Auld Lang Syne

Scenes from the movie "Becoming Jane", a life of Jane Austen, are accompanied by this lovely version of The the New Year's Eve traditional song. I couldn't find the name of the singer, but I'd surely like to know.

Update from Anonymous in the comments:

I also love this version of the song and found out it is Mairi Campbell, whom I've never heard of before. At first I thought it had to be Judy Collins, but after much investigation I found it is, as someone before me said, Mairi Campbell. Her voice sends chills down my spine in this song and now none others can compare! 

Thanks very much for the name, Anonymous.  Next time you visit, please make up a name and sign your comment. 

Happy New Year - 2009!

Fireworks on the Mississippi River at Jackson Square in the French Quarter

A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Early for us - late for those in other countries - from the heart for everyone.

Eve Of Holy Name

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 21:1-6

As I was reading from the Lectionary for the vigil of the Feast of the Holy Name and reached the passage from Revelation, I hoped that I would find these words, and my heart leaped with delight when I saw them. Not because I knew chapter and verse, because I'm not good at that. I have only a small number of verses committed to memory. I usually have to search. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I think not.

More Awful Christmas Cracker Jokes

Why are ghosts so bad at lying?
You can see right through them.

What kind of tree do fingers grow on?
A palm tree.

What do you call a penguin in the Sahara desert?
Lost.

What do you call a woman who stands between two goal posts?
Annette.

On which side do chickens have most feathers?
On the outside.

What do you call a train loaded with toffee?
A chew chew train.

What's furry and minty?
A polo bear.

What's big, grey and wear glass slippers?
Cinderelephant.

How do snails keep their shells shiny?
They use snail polish.

What must you know to be an auctioneer?
Lots.

Did you hear about the man who bought a paper shop?
It blew away.

What is the vampire's favorite song?
Fangs for the memory.

I send these to my grandchildren, and they love them. Average mental age? Around 10 years old.

Please Pray For Sue And Ed

JCF said...

The wife of my priest has endured Too Damn Much in the past few years. A chronic liver problem, I think, weakened her bones (and may have done other things to leave her accident-prone. No, she doesn't drink.)

A year ago, she received a liver transplant (w/ all the usual Ups&Downs that that entails, vis-a-vis drugs and rejection-monitoring).

When I spoke to my priest prior leaving Michigan for my own (California) holidays, he was SO looking forward to a week-long post-Christmas Florida getaway.

Just last night, I got an email: while packing for the Florida trip, his wife slipped and fell on the Michigan ice, breaking bones AGAIN (this is about the 3rd time this has happened in the past 7 years).

Florida is cancelled, Sue is in pain, and Fr. Ed has that (via email) "there went my last nerve" sound (recall also, that my parish, St. James, Albion, is still recovering from a devastating sanctuary-losing fire).

Please pray for them---Ed and Sue NEED A FRIGGIN' BREAK! (the good, non-bone kind };-/ )

It's Still Christmas - Day 7

 

Bounty from the garden includes cumquats and navel oranges nearly the size of grapefruit.

I'm running out of les objets de la Saison chez moi. I may have to look around the intertubes for pictures for some of the rest of the days of Christmas.

Please Continue Prayers For Mrs. Stewart

From Renz:

I am sad to report that Mary Ann's mom, Mrs. Stewart, has yet to awaken
from the induced coma following brain surgery. The stopped the sedation
medication yesterday morning, but she remains unresponsive and on a
ventilator. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks.

Sorry All

At the moment, I am not posting much; I am not answering very many emails; and I am only sporadically reading blogs and commenting. School is out, and I have been caring for two of my grandchildren. Today we went to the movies to see "Bedtime Stories". The kids liked it, and I was not bored. That's a good thing. After the movie, I went to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for a cake which I had promised for a party I attended tonight. I had bought one wrong ingredient for the cake and there was no time to return to the store, so I improvised with great success. I believe that in the future, I shall use my improvised recipe. Necessity is surely the mother of invention.

I haven't had much time to spend on my computer, plus, when my two grandchildren are here, they are using both computers, the desktop and the laptop, and I'm left shut out from access to the intertubes even when I have a few spare minutes. Tomorrow afternoon, they go to their mother, and I will have a break. Since I've been with them more often, we have bonded in a new and better way, and although it is tiring, the time with them is well-spent.

Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Pastor Rick Will Have To Go!

Read Frank Rich in the New York Times, who opines that Obama will not disinvite Warren, nor will Warren step away from the podium of his own accord.

When Obama defends Warren’s words by calling them an example of the “wide range of viewpoints” in a “diverse and noisy and opinionated” America, he is being too cute by half. He knows full well that a “viewpoint” defaming any minority group by linking it to sexual crimes like pedophilia is unacceptable.

Yes. But Pastor Rick won't go. And there you have it.

