God still hasn't answered e-mail

It's been almost 24-hours and I still haven't received an answer from the e-mail I sent yesterday to godsanswers

For a refresher to what I'm talking about, click here

In an ongpoing account of totally over-the-top reactions...

Woman claims boy tried to kill son
By LEE ARNOLD - The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- The following information was obtained from the Huntington Police Department:
ATTEMPTED MURDER: A Huntington woman reported that a 7-year-old boy attempted to murder her 8-year-old son at 9:40 p.m. Sunday by throwing peanuts into his face.
The woman told police that the two boys were playing at a neighbor’s home when the 7-year-old found out her son suffered an intense allergy to peanuts. The 7-year-old threw peanuts into the face of the other child after learning the information.
The woman reported that her sons allergy to peanuts could be potentially fatal.
No arrests have been made.

Here's the link.

Finally found the item that IRNA quoted in the Dutch Metro regarding Islam now being first religion in Amsterdam. Here it is. Basically, it's the same as the IRNA article posted below.

Just a quick note, on the Metro group, taken from a press release:Metro carries national, international, and local news, along with a wide range of ads targeted to commuters using the rail system. The number of Metro pages corresponds to the average time available for reading during a daily commuter trip....the Dutch Metro edition was launched for distribution in the rail transit systems of the six largest cities in the Netherlands....Major efforts are underway for further international expansion of the successful giveaway concept. In each city, the publication is distributed free at pickup points throughout the system for riders on subways, trams, commuter rail, and buses. The editorial formula calls for a nonpartisan approach with a balanced menu of local, national, and international news without editorial comments.

Haven't posted anything recently on Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams. So here you go, snips with links.

Long before this appointment, we all have been saddened with all sorts of comments and expression of fear, cynicism and outright condemnation of the man. Some have insisted that Archbishop Rowan would promote unscriptural sexual ethic. But I would like to believe that he is too well informed a theologian to do such a thing.Taken from announcement from Church of Nigeria in response to Williams being named Archbishop.

He may never have run a parish but he has certainly got the dialectic: not so much Hegel and Marx (though I am sure he knows more than most of us about them) as St Augustine and the Fathers of the Church. And he has had a better press than any other incoming archbishop that I can remember. Adverse comment has concerned only his beard.and thisTo Dr Williams, I suspect, Christian unity does not so much mean the coming together of Roman and Protestant as of Western and Eastern Churches. For centuries, after all, the centre of Christianity was Constantinople and not Rome. He is clearly a holy man. The only other holy man to have become Archbishop of Canterbury since the war was Michael Ramsey.Clipped from an editorial in the Independent.

And this from an editorial on Anglicansonline, which includes a photo of the Ninth Bishop of Edmonton, the Right Reverend Victoria Matthews
Earlier today we received an email from Australia asking us if we knew why Archbishop Rowan Williams apparently never wears a purple shirt. We referred our correspondent to the only web source for an answer we're aware of. And the answer is? The Archbishop of Wales allegedly doesn't own one, doesn't care for them, and prefers to emphasise the priestly-pastoral aspect of being a bishop. Here's the rest of the article.

Came across this item on cats and second-hand smoke...scroll down to paper on "Companion Animals as Sentinals for Ecosystem Health."
We have completed two case-control studies evaluating environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a risk factor for cancer in cats. Our results suggested that cats exposed to at least 5 years of household ETS had a significant 3-fold increase in risk of malignant lymphoma and a modest increase in risk of oral carcinoma. Another project involves collection of information via questionnaire on health status, diet, lifestyle factors and potential environmental exposures for cats visiting Tufts' veterinary hospital. This study also validates questionnaire report of residential ETS exposure with urinary cotinine, which is a biologic marker for passive smoking exposure in humans

Silly thought, but if second-hand smoke is known to hurt humans, then wouldn't it be a given that pets would be at risk also? Or is this suggesting, in a roundabout way, that animals are more important than humans?

I got to thinking about that Godanswers website (for the full intro click here) last night, and though I better try it out, you never know...
The page starts out like this:

"What would you like Me to do for you? I offer personal help, advice, answers, and guidance.
Would you like to know the purpose of your life? How may I clarify and explain the obligations of your life?
Send Me your thoughts, problems, wishes, or prayers. I am Love. I am Justice.
I am fair and Just in ways that you cannot yet understand. It is the absolute truth that there are consequences to every thing you do. No one of you escapes this truth of My universal law. I want you to rejoice, be happy, laugh, enjoy life, and make the correct choices so that you may one day be in Glory with Me.
I am the Lord, your God ."

So I typed in my request:"I would like to pray for world peace, and some extra cash in my pocket."

And I got this response:
"My Dear Child,
I have received your message.
I will respond to it.
But when? When will you hear from Me?
The answer is that I will respond when it is best for you.
As a child is not able to understand what an adult does, so it is that you cannot understand My ways.
I will send you an Email, or use one of the many other ways I have at My disposal to communicate with you.
I am with you every day. Watch and listen for me.
I love you.
Your Father,
God"

So there you have it..one of the greatest mysteries answered...God has e-mail.

When I get the response I'll post it...I wonder if the response is always the same?

So goes another myth...Britons and Germans having more siestas than Spaniards? That's what this article says...

An aside: the siesta isn't just for napping, it's also a time for long lunch with family, etc. Lunch here often start around 1:30, or 2pm, or even around 3pm, and ends around 4 or even later. I've even had some working lunches that ended around 6pm! Try explaining that to your boss, that you were at lunch...And dinner? Dinner usually starts after 9, although dinner out usually is later, such as around 10pm...and in the summer even later...I've gone to many a dinner at 11pm, that ended around 1am or 2am, and then had to make it to the office the next day.

Britons and Germans are more likely to take a nap after lunch than people in the home of the siesta, Spain.
A survey of 19,000 people's sleeping habits in five European nations has been released by the German University of Regensburg.
Here's the rest of the story.

According to the Iranian News service, Islam is the "First" religion in Amsterdam. Following is the article.

Islam is the first religion in Amsterdam
Brussels, July 31, IRNA -- A population survey in the Netherlands shows that Islam comes on top in the list of religions in the capital Amsterdam.
Christianity (Catholic and Protestant), Judaism and other registered religions come after Islam, the website IslamOnline reported Tuesday.
Statistics published in the Dutch Metro daily newspaper Monday, July 29, stated that 13 percent of the capital's population are Muslims while not more than 10 percent are Catholics, 5 percent are followers of the Protestant Church, and only 1 percent are Jews. Followers of other religions together stand at 12 percent.
The Dutch paper, printing three million copies daily and distributed for free, reported that the number of Muslims in the early 20th century was insignificant. Only one Muslim was registered in the Civil Office in Amsterdam.
However, in the beginning of the 21st century, Muslims represent the biggest religious mass, numbering officially 88,000 out of roughly over 600,000 people in Amsterdam.
There are several elements behind the fast spread of Islam, top of which is the fact that 59 percent of the Dutch capital's population do not believe in any religion.
Moreover, the influence of churches on the Dutch people has retreated significantly in general, in Amsterdam in particular.
That has led many churches and Christian religious institutes to close down or sell their property due to the decrease in attendance.
In contrast , many researchers believe that Islam is spreading fast in Netherlands as Muslims are more respectful of Islamic teachings compared to followers of other religions.
Islam also attracts new followers especially from African ethnic minorities or those who have no religion.
Several Dutch Muslims believe the number of Muslims in the capital is even bigger than the officially registered number. Thousands of Muslims live in the capital illegally due to the tough immigration measures in the Netherlands.
Muslims also believe that they come first in numbers not just in Amsterdam, but also in other major Dutch cities such as Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
A previous Dutch statistics noted that one child among four children born in the Netherlands is Muslim. This means that half of those under 18 will be Muslims within the coming 20 years.

I'm not really going to comment, just post it. Well ok...if true this just seems like such a stupid thing to say at this time and moment, not to mention a bit insensitive? Is there such a possibility as one being "worse" than the other?...item from Australian press
A CHILD protection advocate has called for a royal commission into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church following reports that Archbishop George Pell described it as less of a crime than abortion. According to Canada's national Globe and Mail newspaper, Dr Pell made the comments to 500 young Roman Catholic delegates at a World Youth Day forum in Toronto.
Here's the rest of the article.

Silly question, and not trying to be a killjoy, but if Saint Pedro Betancur was from the Canary Islands, wouldn't that make him Spanish, rather than a Central American Saint?

Pope John Paul II has arrived in Guatemala on the latest stage of his tour of the Americas, to be greeted by thousands of followers.
The Pope is in Guatemala primarily to create a new saint - the country's first...The Pope said he hoped that the canonisation of Pedro de San Jose Betancur would be "a true moment of grace and renewal for Guatemala".

Following are two BBC items: this oneand thisone that's quoted above.

Incidentally, Saint Betancur was born on the island of Tenerife, a popular tourist spot that I have so far been able to avoid...here's link to tell you more.
About Tenerife

And the latest in what has to be a winner, or close runner up, for one of the stupidest land tussles ever, Morocco's King Mohamed VI says not only do they want back Perejil, that puny, rocky island (that's smaller than a football field), but that Spain should give them also the north African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla. Here's the article, although it's in Spanish.

