1.5 Million

As I write this, the photos I've uploaded to Google Maps have been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

Naturally, I feel pretty good about that. However, as with a lot of things connected to Google Maps, there is a little bit of confusion around this.

For several weeks,one of my photos of St. Joseph Parish church in Cebu city has been the photo most viewed among all my photos. That's perfectly understandable.

I can also understand why my photo of a hotel in Dumaguete -Manhattan Suites Inn - would be number two.

No, what puzzles me is why my photo of a gas station - Star Oil located just past the Dumaguete airport - should come in 6th place with almost 18,000 views.

Confusion Over World Naked Gardening Day 2017?

Although the wikipedia article covering the subject maintains that World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) is an annual event dating back to 2005, I had never heard of WNGD until I came upon a link to a news story about it on Facebook.

As can be seen by the photo, the link informs us that this year World Naked Gardening Day lands on May 7th this year. However, clicking on the link, we see that the story gives the date as May 6th.

From what I gather, WNGD is suppose to be the first Saturday in May, so that would put it on May 6th this year (2017).

Also, according to wikipedia, the first annual World Naked Gardening Day event took place on September 10, 2005. It was in 2007 that the date was changed to the first Saturday in May. Perhaps that might explain some of the confusion about this year's event.

Nah.......probably not. I don't think anyone I know is planning to participate. Trust me, that's just as well.

Uncle Silas and Swedenborg

Having finished Elizabeth Arnim's delightful and charming novel, Princess Priscilla's Fortnight, I've decided to turn in another direction for reading material.

I've begun reading Uncle Silas, by the Victorian Gothic mystery writer Sheridan Le Fanu. This will be the second of Le Fanu's novels that I've read; his vampire novel Carmilla was the last book I read in 2015.

In Uncle Silas, one of the main characters, Austin Ruthyn is a follower of the Christian mystic (and some might say heretic) Emanuel Swedenborg. I'm very early into the novel and while Austin Ruthyn is a bit mysterious and creepy, it's too early to know exactly how Le Fanu may have felt about Swedenborg. I personally had never heard of Swedenborg until coming across this novel and I thought it best to read a little about the man to fully understand Uncle Silas. I don't think, however it will be necessary for me to read any of Swedenborg's work - his wikipedia article will do just fine.

This is Not a Catholic Priest

It doesn't matter what The Charlotte Observer says about it, the woman in the accompanying photo is not a Roman Catholic priest.

There is no such thing as a female priest in the Catholic church and according to the last three Popes there will never be.

FB B.S.

Like a lot of other folks, I can't resist some of the click-bait on Facebook. I know I don't look 30 or 21 nor do I have the body of a 26 year old.

Yes, I know it's B.S., but I'll keep clicking on crap like this.