California Prop. 8 Decision - Our Blogging Policy

If you have not heard, a Federal Court Judge has struck down California's "Proposition 8" Law banning same-sex marriage in California.

As you can imagine, the Catholic and Conservative blogging world will be set aflame over the next few days regarding this issue. Since this blog focuses on legal topics that touch on the Catholic faith we almost feel obligated to discuss it at some point. That being said, I can guarantee that most of us will get more than our "fill" of posts regarding this issue.

I am not suggesting that it isn't an important topic, but at some point too much of anything creates an adverse reaction to the subject and folks will begin to ignore these posts altogether. That is why a unique perspective is important, so that blog posts aren't simply becoming echoes of one another.

Therefore, the policy of our blog will be to try to ensure that when we do discuss it that we will try to present an angle or take on the subject that is fresh and interesting. Surely most blogs try to do this regardless of the subject matter, but because a case like this will garner so much attention and commentary, overlap is bound to occur from blog to blog. That is why we will do our best to present this issue to you in a way that will give you reason to read it. Please look forward to our posts, once we have been able to read the decision and determine what implications it has. For reporting on the issue, or other people's "takes" please see the bottom of this post.

Lastly, this decision has important effects that will reach far into our justice system, due to the way that it was written. I have not been able to read the entire thing yet, but from some of the sections that I have... there seem to be some very strong legal implications that will echo much deeper than simply the issue of same-sex marriage in California. So please continue to pray for our judges, legislators, and people involved in this situation. It is far from over.

For more up-to-date coverage please see:
The American Papist - Prop. 8 Ruling
Cardinal George's Statement on the Issue
American Principles Project - Statement on Prop. 8 Court Decision
The Heritage Foundation's Take

No TV until AUGUST

I have a challenge for you all: Don't watch TV until August. My wife doesn't know it yet, but we will participate in this as well.

Why this challenge? Well aside from the fact that before we got to Alaska we didn't really watch TV (we had a TV with rabbit ears that was used for MOVIES only we never bought one of those digital antennas, so we didn't get regular TV). There is also the fact that a few of our friends don't watch TV, and I ran across two interesting blog posts. One talks about the issues with modern film, while the other talks about TV.

I am so frustrated because we pay for cable, and it is awful. I really have turned it on, scanned the channel menu and thought: "There is literally nothing good on, but I need to watch something because I am paying for it." Why are we paying for it? Well, my wife was pregnant with our little bear cub this winter, and it was our first winter in Alaska. You know, the place where it gets dark at 4pm and doesn't get light again until 10am the next day? Yeah, well we also got it because you can't get unlimited Internet without getting the TV package as well. So we thought, "What the heck, what can it hurt?" It is so frustrating... paying for the garbage that we get. So I am instituting this challenge to show you how great it can be without TV.

This isn't one of those: "Holier than thou" messages. This is... I don't watch a lot of TV as it is, I have friends that don't even have TV, and we aren't missing anything. Sure TV is great for some things. Sports... sometimes. But guess what... the playoffs are about the only thing you HAVE to watch. (I know many will argue that isn't even necessary... but there really isn't any necessity in watching ANYTHING.)

So here are the rules:

1. NO TV until August 1. That means no news, no cartoons for the kids, nothing. Actually TRY... no excuses.
2. Watching one movie is ok on your TV or computer. Between now and Sunday, 1 is more than enough.
3. Watching HULU, Netflix, etc... is not OK, That is cheating.
4. YouTube is ok, as long as you don't sit and watch 48 videos in a row.
5. Sports... I thought about this... looked at the schedules and there really isn't anything super important on. We are in the midst of JULY baseball, and Canadian Football. Don't watch sports either.

We are talking 3 and 1/2 days. You can do it. Your brain and soul will thank you.

Read the Bible. Read a book. Read a blog. Bake a Cake. Write a Book. Go fishing. Play with your kids. Build a fort. Build a Rocket. Wash your dog. Go for a walk. Knit, Perl, Knit. Clean your rifle, hunting season is coming. Adjust your bow, hunting season is coming. Go to the library.

~Pray~

Try it... just til Sunday, then report back and let me know how you did... and what you did.