I've gone back and forth about whether to post this in all its futility. It's not as though Obama and his staff are waiting for me to speak before they make their final, final, final decision. Nevertheless, here's my last hurrah on the subject, FWIW.

It's Still Christmas - Day 6

 

St. John's Episcopal Church, Thibodaux, Louisiana

The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices.
Selah

May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.

Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.

Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.

Psalm 20

"Uncle Jay Explains: Year-end!"

Thanks, Uncle Jay. Now I understand what 2008 was all about.

From Ann

Begin forwarded message:

The parents did have to make the hard, hard decision to take Res off of life support and he did pass away at 1 am this morning. Please do uphold them especially, along with extended family, and their baby, in your prayers. Res' mother's mother and sister are travelling from the east coast today.

Thank you all again,
Mary Ellen,

Full story here.

"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"

 

From Lagniappe in the Times-Picayune:

It's right there, writ large on the Paramount Pictures movie poster: "Brad Pitt" and "Cate Blanchett." They are the marquee stars of David Fincher's fantasy-epic "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but they are by no means the film's only stars.

It's not spelled out there on the placard, but within the film's opening minutes another key character makes a grand entrance: the city of New Orleans. And the general consensus seems to be that the movie, which opened on Christmas, is better for it.

To think, it almost didn't happen. After all, Baltimore was the setting for the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that inspired the film, about a man who is born as an 80-year-old and, as everyone around him ages, keeps getting younger.

Grandpère and I went to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Saturday night. As the TP says, the movie stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, AND the city of New Orleans. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald's story, on which the movie is based, is set in Baltimore, the costs of filming there would have been prohibitive. When the promoters of the film industry in Louisiana, which offers extensive tax-credits to moviemakers, pushed for filming the movie in New Orleans, Frank Kennedy, the producer, agreed.

Oh, and am I glad that he did. Once I suspended disbelief and accepted the magical realist basic premise of the film and let go to groove with the ambiance of New Orleans as a major character in the movie, I was entranced. Brad Pitt's acting was the best I've seen since "Seven". Cate was excellent as a free spirit, a ballet dancer. Taraji P. Henson, Benjamin's adopted mother, is wonderful as a woman who well knows the vicissitudes of life and accepts Benjamin just as he is.

Kennedy added, "When you're dealing with a kind of sense of magical realism, which is inherent in this kind of storytelling, it just felt like New Orleans was perfect, because you just believe a story like that could come out of a place like New Orleans. So Eric just embraced that and made that a part of the script."

For Roth, the task really wasn't that difficult, he said. The Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Forrest Gump," "The Insider" and "Munich" did some slight tinkering with his script -- throw in a Sazerac here, a streetcar there -- but, for the most part, the city boasts such a singular quality that four simple words took care of most of it.

"As soon as I wrote 'Exterior, New Orleans, day,' it became like a whole other character," Roth said. "It was amazing. It was like you could see right away there was nothing you had to add to that. In other words, you don't have to do a big description of what that means. It carries such a sort of febrile quality to it. In fact, everything about it -- the sound, the smell, the taste of New Orleans -- is so distinctive and so American."

In some of the scenes, the locations seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place them. I think of one restaurant. The Peristyle and the lagoon in City Park (pictured above) were obvious, along with the St. Charles Avenue streetcar. Benjamin grew young in a house on Coliseum Street. I'd love to know the locales of the other local scenes. If I'd waited for all the credits to roll, I suppose that I would know. I searched around the internet, but I wasn't able to find a list.

Some of you may think that I make up stories, but I don't - at least, not from whole cloth. I plead guilty to the occasional embellishment. After all, I'm from the South, and if a little tweak of the truth improves the story, then I'll do it. Grandpère knows the local contact for movie people when they want extras, locations, and whatever for the film. The movie paid money for a boat from the boat museum that GP directs and an old wooden picnic table of ours that we were about to throw away. Neither of us remembered to look for the boat or the picnic table while we watched the film because we were caught up in the story, so we don't know if they were used or not. When the movie comes out on DVD, we'll watch again to see if they made it onto the screen.

Jason Flemyng, an Englishman, who plays Benjamin's biological father, won my heart even before I saw the movie when I read this:

Jason Flemyng ("Snatch," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"), the gregarious English actor who plays Thomas Button -- the father of Pitt's title character -- said his time in the city "changed my opinion of America."

He had never been to New Orleans before the film, but he still lights up when he talks about the city.

"I listen to WWOZ on my laptop still, to this day, check the Saints results every week," Flemyng said at the Beverly Hills press event. "It changed my life. That city changed my life."

He added: "I know Finch (David Fincher) sees this film as an apology to the city. It's an apology to the city for having let it down so badly, internationally and nationally, and I think Finch is very clear about that."

Amen!

