Folks, I won't be sending out any Christmas cards or E-cards this year, but I didn't want the festive season to pass by without sending you all my very best wishes, so I've decided to share with you all, my very own take on the beautiful, enchanting yet somehow haunting "Ave Maria"...
Best wishes, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy listening to this lovely tune during the cold, dark, harsh winter months to come.
It may be stay-a-home-time in France for Christmas. 350-mile tailbacks into Paris just don't smack
of a Yuletide feeling. What is the diminutive President to do?
Quote:French strikes: Flights, trains, Metro and buses cancelled on Tuesday's 'day of protest'.
'French transport strikes enter their 13th day on Tuesday with another round of street protests planned,
including a major demo in Paris. Trains, flights and the Paris Metro are all facing disruption on Tuesday.
Unions are calling for a day of all-out protest with demonstrations in the major cities on Tuesday, December
17th in their continuing battle with the government over pension reform.
Flights have been running normally for several days now, but Tuesday will see more services cancelled,
albeit fewer than in the early days of the strike. When the strike started on December 5th, French airspace
controllers asked all airlines to cancel 20 percent of their flights.
On Tuesday, only Paris Orly airport is hit with cancellations - with 20 percent of its flights cancelled.
However other French airports could see delays in takeoff and landing, and anyone who has a flight booked
is advised to check with their airline.
On the railways there is again severe disruption, with fewer trains running than in recent days as more train
drivers and SNCF staff follow the call to join protests. On the high speed TGV services there are just 25 percent
of services running - down from 33 percent on Monday - and local TER services again see just 30 percent of
services running. The worst hit is the Intercité lines, where just five percent of trains are running (down from
16 percent on Monday).
In Paris public transport services remain badly disrupted.
On the Metro eight lines - Lines 2, 3bis, 5, 6, 7bis, 10, 12 and 13 - remain closed completely.
Lines 1 and 14 - the automated lines - are running as normal while the remaining six lines - Lines 3, 4, 7, 8, 9
and 11 - are offering a limited service at rush hour only.
On the tram network no lines are running a full service, but five lines - Lines 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 - are running all day,
albeit with fewer services than normal. The remaining tram lines are running a limited service either during rush
hour only - for Lines 1 and 3a - or between the hours of 12 noon and 3pm for Line 3b.
On the RER suburban trains there is still only a limited service at rush hour only and around 30 percent of the usual
bus services will be running.
There will also be protests in Paris which bring with them the possibility of trouble from 'black bloc' rioters who
have in the past attached themselves to union lead protests.
Unions representing rail workers and teachers will be leading the march in Paris, accompanied for the first time
by the moderate union CFDT. The CFDT decided to join the demos after, according to CFDT leader Laurent Berger,
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe "crossed a red line" in his speech last Wednesday when he set a new "pivot"
retirement age at 64.
In Paris, the march is planned to leave from Place de la République at 1.30pm. The protesters will cross the Bastille
square, then take Rue de Lyon and Avenue Daumesnil before ending up at Nation, in the far east of the city.
The Paris police have ordered all stores and cafés on this route to close.
Unions are concerned at proposed reforms to the French pension system, which they say will leave people working
longer for less money.
The government insists that its proposals to create a single 'universal' pension system for everyone will be fairer and
more transparent and will benefit women who take time out of the workplace and anyone whose current pension is
very low.
On Monday, the conflict was complicated further by the resignation of Jean-Paul Delevoye, appointed by President
Emmanuel Macron to oversee the pension reform, over a scandal about undeclared private sector payments while
he was earning a government salary.
The government has vowed to press on with the reforms regardless, and says Delevoye will be replaced soon...'
Here's an idea that -at first in this current climate of fake ethnicity-fawning and pompous feigned indignity, might seem
callous and churlish, that I agree with and should have been utilised after the racial abuse during the England vs Sofia
soccer game at the end of October.
It's alleged that Bulgarian soccer fans were making Nazi salutes and monkey chants towards certain black players
as the Sofia team endured a 6-0 drubbing. The game was stopped several times as the conduct continued.
Watching the media roll out the footage and how the football players and Manager were standing around discussing
this terrible behavior, I suggested to my better-half a way of extinguishing the racist jubilation was for the entire England
football squad to step into the centre-circle of the field and imitate the usual stereotypical actions of humans imitating
monkeys.
If the common stance is that we all evolved from apes, then all of the team should have just made the same gestures
and enjoyed the camaraderie of larking about and wasting the crowd's time, time that the same audience paid for.
It would've diluted the situation and showed what a team truly is.
In some circles, it's called fighting fire with fire.
Of course, the same media thrives on reporting racial abuse so the idea below must be reported in a bad light.
(Note: Serie A is an Italian football league.)
Quote:Serie A uses monkeys in anti-racism posters.
'Serie A has used images of monkeys in an anti-racism campaign less than three weeks after its clubs pledged to
combat Italian football's "serious problem". The 'No To Racism' posters show three monkeys with painted faces.
The monkey artwork will be displayed at Serie A headquarters in Milan.
"Once again Italian football leaves the world speechless. It is difficult to see what Serie A was thinking, who did they
consult?" said anti-discriminatory body Fare. "In a country in which the authorities fail to deal with racism week after
week, Serie A have launched a campaign that looks like a sick joke.
"These creations are an outrage; they will be counter-productive and continue the dehumanisation of people of African
heritage. "It is time for the progressive clubs in the league to make their voice heard."
