Fr. Barron - A Nation Under God

Did Jesus Get Frustrated?

Q - I was talking to a friend the other day and the question 'Did Jesus ever get frustrated?' came up. Now, my first reaction was to say yes, that he must have felt frustration at times as part of being human but now I'm not so sure. We both agree that Christ felt anger, but my friend puts frustration in a different category and, if I'm understanding her point, seems to see frustration as part of our fallen nature and that if we see Christ as feeling frustrated we are, more or less, down-grading him from the Divine being he is to fit in line of our perceptions on what it means to be human. Or that frustration stems from insecurity which, as he trusted fully in God, Jesus would not have felt.


A - Thanks for the question. It depends on how we define frustration. If frustration is an emotion which comes from some external opposition, then we could say that Jesus did get frustrated.

One principle that might help is to understand that emotions, in and of themselves, are not either morally good or bad. They are morally neutral. It is our reaction to them that is either good or bad.
The Catechism says:

1768 Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons; they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case. the upright will orders the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.

The classic case of seeing Jesus respond to a situation emotionally (yet still morally justified) is in the Temple when He overturns the money changers tables:

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, "It is written: 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' 12 but you are making it a den of thieves.""
Matt 21: 12-13

I would expect that Jesus was frustrated, angry, and upset by his Father's temple becoming a place of lies, theft, and dishonesty. This is a righteous anger and no sin is committed. In fact, to allow injustice to flourish without fighting against it is the sin here - not the feelings of frustration or anger.

Sometimes we have an understanding of Jesus as too sugary-sweet. As if He skips around with flowers, singing that he would like to buy the world a Coke and world peace. This isn't the case. Christ fought for His justice not just for mercy.

Was Jesus kind? Absolutely. Was Jesus nice? Not all the time - because "nice people" don't get crucified.

"Be angry, and sin not." -Eph 4:26 

I hope this helps.

Does Christ Advocate Killing Non-Christians?

Q - I used to feel that Muslims killing people of other religion saying that they are 'Infidels' was wrong. But, recently I found that Jesus told us to do that in Luke 19:27. Let me quote it here,

"Luke 19:27 But bring those enemies of mine who didn't want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me."

As faithful christians, shouldn't we go and kill all those who do not accept christ as their savior ? Of course I am not planning a mass massacre. But, I found the quote quite hilarious. I get the feeling that the scribes who wrote the Gospel of Luke fabricated this sentence for effect. And we Christians never paid much attention either. Or, maybe we did.


A - Thanks for the question. To get a good feel for the passage you quote, I would like to place it in context of the story around it. So, here is a bit more:

"He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

While they were listening to him speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.' His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, 'We do not want this man to be our king.' But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, 'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.' He replied, 'Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.' Then the second came and reported, 'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.' And to this servant too he said, 'You, take charge of five cities.' Then the other servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.' He said to him, 'With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.' And to those standing by he said, 'Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.' But they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten gold coins.' 'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'" After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem."
-Luke 19: 1-28

Notice a few things. First, we see that Zacchaeus has a conversion to Christ and puts the money he has made toward justice and service of God. He has a right understanding of the gifts given to him by God. This leads into the next section.

Here we see Christ teaching through a parable. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral lesson or teaching. They are not perfect reflections of every situation. But, we can take a lot out of this one here.
The story gives us several representative persons and ideas:

• The King is Jesus.
• The Servants are those that follow him - some remain faithful and others do not.
• The money represents the gifts of God (our talents and possessions).
• The killing of the servants represents a spiritual death, not a physical one.

So, Jesus is certainly not advocating the killing of our enemies, rather he is telling us that those that reject Him are endanger of losing eternal life in Heaven. This is the teaching of the parable.

It also has a second dimension. As St. Luke says, "they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately" - thus, the apostles had a false understanding of the Kingdom of God. It is not a political or earthly kingdom, but a spiritual one.

