On Wednesday, January 29, one day after President Obama delivered the State of the Union Address, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn delivered the State of the State Address. This speech occurred five years to the same day when Governor Quinn was first sworn into office, after the Illinois State Senate unanimously voted to remove Rod Blagojevich from.
Governor Quinn started off the speech recognizing those involved in recent emergency situations in Illinois.
He then painted a bleak picture of the state of Illinois five years ago when he took office, so that he could emphasize how improved the state's condition is now, owing to actions he has taken and lead the way on.
The address focused on how to create jobs in Illinois (ever an important topic) and how to foster an environment that allows the people of Illinois to get good jobs, including financial-related moves and job training, as well as raising the minimum wage to $10/hour. Then there was talk on education, emphasizing resources and services to enhance early childhood education from birth until age 5.
I was struck by how Governor Quinn said that during his time in office, difficult moves were taken to resolve problems. I can't say I'm convinced enough bold, difficult moves have really been taken. And while I have little expertise in matters surrounding pension reform, it's hard to say if the deal that was struck is really substantial enough, especially given how much time it took to finalize it.
Critics argue that the state of Illinois isn't really in such a rosy condition as Governor Quinn put it in his speech. There are more problems that will have to be sorted through to bring prosperity back to Illinois, with good leadership in state government as an important part. And as an election year, 2014 is a pivotal time for the voters to do their part to ensure that.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
SOTU Thoughts
Tuesday night, President Obama delivered the 5th State of the Union (SOTU) Address of his administration. It focused heavily on domestic issues, especially the economy, how to create jobs, and how to help the middle class. Most internationally-related issues were given less mention, as it seems President Obama has had a lot of trouble dealing with domestic issues over the past year.
I took note when Barack Obama spoke of the activities of common-day Americans at the very start of his speech, (mentioning specifically teacher, entrepreneur, autoworker, and farmer) to emphasize that "you", we, the American people, are the State of the Union.
Throughout his speech, President Obama talked about how the United States is a place where people work hard and succeed by seizing opportunities, such as when he said, "Opportunity is who we are."
It was a little bit after he said that when I noticed Vice President Biden made some kind of gesturing toward someone sitting out in the crowd that gave me pause (see number 1 on this webpage).
Then there was his remarks about climate change: "...the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact." I often hear something like this said by people who believe climate change (caused by human activity) is real and is leading to doomsday scenario, and want to take drastic action. Certainly evidence out there suggests that something is going on. But I think it should lead to more discussion in healthy tone, rather than these "putting one's foot down to stamp out dissent" kind of remarks, while we work to care for our environment in meaningful ways.
Immigration reform is definitely an important issue that needs addressing sooner rather than later in a substantial way. I was a little surprised that President Obama didn't spend more time discussing this. The transcript of the speech only has one paragraph on it, and then he moved right away onto discussing more about creating jobs.
Then I was in for a bit of a surprise when President Obama told the story of Misty Demars. The television displayed her name at the bottom of the screen, and then her hometown: Oak Park, IL. Apparently, I had missed the story in The Wednesday Journal that said she would be a featured guest at the speech in regards to his call to Congress to extend unemployment insurance. While that is certainly a good way to help people out of a job, I think it would ultimately do better to foster an economy that can give people good-paying jobs so they can support their families and livelihoods.
President Obama then told the story of John Soranno, the owner of Punch Pizza in the Minneapolis area, and his employee Nick Chute--nice pun on "dough", by the way. John had raised the wages of his employees to $10. Quite frankly, that's the way business should be in this country. Business owners should be able to grow business by serving people in good ways, and then be able to reap profits whereby they can pay their workers more, not being forced by government law to raise them if it doesn't make sense for their own business.
Subsequently, President Obama then moved on to the major issues of healthcare reform, singling out Republicans for not being supportive of it, and looking down on their efforts to repeal it without creating a different plan. It's unfortunate this situation exists, that Republican members of Congress recognize flaws in the plan, and are desperate to stop it, and then demonized for it. President Obama and the Democrats shoved the ACA through Congress back in 2009/2010, instead of bringing people from both sides of the aisle together to sort through the fine details of how to effectively reform healthcare so everyone can have good insurance coverage, especially without causing others to lose theirs. Yes, the Republicans are trying to stop it because they feel like they're being pushed aside while it steams ahead, but they definitely have to start working on a better plan, if only President Obama would create a more open environment.
Next up was foreign policy. I found it curious that President Obama said of Israel, "America will always be at their side", because the chapter on President Obama's relationship with Jews in the book The Amateur, by Edward Klein, made it clear that the President has not done a very good job fostering good relations with Israel.
Before moving on to discussing Iran, President Obama used that phrase "Let me be clear", that it seems we have to watch out for.
President Obama doesn't want Congress to issue new sanctions against Iran to derail peace talks, but this made me think back to something Charlie Dyer said on the Moody program The Land and the Book during the "in the news" portion of the program: it's important to take a strong stance against Iran now before they gain too much strength in developing nuclear weaponry.
There was some inspirational points at the end. It was something to hear a chant of "USA, USA!" break out in the chamber when President Obama mentioned the athletes representing the United States in the upcoming Winter Olympiad in Sochi.
And then there was Cory Remsburg. His story truly embodies the struggle we undertake to achieve great things, with determined endurance no matter the obstacles. His efforts to live life are something to spur all of us on in our endeavors. He certainly deserved the lengthy standing ovation, he and all those who have lived life so bravely after so courageously serving our country.
All in all, President Obama certainly said a lot of things in his speech that sounded good. But his tone seemed to suggest that everyone should make American great according to his plans, in the way he urged Congress to take action, and then said he would take action on his own to achieve what he wants to do. There was no sense that he really wants to engage in healthy dialogue leading to decent initiatives. (This opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune offers some good arguments in this regard.)
Following the SOTU Address was the Republican response by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). She addressed some of the concerns I had about the SOTU speech. She said that the President made a lot of promises that sound good, but won't make any one's lives better, especially in hindering policies that the President has proposed. Her remarks were all about the people empowering themselves to achieve their potential, not about the government taking action to shape people's lives. I liked how she had a very measured, kindly-looking demeanor throughout her remarks.
Honestly, there were a lot of issues brought up in this speech that I'm not really sure how they are to be best addressed. And given my lack of expertise regarding the intricacies of them, I can't really comment on them too much. Of course, there are those who would say that politics, as expressed in the SOTU and its Republican response, is all talk, which is true in many ways. The real substance is manifested in the action that people in the United States take to live their lives meaningfully--that's where the real State of the Union lies, as Representative McMorris Rodgers, and President Obama, put it so well. It's the people of this country that make all the difference. That's what our governmental system is founded on: "government of the people, by the people, for the people". So in spite of all the difficult circumstances our country is in right now, I'm confident that will see great days ahead as the people take charge of this country, not just one self-centered person like in countries with dictatorships.
And through it all, I recall to mind the words that appear above the Speaker's platform in the House chamber, where President Obama spoke Tuesday night, the words of our national motto: "In God We Trust". And I join with the prayer Representative McMorris Rodgers offered: "A prayer...for our larger American family. That, with the guidance of God, we may prove worthy of His blessings of life...liberty...and the pursuit of happiness. For when we embrace these gifts, we are each doing our part to form a more perfect union." Abiding in Him, we achieve true greatness.
I took note when Barack Obama spoke of the activities of common-day Americans at the very start of his speech, (mentioning specifically teacher, entrepreneur, autoworker, and farmer) to emphasize that "you", we, the American people, are the State of the Union.
