the luminous blog

Boston could own the whole damn NHL...
And Bin Laden wants some more action...

Bin... sorry... Bain Capital Punishment... sorry... Capital Partners LLC and Game Plan LLC concocted their "NHL takeover" machiavellian plans about the same time our man Osama there was pondering his own brand of takeover (or merely mayhem-spreading) plans... Coincidence?
Most assuredly.
But it is fun to mock the big money makers' moves in juxtaposition to the fanatics' own manigances...
To buy the NHL for 3 billion plus NOW is truly foolish (the NHL is DEAD people!) - although I would like to see BOSTON control the entire league - if that's what it takes to give the Bruins a decent chance to fulfill the potential of Shoeless Joe Thornton and Sergei "I met my Delilah" Samsonov...
As for Osama, attacking a prepared USA now makes as much sense as seeing a fleet of kamikaze mosquitoes launching a campaign against an elephant whose trunk is full of water and ready to spurt them all into oblivion...

because I am sicker than a poor pooch abandoned by the side of the road right now... (I just KNOW that SOMEBODY's gonna be happy about that...!!! *LOL*)

WORDS TO LIVE BY
Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.
If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
Never buy a car you can't push.
Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you don't have a leg to stand on.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?
If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty,
some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but all
have to learn to live in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

Have an awesome day, and know that someone has thought about you today.

I 18
Par la discorde negligence Gauloise,
Sera passage à Mahommet ouuert
De sang trempé la terre & mer Senoyse
Le port Phocen de voiles & nefs couuert.

Because of French discord and negligence
an opening shall be given to the Mohammedans.
The land and sea of Siena will be soaked in blood,
and the port of Marseilles covered with ships and sails.

HMM... NOT SURE WHAT CENTURY THIS APPLIES TO (ALTHOUGH, FOR THE RECORD, WE ARE STILL IN BOOK ONE - CENTURY ONE - OF NOSTRADAMUS's FAMED QUATRAINS...) BUT REALLY - THIS SAYS IT ALL... NO MATTER WHAT TIME, WHAT ERA YOU WILL LIVE IN - YOU COULD ALWAYS BLAME IT ON THE FRENCH! *LOL*


I 19
Lors que Serpens viendront à circuir l'are
Le sang Troyen vexé par les Espagnes,
Par eux grans nombre en sera faicte rare,
Chef fuit, caché aux mares dans les saignes.

When the snakes surround the altar,
and the Trojan blood is troubled by the Spanish.
Because of them, a great number will be lessened.
The leader flees, hidden in the swampy marshes.

NOT SURE WHAT POSSIBLE IMPORTANCE CAN BE LENT TO THEM SPANIARD BASTARDS, BUT SURELY THIS TELLS OF ANOTHER FINE TIME WHEN GLOBAL OVERPOPULATION WILL SIMPLY NOT BE A CONCERN FOR ANOTHER WHILE LONGER...

I 20
Tours, Orleans, Bloys, Angers, Reims, Nantes,
Citez vexez par subit changement,
Par langues estranges seront tendues tentes
Fleuues, dards, renes, terre & mer tremblement

The cities of Tours, Orleans, Blois, Angers, Reims and Nantes
are troubled by sudden change.
Tents will be pitched by (people) of foreign tongues;
rivers, darts at Rennes, shaking of land and sea.

SOME MAJOR INVASION... LIKELY FROM THEM PESKY BARBARIAN HORDES...! AH, THOSE DAMN BARBARIANS... HARDER TO GET RID OF THAN EVEN ROACHES... BUT I DIGRESS... THIS DOES NOT CONCERN OUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE... NOT EVEN OUR DISTANT FUTURE... THIS IS THE PAST!


I 21
Profonde argille blanche nourrir rocher
Qui d'vn abysme y stra lacticineuse :
En vain troubles ne l'oseront toucher,
Ignorans estre au fond terre arguilleuse.

The rock holds in its depths white clay
which will come out milk-white from a cleft
Needlessly troubled people will not dare touch it,
unaware that the foundation of the earth is of clay.

I ALWAYS KNEW THAT THE ROCK WAS NOT WORTH ALL THE HOOPLA SURROUNDING HIM - NO WRESTLER TURNED ACTOR EVER IS... *LOL*
SO - HE WOULD BE LIKE... MICHAEL JACKSON... COLOURLESS. AND THE CAREER WILL HIT... ROCK BOTTOM - GO SIX FEET UNDER...? SEEMS TO ME THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS HERE... I COULD BE WRONG...

I 22
Ce que viura & n'ayant aucun sens,
Viendra leser à mort son artifice.
Authun, Chaalon, Langres & les deux Sens,
La gresle & glace fera grand malefice.

A thing existing without any senses
will cause its own end to happen through artifice.
At Autun, Chalan, Langres and the two Sens
there will be great damage from hail and ice.