As mentioned before, my brother is a Minister with Assemblies of God. He is also the guitar player for Rebecca St. James, as well as his own band, Fusebox. He's posted a devotional on their website...if your interested you have to click on "devotions."

When I first moved to Spain, banker Mario Conde was a symbol of the new Spain...with his slicked back hair, there were a million wannabees. Then he fell from grace, losing his bank - Banesto - and ending up in jail...Interestingly enough, when I first came to Spain I was hired by a Banesto unit to teach English to its executives. I was also supposed to be at the office every morning at 7am, just in case Mr. Conde wanted to practise his American accent. He never did show up.

Here's an AP item on Mario Conde...

Court doubles sentence to 20 years for former top banker on embezzlement conviction
MADRID, Spain (AP) _ The Supreme Court on Monday doubled the jail sentence for former top banker Mario Conde from 10 years to 20 years for embezzlement and fraud following an appeal of an earlier conviction.
Conde, a one-time flamboyant entrepreneur who headed the Banesto bank a decade ago, was found guilty in March 2000 by the National Court. He was convicted together with three of his close associates who were handed sentences ranging from four to 13 years.
But the prosecution appealed the sentence, and in a 434-page ruling Monday, the Supreme Court increased Conde's jail term after reviewing more evidence.
Conde was imprisoned Monday afternoon in Madrid's Alcala-Meco jail, where he had already served time twice in separate fraud cases. Three other people convicted in the Banesto case were jailed with him on Monday. Another remains at large in Spain, and a sixth is in France, Spanish news agencies said.
Conde had been on bail of 300,000 euros (dlrs 296,000).
The Banesto case dates back to December 1993 when the Bank of Spain took control of the bank after an audit revealed a shortfall of 605 billion pesetas (dlrs 3.8 billion/3.6 billion euros).
Conde was accused of defrauding the bank of 7 billion pesetas (dlrs 48 million/42 million euros). He claimed the money was paid to a consultancy firm for winning tax breaks for the bank's industrial holding company.
For many, Conde symbolized a get-rich-quick environment linked to the economic boom in the 1980s surrounding Spain's entry into the European Union in 1986.
Apart from Conde, Banesto ex-director Rafael Perez Escobar also had his sentence increased from six years to 10 years.

For a little more info on Conde, a Spanish 1980s icon, read the following:
From a long Time article. "WINDS OF CHANGE MANY THOUGHT IT WAS A QUIXOTIC DREAM, BUT MODERN DEMOCRACY IS BLOWING AWAY THE DARK SIDE OF OLD SPAIN" Corruption is another plague. The most spectacular examples have been the near-collapse of one of the country's biggest banks, Banco Espanol de Credito, because of alleged misdeeds of its former president, Mario Conde Conde, and the bizarre tale of the former head of the Guardia Civil, ,Luis Roldan Ibanez. Now being tried on charges involving huge sums in Swiss bank accounts, Roldan was on the run for 11 months before he was finally tracked down to Laos and brought back to Spain. Here's the rest of the article.

And a very short item putting it in context...at World Desk Reference

Sorry, this is just too ridiculous to not post...

Drinking mixed with a dispute over heaven and hell led to the fatal shooting of a man in Johnson County early Sunday, authorities said.
Four men had returned home from a night of bar-hopping in Fort Worth when they got into a discussion about who was going to heaven and who was going to hell, said Cpl. Pam Jetsel, a spokeswoman with the Johnson County Sheriff's Department

Here's the rest of the story.

Curious that I haven't seen too many posts on Lexington Gay Fathers of four babies (three boys and one girl)...In Spanish press they keep saying that the men are Catholics and said they will be taking their children to Mass every Sunday...Interesting. Following are two links to the story, in case you missed it. Sorry can't access the Spanish item, telling how the fathers say they'll be going to church every week with the kids...but it was in July 28 issue of ABC.

AP Item on Birth, July 27
A surrogate mother has given birth to quadruplets, who will be raised by their natural father and his male domestic partner.
Officials from several groups interested in surrogacy or gay parenting say they know of no other similar cases that have resulted in quadruplets

CNN.com July 12 item

I came across this business quide to Spain...some of the stuff is humorous, such as this tidbit...

The North American term “O.K.” has become quite common in the United States and Canada to signal the reaching of an agreement. By no means should this term be used in the Spanish business environment, as many Spanish businessmen consider this word to be vulgar.
And this...
The Spanish culture is extremely attuned to what people wear and, as a result, will judge appearance from head to toe. Spaniards usually connect your “social status and your success as a businessman by how well you dress” (Executive Planet). There is nothing less than the best when it comes to clothing in Spain; quality garments must be worn in order to win over Spanish business clients. Usually, conservative styles and simple colors work best. While such fine detail for clothing may seem excessive to some, it can be a crucial measure to establish a holding in the business culture.
If you want to read the rest of this guide's tips, check it out here.

I think the Iranian National news agency, IRNA, could have come up with a better headline than this: Lover's Touch Is Special. Actually, this item is about an article on BBC Online about a report that caresses are medicinal, of course not sure that money needed to have been spent "proving" that...

London, July 29, IRNA -- Scientists say they have proved that the touch of a loved one is indeed special.
They have found that tender caresses stimulate a different part of the nervous system than that activated by the everyday
sensation of touch.
Researchers have long suspected that that specialised nerves are involved in transmitting information to the brain when the
skin is being touched in a passionate or sensitive way.

Over the past month or so there's been growing tension with respect to the RC and the Basque region...it began May 30 when the Basque bishops issued a statement, "Prepare for Peace," in which they suggested of the negative consequences that would follow if the nationalistic party Batasuna (sympathizers, or the legal party arm of the violent ETA separatist group) were outlawed by the Spanish government. That statement was met with extreme criticism by the Partido Popular, Spain's ruling party, who even complained to the Vatican...That has since been followed by the priest Jaime Larrinaga in the Basque town of Maruri being threatened...and requesting bodyguards...At this stage, it sounds like the request has caused more talk than action...the Portuguese Archbishop, Manuel Monteiro - and Vatican "representative" - has said that he's "concerned" about the situation.

Here's an article in Spanish from ABC
Here's an older (April) Guardian article on Violence in Spain, "Excommunication is latest weapon in war against ETA"
A June AP item, published on World Religious News Service, "Bishops' letter on Basque violence unleashes passions in Spain"

Lance Armstrong does it again. Win's fourth Tour de France, and looks as if he's set for next year...Could it be five? Watch out Indurain!
From an article, on the win in the race north of the Pyrenees....
If Armstrong's Tour win last year was blighted by the revelation of his collaboration with the controversial trainer Michele Ferrari, this year saw another unprecedented subtext: the Texan's persistent verbal attacks on spectators who, he insists, are accusing him of doping. In one interview, Armstrong estimated their number at "about 20%" - a sizeable minority indeed given the masses that line the route. This seems a bizarre claim to make seriously, because in 2,000 miles around Luxembourg, France and Germany, there have been just two mild roadside displays of what could be construed as anti-Armstrong sentiment: a sign on Mont Ventoux reading "Lance = Ferrari" - which could be taken either of two ways - and an arrow on the road near Bourg-en-Bresse on Friday implying that he should go straight on while his fellow competitors went left. Rest of that article can be found here.

Personally, I think the articles a bit tainted, as I can say here in Spain there is a real love hate relationship with Mr. Armstrong.
Here's his official website.
Here's a bit of background, if you really don't know about Lance..., one of the greatest atheletes from States in recent years.

What this article doesn't tell you is that Torres is a striker for Atletico de Madrid, was called up almost 2-years ago when he was just 17, and was the leading scorer in the European Under-19 Championship this year...If somebody wants him - and many, including Milan, are looking, his price starts at EUR20 million.

Spain beats Germany 1-0 in Under-19 final
OSLO, Norway (AP) _ Spain's Fernando Torres Sanz scored 10 minutes into the second half to give his team a 1-0 victory over Germany Sunday in the final of the European Under-19 Championship.
The Spanish striker was the team hero for the second match in a row. Torres Sanz notched two late goals in a 3-1 win over Slovakia on Thursday in final group play, clinching Spain's final berth.
He got the game-winner at Ulleval Stadium in the 55th minute by beating the German goalie with a shot inside the far post.
Earlier Sunday, Slovakia claimed third place with a 2-1 victory over Ireland, thanks to a goal by Roman Jurko in the 74th minute.
Stephen Brennan gave the Irish a 1-0 lead 53 minutes into the match at Ulleval Stadium, and Tomas Brusko equalized for Slovakia three minutes later.
The Spanish team was coached by Inaki Saez, who will now take charge of Spain's national team, replacing Jose Antonio Camacho, who resigned after the World Cup.
Saez has been a successful junior coach, leading Spain to the 1998 European U21 title, the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship for players under 20 and a second-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympic soccer tournament, limited primarily to players under 17.
During round-robin play in Norway, Spain and Germany both finished with 2-1-0 (won-tied-lost) records and seven points atop their groups.
This was UEFA's first under-19 championship. Poland's 3-1 win over the Czechs in last year's U18 final in Switzerland was the last title match to be played at that age group.
In the championship's new U19 incarnation, the defending champions were eliminated by Germany in the intermediate round. Other surprising absentees in these finals were France, Italy and Portugal.

