Tom Faranda's Folly

Pope Francis reads riot act to German Bishops

Blunt and to the point - at their ad limina (every five year visit) to the Vatican.

"Pulling no punches, Pope Francis laid out statistic after statistic before a group of German bishops and wondered aloud why the Church in Germany is in freefall."

It is time, he said, “for bishops to diligently carry out their mission as teachers of the faith – the faith that is preached and lived in communion with the universal Church – in the manifold areas of their pastoral ministry.”

The Pope’s words came barely a month after the Vatican synod of bishops on marriage and the family. As a group, the German clerics have been the most aggressive and most united group in the Church in pushing for a relaxation of sacramental discipline. Despite opposition from Rome, the German bishops seem determined to go it alone.

Consensus on Global Warming: 97% of Americans aren't worried

Meanwhile Bernie Sanders, the President and Secretary of State Kerry says its' the most important security issue.

97 percent of Americans don’t seem to care about the issue when stacked up against other concerns such as terrorism or the economy, according to a recent Fox News poll.

A November Fox News poll of more than 1,000 registered voters found that only 3 percent listed “climate change” as the most important issue facing the country today, down from 5 percent in August. Americans were much more worried about terrorism, the economy and immigration than global warming.

Even among Democrats concern for global warming was low. The Fox poll found only 6 percent of Democrats listed global warming as their top concern, compared to 1 percent of Republicans. Men were slightly more likely than women to list global warming as their top concern, and whites were more likely than blacks to worry about warming.

 

 

NatGeo: guess the city!

Figure it out - I didn't even get the right continent!

Pope in Uganda, honors Anglican and Catholic martyrs

Killed between 1885 & 1887 in a particularly atrocious manner; most were burned alive. Many of them were young boys. Uganda martyrs' Shrine, Namugongo

 

NatGeo: The Key to Living Longer

Interesting short video - an introduction to a new National Geographic series.

 

Stepinac State Champions, 42-28 over St. Francis

Too be honest, the game was not as well-played as the game last week between Stepinac and Cardinal Hayes (both games were on msgvarsity.com) which Stepinac won 20-12. There were multiple turnovers by both Stepinac and St. Francis. But Stepinac held it's nerve and deserved to win. There are some highlights here.

Game was played outside Buffalo. Stepinac saw a 28-0 lead shrink to 35-28, but came good in the end.

Tyquell Fields said his ankle felt “horrible” after the game, but he limped off the field a state champion.

The Archbishop Stepinac senior quarterback threw four touchdown passes as the Crusaders secured their first CHSAA championship with a 42-28 win over St. Francis on Saturday at dreary Gene Masters Field.

A high ankle sprain suffered in the CHSFL title game kept Fields in the pocket and limited his ability to plant on throws, but senior T.J. Morrison (nine catches, 200 yards) caught three of Fields’ four TD passes and added a fourth on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico to lead the Crusaders’ offensive attack.

 

The 6-foot-3 senior, playing through a badly ankle sprain suffered in last week’s NYCHSFL championship win over Hayes, completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

T.J. Morrison had four touchdown grabs, including one on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 209 yards for Stepinac, which finishes the season unbeaten after falling in last year’s inaugural state title game to Canisius (Buffalo).

- See more at: http://www.msgvarsity.com/the-empire-stepinac-wins-state-title-1.1755705#sthash.92p5dzXj.dpuf...

The 6-foot-3 senior, playing through a badly ankle sprain suffered in last week’s NYCHSFL championship win over Hayes, completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

T.J. Morrison had four touchdown grabs, including one on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 209 yards for Stepinac, which finishes the season unbeaten after falling in last year’s inaugural state title game to Canisius (Buffalo).

- See more at: http://www.msgvarsity.com/the-empire-stepinac-wins-state-title-1.1755705#sthash.92p5dzXj

The 6-foot-3 senior, playing through a badly ankle sprain suffered in last week’s NYCHSFL championship win over Hayes, completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

T.J. Morrison had four touchdown grabs, including one on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 209 yards for Stepinac, which finishes the season unbeaten after falling in last year’s inaugural state title game to Canisius (Buffalo).

