Martin the Charitable.

Martin de Porres was born at Lima, Peru of a Spanish father and an African mother in 1579. As a boy he studied medicine which later as a member of the Dominican Order he put to good use in helping the poor. He was so noted for his kindness and gentleness with the sick and needy that he was called "Martin the Charitable." He led a humble and disciplined life, having great devotion both to Christ Crucified and the Blessed Sacrament. He found great strength in meditating and contemplating these great mysteries. Martin died in 1639, and was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

This is my kind of Saint, mind you he does look familiar!!

Woman arrested for killing virtual reality husband

From CNN A lovely story...
A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.
Online environments such as "Second Life" -- where users control avatars -- have emerged in recent years.

Online environments such as "Second Life" -- where users control avatars -- have emerged in recent years.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

My Shrapnel Life as a "Poor, Sad, Heroic, Victim of Terror"®

I came across this interesting Blog 'My Shrapnel'Here in her own words a description of who she is"

Message from the Bombing Victim Muppet
I am, of course, neither sad, nor heroic nor particularly victimized. What I am is an "ordinary Joe" who was seriously injured six years ago in a suicide bombing while waiting for a bus at the Machane Yehuda open air market in Jerusalem.

Gila 'a nice Jewish girl' worth a read.

Hugh O'Flaherty - 'the Vatican Pimpernel'

Now, 40 years after his death, the Israeli Government is planning to award its highest honour on the Irish priest to whom the only memorials to date are the film, the Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck and a grove of trees in Killarney National Park. The Israelis are planting another tree in his honour at the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Authority also plans to confer the title, “Righteous Among Nations” on Monsignor O’Flaherty, who is the first Irishman to receive this honour, in appreciation of having saved the lives of thousands of Rome’s Jews from the Holocaust.
There is now a book about him by Brian Fleming, 'The Vatican Pimpernel the wartime exploits of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty
In Killarney National Park where a grove of Italian trees, planted in 1994, is the only memorial in Ireland to the Monsignor. Beside the trees is a brass plaque which reads, “To honour Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty (1898 - 1963). In Rome during World War II, he heroically served the cause of humanity.”

To mark the planting of the trees, Brendan Kennelly wrote a poem:

Hugh O’Flaherty’s Trees
There is a tree called freedom and it grows
Somewhere in the hearts of men,
Rain falls, ice freezes, wind blows,
The tree shivers, steadies itself again,
Steadies itself like Hugh O’Flaherty’s hand,
Guiding trapped and hunted people, day and night,
To what all hearts love and understand,
The tree of freedom upright in the light.

Mediterranean Palm, Italian Cypress, Holm Oak, Stone Pine;
A peaceful grove in honour of that man,
Commemorates all who struggle to be free.
The hurried world is a slave of time,
Wise men are victims of their shrewdest plans.

World's largest Hummus

From the Hummus Blog, yes there really is one
Over a 1000 tones of hummus were eaten last week, during Israelis Independance Day (”Yom Haatzmaut”). 400kg (881 pounds) of which in a Jerusalem event, out of a single Guiness-Record size plate.

It was last year when the American Sabra hummus manufacturer set the first Guinness Record for eating hummus in a New-York event. They served their hummus in a plate with a diameter of 3.5 meter (3.8 yards).

Last week a new the record was set in Mahaneh Yehuda market in Jerusalem: Hummus Tzabar, an Israeli hummus manufacturer, served some 400kg (881 pounds) of hummus in a 4 meter (4.35 yard) plate. This incredible hummus feast was documented of course, to verify the Guinness Record commitee it really happened. Here’s one of the pictures:

My Oh My Beautiful

I don't understand the words, but it is lovely

Glitter payout sparks outrage

From Yahoo music news.
"Shamed pop star Gary Glitter is to receive a GBP100,000 pay cheque from computer giant Hewlett Packard after bosses chose to use his song Do You Wanna Touch Me in a new TV advertising campaign.

The singer, real name Paul Gadd, was recently released from a prison in Vietnam, where he served nearly three years for sexually assaulting two girls aged nine and 11.

He has since been deported back to his native Britain - but is in line to receive the cash sum from Hewlett Packard chiefs over the use of the 1972 track to promote a new touch-screen model.

The adverts actually feature the 1982 cover by Joan Jett, but Glitter is set to get the money in royalties.

However, the deal has angered child protection organisations in the US.

A spokesperson for Child Abuse-watch.net says, "It shows a distinct lack of sensitivity." "
I won't be buying my next printer from HP that's for sure...

Blessing to Purify Beer in which a mouse or weasel has drowned

"Benedictio potus si mus aut mustella mergitur intus.
Benedic, Domine, hunc potum, et haec vasa sicut benedixisti sex ydrias
lapideas capientes metretas binas vel ternas, et vinum factum de aqua
in Chana Galileae, sic benedicere digneris cervisam istam, ut sint sani
et inmaculati omnes qui ex eo bibituri sunt, per invocationem nominis
tui, Domine, qui regnas in saecula."

"Bless, O Lord, this drink, and this vessel, as you blessed the six waterpots
of stone, containing two or three measures apiece, and made wine from water
in Cana of Galilee, thus by blessing you will vouchsafe this beer, that they
may all be healthy and immaculate who drink of it, by the invocation of your
name, O Lord, who reigneth for ever and ever."
It is a pity that to Mihai Stanescu, 32, a Romanian man did not know this Blessing. As he ended up in an emergency hospital with food poisoning after finding a dead mouse in his bottle of beer.He said: “I simply opened the bottle and took a few gulps. The tastewas very strange and when I looked closer I noticed the mouse floating in my beer.”The man alerted local consumer protection officials who have launched an investigation.Chief trading standards inspector Mihai Miclaus said: “We will check the whole batch of beer to see if there are other such cases. Then we’ll contact the producer and see who is responsible for this.”

OBAMA, NO MERCI BEAUCOUP

Great fun, whether you agree or not. Making fun of politicians is always the way.

The Sadness of Atheism

I am using a widget? on my blog called Scoutle. It is supposed to find me like minded bloggers, but all i seem to be being linked with are pro-atheist blogs. Having looked at these blogs they strike me as being rather sad. They are promoting their belief or no belief that there is no such thing as a god. That life is essentially meaningless apart from the meaning we can give it ourselves. But as there is no meaning or purpose in life apart from the meaning or purpose I give it myself. No purpose or meaning is more valid than any other. So I ask myself why are these atheists so angry because people belive something. As it does not matter what one believes in the long or the short run. We all cease to exist, the world will cease to exist, everything will cease to exist. It will be as if we had never been as there is nothing to notice our coming or going. One statement in the bible is true for the atheist at least 'vanity all is vanity'

BBC boss says Islam should be treated more sensitively than Christianity

The Director General says we should treat Islam more sensitively than other religions. This was reported in the Telegraph. In the feed back section of the paper as far as I could see not one person agreed with him. I know that often the mad the bad and the down right weird contribute to these discussions, but not one person agreed with him!!!

Only in America!!

Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God who he said made terrorist threats against him and his Omaha constituents.

Additionally, he said God inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants".But Senator Chambers, a law school graduate, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

He said: "The court itself acknowledges the existence of God. A consequence of that acknowledgement is a recognition of God's omniscience.

"Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Senator Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, has 30 days to decide whether to appeal.
This idiot  has a political position, there are people in Nebraska who voted for him...???

Mireille Mathieu sings La marseillaise

Absolutely fabulous song and singing. Pity Le Crapauds can't fight

Run Off to Meet Jesus A little prayer by NT Wright

I am reminded that there is no such thing as a 'little prayer'

“Run off to meet Jesus.
Tell him the problem.
Ask him why he didn’t come sooner,
why he allowed that
awful thing to happen.
And then be prepared for a surprise….
Jesus will meet your problem
with some new part of God’s future that can and will burst
into your present time, into the mess and grief,
with new possibilities.”

