Saturday, June 26, 2004

Reno 911!

I was just given the DVD of the first season. This is currently my favorite show on tv. You can only get a small sense of why from these quotes (warning: lots of comedic cursing). The show is a takeoff of the Fox show Cops and involves lots of improv. Because of the improv, the show is kind of uneven, with some of the jokes and skits falling flat. But when it is funny, it is side-splitting. All the actors are talented and funny, most of them play several roles (and they are fellow Gen-Xers).

Deputy Travis Junior: "I actually wanted to be in the FBI for about 20 minutes after I saw that movie with Jodie Foster and that guy who eats people in his basement, but I was really stoned at the time. And to be honest with you, for about 20 minutes, I also thought about making a dress out of people's skin."



Deputy Trudy Wiegel: "If I'm addicted to anything, it's sparklers."



[the cops are in a doctor's office in their underwear]
Doctor: Uh, none of the tests required you to disrobe. I'm not sure why you're all sitting here in your underwear.
Deputy S. Jones: Dangle was in his underwear when we all got here.
Deputy Travis Junior: Yeah, what's the deal, Dangle?
Lt. Jim Dangle: I don't feel the need to explain myself.

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Act One's goal to offer support for Christian filmmakers

I had no idea that Barbara Nicolosi of Church of the Masses and Act One was "recently" in my backyard giving a talk for Legatus. I am glad to see Legatus is on Long Island.
Self-Righteous Punks

I have had to suffer for the past several years listening to a blowhard who is also an anti-Catholic bigot. You can imagine what this person thought of the whole scandal thing in the Church. Recently, I read in the NY Daily News about a Navy sailor who videotaped himself raping young girls (1 as young as 8). The name sounded familiar and I asked the blowhard if this was the friend he had mentioned before. He admitted it was and I realized why he hadn't been so vocal about child molesters in the Church as he once was. This was his friend since high school and he had no idea he was a child rapist. I have to admit it was somewhat satisfying to see the wind taken out of the windbag! I think he finally realizes that he is not the genius he thought he was, at least not smart enough to recognize evil when it was right in front of him.

Recently, the same kind of satisfaction is being felt by many Long Islanders who read about the situation at Newsday. This is the paper that the Catholic League calls the most anti-Catholic newspaper in the country. For one thing, the paper is trying to get older employees to leave in what can only be described as massive age discrimination. One Newsday columnist wrote:

"Thank goodness that I, for one, am not losing her to a buyout being offered to all in this workplace aged 53 and older."

At the same time, it seems the self-righteous anti-Catholic windbags at Newsday have been committing fraud for years against their advertisers by inflating their circulation figures. When a lawsuit was filed against the paper by a few small businesspeople, Newsday denied everything and dismissed the plantiff's accusations. Now it appears they have admitted their circulation numbers were inflated but are saying the actions they have taken have nothing to do with this lawsuit. They are trying to have the lawsuit thrown out even while the Nassau County DA opens a criminal investigation. Of course the anti-Catholic bigots like Paul Vitello try to sound like they are above this whole thing, but it is nice to see them a bit deflated! Of course, I once temped at Newsday, actually scanning the returned bar codes of unsold newspapers that came back from vendors, so I can personally attest that Newsday attempts to keep track of these things. However, the article below in the Long Island Press shows that Newsday has not been reporting the whole truth about this scandal:

The Tip of The Iceberg

Read it and get some satisfaction in knowing that the Newsday that hates the Church also has its skeletons to hide:

"Newsday has finally admitted to lying about its circulation, and it's a lie that has cost Long Islanders millions.
After four months of adamantly denying any problems with its circulation figures, the paper announced on June 17 that it would reduce its reported circulation for the 12-month period ending last September by approximately 40,000 for the daily editions and 60,000 for the Sunday editions."



For one thing, Newsday is smarter than the Catholic bishops who tried to cover up the homosexual scandals in the priesthood. The paper tried to make it seem like they were the ones who discovered the fraud, and are attempting to show themselves as fully disclosing the truth. The Long Island Press article begs to differ:

"In making the announcement, Newsday said its findings were based on its own in-house audit. It did not acknowledge the Feb. 10 federal lawsuit brought against Newsday by advertisers, which first brought the practices to light. Nor did the paper credit the ongoing audit being conducted by ABC for discovering the problems."


