Saturday, December 30, 2006
Merry Christmas! (continuing the 12 days -or 14 here- of Christmas celebration...)
One last good deed for 2006, they say...Speaking of good deeds then, as I was a couple of days ago, I received this today in my inbox from that certain place in cyber-wonderland and I thought it worthy -for once- of distributing...
Right now in the oat fields of Russia, a mother brown bear comes out of the forest to feed. The bear needs the oat harvest, rich in protein and fat, to survive its upcoming hibernation. Tragically, something more than just a good meal is waiting for the bear.
A shot rings out and the bear falls to the ground, victim to Russia’s annual bear hunt that leaves 3,000 to 4,000 bear cubs killed or orphaned each year. Winter is here and mother bears are being lured from hibernation by barking dogs and then killed, leaving bear cubs alone in a dark den with no chance of survival.
You are their only hope>>
If the cubs are not rescued, they die alone or end up as “pets” or circus props.
Since 1995, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has funded the Orphan Bear Project, run by world-renowned scientist Valentin Pazhetnov. More than 100 Russian bear cubs have been rescued by the Orphan Bear Project. Mr. Pazhetnov’s innovative techniques for raising and rehabilitating bear cubs have resulted in hundreds of bears being successfully released into the wild.
Most bear cubs when rescued weigh only one or two pounds and cannot survive without their mothers. But with your help, these tiny handfuls of fur will grow up to become healthy bears – eventually released into Russia’s protected forests.
The rescued cubs are bottle-fed warm milk formula five times a day, massaged after each feeding, and warmed with special carpets. Voices are never used while working with the cubs and human contact is kept to a minimum, enabling the cubs to successfully return to the wild without becoming tame.
The more contributions IFAW receives, the more cubs we can save>>
In many places in Europe, brown bears are extinct in the wild. The bears being hunted in Russia are from the last healthy brown bear population in the world.
IFAW has already successfully campaigned for a ban on den hunting in three Russian districts and they are pushing hard for federal anti-cruelty legislation in the Russian Parliament. Together, we can make a real difference for these cubs and other animals around the world.
Please help now when the survival of these bear cubs is most at stake>> http://go.care2.com/e/R3Z_/cNiJ/GdUA
Have a happy holidays and a great new year!
Michael Lawley
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
P.S. IFAW currently provides 100 percent of the Orphan Bear Centre’s operational costs, including salaries for the biologists, research equipment, supplies to care for the bears, vehicles for the rough terrain, and the construction of all the buildings. So please contribute today and then forward this email to concerned friends who want to help save these cubs.
Just a few dollars go such a long way to save these cubs:
1 month of infant bear care $25
1 month of formula for baby bear $50
1 week of food for 3 adolescent bears $75
Your Help is Needed to Make Sure This Orphan Cub Survives!
You've let down enough peeps for one year, I suppose - don't let the cubby down too now! I simply suggest to go through the proper channels to do so - go straight to IFAW now - why don't you!
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Friday, December 29, 2006
Merry Christmas! - Day 7 - Luminous Lyricism
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Merry Christmas!
- William Shakespeare
Link
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Merry Christmas!
I just cannot bypass the opportunity to bash certain scaly creatures... You know the types - attorneys, notaries, bankers, doctors, telemarketers, businessmen,
And, oh yeah - dragons/snakes/vipers and the like!
Hence the subject today...
It provoked my ire to learn that the Planetarium around here could not find better fare for Christmas time than a pathetic and quite nonsensically-titled children's "play" about a "celestial dragon"... Here, below, in italics, is the incriminating and revolting evidence (followed by a much better alternative to it... "Lumière" being the operative word, it simply has to be!)
Tandis qu'il joue avec son amie Grande Ourse, Draco, le dragon céleste, s'aperçoit qu'il a perdu son trésor! Ses recherches restant vaines, le roi Céphée et la reine Cassiopée lui suggèrent de demander aux jeunes spectateurs de l'aider à le retrouver. Commence alors une grande tournée des principales constellations qui les mènera jusqu'au ciel de l'hémisphère Sud. Draco retrouvera-t-il ce qu'il cherche. Pour les petits de 4 à 7 ans. Jusqu’au 8 janvier 2007
Saison de lumière
Depuis l'aube de l'humanité, des traditions et des fêtes célèbrent le retour de la lumière au cœur de l'hiver. Mais pourquoi des journées tantôt courtes, tantôt longues et de telles variations climatiques d'une saison à l'autre? Un spectacle tout indiqué pour les vacances de Noël! Tel. (514) 872-4530. Jusqu’au 7 janvier 2007.
