Current Events: April 2008 Archives

This link was passed on on a home schooling email list. It is a real time map with current school incident reports.

On the one hand it freaks me out. I had no idea there was so much happening at once surrounding schools. It sort of gives me that usual "good thing I home school" vibe. On the other hand, what is the point of this? I hate reacting to scare tactics, or dwelling on all the evil going on the world. Where is the line to simply being informed and living in fear? Is it that times have become so dreadful that this is a new phenomenon or are we just more informed about what is happening as soon as it happens?

What do we do with this information? Most of us would not dream of taking guns to school, so it is not as if the average citizen contributes to the violence.Or is there something we are doing to contribute? Are we supposed to stay inside forever?

Perhaps we are just called to pray more and work harder to spread peace in our everyday actions. I am just not sure how to do that, and if someone has some tangible advice, I am open. It is just a wonder I get supper on the table every night.

So alas, I did not get tickets to attend the Papal Mass in Washington. I didn't even watch the whole thing on TV.* I did catch part of the homily, and I'm looking forward to downloading Tom's pdf and reading all of the Holy Father's speeches and homilies.

On the music I have nothing to say but "of course." A few years ago, I attended a Eucharistic Congress in the Archdiocese of Washington, and the choices for the Mass were just the same: "Look how diverse we are!"**

But at the same time, wasn't it great that the Archdiocese was putting on a Eucharistic Congress at all? With an Adoration chapel right there in the Convention Center?

And as for the Papal Mass, the Archdiocese had 100 priests available to hear confessions -- and still had to ask more priests to come and help, so that everyone waiting in line could go to confession before the Mass started. (I did attend the Papal Mass in Baltimore in 1995, and if there were confessors available, I completely missed that memo.)

What a blessing.

* am I the only one who feels weird watching Masses on TV? I never have TV on unless I'm doing something -- housework or some kind of craft -- but it doesn't feel right to be folding socks during the Consecration.

** okay, I just have to mention that the Latin Masses I attended at St Matthew's and the Shrine (Ordinary Use) had impressively diverse-looking congregations.

Alicia Keyes in an effort to keep up a reputation as someone who is intelligent, in touch with the world and not prone to crazy conspiracy theories was quoted by Blender Magazine stating:

"a ploy to convince black people to kill each other ... by the government," etc.

She later retracted the statement:

"I wasn't saying that I'm a conspiracy theorist, and I wasn't saying that I'm anti-anyone because anybody who knows my character knows that I'm a very positive person. ... My only aim is to uplift people and spread love ... overall it was a great article. It was merely a line or two that has provoked all of this madness. I regret (the) negative spin."

Someone must have told Ms. Keyes that conspiracy theories such as the government making up Gangsta Rap, as opposed to things like anthrax, make her sound not only out of touch with the daily struggles of the everyday American, but just plain whacky.

But them I read this quote today from 50 Cent:

"I don't like Alicia Keys no more though … the same reason why I said that I don't like Oprah Winfrey," 50 Cent toldThe Showbuzz. "I'm prejudice(d). I don't like people who don't like me. If you don't like the content that I write because of my experiences; I am being who I am when I am writing it. I fall into that 'label' as far as you considering artists creating 'Gangsta music,' we fall into that.

"If she don't like that, (then) I don't like that classical music s--- she be doing. At some point she's playing some s--- that don't relate to me. … We listen to it and try to figure out why people actually enjoy it. I am trying to enjoy it. That statement changes my perception of Alicia Keys totally. But the magazine is standing behind it, which means they probably have a tape of her in conversation saying it. It's just not really a bright comment anyway...

...I think hip-hop is so competitive, that the competitive nature, the art form makes it a competition," 50 Cent said. "

Wow, that's some deep sh*t.

Truth be told, I am actually starting to think Gangsta Rap was created not by the American government, but like by the Russians, or the Chinese or Osama bin Laden so that no American will be able to effectively communicate with each other in English again! Who's with me? Think hard about, you know, stuff. Or be thinkin' hard on stuff that, you know, be happenin' which I don't cuz 50 be speakin' the truth for me and, um...oh I lost my train of thought...see what I mean?