Sammy Davis jr.

Rat Pack

Frank Sinatra

American Comedy Network

Sinatra: My Space

Air Force Careers

USAF

Source: Military.Com

VATICAN CITY (AP/ 1010 WINS)  — Vatican officials and Catholic bishops are getting a lesson on the Internet from Facebook, Wikipedia and Google executives as the church struggles to get its message out in the digital age.

A four-day symposium in the Vatican which opened Thursday also will address Internet copyright issues and hacking – including testimony from a young Swiss hacker and an Interpol cyber-crime official.

The meeting is being hosted by the European bishop’s media commission and is designed to delve into questions about what Internet culture means for the church’s mission and how the church communicates that mission to others.

Pope Benedict XVI has tried to bring the Vatican into the Internet age and launched a YouTube channel earlier this year. Officials say he also e-mails and surfs the Web.

But the Vatican’s online shortcomings have been woefully apparent.

Earlier this year, Benedict made clear he was disappointed that Vatican officials hadn’t done a simple Internet search to discover the Holocaust-denying comments of an ultraconservative bishop before the pontiff lifted his excommunication.

The outrage over the rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson, of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, prompted Benedict to write a letter to his bishops admitting mistakes and saying that he had “learned the lesson” and that the Vatican would in the future pay greater attention to the Internet as a source of news.

French Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri, president of the European Episcopal Conference’s media committee, cited the Williamson affair in his remarks to the opening session, saying it exposed the institutional church’s communications problems.

He also cited the outcry over the pope’s own controversial comments that condoms are not the answer to Africa’s AIDS epidemic and could make it worse. He said the Catholic Church must learn how to communicate in a more effective, instantaneous way – recognizing how its pronouncements are taken in different cultures – if it wants to engage the faithful to spread its mission.

“You either know how to communicate or you don’t; you are either credible or not,” he said, according to his prepared remarks. “You are either alive, or a fossil; you either know the language of the Internet or you don’t, in which case you can’t communicate.”

The stakes are high, he said, noting that Evangelical Web sites in France attract far more users than Catholic ones, even though there are far fewer Evangelicals than Catholics in the country.

The reason? Unlike Catholic sites, which are merely extensions of parish bulletins, Evangelical sites “seek to reach Internet surfers, using the Internet as a tool and a vehicle for evangelization,” he said, tapping into a widespread concern at the Vatican about the competition for souls that Evangelical churches represent.

During the symposium, panels will discuss social networks, the Web generation, the church’s communication strategies, and whether the Internet is changing religious practices.

In many ways, the Internet is just the latest means that the Vatican has used to spread its message, starting with parchment, printing press, radio and television.

Pope John Paul II used mass media and information technology to get out his message, overseeing the 1995 launch of the Vatican’s Web site, www.vatican.va, which today includes virtual tours of the Vatican Museums and audio feeds from Vatican Radio.

Source: 1010Wins.Com

Reprinted Under U.S. Copyright Fair Use Clause

Fair Use Clause

We also must not forget the events of September 11, 2001, another day of infamy for the United States that most of us should remember. We are a nation at war. Some children will not celebrate Christmas with their father; some children will not celebrate Christmas with their mother. Many fathers and mothers, sons, and daughters will be on the front line protecting another country struggling from the effects of an evil tyrant. More and more we are hearing encouraging words of progress. As for a free and democratic Iraq, time will tell if the sacrifices that were endured made a difference. At present, and all around us what we are seeing in Iraq and Afghanistan is humanity at its best — feeding and helping the needy children and distributing toys to young children. It is not easy to explain why God permits evil but in it all we see a lot of good being done to the neediest of the needy in the Middle East. The United Service Organization (USO) and Gary Sinise’s Operation Iraqi Children are two examples of humanity and hope at its best.

So, how can we help a soldier this Christmas? How can we employ our talents and say: “Thank You” for a job well done?

Don’t forget the soldiers. The best way to help a soldier, sailor, or airmen is to support your local United Service Organization (USO).