Finally, God expects us to use the gifts He gives us for His purposes and glory. Notice though that the King lavishes gifts upon the faithful servants who did as he commanded, "Engage in trade with these until I return". The lazy servant wasted the gifts of God, disobeyed the commandment, and was punished accordingly.

This should serve as a reminder to us all. Our salvation is not complete until the end of our lives and we are to be judged on our faithfulness to God by how we lived out His commandments.

There is certainly no fabrication of the sentence and the "scribes" as you call them are actually St. Luke faithfully recording the words of Christ.

I hope this helps.

Dear Muse vlog #4 & 5: How to Make Your Blog More Popular, Pottermore, etc

Here are the 4th and 5th installments of Dear Muse. The usual attempt at writing tips and story ideas, as well as pretty much everything I know about making your blog more popular. Also Pottermore, Middlemarch, and a giant Hershey's bar.





Two more things: first, in terms of making your blog more popular and getting followers and stuff, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who do follow this blog, or read or comment or anything. Your support means the world, and I totally mean that. So thanks.

And second, is it bothersome for me to put these videos up here on the blog? My hope is for them to be as entertaining, enlightening and profound as my usual blog posts (haha), but if it is something you'd rather I not do, don't be afraid to let me know. They won't be coming up too often either, so don't worry. Maybe every two weeks or so...we'll see.

Sarah Allen

The Holy Spirit, Pentecost, and Evangelization

This is a video of a presentation I made at St. William Catholic Church in Round Rock last month.

Harry Potter Wallpapers - Daniel Radcliffe Pencil Sketch

Harry Potter Wallpapers - Daniel Radcliffe Pencil Sketch

An Atheist Tells Us How To Evangelize

This video of Penn Gillette, an atheist and a comedian/entertainer/magician, who records some thoughts after a show he does in Vegas, several years ago.

He encounters a Christian man who comes to evangelize him (Penn calls is "proselytizing", but it is really evangelizing). The man left an impression on Penn that lasts.

In turn, this video has made a profound impact on the way I evangelize. This is the money quote:

"If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and that people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward - and atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize ‘just leave me alone, keep your religion to yourself,’ - how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?"

"How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that?"

I mention this when I talk about evangelization.

Watch Penn for yourself:

Video of Life On The Rock

Here is the video of us on Life on the Rock (EWTN TV) from last week.

Join The Dark Side - Get a Cookie

We really appreciate all of our readers. But, you must know that some still consider us part of the dark side. Regardless, if you are not already subscribed, there are several ways to join us.

• Join 679 Google Reader Subscribers
• Join 384 Google Followers
• Join 257 Networked Blog Subscribers
• Join 4,230 others on Facebook
• Join 154 Twitter followers

Total we have 1,320 people following the blog - without adding Facebook and Twitter!

If you aren't subscribed, we encourage you to do so. It is much easier than surfing to it. I esp. like using a reader which compiles all the blogs you want to read.

Come - join the Dark Side - it comes with cookies.

What Should Benedict Tweet?

In honor of Pope Benedict's first tweet, I am holding a Papal Tweeting Contest. The winner gets the prize of winning the contest.

The rules are simple. The person who gives us the best Papal tweet wins. Here is video of Benedict tweeting:

Funniest Women In Film

Virgin Media has created a list of the funniest women in film right now, kinda bizarre that 4 out of 10 came from Saturday Night Live, but still:
01. Kristen Wiig
02. Tina Fey
03. Emma Stone
04. Sarah Silverman
05. Isla Fisher
06. Amy Poehler
07. Diablo Cody
08. Maya Rudolph
09. Anna Faris
10. Elizabeth Banks

Newsweek Chills

This week, it's like Newsweek was reading my mind, last weekend i finished reading Princess Diana's biography by Andrew Morton, and I was actually wondering, what she would be like in 2011.
Newsweek has our answer, she would look exactly the same, even thinner, with a few photoshop wrinkles! Isn't that amazing! ugh!

