Wednesday, February 4, 2004

Gibson to Delete a Scene in Passion

Sad. A better answer to this would have been to do a flash back of Moses sprinkling the blood of the lamb upon the people as the covenant between God and his people were ratified--that would have put the saying of the High Priest into the right context.



From Gibson to Delete a Scene in Passion:



"A scene in the film, in which the Jewish high priest Caiaphas calls down a kind of curse on the Jewish people by declaring of the Crucifixion, 'His blood be on us and on our children,' will not be in the movie's final version, said the Gibson associate, who spoke on condition of anonymity.



The passage had been included in some versions of the film that were shown before select groups, mostly of priests and ministers.



'It didn't work in the focus screenings,' the associate said. 'Maybe it was thought to be too hurtful, or taken not in the way it was intended. It has been used terribly over the years.'



Jewish leaders had warned that the passage from Matthew 27:25 was the historic source for many of the charges of deicide and Jews' collective guilt in the death of Jesus. "

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

Continuing Recruiting Quest of Willie Wiliams

He visits U of F and isn't impressed. Didn't get quite the royal treatment he got at FSU and Miami. I wonder if the NCAA is reading his account...



From the Miami Herald:



Rejecting the Gators was easier. Before his trip, Williams said he had heard lots of good things about coach Ron Zook. But after a few days in Gainesville, Williams said he was turned off.



On Friday, he and Carol City teammate Akeem Robinson boarded a private jet and arrived in Gainesville at 5 p.m.



Upon arrival, the two were greeted by the Florida coaching staff and whisked away to a dinner party at Alumni Hall. Williams ate swedish meatballs but passed on gator tails.



''I ate so many meatballs, the people there started looking like meatballs,'' Williams said. 'Some guy kept trying to get me to eat these alligator tails, but I wasn't having it. I told him `I'm not the Crocodile Hunter.' I don't touch reptiles.''



After dinner, Williams and other recruits were taken to an on-campus beauty pageant.



''They had girls come out, all dressed nice, but it took awhile,'' Williams said. ``It was a weird beauty pageant because there were some people talking about black history the whole time. Then it got worse. They had guy models come out.''



Williams was then dropped off at The Hilton. His hotel room wasn't as nice as the the Paradise Suite in Coconut Grove, but it did come with a special touch.



''There was Gatorade all over the place,'' Williams said. 'I was like `I get it. Gatorade was made at Florida.' ''



The following morning, the recruits toured campus and met with the Florida coaching staff. Later that night, Williams said he was surprised to learn he was eating at the stadium again for dinner.



''The first night I was OK with eating at the stadium,'' Williams said. 'But when they told me were going to eat there again, I was a little disappointed. I was like, `Take us to Red Lobster or something.' Instead, it was the same old fried chicken.



``That's when I pretty much made up my mind. I can't live in a place that don't have any restaurants. What am I going to do -- fly home to eat shrimp?''



Later that night, Williams ran into a few familiar faces at a frat party -- UM cornerback Travarous Bain and UM receiver Darnell Jenkins. Both were in Gainesville for a track meet.



''I was happy to see those guys,'' Williams said. 'They were like, `So Willie, are you going to stay up with these farm people or come home with us?' I told them, 'I'll let you know on Wednesday.' ''


Monday, February 2, 2004

Bush-Giuliani 04?

From MSNBC - Will Giuliani replace Cheney in '04?:



"A well-placed source says that the president will "most likely" drop Dick Cheney from his re-election ticket and his first choice for a replacement is former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.



"The issue of Cheney's health will probably be given as the reason," says the insider. "There's a short list of possible replacements, and Rudy is at the top of the list."



The source adds that the selection of the former New York mayor may be overridden by Bush advisors from the far right. "Giuliani has been pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and is pretty liberal on some other social issues, but the thinking is that he might broaden Bush's appeal."

Feast of the Presentation

Sadly, many of the traditions of this mid-winter festival have fallen by the wayside. In the past the faithful would have gathered at the Church on this day with candles made of beeswax. These candles would be blessed along and a procession of lighted candles (similar to the Easter vigil) would take place symbolizing the light of Christ arriving at the Temple. Later when people would return to their home they would place the lit candles in their windows...something that many now do with electronic candles during Christmas time.



The feast of the presentation is a feast of sacrifice. The first born child was to be offered to the Lord but not in a bloody sacrifice as with the pagan religions. A modern celebration of this feast could emphasize this sacrificial nature that Christianity brings over and against the horrible sacrifice that modern consumerism preaches that leads to the bloody sacrifice of many first borns to the gods of convenience and pleasure.

Groundhog Predicts more Winter Weather

Winter continues...



I think I posted some info on this last year, but what most people forget is that this whole groundhog thing is rooted in today's Christian feast of the Presentation--candlemas...Mass of the candles. Light shining in darkness...



From MSNBC - :



"Despite astounding leaps in meteorological technology -- geostationary satellites and Doppler radar -- all eyes this time of year are once again on a rodent in Pennsylvania. And this morning, Punxsutawney Phil offered little relief to Americans worn out by a harsh winter: the groundhog saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter weather, according to legend.



The tradition is rooted in a German superstition that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow Feb. 2 --the Christian holiday of Candlemas --winter will drag on. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early."

Super Bowl Halftime Outrage

Now Janet Jackson wants to get into the business of forcing her sexuality on young people. They may claim this was a mistake, but no way...people should protest CBS, the NFL, and all the advertisers that chose to sign off on this.



I didn't see it, but heard about it on theDRUDGE REPORT 2004? after the game was over. Hopefully a lot of other people missed it too.



More from Worldnet.com:



The show included:





--Janet Jackson grabbing her breasts;



--Sean P. Diddy repeatedly fondling his crotch;



--striptease cheerleaders;



--gyrating transvestites;



--simulated lesbian sex;



--Jackson and Timberlake groping each other.



As the finale song finished, Timberlake reached across Jackson's leather gladiator outfit and pulled off the covering to her right breast. The final lyric of the song goes, "Going to have you naked by the end of this song."



The network quickly cut away from the shot and did not mention the incident on the air. But despite CBS' apology, there are indications the incident was not spontaneous.



Wade said CBS officials attended rehearsals of the halftime show all week, "and there was no indication any such thing would happen. The moment did not conform to CBS' broadcast standards and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."



The Super Bowl halftime show, which also featured Nelly and Kid Rock, was produced by MTV, CBS' corporate cousin in Viacom.

Sunday, February 1, 2004

Pope's Envoy Decries Immorality of Some Clergy

From The Sunday Standard:



The Pope’s representative in Kenya, Archbishop Giovanni Tonnuci, yesterday admitted that immorality had creeped into the church’s vicarage.



The Archbishop said some Catholic clergy had fallen to immoral urges, thus denting the church’s image.



Tonnuci, who fell short of naming names, urged those involved in the vice to "repent and return to the life of chastity