A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.
"Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?"
"Negative, ma'am. Just serious by nature."
The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It looks like you have seen a lot of action."
"Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."
The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, "You know, you should lighten up a little. Relax and enjoy yourself."
The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner. Finally the young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had sex?"
"1955, ma'am."
"Well, there you are. No wonder you're so serious. You really need to chill out! I mean, no sex since 1955! She took his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to "relax" him several times.
Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much since 1955."
The Sergeant Major said in his serious voice, after glancing at his watch, "I hope not; it's only 2130 now."
Don't blame me. Blame the wicked David. He made me do it.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
New Orleans Carnival Season Begins
From Yat.com:
The Feast of the Epiphany is a day of closure for most Christians in the United States. It's traditionally the day when the visit to the Christ Child by the Three Wise Men is celebrated, marking the end of the Christmas season. The tree and decorations come down, and household life returns to a more normal routine, as the kids go back to school until Easter break.
The scenario is a little bit different in New Orleans. While the rest of the country is breathing a collective sigh of relief that the holidays are over, New Orleanians are just getting their second wind to begin The Big Party -- Carnival. It all begins on Twelfth Night, January 6th, with the bal masque of the Twelfth Night Revelers, and the Uptown streetcar ride of the Phunny Phorty Phellows.
The Twelfth Night Revelers have held the official kick-off to the Carnival season since January 6, 1870. Theirs is not the traditional tableau-style ball held by other krewes. The members of the krewe mask, but the centerpiece of the celebration is the the ladies of the court are selected. A giant king cake is rolled out onto the floor of the ballroom, and the ladies selected to be maids of the court all gather round. Each is given a piece of the cake, and those pieces contain one gold and several silver beans. The young lady who receives the gold bean is named the queen, and the others become the maids of the court. The cake originally was a traditional king cake, but the logistics of making sure that the right lady was chosen queen prompted the krewe to switch to a wooden replica what looks more like a classic wedding cake.
In New Orleans and south Louisiana, king cakes are omnipresent in homes, in offices, at churches during the coffee hour, everywhere. The usual tradition in offices is that someone volunteers to supply the first king cake, and thereafter, the person who gets the tiny plastic baby in their piece of cake is responsible for the cake in a week's time.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Thanks Be To God!
From the New York Times:
Israel says it has agreed to set up a ''humanitarian corridor'' to ship vital supplies to the people of the Gaza Strip.
The office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says in a statement that the humanitarian corridor idea came from the U.N. Security Council, and he accepted it.
The Israeli leaders say there is no humanitarian crisis, but the UN workers in Gaza disagree. Well, it's a beginning. Let's hope and pray that this first step leads to further reductions in violent actions.
H/T to Ann.
UPDATE: A longer and more detailed article from the New York Times is here.
Israel says it has agreed to set up a ''humanitarian corridor'' to ship vital supplies to the people of the Gaza Strip.
The office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says in a statement that the humanitarian corridor idea came from the U.N. Security Council, and he accepted it.
The Israeli leaders say there is no humanitarian crisis, but the UN workers in Gaza disagree. Well, it's a beginning. Let's hope and pray that this first step leads to further reductions in violent actions.
H/T to Ann.
UPDATE: A longer and more detailed article from the New York Times is here.
Grandmas Don't Know Everything
He'd been playing outside with the other kids for a while when he came into the house and asked her, 'Grandma, what's that thing called when two people sleep in the same room and one is on top of the other?'
She was a little taken aback, but she decided to just tell him the truth. 'It's called sexual intercourse, darling.'
Little Tony just said, 'Oh, OK,' and went back outside to play with the other kids.
A few minutes later he came back in and said angrily, 'Grandma, it isn't called sexual intercourse. It's called Bunk Beds. And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you.'
From my new stringer, Paul the BB.
She was a little taken aback, but she decided to just tell him the truth. 'It's called sexual intercourse, darling.'
Little Tony just said, 'Oh, OK,' and went back outside to play with the other kids.
A few minutes later he came back in and said angrily, 'Grandma, it isn't called sexual intercourse. It's called Bunk Beds. And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you.'
From my new stringer, Paul the BB.
Thibodaux Rocker, Mary Lasseigne
From the Daily Comet:
Some musicians fret about divulging certain details, worrying the information could damage their cool veneer.
But rocker Mary Lasseigne is undaunted. She tells her age, recounts her rough times and explains her scars. The decades, and maybe the scars, too, were necessary to create the musician audiences see today.
Lasseigne is a 44-year-old Thibodaux rocker who’s reconnecting with her groove.
Lasseigne calls music “my biggest counselor, my biggest consoler.”
New Orleans-area crowds know Lasseigne as Mary LaSang, bassist for the now-defunct grunge band Isaac’s Guns, the nationally known Cowboy Mouth and now for her own act, The Kinky Tuscaderos.
My friend, Georgianne, who sometimes writes for The Huffington Post, introduced me to Mary. We went out to supper together, and I assure you that when we went out to eat, Mary looked a lot more sedate than she does in the picture. But then, she didn't have her electric bass with her, and she played no music. We had a lovely dinner, and I liked Mary quite a lot.
Mary lost both her parents within a short period of time, and those losses were soon followed by Katrina, which resulted in Mary's having to leave her beloved New Orleans and move to Houston for a spell.
Her parents’ deaths, within months of each other in 2004, rendered even music too painful. Music’s strong association with her parents, who nurtured her musical talents, compelled Lasseigne to avoid playing even as a pastime.
