The Ratz Calls It Quits.

This is the first time any Pope has resigned in six hundred years. And it is the first time I think any Pope has resigned of his own free will. I think Ratzinger learned a few things from the last years of John-Paul II. Karol Wojtyla in his twilight years was not really running the Church. His infirmities had so wasted him that he could barely celebrate Mass. Without the vigorous man Wojtyla had been, the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church drifted. It was quite tragic to see both the man and the Church waiting for death’s release.

I also think Ratzinger found out that the job of Pope was not all he had envisioned. Don’t believe the hype, Ratzinger wanted the office. His sermon to the Cardinals just before the vote was a naked bid for the Holy See. In the beginning Ratzinger loved the job, but later found out what a burden it truly is. The Pope is the last Absolute Monarch standing, and as such he is responsible for the one billion souls attached to the Roman Catholic Church. 

Being such an Absolute Monarch is an administrative burden that no other world leader can contemplate. Not even the President Of The United States has that kind of administrative case load. The Irony of the office is that it has so much power that it leaves its occupant a slave to that office. The awful illogic of centralized power is that the Pope cannot devolve power, be more collegial, the Curia has its own agenda. 

The agenda of the Curia is to gather even more power to itself, to become ever more powerful. Thus the reality of the Papal See is that it is a daily grind of paperwork with no break. The Pope does not get Sundays off after all. Benedict had enough of that. He wisely decided that he wanted the last years of his life just being an ordinary man. He also understood the precedent he was setting. I find it interesting that this very reactionary Pope made this radical choice.

Again I think it has a lot to do with the precedent set by John Paul II. Benedict XVI is saying “no, you do not have to hold on to the last gasp. If the Holy See becomes too much of a burden, lay your burden down. Lay down the burden and let Holy Mother Church have a strong and vigorous leader.”

The Burning Season Arrives

Raging wildfire threatens to engulf 12,000 homes near Los Angeles

• The Guardian, Tuesday 1 September 2009

A firefighter crew made up of prison inmates clears brush from the path of the fire as it burns in the hills above Acton, California. Photograph: Dan Steinberg/AP

A huge wildfire was threatening to engulf 12,000 homes in the Los Angeles area today along a 20 mile (32km) front that was also advancing on a mountain top broadcasting complex and historic observatory.
At least 6,600 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders and more than 2,500 firefighters were battling the flames. Two firefighters were killed at the weekend on the blaze's north-western front when they lost control of their vehicle.

The fire had already burned at least 18 homes and 134 square miles of brush and trees and was moving north, south and east through the foothills north-east of the city. It was only 5% contained and was feeding on dry brush that had not burned for 40 years, fire officials said.

"It's burning everywhere," US forest service spokeswoman Dianne Cahir said. "When it gets into canyons that haven't burned in numerous years, it takes off. If you have any insight into the good Lord upstairs, put in a request."

Five people who refused to evacuate threatened areas reported they were trapped at a ranch near Gold Creek, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. A sheriff's helicopter was unable to immediately reach them because of intense fire activity, Whitmore said. Over the weekend, three people who refused to evacuate were badly burned when they were overrun by flames, including a couple who had sought refuge in a hot tub, authorities said.

More than 20 helicopters and air tankers were preparing to dump water and retardant over the flames.
With flames only a half a mile (800m) away from the communications and astronomy centres on Mount Wilson, crews planned to set more backfires and planes dropped fire retardant around the complex, which holds transmitters for scores of television stations, radio stations and mobile phone providers.

Snip

With a super wet February followed by a long dry summer much of California is set up for an epically rotten wildfire season. Did we mention the Golden State is so broke that it can't pay attention?

Game Changer on the Subcontinent

India's ruling party wins resounding victory

NEW DELHI – The ruling Congress party swept to a resounding victory Saturday in India's mammoth national elections, defying expectations as it brushed aside the Hindu nationalist opposition and a legion of ambitious smaller parties.

The strong showing by the party, which is dominated by the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, laid to rest fears of an unstable, shaky coalition heading the South Asian giant at a time when many of it neighbors are plagued by instability, civil war and rising extremism.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared victory, telling reporters that voters had given the Congress party-led coalition a "massive mandate."

More at Yahoo News by way of AP

Comment:

This is huge news. The political landscape of the Subcontinent has just had a tectonic shift. An India with a strong and popularly supported Central Government will be able to move in unexpected ways. The blow to the BJP was telling. They will have to reevaluate their Hindu Nationalist agenda among other things. The Nehru dynasty is back, bigger than life and twice as ugly. India has returned to Democratic Monarchy. All hail the new king Rahul Gandhi!

