Remember Sept 11, 2001 But Learn On Your Own For the Future September 11, 2010

Never Forget the Past But Learn From the Past For The Future

The World Trade Center Was Attacked in 1993...Remember?

On This Date in History:  It was a relatively quiet day on September 11, 2001.  The national media was absorbed with Shark Attacks and the Chandra Levy investigation.  That’s all we heard about. That’s what the news folks thought was important and those stories dominated the headlines.  By September 12, those stories were nowhere to be found because on this date  in 2001, two of the largest buildings in the world, the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City were struck by two hijacked airliners.  A third hijacked airliner struck the worlds largest building, The Pentagon in Washington, DC.  Hijackers on a 4th airliner that day is suspected to be enroute for supposed  another suicide attack.  Speculation is that it was headed to Washington DC with the intended target either the White House or the Capitol building.  But, passengers on board fought the hijackers and the plane did not make it to its intended target.  Instead it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.  In all, over 3000 Americans died that day.  I’ve posted an explainer of why the Twin Towers came down while the Empire State Building survived being struck by a bomber just after the conclusion of World War II.  It wasn’t the first time that terrorists tried to bring down the Twin Towers.  On February 26, 1993 a huge bomb exploded in the basement of one of the towers in an attempt to undermine the foundation.  The terrorists tried to bring down the building once, then succeeded the second time around.  

The world has seen the video of the planes.  There are numerous witnesses and records of phone calls from people on the planes.  Yet, amazingly, you will find comments all over the internet and in the media from people who insist that events of that day was a government plot.  In recent years, the day seems to have become more politicized.  Last years,  it was discovered the an appointed official in the adminstration, Van Jones, signed a petition in 2004 that called for the exposure of the “official lies and cover up surrounding the events of 911.”  Jones later apologized and resigned his position as “Green Czar.”   The president, in 2009, called for the day to be designated as a day of service. That caused some reaction from those who thought that a day of rememberance would have been more appropriate.   This year, we have the guy in Florida who has gained world wide attention with his threat to mark the 9th anniversary of the attack on America by burning the Qur’an.  Also, the controversy regarding the proposed Mosque near the World Trade Center site in New York continues to smolder.

Conflict Between America and Islam Dates Back to Near the Beginning of the United States

But, how much do Americans really know about Islam?  Many people do not realize that America’s war with the Barbary Pirates was a conflict with Muslims halfway around the world. We’ve heard all sorts of things in the media but I suspect that most people probably have never really done a study, let alone read the Qur’an to draw conclusions for themselves.  Often, we let other people  or tv networks tell us what is supposed to be the truth and believe the conclusions of those whom we want to believe instead of actually doing some homework and making a judgement for ourselves.  Now, there is no way to fully explain Islam in a limited space, any more than it is possible to explain Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism or any of the world’s religions.  But, I can offer a brief historical, not theological, perspective of the origins of Islam in an effort to perhaps encourage others to really look into the subject so that they may be able to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions.  Remember, I am drawing from historians, not theologians with the bulk of the information coming from the perspective of Professor of History Dr. Dennis Sherman, most recently from the John Jay College, City University of New York and Dr. Joyce Salisbury. Professor Emerita from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Arabian Peninsula Prior to Islamic Expansion

In the early 7th century, what is commonly referred to today as the Middle East was sorta sandwiched in between two great empires.  It belonged neither to the Byzantine Empire nor the Persian Empire.  The specific area to which I refer would be the Arabian Peninsula and it featured some settled populations which often surrounded an oasis.  Like today, much of the region was desert.  Bedouin tribes roamed the region and, in large measure, the Arabs worhiped objects like springs or stones and also a large ancient meteor that had landed before any written history.  During the wars between the Byzantines and Persians, the land route to the Far East became rather hazardous through the region known as Mesopotamia and so traders from Egypt and Constantinople thought it may be a safer route to travel through the town of Mecca on their way to the Red Sea.  Seveal oasis towns profited greatly from the increase in trade, most notably, Mecca.  It just so happened that the ancient meteorite was housed in a shrine at Mecca.  So Bedouins and other Arabs came to the city and, with trade thriving, they mixed with Christians and Jews.  In some sense, it was rather cosmopolitan and new ideas spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

Empirical Conflict Allowed Mecca To Thrive in the 1st 6 centuries

Now, Muhammad (570-632) was an orphan who was taken in by his uncle in Mecca.  He grew up to be a merchant and did pretty well for himself in business and in marriage.  He wed a wealthy widow who was also a successful businesswoman.  He was considered to be a good an honest man.  When he was 40 years old, Muhammad claimed to have had visions.  He said he had visions while he slept in which an angel said, “Recite!  Thy Lord…taught by the pen, taught that which they knew not unto men.”  When he woke up,  he said he saw the angel Gabriel.  What is interesting is that this Gabriel was the same Gabriel that visited Mary in Christian history and told of the coming of Jesus.  Gabriel is said to have told Mary about Jesus and some 600 years later told Muhammad to be the apostle to his people.  Over the next 20 years, Islamic tradition claims that he received 114 more revelations.  Those revelations were recorded as the word of God (Allah) in the Arabic language.

Angel Gabriel Who Visited Mary Is Said To Be Same Angel To Visit Muhammad

Muhammad believed the God who spoke to him was the same God who spoke to the Jews and the Christians and that he, Muhammad, was to join the prophets who followed before him:  Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.  He said all of these men spoke the truth but that the Jews and Christians had strayed away from their truth and added to the simple truth of the Gospels by developing theological complexity.   So, I suppose that the idea is that Allah was speaking through Muhammad in order to restate the truth that had been lost and set the world straight.   One must remember that, by this time, the Christian church had indeed become part of the Roman Empire.  In my view, Christianity in the 7th century probably would not have been recognized by Paul of Tarsus who influenced the spread of Christianity by word of mouth.  Also, think  of the statues and paintings made popular in the Christian church while considering that the edict that images of Muhammad are forbidden arise from the desire to prevent Muhammad from becoming the focus or deification of  the faith rather than the message.

Muslim Conquests of Arabian Peninsula Continued After Muhammad's Return to Mecca

The word Islam means “surrender to God” or “submit”  and when Muhammad finally began to speak of his visions, the only person who intially would listen to him and convert was his wife.  A few friends listened and considered what he was saying but the city had become pretty wealthy and business boomed partly due to pilgrims coming to worship the meteorite.  So, there wasn’t a whole lot of interest in a prophet who might disrupt the apple cart.  So, in 622, Muhammad and a few followers left Mecca for Medina, about 250 miles to the North.  Like the birth of Christ marks the beginning of the new era in the Christian calendar, Muslims consider 622AD as year 1 on their calendar.  From Medina, the word spread to Bedouin tribes who converted and then focused their warfare on unbelievers instead of on each other.  Eventually, they all came together as a single group and in 628 AD, Muhammad returned to Mecca.  Salisbury and Sherman describe his return as a “victorious” return.  PBS has an outline of the violence and concept of Jihad the developed during the period.  Many of the city dwellers in Mecca who would not listen to Muhammad 6 years prior suddenly were convinced when Muhammad returned with his followers and Bedouin tribesman.  In ancient times, it was not uncommon for new religions to adopt some aspect of a previous belief system so the meteorites shrine was kept as the meteor itself was deemed to be sacred to Allah.  To this day, Pilgrims converge on Mecca and the shrine as focal point to prayer.

