From Twitch: A Much Improved Version of the SKY CRAWLERS Trailer

ESPN2 review of "Red Belt"

Nuns hold candles as they celebrate Easter Sunday in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt April 26, 2008.

REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT)

Hrm... some ecumenism on the part of the Missionaries of Charity?

Anthony Esolen, Do You Know Your Boys and Girls?

What are your guesses?

See also his What's a Participle?

Raj Patel, The troubles with food

via EB

The troubles with food
Raj Patel, Red Pepper

Raj Patel is the author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System (Portobello Books) www.stuffedandstarved.org. He is a researcher at the University of California, at Berkeley’s Center for African Studies, and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Raj Patel | Website of writer, activist and academic, Raj Patel

A Man-Made Famine + Stuffed & Starved: Interview with Raj Patel ...
Democracy Now! | Stuffed and Starved: As Food Riots Break Out ...
Democracy Now! | Stuffed and Starved: As Food Riots Break Out ...
LITTLE CITY FARM: Raj Patel
Raj Patel on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC
Raj Patel NWO intro - AOL Video
Free Forum with Raj Patel - Global Food Crisis : Indybay

Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology ...
Stuffed and Starved, by Raj Patel - Reviews, Books - The Independent
Scoop: Raj Patel - 'Stuffed and Starved'

INDOlink - Diaspora - UC Berkeley’s Raj Patel Calls For ...

Patel’s 10 Guidelines for Environmental/Social Justice

Patel has his own blogsite where he delves into the murky world of food politics. In his: http://stuffedandstarved.org/ he lays out ten things that we all can do to promote justice and food sovereignty. “These aren’t by any means the only route to follow, or even a comprehensive checklist. They’re a point of departure, not a point of arrival, they’re very open to suggestion,” he says.

Here are his ten suggestions.

1.TRANSFORM OUR TASTES.

One of the best reasons to become sensuous, to enjoy more than the endless combinations of fat, salt, and sugar, is provided by James Baldwin. I’ve quoted him here, I know, but it’s such a wonderful quote that it deserves a second airing on this site. “To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread. It will be a great day for America, incidentally, when we begin to eat bread again, instead of the blasphemous and tasteless foam rubber that we have substituted for it. And I am not being frivolous now, either. Something very sinister happens to the people of a country when they begin to distrust their own reactions as deeply as they do here, and become as joyless as they have become.” The challenge is to examine our own tastes, to see how they’re captive to a very narrow spectrum of food. Food is to be enjoyed, not processed.

So it’s time for us to enjoy complex flavors a little more, and processed ones a little less. It’s time to distrust our food instincts, because they’ve been so contaminated by the food industry. Although it might not come naturally, we ought to let the seasons and our environment be our guide to local, fresh and tasty food.

2. EAT LOCALLY AND SEASONALLY

You can find resources on eating locally and seasonally here - but the joy of it is that eating locally and seasonally happens most easily and healthily by growing the food oneself. Nothing tastes like a homegrown tomato. Why not google your local allotments and gardening centres to see what resources they can offer?

3. EAT AGRO-ECOLOGICALLY

One way of thinking about agro-ecology is to see it as the next step beyond organic.It’s a farming philosophy that farms with nature, developing and maintaining soil fertility, producing a wide range of crops, and matching the farming to the needs, climate, geography, biodiversity and aspirations of a particular place and community. It’s an approach that develops deep local expertise, and means that farmers aren’t disposable and substitutable resources, as they are under the reign of `industrial organic’. It promises to be able to feed the planet. And it is an approach that, above all, sees agriculture as embedded within society.

4. SUPPORT LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESS

Although supermarkets portray themselves as zones of choice and variety, the opposite is often the case. Supermarkets, while offering shelves of plenty, employ fewer people and charge more for less fresh food than local growers and businesses. The food in street markets is about a third cheaper than in supermarkets, and more often sourced locally. London’s Queens Market offers a haven of cheaper goods and more choice than supermarkets and is about 50 per cent cheaper than the local Wal-Mart/ Asda supermarket, while being more racially diverse and a lot less sterile. The food in street markets, because it’s less processed, also tends to be healthier. But markets such as these are struggling against the higher level of resources that supermarkets can deploy.

