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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Prayer for a Safe Trip & a Beautiful Chapter


A friend of ours is moving to China for 3 years. We pray for this family of 4...

Dear heavenly Father... continue to watch over the this family, protect them as they embark on their journey and settle in their new home. Be with them and keep them safe always. Give them good neighbors & friends that would help them assimilate in their new environment. May they take this opportunity to get closer to one another as a family and may they feel Your presence everyday as they go about their lives in this new and exciting chapter… Amen. 

~~~

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Here's my Bedtime Story... Continued

I made an Earlier Entry about having my sleep interrupted while biting on my painful troubled molar tooth. I've managed to find a creative way of solving this problem until I see the dentist again... thank God.
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Here's what I did... I took an old T-Shirt and rolled it big enough to put into my mouth to bite on the unaffected teeth. I got this idea from all the movies I watched where victims were being gagged with cloth in their mouths.
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And here's my... 
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Dear heavenly Father. Thank-you for the creative idea of biting onto a bundled cloth with my unaffected teeth so that I can sleep uninterrupted without biting on my troubled molar which kept me awake the night before. This should see me through for a few days before I see the dentist again for further assessment. Amen.
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~~~

Friday, July 29, 2011

PiE KiA Chicken Pie & Other Pies

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You must try this.
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Just had a Chicken Pie treat. The brand is PiE KiA.
They have a good looking mascot... see below.
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C = Curry Chicken Pie ~ very nice, my favorite.
X = Mexican Chicken Pie ~ too sweet for me.
M = Mushroom Chicken Pie (I haven't tried this yet)
S = Sardine Pie (I haven't tried this yet)
P = Black Pepper Chicken Pie (I haven't tried this yet)
B = Beef Pie (I haven't tried this yet)
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I tried going to the website at http://www.piekia.sg but it's faulty at the moment.
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Their FaceBook Link ~ The Pie Kia Shop
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They call me Pie Kia because I like to bake pies. 
This has been my passion ever since I was five!
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Hey! There's an outlet in AMK HUB!
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The PiE KiA (AMK Hub)
53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3
#01-39 Ang Mo Kio Hub S569933
Tel: 63032375
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Their Story:
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Pie Kia is uniquely Singaporean, and proud of it. What is most special about his brand is that we're completely unpretentious. More than offering great bite-sized snacks that are freshly baked on site, Pie Kia is a symbol of our local culture.
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Pie Kia also boasts a range of unusual tastes and product names. Look out for delicious pies, pizzas and hotdogs.
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We do event bulk orders as well if theres a minimum purchase of 50 pieces. A 3 days advance is needed for this to happen. Call 65550055 for more information.
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Different flavours of pies are available! Choose from lip smacking flavours like ham and cheese, mushroom chicken, roast chicken, curry chicken, sardine and many more. What's more, they are small and handy (about palm size) and are baked golden brown to perfection and the fillings are generous.
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Why Be Catholic ~ Today's Reading & Reflection

I find today's reflection by Jean Cheng very useful in answering a lot of my personal questions and favorite subjects which are:

• Why some converts choose to become Catholics?
• The "...universal truths and guiding principles of life."
• I am surprised that sometimes we human beings are able "...to die to our own selfishness and choose another person's happiness over our own..."
• The "...recipe to the deep joy, peace, meaning, and purpose that our hearts truly desire."
• The "...secret recipe of life..."
• The danger of falling "...into the trap of being my own god."

I just had to share. The reading was tough for me to read with so much rules. But the reflection made a lot of sense to me.

~~~
Friday in the 17th Week of Ordinary Time
Fri, 2011 Jul 29

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Today's 1st Reading:
Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34-37

The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:

'These are the Lord's solemn festivals, the sacred assemblies to which you are to summon the sons of Israel on the appointed day.

'The fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the Passover of the Lord; and the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of Unleavened Bread for the Lord. For seven days you shall eat bread without leaven. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord. The seventh day is to be a day of sacred assembly; you must do no work.'

The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:

'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them:

'"When you enter the land that I give you, and gather in the harvest there, you must bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest, and he is to present it to the Lord with the gesture of offering, so that you may be acceptable. The priest shall make this offering on the day after the sabbath.

'"From the day after the sabbath, the day on which you bring the sheaf of offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You are to count fifty days, to the day after the seventh sabbath, and then you are to offer the Lord a new oblation.

'"The tenth day of the seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly. You must fast, and you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord.

'"The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for the Lord, lasting seven days. The first day is a day of sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly, you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a day of solemn meeting; you must do no heavy work.

