VIRGIN MARY CRYING?!?

I copied this article from a "picture of the week" e-mail that I get. I'm interested to hear what all of you have to say about this. I find it very intriguing, but I am also very skeptical......strange.....

Believers Flock to 'Crying' Virgin Mary
By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer Sat Nov 26,11:26 PM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Carrying rosary beads and cameras, the faithful have been coming in a steady stream to a church on the outskirts of Sacramento for a glimpse of what some are calling a miracle: A statue of the Virgin Mary they say has begun crying a substance that looks like blood.

It was first noticed more than a week ago, when a priest at the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church spotted a stain on the statue's face and wiped it away. Before Mass on Nov. 20, people again noticed a reddish substance near the eyes of the white concrete statue outside the small church, said Ky Truong, 56, a parishioner.
Since then, Truong said he has been at the church day and night, so emotional he can't even work. He believes the tears are a sign.
"There's a big event in the future — earthquake, flood, a disease," Truong said. "We're very sad."

On Saturday, tables in front of the fenced-in statue were jammed with potted plants, bouquets of roses and candles. Some people prayed silently, while others sang hymns and hugged their children. An elderly woman in a wheelchair wept near the front of the crowd.
A red trail could be seen from the side of the statue's left eye to about halfway down the robe of concrete.

"I think that it's incredible. It's a miracle. Why is she doing it? Is it something bothering her?" asked Maria Vasquez, 35, who drove with her parents and three children from Stockton, about 50 miles south of Sacramento.

Thousands of such incidents are reported around the world each year, though many turn out to be hoaxes or natural phenomena.

The Diocese of Sacramento has so far not commented on the statue, and the two priests affiliated with the church did not return a telephone message Saturday.
The Rev. James Murphy, deacon of the diocese's mother church, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, said church leaders are always skeptical at first.

"For people individually seeing things through the eyes of faith, something like this can be meaningful. As for whether it is supernatural or a miracle, normally these incidences are not. Miracles are possible, of course," Murphy said. "The bishop is just waiting and seeing what happens. They will be moving very slowly."

But seeing the statue in person left no doubt for Martin Operario, 60, who drove about 100 miles from Hayward. He took photos to show to family and friends.
"I don't know how to express what I'm feeling," Operario said. "Since religion is the mother of believing, then I believe."

Nuns Anna Bui and Rosa Hoang, members of the Salesian Sisters of San Francisco, also made the trek Saturday. Whether the weeping statue is declared a miracle or not, they said, it is already doing good by awakening people to the faith and reminding them to pray.
"It's a call for us to change ourselves, to love one another," Hoang said.

Jerry Garcia Biopic

Ok, Oliver Stone pulled it off when he produced "The Doors" and cast Val Kilmer to play Jim Morrison, but I highly doubt that a 19 year old and his buddy can do Jerry Garcia justice when casting for his film.

There has been recent talk of making a biopic dedicated to the life of Jerry Garcia. Sounds like a good idea.....but, it is a very fragile subject in some people's eyes. Justin Berfield, 19, AKA Malcom's big brother from "Malcom in the Middle," will be prducing the movie. I also heard through one source that he would be playing Jerry's character in his younger years.

I have a very hard time believing that this is the right person for the job. First of all, I think that in order to really capture the true feeling of the time periods covered, there should be someone there that lived it. The true heart of the hippie lifestyle is hard to replicate accurately.

Justin and his partner have aquired the rights to two different books, one called "Captain Trips" and the other, "One More Saturday Night." The author of these books, Sandy Troy, had promised Jerry's family that he would wait until the 10th anniversary of Jerry's death to sell the rights to make a movie. Considering that it has only been three months since the anniversary, I don't think there was much time or thought into who would be in charge of this project. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm safe to say that there were not years of planning, considering that Justin was only 9 years old when Jerry passed away.

This is a very touchy subject for me as well as many other deadheads and music lovers out there. Jerry was a genius, and had such a significant impact on this world, that I believe his life story should be handled with the utmost care. It will be a terrible shame if his life is portrayed from only the perspective of what a 19 year old can learn from a book. I realize there will be more to it than that, but without having lived some of the scene and witnessed it firsthand, I don't think they have the right person for the job. I am disappointed in Carolyn Garcia, as many fans are, for her continuous decisions that seem to be based on monetary factors, and not the deep meaning that this, and so many other things could have if handled correctly.

It will be hard to watch anyone on screen playing the role of the icon that we all know as Jerry Garcia. I hope that I will not be as disappointed as I think I will.

Maybe someone should call Oliver Stone....he always seems to do things right, or at least so they will have a huge impact on the viewers.

I have come to despise the radio more and more here lately. It helps remind me why I have spent so much of my hard earned money on my music collection.

Not only does the music generally suck, but the radio stations tend to flood themselves with completely annoying commercials such as the "MORE OVALTINE PLEASE" crap!!!

I will give 98.5 credit for airing the "Friday Night Floyd Fix" every Friday. They play a lot of b-sides and live shows. Once in ahwile, they'll pull out some pretty cool collaborations with Floyd and someone real off the wall. That is the only time I make the effort to listen anymore..............

I hate OVALTINE!!!!

Well, I've managed to snag a few pictures from one of the Halloween parties that Ryan and I went to. These were all taken at my friend Craig's house. He's the one with the cigar...my kinda man :-) Anyway, I'll hopefully be able to get a few more pictures from the other places we stopped.
GOOD TIMES!!!!!!!

useless knowledge from an astrologer

go to www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

some pretty cool info on this site about the year you were born. YOu can see what the moon looked like the day of your birth....believe it or not, it wasn't a full moon on my birthday!!!

I love my job most days, but sometimes I lose sleep over it.

I can't give too many details due to the fact that I work in a medical facility, and that would be a violation of patient confidentiality. However, working in this area is sometimes difficult due to the type of trauma we deal with, or even witnessing the ER doctor telling someone that their family member has passed away.

Sometimes, our ER staff, or even myself, may be the last person that these people ever see or talk to. This is the type of thing that makes it hard to sleep at night. More than once, I know for a fact that I have been the last person to either witness the last conversation, or have the last conversation of someone's life. Knowing how I felt when I lost my dad, I know those are some of life's most precious moments. Also, you are left with no doubt about how everything actually happened. If I had not been at my dad's side, I would wonder forever. I have found peace in knowing how everything happened.

I feel almost guilty to have been at a certain place at a certain time, when I feel like it wasn't my place to be there. These people and their families are left with unanswered questions, and endless possibilites running through their minds. I just hope that I can provide some comfort and support to patients and families in need.

The last words of a few people, whom I never knew personally, will echo in my mind forever.