The Criminal History of the Papacy (part 2)
Many of the popes of the 13th to 16th centuries continued the criminal, bloodthirsty and debauched lifestyles of their corrupt predecessors and reached new depths of depravity that the modern Church is keen to keep hidden.
Ash Wednesday is for us Christians a particular day, characterized by an intense spirit of recollection and reflection. We begin, in fact, the Lenten journey, time of listening to the word of God, of prayer and of penance. They are 40 days in which the liturgy will help us to relive the important phases of the mystery of salvation.
KFC's new Fish Snacker Sandwich, extends KFC's popular Snacker line-up and is ideal for American Catholics who want to observe Lenten season traditions while still leading their busy, modern lifestyles. The company has turned to Pope Benedict XVI, beseeching him to bestow his Papal blessing for this innovative new menu item. Vatican officials confirmed they received KFC's request, and the company is hopeful to get the Pope's blessing this Lenten season.
Bishops have asked Parliament to avoid putting profit over people, as legislation aiming to lift work restrictions on Good Friday and Easter Sunday is soon to be debated.
The 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome comes at a critical time for the European Union, says the president of an association that seeks to counteract anti-Catholic sentiment in politics. The president of the Association of the Europe Foundation said that "the winds blowing in Europe, beyond the official statements, are certainly not the best for the future of the union."
The sick man of Europe has risen from his death bed. Will he now recover to be the strong man of old? It is still far from certain whether Germany has genuinely recovered from the traumas of unification.
Soccer sex!...
Last summer's mix of sun, beer and excitement during the football World Cup appears to have produced a massive hormone rush in German bedrooms, gardens and back alleys. Nine months on, birth clinics across the country that hosted the tournament are reporting a much-needed baby boom.
The fragile government of Italy snapped suddenly last night, crumbling under the weight of its own internal divisions, as well as a broader skepticism in Europe about its role in the worldwide fight against terrorism. Prime Minister Romano Prodi, in office just 9 months, submitted his resignation after his governing coalition lost a key vote in the Senate on Italian foreign policy.
Italy's president was to consult with party and government leaders on the future of the government today.
For a company that advertises itself as a business, the wrangling over the future of Airbus has taken on decidedly political overtones of late. The French-German border runs across the board-room table.
German press...
While Airbus wallows in difficulties, France and Germany bicker about what to do about it. Is the partnership at risk? German commentators take a closer look.
The European Commission appeared to be trying to shrug off its reputation as a free-market bulwark, releasing a vision on the future of the EU's single market which is notably sensitive to social concerns.
Poland wants the EU's upcoming 50th birthday declaration to mention the "dark" side of recent European history such as Communism and the Balkan wars, while hinting that changes to the EU voting system could become a Polish red line in future talks on the new EU constitution.
Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders are deadlocked over the future status of Kosovo, a UN special envoy has said. Speaking in Vienna at the final round of talks on the fate of the UN protectorate, he said he did not see any prospect of an agreement.
The edifice of lies in the Balkans, built up by the Empire over the past decade and a half, is beginning to crumble. The web of deceit, woven and maintained for years by tireless repetition of myths and fabrications, now appears to be unraveling, and the ugly realities of the Balkans are beginning to strike back.
The frank words of Russia's President Vladimir Putin to the assembled participants of the annual Munich Wehrkunde security conference have unleashed a storm of self-righteous protest from Western media and politicians. Bush's America is a hollowed-out debt-ridden economy engaged on using its last card, its vast military power to prop up the dollar and its role as world sole Superpower. Putin has obviously realized that his new-found 'partner-in-prayer', George W., has a large black spot hiding the secrets of his heart. It reminded of a popular country and western ballad from the late Tammy Wynette, 'Cowboys don't shoot straight like they used to. They look you in the eye and lie with their white hats on.' That's certainly the case with the famous cowboy of Crawford, Texas in his dealings with Vladimir Putin and the rest of the world.
Lebanon's military says it has fired anti-aircraft rounds against Israeli jet fighters violating its airspace. The aircraft were flying at low altitude over southern Lebanon, but none appear to have been hit.
