Dude, rad body pierce !

OK, you get stabbed in the chest with a 5 inch knife all the way to the handle, you call 911, then what? Well if you are the 52 year old dude from Warren, Michigan you walk a mile to the Brayz’s Hamburger joint in Hazel Park and order a coffee. I hear they are good. The owner said he walked in, ordered the coffee and said he was waiting for an ambulance ….meanwhile  horrified diners instantly lose their appetite. The man, who was stabbed after being asked for money, described his attacker as being tall with a goatee and  wearing a hooded sweatshirt . Hmm, which just about describes  every thug on the friggin planet.

For an interesting and engaging article, read this Christian Post article about the riff between Pastor Rick Warren and the evangelical leaders in Uganda, Africa.  They are disturbed, confused, and angry about what they believe is his capitulation toward the gay agenda.  Interesting ethical issues abound in this article.

I remember reading part of The Naked Luncha few years back…actually, a lot of years back and found it quite strange, and thus didn’t finish it, but never discarded it and planned on reading it later down the line (I have the book on my shelf now). About a month ago I heard from a friend of a friend about his other book (his, meaning William S. Burroughs) called Junkyand thus picked it up and began reading it. It had me quite captivated for it took you on a journey of his drug induced days back East, but the book lost me towards the end.

Burroughs started talking about this little town about a page and a half which diverted greatly from the flow of the story that once he got back on track I lost interest. I guess it shows it doesn’t take much for me to lose interest in a story.

I did finish Junky and realized how repetitive it was…he got started on junk, met cool people, met shady people, his friends ended up in the hoosegaw, he got off junk, got back on junk, met cool people, met shady people, HE ended up in the hoosegaw, etc., etc.. In the beginning the book intrigued me, but then it started getting repetitive and rather boring, but its like a bad movie, you want to see how it ends.

As a fanatic of books, I enjoy having another book to read right after the other and I finally found one to read called Escapeby Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer (not to be confused with Twin Peaks’s Laura Palmer – HA!) which tells the story of Carolyn being born into, living in and escaping from the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), or most commonly known as Polygamy (plural marriage). I think outside of Anne Rule’s Everything She Ever Wantedand Too Late To Say Goodbye I don’t think I’ve read anything more profound. She speaks of her childhood with one mother and then ending up with two mothers. Her sister’s escape at a young age and her desire to learn and get a good education, but in between were the beatings by her biological mother Nurylon. I am currently reading the chapter in which she is talking about her arranged marriage to Merril Jessop:

Merril Jessop (born about 1935) is believed to be the de-facto leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church), after its former leader, Warren Jeffs, resigned when he was convicted as an accomplice to rape in 2007. Head of the YFZ Ranch, Jessop has been a lifelong member of the church.

According to his former wife’s memoir Jessop is the father of more than fifty biological children with at least five wives. His senior wife, Faunita, who suffered from mental illness and was the mother of at least 15 children, was literally abandoned by the roadside when the cult was moved to Texas and became a ward of one of her grandchildren living in the mainstream Mormon community. Jessop is believed to have taken many more wives since the departure of Carolyn. According to his ex-wife’s book, Jessop has nebulous business interests that include construction and hotels and has suffered from major heart problems in recent years.Source Wikipedia

I learned of this book after watching Secret Lives of Women: War On Polygamywhich focused on two women who escaped/left the “cult” (and I use the word very loosely as to not offend anyone) after years of endurance. I was absolutely mesmerized by what these women went through and what they witnessed, but more importantly the courage they gained to escape their environment.

Barnes and Noble best describes the book:

Escape exposes a world tantamount to a prison camp, created byreligious fanatics who, in the name of God, deprive their followers the right to make choices, force women to be totally subservient to men, and brainwash children in church-run schools. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop’s flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. Not only did she manage a daring escape from a brutal environment, she became the first woman ever granted full custody of her children in a contested suit involving the FLDS. And in 2006, her reports to the Utah attorney general on church abuses formed a crucial part of the case that led to the arrest of their notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.

I highly recommend this book to any and everyone but I ask that no one confuses the Mormon church beliefs with the FLDS’s beliefs.

25 years on after The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the victims and their relatives are still looking for justice, while the CEO at the time is probably sipping margaritas at a beach.

