#francisco the scribe

[flowerprintundies]

Jeffery looked so kawaii in his Gothic Lolita coord~♡

[sfnena415]

San Francisco, CA

[fatehbaz]

The “goal of civilization” should be to get these delicious tropical pineapples shipped up to kitchen tables in St. Petersburg.

Much to consider here.

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Anton Chekhov, it appears, was not the first Russian literary luminary to visit Hong Kong. Chekhov had stopped off in October 1890 and wrote about its “wonderful bay”. [...] But Chekhov was beaten to the punch by Ivan Goncharov who stopped by in 1853. Goncharov is now best now known for his novel Oblamov, but his bestseller at the time was a 700-page tome of travel-writing called The Frigate Pallada. Goncharov had been taken, as a sort of official scribe, on the Russian naval expedition sent to “open Japan”. If that sounds like American Commodore Matthew Perry’s expedition, it very much was: the Pallada arrived in Japan several weeks after Perry. The Pallada [...] went [...] via the Cape of Good Hope, Java, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, with side-trips to Manila, Korea and the Ryukyus. [...] Edyta M Bojanowska relates all this, and much more [in her book] [...]. Bojanowska uses Goncharov’s travelogue as a window on Russia, a window through which to view the European, and particularly British, imperial project [...].

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Russia’s Pacific history is little known, perhaps even in Russia. [...]

In the library [...], I once came across a book entitled La Frontera ruso-mexicana: “The Russian-Mexican Border”. There actually was one in what is now California in the first part of the 1800s. Nikolai Rezanov had tried to open Japan in 1804; he got nowhere. (He did however continue on to North America and all the way down to San Francisco where he got engaged to Conchita, the [...] daughter of the Spanish governor, a story which became a late Soviet-era rock opera.)

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Alaska ended up being sold to the United States a decade or so after Goncharov’s voyage. [...] Goncharov’s [book] [...] “strains to project an image of Russia as a confident and competent peer of European colonial empires.” [...] Goncharov was a product of his age. He was furthermore an anglophile and thought that the British had on the whole the right ideas about empire. (He did however find their ubiquity annoying: his idyll on Madeira is ruined by seeing so many of them. “They’re here too?” he wrote.) He would occasionally take the imperialists to task for some particularly egregious injustice, but he never questioned the enterprise. He just thought Russia should have a piece of the action.

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Goncharov settled on Korea as a good potential target for Russia (“Goncharov Island” is now known as Mayang-do Island, the site of a North Korean missile base) [...]. The book hit the ground running, went through ten editions by the end of  the century, and seems never really to have been out of print [...]. Singapore gets a slightly fuller treatment. Goncharov marvels at the pineapples piled up “like turnips”. “The goal of civilization,” Bojanowska quotes him, is to get these pineapples up to St Petersburg where they were currently unheard of luxury items. (Goncharov’s equating of capitalism with tropical fruit is reminiscent of the [...] [twentieth-century] fascination with bananas.)

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Text by: Peter Gordon. A book review published under the title '“A World of Empires: The Russian Voyage of the Frigate Pallada” by Edyta M Bojanowska'. Published online in the Essays, Non-Fiction, and Reviews sections of Asian Review of Books. 10 July 2018. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Italicized first lines in this post added by me.]

[rippleberries]

Pit and the Pendulum behind the scene feaurette

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Also adding some off-kilter comic relief are the three stooges of the inquisition: Dr. Huesos

William J Norris: A deeply sensitive, understanding man who makes sure that people don't die before they confess to being a witch or a worlock

William J Norris as Dr. Huesos: Good morning all. So, I'm late.

Narrator: Francisco the scribe

Jeffrey Combs: Yeah I take some notes down. I make sure that everything's done by the book, with the book, for the book. And I wouldn't say that it always happens that way.

Jeffrey Combs as Francisco: How can they confess if they dont have tongues?

Narrator: And Gomez the undertaker.

Stephen Lee: I'm basically the grave digger. I'm the bus driver, the laborer. It's not that big of a part you know. I would like to have a bigger role, but I couldn't get it. I asked for one. Maybe next film.

Narrator: For the entire length of the production, the principal cast of The Pit and the Pendulum lived together in the very castle they were shooting in.

Lance Henriksen: This is like an acting commune because we've all been here five weeks and we're all living under the same roof. It is a phenomenon, so I'm wondering what that's--

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[jbaileyfansite]

Fellow Travelers Article by Entertaintment Weekly (2023)

Time works differently on the set of Fellow Travelers. It's not what we typically think of as linear. It's as if the past, the present, and the future are all unfolding simultaneously. That sensation feels most apparent one particular Wednesday afternoon in Toronto in early November.

