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[Catholic Caucus] Traditional Liturgy: How many Faithful in France? And in the World? "Many of today's Catholics are 'Hidden Traditionalists,' waiting for a Mass worthy of the name."-- An InterviewBy Paix LiturgiqueOctober 4, 2023Although we haven't published a review of traditional liturgy in France and around the world since 2019... we felt it necessary to return to the question of the number of Catholic faithful who wish to live their faith to the rhythm of traditional liturgy. We asked Christian Marquant, who has been interested in this subject for many years, to return to this theme which, as we shall...

Americans should consider their tax strategies now ahead of potential changes at the end of 2025, experts warn. Trump-era legislation brought in by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 made sweeping changes to the tax landscape. This included lowering individual income tax rates, almost doubling the standard deduction and raising the federal estate tax exemption. Unless these rules are extended, they will expire on January 1, 2026, sparking major changes for millions of taxpayers across the US. Now is the time to plan ahead, experts warn, in order to be prepared for changes down the line - and...

Laudate Deum: Pope Francis’ Mistaken ApocalypseLike popes of old, Francis speaks of a coming apocalypse, but unlike his predecessors, his view is natural rather than supernatural.As easy as it is to criticize the actions and statements of Pope Francis, especially in light of how popes have traditionally spoken and acted, there is something about his pontificate that is not wholly different than his predecessors’. I hear him speak of his insistence on a moral decay present in the world, often described in apocalyptic tones. This week, Pope Francis released his apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, dubbed as a sequel or follow-up...

A New York appeals court judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to stop the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial, but temporarily halted the process of breaking up his businesses. Associate Justice Peter Moulton issued the ruling after a brief hearing Friday afternoon. Trump asked the appeals court to put the civil fraud trial on hold pending the appeal of Judge Arthur Engoron’s surprise summary judgment order last week that said the former president is liable for fraud. Trump also asked to put the underlying ruling itself on hold, saying it will cause “severe and irreparable harm not only...

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is denying reports that he is expected to step down from Congress before the end of his term – telling reporters on Friday that he still has “work to do,” after sending signals in private conversations that he could step down early from Congress. “No, I am not resigning,” he told reporters. “We are going to keep the majority. I am going to help the people I got here, and we are going to expand it further.” Earlier Friday, multiple sources familiar with McCarthy’s thinking told CNN that he was expected to step down at...

One of the fishermen had a message for critics of the legal harvesting.After 20 years of chasing down an elusive 13-foot-long alligator in a Southeast Texas bayou, a group of fishermen have finally caught the gargantuan reptile. Last week, Robert Hennis, his son Joel, Rev. John Benandini Jr. and Tommy Strawn pulled the 680-pound beast from the waters of Turtle Bayou, located near Anahuac in Chambers County, Texas, according to a report from Liberty County's Bluebonnet News. The harvesting took place behind Robert's home just before the end of Texas' alligator hunting season, which ran between Sept. 10 and Sept....

New interviews reveal that Lolita never recovered after an August 2023 medical procedure in the Seaquarium tank, where she had been confined since 1970.As Miami Seaquarium workers raised the water level in Lolita's whale tank after an urgently scheduled August 18 medical procedure, panic set in among the marine park's staff. The 7,000-pound orca was struggling to stabilize herself and swim on her own. As the water inched higher, she was floundering, and part of her jet-black tail appeared limp. Having survived multiple hurricanes, nine U.S. presidencies, and five decades of repetitive performances under the pounding Florida sun, the Seaquarium's...

-Bill Gates wrote a blog post suggesting three ways to improve math education. -He believes that math skills are a "powerful indicator" of future success. When Bill Gates was in eighth grade, a teacher asked him why he was "so lazy" in math class. He responded, rather boldly, that the class was "not doing anything interesting." It turns out the Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist actually loves math — and is very good at it — but he also acknowledges that it's "America's least favorite subject." In essence, Gates says that math education hasn't kept up with how the world has...

At the forefront of environmental discussions at Michigan State University, Tom Sharkey, a University Distinguished Professor at the Plant Resilience Institute, posed a provocative question: "Should we cut down all the oak trees?" While he wasn't advocating for a literal deforestation of oaks, this theoretical question emerges from his team's recent discoveries about the role of trees, especially oaks and poplars, in air pollution dynamics. Sharkey's research delves into the intricacies of isoprene -- a compound released by certain plants, particularly oaks and poplars. This research reveals a paradox. On one hand, with global temperatures rising, these trees emit more...

ames Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander for Europe, joked on Friday that President Joe Biden's dog, Commander, should be deployed to Ukraine after reports of several biting incidents involving Secret Service agents. "I continue to support the Administration giving Kyiv everything they need to drive the Russians out of Ukraine. Has the White House considered forward deploying the President's dog, Commander and his running mate, the senior former WH dog Major?" Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Last month, Newsweek confirmed with a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service that Commander, a 2-year-old...

