Thursday, December 31, 2009

Year 2009 was when the USA took a hard Left turn

Everyone who did not vote for Obama knew he was a socialist. Millions others who voted for him would never had done so if they thought he was. In under a year the USA does not look or sound like the country it used to be before this Chicago politician and his cronies got themselves cocooned in the White House. Obama has managed to find the most radical of radicals that America had to offer, and given them the mandates which are dreams come true to these social engineering freaks.

It is one thing to wish that everyone was happy and that poverty was eradicated like many dreaded diseases have been that used to plague mankind. But, how can a sane person believe that by eliminating poverty, those same ex-poor  can be forced to feel happiness?   Is there justice in forcing people, who work harder and better or are more intelligent than others and hence have better capacity for higher paying jobs, to pay more taxes so their wealth can be distributed to those who are less fortunate. Here's a saying from my grandma, (bad translation from the original dialect:) "If all five fingers on our hand were of equal length, we would not have a firm grip."

I read this article and it makes me wonder how grown men like Sunstein, Holdren and Obama himself, men who are so highly educated in the best of learning institutions on earth, can still be so full of dreams of the wrong kind. An Utopian complex is forgiveable in the very young and inexperienced but to encounter such delusions in people who are supposed to be the intellectual stalwarts in the new administration of the greatest country on earth ? I don't get it..... I don't get it at all.

Michelle Malkin and her Cone of Shame awards for 2009

on Fox

Christmas Day terrorism attempt and the possible cover-ups

via Drudge: "Today is the second worst day of my life after 12-25-09.


Those gays from Chicago can go after you tooth and nail

Those lovable gays from Chicago are at it again....either tearing people to bits or putting them on pedestals. They used to be  pretty hard-left and now they have changed somewhat and are coming into our corner with leaps and bounds. The way things are going on in the USA, whether you happen to be on the Right or on the Left, step out of line and you have handed yourself for punishment into their freshly varnished deadly claws.
...... Hey Nebraskans, how does it feel to be welfare queens?

Because that’s what Ben Nelson made you. The other 49 states now need to carry the weight for you lazy bums; while we work hard and are taxed into oblivion, your welfare rumps get to nestle on those couches, free from paying your fair share — and instead of what little you’ll be sending to Washington covering your own Medicaid increases, you’ll be picking up the tab for abortions coast to coast. Thanks to Ben Nelson. The Whore of the Senate. ........

Never ever trust Wikipedia

Wikipedia is great to find links to external sites, but I for one have never trusted the information Wiki gives, not from Day One. I remember having an argument with a dear friend who depends on Wiki for everything and anything and having told her in no uncertain terms that if she quotes anything from Wiki, I will take that as a lie. Being the unforgiving sort that I happen to be, I am emailing this post to her. Yeah.... I know.... I am bad.  via: Drudge  Wiki is a nest of lies and half-truths

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Five Canadians killed in Afghanistan...

one of them was Michelle Lang of the Calgary Herald.  Lang was killed along with four soldiers. Sad day for us all..... once again. The enemy is ruthless and the enemy's sympathizers are scum.

CBC news

Another terrorist with almost identical chemicals was caught Nov.13

while trying to board a flight from Mogadishu to Dubai. The Somali terrorist was armed with almost the same type of chemicals as the Christmas Day terrorist and additionally had a hidden syringe.

So.... a third world country was more vigilant in catching a potential mass killer than The Netherlands, eh?!  

A SOMALI terror suspect armed with hidden explosives and a syringe was caught trying to board a commercial flight, it emerged yesterday.

The man was caught with equipment almost identical to that of ­Detroit bomber Umar Farouk ­Abdulmutallab on a flight from ­Mogadishu to Dubai. The arrest in November lends weight to Abdulmutallab’s claims to the FBI that he is just one of many Al Qaeda-trained terrorists willing to kill themselves to destroy Western targets.

And it came as it was confirmed the US was aware a Nigerian in Yemen was being readied for an attack weeks ­before the Christmas Day jet bomb.............

Hey Canada, what's the timeline on ending slavery ?

How many more lives do we want to see shackled in slavery? How many more child pornography and slave sex stuff made in Canada do you want to see in places like Europe, Russia the Middle East and hundreds of other countries. Would you like to be known as the country that exports the best child pornography or the country that export the  best seafood?  Are we now adding child pornography to our list of exports?

Human trafficking is on the increase in Canada. The only way to fight it is to introduce stricter crime prevention laws. Most Canadians are blissfully unaware of the plight of those caught in the net of slavery and it is largely due to the media's silence on this subject.

Naomi Baker's network   can provide the basic necessities -- such as safe housing, clothing and medical assistance -- and the services that those not attuned to the flesh trade may not see as necessary, such as removing tattoos of traffickers' names or getting a plane ticket across the country.

"Things that seem insignificant to the normal populace are very important to them," Baker said. "Things like a job, a home where they are safe and loved, education."

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Terrorists are the scum of the earth

I spend an average of 30 hours in planes annually. These new restrictions which are going to be the "new normal" from now on gare going to make me think twice about taking long flights. What are travellers going to do if they have stomach flu and need to use the washroom in the last hour of the flight. It is so stupid to restrict passengers only during the last hour as if that will prevent determined terrorists  from carrying out their plans. They will just move the plans  two hours before the landing..... so there!!!  Do you see the utter stupidity of the whole thing ? What exactly are they not telling us? It's not a stretch of the imagination to conclude that there is more to this "last hour of flight" new rules they have flung at us.

Now, here comes news that hundreds of al-Qaeda militants are planning terror attacks from Yemen, the country’s Foreign Minister said today.

Also, there are rumors that there was a small cell on the same flight with the Christmas Day terrorist. Another passenger was arrested after the plane landed and the authorities are now looking for the third.