Magic Mike's Matt Bomer and Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey, the two stars of Showtime's decades-spanning love story, prepare for a scene that plays out in 1950s Washington, D.C. The backdrop is the Lavender Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy (Chris Bauer) and chief legal counsel Roy Cohn's (Will Brill) purge of homosexuals from government jobs. It's deep into the relationship of Hawkins Fuller (Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Bailey), two closeted men on the Hill whose private lives are consumed with intoxicating sex and fluctuating power dynamics. Tim, marked by his signature full-rim glasses and a polka-dot short-sleeve button-up, is packing a suitcase in his practically doll-sized apartment, ready to leave town and never look back. Then Hawk, fedora in hand, knocks at the door and… 

"It smells like soup," Bailey remarks in between takes. Bomer can't seem to smell anything, but his costar insists the savory aroma is there. "Is that what's on my fingers?" Bailey wonders, slipping back into his British accent as he thrusts his hands underneath his scene partner's nose. Bomer doesn't flinch, but promptly takes a whiff — a sign of the immense comfort and intimacy the two actors have developed while making this period piece. As it happens, chicken noodle soup is the very meal Hawk and Tim share on their first date, which was shot in the same apartment set on which the actors now find themselves. Does the smell actually still linger days later or is it a sensory echo? "Déjà vu. Chicken noodle soup," Bailey remarks — and then the cameras roll for their fourth take.

While Fellow Travelers begins with Hawk and Tim falling for each other during a terrifying time for queer people in America, the limited series, told over eight episodes, tracks their waxing-and-waning relationship through pivotal moments of queer history, such as the Harvey Milk era of the '70s and the AIDS crisis of the '80s. "It becomes difficult not only for the actors, but the directors to keep track of everything," admits producer Robbie Rogers, who says the crew worked across three-to-four different stages on any given day in their Toronto studio. As we speak, another star, M3GAN's Allison Williams, dressed in a '50s-era tartan dress and pearl necklace, is running accent drills off in another set designed for a '70s-style San Francisco apartment. "Because we shoot out of order, and there were times in which we were shooting multiple decades back to back, they did rely on me to keep track of where they were in their lives," adds series creator and showrunner Ron Nyswaner, the Oscar-nominated scribe of Philadelphia.

A story like Fellow Travelers feels somewhat revolutionary, even now in 2023 when it can seem as though history is repeating itself. (Former President Donald Trump, whom Nyswaner refers to as "the antichrist," considered the late Roy Cohn as a mentor, and the two share similar rhetoric.) Inspired by Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel of the same name, the series offers an unflinching look at gay relationships at a time when they were forced into hiding. Yes, that includes some of the most erotic depictions of same-sex sex ever put to screen on a premium television network at a time when politicians are once again trying to tell LGBTQ Americans to keep their "lifestyles" behind closed doors. Says Nyswaner, "Our goal was to really tell the story from an LGBTQIA perspective of what happened in the '50s and then to take it past the '50s."

A love for the ages

Nyswaner deviated from Mallon's book quite a bit, incorporating the other decades to the piece, but he says the essence of Hawk and Tim came directly from the source material. "It haunted me for years," Nyswaner says of the novel. (The creator spoke with EW in August for an interview coordinated through his personal PR team in accordance with WGA strike guidelines.) The writer sat with the concept for years, only returning to it with the help of Rogers after his work on Ray Donovan and Homeland, so it's not surprising that Nyswaner thinks of Fellow Travelers as a hybrid of both those shows, part "fixer thriller" and part "political thriller."

Daniel Minahan, who directed a pivotal bottle episode of Ray Donovan, sees a similarity between Liev Schreiber's performance and Bomer's Hawk. "They're both fixers," he says. "Ray's someone who has his own moral code and is immoral. Hawk has his own moral code, but it's very specific to being a closeted gay man." Hawk, a war hero, exudes a classical man-about-town image as an always-suited, charming State Department official courting Lucy Smith (Williams), the daughter of a prominent U.S. senator. In his private life, he discreetly prowls for other gay men in dark-cornered cruising grounds to satiate his hunger for sexual dominance.

"I find sometimes that gay characters are made too clean," Nyswaner reflects. "They're made too noble. I'm just tired of that. Hawkins Fuller certainly is a very complicated, sometimes unlikeable antihero. I'd marry him in a second and then regret it probably in a few days, but there's something fascinating about watching someone who is in charge and you don't like him, but you kind of enjoy it. I think that helps us get away with a lot."