How in the world, can a society be selective in the dispensation of justice? Compare this with the Ambani vs Ambani battle which has the whole nation worried.

Another example of India’s shift from being a democracy to being a corporatocracy.

Recommended reading…

Elizabeth Warren: America Without a Middle Class.

Baladas fortes e cheias de motivação é a primeira coisa que vem a cabeça quando se fala em uma das cantoras mais respeitadas do country, Martina McBride. E com seu álbum de 2009, Shine, não foi diferente.

Apesar de mudar alguns de seus produtores, e fazer uma produção diferente da presente no bem sucedido Waking Up Laughing de 2007, Shine mantém todas as caracteristicas da carreira de Martina, em frases como “Se você tem amor, não precisa de dinheiro“, “Eu ficarei bem, aprenderei a amar outro, as vezes, adeus é a coisa mais dificil de dizer” e “È um jogo perdido que estou jogando, fingindo um sorriso, você continua me esperando, meu coração ainda quebrado” presente nas baladas What Do i Have To Do, Walk Away e Love Don´t Coast a Dime, que relembram vários outros hits da carreira de Martina.

O álbum, que conta com a participação de Dan Huff e dos Irmãos Warren na produção e composição alcançou o topo das paradas Country nos EUA, e o primeiro single Ride, é uma música animada, que fala basicamente em aproveitar a vida ao máximo entrou para o Top 15 dos EUA na posição 11. Martina recentemente saiu em turnê com a Shine All Nigh Tour, que conta com a participação de Trace Adkins, para promover o álbum.

Faixas:

1 – “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong” ##
2 – “I Just Call You Mine” #
3 – “Sunny Side Up” #
4 – “Walk Away” #
5 – “I’m Trying”
6 – “What Do I Have to Do” ##
7 – “Don’t Cost a Dime” #
8 – “Ride” #
9 – “You’re Not Leaving Me”
10  -”Wild Rebel Rose” #
11 – “Lies” #

Destaques  #

Singles:  Ride, I Just Call You Mine (até o momento)

______________________________________________________________

Vote no álbum de Janeiro!

My Thanksgiving Story

Katie M. Wright

My Thanksgiving story is about my 11th Great Grandfather Richard Warren. That is my great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great-grandfather.

He was one of the pilgrims who came to America on the ship called the Mayflower in 1620. He was there at the very first Thanksgiving but his wife and five daughters were still in England. They came to America in 1623 on a ship called The Anne, including the middle daughter, my 10th great-grandmother Elizabeth Church.

The first thanksgiving was held in October of 1621, ten months after the pilgrims came to Plymouth. It was to celebrate their first big harvest. They invited the Indians who taught them how to grow corn. There were 51 Pilgrims and 90 Wam-pa-noag Indians at the feast. The chief’s name was Mass-a-soit and the state Massachusetts is named for him.

The Pilgrims served wild turkeys, geese, and ducks. The Indians brought five deer, along with lobsters, clams, oysters, and fish. The feast also included cucumbers, carrots, cabbages, turnips, radishes, onions, beets, corn, and wild fruits. The feast lasted for three days.

[ed. update: three other ancestors were present for that thanksgiving feast: Francis Cooke, John Rogers, and Mary Chilton. Shortly after the feast, the ship The Fortune arrived with thirty-five passengers and no provisions. The colony immediately went on half-rations and times were tough until the arrival of provisions on The Anne in 1623.]

Sources:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/
http://www.sail1620.org/discover_feature_after_the_first_thanksgiving.shtml
http://www.nativeamericans.com/Thanksgiving.htm

Like any other Americans, the family living in the big white house on Pennsylvania avenue has traditions surrounding the holiday season as well. Sit back, and get comfortable, while we explore how Presidents have celebrated Christmas from President George Washington to President Barack Obama.

