World Youth Day starts today in Sydney, Australia. I hope the Toledo-area youth who attend have a life-changing experience. I went to World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002 and although it was an assignment, not a pilgrimage, it was quite an honor to get to see Pope John Paul II in person. He was one of my heroes in life.
I was in Sydney in 2005 and it is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. The harbor there is phenomenal, kind of bow-tie shaped with the bridge and the opera house right at the narrowest point.
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So far most of the comments and emails I've gotten have been positive about coverage of the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals' ruling upholding the guilty verdict in Father Robinson's case.
Several of his supporters said my coverage was fair, although they still think he's innocent. One guy whined like a toddler who didn't get his way... of course it's not just me but the jury and the judge in the original trial and now the appeals court judges who are all wrong... God knows the truth, though. We'll all find out someday.
Here's a photograph to put the case in perspective... lest we forget.

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Of my two major Saturday stories, one on the Gerald Robinson verdict and the other on Dottie Zimmerman "channeling" Padre Pio, I was surprised to see that the channeling story received more hits on the internet. It was the No. 1 story on the newspaper's web site both Saturday and Sunday. Few articles stay at No.1 for more than one day.
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My poor Cleveland Indians are out of the running at the all-star break. At least they ended the first half by sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays, who were in first place. Did you notice that once Tampa Bay dropped the "Devil" from their name, they became contenders?

Sylvania, Ohio
July 14, 2008