In Christmas Messages, Holy Land's Catholic Leaders Call For Peace On Earth

In Christmas messages, Holy Land's Catholic leaders call for peace on earth

Jerusalem, Israel, Dec 22, 2010 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In their annual Christmas messages, two Catholic leaders in the cradle of Christianity urged prayer and action to bring about lasting peace in the troubled region of the Holy Land.

Catholic Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem of the Latins and Custodian of the Holy Land Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa released their Christmas messages in recent days.

Both messages made an appeal for increased efforts towards peace in the land where Jesus was born.

In his Dec. 21 message, Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem of the Latins offered a look at positive events and "the sufferings and the concerns" for the region in 2010.

He especially praised the forum offered by the Vatican's Synod for the Middle East last October. The two-week meeting, he said, gave Church leaders the ability to "put our fingers on our wounds and our fears, and at the same time express our expectations and our hopes."

One of the major concerns to emerge during the Synod was the protection of religious freedom in the Middle East and the importance of pursuing open dialogue and not resorting to violence. The message of the Synod served to call Christians to be active in public life and to build up their communities, said Patriarch Twal.

This call is especially powerful in Jerusalem, where many Christians are emigrating because of the violence between Palestine and Israel, he added.

He highlighted the Synod's emphasis on improving relations with other Christian denominations and religions in the Middle East and hoped that all segments of society would take part in efforts to improve relations.

Despite the failure of the most recent talks between Israel and Palestine, the patriarch remained hopeful about negotiations for peace and religious freedom in the Holy Land.

"We believe that nothing is impossible with God," Patriarch Twal said. The Church seeks "to carry out the wishes sang by the angels on Christmas night : 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests'."

He appealed for peace everywhere in the Middle East. "Peace is a gift of God," he said, repeating the words of Pope Benedict. "It is also the result of efforts by men of good will, of national and international institutions, all working together to put an end to all violence!"

In his Christmas message, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Franciscan custodian (guardian) of the Holy Land, turned to the words of St. Francis of Assisi.

He reminded people that the 13th-century saint and founder of the Franciscan order would greet others with the words "peace and good."

This greeting, he said, promotes the "eternal novelty of Christmas," bringing attention back to the truth of the message of Christ's birth.

The meaning of Christmas is not limited to the actual event of Jesus' birth 2,000 years ago, he said, but it is a yearly reminder that Jesus "waits for us to make room for him, waits to be born in our hearts," Fr. Pizzaballa said.

Fr. Pizzaballa called everyone to consider the Holy Land the "cradle" of God's design of love for all people and to feel a responsibility for it.

He hoped that, "welcomed by God's waiting" and transformed in him "we will then be able to listen – amid the noise of our confused reality – to the announcement of the Angels: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

"Christmas is an effort of conversion; it is accepting, answering God’s waiting." The Gospel calls humanity to hope until Christ's return, united in carrying his message forward, he said.

"Here is the need to look at creation, to look at the world, to look at the Middle East, and this Holy Land of 'ours' — the Land of God and the Land of Men — 'from above', through the eyes of God."


Source: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-christmas-messages-holy-land-catholic-leaders-call-for-peace-on-earth/

Texaco Supported Hollywood In The Early 1950's

Texaco supported Hollywood in the early 1950's: Opened Milton Berle Show (Video)

Tonight on the Million Dollar Money Drop the country was asked to decipher which of three companies were founded in Texas. Technically, one couple was asked Steve and Jennifer who have been married for 11 years took on the challenge of the game show to see if they could take home the loot. Like true American's we jumped on the bandwagon and took on the challenge as well.

The question that has America talking tonight after the show has to be number five. A pop culture question on famous brands it had people thinking, almost too hard. The question asked was 'Which one of these brands was founded in the State of Texas.' It sounds easy but the possible answers of companies were Old El Paso, Alamo Rent A Car and Texaco. The correct answer Texaco who was founded in 1901. Where was texaco founded? Originally called the Texas Fuel Company it was founded in Beaumont, Texas.

The company had some interesting ties to Hollywood and during the early 1950's the men of Texaco would start the Milton Berle Show with a fancy jingle for the audience. Dressed in service station outfits, they let the American public know exactly what they would do if you purchased gas at their service station. For some years the Texaco brand was seen in every state of the union and they were proud of their service and gas.

Tonight America may be buzzing about one of the most authentic oil companies known in America, but who knew just how closely connected it is to Hollywood and the land of television.

Take a minute to check out the four service men who performed for the Milton Berle Show in the video box. This jingle was so catchy that you might find yourself picking up the words super fast!


Source: http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/texaco-supported-hollywood-the-early-1950-s-opened-milton-berle-show-video

United States Census 2010

U.S. Census Bureau Announces 2010 Census Population Counts -- Apportionment Counts Delivered to President
CB10-CN.93Contact:Public Information Office301-763-3691Press Kit
Release Information
CB10-CN.93Contact:Public Information Office301-763-3691Press Kit
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the 2010 Census showed the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2010, was 308,745,538.
The resident population represented an increase of 9.7 percent over the 2000 U.S. resident population of 281,421,906. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Acting Commerce Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank and Census Bureau Director Robert Groves unveiled the official counts at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
"A big thanks to the American public for its overwhelming response to the 2010 Census," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. "The result was a successful count that came in on time and well under budget, with a final 2010 Census savings of $1.87 billion."
Rebecca Blank, now Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce who has overseen the 2010 Census as Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, echoed Locke. "The 2010 Census was a massive undertaking, and in reporting these first results, we renew our commitment to our great American democracy peacefully, fairly and openly for the 23rd time in our nation's history."
The U.S. resident population represents the total number of people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The most populous state was California (37,253,956); the least populous, Wyoming (563,626). The state that gained the most numerically since the 2000 Census was Texas (up 4,293,741 to 25,145,561) and the state that gained the most as a percentage of its 2000 Census count was Nevada (up 35.1% to 2,700,551).
Regionally, the South and the West picked up the bulk of the population increase, 14,318,924 and 8,747,621, respectively. But the Northeast and the Midwest also grew: 1,722,862 and 2,534,225.
Additionally, Puerto Rico's resident population was 3,725,789, a 2.2 percent decrease over the number counted a decade earlier.
Just before today's announcement, Locke delivered the apportionment counts to President Obama, 10 days before the statutory deadline of Dec. 31. The apportionment totals were calculated by a congressionally defined formula, in accordance with Title 2 of the U.S. Code, to divide among the states the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The apportionment population consists of the resident population of the 50 states, plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them who could be allocated to a state. Each member of the House represents, on average, about 710,767 people. The populations of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population, as they do not have voting seats in Congress.
"The decennial count has been the basis for our representative form of government since 1790," Groves said. "At that time, each member of the House represented about 34,000 residents. Since then, the House has more than quadrupled in size, with each member now representing about 21 times as many constituents."
President Obama will transmit the apportionment counts to the 112th Congress during the first week of its first regular session in January. The reapportioned Congress will be the 113th, which convenes in January 2013.
Beginning in February and wrapping up by March 31, 2011, the Census Bureau will release demographic data to the states on a rolling basis so state governments can start the redistricting process.
Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution calls for a census of the nation's population every 10 years to apportion the House seats among the states. The 2010 Census is the 23rd census in our nation's history. For more information about the U.S. Census Bureau, please visit <http://www.census.gov/> and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube (/uscensusbureau). RESOURCES: Press Kit - http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/apportionment/apport.html




Source:http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb10-cn93.html