“I just was so numb, and I wasn’t in touch with it,” she said. “I didn’t do anything. I just tried to get up every day.”
Then came Katrina.
Lasseigne, who had been living and working in New Orleans since age 20, saw her city ravaged.
“I really love New Orleans. It’s unique, and you can’t find it anywhere else,” she said. “That punched me in the face.”
My goal is to hear Mary play music. She plays mostly in New Orleans, so it should be easy, right? The thing is that I can't find anyone to go with me at night, and I'm timid about going alone.
Laura McKnight, the reporter who gave me my 15 minutes of local fame, wrote the article about Mary, too. Laura is a fine young interviewer and writer. She establishes good rapport with her subjects and then proceeds to get it right when she writes.
For information on Lasseigne, visit www.myspace.com/marylasang.
My Hair Is Too Long And Too Wild
Today, I went at the wrong time for my appointment to get my hair cut. The appointment was at 11:30 AM, but I went at 1:30 PM. I wrote the time on my pad on the regrigerator, but that seems not enough, because I didn't look at the pad. I forgot a previous appointment in the week before Christmas. That was a wild week, and I forgot to write the time of the appointment on the pad.
After today, I was beginning to worry about myself. Am I getting senile? In addition, I'm usually running late when I keep the appointments - altogether an unsatisfactory customer. Will my hairdresser ban me for missing so many appointments?
I had to do a little shopping, and the wind is blowing hard today, so I really looked as wild and crazy as I felt, with my out-of-control hair blowing in the wind, like Phyllis Diller at her worst, if you're old enough to remember that. I began to think about what distracted me from my appointment today, and I realized that I am furious that our ambassador to the UN cast the only "no" vote to a resolution asking for a cease-fire in Gaza. Not a settlement, not an armistice, but a cease-fire to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. I want the killing and maiming to stop, at least for a while.
Lord, have mercy.
Feast of the Epiphany
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
(Revelation 21:22-27)
Above is a picture of the Nativity set which my mother made with the Three Wise Men and the camels added to the tableau. I haven't displayed the camels for several years now, taking the lazy way out, but I unwrapped them this year for the picture.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Hormone Guide
Women will understand this!
Men should memorize it!
Every woman knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or significant other!
13 Things PMS Stands For:
1. Pass My Shotgun
2. Psychotic Mood Shift
3. Perpetual Munching Spree
4. Puffy Mid-Section
5. People Make me Sick
6. Provide Me with Sweets
7. Pardon My Sobbing
8. Pimples May Surface
9. Pass My Sweat pants
10. Pissy Mood Syndrome
11. Plainly; Men Suck
12. Pack My Stuff
and my favorite one:
13. Potential Murder Suspect
Don't blame me. Blame Doug. Besides I'm long past all this. Mine is a perpetually sunny disposition.
UPDATE: Menopausal Women At The Mall
There's a message for us all in the video. Watch for it.
H/T to Ann.
Men should memorize it!
Every woman knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or significant other!
13 Things PMS Stands For:
1. Pass My Shotgun
2. Psychotic Mood Shift
3. Perpetual Munching Spree
4. Puffy Mid-Section
5. People Make me Sick
6. Provide Me with Sweets
7. Pardon My Sobbing
8. Pimples May Surface
9. Pass My Sweat pants
10. Pissy Mood Syndrome
11. Plainly; Men Suck
12. Pack My Stuff
and my favorite one:
13. Potential Murder Suspect
Don't blame me. Blame Doug. Besides I'm long past all this. Mine is a perpetually sunny disposition.
UPDATE: Menopausal Women At The Mall
There's a message for us all in the video. Watch for it.
H/T to Ann.
Our Supper Tonight
Would you like to know what we ate for supper tonight? No? Well, I shall tell you anyway. Grandpère and I dined on sautéed green tomatoes and roast tenderloin of wild hog, cooked by the chef in the family, GP. Both dishes were delicious. You could say it was a minimalist meal, but it sufficed. A glass of wine furnished the finishing touch.
I should have taken a picture, because GP did not bread the tomatoes, and all the pictures that I find are of breaded green tomatoes. He seasoned them and sautéed them without killing them, if you know what I mean. The pork tenderloin was tender and juicy but was much less fatty than store-bought pork.
I should have taken a picture, because GP did not bread the tomatoes, and all the pictures that I find are of breaded green tomatoes. He seasoned them and sautéed them without killing them, if you know what I mean. The pork tenderloin was tender and juicy but was much less fatty than store-bought pork.
"We Are Deeply Saddened...."
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori about the ongoing violence in Gaza:
We are deeply saddened by the first-hand reports we are receiving from Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza about the casualties they are treating under the most horrific circumstances. Not only do they lack basic medical supplies, but with windows blown out they are even struggling to keep patients warm. The high number of civilian deaths and injuries, which continue to include noncombatants, women, and children, will only prolong the violence years into the future. Israel’s disproportionate response to the rockets being fired into its cities may well encourage violence beyond Gaza and Israel. The first steps toward peace will only come if all parties unite behind an immediate ceasefire. Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded the world that “an eye for an eye soon leaves the whole world blind.” May we seek to end this blinding violence.
January 5, 2009
From EpiScope.
H/T to Ann.
We are deeply saddened by the first-hand reports we are receiving from Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza about the casualties they are treating under the most horrific circumstances. Not only do they lack basic medical supplies, but with windows blown out they are even struggling to keep patients warm. The high number of civilian deaths and injuries, which continue to include noncombatants, women, and children, will only prolong the violence years into the future. Israel’s disproportionate response to the rockets being fired into its cities may well encourage violence beyond Gaza and Israel. The first steps toward peace will only come if all parties unite behind an immediate ceasefire. Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded the world that “an eye for an eye soon leaves the whole world blind.” May we seek to end this blinding violence.
