#job on the dungheap

[cuties-in-codices]

job on the dungheap, tormented by four demons

illustration from a book of hours, france (rouen), late 15th or early 16th c.

source: Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Buchanan e. 3, fol. 55r

[cicadaapple0]

Government House, Sydney

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Pelayo also set up a rabbit warren close to town and gave up his job as a bailiff for good, and Elisenda bought some satin pumps with high heels and many dresses of iridescent silk, the kind worn on Sunday by the most desirable women in those times. The chicken coop was the only thing that didn’t receive any attention. If they washed it down with creolin and burned tears of myrrh inside it every so often, it was not in homage to the angel but to drive away the dungheap stench that still hung everywhere like a ghost and was turning the new house into an old one. At first, when the child learned to walk, they were careful that he not get too close to the chicken coop. The angel was the only one who took no part in his own act. He spent his time trying to get comfortable in his borrowed nest, befuddled by the hellish heat of the oil lamps and sacramental candles that had been placed along the wire. At first they tried to make him eat some mothballs, which, according to the wisdom of the wise neighbor woman, were the food prescribed for angels. But he turned them down, just as he turned down the papal lunches that the pentinents brought him, and they never found out whether it was because he was an angel or because he was an old man that in the end ate nothing but eggplant mush.

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The light was so weak at noon that when Pelayo was coming back to the house after throwing away the crabs, it was hard for him to see what it was that was moving and groaning in the rear of the courtyard. He had to go very close to see that it was an old man, a very old man, lying face down in the mud, who, in spite of his tremendous efforts, couldn’t get up, impeded by his enormous wings. Sigulu is famous for its zhezhi papercraft, and my mother taught me how to make paper animals and give them life. This was practical magic in the life of the village. We made paper birds to chase grasshoppers away from the fields, and paper tigers to keep away the mice. For Chinese New Year my friends and I made red paper dragons.

Later a new paper animal would appear on my nightstand and try to cuddle up to me. I caught them, squeezed them until the air went out of them, and then stuffed them away in the box in the attic. "This is Tiger." Cautiously, Laohu strode up and purred at Mark, sniffing his hands. "Something about the mixing never seems right. Dekorasi Cantik Gudang Rumah looks unfinished. Slanty eyes, white face. A little monster."

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It is shaped like a cone or an hour glass and has a magnificent architectural design. The menara-complex was designed by the Singapore-born architect Hijjas bin Kasturi (1936-). His motto is to reconcile 'form and function with cultural continuity'. The form of the building is derived from that of a Malay drum, and the mosque is a pretty demonstration of Islam in modernity.

It's for a child to finally grow the desire to take care of his parents, only to realize that they were long gone. I was so happy when I looked into desain gudang rumah yang menakjubkan your face and saw shades of my mother, my father, and myself. I had lost my entire family, all of Sigulu, everything I ever knew and loved.

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Pelayo threw a blanket over him and extended him the charity of letting him sleep in the shed, and only then did they notice that he had a temperature at night, and was delirious with the tongue twisters of an old Norwegian. That was one of the few times they became alarmed, for they thought he was going to die and not even the wise neighbor woman had been able to tell them what to do with dead angels. On the following day everyone knew that a flesh-and-blood angel was held captive in Pelayo’s house. Against the judgment of the wise neighbor woman, for whom angels in those times were the fugitive survivors of a celestial conspiracy, they did not have the heart to club him to death. Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club, and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop. In the middle of the night, when the rain stopped, Pelayo and Elisenda were still killing crabs. But there you were, and your face was proof that they were real. All this time I still haven't told you the story of my life. When you were little, I always thought I'd tell you the story when you were older, so you could understand.

A short time afterward the child woke up without a fever and with a desire to eat. Then they felt magnanimous and decided to put the angel on a raft with fresh water and provisions for three days and leave him to his fate on the high seas. Frightened by that nightmare, Pelayo ran to get Elisenda, his wife, who was putting compresses on the sick child, and he took her to the rear of the courtyard. They both looked at the fallen body with a mute stupor.

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While I read in the dining room, Mom unpacked in the kitchen. The neighbors conversed in the living room, not trying to be particularly quiet. Mom made a new shark for me, this time out of tin foil. The shark lived happily in a large goldfish bowl. At my request, Mom also made a goat, a deer, and a water buffalo out of wrapping paper. Then she would fold the letter into a paper crane, and release it, facing west. We would then watch, as the crane flapped its crisp wings on its long journey west, towards the Pacific, towards China, towards the graves of Mom's family. After Mark left, I spent a long time trying, without success, to tape together the pieces, smooth out the paper, and follow the creases to refold Laohu. Slowly, the other animals came into the living room and gathered around us, me and the torn wrapping paper that used to be Laohu. On the third day of rain they had killed so many crabs inside the house that Pelayo had to cross his drenched courtyard and throw them into the sea, because the newborn child had a temperature all night and they thought it was due to the stench. Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing and the sands of the beach, which on March nights glimmered like powdered light, had become a stew of mud and rotten shellfish.

They spent their time finding out if the prisoner had a navel, if his dialect had any connection with Aramaic, how many times he could fit on the head of a pin, or whether he wasn’t just a Norwegian with wings. Those meager letters might have come and gone until the end of time if a providential gaya mewah dari gudang rumah minimalis event had not put and end to the priest’s tribulations. The news of the captive angel spread with such rapidity that after a few hours the courtyard had the bustle of a marketplace and they had to call in troops with fixed bayonets to disperse the mob that was about to knock the house down. I'm going to write in the paper animals I made for you that you used to like so much. Perhaps whatever magic had animated them stopped when Mom died. Or perhaps I had only imagined that these paper constructions were once alive. The memory of children could not be trusted. I didn't have any toys except my paper menagerie.

[goodgrammaritan]

Wyldon's words to Kel on her assignment as commander of the refugee camp:

"I'm giving you the hardest assignment of any knight in the district."

