The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods

Okay, I have to admit that, at one time or another, over the years, I've managed to consume all but one of the things on this list, the exception being avocado-free guacamole. (That reminds of the once-popular I Can't Believe It's Not Butter "breakfast spread product.") Luckily, it's been ages since any of these items passed my lips. In this, I'm probably like most contemporary Americans, because most of us have eating this stuff for years, at least until we read the labels and figure out what kind of weird stuff is in them and then stop eating them.

I shudder to image what foods we routinely eat today will end up on some "scariest foods" list 10 years down the road.

Once upon a time, some brave scientists had a noble dream of ridding our food of the plague of nutrients.

Today, at the start of the 21st century, the miracle of food processing has brought that dream closer to reality than ever before. From vitamin-free "blueberry bits" to spray-can cheese to avocado-free guacamole, food scientists have worked tirelessly to bring us new and exciting foods that contain as little nutrition as possible. Even apparently "healthy" foods such as soups have been ingeniously overloaded with so much salt you feel as if you’re eating French fries.

In this article, we’ll provide a handy guide to six uniquely unnatural processed foods that will hopefully serve as a blueprint for humanity’s eventual triumph over the tyrannical fist of Mother Nature. . . . (continue reading)

Benedict XVI cautions against dangers of Marxist liberation theology

In a meeting with a group of Brazilian bishops on Saturday, the Holy Father warned of the dangers of Marxist liberation theology and noted its grave consequences for ecclesial communities.

During the ad limina visit, the Pope recalled that “last August marked 25 years since the Instruction “Libertatis nuntius” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on certain aspects of liberation theology. The document "highlights the danger involved in the uncritical absorption, by certain theologians, of theses and methodologies that come from Marxism."

The Pope warned that the “more or less visible” scars of Marxist liberation theology, such as “rebellion, division, dissent, offenses, anarchy, are still being felt, causing great suffering and a grave loss of dynamic strength in your diocesan communities.”

For this reason, he exhorted all those who in some way feel attracted or affected by “certain deceitful principles of liberation theology” to re-visit the instruction and be open to the light that it can shed on the subject. (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17965)

Spain's King Juan Carlos Faces Excommunication if He Assents to Abortion Bill

The Spanish press is highlighting the dilemma faced by Juan Carlos, king of Spain, a Catholic, who may be called upon to sign into law a bill that, if passed, would further liberalize abortion.

On November 25th, Spain's Catholic bishops warned that those politicians who vote in favor of the law will have excommunicated themselves, having put themselves in an "objective state of sin." The bishops wrote that "while the situation lasts," politicians who vote in favor of the law "may not be admitted to Holy Communion."

However, the Spanish Constitution of 1978 stipulates that new laws must be promulgated by the king, who is head of state, but who now faces possible excommunication if he gives royal assent to the bill.

Prominent Spanish Catholics are calling on the king to refuse to sign the law. In an article appearing on the website Religion en Libertad, titled, "The King should not sign the abortion law," the head of the lobby group HazteOir, Nacho Arsuaga, said the country could be heading for a constitutional crisis over the bill.

"The king of a democratic state under the law cannot sign a law approving the right of a few to kill other human beings. With this law, the government is de facto destroying the validity of the Spanish constitution, which stipulates in its Article 15 the right to life." Arsuaga called on the king either to refuse to sign or to abdicate.

Javier Maria Perez-Roldan, president of the Thomas More Law Center, said that the law would "contradict the principle of monarchy," which "loses all authority if it is exercised against the common good."

Arsuaga's article quotes politicians and the heads of a number of Catholic organizations who have called on the king to abdicate in imitation of King Baudouin of Belgium, who in 1990 temporarily renounced his throne rather than sign his country's law liberalizing abortion. They also cited the more recent case of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who refused last year to sign the duchy's law legalizing euthanasia and who may be stripped of his constitutional powers as a result.

Milian Manuel Mestre, a businessman and politician and Member of the Congress of Deputies, called it "incomprehensible from the ethical point of view," that the government could pass a law that establishes abortion as a right.

"As a believer and a citizen of this country it does not seem appropriate for the King to sign into law the Act ... Neither the king nor the government nor the Spanish Courts may violate principles of fundamental ethics," Mestre said. (continue adding)

CBS Earns Yet Another Millstone Fitting for Its Neck

Quite by accident, I happened to see this the other day as I was changing channels, and I simply couldn't believe my eyes. It's repugnant and infuriating what these people at CBS are doing, in the name of "humor," to destroy whatever vestiges of innocence might remain among American children and youth today (cf. Matthew 18:6).

A video advertisement on CBS's Web site that "mashes" material from the iconic "Frosty the Snowman" Christmastime cartoon with two of the network's comedy series is offensive and should be pulled, media analysts told FoxNews.com.

The video ad, "Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman," takes authentic dialogue from CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" and dubs it on top of the cartoon classic, changing well-known "Frosty" scenes to contain suggestions that the snowman and his friends visit a "strip club."

The mash-up also discusses Frosty's "porn collection" and contains repeated mentions of prior sexual conquests. The ad is intended to promote the network's upcoming broadcasts of "Frosty the Snowman" and "Frosty Returns."

Colleen Raezler, a research assistant for the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the Media Research Center, said the spot is "highly inappropriate," and improperly uses a Christmas special to promote an adult-oriented comedy. "The ad introduces children to the idea of strippers and pornography," Raezler told FoxNews.com. "The people in charge obviously thought this was funny, but the question they should ask themselves is if this is appropriate, not if it's funny." (continue reading)

Heading Home for the Holidays? Here's a "Family Get Together Survival Kit"

Here come those Christmas dinners with family and friends. And here come the seemingly inevitable jibes, digs, and even overt challenges aimed at your Catholic beliefs, sometimes from those you love most, perhaps including children returning from college who think they’ve “outgrown” the Faith. You can get prepared for these conversations with this "Crash Course" in how to explain, share, and defend your Faith.

Get a copy of my book Search and Rescue and a copy of Envoy Magazine FREE (plus the cost of S&H).

How in the world did I get into this situation?

Ever find yourself in the middle of something you never expected to happen?