AND TOMORROW IN NEW ORLEANS...

Cammy Lynn Hebert

From the New York Daily News:

Bobby Hebert will be the best-dressed man on Bourbon Street tomorrow.

The former Saints quarterback will be in a black and gold sequined dress, custom-designed and sent to him from New York by his daughter, Cammy Lynn, who describes it as "very Who-Dat-esque."

Lady Gaga, eat your heart out.

Hebert is picking up the promise made by the late New Orleans sportscaster Buddy Diliberto to parade down Bourbon Street in a dress should the Saints reach the Super Bowl. Diliberto, a Big Easy icon, died five years ago. Hebert has hosted Buddy D's radio show since his death.

Tomorrow, Hebert won't be alone on Bourbon Street. He will be joined by "thousands" of other men in drag as they sashay from the Superdome to the French Quarter.

"This parade has gotten totally out of control," Hebert said. "We had men calling the station and wanting to form a club to march in all these Mardi Gras parades. I said, 'Wait a minute, I just said I would do this one time.' I'm not going to go to monthly meetings. I'm sure you will see a few characters. Some of these guys probably dress like this every day. It's a way of life for them.

"My daughter who is in New York in the fashion industry, she made me a dress. It's black and gold sequins, all of that."

Actually, it's all of Dat.

The picture above shows Bobby's daughter, Cammy, in her black and gold sequined dress. I'll do my best to post a picture of Bobby in his black and gold sequined dress, if the NFL doesn't issue him a "cease and desist" order.

And doncha know that every parade and party in NOLA risks getting totally out of control?

Note to Bobby: You, too, are a character, cher.

Thanks to Doug for the link.

SO SARAH LAUGHED....

They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’ (Genesis 17:9-15)

The passage from Genesis is one of my favorites. Sarah's laugh and ironic response and her subsequent step back from her laugh is delightfully human. God corrects Sarah but then gives her Isaac anyway, which reinforces my conviction that God uses irony and that God appreciates irony.

MY PROTEST SIGN DID IT!

Wow! First Big Phone Company backs down and now the NFL. My sign worked, despite having been in place only since late yesterday afternoon. I am drunk with power.

From the Times-Picayune.

The National Football League appeared to back off Friday on its trademark ownership claims to the phrase "Who Dat" and the fleur-de-lis logo, saying it is challenging the sale of items only "when those products contained or are advertised using other trademarks or identifiers of the Saints."

"Who Dat we do not claim to own by itself," said Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL. "It's when Who Dat is used in conjunction with Saints marks that it's a problem."

Who Dat shirts being sold at the Fleurty Girl shop on Oak Street would be acceptable, McCarthy said, as long as the shop removes advertising referring to the Saints.

In a letter to Sen. David Vitter, R-La., the league described the trademark tussle, which has enraged New Orleans Saints fans across the country since it erupted this week, as "a significant misunderstanding."

McCarthy said T-shirts and items with Who Dat and a fleu-de-lis logo unlike the one owned by the Saints is allowed as long as they are not advertised as being Saints or NFL paraphernalia.

More like a serious miscalculation, I'd say. The NFL came off looking like big bullies. What nonsense that the "brains" in the NFL thought they could take ownership of "Who dat?" and the fleur-de-lis symbol.

STORY OF THE DAY - PERFECT ENDING

I'm not sure how it's going to turn out,
except I'll die in the end, she said. So,
really, what could go wrong?


From StoryPeople.

WHO OWNS "WHO DAT?" ???

From WWLTV:

As the Saints' appearance in their first Super Bowl gets closer, the marketplace is being flooded with Saints merchandise and memorabilia as businesses are looking to cash in on the euphoria, but the NFL is cracking down on the use of their trademarks, including the iconic phrase "Who Dat."

But who really owns "Who Dat"? Does anyone? Who is a “Who Dat?” What is a “Who Dat?” Who owns the phrase, "Who Dat?"

They're all questions Fleurty Girl t-shirt shop owner Lauren Thom is being forced to answer.

“The NFL is not a company that I want to rock the boat with, but I definitely want to look into it further to see what my rights are,” Thom said.

Two weeks ago, Thom got a cease and desist order from the NFL.
....

Loyola Law School intellectual property professor Ray Arieaux said the ownership of 'Who Dat' may be a gray area.

So. The NFL thinks they own "Who dat?"

The Monistere brothers, Sam and Sal, have another idea.