Throughout his speech, President Obama talked about how the United States is a place where people work hard and succeed by seizing opportunities, such as when he said, "Opportunity is who we are."
It was a little bit after he said that when I noticed Vice President Biden made some kind of gesturing toward someone sitting out in the crowd that gave me pause (see number 1 on this webpage).
Then there was his remarks about climate change: "...the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact." I often hear something like this said by people who believe climate change (caused by human activity) is real and is leading to doomsday scenario, and want to take drastic action. Certainly evidence out there suggests that something is going on. But I think it should lead to more discussion in healthy tone, rather than these "putting one's foot down to stamp out dissent" kind of remarks, while we work to care for our environment in meaningful ways.
Immigration reform is definitely an important issue that needs addressing sooner rather than later in a substantial way. I was a little surprised that President Obama didn't spend more time discussing this. The transcript of the speech only has one paragraph on it, and then he moved right away onto discussing more about creating jobs.
Then I was in for a bit of a surprise when President Obama told the story of Misty Demars. The television displayed her name at the bottom of the screen, and then her hometown: Oak Park, IL. Apparently, I had missed the story in The Wednesday Journal that said she would be a featured guest at the speech in regards to his call to Congress to extend unemployment insurance. While that is certainly a good way to help people out of a job, I think it would ultimately do better to foster an economy that can give people good-paying jobs so they can support their families and livelihoods.
President Obama then told the story of John Soranno, the owner of Punch Pizza in the Minneapolis area, and his employee Nick Chute--nice pun on "dough", by the way. John had raised the wages of his employees to $10. Quite frankly, that's the way business should be in this country. Business owners should be able to grow business by serving people in good ways, and then be able to reap profits whereby they can pay their workers more, not being forced by government law to raise them if it doesn't make sense for their own business.
Subsequently, President Obama then moved on to the major issues of healthcare reform, singling out Republicans for not being supportive of it, and looking down on their efforts to repeal it without creating a different plan. It's unfortunate this situation exists, that Republican members of Congress recognize flaws in the plan, and are desperate to stop it, and then demonized for it. President Obama and the Democrats shoved the ACA through Congress back in 2009/2010, instead of bringing people from both sides of the aisle together to sort through the fine details of how to effectively reform healthcare so everyone can have good insurance coverage, especially without causing others to lose theirs. Yes, the Republicans are trying to stop it because they feel like they're being pushed aside while it steams ahead, but they definitely have to start working on a better plan, if only President Obama would create a more open environment.
Next up was foreign policy. I found it curious that President Obama said of Israel, "America will always be at their side", because the chapter on President Obama's relationship with Jews in the book The Amateur, by Edward Klein, made it clear that the President has not done a very good job fostering good relations with Israel.
Before moving on to discussing Iran, President Obama used that phrase "Let me be clear", that it seems we have to watch out for.
President Obama doesn't want Congress to issue new sanctions against Iran to derail peace talks, but this made me think back to something Charlie Dyer said on the Moody program The Land and the Book during the "in the news" portion of the program: it's important to take a strong stance against Iran now before they gain too much strength in developing nuclear weaponry.
There was some inspirational points at the end. It was something to hear a chant of "USA, USA!" break out in the chamber when President Obama mentioned the athletes representing the United States in the upcoming Winter Olympiad in Sochi.
And then there was Cory Remsburg. His story truly embodies the struggle we undertake to achieve great things, with determined endurance no matter the obstacles. His efforts to live life are something to spur all of us on in our endeavors. He certainly deserved the lengthy standing ovation, he and all those who have lived life so bravely after so courageously serving our country.
All in all, President Obama certainly said a lot of things in his speech that sounded good. But his tone seemed to suggest that everyone should make American great according to his plans, in the way he urged Congress to take action, and then said he would take action on his own to achieve what he wants to do. There was no sense that he really wants to engage in healthy dialogue leading to decent initiatives. (This opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune offers some good arguments in this regard.)
Following the SOTU Address was the Republican response by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). She addressed some of the concerns I had about the SOTU speech. She said that the President made a lot of promises that sound good, but won't make any one's lives better, especially in hindering policies that the President has proposed. Her remarks were all about the people empowering themselves to achieve their potential, not about the government taking action to shape people's lives. I liked how she had a very measured, kindly-looking demeanor throughout her remarks.
Honestly, there were a lot of issues brought up in this speech that I'm not really sure how they are to be best addressed. And given my lack of expertise regarding the intricacies of them, I can't really comment on them too much. Of course, there are those who would say that politics, as expressed in the SOTU and its Republican response, is all talk, which is true in many ways. The real substance is manifested in the action that people in the United States take to live their lives meaningfully--that's where the real State of the Union lies, as Representative McMorris Rodgers, and President Obama, put it so well. It's the people of this country that make all the difference. That's what our governmental system is founded on: "government of the people, by the people, for the people". So in spite of all the difficult circumstances our country is in right now, I'm confident that will see great days ahead as the people take charge of this country, not just one self-centered person like in countries with dictatorships.
And through it all, I recall to mind the words that appear above the Speaker's platform in the House chamber, where President Obama spoke Tuesday night, the words of our national motto: "In God We Trust". And I join with the prayer Representative McMorris Rodgers offered: "A prayer...for our larger American family. That, with the guidance of God, we may prove worthy of His blessings of life...liberty...and the pursuit of happiness. For when we embrace these gifts, we are each doing our part to form a more perfect union." Abiding in Him, we achieve true greatness.
Monday, January 27, 2014
In the Spirit of a Broken Record...
Over the past couple of weeks, the word "clipper" has appeared in the forecasts in Chicagoland constantly.
While you may not know what a clipper is, you no doubt have experienced the effects of a string of them. One day, it gets cloudy, then there's some snow, and then next day it gets clear and much colder. And this has happened numerous times, like with the snow events on January 14, 16, 21, and 24, with other occurrences as well.
Basically, a clipper is a type of low pressure system that moves relatively quickly. They usually occur in winter, and bring light snow and then much colder air. They are also known as "Alberta Clippers", because they travel southeast from the Canadian province of Alberta.
As with any low pressure system, there is a convergence of warmer air with colder air. The warmer air is located southeast of the low pressure center, and the cold air wraps around the low's other three quadrants.
These low pressure clippers haven't put down too much snow as the cold temperatures in the area have limited the amount of moisture available for accumulating snow.
They've been coming one after another because the upper-level air pattern has remained stagnant, high up in the troposphere (the layer of the atmosphere starting at the surface and going 60 miles up). As I referred to in my post about the extreme cold, this pattern is manifested best in the upper levels as a belt of strong winds moving from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere. This belt of winds, known as the jet stream, is buckling in such a way so that warmer air is surging north toward Alaska, forming a ridge. In compensation to that movement, the jet stream is dipping south across North America, forming a trough, keeping conditions cold in our area throughout much of this month. There hasn't been anything on a broad scale to move along this pattern of ridging near Alaska, troughing over the US. Therefore, these clippers have generally been riding the air flow that is diving south into the Coterminous United States.
(As an aside, the WGN midday news broadcast today, Tom Skilling remarked that the ridging up into Alaska may be the result of unusually warm ocean waters in the Pacific, which is pushing warmer air further north. It's an interesting explanation for what's going on.)
So that's a word on clippers.
By the way, if you're interested and you have the time, check out this video on the White House's website, from one of their "We the Geeks" Hangouts. It features a panel of people in the field of meteorology discussing the polar vortex and the associated extreme cold outbreak that occurred earlier this month, as well as other things related to climate change. It's about 45 minutes long, and they all engage in some really good discussion, presenting great insights. Pay attention especially to what Stephanie Abrams says about weather being an effort to restore balance, and doing good for the environment just for the sake of doing good.