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~ President Calvin Coolidge

History of Christmas at the White House (1789-1849)

President George Washington and First Lady Martha (1789-1797)
President John Adams and First Lady Abigale (1797-1801)
President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
President James Madison (1809-1817)
President James Monroe and First Lady Elizabeth (1817-1825)
President John Quincy Adams and First Lady Louisa (1825-1829)
President Andrew Jackson and First Lady Rachel (1829-1837)
President Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
President William Henry Harrison and First Lady Anna (1841-1841)
President John Tyler and First Ladies Lettitia and Julia (1841-1845)
President James K. Polk and First Lady Sarah (1845-1849)
President Zachary Taylor and First Lady Margaret (1849-1850)

History of Christmas at the White House (1850-1901)

President Millard Fillmore and First Ladies Abigail and Caroline (1850-1853)
President Franklin Pierce and First Lady Jane (1853-1857)
President James Buchanan (1857-1861)
President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary (1861-1865)
President Andrew Johnson and First Lady Elizabeth (1865-1869)
President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia (1869-1877)
President Rutherford B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy (1877-1881)
President James A. Garfield and First Lady Lucretia (1881-1881)
President Chester A. Arthur and First Lady Ellen (1881-1885)
President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Francis (1885-1889, (1893-1897)
President Benjamin Harrison and First Lady Caroline and Mary (1889-1893)
President William McKinley and First Lady Ida (1897-1901)

History of Christmas at the White House (1901-1953)

President Theodore Roosevelt and First Ladies Alice and Edith (1901-1909)
President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen (1909-1913)
President Woodrow Wilson and First Ladies Ellen and Edith (1913-1921)
President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence (1921-1923)
President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace (1923-1929)
President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou (1929-1933)
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor (1933-1945)
President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess (1945-1953)

History of Christmas at the White House (1953-1977)

President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower (1953-1961)
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (1961-1963)
President Lyndon Johnson and First Lady Claudia (Lady Bird) (1963-1969)
President Richard Nixon and First Lady Patricia (1969-1974)
President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty (1974-1977)

History of Christmas at the White House (1977-2009)

President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter (1977-1981)
President Ronald Regan and First Lady Nancy (1981-1989)
President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbara (1989-1993)
President William J. Clinton and First Lady Hillary (1993-2001)
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (2001-2008)
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (2009- )

Back to Happy Holidays Main Page

President Theodore Roosevelt and First Ladies Alice and Edith 1901-1909

As the youngest man ever to take the oath of office, Theodore Roosevelt came to the White House with a large, vivacious young family. With him were his wife, Edith, and his six children aged three through seventeen. While there is no record of the 26th President sending any official White House Christmas cards, there is much written about how the Roosevelts would spend their holiday celebrations.

President Roosevelt posing for a portrait photograph with the entire Roosevelt clan

2004 American President Collection Theodore Roosevelt Ornament

An ornament featuring former US President Theodore Roosevelt is hung on the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 2008

1902 Washington Post illustration depicting the famous “Teddy Bear” incident, coining the term for the popular Christmas gift

Teddy Roosevelt Visiting Neighbors on Christmas 1917

President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen 1909-1913

On the subject of William Howard Taft and Christmas, more than a few presidential historians have likened the large, jovial Taft to a Santa Claus-like figure. Few would deny that the burly Ohioan was a warm, generous and good man, but it was this very nature which made him a relatively ineffectual politician and led to a mostly forgettable presidency, which avoided any major catastrophies, other than the political ones inflicted on Taft’s party and his electoral career.

During his time in office, Taft’s famously generous nature was apparent in the scope and number of Christmas gifts he sent out. The president believed more in the act of giving than in the essential value of the gifts themselves. As did not limit his gifts to family and friends, his Christmas list often climbed into the hundreds. He would send out presidential Christmas cards to accompany the gifts. Oftentimes, his aides would have to scramble to acquire more White House cards as the list grew to ungainly lengths. Mr. Taft would usually devote several days of his own time to going Christmas shopping from store-to-store.

Flyer from the Election of 1908. Taft defeated opponent William Jennings Bryan in the election shortly before Christmas.

The Taft’s were also the initial First Family to display the White House Christmas tree and hold the presidential Christmas party in the Blue Room, a location previously considered sacred to official entertaining.

President Woodrow Wilson and First Ladies Ellen and Edith 1913-1921

Woodrow Wilson had the first Christmas tree put up and decorated in the White House when he was President of the United States. Wilson was accustomed to having gatherings with the attendance of many intellectuals and family. As President he also wanted to have a national Christmas tree lighting ceremony and in 1913, the first year the president was in office, he was able to have a celebration with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve at the Capital.

President Wilson and second wife Edith Galt, whom he married around Christmas of 1915

The White House also had its first Christmas tree that year, although it did not become a national tradition until Calvin Coolidge became president and First Lady Grace Coolidge gave permission to put a tree on the Ellipse.

