THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR BACK PAIN

I was born with two back ailments: Swayback or Lordosis which is an inward curvature of a portion of the backbone and Scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. When you put both of these together, that’s a recipe for back pain.


If anyone knows back pain, it’s me. I remember countless times when I couldn’t even stand up because there was so much pain shooting through my lower back. So for the better part of my life, I tried to find ways to treat my back pains or at least mask the pain I was felling.

I had gone to a few chiropractors and they helped to some extent, but it wasn’t until I started dedicating myself to strengthening my core and stretching every day that I found my cure.


As of now I feel awesome and haven’t felt back pain for many years.

Having low back pain can make you feel like you're in a prison of your own body...unable to do normal daily activities that you take for granted when you are healthy.

If you are suffering from back pain caused by poor flexibility or bad exercise form, then I have good news for you. My friend Eric Wong (who you will hear more of from me this year) is another guy like me who had to overcome back pain (although his was much more serious) and he has put together a free report for you about overcoming back pain here.

Eric's a smart guy who's trained thousands of people in the real world. He's seen his share of back pain in everyone from athletes to grandmothers. He even has his own personal and graphic story of back pain. (He tells you about it in the report)

Eric is offering his free report until Thursday April 1, 2010. So click the link below and get it free now

 http://www.TheTruthAboutYourBackPain.com



Here's what you'll discover once you get this FREE report:


1) The 1 real cause of back pain (it's so simple; you'll be shocked that you've never heard it before!)
2) The absolute WORST thing you can do when you throw your back out
3) The 2 critical factors you must address to reduce back pain

It's the complete blueprint you need to 'bulletproof' your back so you never suffer from back pain again.

And it's easy and free to get this special back pain report, just go to Eric's site here:

 http://www.thetruthaboutyourbackpain.com/  


Wishing you a recovery from your back pain


Funk Roberts

PS - Back pain affects 80% of the adult population......so please forward that website to anyone you know who suffers from back pain.

NOTE: However, the first thing you should do if you have back pain is to see your doctor. Please take your back pain seriously and go see your doctor today if you have back pain that won't go away.


Funk Roberts

Feast of Saint Benjamin - March 31

I need to wish my God-son, Brian's son, Ben a HAPPY FEAST DAY! Although our culture doesn't really celebrate these days, and since we are in Holy Week things should be toned down, I wanted to make sure that I honored you this day, and your namesake.

Today is the feast of Saint Benjamin. Although it isn't generally celebrated by Roman Catholics, he is quite important in the Orthodox churches.

St. Benjamin was a brave and loyal Christian. As a Martyr he died for his faith. I pray that my God-son will also be a bold and courageous defender of the faith, and willing to live it out in all aspects of his life. So appeal to your namesake in intercession, and pray that your Guardian Angel defends you and guides you in the path of the Saints before you. Know that many of us will be ready to help you and guide you along your path in life and throughout your faith journey.
Here is a little bit of info from Catholic.org:

St. Benjamin, Martyr (Feast Day - March 31) The Christians in Persia had enjoyed twelve years of peace during the reign of Isdegerd, son of Sapor III, when in 420 it was disturbed by the indiscreet zeal of Abdas, a Christian Bishop who burned the Temple of Fire, the great sanctuary of the Persians. King Isdegerd threatened to destroy all the churches of the Christians unless the Bishop would rebuild it.


As Abdas refused to comply, the threat was executed; the churches were demolished, Abdas himself was put to death, and a general persecution began which lasted forty years. Isdegerd died in 421, but his son and successor, Varanes, carried on the persecution with great fury. The Christians were submitted to the most cruel tortures.


Among those who suffered was St. Benjamin, a Deacon, who had been imprisoned a year for his Faith. At the end of this period, an ambassador of the Emperor of Constantinople obtained his release on condition that he would never speak to any of the courtiers about religion.


St. Benjamin, however, declared it was his duty to preach Christ and that he could not be silent. Although he had been liberated on the agreement made with the ambassador and the Persian authorities, he would not acquiesce in it, and neglected no opportunity of preaching. He was again apprehended and brought before the king. The tyrant ordered that reeds should be thrust in between his nails and his flesh and into all the tenderest parts of his body and then withdrawn. After this torture had been repeated several times, a knotted stake was inserted into his bowels to rend and tear him. The martyr expired in the most terrible agony about the year 424.

Now I have talked about celebrating FEAST DAYS before... in lieu of birthdays but I think it is important to restate my position. I think that a good way to inject Catholic faith and culture into a family is to celebrate days that Halmark DOESN'T make cards for... but your local Catholic bookstore might. This doesn't mean ignore birthdays... it means celebrate a feast day! I mean... you could even do it every other year. This might be especially helpful for kids that have summer or winter birthdays and always wanted the opposite.

I wanted to originally name our child by a name of a saint upon the day in which they were born, but for various reasons we DIDN'T and I am glad. It allows us to shift the focus from a birthday, which is GREAT,  to our faith and celebrate that as well.

Can You Hear My Head Exploding?

What else should we expect from the NYTimes? (As a preliminary note, I am not linking to the article simply because it's far too inflaming.)

Maureen Dowd. What a piece of work. Today, she uses her soap box to proclaim to the world that the Church is now in the business of "spin." Please re-read that. The Catholic Church. Spin. New York Times Op-Ed page. Oh the irony. Yes, she unequivocally states that "Catholics around the globe," are calling for the Pope's "own confession and penance about the cascade of child sexual abuse cases that were ignored," Citation needed, Maureen. But, being an Op-Ed columnist citations, and fact checking aren't really needed, right?

But if you think Dowd making the global proclamation - for what apparently she feels are all Catholics - of a "Papal confession" (BTW, when did the Church dispose of the confessional for the Op-Ed page of the Times' Ms. Dowd?) is good, wait 'til you hear what else she has to say. This week, we aren't celebrating Holy Thursday or Good Friday. No. We apparently are celebrating "Cover-Up Thursday" and "Blame-Others Friday." Is your head exploding yet? If it's not now, it will shortly.

The poor (and that's just me being nice) reporting and fact-checking of the Times' is astounding. If you go back a few posts, you will find out just what happened in Wisconsin. But, asking a person who was actually involved in a case would just be far too much work for the Times'. Or, perhaps, if it's not too much work maybe it's just because if someone actually did talk to Fr. Brundage, it would completely undermine their whole "story"! My guess is that it's the latter. But why should the vitriol stop there?

"If church fund-raising and contributions dry up, Benedict’s P.R. handlers may yet have to stage a photo-op where he steps out of the priest’s side of the confessional and enters the side where the rest of his fallible flock goes."

Uhhhh, does anyone want to take a guess at the last time Ms. Dowd picked up the Catechism? My guess is it's been awhile. "The rest of his fallible flock"? Does she even know what Papal Infallibility means? "Church fund-raising"? Are there bake sales at the Vatican I don't know about? Maybe we should just give Ms. Dowd the benefit of the doubt, and assume that she does understand Papal Infallibility and just couldn't find a better word.

"Or maybe 30-second spots defending the pope with Benedict’s voice intoning at the end: 'I am infallible, and I approve this message.'"

Never mind.

Oh, take a look at this one!