In some ways, the link between viruses, vaccines and heart health is simple. Think of your heart as a house, said Dr. Jorge Alvarez, an interventional cardiologist at Methodist Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio. "You have the walls of your house, which are like the walls of your heart. You have the doors, which are the valves. And then you have plumbing and electricity. "A virus can affect all of those aspects of your house," he said. That makes being vaccinated against COVID-19, flu and other illnesses an important way for people with heart disease to protect themselves. That fact...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Viewers are perplexed by a CNN television interview featuring a deranged old lady who recently escaped from an elder care facility, angrily ranting about wanting to "deprogram" half of the nation's population. "They must comply! Deplorables! All of ‘em!" the disheveled geriatric growled at the camera while CNN's Christiane Amanpour attempted to de-escalate the situation. "If they don't fall in line, we'll round them up and re-educate them! De-program them! Re-program them! If that doesn't work, then we'll just disappear them! Yes! Yeeeeeeessssssss! Ahahahahahahaha!" The CNN interview team did their best to remain calm, despite the obvious...

Nasa astronauts will be flying in style, with luxury fashion designer Prada helping design space suits for the 2025 Moon mission. The Italian fashion house will work to design the suits alongside another private company, Axiom Space. In a press release, Axiom said Prada would bring expertise with materials and manufacturing to the project. One astronaut told the BBC he thought Prada was up to the challenge due to their design experience. That experience has been built not only on the catwalks of Milan but also through Prada's involvement in the America's Cup sailing competition. "Prada has considerable experience with...

The Dutch Royal household has confirmed that Prince Bernhard - prince consort for decades after World War II and husband of former Queen Juliana - was a member of the Nazi party.The membership card for the NSDAP, the German National Socialist Party attributed to Prince Bernhard, dates back to 1933. Historian Flip Maarschalkerweert, former director of the Royal Household Archives, discovered the map while making an inventory of Prince Bernhard's private archives at the royal Soestdijk Palace, located in Utrecht. Prince Bernhard - who died in 2004 aged 93 years old - had repeatedly denied having been a member of...

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi for fighting against the oppression of women in Iran.Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for women's rights in Iran. “She fights for women against systematic discrimination and oppression,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who announced the prize in Oslo. Authorities arrested Mohammadi in November after she attended a memorial for a victim of 2019 protests.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested and charged a 29-year-old Army veteran Friday with attempting to spill defense secrets to China, the agency announced. Former Sgt. Joseph Daniel Schmidt was last posted to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state with the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion, giving him access highly classified defense information, according to an indictment. After leaving the Army in January of 2020, he allegedly attempted to contact the Chinese government through various means and offered to share secret military information. “My name is Joe Schmidt. I am a United States citizen looking to move to China. I currently...

The University of Exeter is launching a new program in September 2024 called the MA in Magic and Occult Science. This program is all about exploring ideas in a different way, according to its leader, Professor Emily Selove. Selove explained on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that this degree in magic takes a fresh approach to studying history, science, philosophy, religion, and literature. It looks at these subjects from a unique perspective that hasn’t received much attention from scholars before. The university mentioned that this course will give students a chance to delve into the history and effects of witchcraft...

45 Uniparty Republicans signed a letter on Thursday calling out the eight GOP Representatives who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker. The 45 Republicans in their letter argue that Kevin McCarthy, a very weak and timid leader, was “one of the most accomplished Republican leaders in modern history.”

The tourist was caught breaking Roman statues in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. On Thursday, a Jewish American tourist was arrested by Israeli police after he was caught throwing works of art on the floor at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The 40-year-old suspect defaced two ancient Roman statues from the 2nd century AD. After questioning, Israeli police say the suspect considered the statues "to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah." The man's lawyer Nick Kaufman denied his client as a religious fanatic and instead said the tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labelled the...

A couple’s recent trip from Grand Rapids, Michigan, became a nightmare after reaching crime-ridden and Democrat-controlled Portland, Oregon. Adrian Hammerle and Eleora Gouine were excited about the 2,300-mile journey to Portland, where Adrian previously lived for a few years, KATU reported Thursday. They'd heard about Portland's crime issues but understood it's something all big cities are going through. This understanding changed after their windows were broken out and all their belongings were stolen two different times in a matter of days.https://t.co/JFSyKvKaAQ — KATU News (@KATUNews) October 6, 2023 Eleora said they knew about the crime plaguing the city but were...