Here's the main page for "We the Geeks": http://www.whitehouse.gov/we-the-geeks
The video should be on that page, after you scroll down a little. If not, try this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWZA85GUsi0
While you may not know what a clipper is, you no doubt have experienced the effects of a string of them. One day, it gets cloudy, then there's some snow, and then next day it gets clear and much colder. And this has happened numerous times, like with the snow events on January 14, 16, 21, and 24, with other occurrences as well.
Basically, a clipper is a type of low pressure system that moves relatively quickly. They usually occur in winter, and bring light snow and then much colder air. They are also known as "Alberta Clippers", because they travel southeast from the Canadian province of Alberta.
As with any low pressure system, there is a convergence of warmer air with colder air. The warmer air is located southeast of the low pressure center, and the cold air wraps around the low's other three quadrants.
These low pressure clippers haven't put down too much snow as the cold temperatures in the area have limited the amount of moisture available for accumulating snow.
They've been coming one after another because the upper-level air pattern has remained stagnant, high up in the troposphere (the layer of the atmosphere starting at the surface and going 60 miles up). As I referred to in my post about the extreme cold, this pattern is manifested best in the upper levels as a belt of strong winds moving from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere. This belt of winds, known as the jet stream, is buckling in such a way so that warmer air is surging north toward Alaska, forming a ridge. In compensation to that movement, the jet stream is dipping south across North America, forming a trough, keeping conditions cold in our area throughout much of this month. There hasn't been anything on a broad scale to move along this pattern of ridging near Alaska, troughing over the US. Therefore, these clippers have generally been riding the air flow that is diving south into the Coterminous United States.
(As an aside, the WGN midday news broadcast today, Tom Skilling remarked that the ridging up into Alaska may be the result of unusually warm ocean waters in the Pacific, which is pushing warmer air further north. It's an interesting explanation for what's going on.)
So that's a word on clippers.
By the way, if you're interested and you have the time, check out this video on the White House's website, from one of their "We the Geeks" Hangouts. It features a panel of people in the field of meteorology discussing the polar vortex and the associated extreme cold outbreak that occurred earlier this month, as well as other things related to climate change. It's about 45 minutes long, and they all engage in some really good discussion, presenting great insights. Pay attention especially to what Stephanie Abrams says about weather being an effort to restore balance, and doing good for the environment just for the sake of doing good.
Here's the main page for "We the Geeks": http://www.whitehouse.gov/we-the-geeks
The video should be on that page, after you scroll down a little. If not, try this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWZA85GUsi0
Friday, January 24, 2014
For What it Really is...
This week, thousands of pro-life people gathered to stand for life on the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that unleashed the murder of unborn babies via abortion, estimated currently to be at 56 million. At the same time, pro-abortion advocates were celebrating the achievements made in advancing women's health rights. One such gathering locally was an event to benefit Planned Parenthood at the Bottom Lounge restaurant on Chicago's Near West Side.
And Pro-Life Action League protesters were out to take a stand for life, right at the location of this Planned Parenthood celebration, on the evening of Thursday, January 23, including me.
But this was more than just a protest of Planned Parenthood, which makes big money exploiting women by aborting their pregnancies. One of the special guests at this event was Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who was given an award from Planned Parenthood for supporting women's healthcare. And he used to be pro-life. So that added to the meaning of this protest. We braved cold and the uneasiness of the restaurant employees and owners who sought to move us away from the building, even though we were legitimately in our right to stand on public sidewalk. It's hard to say if we caught much attention as the attendees walked in the restaurant. Many of them seemed to ignore our signs. And it appears that Senator Durbin was taken in through a side door. One woman came outside a couple of times to get pictures, which makes me wonder how they'll be used in recapping their event.
It sure was cold out that evening, but it was only fitting to take this stand for people murdered in cold blood under the guise of women's healthcare rights. In some ways, I feel sorry for people who think that abortion is perfectly acceptable. The truth about those unborn human lives is distorted to their purposes, and it's almost as if they're incapable of seeing abortion for what it really is. It brings me face to face with the fallen state of humanity, even as it is manifested within myself. But I know that God has restored me to righteousness in Jesus Christ, and in that I take my stand, even standing out in single digits for an hour. God is for my life, and so I am for life, too.
P.S. Going back to the event I attended on Sunday, Pro-Life Action League posted a nice summary of the March for Life Chicago on its website. Check it out. And thanks to my brother Eric for linking my post of my experience at the March to a post on his blog.
As of the writing of this post, there was nothing posted on PLAL's website recapping yesterday's protest, but I imagine something will be going up soon, so please feel free to keep an eye on its website in the coming days.
And Pro-Life Action League protesters were out to take a stand for life, right at the location of this Planned Parenthood celebration, on the evening of Thursday, January 23, including me.
But this was more than just a protest of Planned Parenthood, which makes big money exploiting women by aborting their pregnancies. One of the special guests at this event was Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who was given an award from Planned Parenthood for supporting women's healthcare. And he used to be pro-life. So that added to the meaning of this protest. We braved cold and the uneasiness of the restaurant employees and owners who sought to move us away from the building, even though we were legitimately in our right to stand on public sidewalk. It's hard to say if we caught much attention as the attendees walked in the restaurant. Many of them seemed to ignore our signs. And it appears that Senator Durbin was taken in through a side door. One woman came outside a couple of times to get pictures, which makes me wonder how they'll be used in recapping their event.
It sure was cold out that evening, but it was only fitting to take this stand for people murdered in cold blood under the guise of women's healthcare rights. In some ways, I feel sorry for people who think that abortion is perfectly acceptable. The truth about those unborn human lives is distorted to their purposes, and it's almost as if they're incapable of seeing abortion for what it really is. It brings me face to face with the fallen state of humanity, even as it is manifested within myself. But I know that God has restored me to righteousness in Jesus Christ, and in that I take my stand, even standing out in single digits for an hour. God is for my life, and so I am for life, too.
P.S. Going back to the event I attended on Sunday, Pro-Life Action League posted a nice summary of the March for Life Chicago on its website. Check it out. And thanks to my brother Eric for linking my post of my experience at the March to a post on his blog.
As of the writing of this post, there was nothing posted on PLAL's website recapping yesterday's protest, but I imagine something will be going up soon, so please feel free to keep an eye on its website in the coming days.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
March for Life Chicago
Since 1974, thousands of people have gathered in Washington, DC, for the March for Life, to stand up for every person's right to life, born and unborn.
This year's March for Life is on Wednesday, January 22. A few days before it, on Sunday, January 19, I attended a similar event in the Loop Downtown Chicago, the March for Life Chicago.
Dad and I emerged from the Blue Line station onto the Federal Plaza by the Kluczynski Federal Building right around 1 PM.
There were a few speakers who gave remarks to start the March. WLS radio personality Dan Proft served as MC. Cardinal George offered some thoughts on the meaning of life (see below; Cardinal George is in front of the microphone, wearing a black hat). A member of the Greek Orthodox clergy, coming in the stead of the Metropolitan of Chicago, offered some very profound remarks on life. I can't quite remember what exactly he said, but he spoke of agape, a Greek word for love, namely that of God who sacrificed Himself in Christ that we might have life. Ms. Couri, a former Planned Parenthood employee, spoke about what it meant for her to be present at this March, given where she was four years ago. Then, to get everyone riled up for the March, a member of one of the local university Students for Life groups shared about the pressing need to stand up for life and against abortion.
