Pope arrives in Mexico, denouncing violence

SILAO, Mexico (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to the New World on Friday calling on Mexicans to conquer an "idolatry of money" that feeds drug violence and urging Cuba to leave behind a Marxism that "no longer responds to reality."

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala greeted the pope at the Guanajuato International Airport in Silao and escorted him along a red carpet amid a clanging of church bells and cheers from a crowd waving Vatican flags.

"Benedict, brother, you are now Mexican," people shouted in a warm welcome, complete with folkloric dance and mariachis, to a pope some consider distant and academic compared to his predecessor John Paul II, who was dubbed "Mexico's pope" after making five trips to the country.

Benedict descended the stairs without the cane he had used when he walked to the plane in Rome, the first time he had walked with it in public.

"This is a proud country of hospitality and nobody feels like a stranger in your land. I knew that, now I see it and now I feel it in my heart," the pope said to wild cheers.

In a tarmac speech, Benedict referred again to the everyday violence that ordinary Mexicans confront, saying he was praying for all in need "particularly those who suffer because of old and new rivalries, resentments and all forms of violence."

He said he was coming to Mexico as a pilgrim of hope, to encourage Mexicans to "transform the present structures and events which are less than satisfactory and seem immovable or insurmountable while also helping those who do not see meaning or a future in life."

After his Alitalia flight landed, the streets of nearby Leon, where the pope will stay, took on a carnival atmosphere, with thousands lining the 20-mile (32-kilomter) route that Benedict traveled from the airport in the Popemobile. Some blocks exploded in yellow confetti as he passed.

"Mexico is standing because we're a country that perseveres with hope and solidarity, we're a people with values and principals that believe in family, liberty, justice and democracy," Calderon said in a speech on the tarmac to cheers of "Viva!" from the crowd. "Your visit fills us with joy in moments of great tribulation."

Many see his Latin America trip as a way to strengthen the faithful in a region where Catholicism has dropped over the decades, though not as dramatically as in Europe and elsewhere.

"One sees in Latin America and also elsewhere, not a few Catholics who have a schizophrenia between individual and public morality," the pope said earlier on the plane. "These individuals are Catholic, believers, but in their public lives they follow other paths that don't correspond to the great values of the Gospel that are necessary to the foundation of a just society."

Mentions of Pope John Paul II by the president and Benedict brought more cheers.

Benedict acknowledged the historic nature of John Paul's first trip to Mexico ? the first by any pope. The 1979 visit, just months after being elected pope and his first foreign trip, came at a time in which Mexico's anti-religion laws were so restrictive that John Paul was technically breaking the law by wearing clerical garb in public.

John Paul also made a historic visit to Cuba in 1998, where upon his arrival in Havana he pronounced the now-famous words: "May Cuba, with all its magnificent potential, open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba."

Benedict told reporters those words remain true even today, and that John Paul's visit had launched a path of "collaboration and constructive dialogue" that continues, albeit slowly.

On Monday, Benedict will head for Cuba. He said it is "evident that Marxist ideology as it was conceived no longer responds to reality," and he urged Cubans to "find new models, with patience, and in a constructive way."

The comment about Marxism, in response to questions from a journalist, was as blunt as anything from his predecessor, John Paul II, though the earlier pope is widely credited with helping bring down socialism in eastern Europe.

Benedict cautioned that "this process requires patience and also decisiveness."

In Mexico, Benedict said, violence is destroying the nation's young.

The "great responsibility of the church is to educate the conscience, teach moral responsibility and strip off the mask (from) the idolatry of money that enslaves mankind, and unmask the false promise, this lie that is behind" the drug culture, he said.

It is a message that Enrique Abundes, one of thousands lining the papal route, was waiting to hear. The 46-year-old shoe-factory worker and father of five said he believed Benedict would inspire Mexicans to keep their children away from the temptations of organized crime.

"The pope's visit to our city will call attention to the violence and, for us, to be good examples to our children," he said.

The weeklong trip to Mexico and Cuba, Benedict's first to both countries, will be a test of stamina for the pope, who turns 85 next month. At the airport on Friday in Rome, the pope used a cane, apparently for the first time in public, as he walked about 100 yards (meters) to the airliner's steps.