Religious freedom in China?

Report: China sends three underground Catholic priests to labor camp
BEIJING (AP) _ Three priests belonging to China's underground Roman Catholic Church have been sentenced to three years in a labor camp, a U.S.-based advocacy group said Saturday.
Pang Yongxing, Ma Shunbao and Wang Limao were accused of violating anti-cult laws and "disturbing the peace of society," the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement.
It said they were sent to the Balizhuang labor camp in Baoding, a city where they lived in the central Hubei province. No one answered the phone at the camp, and police in Baoding said they didn't know about the case.
China allows only government-monitored churches and harasses and imprisons Christians, Buddhists and others who worship outside the official system.
Wang, 32, was detained March 24 while saying Mass on Palm Sunday, said the Kung Foundation, based in Stamford, Connecticut. It said Ma, 50, was picked up a week later while saying Mass on Easter.
Pang, 30, was detained in December 2001 at his home in Baoding, the foundation said.
The communist government forced Chinese Catholics to break ties with the Vatican in 1951. The state-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which operates the country's only authorized Catholic churches, doesn't recognize papal authority.
However, millions of Chinese remain loyal to the pope and worship in underground churches whose leaders are appointed in secret by the Vatican. Foreign religious scholars say there are as many as 10 million underground Catholics, compared with 4 million in the official church.
The Vatican says more than 50 underground Chinese Catholic bishops or priests have been detained or live under house arrest or police surveillance.

The "Raelians" (yes, the UFO-cult that believes Jesus Christ was a Clone) are at it again...if you believe this article, they could have impanted a clone in a Korean woman.
South Korea is investigating a United States-based firm run by a UFO-inspired sect that claims it has implanted a cloned embryo in a Korean woman. And this..
"The surrogate mother, who arrived in South Korea a month ago, came with an embryo which had been implanted on her uterine wall by foreign technicians," he said.
Here's the rest of the story.

Not planning on blogging too much today. But just a few thoughts on immigration...as mentioned in a post last night, there are a lot of foreigners here in Spain. This morning as I sat on a terrace owned by a Peruvian, I read in the newspapers about the latest results from the latest census...which are, there are now close to 41 million people living in Spain. The curious thing is that in the last census in 1990s, it was thought that Spain would have a problem reaching that number, and in fact predicted that the population of Spain would decrease. Why? Because the Spanish birth rate is one of the lowest in the world. Couples just don't have children.

So. How is it that the population rose?Simple. Immigration. According to the lastest census, around 10% of Spanish population is foreign.

There have been various reports this year, but most of them also touched on the subject of how foreign families were larger, that Spaniards were marrying later, etc. ANYWAY, in the future I'll try to post a few more articles on that subject.

Have a good weekend.

It's official, Saint Pantaleon's blood is once again liquid...

The Blood Of Saint Pantaleon Once Again Liquifies

Madrid, 26 July (EFE).- A hundred people meeting today in the Incarnation monastery of Madrid, were witnesses, as every July 26 at five o'clock in the evening, to the beginning of the liquefaction of the blood of Saint Pantaleon, which can be seen until the 28th of the same month, when it will once again begin to solidify.
The blood of the saint, currently under the process of liquefaction, could be seen at the ceremony thanks to television screens that were situated on both sides of the alter, where the two Augustinian nuns deposited the relic which is inside a glass container.
As explained by Javier Martín Abad, one of the chaplains at the monastery, the relic, that has been in the monastery since the XVII century, "passes from a solid state, as is it habitually is for the rest of the year, to a more liquid state in a very slow process that begins July 26."
Martín Abad added that "there has never been a year in which the blood of the saint hasn't liquefied," denying the claims of some that there have been occasions when the blood didn't liquefy.
The Catholic Church hasn't pronounced any statement over this singular event for lack of scientific proof and is "awaiting a scientific report that is based on further spectroscopic analysis using light, and which can be done in Spain," the chaplain of the monastery told EFE.
Conventional analysis would mean the opening of the relic that has been closed for three centuries, and for which reason, "evidently" couldn't be done that way, according to Martín Abad, adding, that the relic cannot be taken out of the monastery without the permission of the nuns, who are its owners.
The father expects that between 5,000 and 7,000 people will visit the relic, "many of whom will come from other provinces and even from outside of Spain, to thank the saint for the blessings that they've received this year."

I'm sorry, but these types of stories really get me going...If somebody wants to smoke, fine let them, but don't have them suing the companies for "tricking" them, same with drink, or anything else in excess...but suing fast food joints because they don't serve healthy food? COME ON! Of course they don't serve people as well rounded food as, well, mom makes. etc.

Samuel Hirsch filed his lawsuit Wednesday at a New York state court in the Bronx, alleging that McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC Corporation are irresponsible and deceptive in the posting of their nutritional information, that they need to offer healthier options on their menus, and that they create a de facto addiction in their consumers, particularly the poor and children.

"You don't need nicotine or an illegal drug to create an addiction, you're creating a craving," Hirsch said. "I think we'll find that the fast-food industry has not been totally up front with the consumers."

Here's the rest of the story.

Further to the issue of Peru, sterilization, contraception, etc…I was thinking of something that I read in B.F. Skinner’s “Beyond Freedom & Dignity”…here’s how that book begins, think about it, if this is the way humanity now thinks, can it be any surprise what monstrosity is found in the closet…
Chapter 1
A TECHNOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR
“In trying to solve the terrifying problems that face us in the world today, we naturally turn to the things that we do best. We play from strength, and our strength is science and technology. To contain a population explosion we look for better methods of birth control. Threatened by a nuclear holocaust, we build bigger deterrent forces and anti-ballistic-missile systems. We try to stave off world famine with new foods and better ways of growing them. Improved sanitation and medicine will, we hope, control disease, better housing and transportation will solve the problems of the ghettos, and new ways of reducing or disposing waste will stop pollution of the environment. We can point to remarkable achievements in all these fields, and it is surprising that we should try to extend them. But things grow steadily worse and it is disheartening to find technology itself is increasingly at fault. Sanitation and medicine have made the problems of population more acute, was has acquired a new horror with the invention of nuclear weapons, and the affluent pursuit of happiness is largely responsible for pollution. As Darlington has said, “Every new source from which man has increased his power on the earth has used it to diminish the prospects of his successors. All his progress has been made at the expense of damage to his environment which he cannot repair and could not foresee.”

Couple of questions to that above quote: What’s your strength? What’s your “source?” Maybe that’s the answer to the problem.

A bit late posting anything today, as we decided to take the two older children to the park. They had a good time, and are successfully worn out – as are their parents. 100 degree weather and walking for hours has its advantages! That said, zoos always make me sad, maybe it’s the country boy in me. I just keep thinking that those animals can’t be that happy in those “areas,” for a lack of words. If I was hot, how must the animals have felt in that heat on concrete….why can’t zoos cover the ground in vegetation? That and the prices, I can’t believe that we spent around $100 to take the four of us to the park, well ok minus $15 for the two taxis, but still…of course we filmed much of the excursion, so we have memorable "parts" saved, such as Iain telling us that he didn’t want to stay by the hippopotamus areas, since they “stunk,” or when we went to see the baboons….there was a very amorous couple (of baboons that is) caught on film, in the background of my two smiling cherubs.

We made it back home, the aunt had dinner prepared, Maureen baby was happy to see all, and we watched the video of the day. I then snuck out, crossed the Plaza and went to the Irish pub for a pint of Guiness to read the papers. Irish pub is not quite perhaps the right term, for it’s owned by Spaniards, and the workers are all Rumanians.

Now it’ evening, and the two cherubs are in bed, the baby will soon wakeup for her final feeding, and we made it through another day. Outside, I can hear the people on the Plaza, the nearly 200 children, the boys playing football, and the terraces full with people having an evening drink. And the musicians are starting to arrive… the musicians…soon it will be time for the flamenco dancers to have their show, and the Argentine flame-throwers, the Rumanian accordian players, etc. Life in Madrid.

Okay, here's my last post for the night ... did you know that Adam West was from Walla Walla, Washington, and went to Whitman College? If you don't know who Adam West is, go back to bed!

I just gotta think that there was a better headline than the following one...

