Whether you think you can or can’t, you are usually right.

-Henry Ford

Maybe as adults we should revisit reading children’s books, there’s a lot we could learn. In the classic children’s story The Little Engine That Could, children are taught the lesson that hard work and belief in oneself pays off. The story is about a standard train that needs to go over a very high mountain. After being refused help by all the big engines a little blue engine is willing to offer help. Even though the task seems impossible, the little blue engine repeats a mantra of “I think I can, I think I can” and succeeds.

The moral of the story is to develop an attitude of thinking you can succeed no matter how big the obstacle, or difficult the journey. More precisely, if you think you can’t, it will stop you from succeeding. If you think you can, it will drive you to success. As children this notion is reinforced over and over.  We are told repeatedly, “you can do it!” When we doubted ourselves as children, an adult would invariably step in and say, “try.” If you failed that was ok as well, “you gave it your best.”

Later we would be asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” That question gave us the freedom to see the world as limitless in possibilities. It encouraged us that we could become and accomplish anything.  As we become adults we often lose these basic principles that we learned as children, freedom to explore possibilities, belief, willingness to try, and acceptance of failure with the ability to move on and try again.  We doubt our ability to create change and succeed.

A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.
-Alexandre Dumas

Our mindset shapes our behavior. Once you think that something isn’t possible, you will not commit your energy in the direction of that goal. You develop a mindset of, “I can’t.” This leads to a lack of belief and unwillingness to try. This comes in many shapes, forms and disguises. We change the “I can’t” to, “there are no good jobs out there” or, “there’s no one to meet, the good ones are all taken” or, “the timing isn’t right” The self-defeating phrases we come up with can be very inventive and there are endless combinations. However, the common theme is believing “I can’t.”

Here’s the ironic part, when you state these reasons, your reasons are the truth. However, they are not the truth because they’re universal truths, but only because they’re your truths. They become your truths because you make them so with how you believe. You can change the truth by how you think. As Henry Ford put it, “how you think is what makes you right”. What he missed in that was that you are right for you and you alone.

The truth is that there are jobs to get, people to meet, and the time for change is right, right now!  Don’t live a life less than what you want by aiming the weapon of doubt at yourself. It is time to develop an, “I can” attitude. Believing in an “I can” attitude, you will usually be right. When you’re wrong, just like as children we are taught that failing is ok, you simple try again. The world is filled with as many possibilities as you choose to believe.

There’s no point in identifying goals that you want to achieve, and developing an action plan to create those goals if the foundation of beliefs are founded on “I can’t” attitude. Your beliefs will hold you back from creating the life changes you want. Build your future by setting your foundation on the principle of “I can!” Just like the little blue engine, make it your mantra. Repeat it to yourself all day until all you see in the world are possibilities and opportunities. Keep climbing that mountain on your road to success, I know you can do it. It’s as simple as saying,

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can , I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…………………

Acts 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.

13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The Holy Spirit will soon fill these few and enable them to witness to devout Jews from every nation in their own language. Peter’s witness of Jesus will open the way of salvation to them all.

She’s lovely and quirky, familiar but rarely heard – a winning combination circa 2009.

Thanks to Bizzy for suggesting Philomena as Name of the Day.

You’ll spot phil in plenty of familiar words, and more than one name.  Philip and Philippa are fond of horses; Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love – and very occasionally, a given name.  The Greek phelein meant to love.  Philomena may only trace her roots to that word, or might also related to menos – strength.

She sounds ancient, but Philomena is young – and may never have been a given name at all.

Early Christians buried the earthly remains of martyrs and commoners alike in the catacombs – subterranean cemeteries.  Today they’re undeniably spooky.  Back then, they were practical.

The Catacombs of Priscilla – named after the woman who donated the land – would eventually hold nearly 40,000 bodies over eight miles.  Their use declined as Christian persecutions ended.  Eventually, they were all but forgotten.  In the late 1500s, Antonio Bosio entered many of the tombs for the first time in centuries.

Our story begins in 1802, when a group seeking martyrs’ graves found the body of a young woman.  They thought a vial enclosed in the tomb was blood and must surely denote a martyr.  The grave’s inscription read:

LUMENA PAXTE CUMFI

It almost certainly was out of order.  Rearranged, it reads:

PAX TECUM FILUMENA

The inscription translates to Peace be with you filumena. Filumena could be a given name – or a term of endearment.

