Birthday Facts

Born on this day…

Mary II, queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1662)

Willie Nelson, musician (1933)

Isiah Thomas, former professional basketball player (1961)

Franz Lehár, composer (1870)

Don Schollander, swimmer (1946)


On this day in history…

1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the United States in New York City.

1803: The United States more than doubles its size with the Louisiana Purchase, a vast territory bought from France for $15 million.

1812: The Territory of Orleans enters the Union as the 18th state, the state of Louisiana.

1939: Franklin D. Roosevelt is the first U.S. president to appear on television when NBC begins regular broadcasting with live coverage of the opening of the New York World's Fair.

1945: Refusing to surrender after Germany is defeated by Allied forces at the end of World War II, German dictator Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his Berlin bunker.

1975: The Vietnam War ends when Duong Van Minh, president of South Vietnam, surrenders unconditionally to North Vietnamese communist forces.


In 1982, the year I was born…

Ronald Reagan is president of the US

The space shuttle Columbia completes its first operational flight

Actor John Belushi is found dead of a drug overdose in a West Hollywood hotel

Automobile manufacturer John Delorean is arrested and charged with possession of 59 pounds of cocaine

The first artificial heart is implanted in American Barney Clark

The Cable News Network, or CNN, is launched

750,000 people rally against nuclear weapons in New York City's Central Park

Time Magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, a computer

The first computer virus, written by Rich Skrenta, escapes into the wild

Kirsten Dunst and Elisha Cuthbert are born

St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series

San Francisco 49ers win Superbowl XVI

New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the top grossing film

Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a live bat thrown at him during a performance, later hospitalized with rabies

"I Love Rock 'N Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts spends the most time at the top of the US charts

Cheers, Family Ties, Silver Spoons, and Fame premiere

I am not a Separatist

I thought I would respond to a comment my friend made on my blog and was all geared up to be writing about the merits of late-night sit-down eateries, such as IHOP, but my dog just made me chase her all over the neighborhood for forty minutes, so I’m not in the mood. Instead, I will be writing in response to another one of his comments on my blog…

No, I am not a separatist. Though occasionally I do entertain ideas of separatism when it comes to my beloved Texas regaining its status as an independent nation, it mostly occurs on or around March 2 each year (Texas Independence Day). But, alas, that is not true separatism because I am not fully invested in it and honestly I look at it more as patriotism for my home state’s glory. I think I ascribed the correct title to myself when I said I am a right-wing extremist, because secession from the Union just for the sheer fact that I want to live in the nation of Texas is pretty extreme (though some may see it as liberal rather than conservative, depends on your POV). I do know however that I am not a separatist.

Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial or gender separation from the larger group, often with demands for greater political autonomy and even for full political secession and the formation of a new state. The reasons for separatism are far more extreme and sometimes more important than having the nation of Texas. While some critics may equate separatism and religious segregation, racial segregation or sexual segregation, separatists argue that separation by choice is not the same as government enforced segregation and serves useful purposes. This nullifies my desire for Texas’ Independence because it would take an act of government to make that happen and could not be done solely by the people of Texas. Let’s look at some of the reasons or motivations for separatism.

Groups may have one or more motivations for separation, including: emotional resentment of rival communities, protection from ethnic cleansing and genocide, justified resistance by victims of oppression, including denigration of their language, culture or religion; propaganda by those who hope to gain politically from intergroup conflict and hatred; the economic and political dominance of one group that does not share power and privilege in an egalitarian fashion; economic motivations of seeking to end economic exploitation by more powerful group or, conversely, to escape economic redistribution from a richer to a poorer group; preservation of threatened religious, language or other cultural tradition; destabilization from one separatist movement giving rise to others; geopolitical power vacuum from breakup of larger states or empires; continuing fragmentation as more and more states break up. We’ll use my extreme right-wingism to give examples in this case. For instance, I being right-wing may garner resentment from some of my neighbors, but I am by no means oppressed or denigrated for it. I do hope to gain politically by being a right-wing extremist, but by no means do I want intergroup conflict to increase in the government (they barely get anything done now as it is). Yes, I want Republicans to run the country, but not at the expense of the shared system of checks and balances inherent in a two-party government, i.e. I don’t want absolute power. There hasn’t been a political separatist movement in the US since the Green Party, and we all know they are kind of a joke, no offense. And finally, there is no power vacuum due to the break-up of large states in the United States because the Union has forced every state to put a “no secession” amendment in their constitutions. So, as you can see, me being party to a little right-wing rhetoric from time to time doesn’t necessary make me a separatist.

I’m proud of my friend for being so bold in his comments on my blog. He’s one of the few who still reads on a regular basis that I know of. At least, he is one of the few who is moved by my words so much as to comment on them. He’s one of my best friend’s, though; I am afforded his support whenever I need it, which is awesome. And I support him, like being his best man for instance. The point I am trying to make is that after taking up my pen again, I expected more response from my audience. But, I suppose they are so few and far between that getting a comment from everyone of them every time would just make me realize how few of them there are out there.

