Saturday, November 19, 2005
Bombings Kill Nearly 50 Around Baghdad...
A man was seen crying as the coffin of his mother was carried away... She had been among the thirteen killed by a car bomb explosion at a market place just outside Baghdad...
That is nothing though - a suicide bomber made three times as many victims today during a Shiite funeral procession just north of Baghdad... That attack is estimated to have made thus thirty-six victims; and to have wounded approximatively fifty more.
There will never be an end to this.
Just as surely as there will never be an end to cupidity... stupidity (in certain particular individuals especially)... foolishness... various senseless hatreds... selfishness... and countless more regrettable human traits...
Just as surely too... as there will never be an end to evil.
That is - until Judgment Day.
Things will change RADICALLY then... completely, totally and permanently.
However... until that day... things will remain as rotten as they are.
So is humankind's lot.
We made our bed - we have to lie in it.
The Faithful have victory guaranteed to them though.
Friday, November 18, 2005
enter the light
Alas, so many out there are stubbornly stuck in the dark - by their own design and fully of their own will... Some say that such a status quo is the natural order of things - the ultimate equilibrium. Ying and Yang... right? Some Tang with that? I say -evidently- enough with that nonsense! We are all shades of grey now - but ultimately we will have to choose. Either we will go towards the Light - and the Truth - or we will remain in the dark... choking up on our fears, lies and sins. THE CHOICE IS OURS. Make the RIGHT ONE - folks!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Travel LIGHT... truly luminous advice!
If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. - Glenn Clark
Glenn Clark... *the* Glenn Clark that I think said that? Maybe not... hmm? Let's check on that right now - shall we? After all...
Clarity is a great thing to have - and one does not need to work for Clarica to know that!
There is a Glenn Clark who received a diploma in Fine Arts (with distinction) from the Okanagan College in 1988, and his BFA from the University of Calgary, in 1991. After graduation, he moved to Penticton where he continues to run his studio and work at the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan. THAT is definitely NOT the Glenn Clark in question here... (he does terrific likenesses of hockey legends, mind you...! Many Canadiens in there... but all the great Bruins too! Oh... and one Golden Jet too!).
It definitely is not this Glenn Clark!
So then we are left to look towards... the one with the doctorate! The Dr. Glenn Clark who donated a collection of his work to the University of Iowa Libraries in 1952 and authored "The Third Front" (through the paths of faith, hope and love) - a book co-authored really by Glenn Clark, Starr Daily and Glenn Harding, (a hard cover, copyrighted in 1944, 232 pages long, and truly a very rare title to find to be authored by both Glenn Clark and Starr Daily). A true humanitarian, this Glenn Clark actually also helped Alcoholics Anonymous get started in Minnesota. (As a matter of fact, Clark and Starr are both popular writers with A.A. members.)
This Glenn Clark is the one!
And I thought the quote belonged to an obscure folk singer originally... *lol*!
Aye, indeed - clarity and comprehension are a must sometimes... And the wisdom in that most quotable of all quotes is undeniable! Blessings!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Proverbs 13:20
It is pure common sense as it is also indisputable logic - he who is in the company of wise men shall become wise; while he who is in the company of fools shall ultimately be destroyed. Throughout history we have seen repeated examples of that. And history is permanently repeated...
It was foolish - though exciting and exhilirating, surely - to stand up to the Roman Empire for instance... And yet, so many did... Vercingétorix, the Gaul... the dwellers of Masada... some of the messianic Judaeans... and they all died in the process of their insurgence and "self-affirmation"...
It was foolish - though quite right and even heroic - for missionaries to take up the indigenous peoples' side up against Spanish colonizers in South America (any country will do - outside of the huge chunk of it that belonged to the Portuguese and which became... Brazil, of course! :) And, sure enough, the missionaries paid the high price too for their brand of bravery.
