bloggers toolbox

Mark, of Weblog Tools Collection, posted his list of indispensable blogging tools in What’s in My Blogging Toolkit?.

Here’s my list of primary tools for blogging:

  • WordPress – Code is Poetry because it doesn’t get in the way of content. I started with Blogger and dabbled with Movable Type and both are ok depending on where you are. I wanted something that was robust, scalable, and worked with me. WordPress does it.
  • Automattic Tools – The sidebar widgets plugin and Akismet. Don’t use WordPress without them.
  • Firefox – I use it on the Macs and on my Windows machines. I’ve used it on Linux. It works, it is smooth and nothing in the interface is a jumble of jargonized fluff. Tabs galore, news, E-mail, WP Admin, Poland, and consistent spell checking in one.
  • IE – because I have to use it to use phpMyAdmin. The version provided my my host (Yahoo!) doesn’t seem to play well with Firefox. Tonight I upgraded phpMyAdmin myself (from 2.6.3-pl1 to 2.10.0.2) because I got really annoyed after writing this.
  • phpMyAdmin – for all the back-end database stuff.
  • Google for everything – I use GMail for all my E-mail needs (including the GMail for mobile applications Java app). I have a countless number of E-mail addresses all feeding into one place. I use Calendar, Translate, Analytics, a personalized Google homepage, and all of Google’s varied search functionality.
  • Netvibes – All my RSS, newsfeeds, bookmarks, blog searches, and assorted other knickknacks all in one place.
  • MS Office Picture Manager – for simple image compression and resizing as well as a few image adjustment tools that work well for me.
  • Weblog Tools Collection – where else would I find great info on new plugins and themes. Really, Mark provides a great rundown of the latest in an quick, easy to digest format.
  • Wikipedia – controversy aside over a few hacked articles, it provides lots of good info if you are unclear on something.
  • Firebug – checking out what I’ve messed up.
  • Powered by Faith – that’s what the blog is supposed to be about. While my faith is certainly imperfect and I don’t always live up to the ideals of my faith, I still need to proclaim its saving power and rely upon it for glimpses into the sublime.
PNCC,

The Sacrament of Matrimony in the PNCC

The Polish National Catholic Church website has posted The Sacrament of Matrimony in the Polish National Catholic Church (PDF document) which was Presented to the XXI General Synod and which was accepted unanimously by the Polish National Catholic Church Doctrine Commission during their meeting on September 4, 2002.

The paper covers the following:

  • Matrimony —“ A Sacrament
  • The Priest is the Minister of the Sacrament
  • Administration of the Sacrament of Matrimony
  • Ceremonies
  • Annulment, Dissolution and Divorce
  • The Church Fathers and Dissolution of Marriage
  • Impediments to Marriage —“ Grounds for Annulment or Dissolution
  • Permission to Remarry
  • Procedures for an Annulment or Dissolution of a Marriage
  • Matrimonial Commission

I highly recommend this paper to anyone interested in the PNC Church’s understanding of matrimony and its Doctrine on the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Poland - Polish - Polonia,

Poland’s President to Open International Pro-Family Conference

From Christian Newswire:

Allan Carlson, founder and chairman of The World Congress of Families, announced today that Polish President Lech Kaczynski will give the opening address at World Congress of Families IV in Warsaw, May 11-13.

Poland’s president has also agreed to serve as Honorary Patron of the Congress, which is expected to bring more than 3,500 pro-family leaders, activists, scholars and parliamentarians to Warsaw in May.

Carlson expressed his delight with Kaczynski’s involvement. “We are honored to have President Kaczynski as the keynote speaker and Patron of the Congress,” Carlson declared. “His well-known commitment to the family is very much in keeping with the theme of World Congress of Families IV —“ Beyond Demographic Winter: The Natural Family and the Springtime for Nations.”

President Kaczynski has been critical of gay activism, recently noting that if the homosexual “approach to sexual life were to be promoted on a grand scale, the human race would disappear.”

Kaczynski has also expressed concern about falling birthrates across Europe and voiced strong support for religious values and the natural family.

Kaczynski assumed the office of President on December 23, 2005. In the 1970s, he was active in the Anti-Communist Workers’ Defense Committee, served as an advisor to the Solidarity movement, and later became an advisor to Poland’s first democratic president, Lech Walesa. In 2001, Kaczynski became Minister of Justice and was elected mayor of Warsaw in 2002. President Kaczynski is one of the founders of the governing Law and Justice Party.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of World Congress of Families. Past Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999) and Mexico City (2004). The Mexico City Congress featured remarks by Martha Sahagun de Fox, then First Lady of Mexico.

