History of the Printing Press

888 The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture, was the first dated example of block printing. 

1041 Bi Sheng in China invented movable clay type

1400 Johannes Gutenberg born in Mainz, Germany

1423 Europeans use xylography (art of engraving on wood, block printing) to produce books.

1430 Gutenberg moved from his native town of Mainz to Strasburg

1436 Gutenberg begins work on his printing press.

1437 Gutenberg was sued for "breach of promise of marriage" by a young lady of  Strasburg

1440 Gutenberg completed his wooden press which used movable metal type.

1440 Laurens Janszoon Koster (Coster) is credited, by some, with inventing movable metal type

1444 Gutenberg returns to Mainz and sets up a printing shop 

1446 Gutenberg prints the "Poem of the Last Judgment"

1448 Gutenberg prints the "Calendar for 1448"

1450 Gutenberg' formed a partnership with the wealthy Johann Fust 

1450 Gutenberg begins work on a Bible, the first is 40 lines per page. 

1452 Gutenberg begins printing the 42-line Bible in two volumes. 

1454 Gutenberg prints indulgences (notes sold to Christians by the Pope, pardoning their sins)

1455 First block-printed Bible, the Biblia Pauperum, published in Germany. 

1455 Gutenberg completed work on what is estimated to be 200 copies of the Bible 

1455 Gutenberg was effectively bankrupt. Investor Johann Faust gains control of print business

1457 First known color printing, a Psalter (a collection of Psalms for devotional use) by Faust.

1460 Gutenberg reestablished himself in the printing business with the aid of Conrad 
Humery

1461 Albrecht Pfister printed the first illustrated book Edelstein which featured a number of woodcuts.

1465 Gutenberg is appointed to the court of Archbishop Adolf of Nassau

1458 Johannes Gutenberg died February 3, in Mainz, German

1499 Printing had become established in more than 2500 cities around Europe.

1499 An estimated 15 million books have been press printed, representing thirty thousand book titles

Theology of an 11 Year Old

Written when I was 11 years old.  Glad I kept it!  Originally written for Family Enrichment Night at our church but I was too scared to make copies and hand them out. :) 

Families that pray together stay together!

This makes a family happy, and have a clean conscience in prayer and family life.  We shouldn’t have a house filled with noise and yelling, bickering, and bad words, for that is an unsettled lifestyle and also makes satan pleased which is not a good idea. Peace, smiles, hugs, and prayer are what a family needs to live for God.  Petitions before family prayer is a great time to share our thoughts and worries. God listens to children’s prayers with gratefulness.  If the family is practicing their faith, this gives everyone a happy state of mind. 

He Prayeth Well Who Loveth Well

Samuel Taylor Colridge

He prayeth well, who loveth well

Both man and bird, and beast.

He prayed best, who loveth best

All things both great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us,

He made and loveth all.

 Happy are those who pray to the Lord everyday and receive holy communion when they can!

1. Nothing pleases the family more than an enriched relationship with each other and our Savior.
2. It will prevent evil things like some magazines, movies, video games and TV shows from wandering in. 
3. It will help your children choose a better life if they remember the memories of prayer.
4. It helps to become better Catholics. 
5. If your children decide to enter the religious life, or as Catholic parents, its you who helped them choose the right path.
6. Your children will thank you.
7. In Heaven, God will have abundant mercy on you.
8. You are opening doors for your children and for each other.
9. You are probably going to go to heaven if your life is centered on the Catholic Faith. 

Covenants of The Old Testement

Part III.  Essay.

What are the covenants of the Old Testament? 

There are seven covenants in the BIble, four of which are the covenants God made with the Israelites, and three covenants which were made between God and all mankind, not only the nation of Israel.   

The first covenant, or Adamaic Covenant, has two parts.  The Edenic Covenant(Gen 1:26-30), which outlined man's responsibility towards creation and God’s warning about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Adamaic Covenant(Gen 3:16-19) which was about Adam’s punishment for disobeying God when partaking of the fruit from the tree and how God provided for them even if they were banished from Eden.  In a way, the Adamaic covenant was directed to us all.  If we disobey God, we will be deprived of all happiness.  God has the power to give everything and the power to take away everything.  Even though God did provide for the needs of Adam(though not like in Eden), Adam would never live in harmony or plenty for the rest of his life.  