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Fra.Filippo Lippi (1406 - 1469) Part VIII

Forgot to post this one.  Had it sitting as a draft.

At the age of 15, Filippo Lippo joined the Carmelite Order in Florence and become a monk. As a monk in the Santa Maria del Carmine monastery he paid less attention to his holy orders and more to scribbling and painting in notebooks. After 10 years as a monk, Lippi suddenly disappeared from his religious constraints.

Romantic stories of his travels during the next two years are the subject of much amusement to art students as they seem to imply that Lippi made like a Casanova after his escape from the monastery. He returned to Florence and it is not clear how he was able to retain his monk status, but retain it he did and without giving up his amorous ways. One such story has him kidnapping a beautiful girl who was under the guardianship of nuns and having taken her to his house, he refused to let her go despite all the efforts of the nunnery. Some narratives claim that the girl Lucrezia was the mother of his son Filippino, who grew up to be as good a painter as Filippo. It is reputed that Lucrezia was the model for many of his paintings.

Check out his other paintings here

The disillusioned women of the Left

Maybe one of these days the hippie woman, the jungle lady, the sagey bush and "sounds to make to potty train a baby" nut will see the error of their ways and turn Right. And let's not forget the fern on the hill and the loopy loo, two more vile vixens. People can change for the better and see the light, even the totally dense and blind ones. My bets are on the hippie woman when she runs out of her maryjane and sees things more clearly, and also on the big plants jungle lady if she can fight her way out of the jungle.... you never know. They might come over to our side just like this one did.

Monday, December 28, 2009

What exactly do the protestors think they will get with these pranks?

Downright stupid punks. If these kind of situations were  left in the hands of people like me, these punks would never again venture out in the streets on their feet, they would have to use wheelchairs. Who puts up the money and who organizes these protests? Will the Olympics be cancelled because these idiots are screaming like banshees in the streets? These protestors are only demonstrating the futility of their futile minds and not doing an ounce of good to either their reputation or their cause(s).

In Vancouver: Even the police know they've had an easy go so far, with only one major protest on the first day.

"I think we can already reasonably predict a couple more areas across the country where things will get a little more interesting,'' said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer, who is in charge of Olympic security.

Today in Guelph, Ont. A woman carrying the Olympic torch in Guelph, Ont., this morning was knocked down by a protester.

Police say it happened as the 28-year-old woman from Milton was carrying the flame and was approached by a group of protesters just before 8 a.m. She was treated by Olympic Torch Run medical staff at the scene. The flame was not extinguished during the incident, which happened as about 1,000 people had gathered to watch the torch relay. Brittney Simpson, 19, of Kitchener, has been charged with assault and will appear in court in February.
In Kahnawake,PQ Fears of a large protest against the RCMP presence on this Mohawk reserve during Tuesday’s Olympic torch relay shortened the run but did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of people who turned out to cheer on the torch, which was carried proudly by hometown hero and Olympian Alwyn Morris.

In Victoria,BC  Protesters agitating for years against the 2010 Olympics took their first chance to disrupt Games planning Friday and forced a diversion of the torch relay just before the Olympic flame was to be triumphantly presented at a community celebration wrapping up its first day on Canadian soil.

How communism fails .... and always will

Why is it so very difficult for the leftist pea-brains to understand that if the taxpayers disappear from the landscape of their utopian dreams, then the fate of those who believe that work is meaningless and that wealth should be shared, would become utter hell. People sucking at the govt's teats are called the poor, but these same people own cars, cell-phones, laptops, latest in electronics and gadgets, buy loads of beer and wine, makes up a huge percentage of shoppers at department stores, whether there is a sale on or not, and shop like they have a multitude of bodies to clothe and feed. That's not poverty, not in my books. Real poverty is the type you read in "The Tobacco Road" (forgotten the name of the author) but it made a huge impact on how I envision poverty. Real poverty is what the people in most of Africa are going through. The so called "poor" of the USA, Canada and other developed countries are looked upon as extremely rich by the real poor of the world. Surprised?!!

Now, according to latest figures coming out of the USA, the taxpayers who were contributing to the coffers are leaving the liberal states. The liberal states are the hardest hit and without taxpayers to contribute to the govt's kitty, I wonder what the future holds for Obama and his commies.

The latest figures from the Census Bureau show that there is a mass exodus of taxpayers happening in all the most liberal states. This means that such states are not only losing urgently needed revenues at the worst possible time, but also representation both in the electoral college and in the House.........

Christmas Day terrorism attempt was the 28th unsuccessful one

Sunday's chilling terror news wasn't the removal of a Nigerian man from the same Northwest Airlines route targeted by a would-be bomber two days earlier. Sunday's disruptive passenger just wasn't feeling well. No, the chilling news came from James Carafano, a defense and homeland security expert at the Heritage Foundation: The foiled Christmas Day plot, he says, is the 28th unsuccessful attempt to bring terror attacks to America since Sept. 11, 2001.

This attempt, which could have scattered passengers and plane parts across frozen Michigan tundra, may trace to Yemen. That's where thwarted martyr Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab claims he obtained his military-grade explosive from an al-Qaida associate.

President Barack Obama's administration has edged away from the phrase "global war on terror." But we wonder if the White House appreciates how well that Bushian notion of a long and widespread struggle helps to justify Obama's decision to further escalate U.S. efforts in Afghanistan......

