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alex-guerin · 5 years ago

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@raiining put in her tags: #also has someone written a pov by them yet?#someone should#good omens And well, call it divine inspiration, this popped into my head.

When Michael gave him this assignment, he wasn’t quite sure what it was for or why it was so important, but, he went with it anyway. After all, he was just a lowly Angel 1st class, and not exactly the best or one, either. Still, an Archangel trusted him to get this job done and he was going to do it, by jove!

Which was how he’d found himself wandering around earth, snapping random photos or random things, not quite sure what he was supposed to be documenting, but figured best to err to the side of caution and just take pictures of mostly everything. There were several pictures taken from within the Globe Theater -- so many wonderful plays took place there, after all, so obviously that would be something Michael could be interested in. Other photos of the great ships that had begun transporting those poor religious outcasts across the waters to that vast continent where they’d meet with the Native Americans -- and in the years following, he’d go on to tearfully document the result of the Pilgrims landing; he’d been so sure that things would work between the two sides. So many photos through so many years, documenting the rise and fall of kings and empires, the birth of nations and the destruction of man.

Yet somehow in the middle of it all, he’d fallen upon an unlikely duo. A part of him was horrified when he realized one of them was an angel and the other was a demon, a demon for Heaven’s sake! Yet, the other part of him was intrigued. There was something different about this pair. The demon wasn’t bad or evil per se, he was just bored and mischievous, desperate to get the angel’s attention it seemed. And the angel, well, the angel was of course good but he was good in a way far far different than what was the norm in Heaven. He smiled freely, for one thing, with no hidden agenda tucked away behind it. He smiled because he was genuinely happy. And he smiled the most and the brightest when the demon was near by. It didn’t take an Archangel to see the friendship between them.

Thinking back, he could remember seeing the both of them throughout his time on Earth. Together or apart. There were times when he’d sit and watch in fascination as the angel would awkwardly go about conducting a small temptation -- the starving street urchins salivating over the fresh baked bread getting a quiet whisper in their ear to go ahead and take the top two loaves, the baker would never know -- before going off to conduct a blessing or a miracle. Other times, he’d stare in wonder as the demon drew forth a miracle -- usually involving kids, but many times just to make the angel smile...like making that dreadfully glum Hamlet play a success -- and then turn right around and watch as a wealthy merchant tripped over his own two feet and land face first in the mud.

There was something about the two that he found intriguing, endearing, and -- as an angel and thus a being of love and easy to sense such love -- was amazed at the levels of admiration the two had for each other. Soon enough he found himself snapping pictures of them together whenever he got the chance, just to watch and document the way their love for one another grew and grew. Yet, they did nothing about it. Not a single thing. It was as if they were unaware of how the other felt about them. That was impossible, though, it was clear as air! Then it happened. The moment he’d been waiting for. And in the most unlikely of settings, during the most unsettling of times, with air raid sirens blaring, bombs dropping to form craters where buildings once stood. In the bombed out shell of what had once been a church, it happened.

“Little demonic miracle of my own. Lift home?” The demon had said, passing off a satchel of books to a dumbfounded angel. The angel had such a look on his face that it was impossible not to take a picture of it. The love that shown there, the realization that he was loved and that -- wonder of all wonders -- returned that same love.

He’d followed them through what was left of London and caught up to them just outside the perfectly pristine bookshop the angel had set up as his base of operations -- though, after watching him for over a hundred years, it was clear to see it wasn’t so much a base of operations as it was...a home? Strange thing, that. Angel calling somewhere other than Heaven home, but that one did, and it suited him. The pair stood on the steps of the bookshop, speaking softly to one another. Then, with a tip of his hat, the demon turned to lope back down the steps only to be stopped by a hand on his arm. Oh it was too much! The suspense was killing the poor little angelic photographer! The demon took one step back up towards the angel, their bodies nearly touching. They’d both taken their hats off, or rather, miracled them off perhaps? One minute they were on, the next gone.

And then, oh and then the most wonderful thing happened! The angel’s hands cupped the demon’s jaw gently, the glow of love shining so bright off him it could have lit up the whole of England. The demon’s hands found his angel’s waist and then their bodies moved without being told it seemed, drawn together like two atoms, and they were kissing. Their first kiss, so tender, so warm, so loving, there amidst the horrors of War and Death, Pollution and Famine, there was love. An unlikely love between two unlikely beings in the most unlikely of places.

He’d taken a picture of that first kiss and all the love that poured out between the two and then turned to leave them in peace. They deserved time and space to navigate their newfound relationship. He’d have the picture to remember it by, though. To look back on when it felt there was no love left in Heaven or on Earth, and remember that a demon and an angel found love in each other, so perhaps all hope wasn’t completely lost.

When Michael came to him years later, demanding the photos of the angel and demon together, he was loathe to give them up. It felt like a betrayal somehow. He didn’t know what Michael had planned to do with the photos, but whatever it was, it certainly didn’t feel good. He’d sat and gone through all the photos he’d taken, picking out only 4 of the hundreds upon hundreds he had of the pair. In the waiting area of the Archangels’ offices, he stared down at the pictures and bit his lip in thought. Was he doing the right thing? His eyes fell on the first and only photo of the two kissing. It didn’t feel like it was the right thing to do. No, the couple deserved more than having their first kiss shown to the highest ranking angels of Heaven. Besides, what would happen to the two of them if the Archangels knew? What would happen to him if they knew that he’d known and never said anything about it? That was why, when Michael finally emerged from their office and stepped before him, hand out expectantly for the photos, three were passed off instead of four. The fourth stayed safely hidden behind his back until Michael gave an unsettling false smile, nodded their head, and turned on clipped heels to go find Gabriel.

Years later, on the day of the anniversary of their first kiss, an angel would open an unexpected package that was slipped through the slot in the door without a single person to be seen or heard from outside. Inside the package would be a simple frame and a beautifully clear black and white photo of him and his now demon husband kissing on the front steps of his shop while the world seemingly ended around them. On the back of the frame, in neat golden handwriting was the date and place the photo was taken, along with the following: Thank you. Your love for one another helped me find the strength I needed to finally do the right thing. It gave me hope when there was none to be found. Bless you both.

-Cameron, Former Angel of the 1st Heaven. Resident of Earth.

I couldn’t stop thinking about whoever got assigned to take the “Earth Observation Files” photos and what they went through

#Sorry I hijacked your post OP #Good Omens #Cameron the Earth Observation Angel #my fic #tumblr fic

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the-marius-de-romanus · 5 years ago

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Conversation with Anne Rice on Blood and Gold

Q: Blood & Gold is your eighteenth novel about the vampires. Do you find it difficult to work within the narrative framework established by earlier stories?

A: Actually, it's a challenge, a real dare. The Vampire Chronicles vary radically in form. Some are tales told to others. Some are written memoirs. Some involve vampires talking directly to us. I feel there is enough flexibility for me to do just about anything that I want. In Queen of the Damned, for example, I worked with whole chapters in the third person, claiming that the Vampire Lestat received the material telepathically from his soul mates and passed it on to us in that form. But for the most part I stick with the heat and intimacy of the first person voice because I love it, along with its obvious drawbacks, and I feel most at home with the puzzles it presents. How do you make a first person narrator handsome and lovable, for instance. I feel I meet that dare all the time.

Q: Do you view your novels as stand alone entities? Will new readers enjoy Blood & Gold even if they are not familiar with your backlist?

A: Absolutely. Each Vampire Chronicle is a stand-alone book. There is enough information in it to make any first-time reader comfortable immediately, and perhaps a little curious about the other books. Blood & Gold is no exception. If anything, Blood & Gold is a bit easier for the first-time reader than, say, The Vampire Armand because Marius is two thousand years old and he begins his memoir in the year 200 AD and follows his own lonely and stark path through the centuries. His great loves, his great losses, his great revelations are all described in rich detail, right up to the point where he becomes the mentor to the Vampire Lestat, sharing the secrets of Those Who Must Be Kept with Lestat, and eventually suffering when Lestat reveals those secrets to the world. But for the new reader it ought to flow easily. The focus is really on Marius himself and his approach to history as well as his existence as a blood drinker and a myth maker.

Q: Marius, Lestat's beloved mentor, appears in your novels The Vampire Lestat, The Vampire Armand, and The Queen of the Damned. What inspired you to write his story?

A: I was reading through The Queen of the Damned and I felt a new contact with Marius and with the anger he suffered when Akasha, the Queen of the Vampires, rose from her four thousand year slumber and more or less contemptuously deserted him. I felt it was time to go deep into Marius and tell his tale from the beginning?omehow explain the type of love he had felt for Akasha which was really warmer than worship. I knew it would be difficult to live up to the high standard I had set for Marius' character in the Chronicles and I was exhilarated by it. Marius is the noble Roman, the ethical man of reason, the diplomat, and the undying optimist. I had to get into all that. I felt ready for it. Also, I think I felt challenged by the fact that Warner's was making The Queen of the Damned into a movie. I wanted to tell Marius' story before they delivered their version of Marius to motion picture audiences. No matter how detached I try to be from motion pictures of my work, they ultimately affect me.

Q: Marius lives through many periods and in many countries. Which era of Marius' life did you find most seductive? Which did you most enjoy researching?

A: The Italian Renaissance was my favorite period of Marius' life, a time during which Marius became a person in the mortal world, a rich Venetian gentleman who paints the walls of his palazzo for his own pleasure, an enigma to those around him. I did a ton of research on the period to make everything as nearly correct as I could. I also enjoyed researching ancient Rome, the Rome of 200 to 50 AD, during which time Marius saw Christianity become the legal religion of the Empire, and also the barbarian sack of the Eternal City itself, a disaster that sent Marius into a long slumber in the shrine of Those Who Must Be Kept from which he didn't want to wake again to reality. There again, I consult volumes. I had so many books around me when I wrote that sometimes I couldn't escape from my computer. I had to climb over piles of books. I was stumbling. One day I called my research assistant, Scott, on the phone and begged him to come upstairs and help me find a book that was somewhere at my feet but which I couldn't find without an archaeological dig. Of course it was all wonderful fun. I want my vampires to move through real history, not some airy realm of half-truths and mistakes and vague generalities. I want the facts, the smells, the colors, the names, and the dates. When Marius meets Botticelli in Florence, I used Botticelli's correct street address in so as far as history records it.

Q: In Blood & Gold, Marius paints and repaints murals, and his companion Daniel, the interviewer from Interview with the Vampire, creates acres of model cities. What is the role of art in the lives of vampires?

A: Vampires are hyper-sensitive to art. They see color and form with the heightened vision of the perpetually stoned. Art can seduce them as the model cities have seduced the boy, Daniel, who doesn't know yet how to handle his obsessions. Art can also save them because it offers a continuity that life itself may not offer to a human being. As time passes, brutally deteriorating everything meaningful to a soul, art endures, and grows ever richer and more evocative with the passage of time, so that it comes to seem prophetic in retrospect, or at least timeless in the finest sense of the word. Throughout the Vampire Chronicles, art has been key. But Marius laments that though he has lived fourteen hundred years, he cannot create art to rival that of Botticelli. He falls in love with the man and must separate himself from the man lest he hurt Botticelli and thereby affect Botticelli's destiny. Maharet, the ancient one, weaving her red hair into a thread and that thread into chains, is in a sort of thrall as well, much like that of Daniel with his model cities. Weaving comforts Maharet. Marius at various stages in his long life is comforted by nothing.

Q: How does humor work in your narratives?

A: Humor is spontaneous with me. It just happens and I don't try to repress it. I have a wild sense of humor and sometimes I have to avoid the satirical side of what I am writing. I have to not sacrifice the finer feeling to the humor of the moment. But in general I let my humor come out with certain characters more than other. Lestat, for example, has a profound sense of humor and a blasphemous sense of humor. Marius is more serious, and more tragic.

Q: Marius believes that anger is weakness. Do you believe this?

A: Yes, I believe that anger is weakness. Marius is one of those characters who for the most part expresses ideas which are mine. I couldn't have an in-depth relationship with Marius if he didn't express my ideas, and I do feel that anger distorts, weakens, and warps. You have to reach beyond anger for a finer sense of a situation before you respond, or make a move. Marius has a terrible temper and so do I. Marius ruins two moments of his life with anger, and possibly even more. But I don't want to give away the plot.

Q: Memory is crucial for vampires, who are immortal. How is memory important for us mortals?

A: Memory is essential to the attaining of wisdom. There is no wisdom without memory, because there can be no perspective and no deep learning without memory. One has to profit by experience and observation in order to become wise, and memory is the keeper of all fine experiences and observations, memory is the index, the table of contents, the full library. Without memory, one runs the risk of being simplistic and flippant.