"The Vatican is surprised to find itself in this sort of trouble."

Again, the top-notch reporting of Ms. Dowd never ceases to amaze. Did she talk to anyone at the Vatican about this? She probably could have gotten better insight from a pigeon that hangs out in St. Peter's square than her sources (read as "none").

At Palm Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York bemoaned that the “recent tidal wave of headlines about abuse of minors by some few priests, this time in Ireland, Germany, and a re-run of an old story from Wisconsin, has knocked us to our knees once again.”

A few priests? At this point, it feels like an international battalion."

Yes, an international battalion. Who needs facts when you have puffery!?

Then, Dowd moves on to "exposing" the Church's "P.R. spin plan". As number 4, Dowd explains that by demonizing gays, and "making the abuse issue about gays," the Church is trying to take the heat off itself, even though they are "defending pedophilia". Yeah, because the Times' never defends pedophilia. Also, don't forget that the Church is in fact, NOT defending pedophiliac priests. In fact, the Church is taking the necessary steps to prevent further abuse .

The next one is a gem too. "#5 Blame the victims". Dowd uses a quote from Catholic League President Bill Donohue that talks about the Fr. Murphy victims that didn't come forward for twenty years. But that's it. Just the quote. No explanation of how the Church was supposed to do stop abuse about which it had no idea. Apparently the reader is supposed to figure that out? Or perhaps Dowd wants her readers to believe that the Church somehow knew about it. Which actually surprises me that she didn't come out and say that because, as we already know, facts are unimportant.

Finally, Dowd gives away the Vatican lawyers' secret game plan in defending against civil suits. By claiming that the argument will be the Bishops were not employees, and the Pope is immune as a head of state. Wow. I was unaware that Dowd had a law degree, and a source in the Vatican's council.

The New York Times' is losing their credibility by not attempting to fact-check, and by making outlandish statements that have absolutely no grounding in reason. It is further disappointing that Ms. Dowd, with an education from Catholic University of America, has so little understanding of the Catholic Faith.

But, I guess when your paper and job are threatened to be obsolete, perhaps resorting to mud-slinging, lies and false reporting are the only way to stay afloat. Good luck with that.

"Spy" Wednesday - 30 pieces of silver...

Today is known as "Spy" Wednesday. It is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Here are some of the bible verses that correspond to the day:

Matthew 26:6-15
And when Jesus was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, There came to Him a woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He was at table.


And the disciples seeing it, had indignation, saying: To what purpose is this waste? For this might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.


And Jesus knowing it, said to them: Why do you trouble this woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For the poor you have always with you: but me you have not always. For she in pouring this ointment upon my body, hath done it for my burial. Amen I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memory of her.


Then went one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, to the chief priests, And said to them: What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? But they appointed him thirty pieces of silver.

We see very little in way of customs in the Church for these days, because the story is in and of itself enough to suffice for an explanation. Here are some customs from Fisheaters for "Spy" Wednesday:

Today and during the Sacred Triduum, the Matins and Lauds of the Divine Office are often sung in a haunting service known as the Tenebrae service ("tenebrae" meaning "shadows"), which is basically a funeral service for Jesus. During the Matins on Good Friday, one by one, the candles are extinguished in the Church, leaving the congregation in total darkness, and in a silence that is punctuated by the strepitus meant to evoke the convulsion of nature at the death of Christ. It has also been described as the sound of the tomb door closing. During the Triduum, the Matins and Lauds readings come from the following day's readings each night because the hours of Matins and Lauds were pushed back so that the public might better participate during these special three days (i.e., the Matins and Lauds readings heard at Spy Wednesday's tenebrae service are those for Maundy Thursday, the readings for Maundy Thursday's tenebrae service are from Good Friday, and Good Friday's readings are from Holy Saturday's Divine Office).


Legend says that the tree upon which Judas hanged himself was the Cercis siliquastrum -- a tree that is now known as the "Judas Tree." It is a beautiful tree, native to the Mediterranean region, with brilliant deep pink flowers in the spring -- flowers that are said to have blushed in shame after Judas's suicide.

What I think is interesting is the vast amount of websites that put a large amount of time and energy into figuring out the equivalent value of "30 pieces of silver." I saw everything from $25 to $240,000. I am sure if I spent more than 5 minutes I would have found a whole array of values, but I realized a few moments into searching that it doesn't really matter does it?

Would we have done any differently? Do we live our lives any differently? If our sins place Christ on the Cross... then what price does it cost to see our sins upon the Cross? $25, $1000, $240,000? Is any amount worth it? Are we more like Peter who simply denies Christ or are we like Judas that full out betrays him?

And what of betrayal? Didn't Christ die to wipe away that betrayal? Well, Dante doesn't think so... in fact Dante thinks that Judas' betrayal was the worst sin of all. In fact he named his innermost and vilest circle of hell after him:

Judecca, named after the apostle who betrayed Jesus (Judas Iscariot), is the innermost zone of the ninth and final circle of hell. The term also hints at a manifestation of Christian prejudice--which Dante certainly shares--against Judaism and Jews in the Middle Ages: it alludes to the names--Iudeca, Judaica--for the area within certain cities (e.g., Venice) where Jews were forced to live, apart from the Christian population. Together with Judas in this region of hell are others who, by betraying their masters or benefactors, committed crimes with great historical and societal consequences. Completely covered by the ice--like "straw in glass"--the shades are locked in various postures with no mobility or sound whatsoever (Inf. 34.10-15).

So what of this type of sin? Are we deniers or betrayers? Dare we run the risk? I say not; for if our punishment is anything like what Dante envisions... there is little else which could be worse:

Eternally eaten by Lucifer's three mouths are--from left to right-- Brutus, Judas, and Cassius (Inf. 34.61-7). Brutus and Cassius, stuffed feet first in the jaws of Lucifer's black and whitish-yellow faces respectively, are punished in this lowest region for their assassination of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.E.), the founder of the Roman Empire that Dante viewed as an essential part of God's plan for human happiness. Both Brutus and Cassius fought on the side of Pompey in the civil war. However, following Pompey's defeat at Pharsalia in 48 B.C.E., Caesar pardoned them and invested them with high civic offices. Still, Cassius continued to harbor resentment against Caesar's dictatorship and enlisted the aid of Brutus in a conspiracy to kill Caesar and re-establish the republic. They succeeded in assassinating Caesar but their political-military ambitions were soon thwarted by Octavian (later Augustus) and Antony at Philippi (42 B.C.E.): Cassius, defeated by Antony and thinking (wrongly) that Brutus had been defeated by Octavian, had himself killed by a servant; Brutus indeed lost a subsequent battle and took his life as well. For Dante, Brutus and Cassius' betrayal of Julius Caesar, their benefactor and the world's supreme secular ruler, complements Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus, the Christian man-god, in the Bible. Judas, one of the twelve apostles, strikes a deal to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; he fulfills his treacherous role--foreseen by Jesus at the Last Supper--when he later identifies Jesus to the authorities with a kiss; regretting this betrayal that will lead to Jesus' death, Judas returns the silver and hangs himself (Matthew 26:14-16; 26:21-5; 26:47-9; 27:3-5). Suffering even more than Brutus and Cassius, Dante's Judas is placed head-first inside Lucifer's central mouth, with his back skinned by the devil's claws (Inf. 34.58-63)

Obama says: "Drill, baby drill?" - Win-Win?

