To be continued!

To be continued!

To be continued!

To be continued!

Some sellers are turning to St. Joseph.

St. Joseph is the patron saint of carpenters and house hunters.  According to Snopes.com, the legend is that if a homeowner buries a statue of St. Joseph in the yard, the home will sell in a relatively short period of time thereafter. 

There are a few variations of how a seller is to go about doing this, but the realtors in my office tell me to bury the statue of St. Joseph in the front yard, upside down, and say a prayer.  Once the home has sold, the seller is supposed to dig up the statue and place it in their new home. 

Google "St. Joseph Real Estate" and you will find many articles with testimonials from home sellers in seemingly hopeless real estate predicaments who within, just hours, days or weeks after burying a statue of St. Joseph, sold their home. 

Does it work?  I don't know, but I'm about to try it on one of my listings.  I'd be interested to hear readers own experiences with St. Joe.

For the past 20+ years, I've lived a pretty good existence in Ohio both with my family and on my own. On Tuesday, that ended as I packed my shoddy Dodge Caravan to the brim with a lot of things I will most likely sell or throw away in the next month (Seriously, what does a straight male do with an old singing Christina Aguilera poster given to from an old girlfriend?).

The trip was only supposed to last a solid 6 hours, but it was more like 10 or 11 by the time I arrived at my sister's apartment in Kankakee, IL. This was due to a mixture of construction and constantly being thwarted by driver's who noticed someone was driving above the speed limit in the passing lane and moved in front of me to make sure I didn't get above 45 MPH.

So far the trip has been mixed as the scenery wasn't anything to write about (though that may have different had a real person been in the passenger seat and not my TV). Western Ohio was a mixture of typical Columbus and hilljack cities, Indiana's countryside smelled like a giant sewage tank and I didn't drive through Illinois enough to make a cynical comment. I downloaded a lot of music I hadn't had the chance to listen to like Explosions In The Sky, Rilo Kiley and Lil' Wayne as well as a few audio books by David Sedaris (And I list these in the least pretentious way possible.) But instead, I ended up listening to old mix tapes, so passerbys could see a 24-year-old guy singing to Vanessa Carlton a la this scene in "White Chicks."

Along the way, one does stop at gas stations and those do have a lot of strange food to buy. So, combining this trip with that of my earlier venture to Scranton, PA - these are the new tastes of summer 2008.

Doritos Quest Chips: These aren't available everywhere (and may not be available anymore seeing as I bought them a month ago), but you're not missing out on much. These "mystery flavor" chips are actually, I kid you not, Mountain Dew flavored chips. They have the Lime flavor, not sure about the Lemon. Either way, I expect this to be a limited edition, test market chip that will fail. Not even the most adamant MD drinker would eat these beyond a few trial bites. Gross

M & M Mint Crisp: These were only available in select locations as well as a promotional tool for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Sheer Disappointment." With Indy's movie in decline, these are gone as well. It's too bad because these are for sure the strongest new product out of all the crap companies put out to please the summer crowd. Like a small Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie, it combined the nostalgia of the long-lost M & M Crisp and cool mint. Tasty

A & W Root Beer Float: This was an exercise in stupidity. I knew it was going to be bad. There's just no way to capture the flavor of a Root Beer Float without actually having ice cream in the root beer. Plus, when you think about it, root beer and ice cream never really congeal to form one flavor - you eat the ice cream, then you drink the rest of the root beer. But I paid the $2.50 anyways. Dumb. I got back to my friend's house, drank about two gulps before tossing the rest. It tasted like flat root beer mixed with melted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. There's no reason for this to exist. Nobody wants a Root Beer Float on the run, it's something you enjoy like an ice cream cone. Gross

Sunkist Float: First, I have to note this was bought at the same time as the A & W Float. Had I tasted the Float prior to this, I'd rather write a strongly-worded to the folks at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (The soda's manufacturers) than support anymore of their terrible gimmick products.