Guess what?! Some lefties seem to think that I am running scared and piddling away in my panties because of my recent posts on the latest terrorism act. These same idiots have been running around in circles like headless chickens screaming that AGW will destroy our planet and if something is not done about it they are going to be roasted to tiny little cinders with the heat expected our way, like maybe yesterday. What hypocrites!! These same people are so scared of muslims that they hide behind a political correctness demeanor which in reality is the worst form of cowardice imaginable. They know it and we know it.  Political correctness is a mask for cowards and cowards = leftists.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Jihadis and more jihadis.... a never ending string of jihadis

via: Drudge:  Cops fear that 25 British-born muslims are plotting to bomb Western airliners. The fanatics, in five groups, are now training at secret terror camps in Yemen.
It was there London-educated Umar Abdulmutallab, 23, prepared for his Christmas Day bid to blow up a US jet. The British extremists in Yemen are in their early 20s and from Bradford, Luton and Leytonstone, East London. They are due to return to the UK early in 2010 and will then await internet instructions from al-Qaeda on when to strike......

The solution is to stop muslim migration to the West. I know, I know... the good ones will also get the short end of the stick. However, do you see a better solution to this curse of a problem?

You are not alone Bob Hall, I am tired too






read the whole thing

Dry runs on flights ??

h/t: to my friend Irene who knows how to keep me busy.

..... In Vanderveen's article on Flight #227, he reported that bomb-sniffing dogs were brought aboard the plane, which was confirmed by the passenger with whom I spoke. The men forced to deplane were described as "attempting to change seats with other passengers," and another said "the men were trying to move luggage around while the plane was getting ready to push back." .....

.....Chronology of Pattern Behavior: Once the point had been reached where additional information is no longer forthcoming about these two flights in the foreseeable future, I didn't know where to look for more information. An experienced reporter working on these stories suggested I turn my attention backwards to seeing whether any dots could be connected to incidents on past flights...........

interesting article

Don't you find it strange that the leftists are so concerned about AGW and other unproven crap and completely ignore the looming threat from these fundamentalists who are about to break down our doors ? Who cares if the AGW demolishes the earth to smithereens, IF, we are, by then going to live in the hell known as shariah

Saturday, December 26, 2009

There is probably much more than meets the eye.....

where the latest terrorist disaster was avoided. Here are some stories coming out from various sources. Wonder which ones tell the truth and which ones we can discard. (Emphasis mine)
Instead, the son of one of Nigeria's most important figures opted to make his impact in a very different way, by strapping explosives to his leg – or even possibly implanting them in his thigh – and attempting to blow up a passenger jet as it came in to land over Detroit airport on Christmas Day. The high explosive was identified last night by the FBI as Pentaerythritol (PETN – a major component of Semtex).

NY Times      ABC News

This simply cannot be true. According to a witness the terrorist probably boarded without a passport. Heads will start to roll, if this claim turns out to be true.

Jasper Schuringa, modern day hero.

BostonHerald on how passengers fouled terror attack

I feel sorry for those muslims who hate these terrorists as much as the rest of us. I wish these muslims could stop saying their religion is peaceful and just give it up altogether and  convert to some other religion or become secular human beings. I know that if I was born into a muslim family, at the very first opportunity I would have converted to anything else just to wash myself from the ideology I was unfortunate enough to inherit from my parents.

You thought slavery was abolished, didn't you?

20 year old woman sold at public auction for $3,200 in Pakistan. Yeah, how about that !
Pakistan, the completely failed state. If not for Pakistan there would be no Al Qaeda and no Taliban.  This  is the country that shielded and fed the terrorists fleeing from US attacks after 9/11.  This is the country that is largely responsible for the evil we see today.  

Woman sold at auction

"Going Rogue" reviewed by NYR of Books

Not a great review, not by a mile. However, on the bright side the reviewer put in enough time writing a long one. I am willing to bet the guy is a Lefty with a capital "L", and if he cloaks that fact in something else, then he is a closet lefty, just like that Andrew Sullivan character and the obnoxious guy from Little Green Footballs.

.......Meat is what she likes to consume most, though not rare, or even pink, meat (which might strike a too-fancy note with her target demographic):
People outside Alaska are often clueless about our reliance on natural food sources. (You know you're an Alaskan when at least twice a year your kitchen doubles as a meat-processing plant.)

  read the whole thing   


Friday, December 25, 2009

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Raphael (1483 - 1520) Part VII

Raphael's given name was Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino and he was born in Urbino, Italy. Artistic talent ran in the family. His father was Giovanni Santi a painter of frescos whose works were found in the castles of the Italian noblemen. Raphael's parents died early leaving him an orphan in his early teens.

It is believed that the young Raphael designed, if not carried out, many of the frescos found in the churches of middle and northern Italy. His first important assignment came from the Vatican itself, a high honor in those days, when he was commissioned to design and paint the frescos in the Pope's library.

He died young at the age of 37 from a strange fever that lasted two weeks. He had never married, and some narratives say that Raphael had hopes of becoming a Cardinal, a post that would have given him extraordinary powers that the church enjoyed in those times and that was the reason why he remained single.

Some of Raphael's paintings remain disputed to this day as art critiques are torn between either crediting Raphael for the thousands of works which look like they are Raphael's but could very well be those of his students. Raphael would often give a design to his students and they then proceeded to enhance the original idea, the results tended to  look more like Raphael's creations.

All four paintings here could be Raphael's or maybe not. The one showing Joseph as bald and beardless, I personally think is one of his students playing mischief and although this painting is attributed to Raphael, I have my doubts.

If you are a fan of Raphael's works, you will like to read this.

Can you pretend to even understand these blasted fundamentalists?

And this man was an engineering student? Education means nothing when your brain is completely twisted.

A passenger  on a Detroit-bound   Northwest Airlines flight tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official.

The passenger was identified by authorities as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The device was technologically advanced and potentially devastating, Mr. King said. "This was not a firecracker," he said.

