BLESSINGS AND CONGRATULATIONS, ARCHBISHOP JUSTIN!

A medieval ceremony has begun the process of the Rt Revd Justin Welby becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral has unanimously elected Bishop Justin Welby as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The 35-strong College of Canons, made up of senior clergy and lay people from the Diocese of Canterbury, met at Canterbury Cathedral's 14th-century Chapter House to take part in the formality, which dates back more than 1000 years.

Splendid!  And if the new Archbishop of Canterbury succeeds in bringing the Church of England into the 21st century, that would be a remarkable feat of valor, indeed.  Though certain of the membership will resist, and some will insist on staying behind, Justin Welby would be a hero in the eyes of many.

Seriously, the new Archbishop of Canterbury needs our prayers, because he undertakes a very difficult job.

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon Archbishop Justin and the bishops, clergy, and congregations committed to his charge in the Church of England, the healthful Spirit of thy grace: and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

H/T to Andrew Gerns at The Lead.

BOBBY JINDAL - MAKE THE POOR PAY MORE

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday that he wants to eliminate the state’s personal and corporate income taxes.

Jindal declined an interview request to discuss the proposal.

“Eliminating personal income taxes will put more money back into the pockets of Louisiana families and will change a complex tax code into a more simple system that will make Louisiana more attractive to companies who want to invest here and create jobs,” Jindal said in a prepared statement.
....

Legislative leaders who attended a briefing with the governor said the lost revenue will be replaced, possibly through sales tax increases.

We'll see if the legislators lie down and allow Jindal to walk over them with this brilliant idea. Jindal says he is concerned about the burden the sales tax will impose on low-income people and the poor, but I don't believe him.  In his policies, Jindal shows clearly that he does not care about the plight of the poor.  He is determined to destroy state government institutions and privatize the functions of government, no matter the negative impact on the poor.  The rich and big business are Jindal's constituency, along with Christian fundamentalists who want schools to teach junk science and all access to abortion banned.

As usual, Jindal declined an interview with the Baton Rouge Advocate.  The governor is inaccessible to the local press, but he gives interviews to certain friendly national media to further his ambition to be president. 

BAD WEATHER

 

The weather here is nasty, with thunderstorms, a tornado watch, and flash flood warnings.  I had an appointment for a check-up with my ophthalmologist in New Orleans, but I cancelled.  The street in front of my house is already flooded, and who knows what the streets would be like in Metairie.  The radar map is from Wunderground and is active and moves without refreshing the page.

Below is a picture from my front porch.  As you can see, it was quite dark.  The spots are rain blowing on the camera lens.  The storm is slow-moving and is likely to be with us for much of the day.  I hope we don't lose power.   

 

SILENT FILM COMEDY TRIFECTA WITH LIVE ORGAN MUSIC

 

If you're in the neighborhood of Thibodaux, LA, the Trifecta should be fun.  I'll be there.

Gene, the accompanist, is staying at our house, and he cooked a delicious meal for us last night.  He saw shrimp in the refrigerator and asked us if we wanted him to prepare supper.  Of course, we said, "Yes."  He gathered up whatever other suitable ingredients he could find and put them all together to make a very tasty dish.

JESUS AND MO - MINDS

 

Click on the strip for the larger view.

From Jesus and Mo.

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.