Churchill's Words Should Echo Today

That is a brief early history of Islam and is certainly not complete.  But, it should be enough to encourage more interest in how Islam initially spread.  Remember, Christianity spread for about 6 centuries by word of mouth before it was taken in by the Roman empire.  And, there is a link between Judaism, Christianity and Islam; in fact, it can be argued there are several links.  That makes the events of today even more complex and confusing considering that so much controversy, ill-will and violence has continued for centuries between 3 religions that have, at the very least, loose links of commonality.  That attacks of September 11, 20o1 one remain incomprehensible to me and the words of Sir Winston Churchill to the students of the Harrow School in England in a speech just after the Battle of Britain in 1940 should apply to Americans today: 

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

However, it may be instructive to learn for ourselves…to not let others to tell you what to think or what is true or not true.  Don’t necessarily believe what I have written or only the work of  Salisbury or Sherman or the guy in Florida or the guy trying to build the mosque in New York, the President of the United States or a leader from the Middle East.  Instead, take the time to research and look at the entire historiography so that, when you draw a conclusion, you have a substanative foundation for your views.  It’s an important subject and one that will most likely be with us for all of our lifetimes.  We should never forget this date in history, but it may be more important to determine how we as a nation and as individuals will proceed in the future.  It seems to me that we have yet to reach a consensus on how we move forward from here and its not going to get any better until everyone understands more fully the context of the situation.

Weather Bottom Line:  The warm front of which I spoke yesterday will lift through the region early Saturday morning.  There may be some rain and t’storms associated with the warm front.  That will open the door for warm, moist, unstable air from the south and we will probably have enough time for the atmosphere to load up ahead of a cold front that will move through the area Saturday evening.  With temperatures rising to the mid to upper 80′s on Saturday afternoon and moisture surging northward, the cold front will have plenty to work with and so rain and t’storms are likely.  It is  still not out of the question for some of the storms could be rather strong.  Sunday will be quite pleasant with highs in the upper 70′s and low 80′s and tons of sun.

Would You Believe A Deposit from Divinity in Your Bank Account? September 7, 2010

Do you believe that God would put money into your account if you asked?

 On This Date in History:  When Stanton Lee Powers went to a County Bank branch in Santa Cruz, CA  he had but $1.17 in his account.  The 40-year-old artist had a tough time making ends meet on his Social Security disability payments and the few pen and ink drawings that he managed to sell.  He said that when he went to the automatic teller machine on that early fall evening, he began to pray.  As he told the story, when he finished his prayer, he checked the account balance and the machine said he had $1600.  Two days later, on this date in 1982, he returned to the same machine and prayed again before checking his balance.  This time, his account balance had mushroomed to over $5 Million.    Powers then made a withdrawal.

Powers' Claim Was Akin To God Turning the ATM Into a Winning Slot Machine

But, he didn’t just take the money and run.  Instead, he contacted a lawyer and his counsel did a brief analysis of the facts.  Needless to say, the lawyer decided that more research was in order.  But, before he got too deep into the case, he had Powers sign an agreement that stated that the lawyer would receive a third of the proceeds of any future movie, book or tv deals that may come about in relation to the “Miracle of the Automated Teller.”    Then, the lawyer had the artist take him to the teller machine in question.  A balance inquiry revealed that over $5 Million was still in the account and so the lawyer told Powers to withdraw some cash.  They went to another machine and repeated the procedure and they continued the process over the next few days.  A total of about $2000 was withdrawn from the miracle account. 

ATMs love to eat the card of a cheat

They say that glory is fleeting and, in this case, the miracle didn’t last long either.  The bank froze Powers’ account and the next time that he tried to withdraw money, the machine ate his card.  The counsel responded by demanding that the bank prove that the money in the account had not appeared due to Divine intervention.  He argued that if the Lord could turn water into wine and feed 5000 people with a basket full of bread and fish, then putting $5 Million into Stanton Lee Powers’ account should not be a problem.   But bank officials weren’t about to give up $5 Million on Faith alone.  One banker said, “It’s the first time I’ve heard of God being active in this type of thing”  while another noted that, in order for the deposit to be valid, then there had to be wire transfer or check from God in the record.  Stanton Lee Powers was charged with grand theft.

Do You Trust Your Money With God or Trust God with your Money?

At the trial, Powers changed his story.  He explained that he met a psychic named Fortune who told him things about his past life that he had told to no one.  She told him that she could rid his life of all obstacles. Powers told Fortune that he had “visualized the color green flowing into my (Powers) aura” and she told him that was the color of “self-love.”  The fortune teller suggested that, since he was in touch with his aura that he should turn up his “shock roots” and “experience a havingness machine.”   I’m not sure if Powers told Fortune or not, but the state of transcendence felt by Powers may have been helped just a bit by 16 Ritalin pills, a few codeine tablets and 10 or 12 wine coolers.    It was after having popped the pills and visiting Bartles and James, as well as Fortune, that Powers visited his “havingness machine” which just so happened to belong to County Bank.    Powers shared the story of his windfall from his “havingness machine” with some people who told him that no one would believe the story and he should merely claim that it was cash from God instead of advice from Fortune.

I guess that Powers first lawyer got out of the game when he found out that the cash machine was empty because he didn’t represent the starving artist at the trial.  But, his new attorney thought that the truth would set Powers free as he surmised that no jury could hold Powers responsible for his actions.  However, the prosecutor showed how Powers had actually entered large deposits on the cash machine keyboard without actually depositing much money at all.  Because there was a bank holiday, the bank had not reconciled the account, thus, the phoney deposit amount remained in the machine when Powers made his withdrawals.  He then blamed a glitch in the computer for having deposited over $5 Million into the account without putting a hold on it. 

In the end, one might say that justice was passed out in the court of state as well as a higher judging authority.  In spite of what Powers’ trial lawyer thought, the artist was found guilty.  However, the sentence was lenient as the court took his mental condition into account.   He had to pay the bank back the money and peform 750 hours of community service, which is did by teaching art classes to senior citizens.   Power said that he lost all of his money and all of his friends.  He also suffered the indignity of being rear-ended by hit and run drivers four times.  I guess God doesn’t take kindly to those who fraudulently use his omnipotence as much as banks don’t like defrauding their teller machines.  

Follow the Path of Truth

Nevertheless, it brought to mind an experience that I had when a very devout lawyer that I met told me that he had prayed for a new car and he wanted a Triumph TR 6 but he didn’t have the money.  Then one day, the money appeared in his account and that is how he came to own the snazzy sports car.  I told him that I thought that he should have notified the bank because it was obviously a mistake.  But, he said he did all of that and the bank let him keep the money.  I asked him why God would provide him with a fancy, somewhat expensive car and he said it was because He wanted him to have it.  Now, I certainly do not claim to know the Will of the Almighty and perhaps He really did want this young lawyer to have a sports car and maybe He did, in fact, put money into his bank account.  I never knew what happened to the lawyer I knew 30 years ago. But, after learning how County Bank reacted to the miracle money of Stanton Lee Powers and his ultimate fate, I wonder how the young lawyer has faired and if he’s been rear ended a few times in his life.  For me, honesty and integrity is all that I have and if I scuttle that then, I am nothing. 

