"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo."

Confused? I was too. Still am, a little bit. Click above to find out what it all means.

Four Weeks Old

On Tuesday, Noah turned four weeks-old. Wow. Time really is flying.

It's been a very interesting, but a very good four weeks. You can read all about it if you go to Cerneka Family Adventures, a blog that my wife Erin is keeping.

For fun, here is a pictoral comparison of Madeleine and Noah at four weeks:

Here's Madeleine:



Here's Noah:



See ya,
Shannon

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

In 1964 the Philadelphia Phillies were all set to coast into the World Series to face the New York Yankees. They ended up losing ten straight in September, handing the National League pennant to the St. Louis Cardinals by one game. (The Cardinals won the Series that year.)

If you've been paying attention, this year's Cardinals seem determined to bring balance to the universe. They are currently in first place, but have lost seven straight (the Houston Astros have WON seven straight), and their division lead is only 1 1/2 games. It's entirely possible that they could hand the division title to the Astros this week.

It would be irresponsible for me to ask you to pray for this (seeing as how there are MUCH more important things to pray for), but if you could wear a little more red this week, I (and the Cardinals) would appreciate it.

GO CARDS!
Shannon

"You can call me Yeti, and Yeti, when you call me you can call me Al!"

Cribbly (I wonder if I can call her Cribbly?) at Over the Top (and Cribbs' Chronicle) alerted us to this amusing website. Make sure to complete the job, it makes the Yeti quite happy.

---

PS - That little guy there is not a depiciton of the actual Yeti nor of Cribbly. I'm not exactly sure what it is, other than a googled image of a Yeti I thought was cute. I shall hug him and kiss him and call him George. Hi, George!

! [ ' , ) ; } / ... : \ ] { - ( " ?

It's National Punctuation Day!

Whee!

How do you get into heaven?

A Sunday School teacher was testing the children in her class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven. She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, Would that get me into Heaven?"

"NO!" the children answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

By now she was starting to smile.

"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

She was just bursting with pride for them. "Well," she continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."

"Man bites Dog" with a twist

HEADLINE: Man bites panda after panda bites man

"Zhang, who couldn't remember the incident clearly, had wanted to hug the panda and shake its hand after having watched similar scenes on television.

'I wouldn't have jumped in if I knew what would happen,' Zhang said."

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day!

And we almost missed it! Shiver me timbers.

Pray with Gene

Gene of Apex has a new page, dedicated to (nearly daily) prayer requests. Make sure to notice the positivistic spin he suggests for prayer: "Don't pray for a sick kidney; see the person afflicted active and pain free with a healthy kidney."

Report: Majority Of Americans Unprepared For Apocalypse

Just as a reminder, The Onion is a satirical newspaper.

Did you ever have to make up your mind?

No, not in terms of which girl or boy to romantically pursue, but on perhaps as important a question: where to go to college?


Here's a truly fascinating chart from a New York Times article this past Sunday, showing the percentage of students who choose one school over another when it comes to head-to-head matchups. Guess which school holds its own better than any other school included in this study.

Me Church

The complete opposite of "Community, Participation, Mission" -



(Or, the complete opposite of Catholicism!)
And super-funny!

Why is Noah Sad?

Erin caught Noah making this great face the other day.



Is he:

A) upset about the current conflict in the Middle East?
B) concerned about the upcoming changes to the Mass?
C) reacting to seeing ANOTHER "Head On" commercial?

-OR-

D) hungry?

-Shannon

Wow.

We generally stay away from anything too political or devisive around here, but this was a bit surprising to me (Orin) and I thought I should share.

There's a lot of discussion (mostly after the main article) that I don't agree with, and even some naughty words; I'm really only linking so you can see the eye-witness pics this guy took at a cathedral in London Sunday. Man oh man.

Owwwww!

In the middle of the night, our cat Homer decided to use my face as a jumping off point in order to get to my night stand. This was the result:



Owww,
Shannon

Finding God Where We Least Expect

One of Orin's AI friends, Danielle Charles, had an article published recently by the National Black Catholic Congress. Click above to read her excellent reflection, mostly on Ignatius Loyola and Francis de Sales.

