tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50139522011-12-14T21:57:02.653-05:00JTC's outlook on faith, family, politics as well as the trivial & profound of daily life.JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comBlogger1881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-50183211099137012512010-11-25T12:50:00.001-05:002010-11-25T12:55:58.275-05:00

Boycott Christmas?Ok, not really, but would you consider boycotting Christmas for the next four weeks? For weeks now, if not longer, the stores have been pushing Christmas. A major retail outlet in my neighborhood was putting out their Christmas wares at the same time as the Halloween candy, back in September. But the truth is: Christmas is not here yet! Christmas does not begin until 12:00am

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-13406471848547237292009-07-18T19:04:00.001-04:002009-07-18T19:04:59.130-04:00

Facebook killed my blog....

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-24354820338068340282009-04-09T20:55:00.003-04:002009-04-09T21:04:01.065-04:00

Why on earth am I still living here?Every now and then I surf through real estate listings. There's an aspect to it that's fun. The pondering of the possibilities...but, in the end, it usually makes me angry. Why? TAXES! Today's exercise- $80,000 dollar houses in the 1000-1500 square foot range. Lot sizes from small city lots to larger (250'x250') rural lots. In NY the lowest taxes to be

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-59296382868640055642009-04-06T13:29:00.001-04:002009-04-06T13:31:15.901-04:00

City Rejects Urban Farmhttp://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/630158.html?imw=Y The city can talk about assembling contiguous tracts for development all they want. The fact remains, at half of our peak population, we don't need more housing. What we do need is less restrictive, more diligent, creative use of existing land and infrastructure. Try reading the relevant, convoluted sections of the

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-56944859897988196442009-02-13T21:32:00.000-05:002009-02-13T21:33:16.780-05:00

Happy Valentines Day

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-48982641099717414712009-01-17T21:46:00.001-05:002009-01-17T21:47:30.242-05:00

Only d**n good thing to comeout of this electionhttp://appellationbeer.com/blog/obamagang-you-cant-call-a-beer-that/

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-8377455741216272392009-01-16T10:29:00.002-05:002009-01-16T10:30:57.648-05:00

I thought I was a pack rat!Found this while searching for info on Schober Organshttp://home.att.net/~owen_labs/basement.htm

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-16307965080871700712009-01-15T23:49:00.002-05:002009-01-15T23:55:58.804-05:00

Washington's Farewell AddressHenry Cabot Lodge wrote "...no man ever left a nobler political testament."For nearly two hundred years we have ignored his warnings and largely failed to follow his example, driven by ego, greed and an utter contempt for principle.George Washington'sFarewell AddressTo the People of the United StatesFRIENDS AND FELLOW-CITIZENS:1 The period for a new election of a

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-83147434768182832612009-01-13T13:11:00.002-05:002009-01-13T13:16:30.778-05:00

Collective NounsSo, recently I've become addicted to a certain angst ridden prime time drama that introduced me to the phrase An Unkindness of Ravens. If you know what I'm talking about then your just as guilty as I am for watching it! I found the following site listing that and other terms for groups of animals. http://www.rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-5648637670103492122009-01-09T17:28:00.001-05:002009-01-09T17:30:10.352-05:00

RIP Fr. Richard John Neuhaushttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB123146278576166541.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-23761375710202098442009-01-06T22:12:00.000-05:002009-01-06T22:16:52.833-05:00

The brilliance of Apple....Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-26530847352794239172008-12-31T14:13:00.002-05:002008-12-31T14:14:02.233-05:00

Just found this .sig on someone's forum post:And when they ask me why i switched to LinuxI tell em Gates is a crook and planned parenthood is eugenics....