Newsday is not the champion of the little guy as it would have you believe, but is rather the bully:

"The paper initially reacted to the lawsuit by threatening to cut off advertisers who sued; one of the plaintiffs dropped out of the suit because of that threat."


"Obviously they're going to go with the lowball figure," surmises John T. Anderson, a Lindenhurst deli owner who was cut from Newsday's distribution route when he complained the paper was shortchanging him."

Now the Long Island Press is somewhat competition for Newsday so you might figure they have an agenda. (It is a free publication that is not really in Newsday's league) But Newsday, and any anti-Catholic windbags have an agenda as well, and it is good to see them lose some wind from their sails.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Remember what I just posted about the whole culture of the Middle East? Well, American "culture" is not much better-

Amityville slave horror

"Cruel smugglers masquerading as a suburban Long Island family held dozens of illegal aliens as virtual slaves, seizing their wages and forcing them to live in squalor, officials said yesterday."

Priest's haunting requiem

"The Rev. Marcelo Navarro first heard the screams, he told the 200 anguished mourners at Billy Pearson's funeral yesterday.
Then he walked to the rectory window and saw two teens giving the beloved homeless man the beating of his life - his body laid to waste at the foot of Navarro's church in Brooklyn."



Mystery gunman on bike shoots, kills L.I. teenager

"A 15-year-old Florida girl visiting friends and family on Long Island was killed by a gunman riding a mountain bike through a Freeport neighborhood, police said Tuesday."
Inmate with prosthetic limb at large

I have never understood how jails are designed, built and supervised in a way that allows inmates to escape, use drugs, rape or riot. How difficult a task is it to keep a couple of thousand men under control? Apparently, even guys with fake legs and feet can get out. My high school had a better system for keeping the inmates within the walls!
Muslim Terrorists behead yet another "infidel". The whole of the Middle Eastern culture is one of violence, failure and hatred of "others".

Monday, June 21, 2004

SHARK IN THE WATER EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER!

It was just a basking shark, though, nothing to worry about.
I just ordered this Beer Stein from the Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club! I already have the coffee mug, but there is something about a beer stein featuring the great Cardinal on it that is irresistible.
"Imagine working in a print shop where a large image of the Blessed Mother and her Divine Son greets all patrons. There are Catholic periodicals on the table in the lobby, and business cards for the local crisis pregnancy displayed as work samples. A crucifix is visible in every room throughout the production area, and a Padre Pio holy card greets everyone who uses the fax machine. Obscene language and immodest dress are forbidden, thereby removing several more obstacles to daily sanctification. Employees are retained not only for their technical competence, but also for their honesty and willingness to honor the values of their employer. When mistakes occur, they are acknowledged and repaired instead of lied about. Customers know they are not being cheated and that ultimate accountability is just a phone call away."

Jeff Culbreath at El Camino Real owns this family printing business, and if anyone has any printing needs, click here to learn more.

Sunday, June 20, 2004

I started collecting books on the faith and culture a few years ago. I hope to someday help start a parish library or something to that effect. I feel like I have some great stuff that is just collecting dust on my shelves. Here is a list of the 243 books:

