TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Bobby Bowden could imagine how QB Christian Ponder felt a day after absorbing a helmet to the back and bruising his ribs.
"Usually, the next day it hurts the worst," he said Sunday morning, a day after the Seminoles' 45-42 win against North Carolina State.
But Bowden didn't sound overly concerned that his star would be affected as the team prepares for this weekend's game against the resurgent Clemson Tigers. Ponder took the hit late in the opening quarter and played the whole game, something that wasn't a foregone conclusion at halftime.
Unless you asked Ponder.
"I didn't want to come out, and that thought didn't come into my mind," he said.
ACC guidelines don't require a school to update an injury report (except for season-ending issues or surgeries) on Sunday, but Ponder meets the media each Monday afternoon.
WHO MAKES THE CALL? Though defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews hasn't officially said this will be his final season, it sure seems that way. Bowden, who hopes Andrews comes back, said he would "definitely consider" the input of Jimbo Fisher.
"He's the future," Bowden said of Fisher. "He's going to be the next head coach when I leave here, everything's in his hands."
SMALL CROWD: Though he knows the team record and the school's distance from population centers are factors, Bowden, for one, was surprised by the empty seats at 83,200-seat Doak Campbell Stadium. There were a lot. School officials announced 67,712 tickets were distributed.
"The first shocker of the day was when I came out of that tunnel and looked down there and didn't see anybody in that end zone," he said.
Earlier this season, Bowden praised the fans for coming early and filling the section in the end zone near where the team warms up, which he said inspires his players and can affect an opponent's mind-set.
"That's the first time I've seen it that light in a long time," he said. "I thought homecoming would make up for the slack. I really thought there'd be enough homecoming people that people will still fill it up."
LIMITED ROLE: Senior WR Louis Givens, whose quickness has led to his emergence as a key offensive contributor (especially running the end-around), was limited Saturday to special teams after breaking his right hand Friday horsing around at the team hotel.
GAME TIME: The Clemson game Saturday is set for 7:45 on ESPN. FSU has lost its past three there (2003, 2005 and 2007).
NUMBERS GAME: FSU's win snapped a five-game home losing streak to Division I-A competition (Boston College and Florida last season, then Miami, USF and Georgia Tech this season). Remember, there was a time that FSU went 54 straight games without a home loss.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Christians condemn Halloween "maiming mania"
Church leaders say the promotion and commercialisation of Halloween is wrong and say "scare events" which include horror maimings should be avoided.
Those seeking a thrill this weekend have been bombarded with numerous offerings from "scare farms" where visitors are chased by zombies and ghouls as well witnessing fake maimings.
But Luke Walton, the Bible Society's Arts and Culture Manager, urged parents to boycott events, which are sold as "family fun" days-out.
Mr Walton said: "There's so much horror or violence in the world today why bother paying to see it?
"Just switch on your TV and watch the news - that's enough to give anyone nightmares.
"Failing that, look forward to the sleepless nights you'll have after the kids have enjoyed their 'family fun' day out."
A spokesperson for the diocese of Liverpool also urged families to reject ghoulish Halloween events in favour of alternative attractions.
the spokesman said: "We feel that it is important that churches offer an alternative to Halloween.
"The church’s calendar celebrates All Saints Day on November 1st which is an opportunity to celebrate the lives of saints and their inspiration to us as Christians.
"A number of churches offer great alternatives to Halloween events with light parties becoming increasingly popular.
"We have seen a very successful campaign called Halloween Choice which provided a lot of alternative resources as well as a chance for young people to vote for their favourite hero.
"We are aware that a number of people do find Halloween related events disturbing and want to provide an attractive alternative for those people."
The comments come after the Vatican slammed Halloween as "anti-Christian", describing the day as "dangerous."
The October 31st rituals relate to the Christian feast of All Saints on 1st November.
The Pope's condemnation followed similar criticism from Catholic bishops in Spain who earlier this week urged parents not to let their children dress up as ghosts and goblins.
The Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano quoted liturgical expert Joan Maria Canals as saying: 'Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian'.
L'Osservatore praised a church at Alcala de Henares which had decided to hold a prayer vigil on Saturday night, and the Paris archdiocese's idea of having kids play a lucky dip dubbed 'Holywins' instead.
It added that: "These and similar initiatives in South America allow Catholic communities to have an alternative to the feast, to bear witness to their faith and Christian hope in the face of death."
ends
Christians to observe All Souls Day today
For the past few days Christians have been visiting their graveyards to clean the graves of their loved ones for the observance of All Souls Day, which falls on November 2nd (today).
There has been a hustle and bustle in the Harley Street graveyard as grass and dead leaves are swept away, graves covered with stone have been washed and white washed if they are not. The place gives a fresh and clean look befitting this important occasion for the Christian community.
How many of those present at the graveyard understand what it’s all about is not known but their love and commitment to their long gone dear ones was moving, to say the least. At the grave shown in the picture it was the man who answered that it was that of his mother but it was the woman (wife/sister?) who was smoothing the ground around the grave and quickly jumped away when I took the picture. I couldn’t help wondering whether she was the daughter-in-law and how had she been treated by the person whose grave she was sprucing up in such a dedicated manner!