- N.T. Wright,

1066 and All That

I was looking on my library shelves and found a copy of "1066 and All That" published in 1930 it is still a very amusing book. Below is a Test paper from the first Chapter

TEST PAPER I

UP TO THE END OF 1066

1.Which do you consider were the more
alike, Caesar or Pompey, or vice versa ? (Be brief).

2. Discuss, in latin or gothic (but
not both), whether the Northumbrian Bishops were more schismatical
than the Cumbrian Abbots. (Be bright.)

3. Which came first, A.D. or B.C. ? (Be careful.)

4. Has it never occurred to you that the Romans counted backwards ? (Be honest.)

5. How angry would you be if it was suggested

(1) That the Xth Chap. of the

Consolations of Boethius was an interpolated palimpsest?

(2) That an eisteddfod was an agricultural implement ?

6. How would you have attempted to deal
with

1. The Venomous Bead ?

1. 
   

2. A Mabinogion or Wapentake ? (Be
   quick.)

   
   

7. What would have happened if (a) Boadicea had been the daughter of Edward the Confessor ? (b) Canute had succeeded in sitting on the waves ? Does it matter ?

8. Have you the faintest recollection
of

(I) Ethelbreth

2. Athelthral ?

   3.Thruthelthrolth ?

How to get your head on a UK Stamp

This is the 'Lady' who cut her son out of her will for marrying a short sighted woman outraged at the damage to her bloodline. "Are these puny faced gaunt, blotchy, ill-balanced, feeble, ungainly, withered children the young of an Imperial Race. Her Planned parent Society was designed to remove ' the diseased and the racially negligent......the feebleminded......and inferior infants. I wonder what she would have made of the recent Para- Olympics. Not surprisingly she admire Hitler and sent him poems.

Are Beatles Fans Morons?

After seeing a picture of Paul McCartney in some Liverpool McDonalds the super star was clearly upset a spokesperson for Sir Paul, a vegetarian, said it was “ridiculous and insulting” of the company to use the images.
“What sort of morons do McDonald’s think Beatles fans are?” Geoff Baker, who called for a boycott of the company, said.
I suppose Beatle fans are just normal 'Morons' not necessarily veggie morons.
The final word from PETA

“We hope anyone who sees his picture on the wall will be reminded that he’s a vegetarian and skip the Big Mac for a veggie burger.” YUK!!!!

Sympathy for the Prince of Darkness

The Prince of Darkness, as he is termed in the Dailies has returned from his exile in Europe, he has escaped from "I spend my life thinking about whether I am going to get an aisle seat on airplanes so I can get out faster, and go to the loo without trampling on anybody," he said "I'm always thinking about what bags I can get on without having to check them in, and whether I've got enough liquid for the flight. This is what my life has come to," he said."(from Ambrose Bierce's Blog). The Prince has returned from this to save the country, sadly he did not ride into his new office on a red or a pale horse. The creepiest piece on the news this morning were the pictures his staff who had been lined up to clap him as he arrived. I wonder if those who failed to clap for the stipulated time had their names taken.

Ricky Gervais IS FAT!

Simon Pegg takes a swipe at Gervais star of the Office here in the UK "If you go to Los Angeles,
you can get sucked into [losing weight]. I've seen people go there and
suddenly become rake thin because there is a slight pressure to be
thin. I've also seen a lot of fat people there. "He's one of the fat people in LA, yes." Please note Simon Ricky is FAT in the UK also.

A different view of the trees

I was thinking of what Chesterton said."It is the opposite of what we think. The trees from time to time, to wave their branches and create the wind!" I find this idea most appealing..

Merton's lovely lines from his poem — The Storm at Night:
The mind fights homeward to the beach,
Works loose, half dead from the huge seas,
And lets its poor mute mask be lifted to the light;
So sleep can leak away and leave
The water-dazzled eyes to wake and wonder.
For morning works a miracle of sun and silence,
And light drowns in the trees.

Wind and light how often are these words used in poetry to convey, not only beauty but also fear ,blinding light' or 'howling wing', 'gently breeze' or 'dappled light'.

The Story Of San Michele by Axel Munthe

Axel Munthe devoted his retirement to looking after animals. In his book - The Story of San Michele - he has, near the end of his life a dream. In his dream he has died and is come to Judgement. After hearing much evidence of Munthe's life of debauchery, St Peter is about to condemn him to Hell, when the singing of birds and the barking of dogs is heard. S. Francis, in his ragged brown habit appears, surrounded by a flock of birds and a pack of dogs. `You may be right in all you say about this man,' Francis says, `but he loved animals!' St Peter is instantly disarmed. With a weary gesture he motions Munthe to take the
gate to Heaven. 'Always the same when they have loved animals,' he says, `this pale Umbrian appears with his flock of birds and his pack
of dogs and............well, what can I do?

The 13th Apostle and more

This is an ongoing post, I took out a book from the Library last night 'The 13th Apostle' it is a 'New York Times Bestseller' so I assume this is a good thing. I t is about some lost scrolls and people who want to destroy them for some reason. It made me think how many books are there in circulation with this theme. Obviously 'The Da Vinci Code' , another by Sam Bourne 'The Last Testament' , I am sure there are others which when I find them I will list here.

John McCain is he still alive?

I watched a film by Kurosawa in which the Emperor died and a double took his place it is said John McCain has been trying to look younger on the campaign trail by using a make-up artist named Tiffany who works on “American Idol.” True story, yeah. Tiffany says, “Making John McCain look younger is easy, but what is really hard is making Paula Abdul look sober." This may be true or has John McCain a double is he even still alive? Look at some of his photographs and make up your own mind

From 'POOR BLOGGER'(with apologies) "Hymn to St Michael on this his day from the Carmina Gadelica"

Thou Michael the victorious,
May I travel under thy shield,
Thou Michael of the white steed,
Of the bright and shining steel,
O, Conqueror of the dragon,
Be thou at my back,
Thou ranger of the heavens,
King's warrior, demon's bane.

O Michael the victorious,
My pride and my guide,
O Michael the victorious,
The pride of mine eye.

I travel this an all days,
With Michael as my guide,
On the hill or in the meadow,
Always at his side;
Though I should cross the ocean
The whole of the world
No harm can ever befall me
'Neath the shelter of thy shield;

O Michael the victorious,
Jewel of my heart,
O Michael the victorious,
God's shepherd thou art.

Be the Sacred Three of Glory
At peace with me,
With my wife and with my children,
With flocks and my land.
With the crops growing in the field
Or ripe in the sheaf,
On the machair, on the moor,
In cole, in heap, or stack.

To the Sacred Three of Glory,
Belong everything,
And to Their servant, Michael,
The victorious.

Redding Loaves and Fishes Food Bank - Poverty

I came across this video, it shows the two Americas. Sadly it only had 286 views when I viewed it, when a funny dog can get thousands says plenty about our world.

Labour Boost for Palin

I spotted a report in a blog by someone called Andrew Sparrow on how Hazel Blears( my brother is a bus driver) had attacked the Republican candidate Sarah Palin. I assume her comments were approved by this Sparrow chappy as he gave a rather glowing report on the fact that she had called the politics of Palin 'horrendous'. My only thought on this was any endorsement by a member of the labour party at the present time can only be a positive thing.
Apparently
"Gordon Brown irritated the John McCain campaign recently with the
publication of an article that was interpreted as an endorsement of
Barack Obama." I am sure if Barack reads the opinion polls he will not be happy either.

Episcopal Church Imploding

Here in the UK the goings on in the Episcopal Church appear rather strange. The battles over property would not happen here in the England. The last thing most Bishops would want is to be saddled with an ancient Church. I realise that there is value in church property in the USA that the authorities can sell.
A church that deposes its bishops for sticking to Scripture surely is in a very sad state. See Pittsburgh website 


Anglican Leaders Voice Support for Bishop Duncan — The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

Also offering support was Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East. "It is with great joy that I welcome you alongside the ranks of St. Athanasius who, as Bishop of Alexandria, was deposed and exiled from his see. St. Athanasius did not waver and stood firm. History proved that his stance for orthodoxy was not in vain. I trust it will do the same for you! So please count it as honor my brother."

