Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

Top choral director calls modern Church music 'ecclesiastical karaoke' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Earth Day

This year Good Friday and Earth Day coincide. Because I plan to concentrate on observing Good Friday, I am attaching this video to help everyone celebrate Earth Day early.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Just finished Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. Highly recommended. Here's the video version (scroll past the inane introduction given by someone who must have gone to university):

Tim Weiner Discusses the History of the CIA

And here are two well-informed negative reviews:

The book is flawed but still well worth reading, if nothing else as an introduction to an endlessly fascinating subject.

Wisconsin protests: 'democracy in action' or 'mob rule'?

Now that the hoo-haa in Wisconsin has subsided somewhat, and attention has turned from the tidal wave of protesters in Madison to a literal tsunami IN Japan, it is time for a dispassionate look at what the Madison riot means in a nation of laws. And Patrik Jonsson of the Christian Science Monitor has kindly provided such a gaze:

Wisconsin protests: 'democracy in action' or 'mob rule'?

Church Remodeling Update

I haven't posted much on my other activities as the church remodeling has absorbed a lot of attention. For pictures and videos of progress, see the parish blog.

Special Guest Column

when will the people who organize sporting events learn that not just anyone is capable of singing our National Anthem? Here is a plea for sanity:

Saving the "Star Spangled Banner" - New Orleans Opera | Examiner.com

How I Spent My Winter Vacation