5. INSIST THAT THE WORKERS WHO GROW OUR FOOD HAVE THE RIGHT TO DIGNITY

Even the most locally owned, organic and agroecological businesses can still exploit their workers. To combat this is to insist on a suite of workers rights, from collective bargaining to a living wage.

6. ADVOCATE PROFOUND AND COMPREHENSIVE RURAL CHANGE

Rural areas have been transformed over the past two centuries, but rarely has that transformation been carried out with the knowledge or support of the poorest people living there. Alternatives abound, though, and the best of them are encompassed by the idea of “Food sovereignty”. It is the product of a democratic process within the international peasant federation, La Via Campesina . A central part of this change involves land reform.

7. DEMAND LIVING WAGES FOR ALL:

Without the means to eat well, we haven’t a chance of living healthily. Living wage campaigns are well worth supporting, and there’s bound to be one in your country. In Canada, for instance, a range of organizations are listed here, and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty is a mainstay of sensible thinking and action around poverty. In the US, the issue is outlined by the Economic Policy Institute, and made flesh by campaigns from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. In the UK, the London Citizens Living Wage Campaign provides a locus of activity. One of the best ways to ensure living wages is when workers are in control of their employers - through cooperatives and participatory economics.

8. SUPPORT A SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE OF FOOD:

Not nearly enough work has been done linking the changing architecture of our homes and towns to health. Yet it’s clear after the most cursory reflection that commuting, trekking miles to the local hypermarket, and withering bicycle use are all factors behind the world’s ill health. This is the sort of thinking that prevents the diseases associated with today’s food system, and makes it possible for people to be Healthy at Any Size. Demanding local public spaces, parks, allotments to grow food, these are all local actions.

9. SNAP THE FOOD SYSTEM’S BOTTLENECK:

There is already, across the world, a network of regulation and `checks and balances’ intended to reign in the most egregious acts of corporate malfeasance. But the companies that benefit most from the food system’s inequities are also the companies that are most resistant to its fundamental transformation. They will fight hard to maintain their profits. The subsidies to agribusiness must, however, end. It doesn’t only mean an end to the hand-outs to corporations offered as part of the Farm Bill in the US and Common Agricultural Policy in Europe. It also means cutting off industrial farming from the subsidized carbon that it receives from fossil and (soon) biofuels. See Friends of the Earth, Food First and Grain for more on specifics about what you can do. These are actions that can only come through a powerful and informed citizenry taking on its government. But it’s a necessary step. We are, after all, not consumers of democracy - we’re its proprietors. Nothing can change about the food system unless we own our power over it, and complicity in it.

10. OWN AND PROVIDE RESTITUTION FOR THE INJUSTICES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT:

While Bono and his friends have, I’m sure, nothing but good intentions, their demands for aid and support are way off the mark. They propose tinkering with the level of aid given by rich countries. But what poor people of color have been demanding is not charity, but restitution. Whether for slavery in Africa and the New World, or simply for the innumerable coups and dictators installed to service the needs of consumers in the Global North, damages are due. Not charity, but compensation for incalculable harm done by representatives of `civilisation’.

Moreover, the full costs of the food system’s environmental and public health costs ought to be reflected in the price of its output. That means taxing processed food to a level where it reflects the harm it does us and the planet. Some districts and cities are as matters of public health, restricting the ambit of food system corporations. Whether it’s a case of removing their products from schools, or banning the harmful additives (as New York has done with transfats), people are succeeding in putting pressure on their governments to curb the power of the agribusiness giants.

Utada Hikaru - Fly Me To The Moon

For Pete Takeshi:

Celtic electric-Natalie Macmaster-Sharon Shannon

Celtic electric - Natalie Macmaster

There was a different priest celebrating Mass today at St. Thomas Aquinas--someone who was probably ordained before Vatican II. If so, he may have been caught up with the 'spirit,' since he was ad-libbing many of the texts. For example, he changed the English translation of Dominus vobiscum to "The Lord is with you."

Looks like there is a hope for the diocese of Haarlem.

