Today, in our 7th grade Pre-Confirmation class, parents were invited to come to class for orientation of the upcoming year and review of the last 9 classes.  We opened with a review of “incarnation” and the “Angelus” for an opening prayer.  Then I reviewed the different prayer types with B.A.P.T.i.S.M..  Then we played Jeopardy!

“Angelus” Prayer
(The Angel of the Lord)

[Lead:]  The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
[ALL:]  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
HAIL MARY, full of grace …

[Lead:]  Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
[ALL:]  Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
HAIL MARY, full of grace …

[Lead:]  And the Word was made flesh,   [bow during]
[ALL:]  And dwelt among us.
HAIL MARY, full of grace …

[Lead:]  Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
[ALL:]  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

[Lead:]  Let us pray.
[ALL:]  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts;  that we,
to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,
through the same Christ Our Lord.
AMEN.

Types of prayers … B.A.P.T.i.S.M.

• BLESSING – invoke God’s power for a person, place or activity
• ADORATION – the “created” before the Creator
• PRAISE – glory God (for who He is)
• THANKSGIVING – gratitude (for what He does)
• i ASK for ME (petition) + OTHERS (intercession)
• SORRY – ask of forgiveness
• MEDITATION – tuning into God, reflection (through quiet prayer, Sacred Scripture, lectio divina, liturgy of the hours, Rosary, holy icons, imagery, books of daily devotion, lives of saints, works of spirituality, etc.)

The MASS includes ALL these types of prayer

We played Classroom Jeopardy! with teams of parents & kids.  With almost perfect attendance, only 5 kids came without parents and everyone seemed to have a great time playing.  Most categories were facts we’ve covered in class like “Jewish Roots,” “Gotta Have Faith,” “Facebook Jesus,” “Catholic Pop Quiz,” “Catholic Prayers,” “Angels & Demons,” and “A.R.R.R. You Listening?” Then there was the more entertaining categories like “Chronicles of Narnia,” “Anything Goes,” and the favorite “Candy Bars.” A great time for all.  I can’t wait to bring the parents back soon!

Here’s a link to our Parents Day video 2009: http://vimeo.com/6179519

It seems that King Bibi has got himself into another little furor today.

The hebrew Ynet News site is carrying the story tonight that the army base where Yair Netanyahu is undergoing his much discussed basic training is actually housed in a location in the south belonging to Military Intelligence.  As such, in view of the sensitive nature of the establishment, it tends to operate in a very discrete manner and has never before held an “Open Day” for the parents of its inductees.

Not until now that is!

Ynet reports that today, during only his third day of basic training, “Yair the Unfortunate” was able to welcome Israels royal couple to the first ever such event at the base.

OK, so King Bibi may have pulled a few strings in order for his grieving Queen Sara to go visit her baby.  What the hell, Bibi pulls stunts like that all the time and, for that matter, he is not the only member of the ruling elite to do so.

However, the story doesn’t stop there.  Just in case you missed it, this was only Yairs third day.  Now, whoever heard of any such event being held so quickly into basic training, anywhere? 

Well actually, there may just have been another private agenda coming into play here.  It turns out that the Base Commanders son just happens to have a Barmitzvah coming very soon.  And, it is reported that, at the end of the royal visit, the Base Commander in question whipped out his video camera and asked Bibi to offer a special Barmitzvah message. 

Bibi, never one to miss a photo op, immediately obliged while Sara somewhat grudgingly stood aside.

Seems like a fair trade, one (not so, as it turns out) private video message in exchange for a (first time ever) Open Day to visit Yair.

I wonder how long before the video finds its way onto Youtube?

Its not there yet, I looked, but I did find this somewhat approriate piece.  The parallels are really incredible.

It’s a special day,
Not for mothers OR fathers,
But for both of them.

It’s All or Nothing Day, Aunt and Uncle Day, and Parent’s Day (the fourth Sunday in July).