January 5, 2009
From EpiScope.
H/T to Ann.
Good News From California
In a decision issued today, the California Supreme Court held unanimously in favor of the general church, affirming in full the judgment of the appellate court in the case between the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and three disaffiliated parishes including St. James, Newport Beach. In its opinion the court stated,
In a separate opinion Judge Kennard states, "I agree with the majority that the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (Episcopal Church) owns the property to which St. James Parish in Newport Beach (St. James Parish) has held title since 1950. This conclusion is compelled by Corporations Code section 9142, subdivision (c)(2). But I disagree with the majority that this provision, which applies only to religious corporations, reflects a “neutral principles of law” approach."
The decision makes clear that parish property is held in trust for the general church, a finding that would seem to make it unlikely that churches that left the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin to join the Anglican province of the Southern Cone will be successful in retaining their property.
From the Episcopal Café. There's more at their site.
Finally, good news out of California.
Thanks to Being Peace for the tip.
Applying the neutral principles of law approach, we conclude that the general church, not the local church, owns the property in question. Although the deeds to the property have long been in the name of the local church, that church agreed from the beginning of its existence to be part of the greater church and to be bound by its governing documents. These governing documents make clear that church property is held in trust for the general church and may be controlled by the local church only so long as that local church remains a part of the general church. When it disaffiliated from the general church, the local church did not have the right to take the church property with it.
In a separate opinion Judge Kennard states, "I agree with the majority that the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (Episcopal Church) owns the property to which St. James Parish in Newport Beach (St. James Parish) has held title since 1950. This conclusion is compelled by Corporations Code section 9142, subdivision (c)(2). But I disagree with the majority that this provision, which applies only to religious corporations, reflects a “neutral principles of law” approach."
The decision makes clear that parish property is held in trust for the general church, a finding that would seem to make it unlikely that churches that left the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin to join the Anglican province of the Southern Cone will be successful in retaining their property.
From the Episcopal Café. There's more at their site.
Finally, good news out of California.
Thanks to Being Peace for the tip.
Please Continue to Pray For Sue And Fr. Ed
JCF has left a new comment on your post "Please Pray For Sue And Ed":
Update:
I'm back in Michigan: saw FrEd (he has t-shirts that say "FrEd", and is joking referred to sometimes as "Fred") today at church.
Things aren't good. Sue came home---but apparently prematurely. They've tried to re-arrange the rectory (2-story) to accomodate her downstairs, but she fell in the middle of the night going to the bathroom, and Ed couldn't get her back up (had to call 9/11, for the paramedics to lift her. This brought back memories for me, of the multiple times this happened to my mom&dad, in the two years before my mom died of ALS).
Ed's going to try to get her into at least a week at the rehab center, tomorrow. Her pain still isn't well controlled [Plus, even AFTER she heals, they may well have to replace her knee anyway! :-0]
PLEASE continue to pray for them? (It hurt me, just to see the obvious pain that FrEd is in---nevermind Sue!)
Prayers for Sue and Fr. Ed for healing and and that they get the assistance that they need quickly. Lord, have mercy.
UPDATE: Original prayer request and story here.
Update:
I'm back in Michigan: saw FrEd (he has t-shirts that say "FrEd", and is joking referred to sometimes as "Fred") today at church.
Things aren't good. Sue came home---but apparently prematurely. They've tried to re-arrange the rectory (2-story) to accomodate her downstairs, but she fell in the middle of the night going to the bathroom, and Ed couldn't get her back up (had to call 9/11, for the paramedics to lift her. This brought back memories for me, of the multiple times this happened to my mom&dad, in the two years before my mom died of ALS).
Ed's going to try to get her into at least a week at the rehab center, tomorrow. Her pain still isn't well controlled [Plus, even AFTER she heals, they may well have to replace her knee anyway! :-0]
PLEASE continue to pray for them? (It hurt me, just to see the obvious pain that FrEd is in---nevermind Sue!)
Prayers for Sue and Fr. Ed for healing and and that they get the assistance that they need quickly. Lord, have mercy.
UPDATE: Original prayer request and story here.
It's Still Christmas - Day 12 - On Their Way
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"Three Wise Men" from a late 6th century mosaic at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy.
For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud—which draw the bow—to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring a grain-offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:18-23
Image from Wiki.
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Sunday, January 4, 2009
Life In Gaza - Ameera Ahmad
From the Guardian:
Ameera Ahmad, 25, gave birth to daughter Layan six months ago. Here, she tells of life under siege and of her struggle to bring up a child after 18 months of Israeli blockade
During the months of the blockade, everything in my life has changed. Before, I would wake up and hope that tomorrow would be better than today. But it never happened. The reason is simple. It is because I live in Gaza, where all dreams and hope vanish because of the situation we live in.
Even the most basic things are really hard to find. My daughter, Layan, is six months old. Things are so tough here that even when I needed to buy baby formula for her, I can't find it. All the money that my husband Fady and I had saved up we have spent during the last three months. I never imagined that my children would grow up like this, in this awful predicament. Poor and always threatened.