Helping Children Cope With Parents Oversees 

For children, the producers of Sesame Street have produced free videos to help children cope with a parent who has been called to go overseas. Sesame Workshop has videos, pamphlets, and learning materials on the topic of deployment. Their video on “deployment” is a good one to watch. You can either play or download the video. These videos and pamphlets can also be ordered and delivered through the mail.

Care packages are always welcomed by soldiers. Sometimes I have received a letter or e-mail from a soldier in Iraq for special items. If I could not meet the need immediately, my local American Legion Council in my neighborhood has a board for just that purpose.

As we move into the New Year, let us pray that all our young men and women come home safely. Sharing the Christmas joy is what this article is about. A simple note of thanks can mean so much to a soldier. So let’s not forget them, their sacrifice, their commitment, and patriotism this Christmas season. If we do our part we can be assured that our soldiers will do theirs. May God bless them and may God bless America!

-JFK

Sesame Street Deployment Videos

Managing Deployments With Sesame Street

Soldier Media Center With Elmo

Codes are found under bottled carbonated and flavored juice as well as sports drinks. Each soda cap whether it be a Coca~Cola , Sprite, or other Coca~Cola brand contains a unique code and can be entered only once. Bottles are worth 3 points. Cans come in 12, 24 and 32 can cases. Each is worth 10, 20 and 25 points respectively. Your weekly limit for redeeming rewards is 120 points to a maximum of 2000 points.

Additional reward points can be acquired through sweepstakes and special promotions. Past promotions included double your points day on gameday for select Coca~Cola products. My Coke Rewards is scheduled to run through 2010. Signing up is easy and painless. Coca~Cola sends out e-mails and maintains a running balance for you. E-Mail reminders are not overdone mimicking spam.

But the interesting part is the prize offerings. Prizes are varied and constantly changing. Some of the more popular are movie tickets, free car rental (for higher rewards) and a one year membership to Costco and $25.00 gift certificate (sold out). Gift Cards to Nike.Com are also available. Hundreds more prizes are available.

Collecting rewards can be fun and rewarding. First you’ll need a place to collect them. Here are some tips to easily collecting points.

Collecting rewards should be easy, painless, quick and hassel free.

1. Large city — Boxes are often thrown on top of a waste basket. Grab one — rip inside and the code will be on inside of box. Discard rest.

1321 Points

2. Beach — Live near a beach? Beaches are littered with codes: bottles and boxes for extra points. Summertime is the best time though codes can be discovered year round.

3. Pizzeria – Boxes get discarded and the plastic is sometimes recoverable. Value can equal up to 25 points.

4. Party — Outdoor parties usually generate a lot of soda. 40 caps total equal 120 points.

5. Club — Clubs with bars usually have a large storage room full of soda. Points can be gathered easily after they’re drunk: of course.

The prizes as a result of collecting, I must say, were rewarding. The gal at my local supermarket was impressed with my ticket that I got at the right price — Free. Some taxes may apply.

Chris Kringle

A military chaplain’s heroic faith and courage are remembered.

I WILL NEVER FORGET the last time Father H. Timothy Vakoc, known as Father Tim, celebrated Mass at my parish. He came down from the pulpit to deliver the homily and strolled toward the center aisle as he spoke. Spotting a young family in the first pew he scooped up an infant being held by the mother and delivered his entire sermon on the importance of family and children. The whole congregation was captivated, including the baby; who never uttered a peep.

Indeed, Father Tim seemed to make an impression wherever he went.

Vakoc grew up in Robbinsdale, Minn., the youngest of three children. At the age of 18, he joined the Knights of Columbus, and after college and a few years in the work world, he entered the seminary at the encouragement of his boyhood pastor.

While studying to become a priest, Vakoc entered the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. He was ordained in 1992 and, while serving at local parishes he realized the great need for military chaplains. He entered the Army full-time in 1996, the same year he joined the Fourth Degree – the patriotic degree of the Order.

Father Tim’s military assignments included Germany and Bosnia. Once, after hearing of his mother’s concern for his safety, he told his sister,

The safest place for me to be is in the center of God’s will, and if that is in the line of fire, that is where I will be.