The Noahic Covenant(Gen 9) was the covenant between God and Noah and humanity.  The people had turned away from God and no longer believed in Him.  God decided to destroy all he had created.  The only person who was worthy of saving, was Noah, an old and faithful man whose family rejoiced in the blessings God had given them.  God commanded Noah to build an ark which would house his family, along with two of every land animal, during the flood.  Noah had faith that he and his family would be provided for by the Lord. After the flood, God promised all of humanity that he would never destroy life on earth.  He gave the rainbow as a sign of this promise to never flood the earth again and to show that he was the one true God. The rainbow was his covenant to his people and this sign is an everlasting reminder of it.  We are so blessed to be able to see proof of God’s message every time it rains.  

In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised Abraham that his name would be great, his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that he would be the father of many nations and that many people would be blessed through Abraham's descendants, including Jesus who was from the line of Abraham.   

The Palestinian Covenant(Deuteronomy 30:1-10) was part of the Abrahamic Covenant in that it was connected to the many promises God made to Abraham.  In it, God says that if the people disobeyed him, He would cause them to scatter but then he would eventually build up the nation and restore the people to their homeland where they would act according to His commands and he would make them prosper.  Even though all the covenants of the Old Testament speak of God’s love for us, to me, the Palestinian Covenant is one that directly speaks to the hearts of the Israel Nation.  God said that even if one of his children were driven as far as the poles of heaven, He would bring them back to himself.  My favorite line is Deuteronomy 30:6 which is when God said: “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, that you may love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul that you may live.”  

The Mosaic Covenant(Deuteronomy 11)was a conditional covenant that either brought blessing to the people of Israel, or suffering and sadness to their nation if they were disobedient.  The Ten Commandments were apart of this covenant, along with the rest of the law.  God also speaks of the land which flows of milk and honey which he would give to the Israelites if they observed his precepts and followed his commands faithfully.  God tells the Israelites what they must do in order to bring up their children in the faith. 

The Davidic Covenant(2 Samuel 7:8-16) is like the Abrahamic Covenant in that God promised David that his lineage would last forever and once he died, he would rest peacefully in the land of his father's.  David was also promised that his kingdom would never pass away permanently.   He promised David that there will be a time when someone from the line of David will sit on the throne and rule as king and that this new king would remain faithful to the commands of the Lord.  God was talking about the Messiah, Jesus who would come and restore peace to the throne of David.  This covenant was fulfilled the moment Jesus was conceived. 

 The New Covenant(Jeremiah 31:31-34) is the covenant made first with the nation of Israel and then with all Mankind.  God promised to forgive sin and promised that there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. This new covenant would not be according to the covenants made with the fathers, but this covenant would restore peace to all humanity.  A city would be built to the Lord from the tower Hanameel even to the gate of the corner.  And the whole valley of the dead will be brought to life to live with God in his name forever.   God brought hope to every generation through all his covenants of the Old Testament.  There is a tremendous outpouring of mercy in each Covenant He made.  This just goes to show how much God loved all that he had made.  Even if his people sinned against him more times than we can say,  God still cherished the people of Israel, and the people of the world.  What he expects from us is for us to love him and obey his commands in order so that he may unleash the greatest covenant with his people which is an eternal home in Heaven

I Survived The Nun Run

Got back at 10:15 last night!  Thank you for all your prayers and generosity.  I couldn't have done it without you!   Pictures coming soon...

Never Before Seen Photos 2

7 Year-Old Poems

Fall:

Romantic English of the Farm

By Avila Dauvin, age 7

As the cows move softly with a gentle “Moo!”

That usually means, “I love You”

When the pigs move clumsily with an“Oink”

That sometimes means, (At butchering season)

“I hope your not Bacon thats forsaken my dear!”

Note: If you are reciting on the stage, your people

 might be silent so explain
that this is a pigs way of speech*

Mayday Fairies

By Avila Dauvin, age 7

A Fairy is a lady all dressed in white, with little

pink slippers a upon her feet.  Her wings are graceful and soft.

She pulls the weeds out of our gardens if we do a good deed.

She sweeps across the sky with wings like a butterfly

Her dress floating and hair flying as she approaches Queen May Day

So children please listen to me,  never do bad to a fairy or they will not pull weeds from the garden for thee.