Like a fool, I tried this one as well. It was better than the Float, which is like saying a knife stab to the arm is better than a gunshot to the hip. It didn't taste terrible, but I wouldn't ever buy it again. Its consistency is thick like someone mixed Sunkist with warm Vitamin D milk. That make your mouth water excitement? It's just about as good. Unlike the Float, you can actually drink and stomach the whole thing as its orange flavor greatly overpowers the whole fake ice cream part. Gross

My journey will continue on Friday as I take off for my home in St. Joseph. So sit tight.

"Yeah, it's been on the market for about seven months. The seller won't lower the price and there are about a dozen properties like it - some much newer - that are being offered for less. I don't know what to do."

"Have you provided the seller with the comps?"

"I just did again, for the fourth time, yesterday. She just won't see the issue - it's the price. Buyers have a lot of choices nowadays. She keeps saying we're not doing enough advertising."

"Have any of the buyers provided you with that feedback, so you could show her what the buyers are saying?"

"Nothing works. I have tried everything. Say, let me ask you a question. Have you ever done that statue thing? You know, where you bury a statue upside down in the corner of the house. Do you think that would help? I hear a lot of REALTORS swear by it."

Pop. Out goes the lightbulb. In comes the voodoo. And forever falls away any hope of developing a professional sales force out of the million or so actors playing real estate agent.

Only it's not TV. It's real life. We're talking about people's life savings. Their biggest investment - a financial commitment that will dominate their lives for years, if not decades. Mix in the legal elements - like fiduciary responsibility and zillions of other regulations - a dash of disclosure and a few flakes of Fair Housing. And the "solution" to tough situations is: Hey! Let's do a rain dance! That will help!

Burying statues in the backyard doesn't sell homes. Nor does listing overpriced property. Or working with buyers without pre-approval. All of this is smoke-in-mirrors - and it's only goal is to make the REALTOR feel like they're doing something - anything - when they otherwise would be faced with having to do the right thing, instead. What will be next? Broomsticks and Pikachu?

That's right: Do the right thing. Now that's an idea. A lightbulb whose time has come. Like canceling a listing agreement for your unreasonable sellers. Just co-broke it later (bring the buyer offering a substantially lower but "you know it's reasonable" price) and stop accruing all the expenses and aggravation. Like asking the buyer "do you want to make an offer" when you're showing them the FIRST house on your grand tour. At $4 a gallon of gas, do you really have time to drive them to seven more homes without - at least! - asking them every time if they'd like to make an offer. Like greeting people at the door of the open house, then walking through the home with them, explaining things as you go. Not letting them run amok on their ignorant own, helping themselves to the jewelry and prescription drugs, and leaving with really no idea about the home other than the "pretty colors" they saw.

Real estate is a sales business. Sales isn't the act of "being nice enough to a seller to let them give you their listing" so you can earn a commission. It's about taking the right listings at the right prices - market prices - so you can make the right deal. Sales is a process. It has goals - like selling someone's home in a reasonable time frame, for a reasonable price, so you can earn a reasonable living. Sales also has skills required - such as pricing homes within the market tolerances, explaining that prices are set by the buyer, not the seller, and using the skills of recognizing a bad deal when you see one - and running away!

Don't think I'm blaming the consumers, either. Sure, sellers are insane and buyers are idiots. But you should be so lucky to work in an industry where the consumer's emotions dominate their purchase process. That's a salesperson's dream - unless they're still dreaming that the Tooth Fairy will bring them an offer on their overpriced under-staged listing in the high tax-burden town this month. REALTORS don't sit across the table with twenty computer science experts, technicians and IT managers, trying to explain to them why their computer equipment warrants their $500,000 investment. REALTORS don't have to match wits with a veteran surgeon with a PhD in chemistry as they try to sell their company's new drug benefits. No, folks, it's houses.

Yup - bedrooms, kitchens, and your favorite: bathrooms. But while it's not rocket science, it certainly isn't going to sell because you positioned the furniture toward the sun. Planting totem pole in the yard won't keep the evil spirits from overpricing it. Drawing a circle in salt around the front door and splashing some wine vinegar on the walls won't make buyers suddenly see the "hidden value" in the home.