A Post for the Guys

Now that I have your attention...(ok, so not all guys are shallow). I've noticed something lately. Most of my followers, and almost all of my recent ones, are women. Not that that's a bad thing at all, or even unexpected. I mean, I am one. But for publicity's and also just curiosity's sake, I was wondering, what do the guys out there look for in the blogs and books they read?

There are the generalities and summarized statistics: guys read mostly action/thriller/comic books, and girls read much more anyway. But I don't like generalities, and I want to know what's really behind the statistics.

So here are my questions: Why is it that girls read more? And are there just more girls than guys who read author blogs? What's the best way to reach the guys who do read author blogs, and are the topics they're interested in so different than the ones interesting to the girls? And what about books. Who are the guys that read stuff like adult mainstream/literary fiction or YA? And how do you reach that (even if it's small) segment of the population?

Anyway, there you have it. Like I said, because of what I write, because girls read more anyway, and because I myself am of the female persuasion, I expect and and am totally happy with the majority of my readership being women. That's awesome. I'm just musing, just wondering if I can find more ways to expand, learn something new. Let me know if you (meaning guys or girls who know any guys) have any insights or ideas, yeah?

And just to keep things from the shallow generalities level, I'm aware everyone is different and unique and has totally different taste. Mine is somewhere between



and


(Ok so they're both married. Don't judge me. And don't ask me what it is they actually have in common, besides me thinking they're awesome.)

I'm saying this so you guys out there know two things: 1) Like I said, I know you're all different and have your own unique taste (in books and women. Or...not.) That's why I'm asking for your input. And 2) We women aren't all shallow, either, and being nerdy, sweet, and smart is much more meaningfully attractive than pecs like Eric Bana. Trust me.

Anyway, happy writing! Girls and guys.

Sarah Allen

Harry Potter with Lead Guitar

Harry Potter with Lead Guitar

Are You a Devout Catholic in College?

If you are a devout Catholic in college (or recently graduated), I highly recommend you read this post from Elizabeth Foss. It is insightful.

As I've watched college students graduate recently, I've noticed a distressing trend. Campus ministries are becoming better, teaching orthodoxy without hesitation. Genuinely Catholic colleges are brimming over with zealous young people.

And yet.

There is a harshness, a sort of snobbery happening. I watch in not a little horror and listen to what they are saying, as they measure other people by their overt acts of piety, while they size people up and discard them like the stuff of yesterday's recycling bin because they don't fit the new collegiate image of perfect holiness.

And I can just imagine that several years hence, they will go together with their young children to a playdate. They will meet another young mom at the park. They will inquire as to how many children she has. And when they discover that she has two, four years apart, they will say something sanctimonious about how they are open to God's plan for having children and has she ever heard of NFP? She will sit and wonder briefly whether she should tell them about the two years of cancer between the first birth and the second, about how desperately she prayed for this second child, about what a miracle he is. That young mom, with the two children widely spaced, will have just learned how some people of faith can judge one another. Litmus tests. Checklists. As she raises a family in the real world, she will see that attitude given voice over and over and over again, while Jesus weeps for his Church, broken and divided.

What's the opposite of gentleness? Harshness. Hard lines. Brittle rules.

So there you are, you all grown up and graduated and out in the real world! You've come so far. You've left behind the safety of campus life, the happy campus ministry, the structure of academia. You've gone and gotten yourself a real job in the real world. With a real cubicle and a good excuse to shop at that very fine career wear store. Good for you!

You have a zeal for the faith that can be spotted a mile away. You wear it proudly splashed across your chest on more than a dozen t-shirts collected over the years of vibrant Catholic education. And you've come to embrace all those devotions of our faith as you've learned of them in your coming-of-age. You are on fire for your faith and you are eager to go out there into the real world and tell everyone just how Catholic you are.

May I whisper a word or two to you?
CONTINUE READING.

