Paris Hilton For President?

I actually laughed out loud, roared is more like it, at my TV news the other night when they played this hilarious faux ad which Paris Hilton made in response, tongue-in-cheek, to John "Warmonger" McCain's feeble slam on "Pollyanna" Obama, in which he likened Barack to pop tarts Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears. Bikini alert for those sensitive to such things.

How about this for a slogan ~ "Paris Hilton: Change We Can Believe In, Dude".

Too durn funny.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Go Green, Young Man, Go Green

From The Times of India

QUOTE There have been times when man has ignored "God's teaching on creation," Pope Benedict said in response to a question on the environment yesterday. But he rejected criticism that Christianity had encouraged the squandering of resources under the pretext of following the commandment to rule over the Earth. The wastefulness was due to a "materialistic world" where "God is denied," Pope Benedict said. "God entrusted man with the responsibility of creation" and "creation and redemption are closely bound together," he said. Pope Benedict's comments came at a closed meeting of 400 priests from the north of Italy where he is spending his holiday. Reporters were briefed by the Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi. Lombardi said Pope Benedict cited St Francis of Assisi as an example in urging Catholics to adopt "a way of life that is respectful of the environment. UNQUOTE

Holy Transfiguration

Thou wast transfigured on the mountain,

O Christ, our God,

showing to Thy disciples Thy glory as each one could endure.

Shine forth Thou on us, who are sinners all,

Thy light ever-unending. Through the prayers of the Theotokos,

Light-Bestower, glory to Thee.

(Dismissal Hymn - Feast of the Holy Transfiguration/Grave Tone)

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Matthew 17:1-9

1 And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: 2 And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. 3 And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.
6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. 8 And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

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The Feast of the Transfiguration is always a wonderful day for me. It was on this day I was ordained a Protestant minister back in 1976 "in another lifetime" as they say ~ and while I am now an Eastern Rite Catholic, all the paths which brought me here were good ones and full of Light...it is my favorite Aunt's birthday (Happy birthday, Aunt Patricia!) and the icon of my patron saint, Saint Deborah (Old Testament) has this inscription: "Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded saying, come and draw nigh Mount Tabor?" Deborah and the Holy Transfiguration go together in my mind like bees and honey.

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Lord Jesus, I was your shield-maiden who desired to be knight-errant: and now I am your unhumble beads-woman, praying for the lost, fighting her pride, who wishes to be useful to you as heartily as I did in days gone by.

Transfigure us into something suitable for You. Amen.

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Alexander Solzhenitsyn ~ Memory Eternal, Dear Brother

The observant may have noticed the great author's Cancer Ward listed among my all-time favorite books. To take the orthodox Christian worldview and use it, by means of fiction-writing, as a rapier to cut away the dross of the Soviet collective trance, was sheer genius and also an outpouring of a manly and genuine soul. Memory eternal, dear brother!

From the BBC:

QUOTE His homecoming in 1994 was a dramatic affair as he travelled in slowly by land from the Russian Far East.
Years later he was embraced by then-Russian President Vladimir Putin, who presented him with Russia's State Prize.
There was significant irony in the fierce critic of Soviet repression being hailed by a former senior officer of the KGB, says the BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow.
Mr Putin described Solzhenitsyn's death as a "heavy loss for Russia".
Solzhenitsyn's latter works, which included essays on Russia's future, stirred controversy. UNQUOTE

A video from the BBC

"Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence. Any man who has once proclaimed violence as his method is inevitably forced to take the lie as his principle.” - Solzhenitsyn

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Egypt's Christians Need Our Help

image courtesy National Geographic - A Coptic Church

Only ten percent of Egypt's population are Christian, most of them being Coptic Christians, one of the most ancient branches of the Church and one of the most venerable, tradition-rich families in the Christian Eastern tradition. The churches of Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia are as ancient as the Christian faith itself – these communities trace their foundation to the St. Mark the Evangelist and his disciples. While rich in heritage, these churches, particularly in Eritrea and Ethiopia, are very poor. All are persecuted. Helping them has been a priority for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association) CNEWA over the last two decades. Indeed now, with the plight of the Iraqi Catholic dispora in the wake of the war and occupation of their land, CNEWA needs new donors more than ever.

Please donate to CNEWA as you are able.

New York Times 02 August 08 QUOTE CAIRO — A monastery was ransacked in January. In May, monks there were kidnapped, whipped and beaten and ordered to spit on the cross. Christian-owned jewelry stores were robbed over the summer. The rash of violence was so bad that one prominent Egyptian writer worried it had become “open season” on the nation’s Christians. UNQUOTE