Blocked in by sea and land on all sides, even in the south by Egypt, the state of the economy is dismal. The only way in or out for people, humanitarian aid, and products is through checkpoints whenever and wherever the Israelis choose to open them. Of course, Hamas should stop shooting rockets into Israel. But the Palestinians in Gaza are people of no hope. Now the Israeli invasion of Gaza is a reality, along with the continued bombing. In the short term, the Israelis may stop the rocket fire, but what is the long-term plan? The longer the Israelis pound Gaza, the more world opinion will turn against them. Where is the advantage for Israel? What is the end game?
Look at the result of the Israelis attempt to destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon. The group exercises more influence in the country now than before the Israeli attacks. The Israelis should take a lesson from Lebanon and rethink their policies toward Gaza. The more killing and maiming and hardship, the more Palestinians will see Hamas as their only hope.
Back to Ameera:
It is strange. When you walk around Gaza and talk to people in the streets you think that people look happy and normal, getting on with their lives. It is only when you look into their eyes that you see the fear.
Before Layan was born, my husband and I used to talk a lot about whether we should try to leave. Whether it would be better if she was not born here. We still think about leaving Gaza, but we can't get out because of the siege.
The Israelis only let out some people who are really ill and a few people with special passes. The rest of us are trapped. Even then, it is hard to find someone to offer you an invitation from outside which might make it possible to leave.
UPDATE: Juan Cole says:
It may still be 10 or 20 years in the future. But because of Israel's economic and demographic vulnerabilities, for it to lose the war of global public opinion may ultimately be more consequential than either macro-war or micro-war.
UPDATE 2: Blogger Brian R said...
Mimi, I agree with you. I have no support for Hamas but feel Israel is going too far. All I can suggest is people find a way to give practical aid by support for the Al Ahli Arab Hospital. It is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. I have been able to support it through Anglicord here in Australia but am sure Americans can find a way to send support by a search on the net. Because of its location in the centre of the City, the Hospital is able to receive casualties from a number of heavily populated neighbourhoods. It works closely with the Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Health, so when there is a demand for patient care, Ahli Arab Hospital is the first to receive the overflow from the government hospital in the central area of Gaza. While a Christian (Anglican/Episcopal to be precise) run hospital it helps all people so I feel it is a way I can give a small practical gift rather than just sitting here wringing my hands.
Brian, that is an excellent suggestion. Here's the address for the website to make a donation.
UPDATE 3: Ann Fontaine suggests another way to help, Episcopal Relief and Development.
Click on Ann's name to read her sermon from yesterday, which also deals with the subject of Gaza.
Ameera Ahmad, 25, gave birth to daughter Layan six months ago. Here, she tells of life under siege and of her struggle to bring up a child after 18 months of Israeli blockade
During the months of the blockade, everything in my life has changed. Before, I would wake up and hope that tomorrow would be better than today. But it never happened. The reason is simple. It is because I live in Gaza, where all dreams and hope vanish because of the situation we live in.
Even the most basic things are really hard to find. My daughter, Layan, is six months old. Things are so tough here that even when I needed to buy baby formula for her, I can't find it. All the money that my husband Fady and I had saved up we have spent during the last three months. I never imagined that my children would grow up like this, in this awful predicament. Poor and always threatened.
Blocked in by sea and land on all sides, even in the south by Egypt, the state of the economy is dismal. The only way in or out for people, humanitarian aid, and products is through checkpoints whenever and wherever the Israelis choose to open them. Of course, Hamas should stop shooting rockets into Israel. But the Palestinians in Gaza are people of no hope. Now the Israeli invasion of Gaza is a reality, along with the continued bombing. In the short term, the Israelis may stop the rocket fire, but what is the long-term plan? The longer the Israelis pound Gaza, the more world opinion will turn against them. Where is the advantage for Israel? What is the end game?
Look at the result of the Israelis attempt to destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon. The group exercises more influence in the country now than before the Israeli attacks. The Israelis should take a lesson from Lebanon and rethink their policies toward Gaza. The more killing and maiming and hardship, the more Palestinians will see Hamas as their only hope.
Back to Ameera:
It is strange. When you walk around Gaza and talk to people in the streets you think that people look happy and normal, getting on with their lives. It is only when you look into their eyes that you see the fear.
Before Layan was born, my husband and I used to talk a lot about whether we should try to leave. Whether it would be better if she was not born here. We still think about leaving Gaza, but we can't get out because of the siege.
The Israelis only let out some people who are really ill and a few people with special passes. The rest of us are trapped. Even then, it is hard to find someone to offer you an invitation from outside which might make it possible to leave.
UPDATE: Juan Cole says:
It may still be 10 or 20 years in the future. But because of Israel's economic and demographic vulnerabilities, for it to lose the war of global public opinion may ultimately be more consequential than either macro-war or micro-war.
UPDATE 2: Blogger Brian R said...
Mimi, I agree with you. I have no support for Hamas but feel Israel is going too far. All I can suggest is people find a way to give practical aid by support for the Al Ahli Arab Hospital. It is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. I have been able to support it through Anglicord here in Australia but am sure Americans can find a way to send support by a search on the net. Because of its location in the centre of the City, the Hospital is able to receive casualties from a number of heavily populated neighbourhoods. It works closely with the Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Health, so when there is a demand for patient care, Ahli Arab Hospital is the first to receive the overflow from the government hospital in the central area of Gaza. While a Christian (Anglican/Episcopal to be precise) run hospital it helps all people so I feel it is a way I can give a small practical gift rather than just sitting here wringing my hands.
Brian, that is an excellent suggestion. Here's the address for the website to make a donation.
UPDATE 3: Ann Fontaine suggests another way to help, Episcopal Relief and Development.
Click on Ann's name to read her sermon from yesterday, which also deals with the subject of Gaza.
