Catholic Coffee Drinkers

Proving that modern madness is truly stranger than fiction, Spam is enjoying an increase in sales as food inflation continues to soar at a steady 6.1 percent.  While this may be taken as a sign of the times and a portent to the hard times we are about to face, I would like to offer hope that this current crisis of food prices might have many of us re-examine how we grow, buy, and distribute food.

I’ll admit that I am not an economist nor a farmer, but it has always been rather odd to me how the wealthiest and most agricultural nation in the world can have issues with hunger and the cost of food.  While it was ridiculous of me to hope that the hops shortage–an issue very dear to my heart–would prompt a greater emphasis on local growth and home agriculture, it may just not be appropriate to visit such an issue.  It may be a difficult road, but think of it this way: does anyone want to live in a nation of spam and crap beer?  Stand in solidarity beer and food lovers.

Until then, might I suggest some recipes for Spam, my favorite being friend egg and spam, and some tips on growing our own hops.

If you can imagine it, a world wide organization dedicated to charitable and humane causes has been revealed by Save The Children to have some of it’s members involved in cases of child molestation and physical abuse.  The lack of resolve from that agency to deal with the problem is described by Save The Children as an “endemic failure” and it appears that little is being done by the group to fully investigate the matter.

After the Boston crisis, one would suppose that such failure from a massive agency would be cause for the media to cover the scandal in full page reports, inquire into the depth of the crisis, and even see a few cartoons poking fun at such a horrible crisis.  Unfortunately, my cynicism prevails as the agency in question is the United Nations and I have a hard time seeing the media getting as fired up about this issue as they would regarding the scandal around the Catholic Church.

Please read the news report here.

Well, finally back from New Hampshire after having completed a year and found my laptop broken so blogging is still not happening the way it should. Believe it or not, you faithful 10 who still read this once in a while, blogging is a love affair that I’ve enjoyed for some time. A guilty one, certainly, and one that most in real life don’t know that I participate in. Writing, I have discovered, is an art that serves as a wonderful tool for self-discovery, personal exorcism and, if one may become skilled at it, a joy for a reading public that also wishes to participate.

Fr. James V. Schall, in his essay “On Being Moved,” states, “In the very fact that we can be moved, we find a hint of the everlastingness to which we somehow belong by virtue of what we are.”  Man, as homo faber, imitates his creator in the creative act of art and making, which is one way we may say that he is made in the image and likeness of God.  This creative act in art, be it writing or painting, must then have a mover, something that moves us to create and then hopefully move the observer of our art.  Now, as I embark to get to writing this blog full time, I ought to be asking what moves me.  I also ask any other bloggers to comment on what moves them write, especially those of whom I see seem to write daily.

Good day everyone!  As many of you know, I have not been blogging due to my studies at Thomas More College requiring me to do a junior project, for which I chose the Philosophy of Augustine.  As of Wednesday I had presented and passed it and will know the grade in about a week. 

Thanks to all ten of you who keep checking the blog, and I do promise to return to it soon enough.  For now, I am celebrating and giving thanks to Almighty God for giving St. Augustine to Humanity!