President Wilson asked that a community Christmas tree be placed at the Capitol in 1913, requesting a national tree lighting event to be started. A U.S. Marine Band, 1,000 singers, and a costumed group re-enacted the Nativity on Christmas Eve. Wilson also planted an elm tree outside the North Portico of the White House a few days before Christmas to symbolize peace and serenity. A night view of this tree would become a watercolor done by Robert H. Laessig that graced the 1966 White House Christmas cards of President Lyndon Johnson.

President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence 1921-1923

Warren G. Harding would only live to see two Christmas seasons after being elected the 29th President of the United States. President and Mrs. Harding were able to escape the stresses of Washington D.C. and their political and social obligations their first Christmas in the white house by traveling to North Carolina during the holidays.

President Harding passed away suddenly several months after celebrating what was to be his second and last Presidential Christmas in 1922. Unfortunately, Harding’s marital indiscretions were not his only shortcomings, many of which did not come to light until after he passed away.
The President sent a gift to his sister, Abigail, a former school teacher of one of Harding’s several known mistresses. Accompanying the gift was a Presidential Christmas card of sorts, a handwritten note on White House stationery. Dated December 23, 1922, the letter read:

Dear Sister Abigail, Enclosed find a little Christmas gift, a token of a brother’s loving regard. I shall think of you at Xmas time, and I shall have a real regret that I can not celebrate in the atmosphere of home and amid the surroundings of family and friends. My love and good wishes to you. Yours affectionately, Warren G. Harding

President Harding buying seals for his White House Christmas cards from a young girl with tuberculosis in 1923

In the year of his death Harding was photographed buying Christmas seals from a young girl suffering with tuberculosis. The President would reach his untimely death prior to the holidays that year and would not be able to use the Christmas seals he had purchased for his official White House Christmas cards. Harding and John F. Kennedy are the only two presidents to have predeceased their fathers.

President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace 1923-1929

As the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge was the first to truly extend a White House Christmas celebration to the American people. During his first Christmas in the White house in 1923, he initiated the tradition of the National Community Christmas Tree. A 48-foot Balsam Fir from his native state of Vermont was erected on The Ellipse, and an electric button enabled the President to light the tree on demand for the first ever National Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

During the summer of 1924, Coolidge’s youngest son, Calvin, Jr., died of staphylococcus septicemia, an event that was said to have changed “Silent Cal” forever. That same year, the White House received a record setting 12,000 Christmas cards from the American public.

The Coolidge's 1927 Christmas tree

In 1925 after the National Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, 2,000 people were welcomed to the White House grounds for caroling led by the choir from the President’s church. And on New Year’s Day, almost 4,000 people were invited to line up and shake the hands of the President and First Lady.

“Silent Cal” received his nickname from his stoic and serious demeanor. But in 1926, after receiving so many heartfelt gifts and Christmas cards from the American people, Coolidge was so emotionally affected that he gave a gift of a gold coin to all of the White House officials and staff members.

The Coolidges - 1927 signed Christmas message

In 1928, Coolidge decided not to run for re-election, making this his last Christmas in the White House. At the National Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, Coolidge spoke to the large crowd of spectators and to the American people listening on their radios, “In token of the good-will and happiness of the holiday season and as an expression of the best wishes of the United States toward a Community Christmas Tree, in behalf of the city of Washington, I now turn on the current which will illuminate this tree.”

President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou 1929-1933

Herbert Hoover took office as the 31st President of the United States in March of 1929. Several months later on Tuesday, October 29, the stock market crashed triggering the onset of the Great Depression. Americans were reluctant to spend money on holiday gifts and Christmas cards, but this didn’t stop the President and First Lady Lou Henry from doing so. The First Lady had an impressive collection of old photographs of the White House and gave five different etchings of these photographs to over 200 White House staff members. Some were mounted and personalized with the greeting, “Best Wishes of Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover.” Additionally, President Hoover gave his personal staff a photo of himself on his horse, Billy, at his Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah Nation Park, Virginia.