Then, the crowd of hundreds followed the local Students for Life groups who led the way in marching from Federal Plaza to the James R. Thompson State of Illinois Center. We walked along Dearborn Street. There were many good signs that people brought with them to acclaim the right to life. I found myself walking in the bike lanes much of the way, up to Daley Plaza.
Then, the marchers fanned out onto Randolph Street between Dearborn and Clark Streets, and then onto the plaza in front of the Thompson Center. At this point, I noticed two catchy cheers:
"We love babies, yes we do. We love babies, how 'bout you?" in a chorus of feminine voices
and
"Yo ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!" in a chorus of more masculine voices
At the Thompson Center Plaza, there were some more speakers, with Relevant Radio personality Sheila Liaugmina serving as MC. One woman spoke about the difficulty she had in a pregnancy that came right after she lost her job and other support, but how she found strength from Aid for Women. Then, US Representatives Peter Roskam and Dan Lipinski offered remarks (see below), speaking to the courage to stand up and promote a culture of life. In the remarks, it was highlighted that when Peter Roskam served in the Illinois State Senate, he had helped sponsor legislation to protect babies who were born alive after failed abortions from being allowed to die, unlike his Senate colleague, Barack Obama, who opposed the legislation, which drew reaction from the crowd.
What a thrilling experience it was to join in the company of hundreds of people who feel strongly as I do about promoting life. The people present for the March included those from various pro-life groups, and all ages and races. It was especially heartening to see so many young people.
This all happened the day before Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and I feel it was a very fitting way to honor and join in the work in which Dr. King strove, to create a better society for all. And it starts with the most fundamental of rights, that of life, listed first in Thomas Jefferson's litany of three in the Declaration of Independence. Respecting and upholding that right, in a culture of life, from conception to natural death, allows society to truly prosper and flourish.
This year's March for Life is on Wednesday, January 22. A few days before it, on Sunday, January 19, I attended a similar event in the Loop Downtown Chicago, the March for Life Chicago.
Dad and I emerged from the Blue Line station onto the Federal Plaza by the Kluczynski Federal Building right around 1 PM.
There were a few speakers who gave remarks to start the March. WLS radio personality Dan Proft served as MC. Cardinal George offered some thoughts on the meaning of life (see below; Cardinal George is in front of the microphone, wearing a black hat). A member of the Greek Orthodox clergy, coming in the stead of the Metropolitan of Chicago, offered some very profound remarks on life. I can't quite remember what exactly he said, but he spoke of agape, a Greek word for love, namely that of God who sacrificed Himself in Christ that we might have life. Ms. Couri, a former Planned Parenthood employee, spoke about what it meant for her to be present at this March, given where she was four years ago. Then, to get everyone riled up for the March, a member of one of the local university Students for Life groups shared about the pressing need to stand up for life and against abortion.
Then, the crowd of hundreds followed the local Students for Life groups who led the way in marching from Federal Plaza to the James R. Thompson State of Illinois Center. We walked along Dearborn Street. There were many good signs that people brought with them to acclaim the right to life. I found myself walking in the bike lanes much of the way, up to Daley Plaza.
 |
| Heading out at the Federal Plaza |
 |
| Looking south as we, the marchers, cross Washington Boulevard while headed north |
 |
| Looking north as we move north along Dearborn, just to the east of Daley Plaza |
"We love babies, yes we do. We love babies, how 'bout you?" in a chorus of feminine voices
and
"Yo ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!" in a chorus of more masculine voices
 |
| At the Thompson Center front plaza |
 |
| Some of the creative signs with great messages I saw, among many |
At the Thompson Center Plaza, there were some more speakers, with Relevant Radio personality Sheila Liaugmina serving as MC. One woman spoke about the difficulty she had in a pregnancy that came right after she lost her job and other support, but how she found strength from Aid for Women. Then, US Representatives Peter Roskam and Dan Lipinski offered remarks (see below), speaking to the courage to stand up and promote a culture of life. In the remarks, it was highlighted that when Peter Roskam served in the Illinois State Senate, he had helped sponsor legislation to protect babies who were born alive after failed abortions from being allowed to die, unlike his Senate colleague, Barack Obama, who opposed the legislation, which drew reaction from the crowd.
 |
| Peter Roskam is in front of the orangish-looking microphone, and Dan Lipinski is the gray-haired man standing to his left, with Sheila L. in between and behind them. |
It was about 2:30 when the March concluded. As we turned to depart, I stopped to sing along to one of my favorite songs, "God Bless the USA".
What a thrilling experience it was to join in the company of hundreds of people who feel strongly as I do about promoting life. The people present for the March included those from various pro-life groups, and all ages and races. It was especially heartening to see so many young people.
This all happened the day before Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and I feel it was a very fitting way to honor and join in the work in which Dr. King strove, to create a better society for all. And it starts with the most fundamental of rights, that of life, listed first in Thomas Jefferson's litany of three in the Declaration of Independence. Respecting and upholding that right, in a culture of life, from conception to natural death, allows society to truly prosper and flourish.
 |
| Dad got this picture of me at the Thompson Center holding a sign I made and carried in the March. The words, from the Declaration of Independence, are the litany of three rights that Thomas Jefferson wrote we are given, a "self-evident" truth, and certainly "sacred and undeniable". Life is listed first, and as such it is paramount. |
Thursday, January 16, 2014
An Extreme of the Cold Kind
Here on planet Earth, we experience a whole variety of extreme weather events, particularly in the midlatitudes. There are hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and extremities of temperature.
The last item in that list is certainly a different kind of weather extreme. But it's just as exciting, for me at least, to observe a thunderstorm roll overhead as it is to stand out in a day when the thermometer exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or when it drops below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
And that's just what a large portion of the central and eastern United States experienced last week, especially here in the Chicago Metro Area, with temperatures like this not having been experienced in nearly 20 years, before I was paying much attention.
But first, permit me please to offer some technical scienctific talk on this event, especially in regards to the polar vortex, which many have heard about in news reports on this extreme cold. You can find a good scientific explanation of it in its entry in the American Meteorological Society glossary.
Basically, the polar vortex is one of many circulations of air that occur on a very large scale on the planet, found, as its name suggest, in the polar region. It contains bitterly cold Arctic air. But things can get interesting in winter, because of the upper-level atmospheric flow of air.
This flow of air is driven by the strong contrast in temperature between the cold poles and the warm Equator regions. In a basic world, the flow moves straight from west to east in the northern Hemisphere. But there are times when the flow doesn't act this way. It may start to bend into high points and low points. Where there's a low point, referred to as trough, cold air can surge from the pole toward the Equator, balanced out by a high point, or a ridge. In the case of what happened last week, it was some of the Arctic's coldest air that surged down into North America.
An area of low pressure moved through Chicagoland over the weekend of January 4-5, bringing some frozen precipitation on Saturday, and then a large amount of snow on Sunday. The low dragged a cold front through the area, and behind it, a large, an extremely cold air mass surged straight down from the Arctic. By 7 AM on Monday morning, January 6, the temperature had fallen to -16 degrees Fahrenheit (-27 degrees Celsius) at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, having come from a temperature of -2 F (-19 C) around midnight Monday.
I didn't venture out much on that Monday. I went to Church in the morning. On the way, the clock/thermometer display at the Fifth Third Bank on Oak Park Avenue right by the I-290 showed -18 F (-28 C). The sky was so clear, and the sun shone nicely that morning. But that didn't do much to overcome the constant stream of strong northerly/northwesterly winds that brought that Arctic air into the region--something we call cold air advection in meteorology-speak--and made the already cold temperatures feel even colder. High pressure caused the skies be so clear, while the low that had brought the snow was close enough to cause the air to restrict the movement of airflow to induce strong winds. (I went out later, in the early evening, to pick up Mom from work.)