Bush Is "Smaller Than Life"
From Frank Rich in the New York Times:
WE like our failed presidents to be Shakespearean, or at least large enough to inspire Oscar-worthy performances from magnificent tragedians like Frank Langella. So here, too, George W. Bush has let us down. Even the banality of evil is too grandiose a concept for 43. He is not a memorable villain so much as a sometimes affable second banana whom Josh Brolin and Will Ferrell can nail without breaking a sweat. He’s the reckless Yalie Tom Buchanan, not Gatsby. He is smaller than life.
But dammit he's done great damage for all his pinched spirit and small-mindedness. Great numbers of us (79%) here in the US will not miss him when he's gone, but we acquiesced when he proceeded to do his dirty deeds.
The one indisputable talent of his White House was its ability to create and sell propaganda both to the public and the press.
Apparently, Bush was a flim-flam artist of the highest caliber, or many here in the US were gullible and ignorant. Take your choice.
Now that bag of tricks is empty as well. Bush’s first and last photo-ops in Iraq could serve as bookends to his entire tenure.
The faked turkey for the troops at Thanksgiving that they could not eat and the shoes! Yes, the man of courage who flung the shoes. What's become of Muntazer al-Zaidi?
According to Reuters:
he trial of an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad has been postponed pending an appeal over whether the incident amounted to an assault, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
....
Zaidi's lawyer Dhiaa al-Saadi told Reuters the defense was appealing to have the charge reduced to insulting a visiting head of state, which would carry a two-year maximum sentence, because throwing shoes could not have put Bush in actual danger.
The beatings he received after his arrest should be enough of a punishment. They should let him go. If he goes to prison, he will become more of a hero than he already is.
Back to Frank Rich:
Condi Rice blamed the press for the image that sullied Bush’s Iraq swan song: “That someone chose to throw a shoe at the president is what gets reported over and over.” We are back where we came in. This was the same line Donald Rumsfeld used to deny the significance of the looting in Baghdad during his famous “Stuff happens!” press conference of April 2003. “Images you are seeing on television you are seeing over, and over, and over,” he said then, referring to the much-recycled video of a man stealing a vase from the Baghdad museum. “Is it possible that there were that many vases in the whole country?” he asked, playing for laughs.
Remember Rummy the rock star, the sexy homme d'un certain âge? Oh my! Such innocents we were. Such obliviousness to the disasters which would follow.
How will the world remember the two terms of Bush's presidency? He's trying to paint the picture by the numbers of his legacy for us.
But the brazenness of Bush’s alternative-reality history is itself revelatory. The audacity of its hype helps clear up the mystery of how someone so slight could inflict so much damage. So do his many print and television exit interviews.
The man who emerges is a narcissist with no self-awareness whatsoever. It’s that arrogance that allowed him to tune out even the most calamitous of realities, freeing him to compound them without missing a step. The president who famously couldn’t name a single mistake of his presidency at a press conference in 2004 still can’t.
16 days to go.
WE like our failed presidents to be Shakespearean, or at least large enough to inspire Oscar-worthy performances from magnificent tragedians like Frank Langella. So here, too, George W. Bush has let us down. Even the banality of evil is too grandiose a concept for 43. He is not a memorable villain so much as a sometimes affable second banana whom Josh Brolin and Will Ferrell can nail without breaking a sweat. He’s the reckless Yalie Tom Buchanan, not Gatsby. He is smaller than life.
But dammit he's done great damage for all his pinched spirit and small-mindedness. Great numbers of us (79%) here in the US will not miss him when he's gone, but we acquiesced when he proceeded to do his dirty deeds.
The one indisputable talent of his White House was its ability to create and sell propaganda both to the public and the press.
Apparently, Bush was a flim-flam artist of the highest caliber, or many here in the US were gullible and ignorant. Take your choice.
Now that bag of tricks is empty as well. Bush’s first and last photo-ops in Iraq could serve as bookends to his entire tenure.
The faked turkey for the troops at Thanksgiving that they could not eat and the shoes! Yes, the man of courage who flung the shoes. What's become of Muntazer al-Zaidi?
According to Reuters:
he trial of an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad has been postponed pending an appeal over whether the incident amounted to an assault, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
....
Zaidi's lawyer Dhiaa al-Saadi told Reuters the defense was appealing to have the charge reduced to insulting a visiting head of state, which would carry a two-year maximum sentence, because throwing shoes could not have put Bush in actual danger.
The beatings he received after his arrest should be enough of a punishment. They should let him go. If he goes to prison, he will become more of a hero than he already is.
Back to Frank Rich:
Condi Rice blamed the press for the image that sullied Bush’s Iraq swan song: “That someone chose to throw a shoe at the president is what gets reported over and over.” We are back where we came in. This was the same line Donald Rumsfeld used to deny the significance of the looting in Baghdad during his famous “Stuff happens!” press conference of April 2003. “Images you are seeing on television you are seeing over, and over, and over,” he said then, referring to the much-recycled video of a man stealing a vase from the Baghdad museum. “Is it possible that there were that many vases in the whole country?” he asked, playing for laughs.
Remember Rummy the rock star, the sexy homme d'un certain âge? Oh my! Such innocents we were. Such obliviousness to the disasters which would follow.
How will the world remember the two terms of Bush's presidency? He's trying to paint the picture by the numbers of his legacy for us.
But the brazenness of Bush’s alternative-reality history is itself revelatory. The audacity of its hype helps clear up the mystery of how someone so slight could inflict so much damage. So do his many print and television exit interviews.
