Light For The New Year

For you and all those you love.

Wrong Shui

"If we only get out of life what we put into it, why not just keep it in the first place and save a lot of wasted time and effort?"

From The Little Book of Wrong Shui by Rohan Candappa

A Politically Incorrect Eating Establishment

For real, in Tempe, AZ. With franchise opportunities, no less. "Giving the food police hell, one hamburger at a time." (I made that one up.)

Jesus Has One Too

No Longer...

one of the iPodless. Thanks so much Sweetie!

Merry Merry, Happy Happy

Students join sand sculpture artists to create a 30-meter-long (100-foot-long) Santa Claus sculpture on the Puri golden beach, in the Indian state of Orissa on the eve of Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2006. Though Hindus and Muslims comprise the majority of the population in India, Christmas is celebrated with much fanfare. (AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout)

Dating Rules for the Sexy Senior

My sweetie's dad is back on the market after his wife died after a long illness in August. She came up with this list for him to go along with a bag of dating paraphernalia she will be giving him this Christmas.

Dating Rules for the Sexy Senior
1. Do not ask about the value of your date's pension plan on the first date.
2. Refrain from displaying your Viagra bottle on your coffee table.
3. Be sure to trim your ear and nose hair before each and every date.
4. Do not discuss the number, type, and efficacy of your medications.
5. NEVER use Grecian Formula unless you are, in fact, Greek.
6. Don't even think of “combing over” even one hair on your head.
7. Never refer to your date as your “old lady” especially because at your age, she should actually be one.
8. You may not date anyone who is younger than your children. Ever.
9. Do not take your date to the Early Bird Special especially if it's at 4:00 o' clock in the afternoon.
10. Do remember that love can be wonderful at any age and that if your date keeps getting mistaken for your daughter, she's too young for you.
Remember... There's no fool like an old fool!

T.V. , December 2006

Holiday Manifesto

Stay away from malls

Gather around a table

Re-discover family tradition

Re-live fond memories

Forget bad ones

Play with a toy

Play chess with a friend

Just play

Spike the Eggnog

Think of someone in need

Do something about it

Eat snow

Not the yellow kind

Wear silly hats

Get carried away

Unplug

Order in

Watch a classic

Send your cards out late

Get up early

Sleep in

Take naps

Make a wish

Have hope

Start your blog

Read a book

Write yours

Talk to a stranger

Listen

Laugh

Believe

Slow down

Don't make promises

Give something away

Receive with grace

Watch home movies

Make one

Share it

Take pictures

Share them too

Say goodbye to the past

Say hello to a new year

Smile if it feels right

Find a quiet place

Look out for mistletoe

Don't fake cheer

Be yourself

Dave Armano found here.

Cool Eh?

Tough Choice

Dog? Kid?

Some have both!

TV on the Web

Another way to be brainless while online. Here.

History of Religion In 90 Seconds

Find it here.

It's pretty cool. Only if you have the time, of course.

Uh Oh

Record lables sue website operator.

They're still up, and have about 60 cents of mine.

War On Earth Bad Will Towards Them

Two most unlikeable characters going at each other. They deserve each other. I think RO'D will eventually be too much for that show she's on and they'll dump her. You heard it here first.

3 Strikes And You Are Out...

Just doesn't apply to certain high (literally) profile people. This guy is not even worth commenting on anymore. Let the record speak!

He's in trouble again:

Barry Arrested, Claims He Was Targeted

Actual Quote of Barry from the past, but it fit here these days.: "Bitch set me up." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC Source.


Previous Stories:
November 14, 2006: Barry Pleads Not Guilty To DUI
September 11, 2006: Marion Barry Detained By Police
August 7, 2006: Barry Facing More Legal Woes
May 12, 2006: Police: Former Mayor Fails Field Sobriety Test
March 9, 2006: Marion Barry Sentenced On Tax Charges
February 8, 2006: Federal Judge Postpones Barry Sentencing
February 7, 2006: Marion Barry Heads Back To Court
January 11, 2006: Marion Barry Fails Drug Test
January 3, 2006: Marion Barry Robbed At Gunpoint
October 28, 2005: Marion Barry Pleads Guilty To Tax Charges
October 5, 2005: Mayor Offers Words Of Support For Barry
October 4, 2005: Barry To Plead Guilty For Failing To File Tax Returns

Home Town - San Jose, CA

Performed by Dionne Warwick and Celia Cruz. A more latin flavor to the song was the way to go. San Jose has been very much a home for Mexican-Americans for as long as I can remember.

Do You Know The Way To San Jose

And the Fable Lives On In Real Life (Death?)

13-Foot Pet Boa Kills Owner in Ohio
The Associated PressSunday, December 17, 2006; 5:02 PM

CINCINNATI -- A 13-foot boa constrictor wrapped itself around its owner's neck and killed the man in his home, authorities said.

