With the menace of swine flu lurking all around us, the Catholic Church must be spreading swine flu like crazy because of its ritual of shaking hands at the "Sign of Peace" at Mass, which takes place just before Communion.

I should explain for the benefit of any Pagans or other non-Catholics reading this. After saying the Our Father, everyone starts shaking hands all around.

I'm sure this has occurred to many people, not only germophobics, but Catholics are conditioned to never question Holy Mother Church. We spread our germs around from hand to hand, and then we take the host in our contaminated hands and put it in our mouths. The food of life can't possibly hurt us, can it?

Some of us also share the communal chalice of wine at communion. In a spiritual sense, this is mouth to mouth resuscitation, but in a down to earth sense we would not normally share the same glass with strangers. A Eucharistic minister once confessed to me her discomfort with one aspect of her duties. The Eucharistic minister must finish any wine remaining in the chalice.

"I can't help but think of all the germs in there," she said.

There must be some sort of miraculous sterilization involved here which was not covered in the Baltimore Catechism. Maybe it was added to the revised edition.

If there is anything that has become abundantly clear it’s that Southerners, especially Republican Southerners, can’t cope with the fact that we elected a black President. The Civil War, folks, is NOT the past.

We can see it over and over again. That’s what the “liar” scream of the South Carolinian representative was all about. Wonder that he didn’t bring a Confederate flag to wave. That’s what the crazy Texas talk about succession is all about. And Gov. Tim Plenty played a similar theme.

Maybe somebody should start a boycott on travel south of Washington, D. C. See how they like that.

However, that’s not what I want to say.

There is talk that our former Mayor, former Governor and now Sen. George Voinovich might be one of two or three Republicans that will vote for a health reform bill desired by President Barack Obama.

In a way, it would be fitting for Voinovich as he ends his elective political career. He could a blow not only for fair health reform but against the bigots. There have been hints about Voinovich voting for the bill. However, he has teased on such issues only to draw back to the Right.

A vote with President Obama might help erase a mark he hates on his record.

Why did Sen. George Voinovich take such a strong slap at Gov. Ted Strickland on the slot machine issue? Health care.

Voinovich – the Artful Dodger – is dodging another issue that could help millions of Americans and break the hold of big insurance over our health care.

Of course, Voinovich and his family have had government health care for more than 40 years.

But he doesn’t want others to have it.

Why?

Because he’s been a shill for wealthy and corporate interests for every one of those 40 years.

Is he going to get away with being an Artful Dodger on the most important legislation in decades? I guess he will. He has the protection of the Pee Dee, wealth contributors and he’s not running for re-election.

But George Voinovich has been one of the worse public officials during my years covering politics in Cleveland.

And he’s fooling the Cleveland public again.

Cedar Point has announced a new water ride called Shoot the Rapids that will debut at the Sandusky amusement park next summer. The company stated in a press release:

During the 2,100-foot-long journey, adventurers will travel through a wooded area and around an illegal still used for brewing sweet-tasting elixir, all while encountering surprise water elements and special effects. Guests will navigate the waters aboard a 10-passenger boat. Riders will be seated in five rows of two and will be secured by individual over-the-head lap bars.

The excitement builds when the boats ascend one of two lift hills. The first and largest hill will be 85 feet tall and will drop riders down onto Millennium Island at a 45-degree angle. The second hill will be 49 feet tall and will end with a dramatic "shoot" through water rapids and rockwork.

Here is video of the new attraction at the park:

In just the ten days since Xavier University received their first notification verifying the presence of the H1N1 swine flu virus on campus, 110 probable cases have been identified. This number includes students who currently have it, as well as those who have since recovered.

The Xavier University Emergency Response Tem as been monitoring the situation closely, posting updates to the school's website. News that 110 cases had been identified on campus was posted today. It was also indicated that 25 students are at the student recovery center at the Alumni Center, which continues to house students 24/7. All have progressed steadily, and some have been discharged.

In order to slow the spread of the virus, students who are diagnosed as probable for swine flu are required to either return home to recover or self-isolate themselves in the school's recovery center. This policy applies to all students "no matter if they live off campus, on campus or if tey have separate bedrooms."

The Blink-182 concert scheduled for September 2 at Blossom Music Center in Ohio has been rescheduled. The gig will now be moved to September 30, and all previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date.

The band decided to cancel their next two shows so that Travis Barker can mourn the loss of his good friend, Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein. Goldstein was found dead of an apparent drug overdose last week. Barker and Goldstein were the sole two survivors of a deadly plane crash last September.

Blink-182 will resume their tour on September 4 in Kansas City, MO.

If you are a gambler in the Buckeye State you have two options for big bucks. The Mega Millions is grabbing all the attention with a whopping $325 Million jackpot but odds of cashing the big ticket stand at 175 Million-1 to claim the big prize. A better bet would probably to play the Ohio Lottery Classic Lotto which has odds of just under 14 Million to 1. The Classic Lotto currently has a jackpot of just over $36 Million.

The Mega Millions lottery, which is a multi-state lottery, will be drawn on Friday night at 11 pm. The Ohio Lottery Classic Lotto will be drawn on Saturday evening at 7:30 pm.

Don't expect to see Ohio State to tell you to cheer for Michigan as they enter the football field any time soon. The Buckeyes, are however, asking you to respect the team they will host when they open the 2009 season when Navy comes into Ohio Stadium. The school made a YouTube video asking all fans to rise to their feet and cheer as the MIdshipman enter the playing video. The video, below, states:

Buckeyes fans know there are some things more important than football. Service to country and respecting and appreciating those who serve.

The teams meet on the gridiron on September 5th:

A casting cal for extras for a new Denzel Washington movie drew out hundreds of hopefuls. While some expressed interest in meeting the star, a majority were more attracted by the promise of $100-a-day in pay for those chosen.

Some of the filming of the movie, which is entitled "Unstoppable", will be done at a rail yard in the region. Many applicants came dressed in overalls or engineer's caps. The premise of the movie is a runaway train. Filmmakers were looking for about 50 extras.

A small community in Northeast Ohio, Valley City will be putting on their 75th annual Street Fair this coming weekend, running August 28-30. Sponsored by the Valley City/Liverpool Twp. Fire & Rescue Association, the street fair will have activities that are fun for the whole family.

Highlights of the street fair include a 5K race and 1 mile walk on Saturday evening, and a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament on Sunday. There's also a Big Wheel Rally and pie eating contest on Saturday. On Sunday there's a tractor peddle pull, a watermelon eating contest, and a pizza eating contest. There are rides for the kids, games, and plenty of cash and prize drawings.