- See more at: http://www.msgvarsity.com/the-empire-stepinac-wins-state-title-1.1755705#sthash.92p5dzXj.dpuf

The 6-foot-3 senior, playing through a badly ankle sprain suffered in last week’s NYCHSFL championship win over Hayes, completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

T.J. Morrison had four touchdown grabs, including one on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 209 yards for Stepinac, which finishes the season unbeaten after falling in last year’s inaugural state title game to Canisius (Buffalo).

- See more at: http://www.msgvarsity.com/the-empire-stepinac-wins-state-title-1.1755705#sthash.92p5dzXj.dpuf

The 6-foot-3 senior, playing through a badly ankle sprain suffered in last week’s NYCHSFL championship win over Hayes, completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

T.J. Morrison had four touchdown grabs, including one on a halfback pass from Antonio Giannico. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 209 yards for Stepinac, which finishes the season unbeaten after falling in last year’s inaugural state title game to Canisius (Buffalo).

- See more at: http://www.msgvarsity.com/the-empire-stepinac-wins-state-title-1.1755705#sthash.92p5dzXj.dpuf

Last Saturday's Midnight Run

The Saturday before Thanksgiving I made the Run (this is a ministry of my Church in Croton, Holy Name of Mary) into Manhattan as the "Guide" for a group of medical students from NY Medical College.

A student had contacted my friend Fran, who organizes MIdnight Run (as well as the Loaves and Fish free meal Ministry we have every Saturday, plus he has a real job and three kids ...!) about doing it. There is a group of students at NYMC who participate in this sort of basic service activism. Fran set it up with all the students participating along with myself, getting us around to our five assigned stops in midtown Manhattan.

What a really nice in-their-early-20's crowd. Here is a picture of all 12 of them - and all looking good. Two of the girls - on the left and the young lady in the middle - are originally from Nigeria. The organizer was Mark, the fellow on the right, who is from New Jersey originally and a graduate of Notre Dame. I drove in with him - great guy.  I did feel pretty not-young, hanging out with this group. They ranged from freshman to senors - the seniors will soon be interviewing for their residency's next year. Mark is a senior who is heading into pediatrics.

Here are a couple more pictures, they had a very nice rapport with the people we were serving. And they all felt it was worthwhile - looking to participate again next year.

Excellent night - says a lot for the students who gave up their Saturday afternoon and night to participate.

Five things to know about Lucy (our ancestor, maybe)

From the Telegraph, UK.

Stepinac v. St Francis for State Championship

Game is upstate tomorrow. Go Stepinac! After just falling short for the state championsip last year, another chance.

good review of the two teams here on msg varsity where the game will be live streamed tomorrow.

Road to Buffalo: Stepinac vs. St. Francis

And this article in the Journal News/Lohid.

Stepinac hopes to finish in return to CHSAA state final

 

Bishop Robert Barron: Catholic response to Paris attacks

Plus good advise on talk around the diner table when it comes to Faith.

Colbert - LOTR fan! Riffs on Smeagol, Gollum and spiders

Pretty good - great if- like me - you're a Lord of the Rings fan.

 

Thanksgiving with Uncle Phil and Co.

Company being his four kids.

Here's his selfie on a stick with everyone around the table, and below some pictures I took with my (new) Note 4 phone.

Clockwise from Phil's big head in the front, Luke, Catherine, Mark, Greg at other end of the table, then moi, Brigid and Joe. Unfortunately Tim missed out as he was working at the Hudson National golf Club for the day. 

A couple more -

Catherine calling down fire and brimstone, as Phil and Luke break the "never read your phone at the table" rule.

Joe and Phil, pretending to pay attention to Brigid -

And Greg retreats, tired of it all? I took this over my shoulder while at the table.

 

 

 

From Uganda: A Thanksgiving song

The Catholic monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton said that our fundamental posture in prayer should be one of Thanksgiving.

Lovely, colorful voices!

Brigid @ Hemlock Hill Farms today: It begins

UPDATE: From my friend Karen in an email comment: Here today.....gone tomorrow....Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Picking up Mr. Tom Turkey she caught this scene  -

Georgetown students explain Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialism

Feel the Bern! Not.