Rumor has it the Obama Administration is going to open up off-shore drilling?
"Gov't to unveil off-shore drilling"

... wait? Conservatives can't stand the Obama-Care Administration because they are Marxist. And now he plans on embracing a "Palin-esque" energy plan? Really?

Wow... this guy is a goof. But this might be a win-win for us... Especially if the drilling policy is good because it will get us much needed oil; and it will upset the extremist liberals.

Something tells me this is too good to be true...

No "News" is "Good News"

Check out Dan, from Gun Lovin' Alaskan Catholic Club's, take on how a few "bad apples" seem to gobble up all the attention in the media... regardless of the situation.

I think it is quite telling, and does a great job of showing that the media's problem is bigger than just the Church.

From Gun Lovin' Alaksan Club: A few bad apples... Red Meat to the Left

Have you bought your eyeglass from zenni yet??

How i cant help but agree with my friend who is a satisfied zenni customer that zennioptical.com is the The #1 online Rx glasses store, which is also very popular among the young fashion idols.

Eyeglasses are used as a fashion item by almost every person these days and so people, according to me, do look out for the best at the cheapest price, and that's exactly what zenni can offer you.. so you must take a look at their collection of Lowest Price Progressive Glasses on their site and don't forget to read Eric's Review of Zenni Optical

DO YOU WANT GREAT SHOULDERS? - CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

FUNK KETTLEBELL 21'S FOR AWESOME SHOULDERS




I love this shoulder workout. It is what is called a Giant Set. Three exercises performed one after the other equals one set. This workout is great because it targets your front delts, side delts and shoulder strength.


Doing this one arm at a time, allows you to focus on your shoulder muscles doing all the work, instead of using your body or momentum to lift the weight. Make sure you use a lighter kettlebell to perform this exercise...you don’t want to risk injury.

Kettlebell 21's - Perform 3 Giant Sets each arm - no rest in between

One Arm Kettlebell Side Lateral Raise - 7 reps
One Arm Kettlebell Front Raise - 7 reps
One Arm Kettlebell Shoulder Press - 7 reps
(Perform one arm at a time, switch to the other arm, then switch back woth no rest.  Perform 3 full sets.  Don't have a kettlebell, then use a dumbbell)

Get the Funk Roberts GYMBOSS work out timer available CLICK HERE!

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The New You Crew are MAN-formation Specialists, featuring Ryan Shanahan , Funk Roberts & Tiffany We demonstrate how to easily and quickly transform a man’s Body - Style - Attitude

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for How To videos for your guy to watch and MAN-form into a Successful, Strong and Well Dressed Gentlemen

Funk Roberts

Happy Birthday to my God-Daughter!

Today is the 1st birthday of my God-Daughter. So please say a prayer for both her and I. It really is a heavy duty to be a God-parent. What makes it so heavy is that during the first few years there is so little you can do... there isn't a lot of formation, so the duty rests in your prayer as a God-parent.

So humor me for a minute and read a prayer/letter for my God-daughter. I got this idea from Dan at GLACC.

Dear God-daughter,

As you turn 1years old today, I wish you could know how many people are praying for you, for your health, and for your spiritual growth. You have a very loving and faithfully Catholic family, and I know that each one of them prays for you often.

Also, I ask Mary, ever virgin, for her intercession. Much like you love your mother, and she cares for you and attends to your every need, there is another Mother that we can appeal to for spiritual needs. She was given to us by Christ, Her Son, so that we would never be absent someone to help us... so as I appeal to Her on your behalf, for Her constant intercession with Her Son, the same Lord Christ, let her into your heart.

Let too, the Holy Spirit descend into your heart. As you get older you will feel things, whispers, and inklings to move in the Spirit. Follow these things... they are not feelings, they are The Spirit; it will make all the difference.

Finally, appeal to your Guardian Angel. They are real, and yes you have one. I have seen your eyes in church, and wondered if you caught their gaze. They are more concerned for your souls well being than almost anyone else. Use their protection, appeal to their love, and don't lose your belief in them. They will protect you from evil and from danger, but you must be the one to let them.

And again, know... that we are praying for you.


Your God-father.

Michigan...in March

Alaska is a pretty amazing place. So is Michigan. And today one of my favorite things about spring in Michigan occurs... no, opening day is a few days away still...

Actually, it is the annual launch of Bell's Oberon Beer! Sure it's seasonal, and it's a wheat beer... but it really is the harbinger of summer. It is one of those things that makes me excited about the gloominess of spring in Michigan. It reminds me of baseball, barbecues, friends, and warm summer nights...

So for those that can get their hands on some... have one for me!

Bell's Oberon

It comes in individual size:

Or a family and friends version....

JFYCV3GZPSUD

Fr. Thomas Brundage - Former Judicial Vicar of Milwaukee: Setting the record straight about Fr. Murphy

***UPDATE***:
Father Brundage issues clarifying statement

Editor’s note: Below is a statement by Father Thomas Brundage, correcting part of his column, which was published March 29 at CatholicAnchor.org, the official newspaper Web site of the Anchorage Archdiocese. Father Brundage was the ecclesial judge in the church trial against Father Lawrence Murphy, the priest accused of sexually abusing deaf students at St. John’s School of the Deaf in Milwaukee. The first paragraph below is the incorrect portion of the column by Father Brundage. His corrections, in italics, follow.


Original paragraph: “Additionally, in the documentation in a letter from Archbishop Weakland to then-secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone on August 19, 1998, Archbishop Weakland stated that he had instructed me to abate the proceedings against Father Murphy. Father Murphy, however, died two days later and the fact is that on the day that Father Murphy died, he was still the defendant in a church criminal trial. No one seems to be aware of this. Had I been asked to abate this trial, I most certainly would have insisted that an appeal be made to the supreme court of the church, or Pope John Paul II if necessary. That process would have taken months if not longer.”

Correction: In service to the truth, it is important for one to admit when they make a factual error as I did in the above paragraph. On Good Friday (April 2, 2010) I received an e-mail from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Annysa Johnson with some documents that clearly show I was aware of then-Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland’s intention to have the Father Lawrence Murphy case abated. Since I do not have access to the Father Murphy file, last week as I worked on my column, I downloaded the case files that were on the Journal-Sentinel’s website. Those were the documents I had to reconstruct the events of 12-14 years ago.

However, in the file e-mailed to me by reporter Johnson was a August 15, 1998 draft of a letter that I wrote and Archbishop Weakland slightly edited. This draft letter became the text of the August 19, 1998 letter from Archbishop Weakland to then-secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone in which Archbishop Weakland declared that he had instructed me to formally abate the case. This letter was not part of the file that I had access to and I had not seen that letter in nearly 12 years.

In all honesty, I do not remember this memo but I do admit to being wrong on this issue and I apologize for my mistake. Father Murphy’s death 2 days after Archbishop Weakland’s August 19, 1998 letter made the matter moot as de-facto death permanently abated the case.

I again, am sorry for my mistake and for making a very complicated and painful case even more complicated and painful.