At some point, consumers are going to figure this out. Oh, sorry - that point was about ten years ago. That's why they're raising eyebrows at your commission. That's why they're wondering why they can't get hold of you by email. That's why, after seeing the photos you placed online, they're asking you to please, please, please stick to text-based classified ads.

Am I picking on you? No. I don't have to: the consumer is doing it plenty fine for me. Am I trying to help you see a point? Yes. It's this: When you're sitting in a class called "The Ultimate Technology Course" and you've actually spent $300 to be there and you have a 100 page workbook in front of you with dozens of sales, marketing and technology ideas, maybe, just maybe, you'll put away your amulets and incense and pay attention for a few minutes. Possibly out there - on the vast internet, within the networks of experts like Turcotte and Brouthers and CRB and WCR - you'll find a few skills, techniques, tools and technologies that will help you do the right things that trained salespeople do to build your business.

Otherwise, just like your statue-underground marketing strategy, it's probably going to be lights-out for your career.

more about Saint Joseph

Poor Saint Joe never gets a day off from the estate agents. This bunch even sells their own statues. Well, two can play that game - 'cause I sell 'em, too!.

more about Saint Joseph

Nous voyons ici le chantier du viaduc du le Grande Allée, à Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Au moment de la prise de cette photo, plusieurs poutres étaient encore en place, mais ce n'est plus le cas, maintenant.

L'autre extrémité du viaduc de la Grande Allée. Il est à noter que sur la Grande Allée elle-même, l'un des deux viaducs qui surplombent la voie ferrée du CN, ainsi que le chemin de la Station, et qui était fermé depuis plusieurs mois, la circulation roulant à contresens sur l'autre, a également été complètement démoli. Les appels d'offres ont d'ailleurs été publiés pour sa reconstruction.

Ici, c'est ce qui reste du viaduc du Grand Rang, à Saint-Hyacinthe. Entre celui-ci et celui de la Grande Allée, que l'on a vu tantôt, il y a celui de la route 227, à Sainte-Madeleine, qui fut détruit et entièrement reconstruit l'an dernier.

Voilà ce qui restait de la base nord du viaduc du Grand Rang, lors de mon passage, qui date du 15 juin dernier,...

...et maintenant, ce qui restait de la base sud. Elles seront également détruites, afin de laisser place à une toute nouvelle structure.

Ces images ne montrent que deux chantiers, sur l'A-20. De nombreux autres se dressent tout au long de cette autoroute, dont celui du viaduc du boulevard Saint-Joseph, à Drummondville, que je compte bien aller visiter, avant qu'il soit complété. Entre temps, la Blogue-mobile est arrivée chez moi, et le voyage, depuis Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, s'est très bien déroulé. Il y a beaucoup de travail à accomplir, afin d'en faire un véhicule exemplaire, mais j'y verrai un jour à la fois.

D'ici-là, j'aurai le temps de vous montrer d'autres photos intéressantes. Alors restez dans les parages, et passez une bonne fête nationale des québécois, que ce soit en célébrant dans la joie, ou encore en profitant - comme moi - d'une bonne journée de congé payée.

And so this is publicized again. (sigh) More about burying Saint Joseph to Sell Your Home

Who am I to argue? ;-)

more about Saint Joseph

GOT CREDIT!

If not, we can help.

Bernritter Properties & Investments, LLC (BP&I, LLC) is excited to introduce our new VIP Credit Repair Funding Program for credit repair and credit enhancement.  So you can, even with bad credit, get into a new home.  Lease options or rent to own with owner financing options available.  We can even stop foreclosures or work with you even if you have already had a foreclosure on your credit.  We have homes in the Kansas City Missouri area and St. Joseph Missouri areas for you.

For a LIMITED TIME and as an added incentive to you, we will match you dollar for dollar on your investment to improve you credit score.  This matching fund can be used towards your closing cost, down payment or purchase price reduction on any home you buy from us.  That’s right!  We will pay you double back your investment!