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-34653749089703142662008-12-30T18:46:00.002-05:002008-12-30T18:52:47.100-05:00

..and another on the Jesse Tree SongAnother kind reader, Sheila, has solved the mystery more or less:Words and Music by Jack Miffleton copyright 1971. THE JESSE TREE Standing with my brother Standing with my sister, Standing by the Jesse tree. Waiting with my brother Waiting with my sister, Waiting by the

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-49176208424015297602008-12-30T15:46:00.003-05:002008-12-30T15:58:08.199-05:00

An old friend sent me this video link. It's amazing how so much and so little has changed. The issues are all the same they have only become that much worse. "The problem with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant. It's that they know so much that isn't so."Ronald Reagan - 1964 Republican Convention

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-29833067782985347622008-12-26T19:35:00.001-05:002008-12-26T19:37:18.817-05:00

2008 Kresse Christmas Party North2008 Kresse Christmas - North

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-26633502505276270992008-12-15T16:09:00.002-05:002008-12-15T16:12:06.781-05:00

more Jesse Tree..ok, not much more really. But, the aforementioned kind reader, Ian, emailed to say that though he now resides in Massachusetts, he in fact lived in Maryland when he learned the song. So really, it appears to have covered the mid-atlantic and is now trying to make it's way into New England. A lost gem of Catholic folk culture to be sure.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-90683080677805184882008-12-08T13:35:00.002-05:002008-12-08T13:39:36.961-05:00

Jesse Tree updateWell I got an email from a kind reader the other day revealing that this song was known as far away as Massachusetts. So, conferring with Eileen we are not absolutely sure now that Norm Wahl actually wrote it. Though Eileen is fairly confident that she saw his name associated with it somehow. Perhaps on a program or something. So the plot thickens. If I could sing or play

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-55813313158291820092008-11-30T14:56:00.002-05:002008-11-30T15:07:19.730-05:00

Minor revelationsOn this first day of advent I took up briefly a search that's come up for several years. Namely, to find the origin, music, and lyrics to a song we sang during Advent as kids at Church. We knew it simply as "The Jesse Tree Song". Well, I just mentioned it to my sister (as I probably have every year) only to find out that she discovered it has never been published and that it

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-65147089369857208552008-11-30T11:44:00.009-05:002009-07-18T18:54:57.232-04:00

Why Social Justice is wrong..There are many in the Church and among all Christians, particularly those of a conservative bent, who cringe each time they hear the phrase. The first, and most obvious reason is that many associate Social Justice activities with Socialism. Sadly, they are occasionally right. Today while visiting a parish out of town I stumbled on an item in the parish bulletin

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-10905852990831795562008-11-26T22:59:00.001-05:002008-11-26T23:01:44.487-05:00

An alternate Conservative take on Obama from the American Thinker

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-17222005951592702992008-11-22T14:42:00.000-05:002008-11-22T14:43:15.632-05:00

This is fun..

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-91759910483030848722008-11-22T14:38:00.002-05:002008-11-22T14:42:00.089-05:00

PoliticsI had intended to write something, actually quite a bit, about the election and the economy by now. But, I just don't have the energy for it. From where I sit it looks as if the whole world has gone mad. So some recommendations: Study the founders and what they had to say and for heaven's sake read Milton Friedman. Meantime, fasten your seat belt, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-69311430349411889022008-11-13T18:24:00.000-05:002008-11-13T18:26:04.755-05:00

Are you sure your schools aren't indoctrinating your children?

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-48164443146572513712008-11-07T14:31:00.000-05:002008-11-07T14:32:30.680-05:00

This just had to be blogged....

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-62332783377762120252008-11-05T09:19:00.001-05:002008-11-05T09:20:46.088-05:00

Today I weep and mourn for the loss of my country. There is little sense in writing more right now.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-62221547892940571682008-11-03T18:54:00.000-05:002008-11-03T18:56:32.525-05:00

Voters outnumber adults in 24 of 82 counties in state of MississippiMaybe they're taking lessons from Chicago.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-37968861820257443702008-11-03T18:12:00.000-05:002008-11-03T18:13:15.680-05:00

More on Obama and coal

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-33308176930313121872008-11-03T17:00:00.003-05:002008-11-03T17:27:44.818-05:00

Is it too late?With just a day to go more Obama news of frightening proportion is making the rounds. The obvious question is: why now? Are these just last ditch efforts of a conservative minority to derail Obama's election? That would be plausible if the two major stories weren't so easily confirmed by reviewing Obama's own speeches. Could the main stream press be trying to cover their

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-86645333660530049362008-11-02T10:28:00.000-05:002008-11-02T10:29:14.146-05:00

Thomas Sowell says the big meltdown could be coming......