While there is something to be said about the visual appeal of a cassock and surplice [and stole for priests], I don't see anything wrong with a cassock and alb, either. I know certain FSSP priests in Australia prefer the long "Anglican" surplice, but if one is going to wear a surplice that long, one could just as well wear an alb. Though albs that are oversized and hence 'puffy' looking (one sees these on altar servers all the time) should probably be avoided. (Surplices that are too short are wrong as well, though in my eyes they still look better than ones that are too long.)

I don't think I'll see a priest around here wearing a surplice any time soon. I don't think the seminarians at St. Patrick's wear a surplice--they may have to show up in clericals, but even that may not be required. Over at St. John's the seminarians were always in their clericals when engaged in official activities at the seminary. But no surplices there either.

I won't get into the question of lace for surplices yet. Not that my opinion really matters. haha.

What is the male to female ratio for the altar servers at St. Joseph of Cupertino now?

Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. has this interesting post up: The Dominican Sacrae Theologiae Magister (NLM)

Those who are in the San Franciscan Bay Area on November 15, 2008, may see this ceremony performed at 11 a.m. in the Western Dominican Province House of Studies, at St. Albert the Great Priory in Oakland.

Zenit: B16--On the Mission of Priests

On the Mission of Priests

"Sowing the Joy of the Gospel in the World"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the greeting Benedict XVI gave today before praying the Regina Caeli with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A few moments ago we concluded a celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica in which I ordained 29 new priests. This is a time every year of special grace and festivity: The lifeblood of the Church and the city has been renewed and recirculated in them. If the presence of priests is indispensable for the life of the Church, it is also something precious for all.

In the Acts of the Apostles one reads that the Deacon Philip brought the Gospel to a city of Samaria; the people adhered to his preaching with enthusiasm and also saw the miracles that he worked for the sick; “and there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8). As I reminded the new presbyters in the course of the liturgical celebration, this is the meaning of the Church’s missions and particularly the mission of priests: Sowing the joy of the Gospel in the world!

Where Christ is preached with the power of the Holy Spirit and he is accepted with an open soul, society, though it be full of problems, becomes a “city of joy” -- which is also the title of a book about the work of Mother Teresa in Calcutta. This then is the wish I have for the newly ordained priests, for whom I invite all to pray: That where they are sent they may spread the joy and hope that flow from the Gospel.

In truth this is also the message that I brought last week to the United States of America, on an apostolic voyage that had these words as its motto: “Christ our hope.” I give thanks to God for abundantly blessing this singular missionary experience of mine and deigning to make me an instrument of the hope of Christ for that Church and that country. At the same time I thank God because I too was confirmed in hope by American Catholics: Indeed, I discovered a tremendous vitality and a decisive will to live and to witness to the faith in Jesus. Next Wednesday, during the general audience, I will speak more about this visit of mine to America.

Today many Eastern Churches, following the Julian Calendar, celebrate the great solemnity of Easter. I would like to express my fraternal spiritual nearness to these brothers and sisters of ours. I cordially greet them, praying that the God who is one and three will confirm them in the faith, fill them with the splendorous light that emanates from the resurrection of the Lord and to comfort them in the difficult situations that they often find themselves living and witnessing to the Gospel. I invite all to join with me in invoking the Mother of God, that the road of dialogue and collaboration that was started upon sometime ago will soon lead to a more complete communion among all the disciples of Christ, that they may be a luminous sign of hope for all humanity.

[After reciting the Regina Caeli, the Pope said in Italian:]

The news from some African countries continues to cause profound suffering and much concern. I ask you not to forget about these tragic events and the brothers and sisters who are involved in them! I ask you to pray for them and to be their voice!

In Somalia, especially in Mogadishu, bitter armed conflicts are worsening the humanitarian crisis of this dear people, which for too many years has been oppressed by brutality and misery.

Darfur, despite a momentary glimmer of hope, remains a tragedy without end for hundreds of thousands of defenseless and abandoned persons.

Finally, Burundi. After the recent bombardments that struck and terrorized the capital city of Bujumbura and also affected the apostolic nunciature, and in the face of the threat of a new civil war, I invite all the parties involved to take up again without delay the way of dialogue and reconciliation.