Q: Can you give us an update on the progress of film and television projects of your work?

A: For once, there is much to report. A mini-series based on The Feast of All Saints will appear on Showtime in November. After that it will appear on ABC. It will be four hours, and spread over two nights. I've seen it and I think it's lush and sensuous and very faithful to the book, and that readers will love it. It's top notch, and Showtime has spared no expense. I visited the set when they were shooting. I was rocked. John Wilder, the scriptwriter and executive producer, did a fantastic job of adapting the book to the four-hour format.

The Queen of the Damned, a feature film based on The Queen of the Damned and The Vampire Lestat, is scheduled for release by Warner Brothers on February 15, 2002. I have not seen it, but it does seem to be engendering considerable excitement. Stuart Townsend, the young Englishman who plays Lestat, is very appealing and a very fine actor. There are other impressive names in the cast.

We are presently in negotiations with regard to "Earth Angels," a new series that we are developing for television, about a group of big-city based angels who work undercover on earth to fight supernatural evil in all its forms. The series is based on an original concept created by me. I'm extremely excited about it.

We're also in negotiations with a producer and a network with regard to making a long miniseries out of The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos. The present discussion involves a plan for 12 hours of TV time. I'm very excited here as well. I like everyone as well, and want for John Wilder to do the script. I feel that after what he did with The Feast of All Saints, he can do a bang-up job.

I'm also happy to report that Ramses the Damned (The Mummy) is also in development. It's owned by James Cameron, and a new screenwriter was recently hired. I've spoken with her and found her pleasant. Again, I've got high hopes.

#anne rice #vampire chronicles #justmariusstuff #marius de romanus #mariusderomanus-rp-help

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ao3feed-goodomens · 5 years ago

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Earth Observations

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2xalfdb

by AlyKat

When Michael gave him this assignment, he wasn’t quite sure what it was for or why it was so important, but, he went with it anyway. After all, he was just a lowly Angel 1st class, and not exactly the best of one, either. Still, an Archangel trusted him to get this job done and he was going to do it, by jove!

Words: 1434, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Michael (Good Omens), Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Cameron the Earth Observations Angel

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Yes I named him, relationship from an outside POV, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Based on a Tumblr Post

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2xalfdb

#ao3feed #fanfic #Good Omens

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atamascolily · 5 years ago

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One of the exercises in Julia Cameron’s The Vein of Gold is to compile a list of favorite movies--or ones with images that resonate with you--and note any patterns that arise. Here are some of mine, with observations below.

(For the purposes of this exercise, I’m sticking with live-action films, but there’s no reason why there couldn’t be animated films.)

1. Star Wars Original Trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)

(Yes, I know this is technically three films, with three different directors and independent histories, but I didn’t feel like listing them all separately.)

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Ironically, I love the first Peter Jackson movie, but not any of the subsequent ones. Which is not to say they’re necessarily bad movies, but they’re not the ones I’d want on endless loop. (Part of this is because The Two Towers and The Return of the King are essentially war movies, and also because I have to watch Faramir act OOC, which hurts my soul.)

3. The Secret Garden

4. The Matrix

I actually don’t have strong feelings about Reloaded and Revolutions--like, the actual plot is weird, but I am so not watching these films for plot.

5. Return to Oz

6. Inception

7. Labyrinth

8. The Terminator

Don’t get me wrong, Terminator 2 has a lot going for it, but it’s not the one that I can’t stop thinking about (except for that one deleted scene with Michael Biehn, which is a totally different story).

Thoughts and Themes:

So at first glance, it seems like I have two separate categories: ‘80s and ‘90s-’00s films. Or maybe it’s sci-fi and fantasy? The Secret Garden is the only one that even approaches some kind of realism, and even that is a pastoral kind of world that would not be out of place in the more peaceful parts of, say, Middle-Earth (especially Fourth Age). How about high-tech vs. low-tech, or cyberpunk vs. fairy tale? Or, even better, what about reality vs. illusion (or story vs. truth if you prefer)--which is also a major tension within every film on this list?

I��ll also note that most of these films have an epic color palette, with memorable landscapes that either serve as characters in and of themselves, or symbolize the mental states of various characters. These films are beautiful works of art, reveling in The Aesthetic, whether that’s the idyllic peacefulness of the Shire or the grimy back alleys of 1980s Los Angeles.

The thing that really got me when I laid it out like this--the thing I hadn’t noticed before--was that all of these involve a (sometimes literal) rebirth, transition, or journey from darkness to light (or light to darkness to light again, depending on the work). You could also substitute life and death here, and not change much.

This is, again, often quite literal: Sarah moves underground in Labyrinth, the Fellowship descends into the Mines of Moria, the secret garden comes to life with the spring, Dorothy confronts the Nome King in his underground lair. Neo wakes up to find himself naked and soaked to the skin, and flushed down the tubes like garbage, in a literal hellscape where the machines destroyed the sun (a motif that also appears in Terminator’s dystopian future), then literally dies and is resurrected at the end of the film. Luke goes underground to confront his own double--another recurring theme!--on Dagobah.

Duality and the exploration of one’s soul through another world is HUGE big theme--or, to put it another way, The internal mirrors the external. This is a huge motif of Inception, which is a literal inward journey into a character’s psyche; and you could also make the argument that both Return to Oz and Labyrinth cover similar territory. Is Oz real, or is it in Dorothy’s head? Is Ozma a part of her, or is Ozma a separate entity? Is Jareth a real foe or is he the embodiment of Sarah’s fears and desires, a fantasy she concocts based on a story in a book? And Frodo realizes he’s not so different from Gollum, that the sad shriveled creature is what he could become if he fails at his task--and, ironically, his kindness to Gollum is what allows the quest to succeed when Frodo finally succumbs to temptation.

Frodo in the The Fellowship of the Ring sees the world differently when he wears the One Ring, and it’s terrifying. Sarah Connor realizes that she’s left her ordinary world behind and crossed into Kyle and the Terminator’s reality in a moving speech, and The Matrix doesn’t even try to be subtle. Even The Secret Garden uses the eponymous garden as a metaphor for the blossoming of Mary’s own soul, and the souls of those around her (especially her uncle and cousin, but also Ben Weatherstaff).

These stories are also concerned with ecology, though it’s usually a background motif, since the main focus is on saving the world (or what’s left of it, i.e, humans). The Shire is paradise; Mordor is a desolate hellscape, dominated by a giant volcano. Kyle Reese breaks down over the beauty of the world, and Mary Lennox seeks to bring the lost garden back to life. Dorothy retreats elsewhere after the grey grimness of Kansas/the mental hospital.

There’s also a real tension concerning humans’ relationship to technology in these films. The Matrix is an illusion, and machines control the earth. Or the machines don’t even bother farming humans and aim to kill ‘em all. Saruman literally transforms Isengard from a tree-lined field to an industrial hellscape. The mental institution uses that freaky electrical machine on Dorothy. Star Wars is more accepting of droids and technology, but even there, there’s tension: Obi-wan calls Darth Vader “more machine than man,” and it’s not a compliment; the Death Star is built to obliterate entire planets and must be stopped twice.

I’d argue this theme goes deeper than human/tech--it’s really human/other, with technology providing one kind of other. There’s human-alien interactions in Star Wars and Labyrinth, not to mention Mary’s relationship with the robin in The Secret Garden, Dorothy’s friendship with Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump. On a less friendly note, Frodo’s relationship with Gollum is the emotional crux of the Lord of the Rings.

These films also feature the classic hero’s journey, but often through a female lens. The protagonist usually has no special skills other than their strong moral character and determination--or even if they do have skills (like Ariadne*), they still serve as an audience surrogate or substitute, a stranger to the new worlds they visit. The protagonist has at least one faithful friend/companion/love interest to help them (sometimes even a team/found family), and often a mentor as well (who may or may not be a crusty eccentric). In the end, the characters must take control of their own destiny--Frodo chooses to leave the Fellowship, Luke throws away his lightsaber rather than kill his father, Sarah declares to Jareth “You have no power over me”. Sarah Connor yells, “On your feet, soldier!” and keeps going to the bitter end, and Mary Lennox is unafraid of her bratty cousin’s wrath and puts a stop to it when everyone else enables him.

*(As an aside, I know Ariadne’s not the main character in Inception, but I find the actual main character way less interesting, so she’s the one I focus on, just like I find Trinity far more compelling than Neo.)

Characters often have Meaningful Names: Morpheus, Trinity, Neo; Ariadne; Luke Skywalker, Han Solo. These films also feature a question of fate and inevitability - Luke has precognitive visions, Neo consults the Oracle, Sarah is told “there is no fate but what we make for ourselves,” with Kyle serving as an oracle of sorts with messages from the future to come. The Mirror of Galadriel shows possible futures for the Shire, too.

Another theme is that the protagonist must suffer and/or work hard for their transformation. Mary has to do the actual work of gardening; Luke has to sweat and do handstands (beautifully, I might add); Frodo has to walk to Mount Doom; Sarah has to walk the labyrinth, and Sarah Connor has to survive a fucking nightmare. Dorothy has to rescue the royal family of Ev and free Ozma; Ariadne has to design a dream-puzzle for the heist to work. Even Neo has to train with Morpheus--though he’s able to use cheat codes to download martial arts directly into his brain without having to sweat for it; his real journey is in self-confidence.

In keeping with the stunning visuals, impossible feats are regularly featured, and excellent, cutting-edge-for-their-time special effects are prominent. Many also feature stunning fight scenes--the classic Luke vs. Vader duel on Cloud City; the “I know Kung fu” sequence in The Matrix; the clashes in The Fellowship of the Ring. Jareth has some excellent moves in Labyrinth, too, although he’s more inclined to dance than traditional battles.

I couldn’t resist contrasting my favorite moment in Return to Oz--rescuing Ozma from the mirror prison--with Ariadne shattering her own reflection in Inception, because that is such a moment for me, encapsulating all of the reality/illusion, internal/external, self/other dichotomies I mentioned above. (See also the Mirror of Galadriel above.) Inception and Labyrinth also share the motif of impossible Escher staircases, which I freakin’ adore.

It will probably come as no surprise to note that I also enjoyed films like The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, and What Dreams May Come, which tap into similar themes and imagery. You’ll probably be able to guess that The Sword in the Stone is my favorite animated Disney film, too.

I also love a number of Asian films like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, all of which feature beautiful landscapes and color palettes, stunning fight scenes and special effects, along with a healthy dose of the fantastic, and a focus on story vs. reality (often with a plot twist or surprise reveal at the end). This is unsurprising when you consider the strong debt both Star Wars and The Matrix owe to Asian cinema in terms of style, plot, and aesthetic. In those films, the tension is more society vs. self, but duality is still very strongly present.

If you notice any other patterns or recurring themes, let me know; I’d love to hear them! Also, if you can think of any other movies I might enjoy based on this, let me know.

#writing exercises #personal writing meta #favorite gifs #vein of gold

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theburningbright · 6 years ago

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XAVIER DOLAN By Jessica Chastain (interview magazine)

When Xavier Dolan presented his first directorial effort, I Killed My Mother—an autobiographical psychodrama about an unruly teenager and his teetering, at-wit’s-end mother—at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009, he had just turned 20. The film received an eight-minute standing ovation, and the labels subsequently affixed to the now 25-year-old Québécois writer, filmmaker, and actor-wunderkind, enfant terrible—certainly spoke to Dolan’s precocious emerging voice. But in the past five years (and with four more feature films), he’s put together a body of work and a distinct point of view that might just make him contemporary cinema’s next great hope.

The stories he’s told��a pair of best friends falling in love with the same man (Heartbeats, 2010); a transgender woman and her partner coming to terms with her choice to transition (Laurence Anyways, 2012); a twentysomething menaced by the brother of his dead boyfriend (Tom at the Farm, 2013); and his latest film, Mommy, a scrappy widow and her troubled son fighting against the world for self-preservation—examine the intimate experiences of characters typically beyond the range of quote-unquote normalcy, moving toward emotional or revelatory catharsis.

Last year at Cannes, Dolan’s film won the Jury Prize (an honor he shared with Jean-Luc Godard), but it wasn’t just the jury who was impressed. Jessica Chastain, who saw the film at the festival, reached out to Dolan via Twitter, and not only have they embarked on a friendship, Chastain will star in Dolan’s first English-language feature, the upcoming showbiz drama The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.