Weather Bottom Line:   Temperatures warmed up on Labor Day but it was still rather dry and that lack of moisture will most likely limit our rain chances on Tuesday as a cold front slips through.  Compression may work with a southwesterly flow to take us up to 90 but I doubt if we’ll get much in the way of rain.  If memory serves correctly, September is climatogically the driest month in Louisville so that’s not too surprising.  The front will overnight lows for the rest of the week in the low 60′s and highs in the low to mid 80′s with relatively low humidity so you can probably save on your air conditioning bill.  But, our much needed rain is not in the cards at this time except for maybe some help from Tropical Storm Hermine that came ashore late Monday night south of Brownsville.  That moisture may eventually work its way up through Texas and into the Midwest and then eventually into the Ohio Valley but that is several days away if it does occur.  So, while we need some rain, you may as well enjoy the nice stretch.

1906 San Francisco Quake Day After Curse by Nudist Prophet! April 18, 2010

San Francisco and Bank of America Can Blame and Thank The Nudist Prophet!

St. Francis Hotel May have "survived" 1906 but It Didn't Seem to Be in Too Good of Shape

On This Date in History:  When I was a young stock broker, I had the opportunity to show a limited partnership to my clients.  At the presentation by the principals of the partnership, it was explained that the real estate deal involved several hotels including the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.  I annoyed the partners by persistently pressing them on whether or not the partnership had earthquake insurance for the St. Francis, given that it was one of the revenue producing hotels in the deal and San Francisco is prone to earthquakes.  After much pressure from yours truly, they finally fessed up and said that they had none but that there was no worry because the hotel had survived the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.  My boss was not too happy with me.  Of course, a few years later, all payments to investors in the limited partnership were suspended following damage done to the St. Francis hotel following the 1989 ‘World Series” earthquake in San Francisco.  Most people agree that California quakes are the result of shifting of the San Andreas fault of some of it’s tributaries.  But, the real cause of the Great San Francisco earthquake in 1906 may well have been Edmund Franz Creffield, AKA, Joshua II the nudist prophet!

It was Creffield who called himself Joshua II and led the Bride of Christ Church in early Twentieth Century Corvallis, Oregon. He would preach to largely female congregations in someone’s home. He would shutter the windows and then declare “Vile Clothes Be Gone!” Off came the dresses, the corsets…everything.  Then the group would roll around on the floor together. (This really happened!) Joshua was looking for the “second mother of Christ.”  Now, it seems that someone took a photo at the height of one of these meetings with Joshua and the ladies in their birthday suits.   Needless to say, when the husbands of the female participants found out about this chicanery, the gentlemen were none too pleased.  Joshua got tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. Joshua also got tossed in the slammer for adultery and/or seduction.  He ultimately was released and,  undeterred, he then gathered another group of women….including a 17 year old girl named Esther Mitchell.  This time though, April 17 1906, he put a curse on Corvallis and Portland and Seattle and San Francisco.  Not sure what the other cities did to deserve such retribution but they somehow made the list.

The next day…San Francisco was hit with a devastating earthquake. Kinda helps explain the term “holy roller.” In fear, 50 other women rushed to join Joshua.

Esther Got Revenge on Her Brother

About this time,  Joshua had revealed that he was “told” that 17-year-old Esther Mitchell was to be the chosen ”second mother of Christ.”  In the meantime, Joshua covered all of this bases and remarried his ex-wife, Maude, and went to Seattle.  As fate would have it,  Esther Mitchell had a brother who tracked the group to Seattle where he shot the supposed prophet in the head behind the left ear.  George Mitchell was acquitted of a murder charge.  His sister, the “second mother of Christ”, then proceeded to shoot her brother in the head behind the left ear.  Esther explained the killing of her brother by saying, “He had to die.  He did a terrible thing killing a prophet.”  It was learned that Maude had also planned the killing but she didn’t want to go to trial so she killed herself by taking strychnine.  Esther was found guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to an  insane asylum.  After just 3 years, she was paroled from the Washington State Asylum but died just a few weeks later.

Giannini in 1928 with Wife and Daughter

Now,  Amadeo Peter Giannini isn’t a household name, but maybe he owes a debt of gratitude to the Nudist Prophet.  Or, perhaps Giannini should be remembered and perhaps the company that he founded needs to go back to his philosophy. You see, he didn’t see money as the worlds greatest resource. Instead, he saw people as the greatest commodity on the globe. While it was not his objective, his humble attitude resulted in his founding one of the nation’s most powerful financial institutions.

Amadeo Peter Giannini

He worked in San Francisco for his stepfather in a produce market and by the age of 19, he became a full partner. He invested his money wisely in real estate and at the tender age of 31, he was wealthy enough to retire. But, his version of wealth was different than others as he was able to earn $250 a month from his investments, which was fine by him. Philosphically, he said, “I don’t want to be rich. No man actually owns a fortune; it owns him.” I guess he must have gotten bored though because his retirement lasted all but a year.

1929 Check From Bank of Italy

In 1902 a small bank in the Italian section of the Golden Gate City made him its director. He was interested in banking but he detested the practices, which he felt ignored the common man. So, two years later, he started his own bank and called it the Bank of Italy…even though he was in San Francisco. His investors were small shareholders but the practices that he used would alter banking practices in America…until perhaps the late 20th and early 21st centuries. One thing he did that is still common today was that Giannini solicited business. This was unheard of in 1904. Through advertising and he own personal persuasion he convinced people it was safer to have their funds in his bank than hidden in a shoe box or under their mattress. He put the money back into the community by giving small loans to local individuals with only their wages as collateral. He then thought that banks could better distribute capital so he pioneered branch banking. Then, disaster struck.

Fires Burn after Quake

Street Split By 1906 Quake

On this date in 1906, the city of San Francisco was almost destroyed the aforementtioned massive earthquake and a following fire that burned for several days. You may find photos with this link to the SF museum.  The firestorm only was halted when sections of the city were dynamited to form a fire break. The earthquake was estimated to be 7.8 on the richter scale. Death toll estimates vary but it is generally assumed about 3000 lost their lives. Giannini acted quickly and removed all of the money from his bank and put it in a secret hiding place. The very next day, his bank was the only financial institution in the city to be open for business. He set up shop on a wooden plank and began dispensing loans. By 1907 with rebuilding going crazy, a wave of untempered financial speculation took hold and many banks were left in ruins. (sound familiar?)

The Mint Stands Tall Amidst the Rubble

But, Giannini had speculated that a crash was coming and he had spent his time hoarding gold. He stacked the gold in teller windows so everyone could see it. Customers saw the glittering substance and it gave them confidence that their money was safe with him. By the time he really retired in 1934, his bank was the world’s largest commercial bank with about $5 billion in assets. Yet, the humble Giannini never sold out. He didn’t give himself or a golden parachute. His bank was to serve the public not its officers. When Amadeo Peter Giannini died in 1949, his estate was estimated to be the same as it had in 1904 when he started his own bank.

The bank he started, the Bank of Italy became part of Transamerica in the 1920′s. In 1934, the bank was merged with another financial institution and the new bank was called the Bank of America.