Two Reasons Same-Sex Marriage Is Gaining Ground

Catholics have not done a good (or even adequate) job of addressing the attacks on marriage. These attacks continue to grow stronger and without an understanding of how to defend marriage and the reasons behind the break-down of marriage, we will continue to see our culture slide into the anti-marriage mentality. Before I get into the reasons why same-sex marriage is gaining ground we need to explore some of the fundamental reasons why same-sex "marriages" are not good for those in them or society.

WHAT MARRIAGE IS.
Marriage is the basic cultural building block of society. One man, one woman, and their children unite as a family - every bit of evidence shows that families thrive in monogamous and stable homes with two biological parents of opposite sexes who remain married. This means that there is less poverty, crime, strife, etc. in homes where marriages do well. This is because the mother and father of children cannot be replaced. Two fathers or two mothers cannot provide what one mother and one father can. The role of the father can't be replaced by a woman and the role of the mother can't be replaced by a man. Studies back up this claim. Thus, same-sex couples can never provide all that children need to thrive. When families suffer the rest of our culture suffers.

Furthermore, same-sex relationships are not the same as male-female ones. While a same-sex couple might have strong affectionate feelings for one another, nature shows us they cannot bond as a married couple can. They cannot procreate and their bodies are not made to compliment one another. Think of this - a male or female by themselves is incapable of creating human life. They need the other. Thus, our bodies are incomplete without the opposite sex.

NOT ABOUT LOVE.
True love is to choose what is best for the other regardless of the cost to myself. This means same-sex relationships can never have loving sexual relationships. This is because the true act of sex is about giving yourself away, but in same-sex relationships you can't do this because the body isn't made to be given to someone of the same sex. A married couple can say, with their bodies, I want to create life and bond with you. I want to be one with you. This is impossible with same-sex couples, because while the body might still be saying this, the act itself is ordered toward selfish pleasure - not creating life or bonding the couple as one flesh.

NOT ABOUT EQUALITY.
Many people say that same-sex couples "deserve" the "right" to marry and that those that oppose them are merely bigots who want stamp out the rights of others. This isn't the case. The Catholic Church consistently teaches the respect of others, regardless of sexual orientation. It also teaches us to love and serve all. But, we must also work for truth and the common good. This means while we fight against same-sex marriage, we do not fight against individuals.

That being said, marriage laws are by definition discriminatory. They discriminate FOR families (not against non-married persons) in order to build up what is good for society. Where do children thrive? In the traditional family. If we tear that down, then society will suffer. Thus, the government needs to help support this building up of what is good for society.

Thus, marriage is about more than two people who have good feelings for one another. It is about the good of society - which is why the government got involved in it in the first place.

Some may argue that a same-sex couple should be able to do things such as share property rights, visit in the hospital, etc. But, all of these legal hurdles can already be overcome with current laws and a few documents.

So, what they are really looking for is social acceptance of their behavior. This is why the Catholic Church is enemy #1 for advocates of same-sex marriage. They cast us as homophobic, archaic, and mean-spirited. Which is not the truth.

Catholics need to fight such lies. But, to do so we need to know where it all comes from.
----
My thesis is that there are two main cultural culprits that have gotten us to where we are today:

1. Contraception
2. Pornography

REASON #1 - CONTRACEPTION - THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE:

Contraception has caused a number of cultural issues, not the least of is the fundamental re-orienting of the purpose of sex for the majority of people. What is the purpose of sex to modern man? Pleasure. This contraceptive mentality has changed us as a people. Sex is for pleasure however we can get it and is what we wish it to be. Sex is not for making babies or for bringing two spouses together. It is purely a selfish act of fulfilling a 'need', not a giving of self to another.

Contraception makes us turn inward, rather than outward - it perpetuates this selfishness on our part. It also sees marriage as an optional social construct (an attitude which harms women and children most of all)

This mentality is tearing apart our culture. I have seen it time and time again. It happens when sex between two people becomes about me rather than you. Thus the fruits of contraception include:

• Divorce rate doubled between 1965-1975 from 25% to 50%
• One demographer has shown that access to the pill paralleled the increase to the divorce rate
• 41% of births are to unwed mothers in 2008 (72% of black babies)
• 41% of pregnancies end in abortion in New York City
• 50% of marriages end in divorce.