A Child's Prayer

I came across a blog by a Father Stephen Freeman, in one of his posts there was a delightful prayer by one of his sons. He apparently had a statue of St Michael in his bedroom.

"Dear St. Michael, guard my room.

Don’t let anything eat me or kill me.

Kill it with your sword. Kill it with your sword. Amen."

On the face of it a simple prayer.

TODAY Talk like a Pirate Day

Today apparently is Talk like a Pirate Day. Very weird but fun if you want to join in go to the
The Poopdeck.

The Pope's Toilet - El bano del Papa

A film about a lavatory set up in Uruguay for the Pope's Visit in 1988. This is fiction, but in a Midlothian eco-friendly house which used re cycled items is the real Pope's Toilet when John Paul II visited Scotland.

A Good Night Out

Last night Val and I were take out for a meal by our youngest daughter Caroline. We went to a small village pub called 'The Boot' in a Bedfordshire Village Langford. When we went in to the restaurant. I thought the bar man was familiar, it turned out he had starred in a restaurant reality show on TV. The food was very good with quite a good choice, I hade wild mushrooms on toast for a starter, followed by the days special Lamb Pie, very tasty. Finally the the pudding I chose was absolutely delicious Ginger sponge, baked pear with Lavender Ice cream. An excellent evening in a pleasant atmosphere. 

Reading Motorway Stop - Coffee stop

Last Sunday we stopped at the Reading motorway stop for a caffein fix as we journeyed on to Bedfordshire. Ritazza Coffee sounded good. Big mistake, I think the cup of coffee were were served wa one of the vilest brews I had tasted in a long time. Recently we had thought there had been a big improvement in motorway coffee which in the past has been notoriously bad, but were clearly proved wrong. Has we waited for our £2.05 cup of coffee we watch a blue bottle crawl amongst the uncovered cakes on the coffee bar. When we mentioned this to the girl serving who to be fair did not seem to have much English just smiled and vagualy waved her hand at the offending fly. The thermos flask will be accompanying us on our next motorway journey.

Is Mr Obama Confused?

Is Barack confused about who he really is? Here in the UK one of Tony Blair's advisers said 'we don't do god', when asked about Tony's faith. Possibly Mr Obama needs to take this advise or at least decide which religion he is

Ethiopian orthodox church song

A beautiful song.

Amazing Grace History

Amazing Video!

RHS Rosemoor

We visited the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Rosemoor, This is well worth a visit. Below is a small snip from a video I made whilst there....

Christian Couple Arrested, Tortured and Threatened Islam the Religion of Peace?

On June 3, a newly converted Christian couple in Iran was arrested by
police for holding Bible studies with Muslims in their home, and
attending a house church. According to Compass Direct News, "Makan Arya
and Tina Rad were seized from their home in east Tehran after one of
Makan's relatives informed security police of the couple's Christian
activities. Their 4-year-old daughter was left behind, ill and
unattended. The couple was taken to an unknown jail where they were
severely beaten and interrogated for four days." Compass reported,
"Makan was accused of 'activities against national security' and Tina
of 'activities against the holy religion of Islam.' The authorities
threatened to take their daughter away to a religious institution and
warned they could be imprisoned on charges of apostasy or fabricated
drug charges if they didn't stop their Christian work." The report
added that eventually the couple was pressured into signing a statement
claiming they had not changed their religion from Islam and promising
that they would stay away from their house church and other Christians.
"After a court hearing, Makan was freed on bail charges of US $19,634
and Tina upon payment of US $29,451. The couple returned home to find
that the window of their shop had been smashed by local Muslims. On
June 23, Makan received a letter threatening him with continued attacks
if he did not put up evidence of his Islamic faith on the front of his
shop, to which he responded by hanging pictures of Muslim leaders on
his window," Compass added. Ask God to strengthen the hearts of these
believers to proclaim His Name without hesitation or fear. Pray for
healing, especially for Tina who currently cannot walk as a result of
her mistreatment in detention. Isaiah 40:29-31

Modesty is the citadel of beauty. Demades

I came across this in the "God's Politics" blog, they forgot to mention his humility!

"Melvin Bray
is a devoted husband, committed father, learner, teacher, writer,
storyteller, lover of people, connoisseur of creativity, seeker of
justice, purveyor of sustainability, and believer in possibilities. As
founder of Kid Cultivators, he lives, loves, works, and dreams with friends in Atlanta, Georgia."
I have read is blog and he is not half as bad as he sounds above.

The True Spirit of the Olympics - Pastor Sentenced to Re-education Through Labour

Pastor Sentenced to Re-education Through Labour

On July 4, Pastor Zhang Zhongxin was sentenced to two years re-education through labor in Jining city in Shangdong province. According to China Aid Association (CAA), "Shandong Re-education-Through-Labor Management Committee issued a written decision sentencing Zhang Zhongxin to two years re-education through labor. Authorities accused him [Zhongxin] of cult participation in the ‘whole scope of the church' organized ‘Sunday school training courses, preaching the gospel to the northwest, Tibet and other places for missionaries and pioneers sermons.'" CAA added that in 2005, Zhongxin established The Rainbow Missions Fellowship and Timothy Bible Training School in Jining city, Shandong province, where Christian leaders are trained. Zhongxin has appealed his sentence.

Sanctus: Breaking News: ++Rowan's Movie Deal

Sanctus: Breaking News: ++Rowan's Movie Deal

This is very cruel.

A Book for Lambeth

All the bishops at the Lambeth conference have been given a book to read "The Anglican Communion and Homosexuality". There are some really interesting instructions in the book on how to engage with other people. It strikes me that if bishops need these instructions what hope is there for the rest of us plebs.So are you now sitting comfortably we will begin....

To listen as actively as I can:



• I do not participate in side conversations.

• I never interrupt the person who is speaking.

• I turn off all electronic equipment (cell phones, computers, pagers, BlackBerries, etc.) and put them away.

• I show my interest in the speaker through my posture and facial expressions.

• I keep my expression and posture interested, engaged and calm, even
when I very strongly agree – or disagree – with the speaker.

• When it is my turn to speak, I first demonstrate how I have listened
to others by paraphrasing what they have said. I do this using my own
words and ask 'Have I understood you correctly?' when I have finished
my paraphrase.

• I avoid making statements that suggest or assert that I completely understand what another is saying.

• If anyone in the group behaves in ways that block or impede
listening, I support the group facilitator as they ask for these
behaviours to stop.



This means that as an active or deep listener in a dialogue we will be
receptive, encouraging, and reflective. We will strive for
understanding of others in the group and take responsibility for our
own behaviours and thoughts during the dialogue. Let us look at these
behaviours in more detail.



To be a receptive listener:



• I adopt a comfortable and open posture and facial expression.

• I avoid crossing my arms.

• I avoid judgemental or confrontational body language – pointing fingers, shaking fingers, pursing lips or scowling.

• If culturally appropriate I look at the speaker and make eye contact if the speaker looks at me.

• I avoid closing my eyes and I do not fall asleep.



As an encouraging listener I will help draw the speaker
out. This is a particularly helpful and pastoral approach with those
who are shy, reticent, or unaccustomed to being given the opportunity
to speak in this type of process. To be an encouraging listener:



• I sit forward, leaning slightly towards the speaker.

• I keep an open facial expression, occasionally smile or nod my head.
This way I can affirm that a person is contributing without necessarily
affirming what the person is saying.

• I ask for more information. I can ask a speaker if they could say more about what they are thinking to help me understand.

• I thank the previous speaker before I begin to speak.