In an entirely different order though, it is foolish to stand by and support ineptitude such as... the current occupant of the White House! What does it get you, if you are a soldier? You could be killed in a senseless "war on terror". And if you are his political aide, your career is as good as dead too... Once he is out, so will you be. Who would want to recuperate the assistants of incompetence?
No, quite frankly, it does not pay to be around fools... And from where do we get that apparently discriminating pearl of wisdom?
Take a wild guess...
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20)
It was foolish - though exciting and exhilirating, surely - to stand up to the Roman Empire for instance... And yet, so many did... Vercingétorix, the Gaul... the dwellers of Masada... some of the messianic Judaeans... and they all died in the process of their insurgence and "self-affirmation"...
It was foolish - though quite right and even heroic - for missionaries to take up the indigenous peoples' side up against Spanish colonizers in South America (any country will do - outside of the huge chunk of it that belonged to the Portuguese and which became... Brazil, of course! :) And, sure enough, the missionaries paid the high price too for their brand of bravery.
In an entirely different order though, it is foolish to stand by and support ineptitude such as... the current occupant of the White House! What does it get you, if you are a soldier? You could be killed in a senseless "war on terror". And if you are his political aide, your career is as good as dead too... Once he is out, so will you be. Who would want to recuperate the assistants of incompetence?
No, quite frankly, it does not pay to be around fools... And from where do we get that apparently discriminating pearl of wisdom?
Take a wild guess...
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
odds and ends... and odd ends...
The FDA approved two drugs on this date historically - sort of twin pharmaceutical bastards are they - Valium in 1963 and Halcion in 1982. The latter is described as a "chemical substance used to reduce tension and anxiety and induce calm (sedative effect) or to induce sleep (hypnotic effect). Also called a sedative-hypnotic drug". Hmm... "Most such drugs exert a quieting or calming effect at low doses and a sleep-inducing effect in larger doses. Sedative-hypnotic drugs tend to depress the central nervous system. (...) these actions can be obtained with other drugs, such as opiates (...)" Yes... the FDA knows what we need, don't they? I wonder why in blue blazes the legalization of marijuana is such a huge polemic in that case... oh yeah, of course - giant pharmaceutical mega-companies don't see it with a gentle eye that people can produce their very own homemade drugs - there is no money in it for THEM! See if I care though - I make use of exactly NONE of these "products" - my drugs are herbal teas, The Word and, on occasion, caffeine - the old fashioned way! The FDA can keep their recommendations for all I care...! ;)
Did you know that, this past November 1st (what we have as the Day of All Saints now - not merely All Hallows), Death was in action live on television? Best Mate, an award-winning Irish racehorse only 10 years of age (although that is rather old enough for a horse), died of a heart attack while racing in front of millions of television viewers. On November 3rd, Franck Kangundu and his wife Helene Paka, both Congolese political journalists, were assassinated on the eve of the elections there. Some countries will simply never get democracy right... On the 4th of this month, Afghan poet and journalist Nadia Anjuman was found dead in her home in the western city of Herat. It was reported that she died as a result of injuries to her head. Her husband, according to police, has confessed to battering her but not to killing her. Anjuman was 25 years-old and is survived by her six-month-old daughter.
Eddie Guerrero was not the only 38 year-old to die so prematurely this month - Minako Honda, a Japanese pop singer, was the exact same age when she passed on, nine short days ago. She had been diagnosed with myelocytic leukemia in January 2005 and died in Tokyo on November 6, 2005. She was single at the time of her death.
Not all November deaths are so sad or deplorable - five convicted murderers have been executed so far this month (two in Texas - what a surprise). That is... hoping that all five were truly guilty and not one of them was a miscarriage of justice too many...
Really - it's a sad world we live in - especially when one has not FAITH to lean back on... and thinks that there is nothing else beyond... this.
Trust me - there is lots more beyond this life... indubitably!
Eddie Guerrero knew so much (and it was a relief to see that so many other sports entertainers -such as Shawn Michaels, for one- know that too) and so do I.