N.B.:
Netflix, Blockbust, Hulu, etc... these things can be used in a responsible way. In fact, if we could get rid of our cable, I would use just those things, and would consider that very different from TV. There is a difference between watching something intentionally, setting aside the time for it, and doing it as leisure. That is very different from having the TV be the focal point of your living room.

Father's Day "Wish"

My "wish" for Father's Day is this... at Mass in the morning... I don't want the priest to pleasantly ask all "Fathers" to stand, and then invite the congregation of the faithful to "show some sign of their appreciation." Instead... I want a homily about God the FATHER. I want to hear a strong and bold message about what TRUE FATHERHOOD means. I want to hear about St. Joseph. Then I want to be chastised. I want to hear about how fathers are failing their families. I want to hear how feminism is run amok, because many men have become effeminate pansies, in order to "fit into our culture." I want to hear how the "absent" father in our parishes is one of the single most harmful causes to the problems of our Faith. I want to hear how fathers have turned their backs on their wives and children to become slaves to pornography and sin. I want to hear how the once strong and faithful head of the household, has become the butt of sitcom jokes as the calamity-ridden, immature fool... and the stereotype is deserved of many men. I want to hear how fathers need to stand up, take back their faith, take back their families, and become true authentic men. Men of Faith, fidelity, truth, honor, justice, and love.

I doubt this will happen... instead, I am sure we will all stand, and the people will clap...

PS.

I know a lot of great fathers out there. My father was one of them. I do think that true authentic fathers exist. My point is that many fall short... we all fall short in some way. I just think that our faith often ignores and dances around problems when they are uncomfortable or confrontational. When better to show strength, courage, and encourage change then on father's day? 

CatholicCulture.org: A Catholic Orthodoxy Tool

A quick little reminder/plug for readers. A while back a few people I know, including a priest pointed me to:

CatholicCulture.org

The website is both a news & information site, as well as a reference for different "Websites." It originally started as a "vetting" site for Catholic Websites, to help users quickly determine the Orthodoxy of different sites and groups.

On the top of the website, you can input various search terms, and it will give you a list of articles, and reviews of the site. It lists strengths and weaknesses of the site or group according to Catholic Teaching. It also gives an OVERALL rating of the site. Sites that get their stamp of approval are given a GREEN UP ARROW, while sites that have an overwhelming number of issues get a RED DOWN ARROW. You can browse various site reviews by clicking on "Resource Center" and then on "Site Reviews." 

Some of their Top Rated sites are:

American Life League

Catholic Answers

EWTN

RealCatholic TV

TAN Books

Some of their "Danger List" are:

America, National Catholic Weekly

Call To Action
Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministries
Fish Eaters

Pax Christi

CatholicCulture.org is listed on my sidebar, so it is easy to find. Some people have tried to criticize it in the past as being "traditional" or "traddy" but it isn't. It is highly critical of sites like Fish Eaters, which many "Traddys" view as a site similar to Catholic.org and Catholic Answers. It does a good job of EXPLAINING why it rates the sites the way that it does for a reason.

Some websites in the RED, may have some folks wondering, "WHY THEM?" Well, I think they are very fair and do a good job of researching and explaining. I have asked around quite a bit to people who deal in Catholic media, and quite a few orthodox minded priests, organizations, and catholic "media" folks use this site as a basis for research. If nothing else, they use it as a jumping off point. Obviously, some of the "RED" groups, might have useful sites for various reasons, but for those unfamiliar with some of this stuff, it at least acts as a warning mechanism to show you why there might be certain parts of a site that are less than orthodox or true to Catholic teaching.

I suggest trying it out. Have a group or organization that your parish supports? Do a search on them. Have a religious education or catechesis curriculum that you have some issues with? Do a search. Have a Catholic periodical you read, and want to know how ORTHODOX it is... Do a search. If nothing else the website explains, through RESEARCH various aspects of many Catholic websites... you'll be surprised what you find.

The Perfect Game... almost; lessons in morality from baseball.

If I could blog for a living... I would have had time to have written this:

Replay Will Ruin Baseball - The Anchoress

She hits it out of the park.

Let us imagine that REPLAY did exist in baseball...

So last night, Galaragga steps on the base... and "SAFE!"

WHAT SAFE!?!?!

Here comes Jim Leyland, out to the umpire.