Anyway, looking ahead, I will be writing about late night dining stops that top my all time list, so stay glued to those monitors, folks.

It's Rodeo Time...All the Time

If you were nice enough to read my previous blog, then you know that I went to the rodeo the other day, Friday, with my relatives who were in town. It seems that every time I go to the rodeo, I am reminded of how much I enjoy the atmosphere and entertainment of the spectacle. Let us start with a little history… the beginnings of rodeo can be traced back to the ranches of the early 1700’s, when the Spanish ruled the West. The Spanish cattlemen, known as vaqueros, would influence the American cowboy with their clothing, language, traditions and equipment which would in turn influence the modern sport of rodeo. Duties on these early ranches included roping, horse breaking, riding, herding, branding, and much more. Americans from the East came into contact with Spanish, Mexican, Californio, and Texican cowboys and began to copy and adapt their styles and traditions of working the ranches. Ranchers from the Southwest would organize long cattle drives, to bring cattle to the stockyards in towns like Kansas City, where trains would carry the cattle east. This was the golden age of the cowhand. At the end of the long trails, these new American "Cowboys" would often hold informal competitions among themselves and the various different outfits to see which group had the best riders, ropers and all-around best drovers. It would be from these competitions that modern rodeo would eventually be born. In the modern era, rodeo has continued to grow from its roots as a working ranch competition to a huge national sport. With the continued success, rodeo has seen growth in the number of associations at regional and state levels. Rodeo has also established itself at the high school and college level. There is no doubt that rodeo will continue through the 21st century.

Rodeo is one of the original extreme sports. Today’s professional rodeo holds a distinct position in the world of modern sports having come directly from a working-lifestyle. Early rodeo began as the everyday chores of working ranches on the great plains of the American West. Modern rodeos take place in a fenced, dirt surfaced area known as an arena. Arenas can be either indoor or outdoor. Remarkably there are no standard sizes for arenas, but all of them contain bucking chutes, and roping chutes (usually at opposite ends of the arena). Rodeo is also unique in that it is a sport made up of several different events, each with their own style of competition, rules, and rewards. While there are many events that are specific to different regions of the U.S. and world, seven are recognized as standard events in most professional rodeo. The seven main events of a rodeo are (in the standard order of competition): bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. These seven events can be broken down into two categories, the roughstock or judged events (bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding) and the timed events (steer wrestling, barrel racing, tie-down and team roping).

The roughstock events are the wild, adrenaline filled events of rodeo. The dangerous nature of these events makes them extremely exciting to watch. Competitors compete in rodeo performances against the other cowboys or cowgirls entered in each specific event. Horses and bulls are normally bucked-out only once per day and each time that a competitor rides is called a go-round. These are the wild, adrenaline filled events of rodeo. The dangerous nature of these events makes them extremely exciting to watch. Competitors compete in rodeo performances against the other cowboys or cowgirls entered in each specific event. Horses and bulls are normally bucked-out only once per day and each time that a competitor rides is called a go-round. Scoring for the roughstock events is the same for all three of the events, although different criteria exist for judging the animals in each event. All cowboys competing in the roughstock events must use only one hand to ride and touching yourself or the animal with the free hand results in a disqualification and a no score. To receive a score, a cowboy must make a qualified 8 second ride. The 8 second length of a qualified ride was devised purely for the safety and well-being of the animals involved. After 8 seconds the horse or bulls bucking ability decreases because of fatigue, adrenaline loss, etc. Once the buzzer sounds and there are no disqualification, the ride receives a score given by 2 to 4 official judges, depending on the rodeo. Scores are given to both the competitor and the animal. Each judge scores 1-25 points for the cowboy and 1-25 points for the animal, with a maximum score being 100 points or a perfect ride (in the case of 4 judges they score the same but divide by 2).

The timed events, as the name implies, use stopwatches to track the times for each event, and the lowest time wins. All the timed events, except barrel racing use a barrier, which is strung across the roping chutes. This makes the event more challenging as the barrier prevents the competitor from getting too much of a head start on the livestock. Breaking the barrier results in a time penalty in each event.