HAIL... AND AN ICE STORM? NOW YOU'RE TALKING... I SURVIVED THE 1998 ICE STORM WHERE I AM AT... MAYBE I WON'T SURVIVE THE NEXT ONE...?!? *YIKES!* AS FOR THE THING THAT EXISTS WITHOUT ANY SENSE(S)... THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, MAYHAPS...?!?

I 23
Au maoys troisiesme se leuant du Soleil,
Sanglier, Liepard au champ Mars pour combattre
Liepard laissé, au ciel extend son œil,
Vn Aigle autour du solei voir s'esbatre.

In the third month, at sunrise,
the Boar and the Leopard meet on the battlefield.
The fatigued Leopard looks up to heaven
and sees an eagle playing around the sun.

A BOAR AND A LEOPARD WANT TO RUMBLE...?!? HMM... REALLY GOING OUT ON A LIMB HERE... INDIA AND PAKISTAN?!? AND THE USA SOARS OVERHEARD... LIKE AN EAGLE... OR A VULTURE NOW?


I 24
A Cité neufue pensif pour condamner,
L'oysel de proye au ciel, se vient offrir
Apres victoire à captifs pardonner,
Cremone & Mantoue grand maux aura à souffrir.

At the New City he is thoughtful to condemn;
the bird of prey offers himself to the Gods.
After victory he pardons his captives.
At Cremona and Mantua great hardships will be suffered.

NEW YORK WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO CONDEMN ANYBODY... NOTE THAT "THE GODS" TRANSLATION IS QUITE A STRETCH FROM THE FRENCH ORIGINAL, THAT MERELY SPEAKS OF THE HEAVENS ("CIEL" = SKY... SKIES ABOVE...). SURELY THIS BIRD OF PREY IS, AGAIN, THE USA... THE CONDEMNER AND GREAT PARDONER... AND PRETENDER! WHO WILL CAUSE MORE HARDSHIPS SOMEWHERE... WHAT A SURPRISE...

I 25
Perdu, trouué, caché de si long siecle,
Sera pasteur demy Dieu honoré,
Ains que la Lune acheue son grand cycle,
Par autres vieux sera deshonoré.

The lost thing is discovered, hidden for many centuries.
Pasteur will be celebrated almost as a God-like figure.
This is when the moon completes her great cycle,
but by other rumors he shall be dishonored.

AH - A TREASURE HUNT! WHAT WILL IT BE THAT WILL BE DISCOVERED, PRAY TELL? THE HOLY GRAIL? THE ARK OF THE COVENANT? EXCALIBUR? ATLANTIS... ?!? TIS VERILY THE LATEST RAGE IN HOLLYWOOD TOO - MOVIES ABOUT LOST TREASURES (THAT SIC NIC CAGE RECENT VEHICLE... THIS SAHARA PIECE OF ROTTEN CELLULOID COMING OUT SHORTLY...). WHOEVER FINDS IT AND CLAIMS IT AS HIS OWN IS DOOMED TO FIND AN ALMOST-AS-DREADFUL END AS THE TUTANKHAMEN SWEEPSTAKES WINNER... *LOL* (OK - DISHONOR IS NOT SO BAD - WHEN COMPARED TO A CURSE!).

I 26
Le grand du foudre tombe d'heure diurne,
Mal & predit par porteur postulaire,
Suyuant presage tombe d'heure nocturne
Conflit, Reims, Londres, Etrusque pestfere.

The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt.
An evil deed, foretold by the bearer of a petition.
According to the prediction another falls at night time.
Conflict at Reims, London, and pestilence in Tuscany.

HMM... MORE OMINOUS STUFF... SURELY, THERE MUST BE A TON OF ANTI-DUBYA PETITIONS OUT THERE... EH? SURELY ONE OF THE INITIATORS OF SAID PETITIONS WISHED DUBYA DEAD OR SOMETHING... SURELY IT IS WITHIN THE REALM OF REMOTE POSSIBILITIES THAT LIGHTNING WILL STRIKE THE DUMB@$$ DOWN (I MEAN - GREAT MAN DOWN - OF COURSE)... SURELY...
AND, MEANWHILE, WAR AND PESTILENCE -TWO OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN- HARD AT WORK AGAIN...


I 28
La tour de Bouq craindra fuste Barbare
Vn temps, long temps apres barque hesperique,
Bestail, gens, meubles tuous deux ferot grand'tare
Taurus & Libra quelle mortelle picque.

Tobruk will fear the barbarian fleet for a time,
then much later the Western fleet.
Cattle, people, possessions, all will be quite lost.
What a deadly combat in Taurus and Libra.

TOBRUK IS A TOWER... THIS ONE REEKS OF THE MIDDLE-AGES... BUT I LIKE THE LAST LINE THERE - BEING A TAURUS AND ALL... WHAT LIBRA WOULD DARE TAKE ME ON NOW...? *LOL*

I 29
Quand le poisson terrestre, & aquatique
Par forte vague au grauier sera mis,
Sa forme estrange, suaue & horrifique,
Par mer aux murs bien tost les ennemys.

When the fish that travels over both land and sea
is cast up on to the shore by a great wave,
its shape foreign, smooth and frightful.
From the sea the enemies soon reach the walls.

