Needing the first 5 Saturdays devotion

Needing the first 5 Saturdays devotion

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Fr Dan Reehil shares this very real story on how he became a priest and why we so urgently need conversion. He shares how we can find final perseverance through the First 5 Saturdays devotion. I completed my first 5 Saturdays years ago, but never stopped. I regularly attend the first Saturday devotion as part of my monthly cycle of confession and prayer and attest it is a very powerful practice filled with many graces.

For Fr Reehil, like many, fell away from his faith for 20 years. He had an extremely successful life on the east coast with lots of money, fancy vacation homes, all the man toys, and even a big New York marriage to an attorney which started with an engagement in Paris. But he was terribly unhappy – because he was missing the one thing: God. After the nasty divorce and emptiness, he returned to the church. He went to reconciliation, started attending daily mass, re-engaged prayer, and started spiritual direction.

His journey involved living as an ascetic monk in Nebraska for 5 years and was later ordained as a diocesan priest – later to be made the exorcist for the diocese. But his talk here also focuses on the kind of conversion he, and we, need.

In this video he shares the simple but profound conversion message from Fatima that gave us the gift of the First 5 Saturdays devotion – and why it is so important to find and live conversion and union with Jesus.

A cluster of displays

A cluster of displays

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NTT describes newer advances of using scattered monitors to create an image. Robert Kooima previously wrote about using a clutter of monitors to create a image in his 2008 paper “Generalized Perspective Projection”

Interestingly, he found using just a random arrangement of monitors apparently doesn’t won’t work. The array is carefully calibrated to display a two-dimensional code on each monitor, then photographed in order to understand “the positional relationship between monitors.”

Self testing a Roland MT-32

Self testing a Roland MT-32

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To self-test a Roland MT-32, turn the unit on while holding down the 3 button, Volume and turn on the unit to enter test mode. You can check all the keys and play some test tones. To test the midi, you need to have the midi cables plugged in. To play a demo song, just hold just Master Volume. The “MIDI Message” light should flicker if it receives data.

Here’s a great guide for setting up an MT-32

Turbotax 2025 backdoor Roth

Turbotax 2025 backdoor Roth

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Reporting a backdoor Roth conversion isn’t always easy on your taxes. Turbotax requires a 2 part solution where you enter it as a 1099-R conversion, then characterize it in your income section as a conversion within 60 days.

As of Jan 2025, the form has *already* changed again; but this is the closest set of dialogs that matches what you need to do:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/retirement-benefits/enter-backdoor-roth-ira-conversion/L7gGPjKVY_US_en_US

Probiotic clothing?

Probiotic clothing?

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Rosie Broadhead has an idea – what if fashion could become skincare. She has experimented on obvious ideas like controlling odors, but she has gone further by working with a microbiologist with embedding bacteria into clothing to create probiotic textiles – despite the scientifically dubious efficacy.

It’s an interesting idea – if they can work the actual science and practicalities out. The news website has several other articles on bio-enabled technologies.

The Entertainment Scams of Japan

The Entertainment Scams of Japan

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Traveling in Japan is one of the safest, most fun experiences I have had. I love visiting and traveling in Japan and have nothing but wonderful experiences. But like any place, there are seedy folks out to get your money. Seedy areas in Japan are usually easy to spot and can easily be avoided. However, scams in Japan are kind of interesting and worth knowing about so when your warning radar does go off, you can more readily identify them.

Ever go into a bar and walk out with a bill for $27,000? You might in Japan’s more famous red light districts. Bottakuri is the practice of scam pricing where you may only have 2 or 3 drinks and find out you spent hundreds, or thousands, of dollars. The first drink might be $10, but they won’t tell you the second and onwards is $100 each. Even worse, there is a good chance that you might get drugged and wake up with thousands of dollars in charges on your card. This has happened enough that the US embassy has issued warnings about the practice in Kabukicho for years.

Are you an aspiring influencer? You can also run into problems with the yakuza if you start filming in red light areas they control – and you will find yourself extorted for money and may even find yourself surrounded by police on the take.

Drug possession is also a very quick way to land yourself in serious hot water. Japan has a zero-tolerance policy – there is no distinction for personal use. Possession is immediate arrest. If you have a run-in with the police or are identified by an informant that you used drugs – police may force you to have a urine or blood test. If you fail a drug test, that counts as possession. Even if you took the drugs a week ago in your own country.

You will be forced to sign a confession and run the serious risk of years of jail time. Even with the most lenient sentences where you sign a confession, you’ll likely spend a minimum 21 days in jail and then be deported with a 10 year to life re-entry ban. There is no fooling around. Your embassy can do little to help you. Marijuana jail time can reach 7 years and harder drugs up to 10.