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-58642601004559390322008-10-28T13:57:00.002-04:002008-10-28T14:04:02.351-04:00

Breyer Honored by FordhamFordham University has given the 2008 Fordham-Stein Ethics prize to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Fordham, an ostensibly Catholic University, apparently has no problem supporting Justice Breyer who has a long history of supporting abortion and denying the facts of the US Constitution. Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Egan, has criticized Fordham's decision to no

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-43271399300311199292008-10-24T10:24:00.003-04:002008-10-24T10:26:52.172-04:00

Actual Exchange Between Barack Obama & "Joe The Plumber"I offer no commentary, just the raw footage from CNN for you to judge on its own merits.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-20488063515431084682008-10-02T10:21:00.003-04:002008-10-02T10:25:27.167-04:00

Speaking of the bailout...Is it just me or are congressional leaders acting despicably!? The first bill would not, could not, pass on its own merits. Senators and congressman received phone calls 20:1 or higher in opposition to this blatantly anti-market, anti-liberty, socialist effort. So what do they do? They load the bill up with all kinds of extra crap designed to buy enough votes to get

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1633470667620234022008-10-02T10:17:00.002-04:002008-10-02T10:21:19.795-04:00

The Depths of SocialismLately, when talking to people about Obama's campaign I've often used the phrase "The Great Abyss of Socialism". I promise, as far as I know that phrase is my own. I don't recall having read or heard of it elsewhere. Reading some news online I just saw a quote from Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.. DeMint says the proposed economic bailout plan will "leading us into the pit of

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-34819856969328198162008-09-29T15:18:00.002-04:002008-09-29T15:30:01.685-04:00

Don't Panic!..to quote Douglas Adams.News just came by email that the House of Representatives did not pass the economic bailout package. Don't panic. There is nothing the US government can do for you that you can't do better for yourself. Have confidence in your own abilities along with those of your friends family, and neighbors. This will undoubtedly be a difficult time for many if not

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-85873105859458625922008-09-17T21:55:00.003-04:002008-09-17T22:17:58.986-04:00

Home now after an early day of flying. Saw a group of WWII vets in the St. Louis airport (maybe I should be retro and call it Lambert Field). The vets were going on an Honor Flight to DC. My first response was to get a bit misty and think of my Grandfather. I'm not sure Grandpa would ever have done such a thing himself. He rarely spoke of the war, at least not until the last years of his

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-83086078680978035302008-09-15T20:16:00.006-04:002008-09-16T11:07:55.392-04:00

A poor man's economic planWell, the market dropped hundreds of points today. Big investment banks are disappearing. As all the talk spews out on the news channels I can't help but return to thoughts that I've had for a long time. It's time for a radical reform of government and economic system. A change rooted in the simple hard working principles of our ancestors. Founders like John Adams

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-2738489739391938402008-09-15T16:11:00.001-04:002008-09-15T16:12:41.308-04:00

Watching Love With The Perfect Stranger on the bus. Natalie Wood breaks my heart just looking at her. Guy sigh.....

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-47171962216117558682008-09-13T13:33:00.002-04:002008-09-15T20:21:57.615-04:00

We're sorry...I'm afraid we did all we could, used all our capabilities, but we couldn't save it..However, we were able to save the baby...My faithful old Vaio has finally bitten the dust. After five years on the road, countless shows being used for audio measurement, recording & playback, Plus being my primary personal computer, it began to cry like a sick cat a few nights ago. The culprit a

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-80271567739101413022008-09-04T12:43:00.004-04:002008-09-04T12:50:24.012-04:00

Obama and socialist art...Anybody else see a pattern here? If this is the cultural influence that they wish parade in public; what more can we expect from them?

