THE SAINTS ARE COMING: A CALL FOR ENTRIES!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like New Orleans Saints Sign-Making Time...

A Call for Entries....

Real Life Wonder Animals!

A Tribute to Quentin & Oscar: Real Life Wonder Animals!

The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that Oscar the Cat (How can I not capitalize "Cat" in this instance?) can determine when a person is going to die at the Steere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lives. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/328 And, as a hard working feline, Oscar makes sure he snuggles up close to the person who is getting ready to pass away, to provide purrfect comfort during their twilight hours.

In Saint Louis, Moussouri, http://www.strayrescue.org/ founder Randy Grim is the human for another exceptional animal, Quentin the Miracle Dog. Quentin is a Dog who survived the gas chamber and who, like Oscar, has taken on full time employment. He is working to help stray dogs throughout the country. Quentin is also the subject of a wonderful book, "Miracle Dog - How Quentin Survived the Gas Chamber to Speak for Animals on Death Row." With a wonderful foreward by Dr. Jane Goodall, this book is a true "Must Read."

The saints known to be closely linked with animals are the obvious, saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of animal lovers and birding enthusiasts, saint Roch, the patron of dog lovers, and saint Hubert, http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_hubert_medal_story.htm the patron saint invoked to protect folks from encountering rabies, among other things. We have pictured the hand-painted saint Hubert medal above, with a stag to his right and a loyal Dog on his left. It's nice to know that these saints are able to represent our four legged friends and offer their various protections to all of us.

And, on a comical note, it is fun to examine the saint Hubert medal very carefully.... If you look at the medal you will see that there is a cross in the antlers of the stag next to saint Hubert. Hubert saw that cross while hunting one Sunday and it drove him straight to the church, where he belonged on Sundays! Now keep that image of Hubert, the cross and the stag in mind the next time you go to a bar or a liquor store. Before you start drinikng, take a close look at a bottle of Jagermeiser. You will see the image of the cross and the stag in the center of the green and orange bottle. And if you drink the contents of the bottle you may turn into Dr. Doolittle and start conversing with saint Hubert, the stag and the dog. If you do and if they have anything interesting say, please let us know what you talked about. And if you want to wear an image of saint Hubert, you know where to find a nice one!

Saint Anthony, Come on Down ... I'm Searching for Answers About the War.

Searching for Answers about the War

Today I'm asking saint Anthony .... http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_anthony_medal_story.htm to "come on down to help me find" ... answers. Many believe that saint Anthony helps people find lost objects, like car keys and wallets, but the saint Anthony I have grown to know and love has left such findings to his apprentices and their assistants and interns in Heaven. My saint Anthony helps folks find peace, comfort, tranquility, and understanding, to name a few qualities. And that is why I am calling on him today.... because it is a very perplexing day. The newspapers have shown that there were a "few moments of joy in Baghdad" yesterday. The Iraqi national socccer team advanced to the Asian Cup Championship Match and the pictures in the papers have shown delighted Iraqi children waving their country's flags while smiling and cheering for their team. It seemed like a perfect day for the youngsters and for all of the law-abiding Iraqi citizens everywhere. Sadly, it was also reported by New York Times writers Richard Oppel, Jr. and Qais Miller that, on that same day, bombs "killed at least 50 Iraqi people and wounded 135 more." Another article about Iraq and the War, by writer Michael Cieply, told of Hollywood actors Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Ryan Phillippe and others playing roles in upcoming movies that will tell stories about the War and its aftermath. Paul Haggis, the writer and director who won lots of awards for his movie "Crash" last year, will be presenting a movie called "In the Valley of Elah." In the movie, there is a scene where it is shown that the American flag is being "flown upside down in the heartland, the signal of extreme distress." The notion of flying the flag upside down is what led me to try and find answers and thus, I have been calling upon saint Anthony to come on down and visit and help me learn "what is the ring thing to do?" A part of me wants to go fly a flag upside down and put an upside down flag bumper sticker on my car. If that is the signal of extreme distress, it seems appropriate. I am distressed about the War. But then, another part of me feels that by waving an upside down flag, an argument could be made that you were against our soldiers and did not care about them, when nothing could be further from the truth. My heart aches for the families who have suffered because of this War and all Wars. The residual impact of War has affected me many times. As a boy I was told that my father went to fight in World War II and I know he was a decorated hero of the War. But I was also told that when my father went to fight for our country he left America with a wonderful personality and came back, after 6 years, with a very different, not so wonderful personality. He never spoke of the War and there was some unspoken rule that let me know it was not appropriate to ask questions about those 6 years of my father's life. In retrospect, I wish I had broken the rule and asked some questions but I did not and can not since my father has gone to eternal rest. I only know that War changed my Dad and made him less of a person.