                                   BAD CREDIT COST YOU $$$

Let’s face it!  Bad credit cost you money in many ways, like:

í                 Higher interest rate charges on home, auto and credit card accounts.

í                 Higher cost on your auto, health and life insurances

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í                 Personal and financial peace of mind

GOOD CREDIT SAVES YOU $$$

Yes, it does cost you money now to have your credit repaired the right way; but that investment now can save you thousands and is essential to getting you into your dream home with affordable payments.  You may ask, “Can’t I do my own credit repair?”  Yes, you can!  You can also rebuild your own car engine, but who has the time or expertise to do that?  Not many!

BP & I, LLC and

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

í                 We will do everything possible to help you achieve your dream of owning a home. 

í                 We will work with you for as long as it takes to get you into the home of your dreams

í                 We will show you the steps to take.  However, your must be willing to take those steps yourself.  All things worthwhile take commitment and persistence; working together, we can get there.

Sincerely,

Von Bernritter, manager

Bernritter Properties & Investments, LLC

Our first stop was in South Haven. We lunched at Clementine's. The lunch rush hour was over, so we had great service. I always give Clementine's four stars****. I pointed out to Peggy that South Haven has a wonderful ice cream parlor that serves Sherman's Ice Cream. Our waitress, Janet, told us that we had to go to the dairy just outside of town to experience the "real thing." To work off lunch,  we walked the business area browsing the shops. Peggy searched the shops for a summer wreath to hang on our front door. We did find one that we liked, but it was the wrong color. We wanted a blue, rose, or lavender color. This one was pale green.

Driving out of town, I looked for Sherman's, but could not find it. We proceeded toward the town of  Saugatauk. Instead, I decided to show Peggy the town of Douglas. Douglas is adjacent to Saugatauk. As it turned out, they were paving the main street of Douglas and the entire business area of two blocks was shut down. We kept going to Saugatauk.

In Saugatauk, I made my regular visit to the drug-store and souvenir shop.  I have been there several times. On more than one occasion, The druggist was being hollered at by his gay lover. It was funny, but embarrassing too. It didn't happen this time. Maybe they broke up. We walked shop to shop looking for a wreath. We have a very specific vision for what it should be. We kept asking at the shops if anyone in town carried such a wreath. Each time they sent us to another shop. No luck, none of them had what we were looking for. It was becomming more and more apparent that the wreath we turned down in South Haven was the one we wanted. Peggy and I agreed that we would venture back to South Haven if we struck out in Holland.  Our biggest treat was a stop at the fudge shop.  We bought two kinds of fudge before leaving town.

We arrived in Holland by six o'clock and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express. Instead of going out to eat, we snacked in the room, and watched tv. The next morning we toured Windmill Island. We were hoping to see buches of tulips in bloom. There were indeed many tulips, but most were spent, and the colors faded. We climbed the four stories of the De Swaan windmill, now 257 years old. "The Swan" came to Holland, Michigan from the Netherlands. The town purchased it in the ninteen sixties from the country of Holland. It is the  only one imported from the Netherlands. Our tour leader, who was much older than us, climbed the stairs without getting winded. Peggy and I puffed at each level. After the windmill we visited the caliope. What a wondeful instrument this is. Another, younger lady gave the history of the caliope. She showed us the player book, a series of cards with holes punched in. These cards fed into the machine and played the pipes and the drums. The music was great.

We left Windmill Island and drove the two shores of Lake Macatawa. This lake extends for several miles and opens into Lake Michigan. The result is a great harbor for Holland. The homes along both shorlines are magnificent. Obviously they are not occupied by the middle class of Holland, rather the very wealthy. My guess is that these properties are in the one million to three million dollar range.