Weather Bottom Line:  We will be in a similar pattern as last week with plenty of sunshine for the next several days with temperatures rising each day as the week progresses.  Cool nights next couple of nights but we will moderate and afternoon highs up toward 80 or so by week’s end.  Next weekend, there could be some excitement.

Easter Sunday 42 Years Since Death of MLK April 4, 2010

If you don't know what happened on April 4, 1968, you should

MLK in Montgomery, AL 1955

On this date in history:  On January 15, 1929 Michael Luther King, Jr was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Michael L. King, Sr and Alberta Williams King.  King, the elder following in the footsteps of his father, was the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.  I have read numerous sources that have all sorts of claims as to how his name was changed and why.  But apparently when he was young, both father and son changed their names and it doesn’t really matter how and why.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35.  But, even that doesn’t really live up to the billing of the man.  Dr. King has now been dead longer than he was alive.  On this date in history, he was taken from the world, but he lives in the words and ideals that he set forth. 

King on the Mall in Washington: "I Have a Dream"

The text of the famous “I have a Dream” speech is sometimes quoted but probably never fully read.  While many have tried to live up to those ideals, more often than not collectively and individually we often have fallen short.  It should be noted that 42 years to the day after that terrible day in Memphis, Tennessee Christians around the world mark the day of the rising of the man about whom Dr. King preached.  The ideals of Jesus of Nazareth are something that believers and non-believers alike strive to acheive.  Both King and Jesus spoke of love of fellow man, humility and sacrificing of oneself to the service of others.  The night before Dr. King was killed, he made a speech in which he said in what is known as the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, he said,  “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”   It is so eery because he was dead less than 24 hours later. 

Lincoln Supposedly Dreamed of His Own Death in the White House

It is said that, toward the end of the Civil war, Abraham Lincoln  dreamed of his own death.   He saw a funeral at the White House and he asked who had died and was told, “the President” and in the coffin he saw himself.  Jesus of Nazareth knew his death was imminent but faced it anyway.   King’s words echoed the tale of Moses who did not reach the promised land with the people whom he led for 40 years through the wilderness. Lincoln did not live to see the world after his leadership through the Civil War.  King did not live to see the world after his leadership through the Civil Rights movement.  Yet, all are remembered and their legacy lives  with them.  Jesus of Nazareth is called on today among the living, not as a legacy.  Historians Dennis Sherman and Joyce Salisbury say that “the most influential religious transformation in the ancient West came with the life of Jesus.”   He lived 2000 years ago and only preached about 3 years, yet his influence shaped the world. 

Modern Forensics Speculate This is What Jesus Looked Like

If you study the historiography of Abraham Lincoln you will find that the “father Abraham” we know really only existed for the last 9 years of his life.  We know of the resolute, wise man whose words resonate in American history and not the one whose words brought women to tears and men to challenge him to a duel on at least two occasions.  We know of Martin Luther King, Jr from his 1955 Montgomery Bus boycott to the last public words uttered just before his death just 13 years later.  Keep your dreams alive.  Don’t despair and give up hope.  None of these men gave up and each perservered in difficult circumstance.  None chose the easy path.   All  three promised greater things to come.  While it is disputed by many, I believe that there is evidence to support that in his later years, Lincoln tried to follow the lead of Jesus.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. certainly tried to do the same.   Perhaps if everyone truly made a consistent attempt to follow suit and recognize the even the shortest amount of time in our life can produce remarkable change and inspiration, then maybe the ideals of Dr. King may no longer be just a dream.

Weather Bottom Line:  Hope you enjoy the great Easter weather.  Cool start warm afternoon.  As mentioned yesterday…front comes back as a warm front so we’ll push back to the upper 70′s on Monday but rain is likely and t’storms possible on Monday.  Tuesday looks warm with sun and highs in the mid 80′s.  Then comes Wednesday.  Nothing really jumps out at me right now regarding some mischief but it’s worth looking at and we’ll take a closer look on Monday and Tuesday.

St. Patrick was not Irish and was not a drunk March 17, 2010

It's hard to tell how March 17 has anything to do with this guy

Popular Seen on St Patrick's Day

On This Date in History:   I’ve already written my opinion regarding St. Patrick’s Day.  Beyond those thoughts of foolishness, I also find it ironic that so many people who are non-Christians celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year.  It’s also interesting that, while we have protests every year concerning Christmas parades due to Christmas’s  ties to Christianity, no one seems to mind communities holding St. Patrick’s Day parades.  Hmm..seems to me for one to be consistent, that if one stands against public Christmas parades, then one must also stand in opposition to St. Patrick’s Day parades.  I suppose that a major difference is that St. Patrick’s Day has such a close association with alcohol consumption, which indirectly, is a slight to the Irish.  I’ve noticed  that most people who celebrate St. Patty’s Day also have no tie to Ireland at all and certainly very few Americans, even those of Irish heritage, don’t even know anyone who lives in Ireland.

Click to see more Ways to Honor St. Patrick on a t-shirt

I also find that most people don’t even know that St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish himself.  He was born around 390 AD in Britain, most likely in Scotland.  His parents were most likely Roman.  His father was a magistrate or some form of tax collector as well as a Christian Deacon but some speculate that he only took on that title due to the political and financial benefits.  There is some dispute if Patrick’s family was really all that religious at all.  When Patrick was about 16, invaders from Ireland crossed to Britain and captured many people with the intent of taking them back to Ireland as slaves.  Patrick was one of those unfortunate souls and spent about 6 years tending sheep and pigs on the hillsides controled by an Irish chieftan named Milucc or Milshu.    He lived a life of solitude and turned to his religion for comfort.  Some suggest that it was during this time of contemplation that Pat conceived of the notion of converting the largely nature based pagan Irish to Christianity.

At Least She's Wearing Green

Pat managed to escape after 6 years and he wrote that he believed that God spoke to him in a dream and told him to return to Britain.  Now, that was a tall order considering that it is believed he had been held in Mayo or Antrim county, some 200 miles from the Irish coast opposite Britain.  Once he walked all that way, he somehow managed to cross the channel to Britain.  One legend suggests that Pat boarded a ship at a Southeastern Irish harbor that was bound for Britain and after 3 days, the ship landed and those on board made their way to shore.    But the trip was interrupted by a band of vandals and after 4 weeks, the crew and passengers were starving and the Captain turned to Patrick and said, “What have you to say for yourself, Christian?  You boast that your God is all powerful.  We’re starving to death and we may not survive to see another soul!”  Patrick is said to have responded that nothing was impossible with God and he suggested that the captain, “turn to Him and He will send us food for our journey.”

Think the Irish feel honored with this popular t-shirt?

Well, supposedly, a heard of pigs showed up  and their lives were saved.  Pat went on to look for his family and eventually was reunited.  Then, Pat said that he was visited in a dream again; this time by an angel.  He was told to return to Ireland as a missionary.  So, he took time to beef up his religious training and he was ordained as a Priest.  It was then that he went to Ireland on a mission to minister to Christians and to convert as many pagans as he could find to Christianity.  This flies in the face of the assumption that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland,  Nevertheless,  some accounts suggest that he had been made a Bishop so he could ordane Priests, which would make sense. 