Israel launched war games on the occupied Golan Heights Wednesday in a bid to learn the lessons of last summer's conflict in neighbouring south Lebanon, defense minister Amir Peretz said.
Israelis hold a very favorable view of Germany, trust the country's leadership of the EU and would like to become members of the EU, according to a new study.
Germany's foreign minister warned against building unrealistic expectations for a US-backed push toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The major powers trying to mediate Middle East peace gathered in Berlin yesterday as pressure mounted for the international community to give the Palestinian unity government a chance.
Recently the US president seems to be unable or unwilling to play the role assigned to him in that old Mideast script. The current role that Washington seems to have taken on vis-à-vis the Arab-Israeli peace process, including its skeptical reactions to Saudi mediation in Palestine and to the Syrian proposal, suggests that the old script has ceased to reflect current foreign policy realism and has acquired an air of surrealism. At the end of the day, the only peace that the Bush administration wants to spread in the Middle East is one that preserves the US dominant position, a Pax Americana. But whether Washington can continue to secure that role remains the central geopolitical question of the moment.
German papers reacted strongly to Britain and Denmark's announcement they would withdraw troops from Iraq.
To the manifest pleasure of the neocons, Old Europe can plausibly be blamed for nearly everything going wrong in the world. The Europeans increasingly find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, wishing to maintain the Atlantic Alliance while at the same time serving as intermediaries in a process where the US and Israel have no desire to see an actual solution.
With the UN deadline running out for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, Tehran is showing no signs of compromise on the issue. Instead, Iran is offering talks, a guarantee not to develop nuclear weapons - and a warning against any military attack.
President Ahmadinejad said today that the Iranian nation will defend its rights to the end since it considers pursuit of peaceful nuclear energy as the country's inalienable right.
Code named by US military planners as TIRANNT, "Theater Iran Near Term" has identified several thousand targets inside Iran as part of a "Shock and Awe" Blitzkrieg, which is now in the final planning stages. According to the Kuwait-based Arab Times, an attack on Iran under TIRANNT could occur any time between late February and the end of April.
Russia's foreign minister warned the US not to take military action against Iran. "The Russian foreign minister said Wednesday US-led multinational foreign forces in Iraq must not conduct military operations outside the country, including against Iran," the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Which is it, then, a hounded, faltering Al Qaeda or an enemy that has regrouped and become a greater threat than ever? The answer is crucial not only for national security but for America's open society. An obvious part of the answer is that Bush has played politics with the Qaeda threat.
At a time when the Bush administration faces growing opposition at home to its escalation of US military forces in Iraq, Dick Cheney is carrying another message to the rest of the world with a defiant vow that the U.S. will not "retreat" in the face of terrorism.
Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols says a high-ranking FBI official "apparently" was directing Timothy McVeigh in the plot to blow up a government building and might have changed the original target of the attack, according to a new affidavit filed in US District Court in Utah. The official and other conspirators are being protected by the federal government "in a cover-up to escape its responsibility for the loss of life in Oklahoma," Nichols claims in a Feb. 9 affidavit. Documents that supposedly help back up his allegations have been sealed to protect information in them. In addition, Nichols says McVeigh must have had help building the bomb. The device he and McVeigh built the day before the bombing did not resemble the one that ultimately was used, Nichols says, and "displayed a level of expertise and sophistication" that neither man had.
[WAR: Also see my The BND in OKC]
New and existing home sales dropped almost 10% last year, depressing demand for products from copper pipes to kitchen sinks and resulting in the loss of about 100,000 jobs in the US. "A slowdown in housing affects the purchases of everything, from furniture to kitchen sinks."
Missing out on sleep may cause the brain to stop producing new cells, a study has suggested. The work on rats, by a team from Princeton University found a lack of sleep affected the hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories.
Europa Universalis III delves deeply into the areas of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy. This epic strategy game lets players take control of a nation and guide it through the ages to become a great global empire. Unparalleled in its depth and historical accuracy, Europa Universalis III gives the player unprecedented freedom in how they choose to rule their nation from an impressive choice of over 250 historically accurate countries.
=========================