Father Thomas Brundage wrote the following article for the CatholicAnchor.org. The Anchor is the Archdiocesan paper for Anchorage. The publisher is Archbishop Schwietz; Archbishop of Anchorage. I know that this article is already making the rounds in the Catholic Blog world, but since this blog is half Alaskan, and I am living in Alaska, it is more than relevant.

It is long, but it is worth the read. I chose not to cut it... in fear of my editorial skills assuming that one part is more important than another. I also am not commenting on this, because well, it is above my pay grade to do so on an article of this nature.

As a final note... Father Brundage has a stellar reputation in the diocese, especially amongst the more orthodox groups. He is one of two priests that says Mass in the usus antiquior. He is very well respected, and it is obvious by his article the amount of trust the Archbishop has in him. His words are worth reading and understanding.

Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy 

Then-presiding judge for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee gives first-person account of church trial

By Fr. THOMAS BRUNDAGE, JLC

For CatholicAnchor.org

To provide context to this article, I was the Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 1995-2003. During those years, I presided over four canonical criminal cases, one of which involved Father Lawrence Murphy. Two of the four men died during the process. God alone will judge these men.


To put some parameters on the following remarks, I am writing this article with the express knowledge and consent of Archbishop Roger Schwietz, OMI, the Archbishop of Anchorage, where I currently serve. Archbishop Schwietz is also the publisher of the Catholic Anchor newspaper.


I will limit my comments, because of judicial oaths I have taken as a canon lawyer and as an ecclesiastical judge. However, since my name and comments in the matter of the Father Murphy case have been liberally and often inaccurately quoted in the New York Times and in more than 100 other newspapers and on-line periodicals, I feel a freedom to tell part of the story of Father Murphy’s trial from ground zero.


As I have found that the reporting on this issue has been inaccurate and poor in terms of the facts, I am also writing out of a sense of duty to the truth.


The fact that I presided over this trial and have never once been contacted by any news organization for comment speaks for itself.


My intent in the following paragraphs is to accomplish the following:


To tell the back-story of what actually happened in the Father Murphy case on the local level;


To outline the sloppy and inaccurate reporting on the Father Murphy case by the New York Times and other media outlets;


To assert that Pope Benedict XVI has done more than any other pope or bishop in history to rid the Catholic Church of the scourge of child sexual abuse and provide for those who have been injured;


To set the record straight with regards to the efforts made by the church to heal the wounds caused by clergy sexual misconduct. The Catholic Church is probably the safest place for children at this point in history.


Before proceeding, it is important to point out the scourge that child sexual abuse has been — not only for the church but for society as well. Few actions can distort a child’s life more than sexual abuse. It is a form of emotional and spiritual homicide and it starts a trajectory toward a skewed sense of sexuality. When committed by a person in authority, it creates a distrust of almost anyone, anywhere.


As a volunteer prison chaplain in Alaska, I have found a corollary between those who have been incarcerated for child sexual abuse and the priests who have committed such grievous actions. They tend to be very smart and manipulative. They tend to be well liked and charming. They tend to have one aim in life — to satisfy their hunger. Most are highly narcissistic and do not see the harm that they have caused. They view the children they have abused not as people but as objects. They rarely show remorse and moreover, sometimes portray themselves as the victims. They are, in short, dangerous people and should never be trusted again. Most will recommit their crimes if given a chance.


As for the numerous reports about the case of Father Murphy, the back-story has not been reported as of yet.


In 1996, I was introduced to the story of Father Murphy, formerly the principal of St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee. It had been common knowledge for decades that during Father Murphy’s tenure at the school (1950-1974) there had been a scandal at St. John’s involving him and some deaf children. The details, however, were sketchy at best.


Courageous advocacy on behalf of the victims (and often their wives), led the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to revisit the matter in 1996. In internal discussions of the curia for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, it became obvious that we needed to take strong and swift action with regard to the wrongs of several decades ago. With the consent of then-Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland, we began an investigation into the allegations of child sexual abuse as well as the violation of the crime of solicitation within the confessional by Father Murphy.


We proceeded to start a trial against Father Murphy. I was the presiding judge in this matter and informed Father Murphy that criminal charges were going to be levied against him with regard to child sexual abuse and solicitation in the confessional.


In my interactions with Father Murphy, I got the impression I was dealing with a man who simply did not get it. He was defensive and threatening.


Between 1996 and August, 1998, I interviewed, with the help of a qualified interpreter, about a dozen victims of Father Murphy. These were gut-wrenching interviews. In one instance the victim had become a perpetrator himself and had served time in prison for his crimes. I realized that this disease is virulent and was easily transmitted to others. I heard stories of distorted lives, sexualities diminished or expunged. These were the darkest days of my own priesthood, having been ordained less than 10 years at the time. Grace-filled spiritual direction has been a Godsend.


I also met with a community board of deaf Catholics. They insisted that Father Murphy should be removed from the priesthood and highly important to them was their request that he be buried not as a priest but as a layperson. I indicated that a judge, I could not guarantee the first request and could only make a recommendation to the latter request.


In the summer of 1998, I ordered Father Murphy to be present at a deposition at the chancery in Milwaukee. I received, soon after, a letter from his doctor that he was in frail health and could travel not more than 20 miles (Boulder Junction to Milwaukee would be about 276 miles). A week later, Father Murphy died of natural causes in a location about 100 miles from his home


With regard to the inaccurate reporting on behalf of the New York Times, the Associated Press, and those that utilized these resources, first of all, I was never contacted by any of these news agencies but they felt free to quote me. Almost all of my quotes are from a document that can be found online with the correspondence between the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In an October 31, 1997 handwritten document, I am quoted as saying ‘odds are that this situation may very well be the most horrendous, number wise, and especially because these are physically challenged , vulnerable people. “ Also quoted is this: “Children were approached within the confessional where the question of circumcision began the solicitation.”


The problem with these statements attributed to me is that they were handwritten. The documents were not written by me and do not resemble my handwriting. The syntax is similar to what I might have said but I have no idea who wrote these statements, yet I am credited as stating them. As a college freshman at the Marquette University School of Journalism, we were told to check, recheck, and triple check our quotes if necessary. I was never contacted by anyone on this document, written by an unknown source to me. Discerning truth takes time and it is apparent that the New York Times, the Associated Press and others did not take the time to get the facts correct.


Additionally, in the documentation in a letter from Archbishop Weakland to then-secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone on August 19, 1998, Archbishop Weakland stated that he had instructed me to abate the proceedings against Father Murphy. Father Murphy, however, died two days later and the fact is that on the day that Father Murphy died, he was still the defendant in a church criminal trial. No one seems to be aware of this. Had I been asked to abate this trial, I most certainly would have insisted that an appeal be made to the supreme court of the church, or Pope John Paul II if necessary. That process would have taken months if not longer.


Second, with regard to the role of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), in this matter, I have no reason to believe that he was involved at all. Placing this matter at his doorstep is a huge leap of logic and information.


Third, the competency to hear cases of sexual abuse of minors shifted from the Roman Rota to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Cardinal Ratzinger in 2001. Until that time, most appeal cases went to the Rota and it was our experience that cases could languish for years in this court. When the competency was changed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in my observation as well as many of my canonical colleagues, sexual abuse cases were handled expeditiously, fairly, and with due regard to the rights of all the parties involved. I have no doubt that this was the work of then Cardinal Ratzinger.


