Tom Faranda's Folly

The bloviating blowhardenss of Trump helps Trudeau's Party win the Canadian election

I'm sure this is true. The 51st state HAHAHA!

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election on Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.

The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state. Trump’s actions infuriated Canadians and stoked a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative and win a fourth-straight term in power.

“We were dead and buried in December. Now we are going to form a government,” David Lametti, a former Liberal Justice Minister, told CTV.

“We have turned this around thanks to Mark,” he said.

The Conservative Party's leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.

But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.

Monday wordle

My Congressman, Mike Lawler, Town Hall

This is coverage from Forbes Breaking News youtube channel which I've found to be one of the fairest youtube channels for showing multiple views on the news. This is all (8 minutes) of the coverage they posted.

 

Francis funeral shows universality of the Church & the rise of Africa and Asia

This is part of a conversation between an Irish Vatican journalist and a Sky News Australia TV presenter. I've posted it to start with about 4 minutes left, with a discussion of the growth of the African and Asian churches; where at least the near future of the Church (my opinion) is.

 

Sunday wordle.

Pope Francis on why he's being buried at St. Mary Major instead of St Peter's

There are seven other Pope's also buried in St. Mary Major. Hit the link for some pictures of the burial site.

ROME // The cardinal stewarding Saint Mary Major Basilica, where Pope Francis will be buried, revealed this week that the pontiff initially intended to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, but changed his mind in 2022, saying Our Lady had inspired him.

The late Holy Father was known for his devotion to the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” (“Salvation of the Roman People”), which is housed in the St. Mary Major Basilica. He would pray before this Marian icon every time he was set to go on an international apostolic trip and every time he returned from one. 

Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, the co-Archpriest of St. Mary, said at a press conference outside the basilica April 25 that he had asked Pope Francis on May 13, 2022, if he was considering choosing St. Mary as the place for his tomb because of his strong devotion to the Marian icon. Only seven other popes are buried there. 

“No” was Pope Francis’ response that day, and he said that he thought popes have to be buried at St. Peter’s Basilica, the cardinal recalled.

One week later, the pontiff called Cardinal Makrickas and said he had changed his mind. 

The Pope said to the cardinal on the phone: “Mary told me, ‘Prepare your tomb,’” Cardinal Makrickas recalled. “And he added: ‘I am very glad that Mary didn’t forget me.’”

 

Saturday wordle

Short - View of the crowd & final commendation & farewell for Pope Francis

First the large crowd - no sound provided, probably taken by a drone.

 

The commendation and farewell - beautiful

Friday wordle

Actually difficult. A little lucky.

27 rare pictures of Pope Francis

My bud DC sent me this - it's a fun look at the Pope. Only takes a couple - 3 minutes to scroll through.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kelley_greene/rare-photos-of-pope-francis

Here's one of my more favorite ones - as he's given the red hat and made a cardinal by John Paul II in 2001.

 

 

From CatholicVote - "Farewell Francis"

A heartfelt note from an organization that has worked very hard to get the message of Jesus into the public square.

Tomorrow, we lay the body of Pope Francis to rest.

 

Thousands of dignitaries from around the world will attend the solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

 

America will be well represented: President Trump and the First Lady will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a bipartisan Congressional delegation, paying homage not only to Francis, but also to the papacy itself. 

 

The pageantry and ritual draw the gaze of even the most secular among us. And it’s an opportunity to share the joy of being Catholic. The death of this one figure – the head of the world’s largest church – commands the public (dare I say, unified?) respect of all these princes, presidents, and prime ministers.

 

Tomorrow, they will stand for just a few hours together to honor a man… but really to honor this singular, strange, and divinely-given office.

 

It reminds me of the passage we heard from Isaiah in the Good Friday liturgy just one week ago:

So shall he startle many nations; kings shall stand speechless because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand. Isaiah 52:15

 

The funeral of a pope is a startling reminder that all the nations of the earth are “as dust on the scales” (to quote another verse from Isaiah).

 

The entire world will be watching a Catholic funeral Mass. Why? What is this fascination with the death of the leader of the Church that so many people dismiss as out-of-touch, irrelevant, or even obsolete?

