Taylor Swift attended the VMA's and received a Moon Man (VMA award) for Best Female Video. This was her first ever such award, but singer Kanye West had plans other than a congratulatory handshake or a hug to applaud Swift. He, instead, ran onto the stage and interrupted Swift's acceptance speech to pile the praise on Beyonce, who in West's opinion, was the more deserving candidate of the award.
One comforting fact was that while the cameras searched the audience to catch the stars' expressions, there was not one pleased face among them. Swift's friends reported that after walking off stage she began to cry.
West still does not think what he did was really wrong. It seems as though society has become crude and accustomed to such displays of disrespect. Embarrassing an innocent person and taking away her joyful moment actually results in nothing but a shrug and good publicity.
This event is not the only example of recent public rudeness. Tennis stars Serenal Williams and Roger Federer took their turns to lay into a line judge and an umpire, respectively, at) the U.S. Open.
Even in Congress, where one would expect some respect, a sense of civility is lacking. President Barack Obama was announcing that illegal immigrants were not covered in the Health Care bill while he gave a Health Care speech to

Congress. In the audience, the GOP congressman from South Carolina , Representative Joe Wilson, yelled to the shock of those in the room, "You Lie!" Although Wilson apologized to the president for his discourtesy,the mistake can not be erased and i t just shows the heights to which this brazen society has climbed.
Have people become so bold that they are interrupting the President of the United States to call him a liar?
Even in school, students think nothing of shouting "Shut up!" regularly to each other.
Nothing surprises anymore. Actions that should be considered disgusting, like women cursing, slapping and spitting on each other on national TV, are entertainment for some.
Take the famous fight between two women, Pumpkin and New York, who were contestants on the show Flavor of Love. Pumpkin spat on New York. The fight, instead of being considered shameful to women, earned a high rank on YouTube.
Humiliating another human being has become commonplace and acceptable rather than shocking and repulsive. Nobody is commanding Americans to do this, but then again nobody is stopping Americans from being this way.

Father Michael Rothan sermonizes with the sophomores as they unite in the peace of the sylvan atmosphere provided by the Gretna Glen woods. Photo by Rose Kury

While to some the word retreat may mean to fall back, at Lebanon Catholic it has quite the opposite connotation: the students are trying to spiritually move forward. Student retreats have been an annual affair at LC with the whole high school being thrown together on the campus for a day. This year, however, they have been developing quite a different pattern.
The Rev. Michael Rothan, the school chaplain, and Mr. Scott Root have planned individual class retreats outside the school. Each grade has a different focus. Freshmen are learning leadership skills, sophomores are working on relationships, the juniors are participating in service, while the seniors will have a three-day overnight experience on a Kairos retreat (Greek for right moment).
Each grade gets away from the school environment. "There's something about being in school. You still have the in school mindset," said Father Rothan. "But retreats are different, they put you in a new state of mind."

"I definitely liked going to Gretna Glen, instead of being stuck in the gym," said freshman Alexandra Voorhees, "because out of school we hang with different people, and have groups you don't always hang with." I The ninth and tenth grades both went for a day at Gretna Glen and ended with Mass in the woods, while the juniors will travel to Harrisburg. In December, juniors will be experiencing a very important "pillar of faith" by working in varies service projects in the slums of Harrisburg, said Father Rothan.
Along with their main focus, the retreats mean various things to each individual. Freshman Dominick Maleszewski said "I found it to be very helpful to bond with my classmates because I'm new at LC." Sophomore Stefanie Fortna said she learned to never lower your standards when looking for a spouse.
Father Rothan and Mr. Root both agree that the retreats have so far been successful and they plan on continuing them in the following years. Mr. Root said the effects speak for themselves.

As the boys basketball team heads into the 2009-2010 season, Coach Scott Clentimack and the Beaver boys especially want to beat Annville-Cleona this year to avenge their heartbreaking loss to the Dutchmen in the final seconds last year. They come in with high hopes and expectations Coach Clentimack said. "There's no reason this team shouldn't be able to win districts or even make it to states," he said, "That's always a couple team goals we have every year." Clentimack hopes to achieve these goals by having his players "compete at the highest level possible and leave everything on the court." Seniors Nick Forma and Nick Frattaroli are team captains.
Besides Annville, there are certainly some games that the Beavers are looking forward to on the schedule this year. As always the local match-ups stand out in Coach Clentimack's

eyes. "As always, we really want to beat the nearby rivals like Annville-Cleona, ELCO, and Northern Lebanon," he said. "The Lancaster Catholic game is also one we definitely like to win," he added.
Coach Clentimack said that all of the players on the roster are going to be key this year, especially the seniors. He expects them to contribute a lot this year, since nine out of the thirteen players on the varsity roster this year are seniors. "Every one of them creates a strong balance that will be key to the team's success," Clentimack said. "Whether it's on or off the court, they can help each other and the younger players by leading by example and pushing each other to improve."
Other seniors he expects to lead the team are Zach Arnold, John Fitzgerald, Ryan Morrison, Eric Blauch, Darius Zook, Alex Groh, and Mike Wolfe.