 

The Chicago shooting.

Horrible. A year later the policeman is charged with 1st degree murder. The boy had a knife; wasn't menacing anyone; shot 16 times.

 

Head-scratcher: Democratic ad agrees with George Bush!

HA! A first!! He's blamed by Dems for everything wrong with the world, but now he's right.

Kiss from the Pope and a baby's healing?

My friend Joe sent me something about this a few days ago - now it's getting more publicity.

 

WaPo: NPR and their graying demographic

I believe this is the same problem the NY Times has. FULL DISCLOSURE: I rarely listen to NPR.

Perhaps more troubling are the broader demographic trends. NPR’s signal has gradually been fading among the young. Listening among “Morning Edition’s” audience, for example, has declined 20 percent among people under 55 in the past five years. Listening for “All Things Considered” has dropped about 25 percent among those in the 45-to-54 segment.

... The median age of public radio listeners has roughly tracked the median age of baby boomers. The median NPR listener was 45 years old in 1995; now he or she is 54, according to Tom Thomas, co-chief executive of the Station Resource Group, a public-radio strategy and research consortium. “The [aging] trend has been gentle and continuous for the last 20 years,” he said.

******

In more subtle changes, NPR added two new, younger hosts — Ari Shapiro and Kelly McEvers — to “All Things Considered” this summer, joining 68-year-old Robert Siegel. And it promoted Michel Martin, an African American woman who is the former host of “Tell Me More” (canceled last year) and now hosts “Weekend All Things Considered.” Editorial Director Michael Oreskes said the anchor reset is “an invitation to both traditional listeners and new ones to think about the programs in new ways.”

Some of the other brand-name talent at NPR illustrates the situation: Talk-show host Diane Rehm is 79; senior national correspondent Linda Wertheimer is 72; legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg is 71, and “Weekend Edition Saturday” host Scott Simon is a relative youngster at 63.

Today - interesting feast day of Bl. Miguel Pro

A Jesuit priest, martyred in 1927 in Mexico. He was falsely accused of an assassination attempt, and shot without a trial. The powers that be took photos of his execution and published them in newspapers, hoping to intimidate Mexican Catholics.

Detailed photographs of his execution were widely published in Mexican newspapers to intimidate Mexican Catholics, but they were treated as holy pictures by the faithful and had the opposite effect.

There's more in wikipedia -

Calles is reported to have looked down upon a throng of 40,000 which lined Pro's funeral procession and another 20,000 waited at the cemetery where he was buried without a priest present, his father saying the final words. The Cristeros became more animated and fought with renewed enthusiasm, many of them carrying the newspaper photo of Pro before the firing squad.

He was beatified by John Paul II in Mexico, in 1988.

 

 

NY Times - vegetarian Thanksgiving! Sounds yummy (not)!

I can't think of anything I'd rather have for Thanksgiving than a cauliflower steak! From their WELL weekly email. Sorry the photos didn't copy over very well. But the links work.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Cauliflower Steaks By TARA PARKER-POPE For the vegetarians and vegans at your holiday table, consider serving them the best cut of the cauliflower, seared and caramelized to perfection.

A Fall-Themed Veggie Burger By TARA PARKER-POPE Create a fall-themed veggie burger with acorn squash, cranberries and toasted almonds to star on your Thanksgiving table.

Lentil-Stuffed Delicata Squash With Cashew Raita By TARA PARKER-POPE A reader sent in a recipe for a fall dish with spice and "abundant umami" to suit a wide-range of palates.

Festive Eggplant Rolls By TARA PARKER-POPE If you're looking to wow your crowd this Thanksgiving, consider these festive eggplant rolls.

Al Sharpton's salary: 70% raise to 412K

Nice work if you can get it.

The leading nonprofit watchdog, Charity Navigator, says $150,000 is the median compensation for the top executive at comparable organizations.

At more than $412,000, Sharpton’s compensation “is far beyond what we see in charities of this size,” even on the East Coast, says Charity Navigator’s spokeswoman, Sandra Miniutti.