Did you know that, this past November 1st (what we have as the Day of All Saints now - not merely All Hallows), Death was in action live on television? Best Mate, an award-winning Irish racehorse only 10 years of age (although that is rather old enough for a horse), died of a heart attack while racing in front of millions of television viewers. On November 3rd, Franck Kangundu and his wife Helene Paka, both Congolese political journalists, were assassinated on the eve of the elections there. Some countries will simply never get democracy right... On the 4th of this month, Afghan poet and journalist Nadia Anjuman was found dead in her home in the western city of Herat. It was reported that she died as a result of injuries to her head. Her husband, according to police, has confessed to battering her but not to killing her. Anjuman was 25 years-old and is survived by her six-month-old daughter.
Eddie Guerrero was not the only 38 year-old to die so prematurely this month - Minako Honda, a Japanese pop singer, was the exact same age when she passed on, nine short days ago. She had been diagnosed with myelocytic leukemia in January 2005 and died in Tokyo on November 6, 2005. She was single at the time of her death.
Not all November deaths are so sad or deplorable - five convicted murderers have been executed so far this month (two in Texas - what a surprise). That is... hoping that all five were truly guilty and not one of them was a miscarriage of justice too many...
Really - it's a sad world we live in - especially when one has not FAITH to lean back on... and thinks that there is nothing else beyond... this.
Trust me - there is lots more beyond this life... indubitably!
Eddie Guerrero knew so much (and it was a relief to see that so many other sports entertainers -such as Shawn Michaels, for one- know that too) and so do I.
Monday, November 14, 2005
post-mortem
Extraordinary circumstances always make for opportunities to recant on some decisions - or to make a one-time exception. Such as here and now; the passing of another entertainer whose athleticism was remarkable - but he battled demons that would ultimately not only dog him throughout his career but put an end to his life far too prematurely.
The man was a mere few years older than I - and, like several others who rose to prominence for the masses in the old WCW, he is found dead in his hotel room while in the employ of the WWE. Drug usage was one of the demons Eddie Guerrero faced - mayhaps, like Brian Pillman before him (a wrestler with the same diminutive build and sharpness in the ring) his body could not take any longer the combined taxation of the grind of a wrestling schedule and the abuse of substance usage - that, ironically, was meant to allow him to endure.
His signature finishing move - the frogsplash - was nothing short of spectacular. Realistically, though, after so many frogsplashes his own body must have been feeling the toll of them all - not his opponents' bodies. For those who have never seen Eddie in action - his WCW days are immortalized here below... alas the animation is gone from the image (Blogger truly does not like GIF images). So, I suggest going to my *luminous space* which I use primarily as an images repository - the album titled "luminous art & lesser art" contains the fully animated replica of the image below... (I do hope I am not going into excess with this luminous thematic of mine now...!).
Mr. Guerrero was a believer - and I had never known that about him. I hoped he was. Many are those who say that only in our living years can we make the choice - to accept The Lord as Our Saviour. I would like to theorize that the souls of the deceased have a chance at redemption too - a tardy one, but there should always be time. As the saying goes - it is never too late to do the right thing. Appearances seemed to suggest that Eddie was not exactly religiously devoted so to speak - but even his ring persona (whose habit was to lie, cheat and steal - nothing less) displayed that he was a family man - somehow! Those who knew him better could tell with greater accuracy just how much of a believer he was - and the fact that he quoted from the Bible with frequency speaks for itself. Beyond all that - the fact remains obvious; Eddie Guerrero was a child of God - and I had always hoped that he had God in his life. We hope people who die unexpectedly do, when we hardly know them. And of course I only knew Eddie as a wresler. He surely did not expect to exit this world now (as he was scheduled to sneak up on the reigning champion yet again and probably snatch another championship victory - as when he defeated the invincible gargantuan Brock Lesnar - when no one else had managed to before). None of us know when we will make our exits - many such departures are premature and sudden demises. Having God in our lives is therefore imperative - call it, if you are lukewarm in your faith, the ultimate safety net. You have nothing to lose in believing - and all to gain!