U.S. Catholics say pope's visit is not diminished by sex abuse crisis
By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
TORONTO (AP) _ While 17-year-old Stesha Colby prayed every day for a chance to see Pope John Paul II, some of her friends back in Tennessee wondered how she could be such a loyal Roman Catholic.
They asked about her devotion to a church that has sometimes failed to protect children from molesters in the clergy. Her response: There's a difference between the faith and the men who lead it.
"Priests are human, too, and they will sin, and the fact that they covered up is a sin, but it doesn't have anything to do with being a Catholic," Colby said on her way to a church-sponsored rock concert at World Youth Day.
More than 200,000 young pilgrims have come to Toronto after months of disturbing revelations in the United States about abusive clergy and bishops who didn't punish them.
Yet at this gathering to energize young Catholics, teenagers say the cloud over the church hasn't hurt their relationships with their own priests, or sapped the joy from seeing the pope.
"I think it's a total tragedy that's happened," said Kristen Deyorio, 17, of Dover, New York "But that doesn't mean I don't trust my priest. The group of priests involved, they just strayed off the path."
The pilgrims are among the most faithful young Catholics in the United States. They pray for their parents, tell their troubles to their local clergymen and revere the pope as a hero.
They also are keenly aware of the accusations against their spiritual leaders, and several young people have raised the issue during teaching sessions with bishops this week.
A young woman from Iowa asked Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, how she should respond when people criticize the way the church has handled the crisis.
"It is nothing new to see the unredeemed part of our church in public life, but that is not all of our church," Gregory said to loud applause.
Carl Anderson, a Catholic educator and chief executive of the Catholic fraternal group the Knights of Columbus, sees World Youth Day as "the best antidote" to the scandal.
"Because of the crisis in the church, laity have to be closer to priests and bishops and not put more distance between them," he said. "We have to show that the Catholic church is a close community."
The Rev. Chester Arceneaux agrees. He leads a parish in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, where the 1985 case of pedophile and former priest Gilbert Gauthe first drew public attention to clerical abuse in the United States.
When this year's reports of abuse in other parts of the country began, Arceneaux said he raised it immediately with young people in his parish. He believes church leaders should do the same, and not let the crisis change how they interact with children.
"I still hug the kids," said Arceneaux, as he sat with young people from his parish. "I will not stop being like Christ."
Jeremy Jong, 16, of Piscataway, New Jersey, said he thinks the crisis has created "unfair stereotypes" of priests and overlooks the sacrifices they have made to serve Catholics.
"It's not as big a deal as people make it out to be," he said.
Pat Duffey, 20, wearing a necklace with a silver cross as he walked across the exhibition grounds, hopes to become a diocesan youth minister after graduating from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.
He tells young Catholics that only a small number of priests were involved in the crisis and that they should "gather the right information and not lose their faith."
"I know the church will come out of this," he said.

"This strange mixing of minds can be one of the greatest services to mankind"...or something like that...I'm staying up late to watch the Batman movie from the 60s (not the original, as in first, as I believe that honor goes to a Batman movie made in the 1930s?), and that is more or less the last line....now put that in context with the following article.

INDIVIDUAL VS. NATIONAL NEEDS
Asahi News Service<
TOKYO _ Freedom of religion and thought might fall by the wayside under bills now in the Diet to gird the nation for military attack.
Yasuo Fukuda, the chief Cabinet secretary and government spokesman, defined the administration's position on rights issues for the first time July 24 in a Lower House special committee session deliberating the military emergency legislation.
Fukuda said there could be situations in which Japanese could not cite religious beliefs or ideologies as grounds to refuse to cooperate with Self-Defense Forces.
"Those restrictions would not violate Article 13 of the Constitution (which stipulates that all people should be respected as individuals) as long as the restrictions serve a higher purpose of public welfare, such as maintaining the security of the nation and its people," Fukuda said. "As long as it is bound by what is regarded as rational limits."
Although Fukuda said freedom to express ideology, conscience and religious beliefs are guaranteed within the hearts of individuals, certain circumstances involving public welfare could constrain how those beliefs are publicly expressed.
As a specific example, Fukuda outlined a provision in the military emergency legislation in which the SDF could order civilians to store materials on its behalf. Citizens would not be able to use political or religious beliefs as an excuse to refuse to comply, he said.
Seiji Maehara, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) member, asked if that interpretation could be extended to expropriation or removal of churches, shrines or temples during an SDF action. Osamu Tsuno, director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, said it could if the legislation is adopted.
Fukuda also said the administration would have an outline ready by the fall return of the Diet to define the key points of the military legislation that protect rights and property of citizens in event of a military attack.
Upon conclusion of the current Diet session, Fukuda said, government officials will start preparing legislation that would facilitate activities by Japan-based U.S. military personnel in event of an attack, and that would address treatment of prisoners of war.
Wednesday was the last day of deliberations on the military emergency bills in the current Diet session. The ruling coalition parties have already agreed to carry over the debate to the autumn Diet session.

In case anybody's interested, here's the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's website, well not really his website, but that of his office.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm re-reading "The Ancient Civilizations of Peru," by J. Alden Mason...couple of things struck me last night...The first point deals with the distribution of wealth under the Incas...let me quote a bit, from chapter 11, Social Organizations.

Ten animals was the limit for any commoner; nobles allowed more. The majority of the stock belonged to the government, which gathered the wool into storehouses and distributed it to the families in proportion to their size, enough to clothe all the members. In this distribution no deduction was made for the privately owned animals; the man who owned many received as much as he who owned one.

The chapter goes on to discuss the agricultural practices, and the semi-communal form of farming, etc. Anyway, just thought that was a nice contrast to what many normally think when the Incas are mentioned, i.e. mummies, sacrifices, etc.

Interesting that the protest is in an Anglican church, especially as that's the church that many have felt the need to leave because of increasing wishy-washy theology ...
Pope John Paul II draws Catholic protesters along with pilgrims
By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
TORONTO (AP) _ On a quiet city block, behind a hotel and some office buildings, alienated Roman Catholics who followed Pope John Paul II to Toronto have been airing their grievances with the church.
A woman dressed in priestly garments celebrated Mass. Advocates for victims of clerical sex abuse accused Canadian bishops of cruelty. Activists planned to distribute condoms to World Youth Day pilgrims.
They have mounted their protest from inside a church. However, it is Anglican, not Catholic, and located several miles (kilometers) from the exhibition hall serving as the center of the official event.
Critics see the location as symbolic: William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, a New York-based anti-defamation group, has called the protesters the "lunatic fringe."
But in the brief moments the spotlight falls away from the pontiff, they say they hope to convince young Catholics that loyalty and obedience are two different things.
"I'm critical, I ask questions, but I keep my faith," said Jane Walsh, a 38-year-old Catholic who is among those prodding the church to change.
While World Youth Day organizers distribute Virgin Mary medallions and plastic rosary beads, the protesters are giving away temporary tattoos that say, "Ordain Catholic Women" and buttons that read, "I'm poped out." Pasted onto the condom wrappers is an angel and the message, "If abstinence isn't working for you ... ."
Asked about the condom distribution, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, the World Youth Day chief executive, said it was inappropriate, but he also invited the protesters to attend World Youth Day events.
Milton Chan, a 23-year-old college student who said he once served as the head altar boy at his church, has been giving out the contraceptives and said some of the young recipients have dubbed him "the condom kid."
"We cannot resolve our differences, but at least they are examining for themselves," he said. "I really don't want to see young Catholics following like blind sheep."
Inside the church, tables are filled with handouts on issues ranging from gay rights to abortion rights. Advocates for ordaining women displayed a drawing they called an updated version of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Their interpretation has women sitting at the table.
Few young people came into the church on Wednesday morning, but David Gagnon of the Canadian branch of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said there has been a steady stream of visitors.
They hope the traffic will build as more people crowd the city to celebrate Mass with the pope on Sunday.
Marie Lint, a 17-year-old Catholic from Orono, Maine, said she felt the protest was inappropriate.
"I'm here to enjoy what we're doing here and the presence of God in this city," she said, sitting outside the World Youth Day exhibition hall with friends. "I'm not going to let anyone else get in the way."

I thought this sort of thing only happened in the States, on Letterman, or something like that ...

A 68-year-old woman who was left permanently disabled by injuries she received throwing herself on to a velcro-covered "splat wall" at a hospital fete has failed in a renewed bid to win damages from an NHS trust.
Here is the rest of the story.

Last night on Spanish news there was a news item on the sterilization of Peruvian's under the regime of Fujimori...according to these reports, over 300,000 Peruvians were sterilized, get this, in exchange for financial aid. While there could be something to the timing of this story coming out (Fujimori recently announced he's going to return from Japan and seek re-election in 2006), it's still disgusting, and reminiscent of Nazi methods.

Interestingly enough, I've been mentioning to friends, etc. this very case for several years now. The general response was, "Oh but there helping poor uneducated indians who live in the Andes, or poor barrios, you know these women just keep making babies, and have more than they can handle, so this is the government's way of helping the people......"

This is from the Amnesty International 2002 Report:
In September, women's organizations and human rights defenders urged the authorities to investigate allegations by the Health Minister that former President Alberto Fujimori was directly involved in planning the forced sterilization of women. During 1996 and 1997, the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defence of Women's Rights studied the incidence of violence against women in the public health sector. They discovered evidence that the poorest women, as well as those who lived in rural areas, had been forcibly sterilized under false pretences, threats, intimidation and coercion. Some of these women reportedly died as a result of the medical intervention. The Committee reported that health-care workers, in an effort to meet government imposed sterilization quotas, took advantage of poor rural women. Between 1998 and 2000 the Office of the Ombudsman received scores of complaints of women who had been forcibly sterilized.

Anyway following are several items related to the subject:

Catholic World News Feature...the link doesn't really work, but you can access via a google cached item...that suggests US involvement.
A report in Africa 2000
A 1998 CWA item, Peru Sterilization Comes To Light.
A 1998 Christian Science Monitor, Peru's Family Planning Became Coerced Sterilization
A 1999 Catholic World News item from Peru's Bishop...interestingly says that as early as that date over 300,000 had been sterilized.