A parent, according to www.dictionary.com  – One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or mother. An ancestor; a progenitor. An organism that produces or generates offspring. A guardian; a protector. 

We celebrated Father’s Day last month and Mother’s Day in May. Now we have an occasion to celebrate together – as a family, focusing on Mom AND Dad.

Did you know that Parents’ Day has been around for 15 years? President Bill Clinton established the fourth Sunday in every July as Parents’ Day in 1994. This national holiday was unanimously adopted by the U.S Congress and according to the Congressional Resolution, Parents’ Day was established for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” Parents’ Day was designed to enhance and praise the “traditional” two-parent family. Taking nothing away from our single parents, but you know what they say – two heads are better than one!

The family is a fundamental social group in society – the starting point for most people, and the parent-child relationship is a very powerful bond. Our nation is currently struggling with the economy, drug & sexual abuse, violence and crime. Because of this, we must focus, now more than ever, on our values and priorities. Parents’ Day is a time to reflect on what family means to you, recognizing that parents play a crucial role in the development of children of ALL ages – toddlers, tweeners and sometimes their children who are full grown adults.

Give parents the recognition that they deserve because without them, there would be no us. So, make plans to celebrate Parents’ Day and return the unconditional love they have ALWAYS given to you. For gift ideas, go to http://gift-ideas.iloveindia.com/holidays/parents-day-gifts.html.   My first choice to find the perfect card has always been www.hallmark.com.  When all else fails, go to www.ftd.com or call 1-800-FLOWERS and send flowers. Go to dinner and start a special family tradition. Whatever you decide, make it an event and have a Happy Parents’ Day!

As mentioned in my earlier post, Parents’ Day was celebrated in my church last Sunday.

The Sunday School teachers did a good job in delivering two presentations; one of themselves doing a skit and another of the children singing a song.

Active young adult church member James Chai also did a good job in putting a video clip of old photos and loving messages from overseas students to parents via web cam. It was heart-warming seeing these students honouring their parents on the big screen in the church sanctuary!

Pastor Rev. Law Hui Seng in his quiet time during prayer.

Hearing-impaired couple knew what was going on through sign language by another fellow church member.

Skit by the Sunday School teachers.

The children doing their part by singing a song for parents.

One of the parents receiving an appreciation hamper.

Today is 어버이 날, or Parents’ day, in Korea.  Naturally, I celebrate it (sort of) by buying my mom flowers and my dad chocolates (although I end up eating them after I present to him).  It’s a pretty low-key anniversary/holiday, but I thought it’d be nice to throw it out there.  To all parents in the world who have had the tough job of raising angsty teens into presentable human beings, this one’s for you guys!

Today, May 8, marks Parents’ Day in Korea. On this day, it’s tradition for Korean kids to celebrate by giving flowers or other small gifts to their moms and dads. While the United States has its own fairly unheard of version of Parents’ Day, Korea’s holiday is more similar to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day combined into one.

Last night, while walking around Pyeongchon with Anna after a enjoying a burrito at Cowboy Taco, I saw loads of school children buying bouquets in preparation for the coming holiday. And later, when running through the subway station to catch the bus to Yeongtong, I noticed that Suwon’s own streets and marketplaces were overflowing with baskets of pink and red carnations.

Today at school I decided to ask some of my students about Parents’ Day to gather their opinions on the holiday. Not surprisingly, they weren’t too amused by my questions, telling me that they find the holiday to be downright boring. The only real opinion they offered was a typically teenaged response.

If we didn’t have to go to school on Parents’ Day, we’d like it a whole lot more.

I guess some things never change, regardless of the culture, the language, the locale. Kids will be kids, and kids would rather have mindless fun than study at school for eight hours.

Couple of days ago, it was the “Chocolate Day”, yesterday it was “Rose Day” and Today it’s the “Kiss Day”. 2 days from now it’s “Valentine’s Day”. The day later it’s my friend’s “Wedding Day”, A week after that is my “Birthday”. Well, quite frankly there seems to be no end to this “Days” hysteria.

