Where do these people come from?

American Luke Aikins has become the first person to jump from 25,000 ft without a parachute, landing safely in a net.  Mr Aikins - who has more than 18,000 jumps under his belt - fell dead center into the 100x100ft  net in Simi Valley, southern California.  During the two-minute fall aired live on Fox television, the 42-year-old reached the speed of 120mph .

Damascus, Syria

                         

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZipJPLYfpDE

Damascus is widely believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with evidence of habitation dating back at least 11,000 years. Its location and persistence have made the city a nexus for civilizations come and gone. Today its metropolitan area is home to about 2.5 million people, and in 2008 it was named the Arab Capital of Culture.

jpr: Steve Jobs the founder of apple was of syrian descent I believe!

love cannot go sour

but it sure as heck can get moldy and develop a repulsive stink.  here's a photo of my last gf who was incredibly annoyed when i pointed out that her shirt could use a good ironing as it was very wrinkled.
she broke up with me shortly thereafter.  go figure.

dating tip: never offer unsolicited advice

Odd but Interesting

Mongo looks like a statue but in fact is a 22 year old chimp living in an English zoo.  Like his father he suffered from alopecia leaving him hairless.  Who knew?

Early Celtic Stone

Found in a wooded glen deep in the Blue Ridges, a petroglyph with Ogam markings. Specialists believe the sign was left by a primitive group of migrant antler hunters.

jpr: There could be thousands of these things strewn everywhere.

a bit of happiness

A Bottle and Friend

 HERE’S a bottle and an honest friend!
 What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
 What his share may be o’ care, man?


Then catch the moments as they fly,
 And use them as ye ought, man:
Believe me, happiness is shy,
 And comes not aye when sought, man.

~song from ole Scotland 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssRNlCBQnDQ

Stonehenge - early versions

Over the years the monument has undergone several construction changes, starting about 3000 BC.  The earliest structure was a series of monolith rectangular slabs standing upright.  Druid Brother Knockknee O'leary discovered a "design flaw" while on a smoke break.  A new model was designed shortly after.

Swedish Police in Action

Two Swedish police women were bikini sunbathing in a public park when a thief stole a nearby cell phone.  Jumping into action, they chased him down and made the arrest.  Lock me up, please lock me up.

TO HAVE, TO HOLD, TO LOVE

There comes a vision fair to me,
Awake, asleep, alone.
Your gentle face, dear heart, I see,
I dream that you're my own,

And in a flight of fancy, soar,
With you to realms above,
Then wake and want you more and more
To have, to hold, to love.

To have, to hold,                                                

to love you Forever and a day.
To have you, dear, to hold you near,
To worship you for aye.

The world would seem a dream, dear,
And fair the skies above,
If you, my own, were mine alone,
To have, to hold to love.

Ernest R. Ball (1913)

jpr: So! There are those who belive the whole cupid thing!

Prehistoric Twitter #rockhithead, #duck

what it lacked in speed and audience it made up for in effectiveness and clarity; and cheaper too.

"I loved you first" BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

I loved you first: but afterwards your love

    Outsoaring mine, sang such a loftier song

As drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.

    Which owes the other most? my love was long,

    And yours one moment seemed to wax more strong;

I loved and guessed at you, you construed me

And loved me for what might or might not be –

    Nay, weights and measures do us both a wrong.

For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine;’

    With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,

         For one is both and both are one in love:

Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine;’

         Both have the strength and both the length thereof,

Both of us, of the love which makes us one.

jpr: well said...eh  i think!

Transformation of USMNT soccer

jermaine jones midfielder

There have been several traditional deficiencies in USMNT soccer. These are being removed.

Improvement #1. Coaching....college competition is inadequate for international games...sorry!
                     #2. Leadership... finally we have some manly quality such as G. Jones
                     #3 Depth...thanks to MLS and Euro-born Americans.

The college track to pro-soccer is now dead! Amen! We need strong development leagues for 17-20 yr olds.

Best be looking over your shoulders Euro-leagues.

Dances with Wolves actor Chief David Bald Eagle dies at 97

Native American Chief David Bald Eagle, who appeared in the Oscar-winning 1990 film Dances With Wolves, died aged 97. The grandson of Chief White Bull, who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, he appeared in more than 40 films.  Born in a tepee in 1919 on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation,  he served in the US Army during World War Two, fought in the landings at Anzio, and won the silver star.  After being severely wounded by German fire while parachuting into Normandy during D-Day, Bald Eagle pursued a music career as a drummer.  He trained a range of stars including John Wayne in horse and gun handling, and served as Errol Flynn's stunt double.   Bald Eagle's dedication to the Lakota people saw him elected as the first Chief of the United Native Nations in 2001.  A real American icon.  RIP

Irish Curse

May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children chase you so far over the hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope.

