It's only me practicing...
Posted on 04/13/2007 6:54:57 AM PDT by Frank Sheed
Two years into his reign, Pope Benedict XVI is finally poised to make a major mark on American Catholicism with a string of key bishop appointments and important decisions about the future of U.S. seminaries and bishops' involvement in politics.
Benedict's election on April 19, 2005, shook liberals and comforted conservatives who expected a doctrinal hard-liner. So far, they have found an easier hand - and someone who has not made the United States much of a priority.
When Benedict has gained attention, it has mostly been on the world stage, focusing on the re-Christianization of Europe, Islam and mending relations with Orthodox Christians. He also has stressed universal themes of faith and reason.
``The last two years have been much quieter years as far as the papacy is concerned because you have a very different personality'' than John Paul II, said Monsignor Robert Wister, chairman of the church history department at Seton Hall University's School of Theology.
``Many Americans were surprised - some happily, some disappointed - that he did not turn into the pit bull of dogma. He is taking a very pastoral approach, and I think people resonate very positively with that.''
Yet America's turn may be coming. At the top of the list is a looming generational shift among the nation's bishops, whose decisions at the local level greatly affect Catholics in the pews and can carry national weight. For instance, church leaders recently closed parishes in Boston and New York, while the St. Louis archbishop has clashed with a heavily Polish parish over control of its assets.
Key appointments are expected in New York, Baltimore and Detroit, where cardinals have reached retirement age - 75. And retirements or appointments are likely in at least seven other archdioceses...
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
No problem. My tag-lines and sparse comments fit in a small suitcase. I’m good to go.
Good Morning!
Sorry for the drive by...
Busy, busy...gotta go—See Ya!
I used to go barefoot all the time. Mostly because I was born with bunions, and shoes hurt. After I had the bunions removed, I had to begin wearing socks, if not shoes, all the time, because I’d cut my feet and not know it.
I have neuropathy in my feet, but it’s related to CFIDS, so it comes and goes with relapses and remissions. Sometimes, I can feel the cool of the tile or the nap of the carpet, and other times, I can’t.
The best socks I’ve found for cushioning are No nonsense. They’re thick enough for lots of protection!
's okay, but it'll get pretty quiet here.
Yah, yah, yah...a likely story!
Catch ya later!
That sounds like a threat! LOL!
Morning, sion!
(I’ll go quietly, I promise!)
Morning! Sadly, work is calling. *\:-(
Made it to church and back. Mass only lasted 20 minutes, but all three little boys needed baths when we got home!
Toe hurts, and I have to go to Wal-mart for frozen pizza. Der Prinz and I are going to a political event this evening, to meet a State Senator from somewhere (not ours) who wants to be governor.
I think showing up at church is half the battle! Pizza sounds good. There is a Papa Murphy’s here, and I think I’ll pick one up tomorrow, on my last errand. That way, I can eat it when I want to. :o]
All this talk about toes triggers my anecdote instinct.
My wife has a little toe that she can wiggle around like it isn’t attached. I think she had it broke too many times playing soccer. It doesn’t bother her but it sure looks weird and grosses out our daughters.
May I ask, do you go to church every day? I remember doing that when I was in Catholic school.
No, we usually only go on Sunday, but our parish has Mass at 11:00 a.m. a couple times a week, and I go maybe once a month.
My mother had the bones taken out of the little toes on both her feet because they were on sideways. The podiatrist loused up the operation, and it ended up taking three or for surgeries to fix everything. He decided not to charge her!
The Flying Castle Parallel Parks in the Asteroid Belt
Beltway traffic being what it is and such, it’s good to find a quiet spot.
After some tedious precessing, which followed a tedious search, and some tedious measurements, we have slowly englobed the asteroid dubbed Plymouth. It just fits within the Thrust Ring.
We moved several “gangways” into position at the top and bottom poles, or axes of rotation, of this tiny world. What is inside it, just below the surface, we have yet to discover.
We’re hoping for plenty of nickel and iron, but we can use almost anything, including the equivalent of raw dirt. It will make good insulation against radiation out here.
Of course, the next immediate step is engaging the “magnetic sheath” I was describing earlier.
We have encased the whole Flying Castle, (all three Habitats), including the Thrust Ring, and now also including the newest addition, Plymouth. The bottom area, through which we settled over Plymouth like a hen gently covering her brood of eggs, has also been stitched together. The network is complete.
This “network” is a multipole, multiconductor assortment of aluminized and silvered buckytube cables, with insulating standoffs to keep it a certain distance above the metal exterior of the Habitats.
We will now begin cycling current through it, trying to find the proper rates and harmonics to set up an effective shield against incoming solar radiation. Even though we are now at one fourth the intensity of such influx, it is still quite withering without a proper amount of atmosphere to shield us.
You may hear some occasional strange noises within the corridors and lower levels, should you be foolish enough to go there, but it is only the metal adjusting to the magnetic forces ... most likely. In any case, you should still have about you your armor and armaments.
I heard them.
(Dang! I thought we were being quiet. Next time, I'll leave the whip in the library...)
It's only me practicing...
Aren't you supposed to be quiet in the library...?
The movers have been called, but I need to confer with them for a bit.
How much noise can you make ANYwhere if you’re alone?...
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