The excavators trumpeted their success – the discovery of Saint Philomena’s remains, overlooking the lack of historical evidence for a Saint Filumena.  Or Filomena. Or Philomena.

Pesky details aside, nineteenth century Italy embraced her.  A nun claimed visions of her life.  The future Saint John Vianney was among several of her devotees, spreading Philomena’s reputation to France.  Miracles were attributed to her relics, housed near Naples.

History eventually won out, and you won’t find her on the official calendar today.  Perhaps her greatest legacy is her name.

Philomena is in use from Ireland to Italy and throughout the Spanish-speaking world.  The wife of the current Orléanist pretender to the throne of France, the Duc de Vendôme, is married to the aristocratic Vienna-born Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart.  (The couple welcomed their firstborn, Gaston, just a few days ago.) In the unlikely event that their claims are ever realized, Philomena could take on a regal air.

In France, Philomène had her best year in 1901.  Philomena peaked in the US back in 1915 and left the rankings after 1942.

If you’re looking for a true rarity, there’s the literary Philomela or Philomel – a poetic term for the nightingale, and a mythological princess of Athens who suffered mightily.  Writers from Ovid to Chretien de Troyes to Chaucer to Coleridge to Margaret Atwood have referenced her sad and gory tale.

Today, Philomena or even Philomela could appeal to parents who find the relatively uncommon Francesca and Valentina too familiar for their tastes.  With nicknames ranging from Mena to Polly to Pippa, she’s an unconventional choice that might wear well.

Unrequited love… I tried to find the words to write about this but why wreck your brain for ages when you find sometimes that others can put it so much better than you. Ray Charles’ You don’t know me sums up how I feel today. Is unrequited love the same as wanting what you can’t have? Let me know your thoughts…

You Don’t Know Me lyrics

You give your hand to me
Then you say hello
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don’t know me

No, you don’t know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
Oh I’m just a friend
That’s all I’ve ever been
‘Cause you don’t know me

I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I’ve let my chance to go by
The chance that you might
Love me, too

You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
You’ll never never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don’t know me

You give your hand to me, baby
Then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
No, no, you’ll never ever know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don’t know me

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

Okay, so aside from not having much time to write on my lovely bloggie wog; my post at Brewhaha is keeping me busy & content.

At the moment, I’m unwinding with a pot of lapsang souchong, watching Ghostbusters & relaxing. I’ve never been a great one for ‘unwinding’, or ‘chilling out’. I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it.

At the moment, I’m juggling a number of projects. I’m on a very short deadline to get a piece of theatre together for submission before Christmas for the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. I’m also mulling over ideas for the Glasgay festival 2010, and have been accepted onto a writers programme with WAC Theatre, Aberdeen. To be frank, I’ve not had much time to settle down and concentrate, what with my classes in Practical Aesthetics, work and sleep.

I guess I’m still not properly into a routine. I think it’s important for creative types to find a routine – because the more creative you are, the less organised you are. Well, that’s my experience at least. Regardless, I do think it’s important to work to a schedule, be organised and to always carry a little notebook. My moleskin has been scribbled in numerous times over the past weeks. It’s beginning to prove a vital appendage.

I’ve not long got hold of Google Wave, and I’m very, very excited. There are so many prospects, for writers, directors, practitioners and numerous other professions.

Personally, I’m very eager to start collaborating with people. Lots of different people. In fact, I’m hoping to organise a mass writing event via twitter & Google Wave in the New Year. I believe that doing so, could result in the birth of a new method of collaboration. Think of it as an online ‘writers room’, if you will.  A place for people who live in different towns, cities and even countries; a place for them to collaborate with each other.

Obviously, I’m a little busy at the moment, so I’d imagine none of this will take off until 2010, but I’m very excited nonetheless.

Being a twitter junkie, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for many different persons, of many different levels of experience to contribute to a single entity/script.

Blah. I’m beginning to waffle.