Note:  Fairies are hardly seen so don’t worry too much.

The Birds

By Avila Dauvin, age 7

The birds are chirping in the trees,

along with the gentle wind,

How I just want to get up and spin!

Their singing is prettier than the music box,

which tinkles away, The birds sing in every little way!

Their song is like the mountains echoing their cheer,

or like the river, crystal and clear,

or like the beaver chattering away, Oh the birds sing

so pretty that I could just sing along, though not half so clearly!

Note: This song is for Midsummer.

The fairies dance and this is the best waltz!

Disney Land

By Avila Dauvin, age 7

I wonder as the cars go by what Disney land is like!

Do you twirl in the teacups, or go crazy on

the wild ride, or do you hug Mickey mouse

and with the camera get a shot,or

go into a store and take a look,

or fly past the world in rockets high,

or go in Cinderella's coach,

Or is it glum and no fun?

No funs the ride, no funs the store,

And only tears are shed no more?

No, I bet its fun and fun, and of course

its fun to say, and I bet I will have fun and hopefully I’ll stay!

Note: If you are going on this trip, make sure to have fun.

Thank You!

I am leaving August 17th for San Francisco Bay to visit over twelve convents and religious orders in the area, along with many friends.  Thank you to all who helped me out by either baking for the bake sale I held last Sunday, or for those of you who contributed to the cause.  You are so generous!

I will light a candle for you and your intentions at St. Ignatius Church and Cristo Rey Carmel.  

To all the people who helped me raise money for the Archdiocese of Portland Nun Run especially:

Grandpa and Grandma Wendell

Jeanie C.

John and Vicki H.

Pat R.

Elsie H.

Joyce and Darrel G.

Nick

C. Family

Gerry

Len and Linda

Judi H.

H. Family

And lastly, to my immediate family for putting up with the hot kitchen in the middle of summer!  Thank you!

San Gabriel Mission Church-Choir Loft

Dear Dr. Wilmut,

When reading your book After Dolly, I came upon some illogical statements concerning if a blastocyst is truly a human being.  You say that though the blastocyst has the potential to become a person, it is not considered a person because it needs to be helped and nurtured to survive.  That is almost like saying that a two year old is not a person.  A child has to be fed and cared for by another person and you say that even a tiny fertilized egg is not a person because of its inability to care for itself.  I find that revolting.

You gave an example in the chapter that you hoped would drive home the fact that a blastocyst is not a human being.  You said that if I was visiting the IVF laboratory with a small child and a scientist showed a small petri dish containing twelve early embryos for the child to see and suddenly a fire breaks out in the laboratory.  And you ask me who would I save, the child or the petri dish?
You know that most people would say the child and so you call it settled that the twelve embryos are not considered people.   Wouldn't the scientist be in charge of the petri dish?  My responsibility is the child that I brought to the IVF lab and it is my duty to make sure that the child is safe.  The scientist's duty is to make sure that the contents, or I should say little beings, in the dish are kept safe.  The dilemma that you put the reader in is baloney.

You also said that you let nature take its course in the cases of farmyard clones after you finish dividing the cells and separating the eggs.  You can't let nature take its course because you have already messed with it!  Nothing will be the same with the pregnancy as it would have been if you let well enough alone.  Though you do have a knowledge greater than I have on the subject of cloning, I believe you should work on your logic and find places in your book where you did not phrase things correctly or address all obstacles that are in the way of explaining your ideas properly.

Sincerely,  

A home-schooled girl of fifteen

Raymond Chandler on The Simple Art of Murder

This is an excerpt from Raymond Chandler's essay The Simple Art of Murder. Not real murder, but when writing an account of one in a mystery story. 

1) It must be credibly motivated, both as to the original situation and the dénouement.

2) It must be technically sound as to the methods of murder and detection.

3) It must be realistic in character, setting and atmosphere. It must be about real people in a real world.

4) It must have a sound story value apart from the mystery element: i.e., the investigation itself must be an adventure worth reading.

5) It must have enough essential simplicity to be explained easily when the time comes.

6) It must baffle a reasonably intelligent reader.

7) The solution must seem inevitable once revealed.