The following should have been read by Eddie - and should be read by any one of us - those who believe need the reminder - and anybody who does not fully believe... needs it now. I am not the author of it - as it is, the author is... Anonymous.
Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes
YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be
completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant
you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any
inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little
to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines.
1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?
2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:
Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until! you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.
3. TRUST ME:
Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials.
Problems with the kids? Put them on My list.
Problem with finances? Put it on My list.
Problems with your emotional roller coaster?
For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you.
All you have to do is ask.
4. LEAVE IT ALONE:
Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much
stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started?
Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.
5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you
crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget.
Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU!
I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life.
I want to hear you talk about your friends and family.
Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me.
I want to be your dearest friend.
6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where o are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me.
Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you
have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?
7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were only two years old.
When did you forget? That rule still applies.
Share with those who are less fortunate than you.
Share your joy with those who need encouragement.
Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a
long time.
Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry.
Share your faith with those who have none.
8. BE PATIENT:
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have
children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to
so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so
much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list?
Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.
9. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake.
I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.
10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return.
I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors.
But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.
Don't ever forget......
Be a blessing to someone with your love.
Rather than focus upon the thorns of life, smell the roses and count YOUR blessings.
Blessings! ;)
Link
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Statistics Sundays Begins (what - again? Are you Batty?) *lol*
Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans. WOW... so that would be why I like tigers so much - and always have, as a little boy even! I had not adopted Edith Wharton's quote as my motto yet - but I would eventually! "To Reflect The Light" as a mirror - as surely as the moon reflects the sun too... and tigers can easily hunt by moonlight with the superior eyesight that they have! Amazing isn't it - when it all comes together and fits together like this! Luminous connections at their very BEST...! Ok, now... next!
If tigers, as a group, are known as an "ambush"... and lions are a "pride"... what are tigers waiting for to ambush one by one those vain, proud-for-no-good-reason lazy fat cats that are only .allegedly. royalty anyway...?!? (If I was a beast -now, not THE Beast; I loathe 666, I cannot cast myself as him!- I certainly would not recognize the lion and lioness as king and queen of the beasts... ha, never! So... if I was a beast, I would NEVER "elect into office" a lying Lion... unlike what most people do, apparently! Much less CROWN him! I would vote Tiger... or even Rhino! That is actually a nod to an old spoof political party up in Québec, Canada called... le Parti Rhinocéros! But that is another story entirely - evidently!). Next!
Tigers, lions, leopards, panthers, jaguars, and cougars cannot purr when inhaling because of their cartilagenous hyoid bone (attached to the vocal cord). This is the feature that allows these cats to roar. And, while we're talking anatomical details -all about a cat's tongue now... Ever heard the expression cat got your tongue? Of course you have... The expression no one has ever heard of is the opposite - if we got the cat's tongue! Although it is tempting to tie a cat's tongue once in a while - it is not advisable, no. No animal cruelty please (even though animals reserve the right to be cruel amongst themselves). My cat meows too much though, admittedly - he is a member of Meowers Anonymous - but that is another story as well! Back to the core subject here... The human tongue is really next to nothing compared to the cat's! For a cat's tongue is covered with *hooks* which act as combs in grooming the fur and as small cups when the cats drink. In larger cats, the hooks are bigger and are also used to scrape meat off the bones of prey! Yikes! The cats must never *literally* get *near* our tongues - or any other vital parts of *our* anatomy! Yuck... enough of that brand of gore now... Next!
India has the most tigers in the world. Pakistan, take heed of that!
According to the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for a New American Dream, over 535 million trees and more than 12 billion gallons of oil are used to produce the nearly 31.5 million tons of paper that Americans use every year. And more than 90% of our printing and writing paper comes from trees, not recycled paper. We could be doing a lot better at saving our trees! Read about these myths and facts about recycled paper, so that you will be informed and can make better decisions when you next purchase paper for your home or office.