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In late November, while she was on a brief break from promoting her film Interstellar, Chastain phoned Dolan at his home in Montreal to talk about growing up among women, the intoxicating power of James Cameron, and Mommy, Canada’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

JESSICA CHASTAIN: Hi, sweetheart! This is the first time I’ve ever been on this side of an interview. The first time we properly met was in New York, but I saw Mommy at the Cannes Film Festival this year and I was so blown away. I tweeted, not even really expecting anything, how much I loved the film, and then you and I had a very funny exchange.

XAVIER DOLAN: Should we have a recollection of that?

CHASTAIN: I think people should know how charming you are. I think we should tell them, first of all, that you’re my beard. Is that correct?

DOLAN: [laughs] There’s an awards season coming, and if I’m a part of it, I’m going to need a beard!

CHASTAIN: If you ask me, I am there for you, babe, 100 percent, but you have to take me to dinner first. Do you remember the video you sent me?

DOLAN: Celine Dion—is that it? I first sent you “Take You” by Justin Bieber, and then I deleted it because I was ashamed. How provincial of me, to send you our national treasure. Justin Bieber, Celine Dion—generations of Canadian national gems.

CHASTAIN: You wooed me with Justin Bieber, and so now I am forever your beard, my friend. [laughs] Okay. So where were you born?

DOLAN: I was born in Montreal at the Children’s Hospital. It sounds very cute, but that’s the actual name.

CHASTAIN: Did you grow up in an artist household?

DOLAN: My dad sort of did everything. He’s a musician, a composer, an actor—he’s an artist in all possible ways. He drew and painted—he still does. But even though he was composing his music, they were pop songs, like “Take You.” [both laugh] Not the same budget, though. My parents divorced when I was very young. My mother moved to a faraway land—suburban Montreal. I was brought up in a mainstream environment, culturally speaking. I watched all the kids films—Matilda [1996], Jumanji [1995], Home Alone[1990].

CHASTAIN: What brought you to acting?

DOLAN: My aunt Julie was a production manager and she heard of an opening. Some show was looking for children to run around the house or whatever. I auditioned and got the part, and I showed up in all of my monstrous energy, bouncing everywhere like an electron. I loved the experience, and I think it was important to my mom because she watches every show on TV, like 20 of them, and records with her VHS—yes, that’s correct, VHS. Anyway, sorry, I got lost on my mom again. I digress on my mom. Then I just started auditioning for commercials and shows and films. I got a part in a package of commercials for this big drugstore, from the age of 6 to 10. For four years I shot those commercials and old ladies would stop me on the street and grab my cheeks. That’s how it started.

CHASTAIN: So you digress to your mother. [laughs] It’s interesting going through your films—I want to know how much of it is autobiographical. You were just talking about your mother recording television shows. In your films, the television is an obstacle for bonding between a parent and a child. Is that something you directly took from your life?

DOLAN: In what movies have you noticed that?

CHASTAIN: Laurence Anyways and I Killed My Mother.

DOLAN: You’ve seen I Killed My Mother?

CHASTAIN: Of course, honey! I do my research.

DOLAN: [laughs] Well, I’m very flattered that you would research. When, at night? [laughs] How very extrastellar of you to watch these. Well, you’re right. I Killed My Mother is autobiographical. I would say the percentage of accuracy is 250 percent. I’m kidding—it’s, like, 240. The other films aren’t really. I’m very far from Laurence Anyways. I haven’t experienced heterosexual love and then a gender switch. I haven’t been held hostage like Tom is in Tom at the Farm. I haven’t lived any of these things, but every character is very personal because there’s a lot of me in their anger, their loneliness, and in their rage against society, against people who ostracize people who are different. Even the characters that seem so far away intellectually or socially, for me, when they speak, it will always be my words. There’s a lot of my mom in these characters because you write characters with the things that you’ve watched. As an actor, I’ve been recording forever. I’m a watcher. I’m a stalker. I love everything about people: the way they walk, the way they talk, the way they cry, the way their mouth is distorted whenever they do this or say that. It’s always been a passion for me to observe.

I’ve been recording forever. I’m a watcher. I’m a stalker. I love everything about people . . . It’s always been a passion for me to observe. Xavier Dolan

CHASTAIN: You started acting when you were 4. What brought you to writing and directing?

DOLAN: I always wrote. I’ve written stories since I was 9. We didn’t have a computer at home, but my aunt Magda had one. Whenever I’d go to her place, I was in the basement working on her computer, writing stories. Then I would save them on a … Fuck, what would you call these? They’re so gone right now.

CHASTAIN: Floppy disks?

DOLAN: Exactly! Yes. [both laugh] Floppy disk. I love you for bringing the words to my illiterate mouth.

CHASTAIN: Stop it! You have to remind everyone that this is not your native tongue.

DOLAN: My first language is French. I just love words so much, and in French it feels like I can say whatever I want however I want. In English I feel like I’ve got some words … [laughs] It often feels like I’m lacking the precise term, and it’s really annoying to me. So I would save these stories on a floppy disk until the next time I would go to my aunt’s, when I could continue to write the story of guardian angels sent to Earth to protect the mere mortals.

CHASTAIN: Oh my gosh.

DOLAN: That was the sort of stories that I would write, called The Indispensables or whatever else. There was one called Pink Wings. It was very, very gay. There were always angels.

CHASTAIN: How old were you when you wrote this? You’re saying it was pretty gay—at that time, did you actually know that you were?

DOLAN: I think I always knew. But, then, I didn’t know. I had girlfriends when I was young. [laughs] I was a crazy child. It was such a special childhood. When I was 8, I saw Titanic [1997] with my mom—I rarely went to the movies with my mom—and then we saw Finding Nemo [2003]. One day she brought me to see As Good as It Gets [1997], and I was pretending I was going to the bathroom when I was actually watching Titanic again in another room. When we saw the movie, it transformed my childhood into something else. I was a dreamy kid, and I was dressing up and pretending to be characters, and I was acting out and everything, but when I saw the movie, it made me crazy. I started designing costumes, drawing something like 2,000 outfits. All of that stemmed from seeing the costumes and all the production design and how big it was. It was so vast. It had such a huge impact on my childhood, telling me that it was legitimate to dream that big. The other kids were playing hockey, and I was drawing these clothes and writing letters to Danny DeVito and Leo DiCaprio. “Dear Leonardo. I’m 8 years old. I go to school. I love school.” The letters started like that. Anyway, he never answered, and now it’s too late.

CHASTAIN: Aw.

DOLAN: There will be hell to pay. [Chastain laughs] I didn’t know I was gay, but I knew I was quite different—and not in a special way. My obsession with DiCaprio and [Kate] Winslet and the costumes and everything was so disproportionate. It scared everybody. Actually, I think everybody knew but me. I knew for sure when I was 11 or 12. I came out to my cousin when I was 13. I said something so stupid. If a kid said a line like that in a TV show, the screenwriter would be fired and killed immediately. I told her, “I love women in my heart but not in my undies.” Something like that.

CHASTAIN: No, you did not! [laughs]

DOLAN: She reminds me of that often. It was horrible.

CHASTAIN: Do you feel that with your writing and directing and acting you can delve into what it was like to be that 8-year-old kid watching Titanic and trying to figure out their sexuality? Is it a way for you to explore that within yourself?

DOLAN: I think it’s a way to channel rage. I was a very violent kid. I think movies and writing and art have been a way of channeling this. But I have this will to defend people—it can be all sorts of people. In Laurence Anyways it was a transgender woman; in I Killed My Mother it was an adolescent who was rejecting his mother because he is going through his coming-of-age crisis; in Mommy it’s a more existential thing. These characters are expressive and they’re flamboyant, but they have nothing to do with the other characters from the other movies—it’s always about the things that marked me when I was young. Batman Returns [1992], Titanic, those are the movies that have printed something very deeply into me. I recently realized that most filmmakers start making movies when they’re 30. So they’re looking to the films that they saw when they were 17, 18, 25. Most of them have an education, and if they don’t, they spend years watching films. The only years I’ve spent watching movies were the years when I was a kid, and my father brought me to Jumanji. He didn’t tell me, “Kid, I’m going to show you Bergman and Eisenstein and Citizen Kane.” No.

CHASTAIN: Mommy was in the main competition at Cannes, and it won the Jury Prize. This is your fifth feature film that you’ve made, correct?

DOLAN: Yeah.

CHASTAIN: How old were you when it won the Jury Prize?

DOLAN: I was 25, the age I am right now. And by the time this interview is published, I will still be 25. I will be 25 forever.

CHASTAIN: First of all, congratulations, because Mommy has been selected as Canada’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards, which is huge, hello. The film hinges on this imaginary Canadian law that allows parents to give their children up to the state without involving the courts or a fee. What brought this to your mind?

DOLAN: That law is something I read about that had been voted on in Nebraska in the early 2000s. It’s been abrogated, but it was a Safe Haven law that applied to older children. It was used by parents who were barely scraping by, but were also endangered by their behaviorally disordered children. I read about that through a mother’s story, a mother who had abandoned her child in one of those hospitals. She was completely helpless. Her son was younger than the one in Mommy. She had another son, I think, and her son would be very violent, physically and verbally abusive, to her other son and to her. He was a good-hearted kid, of course, and he was mentally ill, and there was no health care whatsoever. She’s completely at the end of her rope, and she sees a future where one day she won’t be able to stop her kid from killing himself or killing someone, so she brings him to this place. I was really moved by the story and thought, “Well, that’s one for a movie eventually.” Then one day I shot with Antoine-Olivier Pilon, who is the lead in the film, in the music video for “College Boy” by this French band, Indochine. I had a major artistic crush on him.

CHASTAIN: He’s also in Laurence Anyways, right?

I was a very violent kid. I think movies and writing and art have been a way of channeling this. Xavier Dolan

DOLAN: He appears briefly in Laurence Anyways. He was already strikingly charismatic and impressed everybody. He really impressed me. I saw him and I was like, “This is the kid from this movie I’ve been planning on doing.” He was one of the elements that impelled me toward writing Mommy. Him, and hearing Ludovico Einaudi’s song “Experience”—he’s an Italian composer; that is the piece you hear in the movie when Diane, the mother, dreams of the future. When I first heard it through a friend at a random party, I was like, “Oh my God. This is a song for a mother who sees the future that she will never have, who dreams the life that she will never have.” I wrote that scene not knowing it would be in Mommy.

CHASTAIN: Anne [Dorval]’s performance is so incredible. Everyone’s performance in the film—Suzanne Clément … In all of your films, the female characters are so inspiring to watch. They’re not stereotypes of an idea. You allow the women in your films to have flaws and strengths. Speaking as an actress, I can tell you it’s very rare to get scripts like that. When you won the prize in Cannes—and the president was Jane Campion—you said, “The Piano [1993] was the first film that I watched that defined who I am … [It] made me want to write films for women, beautiful women with soul and will and strength.”

DOLAN: I was brought up with my grandmother, with my great aunt, with my mom, with my babysitters. All the ladies, “All the single ladies.” [both laugh] It’s who I am. They are the people I want to talk about, they’re the people I want to protect, they’re the people I want to put in my movies and see fail or win. As a writer, as a human being, and as a young man, it’s easier for me to express my anger, to ask questions, to seek answers, to talk, to cry as a woman in a movie. I connect with those figures more than I connect with men. Men are born privileged in the scale of things—I’m generalizing, but it’s true. Women have to define themselves in the eyes of men. They have to fight for their rights, especially in a society that will pretend that there is no fight or no battle, that it’s a cliché, that feminists are reactionary, all these things. As a young man who struggled to find his identity and to find his place, I relate to that quest for belonging in society. With mothers, especially, with their flaws, the way they have made huge sacrifices in order to be good moms or just moms. They probably sacrificed a part of their career, they sacrificed some desires, some dreams. I cannot relate, but I love to talk about it.

CHASTAIN: Where have you been all my life?

DOLAN: Well, I’m here now.

CHASTAIN: Thank God!

DOLAN: And I’m not going anywhere.

CHASTAIN: In I Killed My Mother, your character leaves a note that says that he can be found “in his kingdom.” I’m wondering where your kingdom is.

DOLAN: I hope you’re not disappointed by the answer. Geographically, I can’t name a place, so I will talk artistically and emotionally. My kingdom is on a set. It’s the only place on Earth where I feel I’m not waiting for something. Except when I’m waiting for the touch-ups, the fucking touch-ups.

#interview #Jessica Chastain #xavier dolan

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blackkudos · 6 years ago

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Forest Whitaker

Forest Steven Whitaker III (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, and director.

Whitaker has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird, Platoon, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and The Butler, and for his work in independent films and for his recurring role as LAPD Internal Affairs Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the Emmy Award-winning television series The Shield.