1984 George Orwell
3 BY FLANNERY O'CONNOR Flannery O'Connor
A CENTURY OF CATHOLIC CONVERTS Lorene Duquin
A GUIDE TO THE PASSION Tom Allen
A HANDBOOK ON GUADALUPE Christopher Rengers
A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES (Vols. 1-4) Winston Churchill
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS Robert Bolt
A MAN OF THE BEATITUDES Luciana Frassati
A MOMENT OF GRACE John O'Connor
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN James Joyce
A SEARCH FOR MEANING IN LOVE, SEX, AND MARRIAGE Hugo Hurst
A SPIRITUALITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS John Moreno
A THIRD TESTAMENT Malcolm Muggeridge
A WOMAN'S LIFE Giuliana Pelucchi
ACTS OF FAITH Faith Abbott
AMAZING GRACE for those who suffer Jeff Cavins
AMAZING GRACE for the Catholic heart Jeff Cavins
AMERICA'S BISHOP Thomas Reeves
AN INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN PHILOSOPHY Russell Coleburt
ANOTHER SORT OF LEARNING James Schall
ANY FRIEND OF GOD'S IS A FRIEND OF MINE Patrick Madrid
APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA John Henry Newman
ARCHITECTURE IN COMMUNION Steven Schloeder
ARISE FROM DARKNESS Benedict Groeschel
AUGUSTINE Benedict Groeschel
BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM Glenn Olsen
BERNADETTE SPEAKS Rene Laurentin
BLESSED MIGUEL PRO Ann Ball
BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS Paul Thigpen
BOYS TO MEN Tim Gray
BRIGHT PROMISE, FAILED COMMUNITY Joseph Varacalli
BRIGHTEST AND BEST George Rutler
BROTHER ASTRONOMER Guy Consolmagno
C.S. LEWIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Joseph Pearce
C.S. LEWIS FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM Peter Kreeft
CAMILLO DI CAVOUR Frank Coppa
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH John Paul II
CATECHISMS AND CONTROVERSIES Michael Wrenn
CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY Peter Kreeft
CATHOLIC COLLEGES AND FEDERAL FUNDING K.D. Whitehead
CATHOLICISM & ETHICS Edward Hayes
CATHOLICISM & LIFE Edward Hayes
CATHOLICISM & REASON Edward Hayes
CATHOLICISM & SOCIETY Edward Hayes
CATHOLICISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM Karl Keating
CATHOLICS AND THE NEW AGE Mitch Pacwa
CATHOLICS IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE Thomas Melady
CHALLENGES OF LIFE Ignace Lepp
CHARACTERS OF THE REFORMATION Hilaire Belloc
CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY IN THE CATHOLIC TRADITION Jordan Aumann
CHURCH AND STATE IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY Hugo Rahner
CHURCH HISTORY John Laux
CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN Bud Macfarlane
CREDO Hans Urs Von Balthasar
CREDO Louis Evely
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE John Paul II
DAILY LIFE IN THE RENAISSANCE Charles Mee
DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH IN WORD AND DEED Charles Connor
DEFENDING THE PAPACY Gerard Morrissey
DEGAULLE Francois Mauriac
DISSENT FROM THE CREED Richard Hogan
DISTINCTIVENESS OF CHRISTIANITY James Schall
DOES CATHOLICISM STILL EXIST James Schall
ECUMENICAL JIHAD Peter Kreeft
EDITH STEIN Maria Scaperlanda
ELUCIDATIONS Hans Urs Von Balthasar
ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM Erich Fromm
ESCAPE FROM SCEPTICISM Christopher Derrick
ESSAYS OF A CATHOLIC Hilaire Belloc
FAITH OF THE FATHERLESS Paul Vitz
FATHER JAMES ALBERIONE Luigi Rolfo
FATHER, FORGIVE ME, FOR I AM FRUSTRATED Mitch Pacwa
FLAWED EXPECTATIONS Michael Wrenn
FOR THE LOVE OF MARY Gerard Morrissey
FROM SCANDAL TO HOPE Benedict Groeschel
GOD AT THE RITZ Lorenzo Albacete
GOD'S HUMAN FACE Christoph Schonborn