"You are not a typical first year."

"I know this is not what you wanted. No matter what I say, you and the others will think this is a dungheap assignment... The truth is, you are the only one I can trust to do this job properly... You care enough about commoners to do the task well... Anyone else will order them about, create more resentment, and turn the place into shambles--or pursue his own amusements and leave them to get in trouble."

He gives her the worst assignment and he knows it, but it's not because he resents her--it's because he respects her, and knows that she alone will do it right.

From Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce

[jeannereames]

Hi, Dr. Reames. This is probably a dumb question to ask, but I know you´ve been wrting your whole life, I think, so I thought I might ask you anyway, as I admire your work a lot. How do I overcome my fear of writing? It's kinda hard to explain, It's not about what other people will think about my work, It's what I will think of it. I never think it's good enough, in my eyes it's always bad written, unoriginal, boring. Even when I have an idea I love I struggle to get myself because of these thoughts. Any time I write something, when I think about posting it somewhere I´m like “I will cringe so bad for this in a few hours/days/months/years”. Every time I find something I wrote a while ago I think “how could I even think about writing this?” and I know I should take it as part of the progress, failing to win y'know, but instead I find it keeps me from writing and sharing my work, even when I think it is good. I want to write and post my work, I have too many ideas but I don't know how to overcome these fears to actually do it.

Right now I'm struggling with writing a story I have to do for college and give in a few days, but I'm completely blocked. I think it's a ridiculous idea, although I like it a lot, It is making me feel anxious and embarrassed beforehand.

First, I’m answering a little out of order for what’s in my inbox, as the asker mentioned she had a story due in a few days, so it seemed time-specific.

So, let me just open by saying I don’t know any professional author who doesn’t hit that “I hate my story” point somewhere in the midst of writing it. “This is terrible! What was I thinking? Who would be interested in this? Who do I think I am to believe I could write about that/that character?”

Seriously, this is a normal litany, particularly for women authors. (I do not know if the asker is female gendered, gender fluid, or male gendered, but it seems that a lot of folks on Tumblr belong to the first two categories.) After all, we’re taught to sit back, look pretty, keep our legs crossed, our hands neatly folded, and let the boys talk. Let the boys win. Nobody wants to hear from us. Our job is to showcase the men in our lives.

Even if you never heard those words said to your face, you’ve “heard” them in everything from the advertising industry to TV shows and movies to political dialogue and Twitter. It hurts EVERYbody. Men are not expected to question themselves, so if they (naturally) do, they assume they’re secretly a failure. And women are expected to question themselves, apologize for having an opinion/original thought, so they learn to do so from preschool on.

Writing a story that one intends to share with the universe is sort of arrogant, when you think about it. To assume that anybody besides me gives three shits about the stories I tell myself in my head is an act of either great self-confidence or great self-delusion. And if one wants to go pro, we add another layer of expecting other people to pay for my “little whimsies”? Who do I think I am? (Echoes one of the questions above, no…?)

That’s the negative way of thinking about it. Let me turn that around…

Writing a story that one intends to share with the universe is an amazingly generous action.

That’s right. Generous.

I will never recoup in royalties the blood, sweat, tears, (and cost) that it took me to write Dancing with the Lion. I can’t even begin to add up the hours devoted to writing, revising, rewriting, revising again, that story. And you get to read it for $6.99 each, or, if you go for the Riptide special, $8.99 for both! (Pricier if you want a paper copy.)

Some authors don’t go quite as overboard as I did in perfectionism (it’s kinda part and parcel of the phud). Yet even established professional authors with 5-figure advances do not make anywhere close to minimum wage, sometimes not even 6-figure advances (depending on what those 6 figures are). And the bulk of us will never see either of those.

Writers write because they have a story to tell. That’s an act of generosity. You don’t have to like that story. You don’t have to read that story. You may, in fact, think that story is utter crap and should be consigned to the dungheap. (There are some even professionally published novels, never mind self-published, I feel that way about.)

Yet it’s still an act of generosity. And even if I don’t like __ story, probably somebody out there will. More to the point, nobody gets better unless they, you know, actually work at it by writing (and getting useful constructive criticism because virtually nobody is Carson McCullers, to pen a classic at the tender age of 21). So yes, some writers may not be up to publishable quality fiction yet…although what IS publishable quality lies somewhat in the eye of the acquiring editor. But keep going.

The biggest and most munificent leap any author makes is to finish a story, hand it to someone else and say, “Would you like to read this?”

Writers are all but driven to write. I can’t NOT write. I’ve been writing since 6th grade when my English teacher gave us one of those “Use this word in a sentence” assignments and my sentences turned into paragraphs, then into little stories. And she let me get away with it. Lord above, she even encouraged me!

Write. Trust yourself. Share it.

Yes, take constructive criticism if somebody offers it. Ignore unconstructive criticism. The former pinpoints weaknesses with concrete suggestions for how to fix/improve them. The latter is just soul-sucking drivel.

Long, long ago when I was an ambitious but uncertain 18-year-old, I got to hear Lawrence Dorr give a talk on writing. After, I introduced myself and said, “I’m a writer. Well, I want to be. I’m not published yet.”

He stopped me and replied, “Do you write?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re a writer.”

That has stuck we me, coming from an award-winning published author.

So I will pass that on to every other aspiring author out there.

Do you write? If so, you’re a writer.

