--- Everything under the sun ...

I found this article (excerpted for space) in today's NY Times. I thought it was interesting and wondered about your reactions.

NY Times July 13, 2008 by Paul Vitello
For Catholics, an On-Air Mix of Sacred and Silly
Mike from El Paso was on the phone line to “The Catholic Guy,” the afternoon drive-time talk program produced via the unlikely partnership of Sirius Satellite Radio (familiar to most people as “Howard Stern’s network”) and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

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Those who advocate surgery, chemotherapy and radiation as cancer cures are only using manipulated data when presenting their case. There are effective alternative treatments that the medical profession and the pharmaceutical companies refuse to consider. Tanya Harper Pierce tells about carcinogenic products generated by industry, the misleading statistics generated by the National Cancer Institute and many effective alternative treatments in Oursmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work. She is a marriage, family and child counselor who began researching alternative cancer treatments after a family member was diagnosed with cancer. Chapter 23, “Dealing With Fear and the Mind/Body Connection,” is effective counseling for anyone with cancer.

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It was brought the the bishops attention that a request was made in writing, that he should change the address information of the diocese Pastoral Center. For years now, the name of our deceased bishop still is shown as the bishop of our diocesan Pastoral center. To support that request, the bishop was reminded (as if the bishop needed to be reminded) that our deceased bishop was listed publicly as one of America's 10 worsts bishops, having moved a number of abusive priests from parish to parish without warning the assigned parish that the priests had abused children. The culpability, for every child abused because of an abusive priest, to continue victimizing other children, has to be shared by any responsible bishop. In addition, as a result of the bishops failure to do the right thing, he compounded the tragic sexual abuse crimes which ultimately caused the diocese to go into bankruptcy because of the financial settlements. Several months has gone by and the bishop has failed to reply to that request. The failure to indicate what action the bishop is planning to do or not to do and his reason why, leaves 350,000 with a mixed message. The name of our late bishop and the diocese involved has not been revealed because of obvious reasons.

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When I look at books on philosophy nowadays, I just shake my head. Does anybody, other than the authors and specialists, have any idea of what they are talking about? Would it make any difference in our lives? Is there anything worthwhile to hear?

I offer this hope to philosophers to examine the institutions, customs and personalities of our society to report their underlying premises, goals, flaws and results. Sometimes outsiders to a culture see traits that escape those who are in it. The fish is hardly aware that he is in water. Alexis de Toqueville’s observations about American life became a classic. Alan Riding’s Distant Neighbors about Mexico’s history, culture, economics and politics may do the same for Mexico.

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A Catholic has more of a chance to enter the gates of heaven than it is to get one bishop to relinguish any power or control over the money in his diocese. Catholics have to face reality, Organizations like VOTF, SNAP and any other organization or group, trying to make any changes in the Catholic church, in my opinion are just spinning their wheels. No match for the hierarchy. Have you noticed, the hierarchy does not fight back. They don't have too. They hold all the cards They have canon laws, which by the way, they put together, and most importantly, they have a better source of getting money than the Mafia. They have 2 Rules. Rule #1. They are in charge. Rule #2. If you have any doubts about that, refer to Rule #1.It's that simple.

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Today's Kansas City Star carries this story about Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas, being admonished to stop taking communion based on her long held pro-choice position:

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/613716.html

It saddens me that a bishop chooses to use his authority in this way. And as a Kansas Catholic it worries me that this rigidity will spread to other dioceses.

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I was wondering if anyone knew where Bishop Gumbleton is for the most part. I believe that he is no longer formally a part of St. Leo's, but is he still celebrating masses there? I know I often see from his columns that he is often at other parishes in the Detroit area and traveling but for the most part from where does NCR obtain his homilies? Thanks in advance. KMO AOD, MI

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Come everyone, take a break from all your serious discussions and have a good chuckle.

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The late Alan Watts popularized Zen Buddhism for Western audiences in the The Way of Zen and other books. He presented the idea of “sitting quietly, doing nothing.” Muddy water will eventually become clear when people stop stirring it. Individuals with difficulties would do well in sitting quietly not thinking about their difficulties and clearing their mind of all thoughts.

About 10 years ago, I felt this first hand. My boss got after me big time over a trivial item. What is more was that I felt that I was right even after his ranting and raving. This bothered me into the afternoon of the next day when I was taking vacation time in Kerrville, Texas. Even a vanilla milk shake at Pompell’s, the historic building with an old-fashioned soda fountain, did not help. A little while after finishing the milk shake, I drove to the roadside park that is about 16 miles north on highway 27. The park overlooks a plateau, the Guadalupe River and hills, making the park one of the most scenic in the state of Texas.

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