It seems likely there will be people flying flags upside down very soon. It seems appropriate if flying an upside down flag is indeed meant to show extreme distress about the War. I'm so distressed about the War and Wars in general that I find myself thinking of an upside down flag tattoo! But first I must wait it out for a while with dear saint Anthony, who will help me find out whether flying such a flag is the right thing to do. Maybe flying an upside down falg could successfully send the right message, elevate the level of debate about the War, and bring all of our soldiers home safely while leaving the Iraqis in a place where they can celebrate joyous occasions, like winning soccer games on behalf of their country. I hope saint Anthony will hear my call but I also realize he is very busy, because it seems like no one can find the answers about this horrible War. I'm sure his phone is ringing off the hook.

"Saint Anna" - Dr. Anna Pou, Louisiana's Living Saint

HEAVENLY PRESS RELEASE

Saint Thomas More Celebrates Courage & Conviction of Dr. Anna Pou!

CONTACT: Saint Thomas More,

1. 800. PRAYERS

(772.9377)

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ ' s Saint Thomas More, http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_thomas_medal_story.htm a saint who was viciously and unfairly persecuted during his time on earth, has scheduled a Lecture Series in Heaven to review and study the courage and conviction of the formerly persecuted and now exonerated, Dr. Anna Pou. The event will occur Now. It was Dr. Pou who was unfathomly considered to be a criminal for selflessly, tirelessy, benevolently, and lovingly caring for the sick in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flood. The flood is known in Heaven as the worst natural and man-made disaster to ever occur on American soil. Numerous saints are clamoring to participate in what saint Valentine has said will be a "true and very much deserved Love Festival for Dr. Pou," whose name will also be presented to the Holy Family as a "Living Person Worthy of Sainthood" ( "LPWOS" ). Hundreds of Saints in Heaven have already signed a Petition In Favor of Future Sainthood for Pou, to be given to Jesus at the end of the Lecture Series.

The saints for those sick with cancer, Peregrine and Agatha, will be honoring Dr. Pou's commitment to providing help to the elderly and infirm during their bleakest hours. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the patron of the Holocaust, will moderate a panel discussion on Selflessness entitled "The Powers of Pou." Our Lady of Guadalupe will be providing her customary "Special Favors" to all who attend the series.

The cost for the event is the usual 3 prayers and 3 caring gestures to be poured on deserving and undeserving people on Earth by the saints in attendance. Seating is not limited as "All are Welcome in Heaven."

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/

11 Year Old Declared Genius at SaintsforSinners.com Convention

Saints Luke, Cosmos & Damien Discuss Bush's Polyps

Doctor Saints Comment on Disparity in Health

Care Availability, Noting W's Preferential Treatment

Three http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ saints for Doctors, Luke [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_luke_medal_story.htm ] and twins Cosmos & Damien, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_cosmos_and_damien_medal_story.htm ] met days ago in heaven to discuss the recent surgery of George Bush. They noted that President Bush had 5 small polyps removed from his colon by very capable doctors and recalled that he had this procedure performed in 1998 and 1999.

Saint Luke called in the patron saint of accountants, saint Matthew, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_matthew_medal_story.htm ]who added and then reported that Mr. Bush has thus had 3 preventive measure surgeries on his colon.

It was then noted that not everyone on earth is so fortunate to have such preventitive health measures and care so readily available, like the very fortunate and privileged president Bush. They then channeled some thoughts into Dr. Margot Kushel, M.D., in San Francisco, California, and helped her write a short yet brilliant letter to the newspapers to try and educate the public about the alarming disparity in health care. Her letter was published today, July 24, 2007, in the New York Times, and she articulately noted that you can't have polyp removal surgery in the Emergency Room. She must have said this because Mr. Bush recently commented that the "E.R." is a form universal health care.

