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Year: 2007

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Christian Witness, Political,

Pro-Life Blogger Conference

Blogs4Life has announced the Second Annual Conference of Pro-Life Bloggers to be held January 22, 2007.

The following group of influential and noted pro-life leaders are expected to speak at the event:

The one-day event will take place on January 22nd, 2007 prior to and after the annual March for Life in Washington DC.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Family Research Council, the conference is located just a few blocks from the March at the FRC’s headquarters.

Joe Carter, the FRC’s Director of Web Communications, is organizing a virtual symposium leading up to the conference on various life issues.

Blogs4Life will include a capstone session for the symposium and various workshops ranging from online activism to stem cell research.

This is an excellent opportunity for individuals and organizations to network with pro-life bloggers and develop an understanding about how weblog technology can be strategically used to promote life and turn ideas into action. It is also a unique occasion for bloggers to meet face to face and brainstorm about how to work together more effectively.

Please check out the conference website and register if you are able to attend.

Poland - Polish - Polonia

Pączki Day celebration

The Polish Heritage Dancers will once again sponsor WNY’s largest Polish-American Pre-Lenten Celebration on February 18th.

You too can celebrate the last hurrah before Lent Polish style at the 10th Annual Pączki Day celebration sponsored by the Polish Heritage Dancers of WNY. This event will take place on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at the Hearthstone Manor, 333 Dick Road in Depew, NY from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Phocus, a very popular up-and-coming Polka band will perform live music for your listening and dancing pleasure from 2-6 PM. The Polish Heritage Dancers will take the stage at 3 PM. Our Polish kitchen will be open for all your favorite Polish foods. Dinners as well as ala carte items, desserts and of course Pączki (Polish style jelly donuts) will be on the menu. Take part in the Chinese auction, and shop the Polish Peddler and Salt Lamps Etc. for all your Polish gifts.

Tickets are $6.00 in advance, $8.00 at the door. Children under 12 can get in for only $2.00.

For tickets, table reservations, or more information contact Michelle at (716) 937-0032 or Debbie at (716) 681-3526. Tickets are also available at:

  • The Am-Pol Eagle, the voice of Polonia, 3620 Harlem Rd. Cheektowaga, NY (716) 835-9454.
  • The European Deli, 1972 Clinton St., Buffalo, NY (716) 825-0186.
  • Salt Lamps Etc. 5274 Broadway, Lancaster, NY (716) 564-9286.

Tickets on sale now through Feb. 16th. Get your tickets early as no pre-sale tickets will be held at the door.

Everything Else,

Apple does it again

I’m a pig when it comes to acquiring new technology. The new Apple iPhone looks phenomenal and I want one. It’s thin, does the work of my iPod nano, phone, and Palm and all managed through the ITunes interface… and takes care of the problems people typically experience in using such devices. Intelligent design. Nice!

The AppleTV box looks nice as well.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, Political

The urge to surge

To President Bush’s Administration and the plan to send upwards of 20,000 more young men and women to Iraq:

  • It won’t work – it’s too late.
  • It’s a useless waste of more young lives.
  • It’s a waste of our national resources and treasure.
  • It does not protect our country.
  • The Democrats will talk it up, but owing to politics will let the Republicans hang for the error. They will do nothing to stop it. They’re co-dependent.
  • Pray.
  • Speak-up, even though your witness may seem like words into the wind, speak-up.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, by whose grace we look for the day when nation shall not any more lift up sword against nation, and when men shall live without fear in security and peace, grant to us in this time of strife the will to labor for peace even while our sword is drawn to resist the foe. Let not the evil we oppose turn us from our purpose, to achieve unity and concord among the nations of the earth, to Thy honor and glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Current Events, Perspective, Political

What’s that smell

As you’ve probably read, parts of New York City and New Jersey were covered by a mysterious odor yesterday. The Gulf News picking up on Reuters reported: Mysterious gas odour causes minor ailments for 19 people

New York: A powerful, mysterious smell of gas wafted through much of Manhattan and parts of New Jersey on Monday.

It forced building evacuations and a temporary suspension of commuter train service before dissipating by mid-afternoon.