Righto! Off for a bath before bed.
TTFN,

x

Nun waren wir so oft beim lieben hamburgerspeck und haben die großen Bauklötze bestaunt, dass Pete diese kurzerhand bestellte. Heute kam also ein Riesenpaket Bauklötze und – auch wenn das natürlich Quatsch ist so kurz vor Weihnachten – das Kind freute sich wunderbar, als er heute Abend in den Karton schaute. Sein Papa wurde sofort sehr feste gedrückt und jetzt sitzen beide im Kinderzimmer und bauen was das Zeug hält.
Nur eines wollte Philip gern wissen: Wo denn die Steine her seien. Pete erklärte ihm, dass der Mann, der die Steine für den hamburgerspeck gemacht hat, eben auch welche für ihn gemacht und diese mit der Post geschickt hätte. Darauf fragte Philip mit stark gekräuselter Stirn: “Brauchen die (hamburgerspecks) denn die Klötze nicht mehr?”

Sehr süß.

Und ja, es ist Quatsch, aber irgendwie passte es heute gut. Und ich glaube, Pete wollte den Dank nicht dem Weihnachtsmann in die Hände spielen sondern selbst dafür geküsst werden. (Ich werde es einfach anrechnen! )

So, after what seems like a considerably drawn out case for something so trivial, the nation’s favourite son, Philip Laing, was sentenced to 250 hours community service yesterday, after urinating on a war memorial in Sheffield’s city centre.

We all know that the British legal system is a farce, so am I surprised by the relatively conservative verdict? Of course not. The general consensus is that Laing deserved much more punishment than he actually received, but instead will be off the hook by the summer and only £185 out of pocket. For a well to do family from Cheshire, that’s probably accumulated in change in an oversized coke bottle in their living room.

I completely sympathise with the guy though, we’ve all done things we regret whilst drunk and fair play to him for lying to probation officers (£1 for drinks at Carnage? Yeah right!) and getting away with it. While he probably should have been sentenced a little more harshly, with a custodial sentence easily justifiable for his actions; given the backlash he’s had outside of the legal system, he’s been punished quite severely.

Take for instance, Facebook. The flak Laing has received on there is hilarious, multiple groups have sprung up lamenting him for his actions, which is fair enough, but you have to dig deep into the comments to really find a perfect representation of the British people’s opinions.

In a beautifully witty and articulate post, one British soldier in Afghanistan, Keith Benson says (and this is quoted directly from the group): “hang the tit or send him over to afghan to us we will kick the shit out off him all the lads we lose eveday out here and then the is that dickhead going round pissing eveywhere what the fuck iam getthing bombed and shot at for if he can get away with this shit . the little wanker if i see him out i will kill hyim with my hands.” These sentiments are juxtaposed alongside a comment from a guy with a tattoo of Henderson’s relish on his leg, and several racist outbursts from other people.

The reaction of the British people, on Facebook and in reality is farcical, and they are certainly not making a good example of themselves. Laing made a drunken mistake, which will stay with him for the rest of his life yet draws death threats and the like, something far morally outrageous.

In addition, Sheffield Hallam are now at the point of deciding just how severe their own punishment will be for Laing, and they released this statement yesterday: “The university has already initiated disciplinary proceedings against this student. Now that the judicial process has been completed, we will arrange a disciplinary hearing to decide appropriate sanctions.” If the University do decide to kick Laing out, his future plans will no doubt be rocked. So, perhaps the judge’s verdict was apt after all.

Laing is well aware of the enormity of his actions, and I think the over-the-top reaction from the media and British people has been a hell of a lot worse than the defilement itself. In retrospect, I suppose what it all comes down to for me is who I’d rather go for a drink with, the stereotypical Facebook group British patriot, pitchfork in one hand and torch in the other, or the cenotaph defiling, yet deeply contrite and regretful sports student. I’d choose the sports student every single time.

Das Wetter hier ist ein Mysterium . Es ändert sich innerhalb von Minuten. Regen. Sonnenschein. Wind. Nur noch der Schnee fehlt!

Ich bin gespannt ob ich noch ein bisschen Weihnachten bekomme, bevor es nach hause geht…

Jetzt am Wochenende hoffe ich erst mal auf gutes Wetter, schließlich kommen Philip und Fränzi

Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback.

One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen appearance.

When it came time for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and climbed the stairs to her room to take one last opportunity to speak with her. She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly sked, “Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?”

“Yes”, she answered, still looking at the floor. “And do you?”

“Yes, I do”, he replied. “You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he is to marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, ‘But your future bride will be humpbacked.’ “Right there and then I called out, ‘Oh Lord, a humpbacked woman would be a tradegy. Please Lord, give me the hump and let her be beautiful.’ “

Then Frumtje looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife.