St. Patrick must be proud he's commemorated with green beer

Now, Pat was pretty smart.  Having lived there for so many years, he was quite familiar with the language and the customs of the island.  And, while there already were probably a few Irish Christians, the vast majority of people were pagans who had their own traditions.  So, instead of trying to turn their whole world upside down, he just incorporated pagan tradition into his Christian teaching.  I mean, so what if the Irish Christianity was a little different than that in Rome?  For instance, the Irish tradition was to light bonfires to honor their gods.  So, he decided to celebrate Easter with a bunch of bonfires.  The sun was a powerful symbol in Ireland so, Pat just superimposed the image of the sun onto a cross and…Voila!..there you have the Celtic Cross.  Of course, it wasn’t an easy life.  Pat and his followers were imprisoned several times after being sold out to local kings.  Pat was sentenced to death many times but fought on and survived until his death on this date in or around 460 AD. 

A clearly sober Patrick stands watch over Croagh Patrick Mountain

Now, the Irish clan tradition was rich in oral story telling.  So, there is no mystery as to why there are so many myths about St. Patrick.  A Catholic source suggests that Pat never chased the snakes 0ut of Ireland and claims that it is debatable if he ever used the 3 pronged clover leaf to exemplify the notion of the Trinity.    This encylopedia account of St. Patrick seems pretty well researched by someone who obviously had a lot of time on his hands because it’s pretty involved.    But,  if you search, you will find many variations of the story of St. Patrick, including the Confessions of St. Patrick which at least gives some insight into the man since it was self-written.  No one seems to be able to settle on his date of birth or death, except that he died on March 17.  And, it’s pretty tough to determine when he was made the Patron Saint of Ireland. That’s because the first person canonized by the Pope was a bishop from Germany named Ulrich and that wasn’t until 993 AD.  Until that time, canonizations were done on the diocesean level shortly after the supposed holy one’s death.  Apparently, Pat was made a Saint by the locals and the Catholic Church never took it off their calendar.  So much is unclear about this guy who is so well known, or unknown.  One thing that does stand out is that in the dioceces of Ireland, its a Holy Day of Obligation, but nowhere else.  In America, those who mark St. Patrick’s Day do so in many ways, but I think it would be a stretch to say it has anything to do with holiness, nor the true origin of the day.

18Z Mesoeta Has saturated 700mb level awfully close to Louisville at 2pm

Weather Bottom Line:  The forecast remains on track and I’m still on the cloudy limb for Wednesday.  While the upper low still comes down from the north well to the West, there remain indications on both the GFS and NAM that we will have a bunch of clouds.  Conventional wisdom calls for mostly sunny skies but I’m not so sure of that. At least we will have filtered sun with a high cloud deck.  Tell you what…the 12Z GFS even called for some light showers around here for the first part of Wednesday.  Now, I’m not so sure about that but I’ll go with more clouds than most others suggest and temperatures similar to what we saw on Tuesday with highs in the upper 50′s.  It’s really an academic argument and doesn’t make that much difference except as a point to argue.  Then we get to the low to mid 60′s on Thursday and Friday and I betcha its upper 60′s on Saturday before we get a cold front and rain with some t’storms Saturday night.  Sunday looks to be a good day to watch basketball with a lot of clouds and cooler conditions…low 50′s at best perhaps… and then a secondary push of colder air keeps us in the 40′s on Monday.

Does the US have a National Religion? Hurricane Risk Forecast Track-It’s dying, Jim. October 21, 2009

Click on Latest Rick Satellite Loop

Cold Water From Alaska Snuffs Pacific Hurricanes That Wander Too Far North

I’ve sorta ignored Hurricane Rick simply because I knew it was being puffed up by the media. Yes, it was the 2nd strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific and yes it was a category 5 hurricane. But, if you’ve ever been to Acapulco, then you know how cold the water is. There is a little thing called the California Stream, which much like the Gulf Stream, is an ocean current. The Gulf Stream takes warm water from the Gulf of Mexico and transports it all the way to England. I believe the Gulf Stream was first discovered by Ben Franklin. Well, the California Stream takes cold water from near Alaska and transports it equatorward and is why the waters off the California coast are so chilly. It tends to hug the Baja California coast and then down along the Mexican coast. The warm water is offshore. At times, hurricanes do travel north from off the Mexican coast and when they do, they run into the cold water and immediately start falling apart. If they are moving rapidly, they can still have a good kick to them at landfall in Baja or in Northwestern Mexico.

Rick Forecast Track

But, the once Mighty Rick was not moving all that fast and so as it moved across colder water, had no chance of survival as it was.As it stands now, the National Hurricane Center is issuing a discussion for Tropical Storm Rick. In any event, it will still be problematic for areas that it runs over, expecially with heavy rain. I would think that flooding in resorts and impoverished areas of Mexico alike will be the gravest threat. Now, moisture from Pacific hurricanes often makes its way into Texas, the plains and even the Ohio Valley of the US.  But,  in this case the moisture should get wrung out over the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico and any residual moisture will get swept up in a big trof that will dig deep into the nation and some may end up in south or east Texas..maybe the US Gulf Coast, but nothing overly significant, I should think.

Bear Bryant Tops In Value

On This Date in History: In America, it is said that sport has become a religion. When I lived in Birmingham, I went into an art store and saw a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest for $550. The busts of Jesus and Robert E. Lee went for $600. If you wanted one of Bear Bryant, you had to let go of $650. Now, in a number of churches you will often find stained glass windows. They can be quite beautiful and often depict scenes of religious significance. Sometimes a church may devote a section to the history of that particular church or something else related to the community. I’ve seen one Episcopal church with a whole series of windows showing the progression of the early history of the United States. But, I have never heard of a stained glass window devoted to the holiest of activities in America: sports.

Step Up To the Plate Instead of Pass the Plate?

Well, on this date in 1951, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral unveiled their stained glass window devoted to sports. In 1924, the daughter of the Episcopal Bishop of New York became enthralled with the Olympic games of that year. She somehow talked her father into devoting an entire window to…”the glory of sport.” Now, that may be a stretch regarding the term “glory” as it relates to divinity so it was no doubt a tough sell when trying to raise funds to install the grand window at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. So, who better to turn to than famed sports writer Grantland Rice. So, Rice did his best of persuasive prose when he wrote, “One of the main objects of both (sports and religion) is to build up the spirit of fair play, square dealing and clean living.” That argument seems a little thin to me.

Earnhardt Immortalized in Stained Glass

Apparently it took a little more than hyperbole to raise the cash because the original design was altered. The modern sports figures captured in glass were shrunk to just a small area with the larger depictions reserved for biblical “athletes” like Elijah and Samson. To cap it off, the window was dedicated to Saint Hubert, who is the patron saint of hunting. Try to think of what sports figures of today would earn a place in your devine stained glass windows. I bet that NASCAR fans would insist upon Dale Earnhardt.

Weather Bottom Line:  Another great day for Wednesday with temperatures moving into the low 70′s.  On Thursday, a front approaches and clouds start to increase. Rain chances crescendo on Thursday night into Friday followed by dry but cool conditions again for the weekend with highs in the 50′s.