[cma-medieval-art]

Fol. 205r, Job, historiated initial V, Job on the dungheap given a gold earring by one of his sisters, c. 1275-1300, Cleveland Museum of Art: Medieval Art

Biblical manuscripts were highly prized and important possessions of churches, monasteries, cathedral schools, and universities throughout medieval Europe. The biblical texts were known as the vulgate, the translations made by Saint Jerome in the fourth century from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, which became the definitive and official Latin version of the Roman Church. In the 13th century, the bible was, for the first time, produced as a single volume with an officially sanctioned sequence to its books and chapters as illustrated by this example. The very extensive decoration of this bible is arranged hierarchically to indicate the relative importance of the various texts so that full or almost full-page initials mark the openings of the first prologue, Genesis, and the first Gospel; historiated initials mark the beginning of each book and illuminated initials mark the Prologues. Size: Overall: 35.6 x 24.2 cm (14 x 9 1/2 in.) Medium: Bound illuminated manuscript in Latin; brown morocco binding; ink, tempera and gold on vellum; 533 leaves

https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.2.205.a

[swan2swan]

...honestly sitting here a little bitter about Amaya x Janai.

Like...I want my ships to have some buildup. When two enemies punch at each other and turn into fire monsters to attack the other, I want them to have some conversations and bonding on-screen. I want them to sit there like “You’re smelly” and then the other goes “ExCUSE me, dungheap?” and then they glare at each other and THEN they make out. Except that doesn’t happen for, like...two more episodes.

It just felt like we were missing a true bonding moment between them. Everything was so rushed. 

When I say “I want” something, I don’t mean “just give it to me”--you gotta tease me. I needed Amaya being captured at the end of Season 2 and me spending the whole hiatus bouncing up and down because how will they bond and then Amaya refusing to talk to the interpreter and then Janai learning the language and coming in and signing to her and Amaya raising an eyebrow like “What the heck is she trying to do?” and glancing up at the interpreter who says “I think she’s trying to say ‘You will tell me what I need to know’” and then Amaya helps Janai through it and Janai is all “How DARE you lecture me?” and Amaya goes “I don’t want you to embarrass yourself you’re normally so dignified except when you turn into a fire monster then you’re just scary” and then we have a scene of Janai fuming as she tries to figure out the right sign to insult Amaya right back and she’s just sulking in her bed trying to figure out the right retort because how DARE this prisoner call her ‘dignified’ how does she know that the interpreter wasn’t trying to cover things up was Amaya insulting her she needs to learn the language better and then eventually this all builds up to Janai signing “It’s because I care about you” and Amaya goes “Um...you love me?” because her girl totally messed up the signs and Janai stumbles and freaks out and then Amaya touches her shoulder and signs “Don’t worry, I care about you, too” and then goes for the kiss. 

The interpreter clears their throat and turns around. 

The interpreter then, of course, has to turn right back around and face the two lovebirds because they can’t do their job without watching but now the two women are just kissing deeply so they say “I guess there’s not much I have to do here” and leave. 

Just saying these two deserved more screentime.

[hufflly-puffs]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chapter 2: In Memoriam

“It was stupid, pointless, irritating beyond belief, that he still had four days left of being unable to perform magic … but he had to admit to himself that this jagged cut in his finger would have defeated him. He had never learned how to repair wounds and now he came to think of it – particularly in light of his immediate plans – this seemed a serious flaw in his magical education. Making a mental note to ask Hermione how it was done, he used a large wad of toilet paper to mop up as much of the tea as he could, before returning to his bedroom and slamming the door behind him.” – Let’s be real: without Hermione neither Harry or Ron would have survived a single day on their journey. And remember that Harry originally had planned to hunt down the remaining Horcruxes alone? Even now, knowing that both Ron and Hermione will join him, he is utterly unprepared. It is not just the fact that he doesn’t know how to heal a cut (how is it possible they haven’t learnt that by now?). When they are attacked during the wedding and have to flee only Hermione was smart enough to pack in advance and have everything ready and always at her side (yes, I’m talking about the magical handbag). Sure, Harry packs things as well, but it obviously didn’t cross his mind that they might have to escape immediately, or to use a spell on his rucksack, giving it more space, or to pack such things as a tent. I think it is fair to say Hermione is the real saviour of the Wizarding World.

“Harry had spent the morning completely emptying his school trunk for the first time since he had packed it six years ago. At the start of the intervening school years, he had merely skimmed off the topmost three quarters of the contents and replaced or updated them, leaving a layer of general debris at the bottom – old quills, desiccated beetle eyes, single socks that no longer fitted. Minutes previously Harry had plunged his hand into this mulch, experienced a stabbing pain in the fourth finger of his right hand and withdrawn it to see a lot of blood.” – Serves him right for being so messy. I mean if he had never completely emptied his trunk in six years this also means the thing hasn’t been cleaned for so long. Just… yuck.

“As he neared the bottom of the pile of newspapers, Harry slowed down, searching for one particular edition which he knew had arrived shortly after he had returned to Privet Drive for the summer; he remembered that there had been a small mention on the front about the resignation of Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts.” – Harry will leave later that day, which means it is now the next Saturday Snape had told Voldemort about. In the Skeeter interview it is mentioned that Dumbledore has died roughly four weeks ago. The timeline for Charity Burbage is then that she shortly after Dumbledore’s death resigned, then some time later wrote an article for the Daily Prophet, before the Death Eaters or perhaps Voldemort himself took her and then killed her. At first I thought her resignation was forced by the Death Eaters, but the timing would not be right for that. So she did resign voluntary, perhaps thinking Hogwarts was no longer safe without Dumbledore there or unsure if the school would re-open again.

After reading Dumbledore’s obituary Harry realizes how little he knew about Dumbledore and his life and how odd it seems to imagine him as a young man or student. I think we all have problems to imagine our parents or grandparents (Dumbledore was a parental figure for Harry) as anything other than that, to imagine they had a life well before us, that they were young as well, or in Dumbledore’s case fallible. The natural distance between a teacher and a student resulted in Harry never asking about his private life; it would have felt disrespectful. And even though Dumbledore is dead by now his ghost follows Harry on his journey and oddly enough we learn much more about Dumbledore now, post mortem, than in the previous six books while he was still alive.