GOOD NEWS NEW TESTAMENT American Bible Society
GOODBYE! GOOD MEN Michael Rose
GREAT CATHOLICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY Theodore Maynard
GUIDE TO CONTENTMENT Fulton Sheen
HEALING THE CULTURE Robert Spitzer
HEARTS ON FIRE Michael Harter
HOMOSEXUALITY AND AMERICAN PUBLIC LIFE Christopher Wolfe
HOUSE OF GOLD Bud Macfarlane
IDYLLS AND RAMBLES James Schall
IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD Benedict Groeschel
INTRODUCTION TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS Thomas Aquinas
IRRATIONAL MAN William Barrett
JOAN OF ARC Mark Twain
JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR Nat Hentoff
KOLBE Francis Kalvelage
LEAD KINDLY LIGHT Michael Davies
LEARNING TO LOVE Thomas Merton
LET'S READ LATIN Ralph McInerny
LETTERS OF FLANNERY O'CONNOR Flannery O'Connor
LETTERS TO A YOUNG CATHOLIC George Weigel
LIFE IS A BLESSING Clara Lejeune
LIFT UP YOUR HEART Fulton Sheen
LITERARY CONVERTS Joseph Pearce
LIVING MACHINES E. Michael Jones
LOOKING AT LITURGY Aidan Nichols
LOVE'S SACRED ORDER Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis
MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING Viktor Frankl
MASS CONFUSION James Akin
MEETING THE LIVING GOD William O'Malley
MILESTONES Joseph Ratzinger
MISSION 2000 Arthur Link
MORE BROTHER JUNIPER Justin McCarthy
MOTHER TERESA Kathryn Spink
MOTHERHOOD THE SECOND OLDEST PROFESSION Erma Bombeck
MY BROTHER PIER GIORGIO Luciana Frassati
MY EARLY YEARS Adrienne Von Speyr
MY WAY OF LIFE Walter Farrell
OLD THUNDER Joseph Pearce
ON THE TWO CITIES Saint Augustine
PEACE OF SOUL Fulton Sheen
PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY J. F. Donceel
PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND SPORTS Robert Feeney
PIERCED BY A SWORD Bud Macfarlane
PRAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD Benedict Groeschel
PRAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD Michael Dubruiel
PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS Donna Steichen
QUIET MOMENTS Benedict Groeschel
RECOVERY OF THE SACRED James Hitchcock
RESONARE CHRISTUM John Wright
RETURN OF TRADITION Francis Thornton
ROBERT KENNEDY AND HIS TIMES Arthur Schlesinger
ROME SWEET HOME Scott & Kimberly Hahn
RUN TO THE MOUNTAIN Thomas Merton
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI G.K. Chesterton
SAINT JOHN FISHER Michael Davies
SAINTS OF AFRICA Vincent O'Malley
SALT OF THE EARTH Ratzinger Joseph
SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CHURCH? Peter Stravinskas
SEEKING A CENTER Otto Bird
SHOWS ABOUT NOTHING Thomas Hibbs
SOLANUS CASEY Michael Crosby
SPIRITUAL COMBAT Lorenzo Scupoli
SPIRITUAL PASSAGES Benedict Groeschel
ST. FRANCIS AND THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD Marie Dennis
ST. THERESE Francis Mary
SURPRISED BY TRUTH Patrick Madrid
SURPRISED BY TRUTH 2 Patrick Madrid
SURPRISED BY TRUTH 3 Patrick Madrid
TERESA OF AVILA Cathleen Medwick
TESTIMONY OF HOPE Francis Van Truan
THE 33 DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH Christopher Rengers
THE ALBA HOUSE GOSPELS Mark Wauck
THE ART OF LOVING Erich Fromm
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS AND THE HOLINESS OF BEAUTY John Saward
THE BIBLE AND THE MASS Peter Stravinskas
THE CASE FOR CLERICAL CELIBACY Alfons Stickler
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE END OF AN AGE Ralph Martin
THE CATHOLIC LIFETIME READING PLAN John Hardon
THE CATHOLIC SOURCE BOOK Peter Klein
THE CATHOLIC WRITER Wethersfield Institute
THE CHARITABLE ANATHEMA Dietrich Von Hildebrand
THE CHRISTIAN IMAGINATION Thomas Peters
THE CHURCH AND THE CULTURE WAR Joyce Little
THE CHURCH IMPOTENT Leon Podles
