SPIN THIS, MITT ROMNEY

The nation's unemployment rate dropped to the lowest it has been in almost four years in September, giving President Barack Obama a potential upbeat talking point as the presidential race heads into the final innings.


The Labor Department reported Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September, a decline of 0.3 percentage point and the lowest since January 2009. The government said the economy created 114,000 jobs, about as expected, and generated 86,000 more jobs in July and August than first estimated.

The unemployment rate speaks louder than Romney's gloom and doom.  The jobs numbers are not great, but they are heading in the right direction. I have no doubt the Republicans will attempt to spin the good news of the drop in the unemployment rate into bad news, but - Hey! - it's campaign season.   

FROM BISHOP MARC ANDRUS' BLOG

My experience at the installation of Archbishop Cordileone

A post to clarify my experience at the installation of Archbishop Cordileone at St. Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco.

I was dropped off at the cathedral at 1:30PM by my assistant. After making my way around protestors and showing my invitation to security guards, I was in the lower level area to which I was directed by 1:40.

The instructions the Archdiocese had given my assistant were that I should be at St. Mary's by 1:45. The service was scheduled to begin at 2.

I identified myself to an assistant to the archbishop, who spoke to someone through a headset, saying, "Bishop Andrus is here."

I saw the Greek Metropolitan, a good colleague of mine, who was in the same room with me, several Greek Orthodox priests, archdiocesan employees and security guards. I greeted the metropolitan and we spoke briefly.

An archdiocesan employee attempted to escort me upstairs with the Greek Orthodox group, but was stopped from doing so by the employee to whom I had first identified myself. This person, who appeared to be in a superior role, instructed another employee to stand with me.

At this point no other guests remained in the downstairs area. The employee and I chatted while waiting. I began to wonder about the time holdup. I checked my phone; it was 1:50PM. I asked the employee standing with me if the service indeed started at 2, which she affirmed.

At 2PM, when the service was to begin, I said to the employee, "I think I understand, and feel I should leave." Her response was, "Thank you for being understanding." I quietly walked out the door. No one attempted to stop me. No attempt was ever made to explain the delay or any process for seating. I arrived early, before the time given my assistant, and waited to leave until after the service had begun.

My intention for attending the installation was to honor our ecumenical and interfaith relations in the Bay Area.

Bishop Marc's blog.

H/T to John Chilton at The Lead for the link.

INVITED GUEST NOT WELCOME

The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Episcopal Bishop of California and an invited guest for the installation of Archbishop-designate Salvatore Cordileone, was not allowed to be seated.  He was escorted to a basement room at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral and detained by an usher until the time the service began, whereupon Bishop Andrus left the cathedral. More information will be forthcoming as it is available.

Unbelievable.  And on the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the saint who welcomed all and from whom the the diocese takes its name.  What possible reason will Archbishop Cordileone give for this egregious breach of hospitality and lack of grace?  I can't think of any.  What an embarrassing start to his term as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. 

QUICK WORDS ON THE DEBATE

Last night, Obama seemed disengaged to the point that I wondered if he really wants four more years. One can take cool only so far without seeming to be out of the game.

On the other hand, Romney was repellant. He reminded me of a high-pressure salesman who knows his product is a piece of junk but is determined to close the sale.

I'm tired of people blaming doddering, old Lehrer for Obama's poor performance. Sure, Lehrer didn't do his job as moderator, but Romney took advantage, while Obama continued to look to Lehrer for help. Dude!

And OMG, if Tweety and Ed are going to have public breakdowns on NBCNews, they should get off the air.

Maybe my last words on the debate, maybe not.  Romney lied a lot.

FEAST OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

St Francis stands in the garden and watches over Diana on the lawn.  Our dog needs watching because she is old, deaf, and nearly blind.  For all that, when we take our daily walk, she drags me along at a fast pace, when she's not stopping to investigate the many intriguing smells in the neighborhood.

Note: The azaleas are not now in bloom.  The picture of St Francis was taken earlier.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ROMNEY'S HEALTH CARE PLAN

Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney advisor, admitted that if Obamacare is repealed, those with pre-existing conditions would probably not be able to purchase health insurance.  The individual states would first have to pass laws to prevent insurance companies from excluding the sick from coverage.  Romney's plan would only assure that those who have insurance would continue to be covered.

The admission directly contradicts the GOP candidate’s claim during the debate that “pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan” — a contention Romney has repeated on the trail and that his campaign has repeatedly walked back. 

In other words Romney lies, and even his own campaign staff admit it.

UPDATE: Or as Margaret at Margaret and Helen says:

Well Margaret, once again I am going to say what the media won’t. Mitt Romney is a lying sack of shit and he wouldn’t know a middle class tax cut if it bit him in the middle of his gold plated ass. Evidently the media seems to think that the person who slings the bullshit the farthest wins the debate. Well if that ain’t the damnest thing.