On Sheltering The Homeless

In response to Sarah's comment on the "Sleeping Giant Wakes Up":

thejanet has left a new comment on your post ""Sleeping Giant Wakes Up"":

What Sarah describes as her experience is not the same as my experience. That might possibly be explained by different regions, or the passage of several years, I don't know. But I can tell about my experience, because I think that my experience, expanded exponentially, would work at the federal level.

Oh cool. I get to be the hope in this conversation!

I sat on the board of the only homeless shelter in this county. Unbelievable but true, my city drives its homeless up to the shelter 25 miles away, the result of its NIMBY attitude. The shelter was an outgrowth of a need the local ministerial alliance saw and did something about. Our ministerial alliance includes most clergy, except for the Catholics and the Baptists, and yes, represents less than half of the churched Christians. Anyway...

I started on the board during the Reagan administration, and so initially I saw a preponderance of families, the ones on the cusp that, when their assistance dried up, they couldn't make it so ended up at the shelter. We also got a lot of recent prison releases, a spattering of Vietnam vets, and a few of the mentally damaged. Over the time I stayed involved with the shelter, our demographics changed, with fewer families, way more veterans, and about the same percentage of prison releases and mentally ill.

At first the shelter was only a night shelter, open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The evening meal was supplied by whatever church was on the schedule, each coming around approximately every six weeks. Breakfast was another volunteer making the rounds and picking up all the day-old doughnuts (which were free for us). Rules for the shelter were few and simple: no drugs, alcohol or weapons allowed inside the door, and everyone must take a shower every evening. And that was it, if someone didn't want to leave his/her stash of drugs/alcohol/weapons out on the porch, they could sleep in the front yard and come no closer. Oh yeah, and that a person could only stay 45 days in total in any one year. That one we broke as often as it was kept, as long as the family (it was always the families) would not show up for a week's time so we could document them as in the midst of a new crisis, not the old one they'd used the 45 days on.

We saw the clear need for expanding our hours (just watching the families trying to get their kids moving and out by 7 was painful) and we had no family spaces, just a room for men and a room for women. Parents decided if their children were separated by gender, or if they slept in the women's room with mom. But there were no funds for that, we were just managing to pay our one employee (the director).

(this is already getting too long, so just pretend that about 14 years passed between last paragraph and this one.) With all the new space (possible from a grant from the county and state, paying us a price per head served) we had 10 family bedrooms, four classrooms and a workshop out back. We were now a 24 hour shelter, also housing the food pantry, the clothes closet and the furniture warehouse (all charitable organizations serving our population once they were out of the shelter in their own place) and we had expanded payroll to include a grant writer, a social worker (who mainly helped shelter residents apply for what benefits they could qualify for) and oh I forget what we called him, but two someones who split the night sheltersitting duties),

Here's the part I think could be expanded or at least built upon to make up a national program... in our classrooms we ran classes all through the days and evenings, classes such as how to manage a bank account, basic computer skills, how to budget, how to parent, you know, basic life skills plus literacy skills and a series of classes to help earn their GED. These were mostly taught by the different kinds of social workers out of the various county agencies. And in the shop area, those not going on job interviews were either working on bicycles or computers.

Last paragraph, I promise, but I've got to explain that... I'm particularly proud of this because it was my project. We put out the word that we'd love to get donations of old bicycles and old computers. Didn't have to be working, we were going to strip the usable parts out of them anyway. And that's what they did, they broke down the bicycle/computer and sorted the parts into our "parts graveyard," then those who had been trained (by us volunteers) were building new working bicycles and computers, which we either sold or used.

This came out of a need for computers for our basic computer skills classes (which have now expanded into various software training to improve a residents "hire-ability" like Excel classes, etc. And we'd already identified a huge problem with our residents finding a job, actually two problems, one was no residence or phone to be contacted at, and the other was no transportation to interviews or jobs. So that's why we started canabalizing bicycle parts to make whole bicycles. But it turned out that we were building way more computers and bikes than we needed, so we sold a lot of them, too. The residents who worked that week (doing anything in the shop) got credit for their share of the split. This resulted in them able to save that almost impossible first and last month's rent required to get a place.

It was like magic, everything worked. And the intangible worked, too. I saw residents turn into different people the first time they got their script to be cashed in the day they moved out for good. More than once someone would turn to me and brag "I'm now worth x amount of dollars." This was a real accomplishment, and the pride and self worth was way more than the dollar amount (usually between $50-150 a week per shop worker).

I have more, but Chere Mimi doesn't need a novel in her comments. But see? Can't you see the way forward? We didn't help all the homeless in the county, we didn't have the space. I hated having to keep a wait list. But we'd call all the police departments in the county with how many openings we had each day and I don't know for sure what they did for those we didn't have room for. I strongly suspect several of them were in the habit of taking these people home for short periods of time, in fact I know that was true.