Stephanie van Herk, a passenger from the Netherlands who was in seat 18B, said the Northwest plane had lowered its landing gear when she heard a loud bang. At first she thought the plane might have gotten a flat tire, but then she said saw a flame leap from the lap of a man sitting in the row behind her in the window seat, 19A.

"It was higher than the seat," said Ms. van Herk, who was traveling to Detroit on route to a vacation in New York.

"Then everyone started screaming. It was panic," Ms. van Herk, 22 years old, said. She said the flight attendants shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Mr. King said the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by U.S. authorities, but that the Nigerian national did turn up "hot" in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials.

When the Left turn on their own, you are looking at UGLY

Huff and puff have started blowing hard at the empty suit. Arianna Huffington knows survival tactics like the pro she is, and in order for her empire to stay afloat she has slowly started licking at the side of the bread where the butter happens to be. What a shitty piece of a woman. From lapping at Obama's feet, she now lets her so called "journalists" take swipes at him without mercy. What will the Conservative journalists do, if the reservoir of venom available to fling at the US Prez, is used up by the lefties themselves?  

h/t: to my friend JohnR, devotee of HuffingtonPost: Leadership Obama Style, No Vision, No Message

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas everyone

Have lots of  fun and enjoy your near and dear ones. 

Painters of Nativity Scenes: El Greco (1541-1614) Part VI

El Greco's birth name was Domenico Theotocopoulos and he was born in Crete of Greek origins. He moved to Venice as a young man to study painting under several well known masters of that time.

Most of his paintings belong to the Mannerism style which came on the heels of Renaissance art and lasted for about 60 years. Mannerism era paintings have more elongated forms and tend to show their subjects in more detail but in my opinion they can never be as "good as photographs" like the Renaissance pieces tend to be.

El Greco's paintings are found all over the world and some amazing ones can be found in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.  Many of his works have ended up in private hands in Spain as El Greco moved there in his thirties and lived there until his death.

His much talked about paintings are "The Adoration of the Name of Jesus" and "Christ on the Cross". My favorite is "Baptism of Christ" as El Greco has gone batty showing in minute detail every crease, fold and every shadow in the clothing worn therein. It is a true piece of art

To see other  masterpieces of this artist,    go here

What really happened at Copenhagen

 Move over USA, here comes the bad bully. China flexed it's big muscles and why not? China owns chunks of the USA and the Boss is always right .... right?.



Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Sarah Palin: Reiterates about "Death Panels"

Palin lashes out at the way Obama and his  mob  go for midnight votes and backroom deals to get what they want.


Painters of Nativity Scenes: Titian (1488 - 1576) Part V

Titian's real name was Tiziano Vecelli and he was born in Venice. Titian started his painting career very early in his life when as a kid of twelve he was sent to work and paint in the workshops of other painters of his day. He showed his talent first in frescos, which can be found even to this day in churches throughout Italy, looking as fresh and clear as the day they were painted. Titian was also a very versatile painter. One week he would be painting religious themes and the next he would have huge overwhelming paintings depicting mystical, mythological creatures and landscapes.

Titian had a penchant for the nude form and when you see a Renaissance painting with tonnes of creamy fresh hitting you in the eye from every corner, you are most likely looking at a Titian. If Titian threw some clothes on the figures for modesty, he would oft color them either white or with creamish tones. His many paintings and different versions of the goddess Venus and other mythological females will support my claim that Titian was a "pornographic" painter of his era.

One of his paintings titled "Madonna with Saints", as the story goes, started as a Nativity painting but the family Pesaro who had commissioned the painting ( a large painting of over 100 " x 180" ) wanted their likenesses in the figures surrounding the Madonna and they also desired to see the faces of their favorite saints. Titian must have lost his cool and in the end the painting came out not showing either the magi or shepherds but like the one below:

See Titian fabulous works here.

Home grown Jihadis in USA and Canada ?

Read and watch and then decide if we have such groups both in the USA and over here in Canada as well.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were several groups like this one, sprinkled  in more than half a dozen places in our two countries.
......Unsurprisingly, our report was also met with skepticism by media pundits and Internet Bloggers who described as “ridiculous” that such Islamic paramilitary training compounds could be permitted to exist in North America. Others felt that if such activity was indeed occurring on American or U.S. soil, authorities would most certainly take the necessary action to protect its citizens........

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

America is one angry country....

according to Katie Couric, the CBS News Anchor. Obama's changey hopey magic dust has been rendered useless.

h/t: Irene

........"I think more distant - I hate to say that, but I think, I think the economic situation in this country, I think, when people are struggling, that sometimes they need a place to vent their rage and to channel their rage and I think, I feel like right now in many ways, we're a very angry nation," Couric said. "Very frustrated, troubled and disappointed in many ways in terms of people feeling that the American dream just isn't within their reach. I mean I still think it's a place of incredible opportunity and entrepreneurship. But I just think that, I don't know - maybe it's because what I do for a living, I feel that the country is pretty polarized right now."...........

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) Part IV

Leonardo da Vinci, Jack of all Trades and Master of all Trades too. He was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, writer and who knows what else. He was born in Florence and was the illigitimate son of a notary. Some historians say that his mother was a slave brought in from one of the middle east countries. Da Vinci was also the model for the bronze statue of "David in the Bargello". Some attribute this work to Verrocchio and some to Donatello. I personally think it was Verrocchio as Da Vinci had a secret homosexual relationship with Verrocchio. See his other works here.