“Albus never attempted to deny that his father (who was to die in Azkaban) had committed this crime; […]” – There is a very personal reason why Dumbledore was against Azkaban in his current form. He never denied that his father committed a crime and he would have possibly agreed that his father deserved some kind of punishment as well, but not Azkaban, not the Dementors, not the prospect of losing your soul (though we don’t know for sure if Percival had been convicted to the Dementor’s Kiss as well). The punishment should always fit the crime and no crime justifies to lose your soul.

“Those of us who were privileged to be his friends benefited from his example, not to mention his help and encouragement, with which he was always generous. He confessed to me in later life that he knew even then that his greatest pleasure lay in teaching.” – Sounds a bit like Hermione, doesn’t it? And of course Harry taught classmates DADA for nearly an entire school year as well. But guess who later became a teacher? None of them.

“Dumbledore’s future career seemed likely to be meteoric, and the only question that remained was when he would become Minister for Magic. Though it was often predicted in later years that he was on the point of taking the job, however, he never had Ministerial ambitions.” – Of course Dumbledore did not become a teacher just because he enjoyed teaching but also because he realized that he is unfit for any kind of power. Power is what corrupted Grindelwald and later Voldemort, what had almost corrupted Dumbledore as well. Of course being the headmaster of Hogwarts gave him some power as well, but not in the way any political tenure would have given him. And he later tells Harry that does are best suited for power who never desired it; people like Harry.

“He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him.” – Obviously Elphias Doge doesn’t know the exact circumstances of Dumbledore’s death, but there is some truth right here. Right before his death Dumbledore had offered his help to another boy in need: Draco.

“He had never thought to ask Dumbledore about his past. No doubt it would have felt strange, impertinent even, but after all, it had been common knowledge that Dumbledore had taken part in that legendary duel with Grindelwald, and Harry had not thought to ask Dumbledore what that had been like, nor about any of his other famous achievements. No, they had always discussed Harry, Harry’s past, Harry’s future, Harry’s plans … and it seemed to Harry now, despite the fact that his future was so dangerous and so uncertain, that he had missed irreplaceable opportunities when he had failed to ask Dumbledore more about himself, […]” -  We do learn a bit more about Grindelwald and his relationship to Dumbledore, but there is still a blank space concerning the time Grindelwald rose to power, which by now the “Fantastic Beasts”-movies will cover. Given his friendship/romantic feelings towards Grindelwald I wonder how open Dumbledore would have been if Harry had ever asked him about him, if he would have told him about his own guilt and responsibility. In the obituary it is mentioned that Dumbledore hardly ever spoke about his family, especially his sister, so it is possible Harry wouldn’t have gotten an answer anyway. The shame about what he had done had made Dumbledore silent.

“Skeeter was certainly quick off the mark. Her nine-hundred page book was completed a mere four weeks after Dumbledore’s mysterious death in June. I ask her how she managed this super-fast feat.” – Look Rita Skeeter is a horrible person and all, but writing 900 hundred pages in 4 weeks? That demands respect.

“‘Oh, Aberforth is just the tip of the dungheap,’ laughs Skeeter. ‘No, no, I’m talking about much worse than a brother with a fondness for fiddling about with goats, […]” – You know what, I actually don’t wanna know exactly what Aberforth did with those goats.

“‘Oh yes,’ says Skeeter, nodding briskly, ‘I devote an entire chapter to the whole Potter–Dumbledore relationship. It’s been called unhealthy, even sinister. Again, your readers will have to buy my book for the whole story, but there is no question that Dumbledore took an unnatural interest in Potter from the word go. Whether that was really in the boy’s best interests – well, we’ll see. It’s certainly an open secret that Potter has had a most troubled adolescence.’” – The thing about Skeeter’s book is, no matter how nasty it is, in clearly written with the intention to destroy Dumbledore’s reputation, there is some truth in it. Skeeter did not make up his relationship with Grindelwald for example, though she obviously portrays everything very biased. The same goes for Harry’s relationship with Dumbledore, but the thing is, it was unhealthy. Dumbledore did manipulate Harry. And Harry is someone who has blind faith in the people he cares about. He put Sirius pedestal and he does the same now with Dumbledore. It doesn’t help either that he feels responsible for both deaths, that he thinks they both died protecting him. However, also through Skeeter’s book, Harry is forced to look different at Dumbledore, more objective, to start to question him. Dumbledore is neither a villain nor a saint, but just as Snape, just as Harry, a rather complex character.

“‘Well, I don’t want to say too much – it’s all in the book – but eye witnesses inside Hogwarts Castle saw Potter running away from the scene moments after Dumbledore fell, jumped or was pushed. Potter later gave evidence against Severus Snape, a man against whom he has a notorious grudge. Is everything as it seems? That is for the wizarding community to decide – once they’ve read my book.’” – So the public is not informed about the exact circumstances of Dumbledore’s death. I wonder why, as he was a very public figure and a crime was committed, plus the fact that there is an eye-witness. Why is Harry’s testimony not enough to justify an investigation against Snape? Is it because the Ministry is infiltrated by the Death Eaters? Of course once the entire Ministry is under Voldemort’s control they will tell their version of the truth: that Harry was somewhat involved in Dumbledore’s death and later accused Snape.

“He had imagined it, there was no other explanation; imagined it, because he had been thinking of his dead Headmaster. If anything was certain, it was that the bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore would never pierce him again.” – This is such a red herring. At this point I really thought that Dumbledore would somehow come back. Of course we will see him again (in Harry’s mind), but this line suggests that perhaps there is more to his death, that it was all part of his plan and he survived somehow. Even Harry starts to question Dumbledore’s death later. And then he will see those bright blue eyes, but they belong to Aberforth. Just as Snape will see Lily’s eyes again, but they belong to Harry. Familiar, but not the same.

[tinfoilscribbles]

I think I finally got into Lentil's head. Why she's so pissed at everything, and foundation to her frustration and anger.