 

National Action Network employed 34 workers throughout 2014, spending just over $1.9 million in total compensation.

 

Sharpton’s pay hike is well outside of what’s normal, Miniutti says; a standard increase for a nonprofit executive is between 1 percent and 3 percent. A raise of over 70 percent “is a pretty big jump in his compensation,” she says. “We typically don’t see that.”

 

Stepinac football repeats as league champion

20-12 over Cardinal Hayes, and despite an ankle injury to their QB, making him immobile for the last three quarters.

“It’s awesome for these kids to go back-to-back. It was a great effort by them. Hayes played a hell of a game,” O’Donnell said. “That was a hard-hitting football game and it was a true testament to how great our league is.”

 

Colbert: Interviewing Michael Caine on getting old

Michael Caine (82 yo) is the lead in a movie called "Youth".

The WSJ really dislikes "The Donald".

Here's their weekend interview with him. If you hit the link and can't get in for the full story, email me and I'll send it to you. FULL DISCLOSURE: I love the Wall Street Journal & also like some of Trump's ideas.

‘I have such great respect for The Wall Street Journal and for the people that make up The Wall Street Journal. I have been treated very badly, however, by The Wall Street Journal—and rough. I like your show so much, but between you and Dan, boy, do you kill me,” says Donald Trump, gesticulating with open palms across the boardroom table at editorial-page editor Paul Gigot and columnist Dan Henninger as he eases into his cold-open monologue. “I watch Dan, I watch you just crucify me on Sundays. I mean, it’s like, man, they don’t like me,” he adds. “And honestly, I’ve done a good job. I’m a solid person, I’ve done a good job, I have a lot of common sense. I have a business ability.”

The Presidency as the Art of the Deal. The billionaire GOP front-runner talks trade, taxes and his special fitness for the White House.

We on the Journal editorial board would rather cover than participate in the presidential vortex, but then Mr. Trump is a self-reliant phenomenon and the first person is thus unavoidable. Our commentaries in these pages and on our Fox News program have rarely been friendly to Mr. Trump, to put it diplomatically, though we had more immediate reason to wonder if our encounter on Monday would come off as scheduled weeks before.

Last week Mr. Trump went bananas over an editorial—published in print Thursday—that recapped the Republican primary debate and suggested that “it wasn’t obvious that he has any idea what’s in” the Pacific Rim free-trade deal that he reviles. In an early-a.m. tweet storm, Mr. Trump responded that the “dummies” at “the failing @WSJ” are “so wrong, so often” and demanded a retraction and apology. In a cable-TV hit, his second on the topic that day, he ventilated: “They’re third rate. They write so many bad editorials. Whoever the editorial-board top person is—and I think I actually know who the top person is—they ought to resign because they’re incompetent.”

******

In a word, we got the full Donald J. Trump experience, albeit unmediated by television cameras and featuring the principal on his best behavior. He didn’t call anyone a moron or a pathetic loser, at least anyone present in the room. Mr. Trump’s entourage included his adult daughter Ivanka, and they were as likely to invoke their trophy properties and the logistics of pouring concrete as they were trade, immigration and the economic nationalism that has carried him to the apex of the GOP field.

Mr. Trump was gregarious throughout the 98-minute exchange, grandiose in his opera-buffa way—class, pure class—and at times revelatory about his economics, his unconventional campaign and what he views as his special fitness for the presidency.

The last paragraph -

It’s politics, not business, but you never know. Maybe it’s time to start imagining Mr. Trump, come January 2017, in possession of the nuclear launch codes.

Heather "Anish" Anderson and her record-breaking Appalachian Trail hike

I've previously read about her here & here - she averaged over 40 miles a day - proving once again, the supperiority of the distaff sex. And here's a short youtube video by a southern hiker just about what she carried. Her hike was "unsupported", meaning she carried everything herself, picking up food which she had mailed ahead as she went along.  The video has no pictures of her - you'll need to hit the links above.

 

 

 

Yuck! (SciAm): "Tapeworm spreads cancer to human"

Not cool. The whole idea ...