Officials were quick to stress that the odour was not dangerous, but at least 19 people went to the hospital with minor ailments and its wide extent provoked jitters in a city that constantly reminded of the September 11 attacks…

Besides the humor in today’s news – people saying the the odor emanated from New Jersey, I’m thinking three possibilities:

  • An accidental release from an industrial site or landfill
  • An intentional release of gas to ascertain the how a gas or other airborne attack would spread. People’s panicked response gave the perpetrators all the data they needed. They can use the 911 database and GIS to map it all out. It could be the government performing such a test, but you never know.
  • An intentional release of gas in preparation for a “Maine” type attack as a pretext for a wider war.

I’m hoping its the first choice, thinking its the second, and praying it’s not the third.

Current Events, Perspective,

Life in all its beauty

Just when you thought that the lowest common denominator had been reached, stories continue to appear pointing out that “stem cells” can be used to make people look youthful and to rebuild their missing teeth…

Of course you have to dig into the stories to realize that they are talking about adult stem cells , the only truly effective stem cell therapies developed thus far (see Adult Stem Cells Spur Rush to Market, Avoid Bush’s Embryo Ban).

The Church has no problem with the use of adult stem cells or cord blood stem cells (if the baby has not been aborted), but there are those who will latch onto “the many uses of stem cells” and will try to make a case regarding embryonic stem cell research – all so they can benefit. They pass over the facts and draw general conclusions that make no sense – i.e., the Church is against people, the Church wants me to suffer, being beautiful and perfect is my right…

The interesting thing about these arguments is that those who take-up arms advocating for the position in opposition to life will be confounded. They argue from impatience and selfishness – and yes, killing a human being so you can benefit is always wrong.

In my opinion, this lack of patience and selfishness is rooted in a lack of faith in God, and I fully believe that those alleged Christians who advocate for abortion, embryonic stem cell research, the death penalty, and euthanasia have no faith in God. They are delusional.

To the point of the title of this post. Patience and the miracle of God’s creation provides a solution. To wit: New Source of Stem Cells (and here).

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new source of stem cells could one day mean anyone who needs engineered tissue will have a ready source. The research is still very early, but scientists say they are excited about the potential.

Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., report stem cells capable of creating several different kinds of tissue can be taken from amniotic fluid in the wombs of pregnant women.

Stem cells have the capacity to become any kind of cell in the body. Under the right conditions, the cells can become long muscle cells, throbbing heart cells, or brain cells producing neurotransmitters.

“It’s still too early to think of these cells for human use. We’re still in the research phase,” Wake Forest researcher Anthony Atala, M.D., told Ivanhoe. “But we’re certainly working in that direction.”

Dr. Atala and his colleagues were able to separate stem cells from amniotic fluid and placentas. Researchers used left over fluid gathered from amniocentesis tests, done to certain genetic disorders in the developing fetus. Cells can also be gathered from the placenta after birth.

The successful isolation of stem cells from this source means there is a more reliable source of cells for research and potential therapies. “We are dealing with a resource that is widely available because there are over 4.5 million births per year in the [United States],” said Dr. Atala. Before now, some stem cells came from discarded embryos created for in vitro fertilization. Many oppose the use of these cells, arguing it encourages destroying unborn children.

Dr. Atala says taking cells from the placenta, or the afterbirth, causes no risk to mother or child…

Lets see – more useful, more reliable, widely available, no danger, no abortion, no death.

All I could think of is this quote:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and try me in this, saith the Lord: if I open not unto you the flood-gates of heaven, and pour you out a blessing even to abundance. — Malachi 3:10

Our prayer and trust in God is our tithe. He asks us to try Him by placing our full trust in Him. When we do, He will keep His promise and pour out blessings upon us in abundance.

God has created life in all its richness. When we choose God’s way, which is life, all of our real needs are met, and met in abundance.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political

More on the Wielgus affair

The fallout continues:

Wielgus misled Pope by failure to disclose communist-era links: reports

Ex-Warsaw Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus in effect misled the pope by his failure to disclose the true nature of his links with the former Polish communist regime, Italian media reports say, as news breaks of the resignation of another high level church official in the late Pope John Paul II’s home diocese of Cracow.