Building Blocks of Life Created on Earth from Lifelessness. A setback for Darwin? Dillinger’s 1st Failed Robbery June 24, 2009

The "Lost City"

Is This “proof” that Charles Darwin was wrong or is it just an anomyly?

I was sitting in the doctor’s office and actually found something besides Highlights or 6 month old copies of McCalls or Sports Illustrated. Doctors are notorious for providing extremely old periodicals to read. Anyway, I stumbled upon an article in Science News that talks about how organic material is apparently being created out of inorganic matter. Hydrocarbons, it is hypothesized, are being created out of inorganic chemical reactions in thermal vents in an area called the Lost City.

This Guy Might Be 30,000 yrs old

Thermal vents typically create chimneys of minerals that rise to as high as 20 meters before the collapse. What caught these guys’ eye was the vents that were up to 60 meters and it turned out that they were made up of hydrocarbons. It’s a very interesting article and is an example of how, in the 21st century, we think we are so smart and know everything, when in fact, we know very little. We also tend to find that what we think we knew, we actually didn’t know at all. I could go on about the absolutes that get thrown about on your daily tv weathercast, Global Warming and news reports about medicine, but I won’t. Nevertheless, I will say that one of the American exports of modern science is a lack of humility and lack of recognizing the limitations of man.

I’ve always reasoned that the Charles Darwin theory of Evolution was quite palatable and I can fit it in easily into my own Faith regarding the creation of the earth. But, this little article makes me wonder. I mean, if the hypothesis is correct, then this is evidence of life being created from nothing. I suppose one might say that its evolution in that the volcanic activity is the catalyst that evolves the non-life into life,

Is the Debate Really Over or is This an Attempt to End Debate?

but I don’t think that fits. It’s also just organic matter being created, not a mammal or reptile or anything. Yet, when you look at the Scientific American article that supports Darwin, I don’t think that there is a place for this discovery. They may need to make an update. Then again, if you look at the definition of evolution from Gene Zimmer’s article supporting creationism, you find that this creation of life from lifelessness does fit into the evolutionary model. Whether or not this discovery fits either worldview is immaterial to the fact that it is cool and quite interesting.

On This Date in History: There is a new movie coming out about John Dillinger which stars Johnny Depp. It will be interesting to see if they have scenes regarding a botched robbery attempt on this date in 1933 in Monticello, Indiana. Two aspects of this caper are of interest. One is that there doesn’t seem to be much information on the attempted hold up of a Marshall Fields in Monticello by Dillinger and William Shaw. I suppose its because it was a failed attempt and Americans only like to hear about wins, not losses. Perhaps the movie will shed some light. Then again, movies rarely get history correct so maybe it will invent something based on loose facts.

Anyway, the other interesting thing about Dillinger is that, even though he was Public Enemy Number 1, his career as a criminal didn’t really last all that long. He was put in jail in 1924 following the beating of Mooresville, IN grocer Frank Morgan by Dillinger and his good friend Edgar Singleton. They had been out boozing it up and jumped the guy. Dillinger got caught when, a few days after the assault on September 6, 1924, Dillinger brought attention to himself by inquiring as to the well being of Mr. Morgan. As it turns out, Morgan couldn’t identify his attackers, but Dillinger was tricked into confessing.

McNutt Thought Dillinger Capable of all Sorts of Things after long prison sentence

Meanwhile, his buddy Ed pled not guilty. Ed was out of jail after a couple of years while Dillinger got 10-20 years for assault and 2-14 years for conspiracy to commit a felony. Some scholars think that the difference in sentences is what pissed off Dillinger and led him on a life of crime. Indiana Governor Paul McNutt thought that the sentence was so harsh that it might cause Dillinger to do anything once he was out of jail. The victim, Morgan, and even the sentencing judge thought the sentence was pretty tough and by 1933, the pair was joined by 182 townfolk lobbying to let Dillinger loose. On May 22, 1933 John Dillinger was set free.

That’s the odd part. He was set free on May 22 1933 and was dead by July 22, 1934. So his crime spree only lasted for a little more than a year. His first robbery was probably in Carlisle, IN on June 10, 1933. It was on June 24, 1933 that he and Shaw tried to rob the Marshall Fields in Monticello, IN. The fact it failed was probably more associated with his lack of experience than anything else, but I don’t know for sure. Even Monticello doesn’t want to talk about it. I suppose we could say that his first robbery was on June 10 and his first fialed robbery was on June 24. Anyway, Dillinger went on to amass some $359, 322 in loot taken before he was gunned down in Chicago on July 22, 1934…or was he…read about the conspiracy theory here.

Storms Thursday?

Weather Bottom Line: The big fat ridge that was anchored over the Southeast is progressing across the southern tier of states to the west. We were under the influence on Tuesday, hence, no rain. Same will be true today. However, as the ridge continues to edge westward, it will set itself up over West Texas which will put the Ohio Valley on the periphery. This will allow little disturbances around the edge to rotate through the region from the upper plains. It’s pretty tough to pick one out and say with any certainty when it will get wherever its going and at what stregnth. But, all of the data shows a shortwave moving through here late in the day on Thursday. On the one hand, it appears that the wave will be winding down somewhat. On the other hand, its coming through in the heat of the day. So, the boys at the SPC have put the Ohio Valley in a slight risk of severe thunderstorms for Thursday morning until Friday morning. Otherwise, it remains hot and somewhat humid. Humidity isn’t too bad though. Snow White and I went sculling yesterday evening and it was great.

DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1247 AM CDT WED JUN 24 2009

VALID 251200Z – 261200Z

…THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THU FROM PARTS OF THE MID
MS/OHIO VALLEYS THRU THE LWR GREAT LAKES…

…SYNOPSIS…
IN A BROAD SENSE…LATEST MODEL RUNS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR WITH REGARD
TO THE UPPER FLOW EVOLUTION THROUGH THIS FORECAST PERIOD. WITHIN
THE PRIMARY BELT OF WESTERLIES NEAR THE CANADIAN/U.S. BORDER…A
COUPLE OF SIGNIFICANT TROUGHS AND EMBEDDED SMALLER SCALE IMPULSES
LIKELY WILL REMAIN PROGRESSIVE. IT APPEARS THAT ONE WILL DIG ACROSS
THE GREAT LAKES/OHIO VALLEY REGION INTO THE NORTHEASTERN
U.S…FINALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE NORTHEASTWARD ACCELERATION OF
REMNANT CLOSED LOW AWAY FROM THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD…THOUGH A
TRAILING SHEAR AXIS TO ANOTHER CIRCULATION NEAR THE FLORIDA GULF
COAST MAY LINGER. MEANWHILE…AN UPSTREAM TROUGH IS PROGGED TO
SHIFT EAST OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES INTO THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES. AND
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THAT THIS FEATURE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
NORTHEASTWARD/INLAND ACCELERATION OF THE CLOSED LOW/TROUGH NOW WEST
OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. SUBSTANTIAL DISCREPANCIES REMAIN
AMONG MODELS CONCERNING THE MANNER AND SPEED AT WHICH THIS
OCCURS…WHILE CONSIDERABLE SPREAD PERSISTS AMONG NCEP SREF/MREF
MEMBERS CONCERNING THIS FEATURE AND OTHER SHORT WAVE DEVELOPMENTS
WITHIN THE EVOLVING PATTERN…WHICH WILL BE OF IMPACT TO THE
CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK.