PRAYER REQUESTS FROM DAVID@MONTREAL

David@Montreal Ore

beloved Giants:

the last 24 hours have been buzzing here with prayer requests.

 

remembering the joys and the challenges of living as the living Body of Christ i'm ask your prayers for:

 

young Nyland whose doctor and family are serious concerned about lymphatic swelling in the groin, this very young lad was born with immune defense issues which have kept his Mum and Dad hopping.

 

for E. a deeply cherished sister who is dealing with 'something not right in my body' and awaits an appointment with her doctor.

 

prayers for Thora C., a year shy of 90, who is having serious difficulty spiritually and medically, dealing with the increaed pain brought on by her deteriorating back.

 

for her grand-daughter Thea, less than a year old, with compromised kidneys, and Thea's young mum, Jennifer.

for Mark, recovering  from shoulder surgery.

 

for Doreen in her last months

for Jacques in his last months

 

for Prior Aldred, who last night received news of his mother's unexpected death.

for Beatrice, Aldred's Mum, that she may rest in peace and rise in glory.

 

for Rosemary:who recently celebrated her birthday, and who, tomorrow will be moving into a small, quite special longterm care facility.

for Jay, Rosemary's remarkable, generous  son

 

for Jon and Mary: with thanks for the news of his first day back on the job, after extensive an cancer hospitalization

for Marc

 

for all those living with loss: especially Susan

for those undergoing discernment: for a way forward and the means

 

for the people of St. Columba parish, Montreal. there church was closed last Sunday (Mam and i were present for the last service). their future is not yet discerned, and there is a lot of pain and confusion amoung the congregants.

 

for the people of Syria as they continue to pay such a horrendous cost for their liberation.

for the people of South Sudan

 

for young Montel and Aleisha, who continue to live in the toxic, chaotic environment of their father's addictions. for all those living with addiction, and those who love them.

 

thank-you my beloved Giants

 

love always-always Love

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

 

"THE TREE OF LIFE" - THE MOVIE

Spoiler warning.

Over the last couple of nights, I watched the film "The Tree of Life" on Netflix DVD.  I've enjoyed all the Netflix movies that I've chosen so far, some more than others, but "The Tree of Life' was the absolute worst.  The movie was filled with beautiful images, some from the Hubble telescope, others such as a view of the silhouette of an actor projected against sunlight shining through trees, with a soundtrack that includes Brahms, Bach, and Schumann, along with original music, but - hey! - where's the story?  A character comes on the scene, we see images, strange landscapes, then the character thinks or talks in a low voice, mostly to her/himself.  (Before the movie begins, the viewer is instructed to turn the volume to loud.  Good advice.)  What's going on?   I broke my viewing into two parts, because I was bored/impatient/mystified.  The actors, especially the young boys, were very good when the camera was on them, which it was far too little of the time.  There is a story in the movie, but it's broken in pieces and lost in interruptions that serve to lengthen the movie to over two hours to no good purpose.

I went back to read the reviews again, because I always check them out before I put movies in my Netflix queue, and more than 80% of the critics gave the movie positive reviews, but when I went to audience reviews, it was a different story.  The moviegoers either loved the movie or they hated it.  The scores were either 0 or 10.  I'd score it far on the low end, either 1 or 0.

The Tree of Life is nonetheless a singular work, an impressionistic metaphysical inquiry into mankind’s place in the grand scheme of things that releases waves of insights amid its narrative imprecisions. This fifth feature in Terrence Malick’s eccentric four-decade career is a beauteous creation that ponders the imponderables, asks the questions that religious and thoughtful people have posed for millennia and provokes expansive philosophical musings along with intense personal introspection.

As such, it is hardly a movie for the masses and will polarize even buffs, some of whom might fail to grasp the connection between the depiction of the beginnings of life on Earth and the travails of a 1950s Texas family. But there are great, heady things here, both obvious and evanescent, more than enough to qualify this as an exceptional and major film. Critical passions, pro and con, along with Brad Pitt in one of his finest performances will stir specialized audiences to attention, but Fox Searchlight will have its work cut out for it in luring a wider public.

Crikey!  If I'd read the overblown review from Cannes beforehand I'd have known not to put the movie in my queue, that it was not for little me of "the masses".  I ask you, what would I know about "great, heady things", me of "the wider public"?  The film won the Palme d'Or at  Cannes.  Not for everyone, surely.  Not for me.


Movie poster from Wikipedia.

CELL PHONES 23 YEARS AGO

Some years ago I had a clunky, heavy phone that I called a car phone, which I didn't use for very long.  Mine was not quite as large as the phone in the video, but it was hardly a mobile phone that I'd want to carry around.

Thanks to Doug.

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