The crowd is booing...

Leyland is yelling, and he throws the red flag/challenges the call/asks for the replay/insert use of replay here

and in the booth we hear:

"Well Rod, it looks like he was out to me... a perfect game hangs in the balance."

"You are right Mario, he was clear-dilly-out. Oh my goodness... maybe he bobbled it?"

"Well Rod, the city of Detroit collectively holds its breath as the umpire huddles around the screen with headphones on."

"Mario, can you believe this, history hangs in the balance, we wait with frosty breath, and Galarraga must be just filled with emotion ready to burst or deflate."

"Well Rod... while we wait... we will be right back after these messages."

"Welcome back... the umpire looks as if he is taking off the headphones, lets wait for the call..."

"HE'S OUT, HE'S OUT!! WHAT AN AMAZING GAME!!!! THANK GOODNESS FOR THE REPLAY!"

A little anti-climatic don't you think.

Like I said the Anchoress hit a homer with her post... I say this as a Tiger fan, as a Detroit boy... leave the game alone it is perfect... well... almost...

And she makes "3"...

Not to be morbid or to take joy in death, but the celebrity deaths in "3's" thing usually rings true. Not because of some curse, or weird cosmological occurrence... just the way the world is.

So we now know who fills this triumvirate:

Golden Girl - Rue McClanahan - RIP

Now this doesn't directly relate to Catholicism, and I wanted to make sure that I kept this a CATHOLIC blog, so the reason I posted it is because I was thinking about why we are fascinated with DEATH, as a culture.

Some would simply respond, we are the Culture of Death... a la, the fascination. I would disagree, I don't think that this type of fascination, is exactly what Pope John Paul II meant by the "culture of death." I may be wrong, but I think his reasoning was a bit different. I do think it ties in though.

I have been wanting to do a post about the idea of the culture of death, and this little quirky cultural thing popped up. So I have to ask... why this odd fascination with the deaths of stars?

The Morality In Jobs

The nice thing about long drives with people is it enables you to talk... or sometimes forces you to do so. Yesterday, Dan of Gun Lovin' Alaskan Catholic Club and I went out to our hunting site to put some bait out. The drive was a good 30-45 minutes each way, and it enabled us to talk about "stuff." You know, the random conversations that flow from topic to topic, and evolve organically into really deep life issues. 

We started talking about "Moral Issues" in our jobs, or more precisely how we deal with these issues balancing our Catholic faith and the requirements of our job to ensure we get paid and therefore feed and house our family. Working in the legal field, it is really easy to think of situations where morality and my faith are implicated. In fact, I deal with it on an almost daily issue. Honestly, this makes it easier I think because I went into the field knowing that I would be dealing with such issues. In fact, I went to a law school that specifically prepared for for such issues, and one that taught me how to think from a Natural Law philosophical base. Therefore, I feel as if I am ready for the day to day onslaught of morally difficult situations.

What seemed harder were jobs where the difficult moral situations weren't around every corner. Let's say a person that works at a home improvement store? What are the serious moral issues that come up, where as a worker you say, "As a Catholic how do I handle this situation?" Obviously you can construct situations in your head; for example if a person comes in and asks how to build a temple to satan, you might have to get someone else to help them.

The difficulty comes in when you need to balance your faith, with your responsibility and obligation to your employer. So what are some odd or unexpected moral situations you all have been in, and how have you handled it? This is more of an open thread type of post... more of a question than an answer, but I think it is interesting and would like to know how you all dealt with the surprises that pop up at work.

Miss USA - The hypocrisy of it all....

So there once was a Miss California who got into a lot of trouble for some racy photos that existed of her, and she almost lost her Miss California Crown. The real reason that she came under fire though, is that she answered a question about gay marriage the "wrong way." [She spoke against it.] But after the pageant, the scandal was all about some photos of her in next to nothing. Here is the photo that made the uproar:

Look... I am not here to defend Carrie Prejean, or the photo. I also know that some other things, such as lewd movies and other such things were discovered with Prejean in them. Again, I am not making a case for her becoming a Saint. Although, I will go on record to say that I think she did try and speak out, and speak her mind. She had more skeletons in the closet than one would like, but it shows how women in our society can very easily get sucked into the world of sex and sin, especially when they look like Prejean.