Fourth, Pope Benedict has repeatedly apologized for the shame of the sexual abuse of children in various venues and to a worldwide audience. This has never happened before. He has met with victims. He has reigned in entire conferences of bishops on this matter, the Catholic Bishops of Ireland being the most recent. He has been most reactive and proactive of any international church official in history with regard to the scourge of clergy sexual abuse of minors. Instead of blaming him for inaction on these matters, he has truly been a strong and effective leader on these issues.


Finally, over the last 25 years, vigorous action has taken place within the church to avoid harm to children. Potential seminarians receive extensive sexual-psychological evaluation prior to admission. Virtually all seminaries concentrate their efforts on the safe environment for children. There have been very few cases of recent sexual abuse of children by clergy during the last decade or more.


Catholic dioceses all across the country have taken extraordinary steps to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. As one example, which is by no means unique, is in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, where I currently work. Here, virtually every public bathroom in parishes has a sign asking if a person has been abuse by anyone in the church. A phone number is given to report the abuse and almost all church workers in the archdiocese are required to take yearly formation sessions in safe environment classes. I am not sure what more the church can do.


To conclude, the events during the 1960’s and 1970’s of the sexual abuse of minors and solicitation in the confessional by Father Lawrence Murphy are unmitigated and gruesome crimes. On behalf of the church, I am deeply sorry and ashamed for the wrongs that have been done by my brother priests but realize my sorrow is probably of little importance 40 years after the fact. The only thing that we can do at this time is to learn the truth, beg for forgiveness, and do whatever is humanly possible to heal the wounds. The rest, I am grateful, is in God’s hands.


Father Thomas T. Brundage, JCL

Editor’s note: Father Brundage can be contacted at brundaget@archmil.org or by phone at (907) 745-3229 X 11.

Book Review: "Max and Benedict"

The following is a book review I did for the book: "Max and Benedict." I bought the book for my God-son, you can find the following review, and all my reviews on TiberRiver

As a primary note, I do have to say that this book is technically a follow up to another book: "Joseph and Chico" but I can tell you I did not know that until after I bought it. So you can buy this as a stand alone if you would like, but take it from me, once you purchase one, you will want the other... they are that good!< The position of Pope is not only important and technical, but it is created by God. Few adults know or understand the full explanation of what the position of the Pope entails, let alone what he does on a day to day basis. So how are we supposed to explain that sort of thing to a child? This book definitely will help in that regard.

The story is told from the point of view of a blue thrush, a rock-thrush to be exact. His name is Max and the book opens with the telling of his day to day life and the story behind his name. As well all know, most animals in the "wild" don't have names, but this isn't just any animal... this is a special bird. 

Max lives, or spends his time, around the Vatican, their Gardens, and St. Peter's Square. So the story is about his encounters and travels and his eventual fascination with a human that lives in that area. As we come to find out, that human is Pope Benedict. 

As we listen to Max, he tells us about the daily happenings around the Vatican, but more importantly he explains what the Pope does on a day to day basis. Yet, Max isn't an ordinary bird, so it isn't told in an ordinary way. You see, Max explains not only the typical schedule and things the Pope does daily, but he dives into the why and how. He notices that the Pope isn't simply doing a job, but instead really embraces the position of Pope, and the great responsibility that accompanies that position.

Max's travels and stories touch on everything from the Pope Benedict's daily writing and praying, to his apostolic visits and audiences,  the special events in St. Peter's and even a trip to the Pope's summer home. Through all of this, Max paints the Pope in a very human and intimate way. From his explanation of the prayers and contemplation of the Pope to the hobbies and relaxation the Pope does through his playing of Piano. 

The best part about this book is that it really humanizes the Pope in a way that all the TV coverage, press, and mystique never will. It is written in a way that parents can read it to their children and both reader and listener will get something out of it.

This book is a must buy... and is worth it at almost any age. It is a little "long" for a single reading, especially for younger children, but the stories are self contained and it makes a great "Bedtime" stories book.

If nothing else, buy it as a keep-sake and read it for yourself. Then when your child is old enough they can pick it up and become endeared to the Pope through this wonderful story. And last but not least, the watercolor style pictures add to the softness and beauty of this story. This is seriously one of the best children's Catholic stories I have ever read.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of Max and Benedict for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

My health come first now!!!

Trying to write a personal post after ages but ouch, yes its my back hurts badly... maybe its the results of sitting a lot online, but not only that, i think my postures were never right whenever i sat up, for i always leaned to rest and and so the results had to be backaches... :(

The backache was just one excuse(exaggerating).. because i am also under treatment for pneumonia etc.. which is keeping me away from blogging and being online, though i do find time to just about browse around. Sometimes i find some tasks waiting for me in my email so that's when am here too though i cant keep up too much to the tasks because my health come first. At least am trying it this time! trying to prioritize my health before anything else.

Not updating my blog this long had badly affected it but am going to be posting frequently at least, if not daily... so please keep visiting am never going away :-)

Music Business/Law Tips - Accounting/Royalties (Part 2)

The record contract will usually also contain the right to "audit" the books and records of the label. If this clause is absent, the artist should demand the right to audit. The artist will only have the right to audit during the objection period discussed above. Normally, the artist will have the right to audit only once a year. Further, the label generally will require that any audit be performed by an accountant. The labels's rationale is that this makes an audit more expensive and thus discourages audits. Moreover, an accountant should be more efficient and cause less disruption to the label's normal operations. Finally, the label will seek restrictions on what can be audited (e.g., only books and records relating to actual sales reports for the artist).
In the normal course of things, it is only reasonable for an artist to audit an accounting if the artist is making a lot of money because then there is a high probability of underpayment by the label. However, since one never knows who will have the next hit, the artist must ensure that his or her rights are protected in the contract.

Ben McLane Esq
benmclane.com

Anti-Catholics Play the New York Times Like a Fiddle.

As though it hasn't been talked about enough, here's another post on the abuse scandal. Kind of.

Both Joe and I have very specific feelings about this entire scandal. Neither of us would ever discount the evil that has occurred in the Church. Nor would we ever "discredit" or minimize the pain felt by victims. However, there are also very specific reasons the Church handles things the way it does. Does that mean that the Church is wrong or somehow perpetrating evil? I don't think so.

I read an article from News Blaze (not really sure how credible they are) about Father Lawrence Murphy, the Wisconsin Priest who supposedly abused more than 200 deaf boys.

The article is filled with outlandish statements, and inciting words. And, like ABC News, plenty of misstatements of fact, and unanswered leading questions. The article references a NY Times article about the scandal, and Mr. Kays likes to reference the almighty word of the Times' as the definitive answer for guilt and also for what punishment is just. (Which strikes me as a bit odd...don't we have some other system for determining guilt and administering punishment?)

I find it interesting that Kays at first attempts to malign the now deceased priest as some sort of super con-artist who found all the right loop-holes to fool the Church. He (Kays) even says "One senses that the Doctrine of Faith was never aware of how urgent this matter truly was." That's correct, sir. The Church in fact didn't know how "urgent" this matter was. Mr. Kays urges his readers to "meticulously read" the documents to understand how Father Murphy was not defrocked.