Things are going to get very interesting as this is going to ripple away from India in unforeseen ways. The effects will be felt from Af-Pack to China and beyond. India now has a strong center controlled by Congress. It is Sonia Gandhi and her party in a walk. She and her son stride the landscape like giants with the opposition politicians looking like so many Liliputians. One wonders if Hubris easily translates into Hindi. How about Urdu?

Bristal Palin--Trend Setter

The rate at which teenage girls in the United States are having babies has risen for a second year in a row, government statistics show, putting one of the nation's most successful social and public health campaigns in jeopardy.

Teen births in the District, Maryland and Virginia mirror the national trend, the numbers show, and local health experts say they are alarmed by the shift.

Nationally, the birthrate among 15-to-19-year-olds rose 1.4 percent from 2006 to 2007, continuing a climb that began a year earlier. The rate jumped 3.4 percent from 2005 to 2006, reversing what had been a 14-year decline.

Although researchers will have to wait at least another year to see whether a clear trend emerges, the two consecutive increases signal that the long national campaign to reduce teen pregnancies may have stalled or even reversed.

"We've now had two years of increases," said Stephanie J. Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics, which issued the report yesterday. "We may have reached a tipping point. It's hard to know where it's going to go from here."

The reasons for the increase remain unclear, although experts speculated that it could be a result of growing complacency about AIDS and teen pregnancy, among other factors. The rise may also reflect a broader trend that affects all age groups, because birthrates have also increased among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s and older unmarried women.

The increase raised concerns across the ideological spectrum and fueled an intense debate over federal funding for sex-education programs that focus on encouraging abstinence until marriage. Opponents and proponents are girding for a new round in the battle over funding of abstinence education when President Obama reveals within weeks whether he will seek to continue or cut that funding.

"This is certainly not the time to remove any strategy that is going to provide skills for teens to avoid sex," said Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association.

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But opponents said the findings provide new evidence that the approach is ineffective and that the money should be shifted to programs that include educating young people about contraceptives -- efforts that have been shown to be highly effective.

"The United States can no longer afford to fund failed abstinence-only programs," said James Wagoner of the group Advocates for Youth.

Snip

More at Washington Post

Inevatable Story of the Day

US chimp attack family sues owner

The family of a US woman attacked by a chimpanzee has filed a $50m lawsuit against the animal's owner.

Lawyers for Charla Nash, who is still in a critical condition after the attack, accused owner Sandra Herold of negligence and recklessness.

The lawsuit also claims that Ms Herold gave the animal medication that exacerbated its violent behaviour.

Ms Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack, which may have left her blind and brain damaged.

"Going forward, there's going to be astronomical expenses associated with the procedures she's going to require," said her lawyer, William Monaco.

"No amount of money can compensate my sister for the injuries she has suffered," said Ms Nash's brother Michael, in an affidavit.

"Nevertheless, it is my belief that probable cause exists that judgment will enter in favour of the plaintiff in the amount of at least $50m."

A judge at the Superior Court in Stamford, Connecticut, where the suit was filed, has granted a temporary order that stops Ms Herold selling or mortgaging her assets.

The 12-minute attack took place after Ms Herold invited Ms Nash, a friend, to her house to help her entice the chimpanzee, known as Travis, back into the house.

Police shot and killed the animal when they arrived on the scene.
Story from BBC NEWS:


Published: 2009/03/17 18:50:04 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Let's Hear It For Tokenism!

Steele wins Republican chair vote

Michael Steele has won the election to be chairman of the Republican National Committee, becoming the first African-American to lead the party.

Mr Steele won in the sixth ballot, with 91 votes out of a possible 168. His nearest rival, Katon Dawson, received the remaining 77 votes.

Correspondents say Mr Steele was the most moderate of the five candidates who stood for the position.

The favourite, incumbent chairman Mike Duncan, pulled out after two rounds.

"We're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," said Mr Steele in his acceptance speech.

Rebranding

He rose to prominence in 2006 when he stood for a senate seat in Maryland. He had previously served as the state's Lieutenant Governor.

After his senate defeat, he served as the chairman of GOPAC, a conservative political action committee.

As chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mr Steele will be in charge of overseeing the party's campaigning efforts nationwide.

He fought for the position on a platform of rebranding the party and finding ways to use new technology to connect with the conservative grassroots.

Mr Duncan had been the favourite to win the election, but dropped out after receiving fewer votes than expected in the first two rounds of voting.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Published: 2009/01/30 22:09:03 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Last Tamil Tiger bastion 'taken'

Sri Lankan troops have captured the last Tamil Tiger rebel stronghold of Mullaitivu in the north-east of the island, the country's army chief says.

On Sri Lankan TV, Lt Gen Sarath Fonsek said troops had "completely captured" Mullaitivu after a month of fighting.