I thought, except Birthdays,  wedding anniversaries, and Independece/Republic Days, everything else seems frivolous. But certainly not many think so. At one point of time, I had this notion that all these “days” were the creation of Greeting Card companies, like Hallmark, Archies to boost their sales! Correct me if I am wrong, but the notion hasn’t completely changed. Why do we need a special day to celebrate/talk/remember something? Do these elements cease to exist on other days or do they become less important on other days?

I love my parents, my brother, my family. But why a special day to celebrate Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Woman’s Day?? And added to that, is a burden of having to remember all those dates in the calendar year and wish the person concerned! Phew…too much! You need like a supercomputer to remember and wish millions of people all over. I am pretty sure, there are 365 days like that and at one point of time, two things will have to overlap! So, which one becomes more important on that day??!

Oh…between, I don’t despise the idea of having all these days! I do believe that people are free to choose whatever they do on any given day. But make sure, you know the etymology behind these days and why they are celebrated in first place! It will add more meaning to that special day, that perhaps we are celebrating the freedom of Human Spirit. Having said that, maybe we should also realise that whether we believe it or not, everyday thousands of people suffer and celebrate on the same day. So, if today’s the “Kiss Day”, does it give license to everyone to Kiss each other?!? Hehehe…Well, Good Luck Then. You will either end up having the French Connection or an inverted number on your reddish cheeks!..:)

Valentine Day History

Valentine’s Day is a festival to express your love and romance. It falls on February 14 every year and is widely celebrated by the people of all ages. One of the best fact associated with this festival is that it celebrates love in all its forms and is not just restricted only to romantic love. Hence, people celebrate this day by presenting Valentine’s Day gifts to their parents, teachers, siblings, friends, sweethearts or anyone special or close to them. Exchanging cards, flowers and chocolates is the most common way to express love.
Various Popular Versions of History of Valentine’s Day
There are various stories known behind celebrating Valentine’s Day. There has been diverse opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some of the most well known are mentioned below.
Feast of Lupercal
This festival of love traces its origin ancient Roman Festival when the ‘Feast of Lupercal’ was celebrated in the honor of the Roman God of Fertility. The day is closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines.” According to a time worn custom, on the eve of Lupercalia (14th of Feb) a ritual of ‘name drawing’ was followed, during which a young man drew the name of a girl from the lot, who was to be his sweetheart for the whole year. Quite often, the couple would fall in love with each other and later marry. The custom lasted for a long time until people felt that the custom was un-Christian and that mates should be chosen by sight, not luck.
Bravery of St. Valentine
Valentine’s Day was actually due to the efforts and daring of a priest St Valentine that the festival got its name and clearer meaning. During the reign of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in several bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements because he thought that people did not wish to leave their families. Hence, they did not join army. A romantic priest St. Valentine defied his order, who was then killed on 14th Feb, about 270AD. After his death Valentine was named a Saint. Hence, St Valentine became the patron saint of lovers
Another Version Associated with St. Valentine
As per another story, Valentine attempted to help Christians escape from the Roman prison as they were being tortured and beaten there. According to another version, Valentine fell in love with jailer’s daughter who visited him during confinement. Before his death Valentine wrote a farewell letter to his sweetheart from the jail and signed ‘From your Valentine’. The expression became quite popular amongst love struck and is still very much in vogue.
Season of Birds Mating
Previously, people held a belief that birds started to look for their mate from February 14. This notion helped to link Valentine’s day with love and romance. People began to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a day of romance by exchanging love notes and simple gifts such as flower.
Popularity of Valentines Day
Initially, the trend was to send handmade cards to the loved ones. But this was changed in the starting of 19th century and mass-produced cards caught the fancy of the people. Since then, Valentine’s day emerges as a festival that celebrates love and not just romantic love. Gradually, Valentine’s Day cards are gifted to teachers, parents, friends, siblings and sweethearts. The day has earned popularity in countries across the seven continents and is still growing every year.
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Valentine’s Day Massacre is considered to be one of the most widely publicized incident of gang war in the history. The infamous incident was a result of the rivalry between two notorious criminal gangs of Chicago. One gang was the South Side Italian gang, whose leader was Al ‘Scarface’ Capone and the other gang was the North Side Irish gang led by George ‘Bugs’ Moran. It is said that on February 14, 1929, a well planned massacre was executed inside a warehouse located at 2122 N. Clark Street, where seven of Moran’s men lost their lives. It is very starnge though the massacre was much talked about in public but nobody was ever booked for the incident.
The Plan
Al Capone devised the ghastly plan for the Valentine’s Day massacre. The motive was to eliminate arch rival Moran. The idea was to influence Moran and his gang to visit a warehouse on North Clark Street on the pretext of buying some whiskey at cheap price. At that time a team of six men in the disguise of police officers would conduct a routine raid and enter the warehouse. During this time Capone were to be away from the scene.
The Massacre on 14th February morning
As per plan, Capone’s men entered the warehouse. Two of them dressed as police officers while the remaining four in plain clothes. The two policemen asked Moran’s gang members to line up facing the wall. Moran’s gang consiting of seven members followed the instructions thinking that they were just harmless policemen who have come to raid the place. Immediately Capone’s men shot and killed the men with Thompson submachine guns and the seven men died on the spot.

