Oh no, it's a sentimental one. Emotional manipulation - what the desperate cartoonist resorts to when he can't think of a joke.
5 years old - who'd have believed it? If you want to make the boys happy on their birthday, why not buy a book? There's a 20% discount on all volumes from now until Christmas!
lulu.com
Peace and blessings,
J&M
Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam before Thanksgiving break. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk,' worth 70 points or none at all. One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote:
1.) It is perfect formula for the child.
2.) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3.) It is always the right temperature.
4.) It is inexpensive.
5.) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6.) It is always available as needed.
And then, the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bell indicating the end of the test rang, he wrote...
7.) It comes in 2 cute containers.
He got an A.
Her Majesty the Queen, resplendent in peachy apricot, inaugurated the ninth General Synod of the Church of England in London on Tuesday.
For new synod members there was an initiation ceremony the day before. It was deemed necessary to introduce us to the inner circle of synodical process.
Central to becoming one of them is the ability to wield the magic zapper, imaginatively called the electronic voting device, and after careful coaching most of us acquired the power.
....
Maybe I had entered the world of Hogwarts for Anglicans. Church House corridors that seemed to go nowhere, pictures on the walls that winked knowingly at me. Would I be able to reconcile the dark arts of church politics and the openness and transparency of the gospel?
I should have known it would be thus. The elections were transparent as mud.
....
First came the dressing up – shivering in the cloister dressed in our academicals looking for all the world like escapees for Hogwarts, we began a very long wait in the cold. A long service in Westminster Abbey followed, and then synodical life began.
....
Dark arts or openness and transparency? The first session began with the presidential address. Our archbishop is a man of depth and integrity, not naturally given to dark arts. He spoke about the concept of a life well lived; what does that look like? A coherent Christian character; what is it? We were drawn in and wondered, beguiled by his gentle charming erudition, but everything stacked up in one direction. This was really an appeal for loyalty.
....
If you wondered where the spells were being brewed then you'd look no further than the labyrinthine corridors and committee rooms of Church House that seemingly conceal an underworld of Harry Potter gear. Down there groups huddled to plot strategy – cunning political and procedural techniques to wrong-foot their opponents.
Rosie Harper is vicar Great Missenden, chaplain to the bishop of Buckingham.
Rules for a successful holiday: 1. Get
together with the family 2. Relive old
times 3. Get out before it blows
US Air Force SrA Andrew S Bubacz, 23, Dalzell, SCFor those who have died:
US Army CPL Shawn D Fannin, 32, Wheelersberg, OH
US Army SGT Edward H Bolen, 25, Chittenango, NY
US Army SPC Shannon Chihuahua, 25, Thomasville, GA
US Army SPC David C Lutes, 28, Frostberg, MD
US Army SSG Juan L Rivadeneira, 27, Davie, FL
US Army CPL Jacob R Carver, 20, Freeman, MO
US Army SPC Jacob C Carroll, 20, Clemmons, NC
US Army SSG Kevin M Pape, 30, Fort Wayne, IN
US Marines SSgt Javier O Ortiz Rivera, 26, Rochester, NY
US Army SPC Shane H Ahmed, 31, Chesterfield, MI
US Army SPC Nathan E Lillard, 26, Knoxville, TN
US Army SPC Scott T Nagorski, 27, Greenfield, WI
US Army SPC Jesse A Snow, 25, Fairborn, OH
US Army PFC Christian M Warriner, 19, Mills River, NC
US Army SSG David P Senft, 27, Grass Valley, CA
US Army PFC Kyle M Holder, 18, Conroe, TX
US Army SPC Justin E Culbreth, 26, Colorado Springs, CO
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that your servants, being raised with him, may know the strength of his presence, and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.For those in the Armed Forces of our Country:
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Since I visit nearly every day, I'm grateful to Josh Thomas and others who offer their services to gather the resources for daily prayer at The Daily Office website.
Dear People of St. Matthew's:
When the Vestry and School Board met Wednesday night I was so relieved and thrilled to learn that our precious chalices and patens were protected by the fire safe. The vestry had decided several months ago to purchase that safe to house the vessels. Martha Lynn Lewis led that effort, and I am so glad she did! The chalices are in perfect condition, although they'll need to be cleaned as there's a strong odor of smoke. For now, they are in safe keeping in a vault at South Louisiana Bank.
....
See you in Church,
Fr. Craig (Dalferes)
Like a solitary flower in bloom on a battlefield, the mural of Jesus Christ, flanked by animals and smiling children, stands untouched amidst the charred remains of St. Matthews Episcopal Church.
The Nov. 11 blaze destroyed the sanctuary and damaged part of the church school.
At the eastern wall of the structure, the vivid colors of Houma artist Hans Geist’s 2009 mural stand in cheery contrast to the soot-stained rubble at Barrow and Belanger streets. Its colors are fresh as they were the day life was breathed into it.
The mural, painted in 2009 by Geist with the help of children from the school, depicts Jesus with children and animals, below words from Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me.” There has been no official determination made on whether the wall can be saved, although presumptions at St. Matthew’s are that it will have to go due to stability and safety issues.
Photo by Kim Smith/Correspondent/Daily CometAlmighty God, we give thanks for the gift to the parishioners of St. Matthew's of many years of fellowship and worship in their beautiful church building. We ask you to give your people comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding as they grieve the loss of their building. May the people of St. Matthew's remain bound together in love and obedience to you, ever mindful that a church is the gathering of its people to give you praise, honor, and glory. Give them strength and courage to continue in worship and fellowship, as they move forward to rebuild their building. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Using a condom is a lesser evil than transmitting HIV to a sexual partner — even if that means a woman averting a possible pregnancy, the Vatican said Tuesday, signaling a seismic shift in papal teaching as it further explained Pope Benedict XVI's comments.
The Vatican has long been criticized for its patent opposition to condom use, particularly in Africa where AIDS is rampant. But the latest interpretation of Benedict's comments about condoms and HIV essentially means the Roman Catholic Church is acknowledging that its long-held, anti-birth control stance against condoms doesn't justify putting someone's life at risk.
"This is a game-changer," said the Rev. Jim Martin, a Jesuit editor and writer.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters Tuesday that he asked the pope whether he intended his comments to only apply to male prostitutes. Benedict replied that it really didn't matter, that the important thing was the person in question took into consideration the life of the other, Lombardi said.
UNAIDS estimates that 22.4 million people in Africa are infected with HIV, and that 54 percent — or 12.1 million — are women. Heterosexual transmission of HIV and multiple, heterosexual partners are believed to be a major cause of the high infection rates in Africa.
Monsignor Jacques Suaudeau, an expert at the Vatican's bioethics advisory board, said the pope was articulating the idea in church teaching — long practiced by some church officials with regards to condoms — that there are degrees of evil.
"Contraception is not the worst evil. The church does not see it as good, but the church does not see it as the worst," he told The Associated Press. "Abortion is far worse. Passing on HIV is criminal. That is absolute irresponsibility."