And that's my story of hope for today. I can see how to adapt this to work on a larger level, and there are sooo many federal agencies that should cut into their budget for us, like the defence department, the justice department (rep for the VA), etc. Now our population is mostly ex-military young ones with PTSD. I know the VA doesn't get the funds it needs to take care of our veterans, but it should!!

Janet, don't worry about running long in the comments. The comments belong to my readers. Plus, you gave me a post on a wonderful story of hope.

It's Still Christmas - Day 5

 

The Madonna icon was written by Luiz Coelho. Isn't it lovely? Luiz is mon cher petit-fils adopté. Luiz is originally from Brazil, but currently lives in the Atlanta area, here in the US.

The icon is approximately 6 in. by 8 in. in size. It is to be mine. Luiz says it is, or soon will be, on the way. How lovely it will be to read the icon, knowing of Luiz' prayers which accompanied its creation. Icons are windows into heaven. Look through the icon and see God.

Please Pray....

From Ann:

Storm the doors of heaven for this family -- please -- St. Thomas is about 75 miles from where I live and was my first placement. Ann

Begin forwarded message:

"Yesterday afternoon a three-year old boy was life-flighted to Salt Lake City after collapsing while at play. His mom is on the Vestry at St. Thomas, Dubois, WY and has flown early this morning to Salt lake with her infant daughterl. His father was on the flight with the 3 year old who had heart surgery last summer and seemed to be thriving. They are not sure yet what has happened, but he is in intensive care, on a respirator and in a coma. Just now they were told we may not know the outcome for up to three days. Res was baptized here last year and is a fixture at our altar rail all during the eucharist - mouthing many of the words of liturgy. Please help us pray for this child's healing, and comfort and strength for all the family."

UPDATE from Ann: Prayers for his family. Ann

Begin forwarded message:

I just received this email from my friend in Jackson, WY

We just got news that Res died last night.

May Res rest in peace and rise in glory. May God give comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to all those who love Res. May God enfold them in healing love.

Please Pray for Anne

Mark Harris' mother, Anne, who is 90 years old, fell and broke her hip. Please pray for Anne and for her family and friends. Mark says:

Anne is teaching our family about getting really old, and doing a fine job of it.

Anne, may God bless you, and heal you, and surround you with love,

"Sleeping Giant Wakes Up"

In response to this post by MadPriest, on the bishops in the Church of England speaking out against the Labour Party's economic policies:

So I am delighted that yesterday a whole bunch of my bishops laid into the Labour Party's economic policy big time, in particular its dubious moral basis. In fact, they savaged our political leaders like Jack Russell terriers in a barn full of rats. Of course, the labour politicians are squealing like cornered rodents and are quoting statistics like only called-to-account politicians are capable of doing.

Of course, it would have been better if the bishops had collectively been prophets before things got so bad.

Now I know that many of the bishops in the Episcopal Church have spoken out against economic policies which continue to favor the wealthy amongst us, to the detriment of the "least of these", but a collective effort would be fine thing to see. Here, too, it would have been good to see the collective message some years ago, preached from pulpits, not just in open letters.

What struck me most were the comments to the post on policies in England having to do with the homeless, such as:

If you're a single woman and pregnant your local council has an obligation to house you.

or

Actually, it is very difficult to be homeless in England. You have to chose to live on the streets or somehow slip out of sight of social services and homeless charities (this does happen especially with the mentally ill). I have worked with the homeless and the people using emergency shelters are all either addicts or mentally ill. Once we get people into the shelters we work with them and housing providers to get them off the streets as fast as possible. Unfortunately, this usually means that the alcoholics and junkies will have less money to spend on alcohol and so they go back on the streets. Even then we continue to offer them food, shelter, a bed for the night, medical care, advice and washing facilities in our facilities as often as they want it. We even have wet centres where alcoholics can bring their drink inside (we put in plastic bottles for them to avoid any nasty messes). All this is paid for by a mix of local councils and charities and by getting "sell-by date" food free from supermarkets.

Now I know that many churches, private charities, and civil authorities are giving aid to the homeless, and that some folks choose to be on the streets, many of them because of mental illness or addictions, but the efforts are, in many cases, small scale, ad hoc approaches.

When the Obama administration takes over, would it be too much to ask for those who legislate to pass laws requiring communities to give aid to the down and out so that the private and small-scale operations need not bear the whole brunt of the growing, sometimes overwhelming, problem of homelessness and the wandering mentally ill? The numbers of homeless veterans is growing after declining for 20 years after the Vietnam War. Many of them suffer from PTSD, and are not receiving adequate mental health care through the military health services.

Comments to the post from folks in the US highlight the sorry state of government help for the homeless and for the mentally ill who are poor. There are many more homeless than the small-scale operations can care for. Attitudes like "the homeless choose to be homeless" abound. Is it time to take another look at the policies that mentally ill folks cannot be hospitalized against their will unless they are an immediate danger to themselves or others (with many falling through the cracks) to see if that is truly the best way to go? And how about adequate funding for outpatient mental health care, once the folks are released?