For those who are unfamiliar with this festival a brief explanation about why this day is observed follows. We are familiar with Halloween (literally ‘holy evening’), also known as All Saints’ Eve, an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. Information on this says it has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and gets its name from being the evening before the Western Christian holy day of All Saints (Nov 1st). It is largely a secular celebration as can be judged by the manner in which it is marked all over the world but is perceived by some believers to have religious overtones.
All Saints’ Day — sometimes called the ‘Day of the Dead’ (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the ‘Solemnity of All Saints’) is celebrated on the first of November in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. The day commemorates all those who have attained saintly vision in heaven. Specifically, in the Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, which commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven) is always November 2 (November 3rd if the 2nd falls on a Sunday).
It is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away, purposely following All Saint’s Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory and is celebrated with masses and festivities in honour of the dead. While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of heaven and those who are there, All Souls Day reminds of obligations to live holy lives so that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for heaven.
Besides special prayers in churches, many customs are associated with All Souls Day celebrations. At home an altar is made with an offering of food and it is believed that the dead partake of the food in spirit, while the living eat it later. The offerings are beautifully arranged with flowers such as marigolds, which are the traditional flower of the dead, while a candle is lit for each soul. Incense is also often used and mementos, photos and other paraphernalia of the dead may also be placed on the altar. It is a time when families fondly remember the deceased but it is also a time marked by festivities.
There has been a hustle and bustle in the Harley Street graveyard as grass and dead leaves are swept away, graves covered with stone have been washed and white washed if they are not. The place gives a fresh and clean look befitting this important occasion for the Christian community.
How many of those present at the graveyard understand what it’s all about is not known but their love and commitment to their long gone dear ones was moving, to say the least. At the grave shown in the picture it was the man who answered that it was that of his mother but it was the woman (wife/sister?) who was smoothing the ground around the grave and quickly jumped away when I took the picture. I couldn’t help wondering whether she was the daughter-in-law and how had she been treated by the person whose grave she was sprucing up in such a dedicated manner!
For those who are unfamiliar with this festival a brief explanation about why this day is observed follows. We are familiar with Halloween (literally ‘holy evening’), also known as All Saints’ Eve, an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. Information on this says it has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and gets its name from being the evening before the Western Christian holy day of All Saints (Nov 1st). It is largely a secular celebration as can be judged by the manner in which it is marked all over the world but is perceived by some believers to have religious overtones.
All Saints’ Day — sometimes called the ‘Day of the Dead’ (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the ‘Solemnity of All Saints’) is celebrated on the first of November in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. The day commemorates all those who have attained saintly vision in heaven. Specifically, in the Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, which commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven) is always November 2 (November 3rd if the 2nd falls on a Sunday).
It is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away, purposely following All Saint’s Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory and is celebrated with masses and festivities in honour of the dead. While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of heaven and those who are there, All Souls Day reminds of obligations to live holy lives so that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for heaven.
Besides special prayers in churches, many customs are associated with All Souls Day celebrations. At home an altar is made with an offering of food and it is believed that the dead partake of the food in spirit, while the living eat it later. The offerings are beautifully arranged with flowers such as marigolds, which are the traditional flower of the dead, while a candle is lit for each soul. Incense is also often used and mementos, photos and other paraphernalia of the dead may also be placed on the altar. It is a time when families fondly remember the deceased but it is also a time marked by festivities.
Boy Killed Trick-Or-Treating After Tree Branch Strikes Him
PELHAM, N.H. -- A 10-year-old boy was killed after a birch tree snapped and struck him Saturday evening while he was trick-or-treating with friends, WCVB-TV in Boston reported.
The incident happened on Fineview Circle in Pelham. A birch tree snapped off about 4 feet from its base, Pelham Fire Department officials said.Officials said the boy, Christian Gualtieri, went into cardiac arrest. He was transported to Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell, Mass., where he died a short time later.Gualtieri was trick-or-treating with a group of about 20 other children when he was hit by the tree branch, said Pelham Police Lt. Gary Fisher."It was just a freak accident," said Fisher. "We had heavy winds coming through. It just started to rain, a little bit of a mist."Fisher said the birch tree was rotting, and investigators believe wind caused it to snap."The mood changed from total joy and silly fun and excitement to just somberness," said Robin Gotshall, who was trick-or-treating at Gualtieri's house with her children the moment that his family learned of the accident."The next thing we knew there was somebody just running by us top speed to alert the family," Gotshall said. "There were just police cars and fire trucks and ambulances. It was just the most horrible thing. We all had a sinking feeling in our stomach."Gualtieri's neighbors and friends visited the site of the accident throughout the day on Sunday, leaving behind flowers and hand-written messages for his parents and older brother, who live less than a mile away from home where the accident occurred."He was a happy kid," said a woman who knew the 10-year-old. "He was just a beautiful child."No further investigation is planned into the incident, police said, and no charges will be filed against the owner of the property.