WOW - COULD THIS ONE BE ABOUT... ATLANTIS INDEED?!?
OR, MUCH MORE MUNDANE INDEED, ANOTHER NAVY S.E.A.L.S. HOME INVASION SOMEWHERE, WHERE THE USA DON'T BELONG...!!!

I 30
La nef estrange par le tourment marin
Abordera pres de port incogneu,
Nonobstant signes du rameau palmerin,
Apres mort, pille, bon auis tard venu.

Because of the storm at sea the foreign ship
will approach an unknown port.
Notwithstanding the signs of the palm branches,
afterwards there is death and pillage. Good advice comes too late.

DOESN'T IT ALWAYS, MIKE...? (Mike... Michel de Nostredame! *lol* Ok - enough for this week... Blessings!).

Sister Lucia Dos Santos, originally of Fatima, Portugal, passed away on the 13th of February, at the ripe old age of 97.

Beyond the fact that she was another near-centenarian... even beyond the fact that she was reputed to be in near-constant contact with the Virgin Mary since the famous apparitions of 1917... it is most amazing that she crossed over... passed on... ascended... on a 13th.

Those in the know, and even casual observers, will note that all of the apparitions as the revelations took place on a 13th... starting with May 13th... 1917.

Modern folklore (of a sort) had it that Sister Lucia was going to live on until the end of days - that she'd only go when the Rapture would take place. But she had never said such things herself - nor had the Virgin reputedly said so either. It was, most likely, a myth initiated by Lucia's admirers - those who believed in every word she'd pass on, as originating from higher on up... The same ones who will push for her canonization now. Doubtful though that it will take place - the current Pope is a fan, but his own days appear to be numbered... and there is no guarantee that the next Pope will be so endeared to the cause. Plus, the process of canonization is a lengthy one...

Hmm... Providence, surely, had me going through my files today and finding a bunch of devotional submissions, semi-fiction (the part that wasn't fictional being the excerpt from the Scriptures...!) that I had prepared for a certain comforting book - none of which got green lit as it turned out, my tone not being deemed to be... soothing enough? I doubt it is acerbic though... Well - you tell me, faithful (the few that art... lol) readers...! One sample follows... the rest -as per usual- in the comments section! Blessings! :)


Theme: your soul`s splendor first!
Title: from the inside out...

Scripture:

MATT. 23:26
Blind Pharisees! FIRST WASH THE INSIDE OF THE CUP, AND THEN THE OUTSIDE WILL BECOME CLEAN, TOO.

Principle:

In a materialistic society, most care only for the appearance of things as people - and not for what matters the most; the soul

Body:

I married my wife because she had a great combination of attributes, quite hard to find these days; something I would call INTEGRAL BEAUTY. Not only did she rival any beauty pageant queen`s external grace and elegance, but she actually nurtured her interior beauty even more. Already a heart of gold reeking of kindness for every living thing, she called upon the Good Lord for guidance constantly. She read God`s Word daily, prayed to Him for everyone`s salvation, begged for mercy for all. And as she lost her figure over the years, I cared not; for she is glowing inside!

I didn't know, though, that Saddam had a half-brother in Syria... This is sounding like Dynasty, Hot Shots Part Trois and M*A*S*H all rolled into one, more and more with each passing day...

That is, if real lives were not being lost in profusion like this.
Newsflash folks: it is NOT just American soldiers either...

Yet, I would be remiss if I did not mention that, despite the seriousness and gravity of the matter, the bomb that killed over one hundred today in Iraq - in direct retaliation to the capture and handing over of Saddam's half-bro - proves one thing... alas... one thing among other far more serious things that is... that one Vincent Kennedy McMahon still has some flair for a good ''story''... He chose to name his latest and most controversial ''rasslin superstar'' Muhammad Hassan... and Saddam's half-bro happens to be named Al-Hassan...!
Shades of Carter the Magician - who chose the name because it was the same name as that of his contemporary, the egyptologist who had unearthed Tutankhamen's treasures...
A coup de maître that translated itself into a resounding success on stage, as Carter -the Magician- toured theaters with his loosely thematic show (he had a mummy on stage... other than that, he did the usual tricks I do believe...).
But I digress... Blessings! :)

Iran has a lot of things going all at once... an earthquake... the American threat... try seeing things from THEIR perspective now, of course... I don't expect everybody to be able to do that though...

Dubya, for his part, is proving to be pretty good at the old bait and switch... lest it is Cheney & co really... *LOL*

Social security reforms basically SUCK... so, pretty soon, the administration tells itself, let's deflect the clueless public's attention with another abstract menace... and abstract war on terrorism campaign! With the short attention spans displayed by most Americans, all the focus (of the media, certainly) will veer towards THAT... and the failings of this administration will go by unnoticed...!!!

Careful though, US of A - you might pick on somebody your own size one of these days... and then what, eh? Next two on the ol' agenda sure are looking to be tough cookies - they can surely put the "axis of evil" on the map... and take the USA off of it maybe...