Being cooped up inside most of the day was what public officials recommended people do, so as not to be exposed to the dangerous cold, which came on top of a significant snow event the day before. That snow was exacerbated by the strong winds, which caused so much drifting, plows couldn't clear the roads, and vehicles got stuck. This was especially a problem in Indiana. Checking a map showing road condition alerts for Indiana counties on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's website, the majority of Indiana counties were at a "warning" level. The South Shore Line, which I have used often going between home and ValpU, had to completely suspend service on that Monday.
The major travel problems were also plentiful in the Chicago hub, with bus, plane, and Amtrak train service experiencing disruptions to service, more so than I realized at first. Fortunately, for the many who were out on the roads in the harsh conditions, the Red Cross in conjunction with local churches set up shelters in central Illinois, at one of which the Ruggabers spent the night on their way back from Memphis. Those who set up the shelters are certainly owed a debt of gratitude.
I wasn't aware of all these situations with the roads until I watched a press conference early Monday afternoon with Governor Pat Quinn and other state officials, who briefed the press on the response to the extreme winter weather conditions on the roads. (I found it a bit odd that Ann Schneider, the Illinois Secretary of Transportation, referenced The Weather Channel's name for that winter storm. I would think that a government official would avoid using those names, as NOAA has discouraged any of its employees from using the names. I, for one, am not inclined to use them myself.) This press conference really emphasized for me the important role of elected officials in responding to hazardous situations, something I hope people keep in mind when they cast a ballot.
The temperature hovered in the negative teens range for the rest of Monday. The next day, Tuesday, the temperature started rising, and at the end of the WGN midday news broadcast, Tom Skilling announced the temperature had gotten back to 0 F (-18 C) at O'Hare, prompting applause sound effects. The winds also started dying down, so the Wind Chill Warning the NWS put out expired at noon. Despite being only in the single digits on Tuesday afternoon, it seemed like a major accomplishment that we had finally gotten into the positive side of 0 degrees F. Of course, therein lies the danger, as people perceive that the cold isn't as much of a problem anymore because it's warmed up to such a benchmark, and so they let their guard down. That's why one doctor who was interviewed said the hospital she worked at was expecting more cold-related cases to come in later in that week, after it warmed up a bit.
Temperatures continued warming through the week until reaching the 40s by the weekend, which, along with rain on Friday, helped melt the significant snowpack, which reflected the sun's energy on those very clear days, helping make it so cold. And you know, 40s is honestly not that warm if we really stop to think about it. But when I was out walking on Sunday in those temperatures, with melted snow and puddles everywhere, I couldn't help but think how spring-like it felt, as if it was March.
But that's the beauty of Chicagoland weather: We experience a whole range of temperatures, sky conditions, and precipitation events because we are in a mid-continental, midlatitude location. There's a certain kind of pride we can take in it, as expressed so well in this Chicago Tribune editorial. (Please note: I really like this editorial, and want to share it with you, my blog audience. But I regret that there's a picture which is partially racy appears at the top of the online version. Once the page opens, feel free to scroll down immediately to avoid looking at it.)
Honestly, it was enjoyable for me to have this experience of the extreme cold of January 2014, because of how it fits in to the larger picture of weather.
It all starts back in October, when the globe reaches that annual position when the Northern Hemisphere starts tilting away from the sun's most direct rays, and the northern polar region enters into deep winter darkness. With less sunshine, temperatures fall, which means the precipitation that comes down does so as snow. The snow on the amasses into a decent snowpack, reflecting the sun's energy away with its high albedo (measure of reflectivity), helping to form a significant cold air mass. Once the rest of the Northern Hemisphere cools with less and less sunlight, that cold of the Far North penetrates deeper toward the Equator, giving us our wintry conditions in the midlatitudes.
But for those of you who are not cold weather fans, never fear, because the time will soon come, and is already on its way, when the Earth reaches that annual position when the Northern Hemisphere tilts to have more exposure toward the Sun. The northern polar region experiences more daylight, and eventually warmer temperatures that melt the snow away, and allow temperatures to warm further. Soon, the warming is so great that there won't be much cold air to speak of, and it is truly summer.
Ah the seasons--what a beautiful cycle it is!
Scenes of the cold, cold world outside from my bedroom window (top), and out the kitchen window looking back toward the alley (bottom):
As one more aside, I only regret I didn't go outside at any point on Monday to throw boiling water out to see what would happen. But I did do it on Wednesday night, after the temperature fell below 0 F. It was something to watch steam instantly arise from where the water landed, and see the little dribbles of ice that formed.
The last item in that list is certainly a different kind of weather extreme. But it's just as exciting, for me at least, to observe a thunderstorm roll overhead as it is to stand out in a day when the thermometer exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or when it drops below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
And that's just what a large portion of the central and eastern United States experienced last week, especially here in the Chicago Metro Area, with temperatures like this not having been experienced in nearly 20 years, before I was paying much attention.
But first, permit me please to offer some technical scienctific talk on this event, especially in regards to the polar vortex, which many have heard about in news reports on this extreme cold. You can find a good scientific explanation of it in its entry in the American Meteorological Society glossary.
Basically, the polar vortex is one of many circulations of air that occur on a very large scale on the planet, found, as its name suggest, in the polar region. It contains bitterly cold Arctic air. But things can get interesting in winter, because of the upper-level atmospheric flow of air.
This flow of air is driven by the strong contrast in temperature between the cold poles and the warm Equator regions. In a basic world, the flow moves straight from west to east in the northern Hemisphere. But there are times when the flow doesn't act this way. It may start to bend into high points and low points. Where there's a low point, referred to as trough, cold air can surge from the pole toward the Equator, balanced out by a high point, or a ridge. In the case of what happened last week, it was some of the Arctic's coldest air that surged down into North America.
An area of low pressure moved through Chicagoland over the weekend of January 4-5, bringing some frozen precipitation on Saturday, and then a large amount of snow on Sunday. The low dragged a cold front through the area, and behind it, a large, an extremely cold air mass surged straight down from the Arctic. By 7 AM on Monday morning, January 6, the temperature had fallen to -16 degrees Fahrenheit (-27 degrees Celsius) at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, having come from a temperature of -2 F (-19 C) around midnight Monday.
I didn't venture out much on that Monday. I went to Church in the morning. On the way, the clock/thermometer display at the Fifth Third Bank on Oak Park Avenue right by the I-290 showed -18 F (-28 C). The sky was so clear, and the sun shone nicely that morning. But that didn't do much to overcome the constant stream of strong northerly/northwesterly winds that brought that Arctic air into the region--something we call cold air advection in meteorology-speak--and made the already cold temperatures feel even colder. High pressure caused the skies be so clear, while the low that had brought the snow was close enough to cause the air to restrict the movement of airflow to induce strong winds. (I went out later, in the early evening, to pick up Mom from work.)
Being cooped up inside most of the day was what public officials recommended people do, so as not to be exposed to the dangerous cold, which came on top of a significant snow event the day before. That snow was exacerbated by the strong winds, which caused so much drifting, plows couldn't clear the roads, and vehicles got stuck. This was especially a problem in Indiana. Checking a map showing road condition alerts for Indiana counties on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's website, the majority of Indiana counties were at a "warning" level. The South Shore Line, which I have used often going between home and ValpU, had to completely suspend service on that Monday.