Bailey's Tim is more gentle and naive than Hawk, especially when the Irish Fordham University graduate and devout Catholic first arrives on the Hill. Rogers met Bailey on his past project when filmmaker Michael Grandage was scouting for the role of Patrick opposite Harry Styles in My Policeman, a part that ultimately went to David Dawson. "Things didn't work out for a number of reasons, but I remember being really interested in him as an actor," the producer says. There's an inherent delight in now seeing the Bridgerton heartthrob play someone a few shades geekier, complete with a fondness for milk that Tim will order at bars without shame. "Jonny's character in Bridgeton is a little bit like Hawkins Fuller. He's kind of ruthless and he's in charge," Nyswaner points out. "Jonny's version of Tim is so vulnerable. You just don't know if you want Tim to get away from [Hawk] or stay with him and change him."

The two stars got together over Zoom for a chemistry read. Bomer (already attached as an executive producer) called in from L.A., Bailey from London, and Nyswaner from Toronto. The showrunner remembers, "It was electric." The pair were reading Hawk and Tim's first proper meeting: flirting with each other on a park bench in the days after clocking eyes at a political soiree. "I got a text from one of the executives who said, 'Well, that's the first time I've cried in a chemistry read.'" 

There are two other core relationships explored in Fellow Travelers. One is Hawk and Lucy, both hiding parts of themselves from each other. The other is one Nyswaner developed just for the series, another gay couple entwined in the lives of Hawk and Tim: Marcus Hooks (Jelani Alladin), a Black journalist covering the Senate beat, and Frankie Hines (Noah J. Ricketts), a drag performer working at the Cozy Corner underground gay bar.

On the set in November, Alladin offers a tour of Marcus' San Francisco apartment in the '80s setting. The character's story is reflected in the props that adorn the space, from the Jean-Baptiste painting on the wall to the writerly awards spotted on the shelves. "He goes from this closeted man, not loving himself, to completely in love and embracing not only Black culture, but the fact that he's a homosexual man," the actor says.

It's "that struggle of, where is my loyalty? I have to be a Black man first because that's what is needed and expected of me from my community," Nyswaner adds. "Jelani and I had conversations where he would read to me from his journal that he kept in the voice of Marcus. Sometimes I would say, 'Can I put that in the scene?' So, that was a really beautiful collaboration."

Marcus remains in stark contrast to his love, Frankie, who, according to Ricketts, is all about being authentic to oneself at all times. "What I love about Frankie is that sometimes he feels like putting on a jacket and being butch and going out into the world, and other times he feels like painting his nails and letting his hair out," Ricketts says.

And, the actor notes, "every drag queen has a drag mother." For him, that would be costume designer Joseph La Corte, who's been Emmy nominated for work on Fosse/Verdon, Boardwalk Empire, and The Sopranos. "Joseph was the one who taught me how to hide and tuck and get rid of everything that I needed to discreetly put away."

The politics of sex

The first glimpse the public saw of Fellow Travelers came unexpectedly in September 2022. It was another ripple in time: Bailey, sporting a '70s stache, flaunted his pronounced pectorals alongside Bomer on the shores of Lake Ontario, which doubled for the waves of Fire Island. Rogers says they had to shoot those scenes first by necessity as winter wasn't far off. Little did they know, paparazzi were hiding out nearby. Rogers was admittedly stressed at first when photos of the scene spread online. "My first reaction was, 'Is this gonna affect shooting going forward?' I had that experience with Harry Styles in England when we did My Policeman. So, maybe I was traumatized," he recalls, laughing. 

The leak ended up being the best thing for Fellow Travelers. People couldn't help but thirst over two shirtless Hollywood hunks in their prime, gleefully wrestling with each other in the water. A cheeky Nyswaner agrees, "It was not a bad thing that those images came out." Even now, however, the series is going to prove sexier than some might be prepared for. In one scene that occurs early on, Hawk is prepping for a party thrown by Senator McCarthy. Tim, letting his partner's hand linger over the hairs on his chest, wants to go but doesn't have an invite. "I'm your boy, right?" Bailey's Tim says, already working his seductive magic. "And your boy wants to go to the party." Regarding what happens next, let's just say, if Ben Shapiro doesn't go on a three-hour diatribe afterwards, it will be a shock.