The man who emerges is a narcissist with no self-awareness whatsoever. It’s that arrogance that allowed him to tune out even the most calamitous of realities, freeing him to compound them without missing a step. The president who famously couldn’t name a single mistake of his presidency at a press conference in 2004 still can’t.
16 days to go.
It's Still Christmas - Day 11
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
From "Journey of the Magi" - T. S. Eliot
Pictured above is a sheet metal poinsettia, which was given to me by a co-worker some years ago. It's a favorite from my collection of Christmas kitsch.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
"Epiphany" - Tobias Haller
"I don't normally repeat posts of my work if already on this blog, but given the proximity of the feast of the Epiphany, and what is going on in the Holy Land right now, I thought this would be an appropriate reminder..."
Duty
to KMY
Somewhere a child is crying.
Lord, help me find him
that I may do my duty to my King.
Led by what dark star
to the outskirts of the capital,
as a man under orders,
commanded, I go.
All of them, he said,
up to the age of two.
I passed one by a while back,
perhaps small for his age;
the soldier behind me thought otherwise.
Soldier. Is this soldiers’ work?
Up to the age of two, he said.
The King is a hard man.
It’s no disloyalty to acknowledge it.
You don’t build a kingdom being soft.
He cuts a broad swath, our King.
All of them, he said,
up to the age of two.
It’s quieter now the screaming’s over.
The cobblestones are slippery
and it’s too dark now
to see with what.
But somewhere up ahead
a child is crying.
Lord, help me find him
that I may do my duty to my King.
— Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG
A mirrorwise reflection between Matthew 2.16 and John 16.2
Lifted in it's entirety from In a Godward Direction. Thank you, Tobias, for your generosity in allowing quotes from your writing.
Duty
to KMY
Somewhere a child is crying.
Lord, help me find him
that I may do my duty to my King.
Led by what dark star
to the outskirts of the capital,
as a man under orders,
commanded, I go.
All of them, he said,
up to the age of two.
I passed one by a while back,
perhaps small for his age;
the soldier behind me thought otherwise.
Soldier. Is this soldiers’ work?
Up to the age of two, he said.
The King is a hard man.
It’s no disloyalty to acknowledge it.
You don’t build a kingdom being soft.
He cuts a broad swath, our King.
All of them, he said,
up to the age of two.
It’s quieter now the screaming’s over.
The cobblestones are slippery
and it’s too dark now
to see with what.
But somewhere up ahead
a child is crying.
Lord, help me find him
that I may do my duty to my King.
— Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG
A mirrorwise reflection between Matthew 2.16 and John 16.2
Lifted in it's entirety from In a Godward Direction. Thank you, Tobias, for your generosity in allowing quotes from your writing.
Please Pray For Continued Improvement
From Renz in the Woods:
I am glad to report that Mary Ann's mother is beginning to wake up. They
are taking her off the ventilator today. She has opened her eyes,
puckered up to "kiss" goodbye, squeezing/releasing her left hand, etc. No
movement on the right side at this point, but this is progress, please
keep the prayers coming. Thank you.
Mary Ann's mother is Mrs. Stewart. See story here.
Thanks be to God! May her healing continue.
I am glad to report that Mary Ann's mother is beginning to wake up. They
are taking her off the ventilator today. She has opened her eyes,
puckered up to "kiss" goodbye, squeezing/releasing her left hand, etc. No
movement on the right side at this point, but this is progress, please
keep the prayers coming. Thank you.
Mary Ann's mother is Mrs. Stewart. See story here.
Thanks be to God! May her healing continue.
Billie And Satchmo - The Blues Are Brewin'
Dedicated to MadPriest, the first martyr of OCICBW. He hardly ever reads my blog, so I could be the second martyr of OCICBW, but here it is anyway, even if he never sees it.
Oh, woe is me! But that's another song, isn't it?
A Graceful New Year's Resolution
From Bishop Alan's Blog:
If we don't get rid of our stuff it accumulates. But what do we do about it? That’s the basis of the sacrificial system — it takes sin seriously, rather than sweeping it under the carpet. But for Christians the naming and shaming is only the prelude to a greater act of redemption than Mosaic circumcision could ever be — Grace, in all its absurd, liberating, healing, ludicrous excess. Where sin abounds, grace superabounds. Relax! Now we can love without pretending, or trade-offs, or status games. This year I need a better grasp of Grace, right from the outset, prefigured but super-transcended in the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
In the comments, I responded:
Bishop Alan, if that is your one New Year's resolution, then it suffices. I may make it mine, too.
Now I've changed from "may" to "will".
Bishop Alan Wilson is Area Bishop of Buckingham, UK. Ann Fontaine kindly introduced me to his blog, and I'm so pleased that she did.
If we don't get rid of our stuff it accumulates. But what do we do about it? That’s the basis of the sacrificial system — it takes sin seriously, rather than sweeping it under the carpet. But for Christians the naming and shaming is only the prelude to a greater act of redemption than Mosaic circumcision could ever be — Grace, in all its absurd, liberating, healing, ludicrous excess. Where sin abounds, grace superabounds. Relax! Now we can love without pretending, or trade-offs, or status games. This year I need a better grasp of Grace, right from the outset, prefigured but super-transcended in the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
In the comments, I responded:
Bishop Alan, if that is your one New Year's resolution, then it suffices. I may make it mine, too.
Now I've changed from "may" to "will".
Bishop Alan Wilson is Area Bishop of Buckingham, UK. Ann Fontaine kindly introduced me to his blog, and I'm so pleased that she did.