The major travel problems were also plentiful in the Chicago hub, with bus, plane, and Amtrak train service experiencing disruptions to service, more so than I realized at first. Fortunately, for the many who were out on the roads in the harsh conditions, the Red Cross in conjunction with local churches set up shelters in central Illinois, at one of which the Ruggabers spent the night on their way back from Memphis. Those who set up the shelters are certainly owed a debt of gratitude.
I wasn't aware of all these situations with the roads until I watched a press conference early Monday afternoon with Governor Pat Quinn and other state officials, who briefed the press on the response to the extreme winter weather conditions on the roads. (I found it a bit odd that Ann Schneider, the Illinois Secretary of Transportation, referenced The Weather Channel's name for that winter storm. I would think that a government official would avoid using those names, as NOAA has discouraged any of its employees from using the names. I, for one, am not inclined to use them myself.) This press conference really emphasized for me the important role of elected officials in responding to hazardous situations, something I hope people keep in mind when they cast a ballot.
The temperature hovered in the negative teens range for the rest of Monday. The next day, Tuesday, the temperature started rising, and at the end of the WGN midday news broadcast, Tom Skilling announced the temperature had gotten back to 0 F (-18 C) at O'Hare, prompting applause sound effects. The winds also started dying down, so the Wind Chill Warning the NWS put out expired at noon. Despite being only in the single digits on Tuesday afternoon, it seemed like a major accomplishment that we had finally gotten into the positive side of 0 degrees F. Of course, therein lies the danger, as people perceive that the cold isn't as much of a problem anymore because it's warmed up to such a benchmark, and so they let their guard down. That's why one doctor who was interviewed said the hospital she worked at was expecting more cold-related cases to come in later in that week, after it warmed up a bit.
Temperatures continued warming through the week until reaching the 40s by the weekend, which, along with rain on Friday, helped melt the significant snowpack, which reflected the sun's energy on those very clear days, helping make it so cold. And you know, 40s is honestly not that warm if we really stop to think about it. But when I was out walking on Sunday in those temperatures, with melted snow and puddles everywhere, I couldn't help but think how spring-like it felt, as if it was March.
But that's the beauty of Chicagoland weather: We experience a whole range of temperatures, sky conditions, and precipitation events because we are in a mid-continental, midlatitude location. There's a certain kind of pride we can take in it, as expressed so well in this Chicago Tribune editorial. (Please note: I really like this editorial, and want to share it with you, my blog audience. But I regret that there's a picture which is partially racy appears at the top of the online version. Once the page opens, feel free to scroll down immediately to avoid looking at it.)
Honestly, it was enjoyable for me to have this experience of the extreme cold of January 2014, because of how it fits in to the larger picture of weather.
It all starts back in October, when the globe reaches that annual position when the Northern Hemisphere starts tilting away from the sun's most direct rays, and the northern polar region enters into deep winter darkness. With less sunshine, temperatures fall, which means the precipitation that comes down does so as snow. The snow on the amasses into a decent snowpack, reflecting the sun's energy away with its high albedo (measure of reflectivity), helping to form a significant cold air mass. Once the rest of the Northern Hemisphere cools with less and less sunlight, that cold of the Far North penetrates deeper toward the Equator, giving us our wintry conditions in the midlatitudes.
But for those of you who are not cold weather fans, never fear, because the time will soon come, and is already on its way, when the Earth reaches that annual position when the Northern Hemisphere tilts to have more exposure toward the Sun. The northern polar region experiences more daylight, and eventually warmer temperatures that melt the snow away, and allow temperatures to warm further. Soon, the warming is so great that there won't be much cold air to speak of, and it is truly summer.
Ah the seasons--what a beautiful cycle it is!
 |
| Here's the reading on a thermometer perched just outside the glass pane of the kitchen window on Monday afternoon. While not set up in the way to garner the most scientifically accurate reading, per NWS regulations, it does capture the cold temperature very well. It's also somewhat accurate because this window faces the north side of the house. |
Scenes of the cold, cold world outside from my bedroom window (top), and out the kitchen window looking back toward the alley (bottom):
As one more aside, I only regret I didn't go outside at any point on Monday to throw boiling water out to see what would happen. But I did do it on Wednesday night, after the temperature fell below 0 F. It was something to watch steam instantly arise from where the water landed, and see the little dribbles of ice that formed.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The 40 Film
This evening, I attended a screening of the film 40, which talks about the issue of abortion in the United States, compiled over the past two years. It is a very well-done work, discussing the issue from various angles, including those who support abortion, and many groups within the pro-life movement, even those of humanists, feminists, and atheists. It also sheds a lot of light on the how the abortion proponents tailor their message to distort the truth.
The film makes it clear that abortion kills innocent lives (now 56 million in the almost 41 years since Roe vs. Wade) and hurts women at the same time. (The most revealing moment in this regard was when the film talked about Kermit Gosnell.) There is an especially negative impact on racial minorities, even as Planned Parenthood clinics are deliberately located in minority areas of cities. There were women featured in the film who testified about how they regret their abortions. Others featured in the film were conceived as the result of rape, and testified to the positive impact of adoption. And people from various pro-life groups shared their perspectives in the film, including the Scheidlers of Pro-Life Action League and Lila Rose, president of Live Action.
There were many heroes who appeared in the film to take a stand for life. But there was a hero present at the screening: John Morales, the film's director. He spoke about how his adopted son inspired him to create this film--this having come after a devastating time in his life when he helped make an abortion possible. And while its intention was not to be a religious film, Mr. Morales made it clear that it was the work of the Holy Spirit that ultimately made it possible. It is that same spirit that will carry us on in the fight to make abortion a thing of the past. And that will happen through things like this film.
I hope this film is shown everywhere across America, so people know the truth about abortion. In the discussion after the film, the hope was expressed that this film will be shown at every university in the United States, to get this message across to young people. Thanks to the Respect Life committees of the various parishes in Oak Park and River Forest that helped put this event on so we, a crowd of over 100 people, could have the opportunity to watch this powerful film.
To learn more, visit the film's website: http://www.the40film.com/
The film makes it clear that abortion kills innocent lives (now 56 million in the almost 41 years since Roe vs. Wade) and hurts women at the same time. (The most revealing moment in this regard was when the film talked about Kermit Gosnell.) There is an especially negative impact on racial minorities, even as Planned Parenthood clinics are deliberately located in minority areas of cities. There were women featured in the film who testified about how they regret their abortions. Others featured in the film were conceived as the result of rape, and testified to the positive impact of adoption. And people from various pro-life groups shared their perspectives in the film, including the Scheidlers of Pro-Life Action League and Lila Rose, president of Live Action.
There were many heroes who appeared in the film to take a stand for life. But there was a hero present at the screening: John Morales, the film's director. He spoke about how his adopted son inspired him to create this film--this having come after a devastating time in his life when he helped make an abortion possible. And while its intention was not to be a religious film, Mr. Morales made it clear that it was the work of the Holy Spirit that ultimately made it possible. It is that same spirit that will carry us on in the fight to make abortion a thing of the past. And that will happen through things like this film.
I hope this film is shown everywhere across America, so people know the truth about abortion. In the discussion after the film, the hope was expressed that this film will be shown at every university in the United States, to get this message across to young people. Thanks to the Respect Life committees of the various parishes in Oak Park and River Forest that helped put this event on so we, a crowd of over 100 people, could have the opportunity to watch this powerful film.