Now pick one of these that is good for our culture.

When sex isn't about babies or bonding, then it becomes selfish. Once this happens, the family breaks down. Once the family breaks down, society breaks down.

REASON #2 - PORNOGRAPHY - THE DEATH OF MARRIAGE:

If contraception weakened marriage, pornography is killing it. More and more marriages are being ravaged by pornography and the trend will not slow down anytime soon. With 80% of young men and 33% of young women regularly using porn, more people will be unable to really love another person. Why? Take a look at this:

• Shown to devalue the other person and sex within marriage.
• Porn creates fantasies that real persons can't live up to.
• Porn sets up sexual habits or addictions that create "boredom" with only one other person.
• Porn creates distrust within marriage and is cheating on your spouse.
• Sexual satisfaction is decreased significantly.
• Porn strips sex of love and makes it about using others and objectifying them.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. It gets much worse when you really crack open the stats.

Suffice it to say, porn kills marriages. Thus, it is destroying our culture. But, at the root of porn is the contraceptive mentality that sex is about ME.

HOW CONTRACEPTION AND PORN LEAD TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE:

How does it all fit together? Well, it is quite simple.

1. Contraception strips sex of it's intended purpose - babies and bonding.
2. Pornography re-defines sex into pleasure alone.
3. Thus, once someone has bought into contraception and pornography, they won't be able to argue that same-sex relationships are wrong, because there is nothing left to argue about. Who are they to tell someone what they are doing is wrong? Who are they to say someone shouldn't have pleasure when having sex?

We have given away too much. The stakes are too high. So, what do we do?

THE GOOD NEWS

The good news is that there is THE Good News - the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christ CAN restores hearts.
Christ CAN forgive sin.
Christ CAN change our culture.

But, we have to do our part. This is the action plan.

• We have to pray for our culture and for all people.
• We can't see anyone as the "enemy".
• We have to educate ourselves.
• We have to speak up and fight back.
• We have to vote our morals and faith.
• We have to evangelize others so God can change their hearts.

This battle for our culture is not lost yet.

Further reading:
**What is Wrong With Porn?
**Contraception - What the Church Teaches.
**"Same Sex Marriage: Why Not?"
**The Debate about "Same-Sex Marriage"
**Special Report on Gay Marriage

Are You A Trader?

Not a "traitor", but a "trader".
Great call to go out.

FYI - This isn't a Catholic group, but what a great message.

To Jumpstart Your Writing

When you sit down to write, whether that's first thing in the morning or late at night, how do you jumpstart yourself in to writing mode?

That is my question for today. This has been a big problem for me lately, and I'm sure its something other people struggle with too. When I only have small chunks of time here and there to write, as opposed to big blocks set aside specifically for writing, I have a hard time getting in to the groove before I've run out of time. Does this happen to you? And how do you make it so that doesn't happen, and you can just hit the ground running...er, computer screen typing?

I've tried a few things that do help a little. Like ending in the middle of a scene, or remembering the last sentence I wrote and forming the next sentence in my mind while I'm away from the computer. But I still feel like it takes me a good twenty or thirty minutes to really get in zone where things start really coming, and sometimes twenty or thirty minutes is all you have. Sometimes less.

Am I alone in this or does it happen to you as well? Is there a way to get rid of or at least shorten the less productive warm-up time? Or is it just a natural part of the writing process that just happens and has to be dealt with?

Sarah Allen

Daniel Radcliffe - Front Line WAllpapers

Daniel Radcliffe - Front Line WAllpapers

Hot Hot Jacket

Baartmans and Siegel fall 2011 black jacket. Amazing!