The Hoovers - Christmas notecards from 1929

The Hoovers carried on the tradition set by the Coolidges of lighting the National Christmas Tree. The original living Norway spruce donated to Coolidge in 1924 by the AFA (American Forestry Association) had to be replaced due to wear and tear from decorating and trimming. Another living Norway spruce was donated by the AFA from Amawalk Nursery in Westchester County, New York and planted in Sherman Plaza. During the tree lighting ceremony, the President addressed the crowd and the listeners on their radios, “I want to have the privilege of wishing you all, and all the unseen audiences, a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.”

Aftermath of the Christmas Eve fire in the old West Wing, 1929

Additionally, each gift was accompanied by an engraved card with a personalized greeting that read, “The President and Mrs. Hoover take Christmas pleasure in presenting this historic bit of pinewood with their greetings.” Mrs. Hoover also had framed photograph prints distributed to additional staff members and aides.

The Hoovers - 1932 Christmas card featuring side-by-side photographs of the executive couple

In 1932, for the Hoovers last Christmas at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they gave a gift of a leather folder that included photographs of the President and a separate photograph of the First Lady with two White House police dogs. A personal note accompanied the folder that read, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Herbert Hoover and from Lou Henry Hoover and Weegie and Pat 1932 – 33.”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor 1933-1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt began his first term as the 32nd President of the United States in 1933. That year, the White House received a record 40,000 Christmas and holiday cards from the American public; the number was so large that a staff had to be hired to handle the influx of mail. The Roosevelts sent Christmas cards to close family and friends. The card they ordered was single-sided and featured an etching of the White House, hand engraved by A.B. Tolly. That same year marked the 10th anniversary of the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. 5,000 people attended the ceremony, during which Roosevelt gave the longest speech to date. Roosevelt’s speech established the tradition of the president speaking directly to the American people during the tree lighting ceremony.

2004 American President Collection Franklin D. Roosevelt Ornament

Tensions overseas continued to augment with the onset of the following year. Nazi forces invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland, and Germany created an alliance with Italy. France and Great Britain also created an alliance and declared war on Germany while the Soviets signed an armistice with Japan and removed all military support from China.

The Roosevelts - Christmas Card from 1935

In 1935, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt purchased gifts for White House staff members from Val-Kill Industries, a workshop she established with several lady friends to help low-income families supplement earnings by crafting furniture and metalware. Each pewter gift was accompanied by a single-sided Christmas card that featured a photograph of the President and First Lady. The White House that year received over 6,000 Christmas cards, and the Roosevelts sent out 400 Christmas cards to family and friends.

The following year, the First Lady again purchased metal gifts from The Forge for the White House staff. The card design featured a lithograph of a bucolic red farmhouse and barn flanked by two evergreen trees. At the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, 3,000 people were present to hear FDR’s annual speech, in which he discussed Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Scrooge’s renewed sense of self from the lessons he learned. With the reforms set into motion from the President’s First New Deal, the economy was on an up swing for the first time since the onset of the depression years.

1940 Christmas gift from the President was a key chain depicting his beloved Scottish terrier, Fala.

Once America was officially at war, the Treasury Department began promoting and encouraging Americans to purchase defense bonds and stamps. Appropriate for the occasion, the Roosevelts’ Christmas gift to their White House staff was a black leather stamp album. A copy of the previous year’s Christmas speeches by Churchill and the President were given to cabinet members, heads of the executive office, family, and friends.

FDR enjoyed receiving Christmas cards as much as he enjoyed sending them. He established his own private collection of Christmas cards, and by 1940, the collection contained over 3,000 designs. The National Christmas Tree was decorated sans lights that year because electric lights were being rationed while America was at war.

For the 1943 holiday season, it was recommended that the National Community Christmas Tree not be resurrected because of the continuation of war time rationing of electricity and other commodity resources. First Lady Roosevelt insisted that the tree lighting ceremony take place because it was the one thing that Americans needed during the war-causing lackluster holiday season. And so the 20th annual National Community Christmas Tree was decorated with ornaments made by children in local schools, but similar to the year prior, the tree was without lights.

1944 Christmas gift from the President - a copy of his D-Day Prayer

The Roosevelts spent Christmas at their home in Hyde Park again. FDR delivered his Christmas message to the American people and the troops overseas via radio broadcast from his personal library.

In April of 1945, the President left for his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia, where he sought comfort for his paralysis in the town’s warmed mineral springs. He died on April 12 at the age of 63. Although the war wasn’t over, peace was very near thanks to his efforts.