For his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, Whitaker won the Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and various critics groups awards.

Early life

Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas, the son of Laura Francis (née Smith), a special education teacher who put herself through college and earned two master's degrees while raising her children, and Forest Steven Jr., an insurance salesman. According to DNA tests, his father was of Igbo descent, while his mother had Akan ancestry. When Whitaker was four, his family moved to Carson, California. Whitaker has two younger brothers, Kenn Whitaker, an actor, and Damon, and an older sister, Deborah. Whitaker's first role as an actor was the lead in Dylan Thomas' play Under Milk Wood.

Whitaker attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona on a football scholarship, but a back injury made him change his major to music (singing). He toured England with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers in 1980. While still at Cal Poly, he briefly changed his major to drama. He was accepted to the Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor, and subsequently was accepted into the University's Drama Conservatory. He graduated from USC in 1982. He also earned a scholarship to the Berkeley, California branch of the Drama Studio London. Whitaker was pursuing a degree in "The Core of Conflict: Studies in Peace and Reconciliation" at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2004.

Career

Film work

Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and actors, as well as, for a brief period of time, working in direct-to-video films alongside novice actors such as Lil Wayne, Maggie Grace, and 50 Cent. In his first onscreen performance of note, he had a supporting role playing a high school football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money and Oliver Stone's Platoon. The following year, he co-starred in the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam. In 1988, Whitaker appeared in the film Bloodsport and had his first lead role starring as musician Charlie "Bird" Parker in Clint Eastwood's Bird. To prepare himself for the part, he sequestered himself in a loft with only a bed, couch, and saxophone, having also conducted extensive research and taken alto sax lessons. His performance, which has been called "transcendent", earned him the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.

Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s. He starred in the 1990 film Downtown and was cast in the pivotal role of Jody, a captive British soldier in the 1992 film The Crying Game, for which he used an English accent. Todd McCarthy of Variety described Whitaker's performance as "big-hearted", "hugely emotional", and "simply terrific". In 1994, he was a member of the cast that won the first ever National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for Robert Altman's film, Prêt-à-Porter. He gave a "characteristically emotional performance" in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's 1995 film, Smoke.

Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising, bushido-following, mob hit man in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, a 1999 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Many consider this to have been a "definitive role" for Whitaker. In a manner similar to his preparation for Bird, he again immersed himself in his character's world—he studied Eastern philosophy and meditated for long hours "to hone his inner spiritual hitman." Jarmusch has told interviewers that he developed the title character with Whitaker in mind; The New York Times review of the film observed that "[I]t's hard to think of another actor who could play a cold-blooded killer with such warmth and humanity."

Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the worst films ever made, the 2000 production of Battlefield Earth, based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard. The film was widely criticized as a notorious commercial and critical disaster. However, Whitaker's performance was lauded by the film's director, Roger Christian, who commented that, "Everybody's going to be very surprised" by Whitaker, who "found this huge voice and laugh." Battlefield Earth won seven Razzie Awards; Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to his co-star, Barry Pepper. Whitaker later expressed his regret for participating in the film.

In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the Wong Kar-wai-directed The Follow, one of five short films produced by BMW that year to promote its cars. He co-starred in Joel Schumacher's 2002 thriller, Phone Booth, with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. His performance as the film's "bad guy" was described as "a subtle chemistry of aggression and empathy."

Whitaker's 2006 portrayal of Idi Amin in the film, The Last King of Scotland earned him positive reviews by critics as well as multiple awards and honors. To portray the dictator, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage featuring Amin, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin's East African accent. His performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the fourth African-American actor in history to do so, joining the ranks of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx. For that same role, he was also recognized with the British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and accolades from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, London Film Critics’ Circle Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics, and New York Film Critics Circle among others.

In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in The Great Debaters, for which he received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2008, Whitaker appeared in three films, first as a business man known only as Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film The Air I Breathe. He also portrayed a rogue police captain in Street Kings, and a heroic tourist in Vantage Point.

In 2013, after working in several limited releases and independent features such as Freelancers and Pawn, Whitaker has enjoyed a bit of career resurgence, having played the lead role in Lee Daniels' The Butler, which has become one of his greatest critical and commercial successes to date.

Whitaker also starred in the film Black Nativity, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, and Jacob Latimore. He also co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2013's The Last Stand, playing an FBI agent chasing an escaped drug cartel leader.

Whitaker played Saw Gerrera in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Television work

After completing several films in the early 1980s, Whitaker gained additional roles in multiple television shows. On the series, Diff'rent Strokes, he played a bully in the 1985 episode "Bully for Arnold". That same year, Whitaker also played the part of a comic book salesman in the Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye Acorns". He appeared in the first and second parts of North and South in 1985 and 1986. Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker mainly had roles in television films which aired on HBO, including Criminal Justice, The Enemy Within, and Witness Protection.

From 2002 to 2003, Whitaker was the host and narrator of 44 new episodes of the Rod Serling classic, The Twilight Zone, which lasted one season on UPN. After working in several film roles, he returned to television in 2006 when he joined the cast of FX's police serial The Shield, as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, who was determined to prove that the lead character, Vic Mackey, is a dirty cop. As opposed to his previous character work, Whitaker stated that he merely had to draw on his childhood years growing up in South Central Los Angeles for the role. He received rave reviews for his performance—Variety called it a "crackling-good guest stint"—and he reprised the role in the show's 2007 season.

In the fall of 2006, Whitaker started a multi-episode story arc on ER as Curtis Ames, a man who comes into the ER with a cough, but quickly faces the long-term consequences of a paralyzing stroke; he sues, then takes out his anger on Dr. Luka Kovač, who he blames for the strokes. Whitaker received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the series. Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.

Whitaker was cast in the Criminal Minds spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, that was subsequently cancelled by CBS on May 17, 2011.

In December 2016, it was announced that Whitaker would reprise his role as Saw Gerrera from Rogue One for the Star Wars Rebelsanimated series.

Theatre

Whitaker made his Broadway debut in 2016 in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie at the Booth Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage.

Producing and directing

Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He co-produced and co-starred in A Rage in Harlem in 1991. He made his directorial debut with a grim film about inner-city gun violence, Strapped, for HBO in 1993. In 1995, he directed his first theatrical feature, Waiting to Exhale, which was based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Roger Ebert observed that the tone of the film resembled Whitaker's own acting style: "measured, serene, confident." Whitaker also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".

Whitaker continued his directing career with the 1998 romantic comedy, Hope Floats, starring Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr. He directed Katie Holmes in the romantic comedy, First Daughter in 2004 while also serving as executive producer; he had previously co-starred with Holmes in Phone Booth in 2002. He had previously gained experience as the executive producer of several made-for-television movies, most notably the 2002 Emmy-award-winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy. He produced these projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.

Whitaker and his partner Nina Yang Bongiovi produced the film Fruitvale Station, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, as well as Repentance (2014), Dope (2015) and the upcoming Sorry to Bother You.

JuntoBox Films

Whitaker plays an active role as co-chair of JuntoBox Films since his initial involvement as co-chair with the collaborative film studio starting in March 2012. JuntoBox was developed as a social-media platform for filmmakers and fans to share ideas to create films and then collaborate to make them. Since Whitaker joined as co-chair, five projects have been greenlit for production.

Honors

In addition to the numerous awards Whitaker won for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, he has also received several other honors. In September 2006, the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival presented him with its "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award," calling him "one of Hollywood's most accomplished actors." He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award.

Previously, in 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him. On April 16, 2007, Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures industry at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Dominguez Hills on May 16, 2015.

Personal life

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash, whom he met on the set of Blown Away. They have four children: two daughters together (Sonnet and True), and his son (Ocean) and her daughter (Autumn) from their previous relationships.

Whitaker studies yoga and has a black belt in kenpō. He also trains in the Filipino martial art of Arnis, under Dan Inosanto. Inosanto is best known for having been a student of the late Bruce Lee and has trained actors such as Denzel Washington and Brandon Lee.

Whitaker's left eye ptosis has been called "intriguing" by some critics and "gives him a lazy, contemplative look". Whitaker has explained that the condition is hereditary and that he has considered having surgery to correct it, not for cosmetic reasons but because it affects his vision.

Activism

Charity work

Whitaker, who is a vegetarian, recorded a PSA with his daughter, True, promoting vegetarianism on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He is also a supporter and public advocate for Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for escaped child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country's civil war.

Politics

In politics, Whitaker supported and spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. On April 6, 2009, he was given a chieftaincy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Whitaker, who was named a chief among the Igbo community of Nkwerre, was given the title Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means A Brother in a Foreign Land.

Whitaker was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, in a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters on June 21, 2011. As Goodwill Ambassador, Whitaker works with UNESCO to support and develop initiatives that empower youths and keep them from entering or remaining in cycles of violence. At the induction ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion described Whitaker as a "perfect choice as a Goodwill Ambassador... he has exemplified compassion in every area of his life, with humility and grace. He does this because it's the right thing to do."

In 2010, Whitaker received the Artist Citizen of the World Award (France).

Whitaker co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Launched during the international Newark Peace Education Summit, IIP's mission is to develop programs and strategic partnerships to address cutting-edge issues such as increasing citizen security through community-building; the role of women and spiritual and religious leaders in peacebuilding; the impact of climate change; and the reduction of poverty. IIP operates under the auspices of UNESCO as a Category 2 Center.

Wikipedia

#Forest Whitaker #07-15

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davidjjohnston3 · 3 years ago

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Wish I could deliver top-shelf right now... I feel almost as if I will be left with naught but the notebooks, like Flaubert's "Sentimental Education" working notes.

1."You're too philosophical" - it turned/s out he is trying to become conscious of something.

2.The damn thing is, 2010 Korea is not a warped society. People are ignorant or naive about some things; and they have a w/Way that worked/s for them.They are trying to help; they want to be mothers and fathers and daughters and students and sons faithful.Great nation.

3.He is unaware of women. The beauty of the office-buildings at night, when everyone is still at work, captivates his doesn't educate entirely as he's unaware of women and girls and boys at home; he thinks, "family unit." It's Americanism / mental Americanness. He has no sense / conception of man, woman, child, m/Mom, p/pop.

4.Abortion-culture, abortion, abortion, abortion."Our point is that we have no point; post hoc ergo propter hoc, you have no point because God isn't real and we are God.

"5."In the Valley of the Butterflies" - a meditation or reflection on how to some people fantasy and unreality are closer to [Adonai] than are their own parents, "parents," friends, "friends," teachers, "teachers.

"6."Minima Moralia Covidiana: Reflections on a Mentally Ill Era from North Korea Policy and NK Studies to Obama to Metascience, Metatheology."

"It's not Houellebecq that's depressed; it's the world that's depressing." - Marie-Pierre Houellebecqa)

Everyone suddenly became their "brother's keeper, neighbor-lover" but it's more like judge thy neighbor and teach thy neighbor according to crypto-communist evaluations of wokeness. Also, no qualifications to teach + primitive tools + no mechanism for assessing performance or firing incompetents or the morally depraved.

b) Biden obviously, POTUS, one of the most powerful men in history, says so many right things or right-sounding but at bottom I feel he neck-kneels me in the name of his political macro-economy and is more than willing not just to despise Afghans and throw them away but to silence anyone who registers an eloquent-enough complaint about American throwaway culture, anti-religion, anti-belief, anti-truth, anti-child-ism, anti-Otherism.God love him and give rest to his soul!

c) I am in trouble for being Christian and Christianist but not Frank McCourt or the guy from "Calvary" who gets kilt on the beach. Jesus / Yesunim was not thrown out or casually murdered by disturbed victim of someone else's crime. He was arrested by the greatest empire in human history - the last empire - interrogated by a magistrate, sentenced by the religious right and institutional ecclesial / synagogic supreme prestige of his time, and subject to formal capital punishment with full ceremony. He was also buried with honor and gifts by women and men who loved Him. He was and is King with all authority on Heaven and Earth and many grown men - in some places - have authority.These people saw too many movies.

d) Taeyeon Kim's "Circus."We are supposed to take up our Crosses and follow Jesu but Milwaukee's a waterpark / flush-toilet . "Circulation."

e) David J. Johnston's recurrent wish to write that get-out-of-Babylon bestseller but it'd take 2 years to process through the publishing industry "irregardless."

f) David Cameron's "Life Chances" speech influenced by "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," a book which kept me awake for some 36 hours the first time I read it despite already knowing what Chinese mu'ai (mom-love) was like in its outlines.