The Scorpion and the Frog

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too." The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream,the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown,but has just enough time to gasp "Why?" Replies the scorpion: "Its my nature..." AESOP

Me (And Everyone Else)

Don't you feel special?

In this photo released by Time, Inc., in New York, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, the Dec. 25, 2006 "Person of the Year" issue proclaims that "You" are Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." Time, citing the shift from institutions to individuals as part of the criteria for selecting their "Person of the Year," has named anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web as their 2006 winner. (AP Photo/Time, Inc., Andrew Eccles)

Richard Rohr

Heard on NPR this morning. I've always enjoyed hearing and reading Rohr.


Utterly Humbled by Mystery
by Richard Rohr

"I believe in mystery and multiplicity. To religious believers this may sound almost pagan. But I don't think so. My very belief and experience of a loving and endlessly creative God has led me to trust in both.

"I've had the good fortune of teaching and preaching across much of the globe, while also struggling to make sense of my experience in my own tiny world. This life journey has led me to love mystery and not feel the need to change it or make it un-mysterious. This has put me at odds with many other believers I know who seem to need explanations for everything.
Religious belief has made me comfortable with ambiguity. "Hints and guesses," as T.S. Eliot would say. I often spend the season of Lent in a hermitage, where I live alone for the whole 40 days. The more I am alone with the Alone, the more I surrender to ambivalence, to happy contradictions and seeming inconsistencies in myself and almost everything else, including God. Paradoxes don't scare me anymore.

"When I was young, I couldn't tolerate such ambiguity. My education had trained me to have a lust for answers and explanations. Now, at age 63, it's all quite different. I no longer believe this is a quid pro quo universe -- I've counseled too many prisoners, worked with too many failed marriages, faced my own dilemmas too many times and been loved gratuitously after too many failures.

"Whenever I think there's a perfect pattern, further reading and study reveal an exception. Whenever I want to say "only" or "always," someone or something proves me wrong. My scientist friends have come up with things like "principles of uncertainty" and dark holes. They're willing to live inside imagined hypotheses and theories. But many religious folks insist on answers that are always true. We love closure, resolution and clarity, while thinking that we are people of "faith"! How strange that the very word "faith" has come to mean its exact opposite.

"People who have really met the Holy are always humble. It's the people who don't know who usually pretend that they do. People who've had any genuine spiritual experience always know they don't know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind. It is a litmus test for authentic God experience, and is -- quite sadly -- absent from much of our religious conversation today. My belief and comfort is in the depths of Mystery, which should be the very task of religion."

Found here.

Noonan On Barack

"But again, what does he believe? From reading his book, I would say he believes in his destiny. He believes in his charisma. He has the confidence of the anointed. He has faith in the magic of the man who meets his moment.

"He also believes in the power of good nature, the need for compromise, and the possibility of comprehensive, multitiered, sensible solutions achieved through good-faith negotiations.
But mostly it seems to be about him, his sense of destiny, and his appreciation of his own particular gifts.

"Which leaves me thinking Oh dear, we have been here before. It's not as if we haven't already had a few of the destiny boys. It's not as if we don't have a few more in the wings.

Full Essay Here.

Bowie Meets Crosby

An unbelievable duet.

"One of the more surreal moments in pop music history took place Sept. 11, 1977, when the leading American pop star of the first half of the Twentieth Century met and performed with one of the more innovative rock 'n' rollers of the last half of the Century. Bing was in London on a concert tour and to tape his yearly TV Christmas special. It was Bing's idea that he should have as a guest on his TV show a young star. Someone suggested David Bowie. Bing had never heard of Bowie, but his kids had, and so an invitation was sent to the rock star. Bowie, as it turned out, was a secret fan of Der Bingle and jumped at the chance to perform with him.

"Bing's idea was that he and Bowie would perform "The Little Drummer Boy" as a duet. Bowie felt the song did not showcase his voice very well, so the writers added "Peace on Earth," which suited Bowie's voice quite well. The two musical spokesmen of different generations met for the first time on the morning of the taping, rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes. Bing was impressed with Bowie, and gave him his phone number at the end of the taping. Bing told an interviewer four days later that he considered Bowie "a clean cut kid and a real fine asset to the show. He sings well, has a great voice and reads lines well. He could be a good actor if he wanted."

"Bing died a month later, and the public did not see their performance until after his death. The duet generated much interest, and was excerpted to become a perennial TV music video, a best-selling 45-rpm single and, eventually, a computer CD-ROM. Some viewed the joint performance of Bing and Bowie as a symbol of the end of the intergenerational wars of the 1960s and '70s. In 1999 TV Guide chose the duet as one of the 25 best musical television moments of the century (June 5 issue). "

Source.