Gestern Abend konnten Pete und ich ganz in Ruhe essen und uns dabei unterhalten. Und zwar obwohl Philip wach war. Normalerweise sitzt Philip mit uns am Tisch und fällt uns ständig ins Wort. Aber gestern, gestern war alles anders, denn da spielte er allein in seinem Zimmer(!). Und auch heute hat er sich wieder dorthin verzogen und brummt laut Autogeräusche. Wie toll ist das denn!

auch wenn es mir wirklich verdammt schwer fällt, kommen hier ein paar Tipps für Dich, damit die Auswahl hoffentlich etwas leichter fällt.

Zuerst einmal die technischen Daten:
Philip ist an Weihnachten genau 4,5 Jahre alt. Er trägt Kleidergröße 122 oben und unten 116. Mützen braucht er immer extrem groß. Mal sehen, vielleicht messe ich morgen noch seinen Kopf.

Nun der schwierige Part:

Philip liebt Musik machen und hören. Sehr!

Philip liebt Autos. Hat davon aber schon sehr viele.
Philip spielt gern Gesellschaftsspiele.
Philip mag Knete. Und Bastelkram. Gern auch mit Glitzer.

Eher nicht so gern hat er Plüschtiere. Er ist hier sehr fixiert auf seinen Hasi, andere duldet er nur gelegentlich. Wenn sie Geräusche machen, findet er das aber super.

Ansonsten freut Philip sich aber natürlich auch über die Klassiker wie Lego, Playmobil, Bücher etc.

Ich glaube, Philip freut sich eigentlich über alles.

Ich hoffe, das hilft etwas.

As I read the Great Books and the ancient Greeks and Romans in particular, it strikes me just how much people have not changed over the thousands of years that have passed.

It is oddly fitting that I write this on the forty-sixth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, because the reading this time in Plutarch’s biography of Alexander the Great. Alexander’s rise to power began with the assassination of his father, Phillip, which, even thousands of years later, still has conspiracy theories attached to it.

But much about Alexander the Great remains mysterious, even to Plutarch who wrote several hundred years after his death. An attempt to find the historical Alexander requires any would-be biographer to sift through legends and interpretations of earlier biographers. In his book Alexander The Great, Historian J.R. Hamilton explains this issue and talks about how different modern biographers interpret Alexander as a tyrant or renaissance gentleman, depending on their own station in life and history.

This long introduction, then, is to say that in reading Plutarch’s life of Alexander, we need to be careful what lessons we draw from it. Plutarch himself writes how accounts of Alexander’s life written by his generals vary widely even though they were written shortly after his death.

In thinking over the life of Alexander, I am struck by a couple of points that come through in Plutarch’s narrative. The first is that we see in Alexander the model of someone obsessed by a particular vision of himself and his goals. We can’t argue that Alexander conquered a great amount of territory, but the second thing that comes through is that he just kept campaigning but there was no end to his war. So, we see the danger of ambition and obsession.

Although in this volume there appears to be no introduction or direction from Plutarch as to how we are to read his writings, the tone and phrasing at points shows that he means for them to be instructive. Plutarch definitely subscribes to the “Great Man” theory of history that history is created by great individuals who cause things to happen. In these biographies, it seems Plutarch is teaching us both about history and about how to be successful.

People have told me that Alexander’s father, Philip, was the one who was responsible for Alexander’s success because he laid the foundation by building the army and creating the tactics Alexander used. He also gave Alexander a pretty good foundation. Plutarch seems to have heard this argument, judging by the following paragraph. 

“Alexander was but twenty years old when his father was murdered, and succeeded to a kingdom, beset on all sides with great dangers and rancorous enemies. For not only the barbarous nations that bordered on Macedonia were impatient of being governed by any but their own native princes, but Philip likewise, though he had been victorious over the Grecians, yet, as the time had not been sufficient for him to complete his conquest and accustom them too his sway, had simply left all things in general disorder and confusion.”

Looking at Alexander’s traits, as laid out by Plutarch, we read that his was fixated on becoming a king, and even emperor, from an early age; “when he was asked by some about him if he would run a race in the Olympic games, as he was very swift footed, he answered, he would, if he might have kings to run with him.”  

Plutarch also tells us that Alexander was not always happy about the successes of his father.

