Christmas Photos

Something to think about this Christmas day. These are not photos of sheds built for Nativity scenes. These are photos of houses where people live.

Merry Christmas.

Maayong Pasko Sibulan

In a post from Tuesday, [Merry Christmas from Sibulan] I posted a photo of the Sibulan Municipal Hall and remarked that, had a similar government agency in the U.S. decorated a government building with Christmas decorations, there would be severe weeping and gnashing of teeth by some who fear an endorsement of religion by the powers that be.

In that photo, the Nativity scene was devoid of people. In the photo taken this morning, we can see Mary, Joseph, a couple of shepards and a few sheep. There is, of course, no baby Jesus in the manger, as Christmas day has not arrived.

In the photo below, we see a sign announcing that the Municipal Government of Sibulan will present Christmas 2016 Switch on Ceremony. OMG.....a sign connecting a government agency with a Christian Holy day in a positive way.

Heads in the U.S.A. are exploding.

Merry Christmas from Sibulan

December 13, and the Municipal Building in Sibulan is decorated with "poinsettia" and the manger is ready for the Nativity scene. That's a far cry from the government buildings in my former hometown in the U.S.. In small town America, many would be upset with the innocuous displaying of the artificial poinsettia, while a Nativity scene on a government building would bring about weeping and gnashing of teeth with cries for a separation of Church and State.

I'm not sure when the decorations were put on display here in Sibulan. I drive by the Municipal Building a number of times a day, but at speeds which preclude my noticing. This morning, I walked by the building during my daily walk and I took this photo en passant.

Merry Christmas from Philippines

Earlier this year, I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to post 366 posts this year (this being leap year). Of course, this means an average of one post per day. I knew there would be days I'd miss, either from my being busy with other things or from lack of inspiration. I'd even need to occasionally write more than two on some days. February was a particularly bad month with only 10 posts. This was finally made up with a whopping 54 posts in May.

Today is August 31 and I should have 244 total posts to stay on average and 31 posts for the month of August. This particular post will be number 241 for the year - number 28 for the month. So, with this posting, I will be only three posts behind. That's a number that can easily be made up.

The real focus of this post is that with the end of August, comes the beginning (tomorrow) of the 'ber' months in Philippines. Years ago, when I first heard of the 'ber', I had no clue what it was. Before we were married, my wife mentioned that the celebration of Christmas begins in Philippines with the 'ber'. She went on to explain that the 'ber' were the months ending in b.e.r.......September, October, November and December.

Starting tomorrow, we will begin hearing Christmas carols being played on T.V., in the shopping centers, and coming through the open windows of our neighbors.

I know many Americans believe the Christmas season begins in December. Some would say that the season actually begins the day after Thanksgiving in November. Most Americans shake their heads in amazement if Christmas decorations are brought out in Walmart before Halloween is over. For those Americans, the 'ber' would take quite a bit of getting used to. But, here in Philippines, it's the normal way and is accepted without any objections, as far as I can tell.

So, with September 1st less than 24 hours away, let me be the first to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

The Priest on the Hoverboard Incident.

The headline on CNN read, Filipino priest reprimanded for Christmas Eve hoverboard stunt. At USA Today, it was Priest suspended for riding a hoverboard during Christmas Eve Mass.

The long and short of it is a priest in the Philippines was suspended for riding a hoverboard up an aisle during Christmas Eve Mass.

Comments on the Youtube video below argue that it was not a hoverboard. That's pretty much beside the point, however.


The Diocese of San Pablo, where the priest is located, has issued a statement, which said, in part:

The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence. It is the Memorial of the Lord’s Sacrifice. It is the source and summit of Christian life. It is the Church’s highest form of worship. Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously introduce something to get the attention of the people.

Three cheers for the Bishop in the Diocese of San Pablo. He were absolutely right in his suspension of the priest.

Thankfully, the priest has acknowledged that his action was wrong and has promised that it will not happen again.