'"These are the solemn festivals of the Lord to which you are to summon the children of Israel, sacred assemblies for the purpose of offering burnt offerings, holocausts, oblations, sacrifices and libations to the Lord, according to the ritual of each day."'

~~~
Today's Reflection by Jean Cheng:

You mustyou are to….

A very good friend of mine, who is not Catholic, recently told me that she has been attending Mass every Sunday. Surprised, I asked her why she decided to. Her response was one filled with much wisdom and humility. Without a regular commitment to a religion, she realized that she had begun to decide for herself what was right and wrong. Over time, however, she began to question whether her standards of what was right and wrong were in fact true. By justifying to herself all her actions based on her own guidelines, she realized that she had become her own god.

Being a deeply spiritual person, even if she has not subscribed completely to a particular religion, she believed that there is a set of universal truths and guiding principles of life.  Whenever we live according to these universal truths and principles, we experience deep joy and peace. For example, whenever we are able to die to our own selfishness and choose another person's happiness over our own, while we may experience initial discomfort, we also experience a great sense of inner joy, peace, and meaning. We learn to care more for others and add value and meaning to their lives. Consequently, we love ourselves more, knowing that our hearts have grown bigger. Contrastingly, whenever we act selfishly and demand that others meet our needs, even when these needs are initially satisfied, we will not experience lasting joy and peace. The initial satisfaction quickly wears off and before we know it, we continue demanding for more.

My friend and I both strongly believe that there is a greater universe beyond the one we presently live in. Whenever we act based on the principles of that universe, and not the cut-throat economical principles of our world, we find that deeper peace, joy, meaning, and fulfillment that our hearts were made for.

Therefore, while today's first reading might initially appear to be a set of oppressive rules, they are merely God's ways of helping us to know these universal truths and principles. They are His loving ways of giving us the recipe to the deep joy, peace, meaning, and purpose that our hearts truly desire.

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Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be open when anybody – regardless of who he/she may be – challenges my way of life and provides me with Your recipe to the deep meaning, fulfillment, peace, and joy that my heart desires. Help me to recognize moments when my heart is closed so that I will not fall into the trap of being my own god.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Holy Spirit for constantly whispering the secret recipe of life to me. Help me to let go of my pride and fears and be more open to Your guidance in my life.

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Here's my Bedtime Story...

I was told a few years back that I've been known to grind my teeth (known as Bruxism or Teeth Grinding). As a result, I have already cracked a few of my molars but fortunately they weren't so bad and could be saved by doing Root Canals. After each bad experience, I told myself that I've got to go make a 'Dental Guard' to prevent further damage to my teeth and due to my procrastination I have yet to do it... hence, the cycle continues in loops. 
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And talking about loops, last night was one hell of a night for me. My already traumatized molar (probably due to teeth-grinding) is subjected to further teeth-grinding as I fall asleep. I am not aware of the teeth-grinding but just as I fall asleep, I wake up with a sharp pain in my molar and it is probably due to teeth-grinding. I start praying... thinking of the pain Jesus & Mary had to endure... thinking that my pain is only a fraction of theirs. I'm in great pain... I gently massage my jaw with tears flowing down my face... I try to go back to sleep and this loop is repeated about 3 times. 
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The 3rd time, I decided to take my prescribed pain-killer although it wasn't time yet and risking an overdose (I was desperate). I turned on my computer to surf and relax until the pain subsided. Feeling slightly better... I decided to try sleeping again. I woke up one more time (probably due to teeth-grinding... again) but the pain wasn't so bad and went back to sleep until morning. I woke up with no more pain. I can honestly say that I am so... NOT looking forward to tonight's bedtime story if it's repeated again.
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Update: Sat, 2011 Jul 30, 0613hrs
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This Bedtime Story is continued HERE.
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Story Time ~ 2011 Jul 29, 1025hrs

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Original Post:
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Someone sent me this via email today. I have no way of verifying this story… but I find this story very interesting with its twist. Also, you can learn a lot from just reading this story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Bag Snatching
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Be careful at any shopping centre toilets – this happened at Singapore OG toilet. A woman visited the toilet in O.G at Bugis and hung her handbag on the back of the toilet door. As she carried on about her business, a hand suddenly appeared over the top of the stall and grabbed her bag clean from the hook. She immediately reported the incident to the head of security, who in turn informed the manager of the store. A couple of days later she had a call from the head of security to say her bag had been found without her purse. So she arranged a convenient time to go and meet the manager to collect her things. On arriving at the O. G. store at the agreed time, the manager was not expecting her and neither was the head of secur! ity. No one from the store had actually called her as the bag had still not been found. When the lady got home, her house had been burgled with no sign of forced entry. The Police believe the robbers had used her Driving License for the address and her keys to let themselves in. This is real - it isn't just a scaremongering story. Many will be so shocked at how complex bag snatching crime has become. Please be extra vigilant ladies AND gents (with your man bags) there are a lot of desperate criminals out there.
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Update: 2011 Sep 08, 1756hrs
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Thanks to comments below, you can now verify the story at the links provided. It also offers very good advice on how to deal with all the risks and security that is present in this story.
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Links here go to the original articles online. But just in case they're not there anymore, I've provided the screen grabs images here... just click on these images to enlarge for easy reading.
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Thursday, July 28, 2011

English ~ 1st Person, 2nd Person & 3rd Person

To read on...

Wed, 2011 Jul 27 ~ BD Collections

First 3 SMSes from Dot, Sun & Beanie. Plus a Family Sushi Meal (Dot's Treat) and a Surprise Soft Chocolate Cake (from Dot) with a one candle... how considerate.

Ang Pow from Mumbly

Sugee Cake from Cs with wishes from Bil.


From friends, a song, lots of blessings and good wishes.