I ask the local political authorities, the leaders of the international community and every person of goodwill not to give up on efforts to bring and end to the violence and the honor the commitments that have been made, in a way that will provide a solid basis for peace and development. We entrust our petitions to Mary, Queen of Africa.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

[In English, the Pope said:]

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Regina Caeli. In today's Gospel Our Lord speaks to us of the mystery of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May we always remain faithful to this divine communion by living the commandments that he has given us. God's blessings of joy and peace be with you all!

© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Some more thoughts on the Catholics Come Home ad.

Rod Dreher may like the commercial, but I think it may be a bit too sentimental, and hence not really aimed at promoting a true conversion. Sure, the emotions (and the perception which they follow) may lead one to conversion, but feelings in themselves are not sufficient for conversion. What is needed is a conversion of the heart. Also, the commercial is focused on the (institutional) Church and the works it performs--rather 'pre-Vatican II' if one is to use one member of that that mostly useless historical/sociological division.

Because of the way it points out the good side of the institution, it reminds me of the posts I used to see around St. Joseph of Cupertino and in the bulletin asking Catholics if they had left the Church whether they wanted to come explore life in the Church again and to ask questions. Now, Catholics Come Home is probably more orthodox than many such programs, which seek to reconcile divorced/remarried Catholics and the like at the expense of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. (I have not looked at the website but I figure Immaculate Heart Radio has taken a look at those who pay for advertisements.)

Also, should not the primary focus of such an ad be on Christ, rather than on the Church? Did not Pope Benedict XVI in his latest trip remind us that Christianity is Christocentric? Would it not be better to ask people whether they have heard the call from Christ to return to His fold? Whether they feel that there is a hole in their lives because they are no longer present to Christ? It is difficult for a commercial to make generalizations and resolve the issues of those who have fallen away; such a discussion is better left to a one-on-one encounter with a priest or some other spiritual advisor. Still, I did like the mention that the Church is made up of saints and sinners, and this may be of some consolation to those who have left because they were scandalized by the behavior of other Christians.

Would it not be better if the commercial reminded Christians of their vocation, to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and all their mind? To ask the question if they still hear this call, or have heard it recently despite no longer 'actively practicing their Faith'?

This question may be better asked by a live preacher, but is it not better for a commercial to take the same approach, rather than rely first on the use of images, memories, and feelings?

Edit: This one is better, for the reasons I gave above.

Veoh has episodes of Macross Frontier

both raw and subbed

Christos Anesti!

Byzantine music The Christ is risen
Pascha 19: Christ is Risen (5 languages)

CHRİSTOS ANESTİ - ( Πέτρος Γαϊτάνος )

Romanian/Greek Orthodox Byzantine Chant - Hristos Anesti
Romanian Orthodox Byzantine Chant - Doxology

Gaitanos Petros Fos ek Fotos Πέτρος Γαϊτάνος Φως εκ φωτός


gaitanos petros


Misc:
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete - Irmos 6
Kontakion from the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

The Great Litany, Divine Liturgy. Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev


Rejoice, O Virgin Birthgiver! Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev

St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church

Patriarchal Proclamation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for Holy Pascha 2008

2008 Paschal Message from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios (of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

Christos Anesti! Christ Is Risen! With these great and beautiful words, I greet you with love on this great day of Holy Pascha. These words announce the triuphant Resurrection of Jesus Christ and they fill all of our hearts with joy..." Watch the Video»

Lakis Polycarpou, Why Everything You Think You Know About Modern Society is Wrong

via EB

Why Everything You Think You Know About Modern Society is Wrong (and Why it Matters When Thinking About Peak Oil)
Lakis Polycarpou, City of the Future (blog)

Thomas Tallis - O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit

Peter Litman
gerontius.net: Canterbury Choirs, choral societies and vocal ensembles
European-American University
Cappella Musicale Enrico Stuart duca di York | CONTROLUCE.it