Senators for a Day are (I to r) Jessica Stachura, and Liz Decker, back row Eric Blauch, Dave Fink, Erika Firestone, and Mackenzie Leonard. Photo by Liz Decker

Becoming "Senator for a Day" at the State Capitol Building, was a privilege that Mr. Thomas Beazley's AP US Government and Politics class got in November in Harrisburg at State Senator Mike Folmer's invitation. This student seminar gave young scholars in Senator Folmer's district an opportunity to come to the Capitol and experience the legislative process up close and personal.
After an opening address from the senator himself, the temporary senators broke into five committees to discuss proposed bills. The committees were concerned with health, environment, education, transportation and state government.
The bills included alternative energy sources for schools, changing the legal drinking age to 18, and cell phone and text messaging prohibition while driving. Even in these small committees LC's representatives stood out; senior Elizabeth Decker was the majority leader in the health committee, senior Jessica Stachura was the minority leader in

"Paranormal Activity" is a movie that explores the question of things beyond this world, but it tends to blur the line that separates a spirit (ghost) from a demon. It is definitely guaranteed to make you jump a bit. The characters, Katie and Micah are living together in a house that appears to already have an occupant. What they soon come to discover is that it was not the house that had the occupant, but one of the characters.
Experts within the Catholic Church distinguish between a spirit and a demon. A ghost or spirit is someone who is in purgatory, and through a privilege granted by God, is able to remain active in this realm. Most often, this soul can be released if some "business" is completed or if someone finally offers prayers for him or her. These ghosts are not violent, nor do they seek to do evil.
On the contrary,a demon is fallen angel. A demon was never human, and, therefore, never had a physical body. It appears through Sacred Scripture that God will not grant demons a body in this realm either, so a demon must possess a body or an object in order to be active in the world. In the movie, it appeared as though a demon could in fact leave a physical trace like a footprint or handprint. A demon would not leave footprints, (it never had feet), and yet sometimes spirits can leave evidence dot they were present.

Besides that, the spirits who require our prayers would never appear or manifest themselves through a psychic or a Ouija board, or any other media. All those media are a violation of God's law (see CCC 2115-2117). A soul in purgatory would never go against God's will.
The movie was good, as far as thrillers go, but what I found most interesting was that these individuals explored every possibility to rid themselves of whatever this was, except the possibility of turning to God. They called in a psychic, they used a Ouija board, they even called an expert on exorcism who was not a Catholic priest. They never prayed and were living I together in a perpetual state of grave I sin. Hello? If you want to invite I something bad into your life, there is |the formula!
In the end, I believe a statement I made by the character Katie at the beginning of the movie speaks volumes, and it is a great lesson to us as well. Her boyfriend Micah (which she refused to pronounce in the proper Biblical way) asked if she ever experienced this presence before, and, in my opinion, her response should be adopted by all good Christians. While it would have made the movie no longer than a few minutes, it would certainly have saved them days of trouble. She said: "I would feel the presence of the thing when I was younger, but I would pray ...and it would go away."

Legislators hear message for life from Cardinal

Yankee fans got what they deserved. The New York Yankees have been crowned for their historic 27th World Series title. Did they deserve it? Absolutely. The Yankees simply had the edge in the entire series. From the standpoint of a Phillies fan, everything went their way. A crucial double from Alex Rodriguez in game four gave the Yankees the lead after a game-tying home run from Pedro Feliz in the previous inning. A stellar performance from starter A.J. Burnett saved momentum in game two. The Yankees simply outplayed the Phillies. As a Phillies fan, I hate to admit that. But when it comes down to who was the better team in the World Series, it's clear that it was the New York Yankees. Congratulations, New York, on winning number 27.
Now that the final chapter of Major League baseball has come to a close, attention turns to the grid iron. What teams will be Super Bowl contenders and what teams have already begun scouting first round draft picks?
There are three divisions in which the leading team stands out as playoff contenders. The Indianapolis Colts (9-0) from the AFC South, the Minnesota Vikings(8-l) from the NFC North, and the New Orleans Saints (9-0) from the NFC South. However, there are other division leaders who are more difficult to predict, for example, the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. The AFC North seems to only come down to two teams, the Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Bengals have been playing great football lately, the Steelers are simply too good of a football team to count out. The Steelers' defense is superb, and, in my opinion, defense wins games, so the Steelers with their defense will come out on top of the AFC North. As for the AFC West, that division also comes down to two teams: The Denver Broncos, and the San Diego Chargers.
The big question is who will come out on top? Denver has surprised a lot of skeptics with its defense, which tops the AFC. However, the offense hasn't impressed anyone. Sure defense wins games and I stand behind that. But, when the offense keeps going three and out, the defense stays out on the field for a long time. It doesn't matter how good the defense is, if they are dead tired they will not perform to the expected level.
The Chargers have a respectable defense, and an explosive offense led by veteran Ledanian Tomlinson. It will tear your defense up in a hurry. However, I'm going with my gut and sticking with the Denver Broncos to be victorious in the AFC West. As for the NFC, I believe that the Minnesota Vikings are going to be tops. Their offense is fantastic with veteran Brett Favre taking the snaps, and young Adrian Peterson ripping through the defenses, not to mention, their defense tops the NFC behind defensive end Jared Alien.