President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess 1945-1953

Harry S. Truman had been Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Vice President for only 82 days before Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. Just weeks after Truman took over the Executive office as the 33rd President of the United States, the Allied forces defeated the Axis Powers and World War II came to an end. May 8 was declared as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), which was also Truman’s 61st birthday. Writing to his mother, he remarked, “Isn’t that some birthday present?” He held a press conference announcing the victories in Germany and Italy and the end of World War II. For Christmas that year, he gave each White House staff member a scroll of his speech from the news conference. He also sent out official White House Christmas cards, which featured a lithograph design of holly and berries along with a standard gold imprint. The back of the envelope was also imprinted in gold with the Presidential Seal.

Official 1946 White House Christmas cards from the President and First Lady

1948 Christmas gift to the White House Staff invoking the sentiments of the President

For the 1949 Christmas gift to their White House staff (or rather the Blair House staff), the Trumans gave a leather key holder. Each holder contained a snap closure and was imprinted with a brief Christmas greeting. To a small few of the President’s closest executive team members, he gave the same paperweight from the year prior, and to his Cabinet members, he gave the bound book, Selected Speeches and Statements on Foreign Affairs by Harry S. Truman.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the south lawn of the White House in 1947

Christmas gift print from Truman to his staff given in 1952

2004 American President Collection Harry S. Truman Ornament

Harry S. Truman went back to Independence, Missouri in January of 1953 to enjoy a simpler life that didn’t involve the heaviness of politics he experienced while in Washington.

Back to The History of Christmas at the White House Main Page

Back to Happy Holidays Main Page

Sat on the bus thinking about song titles, because I had to check my iPod everytime a cool song came on, what the name of the song was. I don`t remember the song now – but it sparked the idea to set up top ten greatest song titles!

Now, this list holds my top ten greatest song titles, and when I made this list it also had to make sense how good the song was. Off course the song has to match the title. So here it is – what do you think? What would your top ten list be?

The titles are linked to the song in Spotify. Dont have Spotify – send me a comment and I will send you an invite.

Number 10 : Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

Number 9: Regulate – Warren G & Nate Dogg

Number 8: Shout – Lulu And The Luvvers

Number 7: Paradise City – Guns`n Roses

Number 6: For The Love Of Money – The O`Jays

Number 5: Cobrastyle – Teddybears feat. Mad Cobra

Number 4: Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy

Number 3: Something In Your Mouth – Nickelback

Number 2: Koochy – Armand Van Helden

The number one greatest song title is : Blood On The Dancefloor – Michael Jackson !

Please leave a shout if any videolinks are dead!

Should there be anything peculiar about a Christian attending a memorial events which express worship of a foreign god? Well, apparently not for Tricky Ricky. Tricky Ricky is famous for his promotion of What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) pseudo-Christian Social Gospel theology. What a mixed message he continues to deliver.

Jesus would attend a Jewish wedding. He did. He was Jewish after all. He attended Jewish festivals. They after all proclaim the Gospel and are not forbidden for Christians to participate in. But would he attend Ithtar ending Ramadan? Participate in Shiva-Linga? No he wouldn’t:

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him (Jesus), then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

One thing that we have come to expect of Tricky Ricky is that he above everything, including Jesus Christ, desires that no one would be offended because of what he does or says. Christians excepted, of course. He simply doesn’t seem to care that his ministry is found in fault of denying the very name he invokes.

Warren makes a couple of good points, but does he really think that the messages contained in the various religious observances don’t proselytize? Does he really want, as he seems to advocate, the celebration of all kinds of religious festivals in the schools. Does he really think that the existence of Christmas celebrations in the public arena are there first because of educational reasons? Beside his lack of understanding of the Gospel, he is in real need of a history lesson. And perhaps Tricky Ricky hasn’t been informed yet that comparative religion is taught in the public school. Like, duh… what era is he living in? What a buffoon!

This is a man who finds no problem with homosexuality as long as it is not within marriage; a man who only finds backbone to contend with the powers of government when it is convenient to do so. So perhaps it is no surprise that he cannot stand and defend the exclusiveness of the Gospel seeing that he cannot, or won’t, defend the exclusiveness of heterosexuality within marriage.