8) It must not try to do everything at once. If it is a puzzle story operating in a rather cool, reasonable atmosphere, it cannot also be a violent adventure or a passionate romance.

9) It must punish the criminal in one way or another, not necessarily by operation of the law…. If the detective fails to resolve the consequences of the crime, the story is an unresolved chord and leaves irritation behind it.

10) It must be honest with the reader.

Blood of the Baobab Tree 1

“Murder is the very least of my concerns. Injury perhaps, for in that case I wouldn’t be able to attend the performance, but Murder! Who would wish to take the life of an honest, self-giving woman?”

Mrs. Barnes laughed and sipped her tea.  Pastor Taft looked off into the distance at the gigantic Baobab tree at the head of the sweep.  

“Aha! But that may be the very reason! You say you are honest and there are several people I could name who would kill you for that.” 

“Oh Father Taft!” cried Mrs. Barnes playfully. “What nonsense. But I am dying to know the names of my so called murderers. Tell me! Or my curiosity will kill me before they even have the chance.” 

“You laugh now but if you knew, I’m sure you would be glad if Curiosity killed you first,” went on Fr. Taft solemnly.  

Mrs. Barnes stared at him.  “Oh you surely don’t call those accidents...What do you mean? You know, don't you?  Do you know the person who has been making an attempt on my life?"

"I told you several people, not just one.  I only wish that were the case.  One is easier to stop than several."

The woman paled.  Her face looked silver against the orange evening sky.  

" I have been hiding everything from my husband, even my closest friends.  How did you know Father? How did you perceive the danger I am constantly drifting towards?" 

The priest leaned back in his chair and gazed at the woman before him.  He recalled the first time he had met this woman.  It was on a Sunday in July.  The weather had been especially hellish.   His cassock stuck to him like honey and he had found it strangely difficult to breathe. It was as if someone was holding something like a banana peel up to his face.  He had noticed Mrs. Barnes because of her hat.  An extraordinary affair with wilting feathers and artificial clumps of gleaming grapes and oranges and bananas.  She had been quietly reading a prayer book in the corner of the first pew, supposedly oblivious to the heat.  Her husband was sitting next to her, puffing and coughing and scrubbing his thick red neck with a large spotted handkerchief.  Fr. Taft hadn’t payed particular attention to them, partly because of the muggy weather, and then because he never had favorites among his congregation.    Mrs. Barnes had approached the priest with her two daughters after the Mass and loudly praised his sermon(which Fr. Taft barely remembered) and asked him to dinner.   He declined.  He had to celebrate the next mass.

"Well, no matter. We were going to the Lomax's anyway," she had said.  He had thought that curious.  Why would you invite a priest over when you already were engaged for dinner?  He never did understand women(except his own dear mother).   After that, the Barnes were not apart of the congregation for five months.  He heard from an unreliable source that they were away on a business trip to West Africa for the summer.   

Fr. Taft had gone on a walk the day after Christmas.  He chanced to meet Mrs. Barnes on the way back to the mission church and she stopped, asking him over for lunch.  

"We will only be having leftovers but it would certainly please myself and my husband if you came.  He hasn't had anyone to talk to except the ranch hands and livestock traders for months."

Fr. Taft had agreed to the proposition of lunch and just he was leaving to bring along his mass kit(as he did when he traversed outside of the small town), he heard Mrs. Barnes cry out.  She was stooped over her purse and there, stuck in a small sapling that bordered the street was a green bowie knife.

Fr. Taft rushed to her side and helped her up. "Are you all right? You might have been killed if you hadn't dropped your purse."   

Mrs. Barnes was duly shaken. "Oh, it's nothing.  I expect one of those black boys at their tricks again.  We never heard the last of the circus.  Especially the knife thrower.  They came last year to put on a show."  She giggled nervously. 

“Perhaps some other time, Madam, I will have the pleasure of partaking in a meal at your house.  Now, I do think it would be best for you to rest and have a quiet meal with your husband.”

“Thank you, Fr. Taft.  You are right.  I am sorry for this...intrusion.  Could you come for dinner on Sunday?”

“That suits me very well, Mrs. Barnes.  Would you like me to walk you home?”

“Oh no!  Don’t bother.  The car is waiting on the other side of the store. Goodnight, Father.  We will look forward to your coming sunday evening at 7:30.”  And Mrs. Barnes walked stiffly to the waiting car.