 

Because, whether they acknowledge it or not, the Barque of Peter is the only hope of salvation in this world. And our true compass is Jesus Christ Himself, who calms all storms. 

 

I know many faithful Catholics will fill that square tomorrow with their witness of prayer and reverence. For Francis. For the Church. For Christ.

 

And as we pray for the pope’s soul, we will also be praying for the Holy Spirit to descend on the Church and the cardinals as they enter the conclave.

 

I have one more prayer to offer.

 

Let’s also pray for everyone in that square who is outside the Church – the world leaders, dignitaries, and everyday curious tourists. Pray that this moment in history will move their hearts to ponder the love of our Good and true Shepherd.

 

And may God have mercy on us all.

 

Josh Mercer

 

P.S. The Roman Missal offers us this prayer for a deceased pope. Will you pray it with me now?

God, Who, in Thine ineffable providence, didst will that Thy servant Francis ... should be numbered among the high priests; grant, we beseech Thee, that he, who on earth held the place of Thine only-begotten Son, may be joined forevermore to the fellowship of Thy holy pontiffs. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

Amen.

Friday spring cocktail - The Whiskey smash

Most recipes call for muddling three or four lemon slices but in Farandaville we also go the easy route. You can use either bourbon or rye whiskey - our recipe is below the video.

Farandaville recipe

2 oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz demarara syrup

Mint leaves

Shake and strain over ice. Nice!

Thursday wordle

JD Vance speaks about his brief meeting with Pope Francis and his feelings toward him

Vance met with the Holy Father Sunday morning, less than 24 hours before the pope's sudden death.

Wednesday wordle

Tough one. Took awhile.

WEF probing founder Klaus Schwab

Klaus Schwab (87years old) is the founder of the World Economic Forum which purports to worry about the world economy and at whose annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland Europe's most expensive hookers also attend.

This is from the Wall Street Journal. I expect there's more to this than just one anonymous letter.

World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab is under investigation by the organization he created after a new whistleblower letter alleged financial and ethical misconduct by the longtime leader and his wife. 

It included allegations that Klaus Schwab asked junior employees to withdraw thousands of dollars from ATMs on his behalf and used Forum funds to pay for private, in-room massages at hotels. It also alleged that his wife Hilde, a former Forum employee, scheduled “token” Forum-funded meetings in order to justify luxury holiday travel at the organization’s expense. 

Klaus Schwab in recent days argued against an investigation, telling board members that he denied the unsubstantiated allegations and that he would challenge them in a lawsuit, the people said. 

The board of trustees decided to open a probe during an emergency meeting on Easter Sunday. Schwab opted to resign immediately as the chairman, instead of staying on for an extended transition period as previously planned.

The Schwabs said through a spokesman that they deny every allegation in the whistleblower complaint. To protect their reputation, Klaus Schwab intends to file a lawsuit against whoever is behind the anonymous letter and “anybody who spreads these mistruths,” the spokesman said. 

Whenever Schwab charged massages at a hotel to the Forum while on travel, he’d always pay the Forum back, the spokesman said. Schwab and his wife denied the allegations about luxury travel and withdrawing money. 

In a statement, the Forum said its board unanimously supported the decision to initiate an independent investigation “following a whistleblower letter containing allegations against former Chairman Klaus Schwab. This decision was made after consultation with external legal counsel.”

 

Tuesday wordle - yet another Ace! Three in a row - never done it before.

Haha - here are the two prior ones Sunday - Easter wordle - an Ace! Plus - my total wordle results   Monday - Monday wordle - another Ace!

Wharton economist Jeremy Siegel comes out strongly for Fed interest rate cuts

A little strange since Siegel - who is a widely followed economist - is no friend of Trump but comes out strongly for a May rate cut, arguing from the same date the Federal Reserve is using. Or so he says they're using it...

 

Monday wordle - another Ace!

Wow. The second in a row. I think that's only happened once before.

Cardinal Dolan yesterday morning comments on Pope Francis death

Very nice - you will have to turn up the volume.

Pope Francis final public appearance - Easter

Before a packed crowd in St. Peter's Square. At the end there's a short video of JD Vance visit with him several days ago.