~~~

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Full Perspective is a Better Point Of View

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I've learnt that... 
There will always be good and bad
perspectives to everything in this life,
and sometimes we need to wait... just 
"a little longer" to see the Full Perspective. 
~ 49years old, Wednesday 2011 Jul 27, 0801hrs
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Here's the article that triggered this thought. I found this on article on the Page 3 of 'The Australian' newspaper today (Wed, 2011 Jul 27).
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27 Jul 2011
The Australian, Page 3
by ROBERT LEE HOTZ
BRAIN SHRINK - The Price We Pay For Long Life
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The price we pay for long life HUMAN brains shrink as people grow old, unlike even our closest animal relative, says a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that highlights what researchers call the unique character of human ageing. The human brain can shrink up to 15 per cent as it ages, a change linked to dementia, poor memory and depression. Until now, researchers had assumed this gradual loss in later years was universal among primates. But in the first direct comparison of humans to chimpanzees a brain-scanning team led by George Washington University anthropologist Chet Sherwood found chimpanzees do not experience such brain loss. From that, researchers concluded only people were afflicted by this oddity of longevity. The scientists used magnetic resonance imaging scans to measure changes in five key brain structures involved in memory, reasoning and other mental processing, as well as overall brain volume. They compared measurements from 87 adult humans ranging in age from 22 to 88 years old with the brain volumes of 99 adult chimps ranging from 10 to 51 years old. They measured the brain's grey matter of neurons and the white matter of its connecting neural fibres. On average, human brains weigh about 1.36kg. Chimp brains weigh only a third as much. No matter where the researchers looked, they found the human brains lost significant volume over time while the chimpanzees' did not. Until recently, the study of brain differences between humans and other species had little impact outside the field of anthropology. But the rapid growth of the ageing population worldwide is turning evolutionary biology into a pressing topic of public health. Stress can affect brain size. So can depression. Diet can be a factor, too. More broadly, though, humanity's unusual shrinking brain just may be the price our species pays for living so much longer than other primates.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Hmm... Let me think ~ Monkey Still Shot




Hmm... Let me think!

Art ~ The Stone Rolled Away Revealing The Risen Christ

Jesus Christ is shown here coming out of a cave after the stone was rolled away on his right.

I've titled this image as: 
Art ~ The Stone Rolled Away Revealing 'The Risen Christ'

Monday, July 25, 2011

New Catholic Missal Translation

Wow! This is going to take some getting use to.

Some of the changes include:

Priest: 
The Lord be with you

Congregation: 
And with your spirit

Priest: 
Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world; Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Congregation: 
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

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THE "ORDER OF MASS" - NEW MISSAL TRANSLATION


Here is a copy of the draft "Order of the Mass" using the New Missal translation, which is due to be released in parishes later this year. The new translation links the Liturgy of the Holy Mass with Sacred Scripture and is excellent for catechesis. Download the full PDF here on Xt3!

Please note this copy is not necessarily the final version of the Order of the Mass, as further amends and corrections may still be made. For more resources on the New Missal, visit the USCCB website.

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Videos Explaining the Change:

Changes to English Missal well underway

Bishop Peter Ingham - New Missal

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Music Downloads for New Roman Missal, Third Edition

The musical settings of the chants of the acclamations contained in the Roman Missal, Third Edition, are available below as free downloads

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Let us be one with this!