My point is... she was demonized for these photos. She even had to defend herself and her title as Ms. California, against these media and legal attacks. All the while the media was lambasting her for being a hypocrite. Well... look who is calling the kettle black.

Miss USA photos have hit the web... official photos and are creating quite the stir. You can find them at the ABC  - MISS USA WEBSITE - but I warn you... the Prejean photo above is less racy than most of these photos. In fact... the one most people say is the "cleanest" is this one:

I expect this from the world, I really do. The "Sex Sells" mentality pervades our culture. But what I don't understand is how the media gets away with this. I don't blame Miss USA, I don't even blame the contestants really. Like I said, when you are in that world, and that subculture of "beauty and sex" the slope is very, very.... VERY slippery. It isn't hard for someone to tell them, "they are tasteful and artistic" and have them dropping their clothes. What I DON'T understand is how the media, celebrity blogs, and social sites get a FREE PASS. They destroyed Carrie Prejean, but are now just oogling over these pics. How is it that they get this free pass? Is it because we let them? I think many of "us" out here in the world are to blame.

I am sure many will watch the MISS USA pageant thinking it isn't a big deal. We will continue to buy the magazines that support this, watch ABC, and continue to give into the culture of sex and death, all the while a girl who made mistakes in her past, and TRIED to be a role model is forever tainted. Will these girls be forever tainted? If one spoke up that she was Christian... I am sure the same media that lauds these photos would call her a hypocrite.

They want your sex... they just don't want your God - it makes things too messy and complicated.

The Theology of South Park

So a few weeks back South Park bent to the demands of terrorists. Now they are planning on a show about Jesus leaving heaven to go live in NYC away from his "video game playing Father."

A bunch of Catholics are upset over this.

Some are being much more rational, like The Anchoress.

My take is a little different. I say big whoop. As my wife said, Terrorists are scary, a bunch of Catholics praying are not. She makes a good point. Not only that, but can't we laugh at ourselves? I don't mean endorse the show, I don't even disagree with a boycott here or there, but are we really shocked or offended by this... REALLY? Should we be?

And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. - Matthew 10:22

And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake. But he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved. - Mark 13:13

As Catholics can't we laugh at ourselves? Can't we find humor in the divine? Again, I am not endorsing this... but of course they censored the Muslim jokes... they are afraid. I think actions speak louder than words... and this says something about our faith, the practice of that faith, and our mission within the faith.

Former Marvel/DC Comic Illustrator turns to Christian Comics

Found this story over at "A Catholic View":

Professional illustrators come in all shapes and sizes, but very few of them have a pro-life or Christian perspective. But that is something that Dan Lawlis, a professional illustrator for over 20 years who has created comic book art for companies like Marvel and DC Comics, wants to change.


Lawlis is endeavoring to use the internet to bring a new comic book vision to the world, and has made his first go at the effort with the comic called “Orange Peel” – a story set in a technologically advanced future, where evil aliens plot to take-over the neighboring planet Godderth for conquest. However, they first plan to make conquest easy by getting the inhabitants of Godderth to abandon their morality, destroy the family unit, and become so morally impoverished that they will welcome their would-be conquerors with open arms.


The premise of the book is that somewhere in the future, human beings learned how to transport themselves to distant planets, but the transportation led to transformations in their appearance, making them alien-like.


The comic’s artwork is visually stunning and appealing, and little wonder: Lawlis has worked on characters like Spiderman, the Hulk, X-Men and more.


But those characters, he said in an e-mail to LifeSiteNews.com (LSN), are more or less atheistic in their outlook. Instead, he was looking for a character that would appeal to comic book and science fiction fans and help introduce a pro-life Christian message “into what is mostly an anti-Christian atheist entertainment culture.”

You can also read the story at Life Site News: Marvel/DC Illustrator creates Pro-Life Comic

His artwork is pretty sweet! I wish he would do a "Defend Us in Battle..." comic. I could write for him, he could illustrate... oh the gloriousness of Angels & Saints battling it out in the spiritual realm against some demons... oh what imaginative gloriousness! Anyways... go check out his site... and drop him some love either via email or donations.