A parasite with cancer infected a man, and the tumor cells jumped across the species line

A Colombian man's lung tumors turned out to have an extremely unusual cause: The rapidly growing masses weren't actually made of human cells, but were from a tapeworm living inside him, according to a report of the case.

This is the first known report of a person becoming sick from cancer cells that developed in a parasite, the researchers said.

"We were amazed when we found this new type of disease—tapeworms growing inside a person, essentially getting cancer, that spreads to the person, causing tumors," said study researcher Dr. Atis Muehlenbachs, a staff pathologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch (IDPB).

The man had HIV, which weakens the immune system and likely played a role in allowing the development of the parasite cancer, the researchers said. Although the man's case is probably a rare one, the researchers noted that both tapeworms and HIV affect millions of people worldwide, "so there may be more cases that are unrecognized," Muehlenbachs said.

More if you hit the link.

Paris cafe - more video

You do wonder why the guy is videoing instead of trying to help the five victims. From the Telegraph (UK).

 

WSJ: Ronda Rousey, UFC, and entertainment

I've never watched one of these bouts - I don't even know the rules - but I do know that Ronda Rousey was touted as an indestructible machine. Here's a short video by the Wall Street Journal that offers a good insight into how the sports entertainment world works. Following that - 45 seconds of Rousey getting knocked out

 

And here's the fight. I had to change the video - the first one was taken down.

CNN: undercover video of ISIS

In the city of Raqqa, the ISIS capital. Quite chilling.

 

Stepinac Catholic League championship game Saturday night

Wish I could be there; I'm doing a Midnight Run Saturday. Neat picture if you hit this link.

Stepinac stomps St. Peter's 49-7, headed to championship game

Stepinac (10-0) will face second-seeded Cardinal Hayes for the league title at Fordham University on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. It will be the Crusaders’ third appearance in the championship game in the past five years.

“For many years, we were not considered to be a team that could be in the championship game,” said Stepinac coach Mike O’Donnell. “We’re ecstatic about it, but we’re also not looking too far ahead. We didn’t celebrate after today’s game, we’re on a mission and next week is the next mission.”

The mission is to be #1 in the state - public or private school. That is their current ranking ... but their season's not over.

 

Irish singer Enya on herself and her music

Enya is bringing out a new album (first in ten years - here's a review of it: Dark Sky Island.) Below the interview, a little bit of music.

And go here for Enya's bio.

SciAm: "Greatest Vanishing Act in Prehistoric America"

Very interesting short article with an embedded three minute video. -

Seven centuries ago, tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the American Southwest.

“Why would people live here? That's an important question. It's not an easy place to reach,” says Donna Glowacki, an archaeologist now at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, as she walks among the ruins. Even more perplexing is what happened after they settled there. The villagers occupied their cliffside houses for just a short time before everyone suddenly picked up and left. So did all the other farmers living in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, where the modern states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet (see 'Turbulent times').

All together, nearly 30,000 people disappeared from this area between the mid-1200s and 1285, making it one of the greatest vanishing acts documented in human history. What had been one of the most populous parts of North America became almost instantly a ghost land.

Archaeologists have long puzzled over what drove these farmers, the ancestors of the Pueblo people, from their homes and fields. “That is one of the iconic problems of southwestern—and world—prehistory,” says archaeologist Mark Varien, who is executive vice-president of the Crow Canyon Research Institute in Cortez, Colorado. Early scholars blamed nomads, the ancestors of the Apache and Navajo, for violently displacing the farmers. Over the past couple of decades, the main explanation has shifted to climate—a profound drought and cold snap that hit in the 1270s.

Paris survivor recounts attack that killed his two sisters

Horrible. Perhaps that's his father sitting next to him?

 

Jonah Lomu, the first global rugby legend

The iconic New Zealand player.

He's died suddenly at the age of 40. Lomu was awaiting a second kidney transplant. He had suffered from nephrotic syndrome for almost 20 years. Several months ago I read an interview Lomu gave - his hope was to live long enough to see his young sons grow up.

New Zealand is mourning one of its greatest sporting heroes after the former All Blacks player Jonah Lomu died unexpectedly in Auckland on Wednesday at the age of 40.

Jonah Lomu, in the 1995 World Cup.