This is going around the Internet.

REMAINING U.S. CEOs MAKE A BREAK FOR IT--
Band of Roving Chief Executives Spotted Miles from Mexican Border

San Antonio, Texas(Rooters) Unwilling to wait for their eventual indictments, the 10,000 remaining CEOs of public U.S. companies made a break for it yesterday, heading for the Mexican border, plundering towns and villages along the way, and writing the entire rampage off as a marketing expense.
"They came into my home, made me pay for my own TV, then double-booked the revenues," said Rachel Sanchez of Las Cruces, just north of El Paso. "Right in front of my daughters."
Calling themselves the CEOnistas, the chief executives were first spotted last night along the Rio Grande River near Quemado, where they bought each of the town's 320 residents by borrowing against pension fund gains. By late this morning, the CEOnistas had arbitrarily inflated Quemado's population to 960, and declared a 200 percent profit for the fiscal second quarter.
This morning, the outlaws bought the city of Waco, transferred its underperforming areas to a private partnership, and sent a bill to California for $4.5 billion.
Law enforcement officials and disgruntled shareholders riding posse were noticeably frustrated.
"First of all, they're very hard to find because they always stand behind their numbers, and the numbers keep shifting," said posse spokesman Dean Levitt. "And every time we yell 'Stop in the name of the shareholders!', they refer us to investor relations. I've been on the phone all damn morning."

"YOU'LL NEVER AUDIT ME ALIVE!"

The pursuers said they have had some success, however, by preying on a common executive weakness. "Last night we caught about 24 of them by disguising one of our female officers as a CNBC anchor," said U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson Janet Lewis. "It was like moths to a flame."
Also, teams of agents have been using high-powered listening devices to scan the plains for telltale sounds of the CEOnistas. "Most of the time we just hear leaves rustling or cattle flicking their tails," said Lewis, "but occasionally we'll pick up someone saying, 'I was totally out of the loop on that.'"
Among former and current CEOs apprehended with this method were Computer Associates' Sanjay Kumar, Adelphia's John Rigas, Enron's Ken Lay, Joseph
Nacchio of Qwest, Joseph Berardino of Arthur Andersen, and every Global Crossing CEO since 1997. ImClone Systems' Sam Waksal and Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco were not allowed to join the CEOnistas as they have already been indicted.
So far, about 50 chief executives have been captured, including Martha Stewart, who was detained south of El Paso where she had cut through a barbed-wire fence at the Zaragosa border crossing off Highway 375.
"She would have gotten away, but she was stopping motorists to ask for marzipan and food coloring so she could make edible snowman place settings, using the cut pieces of wire for the arms," said Border Patrol officer Jennette Cushing. "We put her in cell No. 7, because the morning sun really adds texture to the stucco walls."
While some stragglers are believed to have successfully crossed into Mexico, Cushing said the bulk of the CEOnistas have holed themselves up at the Alamo.
"No, not the fort, the car rental place at the airport," she said. "They're rotating all the tires on the minivans and accounting for each change as a sale.

Not really sure what to think of this description of Catholicism in Spain, but it's interesting their viewpoint...so I thus add.

While religion in Spain is, accordingly, taken with absolute seriousness in its more profound aspects, there is a very large ingredient of laughter and enjoyment that spices Spanish Catholicism. Being so large a part of all life in Spain, religion has been expanded to include life's joyous aspects as well as the austere ones that characterize the northern religions.

Nearly every fiesta is a celebration of some religious event; even the gay, satirical Fallas de San Josh, is actually a religious celebration. Added to these are the Romerias, in which a great deal of drinking, singing, dancing, etc. are often linked to a pilgrimage to a religious shrine.

It has often been noted that Spanish religion and religious art in particular throw a stress on the suffering of Christ. This is not, as has sometimes been supposed, out of an innate sadism or brutality, but stems more from the lberian admiration for courage and the ability to withstand pain and suffering in support of one's principles. This is the quality desired by the Spanish participating in the Holy Week processions all over Spain, but especially in Sevilla. During these processions, many of the participants don peaked, black hats as the sign of a penitent and undergo the punishment of a barefoot walk, carrying a burden of some kind as a public demonstration of courage in faith.

Here's the rest of the tour item...

Just found this interview with my brother in Christianity Today...the things you learn: Brad, I didn't know you were addicted to coffee, in that case you've got to come to Spain and try the coffee here. Here's the interview. And here's another one.

I always thought there was something wrong, but a Toxic Religion Zone?

Three years ago the Rev. Mel White came to Lynchburg to politely try to persuade the Rev. Jerry Falwell to tone down his anti-gay rhetoric. Falwell politely agreed to help combat violence against gays.
Now White is coming back, but this time the pair have their boxing gloves on.
White has declared Thomas Road Baptist Church a "Toxic Religion Zone," and Falwell has vowed not to give White a platform at his church.

For the rest of the article, read here.

Dr. Williams and abortion...

CAREY'S SUCCESSOR SETS OUT HIS AGENDA
By Tim Ross and Tom Whitehead, PA News
The new Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams today showed he will not side-step controversial issues, as he tackled the subject of abortion and the rights of unborn babies.
In the second extract from his re-issued book, Lost Icons, published in The Times, Dr Williams said he was "puzzled" by governments who object to abortion on moral grounds while using and selling arms like cluster bombs.
"I am genuinely puzzled by political parties, governments or churches that appear to find a greater moral problem in abortion than in the manufacture, marketing and use of indiscriminate weaponry, from cluster bombs and poison gas to nuclear warheads," he wrote.
He said it was now "far easier and more fashionable" to defend the environment and the welfare of animals than that of "unborn humans".
This situation illustrates the "bizarre confusion" that dominates the debate on abortion in British and American society, he said.
Last night, the global Disney Corporation defended its operations of the last seven decades despite criticism from Dr Williams in the previous extract from his book.
The free-speaking churchman, who was unveiled as the 104th leader of the Anglican Church yesterday, criticised the company for helping in the consumer exploitation of children.
But Disney, which has stores selling its film and television wares around the world, said it was proud of what it had achieved.
In a statement which did not address Dr Williams's comments directly, a spokesman said: "Community decency and optimism are the centrepiece of what the Walt Disney company strives to achieve in all that we create."
Dr Williams has in the past spoken out on gay rights, women priests and the role of the Government in various guises.
He has criticised the bombing of Afghanistan, condemned school league tables and admitted to being "slightly disappointed" with New Labour.
At 52, he is the first man to be appointed Primate of All England from outside the Church of England and will head an Anglican family covering 70 million worshippers worldwide.
Dr Williams is heading for a potential clash with Tony Blair's Government over the possible military action on Iraq.
The Archbishop has already expressed concerns in an open letter and added today: "Any Christian, pastor or priest is going to ask awkward questions in certain circumstances."
"I would only support military action which the United Nations had called as far as Iraq is concerned."
Mr Blair's official spokesman said it was the "right and prerogative" of senior churchmen to comment on a range of issues.
As Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams is also set to stir up issues within the Anglican church over his support for gay rights and women priests.
The Welshman has also been associated with calls to review the links between the state and the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury, which is effectively in the hands of the Prime Minister who advises the Queen.
In his first press conference since the appointment, at Church House in London, Dr Williams said: "It is still something of a shock to find myself here, coming to terms with an enormous trust placed in my hands and with the inevitable sense of inadequacy that goes with that."

First (as mentioned in an earlier post) it was a "green dwarf" in Argentina, and now it's the return of the Monkey-man in India...what's next? and where? Here's the article.

Here's a very strange quote, from an interesting editorial on Anglicans Online...could this be taken to mean people are running scared?

Regardless of whether you are delighted or horrified at the appointment of Dr Williams, we all owe it to our church and our fellow Anglicans—even those whom we might, God forbid, scorn and condemn—to support the new archbishop and to persecute no one, neither with sword nor with pen. The whole box of political conflict and testiness around this appointment is a discredit to our Communion. Even the words that people are using to describe the conflict are politically loaded; we shall not use any of them here

For the full editorial, read here.

To understand this, you have to realize that some people (read Brits) think Spain is a bit hypocritical when speaking about Gibraltar and Perejil...So the Guardian has sent a reporter to "take" the Spanish "Island of Mice" near Ibiza...

The invasion was planned for first light, but the Spaniards may have got wind of it. Our luggage - I am travelling with a courageous photographer - had mysteriously disappeared en route to Ibiza and was thought to be in Barcelona. It contained my inspirational Walter Raleigh outfit, a large union flag, a stout pair of boots and two boules. All we had left for the attack was the Walter Raleigh plumed hat, a megaphone, a tin of Harrods treacle biscuits, a stilton cheese, a diecast model of a Grenadier guard and a pot of thick-cut marmalade. This was a sticky situation.

For the rest of their escapade, read here.

One of the nice things about our "new" apartment is that the plaza has two playgrounds - not to mention all the terrazas - which I can see right from our balconies...yesterday evening the kids and parents went down to play...and that got me thinking...when I was growing up, I was playing baseball or American football...so what did my kids play for 2-hours in the park? Well a little football-soccer, but the rest of the time they played "bullfighters." One would be the toro, while the other practised making moves in front of the toro, which in the end, ended up being more like tag than any bullfight I've ever been to.