ORANGE PEEL.com

Social Experiment...with a Rosary

I don't see it so much now that I live in Alaska, but in any major city in America you will find people in everyday life outwardly expressing their religious beliefs. This is usually done in the form of religious dress, but there are other means as well. But do we as Catholics ever do that? Maybe to some small degree, but I rarely can spot a Catholic in a crowd... why is that? I wrote this post a while ago:Prayer Challenge: Rosary

What if we walked around physically holding a rosary. Not necessarily praying it completely but using it as a sort of reminder? Or what if we looped it on our belts like monk or nun? I know there is a concern of "wearing" religious Sacramentals as jewelry, but why don't we have more outward signs of our faith that correspond to daily life? Maybe we should try this... see what happens. It might even get us to pray more... :) But if nothing else it will get others to recognize that there are Catholics out there, normal everyday people.

The Consequences of Sex

Sword-tip to: Aggie Catholics:

These are some STUNNING Pictures. They speak for themselves.

Top Gun

Whatever happened to movies and characters like Maverick? "Top Gun" came out in 1986. I was 6 or 7 years old at the time and for the next 6-10 years I wanted to be Maverick. In fact, upon watching this movie on TV tonight, I Facebooked a friend that shared the desire to be a Top Gun Pilot with me. Granted she and I were in 5th or 6th grade at the time, and our dream existed during the height of the Cold War, but still it was what just about every kid dreamed about at our age.

Maverick was everything a guy wanted to be, or at least what we thought a guy should be. Wild, dangerous, a pilot, loyal, and always got the girl. He was the "Bad boy" that wasn't really bad. But what do boys have to aspire to now-a-days in movies? In fact, what inspiration movies are there any more? I mean I get the Blindside... but aside from that we don't have movies like Top Gun and Rocky. The movies with the lines and the characters... instead we have well... Vampires and Blue things. Instead of movies that are reflections of what we want to be, we have movies that tell us what we should think we are supposed to be... so who are the "role models" in movies now?

Team Edward? How much makeup does that guy wear? Oh, I am sorry... he is a kind and loving vampire.

Or the blue guy from Avatar... that is a guy right?

... our poor sons... better stock up on 80's movies.

Bad cafeteria food - Reason to Home-School

So I am sitting here, we just got back from Stations of the Cross, and my wife told me to put on "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution". The first thing I see is him complaining about how the kids eat junk at school.

I have a lot to say about this. The agenda, the hypocrisy, the silliness of a network show promoting it, etc... But then I realized... I can sum it up with a Mark Shea-ism:

Bad Cafeteria food is Reason # 4,353,309 to HOME-SCHOOL.






-Posted by: Joe

Thinking Law School? Talk to a lawyer...

Ok... I have a *LOT* to say on this subject, but I have not formulated a good post on it, in terms of precision or brevity. I can say that if you are thinking about law school you should talk to someone who has graduated from law school before you take the plunge. Not just for financial reasons, but for real life advice concerning the endeavor.

Over at the American Catholic (Not to be confused with America Catholic Weekly) there is a good post discussing the financial pitfalls that befall many as they graduate from law school nowadays:
Something to ponder for those contemplating law school

One of the best parts of the post is the authors proposal to reform law school:

My proposal: BA or BS followed by one year of law school, followed by two years of apprenticeship with a licensed attorney. Certification by three attorneys and a local judge that you have completed the two years and have not made too big a fool of yourself during that time period. Then the bar exam and the license upon passage. The current system is too expensive for the quality of the product at the end: a completely untrained attorney.

I think this proposal is actually a pretty good idea. I have seen better, but the current system is a fraud. A 3yr law curriculum is solely a money maker. Law schools can't break the mold, because there is such a call for uniformity that any school that does break form is seen as "dissident" and "obtuse." I will try and write more on this later... but for you aspiring JD's, please get ahold of an attorney before you plop down $150,000 in debt, only to find yourself making LESS than before you took your LSAT. Not that it is about your pay check, but raising a family is quite difficult when you owe $1500+ a month in loans for the next 20 years.

-Posted by: Joe

The Battles To Come...