Minahan speaks of this specific moment from the breakfast nook of his Gramercy apartment in New York City, where a plump peach sits on a dish among croissants and morning sweets — an appropriate image given the subject matter. "What sets these sex scenes apart is that they are moving the story forward," he explains. "The way they're moving the story forward is by the transference of power that happens between [the characters]."

There were many rules on the set of Fellow Travelers, particularly when it came to sex, which involved intimacy coordinators and lots of rehearsals. Nyswaner quotes the great queer poet Oscar Wilde, who said, "Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power." That was one rule. "The other rule," Nyswaner continues, "was that we wouldn't do the same sexual act more than once, or the same combination." That proved to be harder than they all realized. "I remember when we were writing episode 8, my co-writers and I said, 'What haven't we done?'" 

Minahan, who directs the first episode, ended up setting that tone for the whole show. "What I was going for in those first two hours was this idea of Tim, who's not particularly sexually experienced, having this almost transcendent experience with Hawk which imprints on him," he says. "He becomes almost obsessive about his attachment, but whether Hawk's in love with the power that he has over him or actually has this love for him is part of the tension of the piece. His life and sexuality is so compartmentalized. It's like, this is when I do sex, this is when I'm at work, this is when I have my girlfriend."

This kind of material meant that Bomer and Bailey were going to be in each other's personal spaces for a significant part of filming. The pair have previously spoken about finding that trust and comfort with each other as scene partners, and Rogers could feel it. "They were gonna be there for each other the whole production and keep each other safe," he says. "It's actors finding that with each other and feeling safe on set, feeling safe with us. Whatever the cut we present to the studio and network, we have their best interest and the show's best interest in mind."

Ripples through time

Rogers knows viewers will pay a lot of attention to the sex on Fellow Travelers for obvious reasons, but he says it wasn't their goal to be "too salacious," noting, "It's quite an emotional and powerful show." 

All three of the producers who spoke with EW, including Minahan and Nyswaner, felt the weight of time, and more specifically history, while making the miniseries. Rogers, a former international soccer star, formed a deeply personal connection to the material, having come out as gay in 2013 when few professional athletes were doing so. "If your secret was revealed, your life could be ruined. I slightly felt that way in my past career," he recalls.

Minahan's connection, meanwhile, came from growing up gay through the '80s. "I think we put ourselves in things in ways we don't even know," Nyswaner remarks. "I came of age in the '60s and then as a young teenager in the '70s, moved to New York in 1978, came out, really enjoyed some of that celebration of being liberated in a limited way, and then, of course, the cold shower of the AIDS crisis."

Nyswaner lost friends and loved ones to the disease over the years, including his nephew, for whom he would write 1993's Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. He felt similarly compelled to include that time period in Fellow Travelers. "Since it's a part of my life, I just couldn't let that go," he says. But the drama feels richer for expanding well beyond the '50s setting of Mallon's novel. Nyswaner adds, "If you have a chance to tell a story like this, I wanted to tell as much of it as possible."

Perhaps he'll get the chance to tell even more. Both Nyswaner and Rogers confirm they are already talking about the possibility of turning the miniseries into an anthology series that would track different queer fellow travelers across history. The current Hollywood writer and actor strikes, however, are putting those early talks on hold.

"How about if I just say...? Yes, I think that there are many stories to be told, and Robbie and I have spoken in detail. Because of the strike, we haven't spoken to any of our studio executives about it. When the strike ends, that'll be a conversation that I hope to have immediately with them. Even maybe taking one or two of the characters from this season who weren't [featured] as prominently as Hawk and Tim."

That seems to be yet another rule of Fellow Travelers.

Source

[orthodoxydaily]

Icon,Saints&Reading: Thursday, July 25, 2024

july 12_ july 25

THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, NAMED "THREE-HANDED" FROM HILANDAR MONASTERY , MT ATHOS

This icon is the exact copy of the original located in Hilandar. It had been offered by the Serbian church to an historical Russian church San Francisco, California

The Iconoclastic heresy swept through the Byzantine Empire in the seventh century. Emperor Leo III the Isaurian ascended the throne and initiated persecutions against the veneration of icons. Despite being under Muslim rule, the Caliphate of Damascus allowed Orthodox Christians freedom in their faith. Priests, monks, and laypeople fled there to escape the heretical emperor’s persecution.

