I'm so depressed...

My brackets are busted.

Villanova loses in the first round. Texas A&M got bounced. Pitt & Kansas faultered. Vandy got screwed by the refs. North Carolina forgot how to play against Georgetown's predictable defense in the latter half of yesterday's game.

And the Final Four is now:

Florida (the team that knocked out Villanova in last year's tourney)
Georgetown (any Big East team, and especially Villanova, despises the Hoyas)
UCLA ('nough said)
and
Ohio State

By default, I'm rooting for Ohio State... but it's leaving a sour aftertaste.

*sigh*

A few slight changes to the blog...

As you can tell, there have been a few upgrades and changes to the blog. I've fully upgraded to the beta version of blogger (which is now no longer beta). I've made links easier to notice by coloring them red. My favorite blog links have been updated over on the left, and I've finally been able to re-attach my webring links to St. Blog's Parish and the Guild of Common Sense, as well as the Site Meter (all of which I had lost when I upgraded).

In addition, there are labels connected with the posts so that you (and I) can do keyword searches for posts on related subjects. I still need to go through some of the older posts to attach necessary labels. Most of the 2004 post were specifically related to the 2004 presidential campaign, so I don't see much point in labeling all of those posts. I'll need to scour through all of them just in case there may be a post here or there that may be worthwhile to label.

I'm hoping to do some more postings soon. In the meantime, enjoy the new layout. Feel free to visit some of my favorites over on the left column.

My Visual DNA...

(Hat-tip to Julie @ Happy Catholic):

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Fr. Frank Pavone visits my local parish...

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests For Life, is visiting my local parish this weekend. Today, he's giving the homilies at all the masses, and he presided over the 10:30 liturgy. The Gospel reading for today was on the prodigal son, and Fr. Pavone's homily was wonderfully powerful yet even tempered. It is a blessing that he is one of the leaders in the pro-life cause.

To paraphrase a couple parts of Fr. Pavone's homily:

"Christ has taken our sins upon his shoulders, died on the cross, was laid in the tomb, and rose again. So, today, we should bury our sins in the tomb so that we may leave them behind, and we may rise to new life in Christ."

and:

"A sea turtle egg is protected by local, state and federal laws... and yet the unborn human life is not protected inside the mother's womb."

and again, paraphrasing:

"There are those who say that they themselves are against abortion, but it is up to the mother to choose... and we should not impose our opinions... it's none of our business. Is it none of our business if you are against stealing something, but it's another person's choice if they want to steal? Is it okay for someone to abuse a child, even though I am personally opposed to it? When the life of another human being is at stake, it is everyone's business."

You want brackets??? I'll give you brackets!!!

I'm already having second thoughts about my brackets... but I don't care. It's March Madness time! To quote a famous Andy Williams Christmas song,

"It's the most.... wonderful tiiiiiime.... of the yearrrrrrrr."

I'm thinkin' that the final will be North Carolina vs either Pitt or Kansas (although my heart always belongs to Villanova... even though their tuition nowadays is outrageously, insanely, overly expensive).

The "upsets" to look out for this year:

#3 Texas A&M and #4 Virginia in the South Region...

The winner of the #6 Vanderbilt/#11 George Washington match-up in the East Region...

#5 Butler, #6 Notre Dame and #10 Georgia Tech in the Midwest Region...

#5 Virginia Tech, #3 Pitt and (of course) #9 Villanova in the West Region.


P.S. I'm already down one loss (I'm not a fan of Bobby Knight, but I thought he'd get his team to at least win the opening game against BC, given that BC was without a key starter... c'est la vie).

It's MARCH MADNESS Time!!!

First off... I thought my alma mater (Villanova) was more deserving of a #7 seed. But, they can handle it, where they're at (first round against Kentucky - a different group of "Wildcats" - who were weak this season). There's a potential second round match-up against Kansas (but, remember, that Villanova beat Texas earlier this season).

I can't believe that the NCAA committee screwed up so much this year. How the frell can they exclude Syracuse, West Virginia, and Kansas State, while at the same time seeding the likes of Arkansas, Purdue, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Arizona, Stanford???

Add some more at-large seeds from the mid-majors, instead, if you're gonna keep out the 'Cuse (but the big conferences won't go for that, even though it was the mid-majors that made last year's first four rounds so friggin' exciting). Where's Drexel, Hofstra, Air Force, Missouri State, Marist, Vermont, Appalachian State, Akron???

I haven't filled out my brackets yet, but on first glance they made easy roads for Florida and G'Town for the first two rounds, while NC is stuck with the winner of the Marquette/Mich State matchup in the 2nd round, then they will most likely face Texas next, then the Hoyas to get to the Final Four. That's INSANE!