All of the saints at the meeting were dubious of this claim and CBS Anchor Woman Katie Couric's former husband, Jay Monahan, [ http://www.monahancenter.org/ ] who died from colon cancer, implored all the saints to "wake up the American public about the urgent need for health care for all." The patron saint invoked during emergencies, saint Expedite, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_expedite_medal_story.htm ] also fretted, saying "some folks have dozens of polyps in their colon and can't get the care they need." He lamented that "many Americans do not even know they are in emergency situations." The saints for doctors will continue to monitor this issue and took time to offer special blessings to Doctor Kushel in San Francisco for heightening awareness about the very serious health care problem(s) facing many in America (and elsewhere).

Saint Cecilia's Repotoire to Honor Ron Miller

Saint Cecilia Pays Homage to

Motown Songwriter Ron Miller

Earlier today, at 2:00 A.M., EST, http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's Saint Cecilia, the Patroness of music lovers and musicians, hastily called an Emergency Meeting of all the Saints to formally request that today, July 24, 2007, be declared "Ron Miller's Motown Day." Her proposal was approved by acclamation. Mr. Miller was Motown Record's first white songwriter and died on July 23, 2007.

Saint Cecilia brought in a number of Motown greats to sing songs during her presentation. Marvin Gaye sang a beautiful rendition of Miller's "Touch Me in the Morning." Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland performed "For Once in My Life." Biz Markie and Tupac Shakur rapped their way through "Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday" to critical acclaim and the meeting ending with former members of the Temptations singing "Heaven Help Us All" in an acappella version that moved several saints, as well as the dearly departed Ron Miller, to tears. A celebration of Mr. Miller's life followed and is ongoing at blogtime.

Accrding to former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood (now nicknamed "Thoroughly Good") Marshall, Mr. Miller, is having a wonderful time in Heaven visiting his family and friends in the music and entertainment industry. The musical session was recorded perfectly and several versions are available on www. IHeavenlyTunesandConcerts.God, available by invitation only.

All living friends and family of Mr. Ron Miller should "be assured that Ron is enjoying his eternal resting place," according to saint Cecilia.

Rhymes with Muse

July 23, 2007

NEWS, PHEWS, Points of VIEW, the burning FUSE & a bit of a HEW & a sincere THANK YOU!

Greetings, folks and I hope all of you are doing well during these "dogs days of summer." I must first apologize for being an absent blogger for so long. There are many plans, ideas, and notions flickering along and the light has been too bright and too dark to focus. But, "that was then and this is now" ( ASIDE # 1: Props to S.E. Hinton for writing that great book, along with "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish" and while I'm at it, major props to The Police member, Stewart Copeland for creating the stellar soundtrack to "Rumble Fish." Now that's what I call music! ) and I am going to try my best to post here every day.... Again, sorry to have been away so long...

OK, here goes:

NEWS:

Our house is starting to look like a house, finally. You can see some images at http://www.returntogeneraldiaz.blogspot.com/ - I'm in regular contact with http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ saints Barbara the builder's saint, and saint Joseph the Worker and they seem to be answering our calls as the house looks better and better every day.

We are experimenting with advertising by joining forces with http://www.pewsitter.com/ and if you go there you will see our very first online advertisement. If you are a part of our group that are followers of The Catechism of the Catholic Church, I recommend a visit to Pewsitter as it offers a plethora of information for the truly devout. Please post a comment and let us know what you think of our ad!

Along the same line, we were happy to be included in a "saintcast" podcast on http://www.sqpn.com/, the "best in Catholic Podcasting." Dr. Paul Camarata mentioned us in his recent audio broadcast (the one about saint Anne) and he linked us there too. If you go to http://www.sqpn.com/, scroll down and you will see Paul's saintcast link. We are making future plans with Dr. Camarata but that news comes later in our BURNING FUSE section.