Anti-discrimination body Kick It Out added: "Serie A's use of monkeys in their anti-racism campaign is completely
inappropriate, undermines any positive intent and will be counter-productive.
"We hope that the league reviews and replaces their campaign graphics."
In November, Brescia's Mario Balotelli called fans who shouted racist abuse at him "small-minded" and "imbeciles".
Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku said the abuse he suffered in September, when Cagliari fans made monkey noises after
the Belgian scored a penalty against their team, showed the game was "going backwards".
The Sardinian club were later cleared of racist chanting, leading the head of anti-discriminatory body Fare to say that
Italian football authorities and their disciplinary systems to combat racism were "not fit for purpose".
Earlier this month Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport was criticised for the headline 'Black Friday' alongside images
of Roma defender Chris Smalling and Inter striker Lukaku prior to a match between the sides.
European football expert James Horncastle criticised Serie A for the posters.
"Question for the league is how they can't see what a loaded and misguided collaboration this is for an anti-racism
initiative," he said. "If you wondered why a select group of Serie A clubs are taking anti-racism into their own hands,
faith in the league is sub-zero."
At a news conference on Monday, artist Simone Fugazzotto, who always uses monkeys in his work, said: "For an artist
there is nothing more important than trying to change the perception of things through his own work.
"I decided to portray monkeys to talk about racism because they are the metaphor for human beings. Last year I was at
the stadium to see Inter v Napoli [a match in which Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly was racially abused] and I felt
humiliated, everyone was shouting 'monkey' at Koulibaly, a player I respect.
"I've always been painting monkeys for five to six years, so I thought I'd make this work to teach that we're all apes,
I made the western monkey with blue and white eyes, the Asian monkey with almond-shaped eyes and the black
monkey positioned in the centre, where everything comes from.
The monkey becomes the spark to teach everyone that there is no difference, there is no man or monkey, we are all alike.
If anything we are all monkeys."...'
Somebody gets it.
Quote:'Serie A chief executive Luigi de Siervo said: "The League's commitment against all forms of prejudice is strong and concrete,
we know that racism is an endemic and very complex problem, which we will tackle on three different levels; the cultural one,
through works like that of Simone; the sporting one, with a series of initiatives together with clubs and players, and the
repressive one, thanks to collaboration with the police."...'
Michael Tellinger describes the importance of sound and symbolism for many cultures throughout the world. Across the ages many civilizations bore many commonalities, such as the prevalence of gold and many similar symbols shared throughout their unique cultures. It is the predominance of sound with sacred practices and architectural designs which this points toward a common origin, or at least to the many links which interweave these civilization across the centuries.
This is just Sooooooooooooo Cool, I wish someone could explain the significance of this with Numerology to me.
Do you think it is significant?
Quote:Special Significance Or Cool Coincidence? Final Full Moon Of Decade Peaks On 12/12 At 12:12
Seriously, The Last Full Moon of 2019 and it'll shows itself at 12:12 AM on 12/12/2019
Quote:According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the number 12 has special significance – depending on who you ask.
Consider this. There are 12 months in a year, and a day is made up of two 12-hour periods. In numerology, the number 12 is related to completion, perfection, harmony, motivation, achievement and independence. Only 12 people have walked on the moon and we can’t forget this, there are 12 days of Christmas!
Thursday’s full moon is called the “Cold Moon” or “Long Night’s Moon,” for the time of year when Winter really begins. Source
Nancy appears to be giving credit for the USMCA bill to the Democrats. They could never allow credit to go to President Trump for this, right?
Sometimes all you can do is laugh at their arrogance.
I know that some of our rogue members have more than a passing interest in the Big Fella, so I thought that I'd share one of my favourite accounts of a scary BigFoot encounter...
A deer-hunter gets set up in his Tree Stand before dawn, when he sees a huge dark (hairy) shape... and it's moving!
GOD, Help The Brain Dead,, your average Democrat Can't Be THIS STUPID,,, Are They?
Quote:Hillary Clinton emerges as top choice of Democratic voters in Harvard-Harris presidential poll
Quote:Mrs. Clinton drew 21%, followed by former Vice President Joseph R. Biden with 20%, when registered Democrats were asked whom they would support for the 2020 party presidential nod if she and former Secretary of State John Kerry were added to the mix.
Placing third in the hypothetical race was Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders at 12%, followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 9% and ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 7%.
Seriously, these people had to be Joking or they were are just plain To Stupid To Live!
Maybe they found and interviewed these LOSER'S!
Quote:The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, Mrs. Clintontold BBC last month that she had no plans to enter the 2020 contest, although she added, “I never say never to anything.”
“I will certainly tell you, I’m under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it,” she said. “But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans.” Source
Yes the Voices in Her Head and These Ignorant People are Applying Enormous Pressure!
DAMN! This was just Terrible, especially for those hikers down in the Cone just before the Volcano Blow.
Quote:VOLCANO HELL
New Zealand volcano eruption – Five dead ‘& three Brits among up to 27 missing’ as White Island cops say ‘no survivors’
Sad, I would have thought that there was signs of a pending eruption, I think there were signs but they took tourist anyway.
Quote:AT least five people have died and three Brits are feared missing after an eruption at the White Island volcano in New Zealand this morning.
Eighteen of an estimated 50 people were rescued from the island, with up to 27 still missing and cops saying they no longer expect to find more survivors.