Following service at military bases in the United States, Father Tim was called to serve in Iraq in 2003. His goal, he said, was to be “an intentional presence” to the military men and women there. Often, he would wait outside the mess hall and tell soldiers that he was available for confession or simply to talk.

In May 2004, an inquiry was sent to chaplains about the importance of their military service. “The chaplains, Catholic and others, hold the light of Christ in a dark place,” Father Tim wrote.

There is a spiritual battle going on here, not between religions, but between the light of Christ and darkness…. As one of my soldiers who recently died said, ‘Every day counts!’

Just days later, on May 29, the eve of the 12^th anniversary of his ordination, Father Tim was injured by a roadside bomb that exploded near his Humvee. At that time, he was returning to his barracks after celebrating Mass on a makeshift altar for the troops in the field. Gravely wounded, he lost an eye and incurred severe brain damage. Before being transported for medical care, he managed to utter, “Take care of my boys!”

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, then-head of the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA, visited Father Tim at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. There, he told him, “Tim, you are still a priest. This bed is now your altar.” This phrase was later written on the program at Father Tim’s funeral.

Even in his darkest hours, when he could not respond or communicate, and his body could do little more than fight infection, there was an awareness, upon entering his room, that God was with Father Tim.

“Nurses and hospital workers would go into his room, pull the curtains and just sit there,” his mother said. “They said they could just feel that there was something special about him.”

Fr. Timothy Vakoc

Father Tim began to make a remarkable, almost miraculous, recovery in the five years after his injury. He regained limited use of his hands and could even navigate his own motorized wheelchair. Though a tracheotomy limited his ability to speak, his free spirit and teasing personality often came through as he communicated with his eyes, a nod of his head and hand gestures.

On ]une 20, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and just one day after Pope Benedict XVI initiated the Year for Priests, Father Tim died unexpectedly at a nursing home in New Hope, Mo. He is the only chaplain to have died from injuries sustained in the Iraq War.

Father Stan Mader, a seminary classmate and friend, delivered the homily at Father Tim’s funeral Mass. “Tim went to Iraq not for war, but to provide the possibility of peace,” Father Mader said. “He was a priest, and answered the call to minister in a different and powerful way …. Tim died to so many things when he was injured, but rose to a new ministry as a powerful witness to the value of life.”

 MARY ANN KUHARSKI is the author of several books and serves as the director of Prolife Across America, a national educational organization in Minneapolis, Minn.

Reprinted by permission of Columbia magazine, courtesy Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, New Haven, Conn. Columbia is published monthly by the Knights of Columbus.

But the old print style of media, in its heyday, had language in its favor; but for the blogger, things are a lot different. Let me show you what I mean.

Ask yourself: does this work? Let’s see.

Have you heard these terms before…

“When we went to press…” OK, some news had developed after the paper went to print.

Let’s try the blog.

“When we went to blog…” Um… we can’t assume some news developed. Language does not work.

“All the news that’s fit to print.” OK, maybe not everything is newsworthy.

Let’s look at the blog.

“All the news that’s fit to blog.” No, but almost anything can be blogworthy as long as it’s for a good cause.

I could write more phrases and see if the word blog fits. But perhaps it does not work well because the blog term, in and of itself, is truncated. However, if we rephrase and use the proper nomenclature of the word (blog): “Web log,” incorrect usage starts to be eliminated.

Therefore, if we try to say: “when we went to Web log;” this can start to bring proper word-use into focus while naming the tool that is actually being used similar to its newspaper cousin.

Elmo can be found on his website:

http://www.sesamestreet.org/home

We start out with lots of memory and drive, then we eventually become outdated.

We crash at odd moments.

Errors start to occur in our systems.

We have to have our parts replaced.

Author: Unknown

This new Blu-Ray disc retains the original format — Black & White. There was a report of a printing error on the first batch of discs. The cover appears to show the film being the colorized version when in fact it’s the original Black & White cut.

Miracle on 34th Street is available from Amazon.Com:

Miracle on 34th Street