Twelve days later…

 

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

 

James Tissot, Journey of the Magi, 1894
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I’m with Hobbes

Calvin is pushing the doctrine of Grace to the extreme, and I’m afraid he’s going to start throwing snowballs at Susie Derkins.

He has a point, not to be “victimized by notions of virtuous behavior” and can claim Romans 8:1 if he dare: “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Or, to quote Saint Augustine libertinely, “Love God and do as you please.” This assumes, however, that Calvin—or St. Augustine, or anyone—does love God, and uses that as a standard. It doesn’t appear to be the case here with Calvin.

If Calvin does go ahead and pelt Susie, he may step over another boundary, namely Romans 6:15. Saint Paul says, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”

I’m with Hobbes. And St. Paul.

Happy New Year, whatever Calvin does.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people…

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Gerard van Honthorst, Birth of Christ, 1622
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That’s Little Sal, second from the right.

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Thanks as ever to Sacred Sandwich for this…

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And Merry Christmas to all!
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Itzhak Perlman goes improv

Happy Hanukkah!  And this klezmer music featuring Itzhak Perlman is nothing but happy.  He and his fiddle join up with four different groups in this 10-minute film, so watch all or part of it. 

 As one of the comments says, “This makes me want to dance around and break stuff!” 

Fourth Sunday of Advent: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is one of my wife Jeri’s favorite carols, probably because it lends itself so well to jazz.

I did have a video of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman scheduled until YouTube deleted it. But I found an adequate substitute.

Mister Bean really gets into the Christmas spirit with his chance to conduct a Salvation Army band. Get a chuckle out of it.
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Music can have a soothing effect on people…

…but not on Schroeder when he’s around Lucy. 

Happy Birthday, Ludwig.

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Have a listen to Ivo Pogorelich as he plays Für Elise:
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It’s over, for now

It really began in 1991 (or 1990, if we count Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait), but the current phase began in 2003 because we could.  Let this be the end of it. 

 

Timeline:  U.S. Troops in Iraq (source:  BBC News) 

• March 2003 – Operation Iraqi Freedom begins with a “shock and awe” assault on Baghdad, which falls in under a month
• May 2003 – President George Bush declares “mission accomplished”
• Dec 2003 – Saddam Hussein captured in a bunker south of Tikrit
• April 2004 – Photos emerge showing abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison
• 2005 – Suicide attacks in Iraq hit all-time high as insurgency spreads
• January 2007 – US troop “surge” begins, leading to a drop in violence by 2008
• August 2010 – Last US combat troops leave Iraq

 

 

Ending an earlier war:  Saigon, Vietnam, 1975.  Fleeing the U.S. Embassy.

The Silent Monks: Hallelujah Chorus

Third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete!

It means Celebrate! or Rejoice… Maybe “Get down and boogie.”

Gaudete, gaudete!
Christus est natus
Ex Maria virgine,
Gaudete!

Rejoice, rejoice!
Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary,
Rejoice!”

The Tenebrae Choir makes lively work of this 16th Century Christmas carol.
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The day after…

The New York Times, December 8, 1941:

Click once or twice to enlarge.

 

 

“The day…”

The president’s address, 70 years ago today:

Dandelions as therapy

Bloom County, circa 1983:  Items in the news. 

Opus knows just what to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dandelions in December

It’s the coast of Maine.   It’s December already.   Why are plants and insects beginning to think it’s May?

Some years, May is colder than this.

This morning I walked to the post office with dog Gracie and her buddy Cairn, who is on loan for a few days, and we spotted a dandelion alongside the road.   Other ones, gone to seed, stood next to it.   Walking at the speed of two old dogs, I noticed a lot more on the way home and picked a small bouquet from various people’s lawns (they’re summer people and this is supposed to be winter, so they’re not here).   A hornet, though a bit sluggish, nuzzled the nectar in one of them.

At 50 degrees outside I felt foolish wearing winter gloves, but once out there it’s easier to keep them on than to carry them, and the bright blue came in handy to contrast the dandelions in the photo.

There is no global warming.   And the earth is flat.

Second Sunday of Advent: Pie Jesu

This version of Pie Jesu is arranged by Andrew Lloyd Webber and sung by Sissel.

The Latin translates into something like,

“Holy Jesus,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
Grant them peace.

Lamb of God
Who takes away the sins of the world,
Grant them peace,
Everlasting peace.”
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