Relatives of beheaded Iraqi priest say kidnappers demanded apology for pope's muslim comments

The Associated PressTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006

Published: October 12, 2006
MOSUL, Iraq Relatives of an Orthodox priest who was kidnapped and found beheaded three days later said Thursday that his captors had demanded his church condemn the pope's recent comments about Islam and pay a US$350,000 (€280,000) ransom.
More than 500 people attended a memorial service Thursday for father Amer Iskender in the northern city of Mosul after his decapitated body was found Wednesday evening in an industrial area of the city.
Iskender was a priest at the St. Ephrem Orthodox church in Mosul.
Click on title to read the complete article.

As I have said and will continue to say: It's the religion of Islam that is the fault. There is no other excuse.

Where have I been?

It's been a busy time for me the last two weeks. I haven't been able to blog at all. On October 1 I was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at the annual meeting of the Southwestern USA Lieutenantcy in Austin, TX. Forty folks from Arkansas were there and eight hundred all together. Fifty couples were invested as Knights and Ladies, and five clergy. It was an altogether interesting and enjoyable weekend. Next year will be in Oklahoma City, and then, in 2008, in Little Rock.

I am trying to work my way onto the pilgrimage to Jerusalem that is set for November. If I am able to go, I will receive the pilgrim's shell from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, along with the other members of the Order making the pilgrimage.

Our organist-choirmaster up an quit a few weeks ago, without giving notice. We now have services a capella as the Orthodox do, or the Churches of Christ (so-called). I am now the choirmaster.

Some are piously trying to resurrect the local ministerial alliance here in El Dorado. With all the protestant churches in town, the liturgical churches like the Catholic and Episcopal are surrounded in a sea of fundamentalism. It is really problematic, because they have no real conception (except for a precious few of the downtown ministers) of what our Church us like, or how we worship. We'll see how things go.

The church's new parking lot was inaugurated on the first weekend of October. It gets right filled up before the Sunday Mass. It is a much appreciated addition. Now, if they'd just get finished with my driveway.

Spread of race ghettos fuels gang warfare

Spread of race ghettos fuels gang warfare

Shiv Malik

AN east London teenager who became a drug dealer and a knife-wielding member of a street gang lays the blame on the transformation of his neighbourhood into an ethnic minority “ghetto” where turf warfare flourishes.

Click on the title to read the rest of the article.