Frankly, My Dear…

The Birmingham Museum of Art has opened a Pompeii exhibition that will be here until January ‘08.

http://www.pompeiibirmingham.com/

I am very much looking forward to seeing it, at least once. We were lucky enough to actually go to Pompeii while in Rome on a company sponsored trip in 1989. It was so interesting to see what they had uncovered! Also surreal when you’re told the ruts in the cobblestones are from chariots, frescos on walls have lasted longer than you can wrap your mind around and just trying to imagine the streets and houses full of people of that time!  My regret is that I didn’t keep a diary because there are holes in my memory now! I did take pictures but not nearly enough! The ones I posted are of the work area where the finds are being readied for display. The first is a human figure, the second has a dog in a glass case that had been chained, another human figure and I’m not sure what’s in the other glass case, and the third picture is a sacrificial altar which involved humans as well as animals. I’m hoping the trip to the museum will revive my memory about some things. It’s hard to concentrate on what the tour guide is saying when you’re trying to take in the surroundings!

If you use the sidebar at the museum’s site  you will find links with various pictures and interesting facts about Pompeii. And, if you search for Pompeii pictures there are also lots of links.

I might do a post about our trip to Rome. It was a couple of months after the Lockerbie explosion, which was on my mind BIG TIME!

I know you’ve heard about Goreacle for the past few days ..or is it months?! But have you heard about Lt Michael P. Murphy, 29. a Navy Seal who gave his all in the mountains of Afghanistan while greatly outnumbered by the enemy? He was wounded but went out in the open to use his phone to call for help for his team. He was shot again for his effort. On Oct 22 his parents will receive his Congressional Medal of Honor, the US’s highest military award.

The only survivor from this day, Marcus Luttrell,  has written a book, Lone Survivor, about the day that cost so many soldiers their lives. Bless them all and their families.

Btw, I did a post about the book  when it came out and continue to get multiple hits everyday from all over for it. The msm may not talk about it but there is plenty of interest!

http://bama2.itsapundit.com/2007/06/21/lone-survivor/

UPDATE: Lt Murphy’s parents were given his medal yesterday (Oct 22) and before the ceremony, they gave President Bush a gold dog tag with their son’s name engraved on it.  He put it on under his shirt and wore it during the medal ceremony.

So I guess his energy sucking house and private jets don’t count?

The Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, while visiting a primary school class, found themselves in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. 
 
The teacher asked both men if they would like to lead the discussion  of the word “tragedy”. So the illustrious Rev Jackson asks the class for an example of a “tragedy”. 
 
One little boy stood up and offered: “If my best friend, who lives on  a farm, is playing in the field and a runaway tractor comes along and knocks him dead, that would be a tragedy.” 
 
“No,” says the Great Jesse Jackson, “that would be an accident.” 
 
A little girl raised her hand: “If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.” 
 
“I’m afraid not,” explains the exalted Reverend Al. “That’ what we  would call a great loss.” The room goes silent. No other children volunteer. 
 
Reverend Al searches the room. “Isn’t there someone here who can give  me an example of a tragedy?” 
 
Finally at the back of the room little Johnny raises his hand. In a  stern voice he says: “If a plane carrying the Reverends Jackson and  Sharpton were struck by a missile and blown to smithereens that would  be a tragedy.” 
 
“Fantastic!” exclaims Jackson and Sharpton, “That’s right. And can you  tell me why that would be a tragedy?”

  “Well,” says little Johnny, “brcause it sure as hell wouldn’t be a great loss, and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”

SEE COMMENT!

Jimmeh Carter told his interviewers that he had no regrets about his presidency–wouldn’t change a thing! Really?

 Well, okay, maybe one thing. Referring to the Iran hostage crisis, Carter said, “I have a specific regret in not having one more helicopter when I wanted to rescue our hostages.  If I had had one more helicopter, they would have been rescued. I might have been reelected president.”

Be still my heart! Reelected?!

Registered sex offenders in Baltimore are required to post a sign on their front doors saying “No candy at this house”for Halloween. They also cannot answer the door, must leave the lights off and stay inside from 6 pm until the following morning. However, they can make other arrangements with their probation or parole officer to be out of the neighborhood for that night.

Several other states ban registered sex offenders from giving out candy, going to kids’ parties and being on the street.

Sounds like good ideas, but still…..

A group of grassroots Democrats has written to the Goreacle, imploring him to run for president!

 ”America and the Earth need a hero right now — someone who will transcend politics as usual and bring real hope to our country and to the world,” Draftgore’s letter said. “Please rise to this challenge, or you and millions of us will live forever wondering what might have been.”

Ye gads!

And just imagine if he ran and lost again–who would be blamed for it?

The blog was MIA most of the afternoon and there’s a few things I need to do to get it back like it was. Thankfully, basil has done the hard work. My blogroll is gone and I may go to the library to put it back together–it’s faster. I’m having trouble working up the mental process to get things done. Sometimes I like blogging and sometimes I don’t. Today made me think I was being given a clue to stop.

I’m under alot of stress–who isn’t? I have an appt with the eye clinic on the 19th to see the retina dr who will decide whether or not I need a shot in my eye.  Everyday I put drops in all day–one twice a day, one 6 times and one 4 times. Sometimes I manage to get them in my eye! I just wish this could be over!

I also just found out that we will have to move before next Sept. The woman that owns the property we’re on has sold it and the new owners have plans. I’m going to try to give the shortest version of this that I can. My husband’s business went under and we lost our house with it. That was a pleasant experience–NOT! Anyway, we moved to an “aluminum condo” on someone’s property as a temporary solution. Three years later, we separated and that’s the way it’s been since then.

I have felt safe here,  it’s a very pretty area and very convenient to a lot of things. Now I have to make all kinds of decisions and I’m not looking forward to any of them!

Five police cars are parked outside the north Birmingham church while they meet to decide whether to remove their preacher from the pulpit! Seems he has brought a gun to church!

Disputes have brought police to the church for the past four Sundays and they will remain until after the meeting!

Sounds like someone is being moved by something other than the Holy Spirit!

I think these are so beautiful! The blue morpho butterfly gets its colbolt blue hue from thousands of semitransparent scales that “filter blue from the visible spectrum and radiate out from the wings.” They come from the rain forests in Central and South America. They are tiny, living works of art. Well, of course, this one is no longer living, but it still retains it’s beauty!