Long Robes and Long Prayers

[Jesus] taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk
around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake ofappearance say long prayers

- Mark 12:38-40

The Death Bed

I have just finished watching the final 'Numbers'
in series 3.for those who don't know 'Numbers'
is the thinking persons FBI series.
The two main character are Charlie Epps and his
brother Don.
Charlie is super brainy and helps his brother who
appears to be in charge of the FBI.
In this last episode a former agent is dying of poisoning,
but before he dies he leaves behind a list of
double agents. After solving the case
the brothers and their father talk about
the dead agent and the father quotes part
of a poem. I was intrigued as I half recognised it.
Here it<b> "Deathbed"</b> by Siegfied Sasson.
The last two verses were the ones quoted...

The Deathbed

He drowsed and was aware of silence heaped
Round him, unshaken as the steadfast walls;
Aqueous like floating rays of amber light,
Soaring and quivering in the wings of sleep.
Silence and safety; and his mortal shore
Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.

Someone was holding water to his mouth.
He swallowed, unresisting; moaned and dropped
Through crimson gloom to darkness; and forgot
The opiate throb and ache that was his wound.
Water—calm, sliding green above the weir.
Water—a sky-lit alley for his boat,
Bird- voiced, and bordered with reflected flowers
And shaken hues of summer; drifting down,
He dipped contented oars, and sighed, and slept.

Night, with a gust of wind, was in the ward,
Blowing the curtain to a glimmering curve.
Night. He was blind; he could not see the stars
Glinting among the wraiths of wandering cloud;
Queer blots of colour, purple, scarlet, green,
Flickered and faded in his drowning eyes.

Rain—he could hear it rustling through the dark;
Fragrance and passionless music woven as one;
Warm rain on drooping roses; pattering showers
That soak the woods; not the harsh rain that sweeps
Behind the thunder, but a trickling peace,
Gently and slowly washing life away.

He stirred, shifting his body; then the pain
Leapt like a prowling beast, and gripped and tore
His groping dreams with grinding claws and fangs.
But someone was beside him; soon he lay
Shuddering because that evil thing had passed.
And death, who'd stepped toward him, paused and stared.

Light many lamps and gather round his bed.
Lend him your eyes, warm blood, and will to live.
Speak to him; rouse him; you may save him yet.
He's young; he hated War; how should he die
When cruel old campaigners win safe through?

But death replied: 'I choose him.' So he went,
And there was silence in the summer night;
Silence and safety; and the veils of sleep.
Then, far away, the thudding of the guns.

White Trash Beautiful

Beautiful lyrics awesome sound

Christian the Lion, worth watching

Watch this
Even my hard heart is touched!!

The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God

A favourite from the past, it looks like is should have been written by Kipling, though it was composed by J Milton Hayer


There's a one-eyed yellow idol
To the north of Kathmandu;
There's a little marble cross below the town;
And a brokenhearted woman
Tends the grave of 'Mad' Carew,
While the yellow god for ever gazes down.

He was known as 'Mad Carew
By the subs at Kathmandu,
He was hotter than they felt inclined to tell,
But, for all his foolish pranks,
He was worshipped in the ranks,
And the Colonel's daughter smiled on him as well.

He had loved her all along
With the passion of the strong,
And that she returned his love was plain to all.
She was nearly twenty-one,
And arrangements were begun
To celebrate her birthday with a ball.

He wrote to ask what present
She would like from 'Mad' Carew;
They met next day as he dismissed a squad:
And jestingly she made pretence
That nothing else would do ...
But the green eye of the little yellow god.

On the night before the dance
'Mad' Carew seemed in a trance,
And they chaffed him
As they pulled at their cigars,
But for once he failed to smile,
And he sat alone awhile,
Then went out into the night.. beneath the stars.
He returned, before the dawn,
With his shirt and tunic torn,
And a gash across his temples... dripping red.
He was patched up right away,
And he slept all through the day
While the Colonel's daughter
Watched beside his bed.

He woke at last and asked her
If she'd send his tunic through.
She brought it and he thanked her with a nod.
He bade her search the pocket,
Saying, 'That's from "Mad" Carew,'
And she found ... the little green eye of the god.

She upbraided poor Carew,
In the way that women do,
Although her eyes were strangely hot and wet,
But she would not take the stone,
And Carew was left alone
With the jewel that he'd chanced his life to get.

When the ball was at its height
On that still and tropic night,
She thought of him ... and hastened to his room.
As she crossed the barrack square
She could hear the dreamy air
Of a waltz tune softly stealing thro' the gloom.

His door was open wide,
With silver moonlight shining through;
The place was wet and slippery where she trod;
An ugly knife lay buried
In the heart of 'Mad' Carew ...
'Twas the vengeance of the little yellow god.

There's a one-eyed yellow idol
To the north of Kathmandu;
There's a little marble cross below the town;
And a brokenhearted woman
Tends the grave of 'Mad' Carew,
While the yellow god for ever gazes down.

Tescos give Whittingstall the Bird

Tesco's shareholders gave Hugh the bird as they defeated his motion to stop them using 'cruel' farming methods in order to keep prices down.
Hugh claimed that the way they were looking after their chickens was cruel, they denied this
"He told reporters that Tesco, which urged shareholders to vote against the resolution, had attempted to scare consumers by claiming improved welfare standards could add £1 to the cost of a standard supermarket chicken.

Conceding that his resolution would be defeated, the TV cook said he would be delighted if the resolution won the backing of around 10% of Tesco shareholders.

Tesco was failing to meet its own stated welfare standards for chickens, Fearnley-Whittingstall said, and had also left campaigners with a bill for £87,000 for distributing their special resolution. "This is now a special resolution that requires 75% of the vote to succeed and that doesn't seem very democratic"
There was no comment from the chickens!!!

Interesting discussion in Syrianewswire

Syrian Women

Syrian women - leading the Arab world (from Restless in Dubai).

Syria's Vice President Najjah Al Attar is the first women in the Arab world to reach such a high position.

The head of the judicial system, the Republic's General Prosecutor is a woman.

In 1979, Syria had the first female minister in the whole region.

14% of the Syrian parliament are women - that's the highest in the region, other Arab states have an average of just 3.4%.

98%
of girls pass the basic education and 51% of the university graduates
are females - equal to the European average, and well above the
international average.

Syria has 170 women judges, 250 female assistant judges.

At My Death - A Welsh Poem on Death

When I die, O, bury me
   Within the free young wild wood;
 Little birches, o'er me bent,
   Lamenting as my child would!
 Let my surplice-shroud be spun
   Of sparkling summer clover;
 While the great and stately treen
   Their rich rood-screen hang over!
 For my bier-cloth blossomed may
   Outlay on eight green willows!
 Sea-gulls white to bear my pall
   Take flight from all the billows.
 Summer's cloister be my church
   Of soft leaf-searching whispers,
 From whose mossed bench the nightingale
   To all the vale chants vespers!
 Mellow-toned, the brake amid,
   My organ hid be cuckoo!
 Paters, seemly hours and psalm
   Bird voices calm re-echo!
 Mystic masses, sweet addresses,
   Blackbird, be thou offering;
 Till God His Bard to Paradise  
Uplift from sighs and suffering.

Aussie's Cut and Run The Australian Government backs away from Terrorism

"Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was swept into office in November largely on the promise that he would bring home the country's 550 combat troops by the middle of 2008.

Rudd has said the Iraq deployment has made Australia more of a target for terrorism."
Let's hope this works, and the Aussies can make new friends, as they come marching home and leave their allies to clear up the mess.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) - heroes song.

Adolph Hitler Meets with Grand Mufti Amin Al Husseini

This video was quite surprise to me when I viewed it

Gory, Glory..........

Only in America

Is it ARKANSAW, ARKANSA or ARKANSAS?

It's the Law 4-105. Pronunciation of state name.

Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings. And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history, and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final "s" silent, the "a" in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of "a" in "man" and the sounding of the terminal "s" is an innovation to be discouraged.