The word Eu-charist  is based to two Greek words: GOOD & GRACE and is usually translated THANKSGIVING.  We are thanking our Father by offering ourselves in union with the Paschal Mystery of his Son.  At Mass, we surrender ourselves in the offertory to become part of this great Grace of Love, in the one total event of Christ giving himself in the Upper Room, laying down his life on the Cross as a visible sacrifice and rising form the dead to give us Eternal Life - through the Eucharist.

Let us be one with this!

By thanking for all the good that the Lord works through the Church.

By thanking for the beautiful restoration of the Latin rite that  came out of the II Vatican Council.  Our Father Benedict XVI says in 'The Spirit of the Liturgy,' the old rite had become like a 'great masterpiece that had been whitewashed over.'

By being grateful for the first two English translations that preceded the new one, which were prepared in very different circumstances, with generosity and enthusiasm and the blessing of the Church.   And by praying for those who made them.

By accepting with joy and interest the new translation and remembering in prayer all those who worked on it, some with great suffering and self-sacrifice.

By giving thanks that we can hear the Mass in our own language!

By letting ourselves be woken up anew by the new words!

By accepting humbly that English is a living language, and in another 50 years we will, very probably, be doing it again!

Be being grateful that, in fact, the Lord in his love saved the vast majority of us from 'celebrating ourselves' and by not losing our joy or peace!

And by fulfilling our Lord's invitation  to receive 'things both New and Old' - and taking their priority, as St Augustine said, in the order given: New first.

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English ~ Self Taught = Autodidacticism

Self Taught = Autodidacticism. Autodidacticism or Autodidactism (Auto-did-acti-cism or Auto-did-act-ism) I'm not sure if this is the way to pronounced it... but it sure helps me spell it.

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Autodidacticism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidact

Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The word "Autodidacticism" finds its origin in "Didacticism", an artisticphilosophy of education.

Self-teaching and self-directed learning are contemplative, absorptive processes. Some autodidacts spend a great deal of time in libraries or on educational websites. A person may become an autodidact at nearly any point in his or her life. While some may have been educated in a conventional manner in a particular field, they may choose to educate themselves in other, often unrelated areas.

Autodidactism is only one facet of learning, and is usually complemented by learning in formal and informal settings: classrooms, friends, family, and social settings. Many autodidacts, according to their plan for learning, seek instruction and guidance from experts, friends, teachers, parents, siblings, and community.

Inquiry into autodidacticism has implications for learning theoryeducational researcheducational philosophy, and educational psychology.


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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Daily Mass Readings & Homilies (Reflections)

Nothing can ever replace actually going for daily masses... but for most of us... it is really difficult due to the many reasons we may have at different points in our lives... so I hope these links will inspire us... to one day... start going for daily masses. For one thing... you will definitely not be getting any holy communion here... which is very important for Catholics to be in communion with God and will your fellow Catholics.

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Readings from:

United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/index.cfm
Note that this website is in America so due to time difference, you may have to click 'Next Day' at the bottom to get "today's" readings.

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Homily or Reflections from:

Word Among Us
Daily free. 
Have to subscribe to see archives.

The Catholic Writer ~ Oxygen (Singapore Flavor)
Totally free. 
Quite good and seem like a responsible Catholic Website. 
Written by Catholic Singaporeans so you get the local Singaporean flavor.

Bible Reflection ~ The Daily Prayer
Free.
The Daily Prayer, a service 
and an apostolate of the 
priests, laity and friends of 
Mary the Queen Parish
Distributed free and for personal use only.

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Blog to Follow ~ Meditations For Women


I know it says 'Meditations For Women'... but men can benefit from it too. Sending these meditations to the women in our lives can have a positive effect on our own lives... and besides... quite a lot of these meditations are useful to us men as well.

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Labels:
Meditations, Inspiration, Happy Birthday Gift Ideas,

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Saint Mary Magdalene

FRIDAY, 22nd July 2011
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St Mary Magdalene

An excerpt from...

Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή,[3] flourished 1st century AD) was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples.[4] She is famous because she is said to have been the first person to see Jesus after he rose from the dead,[4] according to John 20 and Mark 16:9, part of the so-called "Longer Ending" to that chapter.