"I'm not against the welfare-state." - Si. It's far different to show material as well as spiritual charity to the poor than to to tell them they're all victims who deserve Santa Mao's grab-bag and a guillotine or torture or Xinjiang vivisection and serial gang-rape forced abortion bonanza to boot.

"Family is the basic welfare-state." - Sadly assuming sincerity, faith, veracity on the part of Anglo-American relationality and family-roles.

g) Saint John Paul II, "Papa Karol." Humana Vitae / Human Life. Again and again again and again and again, from the city to the world, generation after generation. Abortion, euthanasia, rampant Medicalism and Scientism. If I were to extend JP2's observations through "Theology of the Body" as well I would say that Man's contemporary despising of the soul and Spirit have also infected American literature with the twin outcomes of a) censoring the Spirit and b) despiritualizing and ultimately robbing of all sacredness the material and physical. In my view this might lead to what I called "liquefaction" or "deliquescence.' I feel as if communitarian Catholic theologian Charles Taylor might find this idea relatable to "ontology of flesh not bodies" from "A Secular Age," suggesting that Covid-19 and the policies and souls and wills responding thereto led out to a "state of things" (R. Dienst Rutgers) at which people began to actualize a madcap hostility to the physical integrity or integrality or wholeness of the Other. Part and parcel of this disintegrationism or disintegrationisticity (sorry) other than structural inefficiencies and wasted lives characteristic of socialism / communism, moral confusion, is the outsourcing and supply-chain-disruption and -invasion (is that a Huawei chip in your X-1 or are you just cannibalistic to see me?) or distally "sparagmos" (Gr. "tearing apart; rending limb from limb") of human bodies, but particularly culturally Other men, women, and girls. Americans not even aware of their own psychopathically malevolent spirits.

g-i) Korean American Literature, though / / Yoon Choi.I don't know if I should be this "medical" but I rem. something about those "This is what a feminist looks like" shirts which were sort of like rainbow-colored Soviet cluster-bombs in the Soviet-Afghan War that attracted women near to toxic (and/or unprepared) men then harmed them... I kept thinking, "Yeah well this is what a semenist looks like" just b/c I was in a bad mood dealing with ideology while trying to "become the man" but it turns out Man would have been better-served to reflect on the characteristics of seed than to devise mechanistic and deterministic monster-murder-Moloch-machines and that's not even "Dreiserian or neo-Dreiserian Naturalism," it's literally part of the intelligence design of the body. g-ii) If anyone knows of a hole in the ground in Los Angeles preferably with a mirror so I can shave...

7.I keep remembering the lines from "Lincoln" - the only good lines that that bourgeois bench-warmer Kushner perhaps wrote - "millions now unborn... now, now, now." Human trafficking, abortion, beyond-awful schools and teachers...

8. DJ is always trying to improve his platform without realizing that he has a voice. He takes the bait again and again and again, both in terms of finding a wife / girlfriend / "coming to an arrangement with _" in the Victorian sense and being baited into a defensive crouch for what he stands to lose.

9. Ownership, "so yu kweon."

10. Everyone taking advice from SF / special forces soldiers on YouTube and a psychologist who deliberately dealt with extremes, Jordan B. Peterson, such as Marxism, Nietzsche, &c.

11.

"Everlasting Consolation."

"Stepfather."

They are watching TV, reading memoirs, being "Episcopalian" in the old-fashioned regard of having the Bible and the newspaper both, the "Cross of Lorraine" maybe kind of. But his parents are Democrats and democrats to the core and want to character-assassinate any leader they don't like; they will do anything to reduce a king to a doctor even if this ruler wanted to serve God. They love nothing more than to find out the ways in which someone is hypocritical or labors under astheneia (weakness), whether monetary of social (no friends, antagonistic sideways deflectionistic teach-you-everything-(to-become-me) / push-me-pull-you neighbors)

12.

I want to exchange poems on Twitter with Pastors Timothy Keller NYC and John Piper BCSMN Bethlehem Baptist Church Twin Cities.

0 notes

90sgrungewriter · 7 years ago

Text

1. Untitled - Eddie Vedder

Status: Unedited

“Come on, you’ll be able to meet our new singer! The dude is a fucking beast when he gets up there. You promised you’d be at our first show and you bailed, now’s your chance to make it up to ol’ Stoney!” The long-haired man ruffled your hair while you tried swatting his hand away, rolling your eyes as you sat your paint brush and tray down on the small table to your left. You stood up and glared at him.

“Go fuck yourself. I had come back late from my class, you know I felt bad about that!” You spoke loudly. You didn’t understand why it mattered so much that you were there to begin with. Stone Gossard was a popular guy.

You and him had been friends for years, along with Jeff Ament. Since grade school, you guys were the three musketeers. You often sit back and think about those days, and where you’s all are now. It was awesome that the friendship was still strong as ever, even in your twenties. While they had chose the musical way, you leaned more towards art and painting. Not that you weren’t musically inclined, in fact you were just as advanced as Stone on guitar, if not more. But for some reason it just didn’t compare to the way you felt when your paint brush stroked across the surface. That was your thing.

It was a Saturday afternoon, you finally had a day off. You had been painting all day, Tom Petty blasting out your record player. Then Stone came in the picture, begging you to attend his Mookie show. They had recently gotten a new singer, some guy from California. You had heard the infamous demo tape, and he did indeed have the voice of an angel. But its not what you wanted to do tonight. To attend a sweaty show crowded with drunk people didn’t sound very appealing. You wanted some alone time, to just do your thing, but the guilt from ditching his last show still weighed heavy on your heart.

Yes, Stone could be annoying as fuck, but he was still your friend. Almost family. It felt that way anyway. His parents had always treated you like their own, they were so kind. You knew you had to go tonight.

“The guys miss you, they haven’t seen you in forever. You’ve been so busy. Jeff would be happy as all fucking hell if you were there. Please?” He gave his doe-eyed stare and you just turned away and sighed.

“Alright Stone. You got me. I’ll be there-” You were interrupted when he engulfed you in a bear hug, your face squished up against his chest. He was wearing a navy blue sweater with black shorts and his dark boots. He smelled like cigarettes and mint. He had on his Dallas Cowboys hat with a bandanna underneath. He pulled away, a wide smile across his lips his hands rest on your upper arms tightly.

“Thanks Dani! We’ll pick you up around 7. Be ready!” He kissed your cheek and with that, left your small apartment. You chuckled to yourself as you turned back to your painting.

“You’re welcome Stone.” You smiled softly, and brushed the wet paint on to the canvas.

---------

It was currently 6:30 and you were touching up the last bits of your painting. You knew the guys would be here to pick you up soon, so you decided against cleaning shit up. That could wait.

Instead, you made your way to your bathroom and washed what you could of the paint off you. After that, you brushed your teeth and looked at yourself in the mirror. Your short hair that ran just below your jawline was a bit matted, but didn’t look terrible so you just let it be. You had no makeup on, not that you even owned any, and you didn’t quite care. Sure you had breakouts sometimes, but covering that up wasn’t going to make you feel better about yourself. Right now though, that wasn’t the case, thankfully.

You went to your bedroom and quickly changed into your dark, ripped denim overalls and paired it with your black Chili Peppers t-shirt. Just as you were putting on your socks you heard your front door open.

“Honey we’re home!” A male voice yelled. Jeff.

Footsteps approached your room and that infectious smile stood in your doorway.

“Hey Jeff. New hat?” you questioned standing up, observing. He was an avid fan of quirky hats and you loved it. This hat was pink and huge. He grinned and grabbed it with his hand, placing it on top of your head. You glanced in the mirror and giggled. You looked pretty fucking goofy.

“Yes mam! Thrift store down the road from here. They got some pretty wicked stuff in there, man. You should check it out!” He stated enthusiastically and threw his arm around your shoulder. You smiled at the touch.

You slipped on your black boots and the two of you made your way outside, talking stupid shit like always. He led you to the truck they had been using since the good Love Bone days. It was big enough to put all the gear in and it had some value, you figured they would never part ways with it.

There was loud music coming from within the truck, and you had assumed all the guys were in there but as you looked, it was only Mike, whom occupied the drivers seat. He made his way out and around over to you.

“Hey you! Where have you been hiding? Its been a while.” He asks teasingly as he wraps his arms around you. You wrapped yours around his waist equally as tight.

Mike and you were pretty close, Stone introduced you two when you were about 15 years old. He was the one who practically taught you to play guitar. Out of the whole band, you felt like you could relate to Mike the most. He shared your quiet-like features, and definitely understood your anxiety issues. It was something you really appreciated and you enjoyed his company. It always made you happy to see these boys and you would always consider yourself lucky to have them in your life.

“I know, school has been stressing me out to the max lately.” You said as you pulled away and made your way to the back of the truck while he went back for his drivers seat. You were quickly stopped though, before you could even hop in.

“Ladies sit up front, don’t be silly.” Stone teased as he pushed you to the passenger side door that was wide open.

“How chivalrous of you, Gossard. I thank you.” You spoke heartily.

“I am! Whatever the fuck that means.” You laughed aloud and sat in your seat.

Next thing you guys were in the parking lot of the club.

“I’m gonna grab a beer. That cool?” You looked at them both. Jeff was opening the back doors to the vehicle to grab his gear.

“Yeah, if you see any of the guys in there tell them to come grab there shit.” You nodded in response and smiled. He winked and started grabbing his stuff.

You made your way inside and looked around. It wasn’t that bad, but you knew by the end of the night this place would be way more packed than it was now. But maybe some time with your friends was what you needed.

Before you could even find the bartender you spot Stone, so you just decided to make your way over there first. He sport the exact same clothing as before, which didn’t really surprise you.

“Well look who decided to actually show up tonight! Miss Dani, we are honored to have your presence at our second Mookie Blaylock show!” Stone spoke sarcastically, witty smile plastered on his face. You shot him a look. He was with Matt Cameron from Soundgarden and some guy you’ve never seen before. You could only assume that was Eddie. He was cute, his blue eyes gaze into yours for just a moment. You felt a positive energy radiate from him and it made you smile.

“Yes Stone, there’s absolutely no where else I’d rather be on earth right now.” You shot back, with a lot of sass. Matt laughed.

“Hey Dani.” Matt said to you. You waved your hand and smiled wide.

You turned to the curly haired man and held your hand out. “ Hi, you must be Eddie?” He smiled small and nodded, hand enveloping yours gently. “Im Danica. But most people just call me Dani. Nice to finally put a face to the voice! That was some demo tape bud, you got a beautiful style.” And that was the honest truth. His voice was literally liquid gold on that tape. He looked down, face flushing, small smile on his lips and his brows furrowed. He looked like he did not do well with compliments so to help him out you decided to just change the subject. The last thing you wanted to do was make this guy uncomfortable here. He was probably sick of gloomy Seattle and missing the beaches of sunny California already. You wondered how long he had been here for anyway? You pulled your hand back and let it fall to your side.

“Jeff is out by the truck and wants you guys to go get your shit.” You punched his shoulder. He grabbed it in fake hurt. You flipped him the bird and tried not to crack a smile. But that proved to be too hard.

“Yep, lets go Ed!” He chirped and made his way toward the entrance. Ed smiled lightly at you. You took it as an awkward thank you for the compliment you gave him and you returned the smile.

“I’m going to grab a beer.” you stated to Matt as Eddie was trying to catch up to Jeff.

“I’m with you, man.” Matt spoke and you guys made your way to the bartender for a cold one.

You had spoken to Matt on numerous occasions as Mother Love Bone (as well as Green River) have played quite a few shows with Soundgarden. He was a genuine guy, a bit quiet, but so were you. And you appreciated the silence sometimes. It was never awkward.

You guys drank your beers and spoke about upcoming Soundgarden shows. You hadn’t seen them play in a few months as things had been very hectic for them, so you were a bit excited as you learned they would be playing tonight too.

After the boys got their shit together, everyone watched Mudhoney perform an awesome show. Mark was a cool guy, and you were glad that he had a band of his own now. They were great. You all drank your beer and smoked cigarettes and laughed.There were a few joints passed around too so you were in an extremely good mood. People were definitely starting to crowd in.

You couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at Eddie every now and then. He didn’t say much, so people were always trying to get him to talk. You felt a bit bad, so maybe you could try and get him away from everything for at least a few minutes.

While the guys were distracted by Steve’s loud solo, your hand made its way to Eddie’s shoulder and you squeezed gently, trying not to startle him. You didn’t think it worked very well in your favor, as his head quickly turned to find you. His crystal eyes bore into your own hazel ones, face inches away. You didn’t mean to be that close to him and you hoped it didn’t make things weird. You were trying to get closer so you could talk to him without the others really paying attention. Not to mention it was super loud. You also almost forgot that Jeff’s hat was still on your head as it was just grazing Eddie’s forehead. You took a mental note to give it back to him before he goes up there.