Read a few of the posts at Under the Overpasses, a blog by Under There, who works the homeless who live under the overpasses to see a bit of the reality of homelessness in the US.

Surely, we can do better.

Our Gal Maxine

1. Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggert have written an impressive new book.It's called .........'Ministers Do More Than Lay People'

2. Transvestite: A guy who likes to eat, drink And be Mary.

3. The difference between the Pope and your boss, the Pope only expects you to kiss his ring.

5. The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you're in the bathroom.


4. My mind works like lightning, One brilliant flash and it is gone.

6.I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once. The seat folded up, the drink spilled and that ice, well, it really chilled the mood.

7. It used to be only death and taxes. Now, of course, there's shipping and handling.


8. A husband is someone who, after taking the trash out, gives the impression that he just cleaned the whole house.

9 My next house will have no kitchen - just vending machines and a very large trash can.


10. A blonde said, 'I was worried that my Mechanic might try to rip me off. I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn signal fluid.'

11.Definition of a teenager? God's punishment...for enjoying sex.

12. As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.



Thanks to Ann.

It's Still Christmas - Day 4

 

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
(Psalm 34:7-8)

Please Pray For TheMeThatIsMe

TheMe had surgery for gallstones, but suffered complications from an infection and a resurgence of his Crohn's disease. In addition, the powers at the hospital dumped him out and sent him home before he felt ready to go. You can read the details at his blog.

Pray for a speedy healing and no further complications.

Celebrity In Our Midst!

(From the Anglican Periodic Table by Clumber)

Father Tobias Haller, who writes at In a Godward Direction, was interviewed by the BBC! You can listen here at the BBC website on the 24 Dec 08 podcast titled "Christmas and Consumerism". Tobias' interview starts near the beginning.

As a US ambassador to the Brits, he represented us quite well. His own review of his performance is at his website at the link above. He's much too modest.

Christmas At Wenchoster

THE BISHOP'S COLUMN:

Hello! Es the popular tune declars, ‘It’s the most popular tame of the yar.’ Indeed it is. Not jest a tame for celebrat-i-on but also a tame of surprises. Peeking ite from under my tree is an anonymous gift of a strange shape. What glorious mysteries lie under the wrepping paper of snowmen and holly? What is it? How will I use it? Cen I shar it? Will it requar betteries? Awl of these quest-i-ons cen be asked of Christmarss es we draw near to the greatest gift of awl. How will we use it indeed? We will, won’t we? End shar it with others, of course.

It is awlso good to recall are blessings as we tuck into the bainty of the Yuletide season. Remember that not awl of Gawd’s people cen sit dine to relish a goose end stuffing. Es ay prepar to sit dine et table I will say a prar for those less fortunate then areselves and ask the Lawd to bless them. Then end only then will I sip may fane claret. Won’t ay.

Gawd bless, us every one!

Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury:

Walking the banks of the River Wye is something I like to do even on the most inhospitable of weather days. N will pack me a small lunch and I will happily spend a morning, even a day, engaging with the natural beauty around me, and pondering the deeper theological strata of stylistic elements within the theonomy of twentieth century thought. And so it was only last week, as I took in the miles between Tintern and Monmouth. Here and there I saw a high flying hawk, and thought that the liturgical symbolism of the Spirit in the western ecclesia could be reinvented....

Read the rest of the message at the link above.

From the Carol Sheet:

Away in the "Nine Bells", no room at the bar,
We sit in the "Snug" with our pipes and a jar.
The logs in the fireplace all crackle and hiss,
As we laze in the warmth and give Compline a miss.

The Choirboys are singing their carols so sweet,
Whilst outside the window, snow falls in the street.
Our ancient cathedral is glowing with light,
And shines like a beacon through the depths of the night.

"Another, dear landlord! Come fill up my cup,
With the nutty brown liquid that I love to sup!"
A Wenchoster Christmas is a time of good cheer,
If I get all my stuffing, and a firkin of beer.

Could it be that a hacker with a streak of wickedness sometimes gets into their website?

Ready For Cracker Jokes?

Ready or not, here they come:

Q.) How do crazy people go through the forest?
A.) They take the psycho path.

Q.) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?
A.) A stick.

Q.) What do you call cheese that isn't yours?
A.) Nacho cheese.

Q.) What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
A.) Frostbite.

Q.) What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A.) A nervous wreck.

Q.) How do snowmen get around?
A.) On their icicle!!

Q.) What kind of pump can you eat?
A.) A pumpkin!!

Q.) What is white and crumbly and swings through trees?
A.) A meringue!!

Q.) Who babysits for the kids?
A.) A nanny-goat!!?