The atmosphere of a rodeo can depend greatly on where it is taking place or at what level. PRCA events are usually quite electric and have a widely diverse crowd because they take place in larger arenas in more urban areas. While regional events tend to have crowds composed of what you would expect the “typical” rodeo fan to be, often because they take place in rural areas at outdoor arenas. The Mesquite Rodeo, which is held at Resistol Arena, attracts a wide cross section of people and rodeos in and of themselves tends to bring curious spectators no matter where you are. As a man, I enjoy the rodeo because I enjoy the simple things in life…girls who wear boots and cowboy hats. The new trend I’ve noticed time and time again is a woman wearing boots and either short shorts or a short skirt, which is sexy the majority of the time, but if you’ve ever been to Mesquite, you know that there are an abundance of people there who have no business in shorts. Aside from the eye candy, you get to enjoy one of the sweetest smells in the world, manure. It takes being around it more than a time or two to appreciate it, but to me evokes visions of hard work, discipline, and cattle. Rodeo is one of the few sporting events where you can get a brisket sandwich with meat that probably came from one of the competitors (or a relative of theirs). It’s laid back and, more often than not, you end up in pleasant conversation with the person next to you about your childhood memories of rodeo to the point that you forget to watch the competition. There’s no replays, no yelling at judges or umpires, and you clap for everyone who comes out of the chutes regardless if they had a good ride or not. And, let us not forget that seeing a barrel rider rein her horse around the last turn, flexing her legs in the stirrups, and riding full speed into the tunnel with her hair flowing in the wind is extremely hot.

So, let’s all go to the rodeo…COWBOY UP!

Catholic Answer Series: Reception of Holy Communion

This week in the Catholic Answer Series we will be talking about the reception of Holy Communion. Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is one of the most amazing and spiritually uplifting experiences…and if you are of regular attendance to Mass, then you get to do it every week! By Communion is meant the actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Ascetic writers speak of a purely sacramental reception; that is, when the Eucharist is received by a person capable indeed of the fruits but wanting in some disposition so that the effects are not produced; of a spiritual reception, that is, by a desire accompanied with sentiments of charity; and of a sacramental and spiritual reception, that is, by those who are in a state of grace and have the necessary dispositions. For real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. For this alone is the eating referred to by our Lord (John 6:58). But, I’m not going to get into a full spiritual discussion on the merits and history of Holy Communion in the Church, but rather how we receive the Eucharist during Mass. There are two common ways of reception of the Eucharist; one is on the tongue whereby it is taken directly into the body and the other is onto the hand where the receiver then takes the Eucharist out of the hand and places it into their mouth. Most “traditionalists” as they are referred to, believe that taking Communion on the tongue is the first and only way. I am not this extreme, though I do take Communion on the tongue. But the practice of taking Communion in the hand has been around since 1973 when in the instruction Immensae Caritatis, the Church granted permission because many episcopal conferences had asked for it. Currently, the practice in the United States is that one receives either on the tongue or on the hand at the discretion of the communicant. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal states: If Communion is given only under the species of bread, the priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is allowed and if the communicant so chooses, in the hand. As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely. Because of widespread attempts to prevent the lay faithful from receiving Communion on the tongue, Pope John Paul II in 1980 reaffirmed that it is the communicant’s choice whether to receive in the hand or on the tongue (DC, no. 11).

We need to receive Holy Communion with the utmost reverence because, in consuming Our Eucharistic Lord, we are joining ourselves to the most important event in human history: Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, through which we were redeemed from sin and can receive the grace to enjoy eternal salvation in heaven. To respond to our Lord’s invitation to receive Him in the Eucharist, “we must prepare ourselves for so great and holy a moment” (Catechism, no. 1385; cf. 1 Cor. 11:27-29). Further, the manner in which we receive Communion “ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our Guest” (Catechism, no. 1387). The Church has provided certain norms to help us humbly and worthily receive Our Eucharistic Lord. For example, in its 1980 document Inaestimabile Donum (ID), the Vatican Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship has decreed that the lay faithful are not to self-communicate: “Communion is a gift of the Lord, given to the faithful through the minister appointed for this purpose. It is not permitted that the faithful should themselves pick up the consecrated bread and the sacred chalice; still less that they should hand them from one to another” (ID, no. 9). However, in 1980 Pope John Paul II decreed that this norm does not preclude the lay faithful from receiving Communion in the hand, noting that, unfortunately, “the free choice of those who prefer to continue the practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is not taken into account in those places where the distribution of Communion in the hand has been authorized” (Dominicae Cenae (DC), no. 11, 1980). The General Instruction reiterates the ban against self-communion. It also provides the posture for the reception of Holy Communion and the gesture of reverence to be given: The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another. The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm. When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister (no. 160).

A person may receive Communion twice in the same day, but “only during the celebration of the Eucharist in which the person participates” (Code of Canon Law, canons 917 and 921.2). Those in danger of death may receive it outside of Mass (cf. canon 918). A person should abstain from food or drink, with the exception of water and medicine, for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion, although the elderly and the sick—and those who take care of them—are exempted (canon 919.3; cf. Catechism, no. 1387).

Finally, canons 915 and 916 deal with those Catholics who should not be admitted to Communion, or who should personally refrain from receiving: Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion (canon 915); A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or to receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligations to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916).