Shannon finds out

Orin Recovers

So, um, the CDs are here!

Searching for a Way to Be Faithful

From The Art of Theological Reflection:

Approaching the Christian heritage from the standpoint of certitude (seeing the unfamiliaronly in terms of what we already believe) creates serious problems for the authentic faith. When we take this approach we never consider the degree to which we are reading our own ... assumptions, values, and worldview into the biblical material or theological tradition. We think we are reading or hearing God's Word when, in fact, we have approached Scripture or tradition in a way that allows it only to mirror back to us the assumptions and interpretative positions we are bringing to it.
...
Ironically, when we operate from the standpoint of self-assurance (relying solely on my current experience and perspectives, what I think and feel now) we often chide those who cling to the tradition in quest of certitude, accusing them of submitting themselves to outmoded external authorities. What we do not see is how much our own standpoint of self-assurance is a quest for certitude through self-reliance.
...
Living from a standpoint of exploration (attempting to discover where we are and how we are to proceed) ... draws us into community. in a paradoxical fashion, as we increasingly enter our own experience as a first step in the movement toward insight, both our desire and our need increase for companions and for sources of wisdom from outside oursleves that can help us interpret our experience.

---

Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and (in a vision) he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay (his) hands on him, that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit." Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said, "Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?" But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded (the) Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.

Acts 9:1-22

We wouldn't have B16 if it weren't for...

...wait for it...

...a personal ad. Yup, Benedict's parents met because his dad placed a personal ad.

Read more about it here!

On Notice!

One of these was created by Shannon and Erin, the other by Orin and Erin - can you tell which? (We'd hope so!)

Go make your own here!

Ava's Home!

Here's a pic of her baptism - for move visit Ava's blog.

PS - We see our friend Edwin's a godparent - go Edwin!

Festival of Faiths and Cultures Pics

At the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, September 9, 2006


Shannon and Orin (and others) attempt some Polynesian dancing


Oddwalk discusses things backstage, with Noah's help.


Oddwalk jams a bit with Ginkgo Biloba World Music (of St. Louis)


What a great day to celebrate people, celebrate peace!

2,996 Tribute - John A. Schardt

Name: John A. Schardt
Age: 34
Killed at: World Trade Center
From: New York City

---

Oddwalk has signed on as part of the 2,996 Project. We were assigned to honor John, one of the many brave firefighters, police, EMTs and others who struggled to save people trapped in the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001.

In reflecting on that day, its causes, its repercussions... and in reflecting on this task, honoring the dead of that day, I (Orin) have returned again and again to the concept of understanding and finding common ground. Some may not agree with me, but as members of humanity, all 6,000,000,000 of us by definition hold much more in common with one another than do we hold those characteristics which may seperate us.

At the most basic level, humans want, in fact need three things: shelter, food, and security. It is the last of these three which is the least easily defined (possibly 'freedom from fear') and therefore (possibly) the least easy to maintain.

It is also hard for us sometimes, I think, to understand that we must not be only about our own security, or or local community's, but our mission must be about pursuing the security of every human being. Now that's a challenging, hard message.

As we all reflect today, let's remember, thank, and honor John, who specifically worked in that pursuit. Let us also reflect on what we might do locally to help bring about peace and security to all people everywhere. There may be no higher calling than to serve God in this way, by serving our neighbor.

---

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

—Matthew 5:38-48

Site Updates - New CD!

Hey folks! Over at the main site, you'll see some changes, most surrounding our new CD, Let Us Go, Rejoicing. You'll find the biggest updates on the lyric and audio and the CDs and stuff pages. The calendar has been updated too, some new links, a few new pictures are up, and there are other little changes too. You can pre-order the new CD online now!


Also, make sure to come see us and lots of other great stage acts, food vendors, artists, and faith representatives tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Festival of Faiths and Cultures at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows!

The Pope and "his cool red hat!"