Lucky for you, it didn’t seem to make Eddie too uncomfortable, but you did notice his face change. His brows furrowed as he pursed his lips, his cheeks were a light shade of pink and his eyes darted down to your lips for half a second. It happened so fast you almost wondered if it had really happened. But you were pretty certain it did.

“Wanna dip? We could go have a smoke outside? You look like you could step out for a few minutes.” You removed your hand as you spoke.

He merely nodded and you both stood up, leaving your empty bottles by your seats. Looking around, everyone was still just focusing on the awesome show that the Mudhoney guys were giving the crowd.

You made your way to the entrance, Eddie following behind you. Once you’s were outside you each lit one and smoked in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable and you were glad about that.

After a few minutes, you were halfway done your cig and you thought it was time to start up a small conversation, but he spoke first.

“Isn’t that Jeff’s hat?” He rose an eyebrow in curiosity. You giggled and nodded.

“Yeah, he put it on my head before we left my place and apparently its still up there.” You pointed up at it with your index finger. He laughed softly and took another drag.

“So how are you liking Seattle so far? Everything you thought it would be?” you took a puff, eyeing him. He looked sexy smoking.

He chuckled quietly, eyes glued to the ground. You had a feeling you were making it a bit awkward, but you were here now and nothing you could do. Just let it play out.

“I guess. It could be worse, right? I mean, the people are pretty cool.” He looked up at you, you observed his beautiful cheekbones. You noticed you were probably staring too long when he looked away and shook his head.

“I mean, its great.” He stuttered sounding a bit nervous. “I’m sorry, I’m insulting you aren’t I? Fuck, that’s not what I wanted to do. Its just-” You interrupted his rambling with a light chuckle.

“Don’t worry dude, I could give less of a shit what you think of the city I guess. Just trying to make a bit of talk. You miss your family right? I mean I don’t blame you. I would too.” You spoke evenly. He smiled slightly and took the last puff of his smoke and tossed it to the pavement.

“Yeah.” Was all he said.

You finished your smoke as well and put it out. You both still just sat there in silence staring at the street ahead of you. It was a bit busy, but nothing to crazy for a Saturday night.

Then, Eddie broke the silence this time. “Uh - Stone tells me you’re an artist?” You turned to find him already looking at you with a hint of curiosity.

“I guess. I mean, if you wanna call it that.” You smiled.

“I’d like to see your art sometime.” He said quietly, almost like he didn’t know what he was saying, like it just flowed naturally out of his mouth.

“Sounds like a plan.” You stated as you stood up. He got the idea and stood up as well, as you both made your way back inside the dingy nightclub.

47 notes · View notes

thewrosper · 5 years ago

Text

A Celebration Of Learning

Ramadan marks the revelation of the Quran, which places knowledge above all.

Ramadan marks the revelation of the Quran, which places knowledge . Many think that Ramadan is a month of fasting and giving charity. But is it just for that? What is the actual reason for believers being commanded to observe fasting during this month? These are important questions and their answers will help anyone to utilise this time in a way that will benefit both believers as well as all of humanity. The Quran says that it was during Ramadan that its revelation took place: “The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance . " There is no Ramadan without the Quran. It is an anniversary of the Book of guidance, which transformed the illiterate Arabs into the most cultured and civilised people within a short period — the shortest in human history. There was no magic. There were the guidelines sent through the Quran by Allah. Its first command was not to perform five times prayer or any spiritual activity. It was: “Read in the name of thy Lord who has created..” The Quran, in another part, tells that those who have knowledge and those who do not have knowledge are not equal. The Quran deals with practically every subject related to human life and all branches of knowledge. Spending resources on the path to acquiring knowledge is encouraged as an act of worship. If one has to travel to seek knowledge, he can even combine and shorten his five prayers or postpone the compulsory fasting. The Prophet taught that the word of wisdom is the lost property of a believer and wherever he finds it, he is most deserving of it. This means that a believer should search for knowledge in every place possible. The following saying of the prophet encourages the pursuit of knowledge: “One who proceeds on a path in pursuit of knowledge, God makes him proceed therewith on a path to Paradise. And verily, the angels spread their wings for the seekers of knowledge out of delight. Verily, every creature of the heaven and the earth asks forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the ocean. The merit of the learned over the devout is like the merit of the moon over the stars on a full moon night. The learned are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind a legacy of wealth but that of knowledge.” Teaching someone is considered as an “ongoing charity” — such a person gets rewarded continuously even after his death. Teachers and learned scholars are held in high regard in Islamic societies. The Quran doesn’t differentiate between worldly and spiritual knowledge. The longest verse in the Quran talks about the procedures to be followed and the importance of documentation while lending or borrowing money . There are many verses in the Quran that can be used as foundations for different branches of knowledge such as astronomy, economics, politics, law, ethics, philosophy, biology, environmental science, geography, zoology, sociology, history and medicine. This is in addition to the guidelines and commands on spirituality and worship. Any branch of knowledge, as long as it benefits mankind, is considered holy. The Quran asks man to ponder and research the wonders of nature.“Do they not observe the camels: How they were created? And the sky: How it was raised high? And the mountains: How they were fixed? And the earth: How it spread out?” COVID19 in the time of COVID: the apprehensions, and what the guidelines sayCoronavirus lockdown enters phase III: States open up, some tread more cautiouslyCovid outbreak should be probed: ex-NIA prosecutor to Home Opinion Columns A Celebration Of Learning Ramadan marks the revelation of the Quran, which places knowledge above all. NEXT Ramadan marks the revelation of the Quran, which places knowledge above all, writes Rahamathunnissa are related news Under police protection, Friday prayers peaceful in Gurgaon On Ramdan, David Cameron urges citizens to help Syrian victimsSet back for youth on death row in UAE,family declines blood money Many think that Ramadan is a month of fasting and giving charity. But is it just for that? What is the actual reason for believers being commanded to observe fasting during this month? These are important questions and their answers will help anyone to utilise this time in a way that will benefit both believers as well as all of humanity.The Quran says that it was during Ramadan that its revelation took place: “The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.” There is no Ramadan without the Quran. It is an anniversary of the Book of guidance, which transformed the illiterate Arabs into the most cultured and civilised people within a short period — the shortest in human history. There was no magic. There were the guidelines sent through the Quran by Allah. Its first command was not to perform five times prayer or any spiritual activity. It was: “Read in the name of thy Lord who has created..” The Quran, in another part, tells that those who have knowledge and those who do not have knowledge are not equal.The Quran deals with practically every subject related to human life and all branches of knowledge. Spending resources on the path to acquiring knowledge is encouraged as an act of worship. If one has to travel to seek knowledge, he can even combine and shorten his five prayers or postpone the compulsory fasting.The Prophet taught that the word of wisdom is the lost property of a believer and wherever he finds it, he is most deserving of it. This means that a believer should search for knowledge in every place possible. The following saying of the prophet encourages the pursuit of knowledge: “One who proceeds on a path in pursuit of knowledge, God makes him proceed therewith on a path to Paradise. And verily, the angels spread their wings for the seekers of knowledge out of delight. Verily, every creature of the heaven and the earth asks forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the ocean. The merit of the learned over the devout is like the merit of the moon over the stars on a full moon night. The learned are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind a legacy of wealth but that of knowledge.” Teaching someone is considered as an “ongoing charity” — such a person gets rewarded continuously even after his death. Teachers and learned scholars are held in high regard in Islamic societies.The Quran doesn’t differentiate between worldly and spiritual knowledge. The longest verse in the Quran talks about the procedures to be followed and the importance of documentation while lending or borrowing money .There are many verses in the Quran that can be used as foundations for different branches of knowledge such as astronomy, economics, politics, law, ethics, philosophy, biology, environmental science, geography, zoology, sociology, history and medicine. This is in addition to the guidelines and commands on spirituality and worship. Any branch of knowledge, as long as it benefits mankind, is considered holy. The Quran asks man to ponder and research the wonders of nature.“Do they not observe the camels: How they were created? And the sky: How it was raised high? And the mountains: How they were fixed? And the earth: How it spread out?” The Islamic world influenced medieval European life and culture in various fields. The European scholar Gerard of Cremona learned Arabic because of the “abundance of books in Arabic on every subject” and he translated 87 books from Arabic into Latin.Ramadan is the time to revisit the verses of the Quran and do more research on how to boost the world economy after the pandemic passes, as well as other issues facing the world. Read the full article

0 notes

scienceblogtumbler · 5 years ago

Text

Lessons from Deep Water

Ten years ago this month, a powerful explosion destroyed an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. Over a span of 87 days, the Deepwater Horizon’s Macondo Well released an estimated 168 million gallons of oil and 170,000 tonnes of natural gas into the ocean, making it the largest accidental marine oil spill in history.

A team of researchers, including UC Santa Barbara’s Professor David Valentine, quickly mobilized to study the unprecedented disaster, investigating its effects on the ocean’s interior, including the seafloor and animals such as deep-sea corals, while also tracking dispersants used to keep the oil from reaching the shoreline. A review paper, published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, details what scientists have learned from studying the spill over the past decade.

“So many lessons were learned during the Deepwater Horizon disaster that it seemed appropriate and timely to consider those lessons in the context of a review,” said coauthor Elizabeth Kujawinski, a geochemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “We found that much good work had been done on oil weathering and oil degradation by microbes, with significant implications for future research and response activities.”

“Going in we knew just a little about the ecosystem in the deep gulf,” said UC Santa Barbara’s Valentine, “and the Deepwater Horizon was this forbidden experiment that created observable reverberations for years throughout the deep sea ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico.”

The event provided a wealth of information about the chemistry and microbiology of deep and shallow ocean ecosystems, including their response to environmental change. It also allowed scientists to study how carbon-containing molecules behave in the ocean. “We’ve discovered that microbial life has many tricks up its sleeve when it comes to taking on oily environments,” said Valentine, who is leading a new campus initiative to capitalize on these microbial tricks toward bioenergy generation and pollution cleanup.

“One of the big takeaways is that the oil doesn’t just float and hang around,” added Christopher Reddy, a coauthor also from Woods Hole. “A huge amount of oil that didn’t evaporate was pummeled by sunlight, changing its chemistry. That’s something that wasn’t seen before, so now we have insight into this process.”

The use of chemical dispersants, released for the first time in a deep ocean oil spill, remains one of the most controversial debates in the aftermath of Deepwater Horizon. Studies offer conflicting conclusions about whether dispersants released in the deep sea reduced the amount of oil that reached the ocean surface, and the results are ambiguous about whether dispersants helped microbes break down the oil at all.

“I think the biggest unknowns still center on the impact of dispersants on oil distribution in seawater and their role in promoting—or inhibiting—microbial degradation of the spilled oil,” said Kujawinski.

Though the authors caution that the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon release may not be applicable to all spills, the review highlights advances in oil chemistry, microbiology, and technology that may be useful at other deep-sea drilling sites and shipping lanes in the Arctic. The authors call on the research community to work collaboratively to understand the complex environmental responses at play in cold climates, where the characteristics of oil are significantly different from the Gulf of Mexico.

“While it is the nature of science that we’ve introduced as many questions as we’ve resolved, I do think we are in a better place to understand, predict, and respond to major spills” Valentine said.

“Still, we’ve also learned from history that our readiness cycles,” he added. “We gradually become complacent as institutional memories and expertise fade. Until the next event.”

Additional authors of the review are chemist Ryan P. Rodgers (Florida State University), microbiologists J. Cameron Thrash (University of Southern California, Los Angeles), and Helen K. White (Haverford College).

Funding for this review was provided by the National Science Foundation.

source https://scienceblog.com/515848/lessons-from-deep-water/

0 notes

ao3feed-ineffablehusbandz · 5 years ago

Text

Earth Observations

by AlyKat

When Michael gave him this assignment, he wasn’t quite sure what it was for or why it was so important, but, he went with it anyway. After all, he was just a lowly Angel 1st class, and not exactly the best of one, either. Still, an Archangel trusted him to get this job done and he was going to do it, by jove!

Words: 1434, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Michael (Good Omens), Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Cameron the Earth Observations Angel

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Yes I named him, relationship from an outside POV, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Based on a Tumblr Post

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860195

#ao3feed ineffablehusbandz #ineffable husbands #good omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthonyjcrowl

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ao3feed-crowley · 5 years ago

Text

Earth Observations

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2xalfdb

by AlyKat

When Michael gave him this assignment, he wasn’t quite sure what it was for or why it was so important, but, he went with it anyway. After all, he was just a lowly Angel 1st class, and not exactly the best of one, either. Still, an Archangel trusted him to get this job done and he was going to do it, by jove!