 

Easter/Resurrection pictures that were sent to me.

Easter Monday, with a few more pictures - these sent to me by people & publications. And here's what I posted yesterday - Redux: The Resurrection: Four Artists

from M.P.

The Carmelite sisters

From N B - John Ch. 20,  Peter and the Beloved Disciple running to the empty tomb

From the Knights of Columbus

From the Benedict XVI Institute

From R N - "He is Risen"

Easter wordle - an Ace! Plus - my total wordle results

The usual combination of luck and skill. Below are my total results - my success rate is 96% - I've missed 39 out of 1017. I'm still waiting for them to use the opening word - ORATE - that I always use.  That will make it a 100% luck super-ace!

Redux: The Resurrection: Four Artists

I went back to find which Easter I had first had the thought to post some artists renditions of the Resurrection. Turns out it was April 12th, 2009. I've reposted the whole thing below. And below it all is a picture I came across from a posting in 2010, taken by Lauren, the daughter of our friends Mike and Karen.

What happens when an untalented barbarian like myself, is married to an artistic, creative,and talented person?

I post stuff like this for Easter:

Starting with Fra Angelica, around 1443. Oh, and it's now Blessed Fra Angelica

 

El Greco, 1577. One of my favorite painters, but what's with the Greek columns? Not one of his best -

 

Now, skipping a few centuries (past Rubens, YUK, etc) to some contemporary renderings

Arcabas (Jean Marie Pirot), 1998. Life not death, and a large painting. Compare the size with the altar and furniture.  Go here to learn about him:ARCABAS - Contemporary religious art museum

 

And the Chinese Christian painter He Qi  - Go here  - Art Works of He Qi .::About Artist::.

I love this. No banner; instead a lily. And check out the women.

 

Here is Lauren's photo. Love it.

Easter cocktails - Two! The Monte Cassino and The Last Ward

Both with liqueurs originating with Catholic religious orders and both tasty. And with the same 1:1:1:1 structure. Nice video comparison and below it the Farandaville versions of both.

 

In our taste tests the Monte Cassino barely edged out the Last Ward. Very close. Try them both and yes, chartreuse of either color hard to find.  If you must substitute green chartreuse in the Monte Cassino for the yellow then put in a little less than the amount below. If you live around Croton I believe Van Wyck liquors has both in stock.

Recipes:

The Monte Cassino -

3/4 oz Sazerac rye whiskey

3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

3/4 oz Benedictine

3/4 oz lemon juice

 

The Final Ward - the liqueurs are changed

3/4 oz Sazerac rye whiskey

3/4 oz Green Chartreuse

3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

3/4 oz lemon juice

 

Saturday wordle

Good Friday Pax Christi Stations; NYC

Pax Christi is the Catholic peace organization and this was their 43rd annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross, across Manhattan. Starts near the UN and crosses 42nd St to Holy Cross Church between 8th and 9th Avenue. Since the early nineties Brigid and I have done the stations most years, with a handful missed for cancer and other heavy stuff.

When we started attending there was usually a crowd of 600-700, heavy police presence, and sometimes some local media television coverage.

Here's the accompanying truck where each station is spoken from, with some reflections on a theme, and music. The lady in red at the back is the director of CCD at a Westchester parish.

In recent years - even before COVID - the numbers have been way down - under 200 this year. Little police presence and no media. This is Times Square, looking straight up 7th Avenue.

Here is a station being done by students from Regis HS. Their theme was religious discrimination and they did a good job.

I like doing the Pax Christi stations - it's an opportunity to publicly display, with some fervor, religious conviction to thousands - maybe 10 or 20 thousand - at least fleetingly. The event takes over three hours. Faith in the public square. The participants now are either young and often from Catholic high schools, or not young and lots of white hair. Middle aged people or people with children, not so much. Many of the people we met in the 90's, like the Jesuit priests Ned Murphy and Dan Berrigan, have gone on to their reward.

 

Friday wordle

Simcha Fisher - "Why a Cross?"

