Povey Prattle

Back in the day when I was in the wedding business I would always make a polite announcement at the beginning of the liturgy.   It would run something like this: “Since a wedding is a service of worship, we ask that you do not take photographs during the ceremony.   You are welcome to take photo’s as the wedding party processes at the end of the service”. I did this for two reasons:   First because it was darn uncomfortable to my eyes to have multiple flashes aimed in my direction.   Second because I wanted the guests to participate in the liturgy, not to merely see it as a photo’ op. There was always some wise guy uncle who would attempt to ignore my request, but I could just about freeze him in place with my famous stare and glare! (I allowed the “official photographer to take some candids, with the provision that she or her never moved between me and the wedding party). I was reminded of all this when I was directed to an NPR piece (thanks Roger Shepard). ...

"Google Blogger" was down for a couple of days.  The following is what I wrote yesterday, and it will also do for today. Crows, in my estimation, are “gang birds” or “thug birds”.   They have set up a cell in my neighbourhood, a cell which harasses just about every other bird, smaller or larger. Crows do not sing.   They squawk. They have inflicted this ghastly squawking upon me so much in recent months that I have come to believe that these unpleasant birds are also members of the “Tea Party”. A pair of “common or garden” ducks hatched twelve ducklings last week.   Now there are only five.   The hawks, crows and turtles have enjoyed fresh duck meat.   Just as well, or else we’d be overwhelmed by an every expanding duck population. Two Canada geese seem to have taken up permanent residence.   They are handsome fowl, but their scat is disgusting. A lonesome pelican has been swooping up and down our pond for the past four hours. Once in a while s/h...

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved       perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.     His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After       many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he manoeuvred his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description       of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.     I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just     been presented with a new puppy.     Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'     'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.     Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.   Whethe...

The following is a video from a debate on immigration in the Senate of Alabama. Stick with the confusing start of the video, then get to the heart of a dangerous "debate" http://www.youtube.com/user/GoatHillProject Damn, it’s scary.  Quite apart from the politics of immigration it assumes that there are no liberal Christians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, or non-religious people in that State. The argument is rooted in beliefs about the "saved" and the "unsaved". It has no references to the  Constitution of these United States.   It is based on a very narrow and eccentric view of the Bible. Thus, I believe that the  America of “christian theocrats” as expounded in Alabama is to be feared by freedom loving folks of the right and the left, and of freedom loving folks of all, any, or no religious conviction.

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