Yes, perhaps Mr. Kays should heed his own advice. "It's been known since 1955 that this priest ....was a sexual predator." Nice. Thanks for playing the semantics game to benefit your anti-Catholic position, Mr. Kays. Maybe he should take a look at when the article, and the Times' makes mention of anyone stepping forward. 1974. Some victims made 'wanted' posters. By the way, that was 1974. NOT 1955. Or 1960, when a named victim says that the priest began to abuse him. No. 1974. So what happened in 1974, when the archbishop found out? He removed him from that position. Did I also mention that at the time the civil authorities discredited the accusations? (That's not to excuse the behavior, but where is the uproar against the police and prosecutor for not doing their job?)

So, in 1996, when Bishop Weakland wrote the vatican to look into the matter, the response was not what he wanted. Yes, the Vatican decided that it would not pursue the issue, because it was too stale. (We have the same thing here in the US. It's called a statute of limitations. Something bad happen to you? report it. didn't report it in time? Can't do anything.) By the way, did you pay attention to when the Vatican heard about this? That would be 1996. about 40 years after this began, and at least 22 years since it ended. Then, after the Vatican had the *audacity!* to follow the laws, they decided that Fr. Murphy should be given forgiveness. (the outrage!) Is my sarcasm showing?

Anyway, I can now move on to the real point of this post. The Pope's "involvement."

You see, Mr. Kays, the NYTimes, and all kinds of other media, wants you to believe that the Pope knew about this from day one. That Fr. Murphy in fact, wasn't a con-artist. That the Pope covered it up. Shuffled a priest around so he could "have more victims." Or help out his "buddy." The writer says just as much. "The motives of both the archbishop and the Vatican were to brush this dirt under the rug." "We get a good idea of how the Church conducts their business. In secrecy. With leniency." Then, SNAP leader, Peter Isley gets a say of just how 'bad' the Vatican is, as he proclaims that this scandal "is as bad as it can get and as high as it can get."

Yes, the Pope did it! he knew all along! He shuffled this priest around! Since 1996! You know, when the priest was 70, retired, and very ill. Yes, the Pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger) should have done something, right? Uhhh, like what? It's my understanding that the victims now have "nothing be contempt for the Catholic Church." What exactly was the appropriate response to a charge like this against a 70-year old priest, who hadn't any reports of other abuse since the "statute of limitations" ran out? Defrock him? What would that solve? The damage was done. These victims were very likely not going to be made whole by such action. Maybe not have a proper funeral, as Mr. Kays seems to think would have been appropriate? Again, what solution would this have been?

Tell me, what should the Cardinal have done? It wasn't even as though he could go to the Wisconsin authorities and report him; they had already done their investigation years before! Oh, but there is revenge! Mr. Kays points out that the day of reckoning has finally come for these victims, because now the truth is out, and they can....do what exactly? What are they looking for? I found nowhere in the article anything that said these victims were dedicating their lives to the furtherance of programs to help prevent clerical abuse. I didn't find anything that said they wanted an apology from the Pope. No. But these poor victims sure are being used by anti-Catholic media and groups like SNAP to further their smear campaign against our Holy Father! I just find it hard to believe that these groups are doing anyone any good by their continual assault against the Pope and the Vatican...unless their real goal is to further their agenda. But I'll leave that to you to decide.

Pray for the Holy Father, that the awful smearing be stopped. Also, pray for these poor victims, that they may come to find peace in the Lord.

Posted by: Brian

UPDATE***

The Vatican has responded to the underhanded tactics being used by the media to falsely entangle the Holy Father in the Scandal*

LGT ABC News. Take it with a grain of salt ;)

The Passion & The Reason - A Video

So I made this music video a few years ago. It was actually my first attempt at video making. I had zero experience, so that is why the quality/compression is so low.

I made it more as a "practice" video than anything... as it was just a concept in my mind that I tried to bring to life. A few people that I dared show it to liked it, so I finally put it up on YouTube. At the time there were no other videos that used this song. Now there are a ton. I can say that it was an original idea of mine,  but hopefully you accept my word on that subject.

I wasn't sure if I was going to put it up, and in fact kinda forgot about it. Someone reminded me of it today, and so I checked on YouTube and there it was... so I hope someone gets something from it. (There is a lot of "symbolism" in it... and I'd be happy to share if anyone cares, in terms of why I put certain things in the video and not others. Also, this is an edited version... I can't find my original... I used it for a youth group and was asked to take some of the more "violent" parts out so that we didn't need permission slips to show it.)

The house edge on blackjack worsens

Well, the inevitable has begun to happen. When the recession first hit and credit dried up, everyone predicted the casinos would lose out. If the banks squeeze credit, people cannot maintain their levels of discretionary spending and, sadly, gambling is always going to be one of the choices made less often. The prediction then ran on: if fewer people go into casinos and those that do go spend less, the casinos will find their profits under pressure. At this point, the forecasters would take a deep breath. This will not be a problem so long as the casinos hold their nerve. The economy will slowly pick up. Confidence will return as consumers save less and spend more. In three to five years time, casino revenues will be back to their normal levels. But, and this is where the forecasters would look grim, if the casinos try to suck extra dollars of profit out of fewer players, they risk killing the golden goose. So which way have casinos played their hands?

In most states, blackjack has always been the biggest table game. But in 2009, casinos across the US lost an average 20% of their annual revenue from the tables. When you lose such a big slice of your revenue from just one game, this puts pressure on the casino operators. Unfortunately, they have tended to move in the wrong direction. Most states regulate on the basis of a 3:2 payout on blackjack (i.e. if you bet $10 and win, the casino pays $15). In Colorado, operators have applied for an increase in table odds to 6:5 (i.e. a winning $10 bet pays out only $12). For those of you who like the math, this lifts the house edge from 1.5% to 2.9%. In Nevada, the table odds moved to 6:5 months ago, closely followed by a general raise in the table minimums. This drove away the casual players and, not surprisingly, the high rollers followed. The casinos shot themselves in the foot by both tightening the rules and reducing the payouts.

Where has the business gone? Well, the hard core gamblers have decided they don't like the deck being so obviously stacked against them. There's no reason why should they tolerate low payouts when online casinos have kept their table odds at a fair level and not changed their table minimums. Online, you can still play at $1 or $5 tables if that's all you want to risk. The higher table minimums are there if you want them but there's no pressure. In the real world, slightly stressed staff are trying to encourage you to spend more. Sitting in the peace of your own home, you can pull a beer out of the fridge and take life easy. There are so many good online casinos where you can play blackjack with many different styles of online blackjack to choose from. If the mood takes you, there are tournaments to play. If the money runs out, you can always play for free. This is one time when the greed of the real world operators has worked against them. In the good old days before the internet, it was a real world casino or nothing. Now that the internet has come of age and the quality of the casino software has improved, the real world casinos have a real fight on their hands if they want to remain relevant.

If we are informatio

If we are information marketers living in an info age, why do we throw out perfectly good info every moment every day? http://htxt.it/CPxI

A re-write....