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, and leaders that seeks to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the ‘seedbed’ of civil society. The WCF (with its headquarters in Rockford, IL) was founded by Allan Carlson, president of The Howard Center, in 1997. To date, there have been three World Congresses of Families —“ Prague (1997), Geneva (1999) and Mexico City (2004). WCF IV will be in Warsaw, Poland, May 11- 13, 2007.

Perspective, PNCC,

The Eucharist, the Pope, the Press, directions

I took a look at the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis” (Sacrament of Charity) on the Eucharist and the press that surrounded the release of the document. Wow – how can so many have their facts so confused.

I read through one press account that was so far removed from the actuality of the document as to be a basic lie. What was worse however were the public comments attached to the article. People argued over points in the press report, proclaiming the Pope good or evil, depending on perspective, and arguing over things that existed only within the article.

On issues of religion the press scores 100% on the you can fool most of the people all of the time.

Now I have my own perspective, and would proffer the following:

  • Was this meant for the Latin Church only? I understand that the general points address the entire Church, but I saw nothing that spoke to the Eastern Churches in any particular way – addressing their Tradition or tradition. Did I miss something or was there nothing there.
  • I know the term ‘reform of the reform’ is popular, and I guess it fits that need. That being said, I do not see the needs of traditionalist Roman Catholics addressed anywhere in the document. The much vaulted Motu Proprio, coming any day, still lies in the dust of adherence to V-II norms. Whoever is at the core of the Motu Proprio leaks is really yanking peoples chains – and is without charity.
  • The discussion of proper architecture is long overdue, but the document leaves design in the hands of folks like Bishop Tod Brown, Donald Trautman, and Cardinal Mahoney. The Eucharist will continue to be relegated to the broom closet in diocese like those.
  • The Eucharist is indeed a sacrament of charity and of the graces necessary for men and women. I’ve addressed this point in this blog before. The continued exclusions and prohibitions outlined in the Exhortation fall short of attaching Eucharistic reality to practice. The R.C. model continues to be prescriptive. As such, it limits and restricts the healing grace, present in the gift of the Eucharist.
  • The discussion of the celibacy issue continues to mix metaphors. Tying a man made rule to a Divine mandate, and demanding of the Lord a grace that only the Lord can give, is not working for the building up of the Church. As God’s grace must flow freely into the hearts of men and women from Eucharistic reception, with those men and women, and thus Church, reaping its benefits, so too must the Church be trusting of the graces given to men for presbyteral service – whether married or not.
  • The Latin issue is a non-issue. As far as I’m concerned everyone should learn a little. For folks in the U.S., it will provide some insight into the origins of parts of the English (and a lot of the Spanish) language. It is also part and parcel of a vast repertoire of fantastic Church — and secular — music. Expand the mind and be open. All the complaining over Latin being restrictive is ironic coming from those whose minds are shut to learning anything of their heritage and history.

Of course the PNCC has a different take on reception of the Eucharist, celibacy, architecture, T/tradition, and language. We were ahead of the curve by about 60 years on all the truly positive aspects of V-II without loosing proper praxis. As I’ve noted before, the damage done in the 10 years following V-II will take 3-4 right thinking Popes about 100 years to fix.

In all, this is a good first step, giving a slight nudge to the people of the Roman Church, turning them ever so slightly onto the right road. I hope it continues.

Current Events, Political

Dhimmitude or hearings?

From Reuters: Halliburton to move headquarters, CEO to Dubai

MANAMA/HOUSTON, March 11 (Reuters) – U.S. oil services firm Halliburton Co. (HAL.N: Quote, Profile , Research) is moving its headquarters and chief executive to Dubai in a move that immediately sparked criticism from some U.S. politicians.

Texas-based Halliburton, which was led by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000, did not specify what, if any, tax implications the move might entail. It plans to list on a Middle East bourse once it moves to Dubai — a booming commercial centre in the Gulf. The company said it was making the moves to position itself better to gain contracts in the oil-rich Middle East.

“This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years,” said judiciary committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, might hold a hearing on the implications, an aide to Waxman said.

Halliburton has drawn scrutiny from auditors, congressional Democrats and the Justice Department for the quality and pricing of its KBR Inc. (KBR.N: Quote, Profile , Research) unit’s work for the U.S. army in Iraq.

“My office will be in Dubai, and I will run our entire worldwide operations from that office,” Chief Executive David Lesar said at an energy conference in Bahrain on Sunday. “Dubai is a great business centre.”…

Let’s see: Democrats in charge, hearings looming, indictments coming, Bush and Cheney falling from power. The rats are abandoning a sinking ship.

Hopefully Mr. Lesar stays clear of the law in Dubai, or at least keeps his lawbreaking to criminal, civil, and commercial matters as those are handled by secular courts. In family matters the Emirate’s Islamic courts rule, and all persons resident in Dubai are subject to Sharia law in family matters. If a Muslim brings a case against Mr. Lesar he will be relegated to the status of a dhimmi.

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