She's not going to die shackled to this dungheap. She scrounged and built up her workshop with the explicit goal of leaving it asap. Home isn't that musty polluted furnace, it's the lush elven isles, the verdant colors of which she can barely remember. Leaving the isles as part of a starry-eyed youthful kinband and arriving as slaver chattel, then somehow making it to where she is now, all the while enduring setbacks and hardships in her quest to return, having not seen any kinfolk since, let alone members of her band. Enduring decades of suffering degeneracy and degradation, the filth and decay of mind and body, taking the abuse from those she calls neighbors, all to build up the funds to escape back to her homeland. And now, having this mystery box quest thrust upon her completely by happenstance (and having to go along with it because, well, it's marginally better than being imprisoned by the Watch, but they know her, and should have been doing a better job at chasing off the riffraff in her humble opinion, then she wouldn't have to crack heads herself in the first place). Humans and their ilk may thrive by living in their own filth and dying in ditches, but that's far too undignified for someone of elven blood. Life may be a series of pain and suffering everyone in this city but not for her. The apocalypse won't happen while she's so far from home. She's going home come hell or high water.

Hopefully this will translate better in the RP. Got some IC motivation to be eager and cooperative now (to say nothing about having a fellow "knife-ear" along for the venture, even if he is more or less responsible for roping her into this mess in the first place).

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

1st February >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland 

    or

Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

    or 

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Job 31:16-20,24-25,31-32

Have I been insensible to the needs of the poor?

Have I been insensible to poor men’s needs,

or let a widow’s eyes grow dim?

Or taken my share of bread alone,

not giving a share to the orphan?

I, whom God has fostered father-like, from childhood,

and guided since I left my mother’s womb.

Have I ever seen a wretch in need of clothing,

or a beggar going naked,

without his having cause to bless me from his heart,

as he felt the warmth of the fleece from my lambs?

Have I put all my trust in gold,

from finest gold sought my security?

Have I ever gloated over my great wealth,

or the riches that my hands have won?

The people of my tent, did they not say,

‘Is there a man he has not filled with meat’?

No stranger ever had to sleep outside,

my door was always open to the traveller.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 106 (107)

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

The Lord changes desert into streams,

thirsty ground into springs of water.

There he settles the hungry

and they build a city to dwell in.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

They sow fields and plant their vines;

these yield crops for the harvest.

He blesses them; they grow in numbers.

He does not let their herds decrease.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

But he raises the needy from distress;

makes families numerous as a flock.

The upright see it and rejoice

but all who do wrong are silenced.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

Gospel Acclamation

1 John 4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

As long as we love one another,

God will live in us

and his love will be complete in us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 6:32-38

Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————

Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

2 Samuel 12:1-7,10-17

David's penitence over Uriah

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said:

‘In the same town were two men,

one rich, the other poor.

The rich man had flocks and herds

in great abundance;

the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb,

one only, a small one he had bought.

This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children,

eating his bread, drinking from his cup,

sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him.

When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man

refused to take one of his own flock or herd

to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him.

Instead he took the poor man’s lamb

and prepared it for his guest.’

David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’

Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”

‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’

David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 50(51):12-17

R/ A pure heart create for me, O God.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

R/ A pure heart create for me, O God.

Give me again the joy of your help;

with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

that I may teach transgressors your ways

and sinners may return to you.

R/ A pure heart create for me, O God.

O rescue me, God, my helper,

and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.

O Lord, open my lips

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

R/ A pure heart create for me, O God.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Psalm 26:11

Alleluia, alleluia!

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

Alleluia!

Or:

John 3:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 4:35-41

'Even the wind and the sea obey him'

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

————————

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15,20

'The offspring of the woman will crush your head'

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,

all wild beasts.

You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust

every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other:

you and the woman,

your offspring and her offspring.

It will crush your head

and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord.

I find my strength in my God;

my mouth laughs at my enemies

as I rejoice in your saving help.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the weak are clothed with strength.

Those with plenty must labour for bread,

but the hungry need work no more.

The childless wife has children now

but the fruitful wife bears no more.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death,

he brings men to the grave and back;

it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.

He brings men low and raises them on high.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust,

from the dungheap he raises the poor

to set him in the company of princes

to give him a glorious throne.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

on them he has set the world.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou among women.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf. Luke 1:45

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed

that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf. Luke 2:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed is the Virgin Mary,

who treasured the word of God

and pondered it in her heart.

Alleluia!

Or:

Luke 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy are those

who hear the word of God

and keep it.

Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary,

and most worthy of all praise,

for the sun of justice, Christ our God,

was born of you.

Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy is the Virgin Mary,

who, without dying,

won the palm of martyrdom

beneath the cross of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16,18-23

The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,

Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,

Obed was the father of Jesse;

and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah;

and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:

Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob;

and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[arugula98]

“There’s nothing noble about dying. Not even if you die for honor. Not even if you die the greatest hero the world ever saw. Not even if you’re so great your name will never be forgotten and who’s that great? The most important thing is your life little guys. You’re worth nothing dead except for speeches. Don't let them kid you any more. Pay no attention when they tap you on the shoulder and say come along we've got to fight for liberty or whatever their word is there's always a word.

Just say mister I'm sorry I got no time to die I'm too busy and then turn and run like hell. If they say coward why don't pay any attention because it's your job to live not to die. If they talk about dying for principles that are bigger than life you say mister you're a liar. Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death. What's noble about lying in the ground and rotting? What's noble about never seeing the sunshine again? What's noble about having your legs and arms blown off? What's noble about being an idiot? What's noble about being blind and deaf and dumb? What's noble about being dead? Because when you're dead mister it's all over. It's the end. You're less than a dog less than a rat less than a bee or an ant less than a white maggot crawling around on a dungheap. You're dead mister and you died for nothing.

You're dead mister.

Dead."