I have taken an article out of context, and re-written it below. Here is the original:
http://www.only-positive-news.com/archives/1232

See how you like the re-write:

If social psychologists have proven anything during the last 30 years, they have proven that the actions we take leave a residue inside us. Every time we act, we amplify the underlying idea or tendency behind it. Most people presume the reverse: that our traits and attitudes affect our behavior. While this is true to a certain extent (though less so than commonly supposed), it is also true that our traits and attitudes follow our behavior. We are as likely to act ourselves into a new way of thinking as to think ourselves into a new way of acting.

There is a practical moral here for us all. Do we wish to change ourselves in some important way? Perhaps get better at Scrum or convince people of the principles behind Scrum? Well, a potent strategy is to get up and start doing that very thing. Start doing Scrum. And ask them, as Coleridge said, to willingly suspend disbelief. Don’t worry that you don’t feel like it. Fake it. Pretend that you want to do it. Feign optimism. Just do it. Do it as an experiment.

In doing Scrum, they typically find that all the fears of how it won't work melt away, or at least become much less. And they also experience all the good things about Scrum (one example: the building of trust between the technology side and the business side).

Yes, telling people to act or talk positively sounds like telling people to be phony. But, as usually happens when we step into some new role–perhaps our first days “playing” parent, salesperson, or teacher–an amazing thing happens: The phoniness gradually subsides. We notice that our uncomfortable sense of being a parent, for instance, no longer feels forced. The new role–and the new behaviors and accompanying attitudes–have begun to fit us as comfortably as an old pair of blue jeans.

The moral: Going through the motions can trigger the emotions. Surely you’ve noticed. You’re in a testy mood, but when the phone rings you feign cheer while talking to a friend. Strangely, after hanging up, you no longer feel so grumpy. Such is the value of social occasions–they impel us to behave as if we were happy, which in fact helps free us from our unhappiness.

Granted, we can’t expect ourselves to become adept at Scrum overnight. But rather than limply resign ourselves to our current practices (waterfall?), we can stretch ourselves, step by step. Rather than waiting until we are utterly and completely confident that we *know* Scrum will work in our new special situation, we can begin. If we are too anxious, modest, or indifferent, we can pretend, trusting that before long the pretense will diminish as our actions ignite a spark inside–the spark that will lead to happiness.

* * *

MLM Information-No Luck in MLM?

Today, there are many people in work from home business opportunities. One particular home business which seems to teem with frustrated distributors is network marketing. There are many reasons why reps may be struggling. These include a lack of skills, a lack of a duplicatable training system, poor company management, policies and procedures with a lot of "gotcha's", etc.

There is another area that distributors miss which is unfortunate because overlooking it can keep them garage qualified and cut into their earning and profits. This has to do with products.

No question, all legitimate mlm companies have remarkable products. The question to ask is, are the products priced so high nobody can afford them?

You see, there are 9 main manufacturing most mlm companies send their nutrition product formulas to to be manufactured. I think most reps would be correct in believing that since this is the case, the product price should be within pennies of each other. Then, if the quality and quantity are the same as well, why the big difference in prices?

Here is what usually happens. Because the the retail price is high, it is easier to sell at wholesale prices. This drives a whole lotta recruiting and getting prospects to sign up with the deal because after all, the wholesale price is much cheaper.

But the question remains, why so high to begin with which necessitates the recruiting hunt. Well, many times, companies are publicly traded which comes with a whole lot of expenses, including making sure the shareholders are satisfied and paid. In addition, some companies have huge overheads such a jets, bid multi-million dollar buildings, and other similar things.

No matter the case, it is clear these expenses will drive up product prices as the companies need the money for all these fancy extras. The bottom line for you as a rep is if the product is to high, you won't be able to build successfully since no one will buy the product.

So, if you are struggling in mlm and understanding why you can't make your home business work, your lack of success is not your fault. It could be the cards are stacked against you. Learn all you can, get educated, so that you can choose a company where you can achieve success.


To Your Success,

Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

P.S. Most people who read the ebook, Success in 10 Steps and coaching from from Mentoring for Free find why their lack of success in NOT their fault. They feel grateful to have someone walk right beside them until they achieve success. Click here to get your copy

http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

Changing people (that would include you)

I am involved with Scrum as a coach and trainer. And occasionally (well, more or less daily), I get the question: "I would really really like to do Scrum (better), but I need to change X, Y, and Z." And X, Y and Z are people or groups of people at that person's organization.

And, just to remind us of how utterly impossible it feels, let me add. "People don't resist changing; they resist being changed." ("Zen master, why such an impossible koan today?")

(We must also remember that it is not only "they" who must change. We must change also, starting with our blindness to our own need to change. Arrogance is not charming.)

And I totally sympathize. I too would like to see Scrum used more and better (or better and more). And to me the key impediment is in the mind of man (or particular people).

Or is it in the mind?

I take Hapkido, and I truly like and greatly greatly respect the master of the dojo. An American. One of his favorite phrases is: "Fake it until you make it." And of course that has many applications.

Then, look at this article: http://www.only-positive-news.com/archives/1232
Or maybe better, look at this re-write of that article: http://agileconsortium.blogspot.com/2010/03/re-write.html

I am not all into some of the touchy-feelly stuff in the original article, but the basic point rings truer and truer to me. The action teaches the mind what the values and principles really are. Well, it would if they were paying more attention. And, even when not, it does teach them some. Reality is a great teacher. And then the wiser teacher can teach based upon experience, not upon mere ideas in the mind.

So, today I heard this saying: "We do not think our way into a new way of acting, we act our way into a new way of thinking." (A version of this saying is used in the article.)

Surely this saying needs some explanation, especially for those who are strongly (and only) rationalists. And surely it is not complete. But I can tell you from my experience that a man who is only convinced in the head will do the practices of Scrum in a very weak manner, while a person who "gets it" will do them so much better. ["Gets it" is the simple, opaque and yet totally obvious phrase some of us coaches use. If you have not experienced it, apologies, because it will sound totally stupid.]

I call Scrum a "drama-in-real-life". By which I mean that in enacting the drama, the people will learn. All the parties. And, with a wise teacher, over time many good things will result. Many good things will be learned in enacting the drama.

So, one answer to "how do I change those people?" is: start the drama-in-real-life of Scrum, and use that to enable them to change. Wait for the teachable moment, and show them what they are almosting in their knowledge of agile. You can observe a lot just by looking, Yogi said. And learn a lot just by acting, Kert said.

Palm Sunday & Holy Week: A Primer

I remember before I went through RCIA to come back to the Faith, I encountered many of the regular events of the Faith with an attitude similar to how we encounter Memorial Day. We sort of take the meaning of the day for granted and get wrapped up in the "customs" and personal traditions that make the day what it is for US. Lost in this type of thinking is the meaning of what those events really meant.

Easter is an easy day to know the meaning of, and so is Good Friday, but as we embark upon Holy Week, the pinnacle of our faith, we should know the true meaning of the days and events that we will encounter. Not only to satisfy our quest for knowledge but also to enliven and enlarge our inner faith.

The following primer on Holy Week is taken from Father Charles White's Blog. Father White is a priest in Michigan, at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth. Please check out his blog... and read his other posts. Here is his quick explanation of some of the highlights of Holy Week [Emphases mine]:

This Sunday is known as Palm Sunday and it marks the beginning of Holy Week. Palm Sunday commemorates Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before His Passion. On Palm Sunday, we all receive blessed palms, which remind us of the palm branches that the people spread on the road before the Lord as He processed into the city amidst the acclamation of the crowd. At the Palm Sunday liturgy, there may also be a more solemn entrance procession, which, is yet another external reminder of our Lord’s solemn procession.