Spotlight: William Hurt

William Hurt is one of those actors that always does good work but mostly goes unrewarded. Here is some of his most known work:
''Kojak'', Body Heat, The Big Chill, Kiss Of The Spider Woman, Children Of a Lesser God, Broadcast News, The Accidental Tourist, Trial By Jury, Jane Eyre, Michael, Dark City, Lost In Space, One True Thing, ''Dune'', A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Changing Lanes, ''The King Of Queens'', Tuck Everlasting, The Village, The King, A History Of Violence, Syriana, The Good Shepherd, Mr.Brooks, Into The Wild, Vantage Point, The Incredible Hulk, ''Damages'', Robin Hood, Too Big To Fail

Come and Kneel Before Him Now...

A Eucharistic flash mob.
How can you share your faith today?

What Do Catholics Believe About Salvation

Aggie Catholic Priest Leads International Congress on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Rome

Fr. Florian Racine was in grad school here while I was an undergraduate. He might be one of the few people I have ever met who said my name more correctly than I do myself. He got a master’s degree in ocean engineering from Texas A&M University in 1994. Fr. Racine worked two years in Houston as an engineer at  before being ordained for the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon in 2002.

Several years after his ordination he established the Missionnaries of the Most Holy Eucharist, a clerical association of diocesan rite, which encourages Eucharistic Adoration around the world.

This past week the group hosted an International Congress on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Rome entitled - Adoratio 2011: From Adoration to Evangelization.



Aggie Catholics: Forming Apostles For The Church and the World

Lovin the Language Blogfest: 5 lines from the WIP

I stumbled on the Lovin the Language Blogfest last night, and my first reaction was "Eek, no way, my WIP is so not ready and I'm way too embarrassed." But then I thought, why the heck not. This thing is going to see the light of day someday, I might as well open one shutter a crack for a few seconds. Give you guys a taste of what I've been living with, struggling with, and working on for the past few months. 5 lines won't get me into too much trouble with future agents/editors, right?

Now its just a matter of picking five lines...

Ok, here goes.

Cindy was already asleep in her bed when he got home. He cracked the door open just enough to see her. She lay curled under the dark green quilt she’d gotten last Christmas and only her thick red hair, a gift from her father, was visible. Not for the first time, George questioned why Jane had left her daughter to him instead of mom. Mom was just a few blocks that way, of course, and helped with stuff like babysitting and teaching Cindy how to wear eyeliner, and she hadn’t seemed surprised at Jane’s decision, either; but seven years, first period and first prom later, he still had no idea what he was doing.


*blush* Ok, so this is first draft form and will be hopefully improved in its final form, but it sort of gives a good jist without giving too much away :) Happy writing!

Sarah Allen

Daniel Radcliffe - Three Superb Poses

Daniel Radcliffe - Three Superb Poses

Richard Gere Admire Borobudur Indonesia

Indonesia is the State which ought to always be in the nature banggakan.Keindahan Indonesia is already recognized in the international . One of Hollywood actor who has proved it is Richard Gere.
The arrival of Richard Gere to watch the ballet masterpiece Borobudur Indonesia is really worth making yourself feel so proud.Richard Gere also very impressed with what has been the colossal show by 150 dancers who took the story public mood at the time of construction of a temple of Borobudur in the leadership of King Smaratungga.

As in the know reliefs of Borobudur itself tells the journey of human life is carved and divided in every steps of Kamadatu, Rupadhatu, and Arupadhatu.Indonesia as a nation we are very proud of the legacy of our ancestors that we must maintain and preserve us.

Richard Gere himself Monday 26/06/2011 This is scheduled to visit the villages around the area of ​​Borobudur temple with the elephant riding for around the Villages.

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz Officially Become Husband and Wife

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz was really good to maintain the privacy of a love affair with not many proven .preaching about their love story, but eventually they both officially become husband and wife without a lot of people in the know.

Reportedly the wedding of Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in secret.Ini deliberately for liking them if you want to marry only attended petra their daughter and two friends as witnesses love them both.

Proclaim both in love with each other after the relationship with their partner each official is broken.Daniel is over with Satzuki Mittchell and Rachel end her relationship with Darren Aronofsky.unite them in the movie Dream House and from which the seed grows the seed of love between them that season Years ago, they fall to spend Christmas Eve together in the UK.