Words: 1434, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Michael (Good Omens), Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Cameron the Earth Observations Angel

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Yes I named him, relationship from an outside POV, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Based on a Tumblr Post

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2xalfdb

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Crowley

0 notes

networkingdefinition · 5 years ago

Text

Christmas Quotes

Official Website: Christmas Quotes

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• A Christmas gambol oft could cheer The poor man’s heart through half the year. – Walter Scott • A good conscience is a continual Christmas. – Benjamin Franklin • A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year. These make a merry christmas! – John Greenleaf Whittier • A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. – Garrison Keillor • A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! – Charles Dickens • A song was heard at Christmas To wake the midnight sky: A saviour’s birth, and peace on earth, And praise to God on high. The angels sang at Christmas With all the hosts above, And still we sing the newborn King His glory and his love. – Timothy Dudley-Smith • A very Merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without any fear. – John Lennon • And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! – Charles Dickens • And So This Is Christmas; And What Have We Done? Another Year Over; A New One Just Begun; And So Happy Christmas; I Hope You Have Fun; The Near And The Dear Ones; The Old And The Young. – John Lennon • And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. – Dr. Seuss • And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans–and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused–and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself. – Sigrid Undset • Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you … to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old … Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest ting in the world … stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death… Then you can keep Christmas! But you can never keep it alone. – Henry Van Dyke • Aren’t we forgeting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa. – Matt Groening • At Christmas A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year; He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season’s here; Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before, And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for. He is less a selfish creature than at any other time; When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime. – Edgar Guest • At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows. – William Shakespeare • At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year. – Thomas Tusser • At Christmas, I no more desire a rose. – William Shakespeare

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'Christmas', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_christmas').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_christmas img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • Be merry all, be merry all, With holly dress the festive hall; Prepare the song, the feast, the ball, To welcome merry Christmas. – William Spencer • Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God. – George McDougall • Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind. – Helen Steiner Rice • Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. – William Thomas Ellis • Bloody Christmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men, and make them do the washing up. – Wendy Cope • But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely. – Charles Dickens

[clickbank-storefront-bestselling] • Call a truce, then, to our labors – let us feast with friends and neighbors, and be merry as the custom of our caste; for if ”faint and forced the laughter,” and if sadness follow after, we are richer by one mocking Christmas past. – Rudyard Kipling • Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.Why wait for a call when you have a command? – Robert Hughes • Christmas begins about the first of December with an office party and ends when you finally realize what you spent, around April fifteenth of the next year. – P. J. O’Rourke • Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas. – Ronald Reagan • Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both. – Phillips Brooks • Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart…filled it, too, with melody that would last forever. – Bess Streeter Aldrich • Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. – Oren Arnold • Christmas gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us – a time when we can look back on the year that has passed and prepare for the year ahead. – David Cameron • Christmas hath a beauty … lovelier than the world can show. – Christina Rossetti • Christmas is … a time to mark our progress through this earthly journey. Every December we can look back and marvel at the designs of God and realize how very little we are in control of the events that shaped the past year. Then, with hearts full, look to the celebration of that silent, holy night, and all its certainty. Because of Christmas, this we know: Christ was born for us. He is love, and the plans he has for us always surpass those of our own. – Karen Kingsbury • Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today’s Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday. – Gladys Taber • Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” ~ (1925- ), English political leader. – Margaret Thatcher • Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves. – Eric Sevareid • Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. – Washington Irving • Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection. – Winston Churchill • Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remediable sorrow, wrong, and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us, not less than our own experiences, for all good. – Charles Dickens • Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered. – Phyllis Diller • Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice. – Vance Havner • Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home. – Gilbert K. Chesterton • Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. – Charles M. Schulz • Christmas is for children. But it is for grownups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide bound hearts. – Lenora Mattingly Weber • Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don’t light a candle in a room that’s already full of sunlight. You light a candle in a room that’s so murky that the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are. – N. T. Wright • Christmas is more than a time of music, merriment and mirth; it is a season of meditation, mangers and miracles. Christmas is more than a time of carols, cards and candy; it is a season of dedication and decision. – William Arthur Ward • Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. – Ruth Carter Stapleton • Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind. – Mary Ellen Chase • Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. – Calvin Coolidge • Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. – Calvin Coolidge • Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It’s higher thought and a greater plan. It’s glorious dream in the soul of man. – Wilferd Peterson • Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives. – William Parks • Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child. – William Saroyan • Christmas is taken very seriously in this household. I believe in Father Christmas and there’s no way I’d do anything to undermine that belief. – Carol Ann Duffy • Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you. – Timothy Keller • Christmas is the day that holds all time together. – Alexander Smith • Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving,and of families united. – Norman Vincent Peale • Christmas is the season when people run out of money before they run out of friends. – Larry Wilde • Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it. – Richard Lamm • Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.- Edna Ferber • Christmas my child, is love in action…When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was the Person of His Son, sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like! Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. – Dale Evans • Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us. As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family. – Donald E. Westlake • Christmas to a child is the first terrible proof that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive. – Stephen Fry • Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. – Norman Vincent Peale • Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. – Dr. Seuss • Christmas works like glue, it keeps us all sticking together. – Rosie Thomas • Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. – Dale Evans • Christmas… is not an external event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart. – Freya Stark • Christmas: the Son of God expressing the love of God to save us from the wrath of God so we could enjoy the presence of God. – John Piper • Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music. – Tom Sims • Don’t let the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone. – Taylor Caldwell • England was merry England, when Old Christmas brought his sports again. ‘Twas Christmas broach’d the mightiest ale; ‘Twas Christmas told the merriest tale; A Christmas gambol oft could cheer The poor man’s heart through half the year. – Walter Scott • For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. – William Jewett Tucker • For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself. – Charles Dickens • For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is “hurry”. And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. (…) With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal. – Burton Hill • Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin – inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night. – John J. Geddes • From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it. – Katharine Whitehorn • Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. – Peg Bracken • Happy Day After Christmas, Merry Rest of the Year, even when Christmas is over, The Light of the World is Still Here! – Matthew West • Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! – Charles Dickens • Have you any old grudges you would like to pay, Any wrongs laid up from a bygone day? -Gather them now and lay them away When Christmas comes. Hard thoughts are heavy to carry, my friend, And life is short from beginning to end; Be kind to yourself, leave nothing to mend When Christmas comes. – William Haines Lytle • Heap on more wood! – the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We’ll keep our Christmas merry still. – Walter Scott • I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses. – Taylor Caldwell • I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the gift wrap department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping. – Steven Wright • I can understand people simply fleeing the mountainous effort Christmas has become… but there are always a few saving graces and finally they make up for all the bother and distress. – May Sarton • I do hope your Christmas has had a little touch of Eternity in among the rush and pitter patter and all. It always seems such a mixing of this world and the next – but that after all is the idea! – Evelyn Underhill • I do like Christmas on the whole…. In its clumsy way, it does approach Peace and Goodwill. But it is clumsier every year. – E. M. Forster • I don’t think Christmas is necessarily about things. It’s about being good to one another, it’s about the Christian ethic, it’s about kindness. – Carrie Fisher • I grew up with a Christmas tree, I’m going to stay with a Christmas tree. – Thomas Menino • I have always thought of Christmas time… as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time. – Charles Dickens • I hear that in many places something has happened to Christmas; that it is changing from a time of merriment and carefree gaiety to a holiday which is filled with tedium; that many people dread the day and the obligation to give Christmas presents is a nightmare to weary, bored souls; that the children of enlightened parents no longer believe in Santa Claus; that all in all, the effort to be happy and have pleasure makes many honest hearts grow dark with despair instead of beaming with good will and cheerfulness. – Julia Peterkin • I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, But how I love the gifts I give! – Carolyn Wells • I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included. – Bernard Manning • I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. – Ray Stannard Baker • I think commercialism helps Christmas and I think that the more capitalism we can inject into the Christmas holiday the more spiritual I feel about it – Craig Ferguson • I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world. – Norman Vincent Peale • I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. – Charles Dickens • I wrapped my Christmas presents early this year, but I used the wrong paper. See, the paper I used said ‘Happy Birthday’ on it. I didn’t want to waste it so I just wrote ‘Jesus’ on it. – Demetri Martin • If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees-alone or with loved ones-give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept. – Howard W. Hunter • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white. – Irving Berlin • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. – Irving Berlin • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know, Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow. – Irving Berlin • In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukka” and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukka!” or (to the atheists) “Look out for the wall!” – Dave Barry • It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you. – Mother Teresa • It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you…yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand. – Mother Teresa • It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. – William Thomas Ellis • It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas; Soon the bells will start, And the thing that will make them ring Is the carol that you sing Right within your heart. – Meredith Willson • Its Christmas Eve! Its the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be. – Bill Murray • It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul. – Caroline Kennedy • Let the children have their night of fun and laughter, let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures. – Winston Churchill • Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to the stern task and the formidable years that lie before us, resolved that, by our sacrifice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent world.” Winston Churchill Christmas Eve Message, 1941 as printed in “In the Dark Streets Shineth. – David McCullough • Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing. – Grace Noll Crowell • Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years… Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart. – George Matthew Adams • Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. – George Matthew Adams • Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine; Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign. – Christina Rossetti • Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas. – Johnny Carson • Mankind is a great, an immense family… This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas. – Pope John XXIII • Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store. – Dr. Seuss • Memories and magic is what Christmas is all about. – Lynn Johnston • My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? – Bob Hope • Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit. – Kin Hubbard • Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas. – Kin Hubbard • O Christmas Sun! What holy task is thine! To fold a world in the embrace of God! – Guy Wetmore Carryl • O come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. – Frederick Oakeley • Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer… Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? – Bill Watterson • On Christmas day you can’t get sore, your fellow man you must adore. There’s time to cheat him all the more the other three hundred and sixty-four – Tom Lehrer • One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books. – J. K. Rowling • One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” ~ (1919-), American writer, producer, humorist. – Andy Rooney • Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. – Laura Ingalls Wilder • Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day. – Helen Steiner Rice • Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime. – Charles Dickens • Roses are reddish Violets are bluish If it weren’t for Christmas We’d all be Jewish. – Benny Hill • Selfishness makes Christmas a burden; Love makes it a delight. The joy of brightening a child’s heart creates the magic of Christmas. – William Carey Jones • So every year when Christmas comes, I realize a new, the best gift life can offer is having friends like you. – Helen Steiner Rice • So if a Christian is touched only once a year, the touching is still worth it, and maybe on some given Christmas, some quiet morning, the touch will take. – Harry Reasoner • That’s the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me. – Jerry Seinfeld • The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. – Bill Vaughan • The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: “Merry Christmas”-not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form-by giving presents to one’s friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . . – Ayn Rand • The Christmas story is as simple as was the Man himself and His teaching. SA simple as the Sermon on the Mount which still remains as the ultimate basis … of the belief of free men of good will everywhere. – Hal Borland • The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected. – Samuel Johnson • The earth has grown old with its burden of care, But at Christmas it always is young. – Phillips Brooks • The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung. – Phillips Brooks • The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas. – William Carey Jones • The magi, as you know, were wise men wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. – O. Henry • The mystery of the Holy Night, which historically happened two thousand years ago, must be lived as a spiritual event in the ‘today’ of the Liturgy,” the Pope clarified. “The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas. – Pope John Paul II • The only real blind person at Christmas time is he who has not Christmas in his heart. – Helen Keller • The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting. – Louisa May Alcott • The time draws near the birth of Christ; The moon is hid; the night is still; The Christmas bells from hill to hill Answer each other in the mist. – Alfred Lord Tennyson • The two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school. – Alice Cooper • The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas. – Billy Graham • The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much. – Henry David Thoreau • The world can’t save itself. That’s the message of Christmas. – Timothy Keller • There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas. – Robert Staughton Lynd • There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas. – Henry Van Dyke • There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions. – Bill McKibben • There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas. – Charles Dickens • There’ll always be Christmas as long as a light Glows in the window to guide folks at night, As long as a star in the heavens above, Keeps shining down… there’ll be Christmas and love. – Edna Jaques • There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. – Erma Bombeck • This is Christmas – the season of perpetual hope. – Catherine O’Hara • This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays! – David Dellinger • Time always seems long to the child who is waiting – for Christmas, for next summer, for becoming a grownup: long also when he surrenders his whole soul to each moment of a happy day. – Dag Hammarskjold • Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and make the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete. – Charles Dickens • To celebrate the heart of Christmas is to forget ourselves in the service of others. – Henry C. Link • To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year. – E. B. White • To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.” ~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927). – Calvin Coolidge • T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. – Clement Clarke Moore • Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’. – Bing Crosby • We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice. – Pope Paul VI • We should try to hold on to the Christmas spirit, not just one day a year, but all 365. – Mary Martin • Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive. – Robert Wilson Lynd • What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day. – Phyllis Diller • What kind of Christmas present would Jesus ask Santa for? – Salman Rushdie • Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day, remembering Its poignant meaning for the hearts of men. Let us get back our childlike faith again. – Grace Noll Crowell • When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: …To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. – Howard Thurman • When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? – Gilbert K. Chesterton • When you give up yourself, that’s when you will feel the true spirit of Christmas. And that’s giving that’s serving others and that’s when you feel fulfilled. – Joel Osteen • Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life. – Corrie Ten Boom • Xmas Trivia: Before it became a major shopping holiday, Christmas is believed to have had a “religious” meaning. – Andy Borowitz • You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift. – John R. Rice