Qwarstin

that's hoopie for "question"
how is it that now that i'm an old man, more or less, i've developed a taste for Heavy Metal?  Is it a hearing thing or maybe something to do with a sweltup prostrate?
listen to this all you old fzxcdys- that's hoopie for "boys and girls": sound of silence by disturbed, click link.

vote for (B)hillary
(seemed nice enuf in the communion line)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk7RVw3I8eg

birds meet the woodchuck

jpr: not to mention encounters with owls, coyotes, fox, and bob cats

caritas christi of grensburg, pa

Caritas Christi is the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. It is located at 129 DePaul Center Road, Greensburg, PA. This three-floored, modern facility was dedicated in 1999 and serves a number of purposes for the sisters serving in the U.S. Province. First and foremost, it is the sisters’ home. Approximately 100 retired Sisters of Charity reside in the building..

Catch that dog?

Most canines can reach speeds of 32 km/hr. Too fast for the average human!

Good luck if your dog runs off!

patriot of gettysburg pa

John L Burns was of Scottish ancestry; his father claimed a relationship with poet Robert Burns. He served as an enlisted man in the War of 1812, and volunteered for both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. He was rejected for combat duty in the latter war due to his advanced age, but he served as a teamster in support of the Union Army

On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, Burns took up his flintlock musket and powder horn and walked out to the scene of the fighting. He encountered a wounded Union soldier and asked if he could use his more modern rifle; the soldier agreed and Burns moved on with the rifle and with cartridges in his pocket. 

In McPherson (Herbst) Woods, Burns fought with the 7th Wisconsin Infantry and then moved to join the 24th Michigan near the eastern end of the woods.He served as a sharpshooter, in one case shooting a charging Confederate officer from his horse. As the Union line began to give way, Burns received wounds in the arm, the leg, and several minor ones in the breast; the Union soldiers were forced to leave him behind on the field.Injured and exhausted, the old man was able to crawl away from his rifle and to hastily bury his ammunition. He convinced the Confederates that he was a noncombatant.

world's oldest choir

take a peek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfAV4rSihYw

The Thomanerchor of Leipzig in Germany, once led by Johann Sebastian Bach marked its 800th anniversary in 2012. Bach joined the choir when it had been running 475 years; for 27 years, he was its cantor, or choirmaster, with the task of composing a new cantata for the boys every week. 

jpr: if you can sing then join a choir!

Proof Of Time Travel

Here is photo of what looks like an astronaut on a pillar at Salamanca Cathedral Church in Spain which was started in the 1600’s and finished in the 1800’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6TnvQraRMU

jpr: The blog committee has assigned a thorough investigation under Mikey's charge. Stay tuned! 

d

bagpipes at a funeral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7q-uxDx9o

jpr: One should be aware that your local funeral directory will may well have the name(s) of bag pipe
player(s) who are available to perform at funerals or other family gatherings!

but Hillary doesnt even meet that standard !

appalachia's summer flowers

"Answer July—
Where is the Bee—
Where is the Blush—
Where is the Hay?

Ah, said July—
Where is the Seed—
Where is the Bud—
Where is the May—
Answer Thee—Me—"
-  Emily Dickinson, Answer July 


Hemlock vs Queen Ann's Lace

jpr: Have both in my back. Hill folk learn the difference before they ol'nuf to begin to the school house.

Yummie....

A toilet-themed restaurant has opened in Indonesia where customers sit on the loo and eat out of toilet pans.  The main course? They only have one option and it's brown meatballs floating in thick soup.

Gravy boys

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eMe5E5cghi0

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AquZ1EBgGVM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HAzfdINcooc

Jpr: blue grass with testosterone! Fabulous stuff!

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a subgenre of country music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachia. It has mixed roots in Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and English traditional music, and also later influenced by the music of African-Americans through incorporation of jazz elements

surprise

bottom of the egg is opened contents removed and treat inserted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBOXDiMgh88


Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George S. Patton 

MPH

Thanks to Pixar’s Toy Story, Mr potato Head is a Hollywood star. Potato Head, MPH  was born in 1949 and by age 3 was already kind of a big-timer in the toy business. He was the first toy ever sold on television and eventually had his own show in 1998.

wake up with Dara O'Brian

jpr: funny irishman!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvOuP3u3bO0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By3FPhMHWMo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Jb5MRvrU

Glen Coe, Highlands, Soctland

Hidden Valley, Glen Coe, the ancestral home of all McDonalds.

The Strawberries are Ready

PEE POWER

Researchers  at the University of the West of England in Bristol has developed a method for turning human urine into electricity.  To field test the process, the team installed a special urinal on their campus. The system generated sufficient power to keep the interiors of the stalls lit with LED light fixtures.  They have powered other electronic devices pumps, DC motors, micro controllers for computing, sensors and smartphones.  Their goal is to power an auto.