We return to 'The Apprentice'

The Story of some truly nasty people
Yet again this week Uriah Heep, known as Michael in the show survives. It is the beautiful Raefe, who always reminded me of Sebastian in 'Brideshead' that gets the bullet from the inscrutable Alan(sorry Sir Alan).

Drive you Family and friends MADDD!!!!

Here is a website, that has no useful purpose at except to drive those who listen insane.
Sound up, click the buttons and enjoy.Click Here
Wait for Advert for game to disappear
Behold the Ganesh Drum Kit

This is Hilarious

Italian Spiderman Trailer
I must share this as it is so funny, I believe there are a whole series of these videos available. Though this is the only one I have seen so far.

"The Apprentice" or the progress of some truly nasty People

I have been watching the BBC programme 'The Apprentice' the idea is the 'best' apprentice gets a job with Alan Sugar, sorry 'Sir Alan'. I must admit the programme has a kind of fatal fascination. It does remind me of the TV series 'Men Behaving Badly' except we have women as well, equality rules. These people are set against each other to perform various 'business tasks' They are split into teams and are supposed to work together. We then watch them trying to assassinate each other. There are some truly awful people on this show one of them being a 'nice Jewish boy' called Michael. He was so Jewish he did not know what a 'kosher chicken' was and before going into the boardroom to face the evil Sir Alan crossed himself. In the last show he survived by grovelling and pleading in a Smarm, smarm, excuse my sweaty palm way reminiscent of Dickens and Uriah Heep. Sir Alan who acts normally like Ming the Merciless, melted before this abject grovelling performance. And as in all god serials we ask ourselves will he survive next week.

Not Men and Not Wise

I came across this, it is not recent, but I thought it was amusing...

Wise men haven't got a prayer

February 11, 2004

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The Three Wise Men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus may not have been particularly wise and might have been women, the Anglican Church has ruled.

A committee revising short prayers, or "collects", for the church's latest prayer book, Common Worship, said the term "magi" was a transliteration of the name of Persian court officials, and the possibility they were female could not be dismissed.

The General Synod approved the new prayers on Monday at the opening of its week-long meeting in London but some members privately complained that the church was becoming obsessed with politically correct language.

One said: "They are so eager to avoid upsetting the feminists that they will drop anything they think could be deemed offensive."

Yesterday the synod debated a motion to replace references to chairmen with "chair". A spokesman conceded it was anxious to avoid sexist language but said the ruling on the magi was consistent with the biblical texts.

The committee was responding to pleas to replace "magi" with "wise men" in one of the collects on the grounds that the term would be more easily recognised.




In the King James Bible, Matthew 2:1 reads: "There came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, where is he who is born King of the Jews?"

The committee, chaired by the Bishop of Sheffield, Jack Nicholls, said recent scholarship suggested Matthew "deliberately used an exotic word to emphasise the visitors' exotic nature". It added: "To translate the term into something more universally understood is to miss the point being made."

Although the Persians were unlikely to have been women, the possibility could not be excluded. So the committee had retained magi "on the grounds that the visitors were not necessarily wise and not necessarily men".

The Telegraph, London

Christmas song_Božić blagi dan

Happy Christmas from Romania.
A truly beautiful song

Religion of Tolerance & Peace

What you can't call Mohammed, Teddy bears attacked by Islamists. You can call your horrible kid Muhammed, but not a cuddly Teddy!
Teacher faces Lash

The religion of tolerance and peace, no tolerance and no peace.

Ruined Church on Inishmore

I took this photo on one of the Aran Islands Inishmore early one morning. Some people say they can se a Bishop in the picture.
 

Drunk Scots Vote

SCOTS really rate the Holyrood Parliament - though they weren't too sure of it at first.

A survey by whisky makers Grant's ranked Londoners' and Scots' impressions of the greatest Scottish innovations of the past 50 years.

Scots rated the parliament first, followed by the Forth Road Bridge and Dolly the sheep.

Glasgow art museum the Burrell Collection was fourth, followed by Harry Potter.

But Londoners ranked the Forth Road Bridge top - and even found room for the deep fried Mars Bar in sixth place.

Grant's master blender David Stewart said: "It's sad that for some, Scotland will be forever associated with deep-fried snacks. Perhaps Londoners need to get out of the capital."

TOP TEN

As voted for by Scots

1 The Scottish parliament 22%

2 The Forth Road Bridge 22%

3 Dolly the sheep 15%

4 The Burrell Collection 10%

5 Harry Potter 7%

6 Megabus 4%

7 Edinburgh International Book Festival 2%

8 Ultimo Bra 2%

9 Rab C Nesbitt 2%

10 Scottish Ballet 1%

This poll was published by a Scots whisky maker, Have another one Jimmie!!

Spanish Eating

 

In Spain recently I ordered a meal, on the menu it was called Ox.
When it arrived amidst much hilarity I discovered that I had to cook my own meat.
in fact the little stove provided was remarkably efficent and I managed to cook 2kgs of meat fairly quickly and rather well I thought. Unfortunately my daughte and one of my grandchildren sitting opposite finished covered in a fine spray of fat.

Gardens of Paris

Paris Tour
Originally uploaded by Scete

A couple of years ago we visited a number of gardens in France on a tour. Interestingly the one we admired the most was Monet's. Though it was the least grand of them all. Versailles and Fontainebleau were very large and formal whereas Monet's garden was a riot of colour and shape.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Edith Piaf - Non je ne regrette rien

A great little singer

A Couple of Favourite Quotes

"When I was an atheist my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it?... Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist--in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless. I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality--namely my idea of justice--was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning."-
C. S. Lewis.

Annie Dillard on the Church

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does any-one have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake some day and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. (Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Harper & Row, 1982)

The Dawkins Delusion

I came across an article on Richard Dawkins about how his lecture tours were going. He apparently had one stop in the place Jerry Falwell used to preach. Reading this I was stuck by their similarities. Both preached what they believe with 'evangelical' zeal. Both used their 'faith' to make lots of money. Check out Dawkins website, this a big money site. Two sides of the same coin, a lesson to us all on how to make money using what we believe or don't believe.

Humanism or atheism is a wonderful philosophy of life as long as you are big, strong, and between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. But watch out if you are in a lifeboat and there are others who are younger, bigger, or smarter. William Murray

Ofra Haza - Eshal

Amazing woman, amazing talent, amazing ambassador through music to Arab and Israeli alike. She is greatly missed. May she rest in peace.

Sh'ma Israel

A very beautiful voice and song

A Follow up to the Schori story

Now Jon Kerry has got it in the neck..

God & Mammon

I just thought this poor chap needed a little more publicity....

"My name is David M. Kees. I own The Buzz Café at 340 Florida St. downtown. I am unable to get a license to serve alcohol because of the 300-foot ordinance and my restaurant’s proximity to St. James Episcopal Church.

I have tried for two years to open my restaurant in the evening from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The only alternative for me is to get written permission from the church in the form of a waiver.

The church (represented by Mark Holland) declined to grant me that document! I still respect Father Holland and the church, but as of Feb. 23 I am fed up with the hypocritical statements and actions by the church.

St. James allows alcohol at receptions and its own Super Bowl parties. On Feb. 23, the church closed off the parking lane on Fourth Street to sell gumbo to the public during lunch. This is direct competition for my restaurant and customer parking.

The church now appears to be a monopoly on the restaurant, catering, education, and worship business (in that order). Thank you for your time.

David M. Kees
café owner
Baton Rouge"

Plus they have he most awful website..St James

Big Brother Big News!!

I must confess I have never watched 'Big Brother' apart from the occasional glimpse whilst visiting some one watching the programme.
The whole concept does not appeal and I would have thought extremely boring. Not so I am told 'fascinating cutting edge reality TV'.
So now some person unbelievably named 'Goody' has racially abused someone else. This is now world news.
Am I the only person who does not care?!!!

