Well sorta....

I was hoping they'd post my comment, but I didn't expect they'd actually use it for an article on their site.

Pope reaches out in first message

Pope Benedict XVI will be inaugurated on Sunday
Benedict XVI has celebrated his first Mass as Pope, vowing to strive for the unity of all Christians.
Marking the start of his pontificate at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, he said he felt inadequate at the responsibility of leading the Church.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected head of the Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday.

He said his first planned overseas trip will be a return to his native Germany, for a youth conference in August.

He will be inaugurated as the 265th pope on Sunday, the Vatican has announced.


I feel as if I can see [John Paul II's] smiling eyes and hear his words right now addressing me: 'Have no fear'
Pope Benedict XVI

Key excerpts: Pope's homily
In pictures: Pope elected

Pope Benedict XVI, 78, and his cardinals processed into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday morning, where they stood beneath Michelangelo's Last Judgement.

The Pope wore the papal mitre, carried a pastoral staff and made the sign of the cross, before going on to say Mass in Latin.

It was a private ceremony for the cardinals who elected him, but was broadcast on TV around the world.

In a message ending the Mass he said: "On one hand I have a sense of inadequacy and human turmoil at the responsibility entrusted to me yesterday... on the other hand, I feel living in me a deep gratitude to God who does not abandon his flock but guides them always."

He said he believed his predecessor John Paul II was holding his hand.

Blessing

Benedict said his first job was to unify all Christians, but also said he was committed to "open and sincere dialogue" with followers of other religions.


The Pope will return to Germany in August

He said his election had "confounded all my expectations".

He finished his message by offering a blessing for all those watching the ceremony on television.

The new Pope had been one of the front runners in the papal election, which began on Monday when the 115 voting cardinals were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for their secret conclave.

The name Benedict comes from the Latin for "blessing" and the last pope bearing the name, Benedict XV, reigned during World War I.


I cannot shake the feeling that this has been a rash decision
EJ Legaspi, Manila, Philippines

Have Your Say

Pope Benedict XVI, who is the oldest man to become pope for more than a century, was born in 1927 into a traditional farming family in Bavaria, Germany, although his father was a policeman.

The future pope's studies at seminary were interrupted by World War II and his supporters say that his experiences under the Nazi regime convinced him that the Church had to stand up for truth and freedom.

He is the first German pope since the 11th Century.

Conservative

The BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says Cardinal Ratzinger's election as Pope will generate amazement and enthusiasm in Germany as well as concern among those who had hoped for a more liberal pontiff.

St Peter's Square filled with crowds eager to greet the Pope

Enlarge Image

A close friend and confidant of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI is also known as a fellow conservative.

For more than 20 years he was head of the congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican - the Vatican's guardian of orthodoxy.

The BBC's William Horsley in Rome says his papacy is sure to continue John Paul II's strongly traditional interpretation of the Catholic faith, including opposition to abortion, homosexuality, priestly marriage and women priests.

Our correspondent says that the homily he made at the Mass before the start of the Conclave in which he denounced all deviations from traditional Church teachings as trickery and error, may have been decisive in winning his election.

My full comment can be found here

or here....

I cannot shake the feeling that this has been a rash decision as opposed to a unified one. He was too much of an obvious choice. Even if the trend was leaning towards conservatism, a non-European conservative pope would have been more of a unifying decision.
EJ Legaspi, Manila, Philippines

I never "got" Nickleodeon.

As I kid I liked it enough because it was an American show, therefore it should be good.

When I was younger, Nickleodeon shows were only shown on PTV4 during weekday afternoons (just around the time of the 3 o' clock habit). If I'm not mistaken, some of the shows were Mr. Wizard, Pinwheel and You Can't Do That on Television. The latter being a precursor to shows like All That and featured Alanis Morisette and a barf burger.

I guess what disturbs me is what Americans find funny. Now, I'm not saying all Americans love or even like these shows, but since Nick is it's own channel, there's definitely a strong popular following for such shows. If you grew up in Suburbia, you should have grown up with Nick shows, among others.

I'm also not saying I don't like Nick shows. I love the Offbeats, Rugrats, Hey Arnold and a few other shows.

What I'm referring to is the wastage of food as humor.

Anyone who finds the wastage of food funny grew up in excess and in a world of hunger and poverty, we cannot afford to waste our resources.

I don't care much for the "it's our food, we decide what to do with argument". That's not the point. I'm not asking them to ship their food to the developing countries.

Just use your resources prudently. This isn't even a religious request. It's a plain, simple, logical and sensible secular request.

Not doing so speaks volumes about you and your moral fiber.

Fiber, mmmmm good....

threes.

At least so they say. But sometimes they happen in more than threes.

I had my share of it last week and I've actually put off writing about it just because.

For now let me just leave a litany of things that have happened to me in that past week.

1. car battery dies on me.
2. new battery dies on me the following day.
3. turns out the alternator (the thing that charges the car battery as you drive) is busted.
4. few minutes later, car overheats.
5. pushing it further, the radiator explodes.
6. after coming up with a remedy, the car dies on me again.
7. all boils down to money lost.
8. Ohyeah two weeks ago, my tires gave in

Good thing that I just received our midyear bonus. However I had plans for that dough, but apparently fate had other plans for it.

Funny thing this thing called fate is. She rarely comes along until something bad happens. We humans, valuing our pride always credit good things to our own doing. Bad things are rarely our fault. Because, even if I'm not a very good grease monkey, to have so many bad things happen is really just beyond my/our control.

However, maybe I'm just avoiding responsiblity. That's why I just laughed the whole thing off. I could have just blown my top at each and every bad thing that happened, but I didn't.

I literally just laughed the whole time. I wasn't happy, but a healthy (or off-balanced) sense of humor goes a long way.

Nothing would have happened if I got angry. I would have only lost time and a few brain cells and gained a wrinkle or two if I did. There's always the silver lining to look for. I did have the money. I was not far from home and I was safe.

I was ecstatic, but I was content.