[kuno-chan]

1) bayek & aya 2) korrasami 3) makorra 4) reylo 5) zutara

(Well, I’m going to be here for a minute. I won’t do it though for ships that I don’t ship because I don’t really think about them and I don’t ship korrasami, reylo or zutara. )

Bayek and Aya

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - I WANT IT TO BE FOREVER GDI.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Not 100% sure but I’m sure it was over time because their love is so beautiful.

How was their first kiss? - There’s a book that may or may not contain that.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Bayek, I think?

Who is the best man/men? - Not sure, but it’d probably be Hepzefa

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? -No idea.

Who did the most planning? - Probably Bayek and Aya.

Who stressed the most? -I doubt there was a ton of stress about the wedding itself. They’re both so level headed and trusting of each other.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Not sure how fancy Egyptian weddings are, but knowin Bayek and Aya I doubt it was that fancy.Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? -Uuuuuh, not sure? I mean, I’m going off canon info here so that is not available. I doubt they had a HUGE ceremony though.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Aya apparently ends up on top a lot.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Aya, I’m sure.

How healthy is their sex life? - VERY. Every time they see each other.Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - I’m... not sure. I doubt it’s crazy explorative. They  have been married for years, after all.Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? -I don’t know because the cutscenes don’t let me know, but I bet it’s long af since they’re both so fit.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? -Oh, I’m sure they do. Both too considerate of the other.

How rough are they in bed? - I don’t think they’re crazy rough. A lil, but not a lot.Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - ...one ;A;

How many children will they adopt? - None, but I’m sure they would have been open to it had other duties not gotten in the way and/or opportunity arose.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? -Bayek, actually, I’m sure. He always gets “the dungheap job”

Who is the stricter parent? - I feel like Aya would be. At least stricter in discipline.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Both of them, probably. Bayek and Aya would both be careful, watchful parents.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Aya.

Who is the more loved parent? - Eeeh, not sure how fair of a question that is. Khemi loved them both, I’m positive.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? I feel like they’d alternate if one couldn’t attend, but Aya maybe?

Who cried the most at graduation? -Let’s be real, they either both cried or neither of them did.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? -Bayek, honestly. Aya would too, I think, but I’m almost certain Bayek would.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - I feel like they’d do it together.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Aya.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Aya.

How often do they bake desserts? - Probably often enough to sate the appetite, but not overindulge.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -Meat eaters, but I’m sure they eat veggies, too.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Oooh, Bayek.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? -Bayek.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? -...Bayek.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both of them.

Who is really against chores? -Both of them are rather dutiful. I feel like they’d both do it, actually.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Whoever found it first.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - eeeeeeh Bayek, maybe.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - I doubt either of them really stress about that, but it may depend on who’s coming over.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Aya.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Aya, maybe, but Bayek, too. So, it may depend on the day.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Bayek.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Often enough. On a regular basis.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Uh, to live happily ever after *cries*

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - I’m not totally sure. I feel like they’re both early risers, but Bayek maybe.

Who plays the most pranks? -Aya, I feel.

Makorra

General:

Rate the Ship -  Tis a quite loved ship a mine.Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - In my mind? Forever.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - They fell in love kind of quickly, I felt, because of the actual pace of the show, but the development in their relationship is gradual, too, over the seasons.

How was their first kiss? - Oh, we all remember that. It wasn’t well.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Mako. He spent a few weeks learning how to carve so he could carve Korra’s betrothal necklace.

Who is the best man/men? - Booooooliiiiin :D

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Opal, Jinora, Ikki. Our regular gang of girls

Who did the most planning? - Mako. Hands down.

Who stressed the most? - Mako, of course.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - President Raiko, I’d feel lol. Politicians in general that Korra didn’t feel like dealing with.

Sex:

Who is on top? - They alternate.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Korra, mostly, but they alternate here, too.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? -Both Mako and Korra are pretty fit. It’s long enough to make the rest of us envious, I’m sure.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Knowing those two? Yea, no doubt.

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Two, a son named Nuka and a daughter named Tikaani (according to me)

How many children will they adopt? - None. As it was, Nuka and Tikaani both happened to be born one after the other during a period of peace in the Earth States.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? -Mako. Hehe >3

Who is the stricter parent? - Depends on what we’re talking about, but Mako feels appropriate here. Korra was gone a lot and I don’t think she’s super stern as a parent. Not super loose, but not super stern either.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? -

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - I feel like Korra would when she‘s around, but Mako wouldn’t be that bad at it.

Who is the more loved parent? - Again, unfair question, but Mako is generally around more and Tikaani has mommy issues with Korra. That being said, both Korra and Mako are loved.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Those PTA meetings would be on like donkey kong for Mako. It’s a welcome when Korra attends and mr. mom isn’t on everyone’s neck.

Who cried the most at graduation? - High school graduation? I’d feel like it’d be Korra. Just because she’s honestly there and she gets to experience this with her kids.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? -BOTH Mako and Korra. Mako will have more preventative measures while Korra would probably actually try to get her kids out of prison even if she has to break them out (with Mako’s help because he’s not going to let his kids rot in prison no how).

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - They help each other.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? -Korra misses that Water Tribe food, but Mako has been at a point in his life where he would have eaten anything just to eat at all.

Who does the grocery shopping? - If Mako’s working then Korra will do it. Otherwise, they’d do it together.

How often do they bake desserts? - Korra knows some good Water Tribe desserts that the kids love

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -Meat eaters, yo.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - I feel like they’d just chill and plan one together. But Mako, maybe.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Korra.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? -...Korra.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Mako lmao, but Korra cleans, too.

Who is really against chores? -Nobody’s against them. They have to be done, but Korra is more lenient on them.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Everybody has to clean up when you have 3 polar bear dogs and an eel hound.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Kooooorraaa XD

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Mako!