The chief minister of Caliph Yazid II ibn Abd al-Malik was Mansur ibn Sarjun, a devout Christian who enjoyed the caliph’s complete trust. The monarch was not troubled by his advisor’s faith — Mansur’s father had also been an Orthodox Christian and had faithfully served the Damascene court. One day, Sergius (the name of Mansur’s father) encountered a monk at a slave market, shedding tears in deep sorrow as he had no one to inherit his profound knowledge and spiritual experience. After buying the monk’s freedom, Sergius tasked him with teaching his children, Mansur and Cosmas, his adopted son. These two would later become illustrious figures of the Orthodox Church — Saint John of Damascus and Saint Cosmas of Maiuma.

The monk’s pupils received much wisdom, as demonstrated by Mansur ibn Sarjun’s influential work, “Three Apologies Against Those Who Decry Holy Icons.” The Damascene official zealously used his vast knowledge and talent to combat Iconoclasm. He sent letters to his many acquaintances in Byzantium, using Holy Scripture and patristic traditions to affirm the correctness of icon veneration. His writings, secretly copied and shared among individuals, fueled Orthodox believers’ faith and shed light on the Iconoclast heretics’ mistakes.

Eventually, Mansur’s activities came to unnerve even the Iconoclast emperor. The heretics then resorted to their favourite tactic — deception. This time, however, their lies were not about doctrinal matters but aimed at their defender’s reputation. The Damascene minister faced slander before the caliph, with accusations of conspiracy and treason against him.

A scribe forged a letter in Mansur’s handwriting, addressed to Leo III, supposedly promising to surrender Damascus to the Byzantines. This deceitful message was presented to Caliph Yazid II by the cunning emperor-heretic. Unaware of Leo’s malicious plot, the caliph chose not to investigate further. He brutally punished his loyal servant by sentencing Mansur to have his right hand cut off, which he then displayed in the marketplace.

According to tradition, Mansur pleaded with the caliph to return his severed hand. With tears streaming down his face, he prayed fervently before an ancient icon of the Mother of God. Exhausted from moral anguish and physical pain, he finally fell asleep. In his dream, the Holy Theotokos appeared to him and said: “Behold, your hand is healed; do not grieve any longer and diligently labour with this hand.” When Mansur awoke and unwrapped the cloth binding his wrist, only a red scar remained as a reminder of his wound. In gratitude to his miraculous Healer, Mansur composed the beautiful hymn “All Creation Rejoices in You.” To commemorate his miraculous healing, he attached a silver replica of his hand to the icon before which he had prayed. From then on, this image of the Mother of God became known as “Of the Three-Hands.”

News of Mansur's healing quickly spread throughout Damascus. Convinced by the miracle of his minister’s innocence, the caliph sought Mansur’s forgiveness and urged him to return to his governmental duties. However, Mansur’s heart now belonged solely to God. Henceforth, he would dedicate all his strength and abilities to serving Him. Taking the icon that had bestowed healing upon him, Mansur withdrew to Palestine, where he took monastic vows as John. Tradition holds that this was at the Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified.

The icon remained in Saint Sabbas’s monastery until the thirteenth century. Before he died in 532 AD, Saint Sabbas bequeathed his staff for a royal pilgrim named Sabbas, a great archbishop and man of God, to receive upon visiting the monastery from a distant western land in the future. Seven hundred years later, Saint Sabbas, the first Archbishop of Serbia, fulfilled this prophecy during his pilgrimage to holy sites in Palestine. The monks presented him with Saint Sabbas’s blessing and gave him two miraculous icons: The Mother of God “Milk-Giver” and “Of the Three Hands.”

Therefore, the icon made its journey to Serbia in the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century, during the Turkish invasion, pious custodians placed it on a donkey and released it into God’s care to prevent desecration. With the precious cargo on its back, the donkey trod unhindered to the Holy Mountain of Athos...continue reading @convent St Elizabeth

St VERONICA, THE WOMAN WITH AN ISSUE OF BLOOD WHO WAS HEALED BY THE SAVIOUR

The account of the woman with an issue of blood, who had the unusual name of Veronica, may be found in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (9:20-22), in Saint Mark's Gospel (5:25-34), and also in Saint Luke's Gospel (8:43-49).

The Synaxaristes of Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain states that this Saint was from the city of Paneada. When the Lord healed her issue of blood, she was very grateful, because for twelve years she had "suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and nothing had helped, but instead she became worse" (Mark 5:26).

She had heard of Christ, and decided to go to Him, believing that she would be healed merely by touching His garment. When she did this, the Savior felt that power had gone forth from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked who had touched His garment. His disciples were puzzled by the question, since many people were pressing Him on all sides. Saint Veronica came forward and fell down before Him in fear and trembling, and admitted what she had done. The Lord said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction" (Mark 5:34).