Of course, his most famous painting is the Mona Lisa. I have seen it and I was not impressed. It just goes to show you the power of advertisement and nothing else. Almost every other painting, and even his engineering drawings are more impressive than the Mona Lisa. Visitors to the Louvre make a bee-line to the Mona Lisa room only to come away disappointed and hungry to look at other works. That's my opinion anyway. And her smile.. I have seen snouty smirks that look better than her smile. Maybe, art critics tend to hold it in such high esteem because Da Vinci took close to two years to complete it. His drawings and notes on the study of embryos are beautifully done but hardly ever talked about.

His painting of the Adoration of the Magi is at the Uffizi in Florence. I was stunned to see that the painting is unfinished, yet the room where this painting is housed is crowded with art lovers, and they all argue in stage whispers about the final number of horses he would have had, or the final number of figures and where they would be placed, if he had finished the painting,etc.etc. Although the painting is unfinished, the genius of Da Vinci hits you in the face at each angle.

When will the opposition parties stop lying through their teeth ?

All that strain on their teeth will make them go toothless very soon. They are not fooling the voting Canadians, not one teeny weeny bit.... they can accuse the Conservative govt  re. prisoner abuse all they want, but when it comes to voting time, everyone will remember that the opposition parties played dirty politics by accusing Canada of mistreating prisoners. In their zeal to heap muck on the Conservative govt. they are blind to the fact that by doing so, they are maligning their own country as well. Canadians will not forget that traitorous part of this  whole sorry affair.  Soldiers vote too, remember ... and so do their families and friends.

All allegations of mistreatment of Afghan prisoners by Canadian troops investigated so far have been unfounded, the Canadian Forces Military Police said Monday night.

In a release, the military police said troops "acted appropriately when interacting with the detainees."

The military police said it received about a dozen allegations of mistreatment of Afghan detainees in Canadian custody in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, which were turned over to its investigative arm, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.

"Examples of the allegations received include complaints from detainees of having been forced to adopt a new religion, of not having been afforded the time to go to the washroom or the ability to perform ablutions for religious rituals," the statement said.....

Monday, December 21, 2009

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Alessandro Botticelli (1445 - 1510) Part III

One of my favorite Renaissance painter is Botticelli. I can identify most Botticelli paintings without looking at the signature. It's a little trick I have learnt and cannot divulge here. Botticelli painted several versions of the Nativity scenes and here are some of them.

You must have seen the postage stamps from several countries showing famous paintings. The one showing Venus is from his well-known painting "Birth of Venus". Go here to see a parade of his artist's excellent works.

There's so much to tell about this artist and so many of his works to be seen, that I will never be able to do him justice. You have to read and see some of it for yourself here.

His paintings "The trials and calling of Moses", "Life of Moses" and "The Temptation of Christ" have so many details within them that to really appreciate the paintings you have to see it in sections. Run the slide show at the link above and see each piece in detail so the beauty of his great painter's talent can awe you

Hello... does anybody care that Saudi is killing the Houthis of Yemen??????

Are we that absorbed with our own side of the global sphere that we care two hoots for the rest of the world ? My sitemeter tells me that Canadians don't give a rat's fart for anything that goes on outside of Canada and the USA. At least not the readers of Blogging Tories. What is it with you people? Don't you understand that something is going on with the biggest financier of evil and we should be keeping a close eye on how it turns out? A blow to Saudi Arabia is a blow to terrorist financing, but it looks like money wins in the end, given the way this war is going.

Saudi jets are killing Houthi women and children on the borders of SA. Where is Sid Ryan and his Unions' hysterical card holders? Where are the boisterous Muslims of Toronto? Where is Jack Layton and his shills? Where are the Leftists and the stupid freaking gays who were screaming alongside the leftists? Why are they not marching in the streets arm in arm like they did when Israel and Gaza were at war? Toronto is full of hypocrites, filled to the brim and overflowing. Is Saudi Arabia's dirty money keeping everyone quiet? When muslims kill muslims, even if those killed happen to be women and children, it is all okay. Move on nothing to see here. It's just a case of one muslim nation against another, not a matter of one of the richest nations against a segment of people from one of the poorest. The Houthis are caught between Saudi Arabia's ultra modern weaponry and the slow strangulation from their own Sunni Govt. They are caught between a rock and a hard place and they are getting plastered.

This is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran...make no mistake of that. That is the sole reason why even the Israeli press is largely silent on the issue. Hezbollah and Iran has been accused of supplying arms to the Houthis and this is a great way for all concerned to see each other's weaponry. Truth gets hidden because of the curse of keeping in step with political allies, even the slimy ones  like SA.

Read this if you feel like it, otherwise move on to your usual Canadian / USA fare.

The Huron Carol "Jesous Ahatonhia"

h/t: John R.


Sunday, December 20, 2009

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Andrea Mantegna (1431 – 1506) Part II

Andrea Mantegna was born in Italy. His father was a poor woodworker. Mantegna's talent was apparent early on and by the time he was 17 yrs old he had his own workshop and was receiving commissions from churches in Italy for designing and constructing altarpieces. He also managed to get a sought-after commission from Pope Innocent VIII and was delegated to paint frescos in some of the churches and chapels in Rome and Florence. One of his most famous painting is "The Agony in the Garden" which resides in the British Museum in London.

Having started his artistic career in woodcutting, Mantegna was a superb engraver as well, and one of his talked about engraving is "Bacchanal with a wine vat" which according to my young relative who is my tutor in Renaissance Art, this engraving is a scene of a  homosexual orgy.

Here are two of Mantegna's takes on "Adoration of the Magi"

As I will show in this and in the forthcoming days leading to Christmas day, most of the artists used the same theme for their paintings. The reason was simple. Their patrons and buyers desired only religious themes and hence the artists would use the best loved scenes and oft times the likeness of the person commissioning the piece would find it's way in the painting itself as an onlooker or even as the main figure.