 

The fireman with the face transplant

Amazing. This is from the Telegraph (UK).

 

From Jamaica; crafty Heineken commercial

Sent to me by Brigid's niece June - all the way from Australia.

Yup, this is about the size of it.

 

CNN reporter calls out President on ISIS

The President's remarks drew lots of scrutiny last night on the news channels - at least on CNN and FOX, the two I watch -

and here's what Karuthammer thought of the President's remarks - along with Senator Feinstein's comments

Gun control in France

An interesting article in the Guardian (UK) which points up the difficulty of controlling illegal guns. Bad guys don't abide by the strict French gun laws.

Paris attacks highlight France's gun control problems. The arms used prove how difficult it is for France – which has strict weapons laws – to tackle flow of illegal weaponry across Europe’s porous borders

The arsenal of weapons deployed by the eight attackers who terrorised Paris on Friday night underlined France’s gun control problems and raised the spectre of further attacks.

The country has extremely strict weapons laws, but Europe’s open borders and growing trade in illegal weapons means assault rifles are relatively easy to come by on the black market.

They feature regularly in gang warfare and were used by both the Charlie Hebdo killers and an extremist who targeted a Jewish school and paratroopers in 2012 shootings around Toulouse in the south of the country.

The suicide vests are less easy for would-be attackers to source because an amateur would struggle to create one.

******

But the highly unstable explosive used – triacetone triperoxide (TATP) – suggests the devices worn on Friday were created in France, and the bombmaker would probably have sat out the carnage so he could create more for future attacks, intelligence experts said.

“The explosive specialist is too precious. He never participates in attacks,” said Alain Chouet, a former director at Direction Générale de la Sécurité (DGSE), France’s external intelligence agency. “So he’s around, somewhere.”

YIKES: NYT on too much sugar, the beer belly, and obesity.

Hmm, the NY Times covered all the bases this weekend with their "Well" newsletter.

...story about proposed sugar guidelines. Added sugar is lurking in some seemingly healthy places - granola bars, yogurt and wheat bread, to name a few.

Much of the news this week seemed focused on our waistlines, with stories about rising obesity, the beer belly and concerns about fat stigma.

Here's the beer belly article, which can be caused by other things than just drinking beer. No need to show the picture used to illustrate the issue.

Beware the Beer Belly

A beer belly is a dangerous thing.

A new analysis of data from a large national study has found that carrying fat around the middle of the body greatly raises the risk for heart disease and death, even for those of normal weight.

Doctors usually determine obesity by body mass index, or B.M.I. — calculated from height and weight — but the calculation does not distinguish between fat and lean muscle weight. Measuring waist-to-hip ratio presents a different, and possibly more accurate, picture because it accounts for central obesity, or visceral fat, the fat stored around the internal organs.

Waist-to-hip ratio is waist measurement divided by hip measurement. According to the World Health Organization, a ratio higher than .90 for men or .85 for women defines central obesity.

It has been known for some time that having an “apple” shape increases the risk for disease and death. But the new study found that a man of normal B.M.I. with an abnormally large belly has an 87 percent higher risk for death than a man with the same B.M.I. but a normal waist-to-hip ratio. Pot-bellied women of normal B.M.I. have a 48 percent higher risk than women with normal B.M.I. and normal belly fat.

 

Inside the Concert Hall after the Paris attack

Link below; a very graphic, grim picture. It takes a moment to load. And below it is a video of the band as the shooting starts. I've embedded it below the link.

Shock Photo Emerges Of Bodies Inside Bataclan **WARNING GRAPHIC**

 

AP: Firefight - French police v. terrorist

The night of the attack.  The terrorist has some sort of rapid fire weapon; some of the French police have only pistols.

 

The terrorists - one a refugee, one a French resident

At least that seems to be the case, based on initial reports. And it will make things very very difficult to resolve how to help the 100's of thousands fo refugees flooding Europe from the Middle East.

Note the term the NY Times uses - "xenophobic" - they need to editorialize everything ...

"Three teams of Islamic State attackers acting in unison carried out the terrorist assault in Paris on Friday night..."

the NYT reports.