And from Morocco...here's what's happening since "the fight" with Spain over that little rock in the Med...Interestingly enough, over the weekend I read an article in Spanish newspaper ABC that said there was a military report written in the late 1880s (that's right over a century ago) that this was going to happen...that the two would scuffle over the island of Perejil...maybe I'll see if I can translate and post it later, we'll see.

Morocco, Spain Foreign Mins Meet Over Disputed Islet

RABAT, Morocco (AP)--Morocco and Spain agreed to a "frank and sincere dialogue" and will meet again in September to discuss their competing claims to a tiny Mediterranean island that ignited a 10-day military standoff, the Moroccan foreign ministry said Monday.
Two days after Spain withdrew its forces, both countries maintained their claims to the island, according to a joint statement released after talks between Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa and his counterpart, Ana Palacio.
The countries agreed that the uninhabited island will remain as it was before the conflict started.
The ministers' encounter was the highest-level meeting between the two sparring neighbors to take place since Morocco abruptly recalled its ambassador from Madrid last October.
The talks were made possible by the U.S.-coordinated withdrawal of Spanish Legionnaires from the island, 200 yards from the Moroccan border. It is called Leila, or Night, by Morocco and Perejil, or Parsley, by Spain.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was credited with unblocking the standoff by laying out an "understanding" in a July 20 letter, which set out a plan for both sides to return to the status quo by withdrawing their troops and removing their flags from the island.
In identical letters to Benaissa and Palacio, Powell said he understood that their nations agree to resolve the dispute peacefully, to negotiate in good faith and arrange for future discussions.
Further, Powell said that both sides also agree to "adopt a constructive public posture characterizing this resolution of their dispute as in their mutual interests, without winners or losers."
The standoff has raised the subject of other sovereignty disputes between the two nations - issues that Morocco has said it wants to discuss.
The official daily Le Matin and other Moroccan newspapers suggested Monday's meeting would address the status of Spain's two enclaves on the Moroccan coast - Ceuta and Melilla - and the sprinkling of other islands running east from Ceuta to the Algerian border.
That appeared to be borne out by the plan to hold future talks, but officials did not mention the enclaves.
Powell was quoted as saying last week that the two good friends of the U.S. had to be helped to resolve their differences.
The Sultan of Morocco was the first international leader to recognize the independence of the fledgling U.S., and in a letter of thanks, President George Washington said that although the new republic was poor and without many resources, it hoped to grow and develop to the point where it could also be of assistance to Morocco.
Both Morocco, a moderate Muslim-Arab nation, and Spain, a member of the European Union, are viewed by Washington as important allies in the fight against international terrorism.
A handful of Moroccan gendarmes set up camp on the contested island on July 11, on the eve of the public wedding of King Mohamed VI. Spain and the European Union protested loudly about a violation of Spanish sovereignty, and Spain sent several warships and helicopters to encircle the island.
Early on the morning of July 17, Spanish Legionnaires landed on the island, briefly detained the half-dozen Moroccan troops and planted two flags on the island's rocky crest.
Morocco said it would only agree to talk about the island's future if the Spanish troops withdrew. As the sun was setting July 20, the last of the Legionnaires left.
Opposition newspapers in Morocco have openly questioned the reasons for Morocco's initial action, which officials called a routine periodic check on the smuggling of drugs and clandestine immigrants from Morocco to Spain across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
But, said the socialist Liberation, "even though the pretext was not very serious, it nevertheless succeeded in broaching a state of affairs that is much more serious for both countries."
L'Opinion, owned by the nationalist Istiqlal party, said the fate of Western Sahara would also certainly be discussed. Morocco has occupied the former Spanish territory since 1975 and intends to hold on to it.
A referendum sponsored by the U.N. is mired in difficulties, and recently the U.S. and France have begun to back Morocco's position over the claims of the Polisario Liberation Movement to the phosphate-rich territory.

More on new Anglican head from the BBC...and a few paragraphs that hint at what's to come.

Some Anglicans have warned that Dr Williams' appointment could split the Church, with many conservatives strongly against some of his views - in particular on the ordination of women and gay priests.Frank Knaggs, a member of the conservative evangelical group in the church's synod, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We do have problems with his radical agenda. "We would like him to clarify some of these issues, so we are arranging an early meeting hopefully to clarify some of these fundamental concerns."

Here's the rest of the article.

From the PA wire...an article on new Anglican archbishop, DR Williams, as expected...
Even before he was confirmed as the new leader the world's 70 million Anglicans, Dr Williams found himself at the
centre of several heated debates, including the exploitation of children, gay rights and women priests.
In a book serialised in The Times on the day of his appointment, Dr Williams, 52, attacks what he calls the corruption and premature sexualisation of children by a consumer society and singles out the Disney Corporation as one of the worst offenders.
Criticising "tie-ins" of sweets and toys with films he wrote: "The Disney empire has developed this to an unprecedented degree of professionalism."
He has also criticised the bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan, condemned school league tables and admitted to being "slightly disappointed" with New Labour.
His comments - and his appointment - sparked a mixed response.
Children's charities backed his criticism of the exploitation of children.
A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said: "The NSPCC believes children should not be treated in an adult way and should have the opportunity to enjoy normal childhood experiences."
However, the Archbishop's views on gay rights and women priests split opinion.
The Rev Richard Kirker, general secretary of the lesbian and gay Christian movement, said: "For the first time lesbian and gay Anglicans can feel they have a real friend at Lambeth.
"Under his leadership homophobia will be challenged and intolerance rooted out."
But Frank Naggs, a member of the Conservative evangelical group on the Synod, said there were "fundamental concerns" about Dr Williams's support of homosexuality and women priests.
"We do have problems with his radical agenda, but in the Christian way we would like to have him clarify some of these issues, so we are arranging an early meeting hopefully to clarify some of these fundamental concerns."
Teaching unions have backed Dr Williams' condemnation of school league tables for creating a "spiral of failure" in the education system, with parents unwilling to send their children to schools regarded as less successful.
Dr Williams is first Archbishop of Canterbury to be chosen in modern times from outside the Church of England to be Primate of All England and head of the Anglican communion.

This story raises more questions than answers...like, how did the guy know he could get "medicine" at a pet store, did that have something to do with his military training...sounds like a plot on Macgyver...and the most burning question, are fish in Canada anymore healthy?

A U.S. soldier may have inadvertently discovered a loophole in consumer protection rules when he purchased fish antibiotics to treat his sinus infection, the New England Journal of Medicine reports. and thisThe doctors were able to find antibiotics such as erythromycin, penicillin, tetracycline and sulfathiazole at local pet superstores.

For the rest of the story, read here.

No comment needed...

China detains nun in raid on underground Catholic church class
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Write
BEIJING (AP) _ Authorities in southeastern China detained a Roman Catholic nun and 30 others who were attending a secret children's religious class, a U.S.-based church advocacy group said.
An official in the village of Dong'an in Lianjiang county on Monday said a group of villagers were detained last Friday for "attending an illegal religious activity."
The official would not say how many people were detained or identify members of the group, but said some children had attended with their parents. Most of those detained have since been released, said the man, who refused to give his name.
In a statement released during the weekend, the Stamford, Connecticut-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said that in addition to the nun, those arrested comprised of 26 students under age 18 and four chaperones.
All except the nun, identified as Sister Chen Mei, were released a day after the raid. Mei remains in the Lianjiang county detention center in Fujian province, said the group.
It said the raid took place Thursday on a private home in Dong'an where the class was being held in secret.
A spokesman at the Lianjiang county detention center said around 30 people had been detained last Friday in relation to underground religious activity, but refused to disclose any details. Local police refused to comment.
The foundation said the religious class was organized by members of the underground Roman Catholic church in China, which rejects the authority of the government-sanctioned China Patriotic Catholic Association.
Beijing insists that the Catholic Church in China follows government orders _ rather than the pope's _ in such matters as the selection of bishops. But many worship in underground churches, which the government deems illegal.
Beijing and the Vatican broke formal relations in 1951, when China's new communist rulers kicked out missionaries and forced Catholics to sever ties with Rome.
China claims about 4 million Catholics practice in the official Church. Independent groups claim millions more worship in the underground church.
In its statement, the Cardinal Kung Foundation accused Chinese authorities of intimidating and harassing young Catholics in order to pressure them and their parents into abandoning the underground church and joining the Patriotic Association.
China's officially atheistic communist government tightly restricts all religious expression. Believers are organized into state controlled religious institutions and police are used to break up underground groups.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse any Argentina, now they have to worry about little green men...

A young woman fainted yesterday from nervous shock after having an alleged close encounter with "some sort of green dwarf" that appeared before her on 23:30 hours two nights ago as she walked - enveloped in darkness - along Misioneros Salesianos street only meters away from Raul B. Diaz St. in the Villa Elisa neighborhood.

Here's the rest of the story, I'm sure from a very reliable source...