It's Still Christmas - Day 10
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Psalm 68:32-35
The small tree above is another product of my mother's ceramics class. We've had it since my children were young. Children want to play with it, but, unfortunately, it is not a toy. I have a few decorations that kids can play with, such as a pair of Christmas bunny rabbits. Yes, you read that right, Christmas bunnies, a male and a female, decked out in their velvet Christmas clothes. Thank goodness they're not breeding bunnies.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tonight Is Naughty Night
Yesterday I had a flat tire on the interstate. So I ease my car over to the shoulder of the road, carefully get out of the car and open the trunk.
I took out 2 cardboard men, unfolded them and stood them at the rear of my car facing oncoming traffic. They look so lifelike you wouldn't believe! They are in trench coats exposing their nude bodies and private parts to the approaching drivers.
But to my surprise, cars start slowing down looking at my lifelike men. And of course, traffic starts backing up. Everybody is tooting their horns and waving like crazy. It wasn't long before a state trooper pulls up behind me.
He gets out of his car and starts walking towards me. I could tell he was not a happy camper!
'What's going on here?'
'My car has a flat tire', I said calmly.
'Well, what the hell are those obscene cardboard men doing here by the road ?'
I couldn't believe that he didn't know. So I told him, 'Helloooooo, those are my emergency flashers!'
I thought I had posted this before, but I could not find it in my list of 1833 posts. Yes, I've blogged that many posts. This is No. 1834. If you've seen this one before, just laugh again.
Thanks to Ann.
I took out 2 cardboard men, unfolded them and stood them at the rear of my car facing oncoming traffic. They look so lifelike you wouldn't believe! They are in trench coats exposing their nude bodies and private parts to the approaching drivers.
But to my surprise, cars start slowing down looking at my lifelike men. And of course, traffic starts backing up. Everybody is tooting their horns and waving like crazy. It wasn't long before a state trooper pulls up behind me.
He gets out of his car and starts walking towards me. I could tell he was not a happy camper!
'What's going on here?'
'My car has a flat tire', I said calmly.
'Well, what the hell are those obscene cardboard men doing here by the road ?'
I couldn't believe that he didn't know. So I told him, 'Helloooooo, those are my emergency flashers!'
I thought I had posted this before, but I could not find it in my list of 1833 posts. Yes, I've blogged that many posts. This is No. 1834. If you've seen this one before, just laugh again.
Thanks to Ann.
Please Pray For My Granddaughter
We had two quiet days. Somehow I knew it couldn't last. The quiet is gone with the wind. My granddaughter broke her arm today, just above the wrist. She fell off her new Christmas present, a whip-something, like a skateboard with only one wheel in the front and one behind. The bones were not lined up, so the doctor put her to sleep to line them up. She is in a cast, and she will not be using her right arm for some time.
This is the fourth broken arm she has suffered. She broke her two arms falling off a swing at school, and another arm falling off something else, which I can't remember. The doctors say her bones are all right. Lord, have mercy. It could be worse, much worse.
Le calme s'en va avec le vent.
UPDATE: I talked to my granddaughter just now, and she says that she is in pain, but not a lot, but that she did not sleep well. She is in a temporary cast until the swelling subsides. She was lamenting all the things that she can't do, like write, fix her hair (major deprivation), etc. Poor baby. She can answer the phone, which is a good thing.
This is the fourth broken arm she has suffered. She broke her two arms falling off a swing at school, and another arm falling off something else, which I can't remember. The doctors say her bones are all right. Lord, have mercy. It could be worse, much worse.
Le calme s'en va avec le vent.
UPDATE: I talked to my granddaughter just now, and she says that she is in pain, but not a lot, but that she did not sleep well. She is in a temporary cast until the swelling subsides. She was lamenting all the things that she can't do, like write, fix her hair (major deprivation), etc. Poor baby. She can answer the phone, which is a good thing.
It's Still Christmas - Day 9
So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:7-10
Pictured above are the decorations on the front of our house. If you click on the picture you can see the lights a little better.
Down below is the ghost in our front yard. Imagine! It was right in front of me, and I didn't see it at all. The photo above is shopped, but the picture below is as is, no retouching. To me, it's the ghost of a Christmas caroler with long hair, holding sheet music in her/his hands. What do you think? A Christmas miracle on the
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Shocking Act Of Thievery
Oyster, the Intrepid, at Your Right Hand Thief, fills us in (with a little help from Salon) on a shocking act of thievery:
Tragically, the Holy Prepuce was stolen in 1983. Thus, for the past quarter century we've celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision with a nagging uncertainty and shame. Why did our generation have to lose (part of) the body of Christ? (It was in a shoebox in a priest's closet for goodness sakes-- how much more secure can you get?)
Read the rest for the full details. Who else but a thief would have the skinny on thievery?
Tragically, the Holy Prepuce was stolen in 1983. Thus, for the past quarter century we've celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision with a nagging uncertainty and shame. Why did our generation have to lose (part of) the body of Christ? (It was in a shoebox in a priest's closet for goodness sakes-- how much more secure can you get?)
Read the rest for the full details. Who else but a thief would have the skinny on thievery?
Atheists Sue To Stop Prayer At Inauguration
From Beliefnet:
Michael Newdow, along with 17 other individuals and 10 groups representing atheists, named Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., officials in charge of inaugural festivities, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery and pastor Rick Warren in their complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington Tuesday, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Roberts will administer the oath of office to Obama at the Jan. 20 event. Warren and Lowery are scheduled to deliver the invocation and benediction, respectively.
