The DePorres Blog

I must start with a confession. I have only shopped on “Black Friday” once. It was a few years ago when I purchased my parents a web tv system, one of the few gift successes I have had as they still use it. If I purchased it at Thanksgiving, my parents could use it for 30 days, so when I came home again before Christmas, I could return it without cost.

In fact, I find myself mystified by the whole reality. I value sleep too much to be getting up early in the morning (Kaybee Toys opened at midnight) to shop. Moreover, this year it seems even less likely that prices will be different after today.

I don’t understand the whole race to be the first in the store. At a Wal Mart on Long Island, a security guard was killed, presumably because he was trampled to death. Is there really anything in a Wal Mart that is so important that we can’t wait a few extra minutes to get it?

Retailers need merchandise to move, even if they don’t make much (if any) of a profit. So I suspect even though I didn’t make it out to shop today, finding what I need at an affordable price will not be a problem.

That having been said, I am not a typical shopper. The economy will not depend on me, since I shop for so little. And, while I am an interested “Black Friday” watcher, it is still a phenomenon I do not understand.

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It does not take much time for me to realize that I have much to for which I should be thankful. I have a steady job, a supportive community, and many friends. Most of all, I am fortunate for a loving God and a life of fatih. I hope that the same is true for all who read this. Happy Thanksgiving.

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After trying to access me work e-mail on my poor little cell phone and trying too hard to think of ways to make things work, I gave in and got a Blackberry. In just a few days I can see why Barack Obama might have wanted to keep his. This in spite of the recent news his cell phone records were hacked into.

In the few days I have had it, its ability to keep me in touch on travel (which I do a lot of) is proving to be a real time saver. Its compact size and versatility are helpful. What’s more, since my new Norton anti-virus software is too new for the university network I use, I don’t have Internet access in my room.

And, as I update this blog on my Blackberry, I just might have discovered one more reason among many that I won’t be running for president of the US anytime soon.

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What’s the healthiest city in America? It appears to be Burlington, Vt.

Vermont’s largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas by having the largest proportion of people — 92 percent — who say they are in good or great health.

It’s also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measures of ill health, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the whole story.

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I just returned from a two day trip to New Orleans, for the Dominican Association of Secondary Schools Meeting. There are 35 schools in this organization, and 28 of them were represented. We had an impressive reflection on the current state of things in New Orleans, particularly in terms of how the lives of people in New Orleans, and in the surrounding area, was, and still is, impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

I knew that the lives of people in New Orleans are still being rebuilt and healed. But I was not aware of how obvious the scars of the destruction of Katrina are still present. There are still some buildings which have not been repaired. There are still buildings where the flood water level is still obvious.

I was not in the lower 9th ward, which is probably still the area most in need of recovery. Still, as I heard from those who are still working to grieve their losses and move into a better tomorrow, the trip was a profound and helpful testimony to the power of God’s grace and the strength of the human spirit.

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As I travel around the country meeting with Fenwick alums, I am constantly reminded about the tremendous success of our alums, and the privilege I get to see them in action. Since the beginning of this year, I have been at the White House, (for a tour of the West Wing), at the Rose Bowl, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena, and on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Don’t blame me for the economic crisis. When I arrived in New York the markets had historic increases, and until I left New York there were big market gains.)

It is quite honestly, a tribute to hearing about success, as defined by looking how grads impact the life of others. When in Washington, I heard from alum after alum about how their lives in Washington, whether in government, working in Head Start, or in the legal profession protecting the rights and lives of elders, of how they were serving others, and how this desire to serve was nurtured and developed at Fenwick High School.

While in California, I heard about how Fenwick provided a moral grounding and a strong academic foundation so that alums could move through life with a moral center that provides fulfillment. As I listened to what our alums were doing, I found tremendous gratitude as they named the successful teachers and friars who made this all happen.

I also heard in New York about how the high academic standards not only get our alums into the best colleges and universities, but the athletic discipline also gets them into the best athletic programs in these same colleges and universities.

While it is said often, “It’s a great day to be a Friar!”, it has never been more true.

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The challenges for Barack Obama are many, and most will not come from the Republicans, but rather from Democrats who will expect many things that no one person could possibly deliver. While both McCain and Obama were quite gracious in their speeches last night, the tasks before the new president will be immense. There is an economy that is really falling apart, with no easy solution before us. There is the reality that people voted for Obama for a variety of reasons, and will expect him to deliver on all of them. There is the reality that despite the word “landslide”, this election was rather close, and while Obama had a large electoral vote lead, there is not evidence this election provided a big ideological shift in this country. Look to the results of state voting on same sex marriage as an example.

Yet, the situation we are now in will require the new president to govern from the center, for without a consensus of Americans behind him, the challenges this country faces will not be met. Perhaps most of all, we should all keep the new president in our prayers. This is a challenging time for our country, and whether we supported him or not, we need him to succeed.

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Whether you voted for Obama or not, it has to be noted that the election of an African-American is indeed an historic moment for the United States. It was not all that long ago that Obama would not have been allowed to use the same drinking fountain, or the same bathroom, or to sit at the same counter as White Americans. Perhaps this will usher in a day where race does not become a consideration when someone runs for political office, just as, perhaps, the election of John Kennedy to the White House ushered in a period where one’s religious faith was not as much of a consideration. People should be elected on the merits of their positions. Indeed, Obama has moved us one step closer in that regard.

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It may seem odd I would be congratulating a team which eliminated my Red Sox. I was really happy with the play of the Red Sox this post season. First, there was the unbelievable comeback. There was the way the Sox played despite injuries to Mike Lowell, David Ortiz, and Josh Beckett, to name a few. There was the positive attitude that returned when Manny Ramirez was traded. But most importantly for baseball, there was not a monumental choke that would have undone baseball in Tampa Bay, perhaps for ever. So, go Rays!

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Anyone who knows me well knows I have a fascination for hurricanes. Well, if you are not familiar with the “Hurricane Grotto”, it is worth considering. See what Jeff Masters writes on his tropical weather blog:

Paying homage at the Key West Hurricane Grotto
If you live in Key West, I highly recommend a visit to the Hurricane Grotto to ask for some divine intervention in regards to Ike. There’s a church in Key West called the St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church. In 1922, a nun built a “hurricane grotto” on the grounds of the church in memory of the 600 who died during the great Atlantic-Gulf hurricane of Sept. 10, 1919, a Category 4 hurricane that made a direct hit on Key West. The nun vowed that as long as the grotto stood, Key West would not suffer the brunt of another hurricane. Key West residents regularly make pilgrimages to the grotto to pray for protection from hurricanes. And so far, the grotto has worked–no Key West resident has died from a hurricane strike since the 1919 hurricane. As Hurricane Rita approached Key West in September of 2005, it was apparent that the magic of the Grotto would be severely tested. As I wrote in a blog the day after Rita passed:

Well, the protection of the grotto worked again. Key West barely escaped the brunt of a severe hurricane that could have been so very much worse. Had Rita’s intensification cycle started 24 hours earlier, and she tracked 50 miles further north, the city of Key West would have been devastated. The Key West airport never measured sustained hurricane force winds from Rita, although the National Hurricane Center did receive an unofficial report of sustained winds of 75 mph with gusts to 102 mph in the Key West area. There was flooding and wind damage that will no doubt add up to tens of millions of dollars, but Key West is feeling lucky tonight. Key Westers, pay a visit to your grotto tomorrow and give thanks!

Key West's famous Hurricane Grotto.

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