More on Kate, the Cahthlicks friend

Kate has spawned a new set of Cups and memorabilia with her 'intelligent' remarks about Catholics
Halp us Kte were catoliks

Being Ill, nearly dying!!

I have not been posting as I have been ill. Sick you say 'it must have been bad'. Yes it was and still is. I have had a cold, a really bad cold, thick head, could not breathe. Now I have developed the 'cough'. Yes the 'hacking cough'. I have taken all the medicine, 'Panadol', throat lozenges, 'Beechams Honey and Lemon', even used the 'Vick inhaler' and I am still sick. I turned on the TV for a little light relief and discover we are going to put a permanent space station on the Moon as a stepping stone to exploring Mars. Cure my 'COLD' I shout!!

Episcopalians are bright Catholics are thick

Below is a quote from the new big chief of the Episcopal Church in America, with a response by Amy Welborn

How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?

About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.

Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?

No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.

Well, I would respond to this but I'm afraid I'm going to occupied for the next few hours practicing reading the next Henry and Mudge book before I attempt to read it to my 5-year old. 'Cause it's really hard, you know. Oh, and then I'm going to go out and throw my 5th child's dirty diapers in the St. Joseph River. 'Cause I'm a Catholic.

From 'First Things' Episcopal Church

I have posted this long article from the 'Apostasy' mal list as I thought it amusing and relevant..

First Things ^ | 10/25/2006 | Jordan Hylden

Jordan Hylden writes:

Seeing as how I am a new Episcopalian and still learning about my
church, I attended a public address given a couple weeks back by
Bishop Gene Robinson at General Theological Seminary, in the Chelsea
district of Manhattan. There was a pleasant reception before his
remarks, supplied nicely with wine and hors d'oeuvres platters and
attended by a quietly chattering crowd of 60-year-olds outfitted by
L.L. Bean. Sad to say, I did not know a soul there, and mostly stood
off to one side, listening to people talk about things like the new
art galleries over in Williamsburg. One gentleman politely asked me
if I was there because of my "orientation," to which I responded
that I was in fact simply there out of curiosity. Later on I
reflected that my response could have been taken several ways, but,
as it happened, there was not much time for reflection, and I along
with the L.L. Bean folks soon went inside the chapel for the
evening's talk.

The chapel of course is a beautiful structure, built one hundred and
twenty years ago in the English Gothic Revival mode with donations
from the Morgans, Pierponts, and Vanderbilts, and featuring a
magnificent reredos behind the altar that tastefully reflects the
gender equality that subsists among the saints in glory. It did not
take long for the nave to fill up, although, unfortunately, it took
longer for the event to get started, which gave me ample time to
flip through the pewbooks. (The African-American hymnal looked to be
quite good; the feminist hymnal, however, seemed filled with titles
like "In Praise of Hildegard We Sing.") I had nearly gotten to the
point of thumbing through the BCP church calendar when the Very Rev.
Ward B. Ewing, dean of the seminary, rose to give the welcome, which
of course was quite warm. Following him was Christine Quinn, the
first openly gay speaker of New York's city council, who reminded us
all that "If you believe in yourself, if you define yourself, if you
love yourself, you can overcome any odds that anybody puts in front
of you." This met with loud applause, after which we all sat quietly
in our seats to consider how the glorious company of the saints had
believed in themselves.

The bishop himself was next. He began by thanking Ms. Quinn for her
wise words and reminded us that most places in America—like Iowa,
Georgia, or New Mexico—were not like the Chelsea district of
Manhattan. Indeed, I thought. But that should not deter us, he said,
from going out into the rest of the country to take back religion.
For years, he said, the Church had been the world's greatest
oppressor, until finally, in the 1960s, people began to wake up and
set things straight. People started to realize that what the Church
had taught all along about lots of things just wasn't true, and so
they started acting prophetically as a voice for change. That, he
said, is the true mission of today's Church: To find out where God
is already at work outside the Church and to join God there. Because
I did not grow up in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, this
required a bit of sorting out in my mind, but eventually it all
seemed to fit. "The Church is the world's greatest oppressor," I
reasoned, "but God is at work outside the Church, so our mission as
Christians is to work to change the Church until it becomes like,
you know, those places outside the Church." It still seemed like I
was missing something, but I figured I could think about it later.

Bishop Robinson's talk was, on its surface, all about LGBT
inclusion, but he said it actually was about much more than that. At
its most basic level, it was about the end of patriarchy, which to
him explained why he met with such opposition. The audience nodded
approvingly—civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and the sexual
revolution were all part of a single struggle for liberation, from
the Man, or something like that. Freedom, justice, and sex were all
the same thing! I liked this idea. Being an Episcopalian, I thought,
was going to be fun.

But if that was the good news, then what came next was the bad news.
Many people, he warned, will be hurt and confused by our prophetic
struggle against patriarchy. Some of them will probably even leave
the Church. And, what's more, we won't even have the same
relationship to something called the "Anglican Communion" anymore..
This all sounded worrying. But, the bishop said, that was just the
price we would have to pay for doing the right thing. If people were
hurt and confused, or if they left the Church, then we would just
have to deal with it later. He reminded us that Jesus was the
ultimate example of someone who did the right thing and paid a price
for it. He told us how, when he was made bishop, he had to wear a
bulletproof vest and have an armed guard standing by, and how they
had made special plans if he had been shot to take him into another
room and make him a bishop before he died. He was being modest, of
course, but we all thought he had been very brave. And although I
had been worried at first, I started to feel sort of tough and
rebellious. Maybe, I thought, I could be as brave as Gene Robinson
some day. I stopped thinking about those people who would be hurt or
confused. They would just have to get with the program.

Next, it was time for the question-and-answer session, and I was
lucky enough to ask the bishop about something that had been
bothering me. "Do you think," I asked, "that conservatives from
places like South Carolina and progressives from places like New
Hampshire should stay together in the same church?" Bishop Robinson
gave a surprising answer—yes, he said, they should stay together,
because part of the genius of Anglicanism is keeping everybody
together no matter what. The audience members puzzled over this. On
the one hand, being tolerant and inclusive people, we didn't want to
tell people what to do or push anybody away. But on the other hand,
wasn't taking back religion from the conservatives the whole point
of all this? Aren't the conservatives in the Church the world's
greatest oppressors—just the people we're fighting against? This
seemed strange to me, but I supposed that maybe it would be all
right so long as the conservatives stayed in far-off places like
South Carolina, where they belonged. Although, I didn't think that
everyone in the audience liked the bishop's answer, and I wasn't
sure that I did, either.

Finally, it was time for one last question. A gentleman in the back
stood up and asked, "What do you think we need to do to save General
Theological Seminary?" This came as quite a surprise to me—how could
such a nice seminary need to be saved? But apparently it was true.
Bishop Robinson, who was on the board of the seminary, said that the
building plans would have to go forward if the seminary were to be
saved. I wasn't quite sure what that all meant, but later on I found
out that the seminary was almost bankrupt and wanted to knock down
its library and put an apartment building there instead. It seemed
to make sense, although it was very sad—it explained why there was
so much old scaffolding on the buildings (sort of like the Cathedral
of St. John the Divine up on Morningside Heights), and why there
were plastic sheets on the library books to keep them from getting
wet when the roof leaked. But that wasn't even the saddest part. It
turned out that the seminary's neighbors in Chelsea weren't letting
them put up the apartment building. They thought it would be too
noisy and ugly, and they wanted things to stay just the way they
were. The neighbors, it turned out, didn't much like the seminary at
all. They had even organized petition drives and protests to tell
the seminary so.