The Paris prosecutor, François Molins, said the attackers were all armed with heavy weaponry and suicide vests.... The gunman with the Syrian passport — which Greek officials said had been registered at the Aegean island of Leros on Oct. 3 — was 25, and died at the stadium. Another gunman, who died at the concert hall, was 29 and a native of Courcouronnes, about 20 miles south of Paris. He had a criminal record and was known to be associated with extremist Islamic ideology, Mr. Molins said....

The possibility that one of the attackers was a migrant or had posed as one is sure to further complicate the already vexing problem for Europe of how to handle the unceasing flow of people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. It could also lend weight to the xenophobic arguments of right-wing populists like Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, who on Saturday held a news conference to declare that “France and the French are no longer safe.”

President on ISIS: "We have contained them"

With exquisitely bad luck and bad timing, this is what Mr. Obama said Friday morning, a few hours before the Paris attacks. 

 

His comments were widely picked up in Europe; this is from a UK newspaper. I guess things would be worse if they weren't "contained."

Obama under fire for saying that ISIS has been 'contained' just hours before Paris attack ...

President Barack Obama said that ISIS was 'contained' just a day before the terrorist group claimed responsibility for a horrific attack in Paris that killed 128 people on Friday.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired on Friday's broadcast of Good Morning America, Obama declared that he didn't believe ISIS (also known as ISIL) was gaining strength. 

'What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them,' Obama said in the interview. 'They have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave, but you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain.'

 

WaPo: "ISIS statement"

The security people are pretty sure this is from ISIS. The article is from the Washington Post - 

ISIS Claims Responsibility, Calling Attacks ‘First of the Storm’

In a blessed battle whose causes of success were enabled by Allah, a group of believers from the soldiers of the Caliphate (may Allah strengthen and support it) set out targeting the capital of prostitution and vice, the lead carrier of the cross in Europe-Paris. This group of believers were youth who divorced the worldly life and advanced towards their enemy hoping to be killed for Allah's sake, doing so in support of His religion, His Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him), and His allies. They did so in spite of His enemies. Thus, they were truthful with Allah - we consider them so - and Allah granted victory upon their hands and cast terror into the hearts of the crusaders in their very own homeland.

And so eight brothers equipped with explosive belts and assault rifles attacked precisely chosen targets in the center of the capital of France. ...

... The result of the attacks was the deaths of no less than two hundred crusaders and the wounding of even more. All praise, grace, and favor belong to Allah.

Allah blessed our brothers and granted them what they desired. They detonated their explosive belts in the masses of the disbelievers after finishing all their ammunition. We ask Allah to accept them amongst the martyrs and to allow us to follow them.

I love France

Long ago - back in my 20's when I lived in the Caribbean - I spent parts of two summers in France. Loved the country, loved Paris.

And everyone in the know says France has excellent security and intelligence services. But you can't stop them all. 

 

 

Colbert on 4th Republican debate

Funny ,but not as good as his earlier debate commentaries, like this one. You can find other Colbert stuff by plugging his name in the search box on the upper right.

NatGeo: A look at apparitions of Mary

This is a preliminary look at a show airing on December 13th. Coincidentally (?) the day after the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (also, Brigid's birthday!).

 

Stepinac football, #122 nationally, #1 in NY State

#122 in the country.

With their playoff semi-final this Sunday against St. Peter's, who they've already beaten during the regular season, 52-6.

Republican debate TV ratings

I saw about a half hour of the debate - it was certainly more substantive then the CNBC fiasco. And ratings about the same with that debate, but well down for the first two on FOX News and CNN.

Overnight returns give Fox Business Network's primetime showing a 8.9 rating among households and 13.5 million viewers in primetime. That's just shy of the 9.5 rating and 14 million viewers earned by CNBC's recent coverage for the third. It's a guaranteed record for the channel. Just eight years old, the youngest cable news network and Fox News Channel sister has never approached such highs before.

High as it might be for Fox Business, or any cable news network, the debates are on a downward trajectory. After Fox News Channel's boffo 24 million viewers in August, CNN's September follow-up pulled an equally impressive 23 million before October's 14-million haul for CNBC.