In order to leave the place without raising suspicion, the men in plain clothes marched out of the wrehouse with their hands raised. Those in police uniform walked behind them. This gave the appearance that the police caught the bootleggers.

However the massacre missed the prime target Moran. When Moran was about to reach, he saw the policemen pulling up near the garage and so he retraced back.

Hello Frndz Be Happy On 14th Febuary,2009.

JIGNESH G KOSHTI.

From http://www.nea.org/ – NEA’s 87th annual American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.

Our annual tagline, Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility, reflects the Association’s calling upon America to provide students with quality public schools so that they can grow, prosper, and achieve in the 21st century. This year, AEW will be celebrated November 16-22:

• Monday, November 17: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local community events such as AEW house parties, millions of Americans will celebrate public education nationwide.

• Tuesday, November 18: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a hands-on experience of what the day is like for their child.

• Wednesday, November 19: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.

• Thursday, November 20: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to serve as educators to get a glimpse at a day in the life of a school employee.

• Friday, November 21: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.

Free Tip Sheets and Materials!

NEA is proud to team up with Sylvan Learning to promote American Education Week by offering tips for lifelong learning success to parents, teachers and students. Check out our joint materials and tip sheets!

Use Our Toolkit to Plan Your AEW Event

Use our online tools to plan your celebration. Complete with our 2008 poster , downloadable templates, checklists, and activity ideas, the AEW toolkit has all you need to make event planning easy.

C.L.E.A.N. Award:  Nominate Your School Custodian!

NEA Health Information Network (HIN), in partnership with the Soap and Detergent Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is launching the first annual CLEAN Award (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy Nationwide) to recognize the outstanding contributions custodians make to public health.

Educators First: Members of Congress Remember Their Days in the Classroom

More than 75 legislators were educators before their election to Congress. Do you know who they are?

The materials presented here reflect NEA’s mission as an advocate for the nation’s public schools, school employees, and the communities they serve.

Other organizations are free to use this material or create their own. If you use this material, please credit NEA as the creator of content (art, theme, articles, resources).

Today was my daughters’ 学校公開 (Open School) at their Junior High School.

Today is Saturday, and there’s usually no school on Saturdays…but the school’s open on Saturdays when parents are expected to come (運動会 (Sports Day), concerts, Open School, etc), and then the school is closed the following regular school day (usually the following Monday).