The incident happened on Fineview Circle in Pelham. A birch tree snapped off about 4 feet from its base, Pelham Fire Department officials said.Officials said the boy, Christian Gualtieri, went into cardiac arrest. He was transported to Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell, Mass., where he died a short time later.Gualtieri was trick-or-treating with a group of about 20 other children when he was hit by the tree branch, said Pelham Police Lt. Gary Fisher."It was just a freak accident," said Fisher. "We had heavy winds coming through. It just started to rain, a little bit of a mist."Fisher said the birch tree was rotting, and investigators believe wind caused it to snap."The mood changed from total joy and silly fun and excitement to just somberness," said Robin Gotshall, who was trick-or-treating at Gualtieri's house with her children the moment that his family learned of the accident."The next thing we knew there was somebody just running by us top speed to alert the family," Gotshall said. "There were just police cars and fire trucks and ambulances. It was just the most horrible thing. We all had a sinking feeling in our stomach."Gualtieri's neighbors and friends visited the site of the accident throughout the day on Sunday, leaving behind flowers and hand-written messages for his parents and older brother, who live less than a mile away from home where the accident occurred."He was a happy kid," said a woman who knew the 10-year-old. "He was just a beautiful child."No further investigation is planned into the incident, police said, and no charges will be filed against the owner of the property.
Are Jon & Kate Gosselin still church-going Christians? Jon's Youtube video talks God, Kate's parents
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Does Jon Gosselin still go to a Christian church?
That's what many Jesus followers want to know -- a subject highly searched for, but not readily written about in mainstream media -- leaving fans who fell in love with the Gosselin's Scripture placement around their home and previous Christian T-shirt wearing (before replaced with Ed Hardy wear, and later more subdued garb) wondering.
"[I attend a Christian] Church in my hometown -- I've been there like 5 years. Awesome pastor," Jon Gosselin said in Utah earlier this year, way before the divorce drama enthralled the nation.
Back then, Jon Gosselin spoke of his close relationship with the divine: "I like rely on God totally," Jon proclaimed, describing how depending on Kate vice versa turned detrimental. "We tried to rely on each other, but we always let each other down. Don't ever rely on human because you'll end up heartbroken."
Touche.
And ensuing events after the YouTube.com video was posted certainly bespoke of what believers call a "spiritual attack" on their marriage, with what some view as Kate's overbearing nature and Jon's statement on having so many children at a young age combining with an open faith profession to make a "perfect storm" brewing toward divorce court.
Do you think Jon and Kate Gosselin's marriage can be saved? Leave a comment below, please...
And yet, viewers who tuned in to Kate's Monday night TLC confession of perhaps being alone for the rest of her life, and Hailey Glassman's tearful testimony of emotional abuse allegation at the hands of Jon Gosselin still wonder and hold out hope that the same faith they so openly professed can save the Gosselin duo and repair damage.
"We just think that God's been blessing us ever since," Jon said in the below video, speaking of how their belief system anchored their parenting choices in the beginning. "When Kate was pregnant they wanted us to reduce our kids -- but we're like so anti-that. I'm not gonna say it's easy. You're gonna fail. I fail every day. Every day I wake up and say I'm alive. Just do it."
"God will never let you down," Jon said earlier this year. Was it his spiritual ears and advisor that convinced him to let Hailey go?
Or is Jon still dealing with undealt-with grief from losing his father? "My dad died four years ago..."Jon said. "My mom doesn't want to be filmed."
However, he admits that he's really still close to his mother, talking several times per day. "She just wants to restart over with her new husband. My mom texts now, it's crazy. That should be illegal."
As for Kate Gosselin's mom and dad her rumored estrangement from them, the rumors fly about the net as to the reasons why. While Kate's dad is reportedly a minister -- and raised his children perhaps more deeply-rooted in the faith than Jon experienced? -- the only readily available verification out of the horses' mouth (or the horses' mouth's husband) is what Jon has said about them:
"Kate's parents aren't involved. They have 19 grandchildren. They wanted to be like drop-in grandparents. We're like, 'That's weird. Who heard of that?'"
And thus the Gosselin saga continues. Let's all pray for a happier ending.
Football: Oaks Christian takes a hit
The strength of schedule argument for unbeaten Westlake Village Oaks Christian took a hit over the weekend when the toughest team the Lions have played, Skyline of Washington, lost to Bothell, 25-20.
"I'm disappointed," Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell said. "I thought they'd go unbeaten."
Oaks Christian is 8-0 and still looking like a strong candidate for the state CIF Division III bowl game if it wins out. But an open division bowl game is probably a long shot.
"I'm disappointed," Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell said. "I thought they'd go unbeaten."
Oaks Christian is 8-0 and still looking like a strong candidate for the state CIF Division III bowl game if it wins out. But an open division bowl game is probably a long shot.
Vatican City: Pope Calls On Iran to Allow Christian Worship
Pope Benedict XVI called on Iran on Thursday to grant Christians “the freedom to practice their faith” and Catholics “the essential conditions” to survive in the Islamic republic. In remarks in French to Iran’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Ali Akbar Naseri, Benedict called Iran “a great nation with eminent spiritual traditions,” which he said could provide “hope for an opening and a close collaboration with the international community.” The Holy See and Iran have had full diplomatic relations for more than 50 years.
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