Father Damien. From a thank you note dictated to my wife from daughter Emilie, age 6:

Thank you for letting us watch “Father Damien.” The first time you ever saw the first bit of the movie, they were taking people to this island to see if they were sick and if they were sick they wouldn’t be released, but if they weren’t sick they would be released. So, Father Damien went to this island where there were lots of lepers and some people told him not to touch them, but he did. People asked him to put his hands on their children and pray for them and he did. And there was a wedding in the movie. And the queen came and she asked what the people wanted and they said they needed medicine. Father Damien got so sick and he died. He prayed with them and there were so many lepers he couldn’t even heal them in one whole day–he was there for trillions of days. He also taught them to sing like a choir because they rebuilt this church and this guy climbed up on something to see what was happening in the church (it was a long movie). When he first went in the church, the things where they sat were knocked over and some windows were broken–even stained glass windows!....................

(Background- while we were at my parents last week, we all watched the movie "Molokai: The Story of Father Damien.")

Some Articles. Since I'm not much good at blogging...

Judge Mukasey on Padilla and terrorists in court. (WSJ - Free).

The new Mall towering over Mecca (FT-blog).

Frida Kahlo's last secret. (the Guardian)

Anyone remember Fr. Richard P. McBrien, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame? Prior to Ratzinger's elevation to Pope McBrien argued it would never happen: “He’s too much of a polarizing figure,” McBrien told The Washington Post. “If he were elected, thousands upon thousands of Catholics in Europe and the United States would roll their eyes and retreat to the margins of the church.” And he's right! That is, if the margins of the church means "More money, More pilgrims and lot's more Latin." (Times Online)

Hitch and the ABC (scroll down to June 10) (Vanity Fair)

Finally, Ingmar Bergman could've defeated Death at chess, if only he'd sent Death for a pizza.