Pour consulter l’horaire des spectacles, visitez le site du Planétarium.
Well then, the Planetarium eggheads and assorted dweebs, in their incessant craze bent on making their knowledge (or mere perception of the cosmos...) available to all, have gone too far in their attempts at creative presentations of said knowledge/perception...
It is all "harmless fun", surely, however it is still vehiculating such warped nonsense...
First off, there is no such thing as a "celestial" dragon - the one who used to be celestial and is now a dragon ceased to be celestial in any way the moment he grew scales, horns and claws. The cutesy-wootsy Draco crappy character is meant to make the 4-to-7 year-olds go on a tour of the known galaxies - however, the kids will not reatin half of the scientific stuff and will forever remember that damned Draco dud (until puberty hits them like a ten-wheeler truck careening down the highway of Life, that is...! But that is another story...)
The most annoying aspect of it all though is not the annoying horns on Draco's head or his goofy smile but really the dates during which this horrid spectacle will endure in... From December the 23rd to January the 8th! That's right - longer than the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and longer than my own chosen 14 days of sardonic "Merry Christmas!" posts right here - on TLB Prime!
Quite frankly, it cannot get any more shocking than that as far as "revolting developments" go - as Ben Grimm would surely say...!
I pity the kid whose parents take him or her to see "Draco" in action... A good DVD of classic children's fare (such as *the original* Charlotte's Web, Crossed Swords, Babe and Benji - of course! But also such eclectic picks as The Plague Dogs and even Orca -though not technically "children's fare" per se- could teach the kiddies truly valuable lessons...) - now that would make a whole lot more sense...
Link
And, oh yeah - dragons/snakes/vipers and the like!
Hence the subject today...
It provoked my ire to learn that the Planetarium around here could not find better fare for Christmas time than a pathetic and quite nonsensically-titled children's "play" about a "celestial dragon"... Here, below, in italics, is the incriminating and revolting evidence (followed by a much better alternative to it... "Lumière" being the operative word, it simply has to be!)
Tandis qu'il joue avec son amie Grande Ourse, Draco, le dragon céleste, s'aperçoit qu'il a perdu son trésor! Ses recherches restant vaines, le roi Céphée et la reine Cassiopée lui suggèrent de demander aux jeunes spectateurs de l'aider à le retrouver. Commence alors une grande tournée des principales constellations qui les mènera jusqu'au ciel de l'hémisphère Sud. Draco retrouvera-t-il ce qu'il cherche. Pour les petits de 4 à 7 ans. Jusqu’au 8 janvier 2007
Saison de lumière
Depuis l'aube de l'humanité, des traditions et des fêtes célèbrent le retour de la lumière au cœur de l'hiver. Mais pourquoi des journées tantôt courtes, tantôt longues et de telles variations climatiques d'une saison à l'autre? Un spectacle tout indiqué pour les vacances de Noël! Tel. (514) 872-4530. Jusqu’au 7 janvier 2007.
Pour consulter l’horaire des spectacles, visitez le site du Planétarium.
Well then, the Planetarium eggheads and assorted dweebs, in their incessant craze bent on making their knowledge (or mere perception of the cosmos...) available to all, have gone too far in their attempts at creative presentations of said knowledge/perception...
It is all "harmless fun", surely, however it is still vehiculating such warped nonsense...
First off, there is no such thing as a "celestial" dragon - the one who used to be celestial and is now a dragon ceased to be celestial in any way the moment he grew scales, horns and claws. The cutesy-wootsy Draco crappy character is meant to make the 4-to-7 year-olds go on a tour of the known galaxies - however, the kids will not reatin half of the scientific stuff and will forever remember that damned Draco dud (until puberty hits them like a ten-wheeler truck careening down the highway of Life, that is...! But that is another story...)
The most annoying aspect of it all though is not the annoying horns on Draco's head or his goofy smile but really the dates during which this horrid spectacle will endure in... From December the 23rd to January the 8th! That's right - longer than the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and longer than my own chosen 14 days of sardonic "Merry Christmas!" posts right here - on TLB Prime!
Quite frankly, it cannot get any more shocking than that as far as "revolting developments" go - as Ben Grimm would surely say...!
I pity the kid whose parents take him or her to see "Draco" in action... A good DVD of classic children's fare (such as *the original* Charlotte's Web, Crossed Swords, Babe and Benji - of course! But also such eclectic picks as The Plague Dogs and even Orca -though not technically "children's fare" per se- could teach the kiddies truly valuable lessons...) - now that would make a whole lot more sense...