Simcha is a Catholic convert with nine (or is it ten?) children. She writes some interesting stuff for a few publications. This column is a five minute read and the excerpt below the link is refers to the picture. But hit the link.

Periodically, some wise guy will say, “Oh, and if Jesus had been shot by a firing squad, would you Christians wear a little golden gun around your neck? If he had been electrocuted, would you hang a decorative electric chair on the wall of your church?”

Maybe we would. What-ifs are not the same as theology, so I don’t know how it would have played out. All I know is how it did play out. It was a cross that Jesus died on. And that was not just an accident of history. 

Look at the shape of the cross: It extends up, down, left, and right, and approximately in the center, at the intersection of it all, is the heart of the dying man.

What is down? The soldiers, the rabble, the clergy, the grieving women, the few disciples who didn’t run away. The stony ground, blood-soaked soil and the whole heavy earth, burdened with its load of the living and the dead. 

What is up? The heavens, the Father who said not long before that he is well pleased with his Son. Up is where Jesus cast his eyes to ask the Father why he had abandoned him, and up is where he commended his spirit just before he died. 

What is left? The criminal who looks at Jesus and says, “Aren’t you supposed to be God? Then go ahead and get us out of this mess!” Essentially: You come here and do what I want, and do it right now (Lk 23:39).

What is right? The criminal who knows who he is and why he is where he is, but also knows who Jesus is, and how wrong it is that they are on the same level. He doesn’t ask or tell Jesus to go anywhere, and he doesn’t assume Jesus should do anything. He knows, though, where Jesus will go, and he asks to be remembered when he gets there (Lk 23:40-43).

Good Friday art: Tintoretto "The King of a Kingdom"

This is the cover art from the Holy Week Magnificat prayerbook. The text below discusses the painter and the piece of art. Below the text is the full painting from which this is taken. 

Tintoretto (1518–1594) is probably the greatest painter of the trinity of artists that dominated Venice in the 16th century—better even than Titian his master, and Veronese his greatest rival, although both were said to be unsurpassable. Proud to be a true disciple of Jesus, Tintoretto said that the first purpose of his art was to make his Lord better known. As he held his palette, he considered himself sent on a mission and dedicated himself mainly to illustrating Sacred Scripture, endeavoring to recapitulate the events both after and before the earthly life of Jesus, from the creation to the end of time, using the most elaborate symbolism to designate the past figures and the future fulfillments of the biblical episodes he depicted.

In this spirit, Tintoretto devoted twenty-five years of his life to completing the decoration of the Scola Grande di San Rocco in Venice: fifty-five impressive paintings of breathtaking dimensions. One of its most beautiful jewels is this work dominated by the crucified Christ, the most significant details of which adorn the cover of your Magnificat. Painted between 1565 and 1567, in only two years, this grandiose crucifixion—16 feet tall and 39 feet wide!—testifies to the master’s virtuosity and swiftness of execution. These exceptional gifts earned him the nickname Il Furioso. His “fury” is indeed evident in the visual complexity and the emotional intensity of this work.

Beneath an apocalyptic sky, in a tumultuous frenzy, bustling around feverishly and showing emotion, are a multitude of figures—seventy!—who in a dramatic narrative each contribute to the accomplishment of the supreme tragedy in which God is put to death. Christ on the cross, at the very top and center of the work, is the focal point of it. Everything converges toward him, and from him everything radiates. Tintoretto presents him di sotto in sù (from below upward), from a low viewpoint in a breathtaking perspective more than 16 feet high. The viewer of this work is thus put in the position of the soldiers who look on him whom they have pierced (Zec 12:10).

He inclines his face toward us

The artist insists realistically on the anatomy of the crucified man: All his muscles are tense, enlisted in a desperate struggle against the immediate asphyxiation that would result if they were to relax. The flesh given up for us, however, far from being morbid, is delicately luminous, radiating a gentle light that the surrounding darkness does not stop. This man on the cross is indeed the true light: Lifted up above the world, he enlightens every human being. This radiance becomes more specifically significant when it surrounds the tortured man’s head like a halo, as if his glory emanated from the cruel thorns of his crown. The inscription I.N.R.I., Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum [Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews], is illumined by it, and the earthly perspective of its writer is transcended by it: Certainly Jesus is king—what Pilate wrote is written forever—but his royalty is really not of this world. He is Lord in his service, Redeemer in his sacrifice, All-powerful in his weakness, our Benefactor in his death. And he will be glorified in his humiliation, raised above everything because he meekly descended below everything into hell. No, his royalty is not of this world. He is the king of a kingdom where Love is king.

