Happy New Year's Eve

oh boy!

I want to live there!

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It was founded by the ProphetZarathustra in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago.

For 1000 years Zoroastrianism was one of the most powerful religions in the world. It was the official religion of Persia  from 600 BCE to 650 CE.

It is now one of the world's smallest religions. In 2006 the New York Times reported that there were probably less than 190,000 followers worldwide at that time.

• Zoroastrians believe there is one God called Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and He created the world.
• Zoroastrians are not fire-worshippers, as some Westerners wrongly believe. Zoroastrians believe that the elements are pure and that fire represents God's light or wisdom.
• Ahura Mazda revealed the truth through the Prophet, Zoroaster.
• Zoroastrians traditionally pray several times a day.
• Zoroastrians worship communally in a Fire temple or Agiary.
• The Zoroastrian book of Holy Scriptures is called The Avesta.

It begins...the new world order

Sasol, a Johannesburg-based energy giant, announced late last year its intention to spend up to $14 billion on building the first U.S.-based commercial plant to perform the alchemy of turning natural gas into liquid fuels -- hailed as one of the biggest investments from a non-U.S. company in American history.

Sasol's mega-project in Louisiana also includes a separate $5 to $7 billion ethane cracker and derivatives plant. It has picked the United States for its GTL facility because the country has abundant shale gas.

Both plants to be built in Louisiana.

PARTICIPANT IN MKuLTRA OR WHATEVER -GENIUS AND DISTURBED INDIVIDUAL TED kAZINSHI

careful, don't piss him off

My heroes, Sister Wendy Beckett

A South African Catholic nun, educated in England, she  rose to fame as an art critic and host of a series of BBC/NPR art programs in the 90's.  A delightful, charming woman, she was discovered by a BBC crew while giving a school group lecture in a museum and became one of the most famous critics in the world. With papal approval she left her order to become a consecrated virgin and hermit living in a camper on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery.  An early supporter of gay marriage, she once said 'We should respect our church, but never believe that the church has the last word. The spirit of the Church is the meaning of love, which hasn't yet, perhaps, been fully understood.'  Dead at 88.  RIP 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBv0HezlOBw

last words

All my possessions for a moment of time.
~~ Elizabeth I, Queen of England, d. 1603
All is lost. Monks, monks, monks!
~~ Henry VIII, King of England, d. 1547

How much is in ur silo

A short while back this property was sold and the new owner demolished the old silo. Unfortunately the property is in a historic district. The silo had to be replaced at a cost of $100,000.

This ain't nothin, compared to my buddy buying socks at WalMart the day before xmas!

Funny, funny, funny

.

Rikki Fulton was a Scottish comedian who invented the character the Reverend  I.M. Jolly. The Reverend, always depressed or drunk, did a single TV inspirational message for the people at New Year’s.  Celtic humor at its best. Hysterical and worth watching. Here’s my favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cpb8rqYFd8

Alexander the Great's wives

Alexander the Great had 3 wives:
1.Roxane,
2.Statiera, and
3.Parysatis                                        

Parysatis

Roxane

stateria

My heroes

Antonio La Cava, a retired school teacher, transformed his three-wheeler into a tiny mobile library to spread the joy of books to children in the remote communities of Basilicata, Spain.   Bringing the joy of reading to poor and isolated children  for 20 years. 

altar candles at mass

Candles are pure wax extracted by bees from flowers that symbolize the pure flesh of Christ,  the wick signifies the soul of Christ, and the flame represents His divinity.

Seven (7) candles are used at mass by the pope. The middle candle being larger then the others.

Six  (6) candles are used at mass by a bishop.

Four (4) candles at  high mass by ordinary priests.

Two (2) candles at low mass by ordinary priest.

* there are exceptions but not for the  the number seven (7).

Merry Christmas

Merry Xmas Everyone!

(by Vignir Mar, via flickr)

christmass dinner

Only a mother's love can produce such an offering.

Merry Christmass

Keep Mass in Christmass!