The entire purpose of the liturgical year is to help us to walk with our Lord in the various events of His earthly life. During all of Lent our focus has been directed to the Passion of Our Lord in a general way. Holy Week focuses us in a particular way on each of the last days of Our Lord’s life before His Passion, death and Resurrection.


Wednesday in Holy Week was traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” because on that day the Gospel reading recounts how Judas began to conspire with the Pharisees to put Jesus to death.


Holy Thursday is a day in which we remember the Lord’s Last Supper as well as the institution of the ordained priesthood. In the morning there is a Mass at the Cathedral with the Archbishop. At that Mass priests are invited to renew the promises that they made at their ordination. It is also at that Mass that the Sacred Chrism will be consecrated. That Chrism will be used to anoint the hands of the men who will be ordained this coming May.


In the evening of Holy Thursday, we commemorate the fact that Our Lord washed the feet of His Apostles. At that Mass, the priest liturgically re-enacts that sacred event by washing the feet of twelve men from the parish.


Good Friday is the only day of the entire year when we do not celebrate Mass. On Good Friday we remember the day Our Lord died for us and was buried. We have a liturgy in which we are all invited to come forward and venerate the cross. We also have a Communion service, but Mass is not celebrated on that day as a reminder of that day that Our Savior spent in the tomb.


Easter Vigil (Saturday evening) is one of the most important (and my favorite) liturgical celebrations of the entire year. It begins with the blessing of the Easter Candle and a candlelight procession. There are many beautiful prayers and the Gloria is sung while the bells peal and ring out as a sign of our joy. There are several readings from the Old Testament, which recount Creation and Salvation history. During the Vigil the candidates who have been in the RCIA will be Baptized, Confirmed and receive first Holy Communion. It is truly a extraordinary celebration. If you have never attended an Easter Vigil, I highly recommend you come and experience it for yourself.


God bless,
Father White

This is a quick run through of the week. There are many other parts to the week, but at the very least we should know this basic explanation. I will keep all of you in my prayers, and I hope that your Holy Week is one full of revelation and blessings.

A picture worth... some words...

h/t: Moonbattery
Courtesey of: Political Math

-Posted by: Joe

New Layout - Open Thread...

So as you can see... I changed up the blog layout. I went to an "extreme" and put about as many "changes" into the mix as possible.

I am hoping some of you will use the Comment Box on this post to let me know in more detail what you think. After all, you are the readers, and have to look at this thing.

Just to let you know... I am still a little unsure of the "color of the" background and the bottom of the blog. I dont know how many people use the "topics cloud" or the "blog archive" but they at the bottom for lack of a better place.

So please... take a minute and leave your thoughts in a comment!

Don't believe there is an Anti-Catholic bias in the media?

Think again!

The sex abuse scandal that is currently in the news is a horrible thing. I know that. We as Catholics have to endure this and endure the struggles against our Church perpetrated by evil desires and some evil people. What we must do is call for the truth. Truth in the accusations, truth in the way things are handled by the Church, and truth in the reporting about these incidents.

Unfortunately, there is a HORRIBLE Anti-Catholic bias in the media. They are attempting to use these scandals to mar and destroy the Church. If you don't believe that, and think I am exaggerating let me use an example from ABC News Online story: Pope Benedict Cannot Be Fired.

It is a silly headline to begin with, but I understand the outrage. I also understand many people have a very primary understanding of the Church and the position of Pope.

What I cannot understand is how ABC News can and will blatantly misinform and lie about the facts of this ordeal. Or how they allow things to be printed that are not only wrong, but also use the source of that misinformation as a credible analyst on this issue.

Let me show you some examples of what I am talking about:

"He is really accountable to no one, and that is the history," said former priest Richard Sipe, author of the 1990 book, "A Secret World" about the priesthood. "There have been a pope or two who have resigned, several hundred have been murdered, but it's a very stable organization from the top down. What other monarchy do you know that's lasted for 2,000 years?"

"He is untouchable, there is no question about that," Sipe said.

This is a small point, but it shows the lengths to which ABC and other media outlets will go to harm and taint the view of the Church and the Papacy. So let me go through the problems with this blurb.

1. This is a former priest. So they are pushing him as some sort of AUTHORITY on the Papacy. What they don't tell you is WHY he is not longer a priest. They instead allow the reader to assume why. Most people will infer that he left because of some displeasure.
2. He wrote a book in 1990. It doesn't say how long he was a priest, when he left the priesthood, or what the books was about. Again they leave it to the readers to infer what it is about based on the title and the theme of this story. Wonder what they want us to assume? 
3. The book, "A Secret World", isn't about the secrecy of the priesthood or the Papacy. In fact, a quick browse of its Amazon Page shows that it is instead a book about the celibacy of priests. Ahh... the whole "this wouldn't happen if we let priests marry" angle... is that really where ABC wants to go?
4. So what does Mr. Sipe say? Well first he says that a pope or two have resigned. In actuality easy and quick research shows that it was more than that. The number is around 7 but there is a lot of disagreement about the actual number, and it depends on what you count as a "resignation." Regardless, I don't think Sipe was trying to be accurate here, instead I think he was trying to make it seem as if few men WILLINGLY relinquish this "power."
5. Then comes the statement that blew me away... "several hundred have been murdered..."?!?!? What? No. That can't be right? Of course not, but let's see how BAD of a misstatement this was.
1. There have been 266 Popes*. Now, granted this number is debatable or arguable for various reasons. For argument sake, let's go with this number, since it is used by Newadvent.org
2. The term several is highly ambiguous. Yet, it often means to be more than 2 or 3 but "not a lot." Again let's err on the low side and by several he meant between 300-400.
3. The problem is already evident.
4. Wikipedia lists 8 official "Murdered Popes." Generally I won't use wikipedia for "research" but I figure that at the VERY least the editors and writers at ABC know how to use google and can click on the wikipedia article. (They also list 11 "suspicious deaths" of Popes.
5. So 7-10 resignations = "a Pope or two" while 8 Murders = "several hundred."
6. Monarchy. Do I even have to explain how wrong this is? Ok good.

So how does this show bias? I think it is pretty evident. ABC clearly didn't check the facts, nor did they explain Mr. Sipe's comments. They left too much to the imagination of their readers. These are professionals. They get paid to work hours a day doing JUST this. I mean, this writer probably worked on this article for days, and didn't fact check these things? Why? 

I'll tell you why. They want to paint the Church in the worst possible light. There isn't another explanation. If there is one... tell me, and I will easily tell you how that explanation is an excuse and not an explanation. Sure a media source can write a story with any slant they want. Yet ABC purports itself to be an objective news source. It is clearly Anti-Catholic. So... if in just that one paragraph they are willing to allow so much misinformation and Anti-Catholic sentiment through... imagine how much more exists in the rest of this story, and the rest of the stories out there by other outlets with an even larger anti-Catholic and anti-Christian agenda? Be careful what you read.

-Posted by: Joe