Quick Facts on Paper now:
Americans use approximately 31.5 million tons of printing and writing paper each year. To produce that paper, over 535 million trees and more than 12 billion gallons of oil are used.
In the United States, more than 90 percent of the printing and writing paper comes from virgin tree fiber (fiber that comes from trees, not recycled paper).
Nearly half the trees cut in North America are used for papermaking.
U.S. pulp mills consume 12,430 square miles of forests around the world each year, roughly an area the size of Maryland.
Nearly 80% of the world's original old growth forests (the world's older forests, characterized by large, old trees, including dead snags and fallen trees that provide wildlife habitat) have already been logged or severely degraded, and in the United States we have lost 95% or our old growth forests.
Waste of paper is once again upon us, with the holiday season fast approaching - a mere 41 days away now - take preventive action this year - now - here.
If tigers, as a group, are known as an "ambush"... and lions are a "pride"... what are tigers waiting for to ambush one by one those vain, proud-for-no-good-reason lazy fat cats that are only .allegedly. royalty anyway...?!? (If I was a beast -now, not THE Beast; I loathe 666, I cannot cast myself as him!- I certainly would not recognize the lion and lioness as king and queen of the beasts... ha, never! So... if I was a beast, I would NEVER "elect into office" a lying Lion... unlike what most people do, apparently! Much less CROWN him! I would vote Tiger... or even Rhino! That is actually a nod to an old spoof political party up in Québec, Canada called... le Parti Rhinocéros! But that is another story entirely - evidently!). Next!
Tigers, lions, leopards, panthers, jaguars, and cougars cannot purr when inhaling because of their cartilagenous hyoid bone (attached to the vocal cord). This is the feature that allows these cats to roar. And, while we're talking anatomical details -all about a cat's tongue now... Ever heard the expression cat got your tongue? Of course you have... The expression no one has ever heard of is the opposite - if we got the cat's tongue! Although it is tempting to tie a cat's tongue once in a while - it is not advisable, no. No animal cruelty please (even though animals reserve the right to be cruel amongst themselves). My cat meows too much though, admittedly - he is a member of Meowers Anonymous - but that is another story as well! Back to the core subject here... The human tongue is really next to nothing compared to the cat's! For a cat's tongue is covered with *hooks* which act as combs in grooming the fur and as small cups when the cats drink. In larger cats, the hooks are bigger and are also used to scrape meat off the bones of prey! Yikes! The cats must never *literally* get *near* our tongues - or any other vital parts of *our* anatomy! Yuck... enough of that brand of gore now... Next!
India has the most tigers in the world. Pakistan, take heed of that!
According to the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for a New American Dream, over 535 million trees and more than 12 billion gallons of oil are used to produce the nearly 31.5 million tons of paper that Americans use every year. And more than 90% of our printing and writing paper comes from trees, not recycled paper. We could be doing a lot better at saving our trees! Read about these myths and facts about recycled paper, so that you will be informed and can make better decisions when you next purchase paper for your home or office.
Quick Facts on Paper now:
Americans use approximately 31.5 million tons of printing and writing paper each year. To produce that paper, over 535 million trees and more than 12 billion gallons of oil are used.
In the United States, more than 90 percent of the printing and writing paper comes from virgin tree fiber (fiber that comes from trees, not recycled paper).
Nearly half the trees cut in North America are used for papermaking.
U.S. pulp mills consume 12,430 square miles of forests around the world each year, roughly an area the size of Maryland.
Nearly 80% of the world's original old growth forests (the world's older forests, characterized by large, old trees, including dead snags and fallen trees that provide wildlife habitat) have already been logged or severely degraded, and in the United States we have lost 95% or our old growth forests.
Waste of paper is once again upon us, with the holiday season fast approaching - a mere 41 days away now - take preventive action this year - now - here.