Looking for a fight...
Handing out condoms to pilgrims attending World Youth Day (WYD) festivities in Toronto from July 18-28 is "the responsible thing to do," according to a local moderate Catholic group."
To have a gathering of 200,000 young people and not hand out condoms is just irresponsible," she says. "[At WYD] in Paris in '97, there were condoms being handed out all around, but there was just no plan for that here in Toronto."
The condoms, donated by Durex, will have either a logo of an angel with "Challenge the Church" inscribed on the package, or the message: "If abstinence isn't working for you... don't leave it up to your guardian angel."
Here's the rest of the story.

Here's a nice wrap up from Reuters on the situation, or lack thereof, between Spain and Morocco...

US PUSHES SPAIN AND MOROCCO TO PATCH UP DISPUTES
Madrid, July 21 Reuters - Spain and Morocco faced the challenge on Sunday of proving they can bridge their deep differences, after Washington successfully intervened to resolve a military dispute over the uninhabited islet of Perejil.
The neighbours, long estranged despite their historically close ties, are now expected to work on patching up relations after agreeing to a US-brokered deal on the disputed island just 6km from Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.
Newly-appointed Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio is due to meet her Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Benaissa on Monday in a symbolic encounter in the Moroccan capital Rabat during which both sides will try to draw a line under a period of bitter mistrust and begin to address common areas of concern.
Morocco claims sovereignty over Perejil -- a tiny rock islet it calls Leila -- and 10 days ago sent troops there, only to be ousted without a shot being fired by Spanish troops.
Spain began to withdraw its forces late on Saturday after reaching the agreement with Morocco to restore the situation on the Mediterranean isle to the way it was before Morocco's initial foray.
Perejil's only use to date has been by local Moroccans to graze goats and by drug smugglers to stash cannabis resin, while forces from both countries have shared its policing.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who pushed for a swift end to the row between the two US allies in an intense series of telephone negotiations, said the deal could be the starting point for better relations between the Mediterranean neighbours.
Spain and Morocco individually thanked Powell for his role in bringing about an end to Perejil -- the Spanish word for parsley and named after the wild herb which grows on its slopes.
Morocco's official MAP news agency, which usually reflects the government's line on diplomatic issues, hailed the deal as a victory and said the accord put an end to the "Spanish occupation" of the islet.
"(The accord) strengthened Morocco's position because it put as a precondition for dialogue, the immediate withdrawal of the invading forces, which was obtained in the end," it said.
Palacio had been expected to meet Benaissa in Brussels on Monday, where she was due for her first gathering of European Union foreign ministers since taking over the post from Josep Pique in a cabinet shake-up by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
The change of venue to Rabat was symbolic, marking not only Palacio's first visit to Morocco since taking office the day before Moroccan troops landed on Perejil on July 11, but also the first formal meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers since October last year.
Although their proximity and trade ties mean they are key partners, the dispute is the latest in a long series between Spain and Morocco who have squabbled over immigration, fishing rights, oil exploration and the future of Western Sahara.
Morocco also has designs on the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Spain has consistently said are not up for negotiation.
While some Moroccans in Rabat welcomed Saturday's Perejil deal, others said it would be a long time before they forgot Spain's "invasion".
"It's always happy news when you manage to solve such a problem with a neighbour upon whom you rely heavily economically," said Kacem Mrabet, a 32-year old computer engineer.
"Look at the suffering of the Palestinians with Israel preventing them from getting to work in its territory."
But Ahmed Mouqrich, a 50-year old grocer, said: "It was an aggression by the strong against the weak. Moroccan-Spanish ties will never, and must never, be the same again".
Spain is itself seeking a territorial change in the strategically important Straits of Gibraltar -- towered over by the imposing "Pillars of Hercules" of ancient times -- pressing its sovereignty claim over the British colony of Gibraltar.
The pillars -- the Rock of Gibraltar to the north and Mount Hacho to the east of Ceuta -- mark the entrance to the Mediterranean and just eight miles of water separates Africa from Europe at their narrowest point.
The Straits are a major gateway for a thriving trade in smuggling drugs and a constant flow of illegal immigrants, as less well off North Africans seek work in Europe.
They are also home to a key British military base on the rocky outcrop of Gibraltar. Their importance was underlined last month when Morocco arrested a group of 10 men suspected of plotting attacks on US and British warships in the Straits for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group.

Here's AP's take of the controversial VOTF group...

At first nationwide rally, group seeks drastic changes in
way Catholic Church governed

By RICHARD N. OSTLING
AP Religion Writer
BOSTON (AP) _ At its first national meeting Saturday, a non-clergy reform group born out of the Roman Catholic priest sex abuse scandal called for drastic changes in the way the church is governed.
An estimated 4,000 Voice of the Faithful members from 35 states and seven foreign countries signed a petition urging Pope John Paul II to endorse reform policies that U.S. bishops approved in June.
In a statement, the group vowed to find ways for lay Catholics to "actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church."
Included among proposals under discussion were policy-making power for lay church members, and giving parishioners a role in the appointment of bishops and pastors.
The Rev. Thomas Doyle, keynote speaker and an Air Force chaplain in Germany, said the abuse scandal resulted from "the delusion that the clergy are somehow above the rest," as well as some clergymen's "unbridled addiction to power."
The word "democracy" strikes fear in many clergy, he said, but ordinary lay Catholics need to shed "timidity or fearful deference to the very structures that have betrayed us."
Catholics must also "stop enabling through financial support the power structures" responsible for the "horrific consequences" of the scandal and cover-ups, he said.
Panelists at the meeting included Thomas Arens of Germany, an organizer of a petition drive in the mid-1990s urging the Church to accept married priests and women priests, and lay theologian Lisa Sowle Cahill of Boston College.
Although the group has not called for Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law to resign, participants planned a procession later Saturday to the cathedral to express their unity and solidarity with victims of abuse by priests.
Law has come under intense criticism for allegedly allowing abusive priests to keep getting new assignments in parishes that were not warned of the priest's prior conduct.
Since February, the reform group says it has attracted 19,000 supporters, forming chapters in 68 parishes around the nation, half of them in Massachusetts.
Voice is "the fastest growing Catholic lay organization in the world," James E. Post, a professor at Boston University and the group's president, said in an interview.
James Muller, cardiology research director at Massachusetts General Hospital, said he helped launch Voice out of the belief that "I must either attempt to correct these deep structural defects or leave the Catholic Church."
At a news conference Friday, the group called on members nationwide to fill out forms rating local bishops' compliance with reform policies. Results are to be issued before the bishops' November meeting.
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called the national gathering "the first time a large group of Catholics have come together to tell survivors, we support you."

Going to mass with three wee ones can sometimes be quite a chore...today we went to Spanish mass beside the house, the kids always seem to behave better there, I don't know if it's because the building is "prettier," as Iain says, or if because it's cooler. In summer time the English parish is with much fewer people, not to mention it saps the strength trying to get the family there on time in 100 degree weather. Well today, I set out walking with the two oldest and we made it only a few minutes late, Lilly followed with baby and locking up he house, etc. She stuck around for the 12 o'clock mass as well, as did Iain...who asked to stay for the second mass, with me heading back to the house with the girls...things went pretty good, although when I asked Fiona if she needed to go to the bathroom she said no, then walked over beside me and made a mess...and I still can't get into the template to fix the odds and end things in this blog that need fixed...

iainu[99880 (typed by iain)

Big event in the house...Maureen is taking her first steps in her stroller....she's in reverse, but at least she's taking steps.

The latest on Spain - Morocco argument over the Parsely rock...


EC softens tone on Morocco-Spain islet dispute

Brussels, July 19, IRNA -- The European Commission (EC) Friday appeared to be backtracking on its hard tone against Morocco in its dispute with EU-member Spain over a tiny islet.
"Morocco is a friend and neighbour and we want to return to normal relations as soon as possible," chief EC spokesman Jonathan Faull told a press briefing this afternoon.
He repeated the Commission's offer to facilitate dialogue between Spain and Morocco and called for a return to the pre-11 July status quo on the islet, known as Leila in Morocco and Perejil in Spain.
The Commission is the executive branch of the European Union.
Only last Friday, Faull told reporters that Perejil was a "EU territory" and expressed the European bloc's total solidarity with Spain. NATO and the European Parliament also underlined their backing to Spain.
The EC spokesman in today's briefing, however, said "it was not upon the EU to rule on the status of the islet," adding that it was a bilateral problem between Morocco and Spain.
Faull also dismissed a report in the British daily 'Financial Times 'on the islet dispute as "laughable" and "pure fabrication."
The FT Friday said the islet incident "proved a diplomatic disaster for the European Commission, exposed deep animosity between France and Spain over north Africa and have managed in the process for the European Union's Security and Defence Policy to be snubbed by Spain."
Meanwhile, Morocco's foreign minister Mohammad Benaissa is expected to visit Brussels on Sunday or Monday to discuss the matter with EU officials.
The BBC Friday quoted Benaissa telling the Madrid radio station Cadena Ser that Morocco would not send troops back to the tiny island.
"I've already made my promise and I repeat it now publicly: Morocco does not intend to go back to the island once Spanish troops leave it," he said.
On Thursday, Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said Madrid would be prepared to withdraw the troops as long as it had guarantees that Morocco would not reoccupy the island.
The Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Conference have supported Morocco in its dispute with Spain.
Spain landed its forces on the uninhabited islet early Wednesday and seized control back from a dozen Moroccan soldiers who had set up camp on the island on Thursday last week.
Morocco condemned the Spanish action as illegal and complained to the UN.
Morocco says it posted the security agents on the tiny rocky islet since July 11 for a surveillance operation against illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Rabat says the islet which lies only 200 metere from the Moroccan shores is Moroccan territory.