Papal aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Benedict has been using the cane in private for about two months because it makes him feel more secure, not for any medical reason. Last fall, Benedict started using a wheeled platform to navigate the vast spaces of St. Peter's Basilica during ceremonies. The Vatican has said that device was employed to help the pope save his energy.

John Paul II was just 58 when he made the first of five visits to Mexico, where he is literally venerated by many Mexican Catholics.

The pope's plane set down Friday afternoon in Guanajuato, a deeply conservative state in sun-baked central Mexico, and his route into the city of Leon was thronged with thousands of people eager to get a glimpse of the pontiff.

Maria Jesus Caudillo, a stationery story owner in Leon, found a spot early on the Popemobile route with her four nieces and nephews.

"John Paul came to Mexico but never to Leon and never this pope," she said. "It's a miracle that in all the country, he chose to come to Leon."

Volunteers led the crowds in chants of "Benedicto! Benedicto!" as passing drivers pounded their horns in encouragement. Vendors sold Benedict buttons, T-shirts, Vatican flags and key chains with the image of the pope and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

By mid-afternoon, many spectators sought refuge from the hot sun under trees on the roadside, fanning themselves or even falling asleep.

Vendors complained about small crowds and lack of sales.

"We thought there would be more people," said Agustin Rodriguez, a 55-year old fruit seller.

Jorge Alfredo, a 15-year-old delivery boy, rolled his bicycle down the sidewalk past drowsy spectators and said he wouldn't be waiting around to see Benedict. None of his friends would be coming either, he said.

"They prefer the other pope," he said.

Many businesses and schools had closed for the day in Leon, and thousands of people were traveling in on buses from across the country.

Still about 30 percent of the city's 6,000 hotel rooms were still empty, said Fabiola Vera, president of the Association of Hotels and Motels of Leon. She said people may have been discouraged by rumors that there weren't enough rooms.

The main campground in Leon, meant for tens of thousands of pilgrims, remained empty. The only evidence of preparations early Friday were about a dozen portable toilets, a single police patrol and a group of three men and a woman putting up a tent to sell T-shirts and photos of Benedict.

Church officials say as many as 300,000 people are expected for Sunday's Mass and Carlos Aguiar, president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, said he expected the faithful to begin arriving later Friday.

Benedict is visiting a church battling to overcome painful setbacks that include legalized abortion and gay marriage in the capital of the most populous Catholic country in the Spanish-speaking world.

Guanajuato's constitution declares that life begins at conception and bars abortion with extremely limited exceptions. Seven women were jailed there in 2010 for the deaths of their newborns and later released. The women said they had miscarriages, not abortions.

Benedict's church is encouraging more such laws across Mexico, and a measure before Congress would strip away many of the remaining restrictions on religion that were imposed during conflicts more than a century ago.

Church leaders also are trying to overcome a scandal over the most influential Mexican figure in the church.

The Rev. Marcial Maciel founded the Legionaries of Christ order, which John Paul II praised as a model of rectitude. But a series of investigations forced the order to acknowledge in 2010 that Maciel had sexually abused seminarians and fathered three children. Church documents released in a book this week reveal the Vatican had been told of Maciel's drug abuse and pederasty decades ago.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Weissenstein, E. Eduardo Castillo and Dario Lopez-Mills in Leon and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-arrives-mexico-denouncing-violence-221759582.html

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Student Loan Aid Is On the Rise for 2012 | Free - Business in ...

Financial aid for college is getting more difficult to obtain. In addition to the reduction in the amount of available aid, tuition costs are increasing rapidly. Getting student loans without a cosigner can help anyone finance their education today.

All forms of financial aid can be used to pay for any type of school related expenses. This can include books and other supplies as well as room and board for dormitories. There are other educational expenses that also can be paid for using financial aid such as a computer purchase that is required or required folders and specific items for classes.

Before you consider using a loan to pay for school however, you should apply for all of the available grants and scholarships. This is money that will not need to be repaid. Therefore it is more cost effective to use the so called free money to finance your education first before borrowing.

There are many reasons that people need to request this type of loan. Whether they do not have enough financial aid or they have more expenses that need to be paid, this type of financing is available for many. However, issues can arise when attempting to get financing in this way. If you have a criminal history, you might find you are unable to obtain any type of financial aid for certain charges for example.