Merry Christmas to my siblings and their families

Let us remember our own poverty first, not with the anger of the years since, but with acts of love and charity that protect a child or two from the pain and misery of our youth. 

appalachian christmass

jpr: Hill folk keep it simple but cheery!

WONDER WHY HILLBILLIES ARE SEEN AS STUPID

Meet Eddie WIlliams.  Eddie and his partners steel copper from abandoned mines in West Virginia. Last week Eddie, from Artie, Wv. Kayla Williams, Erica Treadway, and Cody Beverley went to the Creek mine around 3 a.m. on Saturday on Beverley’s four wheeler.  While looking for copper, the couples decided to separate to have sex, as people do. Both got lost and were rescued 4 days later. Everybody’s been arrested.

Best soldiers in the world

 

Gurkhas have served in every battle the British fought in last 200 years, from the Syrian deserts to the freezing Falklands, and from the high Himalayas to the forests of Borneo. 32,000 Gurkhas died in WWII alone, earning 2,734 bravery awards. The Gurkha Regiment has received 26 Victoria Crosses so far, the highest for any British regiment. Hitler once said, “If I had the Gurkha, I could win the whole world.”

Let it snow vs 12

Lady antebellum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RQE2TzSdkA

two of my favorite music makers - Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris

Mark Knopfler's paen
to victims of 9/11

Snow for advent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1xUFOy_qGI

Happy Anniversary

Every Christmas Eve, hundreds of people from all over the world crowd a chapel in Oberndorf, Austria, to sing Silent Night, where the song was first sung. This year marks its 200th anniversary.  It has become a cultural phenomenon, translated into more than 300 languages. In 2011 it was added to the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Our Mom taught it to us more than 60 years ago.

let it snow vs 11

Poptori. Instrumental

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HeTwRDjzIo

Oh yeah.

way to stop cheating on tests

  jpr: I use open book and notes plus internet access. My exams usually offer the student a choice in which questions to answer...say any 11 out of  17.  There is always a bit of  cheating.

Wise words

Let it snow Vs 10

Count Basie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlVs6ZYlEic

Santa and his sleigh

jpr: This one always works for me with all the choices to be found in a toy catalog on the way.

Who knew.

Dr. Eleanor Sauers, who teaches religious studies at Fairfield University, takes over in January as the head of St. Anthony of Padua parish in upscale Fairfield Ct.  She has been given full decision-making authority at the parish, where a team of priests will assist her by celebrating mass and carrying out clerical duties.  The pastor died suddenly in September. WIth the growing shortage of priests the number of women heading parishes while small, is growing.

A very odd Christmas tradition -- the caganer

In Catalina Spain it is a tradition to discreetly place a small statue of a farmer in traditional garb pooping.  Yes pooping.  No one understands the origin of the hundreds of years old practice.  The 'caganer' depicts a squatting farmer often smoking and/or reading a newspaper.  The custom has spread across Spain and into parts of Italy.  You can order your caganer from Amazon.

Let it snow vs 9

The roomful of blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHK2GIC-m80

Merry Christmas

The one thing I learned from drinking is that when you go caroling go with a group of people, and best go in mid December.

appalachian holler

 

 jpr: In heat of summer day, hill folk would find their way to a hollow with a creek. The whole family, pets and all would picnic at waters edge. Hiking, fishing, and swimming in cool of the holler until evening. Loved them peach pies!

Duh, what the hell are ya looking at!!

Let it snow. Vs 8

Robert Goulet

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR7OrcXL5OI

Reject the sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.

“Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.”
fulton sheen

Just to see how common the population of wounded hearts is to be found, check this site.
http://www.healmybrokenheart.com/

Damn government has done it again.

I have had it.  Our government needs to stop interfering in my private life.  The current Congressional farm bill outlaws 'the slaughter of dogs or cats for human consumption.  Carries a $5,000 fine.  Imagine, 'in the land of the free' a man can't enjoy a puppy burger or cat soup.  What's next, horse steak?

Update on my Seer Friend's (Autredamus) predictions - what a Nutter he is.