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-58643129689119900442008-08-21T13:47:00.004-04:002008-08-21T14:06:35.791-04:00

Gay Rights trump Religious Freedom?Alright, people who know me may have realized that I've avoided discussing or writing about political, social, and religious issues lately. Frankly, I've just been tired of the arguments, tired of the hostility. I know what's right and what's wrong, if asked directly I'll provide a straight answer. Otherwise I'm not volunteering an opinion as often as I once

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-26236613356533177122008-08-06T01:45:00.001-04:002008-08-06T01:47:56.954-04:00

Julia Nunes still making me smile:

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-27969651314702560222008-08-04T14:43:00.002-04:002008-08-04T14:52:12.139-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to..be be anything other than a flaming leftist when you work in the arts, music, media etc. Ok, really it's hard all the time.I came to punk music late in life. When I was a teen I wouldn't have gone anywhere near the Violent Femmes or the The Ramones. So somehow it's now comforting to have discovered that Johnny Ramone was anything but a liberal. This is an older story,

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-16263572941528487712008-07-29T00:56:00.002-04:002008-07-29T00:57:23.383-04:00

Summer Canal Reading

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-78131264817542083272008-07-24T15:16:00.001-04:002008-07-24T15:18:03.989-04:00

The Ten CannotsMy sister sent me this one:You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.You cannot further the

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-74513209543167652922008-07-23T22:58:00.003-04:002008-08-06T01:49:05.302-04:00

Julia Nunes and the new music bizOk, so those of you who are way more hip than me have probably discovered her already but this young woman has nearly 35,000 subscribers on youtube and over 690,000 plays. I know people who've played for decades without being exposed to that many people. She's creative & talented and alright, the fact that she's 19 and cute as heck probably ain't hurtin' her

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-57052005217989949312008-07-17T16:30:00.002-04:002008-07-17T16:38:30.082-04:00

Keep Turning LeftI recently discovered this video series on youtube. The creator, Dylan Winter, is circumnavigating Great Britain in a small sailboat. His style of narration and the places he's visiting are making for a fun, vicarious, trip around the UK. Be sure to check out Keep Turning LeftHere's the first episode to get you started:

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-45096599165350283592008-07-17T10:21:00.002-04:002008-07-17T21:49:29.830-04:00

Canal Freight RevivalUnfortunately it seems likely that this sort of traffic would mostly divert up the Oswego canal into Lake Ontario. From there the Welland is still available to get further West. Would be neat to see a bunch of big barge traffic coming down through Black Rock though.http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1213260927231590.xml&coll=1

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-66548324979057317802008-07-04T20:20:00.001-04:002008-07-17T21:50:21.277-04:00

From my revolutionary hero"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."— John

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-20014409820448720242008-07-04T19:55:00.002-04:002008-07-04T19:59:01.119-04:00

On this Independence Day when it sometimes seems that our country, our very way of life, has nearly vanished, here's a little song to bolster our spirit and connect us to our past. HAIL COLUMBIA (The PRESIDENT's MARCH)Words by Joseph Hopkinson, 1798 sung by Gilbert Fox, 25 April 1798 in the New Theatre, PhiladelphiaTune: The President's March, by Philip Phile, 1798 (Southern Harmony, p

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-27049107865742325222008-06-24T15:59:00.002-04:002008-06-24T16:09:21.992-04:00

It's always the big fancy hotels..that try to rip you off. The Super 8, Motel Six, Hampton etc usually have their stuff together. But heaven forbid that a big fancy Hilton, Crowne Plaza, or Sheraton treat their customers honestly. A certain major hotel in a certain major Canadian city just charged me $200 for a room that I didn't sleep in, days AFTER I had returned to my own country! This is

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-58662195078262842392008-06-22T19:31:00.001-04:002008-06-22T19:34:08.091-04:00

This will make you smileIf it doesn't you're even more cold hearted than me. Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-72152971123381536722008-06-16T16:42:00.000-04:002008-06-16T16:43:04.081-04:00

Feelin' simultaneously cheerful, sarcastic & dark. How very Irish!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-19135897619284001892008-06-13T21:18:00.002-04:002008-06-13T21:21:24.163-04:00

Tim Russert dead at 58I have a whole bunch of thoughts about this but for now there is nothing except:Requiem æternam dona eis, Domineet lux perpetua luceat eis.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-43609127568637414402008-06-13T00:34:00.000-04:002008-06-13T00:35:20.189-04:00

Just because...