We left Holland for lunch at the "Golden Arches." We tried the new southern chicken sandwich. I gave it one star.* From there, we ventured north to the Veldmeer Tulip Farm. Luckily, there were still acres of tulips in bloom. The colors were absolutely brilliant. The trip became a "baby step," for my new garden. We selected several colors of tulips and purchased them for fall planting. This purchase now solidifies my vision to add a few more flower beds into the yard. More grass to take out, more soil amendment, more compost, and lots of mulch. 

Having spent a ton of money on the tulips, we headed back on the scenic Blue Star Highway to South Haven. I gave up a stop to the Fenn Valley winery to get to my son Steve's in time for dinner. We found the wreath at the 'Rambling Rose' in South Haven. The lovely proprietress gave us directions to Sheman's along with another fantastic recommendation. On the way out of town we "ate dessert first. *****"  Sherman's dairy, established in 1906, has had alot of practice making ice cream.  We jumped onto I-196 South to get to Steve's farm. Twenty minutes later, I pulled into his yard.  Steve was waiting for us. We drove to Saint Joseph's for supper.

We ate dinner at the 'Pump House Grill.'  This restaurant is in the heart of the historic Saint Joseph's business district at the top of the bluff.   The menu has a nice variety of foods. The wine list features wines from Australia. Our server Andrew took good care of us throughout the evening. He incurred my sacasm when he confessed, after a very long wait, that a printer mal-function in the kitchen prevented our order from being placed. He apologized and promised to discount the meal to appease us. He did as promised. All in all, we had a nice visit with Steve while we waited, ate soup, bread, salad and the table cloth. The food was tasty. I had lake perch, Peggy had a t-bone with too much sauce, and Steve had a Thai Salad with chicken.  The portions were hefty. Even with the screw up, I give the place three stars ***. 

On the drive home we were treated to a fabulous sunset. The clouds covered the sun but produced ribbons of lavender, taupe, and rose with tinges of yellow that merged into the grey lake.

Peggy and I arrived home in Frankfort, exhausted by 9:30 p.m. We pretended to watch T.V. until finally retiring after mid-night. Not long after we had both fallen into that deep sleep the phone woke us up. It was 1:00 a.m. I answered, "Where the heck are you Dad?" the caller asked. The voice was not that my sons or my son-in-law.

"I think you have the wrong number," I replied.  

"No I don't, I have been at Mc Donald's waiting for you to pick me up. Where are you?"

Again, I tried to explain, "I think you..." He interrupted again.

"I'm sitting here lookiing forward to getting home and having a drink and a smoke."

"Oh," I answered, "I'll be there to pick you up in ten minutes." click

I went back to bed to resume that deep deep sleep. 

This feast was instituted in 1955 by Pope Pius XII and is celebrated on May 1, since this is the day labor is honored in many countries. In the Gospel Jesus was called "the son of the carpenter." This feast reminds us that honest work, no matter how seemingly menial, can be sanctified. Through work we can sanctify ourselves and others, making each of us participants in the work of redemption.
(Our Sunday Visitor/Midwest Theological Forum Daily Roman Missal)

God, our Father,
Creator and ruler of the universe,
in every age You call man
to develop and use his gifts for the good of others.
With Saint Joseph as our example and guide,
help us to do the work you have asked
and come to the rewards you have promised.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Opening Prayer 1970 Roman Missal)

Il savait qu'une maison ne pouvait se construire que sur une base solide, sur le roc; qu'une vigne avait besoin d'être émondée et entourée de fumier pour porter du fruit; qu'une semence devait être jetée sur une bonne terre; que le bon vin était fait pour la fête; que le pain rassasiait la faim des hommes; que l'on pouvait prévoir le temps qu'il ferait demain en regardant l'horizon. Jésus savait aussi jeter le filet pour la pêche, il savait jeter son regard dans les coeurs meurtris, il savait combien la peine pouvait nous peser, combien le pardon et l'amitié pouvaient être bienfaisants dans nos vies. Il savait surtout combien nous avions besoin de nous ouvrir à l'amour de Dieu.