 “Whenever he heard Philip had taken any town of importance, or won any signal victory, instead of rejoicing at it altogether, he would tell his companions that his father would anticipate everything, and leave him and them no opportunities of performing great and illustrious actions.”

 Alexander was concerned with a life of action and glory and not riches and pleasures, Plutarch tells us. He was mostly moderate with his food and drinking, though a few drunken arguments and at least one death are part of his life. Alexander was concerned with military accomplishment, and spent his off hours hunting because this was the way to keep his battle skills sharp. Apparently fighting with lions and wild boards required the same skills as fighting barbarians.

But in all of this campaigning and establishing cities and extending his empire, there is never a point where Alexander says “enough.” Instead he keeps pushing east trying to keep his Macedonian soldiers and his newly conquered and absorbed “barbarian” troops loyal and marching forward. Ultimately, he ends up on the edge of India and takes part of the subcontinent, but stops when he hears that large armies backed by elephants are waiting for him if he presses any further. His troops also had been worn down by this point, and many of the Macedonians just wanted to go home. Alexander, in the classic military bravado, “attacks in another direction down the Arabian peninsula, near the modern Persian gulf, and loses a large number of men to famine.

Short after returning to familiar lands, which as near as I can tell would be modern-day Iraq, he fell sick and died. He conquered lands were divided among his top men, and no real “Alexandrian empire” remained thereafter.  So, what was the point of all the campaigning and fighting? 

That’s not clear to me, but there were some side-effects that are interesting (though these don’t appear in the Plutarch biography). Alexander sent back information about the lands that he discovered and brought along geographers and scientists with him. (Alexander had been educated in part by Aristotle and kept a copy of the Iliad that Aristotle had annotated as one of his prized possessions.) His troops also seems to have introduced Greco-wrestling into India, and there is a long lineage of this kind of wrestling there that lasts through the present day.  But Alexander himself seems to have left little but legend and examples of his own battle prowess behind, which may have been all he wanted.

That said, the extent of his conquests do show us the value of being bold and focused in the direction of our goals. His willingness to expose himself to risk in battle and hunting caused his men to trust and follow him and led him to victory. Perhaps there is something there to take into our own lives when we set a direction and take action in pursuit of our goals. Knowing that Alexander did these things, suffered wounds, and went onto better things can help us face our own setbacks, which are likely less sever than a spear in the thigh.

 Next Time: Plutarch’s Caesar: Why Did He Cry Over Alexander?

I am helping philip put a wordpress on his own server

Ah. Bit of a lull there. A slight sabbatical endured, but here’s hoping I’m beginning to get used to my new routine with Brewhaha, tea & general writing.

I’ve absented myself, not entirely on purpose; seeing as I’ve only just been made aware by some who are eager to read my babble, that I’ve not posted in over twenty days. Twenty of the days. Two-Zero. Wow, that’s a little extreme, even for my efforts. This little jobby wob must be taking it’s toll. At least by way of a sleep, work, crash, eat?, sleep lifestyle.

It’s a little premature, but some resolutions that I’m hoping to uphold & maintain over the coming months include the following; ‘winding down’, ‘writing more’, ‘reading more’, ‘moaning less’, ‘running more’, ‘fretting less’, ‘rising earlier’, ‘falling sooner’ and generally being more organised… In other words – Normality.

Chaotic, it has been. Brashly, sounding a little Yoda-esque there…

Oh! And not to mention the theatre. My God man. I moved here to write, read and indulge – & I’ve done very little of the entirety of the former. I suppose it makes sense, in that I’m still adjusting to being away from home, amongst other things.

I’m off home for a short jaunt tomorrow. Should be an experience.

Until next time,

x

There’s a lot of scriptures I wish we could read.  They seem to be missing from my Bible.  Here are some of the stories I’d like to read:

• Jesus’ appearance to Simon Peter (mentioned in Luke 24:34 & 1 Corinthians 15:5)
• His appearance also to James (see 1 Corinthians 15:7)
• The conversion of several priests (Acts 6:7)
• Philip’s sudden appearance in Azotus (Acts 8:40)
• Paul’s revelation (Galatians 2:2)
• The women’s prayer meeting (Acts 16:13-14)
• The childhood of Jesus (Luke 2:52)
• Job’s family (Job 42:16)
• Joseph’s bedtime stories (Surely he told bedtime stories!  Genesis 50:22)
• Moses’ funeral (Deuteronomy 34:5-6)

What stories do you feel are “missing” from the Bible?  Surely we will have plenty of time to talk to the Saints and listen to their stories in Heaven, but I still wish I could read some of those stories now.