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-87121726484004647232008-06-12T16:44:00.002-04:002008-06-12T16:45:58.025-04:00

MoneyDanceWell, one thing MoneyDance has going for it: the download is only about 6MB. It's available for OS X, Windows, & Linux too. More when I've tried out the demo.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-44257762052480303622008-06-12T13:23:00.003-04:002008-06-12T13:43:17.121-04:00

Quicken S**ksIntuit gives capitalists a bad name! Have just discovered that my copy of Quicken 2005 will no longer accept downloads from my bank. Why you may ask? Because Intuit wants me to buy a newer version full of resource hogging features that I don't need. I used Quicken 95 successfully for many years, through many computers, until my new bank decided not to support QIF files in favor

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-30088312646029897362008-06-10T23:05:00.003-04:002008-06-13T01:07:12.874-04:00

New York Property taxes are 79% above the national average but New York's unions don't think there should be a tax cap!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1816808331534887142008-06-10T21:12:00.001-04:002008-06-10T21:14:19.280-04:00

the largest and most important city upon the great lakesThat was then. So what happened?

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-47496791479998091002008-06-04T22:12:00.001-04:002008-06-04T22:12:56.072-04:00

Just because I didn't see any Moose in Alberta...

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-7665073313968152382008-06-02T23:20:00.001-04:002008-06-02T23:22:14.283-04:00

Bo Diddley dead at 79

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-16412252658218443952008-05-31T22:42:00.003-04:002008-05-31T22:47:16.831-04:00

The DoxologyLike most people, I think, I've heard it for years knowing almost nothing about it, except that it comes from the reform tradition. So just because the reform started in heresy (start throwing your tomatoes now) doesn't mean nothing good ever came from it!Here's more of the story:http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/w/awakemys.htm

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-7327504599538350702008-05-31T14:46:00.003-04:002008-05-31T14:57:13.108-04:00

Hungry?One of the great things we often forget about being Catholic is how many great and varied people share and live the faith. Including:

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-40924421526403857022008-05-04T19:41:00.002-04:002008-05-04T19:43:57.392-04:00

Little Portion FireMy friends at Little Portion Hermitage suffered a terrible blow early last week. A fast moving fire destroyed both the Chapel and common center. I've been posting about it on the tour blog.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-34250365752951634982008-04-25T13:35:00.002-04:002008-04-25T13:41:36.460-04:00

Catholic New Media Celebration!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-45790902886780303982008-04-15T23:48:00.000-04:002008-04-15T23:49:11.136-04:00

Unbearably funny!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-37847069713753623102008-04-15T23:26:00.002-04:002008-04-15T23:48:02.140-04:00

WWdnMany, many, many years ago(at least five or six:-)....in the early days of highly personalized, rapidly deployed web content.....before podcasts and youtube, there was the web log or blog. Among those who became known or rediscovered through their blog was Will Wheaton of the now legendary (and historical) Wil Wheaton dot net. I decided to surf over to see if Mr. Wil was still there. Turns

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-53679389226666445462008-04-12T00:39:00.001-04:002008-04-12T00:41:56.053-04:00

I have sort of love/hate thing goin' with my home state. This falls into the love half..

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1796825559498124032008-04-11T14:28:00.001-04:002008-04-11T14:29:45.902-04:00

Love those geeky seminarians!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-54727459742506344352008-04-09T14:55:00.000-04:002008-04-09T14:56:39.741-04:00

Darwin's Kool-Aid

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-58542706608511295502008-03-31T22:41:00.001-04:002008-03-31T23:03:44.074-04:00

More truth about Global Warminghttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1363818.ecehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/11/warm11.xml

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-25890391115264919232008-03-28T22:29:00.003-04:002008-03-28T22:37:47.550-04:00

Random Battlestar Galactica musing....If Colonel Tigh is in fact a cylon that must mean that either the cylons had developed humanoid models during the first war since Adama has known Tigh all along or A genuine human Ty was replaced by a Cylon at some point in recent history.If Chief Tyrol is actually a Cylon then his child with Callie is Human/Cylon hybrid the same as Hera.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-6293010863203886712008-03-10T23:01:00.002-04:002008-03-10T23:09:41.208-04:00

SpitzerHis term has been one scandal after another. As attorney general he prosecuted prostitution rings. Which ones did he decline to prosecute? What did he get in return? Seventy five percent of New York's voters voted for this man. Is it any wonder that good people continue to flee this state? Will we ever overcome the generations of ingrained corruption that dominates every aspect of

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-11877930822947712052008-03-03T13:21:00.000-05:002008-03-03T13:22:40.130-05:00

