March Saint Movies Friday, Feb 29 2008 

Family Movies and Feast days Fran 3:46 pm

In previous posts, I recommended movies to watch in January and February.  March will soon be upon us (like tomorrow!) and there are two March saints about whom movies have been made.  Beginning with St. Patrick, who lived in the 400s and whose feast is March 17, we have St. Patrick:  Apostle of Ireland, a documentary which was filmed on location.  It gives wonderful insights into the man behind the legends.  Also about St. Patrick is  St. Patrick:  The Irish Legend  which is a dramatic story of the life of St. Patrick and stars Patrick Bergin, Malcolm McDowell and Susannah York.  For children, there is Patrick, Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle which is animated and entertaining for younger children.

Good St. Joseph, whose feast is on March 19, is always linked with the Nativity and there aren’t any videos that I can find which focus on him.  But a couple of choices for his feast would be The Story of the Nativity which is told by Catholic apologists and scholars. It is beautifully illustrated and filmed on sight in the Holy Land.  For a slightly less typical portrayal of Joseph, try Mary of Nazareth:  From Nativity to Calvary.   Joseph is a younger man than we are accustomed to seeing, and there are a few things in this film, like the placement of the Magnificat which seem a bit odd, but the basic story is there.

 

I would love to see a movie focused on St. Joseph.  We don’t know a lot about him from the Scriptures, but what we do know is that he was faithful, strong, trusting and entirely a man of virtue.  Being chosen as the head of the Holy Family placed a huge responsibility on him, and difficult as it must have been, he obeyed the inspirations which were conveyed to him in dreams to protect Jesus and Mary as long as he lived.  St. Joseph and St. Patrick, pray for us.

 

Please tell me this is a bad dream… Wednesday, Feb 27 2008 

This N That , Fran 6:29 pm

California Assemblyman Lloyd Levin has introduced the “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a  Lightbulb Act” which will ban the use of incandescent lightbulbs by 2012.  I am not making this up–read it for yourself @ http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/cross-section/fluorescent-bulb-legislation.aspx.

Great.  Now we all be forced to use fluorescent lights.  

If you should have the misfortune of dropping one of this squiggly bulbs, stop!  Evacuate your house immediately.  Go find a computer and click on http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/26/what_to_do_when_compact_fluorescents_crack/

Have we lost all manner of reason in this country?  Is this really going to save the planet?   Is this good for humans?

 

A novel lenten cafe Friday, Feb 22 2008 

Around and about Fran 7:13 am

Jim at the Catholic Herald calls attention to a unique cafe sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.  Check it out. 

 

Where is the FDA? Tuesday, Feb 19 2008 

This N That , , , Fran 3:49 pm

I was recently reading at World Net Daily about a contanimated drug called heparin that is used for thinning blood, and is produced in (you guessed it) China.  That got me thinking about other drugs which are more widely used, like aspirin.  I had bought Walmart’s brand of aspirin and on reading the label, saw that it was distributed (not made) by LNK.  On further investigation I found that LNK has been in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading customers into believing that the drug is American in origin, when in fact, it is not.  I couldn’t get to the bottom of where the aspirin actually comes from, but my pharmacist told me boatloads of drugs are coming from China and India.  In the case of heparin, the FDA had failed to inspect the plant in China that produces it. 

I had to do some digging to find American-made (in the USA) aspirin and found that the major brands still are.

Isn’t it interesting how difficult it is for American drug manufacturers to get a drug on the market and how easy it is for drugs to get into the country legally from a country that has established its own reputation for dangerous, contaminated, and poor quality goods, not to mention terrible working conditions and deplorable oppression?  Does this make sense?   

If we would all look at the labels on products we buy and let retailers know that we do not want Chinese goods, we might have an impact on what is available.  At least, be suspicious when the label reads “distributed by” or “packaged by” instead of “made in USA,” especially when it comes to what you put into your or your childrens’ bodies. 

 

I’ve been tagged… Sunday, Feb 17 2008 

This N That Fran 2:47 pm

tagged?

Rules:
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don’t have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother’s maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name.My middle name is Imelda–thanks, Karen :
I –  intense–don’t try to stop me in the middle of a project

M – messy in the kitchen–I always clean up but can be pretty messy when I am creating something

E – Elder – I tend to be the “elder” of the parents of my youngest son’s friends :)

L – Lacrimosus – got you there…I tend to wear my tear duct on my sleeve so to speak

D – Demanding–I set high standards and expect them of others.  Not always a good trait!