I didn't understand any of this. Before I had felt all tough and
cool, fired up and ready to take religion back from the
conservatives, but now it seemed like even our friends in the
Chelsea district of Manhattan didn't want us anymore. "How could
they do this?" I thought. Many of them were gay, and we were
sticking up for them! We were doing the right thing! Acting
prophetically, no matter what! It was all very sad, and I started to
wonder if anyone cared about the Episcopal Church anymore. People
had started to file out of the chapel by this point, and I started
to follow them. As I did, I overheard a young man about my age say
to his friend, "You know, I agree with his politics and everything,
but I'm not religious, so this wasn't all that interesting to me. I
bet my dad would have liked it, though."

I was pretty depressed, and I started walking glumly back to my
apartment. On my way home, I passed by an old Episcopal church that
seemed sort of different from normal churches—it didn't say anything
about services, but there was a back door open, with loud music
playing inside and a bunch of kids standing out front. I looked
closer, and realized what had happened. Why, it had been turned into
a nightclub! Loud and exciting music thrummed from inside the
sanctuary, where young people like me were dancing and drinking and
having a good time. I thought back to what I had learned earlier
that night, about how freedom and justice and sex were all the same
thing, and how being the Church meant joining the world in the
struggle against patriarchy. Finally, I started to feel good again.
It was going to be a tough fight, but there would be lots of fun
along the way. I smiled, looking up at the nightclub-church, and
thought that maybe we were starting to get it right after all.

Jordan Hylden is a junior fellow at First Things.
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=510

Church gone MAD!!

I came upon this website
Canada Church website recently. If it was not so sad it would be really funny. At first I thought it was a spoof site. Then I discovered it it actually genuine and cost the Church of Canada a bundle of dollars.
Check out the forums, they are absolutely hilarious. There are 'real' people actually discussing 'hot topics' such as 'should children have talking Jesus dolls'.
This is cutting edge discussion on the important issues.

Ding Dong Bell, No Joy with Dell

All their customer Service staff must still be ill!!.I have abandoned my attempt to purchase a computer from Dell, and I am rather pleased as I went along to my local 'Comet' dealer and purchased an 'Acer' laptop improved spec. and cheaper than Dell. With the added benefit that as I was buying a computer the printe I purchased had £10 knocked of the price. I have saved about £20 and if anything goes wrong at least I will have someone to speak to. I know a number of folks who have bought from Dell and have had no problems, but if anything does go wrong their customer service if it actually exists?? is extremly poor.
So as Dell slowly sink into the West we say farewell for ever.

BBC Reporting on Palestine

Israeli shelling kills 18 in Gaza

This is one of the headlines on BBC News today. I am not disputing the truth of this statement, though the report goes on to say it is from 'Palestinian sources'. What suddenly struck me about these reports I cannot remember any that say something like 'Palestinian rocket attack on Israel'. Israel is always mentioned first and then somewhere in the article Palestinian attacks get a mention. Even when they are mentioned the implication is that the Israeli response is over the top as the missiles 'rarely kill anyone'. I wondered if the Israeli response should be to fire unguided rockets back, and whenever there is a suicide bomb on say a bus, the Israel bombs a Palestinian bus. From the way the BBC report what is happening this might be quite acceptable to them.

Disaster with Dell, I tried to buy a Laptop

On 16th October I tried to purchase a Dell laptop over the telephone. What a disasterous joke this has become.
I had not heard anything from Dell after 14 days, I decided to ring the number I had been given, this number included a extension number to use where I would get in immediate touch with the actual person I originally spoke to if anything goes wrong. Now this is good sales service I thought. Well you know what thought did?. Unfortunately the first time I rang the nice Indian gentleman Kumar is his name by the way, said on his answerphone he is out of the Office, too bad I think I will ring again, so I rang the next day and the next day, and the next day. O dear Kumar must be ill I think, but he has very kindly given me another number to ring. This time a nice Indian lady, sadly she is out of the office, well she has got to have her dinner sometime I think, so I ring again, and again.... Now I am getting a little concerned, maybe some epidemic has struck, I have read that in India there are some strange tropical diseases. So I search the Dell site for a number to ring, find one 'Customer Care' it is called. So I ring atlast someone still alive another Indian gentleman, very nicely, who assures me Kumar is alive and well. He will put a message in 'his box', his words, and Kumar will get back to me. Three days later Kumar must still be sick, or maybe the person I spoke to recently has also been struck down. I now decide to email the complaints department, actually called 'Customer Assistance' I email my concerns one being that Kumar has taken my credit card details and I am worried that in his feverish state he may divulge them to others. The form I fill in is headed

" If somehow we have not delivered the quality of service you deserve as a Dell customer, please complete this form"

I am now really concerned, maybe I have done something terrible and I 'deserve' this treatment. Also I am concerned that my case number is as follows 20061104134853362. Is this the number of other who people have 'deserved' this 'quality of service'. Three days later no reply to my email. I decide to ring again,(I must be mad). I try Kumar for one last time, he is still 'sick', though his answer machine message has been updated. I ring 'Customer Care' I now realise this name is just part of the evil sense of humour they have at Dell. I get another charming Indian lady called I think 'Sunny'. She asks me lots of questions and assures me she can help, I am feeling quite relaxed. She says hold the line and she will put me through to the person who can really help me. The phone rings my saviour is about to answer. 'You have reached the mail box of Kumar, I am out of the office..........aargh.

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Technorati Profile

Strange Site 'Episcopal Majority'

I came upon this strange site, by chance recently. It purports to be the majority of Episcopalians who are getting together to fight a group of evil traditionlists who are attempting to take over the world and the Episcopal Church in America. Apparently the arch fiends involved in this evil attack are black people from Africa, from that part of the world that used to be blank on the old maps before the British Empire(another evil thing) One of the odd things about this group is they are also all members of other groups fighting the evil blacks, groups which have such names as 'Integrity' and 'Via Media'(middle way for the ignorant). Another group calls itself 'Thinking Anglicans' as opposed to non 'Thinking Anglicans'. One member I spotted was even a Druid. Episcopal Majority!!!

Episcopal Majority

Pair cleared over Jelly Baby race attacks

Quotes from 'Metro'
"The Crown Prosecution Service defended its actions today after two London Underground workers were cleared of racial harassment following allegations that they taunted a colleague over black Jelly Babies.

A jury found Victor Cooney, 47, and Carlos Rozza, 44, not guilty after an eight-day trial at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court.

It was alleged that the two men teased Daniel Jean Marie, who is black, by discussing black Jelly Babies and biting the heads off the sweets.

But the pair were cleared after just one hour of deliberation by the jury.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said today: "This was an allegation of serious racial abuse and we have to take such allegations seriously.

"We believe there was a clear case to answer and the case did run its full course. We respect the jury's decision."

The spokesman said that the CPS were not able to provide costs on individual cases.
Estimates are for around £250,000

"If the Crown Prosecution Service had reviewed this case properly at the initial stages then this case would never have been brought before the Crown Court."

Conservative MP Mike Penning said the trial was a waste of money and police time.

He said: "We are desperate for police on our streets. But if taxpayers' cash is wasted on ridiculous cases like this, how can we afford it?" The two men were cleared on Wednesday at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court.

A spokeswoman for Transport for London (TfL) said today: "All allegations of harassment and racist behaviour are investigated. Whether or not to prosecute is a decision for the CPS.""
No more comment needed!!

How Farepak Stole Christmas aided by HBoS

How Farepak Stole Christmas
On Friday 13th Oct 2006 - Farepak Hampers went into administration. Over 100,000 customers were told that no food hampers or vouchers or other goods will be supplied this Christmas as promised, and no refunds!
The story going the rounds is that, money was being collected not for hampers but to pay of the Companies overdraft at Halifax Bank of Scotland. Read more about this at www.unfarepak.co.uk

Am I all Alone?

Last week I watched the first episode of 'Prime Suspect 7'. I managed to watch about 25 minutes of the first part and had to turn the TV of as it was so boring. Here we had Helen Mirren showcasing what a good actress she was and nothing else A tirgid story line with the usual top brass being useless as usual. If she had been a real tec. she should have been sacked in the first ten minutes or at least breathalised.