RIP: Jeff Healeyhttp://www.jeffhealey.com/home.htmhttp://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=96dd979b-604d-4b10-bffb-ad126fed902c

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-65174227425512330982008-02-16T23:47:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:50:03.456-05:00

The Six Million Dollar Church A thousand years ago the people of a town or village began building a church that perhaps their grandchildren or great grandchildren might see finished. Those churches still stand. Even one hundred years ago parishioners in the US, often poor immigrants, gave their money and their time, penny by penny, hour by hour, to build a new parish church. They might place

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-50197051616215811502008-01-08T18:55:00.000-05:002008-02-08T20:34:45.318-05:00

Recording Engineer killed cycling to work.Seems like the kind of guy I would have liked to meet. From what I hear this is a pretty common occurrence in Manhattan. The most disturbing thing is the number of stories I heard of hit & run incidents.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-41006838116374300592008-01-06T22:38:00.001-05:002008-01-06T22:38:40.481-05:00

My Other Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: His Most Serene Highness Lord John Thomas Simon the Unique of Chalmondley St Peasoup Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-27549086966937921302008-01-06T22:37:00.000-05:002008-01-06T22:38:12.159-05:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: The Very Reverend John the Coherent of Bow under Bumpstead Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-64287905987947157842007-12-25T01:40:00.000-05:002008-01-08T19:04:50.598-05:00

Global Warming Over......Link 1Link 2Link 3

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-56204032951518344602007-12-24T18:22:00.000-05:002007-12-24T18:24:44.775-05:00

It's impolitic to say, but Kwanzaa is cr*p! The fact that most black Americans are either Christian or Muslim and are still being distracted by this nonsense is deeply and profoundly sad.JTC

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-85126324704021736592007-12-16T23:17:00.000-05:002007-12-16T23:19:05.886-05:00

The Rainmakers Government Cheese

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-43522492092796663912007-05-25T10:50:00.000-04:002007-05-25T10:51:37.199-04:00

And for something a bit different......http://texashideout.tripod.com/poem.html

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-13254709749804584782007-05-20T17:10:00.000-04:002007-05-20T17:11:30.767-04:00

Another scholar comes home...

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-84231053764785217612007-04-23T15:54:00.000-04:002007-04-23T15:58:38.090-04:00

Laurel Ann Cotton 1945-2007

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-90682742920789472532007-04-22T02:32:00.000-04:002007-04-22T02:33:10.879-04:00

I just received word on the road that my Mom passed away tonight. I'll be leaving JMT for the duration of this tour leg to be at home with my family. Please remember us in prayer.John

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-9369166776955111262007-02-19T11:27:00.000-05:002007-02-19T11:33:14.125-05:00

Big Day!Drywall is here. I've never written about it here but I've been working on the second flat in my folks house since I moved back home. Today the drywall was delivered so I'll have walls pretty soon. An exciting moment!

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-26023821749385544952007-02-12T16:31:00.000-05:002007-02-12T16:38:02.926-05:00

Searching for soapstone....found gold...So I was googling around looking for info on DIY soapstone countertops and found this cool, if unlikely, blog. I mean really, a conservative, catholic in 'frisco! You'd think this guy would've been rounded up and locked away by now. :-)

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1164311560768752772006-11-23T14:50:00.000-05:002006-11-23T14:52:40.796-05:00

Thanksgiving DayI left the convenience store today to the sound of the cashier saying: "Have a great holiday". Now at Christmas time that's become a big pet peeve for me, and others. But, today it just sounded odd. I started thinking...holiday...holiday...holy day. A weird coincidence on this day which is both our least and most religious holiday. This holiday which is as uniquely American

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1163015643325545592006-11-08T14:53:00.000-05:002006-11-08T14:54:03.373-05:00

Feeling Silly!?Try this:http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=related&search_query=hamster%20dance

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1133452277287124692005-12-01T10:49:00.000-05:002005-12-01T10:51:17.286-05:00

Thank a soldier WeekSend an email to a US Serviceman.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1133452158418192852005-12-01T10:47:00.000-05:002005-12-01T10:49:18.426-05:00