To learn more, visit the film's website: http://www.the40film.com/
Monday, January 6, 2014
Healthcare and Religious Freedom
Last Friday, January 3, The Chicago Tribune published this editorial on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's decision to grant an injunction in favor of the nuns, exempting them from paying for contraceptive coverage while the courts handle their case: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-obamacare-contraceptive-edit-0103-20140103,0,3169444.story
This editorial is definitely in agreement with my beliefs, especially as I espoused them in an essay I wrote in my Justice class in Christ College during the Fall 2012 semester at Valparaiso University.
The ACA is certainly well intentioned in seeking to resolve the crisis of uninsured individuals in this country. But no person, whether a church employee or a Christian in a secular business, should be forced against his/her conscience to fund certain medical procedures, especially those that harm life at its start. This is one of many reasons why this law is flawed and our leaders should go back to the drawing board to hammer out legislation that does a better job reforming healthcare by addressing the major issues.
I applaud Sonia Sotomayor for granting this injunction. Now it's time for the courts to rule that granting insurance to individuals does not mean others must relinquish their religious freedom.
This editorial is definitely in agreement with my beliefs, especially as I espoused them in an essay I wrote in my Justice class in Christ College during the Fall 2012 semester at Valparaiso University.
The ACA is certainly well intentioned in seeking to resolve the crisis of uninsured individuals in this country. But no person, whether a church employee or a Christian in a secular business, should be forced against his/her conscience to fund certain medical procedures, especially those that harm life at its start. This is one of many reasons why this law is flawed and our leaders should go back to the drawing board to hammer out legislation that does a better job reforming healthcare by addressing the major issues.
I applaud Sonia Sotomayor for granting this injunction. Now it's time for the courts to rule that granting insurance to individuals does not mean others must relinquish their religious freedom.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Gifts--the Magi's and Mine
So yesterday morning, when I checked the mailbox out front, I saw in it that the final gift I ordered had arrived--nearly three weeks after I placed the order, and over a week after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Delightedly, I gave it to Mom, who was just as delighted to receive it from me.
It's appropriate that this happened on Epiphany weekend, when we commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the peoples of all nations, represented by the Gentile Magi, who came to Bethlehem, bearing gifts for the Christ child.
It is a tradition for Father Larry, pastor of Ascension Parish, in his homily on Epiphany weekend, to show some of the gifts he received for the occasion of the Nativity.
This is a good occasion to think about the gifts I gave and received in the exchanging of gifts on the Nativity holiday, and what they signify. The gifts the Magi brought to the Christ Child proclaimed who He is: The gold signified Jesus as King of Kings. The frankincense signified Jesus's divinity, and as Priest of Priests. And the myrrh symbolized the humanity of Jesus, and the sacrifice He would ultimately make to save all people.
I now use that line of thinking, what the Magi's gifts signify, as a model to reflect on the gifts I gave and received:
Gifts I gave
Gold: I bought my brother Eric an iTunes gift card, that he can enjoy even more music, which is part of his vocation--thereby connecting it with the symbol of the priestly incense, too. I also bought chocolate and small bags of peanuts for people in my family to enjoy.
Frankincense: I bought Dad a book with reflections for Eucharistic Adoration from the online gift store of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, that he may engage in this form of prayer with Jesus Christ, as he does month after month.
Myrrh: I gave my Abuela a CD of music that had just been released from the St. Augustine Mission. The proceeds help fund the mission in its work to serve the people on the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations, carrying forth the work of the Gospel to all. The DVD I got for Mom of the movie Crescendo also helps fund the work Students for Life America does to empower people, especially students in high school and college, in their efforts to support a culture of life.
Gifts I received
Gold: Eric got me a wall decoration that says, "CHICAGO", with stylized lettering containing images of Chicago. It shall certainly serve as a fine artistic decoration to have up somewhere in my personal space, to show my connection to the city and surrounding area.
Frankincense: I very delightedly received many gifts from some of the students in my Religious Education class, and even the Director of RE, in recognition of my efforts in the program to help guide the youths into deeper relationship with God.
Myrrh: I received a lot of nice clothes, including shirts, pants, and socks, all very practical gifts that I can use well to clothe, and even express, myself.
We give thanks to God for gifts, especially as we adore His greatest Gift.
It's appropriate that this happened on Epiphany weekend, when we commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the peoples of all nations, represented by the Gentile Magi, who came to Bethlehem, bearing gifts for the Christ child.
It is a tradition for Father Larry, pastor of Ascension Parish, in his homily on Epiphany weekend, to show some of the gifts he received for the occasion of the Nativity.
This is a good occasion to think about the gifts I gave and received in the exchanging of gifts on the Nativity holiday, and what they signify. The gifts the Magi brought to the Christ Child proclaimed who He is: The gold signified Jesus as King of Kings. The frankincense signified Jesus's divinity, and as Priest of Priests. And the myrrh symbolized the humanity of Jesus, and the sacrifice He would ultimately make to save all people.
I now use that line of thinking, what the Magi's gifts signify, as a model to reflect on the gifts I gave and received:
Gifts I gave
Gold: I bought my brother Eric an iTunes gift card, that he can enjoy even more music, which is part of his vocation--thereby connecting it with the symbol of the priestly incense, too. I also bought chocolate and small bags of peanuts for people in my family to enjoy.
Frankincense: I bought Dad a book with reflections for Eucharistic Adoration from the online gift store of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, that he may engage in this form of prayer with Jesus Christ, as he does month after month.
Myrrh: I gave my Abuela a CD of music that had just been released from the St. Augustine Mission. The proceeds help fund the mission in its work to serve the people on the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations, carrying forth the work of the Gospel to all. The DVD I got for Mom of the movie Crescendo also helps fund the work Students for Life America does to empower people, especially students in high school and college, in their efforts to support a culture of life.
Gifts I received
Gold: Eric got me a wall decoration that says, "CHICAGO", with stylized lettering containing images of Chicago. It shall certainly serve as a fine artistic decoration to have up somewhere in my personal space, to show my connection to the city and surrounding area.
Frankincense: I very delightedly received many gifts from some of the students in my Religious Education class, and even the Director of RE, in recognition of my efforts in the program to help guide the youths into deeper relationship with God.
Myrrh: I received a lot of nice clothes, including shirts, pants, and socks, all very practical gifts that I can use well to clothe, and even express, myself.
We give thanks to God for gifts, especially as we adore His greatest Gift.
20+C+M+B+14
(The above is something that is written above the door to the house on the occasion of Epiphany. The 20 and 14 signify the year 2014. The letters stand for the traditional names for the Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The four crosses represent the four seasons.)
Saturday, January 4, 2014
New Year's Snow 2014
What a snow event we had in Chicagoland for the occasion of New Year's!
A low pressure system heading toward the Eastern Seaboard triggered the snow event. It had good support from the upper levels of the troposphere, with an especially strong jet (concentrated area of winds). This snow event produced light snow, as temperatures were below the freezing mark, thereby limiting the water content in the snow. This is the type of snow with a 15:1 snow to water ratio. So light, fluffy stuff that doesn't pack well when I attempted to ball up a handful.
Here in Oak Park, it snowed nearly nonstop from about 2 PM on Tuesday, December 31, until about 3 PM on Thursday, January 2--about 50 hours of snow. Tom Skilling in his weather broadcasts in the course of the event mentioned that a mesolow was developing out in Lake Michigan. Basically, that's a small scale circulation that develops, in which air moves cyclonically (counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere). This helped steer surface flow from the east onto the southwest Lake Michigan shoreline in northeast Illinois. So this side of the lake got lake-effect snow following right from the system-induced snow. It's not all that often that the winds blow in an easterly manner into northeast Illinois and cause lake-effect snow--it usually happens in northwest Indiana and especially western Michigan. That was certainly a remarkable part of the event.
