Written Word:
John 12:20-26: 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

Catechism: Question 7. What do you believe when you confess your faith in "God the Father Almighty"? That God is a God of love, and that God's love is powerful beyond measure.
· Lam. 3:22 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end."
· Song 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one's house, it would be utterly scorned."
· 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love."

Traditional English Version
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

Vocab:
dragoman \DRAG-uh-man\ noun, plural dragomans or dragomen. An interpreter or guide.

defenestration \dee-feh-nuh-STRAY-shun\ noun : a throwing of a person or thing out of a window

Quotations of the day:
But I simply can't stand a view limited to this earth, I feel life is so small unless it has windows into other worlds...I like mathematics largely because it is not human. Bertrand Russell – Letters

The situation of Iraqis is as if one eye is crying and one eye is laughing. SAYID HASHEM AL-SHAMAA, a Shiite leader in Baghdad.

News & Virews:
The first meeting on administering postwar Iraq is scheduled for Tuesday between US officials and representatives of the nation's religious and political interests. But long-exiled Ahmed Chalabi, the opposition leader widely expected to head an interim administration, told a Paris newspaper he is "absolutely not" a candidate for any political post. The meeting, at Nasiriyah, comes as US forces arrived at the "transition point" in the war by securing control of Saddam Hussein's hometown, Tikrit.

Families of seven former US prisoners of war were planning excited reunions, a day after their rescue in Iraq. The ex-POWs told The Washington Post they were fed and given medical treatment by their captors, were interrogated, and were often moved. Meanwhile, with coalition troops in effective control of Iraq's main cities, the US is scaling back some forces. Two Navy aircraft carrier battle groups reportedly have orders to leave this week, and the submarine USS Toledo is due to arrive Tuesday at a naval base in Groton, Conn.

In an about-face, senior leaders in China said they are "very worried" about SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), after weeks of maintaining that the illness was under control. New President Hu Jintao visited hospitals in hard-hit Guang-zhou province and called for urgency in combating the problem. But in Hong Kong, seven more deaths from SARS were reported, pushing the global total to 144.

Happy Birthday:
Leonardo DaVinci - painter of the Mona Lisa, (1452-1519)

Just a thought:
Despite its fame, Niagara Falls is only the 23rd highest waterfall in North America.