Wise old owl

A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

~anonymous

WOW

the Irish on Rainbows

In order for the sun's rays to refract so we can see them, the sun has to be within 42 degrees of the horizon either rising or setting. That's pretty low, which means we can never see the full circle of a rainbow - we just see the top part of the arc.

As far back as the 17th century, the Irish understood this. And they were fond of saying that one was as likely to find a pot of gold as to find the end of a rainbow. The expression somehow changed and became a part of fairy mythology where Leprechauns bury pots of gold at the end..

moving time in appalachia

jpr: Haven't we all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaybWG29r4

Baby elephant in trouble

The young elephant fell into a well near Ranchi, India and was rescued.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/baby-elephant-trapped-india-well-saved-122939476.html

ancient trackways in ireland

part of the Corlea Trackway

The first routes in Ireland were prehistoric trackways. The routes of such roads usually followed the natural landscape, following the tops of ridges and crossing rivers.Wheeled vehicles with solid wooden disc-wheels were introduced into northern Europe around 2000 BC. The introduction of disc-wheeled carts  required the invention of roadbuilding.

In Ireland, in the Iron Age, the Corlea trackway is an ancient road built on a bog consisting of packed hazel, birch and alder planks placed lengthways across the track, and occasional cross timbers for support.

The Times They are A'changing.

One London policeman proposed marriage to another in front of thousands of parade spectators and then they kissed during London's recent gay pride parade. The event was video'd, 'youtubed; and viewed by millions.

hey JP, meet Darya Klishina

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina, 25 year old, 5'11", 125 pound beauty,  has been cleared to compete as a "neutral" athlete at the Rio Olympics.  I'll be watching.

the highwaymen.

My father loved the country music of the 40's and 50's,  He knew every tune, liked to whistle. When I was little, riding with him is some dirty old third hand car he would have WWVA blaring, whistling and singing with each song.  Hated it all my life.  But fifty years later, drinking in some rum shop in St. Lucia (where that music is still the most popular) I amazed my Lucian colleagues, and myself, when  I started singing along with the recording.  Remembered the words to every song played on the loud speaker.  Riding with my daddy again.  Lots of tears.  Want a good time  Go to youtube and listen to the Highwaymen, Johnny cash,  Eaylion Jennings, Willy Nelson and Kris Kristopherson -------magic.

The older I get the less I understand

An enormous $100 million replica of Noah’s Ark has been built by the creationist ministry ‘Answers in Genesis’ in Williamstown Kentucky, complete with life size replicas of the original inhabitants (dinosaurs included).  Built precisely to the dimensions specified in the Book of Genesis ( they be bible word believers) its 470 feet long, 75 ft high and 50 wide. But why? Don’t know if it floats, but would love to have the 1 mil, to feed the hungry etc.

De-extinction

List of creatures to be cloned for de-extinction:

• Dodo
• Passenger Pigeon
• Great Auk.
• Tasmanian Tiger.
• Sabre-toothed Cat. ...
• Baiji White Dolphin. ...
• Stellers Sea Cow. ...
• Woolly Mammoth.
• Mikey

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RgsC49R-GV8

Unusual lawn vehicle

Its all about innovation!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5UE1ezEYiZ8

old appalachian barn

The cost To demolish and reclaim the old wood from a log cabin/barn (100-200 yrs old) will vary on size and age. It can range from $3000 to $35,000  for the shell plus $8000 or more for demo work.

Barnwood Builders of West Virginia have a popular reality show on the subject. Average realty show pays  $20,000 pr episode to the participant. The cost of viewing historical Appalachia is priceless.

New homes made from reclaimed logs $50,000 top $+250,000.

appalachian mystery fish

its the southern Appalachian brook trout

Jpr: caught me one nears about 30 yrs ago unintentional like. Never seen one since...very rare, absolutely gorgeous fish.

appalachian creek in summer

Fire works do not fit here! Just sounds of splash and ripple wanted!

Parish priest celebrates 100th birthday

The oldest priest in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, UK has celebrated his 100th birthday in Ireland with his family.Father Tom Kennedy, parish priest at the English Martyrs, Haydock, has served in the priesthood for 73 years and said he had no plans to retire.  Hallelujah.   

urim and thummim

                             

Stones used by the Jewish high priest to seek divination as directed by Moses. They would tell divine will by  rendering "go" or " no go" to questions asked of the priest. They were not used by Moses but by Aaron, Joshua, and successors.

Some translate the words urim and thummin to mean “curse” and “blessing,” others simply “dark” and “light,” although the literal translation seems to be “light” and “perfections.” There is no proof that there were only two items; some early rabbis believed that the urim and thummin were a series of stones.

jpr: It seems the stones would be tossed until only one stone landed with its inscription face up.

Independence Day

 The right kind of parade to celebrate our Exibret.

Jpr: hold the fire crackers for me but celebrate safely!