1. 911 conspiracy nutters.  A professional organization comprised of a number of legal people has recently filed a Grand Jury petition to conduct another, and legit, investigation into what really went on during 9/11.  They have submitted 57 indisputable pieces of evidence which dispel the idea of 2 planes making the towers collapse and a third skyscraper fall without being hit .  The group is also aligned with many many engineers and architects.  These groups do not claim to know who was behind this.  The aim is to investigate legitimately.  I won't go into details but will leave relevant links if you're interested.  Just ask..

2.  fossil based fuels are drying up, to wit, OIL shortage.  this one is easy and Autredamus spoke to me about this years ago. The Biggest Oil Producer and Exporter of Oil currently is....The United States! QED.

3.  There is a growing movement in the Public and Governmental  forum to divulge, allude to, and confirm (sort of) the presence of EBE (extraterrestrial biologic entities) of several kinds being already on Earth.  Again I'll provide a link or two if you want to explore.

4. Pollution yes; careless damage and destruction to numerous sites, habitats, etc.  we all need to be good husbands to the land, rivers, mountains, flora and fauna. Global (rather than local damage)  while the climate is getting warmer, there is sufficient evidence to show that the climate has always been changing, and in fact many many years ago was warmer than it is now.  While human activity can be destructive and heinous, especially in Cities and particular vulnerable areas that are affected negatively; there is no evidence that human activity is the reason for any Global climate change.  Scientists are currently putting forth the notion of us entering a new ice age.  For most of the planet's history ICE was dominant.  Our current period is an anomaly and will be short lived.  One of my favorite "wrong" ideas is that CO2 is a pollutant when in fact all plants require a minimum of co2 to live and produce oxygen.   If co2 falls too far, plants and us will fort of die.  Agreed that a optimum amount of CO2 is critical but there is no evidence to think that it's out of whack or that human activity is the cause, globally.

Let it snow. Vs 7

blake shelton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woevG3EbmBs

Romance

“Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. “
--Mark Twain

“Friendship is constant in all other things
Save in the office and affairs of love:
Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues;
Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent. “
-- William Shakespeare

Local Girl Makes Good.

BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio– A woman who gained attention for her distinct face tattoos is back behind bars. Alyssa Zebrasky, 27, of Canfield, faces charges of theft and drug abuse. Zebrasky was arrested for stealing a bag from the Walmart in Boardman Township on Wednesday, police said. During a search at the Mahoning County Jail, officers found a hypodermic needle and small bags containing methamphetamine inside her purse, according to the police report.

I'm glad I'm now a deist

Two nuns who worked at a Catholic school in California have admitted embezzling about $500,000 to gamble in Las Vegas.  Sisters Mary Kreuper and Lana Chang took the money from St James' Catholic School in the city of Torrance.  Mary Kreuper was the school principal for 29 years, while Lana Chang worked as a teacher for about 20 years. They are thought to have stolen the money over a period of at least a decade to spend on travel and gambling. That's half a million dollars.

Let it snow vs 6

Chely Wright

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeFLie7cnUQ

A christmass email

Remembering our aunt Abby

The holly green, the ivy green
The prettiest picture you've ever seen 
Is Christmas in Killarney
With all of the folks at home
It's nice you know, to kiss your beau 
while cuddling under the mistletoe 
And Santa Claus, you know of course
Is one of the boys from home

The door is always open
The neighbors pay a call 
And Father John, before he's gone
Will bless the house and all
Our Hearts are light, our spirits bright
We'll celebrate our joy tonight
It's Christmas in Killarney
With all of the folks at home

Krampus the Xmas demon

In Austria and across the German-speaking Alpine region, Krampus, a demonic character, is a crucial part of the holiday season.  Krampus reigns on Dec 5 the night before ST. Nicholas’ Day. In the real world, people attend Krampus balls, or young men might don carved wooden masks, cowbells, chains, and elaborate costumes to run through town in a Krampus run, frightening and sometimes beating bystanders.  Krampus spends the night visiting each house. He leaves bundles of sticks for bad children or hits them with sticks. He might toss them into a sack and then throw it in a stream, or take them to hell.

Let it snow vs 5

Hal Leonard Choir (STAB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0C6SNWi_MM