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Korra. She lucky like that.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Mako needs that destress time. Korra makes him stay in their longer.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Korra’s more animal friendly, but they all kind of have to pitch in with the dogs.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - When they can. They’re busy people and it can be hard, but they make time.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Grow old together and raise their kids to the best of their ability. And, you know, just be happily in love.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Korra. Mako has barely slept till noon in twenty years.

Who plays the most pranks? -Korra. Mako’s fun to prank, yo.

[mercyandseverity]

ALBRECHT DÜRER

Job on the Dungheap, ca. 1505

[vagabondretired]

Chuck writes, I read....

That Dipstick From Accounting Doesn't Know Squat As Chuck Pierce reminds us, the biggest media falsehood over the last several years that doesn't personally involve Barack Obama is the idiotic notion that GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan is some sort of policy wonk. "I had thought that the burlesque comic opera The Agony of Paul Ryan, Genius had closed on the night in 2012 when Joe Biden laughed the zombie-eyed granny starver off the stage during their debate. (That was the night that Ryan demonstrated that he knew it snowed in Afghanistan in the winter.) But I had not reckoned with his many fanboys among the kept political press. He ascended to become Speaker of the House, largely because nobody else wanted the job after John Boehner got kicked to the curb by the crazy people. Now he is out there pimping the dungheap that is the new healthcare reform bill as though Mitch and Murray from downtown were lighting his pants on fire. He even lost the suit coat and broke out the PowerPoint on Thursday. It was like watching something on cable access late at night, or a flop-sweaty rookie substitute teacher, and it was hilarious—except for the parts where people will lose their health insurance and die, of course. And this is what he said and, peace be unto Dave Barry, I am not making it up, either: Paul Ryan said that insurance cannot work if healthy people have to pay more to subsidize the sick."

[cma-medieval-art]

Fol. 205r, Job, historiated initial V, Job on the dungheap given a gold earring by one of his sisters, c. 1275-1300, Cleveland Museum of Art: Medieval Art

Biblical manuscripts were highly prized and important possessions of churches, monasteries, cathedral schools, and universities throughout medieval Europe. The biblical texts were known as the vulgate, the translations made by Saint Jerome in the fourth century from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, which became the definitive and official Latin version of the Roman Church. In the 13th century, the bible was, for the first time, produced as a single volume with an officially sanctioned sequence to its books and chapters as illustrated by this example. The very extensive decoration of this bible is arranged hierarchically to indicate the relative importance of the various texts so that full or almost full-page initials mark the openings of the first prologue, Genesis, and the first Gospel; historiated initials mark the beginning of each book and illuminated initials mark the Prologues. Size: Overall: 35.6 x 24.2 cm (14 x 9 1/2 in.) Medium: Bound illuminated manuscript in Latin; brown morocco binding; ink, tempera and gold on vellum; 533 leaves

https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.2.205.a

[totallymotorbikes]