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equitiesstocks · 5 years ago

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Christmas Quotes

Official Website: Christmas Quotes

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[clickbank-storefront-bestselling] • Call a truce, then, to our labors – let us feast with friends and neighbors, and be merry as the custom of our caste; for if ”faint and forced the laughter,” and if sadness follow after, we are richer by one mocking Christmas past. – Rudyard Kipling • Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.Why wait for a call when you have a command? – Robert Hughes • Christmas begins about the first of December with an office party and ends when you finally realize what you spent, around April fifteenth of the next year. – P. J. O’Rourke • Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas. – Ronald Reagan • Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both. – Phillips Brooks • Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart…filled it, too, with melody that would last forever. – Bess Streeter Aldrich • Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. – Oren Arnold • Christmas gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us – a time when we can look back on the year that has passed and prepare for the year ahead. – David Cameron • Christmas hath a beauty … lovelier than the world can show. – Christina Rossetti • Christmas is … a time to mark our progress through this earthly journey. Every December we can look back and marvel at the designs of God and realize how very little we are in control of the events that shaped the past year. Then, with hearts full, look to the celebration of that silent, holy night, and all its certainty. Because of Christmas, this we know: Christ was born for us. He is love, and the plans he has for us always surpass those of our own. – Karen Kingsbury • Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today’s Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday. – Gladys Taber • Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” ~ (1925- ), English political leader. – Margaret Thatcher • Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves. – Eric Sevareid • Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. – Washington Irving • Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection. – Winston Churchill • Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remediable sorrow, wrong, and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us, not less than our own experiences, for all good. – Charles Dickens • Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered. – Phyllis Diller • Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice. – Vance Havner • Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home. – Gilbert K. Chesterton • Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. – Charles M. Schulz • Christmas is for children. But it is for grownups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide bound hearts. – Lenora Mattingly Weber • Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don’t light a candle in a room that’s already full of sunlight. You light a candle in a room that’s so murky that the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are. – N. T. Wright • Christmas is more than a time of music, merriment and mirth; it is a season of meditation, mangers and miracles. Christmas is more than a time of carols, cards and candy; it is a season of dedication and decision. – William Arthur Ward • Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. – Ruth Carter Stapleton • Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind. – Mary Ellen Chase • Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. – Calvin Coolidge • Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. – Calvin Coolidge • Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It’s higher thought and a greater plan. It’s glorious dream in the soul of man. – Wilferd Peterson • Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives. – William Parks • Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child. – William Saroyan • Christmas is taken very seriously in this household. I believe in Father Christmas and there’s no way I’d do anything to undermine that belief. – Carol Ann Duffy • Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you. – Timothy Keller • Christmas is the day that holds all time together. – Alexander Smith • Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving,and of families united. – Norman Vincent Peale • Christmas is the season when people run out of money before they run out of friends. – Larry Wilde • Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it. – Richard Lamm • Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.- Edna Ferber • Christmas my child, is love in action…When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was the Person of His Son, sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like! Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. – Dale Evans • Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us. As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family. – Donald E. Westlake • Christmas to a child is the first terrible proof that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive. – Stephen Fry • Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. – Norman Vincent Peale • Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. – Dr. Seuss • Christmas works like glue, it keeps us all sticking together. – Rosie Thomas • Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. – Dale Evans • Christmas… is not an external event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart. – Freya Stark • Christmas: the Son of God expressing the love of God to save us from the wrath of God so we could enjoy the presence of God. – John Piper • Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music. – Tom Sims • Don’t let the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone. – Taylor Caldwell • England was merry England, when Old Christmas brought his sports again. ‘Twas Christmas broach’d the mightiest ale; ‘Twas Christmas told the merriest tale; A Christmas gambol oft could cheer The poor man’s heart through half the year. – Walter Scott • For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. – William Jewett Tucker • For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself. – Charles Dickens • For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is “hurry”. And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. (…) With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal. – Burton Hill • Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin – inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night. – John J. Geddes • From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it. – Katharine Whitehorn • Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. – Peg Bracken • Happy Day After Christmas, Merry Rest of the Year, even when Christmas is over, The Light of the World is Still Here! – Matthew West • Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! – Charles Dickens • Have you any old grudges you would like to pay, Any wrongs laid up from a bygone day? -Gather them now and lay them away When Christmas comes. Hard thoughts are heavy to carry, my friend, And life is short from beginning to end; Be kind to yourself, leave nothing to mend When Christmas comes. – William Haines Lytle • Heap on more wood! – the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We’ll keep our Christmas merry still. – Walter Scott • I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses. – Taylor Caldwell • I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the gift wrap department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping. – Steven Wright • I can understand people simply fleeing the mountainous effort Christmas has become… but there are always a few saving graces and finally they make up for all the bother and distress. – May Sarton • I do hope your Christmas has had a little touch of Eternity in among the rush and pitter patter and all. It always seems such a mixing of this world and the next – but that after all is the idea! – Evelyn Underhill • I do like Christmas on the whole…. In its clumsy way, it does approach Peace and Goodwill. But it is clumsier every year. – E. M. Forster • I don’t think Christmas is necessarily about things. It’s about being good to one another, it’s about the Christian ethic, it’s about kindness. – Carrie Fisher • I grew up with a Christmas tree, I’m going to stay with a Christmas tree. – Thomas Menino • I have always thought of Christmas time… as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time. – Charles Dickens • I hear that in many places something has happened to Christmas; that it is changing from a time of merriment and carefree gaiety to a holiday which is filled with tedium; that many people dread the day and the obligation to give Christmas presents is a nightmare to weary, bored souls; that the children of enlightened parents no longer believe in Santa Claus; that all in all, the effort to be happy and have pleasure makes many honest hearts grow dark with despair instead of beaming with good will and cheerfulness. – Julia Peterkin • I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, But how I love the gifts I give! – Carolyn Wells • I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included. – Bernard Manning • I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. – Ray Stannard Baker • I think commercialism helps Christmas and I think that the more capitalism we can inject into the Christmas holiday the more spiritual I feel about it – Craig Ferguson • I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world. – Norman Vincent Peale • I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. – Charles Dickens • I wrapped my Christmas presents early this year, but I used the wrong paper. See, the paper I used said ‘Happy Birthday’ on it. I didn’t want to waste it so I just wrote ‘Jesus’ on it. – Demetri Martin • If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees-alone or with loved ones-give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept. – Howard W. Hunter • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white. – Irving Berlin • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. – Irving Berlin • I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know, Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow. – Irving Berlin • In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukka” and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukka!” or (to the atheists) “Look out for the wall!” – Dave Barry • It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you. – Mother Teresa • It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you…yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand. – Mother Teresa • It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. – William Thomas Ellis • It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas; Soon the bells will start, And the thing that will make them ring Is the carol that you sing Right within your heart. – Meredith Willson • Its Christmas Eve! Its the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be. – Bill Murray • It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul. – Caroline Kennedy • Let the children have their night of fun and laughter, let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures. – Winston Churchill • Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to the stern task and the formidable years that lie before us, resolved that, by our sacrifice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent world.” Winston Churchill Christmas Eve Message, 1941 as printed in “In the Dark Streets Shineth. – David McCullough • Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing. – Grace Noll Crowell • Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years… Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart. – George Matthew Adams • Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. – George Matthew Adams • Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine; Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign. – Christina Rossetti • Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas. – Johnny Carson • Mankind is a great, an immense family… This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas. – Pope John XXIII • Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store. – Dr. Seuss • Memories and magic is what Christmas is all about. – Lynn Johnston • My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? – Bob Hope • Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit. – Kin Hubbard • Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas. – Kin Hubbard • O Christmas Sun! What holy task is thine! To fold a world in the embrace of God! – Guy Wetmore Carryl • O come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. – Frederick Oakeley • Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer… Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? – Bill Watterson • On Christmas day you can’t get sore, your fellow man you must adore. There’s time to cheat him all the more the other three hundred and sixty-four – Tom Lehrer • One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books. – J. K. Rowling • One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” ~ (1919-), American writer, producer, humorist. – Andy Rooney • Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. – Laura Ingalls Wilder • Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day. – Helen Steiner Rice • Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime. – Charles Dickens • Roses are reddish Violets are bluish If it weren’t for Christmas We’d all be Jewish. – Benny Hill • Selfishness makes Christmas a burden; Love makes it a delight. The joy of brightening a child’s heart creates the magic of Christmas. – William Carey Jones • So every year when Christmas comes, I realize a new, the best gift life can offer is having friends like you. – Helen Steiner Rice • So if a Christian is touched only once a year, the touching is still worth it, and maybe on some given Christmas, some quiet morning, the touch will take. – Harry Reasoner • That’s the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me. – Jerry Seinfeld • The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. – Bill Vaughan • The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: “Merry Christmas”-not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form-by giving presents to one’s friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . . – Ayn Rand • The Christmas story is as simple as was the Man himself and His teaching. SA simple as the Sermon on the Mount which still remains as the ultimate basis … of the belief of free men of good will everywhere. – Hal Borland • The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected. – Samuel Johnson • The earth has grown old with its burden of care, But at Christmas it always is young. – Phillips Brooks • The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung. – Phillips Brooks • The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas. – William Carey Jones • The magi, as you know, were wise men wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. – O. Henry • The mystery of the Holy Night, which historically happened two thousand years ago, must be lived as a spiritual event in the ‘today’ of the Liturgy,” the Pope clarified. “The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas. – Pope John Paul II • The only real blind person at Christmas time is he who has not Christmas in his heart. – Helen Keller • The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting. – Louisa May Alcott • The time draws near the birth of Christ; The moon is hid; the night is still; The Christmas bells from hill to hill Answer each other in the mist. �� Alfred Lord Tennyson • The two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school. – Alice Cooper • The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas. – Billy Graham • The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much. – Henry David Thoreau • The world can’t save itself. That’s the message of Christmas. – Timothy Keller • There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas. – Robert Staughton Lynd • There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas. – Henry Van Dyke • There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions. – Bill McKibben • There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas. – Charles Dickens • There’ll always be Christmas as long as a light Glows in the window to guide folks at night, As long as a star in the heavens above, Keeps shining down… there’ll be Christmas and love. – Edna Jaques • There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. – Erma Bombeck • This is Christmas – the season of perpetual hope. – Catherine O’Hara • This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays! – David Dellinger • Time always seems long to the child who is waiting – for Christmas, for next summer, for becoming a grownup: long also when he surrenders his whole soul to each moment of a happy day. – Dag Hammarskjold • Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and make the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete. – Charles Dickens • To celebrate the heart of Christmas is to forget ourselves in the service of others. – Henry C. Link • To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year. – E. B. White • To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.” ~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927). – Calvin Coolidge • T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. – Clement Clarke Moore • Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’. – Bing Crosby • We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice. – Pope Paul VI • We should try to hold on to the Christmas spirit, not just one day a year, but all 365. – Mary Martin • Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive. – Robert Wilson Lynd • What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day. – Phyllis Diller • What kind of Christmas present would Jesus ask Santa for? – Salman Rushdie • Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day, remembering Its poignant meaning for the hearts of men. Let us get back our childlike faith again. – Grace Noll Crowell • When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: …To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. – Howard Thurman • When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? – Gilbert K. Chesterton • When you give up yourself, that’s when you will feel the true spirit of Christmas. And that’s giving that’s serving others and that’s when you feel fulfilled. – Joel Osteen • Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life. – Corrie Ten Boom • Xmas Trivia: Before it became a major shopping holiday, Christmas is believed to have had a “religious” meaning. – Andy Borowitz • You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift. – John R. Rice

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