I may bring down the wrath of many upon my head, but I think that those who initiated the lawsuit are probably right. I also think that they probably won't get very far with their lawsuit.
I have mixed feelings, leaning to the negative, about "In God We Trust" on the money, "...under God...." in the pledge, and invocation and benediction as elements of such public ceremonies.
H/T to Nicholas Knisely at the Episcopal Café.
Michael Newdow, along with 17 other individuals and 10 groups representing atheists, named Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., officials in charge of inaugural festivities, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery and pastor Rick Warren in their complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington Tuesday, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Roberts will administer the oath of office to Obama at the Jan. 20 event. Warren and Lowery are scheduled to deliver the invocation and benediction, respectively.
I may bring down the wrath of many upon my head, but I think that those who initiated the lawsuit are probably right. I also think that they probably won't get very far with their lawsuit.
I have mixed feelings, leaning to the negative, about "In God We Trust" on the money, "...under God...." in the pledge, and invocation and benediction as elements of such public ceremonies.
H/T to Nicholas Knisely at the Episcopal Café.
Good Job, Boys!
I know. Blago is innocent until proven guilty. George Ryan, the former governor on the left, is still serving his prison sentence.
Don't blame me, blame Doug.
Blog Review For 2008
For this meme, take the first sentence of the first post of each month and line them up.
January 1, 2008: My New Year's gift for those of you who are not glued to the TV watching football is this video which shows Irwin Mayfield, Jr. of New Orleans, playing "Amazing Grace" on the Elysian Trumpet, which was hand-built by David Monette.
FEBRUARY 1, 2008: It isn't war that is hell. It's our acceptance of war.
MARCH 7, 2008: What a fantastic trip! But it's great to be home again. You'll hear about it until you're bored silly.
APRIL 1, 2008: From the BBC. "And that's Panorama for today, April 1st, 1957". A video.
MAY 1, 2008: Today is the fifth anniversary of George W. Bush's appearance on the aircraft carrier to announce "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq - a milestone, surely.
JUNE 1, 2008: Beneath the photo from the REAGAN DIARIES is an actual quote that Reagan wrote about George 'W' in his diaries, recently edited by author Doug Brinkley and published by Harper Collins
JULY 1, 2008: The dark blue plaque on the sidebar of my blog links to The Dillenkoffer Endowment which rewards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) high school seniors who graduate from a Kansas or Missouri high school and attend a Kansas or Missouri college, maintain at least a 2.75 GPA, and make a difference through community and school involvement, with $25,000 per year in college scholarships.
AUGUST 1, 2008: OCICBW... got attacked by a particularly vicious troll last night. It was so bad I had to close down the comments overnight.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008: Wind and rain are starting up but not bad yet.
OCTOBER 1, 2008: A cartoon showing two office workers. One is on the phone saying, "Our computers are down, so we have to do everything manually..." They are playing solitaire.
NOVEMBER 1, 2008: Good Morning Mimi,
I've just received word from Roseann, and she is in the hospital, and will have both kidneys removed on Monday.
DECEMBER 1, 2008: For her book, “Calling It Quits: Late Life Divorce and Starting Over,” Deirdre Blair:
I don't know quite what to say. There's only one funny in the mix, the cartoon. If you'd care to look (I advise against it!), here's a link to last year's list.
Thanks to Jane R. at Acts of Hope for the reminder.
January 1, 2008: My New Year's gift for those of you who are not glued to the TV watching football is this video which shows Irwin Mayfield, Jr. of New Orleans, playing "Amazing Grace" on the Elysian Trumpet, which was hand-built by David Monette.
FEBRUARY 1, 2008: It isn't war that is hell. It's our acceptance of war.
MARCH 7, 2008: What a fantastic trip! But it's great to be home again. You'll hear about it until you're bored silly.
APRIL 1, 2008: From the BBC. "And that's Panorama for today, April 1st, 1957". A video.
MAY 1, 2008: Today is the fifth anniversary of George W. Bush's appearance on the aircraft carrier to announce "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq - a milestone, surely.
JUNE 1, 2008: Beneath the photo from the REAGAN DIARIES is an actual quote that Reagan wrote about George 'W' in his diaries, recently edited by author Doug Brinkley and published by Harper Collins
JULY 1, 2008: The dark blue plaque on the sidebar of my blog links to The Dillenkoffer Endowment which rewards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) high school seniors who graduate from a Kansas or Missouri high school and attend a Kansas or Missouri college, maintain at least a 2.75 GPA, and make a difference through community and school involvement, with $25,000 per year in college scholarships.
AUGUST 1, 2008: OCICBW... got attacked by a particularly vicious troll last night. It was so bad I had to close down the comments overnight.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008: Wind and rain are starting up but not bad yet.
OCTOBER 1, 2008: A cartoon showing two office workers. One is on the phone saying, "Our computers are down, so we have to do everything manually..." They are playing solitaire.
NOVEMBER 1, 2008: Good Morning Mimi,
I've just received word from Roseann, and she is in the hospital, and will have both kidneys removed on Monday.
DECEMBER 1, 2008: For her book, “Calling It Quits: Late Life Divorce and Starting Over,” Deirdre Blair:
I don't know quite what to say. There's only one funny in the mix, the cartoon. If you'd care to look (I advise against it!), here's a link to last year's list.
Thanks to Jane R. at Acts of Hope for the reminder.
Feast Of The Holy Name
"The Circumcision" by Federico Fiori Barocci
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been
revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon* came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Luke 2:21-35
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