I started this blog a little over 3 months ago. It was in response to some conversations I had with my best friend concerning the current state of the Catholic Church in America, the culture of American Catholic families, the dualistic nature of the Church in terms of the Traditionalist movement ["reform of the reform"] versus the more modern Progressives congregations [this is not meant to be read in a pejorative sense], and how socio-political aspects of American life and politics juxtapose against these facets of American Catholicism. In short we were talking essentially about what it means to be an American Catholic in todays day and age. [We also spoke specifically of our vocations as Husbands, Fathers, and Lawyers]

Both my friend and I were in our last year of law school, married, and expecting our first child in our respective families. We realized that the country and culture we were raised in no longer existed, at least not fully. We also saw the changes occurring in our faith because of the culture of the world. Vatican II was meant to be a development within the Church to explain and evolve the way in which our faith existed within the modern world. Unfortunately, here in America it came during the social chaos of the 1960's and 1970's. A once stoic and traditional Catholic Church had become something modern and incongruent with the past. It rested its laurels less on rubrics and tradition and more on comfort and relativism. The Church had been devolving in many regards since then; although not necessarily because of Vatican II but more the state of our world in terms of culture and belief.

As we talked we realized that our families, faith, and country were in battles. ["the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violenceand the violent are taking it by storm." Matthew 11:12] I know for many this seems highly exaggerated but it isn't. Just turn on the the TV and watch the way prime-time shows portray families and culture. Watch the commercials and see the products they push and the families the use to push them. We realized for sure that there was a culture war. We also saw the same thing in our church. Granted we went to a Catholic law school, so we definitely had more traditionalist beliefs and tendencies but we saw the way the Church was no longer the same across the board. Walking into some churches you felt as if kneeling and latin were prohibited whereas walking into others you were close to excommunication if you weren't constantly kneeling and only speaking latin. It seemed as if the war had engulfed even the Church itself turning brother against brother - a sort of Civil war.

So this blog was born... as a way to get these ideas out there. The first 3 months the posts were a little scattered. Yet as I move forward I hope to be more focused. I plan to concentrate on the wars waging over our families, faith, and country. It should be obvious as to what some of these topics will be and others I am sure will develop spontaneously as such things have a tendency to do.

• I hope to cover more family pertinent issues as my first child is about 2 weeks from birth. I think that more so than ever natural Catholic families are under attack. The way we raise our children in their faith, in the American culture, and their educational opportunities are under constant attack from relativism and secularism. I plan to discuss all the ways in which we can fight to preserve our traditions, needs and desires when it comes to our children and families. ["You may not be rich; you may be unable to bequeath any great possessions to your children; but one thing you can give them; the heritage of your blessing. And it is better to be blessed than to be rich." - St. Ambrose]
• I also hope to cover the way in which our marriages are constantly under attack. Whether it is the way that the family dynamic is portrayed or the way in which the roles of husbands and wives exist in our culture. As Catholics, our marriages begin with the Sacrament of Matrimony. A tri-union with ourselves, our spouse and our God. ["...a threefold cord is not easily broken." - Eccl. 4:12] We must fight to preserve them as a true union with God and an everlasting fidelity to love.
• Our Church, our faith, the liturgy, and tradition are undergoing a revolution. As with all revolutions there is the chance that it could end badly and leave nothing more than a shell of what we had prior to the uprising. Yet, it could also leave in its wake the fertile ground unto which a grand and glorious garden could grow - with a multitude of fruits and graces. It is up to us those - the Body of Christ, to ensure that this "reform of the reform," that this revolution occurs properly and in the right way. That we uphold true traditions with meaning and purpose and not solely for the sake of tradtion. We must also embrace the reforms of Vatican II, those that have been done properly and for the Holy purpose of bringing Greater Glory to God. It our job as members of the Church Militant to instill in our children and families the proper way to balance tradition with modernity to ensure growth and love in the Church and in our world. ["Take heed to thyself and to doctrine: be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." 1 Timothy 4:16]
• There is also a need to expose and discuss the Anti-Christian and Anti-Catholic tone that exists in American Politics. As more and more of our elected officials vote against Catholic teaching and morals we need to exert our voices and our voting power upon them. Especially those that wave the flag of Catholicism only to support legislation contrary to its teaching. Explaining such actions away through some relativistic explanation. There is certainly a separation between Church and State, and it should exist to the proper degree - but not at the cost of the extermination of religion. Our country was not, is not, and should not be a secularist one. ["And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Mark 12:17]
• Finally, I hope to show how the intercession and protection of St. Michael, the Archangels, and all the angels and saints can protect us in these battles. We cannot do this alone - we must implore the help and protection of the angels. 