Naturally, many people commenting on Facebook saw nothing wrong with the priest riding the hoverboard during Mass. As others have rightfully pointed out, anyone who does not have a problem with this does not have a proper understanding of the Catholic Mass and the Holy Eucharist.

Advent at Ephesus.

A classical music recommendations for those who have Spotify.

Open Spotify and search for "Advent at Ephesus" by the The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

From EWTN.

"The program takes viewers inside the home of these contemplative sisters for a look at their simple life and the music that fills their every day at the Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus, tucked away in the rolling farmland of northwest Missouri.
'Our way of life here is truly one of great peace and tranquility,' said Mother Cecilia, the Prioress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. 'Since not everybody can come here – and since we’re not going out into the world – ADVENT AT EPHESUS is a way that we can just give a little taste of our life and let people experience it and be part of it.' ”

Porky Pig sings "Blue Christmas".

One of my favorite "Holiday songs"......

Porky Pig - Blue Christmas download at emp3

Let Them Eat Horse Meat.

On Nov. 10, 2005 President Bush signed the 2006 Agricultural Appropriations bill. Bush being an evil Republican who hates animals, the environment and anything having to do with "nature", this bill contained an amendment which prohibited the use of Federal funds for horse meat inspection. Because of this lack of funding, the availability of horse meat for human consumption in the United States vanished.

Now, thanks to President Obama - lover of the environment and friend to animals and animal lovers everywhere - anyone in the U.S. wishing to do so can soon eat horse meat to their heart's content.

A spending bill signed into law on Nov. 18 by President Obama will allow for USDA inspections of slaughterhouses which choose to slaughter horses for human food. Those supporting the change believe slaughterhouses could open before long and eventually slaughter as many as 200,000 horses a year. Most of the meat would be shipped to Asia and Europe where horse flesh is considered a delicacy.

Never having eaten horse meat, I don't have a dog in this fight. If someone wants to eat horse (or dog, for that matter) who am I to say they shouldn't? There are plenty of folks out there who say I shouldn't be eating beef, pork or poultry. One man's meat is another man's poison, as they say.

No, I don't have a problem with the USDA inspecting horse slaughterhouses. I just find it ironic that the U.S. President the animal rights folks detested most effectively banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption, while the Left's favorite President signed a bill that will bring it back.

I'm not sure how this fits with Mrs. Obama's effort to fight obesity. Horse meat is, reportedly low in fat and cholesterol. A recipe for Horse Roast can be found here.

Bon Appétit

2015 Update:Horsemeat Post Update.

Smoking Santas

In a recent post [3½ Time-Outs Tuesday (Vol. 2)] LarryD posted an old ad showing Santa Claus selling Pall Mall cigarettes.

I did a little web search and found a few more......not only Pall Mall but, Lucky Strike, Chesterfield and Camel as well.

Christmas Wreath.

I had never noticed, until yesterday, when my six year old son pointed it out to me, just how much a Christmas wreath resembles a crown of thorns.

The White Christmas.

It was nearly 10PM Christmas Eve and we were on our way to St. Mary's church. There was to be an hour long performance by our church choir at 10, followed by Mass. There had been some mention on television earlier in the day that we might have snow this Christmas. While driving to church, I told my wife and 5 year old son that it was highly unlikely. It rarely snows in this part of north Georgia and I had never experienced a white Christmas.

When my son awoke Christmas morning, he found that he had gotten "everything he wanted" - a refill package of foam "bullets" for the toy gun someone had given him for his birthday, battle armor and other accessories for his battery powered hamsters and a white Christmas.

We later heard on the news that this is the first white Christmas the area has received since the 1800's. Granted, to some of my readers (like those in Michigan or Iowa) this snow would hardly be worth mentioning, but this is Rome, Georgia. This is a big deal for us.

There was still snow on the ground as we left for Mass Sunday morning, but there wasn't any ice on our street. The street we live on gets very little traffic - I knew that if it was OK to drive here, then Shorter Avenue (the main road between here and the church) would be perfectly fine. Had there been any ice to speak of on Shorter, it would have already been taken care of.