It should have hit him like a brick. It should hit Christians like a brick. The reason that the state is eliminating the historical favoritism of Christianity in the state schools is because it is just that, favoritism. Now, they (the state’s educational elites) don’t mean to remain neutral; a walk down the halls of any state school will reveal ample evidence that it is only Chrisitianity that is being excluded. Unfortunately, the desire by conservatives to level the playing field through faux equal access as Warren is seen here seeking, will have a chlling effect for the Gospel if it is taught that there is no difference and students become idiots like Warren chanting a spineless mantra “Can’t we all just get along,” as if religion was neutral. Apparently, Warren finds no real difference if he can attend to worship of a false god and not be convicted at heart.

Then again, we never doubted that Tricky Ricky is a product of the Pop-religion scene. Pew’s research should quickly inform us that Warrenesque equivocation leads to a dumbing-down of the church and in doing so weakens the meaning of the Gospel. Make no mistake, the weak theological perspective of Warren is a disease. One he is all to willing to spread.

In truth? Rick Warren’s faith is practical atheism.

Marianne Warren – Unravelling The Enigma – Shirdi Sai Baba In The Light Of Sufism

Marianne Warren Book

Kevin Shepherd (a pseudo-philosopher, pseudo-moralist and Findhorn fanatic) selectively (some would say “dishonestly”) quoted Marianne Warren as saying:

Kevin R. D. Shepherd: “Dr. Marianne Warren was obliged to acknowledge that ‘Shepherd was the first author to question this Hindu bias….most of his arguments concerning [Shirdi] Sai Baba’s Sufi connections are strong’.”

Now, let us take a look at the full text as published in Marianne Warren’s book:

Snippet From Marianne Warren – Unravelling The Enigma Shirdi Sai Baba In The Light Of Sufism

Marianne Warren: A harsh critique of Narasimhaswami is found in Kevin Shepherd’s monograph entitled Gurus Rediscovered: Biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi and Upasani Maharaj of Sakori, which introduces a new and thought-provoking perception of Sai Baba. [38] His material was first drafted in 1967, but only updated and published privately in 1985. Prior to Shepherd, the perennial question was whether Sai Baba was Hindu or Muslim, with most of the secondary writers emphasizing the Hindu interpretation. Shepherd was the first author to question this Hindu bias and to redefine the broad ‘Muslim’ category, dividing it into the orthodox Islamic law or sharia and Sufi mysticism. By definition, an Islamic mystic is a Sufi, and as Sai Baba was a Muslim mystic, he was perforce a Sufi. Shepherd observes many links between Sai Baba and the strong Sufi tradition in the Deccan. He notes that since his death, the saint has been totally embraced by the Hindus and that in the process the Muslim minority in Shirdi has been eclipsed. [39] He feels that Narasimhaswami was one of those responsible for perpetrating this process of Hinduization. While most of his arguments concerning Sai Baba’s Sufi connections are strong, he provides very little corroboration from the Sai Baba literature itself. For example, there is no evidence that he read Dabholkar’s Sri Sai Saccarita nor that he knew Marathi or the Maharashtrian Bhakti tradition. In fact, no bibliography was given with his monograph.

[38] Kevin R.D. Shepherd, Gurus Rediscovered: Biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi and Upasani Maharaj of Sakori (Cambridge: Anthropographia Publications, 1985). Shepherd is very opinionated in this book. For example he summarily dismisses Narasimhaswami as an opportunist, whose only interest was in elevating himself through writing the biographies of holy men. (PDF Reference)

Marianne Warren referred to Kevin R.D. Shepherd’s writings as “very opinionated” and emphatically stated that Shepherd’s book had “very little corroboration from the Sai Baba literature itself” and had no supporting bibliography. Kevin Shepherd omitted Marianne Warren’s criticism about him and only snipped out those sections that suited his big ego. Marianne Warren’s views about Kevin R. D. Shepherd were critical and she rightly questioned the objectivity, credibility and integrity of Shepherd’s unsupported, unsourced and subjective claims. So much for Kevin R.D. Shepherd’s boast about following “academic rules in citing sources to a greater extent than many academic philosophers” (PhD Marianne Warren didn’t think so)!

KevinRDShepherd also cited information against Sathya Sai Baba from Marianne Warren (as published by Sai Baba critic and defamer Robert Priddy). It is amusing that Shepherd cited and eulogized the very same woman who condemned him for his subjective, unsupported and opinionated writings!

