PRINTER WOES

Aarrgh. My entire morning was taken up with printer problems. Grandpère wanted me to print a form for applying for a grant for the boat museum from the parish, and the printer ran out of paper. When I added paper, the printer continued to tell me that the paper tray was empty. I turned the printer and the computer on and off several times and plugged and unplugged to try to print the rest of the form to no avail. The same message continued, "The paper tray is empty." Nor could I print anything else.

After trying and failing far too many times to print the rest of the form, and wasting far too much time in the effort, I finally uninstalled the printer and tried to reinstall three times without success, until I thought to disable my virus protection. Finally...success...after several hours.  Grrr.  Tomorrow, the printer at the boat center should be set up to do their printing.  I hope so. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELVIS!

I did not know the King and I were born only a few months apart, though not in the same year.  Actually, there were earlier royalty in rock 'n' roll, but the musicians were black. 

Often very overlooked, African-Americans contributed greatly to the advent and success of rock and roll music. Little Richard was telling the truth when he said he is the real King of Rock and Roll, and if it wasn’t him then it was Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, or Bo Didley.

Rock and roll music and many of its’ artists were heavily influenced by the sounds of black blues artists, people like Muddy Walters, Howlin Wolf, and Junior Parker to name a few.

In fact, one of the first true rock and roll songs mentioned came from Joe Turner, black blues artists, who sang, “Shake, Rattle, and Roll.” If one listens to this song by Joe Turner it should be very clear that this is the, or one of the, first true rock and roll songs. It sounds like a rock and roll song, not a blues song. The beat is up tempo and the words and rhythm of the song depict the sounds and feelings of a true rock and roll song.

Another first rock and roll song was “Rocket 88, which was a number one R&B song in 1951. This song was first recorded by the Ike Turner band not Bill Haley and the Comets. “Rocket 88” and “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” were all remade by Bill Haley and the Comets. However, it is obvious why black artists and their songs were overlooked in the development and contribution of rock and roll music.

That's not to mention lesser known musicians like The Dominoes, The Midnighters, Lloyd Price, The Five Keys, and The Clovers, and others whose names I've left out.  But I digress.  

Elvis had his long list of hits, and he learned his lessons well from the African-American musicians.  Presley's career flew to the heights after his third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  The cameramen went to close-ups of his upper body during the wildest of his gyrations in the third show, but the audience could see, and viewers could hear the squeals and screams.

Rockin'



And a ballad



Photo from Wikipedia.

A LITTLE RELIGIOUS HUMOR

BEING THANKFUL

A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, "So your mother says your prayers for you each night That's very commendable. What does she say"

The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!"

ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS

When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls."

It soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls"

Her response, "Because everybody always finish their prayers by saying 'All Men'!

Thanks to Suzanne.

AS WE COME TO THE SETTING OF THE SUN...

 

It's raining here, so we did not have a visible sunset.  The picture above is from another day. We have a houseguest, an organist, whom we have not met before, and he is cooking supper for us. What a delight.  He's making himself right at home in a lovely way.

Phos hilaron  

O gracious Light, 
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, 
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed! 
Now as we come to the setting of the sun, 
and our eyes behold the vesper light, 
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, 
O Son of God, O Giver of life, and to be glorified through all the worlds.

For Peace Among the Nations

Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

BRAVE

 

From someecards.

JESUS NIGHTMARE

Brilliant cartoon from nakedpastor.

LAZY BLOGGING DAY

 

However, I've been rather busy moving my wee Christmas tree to its cozy corner in the closet where it will hibernate until next year, and I put my Carnival decorations in place.

 

My Crêche is still on display, because my mother made the figures for me in her ceramics class, and I wrap them carefully before I put them away, which takes time.

I also shopped for Grandpère's Christmas presents a little late, because we do not usually exchange gifts, but he blindsided me with a gift card this year, so I had return the favor.  My son gave GP winter pajamas with only the pants, but he likes pajamas with tops, so I purchased long sleeved T-shirts in colors that matched the pajama pants, which pleased him very much.  I also bought him a new pair of slippers, because his were wearing out.   

SEE THIS TREE...

...which still stands on display in my living room?  I said yesterday that the tree would come down, but it has not happened.  Maybe today, but I make no promises.  The Nativity set remains on display also, with no "It's still Christmas " excuse left, because here in south Louisiana, the Carnival season has begun, and king cakes are all around.

THIS AND THAT ON ABSTINENCE FROM SEX IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

I have an irritated, streaming eye, so I played hookey from church today.  In addition, it was raining, so altogether too much to overcome, though I was sorry to miss on the feast of the Epiphany.  Never fear.  I shall say my prayers here at home.  

I read Bishop Alan Wilson's excellent blog post on the Church of England as Kafka land, which I urge you to read. I am mystified by the latest anonymous press release from the powers in the Church of England, which basically changes nothing, except that now if a gay candidate for the episcopacy promises not to have sex and to repent of ever "practicing" gay sex, he can be a bishop. Do I have that right? What really has changed?

All that has changed is a grudging recognition of civil partnerships for celibates. The headlines have, however, stimulated vigorous kicking and screaming by people. Lynette Burrows on yesterdays PM programme (18 minutes in) shared with the nation her “instinct that people like me have which is revulsion” about gay people. The role of the Church, she implies, is to validate her instinctive disgust, which she imagines is shared by everybody.

Giles Fraser's response on BBC Saturday PM was very good.  You can hear the shock and outrage in his voice.  Lynette Burrows commentary was truly ugly.  If you wish to listen, the program is available for six days only.

Part of Giles' response on the BBC program is incorporated into his opinion column in the Guardian.

"So, bishop, are you having sex with your partner?" I can't imagine anyone asking that question with a straight face. And what constitutes sex anyway? Snogging? Toe-sucking? (Is there a Church of England position on this?) Yet the new line from the C of E – ludicrously, that gay men in civil partnerships can be bishops as long as they refrain from sex (or to put it another way, we'll have gay bishops as long as they are not really gay) raises the question: how on earth will the authorities ever find out? A CCTV in every bedroom? Chastity belts in fetching liturgical colours? No, the only way the bedroom police could ever really know is if they ask and play a moral guilt trip about honesty on those being interrogated. So do sexually active gay priests or bishops have a moral responsibility to tell the truth? Actually, I think not. I'd go further: in this situation, they have a moral responsibility to lie.

Well, the lying is certainly being done now, and I understand that clergy and bishops lie for their own self-protection.  Still I'd hope for something like a plan for a grand coming-out party where all, or at least a majority, of gay and lesbian clergy and bishops come out of the closet, while, at the same time, a large majority of straight clergy stand in public support of their brothers and sisters.  What would be the response of the leadership in the church?

Of course, it's easy for me to make such a suggestion, because I risk nothing, and perhaps it's pure fantasy, but what will it take for the leaders in the Church of England to realize how foolish they appear with their decisions to pry into the intimate lives of their bishops and clergy in a discriminatory way in order to prolong the practice of inequality?

As is obvious in the broadcast, the discrimination does not appease the people who oppose the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy and the consecration of gay bishops.  Even Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, the Primate of Kenya and the leader of  FoCA, weighed in, and he is not amused.

IT's graphic of CofE bishops coming out of the closet at The Friends of Jake.

GET THIS STRAIGHT

 

Click on the cartoon for the larger view.

H/T to Echidne of the Snakes.