The velveteen bean-bag rabbit didn't feel quite like the other rabbits...
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
To dabble, or not to dabble...
Dabble: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest.
... Or what a duck does to get food off the pond bottom (Tait's preferred Definition).
... Or what a duck does to get food off the pond bottom (Tait's preferred Definition).
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Library of Congress
Today in History...
"The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., is the world's largest library and perhaps the greatest collection of stored knowledge in history. It contains 140 million items, including maps, photographs, films, and recordings, on 650 miles of bookshelves. About 10,000 items are added every workday.
Congress established the library on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed a bill appropriating $5,000 for 'the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress' after it moved to Washington, the new capital city. The first books, ordered from London, arrived in 1801. The original collection consisted of 740 volumes and 3 maps.
The first collection was destroyed during the War of 1812 when the British burned the Capitol. Thomas Jefferson offered to replace it by selling Congress his personal library, one of the finest in the country. In 1815 Congress appropriated $23,950 to buy his 6,487 books. The Jefferson collection became the core of the Library of Congress.
The library serves as the research arm of Congress and the 'storehouse of the national memory.' Unlike many other national libraries, its collection is not for scholars only. Anyone over high school age may use it. It also makes available, via the Internet, millions of files containing digitized versions of its collections. A library of the people, it has become a symbol of American's faith in the Power of Learning."
Other years of note...
April 24,
1704 - The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British North America, is published.
1898 - Spain declares war on the United States in what becomes known as the Spanish-American War.
1980 - An attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran fails; eight soldiers die when a helicopter and transport plane collide in the desert.
---------------
Bennet, William J., Cribb, John T.E.. The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America. 2008. Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, Inc. p. 131.
"The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., is the world's largest library and perhaps the greatest collection of stored knowledge in history. It contains 140 million items, including maps, photographs, films, and recordings, on 650 miles of bookshelves. About 10,000 items are added every workday.
Congress established the library on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed a bill appropriating $5,000 for 'the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress' after it moved to Washington, the new capital city. The first books, ordered from London, arrived in 1801. The original collection consisted of 740 volumes and 3 maps.
The first collection was destroyed during the War of 1812 when the British burned the Capitol. Thomas Jefferson offered to replace it by selling Congress his personal library, one of the finest in the country. In 1815 Congress appropriated $23,950 to buy his 6,487 books. The Jefferson collection became the core of the Library of Congress.
The library serves as the research arm of Congress and the 'storehouse of the national memory.' Unlike many other national libraries, its collection is not for scholars only. Anyone over high school age may use it. It also makes available, via the Internet, millions of files containing digitized versions of its collections. A library of the people, it has become a symbol of American's faith in the Power of Learning."
Other years of note...
April 24,
1704 - The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British North America, is published.
1898 - Spain declares war on the United States in what becomes known as the Spanish-American War.
1980 - An attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran fails; eight soldiers die when a helicopter and transport plane collide in the desert.
---------------
Bennet, William J., Cribb, John T.E.. The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America. 2008. Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, Inc. p. 131.
Poems Vol. 1
One of theirs...
The Centipede
by Ogden Nash
I objurgate the centipede,
A bug we do not really need.
At sleepy-time he beats a path
Straight to the bedroom or the bath.
You always wallop where he’s not,
Or, if he is, he makes a spot.
One of mine...
Summer, Old Friend
by Tait Blanchard
Welcome dear summer,
I'm glad that you're here.
Its been much too long
since we last shared our cheer.
Your warm countenance
has now brightened my day.
I hope now that you've come
you will be here to stay!
The Centipede
by Ogden Nash
I objurgate the centipede,
A bug we do not really need.
At sleepy-time he beats a path
Straight to the bedroom or the bath.
You always wallop where he’s not,
Or, if he is, he makes a spot.
One of mine...
Summer, Old Friend
by Tait Blanchard
Welcome dear summer,
I'm glad that you're here.
Its been much too long
since we last shared our cheer.
Your warm countenance
has now brightened my day.
I hope now that you've come
you will be here to stay!
Monday, April 20, 2009
St. Thomas and the Marine Corps
Ask any Marine what the two most important Latin words to remember are, and they will tell you, "Semper Fidelis," translated, "Always Faithful."
I'll be the first to admit it, I don't always pay 100% attention 100% of the time in Church, however, every now and again I have moments of concentration, and I do pick up a thing or two. Having said that, last night at Mass, the Homily stuck out to me. The Gospel reading was from John, about the Apostles locked in the room after Jesus's resurrection, frightened for their lives. Jesus appeared to them, "Though the door was locked" and showed them his wounds and said "Let the Spirit be upon you, yadda, yadda, yadda" (If you question the legitimacy of the quote, let me remind you, He was Jewish). Later, Thomas, the only Apostle absent from the miracle, was told of the happenings. He replied, "Yeah, right, and let me guess, Pontius came and said, 'It wasn't my fault,' right?" However, Jesus then appeared to Thomas so that he could believe, and that concluded the story.