Why do Roman women have this fixation or obsession with the letter, ‘a’? Does it have some religious significance of its own or what? Is it a totem of good fortune and prosperity? I am quite surprised that Historians had not stumbled across this fact earlier on. Maybe they have and have chosen to keep Mum over the whole issue. All the names of Female Aristocrats in the Roman society end with the letter ‘a’. Check out the names of the spouses of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Constantine, the Great. Here are a few samples.

Livia(Augustus),Julia(Tiberius),Caesonia(Caligula),Messalina(Claudius),Poppaea Sabina(Nero),Domitia(Domitian),Plotina(Trajanus),Faustina(Antoninus Pius),Faustina(Aurelius),Marcia(Commodus),Sabina(Hadrian),Julia(Septimius Severus),Severa(Philip),Cornelia Paula(Elagabalus)and Fausta(Constantine, the Great).

Roman society was Patriarchal in nature. It was chauvinistic and biased against women. They could not be educated and were barred from the arts of Law, Medicine, Philosophy and the Classics. There were no female versions of Virgil, Cicero, Pliny (Elder and Younger), Suetonius and Dio Cassius.They could not bear arms and were banned from serving in the Roman legions. They could not hold the administrative positions of Aedile or Duovir.and could not be admitted to the sacred and exclusive cult of Mithras.Bluntly Put, Roman women were second class citizens in the Empire.

However, Roman women were fiercely independent in words and actions. Within the family, women played an important role in childbearing and the management of the household. They controlled the purse stings and purchased goods for consumption by the family. They took loans when necessary to balance the accounts and budgets of the family.

They played the dual roles of managers and advisers to their husbands who were often away from home in defense of the empire and realm. Part of the duties included control over slaves who performed many domestic tasks Roman women were noted for their strength and loyalty, but also for their sexual freedom.

Although Adultery was punishable by death or exile, most chose to take the risk of discovery and ruin. Augustus’s daughter, Julia was extremely promiscuous and was renowned for her escapades at the forum. When she was asked how she managed to bear children that resembled her husbands, she replied; “I only take in passengers when the boat is full”. Octavian was so distraught about her wantonness; he seriously considered putting her to death because of the strict Julian Marriage laws in force at the time. He settled on exile, but she was later starved to death on the orders of her former husband, Tiberius.

Domitian (Dominus et Deus) murdered the actor, Paris because of his affair with his wife, Domitia.She was sent into exile on account of this.Septimius Severus turned a blind eye to the affairs of his wife, Julia.She committed incest with his successor and son, Caracalla.Hadrian’s wife, Sabina was to take for a lover, a slave in retaliation for her husband’s infatuation with the Greek boy, Antinous.

Roman women also had rights under the common and civil laws. They could not be bought or sold into slavery unless they had been convicted of a serious offence (like treason). They could own property. (Vespasian’s wife came into the marriage with a sizable dowry).They could divorce their husbands and could not be put to death without full recourse of the law.

Roman women were also Kingmakers. They pulled the puppet strings, advising their men folks on matters of the state. Until Nero had his mother, Agrippina stabbed to death; she held considerable sway and Nero had to seek her consent in making important appointments of state. The priestess, Acte controlled Nero and Suetonius in his biography, The Private Lives of the Twelve Caesars, describes her as an evil genius who had a deep hold over the emperor.

Hadrian became Emperor under the machinations of Plotina (Trajanus’s widow).She forged a will naming him as heir and successor to Trajan who had died on his way to Rome from his Parthian Campaign. She even went as far as getting an actor to mimic the feeble voice of her husband. The Roman senate accepted this deception and proclaimed Hadrian as emperor of Rome.

Under Elagabalus, Roman law was amended to give women entrance to Senate meetings and deliberations at the Capitol. This was a revolution for the times, unheard of and was at the instigation of the two Julias (Maesa and Domna).There was a return to the status quo after the assassination of Elagabalus by the Praetorian guards. When the Roman general, Avidius Cassius rose in rebellion against Marcus Aurelius, the emperor’s wife took matters into her hands and wrote a letter urging her husband to deal harshly with the insurgency.Faustina’s ploy worked.Avidius was declared an enemy of the state and put to death on the orders of the Roman senate.