So moving forward... there are many battles to come. I hope that this blog can be a place to help prepare all of us for such battles, and the overall war against evil. Don't get me wrong - I do not think of myself as anything great or even capable of doing such a thing. I only feel that God has inspired me to do such in a way that through Him, if it be His Will, then I will be capable of achieving such a feat. 

A final note; I am a traditionalist for sure. I have a great place in my heart for the Extraordinary Form (Tridentine & Dominican Rites), latin prayers and hymns, and the practices of Catholicism that are more traditional. This does not mean though, that I abhor all new and modern means of worship. In fact, I live in a place where the "New Order" (Novus Ordo) is the only one in which I can attend. I understand that when done correctly, its beauty is befitting the extent of mans ability to worship God. So my preference for the traditional should not be taken as an indictment of the modern. Instead I hope to show that the age and maturity of the older form show how stability and focus on the Mystery and Eucharist allow the Church to flourish. The older form, latin, and the traditional practices have had almost 500 years to attempt to perfect themselves. Whereas the new Mass has had only 40. [In essence it is like comparing a 50 year old with a 4 year old in terms of knowledge and refinement.] So I hope to show through the comparison of the new to the old the ways in which we must center and focus our attention as Catholics. Not in attempt to simply reclaim tradition, but instead to ensure that the meaning of our woship and faith is Christ centered and not people centered. 

In conclusion I hope this blog will touch all of you, and hopefully bring some of you to a greater relationship and understanding of our God. I hope that it brings Greater Glory to God and upholds the Holy Catholic Church in all of Her Glory and Graces.

Revelations from Online Collaboration Adopters

Cisco conducted one of the first comprehensive studies of the factors associated with successful adoption of network-based collaboration solutions. You can use the study results to maximize your return on investment from today's online collaboration tools.

One way is to implement business practices shown to lead to more enthusiastic collaboration. Another is to identify and then actively support the employees who are most likely to benefit.

Twenty First Century Collaboration
Collaboration is a process that brings people and information together to accomplish a common goal. What's new today is that in a connected world, people no longer have to be in the same location, time zone, or culture to collaborate.

Tools such as videoconferencing (or TelePresence) and web sharing enable real-time collaboration across distance. Blogs, wikis, and shared workspaces enable online collaboration across time boundaries.

Cisco conducted the first formal segmentation study of collaboration tool users. Their objective was to understand how workers choose to collaborate, which tools they use, and how they believe those tools positively affect productivity, innovation, and cost savings.

Study participant collaboration habits and attitudes placed them into one of four segments: Collaboration Enthusiasts, Comfortable Collaborators, Reluctant Collaborators, and Collaboration Laggards.

Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The results from the Cisco collaboration segmentation study suggest that organizations experience the greatest productivity benefits from collaboration when they:

• Recognize that personal attitudes and organizational culture regarding collaboration are as important as collaboration tools.
• Begin by introducing collaboration tools to people and groups meeting the characteristics of Enthusiasts and Comfortable Collaborators. These people tend to be managers or supervisors, have held their job position for 3 to 10 years, and are already using Web 2.0 tools at home.
• Encourage executives to model the desired collaboration practices.
• Reward collaboration by including it in performance reviews, offering rewards for successful outcomes, or both.
• Implement formal collaboration processes. Provide the tools, IT support, and training needed to foster increased collaboration.
  

The survey studied 800 people in a wide variety of U.S. medium-sized and enterprise organizations who: spend at least 20 percent of time at work using a network-connected computer; use a mobile phone or handheld device; and participated in two collaborative activities within the past month.

Enabling the Early-Adopters to Thrive
The researchers conducted a segmentation analysis, separating individuals into distinct groups based on a large set of attitudinal and behavioral variables. Previous knowledge of collaboration habits did not include the personal or cultural factors that influence success.

Do you proactively nurture a culture of collaboration in your organization? What obstacles did you have to overcome before your employees could fully utilize the latest online productivity tools?