Unravelling The Enigma – Shirdi Sai Baba In The Light Of Sufism

Indiaclub.com Description:

Unravelling The Enigma-Shirdi Sai Baba in the Light of Sufism is an exciting new piece of research which examines Sai Baba of Shirdi from the standpoint of Islamic mysticism-the Deccani Sufism of 19th century Maharashtra-in order to unravel the mystery surrounding the saint. Sai Baba is consistently described by his Hindu biographers as a Muslim faqir and a mystic, which, by definition, makes him a Sufi. However, no previous researcher has examined him thoroughly in this light.

The author assumes the reader will have some familiarity with previous biographies of Shirdi Sai Baba and reviews incidents, anecdotes and sayings of he hagiography surrounding Sai Baba, in the light of the goals, practices and stories of the Sufis from the golden era of Sufism, and discovers that an amazing similarity and correspondence begins to emerge. Immediately, the more puzzling aspects of the saint’s actions and sayings fall away, and Sai Baba himself becomes more understandable, attractive and lovable.

In the book, Dr Warren brings two new pieces of scholarship to the subject. First she elucidates the English translation of part of the works of some 17th and 18th-century Maharashtrian Sufi poet-saints-their contribution having hitherto been neglected by scholars. Their lives and writings echo the life and teachings of Sai Baba. Secondly, she includes the English translation of the previously untranslated Urdu notebook, jotted down by Abdul, Sai Baba’s faqiri pupil, from teachings based on the Qur’an given to him by his pir Sai Baba. Both these contributions allow us to se into a word hitherto closed, and expand our awareness of the famous miracle-worker of Shirdi.

While Sai Baba has attained a universal appeal, transcending any one sectarian religious tradition, it is necessary to understand his Sufi origins in order to obtain a deeper and fuller appreciation of the enigmatic saint of Shirdi.

A fresh new light is thrown upon the Maharashtrian saint Sai Baba of Shirdi in this rare and fascinating book by Dr Marianne Warren. Discovering that there is a rich history of Sufism in the Deccan in the past, especially at Khuldabad, where there was a large Sufi center, and also at Pathri, Sai Baba’s reputed birthplace, she first explores these areas. Then, in the light of this knowledge, she re-examines the life and teachings of Sai Baba. The results are spectacular. Sai Baba’s previously bizarre or mystic behaviour and enigmatic saying instantly become more understandable. By comprehending the stages of the Sufi path, such facets as Sai Baba’s adherence to the vow of poverty, begging for food until the last few days of his life, fall naturally into place.

The confirmation of Sai Baba’s Sufi status is the discovery and translation of Sai Baba’s faqir servant Adbul’s notebook, written in Urdu. The document contains Abdul’s actual notes and jottings taken while reading the Quran with Sai Baba. From this, it is now possible to state authoritatively that Sai Baba a Sufi Master, and directly taught the precepts of Islam and Sufism to his servant/pupil and probably to a host of wandering faqirs throughout the Deccan in the nineteenth century.

The goal of a Sufi aspirant is to reach God realization to realize his own inner divinity. Shirdi Sai Baba attained this divine status and throughout his life he also played the traditional role of a Sufi Master guiding others along the path.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

LIST OF PLATES

INTRODUCTION

PART I: SAI BABA AND MAHARASHTRIAN MYSTRICISM

- An Overview of the Life of Sai Baba
- Sufi Mysticism and Sai Baba
- The Historical Background: Sufism in Maharashtra
- Sai Baba-the Muslim Faqir
- Sai Baba and the Maharashtrian
- Bhakti Movement-Its Poet-Saints, Mystics and Deities
- Sufi Accommodation to the Hindu Milieu
- Outwardly Different-Inwardly the Same
- Nineteenth Century Sufi Contemporaries of Sai Baba

PART II: SAI BABA AND THE SUFI PATH-THE TARIQAT

- Sai Baba and the Sufi Tariqat (path
- Abdul and his Notebook
- English Translation of the Sai Baba MS
- Some Observations of the Saibaba MS

PART III: SAI BABA-A NEW PERSPECTIVE

- The Hindu Embrace of Sai Baba
- The Sathya Sai Baba Connection
- Drawing the Threads Together

APPENDICES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Reference

by Elizabeth Warren

from Huffingtonpost.com