A – Active–I am trying to outsmart my chronological age by staying physically active

I do not know of other blogs with all the letters of my name but I’ll tag Ian who shares the rare “I” with me and Alicia at Love2Learn who does wonderful book reviews which every Catholic parent should read.

 

Book learning vs Hands-on learning Saturday, Feb 16 2008 

Classical Education and Family Life and Homeschooling 101 , , , , , Fran 7:05 am

Two years ago, our youngest son Mike bought a project car, a 1968 Catalina Ventura.  It was supposed to be a relatively uncomplicated project which he would fix up a bit, drive for awhile and then sell for college money.    It also fit nicely into his homeschooling curriculum as an elective.  As the days went on, however, the project became very complicated, and before we knew it, there were car parts literally all over the barn.   He had dismantled the engine, cleaned and painted all the pieces, removed the seats, ripped out the carpet and removed a quarter-panel.  He discovered in the process that there were many things wrong with the car, from brittle to broken wiring, deteriorated rubber seals, cracked vacuum hoses, hidden rust, etc.  

For two years the car was parked in the center aisle of the barn as he worked.  He spent many cold hours out there, diligently working.  We thought the project would never end.  Most of his work was done after a full day of doing his rigorous classical curriculum and required completely different mental skills than the schoolwork did.  He also had to work in order to pay for the project, sometimes being at the coffee shop before 6:00 am on the days he had to open and doing data entry at a different job on weekends.   In addition, he was president of his 4-H club and active as a youth leader and member of a polyphonic choir.

Since he had never worked on a car before, every step of the way was a valuable, if not frustrating, learning experience.  Once the car was back together, it wouldn’t start, so my husband called in a mechanic who charged us $300 to get it started.  He did so, and the excitement was high.  Alas, he left and then the car didn’t start again!  Another 6 or so months passed, trying to figure out the problem, and finally he got it going again. 

The car is now on the road.  Mike is discouraged because it turned out to be a costly experience in which he used up every penny he earned on his job for two years.  The car still needs work and it is not likely he will recover all his money.  But we don’t think all is lost.  For somebody who didn’t have any experience at all, this was a huge undertaking.  By following the shop manual, he figured out the wiring, he reassembled the engine, did his own brake job, and many other things to get the car on the road.  It was a puzzle to beat all puzzles.  He doesn’t have the time or money to finish the job because he will graduate in May. 

Hopefully, the lessons he learned on this project (self-taught because his parents are mechanically challenged) will carry him far.  He persevered, he sacrificed, he followed written directions, and he learned a whole lot about himself and his abilities.  He learned to deal with disappointment and perhaps he even learned a bit about humility and the need to listen to the advice of his elders.  Every child needs to learn, not just from books, but by doing as well.   We say, good job, Mike, we are proud of you.

 

What did the neighbors think? Friday, Feb 8 2008 

Family Life , , Fran 8:29 am

The other night my daughter mused that we must have been strange neighbors.   She had been looking through old family pictures and found this one.  These were the kids “praying” over a dead bird in the front yard.

how-catholic-kids-play.jpg

She titled the picture “How Catholic Kids Play“

 

There is no free lunch Tuesday, Feb 5 2008 

Classical Education Fran 9:10 am

In a recent issue of the National Catholic Register, there was an article about public schools and the raising of “company kids.” 

The public schools are often underwritten by corporations facilitated by “The Learning Company “ which boasts that “school is the ideal time to influence attitudes, build long-term loyalties, introduce new products, test-market, promote sampling and trial usage — and above all — to generate immediate sales.”   With a captive audience of vulnerable youth, attitudes not only about products, but also about morality, religion, relationships, etc can be influenced in ways parents might not suspect.  How different that goal of education is from the classical view that the purpose of education is to form virtuous citizens capable of knowing what is good and being able to choose it for themselves and others. 

What we can learn from this article is that there is no such thing as a free lunch (or free computers, books, etc).  Many goods may be provided to the schools, but before they are accepted, those who approve them have an obligation to the students and parents to find out who and what are behind them.  Better yet, parents need to be involved in reviewing any offers of help from corporations which may be looking for future consumers.  Years ago a company offered an all-inclusive sex education packet at very low cost to a Catholic High School.  Foolishly, the administrators bought into it (which was irresponsible on many levels),  and before they knew it, the materials began to arrive and were distributed to all the students.  Buried in the student books were ads for contraceptives and information on how to use them.  The protests of a few parents managed to bring an end to the program, but not before the students had gotten an eye full.  And who was behind the sex education program?  One of the largest manufacturers of contraceptives, of course!