Sal and Steve Monistere recorded a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" in the early eighties and incorporated the "Who Dat" chant into it. Aaron Neville recorded it, and performed with our own Eric Paulsen in an early '80's video version.

Because the song helped create the widespread use of the “Who Dat” chant, the Monisteres and their company, Who Dat, inc., say they own "Who Dat."

As I see it, the people of New Orleans and anyone else who wants to say the words or display the words own "Who dat?" The people of Louisiana and of France and anyone else who likes the fleur-de-lis symbol own the symbol and may display the symbol - yes, even if the fleur-de-lis is black and gold. I ask you, "Will I have my black and gold tattoo ripped off my ankle?" As one of my attorney friends says when he gives me free legal advice, "This is not a legal opinion".

The NFL's cease and desist orders to small businesses in a time of recession make them look very bad. At least in New Orleans and Louisiana, their actions are terrible PR. I would not for the world purchase an official NFL Saints item.

Below is a picture of my mini-protest to the actions of the NFL. The sign, which stands in front of my house, is not an official NFL item.

NEWS OF CHARLOTTE

From Betsy, Charlotte's partner:

Hello All,

Charlot​te is at home and doing really well. Her surgery was delayed for 2 1/2 hours this morning because the one in front of hers had complicatio​ns. But once she got in, it was quick -- less than two hours.

The best news is that the sentinel nodes are negative! That means there is no cancer in her lymph nodes!!! What a great relief.

See further details from SCG at Wake up and Live.

Thanks be to God.

CHUTZPAH

Chutzpah is a Yiddish word meaning gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, sheer guts plus arrogance; it's Yiddish and, as Leo Rosten writes, no other word, and no other language, can do it justice. This example is better than 1,000 words….read on!

THE ESSENCE OF CHUTZPAH...



A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel.

And this went on for more then 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him.

Without blinking an eye she said:

"They're 35 cents now."

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

"Another Charlotte Update"

June and Jonathan,

Thank you both so much for cross-postings and prayers for my friend. She's in a really good head space which is going to help in the healing process.

Her surgery is at 10:30EST Friday morning at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, NC. She's written out some affirmations that will be read to her before, during and after surgery.

Here's my blog entry with more.

This has been quite a process for her... and me as well. And that's the connection that God makes!

Peace and thanks,
Susan (aka SCG)

Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant Charlotte in her suffering, and bless the means made use of for her cure. Fill her heart with confidence that, though at times she may be afraid, she yet may put her trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 458)

The iPreach...

...for the priest who needs just one more thing! Features include:


* 16-point font for easy reading

* Stores your sermons for up to 50 years

* app for Bible readings of the day

* app for Biblical commentary on said readings

* app for poems that sound like they could have been Biblical commentary

* app for dog whistle-like tone to wake up sleeping congregants

* app for soothing music to counter dog whistle to keep babies pacified

* app for command laughter at joke you *know* is funny

* app for disrupting cell phone signals so they don't ring during the service

* one touch button that writes the whole thing for you, keeps attention, and removes distractions

Thanks to SCG.

FEAST OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS

FRA ANGELICO - "Virgin and Child with Sts Dominic and Thomas Aquinas" - Fresco - The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Ah, a lovely painting by my favored Fra Angelico. The Virgin is beautiful. I love the soft drapery around the baby Jesus that only partly hide his wee private parts and the golden braid on Mary's cloak - though Thomas Aquinas looks a bit pained. Perhaps, he's simply serious.

A couple of the readings from the lectionary caught my attention.

Wis 7:7-14

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.
All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
but I did not know that she was their mother.
I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,
for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come from instruction.


1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

PRAYER

Almighty God, you have enriched your Church with the singular learning and holiness of your servant Thomas Aquinas: Enlighten us more and more, we pray, by the disciplined thinking and teaching of Christian scholars, and deepen our devotion by the example of saintly lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

For four years, I was schooled in Scholasticism by the Jesuits. Six semesters of philosophy classes were requirements for every graduate back in the day. Even then, Aristotle's arguments or "proofs" for the existence of God were not convincing to me. I'd had a course in logic before studying the "proofs", and, to me, the arguments did not hold up. I believed in God, but not because of Aristotle. I know that Scholasticism is out of fashion, but the great value of all the courses in pholosophy was that they taught me to think. And don't believe for one minute that I didn't understand that the ideas of philosophers whose views did not line up with Roman Catholic thinking were introduced in the classes, only to be immediately rebutted and thrown out.

Image from the Web Gallery of Art.