And this is why the whole affair is so unseemly. If a man slated to be Archbishop places himself and his interests so far in front of the R.C. Church and the Pope then he really doesn’t deserve to be in a position of responsibility. This sort of thinking indicates:

  • A lack of faith – confession and forgiveness are nice for the pew sitters, but mean nothing to him
  • A lack of discipline – you can cry Pope, Pope, Pope all you want, but if you yourself don’t believe in the guy, why bother.
  • A failure to abide – rules are great for everyone else. Like celibacy (especially in Poland) is a nice concept, but I’d rather have a woman, lover, and family without being tied down by marriage. Gee bishop, she’s becoming a real pain, can you transfer me to the other side of the diocese.

Cardinal Glemp touched on a piece of the truth in his homily, the part about forgiveness and not believing every last assertion made by the secret police, but ended up flubbing that one as well.

The Cardinal had a great teaching moment thrust in front of him. He could have talked about getting the truth out, how such lies hurt all, how honesty, repentance, and forgiveness is necessary and essential for a Catholic nation. How lustration, at least in the form being practiced by right-wing zealots, will destroy the country, how Poles should come together in truth, repentance, and forgiveness. All solid Catholic teaching. Instead he focused on one man as a good guy who should be given a break. It was R.C. duck and cover (and the Polish and International press are drawing parallels to the same duck and cover that was part of the sex abuse scandals in the U.S. and elsewhere)

A new chapter begins for Voice of the Faithful – VotF – Polska.

Next up: The Rector of Wawel Cathedral has resigned for the very same reason. See: Another Polish Priest Resigns Over Secret Service Charges

The prelate of Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, Janusz Bielanski, offered his resignation to Cardinal Stansilaw Dziwisz and it was accepted immediately, TVN 24 reported…

The body count has just begun. The R.C. Church in Poland needs to do what is right by Catholic/Christian standards, not what is right politically. The Church needs to exert leadership. Otherwise the damage will be deep and more permanent, a society split – something the Nazi Germans and Russian Communists couldn’t achieve.

Poland - Polish - Polonia

7th International Art Competition for Youth

The Youth Culture House of Rybnik, Poland invites everyone to enter this year’s competition:

Topic:

—The Great Well-Known and Unknown: Toulouse-Lautrec – Chronicler of the Belle Epoque—

Aims of the competition:

  • To present the creativity of children and teenagers
  • To popularize art history and to familiarize participants with the great artists
  • To share artistic and methodological experiences
  • To develop children’s sensitivity to art

Theme:

After Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Frida Kahlo, Gustav Klimt and Rembrandt the competition’s seventh year is dedicated to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. We have chosen this representative from the world of art at the turn of the century —“ the French Belle Epoque —“ a draugtsman and painter, an artist who is considered to be the father of contemporary poster art, an amazing portrait painter, and observer of Parisian street life. The spirit of the times is captured perfectly in his works.

We expect you to present the variegated and difficult life of this French painter. Toulouse-Lautrecc – a brilliant artist, descendant of an old, aristocratic family, a disabled dwarf who became a frequent visitor of Parisian cabarets, cafes and honky-tonks, an artist famous for his original poster lithography. We want you to show both the tragic and happy moments of his life as well as the achievements of his artistic activity.

Try to show the artist at work, return to his childhood and youth, follow his journeys, life on Parisian Montmartre, meetings with people, look at his atelier, friendship and love. You can also interpret the topic in your own way.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY THE ARTIST’S WORKS —“ let them be the inspiration for your own works.

Rules:

Age groups: (up to 7) , (8 —“ 11), (12 —“ 15), (16 —“ 21)

Media size : Minimum: 30 x 42 cm, Maximum: 70 x 100 cm
Medium: Painting, drawing, graphic, mixed (only 2D)
Deadline for entries: 15 March 2007

All works should be clearly signed at the back and should contain the following information:

  • Author’s full name, age
  • Institution’s address, telephone and e-mail
  • Teacher’s full name
  • The title of the work

All the works can be sent back at the request of the artist’s sponsoring institution at it’s own expense within 10 months of the exhibition. After this period all the works will remain with the organizer.

The exhibit and prize ceremony will take place on 1 June 2007. The organizers will inform the authors of awarded works by E-mail or telephone.

Works should be sent to:
MŁODZIEŻOWY DOM KULTURY
UL. BRONIEWSKIEGO 23
44 —“ 217 RYBNIK POLSKA
Tel: (032) 42 24 088, (032) 42 15 155
E-mail: art-studio-creatio@wp.pl

Co-organizer of the competition: The Municipal Council of Rybnik

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