Link
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Ohh... In my last few posts, I forgot to rundown the full scope of the holidaze that hits us at this time of the year...
Drats.
Oh well - been there, done that!
I direct you to the luminous archives once more - to the time when I "thoroughly analyzed" all the Kwanzaas, Yaldas, Hanukkahs... I only forgot to research Ramadan there, I do believe - but fasting is good for you, so no need to ask why then...!
Also of note: this particularly luminous post, dating back to 2004, where I list my dislikes about this "most jolliest time of the year" - or whatever it is that they call it!
Surely this is Boxing Day-worthy material now - eh?
Now, although I felt like starting early with the sarcastic "Merry Christmas!" posts this year, the actual twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day (of course - as well it should be - duh!) and end way past the over-rated New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, ending therefore (if your basic mathematics are sounder than your overall typically holiday-intoxicated brains) on January 6th! That day might be either the legendary day when the 3 wise men visited, finally, or the day of the infant Christ's baptism (according to Catholic instilled-tradition). Either way, the name affixed to that 12th day of Christmas is splendid indeed; for it is Epiphany!
More on this day, as well as on a variety of other holidays, can be found on the main link offered today - these include Dasara, Diwali (a celebration of the slaughtering of a demon - what's not to love about that, eh?), Earth Day (do we really treat the planet as "holy" one bit though? We pollute it so much... So much for Gaia I suppose... But that is another story!)...
They also have Easter, Halloween (some "holy day" this is - HA!), Hanukkah (how humiliating to be juxtaposed with All-Hallows' Eve, eh?), Independence Day (important historically, yes, but "holy"...? No.), Kwanzaa (ah - here it is again!), Passover, Ramadan, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day and Yom Kippur (but not Yalda?!? Why not? *Waaaaaaaaaaaaugh*).
So then I started two days early with my "Merry Christmases" - that'll give me 14 days of Christmas instead of 12! Yay. Wish I could have more, actually... Or was I unconsciously targeting 13 days there...? Who knows? All I know is that I'll be working four of these upcoming days, still, and that does not make me merry one iota either! But that's another story...
Link
Drats.
Oh well - been there, done that!
I direct you to the luminous archives once more - to the time when I "thoroughly analyzed" all the Kwanzaas, Yaldas, Hanukkahs... I only forgot to research Ramadan there, I do believe - but fasting is good for you, so no need to ask why then...!
Also of note: this particularly luminous post, dating back to 2004, where I list my dislikes about this "most jolliest time of the year" - or whatever it is that they call it!
Surely this is Boxing Day-worthy material now - eh?
Now, although I felt like starting early with the sarcastic "Merry Christmas!" posts this year, the actual twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day (of course - as well it should be - duh!) and end way past the over-rated New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, ending therefore (if your basic mathematics are sounder than your overall typically holiday-intoxicated brains) on January 6th! That day might be either the legendary day when the 3 wise men visited, finally, or the day of the infant Christ's baptism (according to Catholic instilled-tradition). Either way, the name affixed to that 12th day of Christmas is splendid indeed; for it is Epiphany!
More on this day, as well as on a variety of other holidays, can be found on the main link offered today - these include Dasara, Diwali (a celebration of the slaughtering of a demon - what's not to love about that, eh?), Earth Day (do we really treat the planet as "holy" one bit though? We pollute it so much... So much for Gaia I suppose... But that is another story!)...
They also have Easter, Halloween (some "holy day" this is - HA!), Hanukkah (how humiliating to be juxtaposed with All-Hallows' Eve, eh?), Independence Day (important historically, yes, but "holy"...? No.), Kwanzaa (ah - here it is again!), Passover, Ramadan, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day and Yom Kippur (but not Yalda?!? Why not? *Waaaaaaaaaaaaugh*).
So then I started two days early with my "Merry Christmases" - that'll give me 14 days of Christmas instead of 12! Yay. Wish I could have more, actually... Or was I unconsciously targeting 13 days there...? Who knows? All I know is that I'll be working four of these upcoming days, still, and that does not make me merry one iota either! But that's another story...
Link
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
In the last few days, in a local paper time will surely forget, some gent has been listing, one at a time, all of his reasons for NOT celebrating Christmas anymore (11 or 12 they are, in all - eleven, I do believe, even though we allegedly have "twelve days of Christmas" for our true love to give to us... HA!)