I think Texas A&M is my South Region Cinderella story. But that remains to be seen. Must bury my head in the voluminous stack of stats so that I can fill out my brackets.

Participating in a Walk For Life event this weekend...

This coming Saturday morning I will be helping to raise money for TenderLife Ministries by participating in their annual Walk-a-Thon. The organization (based in Ventura County, CA) has been doing wonderful work for over 22 years.

Per their website:

TenderLife is devoted to serving abandoned pregnant women and their children. We provide food, shelter, and personal growth opportunities in a caring environment where "mercy triumphs over judgement." ~ James 2:13

Running both a Maternity Home as well as two Transition Houses, they give young women hope, help, and healing.

If you feel so inclined, please donate to this worthy organization.

"The Jesus Tomb!... The Jesus Tomb!"

Michael Barber over at Singing In The Reign has been absolutely awesome in his detailed knockdown of the Cameron "documentary" that aired on the Discovery Channel earlier this week. Multiple posts abound:

Post 1 gets things started.

Post 2 begins the breakdown of the flawed theories.

Post 3 is a summary of the ossuaries.

Post 4 touches on Jesus & Mary Magdalene topics which surfaced yet again (didn't we just deal with this nonsense last year with The DaVinci Code?).

Post 5 tells us what's old is new is old news again.

Post 6 looks to the bodily resurrection of Christ.

And Post 7 looks at the so-called "odds."

"The sky is falling!... The sky is falling!"

The Anchoress linked to one of her older posts regarding global warming. She then followed up with a new post late last month.

PowerLine kicks in on the issue here.

Then there is the whole Al Gore "carbon offsets" fiasco pointed out in detail by ABC News (here), then Captain's Quarters (here), and RedState (here).

Then RedState follows up with a post (and a link to a recent National Geographic article) on the real cause of any global warming. And the Anchoress chimes in again regarding the 17,000+ scientists who don't tow the Gore party line on this non-issue of an issue.

Next, there's this one-time prominent proponent of global warming who now says otherwise. There's another scientist who has a 52-minute video of his scientific reasoning here.

And, finally, a UK "Channel 4" documentary gets into the mix, as well.

All of this is long and exhaustive, and chock full of links to more news and analysis. It's well worth the time to read through it all.

Dad's okay...

My Dad's back home from the hospital, and all the tests came back okay (including the CAT scan and the MRI). It appears that one of his medications was working a little too well and causing his pulse to drop too low while raising his blood pressure. So the docs decided to take him off the one med, feeling that it's no longer necessary.

So, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!

Request for prayers...

A humble request for some prayers for my Dad who is currently in the hospital for some tests (including an MRI).

It's Ash Wednesday!

The Top-10 Catholic Stories of 2006...

Catholic World News has posted their annual "Top 10 Catholic Stories" of 2006. A brief run-down:

1. The Regensburg speech by Pope Benedict XVI

2. The new Vatican Secretary of State

3. The Pope's trip to Turkey

4. The Pope's first set of new cardinal appointments

5. Rome vs. Beijing

6. The expected revival of the Latin Mass

7. The excommunication of Archbishop Milingo

8. Pope Benedict's first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est"

9. Catholic-Orthodox theological discussions resume

10. Boston archdiocese drops adoption services

Read the post for details.

Dale Ahlquist films Season 4 of EWTN's "G.K. Chesterton:The Apostle of Common Sense"

Dale Ahlquist (president of the American Chesterton Society) started filming the forth season of his wonderfully successful EWTN series "G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense" last month. Kevin O'Brien (an actor who has done many of the various re-enactments on the series) has posted a lengthy account of the filming experience over at his own blog.

False Jesus' (and why the stories persist)...

Anthony Sacramone (Managing Editor of First Things) has an interesting read on the persistence of various alternative "false Jesus" theories which continue to crop up in society from time to time (including in current media outlets such as novels, motion pictures, and television programs).

He touches on quite a few theories, from various forms of gnosticism, to science fiction-like explanations, to the so-called Jesus Seminar, to the DaVinci Code hype, to the bogus "gospels" of Thomas and Judas. Lots of links abound here, too.

The Myth of the Dark Ages...

Carl Olson has another great post over at Insight Scoop, debunking the myth of the Dark Ages and Medieval European society and the Catholic Church.

Lots of links included for further reading and research.

Women & the Priesthood...

Carl Olson (over at Insight Scoop) posted a succinct summary on the possibilty (or lack thereof) of women becoming priests within the Catholic Church.

The "money quote" comes from Pope John Paul II in his 1994 Apostolic Letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis":

"Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

"Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."

This is what is known as an infallible statement by the Pontiff to all of the faithful on a matter of faith. In other words, this is an unalterable and eternal doctrine of the Church.