C'est tout cela que Jésus a vécu et appris à l'école de Joseph et de Marie, dans l'apprentissage de son humanité. Et c'est à cette école du travail, de la famille et de la solidarité humaine que le Fils de l'Homme nous invite à marcher avec lui.

Though not nearly as old as the Mission of San Miguel (which happens to be the oldest church in the U.S.) or as imposing as the Saint Francis Cathedral downtown, the Loretto Chapel and its "miraculous" staircase is really something to behold. And the history behind it, wow...

Responding to a plea from Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy to start a school, the Sisters of Loretto sent seven nuns to Santa Fe in 1852. The trip west was brutal and almost immediately, the sisters were beset with a cholera epidemic. Their Mother Superior succumbed to the illness and another sister became too ill to continue the trip and turned back.

The remaining sisters arrived sometime in the fall of 1852 and in 1853 opened the Academy of Our Lady of Light not far from the site of the present day Loretto Chapel. Over time, their school grew and using the tuitions from their students, donations and even money from their own family inheritances, the sisters funded construction of the Loretto Chapel.

Modeled after King Louis IX's Sainte Chapelle in Paris, the Gothic-revival chapel took ten years to build and was finished -- complete with stained glass windows imported from France! -- sometime in 1878. The only problem was reaching the choir loft in the back of the chapel.

In similar chapels elsewhere, the choir loft was easily accessed by male clergy and a ladder. But the sisters were hoping for something a little less dangerous, so, they consulted a carpenter. He too told them that a ladder was the best way to go as a traditional staircase wouldn't fit in the tiny chapel.

Now, here is where the story gets really interesting. Legend has it that the frustrated sisters made a novena (which, for you non-Catholics is sort of a specialized prayer) to Saint Joseph, the Patron Saint of Carpenters. They prayed hard for nine days, and on the ninth and final day of the novena, a man appeared at their door looking for work.

Armed with only a donkey and a toolbox, the man set about building the sisters an elaborate circular staircase with no visible signs of support. Even more impressive is the fact that he built the stairs without nails, using only wooden pegs to hold everything in place.

It took the carpenter six months to fashion the winding staircase and immediately after he'd finished, the man -- who never requested or received any payment for his labor -- vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. The sisters tried to find him for years, but no trace of the man was ever found. And soon, many locals began to suspect that the mysterious carpenter might be Saint Joseph himself, come to answer the sisters prayers.

Adding credence to that claim is the still-unidentified wood used in several portions of the stairs, not to mention the innovative way the carpenter molded the wood using only the tools he brought with him on his donkey. Now, I don't know is that dude was really Saint Joseph or not, but trust me, that staircase has some kind of mystical aura.

I was feeling some seriously serene vibes in that place and Ginger was so moved by the whole experience that she actually started crying. Of course, it doesn't take much to turn on those waterworks (just kidding, Ginger!) but, whoa...even though you can't walk on them or touch them, there was something really amazing going on with those crazy stairs.

I don't know why I hadn't heard of this place before, but apparently the Loretto staircase is so famous that it's been featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" and was even the subject of a TV movie, "The Staircase", starring Barbara Hershey, Diane Ladd and CSI's William Peterson. Who knew?

Anyway, if you get a chance to visit only one church in Santa Fe, I say check this joint out. If the miraculous story behind the stairs doesn't move you, the super cool 3-D prayer cards in the gift shop surely will!

"We celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph on March 15 and of St. Patrick on March 17 - Great Men who lived only for Christ"

"What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith. Joseph of Nazareth is a "just man" because he totally "lives by faith." He is holy because his faith is truly heroic.

Sacred Scripture says little of him. It does not record even one word spoken by Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth. And yet, even without words, he shows the depth of his faith, his greatness.

Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word of the Living God.

We see how the word of the Living God penetrates deeply into the soul of that man, that just man. And we, do we know how to listen to the word of God? Do we know how to absorb it into the depths of our human personalities? Do we open our conscience in the presence of this word?"