Here then is our King of Love who inclines his face toward us. At the foot of the cross, Saint John turns toward him with every fiber of his being—so that when he receives the Mother of God as his mother, on Calvary, the beloved disciple represents everyone, you and me, too. Behold, Jesus’ glance meets his. Behold, at the final hour, Jesus’ glance meets ours…

Pierre-Marie Dumont
Crucifixion (1565, detail), Tintoretto (1518–1594), Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice, Italy. © Bridgeman Images.

Good Friday so no Friday cocktail - but there will be an Easter cocktail!

And it will be a cracker!

Thursday wordle

Rep. Elise Stefanik on CNBC - political dialogue/humor at it's finest

UPDATE: Wall Street Journal reports she is considering a run for NY governor.

As Harvard - her alma mater - is discussed among other things. They actually removed her from their Board because of a speech she gave in the House of Representatives! It's well worth watching the whole interview even if you have to do it in pieces. I have put the ten minute version below the entire interview. I think she's great.

Elise Joins Squawk Box on CNBC 04.16.2025

Wednesday wordle

Trump - raising taxes on the top bracket?

This is Senator Lankford from Oklahoma, about a one minute discussion. If they raise the SALT tax deduction (which I don't think they should) it will be a wash anyway for the wealthiest. The rest of the short interview is also interesting. 

 

Tuesday wordle

WSJ: John Kerry supports Trump on striking deal with Iran

John Kerry was the Secretary of State when the Obama Administration cut their very controversial deal with Iran in July, 2015.

I've excerpted the keys from his op ed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (He starts his column by explaining why this could not have been done in 2015) below the link. And I took the liberty of bolding and underling the key issue - Iran does not want nuclear inspections.

Trump Has a Chance to Strike a Deal With Iran. Tehran has backed itself into a corner, and that boosts the odds of lasting peace through diplomacy.

In other words, the Islamic Republic holds a weak negotiating hand precisely at a time when it is closer to a bomb than ever before. While some would argue this is a time to focus narrowly on a new nuclear agreement, we believe broader possibilities are achievable. A new deal could and should go much further than previous negotiations allowed.

Mr. Trump can seek an agreement that prevents Iran from ever possessing a potentially lethal nuclear program. First, he should prohibit uranium enrichment above the threshold for civilian use and require an end to hardened or buried nuclear sites. A strict cap on the amount of fissile material in Iran’s possession, coupled with a comprehensive inspections regime to ensure compliance, would be a mandatory corollary. Commitments would have to be enduring and verifiable.

Tehran must also agree to stringent circumscription of its ballistic-missile program and outright termination of sponsorship of proxies and terrorism. Iran has proved reckless in wielding both weapons. The resolution of these pressure points is essential to regional peace.

But there are carrots, too. If Iran proves it has adhered fully to the terms of a new relationship, all crippling economic sanctions related to the regime’s illicit nuclear, missile and regional activities could be lifted. Official diplomatic recognition and full relations with the U.S. could be extended. The Senate should codify this revamped state of affairs with a legally binding treaty—thereby addressing a key Iranian concern about the possible reversal of any executive agreement. Historically, many Democratic senators have supported a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear threat. Mr. Trump alone, with his deep ties to Republican senators, could summon the two-thirds majority needed to ratify such a measure.

Geopolitically, Tehran has no better option. As Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ponders whether to make a new deal, he has the chance to pivot from a proxy strategy that has failed spectacularly, and to do so before a military confrontation with either the U.S. or Israel. Mr. Khamenei has many times stated his opposition to nuclear weapons, condemning their development and use on moral and religious grounds. If he has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, why not pre-empt a war that could lead to cataclysmic consequences for him and the region, in return for the certainty that comes with a treaty?