"The Language of Prayer"

Professor Michael Foley wrote Friday's "Houses of Worship" column for the Wall Street Journal (on their free side), and it's a good one, all about the coming changes to the Mass. Definitely worth a read.

Pope will impose pallium on new archbishops

According to today's VIS, Benedict will impose the pallium on new metropolitan archbishops at a Mass on Thursday, June 29, which is the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Now this is what I want to know: Will he distribute pallia like the one he himself has worn since his elevation, i.e., the over-the-shoulder style, rather than the "current" round-the-neck cut? I like "his" choice much better and would love to see it become the new standard . . .

A bit about the pallium from the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia.

"Earth Hottest It's Been in 2,000 Years"

More achievements in unbiased journalism:

"Of course, we don't *really* know that, we're just making really, really, really good guesses.

"So, okay, maybe it's the hottest it's been in the last 400 years?

"Something like that.

"Maybe.

"But that doesn't sound quite as good, does it? Okay, 2000 years it is!"

American "homegrown terrorism"?

Stay tuned.

No joy in Mudville

Sorry, Oilers

However, here's a really nice story from the Edmonton Journal which captures the sadness of the Oilers fans, but also classy reactions on both sides - and the reactions of Edmonton-based Canadian Forces in Kandahar.

And a silver lining: Sherwood Park's Cam Ward won the Conn Smyth (while playing for Carolina), and people here in Edmonton are glad about that, even if he shut down Edmonton's scoring.

Sorry, kids, Fitzmas isn't coming

On the first day of Fitzmas
Fitzgerald gave to me
An indictment of Scooter Libby

On the second day of Fitzmas
Fitzgerald gave to me
Uh, nothing! Damn it!

(From Tuesday's Best of the Web)

Yeah, sorry about that. Between the Rovinator's "escape" (I love this unbiased headline from AFP: "Rove evades charges in CIA leak scandal" - but we know he's really guilty of - something - don't we!!!) and the president's visit to Baghdad (which quickly got pushed down most internet news sources in favor of the non-hurricane and lame "Katrina-card" expenditures), well, Tuesday was not a nice day for those suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome. Ouchie.

Zarqawi speaks!

Well, I guess "speaks" is putting it generously. Anyway, Jeff at Protien Wisdom has a fascinating "exit" interview with the Z-Man (as one of his commenters put it, "Who knew Musab al-Zarqawi was a psychoanalyst?"), while Iowahawk gets a slightly more chatty missive from Zarqawi in "Paradise".

Funniest dances I've seen in a while

(Warning: Videos start as soon as you click on links, so be ready to click on the "pause" button underneath the video when you land on the page if you need to - and/or turn down the volume before navigating!)

1. Via Dom Bettinelli, The Evolution of Dance:

2. Via comments at American Papist, Stephen Colbert's "liturgical dance" on "Strangers with Candy":

(I love YouTube! It's krazy!)

Go, Oilers, uh . . .

Okay, so I don't mean to be schadenfreude-y on the city's 2-in-a-row loss in the Stanley Cup finals. But Mr. Musings and I have to agree that, if the Oilers can just make it two more, we'll be pretty happy. Not being Edmontonians (or hockey fans), and having been rather put off by our neighbors' method de celebre, we're just ready for the whole thing to be over. Fifteen years? Heck, it could be fifteen more, wouldn't be a biggie to us. All we care about is getting a good night's sleep - and when the Oilers don't score, people don't go around screaming and blasting air horns, and when the Oilers don't win, nobody stays up until 4 a.m. (which is about when dawn is breaking around here right now, BTW) screaming and hollering and having another Molson and setting off fireworks in the little park across the street from us. So, we're not exactly pulling for the 'Canes, but . . . let's just say "four in a row" always had a different meaning for us . . .

UPDATE: I spoke too soon, some idiots are setting off firecrackers across the street anyway.

"I was wide of the net on this one - Beautiful girl has changed my opinion of the 'beautiful sport'"

Lorne Gunter reevaluates soccer (aka everywhere besides North America as "football") on the eve of the World Cup.

Finally - functionality for your Apple remote?

Infinite Loop takes a look at Sofa Control ("handy for turning a sleek, new Mac into this decade's WebTV"). Well, it's a step in . . . some direction, I suppose.

The homegrown terrorists

Well, we're all . . . what? Not surprised. And not in denial. Rather expected this sort of thing, sooner rather than later really. And, I'm sure if some of these lads are really sweet, innocent, peace-loving sorts who absolutely had nothing to do with plotting murder and mayhem on their OWN country, why, it will quickly come out (contra what's emanating from the fever swamps), 'cause Lord knows CSIS and the police in Ontario have enough to do without going around making up crap about people with Muslim names and dark complexions. Anyway, you want to know more about this, read up at Daimnation!, Angry, and your fave Canadian blogger.

Nice try, Joe

From DeAdder:

(Note to Americans: Sorry, this is all about a Canadian political fiasco that would bore you long before you understood it. It's pretty funny, though. Heh, heh.)