It's Still Christmas - Day 3

 

Pictured above is the other of a pair of Christmas stockings in needlepoint, which depict Fra Anglelico's musical angels from the paintings in the Museo San Marco in Florence.

The 16th century biographer [Giorgio] Vasari says of Fra Angelico:

"But it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety."

From Wiki.

Please Contunue To Pray

From Renz:

As I write this Mary Ann's mom, Mrs. Eudith Stewart, is undergoing emergency brain surgery to attempt to remove the blood clot from the burst aneurysm. Late yesterday they did a procedure to put a coil in the aneurism and had stopped the bleeding, they put in a shunt to keep her intercranial pressure down, and she was on a ventilator and kept sedated to rest her. However, the pressures were rising today and the decision was made to actually perform brain surgery. Mary Ann is very thankful for the international prayer circle and called me specifically to request further prayers. Thank you to you all.

Not To Be Believed!

From David Sirota on Fox News via The Huffington Post.

As you'll see, on that latter issue, Fox News is starting its campaign to stop Obama's big spending plan by stating - as assumed fact - that "historians pretty much agree" that Franklin Roosevelt prolonged the Great Depression, and that therefore, Obama shouldn't try another New Deal.

When I say Fox News' assertion about historians is patently false, they literally laugh at me as if I've said something so clearly untrue, something Americans supposedly assume is so obviously stupid, that it's worthy of ridicule.

The Depression issue was brought up by conservative pundit Monica Crowley - not surprising since this is the conservative talking point du jour ever since the "center-right nation" meme started looking idiotic....
....

If the right wants to try to stop a serious economic recovery package and financial regulations by trying to vilify one of the most popular presidents and popular policy programs in American history, then I'll say what George Bush once said: Bring it on.

"Bring it on!" indeed.

Watch the Fox News clip here. The comments on Roosevelt's policies during the Great Depression begin at about 3:14 minutes into the clip.

Doxy Eats Crow And Loves It

Doxy brings you news of great joy. I'm giving the good news away, but do read her post. It's so much fun to watch my friends eat crow.

Feast Of St. Stephen The Martyr

(Painting by Vincenzo Foppa)

Readings:

AM: Psalm 28, 30; 2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6:1-7
PM: Psalm 118; Wisdom 4:7-15; Acts 7:59-8:8

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth* will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.’ And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
....

When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. And Saul approved of their killing him.

PRAYER

We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand: where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

UPDATE: From Canada Tim Chesterton:

Check out my Reverbnation page here for my recording of the Boxing Day carol 'Good King Wenceslas'.

Do check it out. It's quite good. Tim's back blogging after his Advent fast.

It's Still Christmas - Day 2

 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
Luke 2:13-14

Pictured above is one of a pair of Christmas stockings in needlepoint, which depict Fra Anglelico's musical angels from the paintings in the Museo San Marco in Florence.

"Nativity" And "Nativity"

"Nativity" - Fra Angelico

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.

"Nativity" by John Donne

Please Pray

From Renzmqt:

Gram. can you help me get the word out. I'm asking for prayers for my work partner Mary Ann and her family. Her mother was found unresponsive in her driveway about an hour ago. Mary Ann is waiting to hear if they will be transporting her to our local Med Ctr before heading down to Crystal Falls (about 1 1/2 hours away). They don't know what happened - they're trying to warm her up - it's bitter cold up here. Apparently she was on her way to pick up her significant other from church, she never showed up so he got a ride with someone else and they found her. Mary Ann is also waiting to hear a prognosis before calling her sister who lives in Dayton, OH. So, please, prayers for Mary Ann and her family.

UPDATE:

renzmqt said...

She apparently has suffered a bleed, right side is weak. Its possible that the bitter cold actually helped keep her alive. They were transporting her to either Madison or Green Bay. Mary Ann was getting ready to head south and her sister was heading west from Ohio. Thanks for your prayers.

For Unto Us A Child Is Born

 

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel", which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all!

Note: Many years ago, my mother made the Nativity set in the picture in a ceramics class. I think it's lovely, and, of course, I treasure the set, because she made it for me. In due time, the Three Kings and the camels shall miraculously appear.

The post is timed for Christmas Day on the East Coast. I'll be in church.

First Present Opened!

Today I opened my first present. It's from me to me. I bought new speakers for my desktop computer. My speakers were quite old and quite cheap, leftovers from my very first computer. They came with the cheapo package of computer, monitor, keyboard, and speakers. I replaced all the components except the speakers. Little did I know how bad they were and how much I was missing until a young friend installed the new speakers for me. Yay! I'm in the real music business now. They're not the most expensive speakers in the world, but compared to what I had, they're like being at a live concert.

Prayer For Peace

The list at the Global Peace Index shows:

the GPI rankings for the 140 countries analysed in 2008 and the 121 countries analysed in 2007, as well as year-on-year comparison. Countries most at peace are ranked first. A lower score indicates a more peaceful country. You can click on a country to see the detail of its peace indicators and drivers.

