And a hearty cheer for the Pope!

Consecration of Russia and Ukraine on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Can't ask for better than that.

Video of the statue of Our Lady arriving in Lviv here.

Lviv was just hit with four missiles today, not so by the way. So far, no one appears to have been killed, but the importance of the city to Ukraine and Ukrainian Catholicism cannot be overstated.

Three cheers for Congresswoman Omar.

No, really: she wonders why power-apologist journalists are going after donors to the Freedom Convoy following a hack-n-doxx. 

Short answer: because that's what journalism is today--a corporate apologetics ministry for the oligarchy.  And oligarchs want people to know their lane and not disrupt the neoliberal machine. 

It's all class warfare these days--and crushing smallholders with the temerity to annoy leviathan is an absolute must. 

A reminder from Pixar:

And another from Orwell:

A very, very minor First World holiday observation.

I am happy to report that our Michigan chain grocery store had no shortage of turkeys per se. And on sale for $0.33 per pound.

But it was a bugger to find anything between 15 and 20 pounds. My youngest son and I moved the parakeets and ostriches about for ten minutes, and finally found something suitable for our oven and baking pan.

Even if we hadn't, we are still blessed beyond words. I hope your week is blessed also.

Posting will continue, but a bit sporadically.

Tyler Perry would be a good man in any point in American history.

But he's especially welcome in ours.

May God rest Secoriea Turner's soul and comfort her loved ones.

He's right--it would be far better if he could pay for Secoriea's college education.

Still, bearing a grim financial burden for a horrific death is no small thing.

That's the spirit!

The Jewish residents who had been welded out of their parks while thousands have marched unimpeded in America's worst pandemic zone responded eloquently yesterday.

With bolt cutters.

More footage here.

Bravo! Let's see how the Jew-hating twerp responds.

And a word to New York's municipal workers: stop following these orders.

Not everything is in a downward spiral to chaos.

Not when Bloom County is back!

If you're not on Facebook, then you can find the new strips here. 

Something is right in the world, and I'll take it.

Pope Benedict's Big Edit.

It appears that Pope Benedict XVI did not care at all for Cardinal Kasper's attempt to press-gang him into supporting the latter's assault on indissolubility. 

How do we know that? According to the largest newspaper in his homeland, the Pope Emeritus has removed his previous (1972) support for giving communion to civilly-remarried divorcees from the official collection of his theological works. Instead, he now favors a revised annulment process. The editorial framing notes this development with disapproval, calling it "political."

For those who have made politics a substitute religion, I imagine it is.

For those who care about the Catholic teaching on marriage, this is big news. And a most welcome note of support.

[Update, 11/19/2014: Father Zuhlsdorf has more detail about the story, including the fact Pope Benedict addresses his change of mind in the introduction.]

Oddly enough!

I have reservations about James O'Keefe, but I have to admit I admire this brilliant bit of guerilla theatre: posing as members of an anti-gun organization, O'Keefe's group offered "This Home Is Gun-Free" stickers to the grandstanders at MSNBC.

There were no takers.

Did I mention brilliant?

Congratulations to the Culbreath family!

Who welcomed their newest arrival, Mr. Theodore Andrew Culbreath, on January 23. After a slight rough patch (he was born at thirty five weeks), Mom and son are both home and doing well.

I think it was Hilary who said that by 2050, one-third of all English-speaking Catholics would be named Culbreath, Price or Skojec. She might have a point.

Congrats, Jeff and family!

Thomas Henry, born on October 2, 2011.

At 7:31am.

A little more than four hours after Heather woke me with the news that her water had broken. Which changed me from slumbering to AIEEE! in less than a second. Thank God for the groundedness of my wife.

And a big round of applause for my other children, who despite been awakened at 3:20am and not fed until around 7am behaved beautifully in the family lounge of the hospital.

There's still the good and the bad which is affecting my ability to blog at present, but this 9 lbs., 6 oz., 20 and 1/4 inch brick is one of the very best.



Mom and Tom are home and both doing well. I'm blessed beyond words. Sorry for not getting the word out by phone, but "hectic" doesn't begin to describe my life at this point.

Speaking of which, anybody who can give me a line on an 8+ passenger used vehicle would have me in their debt... :)

Not an according-to-Hoyle miracle....

But close enough for government work.

Friends went to visit Aunt Margie at the hospital yesterday evening.

She greeted them with a chipper "How are ya doin'?"

!

We're all a little flattened, but in a good way.

She's scheduled for a couple more weeks of observation/rehab, but she's raring to get home.

Christmas came a bit early, thanks be to God.

Unpaid testimonial.

Thanks--as in huge, sanity-and-identity-saving thanks--to Bob Ward for cleaning the particularly nasty virus off our computer last night.

Bob operates Bob's PC Pro, LLC, and he was able to remotely access our badly-infected computer and remove the "full-featured" virus that was threatening it. He was remarkably patient with the technically-impaired gent he was working with, and successfully outfoxed the ugly thing that was making our computer unusable. He also made some recommendations for upgrading our computer, removed the ineffective name-brand virus "protection" software, replaced it with something effective and downloaded some useful protective surfing software which will help us well into the future. All at a fair price.

As a very, very happy customer, I can recommend him without hesitation!

After 12 hours, a not-quite-successful external version, and a misplaced left arm...

Elizabeth Christina Price made her earthly debut at 8:51pm tonight, via c-section. She's 6 lbs, 9 oz and 19 inches long. And beautiful all over.

Pictures later, when the bleary goes away.

Thanks for the prayers and good wishes.

Webb v. Polanski.

Think Tyson v. Spinks.

Winner: Jack Webb, KO in the first round.



Thanks to Donald McClarey for this find.

Ad multos annos!

To Jay Anderson and Steve Stirling, both of whom are aging like fine French vintages in oak casks.

Roll over Methuselah and tell Mahalalel the news.

Happy birthday to two of my friends today, commenter and expired blogger Bryan and commenter and largely hibernating blogger Zach.

Welcome to old. The view's ok--one of the happy side effects of weakening vision.

TEC-tual healing, oh baby...

Miami's Fr. Oprah pulls the ripcord and jines the Piskies.

Here he stan--...uh, whoops...never mind.

He's going to have to do something really interesting before he's considered miter material, though.

Not so BTW, a hearty round of applause for all the priests who adhere to their vows with honor. I appreciate it, and I know I'm not alone.

Need your hope for the future of America restored?

I give you the students of the Ron Clark Academy. The song is infectious, but the interview is the best thing about it.

OK, one important bit of data you should have.

My lovely wife is threatening to become a star of the internets. Run over, congratulate her and offer her your best wishes. The call-back confirmation (which I received) stated that they "definitely" wanted her back on Saturday. I've told her that one day very soon she'll simply be recognized as "Heather," in the same way we recognize "Beyonce" or "Marilyn." In fact, I've started calling her "Heathe'," to her pronounced non-satisfaction.

And it happened on her birthday, which, yes, I remembered. She received (what else?) a book, a chocolate cake and a bonus package of semi-sweet chocolate. My child bride is a radiant twenty-nine, so congratulate her on that, too.

Don't forget to congratulate Heather Siekierski ("the other Heather" as she is known as at Casa Del Price), too.

You'll be able to say you knew them when.

Pansy Moss once again extends her lead to three.

Go on over and congratulate the expectant Mom.

BTW, the Moss Place has long been one of my favorite mom blogs, so add it to your bookmarks.

Or, should you be of the conviction that my opinion smells like a used diaper filled with Indian food, give it a try anyway. Stopped clocks, etc.