So, to the Sister Chittister's of the world... enough already!

NAMM NAMM NAMM NAMM...

Last month was the big 4-day NAMM trade show in Anaheim.

What is NAMM? More specifically, what is Winter NAMM?

NAMM is the "North American Music Merchants" Association (although now it's really fully international). And the Winter NAMM trade show is the international trade show for the entire industry for the year. They have a smaller show in the summer, but the big one is in mid-January in Anaheim, California.

Imagine your local music instrument store in your neighborhood. Now imagine it on steroids. Now imagine it on Bonds/McGwire/Sosa/Palmeiro/Canseco/Giambi steroids. Now multiple that by 100. THAT is the Winter NAMM Show! Manufacturers and distributors of every type and model of equipment and supplies for music production (guitars, keyboards, drums, drum sticks, guitar picks, trumpets, pianos, all types of software and hardware, speakers, amps, cases, cables, sheet music, instructional materials, stands, lighting canisters, mixing boards, stomp boxes, etc., etc., etc., etc...).

It's one big music mall filling up practically the entire Anaheim Convention Center for four whole days so that retailers and wholesalers can check out the latest and greatest new items to sell in their stores or on their web sites. Industry press are also in attendance. So are quite a few famous (and many more not so famous, and even a few infamous) artists and musicians.

Where else can you see the likes of Steve Vai & Joe Satriani pimping themselves for publicity, catch a glimpes of Sinbad the comedian flashing his cheesy grin, stumble upon a florescent orange flying-V ukulele (and actual want to buy one), learn the intricacies of piano hammers (and be given a sample hammer free of charge from a desperate exhibitor), grow bunions and corns on your feet before the end of day one, drool in full-blown envy as you wish for one of each and every single item displayed throughout the convention center by day two, go deaf from the ambient noise by day three, and become nearly comatose by the beginning of day four.

Fun stuff! I took some pictures (a couple are a little blurry... sorry).

Welcome to the 2007 Winter NAMM Trade Show!


Below is a pic of former Yes/Moody Blues keyboardist Patrick Moraz (second from the right).



Next is Sinbad, very intrigued by our new SampleBase.com website. (to go live on May 1st):


Want a weird, new German guitar? (Tueffel "birdfish" Electric Guitar)


How about a Japanese Koyabu board?


Something for all you hard-core rocker chicks!


Ah, yes... the infamous florescent orange flying-V ukulele. It really does exist!


Gee, I wonder who this is?


So, now yah know what I look like. (Is that a good thing??? The jury's still out on that.)

Crowded House is coming back...

One of my all-time favorite bands, Crowded House, is currently in the studios finishing their first CD since 1993. Of course, they will be without drummer Paul Hester (who, sadly, committed suicide a couple years ago). But Neil Finn (guitar & vocals) and Nick Seymour (bass) are together, with Mark Hart on keyboards (he being the "4th" House-member, kinda like the "5th Beatle") adding to the creative fun. I wonder if Mitchell Froom will be producing the record.

Neil is the consumate tunesmith. Not only do I have every Crowded House recording, but I also have Neil's three solo CDs, as well as his two duo projects with his brother Tim Finn. I even have several classic Split Enz LPs and tapes.

"I don't know why sometimes I get frightened...
You can see my eyes. You can tell that I'm not lying..."

I've seen this "band from down under" live several times (including at the Trocadero in Philly way back when they were just starting out in '87). Their concert in (I think it was) late '91 at the Tower Theater just outside of Philly was absolutely incredible. Newcomer Richard Thompson was opening up for them on that tour, and he and several of his own band members came on stage at one point to add to the musical intensity. Crowded House' live rendition of my favorite song of theirs ("When You Come") was UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE! There's a live version available as part of their "Best of" CD release, "Recurring Dream" (not all of these CDs include the second "live" CD in the package). It's the closest proximity in energy and sound quality to that unforgettable live rendition.

It also looks like they will eventually be touring. I will DEFINITELY snag tickets to that concert if they swing by the L.A. area.

Lonely Hearts Urged to Pray to St. Raphael

News Story:

On this Valentine's Day, a Catholic organization is advising lonely hearts to pray to St. Raphael, one of seven archangels and the patron saint of "happy meetings."

"Many people have testified to the help they have received in finding a life partner through the prayerful help of the archangel," said Msgr. Keith Barltrop, director of the Catholic Enquiry Office.

"If something is for our good and happiness, then God will answer our prayers as we ask," he told The Telegraph.

The monsignor said he was certain every prayer would be answered but not always as expected.

"You might be praying for a tall, dark and handsome person to come into your life, or a beautiful brunette, but God may have prepared someone quite different but wonderful for you," he told the newspaper. "Prayerfully ask him, and find out for yourself."