Among the enumerated reasons that I caught, one stood out:
he was 11 years-old (probably the reason why he has 11 reasons as well...) and he came home from school one day to learn that his dad had been taken away urgently to the hospital - his dad had suffered stroke, was in a deep coma and was hooked up to a respirator, teetering on the edge of life... His teacher had told his class that day, fittingly, that if one who was pure of heart prayed fervently and with true faith in order to obtain a favor, God would surely heed his plea. The author of this piece states then that he had figured, back then, in his tiny eleven year-old intellect, that there could be no purer heart around than his (different times, y'know...) and so, certainly, his prayer would be heeded... And so, for the next few days (perhaps more than eleven - again, different times... Nowadays, you're lucky to get 6 days on a respirator if you have no other "connections"...) the little boy prayed fervently...
The author does not relate the rest of the story - but one can guess the inevitable outcome there... eh?
What the author of that series of reasons to detach oneself from, truly, a commercial fest rather than a religious celebration of The Truth, seems to have forgotten or outright bypassed completely there is that God rapatriates his children - and those he summons back are really BETTER OFF...
He confuses earthly interpretations of what Christmas should be like with what it really should be all about...
He mixes and matches, blends altogether all of that stuff (one of his other main reasons being the "santa lie" told to kids over and over again...) and comes out at the other end with his "commandments" as to why he and whoever is like him should not celebrate this time of the year...
I do not falter in logic this way...
I do not blame God for human errors such as lies, hypocrisy, evil deeds...
I do not blame God for the wages of sin either - not to say that those who die or are ill are greater sinners than others though - we are ALL sinners, only in different degrees... The healthy ones will take ill and die too... Worse still, for them, the wages of sin could be worse for the true meaning of "wages of sin" is the death of one's soul... Beware, healthy sinners out there...
I do not even blame God for death - for we brought this upon ourselves... Death was not God's Will for us.
I do not celebrate Christmas for very different, yet strangely similar, illuminated reasons here...
See?
Link
Among the enumerated reasons that I caught, one stood out:
he was 11 years-old (probably the reason why he has 11 reasons as well...) and he came home from school one day to learn that his dad had been taken away urgently to the hospital - his dad had suffered stroke, was in a deep coma and was hooked up to a respirator, teetering on the edge of life... His teacher had told his class that day, fittingly, that if one who was pure of heart prayed fervently and with true faith in order to obtain a favor, God would surely heed his plea. The author of this piece states then that he had figured, back then, in his tiny eleven year-old intellect, that there could be no purer heart around than his (different times, y'know...) and so, certainly, his prayer would be heeded... And so, for the next few days (perhaps more than eleven - again, different times... Nowadays, you're lucky to get 6 days on a respirator if you have no other "connections"...) the little boy prayed fervently...
The author does not relate the rest of the story - but one can guess the inevitable outcome there... eh?
What the author of that series of reasons to detach oneself from, truly, a commercial fest rather than a religious celebration of The Truth, seems to have forgotten or outright bypassed completely there is that God rapatriates his children - and those he summons back are really BETTER OFF...
He confuses earthly interpretations of what Christmas should be like with what it really should be all about...
He mixes and matches, blends altogether all of that stuff (one of his other main reasons being the "santa lie" told to kids over and over again...) and comes out at the other end with his "commandments" as to why he and whoever is like him should not celebrate this time of the year...
I do not falter in logic this way...
I do not blame God for human errors such as lies, hypocrisy, evil deeds...
I do not blame God for the wages of sin either - not to say that those who die or are ill are greater sinners than others though - we are ALL sinners, only in different degrees... The healthy ones will take ill and die too... Worse still, for them, the wages of sin could be worse for the true meaning of "wages of sin" is the death of one's soul... Beware, healthy sinners out there...
I do not even blame God for death - for we brought this upon ourselves... Death was not God's Will for us.
I do not celebrate Christmas for very different, yet strangely similar, illuminated reasons here...
See?
Link
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Just a generic message of good wishes for all - for I am barely capable of doing even that.
This is my first Christmas without my best friend of all by my side - my Dad, Joào Jacinto Borges Pimentel (1934-2006)
And I feel not festive one iota.
Oh - I know he is "by my side" still - just not as before...
He is -not was- is a man of great faith - who knows the true reason for the season and would want it honored, remembered and celebrated... And underlined by me, his son.
As with my grief, I will not be showing my festive side much during this year's holy days - suffice to say it is all honored and remembered on the inside, on both accounts...
And I also know that, even if I am not celebrating, it should not impede you from doing so...
Hence...
Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year
Joyeux Noël
et
Bonne et Heureuse Année
Feliz Natal
e
Bom Ano Novo
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