Below are the 15 most violent countries listed in descending order to the most violent, which is Iraq.

Myanmar

Pakistan

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Nigeria

Colombia

Russia

Lebanon

North Korea

Central African Republic

Chad

Israel

Afghanistan

Sudan

Somalia

Iraq

Let us remember the people living in the midst of turmoil and violence during the season when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Prayer For Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

[Book of Common Prayer, p. 815]

"With God On Our Side"

Prayer For Those In The Armed Forces

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 823)

Thought For The Day From Gandhi

My friend, Georgianne, always ends her email messages with this quote from Gandhi:

“Everything you do will be meaningless, but you must do it.”

Winter Funnies

With thanks to Doug. Doug gives gifts all year round for your pleasure and my pleasure.

I Am Alpha And Omega

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-

"The Mom Song"

Enjoy! Of course, I never did this. I've seen the song on video before, but never with captions, and I could not get all the words in the past.

Thanks to my niece.

O Virgo Virginum

O Virgo Virginum (An Anglican Bonus)

O Virgin of virgins,
how shall this be?
For neither before was any like thee,
nor shall there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem,
why marvel ye at me?
That which ye behold is a divine mystery.

O Virgo virginum,
quomodo fiet istud?
Quia nec primam similem visa es
nec habere sequentem.
Filiae Ierusalem,
quid me admiramini?
Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

Luke 1:26-35

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

Alas! I have not found music for "O Virgo", since this antiphon only appears in the Sarum (Anglican) Rite. The other videos come from a Roman Catholic source.

Image from ChantBlog.

Text from Apostolcity.

Hanukkah Blessings - Second Through Eighth Nights

First Blessing

Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom Asher Kiddeshonu Be-mitsvoysov Ve-tsivonu Lehadlik Neyr Shel khanuko.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

Second Blessing

Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-oso Nissim La-avoseynu Ba-yyomim Ho-heym Ba-zzman Ha-zze.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

From About.com.

My Wee ChristmasTree

My wee Christmas tree
Dressed in pretty orbs and lights
Charlie Brown's no more

My first idea to simplify decorating the Christmas tree away from the seven footer, which was our previous practice, was a small twig tree, but I could not find a twig tree. My daughter-in-law knew that I was looking for something small and simple, and she found a Charlie Brownish tree with sparse branches, few needles, and a pine cone here and there. I loved the tree. It was perfect.

Howevah! I dressed the tree, and dressed the tree, and dressed the tree again in ornaments and lights, until the Charlie Brown effect was gone, vanished, disappeared. Who can tell if it has full branches with needles on every inch? No one, because it is so drenched in decorations. There it is. It is what it is.

Another plus with this wee tree is that I can carry it to the closet upstairs, still wearing its finery, place a dustcover over it, and - voila! - it's ready to be carried down the next year and placed on its table. The damask tablecloth was an after Christmas discovery, priced at $6.00 reduced from $26.00.

Hanukkah Blessing - First Night

First Blessing

Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom Asher Kiddeshonu Be-mitsvoysov Ve-tsivonu Lehadlik Neyr Shel khanuko.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

Second Blessing

Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-oso Nissim La-avoseynu Ba-yyomim Ho-heym Ba-zzman Ha-zze.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

Third Blessing

Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-hekheyonu Ve-kiymonu Ve-higgi'onu La-zzman Ha-zze.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this time.

From About.com.

Snow In New Roads, Louisiana

This is nothing compared to the snow in the colder parts of the country, but it was a big deal for New Roads. We were not there when it snowed, but a neighbor sent me these pictures. A true winter wonderland for those parts. Here in Thibodaux, we had a light snow, which did not stick.

The top picture shows the back of our house, and the lower picture shows the back pasture. The pictures are blurred because I enlarged them.



UPDATE: I should have noted that these pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, back when I was moaning about having no power.

O Emmanuel

December 22

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

Latin

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Oxford.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Will You Hold My Word In Your Heart?

Will you bear my word to the world?
This world?
Will you hold my word in your heart?
This heart, your heart, in this time in history, in this place,
in your skin, in your faith, in your life?

What challenging questions from Jane R., at Acts of Hope, in her lovely sermon this morning on the 4th Sunday of Advent. Please do read the rest. Jane preaches in poetry.

"Louise"

My correspondent says, "This is an article submitted to a 1999 Louisville Sentinel contest to find out who had the wildest Christmas dinners. It won first prize."

As a joke, my brother Jay used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them.

What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.

One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They don't sell those things at Wal-Mart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown.

If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go. you'll only confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, 'What does this do?' 'You're kidding me!' 'Who would buy that?' Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section.

I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour.

Finding what I wanted was difficult. 'Love Dolls' come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for 'Lovable Louise.' She was at the bottom of the price scale.

To call Louise a 'doll' took a huge leap of imagination.