Many people have discovered that this type of funding is available to them regardless of their credit history. However, it is important that you understand that these will need to be paid back. That is the reason why you should first use options such as scholarships and grants to pay for the things that you need.

If you find you need more financial aid after you have obtained all of the grants and scholarships that are available to you, you can consider taking out a loan. However, remember that when you receive funds in this way, you are required to repay them when you are finished with school. The repayment schedule usually begins six months after you have finished your classes.

It is important to understand also that there is a limit on the amount of funds that can be requested in this manner. In addition to a limit per session, you will find that there is a lifetime maximum that can be borrowed as well. Using the funds cautiously will enable you to have them available throughout your college career.

There are choices for financial aid including getting student loans without a cosigner. Whether you have a good or bad credit score is not a consideration for many of these. However, if you find that you need more funding that what is available through the normal Federally funded options, you will find that those other options will require good credit and sometimes a guarantor on your request. When you are considering returning to college, you will want to first consider the overall cost that you will need to pay.

The writer is a qualified education professional who writes about gettingbad credit student loans.

Source: http://www.businesslistingnow.com/blog/student-loan-aid-is-on-the-rise-for-2012/

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Writing Canvas ? Blog Archive ? My ADD Hobbies & Crafts :)

Which of your hobbies have you been doing
for the longest amount of time?

W

ould you laugh if I told you I have craft ADD?!?!?! I go from one thing to the next. ?I love trying new things. ?But sewing is what I have done the longest. ?I took Home Economics in junior high and made my first jumper (ugly) and tie for my dad (I doubt he ever wore it!). ?I tried sewing after my first child was born but quickly gave up with patterns that were too hard. ?Then we moved into a beautiful country home (in the city) with lots of oak woodwork windows that needed some window coverings we could not afford to buy all at once, so out of necessity, I made them. ?It was just simple hems I made with tension rods to go in. ?But that was the beginning and then I learned to find easy patterns and starting making clothes for me and the kids and even a bathrobe for my husband. ?I rarely make clothes any more now ( love to garage/thrift sale ? another hobby, huh?). ?I love sewing quilts and will make aprons here and there and little blankies. ?I?ve made pillow cases for gifts. ?I started making quilts when I was pregnant with my twins, about 21 years ago, and I still enjoy doing that.

I have also gotten into making cards, stamping, dry embossing, knitting,?scrap-booking, cross-stitch (which I did start in high school but rarely do any more ? have numerous unfinished projects) and making bracelets, which I still do. ?There?s things I?d like to learn how to do like making soap and candles. ?And, you probably could show me a new craft and I?d want to give it a try!

Yes, I have craft ADD! :)

First quilts I made for my twin daughters while they were nesting in my womb


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Source: http://homeschoolblogger.com/writingcanvas/8267/

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Want to work for Engadget? We're hiring a copy editor!

Want to work for Engadget? We're hiring a copy editor!Do you love gadgets? Do you hate typos? Do you have experience working as a copy editor or proofreader? Are you looking for work? Lucky you! We're looking for a dedicated freelancer to join our team and kill those dreadful dangling participles. Here's what we're looking for:
  • A Copy Editor / Proofreader: Part-time (freelance) living in or around New York City or San Francisco with at least two years experience working at an established publication.
Want to apply? Read on!

Continue reading Want to work for Engadget? We're hiring a copy editor!

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/want-to-work-for-engadget-were-hiring-a-copy-editor/

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Pens for Canadian Peacekeepers - Family Woodworking

For the past years since I have been turning pens I have been involved with an endeavour created by a special friend of mine.
http://www.pensforcanadianpeacekeepers.ca/
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The top pic is a group of 11 Jr. Gent Rollerball Pens in a variety of woods.

The 2nd pic contains 32 Flat Top Ballpoint Pens in a variety of woods as well.

Each pen pack contains a replacement ink cartridge along with a letter of appreciation to the Peacekeeper thanking them for their contribution to our country.

This group of pens, 43 in total were turned by yours truly over the past couple of months. They were presented to the co-ordinator of the project along with another 27 turned by the Durham Woodworking Club in Oshawa ON in a small ceremony on Feb. 4, 2012.

They are on their way now to our Canadian Peacekeepers for distribution as the Commander of a unit sees fit!

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?26790-Pens-for-Canadian-Peacekeepers

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