…MID MS/OHIO VALLEYS THROUGH THE LOWER GREAT LAKES/NORTHEAST…
DESPITE THE UNCERTAINTIES…A REMNANT PLUME OF MODESTLY STEEP
MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ADVECTING EASTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHERN FRINGE
OF THE STRONGER WESTERLIES SEEMS LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE TO MODERATE TO
STRONG POTENTIAL INSTABILITY THURSDAY…AHEAD OF THE DIGGING UPPER
TROUGH APPROACHING THE REGION. WITH HEATING OF A MOIST BOUNDARY
LAYER CHARACTERIZED BY SURFACE DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 60S/LOWER
70S…GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT MIXED LAYER CAPE WILL REACH 1500-3000
J/KG. GIVEN RELATIVELY WEAK INHIBITION…THIS
DESTABILIZATION…COUPLED WITH FAVORABLE MID/UPPER FORCING…IS
EXPECTED TO SUPPORT WIDESPREAD CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. ALTHOUGH
FLOW FIELDS…PARTICULARLY IN LOWER/MID LEVELS…SHOULD REMAIN
FAIRLY WEAK…THERMODYNAMIC PROFILES WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR
DOWNBURSTS AND THE EVOLUTION OF CONVECTIVELY GENERATED COLD POOLS IN
LOOSELY ORGANIZED EASTWARD/SOUTHEASTWARD ADVANCING CONVECTIVE
BANDS/CLUSTERS. THESE MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY POTENTIALLY DAMAGING
WIND GUSTS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS…BEFORE
BOUNDARY LAYER INSTABILITY WANES LATE THURSDAY EVENING.

…GREAT BASIN…
UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN TOO LARGE TO CONFIDENTLY DELINEATE SLIGHT RISK
PROBABILITIES. BUT…STRENGTHENING SOUTHWESTERLY MID/UPPER FLOW /UP
TO 40-50 KT AT 500 MB/ APPEARS A POSSIBILITY THURSDAY ACROSS PARTS
OF CENTRAL/EASTERN NEVADA…PERHAPS INTO WESTERN UTAH. ASSOCIATED
MOMENTUM AND INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR… COUPLED WITH LARGE-SCALE
FORCING DOWNSTREAM OF APPROACHING IMPULSE…COULD CONTRIBUTE TO
ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AS DESTABILIZATION OCCURS WITH
DAYTIME HEATING. SOME HAIL COULD ACCOMPANY STRONG STORMS…BUT
STRONG WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE PRIMARY THREAT…AIDED BY
LARGE LINGERING SUB-CLOUD TEMPERATURE/DEW POINTS SPREADS.

..KERR.. 06/24/2009

Gunplay in the Senate and The Nudist Prophet April 17, 2009

Nice Deliberation

On This Date In History: Antebellum US Senate days got pretty hairy.  If you think partisanship is tough in our era, today’s debates are quite mild in comparison.  in the mid 19th Century, Senator Henry S. Foote of Mississippi and Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri were bitter rivals. Benton is well known for his opposition to the Compromise of 1850. Each routinely tossed insults at one another on the Senate floor.  In short-they hated each other. On this date in 1850, Senator Foote was giving a speech in support of the Compromise of 1850.  In it, he lobbed verbal grenades at Benton who promptly kicked back his chair and began stomping toward the stage.  Foote responded from his position at the podium by pulling a pistol and aiming it at Benton, who stopped and opened his coat and exclaimed, “out of the way! Let the assassin fire!”  Order was restored when the gun was taken from Foote who claimed he was defending himself against the unarmed Benton.

The Senate today seems pretty boring, doesn’t it?  Certainly more boring than Edmund Franz Creffield, the nudist prophet!

Creffield called himself Joshua II and led the Bride of Christ Church in early Twentieth Century Corvallis, Oregon.  He would preach to largely female congregations in someone’s home.  He would shutter the windows and then declare “Vile Clothes Be Gone!”  Off came the dresses, the corsets…everything.  Then the group would roll around on the floor together.  (This really happened!)  Joshua was looking for the “second mother of Christ.”   After a few of these “services” a 17-year-old girl earned the crown.   Needless to say, when the husbands found out about this chicanery, there was hell to pay.  Joshua got tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.  Joshua also got tossed in the slammer for adultery.  Undeterred, upon his release he gathered another group of women….including the formerly 17-year-old girl.  This time though, on this date in 1906, he put a curse on Corvallis and Portland and Seattle and San Francisco.  Not sure what the other cities did but they somehow made the list. 

The next day…San Francisco was hit with a devastating earthquake.  Kinda helps explain the term “holy roller.”  In fear, 50 other women rushed to join Joshua.

Now, the young girl…the chosen bride had a brother who tracked the group to Seattle where he shot the supposed prophet in the head behind the left ear.  He was acquitted of a murder charge.  His sister, the “bride”, then proceeded to shoot her brother in the head behind the left ear.  She lived out much of the rest of her life in an insane asylum.

I’m not sure what the moral is to this story.

Weather Bottom Line:  The clouds stuck around a bit for the first half of the day on Wednesday but all turned out fine as we ended up in the 60′s.  Snow White, Lillipution and I went to Henry’s Ark and Snow White said good bye to the beloved Lady Di who went to dromodary heaven.   She was a good girl and was wonderful on our Christmas Card one year.  Then we spent the evening on the Spirit of Jefferson.  Nice way to have dinner if you get a chance.  I would anticipate Friday being a fine day for a trip to the zoo with temperatures in the low 70′s.  Saturday still looks good for Thunder Over Louisville.  I’m still not overly concerned about rain.  That will hold off, methinks, until Sunday.

http://alphainventions.com/

alphainventions

Is This How You Celebrate Easter? March 30, 2009

Charles F Lummis took this photo of Los Hermanos Penitentes

 

This Date in History:  The week before Easter is the holiest of seasons for Los Hermanos Penitentes.  That is spanish for the Penitent Brothers which is a centuries old somewhat obscure group with roots that go back to the Spanish Conquistadors and Franciscan Missionaries and the strong Christians in medieval Europe.  Some consider the group to be a cult. 

Lummis in 1885

The Penitentes generally subscribe to the notion that man is evil and that the only way to rid oneself of that evil is through punishment.  In an effort to reach that goal, the Penitentes regard Good Friday as the most scared holiday with a bloody ritual that they developed from more subtle practices introduced to them by the Franciscans.  Occasionally, the Franciscans were known to practice self-flagellation in order to purify ones soul.  By 1800, the Penitentes formed an official fraternity complete with officers and a constitution.  They first held their rituals in area churches but, when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, remote villages were abandoned by the church.  In those remote areas, the parishioners tried to maintain a sense of organized faith, in spite of the abscence of priests which led to a development of extreme practices.  In 1833, the bishop of Durango, Mexico condemned the brotherhood and later in the 19th century, their ceremonies were banned completely from church grounds.