A bit of excitement today here in Spain.

Avianca jet with around 150 passengers lands safely after airborne incident

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ A commercial jet with around 150 passengers and crew made an emergency landing Friday at a military base outside Madrid after the pilot and crew concluded a loud, aggressive passenger intended to hijack the plane, officials and news reports stated.
Avianca flight number 010, flying from Bogota, Colombia, to Madrid's Barajas Airport, landed safely at Torrejon air base. It was escorted in by an F-18 fighter jet, the news agency Europa Press reported.
The passenger brandished a knife and several sharp objects, the news agency Efe reported, citing police sources.
The man, a Cuban naturalized as a Spaniard, was taken into custody at the air base. At no point did he approach the plane's cockpit, Efe said, adding that the plane had 144 passengers and 11 crew members.
A spokeswoman for Colombia's Embassy said there were two passengers involved, both reportedly were drinking alcohol before the flight left Bogota, and that seemed to be the key factor in what happened.
"It doesn't seem they were really trying to hijack the plane," Lina Munera said in a phone interview. "But they were aggressive.... It really seems a case more related to alcohol than a hijacking."
Calls to Barajas Airport, Avianca airline, the national airports administration and Iberia airline, which handled ground services for the flight, were not answered or not returned.
The passengers were transported to Barajas Airport where they would pick up their luggage after the plane arrived later Friday, Munera said.

Here’s a story about civil servants and red-tape.

One of the more common gripes that you hear from expats is how horrible civil servants are here, and they are always so much better in their home countries. That may be, but not in my case. At least here in Spain you can usually find somebody willing to help, there may be a lot of red-tape, but at least they want to help, and a solution is usually found…Here’s my latest nightmare.

A few weeks ago, we went to the embassy to file for Maureen’s passport and SS number. We got there at 1245, and was told that they didn’t know if they could help us, since they close their windows to the public for the day at 1, and went home at 1:30. Well, I assured them that that maybe I could fill the papers out quicker than they thought. It took quite a bit of convincing (and wasting of precious moments), but finally a ream of papers was handed over, and yes, I did fill them out in around 20 minutes of fast pace writing. Eventually, a consul came and had us swear that all the facts were true, and then made us swear that Maureen wouldn’t use her passport against the US. Well, I started to laugh…but the consul didn’t think it was very funny. I swore “NO” but it just seemed a bit ridiculous…couldn’t the consul see that she was only 8-months old?

Later, another clerk – who happened to be Spanish…most of the people working in the embassy appear to be Spanish – told me that they couldn’t give me Maureen’s social security number, that they never provide those numbers in the act. I contested to the contrary, and go the response: “I’ve been working here for 30-years and we’ve never done it that way.” To which I replied “that’s funny, you’ve done it for my last two kids!” It was only then that the civil servant said, well things are different now after 9-11, you’ll have to wait 2-3 weeks for that number. Maybe I should mention that I need the number for my US taxes…

I’m finding that this is a real catch-all phrase for US civil servants, “things are different after 9-11.”

I might also add, as we were leaving the clerk said my face was familiar…could that be taken as a threat, or did she remember my past visits to the embassy?

Today, I called the 1-800 (that’s not toll free outside of the US) number to contact the social security offices in the states. After waiting, and wading through the voice-direction instructions for around 5 minutes I finally got to a message that said, “IF you’d like to speak to a live operator, please hold the line…” So I did, for another 5-minutes...to then be told I had answer a few more questions so they could get me the right type of live operator…by that time I would have almost agreed to speak to a dead operator….

Thank goodness we don’t have too much of this happening here yet in Spain…a funny sidestory is that a few years ago, King Juan Carlos couldn’t get through to the US embassy because of all these silly phone messages, etc.

Anyway, back to my story.

I did eventually get to speak to a woman in Lousiana, who asked for all my ID, etc, seemed to know my daughter’s name, and then said could you please hold the line? What am I supposed to say, I’ve already spent close to a hundred bucks just trying to speak to a live operator.

So I waited another five minutes, and then was asked for my address. I thought "Oh great, she got the info"...but I also noticed she didn't seem to have any problems with the Spanish names of my street...meaning it was just another control...Finally, the live operator told me that they didn’t have the information yet to give me Maureen’s SS, because “things are different now after 9-11” and I’d have to wait up to 12-weeks for the SS number! She suggested I talk to the people at the agency who filed the request for the SS, when I reminded her it was at the embassy, she said well why don’t you talk to them. Obviously, she hasn’t worked with embassy clerks before.

I then asked if there’s a central place where SS numbers are “made” and she said she thought it was in Baltimore. So I asked for that number, and was told that Baltimore doesn’t have a phone number. What? This is the administration’s central office and they don’t have any phones? Now that really is a lack of communication.

So I asked again, who I could talk with to just let me know that the paperwork had been received properly. To that I got the response…you guessed it… “Things are different now after 9-11.”

To every question, I got the same response…
- We have to prove the birth of the child, and the process is a bit more strict now after 9-11…if you don’t like it why don’t you write a congressman.
- Which one would that be?
- I don’t know, but you have to understand things are different now after 9-11
- Doesn’t it show that I’m a US citizen that has two other children who already have SS numbers?
- I’m sorry things are different now after 9-11.
She then added in a very Clintonian style - I understand your frustration, but as I've explained to you things are different now after 9-11.

So, I tried a different tack, and I have to say, in a very nice tone of voice.
- You said things are different after 9-11, could you explain to me what that means?
- Can you hold the line a moment, I have to get a supervisor.

That response made me wonder if I’d thrown up a red flag or something…could it be if you asked such questions you could be mistaken as a terrorist? Well, anyway after another long wait, a woman answered the phone and explained that there’s really nothing they can do, because as of July 1 there are new regulations regarding the granting of SS numbers to people outside of the US.

When I explained that I already have two other children with SS numbers, and we are only talking about getting a new number for a baby, she admitted that there are a few quirks in the system, but that I should get the SS number in around 4 weeks, because “things are different now after 9-11.”

But she did add nicely, “Why don’t you call back next week.”

So there you have it, there was nothing that I could do…nobody to talk to, I can’t file my US taxes for either 2-3 weeks, 4-weeks, or 12-weeks, depending upon who you’re talking to, because you know, “things are different now after 9-11.”

Still having problems with the templates, soon as I can get in, I'll get everything fixed up...like the links, etc.

Special perks of the job...

MORE than 200 passengers on an Air Zimbabwe flight from Harare to London touched down almost six hours late after their plane was diverted to Madrid to allow Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife to catch a connecting flight to Havana, Cuba. The passengers on the Boeing 767 were kept in their seats for five hours in baking heat after the flight was diverted for the convenience of Mugabe and his wife Grace, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday.

It appears this tyrant doesn't trade in dollars or euros...

The Spanish authorities refused to allow the flight to continue after problems with the currency being used to pay for fuel.

For the rest of the story, read it here.

Why can't we just all get along?

Catholic student is no longer welcome at North Carolina Protestant school

LEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) _ A Roman Catholic boy who prays the rosary has been asked to leave Sheets Memorial Christian School, affiliated with an independent Baptist congregation, because of his faith.
"Our philosophy is the home, school and church have to complement one another," said Dan Hightower, school administrator. "Baptist doctrine and teachings do not complement the Catholic doctrine and teaching."
Ben Holmes, 15, entered Sheets Christian last fall because the closest Catholic high school was too far away, said his mother, Cynthia Holmes, who had no objection to her son attending classes that taught Protestantism.
School policy is to admit students of any race or ethnicity "whose parents are in agreement with the Christian philosophy, purposes and standards of the school."
Ben Holmes said "the underlying thing about Christianity is to feel Christ's love and passion for men, and they taught me the complete opposite."

Corny joke of the day...Okay, so this was sent to me by a person not of the US...still kinda got a chuckle out of it...

An airplane was about to crash; there were 5 passengers on board but only 4 parachutes.
The 1st passenger said, "I am Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketball player,the Lakers need me, I can't afford to die."
So he took the 1st pack and left the plane.

The 2nd passenger, Hillary Clinton said, " I am the wife of the former US President, a NY State Senator and a potential future president." So
she took the 2nd pack and jumped out of the plane.

The 3rd passenger, George W. Bush, said, " I'm the president of the United States of America. I have great responsibility being the leader
of a superpower nation. And I am the cleverest president in American history, so America's people won't let me die."
So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped out of the plane.

The 4th passenger, the Pope, said to the 5th passenger, a 10 year old schoolgirl, "I am old and frail and don't have many years left, and as a
Catholic I will sacrifice my life and let you have the last parachute."

The girl said, "it's okay, there is a parachute left for you. America's cleverest president has taken my schoolbag."