- excerpted from Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos: "On the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ and in the Church"

The Life and Glories of Saint Joseph Only $16.50 Author: Edward Thompson	St. Joseph's Day Card Honor St. Joseph by sending a card to your loved ones! Only $2.50
Joseph the Silent Only $9.95 Author: Fr. Michael Gasnier	Favorite Prayers to St. Joseph Only $2.00 Compiled from Traditional Sources
Good Saint Joseph A Children's Picture Book Only $2.00 Author: Fr. Lawrence Lovasik	Not Your Average Joe A Book For Young Men Only $12.95 Author: Rick Sarkisian
Tools From Joseph's Workshop - A 30 Day Apprenticeship with the Man Closest to Christ. Only $8.99 Author: Rick Sarkisian	Saint Joseph Sterling Silver Oval Medal A Patron Saint Medal Only $36.00
Saint Joseph Sterling Silver Oval Medal A Patron Saint Medal Only $42.00	Saint Joseph Statue Hand-Made in South America 16 Inches Tall Only $73.95

St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland DVD Stunning documentary film. Only $24.95	Celtic Heritage Saints An Illustrated Guide Only $9.95
St. Patrick's Prayer Pewter Standing Cross 6 inches high Only $25.95	An Old Irish Blessing Framed Print Only $33.95

Vous avez pu voir précédemment sur notre blog, l'interview d'Yves Ducrocq à propos de la restauration de l'église Saint-Joseph à Roubaix. Voici à présent les moments offs de cette rencontre.

Cette vidéo vous permettra de vous faire une idée de notre travail. Vous pourrez y voir, notamment, une équipe de journalistes de France 3 région Nord-Pas-de-Calais qui réalisait au même moment un reportage sur notre blog.

[mise-à-jour] : iMovie nous a encore joué des tours en "écrasant" les pistes audio ! Les musiques censées être "de fond" sont toutes sous licence Creative Commons :
- Die Partysanhmen :" Punkrock Superstars"
- Focolitz "Gestos Simples"
- Sidiek :"Princesa"
- Sidiek : "Last shot even echoes"

[MàJ 14/01/08] : notre video complète et audible est ici.

Yves Ducrocq, nous présente dans cette interview, les actions menées par les compagnons de Saint-Joseph pour sauver l'église du même nom à Roubaix (Un lieu au décor surprenant)

Notons qu'une équipe de journalistes de France 3 région Nord-Pas-de-calais, réalisait au même moment un reportage sur notre blog, que l'on verra prochainement.

Le choeur Coeli et Terra a fété ses 20 ans lors des Joséphonies du 11 novembre 2007. Les Joséphonies sont organisées par l'association des Compagnons de l'Eglise St Joseph pour la restauration de celle-ci.

Le prochain rendez-vous est le 2 décembre avec le choeur d'enfants ukrainiens d'Odessa.

The purpose of this blog is to develop a place for community organizers, agency professionals, offenders and their families, private concerned citizens and anyone else who may be concerned about the issues facing those returning to our communities after incarceration.

In the future, this blog can serve as a place to: disseminate publicity regarding public forums and meetings of community-based groups like the Buchanan-Andrew Counties Transitional Advisory Committee and its sub-committees, findings and recommendations of those groups, publish articles or research, or even post inspirational stories on the topic of reentry.

To kick start the blog, this past Wednesday (Nov. 14th) saw the commencement of a public forum hosted by Missouri State Representative Ed Wildberger at the Bartlett Center. Guests included Missouri Department of Corrections Director Larry Crawford and Julie Boehm, Missouri Reentry Manager. Topics of discussion included current reentry assistance activities in the area and the concerns of professionals and private citizens in the community. 

Today, the bi-monthly BACTAC meeting is to be held at 2PM at the Probation and Parole office at 3305 Faraon.

 To wrap up the first post, please, if you have any questions or comments about the blog or its maintenance, please feel free to contact nbrothers(at)youth-alliance.org or call (816)232-0050. Feel free to send in meeting dates, articles or links you feel may be of value, and they'll be published promptly!