When it all finally ended on Thursday, there was about a foot of snow on the ground in Oak Park. It all made for some beautiful wintry white scenes outside for those 50 hours.
Here's a picture I got from just outside the front door on Thursday morning, about 9:20 AM:
And here's an interesting formation that appeared on top of the hot tub on the deck:
In this picture, the normally copper dome of Ascension Parish in Oak Park has a thin white blanket on part of it, as of Thursday midday:
Wintertime is definitely here and kicking in high gear...unlike last winter.
A low pressure system heading toward the Eastern Seaboard triggered the snow event. It had good support from the upper levels of the troposphere, with an especially strong jet (concentrated area of winds). This snow event produced light snow, as temperatures were below the freezing mark, thereby limiting the water content in the snow. This is the type of snow with a 15:1 snow to water ratio. So light, fluffy stuff that doesn't pack well when I attempted to ball up a handful.
Here in Oak Park, it snowed nearly nonstop from about 2 PM on Tuesday, December 31, until about 3 PM on Thursday, January 2--about 50 hours of snow. Tom Skilling in his weather broadcasts in the course of the event mentioned that a mesolow was developing out in Lake Michigan. Basically, that's a small scale circulation that develops, in which air moves cyclonically (counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere). This helped steer surface flow from the east onto the southwest Lake Michigan shoreline in northeast Illinois. So this side of the lake got lake-effect snow following right from the system-induced snow. It's not all that often that the winds blow in an easterly manner into northeast Illinois and cause lake-effect snow--it usually happens in northwest Indiana and especially western Michigan. That was certainly a remarkable part of the event.
When it all finally ended on Thursday, there was about a foot of snow on the ground in Oak Park. It all made for some beautiful wintry white scenes outside for those 50 hours.
Here's a picture I got from just outside the front door on Thursday morning, about 9:20 AM:
And here's an interesting formation that appeared on top of the hot tub on the deck:
In this picture, the normally copper dome of Ascension Parish in Oak Park has a thin white blanket on part of it, as of Thursday midday:
Wintertime is definitely here and kicking in high gear...unlike last winter.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The Grapes of Anticipation for 2014
Happy New Year 2014!
There's a freshness abounding in the air as we step into a new calendar year. But it's interesting to note how much in our lives is continuing on: We're still in the middle of a week. The Christmas liturgical season continues. For those in education, the school year continues. I'm still in the midst of being 22.
Nevertheless, New Year's Day is a time that makes us think about life with new perspective. At this time, I offer up some musings on what I'm anticipating in 2014. Similar to my musings on 2013 in my post yesterday, I'm using grapes to guide my thoughts:
Grape #1: I'm really looking forward to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This is usually the one sporting event that I actually make a point to watch, in great contrast to the big annual sporting event that I deliberately avoid, which will occur the Sunday before the Opening Ceremony.
Grape #2: I'm hoping that the Independent Maps amendment to the Illinois State Constitution will be approved by voters in the November 2014 elections, so that they will be part of the process of choosing their legislators every 10 years, not the legislators choosing their voters.
Grape #3: I'm looking forward to the great things that will come with Pope Francis continuing his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. Judging by 2013, I have great expectations.
Grape #4: I'm looking forward to reading more good books. As the substance of my daily life changing with the end of college, I found myself with more time on hand to read books for pleasure in 2013, and read a number of good ones. I hope to find time for more.
Grape #5: I look forward to engaging further in my role as a Valparaiso University alumnus, in whatever functions arise as such opportunities for me.
Grape #6: I hope to have a trip somewhere to some new place to experience some new sites, near or far away. I furthermore hope that it will grant me more insight about what it means to be human, as my trips in 2013 did.
Grape #7: I look forward to seeing more advances in protecting the unborn, and strengthening the family, with one mom and one dad, and opportunities to take a stand in these and other worthy causes.
Grape #8: I look forward to more opportunities to interact with government officials, and be involved civicly, especially as this is an election year.
Grape #9: I look forward to attending Mass in Spanish more, which I hope is one of many meaningful ways to engage my Spanish skills.
Grape #10: I hope that great American minds will continue influencing our society for good, like Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, and Dr. Ben Carson have in 2013.
Grape #11: I hope for comprehensive immigration reform, for the sake of the immigrants and our country.
Grape #12: I'm really looking forward to more opportunities to impart my faith to others, especially young people in the context of the Religious Education program, and in other church ministries.
I hope in all these things, and more, I am able to put to good use the talents God has granted me that I may fulfill the vocation He has given to all people, to work in service to others, ultimately for the purposes of His greater glory. To work, and do it for God's glory, that's two more grapes to add up to 14.
I look forward to sharing what happens in my life in 2014 with you, my blog readers. Thanks for reading; I hope you've found it meaningful.
And may you be blessed by God in 2014 and beyond.
There's a freshness abounding in the air as we step into a new calendar year. But it's interesting to note how much in our lives is continuing on: We're still in the middle of a week. The Christmas liturgical season continues. For those in education, the school year continues. I'm still in the midst of being 22.
Nevertheless, New Year's Day is a time that makes us think about life with new perspective. At this time, I offer up some musings on what I'm anticipating in 2014. Similar to my musings on 2013 in my post yesterday, I'm using grapes to guide my thoughts:
Grape #1: I'm really looking forward to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This is usually the one sporting event that I actually make a point to watch, in great contrast to the big annual sporting event that I deliberately avoid, which will occur the Sunday before the Opening Ceremony.
Grape #2: I'm hoping that the Independent Maps amendment to the Illinois State Constitution will be approved by voters in the November 2014 elections, so that they will be part of the process of choosing their legislators every 10 years, not the legislators choosing their voters.
Grape #3: I'm looking forward to the great things that will come with Pope Francis continuing his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. Judging by 2013, I have great expectations.
Grape #4: I'm looking forward to reading more good books. As the substance of my daily life changing with the end of college, I found myself with more time on hand to read books for pleasure in 2013, and read a number of good ones. I hope to find time for more.
Grape #5: I look forward to engaging further in my role as a Valparaiso University alumnus, in whatever functions arise as such opportunities for me.
Grape #6: I hope to have a trip somewhere to some new place to experience some new sites, near or far away. I furthermore hope that it will grant me more insight about what it means to be human, as my trips in 2013 did.
Grape #7: I look forward to seeing more advances in protecting the unborn, and strengthening the family, with one mom and one dad, and opportunities to take a stand in these and other worthy causes.
Grape #8: I look forward to more opportunities to interact with government officials, and be involved civicly, especially as this is an election year.
Grape #9: I look forward to attending Mass in Spanish more, which I hope is one of many meaningful ways to engage my Spanish skills.
Grape #10: I hope that great American minds will continue influencing our society for good, like Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, and Dr. Ben Carson have in 2013.
Grape #11: I hope for comprehensive immigration reform, for the sake of the immigrants and our country.
Grape #12: I'm really looking forward to more opportunities to impart my faith to others, especially young people in the context of the Religious Education program, and in other church ministries.
I hope in all these things, and more, I am able to put to good use the talents God has granted me that I may fulfill the vocation He has given to all people, to work in service to others, ultimately for the purposes of His greater glory. To work, and do it for God's glory, that's two more grapes to add up to 14.
I look forward to sharing what happens in my life in 2014 with you, my blog readers. Thanks for reading; I hope you've found it meaningful.
And may you be blessed by God in 2014 and beyond.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)