Nunc Dimittis by Giovanni da Palestrina

Kings Singers - Madrigal History Tour - Fine knacks

Thoughts on SMS

The civilian military provider (private military contractor?) in Macross Frontier--why does it have the VF25 while the UN Spacy forces are equipped with a modified version of the VF17? Why isn't the fleet equipped with the VF19 or the VF22? Or the VF25, for that matter? One could argue that a civilian company can invest in R&D and thus be equipped with the best and latest (like in today's world), but how does the political economy of the Macross universe function to make this possible? And why would they be tasked with defense of the fleet, rather than secondary operations? If they're the elite, shouldn't they be incorporated into a formal military command, instead of responding to call of the UN President? And what explains the bad showing of the UN Spacy fleet in episode one? Obsolete variable fighters? Poor pilot skills? Wouldn't the military be under pressure to upgrade and speed up training if that were the case? And shouldn't the colonization fleet stop, until the unknown threat has been evaluated and adequate measures have been introduced to counter it, instead of travelling further into unexplored and dangerous territory?

Perhaps the SMS was created in order to make a statement about contemporary political affairs, or at least to mirror them. However, it doesn't make much sense.

But if you can ignore questions like these, you'll enjoy the series.

Edit: Many of the links below answer the above questions by supplying information from the episodes themselves--it pays to know Japanese or have access to subtitles I suppose. Haha.

According to what I've read, the purpose of SMS is to test-fly new variable fighters; but, they've also been brought in to deal with the new alien threat since their aircraft are the only ones capable of taking the aliens on. Still, one would expect the fleet to begin producing the new planes once testing is complete.

For a certain inquirer:
Wiki info about Macross, Robotech (TV Series):

Robotech was one of the first anime televised in the United States that attempted to include most of the complexity and drama of its original Japanese source material. Produced by Harmony Gold USA, Inc. in association with Tatsunoko Prod. Co., Ltd., Robotech is a story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada. Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week). Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required since they originally aired in Japan as a weekly series.

Robotech is the creation of Carl Macek (wiki).

Official Robotech site

More on current Macross Frontier episodes:
Macross Frontier 01 | Sea Slugs! Anime Blog
Macross Frontier 02 | Sea Slugs! Anime Blog
AstroNerdBoy's Anime & Manga Blog: Macross Frontier 02
AstroNerdBoy's Anime & Manga Blog: Macross Frontier 03
Anime Blog ga Arimasu » Blog Archive » Macross Frontier 03
Wakaranai » Macross Frontier 3 - 28 Deaths Later
Macross Frontier - 04 | Random Curiosity
Macross Frontier Mecha/Technology Thread *Read 1st post* - Macross ...

Macross Frontier Images
Macross Frontier - Forum - Anime News Network
Macross Mecha Manual

The Voices - Spanish Lullaby

The Voices - Pater Noster
The Voices - Jesus Is My Joy

Pater Noster by Javier Busto
UP Manila Chorale

Aspects of California that I don't like

Can be found in this post over at The American Scene: Paradise Found

Even the positive things, such as the interracial harmony the author mentions, I would argue are based on tolerance and having a common cultural background, as well as certain common interests that are defined by that culture. But has he visited the poorer parts of the major metropolitan areas? There are plenty of interracial tensions there. If one enjoys the natural scenery of California (away from people) or the joys of shopping in malls and has the money to do so, then it is natural that this person would like the coastal areas of California.

Much needs to be done with respect to the evangelization of the people and culture of California, and the typical suburban parish in the diocese of San Jose, or probably the other dioceses in California as well [though Sacramento seems to be improving], is ill-equipped for the task, since it does not challenge people to rethink their lifestyle but reinforces it in subtle and overt ways.

Fortunately, I have not been forced to listen to a pointless homily in a long time. But I don't think one is likely to hear one about sustainability or "communitarianism" any time soon. Perhaps in an Orthodox church.

Vladimir Grigorenko

Via the Crunchy Con, a video report of Vladimir Grigorenko.

vladimir grigorenko
Byzantine Icons: Special Feature: Vladimir Grigorenko.
Welcome to Icons Explained Blog

The best religious commercial ever?
(Ad for Catholics Come Home.)

More lamentations by Peter Hitchens

One day you’ll be 24 Lexie, old enough to be a granny

I think I saw one such young grandmother/mother pair with a child this week...

Rhonda Vincent videos

Rhonda Vincent - Wedding Song


Rhonda Vincent at Sally Mt. - Is the Grass Any Bluer


Rebecca Lynn Howard & Rhonda Vincent - The Angels Rejoiced