St. Mary's Catholic church is less than ten minutes away from our house. On the way to St. Mary's, we'll pass quite an assortment of Protestant churches; Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian. I couldn't resist telling my wife that it would appear that these denominations evidently don't believe in following the Ten Commandments, particularly the one that says we must remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. None of the Protestant churches we passed were having services this Sunday. The 2 inches of snow had been too frightening for them.

In fairness, I must say that the 11:00 AM Mass wasn't as full as it normally is, but we did have Mass at all the regularly scheduled times.

Seeing the closed Protestant churches reminded me of Christmas, 2005 which happened to fall on a Sunday that year. It had been announced in the local paper that many of the Protestant churches would not be having services that Sunday because it was Christmas day and the pastors assumed that many in their congregations would want to spend Christmas morning at home with their families. Christmas day, 2011 will also fall on a Sunday. I'll be looking to see how many, so-called, Christian churches in our area will close that day. You can be certain that St. Mary's will be open.

Christmas Break.

One might think, with all the time I have off from work for the Christmas holiday, I would have more time to write.

Au contraire, mon frère.

Not only am I on an extended vacation, but my wife and son are on holiday as well. More time together with the family means less time at the PC.

Writing anything Friday will be completely out of the question. We'll be having a Christmas Eve get-together dinner with family and friends before going to church that evening and - of course - I'll be doing most of the cooking. The choir at church will begin their program at 10:00 PM Christmas Eve with Mass to follow at 11:00.

I don't return to work until January 3rd......that will be a 16 hour work day for me. When I do return to work, I'll take advantage of every bit of over-time available. So, it looks as if regular blogging may be a thing of the past for me. I'll come back when I can.

Happy.........

Happy St. Stephen's Day and Merry 2nd day of Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Vicar Advises Shoplifting.

Whenever I come upon a headline on an online news source, particularly when the story deals with a priest, Bishop or religious, I take the headline with a grain of salt.
Too many times I'll see a story about, say Pope Benedict, do a bit of research on the story and find that both the headline and the story are exactly the opposite of what the Pope actually said or did.
So, when I came across the news report about the English vicar giving the OK to shoplifting [Priest advises congregation to shoplift. - It's OK to shoplift.] I knew I'd need to go further into the story.

I tracked down the complete transcript of the priest sermon from this past Sunday.[Transcript.]

It doesn't look good for the Vicar.

He says;
"Let my words not be misrepresented as a simplistic call for people to shoplift. The observation that shoplifting is the best option that some people are left with is a grim indictment of who we are. Rather, this is a call for our society no longer to treat its most vulnerable people with indifference and contempt. When people are released from prison, or find themselves suddenly without work or family support, then to leave them for weeks and weeks with inadequate or clumsy social support is monumental, catastrophic folly. We create a situation which leaves some people little option but crime."

He advises, however, that one shoplifts from "from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices" and not small Mom & Pop businesses.

The police in York have taken a dim view, naturally, of the vicar's sermon.
According to one source,
" A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: ' First and foremost, shoplifting is a criminal offence and to justify this course of action under any circumstances is highly irresponsible.Turning or returning to crime will only make matters worse, that is a guarantee.' ”

I agree that "social support" for the unfortunate can often be "inadequate" or "clumsy" but, I can't see how spending Christmas in jail can help matters.

Christmas Parade Crowd Video.

First, a confession. I did not watch the President's speech last night. I was at work. The truth be told, I probably wouldn't have watched it had I not been at work....I, more than likely, would have been with my wife and son at our town's annual Christmas parade.

Of course, I've seen video snippets from the speech and there's more than enough written about it on the Internet. I was going to give my thoughts on what he had to say, but I found something that interests me more.

I went to the Rome News Tribune website and found videos from last night's parade. The video I'm posting is one taken of the crowd. My wife, son, our friend Val and her daughter are seen at 5:58 on the video.