Most of the gods that the Romans chose to worship had a female gender.Venus; Aphrodite, Isis, Earth and Minerva were eagerly sought by the Romans for protection and good luck. The night that Emperor Domitian (Dominus et Deus) was struck down by assassins, he dreamt that Minerva told him that she could no longer guard him because she had been disarmed by Jupiter.

The functions of worship were carried out by women. The priestesses of Isis (the goddess of fertility) were women. So also were the renowned Vestal virgins of Rome. The public processions across Rome were led by women priests. The emperor, Domitian (Dominus et Deus) added a new spice to gladiatorial fights at the Colosseum by admitting members of the fairer sex to participate.

Emperor Elagabalus was so enamored with the physiology of women that he sought a sex change and offered huge sums of money to any surgeon who could alter his appearance and give him female genitalia.His attempts came to naught.

The advent of the new religion of Christianity did not improve the lot of women in the empire.St Paul was to write in his letters to the Corinthians that Women were to keep silence and leave all matters to their husbands.

Even the ruin of Rome was predicated on the whims of a Princess who had been caught in the act of adultery with a page boy who was put to death. This infuriated the fiery princess who invited Attila the Hun to ravage Rome. He took her up on the offer.

Threshing Floor Radio Show-November 14, 2009-with Jason Massey

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. - Acts 8:26

Jason Massey, a disciple and evangelist from Atlanta, GA, shares some prophetic insights into what we call “Body Ministry”, and the transformation of believers as they move out of the comfort zone of religion into a genuine calling and oneness with the Holy Ghost. YAHWEH wants to take us—even translate us— from the safety zone of “Jerusalem” to the desert of Gaza where we are transformed from our own body into the Body of Christ.

Listen here:

http://threshingfloor-radio.com/index.php/2009/11/jerusalem-to-gaza-jason-massey/

Duration: 2:21 | Made: 11.11.09

READ FIRST, PLEASE! For this I really needed footage on Lestat’s story (including also Nicki and Magnus) but as I don’t have it, I put the wolves in – they’re also symbolizing his father and brothers, as I undestood it. “I dream sometimes that I might kill them. I kill my father and all my brothers in that dream. I go from room to room, slaughtering them as I did the wolves.” “…and on the mointain, Mother, when I was fighting the wolves, it was a little like that. I feel in myself the desire to murder.” … (to Marius): “You comfort me. AH of you. I couldn’t even think of leaving you, not for very long, anyway.” So yeah, as always, in the original, pure father-son relationship.

My fave bit of this song (next to the chorus of course): “You calm my fears and all my thoughts ’cause you tell me to see what I’ve got; and what I’ve got, is you.” :’)

VIEW/DOWNLOAD:
http://peterpanthimbles.net/?video=279

Warm thanks to Philip Maciel for allowing me to use this song. (: Check out also my other new Lestat&Marius video to his beutiful cover song “Keep Holding On”.

Video/Editing by me – (bendaimmortal/peterpanlegend/TheVampireOutlaw)

My YouTube Account

Philip’s YouTube account

X BECAUSE I SAID SO – LESTAT & MARIUS FAN SITE

X NEVER YOURS – LESTAT & JESSE HATE SITE

Duration: 3:20 | Made: 11.11.09

For now, I’m kinda digging the remixing of my old vids, it’s fun to find new ways to combine earlier editing to new songs though of course there’s always completely new editing too. This as always in the original, pure father-son relationship. Warm thanks to Philip Maciel for allowing me to use his cover of this song. (: Check out also my other new Lestat&Marius video to his beutiful original song “You”.

VIEW/DOWNLOAD:
http://peterpanthimbles.net/?video=278

Video/Editing by me – (bendaimmortal/peterpanlegend/TheVampireOutlaw)

My YouTube Account

Philip’s YouTube account

X BECAUSE I SAID SO – LESTAT & MARIUS FAN SITE

X NEVER YOURS – LESTAT & JESSE HATE SITE

During his reign as a governor in the Roman empire, Herod the Great turned Caesarea from a simple fishing village into a large, prosperous sea port. He was called “the Great Builder” by some, because he undertook amazing construction projects in this Mediterranean port city. Strategically positioned on the Via Mares (the way of the sea) — the major commerce highway of the ancient world connecting Africa, Europe and Asia; an intercontinental bridge — Caesarea became a booming center of commerce.