Below is his "Adoration of the Shepherds"

To learn more about Mantegna go go here

About Colvin and his claims

h/t: Blazing Cat Fur     Terry Glavin has nailed it just right.

A closer look at Richard Colvin's claims about the lies of his lying bosses and their lies.
As I noted here, Richard Colvin has quite clearly insinuated that his one-time boss, Arif Lalani, Canada's former ambassador to Afghanistan, is both a coward and a liar. Turns out there is rather more going on here (or less, if you like) than that, and I suspect it betrays a lot about this preposterous affair that will, sadly, take a lot of the fun out of it too

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Lord Moncton: On the final day at the summit

Talks to Dr.Jacek Szkudlarek about the malignant left-wing media.  There's lots more at UTube.

Sarah Palin: "The arrogance of man to think we can change nature's ways"

Palin blasts the Copenhagen's gathering of magpies in her usual common sense way.

One of her tweets this morning said: "Earth saw clmate chnge4 ions;will cont 2 c chnges.R duty2responsbly devlop resorces4humankind/not pollute&destroy;but cant alter naturl chng."

And, people have the nerve to call this woman dumb!!!

Painters of Nativity scenes: Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449 -1494) Part I

Domenico Ghirlandaio was the eldest of eight kids born to an Italian family. His family name was Bigordi, but he became known by the nickname "Ghirlandaio" which means "garland", a nickname that was given to him because he was the best designer of women's necklaces, work that he did for his goldsmith father before becoming a painter.

A little section of the Sistine Chapel has a fresco which was painted by Ghirlandaio depicting the callings of St.Peter and St.Andrew. His paintings showing the birth of Jesus are some of his most endearing works. Having worked in gold during his formative years, Ghirlandaio often used gold leaf in his painting. One such painting is the Adoration of the Shepherds shown here.
I was in Florence some years ago with a very knowledgeable youngster from my family who took it upon herself to give me a course at the Uffizi Gallery, at the end of which I became a firm fan of Renaissance painters. There are plenty of Ghirlandaio's paintings gracing the walls of Uffizi. The art there is ART in it's pure, sublime form, what you see today coming from most "artists" is pure garbage.

Ghirlandaio's painting "Adoration of the Magi" below is breathtaking, although not as famous as Leonardo's by the same name.

To see some of Ghirlandaio's works go here, and here

Friday, December 18, 2009

Senator Hugh Segal of Kingston speaks on the MSM

Watching the Steve Paikin show tonight lead me to Paikin's blog where he has posted the entire speech given by Senator Segal.

..... but the media in general and assignment editors in particular might take the odd opportunity to reflect on whether they have fallen into a path dependency in terms of what they choose to cover – a deeper and deeper rut that conversely becomes shallower and shallower the deeper it gets.....

...I have written before about my discussion in the fall of 1991, with a dear friend who was the CBC senior news producer on Parliament Hill when I joined the Prime Minister’s staff. He informed me categorically that in order to keep CBC TV local news ratings up at the supper-hour broadcast – because local CBC stations and affiliates needed advertising revenue – he would always dispatch a negative story about the government as opposed to a positive one. At the time, the government was somewhere between 7 and 9 percent in the polls. However, given the choice between a “good story” about the government and a “negative” one, he would, by local market forces, be forced to choose the negative story. Well, that was the end of my CBC “puts accuracy and balance first” naivety. Surely, I argued, you would choose the most newsworthy story on its merits, good or bad, and send it. He quickly disabused me of that conceit. This was in a sense, the ultimate victory of “congenial” over “real”. It also suggested, but did not confirm, that a story line might on occasion be pursued quite independently with or without factual justification....

Another store chain says "Merry Christmas"

FoodBasics grocery stores in Toronto have "Merry Christmas" on their flyers.  Great place to do your Christmas grocery buying and they have the best prices too.

The benevolence of McGuinty with taxpayers' money

is simply dumbfounding. Before the end of his present role, he is making sure his resume for the next one will say: "Spear-headed the building of a modern transit system for the Capital of Canada".

It's an early Christmas for Ottawa residents.
Premier Dalton McGuinty is in the capital today to announce that the province will provide $600 million to the city to fund its light rail transit system. The announcement was made this morning at the RA Centre.

cartoon credit:

Doggie Christmas song

Even dogs celebrate Christmas but the hard-left amongst us groan aloud at the word "Christmas".  How sad and miserable someone  needs to be to detest a season of well-being like Christmas ?   I am glad I do not have anyone like that in my personal life.

The failed state of Pakistan falls further into the abyss

All sort of rumours are abound. Zardari and his admin are denying that there has been a coup attempt. The opposition are renewing their cries for Zardari to step down.

The USA, all of a sudden, has changed its tune, from "our ally and friend"  to "there are tensions in our relationship with Pakistan."

Also the Pakistani courts have barred authorities from handing over to the FBI or to any foreign agency, six American Muslims who were detained in Pakistan on their way to join the Taliban against US soldiers.

More news from Reuters.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Glenn Beck: Time mag's Man of the Year .... no, not him.

Glenn Beck show,  Man of the Year, Crucifix drawing controversy in school, Chicago hard ball politics,etc.

part 2     part 3         part 4

Senator Annie Cools needs to know how a connection is made

between Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery.

With all respect madam, what would you call a person who is made to work without pay, beaten and raped and is considered a piece of property and not a human being? Do you have a word for it? Those of us who have encountered such individuals know that they are nothing but modern day slaves.

A 2-day seminar from March 2, will be held in Ottawa on Human Trafficking.