Church Of MO 2003 Victory Vegas With the unfortunate news of Polaris shutting down Victory Motorcycles, it only seemed right for this week’s Church feature to be about Victory. Oddly, despite Victory’s beginnings in 1997, it took a few years – and a new millennia – for MO to get its hands on one. We’ve featured some of those models already in past Church features, so for this week we’re going with the oldest Victory review we have yet to showcase: the 2003 Victory Vegas. Ridden and written by Eric Bass, sit back, relax, and enjoy this early road test review of what might become a collector’s item in 20 years. Oh, and for more pictures, be sure to visit the photo gallery. 2003 Victory Vegas Viva (fewer) Lost Wages! By Eric Bass Apr. 20, 2003 Aaaaah Las Vegas! Actually, nobody who lives within striking distance really calls it that. It sounds too ordinary, like Santa Monica or El Monte. The Spanish dictionary I used translates Las Vegas to mean “the fertile plains”, which if accurate, is a hysterical misnomer, as it is by no means fertile nor plain. To those of us well acquainted with Beelzebub’s playground, we know it as Sin City, Lost Wages, Land of the One-Armed Bandit, or simply, Vegas (Baby, Vegas!). And while every man enters town with dreams of Victory, they are usually left trampled underfoot along with the cigarette butts and ATM withdrawal slips. But every now and then . . . Any bike worthy of the name Vegas, needs to conjure a feeling of rakish adventure, “you Da’ That’s right. They have women in there who show off their bosoms. LA is wild, man. With a mighty gnashing of gears Eric `Krav Maga’ Bass sets out to meet kindred spirits. Or, chicks… Here, the illusion of the Vegas in a shimmering pool is somewhat diluted by the parking stripes, but we are MO. There’s only one four-pot Brembo in front, but it’s a good one. Man” swagger, and a sense that something cool is gonna happen . . . tonight! And for the most part, Victory succeeds, and does so at a reasonable price point ($14,999 MSRP) relative to (cough) other American motorcycle companies. Compared to their Classic Cruiser based around the same power plant, the Vegas has been mildly stretched (from 94″ length to 96.3″) and slammed (from 28.3″ seat height to 26.5″). The rear tire (170 60VB/18 Dunlop K591 Elite SP) got fatter (from 3.5″ rims to 4.5″) and the front wheel got taller (from 16″ to 21″) and skinnier (from 3″ rims to 2.15″). Stylistically, the fingerprints of design partners Arlen and Cory Ness are all over this bike, giving it a classic but custom look right off the showroom floor. The oil/air-cooled 50 degree, 92ci (1507cc) Freedom V-twin is split by a V-shaped badge replete with faux bullet-hole indents. This embellishment is repeated on the ends of the handlebar grips. A teardrop shaped, flush-mounted, LED tail light graces the rear fender. The stretched and flowing gas tank dovetails to meet the seat, which has been executed with a chopper-influenced minimalism while refusing to sacrifice comfort. The staggered slash-cut dual exhaust delivers a satisfying note without being obnoxious. I would probably upgrade mine to something obnoxious, but that’s just my personality defect. To summarize, the “a la carte” Vegas is served with the kind of secret sauce typically only found in a . . . well, in an Arlen Ness catalog. The ergos are spot-on and had everyone smiling, from 6’2″ Sean, to 5’9″ moi, to the diminuitive JohnnyB. (Just kidding JB, please don’t bite me on the knee!) The pegs look farther forward than they really are, and the handlebars and seat all collaborate to create a casually kicked back body position that felt universally comfy to a challenging trichotomy of testers. The pegs are low though and will drag around a 90 degree turn if you get too sassy with it, slip into racer mode, and go for a deep-braking approach to the apex. Even the pillion shows consideration for the needs of your sidekick. The seat is fairly plush and slants toward the rider rather than off the back of the fender. Gee what a radical concept! When the wheels start turning, the Vegas offers 70 hp to shove its 615 lbs of dry weight down the highway. After being so recently spoiled by the “performance cruiser” stars while conducting our V-Rod/Warrior comparo, I was braced for disappointment when I opened up the Vegas’ throttle. But for a bike in its class, it moves when you goose it, and Brembo 300 mm floating rotor brakes bring it to a halt with total confidence. The power is administered via a fiberglass-reinforced belt drive, and managed by a 5-speed constant mesh transmission that has a foot feel somewhere in between a metric “click” and an H-D “clunk”. The Vegas’ suspension does an above average job of absorbing pavement errata without incident. In fact, I gave the shocks an impromptu test by intentionally guiding the bike over a mild pothole under fairly hard braking, and squeezed only a tiny chirp out of the front wheel. My sole complaint would have to be that the Vegas likes to whistle while it works. The whirring of overhead cams was a minor aural irritation to me, but went un-noticed by the full-face clad JB and Sean. As MO’s lonely and embattled defender of the steel stallion, I had to retrieve my jaw from my boot tops when Sean and JB actually offered unsolicited praise for the Vegas. Typically, cruiser conversations around here rapidly devolve into a verbal rat-packing by the Hamilton-Burns-Alexander axis of evil, until I feel like Frodo Baggins fighting off a horde of raging Orcs. But apparently the Vegas hath charms to soothe the savage Power Ranger. Phew! That beautiful tank holds 4.5 gallons of fuel before it sweeps back to a seat only 26 inches high. Nice, no? Each cylinder displaces 751cc. You can change the final drive belt without removing the swingarm. Or you can pay someone. While our communal grins surely were derived in part from the bike’s style and stance, the Vegas delivers better than expected performance for a “pure cruiser”. It really does strike a nice balance between form and function, and considering the head start provided by the Nesses, the bike could achieve a truly custom look with very little additional investment. A few aftermarket flourishes and some custom paint and this bike could look as good as a $30,000 machine and probably ride better at just over half the price. Nice job Victory. You may just ruin Lost Wages bad reputation! Tell me More… –John B. Contrary to popular opinion, I harbor no ill will toward that category of dungheaps generally referred to as “cruisers.” All I know is when I ride them, more often than not, instead of the usual euphoria I feel upon hopping on a cool bike after a dull day at the office or a broken heart or whatever, I get kind of bummed out at the lack of agility combined with physical discomfort. Most cruisers just don’t fit me. Take the Yamaha Warrior. I’d heard so many good things about it, I was all set to hop on the bandwagon. In fact I do like most of that bike, but not as much as I would if it didn’t have a handlebar designed for an orangutan. Easy enough to fix, true, but easy things like that tend to take on complicated forms at MO. Most other cruisers put the footpegs too far forward, leaving your tailbone to act as rear suspension. A cruiser with decent ergoes, I’m all over it–the Road King I can deal with, for instance. In general, though, the really stylized cruisers go for form over function, and I’m more a function first motorcycle guy–I got no time to “cruise;” I always have to be somewhere. Which leads me to say, Wow, this Vegas is the first of its ilk I enjoy riding. Excellent throttle response from nicely programmed injection, good power, a positive, short-throw gearbox, crisp controls and a tightly bolted-together feel throughout, ergoes that work for me, pretty good suspension, really good brakes and swoopy looks that steer clear of self-parody. Too bad Victory got off on the wrong foot a few years ago and soiled itself; it takes a while for the stigma to wear off, but conversations with Polaris people, and riding this bike, lead me to believe Victory has turned the corner. They’ve kicked junior engineers upstairs, brought in not only Ness but also some new Art Center people, spanned the globe to find a manufacturer to produce the Vegas gas tank… in short, they’re kicking free of the old made-in-America mentality and joining the global economy to produce a motorcycle which looks more Italian than American, executionwise. Even more interesting, Victory tells us that the Vegas is only one of a bunch of new models scheduled for launch, at the rate of one or two a year, between now and 2008. Oooh, what’s next? Church Of MO – 2003 Victory Vegas appeared first on Motorcycle.com.

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Fol. 205r, Job, historiated initial V, Job on the dungheap given a gold earring by one of his sisters, c. 1275-1300, Cleveland Museum of Art: Medieval Art

Biblical manuscripts were highly prized and important possessions of churches, monasteries, cathedral schools, and universities throughout medieval Europe. The biblical texts were known as the vulgate, the translations made by Saint Jerome in the fourth century from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, which became the definitive and official Latin version of the Roman Church. In the 13th century, the bible was, for the first time, produced as a single volume with an officially sanctioned sequence to its books and chapters as illustrated by this example. The very extensive decoration of this bible is arranged hierarchically to indicate the relative importance of the various texts so that full or almost full-page initials mark the openings of the first prologue, Genesis, and the first Gospel; historiated initials mark the beginning of each book and illuminated initials mark the Prologues. Size: Overall: 35.6 x 24.2 cm (14 x 9 1/2 in.) Medium: Bound illuminated manuscript in Latin; brown morocco binding; ink, tempera and gold on vellum; 533 leaves

https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.2.205.a