WEEKEND CATHOLIC LITURGY

This weekend we're talking about food.  Food is a necessity of life and it is one of those things in which I overindulge.  To be a healthy person, one has to eat the right things in the right amount.  I do neither. This past week I've had pizza twice, spaghetti and meat sauce, fried chicken, a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies, a half dozen ice cream bars, a couple of toaster waffles  . . . I wont bore you - I'm a bad eater. 

I keep telling myself I'm going to improve but I keep failing.  That's right, I'm only human.  If you have your eating under control, I envy you.  Keep it that way.  The older you are, the harder it gets - I guess that's true.  In any case, that's my story. 

If we were body only, that would be the whole story.  We are not.  We are body and soul.  Jesus is bread for the soul.  The very best idea is to consume Him.  You can do that at church or, at least, in the privacy of your personal thoughts.  Talk to Him.  It is good for the soul.
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THIS AND THAT AND THAT AND THIS

Friday is a non-work day in many Muslim countries.  According to Islam it is a special day of prayer.  A day of rest and of prayer . . . Christians observe Sunday and Jews Saturday. 

Some countries of the world consider Monday the first day of the week, some Sunday,  some Saturday and some Friday.  I'm told Thursday and Friday are the weekend in Iran.  How is this world ever going to get along if we can't even agree on which day of the week comes first?

Remember this, in the ages before clocks, the days of the week were considered from sunset to sunset . . . instead of midnight to midnight.  Many religions still use that standard.

• I saw a bumper sticker earlier this week that read:

GO REDS . . .

. . . and take the Bengals with you!

• not sure if the game last night changed their mind.

Spelling will soon be a lost art.  I see so many foreshortened words in social media that it makes my head spin.  Even more, how do we keep up with all the abbreviations and acronyms?  Luckily for me, and you, we can find out what most of them mean by just putting the letters in your search program.  For instance, I was thrown by this category I found on Reddit:  ELIF.   Turns out that it means "Explain Like I'm Five."   That's exactly what I needed - I felt like I was five and all the six year-olds already knew what it meant and were laughing at me.  It's not easy being old.

 Enough for today.   All you non-spellers:  I wish you ha penis.
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THAT AND THIS

I was outside watching the International Space Station pass overhead late Monday and Tuesday nights.  It thrills me every time I see it.  I think I was born to be an astronaut.  (You know my alter ego)  "Blaze McAdams; actor and astronaut".  "Blaze, that man is hot"  (you can spell it Blaise, if you want)

• My mother played clarinet in the Norwood High School Marching Band.  As far as I know, she never played a note after graduation.

The Bengals open preseason play tonight at Paul Brown Stadium against the Chicago Bears. Last weekend, Chicago was setting records - not the football team - the street gangs.  They managed, by last count, to shoot with handguns and wound over seventy people while killing more than a dozen.  It's a black eye for Democrat controlled government and pretty strict gun control laws.  

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INTERFAITH WISDOM

Native American tribes held varying religious views but all can be summed up in the following commandments which, through tribal lore, they feel were given to them at the beginning of time.

• Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
• Remain close to the Great Spirit
• Show great respect for your fellow beings.
• Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
• Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
• Do what you know to be right.
• Look after the well being of mind and body.
• Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
• Be truthful and honest at all times.
• Take full responsibility for you actions.

In my opinion, good as any list I could imagine.  They measure closely to the Ten Commandments of the Bible and Quran. Indian Commandments

THIS AND THAT

Had an MRI yesterday.  Loved the sound effects.  It's a mixture of a metal fabricating factory, an auto lube station and a dentist's office.  In reality, you are prone in a microwave oven listening to music playing way too loud.  On top of that, I told the guy I didn't care what kind of music I heard.  Big mistake! 

• Saw an interesting license plate frame on a car at the park, yesterday.  It read:

Don't make me use

MY TEACHER VOICE.

Have you heard of Peleiu?  It was one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.  It took place on a small Pacific island called Palau from September through November 1944.  The Japanese had an air strip there, 11,000 men and a bunch of tanks.  They decided to make the battle last as long as they could. 

The Americans sent elements of the 1st Marine division and 81st Army Infantry Division onto the island.  The battle raged for over two months.  Over 12,000 men died and over 8,000 were injured.  Sadly, the land and what was on it were insignificant in the larger scheme of the war. 

The beach where the Marines landed is now called Orange Beach.  The blood of so many young men stained it and turned it that color for years after the war.  The U.S. won the battle and only 19 Japanese soldiers surrendered. 

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AUGUST 6

On this date in 1912, the Bull Moose Party held a convention in Chicago, IL.  Duh okay, how many said, "What the heck was the Bull Moose Party?"  Well, here's the skinny.

Republican Theodore Roosevelt was president of these United States for two terms ending in 1909.  For the 1908 election, he endorsed William H. Taft of Cincinnati, his secretary of war, and Taft won.  In the next four years, Teddy R. became more and more disappointed in Taft and his policies.  Turns out William Howard was a lot more conservative than Roosevelt imagined.

So, at the 1912 Republican National Convention, Mr. Roosevelt put his name into nomination opposing Taft.  The conventioneers selected Taft to run for a second term.  This sneezed off Teddy to no end.  He collected a large number of his friends and like-thinking left-leaning Republicans and started a new party.  It was called the Progressive Party.  From that base, Roosevelt ran as a third party candidate in 1912.

Still wondering about the bull moose?  Well, when a reporter asked Roosevelt about his age and if he felt physically strong enough to serve again, Teddy answered, "I feel strong as a bull moose."  The name stuck.  Everyone called the Progressive Party the Bull Moose Party. 

The election?  All Roosevelt managed to do was split the Republican vote.  Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected President and the Democrats took control of the Senate at the same time.

It's a terrible idea for a party to allow itself to be split over policy.  But . . . don't be surprised if it happens again.