The Pretenders

It's not Christmas without Chrissy.


2000 Miles

Believe

Pink dress shirt, some kind of chinese sauce. 10 seconds. Gone.

Portraits of Jesus

BWBB

Rebecca De Mornay

Chaka Kahn and Rufus

From the movie, "Breakin'" (1984) which is available on amazon.com (DVD). The outstanding soundtrack is also available used there for $73.59!!!! I used to enjoy exercising to the tunes. You can see why can't you? Disco baby.

Note: If you move off the page when the music is playing it will stop. If you would like to listen while surfing, minimize my page and open another browser window.


Ain't Nobody

"Instawife"

Dr. Helen with a scarlet "R". She's Glenn Reynold's wife and blogs here.

Economical Hands Free Set for Giving This Christmas

This product was also tried with Motorola, Sprint, Verizon and Nokia units and they worked perfectly.

'Tis The Season

He's One of OURs!. This Is Frightening.

Where has this guy been? Oh yeah, in Congress.

From a Congressional Quarterly interview with the new incoming CHAIR of the House Intelligence Committee:

"Reyes can’t answer some fundamental questions about the powerful forces arrayed against us in the Middle East."

Read it and weep.

Ballsy Blair

"Adopt our values or stay away", says Blair

Tony Blair, outgoing Prime Minister of Britain, gives a little speech on "multiculturalism." He is speaking what he views as the truth because he has no political life left. Nothing to worry about. People will villify him for what he said, but there will be no political life to lose.

Speak like this, and win the U.S. election hands down in '08, Repub or Dem. But no one will. And why not? Maybe we haven't experienced what the UK has... yet.

To me this is not about viewing us as being "better" than any other culture, but only that if we are going to call ourselves Americans there should be a common belief about what that is. Being American does not include waving the Mexican flag at every opportunity.

But on Cinco de Mayo, it's OK.

Update: To quote MGF: "You can celebrate your heritage, but don't cling to it. Otherwise, go back to where it is." 12/12/06

The Problem of Continuous Partial Attention

Found today at Passionate:

Lots of people are talking about this, and perhaps nobody more eloquently than Linda Stone.

Linda talks about the problem of Continuous Partial Attention.

She says:
"To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention -- CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.

We pay continuous partial attention in an effort NOT TO MISS ANYTHING. It is an always-on, anywhere, anytime, any place behavior that involves an artificial sense of constant crisis. We are always in high alert when we pay continuous partial attention. This artificial sense of constant crisis is more typical of continuous partial attention than it is of multi-tasking."

More about it here.

New Gifts For Christmas 2006

A Lovely Song With A Wonderful List

Performed by Amy Grant


Grown-up Christmas List

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies.
Well, I’m all grown-up now,
And still need help somehow.(can you still help somehow)
I’m not a child,
But my heart still can dream.
So here’s my lifelong wish,
My grown-up christmas list.
Not for myself,
But for a world in need.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,(and wars would never start)
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up christmas list.

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.(wrapped beneath the tree)
Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up christmas list.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

(there’d be)No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end, oh.
This is my grown-up christmas list.
This is my grown-up christmas list.

'Tis The Season

B.E. Taylor. A version you have never heard. Enjoy!

Joy To the World

The Triple Threat

From 1965

2+2 = 5? Let's Have Tea With Iran!

Something is not adding up here. What am I missing? What am I seeing that the power-boys don't.

First let's hear an outcome of the Iraq Study Group. Article found here. From today.

"A high-level, bipartisan panel urged Bush Wednesday to act to halt a "grave and deteriorating" crisis in Iraq by holding talks with Iran and Syria and starting to withdraw US combat forces."

Now let's hear from the beloved president of Iran. Article found here also from today.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Western leaders to follow the path of God or "vanish from the face of the earth".

"These oppressive countries are angry with us ... a nation that on the other side of the globe has risen up and proved the shallowness of their power," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern town of Ramsar, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported Wednesday.

"They are angry with our nation. But we tell them 'so be it and die from this anger'. Rest assured that if you do not respond to the divine call, you will die soon and vanish from the face of the earth," he said.

The outspoken president also maintained Iran's defiance over its controversial nuclear programme, saying it was on course to fully master nuclear technology.

"Thank to God's help, we have gone all the way and are only one step away from the zenith.
"We hope to have the big nuclear celebration by the end of the year (March 2007)," Ahmadinejad said, echoing comments he has made on numerous occasions in recent months. "

So we can talk with this guy about helping us with the Iraq mess? Color me skeptical.

Miss World 2006

Tatana Kucharova.

She is Czech, like me.

Poor thing, how will she make it through life with those looks?

The organizers of the pageant said this year's finals offered the widest-ever participation of voters around the world via the Internet. Votes were also submitted in text messages sent from mobile phones.