Professor David Batstone on why Human Trafficking is akin to slavery

How to spot a victim of human trafficking

Learn more about the plague of Human

Front row seats for everyone

This promises to get better and better and better and better ....ok... ok ... you got the picture. The game of "blackmail" goes back and forth and continues anew for our reading pleasure. If one Chicago thug is brought to trial, none other than the Emperor of Deceit will be called as witness for the Defence, says his lawyer.
One of Rod Blagojevich's attorneys said Wednesday it was possible the defense could call President Obama to take the witness stand if the corruption charges against the former governor go to trial, but added that it wasn't clear that doing so would be necessary
via Matt Drudge: Obama as witness for the Defence

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Hey Scotland ... how's that deathbed compassion thing working out now?

Al-Megrahi ... not dead yet. Maybe some miracle drug not yet available in Scotland but found in abundance in Libya will do the trick and get him all well again. Yipeee !!

....The Times raised the alarm on Tuesday after visiting al-Megrahi’s home and hospital in Tripoli, and being told that he was at neither. Jonathan Hinds, East Renfrew-shire’s criminal justice manager, telephoned him but was told that he was too ill to speak. On Tuesday morning Mr Hinds called again. This time he was allowed to talk to al-Megrahi, but Scottish opposition politicians said that did not prove that the former Libyan intelligence officer was at home.

Mr Hinds calls al-Megrahi every second week. Tuesday was the first time that he had telephoned unexpectedly, and the first time that he was unable to speak to him. Bill Aitken, the Conservative Justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, demanded the release of al-Megrahi’s medical reports. He said: “If he was so ill on Tuesday how come he was well enough to take the call yesterday?” .....

read the whole sordid thing

Burqa ... ugly as ugly can be.... in France

I applaud France's stand on this issue. There's a lot I could say on this topic, however, I will hold my tongue and just quote: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" and leave it at that.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party will push for a law banning the full-face Islamic veil in order to defend Francefrom "extremists", the party's parliamentary leader said Wednesday.

Jean-Francois Cope laid out his plans for new legislation in a newspaper article, which appeared just as three ministers were to testify before a parliamentary panel set up to consider whether to ban the full veil.

"The issue is not how many women wear the burqa," Cope wrote in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro.

"There are principles at stake: extremists are putting the republic to the test by promoting a practice that they know is contrary to the basic principles of our country," he said.

The new legislation will be enacted after a period of consultation with Muslim communities in France "so that this measure is understood for what it is: a law of liberation and not a ban", he wrote......

From Russia with Love and climategate

ex-Communist countries just like ex-Communist individuals have learnt a bitter lesson that they will never forget. Russia will never ever embrace socialism and their press is much more reliable than any other on the AGW issue.

..... Climategate has already affected Russia. On Tuesday, the Moscow-based Institute of Economic Analysis (IEA) issued a report claiming that the Hadley Center for Climate Change based at the headquarters of the British Meteorological Office in Exeter (Devon, England) had probably tampered with Russian-climate data.




On the whole, climatologists use the incomplete findings of meteorological stations far more often than those providing complete observations........

Help to end slavery in Canada ... Act on Bill C-268

It is disheartening to note that a woman is holding up the passing into law of Bill C-268, a law that will go at least  some ways,  to deter those amongst our population that would mean to harm and enslave both women and children.  On Nov.3, Senator Annie Cools had the reading adjourned and assured the advocates of this bill  that she would speak to it within a short time, that "short time" has now lengthened into several weeks and still Senator Cools plays it cool and disdainful.  "Uncaring" would be a better description for Senator Cools demeanour.

The bill now lies in limbo awaiting  Senator Annie Cools attention to it. The sad thing is that Senator Cools has chosen the wrong time of the year to play "hard ball".  Next week the Senate will adjourn for the Christmas holidays and will not be back until late January. The bill needed to be law before the Olympics. Needless to say, any gathering of that magnitude will not only have people involved in sports, it would also attract drug dealers and human traffickers.

Let's give the BC authorities more legal clout to deal with the human trafficking scum when they are arrested plying their trade at the Olympics. Please call or write to the following to get them to move pronto on the issue of Bill C-268  and to make that happen  before the start of the Olympics.

Audreychuk, Raynell (Saskatchewan):
Brazeau, Patrick (Repentigny - Quebec):
Da﻿llaire, Romeo (Gulf - Quebec):
﻿Demers, Jacques (Rigaud - Quebec):
﻿Jaffer, Mobina S.B. (British Columbia):
﻿Mitchell, Grant (Alberta):
﻿Munson, Jim (Ottawa / Rideau Canal - Ontario):
﻿Nancy, Ruth (Cluny - Ontario):
﻿Poy, Vivienne (Toronto - Ontario):

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Three wise men and a Japanese too !!!

Timeout for a laugh or two.

Link between climate science and Islam

The despicable Left manifested in all their reprehensiveness

in the Canadian Cynic blog. If you want to know how much the Left loves the Taliban and how little they think of our soldiers, you should dose yourself with a drug stronger than Dramamine and step into that cesspool for just a couple of minutes. I do not recommend that you linger there for more than 2 minutes because spending your time  beyond that allocation will make you wish you had taken a double dose of the drug..

This blog has been haranguing bloggers and journalists who talk about the good our  boys and girls  are doing in Afghanistan. The last several days, this blog has taken upon itself to talk about the Afghan detainee issue and of course at the cost of belittling  our  mission in that country.

This blog uses the most foul language, especially when referring to Conservative female bloggers and journalists. C**t  is almost a daily occurrence either in the posts put out by this team of bloggers (and you will be further amazed to know that the team of four contributors has a female on board) or by the commentors to the posts therein.  When referring to Conservative bloggers and journalists, their vocabulary has such high flung words as: retarded, brain-dead, douchebag, stupid, dummy, dumbf**ks, deranged, whackjobs and any word that will demean and insult  Conservatives is adopted and used at every opportunity.