In her gratitude, she made a statue of Him and placed it in front of her house, where everyone could venerate it. A healing plant grew at the base of the statue, which was able to cure various diseases.

Later, Saint Veronica became a member of the early Church. After living a life of holiness, she surrendered her soul to God.

Roman Catholics venerate a saint named Veronica, who is said to have wiped the Savior's face with her veil as He carried His Cross to Golgotha. She is not the saint who is commemorated by the Orthodox Church. That cloth was called the "Veronica," or true image (from vera and iconica) of Christ's face. Saint Gregory of Tours uses this word (Vita Patrum chapter 12) for an image (see the Greek word εικόνα). This incident, is not mentioned in the Gospels.

Some uninformed iconographers confuse these two women and depict our Saint Veronica holding a cloth with the imprint of Christ's face, which is not in accordance with Orthodox Tradition. On August 16, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Image not made by hands, the cloth which Christ sent to King Abgar with the imprint of His Face.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

ROMANS 15:17-29

17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient- 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation, 21 but as it is written:"To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand." 22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

MATTHEW 12:46-13:3

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow...

[kilosch]

Journal Entry: 9/24/2024

Morning Thoughts: Woke up with a sore back again—probably normal now that I’m hitting that age. It wasn’t too bad, though. Did the usual routine, ran, worked out, and caught up on some paperwork before my 8 a.m. meeting.

Work & Overwhelm: The meeting went as expected. I was scribing and sharing information between the Department of Health Services and the Department of Mental Health about care coordination. To be honest, I’m not even sure how I’m managing to do this job. I still feel overwhelmed and like I’m underperforming, even though my coworkers tell me I’m doing great. Maybe it’s my trust issues. I caught up with more CTC Facesheets today, five more clients. It had me wondering why I’m doing all the work and not the other EMTs. But I shrugged it off—embrace the suck, right? Ruby’s likely busy juggling two teams and working as a Spanish translator, while I’m juggling three, translating in both Filipino and ASL, plus handling all the RRT deployments. It’s frustrating, but I get that everyone’s swamped.

Certifications & Reminders: Realized today that my CPR BLS certification expires on 2/28/25. I signed up for in-house CPR training on 12/4 in DTLA through LA County DHS, which should cover me. I also made sure to inform my supervisor, Elisa, that I might not be available that day due to training.

Mental Struggles: Mentally, I feel like crap—useless, even. Everything’s just overwhelming, and it feels like I can’t catch a break. But I know deep down I can push through this. It’s hard, but temporary. I need to stay focused on the Police Academy—it sounds like I passed the background investigation packet, so that’s one thing going right. Just gotta keep my mindset positive.

Food & Thoughts: Had Jack in the Box for lunch and In-N-Out for dinner. My body and mind are exhausted. I don’t know how I’m keeping up with everything or how to motivate myself. Maybe I need a new job? Or just a break? I’m glad I’ve got a range day coming up—that’ll help with the stress.

Random Thoughts & Connections: Scrolled through Instagram earlier and came across a birthday post for Abbey, a mutual friend of Kaylee’s. I wished her happy birthday, obviously, but I couldn’t help but notice how attractive she is. I’m realistic, though—I’ve got zero chance there, and I’m not even sure if I’ll ever go back to Alaska, so I moved on.

Upcoming Plans: Reminder to myself—I have a dinner with my cousin Pamela ("Ate Mela") and her fiancé Isaac on 9/27/24 in Santa Monica. They’re coming all the way from San Francisco, originally from Connecticut. Hopefully, by then, I’ll feel better mentally. Maybe I just need a girlfriend… but honestly, talking to new people is still a fear of mine.

[rosecartus]

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Rose Cart values the personal touch. Suppose you have certain flowers in mind that you would like to buy. In that case, our staff are very involved in this business and ensure they create unique products far better than what you initially thought.

Quality Product:

Our flowers are from reliable local farmers to support freshness and extend life. Inspecting each stem meticulously during the process of their arrangement helps to ensure that one does not miss out on any kind of detail related to them, but everything is at its perfect place at any given time when we assemble them in one bunch, the ultimate picture-perfect remaining throughout all the time.

Consider Us Today!

No matter what the occasion is, Rose Cart Florist offers high-quality bouquets along with dependable shipping options throughout the state. To find all this information, you can visit Rose Cart Florist’s website headquarters in California. We want to ensure clients have a reason to smile, show love, or be at their happiest moments.