Herod built a palace there — where Paul was imprisoned after standing before Felix and Aggripa in Acts 24 and 25. We toured the ruins of this palace, which jutted out into the sea, seeing among other things the in-ground stone swimming pool he’d built in the residence area of the palace. We sat in the theater where Paul likely presented his testimony before Roman officials. We saw the Hippodrome, where horse races and gladiator matches took place. We saw where Herod built a temple using the latest in Roman technology in arch building (this was right after they invented the keystone, which was the secret of the strength of the Roman arch). And we saw the site of the roman bath houses built by Herod. And we saw the site of the great water break and harbor Herod built, using cement for the first time in history.

And of course we saw the ruins of a great aqueduct that stretched 10-15 miles from a fresh water source north of Caesarea down to the city. I’ve always heard that the aqueduct is one of the wonders of the ancient world, but seeing it up-close really confirmed that for me. Amazing!

After Jerusalem was destroyed in the 1st century AD, Caesarea became the capital of Israel. When Constantine “christianized” the roman empire in the 4th century, the Christians put an end to the theater and the games (races, gladiator battles, etc), and built churches in or on top of the amphitheaters. When the Muslims invaded in the 7th century, it was more of a cultural takeover, so (at least in Caesarea) there wasn’t much destruction of the existing buildings / architecture. And the crusades in the 12th and 13th century didn’t really change enough to worry about.

However, when Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, Caesarea was covered in sand. Most of the ruins we saw today were uncovered and carefully excavated by the Jews after their nation was restored to them.

Another interesting note: the second largest library in the ancient world was in Caesarea. While the museum in Alexandria, Egypt was destroyed, the one in Israel survived and thrived during the Constantine era, helping to support Christianity as it spread throughout the known world. Very interesting!

But the most interesting thing about Caesarea for me was the rest of the story of Peter and Cornelius…

As a Roman centurion, Cornelius was the commander of 100 Roman soldiers (from the Latin, 100 = century). This was a very prestigious position. When Peter got to his home, he found that Cornelius had “called together his relatives and close friends”. According to our guide, this likely meant that he had gathered his family, friends, the 100 men who served under him, and their families. They would almost all have been gentiles.

When Peter entered the room, he immediately realized that these were not people with whom he should be socializing. But when Cornelius shared the vision he had had from God, Peter realized that his vision about unclean foods had really been about the gentiles. God had said, “Do not call unclean what the Lord has called clean.” So, Peter shared the gospel with them, and hundreds (ostensibly) came to a saving faith in Christ. And the movement to take the gospel to the entire world was born.

The most amazing aspect of this story is the global significance of this event. This was the last of 3 events that changed the world forever in terms of the spread of the gospel. First, Philip was sent by God to share the gospel with the Ethiopian Eunuch on the Gaza road in Acts 8. The Eunuch, a descendent of Noah’s first son Dan, believes in Christ and is saved.

In Acts 9, Saul is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. Ananias faithfully preaches the gospel to him, the scales fall from his eyes (both literally and figuratively), and Saul becomes the mighty apostle Paul. Saul was a descendant of Shem, Noah’s second son.

And lastly we have Cornelius, who is a descendant of Noah’s third and last son, Japhath. In Acts 10, he too receives Christ as a result of Peter’s faithfulness. So, in three chapters of Acts we see the gospel spread to every tribe of the whole world. Amazing!

Every gentile Christian can trace his roots to one of these three events.

In addition to learning a lot of history about Israel and this place, as well as connecting it to the Bible, Gary Frazier, the Director of Discovery Ministries, our tour company, spoke to us to welcome us to Israel and orient us about the trip. He talked about how Paul – an impressively scholarly man – could have spoken on anything before Felix and Aggripa, but instead he chose simply to share his testimony, and bear witness to what God had done in his life. Read the story yourself in Acts to see. Gary emphasized how this is true of us as Christians in the 21st century as well. His point was basically that we shouldn’t try to be impressive or smart, but rather should simply share with others the love of Christ – both in our actions and in the words of our testimony, when we point others to what God has done for us. He then shared his story with us, prayed over us, and sent us out into our tour with the admonition to be focused less on buildings, history and architecture, and more on what God is doing in our lives.