Since then there had been many 'accidents' with Mrs. Barnes.  In the confessional, someone had unhinged the kneeler so that when she knelt down, she fell upon the marble floor and severely bruised her kneecaps.  When this was not meant to kill her, she was on bedrest for a week.  Unfortunately, no one knew who had been to confession before Mrs. Barnes.  Another time, her glass of punch had a strong odor of turpentine. And still another event she fell deathly ill of food poisoning, or so she thought. Upon an examination by the doctor, it was found that she had a few grains of arsenic in her hair.   All of these things, Mrs. Barnes made light of. 

Fr. Taft sighed heavily. 

"What are you thinking of?" asked Mrs. Barnes.  

"I am thinking of all these so called accidents."

Mrs. Barnes shuddered.  

"You don't call them accidents anymore do you?" he asked.

"No. I believe they were all meant to stop me from doing something but I don’t know what," she responded sadly.  "Oh, Father! I thought I was a friend  to everybody!"

"You certainly tried to be," comforted Fr. Taft soothingly.  

"It just shows how blind I was. What are the names of the people trying to kill me?  I must know so I can change everything for better."

“I have been investigating a bit and found these people to have been capable of these doings.”

Fr. Taft leaned over his plate and dropped a wad of paper on her saucer.   Mrs. Barnes picked it up and read the names to herself.  She came to the last entry and began to sob.  

"Oh, Father! Tell me it is not true!  Please! I beg of you! They can't all be trying to...get me out of the way!" 

Fr. Taft nodded slowly.  "I'm sorry Mrs. Barnes."

"Oh, but it can't be!  You must be wrong!"

"I have been watching all mentioned and they all seem to have some motive for killing you, whether it's money or an old grudge."  

“Fr. Taft!  You could be wrong! Tell me you could be wrong!”

“I could be wrong, Madam. But I have the strangest idea that I am right.  Espcially since you are a very wealthy woman who appears to enjoy life.” 

The maid came in at that moment and stopped, confusedly in the doorway of the summerhouse.   Seeing her, Mrs. Barnes hurriedly wiped her face with a napkin and crumbled up the paper in her hand. 

"Hello, Mitty," she said brightly.  

"Hello, Miz Barnes.  Want me to clear?" 

"Why yes.  You may have a cheese stick if you don't break anything."

"Oh! Thank you!" cried the girl in delight and began carefully stacking plates and silverware.  

"How long have you had Mitty, Mrs. Barnes?" asked Fr. Taft absently.

"Two years Father. She's a good girl.  She's ten years old."   

Fr. Taft nodded slowly in thought.  Mitty left the summerhouse.  

"You don't think Mitty could ever-" began Mrs. Barnes. 

"No.  I don't think such a young girl could want to kill anything.  She's just a child. I don't even believe these village boys you have been romanticizing about have been trying to hurt you."

"Do you hold a grudge against me, Father?" asked the woman quaveringly.

Fr. Taft looked at her in amazement. "Me! I would never kill one of his sheep! You are a decent woman, Mrs. Barnes.  I couldn't resent you.  I believe you knew that already."

"I did," sighed Mrs. Barnes.  "You are a kindred spirit like a book once said."

"You mean Anne of Green Gables?" smiled the priest. 

Mrs. Barnes smiled weakly.  "I should really read that again. It has been since I was a little girl."

"You should.  Full of goodness and beauty and life." 

"I guess I won't be alive for much longer."

"Don't say that.  It's not true, it hurts the Father.  Live life to the fullest and pray.  Pray for clarity in this matter.  They may be little accidents after all." 

"No.  Father they were real.  Accidents don't happen anymore.  There is always a cause and a motive. "

"So the door will say to itself, 'Let's get in the way of Mrs. Barnes and hurt her big toe' eh?"

Mrs. Barnes laughed disagreeably.  "You know what I meant and now I must oversee dinner.  Thank you for coming to tea Father."

Fr. Taft stood up and brushed off the crumbs from his lap.  

"I thank you for the refreshment. I will see you on Sunday."  

"Oh, yes."  

"May the Lord bless you and your family.  In Nomine Patri, et Fili, et Spiritu Sancti. Amen."

"Amen."