Share joy, express love and celebrate life’s special moments with flowers that have an ageless touch on them. Go ahead now and get some sunshine by ordering these beautiful blooms online.

Marking a milestone or simply brightening someone’s day, Rose Cart Florist will always visit you as a companion you can trust in celebrating life’s precious moments. Visit the website Rose Cart Florist to explore our enchanting collection and see why we are reputed for being unmatched in delivering flowers via California’s internet space (We are the best online floral delivery service across California). Allow us to convert the messages you have into beautiful flower arrangements that will admire your sentiments. Order now and taste happiness.

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 20

Roman Catholic Martyrs of Tyre, An unknown number of Roman Catholic martyrs who suffered in Tyre, modern Lebanon. Feastday February 20

Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto, together with their cousin, Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005) were the Roman Catholic children from Aljustrel near Fátima, Portugal, who said they witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917. Feastday Feb. 20

St. Wulfric, 1154 A.D. Hermit and miracle worker. Born at Compton Martin, near Bristol, England, he became a priest and was excessively materialistic and worldly. After meeting with a beggar, he underwent a personal conversion and became a hermit at Haselbury; Somerset, England. For his remaining years, he devoted himself to rigorous austerities and was known for his miracles and prophecies. While he was never formally canonized, Wulfric was a very popular saint during the Middle Ages, and his tomb was visited by many pilgrims.

St. Colgan, 796 A.D. Abbot of Clanmacroise, in Offaly, Ireland. A friend of Blessed Alcuin, Colgan was called “the Wise” and “ the Chief Scribe of the Scots.”

ST. LEO OF CATANIA, BISHOP was bishop of the city of Catania, in Sicily. He was famed for his benevolence and charity, and his Christian love for the poor and the vagrant. The Lord granted him the gifts of healing various illnesses, and working miracles. Feb. 20

[riverdamien]

Feet to Fire!

Feet to the Fire!

The Fifth Station

“Pilate Condemns Jesus to the Cross

Leader: We adore you O Christ, and we praise you.   

All:  Because by your Holy Cross you have saved all of creation.

                                                                       15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” 3 Then the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

“6 Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. 7 Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8 So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. 9 Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do[a] with the man you call[b] the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14 Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified” Mark 15: 1, 6-15..

Dietrich Bonhoeffer critiques unconditional forgiveness in his book, The Cost of Discipleship as “cheap grace” and tells us, “cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism with out church discipline, communion without confession, and forgiveness without absolution.

Forgiving someone without requiring repentance in action, allows them to continue their abusive behavior and allows continued suffering.”

As we see Jesus condemned, and our condemning by cheap grace let a remember the words of St. Oscar Romero: “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Leader: Lord, may we looking at the cross hear the voice of Jesus calling us to turn our eyes to the sidewalks, the alleys, and street corners, and see your children, and our brothers and sisters. Amen.

                                                                                All: Jesus said: “If anyone wants to become my follower let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me!”

Daniel 3:25, 34-43; Matthew 18:21-35

In Daniel , we see Daniel in the furnace, and Azariah prays from a furnace which would make some of us self-obsessed. With no human rituals left, he asks for the balm of God's mercy. He focuses on God's wonders--and when he is delivered (3:52-90), Azariah sings praise to stars, snow, clouds, hills, rivers, birds, even "fire and heat"(66). What could destroy, instead transforms.

When we look at the homeless, drug addicted, mentally ill, the young and old on our streets and are haunted!

It is time that we lift our heads and look around us at the trees, hear the sounds of babies, and people, and see in them the beauty of God's creation, and turn our eyes to the street, and be a transforming agent. or as Oscar Romero tells us: “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

------------------------------------------

 Fr. River Damien Sims sfw, D.Min, D.S.T,

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

415-305-2124

The Twenty Second Annual Stations of the Cross

"Our Haunting!"

April 7, 2023

Civic Center

Noon-2 p.m.

Food Provided By:

AUNT BARBARA’S KITCHEN

GOOD FRIDAY IRISH SODA BREAD BLITZ ON POLK STREET

in alliance with Fr. River Damien Sims of Temenos

https://www.temenos.org/

Please help support a Good Friday initiative. Fr. River Sims aims to serve 200 folks with Irish Soda

Bread, the food that supported many Irish during hard times. It’s in the spirit of community and

nurturing.

There’s a legend that when a cross is made in each loaf before baking, all the good fairies are released. We like to believe in that.

