March 3, 2013

Cardinal Sandri: Church Must Open Up To More Women In Leadership

The Roman Catholic Church must open itself up to women in the next pontificate, giving them more leadership positions in the Vatican and beyond, according to a senior cardinal who will be influential in electing the next pope.

...

Sandri, an experienced diplomat and past number two in the Vatican bureaucracy, is expected to wield great influence in the choice of the man to succeed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

"The role of women in the world has increased and this is something the Church has to ask itself about," Sandri said in his office just outside St Peter's Square where he heads the Vatican department for Eastern Catholic Churches.

"They must have a much more important role in the life of the Church ... so that they can contribute to Church life in so many areas which are now, in part, open only to men ... This will be a challenge for us in the future."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/03/leonardo-sandri-argentine_n_2802608.html

March 1, 2013

Man pressure-washes store after store fails to give him receipt

A customer tried to assault a store clerk with a pressure washer after he didn't quickly get a receipt, say police.

The incident happened Wednesday morning at the Sudden Service Station on Madison Street in Clarksville.

Workers at the store said Thomas Dudley Birdsall, 61, bought a ball cap and wanted receipt for his purchase.

A store employee had to get the receipt out of the trash, but Birdsall got impatient and started cursing.

http://www.kltv.com/story/21422584/clarksville-man-accused-of-power-washing-store-over-receipt

February 27, 2013

8 Inspiring Things That Happened Since Trayvon Martin Was Tragically Killed One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, Trayvon Martin — an unarmed 17-year-old boy on his way home from 7-11 — was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. The murder trial is scheduled to begin this June. A separate hearing may be held in April to determine whether Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law gives Zimmerman immunity.

While nothing can make up for the events of February 26, 2012, many people have responded to the tragedy with compassion, courage and strength. Here are some of the most inspiring things that have happened over the last year.

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2013/02/26/1642271/8-inspiring-things-that-happened-since-trayvon-martin-was-tragically-killed-one-year-ago-today/

February 26, 2013

Kansas Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Adoption

On Friday, the Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling protecting the rights of same-sex couples to both be recognized as the legal parents of the children they are raising together. The case involved two women, Marci Frazier and Kelly Goudschaal, who had been raising children together, but then faced a custody dispute after they separated. The Court ruled that the coparenting contract the couple had signed is valid and should be recognized, because their children are better off having two parents than just one:

To summarize, the coparenting agreement before us cannot be construed as a prohibited sale of the children because the biological mother retains her parental duties and responsibilities. The agreement is not injurious to the public because it provides the children with the resources of two persons, rather than leaving them as the fatherless children of an artificially inseminated mother. No societal interest has been harmed; no mischief has been done. Like the contract in Shirk, the coparenting agreement here contains “no element of immorality or illegality and did not violate public policy,” but rather “the contract was for the advantage and welfare of the child[ren].”

The decision remands the case back to the district court with this guidance to work out the details for the couple.

The conclusion in this case is simple and poignant: a child’s parents are the people that have legally committed to caring for them, not necessarily who they are biologically connected to. Interestingly, the justices do not even address the question of same-sex marriage, recognizing that protecting the interests of children is what takes priority. In this case, the children deserve to enjoy the continued support of both of their moms, and nothing in Kansas law prevents that.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/02/25/1633621/kansas-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-same-sex-adoption/

February 25, 2013

On their anniversary, man finds out he’s married to his sister

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/151640/man_finds_out_hes_married

nd you thought you had relationship issues! An anonymous man recently wrote in to Slate's "Dear Prudence" advice column with quite a quandary: Thanks to some genetic detective work, he just found out that he accidentally married his own sister.

How could that happen? Pretty easy, actually. This guy, let’s call him "Jack," and his wife "Jill" met in college. "The attraction was immediate," he writes, and they became inseparable. And -- coincidence! -- Jack and Jill soon discovered they both happened to be children of lesbians who used sperm donors. Amazing! They really had a lot in common, right? Do you see where this is headed?