On Christmas Eve and with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life.

My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours. Long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. I went home, and giggled for a couple of hours.

The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy, but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more.

We all agreed that Louise should remain in her pantyhose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.

My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. 'What the hell is that?' she asked.

My brother quickly explained, 'It's a doll.'

'Who would play with something like that?' Granny snapped.

I kept my mouth shut.

'Where are her clothes?' Granny continued.

'Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran,' Jay said, to steer her into the dining room.

But Granny was relentless. 'Why doesn't she have any teeth?'

Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, 'Hang on Granny, hang on!'

My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, 'Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?' I told him she was Jay's friend.

A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home.

The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the mantel, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants.

Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.

It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember.

Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh.

Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health.

I can't wait until next Christmas.

From Doug in his slightly naughty Yuletide incarnation.

Yes, I know. "Louise" has been around the block a few times.

Christmas Surprise!

Wall Street executives are still flying high in corporate jets on your money and my money.

"The personal use of these planes is virtually indefensible at this point," said Patrick McGurn, special counsel at shareholder advisory firm RiskMetrics Group. "Once you're on the federal dole, the pressure is going to become immense on these firms to cut these costs."

Ya think? Ah, but they're a crafty lot.

Wary of being perceived as opulent, most companies fly in unmarked jets. Aviation buffs can usually track planes over the Internet using aircraft tail numbers. But many companies, including AIG and Citigroup, have blocked the public's ability to do so for security reasons.

They're flying under the radar of all of us but the aviation buffs.

Golly, I remember that in the post-Katrina days in New Orleans, a woman who was on public assistance, was caught in possession of a TV that was too big. It's the same kind of thing.

From the AP.

H/T to TPM.

Christmas In Congo

From the New York Times:

BUNAGANA, Congo — At the entrance to this bustling border town is a most unusual sight: a speed limit sign. In fresh red, white and blue paint, it is a rare manifestation of order in a nation better known for chaos.

Gen. Laurent Nkunda, the leader of a group of rebels, with his pet goat Betty in the mountains of Congo. His aims include the removal of President Joseph Kabila, whose power has been waning.

The seemingly innocuous signpost is emblematic of the growing might and wider ambitions of Laurent Nkunda, the renegade Congolese general and warlord who now holds part of Congo’s future in his grip.
....

But beneath the veneer lies a ruthlessness of a piece with Congo’s unbroken history of brutality. With a military campaign in October and November that was met with a feeble response from both the Congolese government and United Nations peacekeeping forces here in eastern Congo, General Nkunda has pushed the nation to its most dangerous precipice in years.

The UN forces are undermanned and under-equipped to stop the violence in Congo. You cannot send in a weak force to do a job, without giving them the means to accomplish the goal, and then blame them because they don't succeed.

The democratically-elected president of Congo, Joseph Kabila, grows weaker by the day, because his army cannot stand up to the powerful rebel army of Gen. Nkunda.

One by one, those who oppose him have felt the violent wrath of his security forces, according to human rights investigators and political analysts. A Human Rights Watch investigation found that 500 people had died and 1,000 had been detained in these crackdowns.

One of many massacres attributed to Nkunda's forces.

Both Nkunda and Kabila "recruit" boys as young as nine to fight in their armies. Sometimes, the boys are placed in front to take the first fire. According to Eric, one of the boys who was "recruited" into Nkunda's army:

“The strategy they use is this,” he explained. “When they met children on the road, they ask them to help them carry their goods.”

The boys are then taken to training camps, given guns and taught to fight, Eric said. His eyes are wide in permanent surprise, and he said he had headaches that did not respond to medicine. Loud noises terrify him.

“Too many bombs,” he explained in a soft voice.

For two years, from 13 to 15, he said he fought with General Nkunda’s troops.

“Many of us were boys,” he said. “They would send us out first, then the men.”

He lives in a shelter for boys separated from their parents by the war. In the next bunk is his friend Fabrice, a 14-year-old former Mai Mai fighter who used to do battle with General Nkunda’s forces.

“I always felt bad to kill other children, because I knew they had been forced to fight just like me,” he said.

According to Human Rights Watch:

Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped since the war began in 1998, and a recent report from the secretary-general found that between June 2007 and June 2008, the UN recorded 5,517 cases of sexual violence against children in Ituri and North and South Kivu - 31 percent of all sexual violence victims.

From my friend Georgianne Nienaber, who spent time in Congo:

There is total lack of international will to solve this problem and now international resource interests are turning on the peacekeepers (MONUC), blaming THEM for not stopping the violence when they are undermanned and under orders to keep the peace, not wage a separate war. there are dozens of proxy militias. Until there is an international MORAL outrage...maybe churches can do this...nothing will happen

Not a happy post, is it? It's Advent in Congo, too. What kind of Christmas will it be for the Christians in Congo?