According to Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9, Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons." Some contemporary scholars contend this concept means healing from illness,[5] not forgiveness of sin. On the other hand, some major Christian saints, including St. Bede and St. Gregory, interpret the seven devils to signify that she was "full of all vices."[6] Hence, on this interpretation, the episode does signify the forgiveness of sins. Mary Magdalene is the leader of a group of female disciples believed to have been present at the cross after the male disciples (excepting John the Beloved) had fled, and at his burial. Mary was a devoted follower of Jesus, entering into the close circle of those taught by Jesus during his Galilean ministry. She became prominent during the last days, accompanying Jesus during his travels and following him to the end.

Mary Magdalene is referred to in early Christian writings as "the apostle to the apostles." In apocryphal texts, she is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement, who was loved by Jesus more than the other disciples.[7] Several Gnostic gospels, such as the Gospel of Mary, written in the early 2nd century, see Mary as the special disciple of Jesus who has a deeper understanding of his teachings and is asked to impart this to the other disciples.

Mary Magdalene is considered by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches to be a saint, with a feast day of July 22. The Eastern Orthodox churches also commemorate her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers which is the second Sunday after Pascha (Easter). She is also an important figure in the Bahá'í Faith.

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Art News ~ Alexander Calder & 3 Generations of Sculptors

Today, Google Doodle posted this animation image which I found out is called a Mobile Sculpture which is a type of Kinetic Sculpture.

Image 1:



In a while these texts appeared on the image...

Alexander Calder's 113th Birthday
Courtesy of Calder Foundation / ARS, NY.

Image 2:


I did a search for...
Alexander Calder Foundation
... which brought me to this LINK...
Which introduced to me 3 generations of sculptors.
Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), American sculptor, father of Alexander Stirling Calder.
Alexander Stirling Calder (1870–1945), American sculptor, father of Alexander Calder.
Alexander Calder (1898–1976), American sculptor and inventor of the Mobile Sculpture.

The celebration on Google was for the latter, Alexander Calder (1898–1976), American sculptor and inventor of the Mobile Sculpture.

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

2011 Jul 21, Thursday ~ Singapore's Racial Harmony Day

Today is Singapore's Racial Harmony Day. 
May we always live in peace with each other 
regardless of our race, language or religion. 
Amen.
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Singapore National Pledge
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Origin
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The National Pledge was written by Sinnathamby Rajaratnam in 1966 shortly after Singapore's independence. Rajaratnam revealed that the dream was to build "a Singapore we are proud of". He believed that language, race and religion were divisive factors, but the Pledge emphasises that these differences can be overcome if Singaporeans cared enough about their country. The draft text was handed to the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who polished the text before submitting it to the Cabinet.
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The Pledge
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The National Pledge is:
We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.

[]Malay original

Kami, warganegara Singapura,
sebagai rakyat yang bersatu padu,
tidak kira apa bangsa, bahasa, atau ugama,
berikrar untuk membina suatu masyarakat yang demokratik,
berdasarkan kepada keadilan dan persamaan
untuk mencapai kebahagiaan,
kemakmuran dan kemajuan bagi negara kami.

[]Chinese translation

Pinyin
我们是新加坡公民,
誓愿不分种族、言语、宗教,
团结一致,
建设公正平等的民主社会,
并为实现国家之幸福、繁荣与进步,
共同努力。
Wǒmen shì Xīnjiāpō gōngmín,
shìyuàn bù fēn zhǒngzú, yányǔ, zōngjiào,
tuánjié yīzhì,
jiànshè gōngzhèng píngděng de mínzhǔ shèhuì,
bìng wèi shíxiàn guójiā zhī xìngfú, fánróng yǔ jìnbù,
gòngtóng nǔlì.

[]Tamil translation

சிங்கப்பூர் குடிமக்களாகிய நாம் இனம்,மொழி,மதம்
ஆகிய வேற்றுமைகளை மறந்து ஒன்றுபட்டு,நம் நாடு
மகிழ்ச்சி,வளம்,முன்னேற்றம் ஆகியவற்றை அடையும்
வண்ணம் சமத்துவத்தையும்,நீதியையும்
அடிப்படையாக கொண்ட ஜனாயக
சமுதாயத்தை உருவாக்குவதற்கு
உறுதி மேற்கொள்வோம்!
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~~~
The Recital by Singaporeans
The following being a video clip on how the Singapore Pledge should be recited. 
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Guidelines for usage
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The Singapore government's guidelines for the use of the pledge are:[1]
  1. The National Pledge is recited in schools during assemblies, during SAF Day, during the National Day Parade, and at National Day Observance Ceremonies.
  2. Individuals reciting the Pledge shall clench their right fists to the left side of their chests as a gesture to symbolise loyalty to the nation.
  3. The Pledge shall not be used for any commercial purposes.
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Notes
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