Jill knew who her biological dad was -- she had sought him out once she turned 18, via the sperm bank, but Jack says he was never interested in going that route. Jack and Jill got married after college, and had three children by the time they turned 30. Jill really thought that Jack owed it to their kids to find out his biological father’s personal and family health history, so, as an anniversary present, he says he secretly got in touch with his sperm bank, which, mind you was a totally different bank in a different city from the one Jill’s biological father used.

And, yep, you guessed it: Jack has the SAME sperm donor dad as Jill. They are half-siblings. SURPRISE, HONEY! Happy anniversary!

February 23, 2013

Cardinal: Married Catholic priests a possibility (UPDATE: Cardinal's resignation accepted)

Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children, Britain's most senior Catholic cleric said Friday.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who heads the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, said the requirement for priestly celibacy is "not of divine origin" and could be reconsidered.

He told BBC Scotland that "the celibacy of the clergy, whether priests should marry — Jesus didn't say that."

He said that "many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy," and while he had never considered marriage himself, "I would be very happy if others had the opportunity of considering whether or not they could or should get married."

http://www.freep.com/article/20130222/NEWS07/130222068/Cardinal-Married-Catholic-priests-possibility

Just throwing this out there, but the idea that women can't be priests is also "not of divine origin."

Either way, don't expect Cardinal Keith O'Brien to be the next Pope.

UPDATE: Cardinal O'Brien's resignation as archbishop of Edinburgh was accepted by the Pope this morning - just three months after he submitted said resignation. He also stated that he will not participate in the conclave.

While bishops are required top submit their resignation by their 75th birthday, the Pope does not always accept resignations so quickly. For some perspective, Cardinal George of Chicago submitted his resignation more than a year ago, but said resignation has yet to be accepted. My bishop, Walter Hurley, submitted his resignation last May, yet the Pope has yet to accept his resignation either.

http://www.news.va/en/news/vatican-cardinal-o-brien-retires

February 20, 2013

Michelle's new portrait

February 20, 2013

Soon, half of Michigan blacks will have no elected local government

Back in December of 2011, I wrote a series of pieces that showed how Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law was having a skewed negative impact on African American cities. With Detroit on the verge have being assigned an Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) and with updated census data, it’s time to revisit the chart that put this law on the national radar.

If Detroit gets an EFM, 49% of the African Americans in Michigan will live in cities where their elected officials have been replaced by a single, state-appointed ruler.

Here is the data:

http://www.eclectablog.com/2013/02/with-detroit-under-an-emergency-financial-manager-half-of-michigan-blacks-will-have-no-elected-local-government.html

February 20, 2013

Man Orders World's Most Expensive Starbucks Drink at $47.30

http://mashable.com/2013/02/18/most-expensive-starbucks/

If you're feeling sluggish today, just head over to Starbucks and get yourself a Quadriginoctuple Frap. It'll give you 48 shots of pure caffeine, and will only cost you $47.50.

A now, what we imagine, very buzzed Beau Chevassus created the drink at a Washington branch of the shop in an effort to set the world record for the most expensive coffee concoction. Chevassus blew the last contender — who last year created a $23.60 drink with 16 shots of espresso — out of the caffeinated water.

The record-breaking coffee included 48 shots in a venti mocha frappuccino with soy mocha drizzle, matcha powder, protein powder, caramel brûlée topping, strawberries, two bananas, caramel drizzle frappuccino chips and vanilla bean. (Yum?)

At least now you can feel a little less guilty for making your barista brew up that grande non-fat soy white chocolate mocha sans whipped cream.

February 19, 2013

Man wins $7.2M at casino after funeral

A Michigan man, who came to Mississippi for a friend's funeral, has won a $7.2 million progressive jackpot at the Palace Casino in Biloxi.

Casino officials tell the Sun Herald that Tyler Morris of Montague, Mich., won the jackpot Feb. 15 after attending his friend's funeral.

Morris hit the jackpot between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship is a Mississippi statewide progressive penny slot machine with a maximum bet of $3.50. The WMS Gaming-manufactured slot machine's progressive jackpot resets at $200,000.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/man-wins-at-casino-after-funeral