I didn't get to see it, but John McCain's speech at the RNC was very stirring. He'd make a damn fine President himself.

Grrr! I've had some kind of cold/bug since Friday evening. Mostly a sore throat (geez, maybe it's strep?) and a very runny nose. Not enough to quite stay home for, but enough to make one miserable. Bleah!

Yea! My friend Tom has asked me to be godfather for his new arrival, daughter Aubrey! Aubrey was born July 14th. Aubrey is my second goddaughter and 5th (!) godchild. God is good!

Novena for Terri Schiavo. Please read Fr. Johansen's blog and offer up some special prayers in this matter. It's important.

My buddy Eric Ewanco has a nice writeup on the latest St. Blogs issue -- The Scandal of Deal Hudson In Context. Check it out.

When I was at the rink this afternoon, the DJ played John Mayer's song "Your Body Is A Wonderland." It made me think about our society's view of love, sex and the female body, and it occurred to me a better analogy might be "Your body is like Disneyland!" After all, it's expensive and there are long lines at all the good rides.

:-) ;-) Okay, I know it's "scandalous" but I thought it was very funny!

In yet another sad case of the sort that seems to come up every few years, another mother of a child with celiac disease displays her ignorance of Church teaching on the Eucharist -- Wheat sensitivity bars girl from communion.

I particularly love this:

"This is a church rule, not God's will, and it can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of the people, while staying true to the traditions of our faith," Pelly-Waldman wrote in the letter.

So this woman thinks the matter for the Eucharist is arbitrary and not divine will? And why for the love of Pete (as my grandmother would say) can't she just let her little girl receive the Precious Blood?

Catholic World News has a nice explanation and rebuttal.

A side note to the gay marriage debate -- in Massachusetts Judge upholds 1913 marriage law. This means that couples who come to MA hoping to be married can't be if the marriage would not be legal in their home state.

Okay, it looks like deleting some of the comments out of the template has fixed the immediate problem, now it's just that the Blogger navbar is taking over the header.

There's something strange going on with the blog, there is a template problem. I've reported it to Blogger but nothing so far. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

The Star has an update (not much new, really) as the Diocese nears threshold on bankruptcy.

Carlos Valencia was laid to rest yesterday. It's amazing the impact this 16-year-old had on our city. I attended the rosary Friday night; the cathedral was pretty full, about 800 people. Many, like me, never met Carlos but were inspired by his story, his faith, his courage. Rest in peace, Carlitos.

Lest we fail to notice, Lichtenstein has a new ruler!

It's starting to get real -- the Star reports as Parishes meet with lawyers. This was a meeting held yesterday so that there could be more feedback and discussion on what could/might happen with the parishes and their assets if the Diocese files for bankruptcy. There's also a mostly laudatory editorial about Bishop Kicanas.

Even in California, reason sometimes prevails -- S.F. same-sex marriages voided. It's encouraging that the court realizes how far Newsom overstepped his authority. Unfortunately I don't know if there is a way to punish him for what was, to me, criminal behavior.

Tucson continues to mourn Carlos Valencia. The Star has a nice editorial -- Carlos captured our hearts.

Tucson's favorite teenager has passed away -- Carlos loses leukemia battle. Carlos Valencia touched many lives and engaged an entire community in his struggle. Rest in peace, Carlos.

Happy Blogiversary!

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the founding of this here blog :-). It's been a wild ride (I got laid off 11 days after I started the blog), but all in all having a blog has been a lot of fun -- I recommend it. Check out my first post.

The Diocese of Tucson announced today that two priests who have had "credible" accusations of abuse against them have been laicized by the Vatican. Of course the news coverage says they have been "defrocked". I don't know why they insist on using that term -- I've never seen a priest wear a frock, have you?

This is really good news because it's been a long time coming.

Bad news. My niece Chelsea was in a car accident yesterday. Her car was totalled and she was taken to the hospital. Good news. Chelsea's airbag went off, which helped. She did go into the windshield though (it was a head on collision in the center turning lane) and received numerous cuts on her face (some of them quite deep) and broke her right wrist. It could have been much, much worse though, which is why this is good news.

Peter Kreeft is a national treasure. Read his explanation on why Human Personhood Begins at Conception.

More bishops taking a stand -- the bishops of Atlanta, Charleston and Charlotte have issued a joint statement: Worthy to Receive the Lamb: Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion. In it they say:

Because of the influence that Catholics in public life have on the conduct of our daily lives and on the formation of our nation's future, we declare that Catholics serving in public life espousing positions contrary to the teaching of the Church on the sanctity and inviolability of human life, especially those running for or elected to public office, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in any Catholic church within our jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Dioceses of Charleston and Charlotte. Only after reconciliation with the Church has occurred, with the knowledge and consent of the local bishop, and public disavowal of former support for procured abortion, will the individual be permitted to approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

God bless 'em! Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

A very encouraging story -- A New Breed of Priest. This pretty much matches my own experience; most of the priests of the "JP2" generation -- for the most part they are orthodox, joyful, and well-balanced.

Now this is interesting! A Pennsylvania court has ruled that sperm donors can be responsible for child support. While laws differ from state to state, it looks like people are starting to realize that there are real children involved who have a right to know where they came from, and to be supported by both their parents.

Thanks to David Morrison for the link.

A nice discussion on slashdot on automated software quality assurance of large apps. Check it out. This stuff is often discussed (like the weather), but actually doing something about it is harder.