THE CLOISTER WALK Kathleen Norris
THE COMFORTER Andrew Apostoli
THE COMPACT HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Alan Schreck
THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE Saint Augustine
THE COURAGE TO BE Paul Tillich
THE COURAGE TO BE CATHOLIC George Weigel
THE CRISIS OF DISSENT Gerard Morrissey
THE CROSS AT GROUND ZERO Benedict Groeschel
THE DIVINE COMEDY OF DANTE ALIGHIERI Dante Alighieri
THE EARLY CHURCH IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES Enrico Galbiati
THE EVERLASTING MAN G.K. Chesterton
THE EVIDENTIAL POWER OF BEAUTY Thomas Dubay
THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH Mike Aquilina
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING J.R.R. Tolkien
THE FIFTH WEEK William O'Malley
THE FOUR LOVES C. S. Lewis
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS Robert Short
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE SIMPSONS Mark Pinsky
THE GREAT FAƇADE Thomas Woods
THE GREAT HERESIES Hilaire Belloc
THE GREATEST FAITH EVER KNOWN Fulton Oursler
THE HEART OF VIRTUE Donald DeMarco
THE HISTORY OF SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Enrico Galbiati
THE HOBBIT J.R.R. Tolkien
THE HOLY BIBLE Ignatius Press
THE JOURNEY TOWARD GOD Benedict Groeschel
THE JUBILEE GUIDE TO ROME Andrea Braghlin
THE LAMB'S SUPPER Scott Hahn
THE LEGACY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II Geoffrey Gneuhs
THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET CASTELLO William Bonniwell
THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN Paul Elie
THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF ST FRANCIS E.M. Blaiklock
THE LITURGY AFTER VATICAN II Denis Crouan
THE LORD Romano Guardini
THE MIND AND HEART OF THE CHURCH Wethersfield Institute
THE NAVARRE BIBLE ST MATTHEW St. Matthew
THE NAZARENE Eugenio Zolli
THE NEW MEN Brian Murphy
THE PARADISO Dante Alighieri
THE PASSION FROM WITHIN Adrienne Von Speyr
THE PERSISTENT PREJUDICE Michael Schwartz
THE PLAGUE Albert Camus
THE POLITICS OF PRAYER Helen Hull Hitchcock
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LOVING Ignace Lepp
THE REFORM OF RENEWAL Benedict Groeschel
THE RETURN OF THE KING J.R.R. Tolkien
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Gordon Napier
THE SECRET ARCHIVES OF THE VATICAN Maria Ambrosini
THE SEVEN CAPITAL SINS Fulton Sheen
THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS Gereon Goldmann
THE SIZE OF CHESTERTON'S CATHOLICISM David Fagerberg
THE SOUL OF A LION Alice Von Hildebrand
THE SPIRIT OF CATHOLICISM Karl Adam
THE TWO TOWERS J.R.R. Tolkien
THE VATICAN AND COMMUNISM DURING WORLD WAR II Robert Graham
THE WAR AGAINST POPULATION Jacqueline Kasun
THE WHIG INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY Herbert Butterfiield
THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS Benedict Groeschel
THERESE OF LISIEUX Jean Chalon
THEY CALLED HER THE BARONESS Lorene Duquin
THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES Regine Pernoud
THREE WOMEN & THE LORD Adrienne Von Speyr
THROUGH THE YEAR WITH FRANCIS OF ASSISI Murray Bodo
TIMES TO REMEMBER Rose Kennedy
TO QUELL THE TERROR William Bush
TOLKIEN MAN AND MYTH Joseph Pearce
TRANSFORMATION IN CHRIST Dietrich Von Hildebrand
TRIUMPH H.W. Crocker
UGLY AS SIN Michael Rose
UPON THIS ROCK Stephen Ray
WAY TO HAPPINESS Fulton Sheen
WELCOME HOME! Victor Claveau
WHAT IS SECULAR HUMANISM? James Hitchcock
WHAT WERE THE CRUSADES? Jonathan Riley-Smith
WHERE GOD WEEPS Werenfreid Van Straaten
WHY CATHOLICS CAN'T SING Thomas Day
WISDOM AND INNOCENCE Joseph Pearce
WITH GOD IN RUSSIA Walter Ciszek
WITNESS TO HOPE George Weigel