$15/loaf payable through www.temenos.org , pay pal, or Aunt Barbara’s Kitchen/Temenos Catholic Worker, P.O. Box 642656, San Francisco, CA 94164

Aunt Barbara’s Kitchen is a Cottage Food Operation from a home kitchen in Marin County.

The business started with $10 and Aunt Barbara’s great grandfather iron skillet with the intention to build

a business model that feeds the hungry and revenue that goes to youth in college. The owner volunteers

her time to this endeavor and takes no revenue for herself, at this time. She hopes to reshape the model

of what businesses can create for communities, especially our youth, to cultivate and showcase the

power of human investment. 415 717 0151 https://barbaramcveigh.com/aunt-barbaras-kitchen/

[latestupdates2022]

Did a robot write this? We need watermarks to spot AI

Did a robot write this? We need watermarks to spot AI

Did a robot write this? We need watermarks to spot AI A talented scribe with amazing creative abilities makes a sensational debut. ChatGPT, a San Francisco-based OpenAI text-generating system, wrote essays, scenarios, and limericks after its recent public release, usually within seconds and often at a high level. Even his jokes can be funny. Many scientists in the field of artificial…

[newslobster]

Did a Robot Write This? We Need Watermarks to Spot AI

Did a Robot Write This? We Need Watermarks to Spot AI

A talented scribe with stunning creative abilities is having a sensational debut. ChatGPT, a text-generation system from San Francisco-based OpenAI, has been writing essays, screenplays and limericks after its recent release to the public, usually in seconds and often to a high standard. Even its jokes can be funny. Many scientists in the field of artificial intelligence have marveled at how…

[sfnewsvine]

First-Ever Map Depicting San Francisco Bay Is Going to Auction This Month

A map, which was scribed in Mexico on October 30, 1770, and is taken into account amongst historians to be the primary map exhibiting the San Francisco Bay, might be auctioned off to the best bidder on October 25. San Francisco was formally based on June 29, 1776, when colonists (shock!) from Spain (shock, once more!) established the “Presidio of San Francisco on the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asís,” each named for Francis of Assisi. Earlier than then, varied marine vessels had handed by means of the San Francisco Bay on explorations; SF was first found by Captain Juan Gaspar de Portola on November 4, 1769, on an overland exploration expedition that noticed him and his crew climb to the highest of Sweeney Ridge —  trying over the SF Bay. Lower than a yr later, the first-ever map exhibiting the San Francisco Bay could be drawn into existence. That map will go on public sale in late October. Photograph: Courtesy of Bonhams The unique manuscript depicting San Francisco was signed and created by Miguel de Costansó, a Catalan cartographer and engineer for the Portola Expedition. (This expedition, per the Nationwide Park Service, was the primary exploration of what’s now California by a European nation; it is also thought to be the start of Spain’s colonization of the Golden State.) The map was scribed in Mexico on October 30, 1770, and is extensively the primary map to depict the San Francisco Bay. “The map was created along with Costansó’s written report of the expedition, printed in 1771 as Diario Historico de los viages de mar, y tierra hechos al norte de la California, the primary guide on California and itself a rarity,” Bonhams, a privately owned worldwide public sale home and auctioning occasion behind the map, mentioned in a press release printed by KTLA. Bonhams — which is likely one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of nice artwork and antiques — has famous that there are three variations of this map. It was the second instance to first depict the SF Bay Space; the third was printed in 1771 utilizing the second manuscript. How a lot is the map anticipated to fetch at public sale, you ask? Someplace between $600K and $800K, although bidding will start at $500K. You may view the public sale web page for what Bonhams is asking “an important 18th century map of California,” right here. Photograph: Courtesy of Bonhams Supply hyperlink Originally published at SF Newsvine

[the0verboss]

How can they confess if they don’t have tongues!!

[sfnena415]

[anastasiaoftheironwood]

“But art experts were still skeptical. Some dismissed the idea that a woman could have been a painter skilled enough to work with ultramarine. One suggested to Warinner that this woman came into contact with ultramarine because she was simply the cleaning lady.“

“Warinner eventually reached out to Alison Beach, a historian at Ohio State University who studies female scribes in 12th-century Germany. Over the past couple of decades, Beach and other scholars have cataloged the overlooked contributions of women to medieval book production. The challenge, Beach says, is that while most manuscripts with signatures are signed by men, the vast majority of manuscripts are unsigned. But a small number of surviving manuscripts are signed by women, and scholars have found correspondence between monks and nuns about book production.“

See also this article on Pola of Rome, a medieval Jewish female scribe.

And this is why diversity matters in *every* field.