We read a very poignant article about former New York Met catcher and current Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball player Mike Piazza recently. He spoke of his faith and his family and how he felt guided and gifted with his faith. He was not preachy but he carefully presented his points of view that showed him to be extremely articulate and reasoned in his approach to life. So, all of the saints at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ met and decided I will be sending him a hand-painted saint Michael medal package along with a Saint Joseph package since that's his middle name, according to http://www.espn.com/. It will be interesting to find out if we hear back from him. If you know of someone who should receive a free hand-painted saint medal package, please let me know and I'll ask the saints if I can send one out!

BACK TO PEWS:

If you are saying prayers, please do a "shout out" or 2 or 3 or 4 to saint Gertrude, patron of cats and saint Francis, patron of animal lovers and ask them to look after our cat Natasha who is 17 and starting to have some kidney failure problems. The saints have been looking after her already. We felt she was ready to leave us for the Pearly Gates and a visit with saint Peter, Heaven's Gatekeeper, but after a trip to see the New Orleans veterinarian, Dr. Chris Algero, she has rebounded quite well and is doing much better. Thank you, Dr. Algero, Thank you, saint Gertrude and many thanks to you, saint Francis!

HEWS:

OK, please let me know if I should keep this "HEWS" section going - "hew", according to the OED, basically means to "chop up into pieces".... So, here goes:

Mr. Jack Valenti, the famous chief of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) died recently and many, like Alan Horn of Warner Brothers, lamented his passing and had lots of kind things to say at his funeral/memorial service on July 19th, 2007.

And then his daughter, Alexandra, took the podium and gave quite a stirring eulogy about her dad. You might reasonably argue she took a page from the playbook of good ole' saint Theresa of Avila, who was well known for speaking her mind and even yelled at Jesus when he was bothering her.... Alexandra said she finally understood what it meant to "hunker down like a jackass in a hailstorm" which was a saying her Dad used. She went on to say her Dad had more energy than anyone but she was also very forthright and candid in her eulogy. She dropped a bomb about the actor Warren Beatty. She said Mr. Beatty once called her up after her Dad had suffered a stroke but Mr. Beatty might need some lessons in how to offer compassionate condolences. He told Alexandra that her father's stroke had been "really inconvenient for" him. Ouch. I'm not sure whether Alexandra apologized to Mr. Beatty for her father having a stroke. I hope she didn't. If Mr. Beatty keeps making insensitive remarks like that our guess is that his beautiful wife, Annette Bening, will be floating away from him like the plastic bag in "American Beauty." As Jodie Sweeten from "Full House" often said, "How Rude!"

BURNING FUSE:

Some upcoming things we are going to write about once their fuses burn down a bit more;

1. We will be writing about http://www.teamtootb.com/ , Lee Mortenson, Race Car Driver Bob Emery and saint Richard of Chichester (who uses the superior oil, Amsoil, when he races in Heaven);

2. We will be presenting a playlist from Wilco musician Jeff Tweedy;

3. We will have some news about http://www.sqpn.com/ and http://www.saintsforsinners.com/.

4. We will be following your advice on where to take the blog so please do comment and let us know what to keep, what to discard and what to add!

"THAT's SO RANDOM" CONGRATULATIONS DEPARTMENT:

This is a bit from the http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ "random acts of kindness" file. Sarah Bryant and Erik Cetrulo were married this past weekend in New England. Sarah graduated from Colgate University, one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, located in Hamilton, N.Y., and Erik graduated from Stanford, a school we have never been to ( but we love their baseball cap ). We wanted to offer our sincere congratulations to them, even though we have never met them before. BUT ... we have seen their photograph in the newspaper and these two folks are both g o r g e o u s. PHEW! It's getting hot in here.... May God Bless you both with a lovely and enduring union.

An Irishmen won the British Open - good ole Padraig Harrington beat Sergio Garcia. He is the first Irish guy to win the British Open in a million years (slight exaggeration).

FINAL THANK YOU & ADIEU:

Thanks to Los Angeles Stylist Extraordinaire Kenny Wujeck for taking a look at our hand-painted saint medal designs! And a message to all before we say 'goodbye' - never underestimate the kindness of strangers!

THAT's ALL FOLKS - post a comment if you can -

Peace.

rob clemenz @ www.saintsforsinners.com