Sun Dance of Cochiti Pueblo 1888

So, what is it that these folks did that caused such action?  On this date in 1888, ethanologist and writer Charles F. Lummis became the first outsider to photograph the ceremony.  Apparently, we’re lucky to have any photographs from his trip because Lummis was still learning how to use a camera in 1888.  On the Thursday before Easter, Lummis witnessed a flute player leading a bunch of women in a slow procession.  It was a painful procession since many of the women were handicapped by cactus stuffed tightly in their shoes.  Behind the women came the brothers of blood.  These poor souls had a dark bag over their head to protect them from the sin of vanity.  They were not to gain any glory from their suffering.  Each man wore a crown of thorns pressed deeply into their head.  As these guys walked, they whipped themselves over their own backs with lashes studded with cactus and yucca.  Behind them came three men, each carrying a heavy wooden cross.  These guys couldn’t whip themselves so the Brothers of Light did the work.  The Brothers of Light were the inner circle of the fraternity…the officers I suppose.  Next was Good Friday.

The Death Cart

Lummis could not believe his eyes when he witnessed a black hooded man with blood pouring from an open wound in his right side.  He had volunteered to accept the honor of portraying Jesus.  He begged for nails but too many of the men who played that part died after getting nailed to the cross so he was just bound with ropes.  But, that wasn’t easy.  He was bound so tight, his arms turned black.  Two other guys showed up with cactus in bundles strapped to their backs.  The lay down at the foot of the cross and begged for rocks to be used to drive the cactus deeper into their flesh.  These guys rolled around on the ground in agony for over 30 minutes.  Watching over the whole ceremony was the Death Cart, which was a two wheeled wagon with a skeleton sitting in it clutching a bow and arrow, which was to symbolize sudden death. 

Supposed Modern Day Penitentes

Now, supposedly Penitentes’ ritual has eased up a bit.  By the 1920′s, roads brought more access to their area and in 1947, the bishop of Santa Fe welcomed them as a “pious association of men joined in charity to commemorate the Passion and death of the Redeemer.”  Trouble was, with the new roads and better modes of transportation in the 20th century, tourists and shutterbugs showed up in greater numbers.  I suppose as part of the idea of avoiding the glorification of their suffering, the hoards of tourists simply drove the sect into deeper secrecy.  Today, it is said that Los Hermanos Penitentes still are around Colorado and New Mexico, but no one really knows what they are up to.  I have yet to find anything in the New Testament that would support the need for them to continue their practices…but, it’s a free country and one must admire their determination if nothing else.  It may be hard to find any phonies  in that fraternity…and certainly no frat boys.

European Model Shows Trouble Next Sunday

Weather Bottom Line:  Pretty lousy day, as expected for Sunday.  Cloudy, windy…brisk and chilly.  We’ll rebound to near 60 on Monday.  Tuesday also will get to the low 60′s.  A system will come through on Tuesday night bringing with it some rain and perhaps some thunderstorms. I wouldn’t get too worked up over it.  Wednesday will be pretty good and there will be a good chance for rain with a chance for t’storms on late Thursday. Last time I checked, the GFS had backed off the idea of strong storms…but we’ll see what its up to as the week progresses.   In general, temepratures will be chilly at night and mild during the afternoon all week.   Now, this is a long way out and I’m talking about a system that is all the way across the Pacific in Japan at this time early Monday morning.  But, there is some indication that that guy could be trouble in the midwest and possibly the Ohio Valley over next weekend. ..see the ECMWF above… I’ll keep  up with it as things become more definitive.

“Christmas” Parade Name Change OK For Christians? What About Evacuation Day? November 25, 2008

And Take Your King With You!!

As expected, we had our rain on Monday. Most places got between a half inch and an 8th of an inch. A shade more than I had thought but my plants are happy. Its gong to be chilly on Tuesday then the sun breaks out on Wednesday and Thursday. Not out of the question that we have consecutive days in the 50′s on Wednesday and Thanksgiving. That’s a nice change. Last week, we averaged a low of 27 and a high of 44. The average high and low for February 7th are 44 and 27. Yes, it’s too cold so enjoy Thanksgiving while it lasts because chillier air returns at the end of the week and holds through the weekend into next week. We had rain in the forecast for Friday but this weekend the models were coming around to advertise a low coming out from the west would stay to our south so we took the chances out. Early Tuesday morning, that data continues to be coming more in the form of a consensus so Light Up Louisville still looks to be dry.

Christmas tales: We watched a story on TV Monday night regarding Patchogue, New York that changed the name of their Christmas Parade from the Christmas Boat Parade to the Holiday Boat Parade. Of

Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade?

course, the interviews were all of people who objected for a variety of reasons. Most of the reasons had to do with the religious aspects of the day though some were more into the tradition angle. But, Snow White came up with an observation that I had never thought of before. The origin of the term comes from what was celebrated in the church, which was the Mass of Christ. Now, over the years, people have long complained about the commercialization of Christmas. It took Linus to explain the true meaning of Christmas to Charlie Brown. So, people didn’t like the Santa Claus and presents and decorations and stuff because it was overwhelming the meaning of the day, as

Linus Talks to Chuck

Charlie Brown found out. So, the question then arises, shouldn’t these folks be happy that they have taken Christmas off the title of these events? I mean, in doing so, they don’t take the commercialization of the season out of it but instead, takes out the religious reference involved in the commercialization. It seems to be a plausible discussion point that the term Christmas should be disconnected from the secular aspects of the season, thereby elevating the day back to one of Holy reverence. By insisting that the reference be included in parades that generally are filled with elves, candy canes and winter scenes but are generally absent of religious symbols it can be argued that doing so merely perpetuates the distraction of the meaning of Christmas. It could be considered wanting things both ways. Just some things to consider…

From Left To Right: John Jay, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Henry Laurens, William T. Franklin...the rest were too Chicken to Show up

On This Date In History: On September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed by Ben Franklin and his

Van Arsdale Raises The Stars and Stripes

delegation as well as representatives of the English Crown. The Revolutionary War was officially over. On November 25 1783, the last of the British forces left the US on what is known as “Evacuation Day.” The Brits thought they’d get the last laugh by nailing the Union Jack atop a greased flag pole in New York. Much to their chagrin though, an American Patriot named John Van Arsdale put on spiked boots and climbed the pole, replacing the British Flag with an American Flag. The Brits on the ships leaving New York Harbor must have been very disappointed when they looked through their spy glass and saw old glory flapping in the breeze.

Apparently, there was a lady named Mrs. Day who got a little overzealous and whipped out the American flag on her flag pole before the redcoats had left. A British officer yelled at her so she pummeled his face with a broom stick.

Gen. Washington Entered New York After the Redcoats Left

There were really a bunch of Evacuation Days as various towns celebrated the day that the British troops left their particular town. I believe that there are still some towns that have holidays marking the day. But, in New York, after celebrating big time on the centennial of Evacuation Day in 1883, the celebratory atmosphere began to wind down. By the turn of the century, many New Yorkers didn’t even know what was evacuated or by whom. Following World War I, the day sorta fell by the wayside…I mean the English were our allies during that conflict.

Regardless of the public memories, the British memories at the time were quite scarred. They were sore losers. Prior to the shenanigans of the flag episode, a painter asked that the members of the peace delegations at the Treaty of Paris to pose for a painting of posterity to commemorate the occasion. Note that painting above by a man named Benjamin West. It is incomplete because the British delegation refused to pose like the sore losers they were.