But this Monday is a holiday (敬老の日 (“Respect For The Aged Day” (click here to read my FAQ about it))…so my daughters’ school will be closed on Tuesday, so they can have a three-day weekend like everyone else in Japan (Sunday-Tuesday instead of Saturday-Monday).

I watched my daughters’ English and Art classes. They did very well.

One the way home, my wife and I saw a stray cat with an unusual coat…all brown except for the black fur on his head.

He was a bit mangy…but we still liked him.

Anyways, there are a number of 秋祭 (Autumn Festivals) around Tokyo this weekend, but I probably won’t be going to any of them…we’re pretty busy this weekend. Anyhow, I’ve seen them all at least once each before.

And now, my favorite part of the Parents’ Day Meal:  Cream Cakes with Macerated Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream!!!  This was inspired by this Sunset recipe.  To make it look more festive, I actually cooked the batter in muffin tins (it made 11 mini-cakes).  Had there been mint at the store, I probably would have added that to the strawberries as they were juicing in the fridge, but alas, that did not happen.  We also added homemade whipped cream, which Caleb made by whipping one cup of cream in the Kitchen Aid mixer and adding a little white sugar just as the peaks began to set up.  Slicing the mini-cakes in half gave the appearance of a traditional Strawberry Shortcake, but the cream cake recipe made it much richer (and much worse for you!)  I definitely recommend this one.

This Parents’ Day, let your folks know how much you love them with one of these great gift ideas.

FLOWERS AND CARDS: Always a classic and great way to show someone you love them. Buy them a bunch of gorgeous flowers and a nice card. You can also throw in a box of their favourite chocolates. Where: Khoja Florist, near St. Andrew’s Chruch Contact: 26441919; Cards: Archies Gallery, Hill Road, 26426962

DINING OUT: Dinner out is a great way to spend some quality time with your parents – not to mention give them a break from cooking. Spice Tree will be giving all families a 10% discount on the al a carte menu on Parents’ Day. Where: Opposite St Andrew’s Church, Contact: 26405053, 26405161

GO SHOPPING: You’re in luck, as several Bandra stores, including Notting Hill and Sagar, have some great offers right now. Make use of these awesome discounts. Gents: Notting Hill, Linking Rd, Offer: Flat 50% off on all suits, buy 2 shirts get one free, etc, Contact: 26488053, Ladies: Sagar, Linking road, Offer: 20%-50% off, Contact: 26485570

RELAX: Treat your parents to a relaxing day at the spa. Mudd – The Day Spa offers customizable spa gift hampers. You can also get your parents a day at the spa. Where: Sea bird, Bandstand, Contact: 26428756, 26453309

- Rommel Albuquerque

For the main course, we served Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Nectarine Salsa and Cilantro-Coconut Rice.  My husband was nice enough to take care of cooking these (I prepped them) so I could talk with the family.  The rub for the pork tenderloin was inspired by this recipe.  Mix the following spices, rub into a 1.5 lb pork loin, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Then, cook in oven to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

The Fresh Nectarine Salsa was a food processing till chunky of the following ingredients:

• 4 peeled, pitted nectarines
• 1 de-seeded jalapeno
• 3 T cilantro
• 1/4 c red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 T rice vinegar (more to taste)
• 1 t lemon juice
• salt to taste

The Cilantro Coconut Rice was based on this recipe.  It was supposed to have mint in it, but I think all of the mint was gone from the grocery stores for 4th of July mojitos (that’s the only explanation I could come up with for no mint at all in Athens).  Also, we followed the reviewer recommendations to add more coconut milk and broth than the recipe called for, but we added too much because the rice was really creamy.  I guess I would recommend following the recipe and then gradually adding extra coconut milk till you reach the desired consistency.

Next up is the Parents’ Day dessert course: Cream Cakes with Macerated Strawberried and Fresh Whipped Cream.