Cool Catholic PodcastCheck it out. Father Roderick is a dutch priest. Sci Fi lover and more.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1131505544681458952005-11-08T22:05:00.000-05:002005-11-08T22:05:44.693-05:00

Buffalo News - 100 churches may shut, mergeThis is so sad, so hard, AND so necessary. The unfortunate fact is that Buffalo has always had too many parishes and church facilities. One only has to take a quick drive throught the Broadway/Fillmore area to see this. It didn't matter so much when there was an abundance of people & priests. The city will of course suffer the deepest pain from this

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1113931004878044422005-04-19T13:07:00.000-04:002005-04-19T13:33:20.780-04:00

Habemus Papam!WOW! I just returned from two weeks in Ireland. In that time traveling among priests and religious, Lay ministers and a couple bishops, one thing was agreed: Cardinal Ratzinger wouldn't be the one. Look who's talking now! I believe that the world is in for a big surprise. While many will wail of iminent doctrinal intransigency, I think many will find that the Holy Spirit has

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1112481322696594372005-04-02T17:21:00.000-05:002005-04-02T17:36:20.963-05:00

Sede VacanteThe chair is empty. Our Papa is dead.I did not know how much I loved this man until the tears began to well up. I was sitting with my mother in the rehab home where she is recuperating when the news came on CNN of the Holy Father's passing. My mother, who has born her own cross throughout recent weeks, reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder to comfort me. My heart is

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1107356732357629522005-02-02T10:03:00.000-05:002005-02-02T10:05:32.356-05:00

Calling All Socialist Comrades To mark the occasion of the successful tax increase by our legislature I sent the following to a local radio show host: Comrade, Greetings on this the eve of a great victory for the people of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Erie (SSRE). We are well along the path to our final goal of transfering all people's assetts to control of the party. This latest small

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1106442760926213682005-01-22T20:12:00.000-05:002005-01-22T20:12:40.926-05:00

A Barking Dog This isn't along my regular line of discussion here. I just discovered that Dave Stevens has a blog. Dave started a mailing list for live audio folks a long time ago. It morphed into a web board that he eventulally sold. I don't know him personally but as someone making a career out of working in audio he has my respect. JTC

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1105074498720351642005-01-07T01:02:00.000-05:002005-01-07T00:08:18.720-05:00

Just for fun.... Check out: Old-Computers.Com My buddy Yoram had a Commodore Vic 20, that may have been the first home computer I ever saw up close. I had a TI99-4A that Dad traded a customer for, along with a succession of hand me down TRS80 Business computers (Model I & Model III). Who'd have thought we'd get from there to here. JTC

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1104865476306752482005-01-04T14:02:00.000-05:002005-01-04T14:04:36.306-05:00

Just added a link to Frugal Audio, my frelance/business site, to the sidebar. Also added links to Mercy Corps and Catholic Relief. Both good places to go if you'd like to make a donation to aid in Tsunami relief. JTC

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1104692755171312382005-01-02T13:29:00.000-05:002005-01-02T14:10:09.180-05:00

Can, or should, Catholics receive communion in a protestant church? A recent family event prompted this question. Jimmy Akin was kind enough to post this response on his blog. In addition to the Canon sited by Mr. Akin I also discoverd the following: 132. On the basis of the Catholic doctrine concerning the sacraments and their validity, a Catholic who finds himself or herself in the

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1104367276460952622004-12-29T19:36:00.000-05:002004-12-29T19:41:16.460-05:00

Just stumbled on this Pastoral Letter on Chastity by Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton. It was Bishop Martino who confirmed me a few years ago. I thought then, when he gave his homily to the group of mostly 6th graders, that he had a warm and direct manner of preaching the truth. This letter renews that belief. Would that more of our sheperds would speak plainly and simply to their flocks.

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5013952.post-1101317262515297142004-11-24T13:15:00.000-05:002004-11-24T12:27:42.516-05:00

This article on Catholic Exchange:No More Stuff: A Christmas Revolt is one of several things I've seen and heard lately about Stuff. A couple years ago my Dad began giving out cards instead of gifts at Christmas time. The money that would've gone to gifts he's given to local charities. Places like the City Mission, Women's shelters etc. It seems that perhaps, if slowly, we're all getting tired of

JTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16172153916245206976noreply@blogger.com