Message for World Day of Consecrated Life

"On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, the day on which the Son of God, conceived in eternity, is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit as "a light for revelation to the Gentiles' and the "glory for your people Israel', we are gathered here to renew our consecration to the Lord. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I convey to you all the personal greeting of the Holy Father, who thanks you for the affection you have shown him and for your fervent prayers. He joins us here at this moment with his prayers and he sends us his Blessing. Let us listen with grateful hearts to his Message to the consecrated men and women of the world".
From the Vatican, 2 February 2005
JOHN PAUL II
Message for World Day of Consecrated Life

CORAL: ANIMAL, MINERAL OR VEGETABLE?

What is coral? When you see pictures in National Geographic of huge rock like things in the ocean with fish swimming all around, is that coral? Well, sort of. That is a coral reef.

Coral is an animal that belongs to the phylum cnidaria. A phylum is a group that scientists place animals in which share certain characteristics. Cnidarians are radially symmetric, which means that they are the same all the way around, 360 degrees! They are built like sacs with a hole in one end that is surrounded by stinging tentacles. Jellyfish are cnidaria. Now, you are probably thinking, jellyfish don't look anything like what I thought coral was! That's because the most common pictures of coral are colonies called reefs.

Coral Reefs

Predatory Behavior of Cats by Perfect Paws Cat Training

Cats are born with a hunting and chasing instinct. But they are not necessarily born hunters that kill for food. Killing and eating prey are generally learned behaviors. Hunger will not automatically teach a cat to kill. A cat can be a skillful mouse killer and yet never eat a single mouse or even desire to eat one.

Kittens are programmed from birth to chase. Through play, they develop the coordination and timing needed to successfully capture their target. They learn to adjust their speed to the speed of moving objects. They learn to gauge distance by pouncing. Play gives the kitten a chance to learn to make judgments by experience.

The mother cat teaches her kittens to kill to eat. Her first lesson consists of bringing home dead prey and consuming it in front of the kittens. Soon they learn to join in. At the end of this stage, she brings the dead prey home and leaves it for the kittens to eat on their own. Cats will not only do this for their own litter, but for another cat's kittens as well. Many cats (especially spayed females) will provide this lesson to their human owners. Thus, bringing home dead prey and dropping it at our feet.

Predatory Behavior of Cats by Perfect Paws Cat Training

Greek myths

Ancient Greek civilization provided the foundations of Western culture. Philosophically, artistically, scientifically and politically, the Greeks reached an astonishing level of sophistication. The deepest expression of Greek ideology, however, lay in a mythology so rich that its legacy has endured to the present day.

Some of the myths date back to the Aegean civilization, whose bull-cult flourished in Crete before 1600 BCE. This society was matriarchal and worshipped above all the Great Goddess or Earth Mother. Later myths show a conflict between matriarchal and patriarchal allegiances.

Greek myths

Giving Is Better Than Receiving

"American by birth, inquisitive adventurer by nature and married to Gerhard, a wonderful German. These past 25 years, life's continuing adventure brought me to Seoul from Hong Kong in April of 2002."

This is Diana Seehafer's short autobiography. Sounds like another ordinary expat residing is Seoul, but on the contrary, she is far from average.

What is it that propels her above others? Could it be that Seehafer is fluent in both English and German? Maybe its because she is an avid tennis player, a dedicated swimmer, and a spin class instructor. Or is it because she is also currently serving as the leader of the largest non-profit foreign community group in South Korea — the president of the Seoul International Women's Association (SIWA)?

The list of activity is impressive, but it is non-of the above.

Only a few minutes with Seehafer and it is clear what sets her apart from the average. It is her passionate spirit for life that distinctively makes Diana Seehafer an inspiration. But the most attractive part about her is not the way she lives her life; it is in the way she willingly and openly helps other people live out their life with greater passion and dignity — it is this passion to give that raises Seehafer above mediocrity.