What Will You Give Up Until Abortion Ends?

The "Until Abortion Ends" movement is based on a simple question - "Until abortion ends, what are you willing to give up?"

More info here:

Jason Jones, the co-founder of I Am Whole Life, launched a new project called UntilAbortionEnds.com. The purpose of the site is to encourage pro-life activists to give up a favorite food or drink not just for Lent, but until abortion ends.

“Coffee to me is life. Every morning the smell of Kona coffee and cinnamon is what I would wake up to. If I had a rough day, I’d run to bookstore and have a cup of coffee and things would be okay,” said Jones. “But I’ve given up coffee until abortion ends.”

Jones was giving a speech in Vancouver when he heard about someone who gave up chocolate until abortion ends. This man made that courageous step 30 years ago, and it was time more people to step forward, Jones said.

“Together, with prayer and penance, we can transform this culture of death into a culture of life,” said Jones.
Continue reading.

The answers are the hard part. I will have to give some thought to this one, because I don't want it to be something done without thought or prayer.

I encourage you to think and pray about this as well. If you decide to do something let us know in the comments.

Justin Bieber keeps low profile after his arrival in Los Angeles

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber shows a good mood before the paparazzi every time it is coming to a city , however, the singer chose to keep a low profile after landing in Los Angeles on Friday.

Justin Bieber has had a week of activities recharged. The singer of 'Baby' not only launched her perfume 'Someday' on Monday June 20, but has been performing a series of television programs promoting the fragrance.

Among fans and disagreements with Justin Bieber also met his girlfriend Selena Gomez attend the film premiere of 'Monte Carlo'. Apparently tired of the last days would have ended up exhausting the pop idol.

JAW MEET GROUND

Wow. This is amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Tip o' the hat to Mark.

The What The Fuck Tour 2011

3:50 p.m. - Arrival in Montréal
The 2011 Royal Tour in Quebec begins with the arrival of Their Royal Highnesses at the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

4:15 p.m. Visit to Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre
Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre is the largest mother-child centre in Canada and one of the four largest paediatric centres in North America. Their Royal Highnesses visit the Centre and meet patients and their families.

5:45 p.m. Cooking Workshop at the Institut de Tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ)
Their Royal Highnesses arrive at the ITHQ and are treated to an outstanding experience in tourism and hospitality. The institute is renowned for its innovative approach to tourism and the hotel industry, and makes a significant contribution to Montréal’s gastronomic sector.

9:55 p.m. Departure from Montréal to Québec City
The Royal Couple depart for Québec City onboard HMCS Montréal the namesake of a ship which carries a rich and unique history in the Canadian Navy including in the War of 1812 – a defining chapter in our history.

Alexander Wang Spring/Summer 2012

My favorite looks from the pretty disappointing Alexander Wang spring/summer 2012 collection.

Balmain 2012

Balmain spring/summer 2012, Love the yellow jeans and that jacket! guuurl!

I Love Facebook

Oh no she didn't!

New York Legalizes

New York legalized gay marriage last night. I guess this makes some people happy. I for one don't really care.
What about the children?

Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2012

My favorite looks from Rick Owens spring/summer 2012 collection. Maxi Skirts! I'm usually against white blazers, but when they're done right, and manage to not look cheap, they're amazing!

Hot Betch Of The Day

Gurl! Rock it!

Prince Does Montreal

The Lady known at Prince, rocks Montreal for two nights at Metropolis. Here she is, getting to her blessed venue yesterday.

MJ Death: Dr. Murray feels strongly innocent

MJ Death: Dr. Murray feels strongly innocent - Dr. Murray Will NEVER Cop a Plea in MJ Death: Sources directly connected to Dr. Conrad Murray, the Doc will not accept any plea bargain from the L.A. County District Attorney in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case.

We're told Dr. Murray feels so strongly about his innocence, even a plea with no jail time would be out of the question.