There has been no comment from the Tamil Tigers, who have suffered a series of reverses in recent months.

The government has vowed to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate homeland for 25 years.

At least 70,000 people have been killed during the insurgency.

Stall tactics

Announcing the capture of Mullaitivu, the general said victory in the area would render the conflict with the Tigers "95% over", the Associated Press reported.

"We have completely captured Mullaitivu," he said.

Earlier, a government spokesman said troops from the 59th division had entered Mullaitivu and that it was "a matter of time before they take full control of the area".

Tamil Tiger rebels blasted through the walls of a reservoir on Saturday in an attempt to stall the advancing troops, the military said.

There is no way of confirming any of the claims as independent journalists are barred from conflict zone.

The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Colombo says the fall of the last main town under the Tigers' control would deprive the group of a crucial military base.

The government has won a string of military victories in recent months, including the capture of the rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi, cornering the rebels into a tiny pocket of territory in the island's north-east.

However, even with its strong advances, the rebels have shown on many occasions their capacity to fight a guerrilla war operating from secret jungle bases.

It is not clear what has happened to the residents of Mullaitivu.

Earlier this week the military said it had designated a safe zone for civilians as it pushed ahead with its offensive in the area.

But as the fighting intensifies, aid agencies have expressed growing concern for the safety of 250,000 civilians reportedly trapped inside the conflict zones.

Many Tamils warn that the capture of territory from the rebels alone will not end the ethnic conflict and that they need a political solution for a lasting peace, our correspondent says.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Published: 2009/01/25 13:53:54 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Papa Razi Rehabilitates This Man

Richard Williamson On the holocaust



Historical Truth? This man has no clue what historical truth is. There has never been a better documented historical fact than the Shoah.

Berlin - German prosecutors said Friday they had launched a probe against a controversial British bishop on suspicion of inciting racial hatred for comments he made about the Holocaust on Swedish television.

A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office in the southern city of Regensburg said it had opened an investigation against Richard Williamson, 68, for remarks he made in an interview broadcast this week.

"I believe there were no gas chambers... I think that 200 000 to 300 000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps but none of them by gas chambers," said Williamson during an interview with the SVT channel.

"There was not one Jew killed by the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies!"
Historians have established that six million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany during World War II including vast numbers by systematic extermination in gas chambers.

This week, Pope Benedict XVI reportedly decided to cancel the excommunication of four bishops who were consecrated in 1998 by the conservative French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, including Williamson.

The Last Shoe Drops, Caroline Kennedy Withdraws

Caroline Kennedy announced early Thursday that she was withdrawing from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York, startling the state’s political world after weeks in which she was considered a top contender for the post.

Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to inform him that she was no longer interested.

“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” Ms. Kennedy said in a statement released by her public relations firm.

Ms. Kennedy did not elaborate, but a person who spoke to her suggested that her concerns about the health of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who suffers from brain cancer and was hospitalized after a seizure on Tuesday, contributed to her decision.

Ms. Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said, but aides to Mr. Paterson would not comment on whether that was true.

Her decision appeared to catch the governor off guard, throwing the Paterson administration into confusion and setting off conflicting news media reports. After frantic talks between the governor’s operation and Ms. Kennedy’s camp Wednesday evening, Ms. Kennedy appeared to waver on whether to withdraw, and was preparing a statement reasserting her interest in the job. But just after midnight, she decided to make clear she was taking her name out of consideration and released the statement saying so.

Source The New York Times

So Caroline is, you know returning to, you know, public life and, you know, getting out of the ,you know. media spot light because, you know. Uncle Ted you know needs her so. You know?

Tamil Tigers-Down But Not Out

At least two people have been killed and 11 others injured in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Sri Lanka.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is facing a major government military offensive in the north, is suspected of being responsible for Wednesday's blast, police officials said.

The explosion occurred in the town of Batticaloa, about 300km east of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.

A policemen and another civilian were killed in the blast when a bomb planted on a bicyle went off.

Children injured

Eleven civilians, including six children, were also injured, according to police officials.

The LTTE could not be reached for comment.

The attack came a day after govenment forces killed around 16 Tiger fighters in a naval attack near Mullativu, the fighters' last base, off the northeastern coast of the country.

Sri Lanka's military has captured much of the Tiger's territory in recent weeks with Kilinochchi, the Tiger's de facto capital, falling earlier this month.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's president, has said that his troops are now on the verge of victory and that he will not accept anything short of total surrender from the Tigers.

Source Al Jazeera English

Gitmo- Going, Going, Gone?

US judge suspends Guantanamo trial

The US judge trying the case of a Canadian Guantanamo detainee has agreed to suspend the trial.