Interesting Story of a Missing Man

I picked this story up whilst looking for something else, and it took my fancy. Maybe he was an alien? of the extraterrestial kind I mean!!

No Crosses on British Airways

British Airways has asked a Christian member of staff to conceal her cross necklace because it contravenes the company's uniform policy.

It appears that religious symbols are OK at British Airways unless they are Christian. You can wear a turban or a Jewish skull cap as they cannot be hidden, but not a cross because they can.
I have noticed that British Airways has what appears to be double standards. Doesn't the the flag that they fly conceal not only one cross, but two including the Crusader cross of St George. Possibly this was why a number of years ago they tried to ditch the Flag, because of their dislike of all things Christian. What Christinans need now is a symbol that cannot be hidden or a secret one rather like the fish sign used in the past by persecuted Christians. Meanwhile Christians should avoid using these anti Christian companies.

Miss Eweida, a Coptic Christian whose father is Egyptian and mother English, was ordered to remove her cross or hide it beneath a company cravat by a duty manager at Heathrow's Terminal 4 last month.

She then sought permission from management to wear the chain - but was turned down.

When Miss Eweida, who is unmarried, refused to remove the necklace she was offered the choice of suspension with pay or unpaid leave, pending a disciplinary hearing.

Following a meeting with her managers on 22 September 2006, Customer Service Manager Caroline Girling told Miss Eweida in a letter: "You have been sent home because you have failed to comply with a reasonable request.

"You were asked to cover up or remove your cross and chain which you refused to do.

"British Airways uniform standards stipulate that adornments of any kind are not to be worn with the uniform."

In a letter to Miss Eweida's MP, Vince Cable, last week, BA chief executive Willie Walsh insisted his employee had not yet been disciplined but said she was off work for failing to comply with "uniform regulations".

He added: "We have previously made changes to our uniform policy to accommodate requests, after a detailed evaluation process including Health and Safety assessment to incorporate the wearing of Sikh bangles."

But Miss Eweida said: "BA refuses to recognise the wearing of a cross as a manifestation of the Christian faith, but rather defines it as a piece of decorative jewellery.

What She did not SAY

The BBC has become a complete turn off, all they appear to be interested in is so called 'human interest' stories. BBC one news has become so down market that they even advertise if yoy want to watch the real news press the 'red button'. I am more inclined to press the off button!!

"Carolin Lotter, a producer with Bloomberg, told BBC News she had been "not more than a metre or two" away from Mrs Blair and that she "literally had to step out of the way".

"Everybody was watching, everybody could listen to it, and she was just walking by one of the screens when I heard her say 'Well, that's a lie'," Ms Lotter said.


The fact is that no version of this story is true and Bloomberg should withdraw it immediately
Downing Street spokeswoman

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "This story is totally untrue.

"Bloomberg first claimed Mrs Blair stormed out of the hall and flashed that story on their screens.

"When the story was totally denied on Mrs Blair's behalf and it was pointed out that she had not at any time been in the hall, Bloomberg conveniently changed their story.

"The fact is that no version of this story is true and Bloomberg should withdraw it immediately.

"Mrs Blair was accompanied by four people, two of whom were protection officers, none of whom heard her say anything."

When Synagogues burn churches burn

A quote from Paula R Stern

First it was a cartoon in Denmark that showed a caricature of Mohammed's face. Poor taste, ill-advised. But justification for murder? Not in the western world. But in the Arab world, it was enough to cause rioting, and lead to several deaths and a $1 million dollar death threat against the cartoonist. Interestingly enough, when an entire "art" show of cartoons against Israel and ridiculing the Holocaust was officially sanctioned in Iran recently, there were no riots in the world, no burned buildings, no death threats. Go figure.

When the President of Iran calls for the destruction of Israel, and presumably the nearly 6 million Jews within its borders, there were no riots, no death threats, no burned mosques or kidnapped journalists. When Jews were beaten in Russia, France, Yugoslavia, England, and Belgium, there were no violent demonstrations, no riots and death threats.

Now the Pope has spoken a few words, perhaps ill-timed, perhaps badly phrased, but the result is the same. The Arab world is alight. Despite the calming words of Jakarta rally organizer that, "we Muslims have no violent character," violence seems to prevail. Several churches in Palestinian areas have been fire-bombed.

Deputy leader to the Turkish Prime Minister said the Pope was "going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini." Hitler was responsible for the murder of at least 10 million people, by conservative estimates. His close ally, Mussolini established a fascist dictatorship in Italy.

To have an Islamic leader compare the Pope to these men of evil may help shed light on the ongoing propaganda war to paint Moslems as victims rather than aggressors. But the truth is in the flames that burned the churches, the bullets that were shot in the air, and the firebombs thrown in Gaza. Last year, the world was silent to the atrocity of synagogues being burned. Just one year later, the lesson returns.

Where synagogues burn, so too do churches.

This is what the Muslim Religion brings??

It appears the Pope's words are being seen to be true

Earlier Sunday in the West Bank, two churches were set on fire as anger over the pope's comments grew throughout the Palestinian territories.

In the town of Tulkarem, a 170-year-old stone church was torched before dawn and its interior was destroyed, Christian officials said. In the village of Tubas, a small church was attacked with firebombs and partially burned, Christians said. Neither church is Catholic, the officials said.

Palestinian Muslims hurled firebombs and opened fire at five churches in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Saturday to protest the Pope's comments, sparking concerns of a rift between Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

The Pope in Trouble!!

The quote from the Pope has touch a raw nerve in the Muslim world.

"Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The emperor's words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Benedict said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul"."

We now wait and see if their reactions prove him right in his assesment of much of the Muslim world.

More Questions at Qana?

More about Kana(Qana) the mystery deepens, who is 'white tee shirt'
Here is another unknown 'hero' of the massacre
Below is a quote from Irsaeli insider, who makes some interesting points about the pictures and reporting of this awful incedent.

Lebanese rescue teams did not start evacuating the building until the morning and only after the camera crews came. The absence of a real rescue effort was explained by saying that equipment was lacking. There were no scenes of live or injured people being extracted. There was little blood, CNN's Wedeman noted: all the victims, he concluded, appeared to have died while as they were sleeping -- sleeping, apparently, through thunderous Israeli air attacks. Rescue workers equipped with cameras were removing the bodies from the same opening in the collapsed structure. Journalists were not allowed near the collapsed building. Rescue workers filmed as they went carried the victims on the stretchers, occasionally flipping up the blankets so that cameras could show the faces and bodies of the dead. But Israelis steeled to scenes of carnage from Palestinian suicide bombings and Hezbollah rocket attack could not help but notice that these victims did not look like our victims. Their faces were ashen gray. While medical examination clearly is called for to arrive at a definitive dating and cause of their deaths, they do not appear to have died hours before. The bodies looked like they had been dead for days. Viewers can judge for themselves. But the accumulating evidence suggests another explanation for what happened at Kana. The scenario would be a setup in which the time between the initial Israeli bombing near the building and morning reports of its collapse would have been used to "plant" bodies killed in previous fighting -- reports in previous days indicated that nearby Tyre was used as a temporary morgue -- place them in the basement, and then engineer a "controlled demolition" to fake another Israeli attack. The well-documented use by Palestinians of this kind of faked footage -- from the alleged shooting of Mohammed Dura in Gaza, scenes from Jenin of "dead" victims falling off gurneys and then climbing back on -- have merited the creation of a new film genre called "Palliwood." There is increasing evidence that the Kana sequel is another episode in this genre, a variety which might be called Hezbollywood. The Hezbollah have evidently learned their craft well.

Who is this man? Hero of Quana??

Check out this interesting site and views on the "massacre at Qana"

EU Referendum

How genuine are these pictures and reports of what happened there?
A number of pictures I have seen elsewhere on the TV News have seems staged.

So who is this man?