Fact is ... Dr. Murray shouldn't hold his breath, because no plea bargain has been offered and sources tell us the D.A. will not offer one.

As for Murray's defense ... we're told the centerpiece revolves around the fact that only two people were in the room around the time MJ died, and Murray insists he did not administer the fatal dose of Propofol.

The operating theory of Murray's lawyers -- when the Doc left to go to the bathroom, a frustrated MJ woke up and administered the fatal dose himself in a desperate attempt to get some sleep.

Tags: mj, michael, michael jackson, michael jackson songs, michael jackson thriller, thriller, Murray, Dr. Murray, MJ Kill Himself, MJ Death, Joe Jackson, Katherine Jackson

Saturday Night Movie: North & South (BBC and Richard Armitage!)

Another long movie (4 hours ish?), but again, SO WORTH IT!!! Like Jane Eyre, there are moments in this movie that give me chills just thinking about it. And hello. Richard Armitage.



I don't watch these movies just for the beautiful men, I promise. Ok, so mostly for the beautiful men, but its freaking Elizabeth Gaskell and the BBC, which also most definitely add to the awesome. Weekends are obviously good movie times, and if you're not going to be reading the book, then the BBC is quite a good alternative. Although, read the book too. And did I mention Richard Armitage?

Take a few hours this weekend and bless your life.

Sarah Allen

Daniel Radcliffe in Black and White

Daniel Radcliffe in Black and White

Get Metta World Peace, Leave Ron Artest

Get Metta World Peace, Leave Ron Artest - How Metta World Peace Will Play a Role on VH1: Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest wants to change his name at the same time "Basketball Wives" recruits his wife. Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday to legally change his name to Metta World Peace. The move comes just a few days after it was announced that Artest's wife Kimsha has been cast in VH1's Basketball Wives: Los Angeles.

The show premieres Aug. 29 and will likely be one of the first programs to showcase Artest's name change, as the NBA season doesn't start until the fall and the Basketball Wives franchise also features the cast's husbands/significant others.

Artest cites "personal reasons" for the name change, which Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told ESPN "brought a smile" to his face. Asked whether Artest's jersey will say "Peace" or "World Peace," the GM replied, "I'm an advocate of World Peace."

Laura Basuki Married

Beautiful artist Laura Basuki finally officially became wife of Leo Satrya Sandjaja.Laura married in the Reformed Evangelical Church, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Laura came with entourage At around 9:20 pagi.dan Laura looks pretty gading.Pengantin wore white man who came first look to the bride by wearing a black suit.

When the groom's men came in, the guests also paid tribute to Leo.The Wedding led by pastor Anthony Steven took place with the blessing ceremony for the bride and groom.

Reverend Anthony Steven started the show with the question "Brother Leo, if you promise before God and the congregation, taking his wife Laura as the only legitimate one still loves the joys and sorrows, strengths and weaknesses, will not divorce until death do us part,"

And Leo said that he promised to always loving his wife.Laura accept Leo and promised to faithful until death.

After the blessing is complete both directly put a ring on each finger pair as a sign that they are now legally married couples in the presence of God before the law.

Laura Basuki Married

Beautiful artist Laura Basuki finally officially became wife of Leo Satrya Sandjaja.Laura married in the Reformed Evangelical Church, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Laura came with entourage At around 9:20 pagi.dan Laura looks pretty gading.Pengantin wore white man who came first look to the bride by wearing a black suit.

When the groom's men came in, the guests also paid tribute to Leo.The Wedding led by pastor Anthony Steven took place with the blessing ceremony for the bride and groom.

Reverend Anthony Steven started the show with the question "Brother Leo, if you promise before God and the congregation, taking his wife Laura as the only legitimate one still loves the joys and sorrows, strengths and weaknesses, will not divorce until death do us part,"

And Leo said that he promised to always loving his wife.Laura accept Leo and promised to faithful until death.

After the blessing is complete both directly put a ring on each finger pair as a sign that they are now legally married couples in the presence of God before the law.