Here's a quick video of the Pope at a recent general audience at St. Peter's. Our friend David Muñoz was there. Erin H. is fond of B16's hat.

Don't click the pic, click here for mp4 or avi formats.

The Wellspring of Hope

". . . we are marked by a culture which has lost confidence that study is a worthwhile activity and which doubts that debate can bring us to the truth for which we long. If our century has been so marked by violence it is surely partly because it has lost confidence in our ability to attain the truth together. Violence is the only resort in a culture which has no trust in the shared search for truth. Dachau, Hiroshima, Rwanda, Bosnia; these are all symbols of the collapse of a belief in the possibility of building a common human home through dialogue. This lack of confidence may take two forms, a relativism which despairs of ever attaining to the truth, and a fundamentalism which asserts that the truth is already completely possessed. . . . fundamentalism which derives from a profound fear of thinking, and which offers "the false hope of a faith without ambiguity. " [Oakland No 109] Within the Church this fundamentalism sometimes takes the form of an unthinking repetition of received words, a refusal to take part in the never ending search for understanding, an intolerance of all for whom tradition is not just a revelation but also an invitation to draw nearer to the mystery. This fundamentalism may appear to be a rocklike fidelity to orthodoxy, but it contradicts a fundamental principle of our faith, which is that when we argue and reason we honour our Creator and Redeemer who gave us minds with which to think and to draw near to him."

Read more of Timothy Radcliffe, OP's letter to his order - relativism, fundamentalism, piety, study, community, justice, hope.

The Power of Music

Anne Marie of Over the Top Ministries discusses the power of music to reveal emotion, mark change, and trigger memories. In her case, "Free Bird" holds the key.

Test Yourself

As found on several other blogs/websites:


1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

***Make your answer before you peek!***

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.


2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

***answer here***

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator? That would be a wrong answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.


3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend…except one. Which animal does not attend?

***think hard***

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there! This tests your memory. Okay even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.


4. There is a river you must cross but it is inhabited by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

***think more harder***

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across.Have you not been listening? ALL the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting! This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.


According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.

Not likely to be on the SAT:

Integrism

I know, a big, weird word. One I (Orin) didn't know either until a day ago. Here's a bit about it borrowed from wikipedia, some 1982 writings of our Pope, then Cardinal Ratzinger - comments in brackets are from wikipedia (Steven Hand), not mine:

“…we are witnesses today of a new integrism [read: extreme traditionalism] that may seem to support what is strictly Catholic but in reality corrupts it to the core. It produces a passion of suspicions, the animosity of which is far from the spirit of the gospel. There is an obsession with the letter that regards the liturgy of the Church as invalid [read: not legitimate or theologically suspect] and thus puts itself outside the Church. It is forgotten here that the validity of the liturgy depends primarily, not on specific words, but on the community of the Church; under the pretext of Catholicism, the very principle of Catholicism is denied, and, to a large extent, custom is substituted for truth.”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology (1982), p. 377


I came upon the word when someone used it to describe someone else as a dissenter on the liberal side of Catholicism. I guess we should remember too that on the conservative side the same dissent, integrism, and schism may be present.

We should also remember our Church is a big one, in which all are welcome - our Church needs all points of view to exist, even to survive.

Yet the key point above - the validity, the worthiness of the liturgy (i.e. Mass) depends principally on the Catholic community gathered. Not language, not gestures, but the community. That's nice to hear.

Labor Day

Detueronomy 24:14-15

You shall not defraud a poor and needy hired servant, whether he be one of your own countrymen or one of the aliens who live in your communities. You shall pay him each day's wages before sundown on the day itself, since he is poor and looks forward to them. Otherwise he will cry to the LORD against you, and you will be held guilty.

More Noah You Say?

Based on the second comment in this blog post, I present to you, MORE NOAH!:





-Shannon

"It's beyond absurd..."

"We must remember that Eucharist is food. It's beyond absurd that we should do anything with food other than to eat it."

- Catherine Vincie, RSHM, professor of Orin's Tuesday night Theology of Worship class at Aquinas Institute of Theology. Classes began this week.