Now, I always thought that the term "Doubting Thomas" meant that Thomas, when informed of Jesus' return, said, "B.S. No way he came back to life. He's dead, deader than dead, you were there John, you saw him die, He's breathed his last, quit, kaput," and it wasn't until he actually saw Jesus with his own eyes that he believed.
However, if one reads between the lines, this is not in fact, the case. Lets ask ourselves, "Where was Thomas when Jesus made his appearance? Was he out picking up the Chinese food to bring back to the other Apostles? Was he out for a stroll waiting for the Romans to come and kill him? Was he singin' gangsta and rollin' fatties down at Club Golgotha?" I think not. Before he died, Jesus told his Apostles to spread his word and bring the good news to the masses. Thomas was the only one following directions! He was the only one out in the streets preaching and telling all who would listen of the man he had come to know as the Messiah! He was spreading the Gospel!
When he heard from the other Apostles that Jesus came to them and said, "Hey, it's me! I'm here, in the flesh! Go spread my word," Of course Thomas said, "Yeah, suuure He did." What Thomas doubted and couldn't believe was that even having seen Jesus post-resurrection, the Apostles were still locked in the room! I'm sure he must have gone Ape-poop on them saying, "What are you still doing here?!?" What Thomas meant when he said, "Until I put my fingers into the holes of this hands, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe," what he was actually saying was, "Until I see for myself what you saw, I will not believe that you saw him too, because if you had, you'd be out there with me, spreading the good news."
Thomas never for a moment doubted Jesus' return. He never once thought that his Lord had abandoned him. That, my friends, is the true meaning of Semper Fidelis.
For a brief explanation of the phrase, "Semper Fi" and the United States Marine Corps, go here.
I'll be the first to admit it, I don't always pay 100% attention 100% of the time in Church, however, every now and again I have moments of concentration, and I do pick up a thing or two. Having said that, last night at Mass, the Homily stuck out to me. The Gospel reading was from John, about the Apostles locked in the room after Jesus's resurrection, frightened for their lives. Jesus appeared to them, "Though the door was locked" and showed them his wounds and said "Let the Spirit be upon you, yadda, yadda, yadda" (If you question the legitimacy of the quote, let me remind you, He was Jewish). Later, Thomas, the only Apostle absent from the miracle, was told of the happenings. He replied, "Yeah, right, and let me guess, Pontius came and said, 'It wasn't my fault,' right?" However, Jesus then appeared to Thomas so that he could believe, and that concluded the story.
Now, I always thought that the term "Doubting Thomas" meant that Thomas, when informed of Jesus' return, said, "B.S. No way he came back to life. He's dead, deader than dead, you were there John, you saw him die, He's breathed his last, quit, kaput," and it wasn't until he actually saw Jesus with his own eyes that he believed.
However, if one reads between the lines, this is not in fact, the case. Lets ask ourselves, "Where was Thomas when Jesus made his appearance? Was he out picking up the Chinese food to bring back to the other Apostles? Was he out for a stroll waiting for the Romans to come and kill him? Was he singin' gangsta and rollin' fatties down at Club Golgotha?" I think not. Before he died, Jesus told his Apostles to spread his word and bring the good news to the masses. Thomas was the only one following directions! He was the only one out in the streets preaching and telling all who would listen of the man he had come to know as the Messiah! He was spreading the Gospel!
When he heard from the other Apostles that Jesus came to them and said, "Hey, it's me! I'm here, in the flesh! Go spread my word," Of course Thomas said, "Yeah, suuure He did." What Thomas doubted and couldn't believe was that even having seen Jesus post-resurrection, the Apostles were still locked in the room! I'm sure he must have gone Ape-poop on them saying, "What are you still doing here?!?" What Thomas meant when he said, "Until I put my fingers into the holes of this hands, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe," what he was actually saying was, "Until I see for myself what you saw, I will not believe that you saw him too, because if you had, you'd be out there with me, spreading the good news."
Thomas never for a moment doubted Jesus' return. He never once thought that his Lord had abandoned him. That, my friends, is the true meaning of Semper Fidelis.
For a brief explanation of the phrase, "Semper Fi" and the United States Marine Corps, go here.
Yanni, not Yawni
Holy Greek Cows, Batman! I absolutely loved the Yanni Voices performance! I took my dear mother on April 18 to the Gwinett Arena to see Yanni Voices live, and I can't even begin to describe the beauty in the presentation of his music, the performers or the show. I wish there was a way to capture the feeling the show created within in me and put it on a DVD so I could go back and watch it and experience it over and over again. If you get a chance to see this once in a lifetime performance as many times as possible, do it, you won't be dissatisfied!
http://www.yanni.com/index.aspx
http://www.yanni.com/index.aspx
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