Judge Patrick Parrish said on Wednesday that the trial of Omar Khadr, who was arrested in Afghanistan at the age of 15, would be suspended for 120 days.

Barack Obama, the US president, has requested that 21 military tribunals at the US detention centre be halted for the same time period.

Other judges trying Guantanamo cases are expected to rule on the presidential request in due course.

Obama's request was among his first actions as president, after being inaugurated on Tuesday.

The Obama administration is aiming to review the legal system for prosecuting alleged terrorists.

Khadr is accused of killing a US soldier with a grenade in Afghanistan in 2002 and has been held for seven years.

The 21 cases include the trials of five people accused of plotting the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

Prior to his inauguration, Obama said he would close down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

Jamil Dakwar, the director of the human rights programme at the American Civil Liberties Union, said Obama's request was a positive step but "the president's order leaves open the option of this discredited system remaining in existence".

Source Al Jazeera English

End Game In Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka planning 'decisive blow'

Sri Lanka's military is ready to deal a "decisive blow" to the Tamil Tigers as its troops move into two of the remaining territories held by the separatists, the defence ministry has said.

Soldiers have pushed into areas of the Jaffna peninsula and a nearby island that were recently held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, said on Saturday.

Government troops took control of the heavily-contested Jaffna peninsula on Friday after capturing the Elephant Pass.

"The fall ... has deprived the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of the most crucial strategic ground at the 'Jaffna gateway' following an eight-year occupation," the defence ministry said.

"Troops are now poised at launching a decisive blow at the remaining LTTE strong points at Mulliyan, Chempiyanpattu, Chundikulam and Kaddaikadu."

Tamil Tiger fighters have reportedly retreated to the town of Mullaittivu following months of government offensives in the north.

Soldiers advancing on the town captured a 2.5km runway on Saturday that the LTTE had used to launch bombing raids on military and economic targets, the military said in a statement.

'End-game'

"The end-game of LTTE's protracted separatist cause is reaching its final stages, as the advancing security forces overran the most fortified LTTE northern garrison," the ministry said.

Military analysts say that Tiger forces have been steadily withdrawing, moving artillery and heavy weapons to make a stand at Mullaittivu.

About 300,000 civilians are believed to live in the area.

Kilinochchi, the de facto capital of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fell to government troops last week.

There has been no comment from the Tamil Tigers on the fall of the Jaffna peninsula, but communication with Tiger-held areas remains difficult and the government's claims are impossible to verify as journalists are barred from the region.

Tens of thousands of people have died since the LTTE began battling the government in 1983.

The LTTE says it is fighting for the rights of minority Tamils in the face of mistreatment by successive governments led by the Sinhalese majority since Sri Lanka won independence from Britain in 1948.

Source : Al Jazeera

Second Front In the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

Several rockets fired from Lebanon have hit northern Israel, Israeli police say.

At least three rockets landed in the town of Nahariya, about 8km south of the Lebanese border, on Thursday causing slight injuries.

The attack was followed by reports of a second missile strike, but officials later said it was a false alarm.

The Israeli military fired mortars into southern Lebanon in response to the initial attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in southern Israel, said analysts were suggesting that the rocket attack could have been carried out by Palestinians in southern Lebanon.

She said the firing of rockets from Lebanon "could mean the opening of a second front" in the war on Gaza which has left at least 700 Palestinians dead.

More at Al Jazeera

Knoxville

A church sanctuary became anything but in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 27, 2008. In a tale told too often in these United States a lone gunman invaded a place of refuge and started shooting. This time it was with a shotgun. Two people are no longer with us and several others are in the hospital fighting for their lives.

The FBI and local authorities are attempting to make some sense of the crime and the suspect is in custody. Worst part of a already bad story was that a children's play, Annie Jr. ,was being performed when the shooter arrived. Both adults and children were randomly sprayed with shot gun blast. Some very brave parishioners jumped the shooter and held him until local law enforcement arrived.

More information here

Our good thoughts and deepest sympathy to the good people of Knoxville and especially to the members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. May the light of the chalice burn that much brighter for you and guide you to a better place.

Edward Kennedy has brain tumour

US Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumour, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital say.

Mr Kennedy, 76, was flown from Cape Cod to the hospital in Boston at the weekend after suffering a seizure.

Doctors says tests reveal a tumour in Mr Kennedy's left parietal lobe. His wife and children have been with him but have not issued a statement.

The youngest brother of assassinated President John F Kennedy, he is one of the best-known Democratic politicians.

"Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe," doctors Lee Schwamm and Larry Ronan said in a statement.

Mr Kennedy's treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes radiation and chemotherapy, the doctors said.

"He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital," they added.

He is expected to remain in hospital for the next few days.

Story from BBC NEWS