Longfellow's Christmas

With thanks to Mustang, who emailed me the following last Christmas:

Christmas Lights

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Northern Virginia:

More images from the Winter Walk of Lights HERE.

This web site has many photos taken at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens during other seasons of the year.  This particular photo shows the gazebo in the spring.

So much beauty in the world!  I hope that you will take a few moments to explore the above links.  It seems to me that we spend too much time dwelling on politics — and the ugliness and the divisiveness thereof.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Despite Tax Increase, California State Revenues in Freefall

"We have a country where the young don’t know Shakespeare and haven’t read the Bible, and their lives are almost wholly unconnected with the past."

JD Hayworth Infomercial: Free money! You never have to pay it back!

Obama approved F-16 fighter jets as gift to Egypt

[Baltimore] Speed camera nabs car stopped at light

Christmas Jazz: "O Tannenbaum" And "Canadian Sunset"

Enjoy and relax (hat tip to Stogie for the first video):


Crooner jazz from 1959 below the fold:

Musical Interlude

!

The words, a poem by Christina Rosetti:

Madonna And Child

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

A lovely Madonna and Child:

When Autists Become Monsters

(This post is my final one regarding the terrible events of last week)

It is not politically correct to criticize the disabled.

But sometimes disability is mental illness.  Rarely, thank God!

According to some information to date, dangerous and deadly mental illness resulted in the horror inside the walls of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012.

From Salon in March of 2009:

Dangerous Travel Destinations

According to Travel and Leisure, the following are the top ten most dangerous travel destinations (hat tip to Debbie of Right Truth):

1. Pakistan

2. The Sudan

3. Georgia

4. Lebanon

5. North Korea

6. Syria

7. Yemen

8. Uzbekistan

9. Iran

10. Algeria

The above are dominated by Islamic law or socialism.

Musical Interlude

Enjoy!


Information about "Carol of the Bells," composed in 1904 by Ukrainians Mykola Leontovych (music) and Peter J. Wilhousky (lyrics).

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

ELECTION OVER, ADMINISTRATION UNLEASHES NEW "JOB-KILLING" REGULATIONS

New York City Hits Sandy Victims With ‘Failure To Maintain’ Property Citation: And What's More, The Tree Causing All The Fuss Was City's Responsibility

21 Blatant Lies Obama Has Told you Directly To Your Face

Obama Honors Rosa Parks by Tweeting a Photograph of Himself

Beyond Horrible, Beyond Tragic

Dead in Connecticut school shooting include 20 children

The bereaved and the survivors are scarred for life.  They will never recover.

The saddest music I know below the fold:

Amazing!

(If you must have politics, please scroll to a few posts below this one)

Salvador Dali and Walt Disney collaborated (hat tip to Thersites):


More information below the fold.

An Annual Odious Task (And My Consolation Prize: The Life of Pi)

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

I have never enjoyed shopping — especially Christmas shopping.

The crowds.

Our unfamiliarity with the layout of the mall and the department stores.

Too many decisions to make.

The U.S. National Debt Visualized (With Addendum)

With a hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News:


Where do we go from here?

Please make time to watch the following short addendum (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):


Did you hear what Harry Belafonte said toward the end of the above video clip?  He has actually advocated imprisonment of opposition to the Obama agenda and that Obama "work like a Third World Dictator"!

Good News!

Back on October 5, I posted about M, one of my finest students  — exceptional in several ways.  She is of Ethiopian descent, and both of her parents immigrated to the United States, where her five children were born.  M is the oldest of the five and turned 11 years old on December 4.

At the age of 41, M's mother perished on November 5 of inflammatory breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types of the disease, while she was visiting friends and family in the country of her birth. She chose to go there alone so as to spare her husband and her children from witnessing those last terrible days.  In fact, her visit to Ethiopia was very short  — only a matter of a week or so.

Blog Break

The semester break and Christmas vacation officially begin on December 11 at 3:00 P.M.  I have an unusually-heavy teaching schedule the next few days and am taking a short blog break until my workload eases off. In addition, I need some time to consider the direction in which to take this blog after the debacle of an election on November 6.

IED Detonated At Arizona Social Security Office

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

[Pictured at the left: Abdullatif Aldosary, arrested for detonating the IED on November 30, 2012]

The major mainstream media outlets continue to ignore whatever doesn't contribute to the agenda actively promoted by our so-called leaders. Thus far, only local media in Arizona have reported the name of the man arrested.

From Pajamas Media, dated December 2:

About The Fiscal Cliff

Possibly of interest (hat tip to American Power):


Of course, WE THE PEOPLE are powerless in all this negotiation relating to the fiscal cliff. WE THE PEOPLE had our say on November 6 and will have to live with the consequences.

Musical Interlude

Advent 2012 begins today.   The Advent season is the time of preparation for celebration of the Nativity.

A processional hymn for Franciscan nuns, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is one of the oldest and one of the most solemn pieces in the Advent repertoire:


Another interpretation:


More information about "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" HERE.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Texas Schools Teaching Boston Tea Party As Terrorist Act

Jamie Foxx Gives “Honor to God and Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama” (Video)

White House Says Disagreeing With Obama-Claus Will Ruin Christmas