Having visited there today, I left some comments showing my displeasure at a couple of their posts on the detainee issue. This same blog has often had the gall to boast about how the Lefty blogs never monitor the comments but that Conservative blogs do, etc.etc.etc.blah, blah, blah.  My comments were deleted and a blog issued to say :

Yes, comments are now fully moderated. But only briefly. I'll explain why when I get back
It was a good thing I had saved a couple of my comments. Like the saying goes, "When in Rome, be like the Romans" and that is exactly what I was doing. These were my remarks:

Comment 1:
Ah hah - mispelling alert, mispelling alert:
Geneva conventions should read "Godiva Confections" for the box of chocs laced with arsenic you should get. Disgusting morons so concerned for one Taliban detainee while 100s of our brave soldiers are coming back in coffins. You are beyond contempt, miserable bastard.

Comment 2:
You stupid f**ked up s*b. You are so concerned about one taliban detainee? Have you given a thought to the 100s of soldiers coming back in coffins. Like I left a comment earlier at some other post on this same freaking subject that you have embraced to your heart, you are beyond contempt. How anyone can live with
themselves with such hate for one's fellow Canadians like you have is beyond me.
You would prefer to have a Taliban monster as your fellow traveller than a Canadian soldier? You are a f**ked up bastard of the worst sort.

Guess what?! My comments have been deleted. Yup... give them a spoonful of their own medicine and they get all contorted and writhe on the floor like they are in their death throes.

Here's hoping this Christmas season ... oops ... Holiday season as is the right thing to say in the lefty world, I hope your mommies will buy you lefty snarks a bag full of ballistic cups because .... baby.... I have just bought myself a dozen pairs of high heel pointy boots and they are  made for kicking.

How misguided students and others grab taxpayers' money

and the mayor of Toronto marches with them in Copenhagen. The dirty little moochers are everywhere. In Copenhagen they barge into a hall where Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak was speaking and shout chants. They strip in the streets to the bare minimum to "prove" the earth is warming, they carry communist flags and want to see the end of capitalism.

At McGill University, at a Pro-Life presentation these moochers shout down speakers in the most shameful way. This is the method these delusional youngsters have adopted now. They shout and sing and chant to stop anyone from speaking the truth or anything they do not want to hear.

In Ottawa they climb government buildings right under the noses of security guards and the police force,  most of whom are  likely members of Unions and probably gave them a "wink-wink we don't know what you are doing". Who can you trust when even the police force are in cahoots with the Left ?

Where is the money coming from? One of the Blogging Tories had a long list of outfits donating to Greenpeace and such. Maybe, Greenpeace in turn donates to other outfits so they can all act in concert to defraud us. I have not had a good look at that long list of donors to Greenpeace and right now I cannot recall the blogger's name to link it here. What are the chances that some of those outfits are giving in to blackmail and paying the ransom ... ransom demanded or else the Greenpeace nuts will organize a protest outside the premises of whichever company does not come forth with a donation.

The fault should largely be placed at the feet of parents. A good upbringing and deep understanding and interest in what your kids were up to in school or university might have prevented them from taking this road which will in most likelihood. end nowhere good very soon.

And, if the above links were not enough to make you mad, then read this:
Today, I joined 100,000 other citizens of the global community to demonstrate in the streets of Copenhagen, calling on world leaders to take bolder action on climate change. An ocean of people stretching farther than anyone could see waved messages such as “Bla bla bla...ACT NOW” and “There is no Planet B."
There was something powerful being in the midst of this commanding yet peaceful movement, which sent a loud and clear message to leaders that lack of progress on the climate change issue is unacceptable. It was a refreshing break, situated halfway in the middle of negotiations full of formalities, jargon and business suits.
People are rising up to call on our governments to do more. David Miller, mayor of Toronto, marched alongside us today. Back home, mayors, premiers, industry representatives, academics, indigenous peoples and youth are all sending a unified message of stronger action on climate change.

h/t: Gay and Right for McGill vid

Monday, December 14, 2009

Politics .... what a totally ugly game in every way

Approx. 150 days ago, three young Americans, naively foolish to hike on the borders of Iran, were arrested and jailed. The three travellers had Syrian and Iraqi tourist visas and while admiring the scenic views from an area they presumed to be Iraq  they inadvertently seem to have crossed a few meters into Iranian territory.

Iran has announced today that the three Americans will be put on trial and that their actions had "suspicious intentions" and that they entered the country to carry out acts of espionage.

Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has appealed to the Iranian regime to free the three travellers and said the charges against the three are "totally unfounded". Middle East journalists think that an exchange of prisoners might have even been suggested by the USA and Tehran has declined.

This cat and mouse game is afoot today of all days because Congress is supposed to be taking a vote tomorrow on the Iranian Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act.   Politics, the dirtiest game on earth, no doubt about it.

Scandals behind the EU carbon trading scheme

Not only is the AGW a complete fraud, the EU nations are trying to keep a lid on how the cap-and-trade system has been a haven for fraudsters. In the last 18 months alone EU have been cheated out of $ 7.4 Billion in lost tax revenue. The findings by Europol, a law enforcement arm against organized crime, were announced on Wednesday but news about this disgraceful state of affairs will not make it on anybody's agenda at Copenhagen.

h/t: Irene. Copenfrauden: Scandals behind

Can't stand the wait....

Please Christmas don't be late.   The original chipmunks carol

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sarah Palin: The key to win hearts and minds

is to be yourself. But the "yourself" must be essentially a good person or it will never work. Palin does not even have to try to make people feel warm and  welcomed, it just happens again and again and again. Conan O'Brien and his staff of the Tonight Show are now her fans, even if they will not voice their sentiments aloud. Backstage pics here .


Something evil is afoot and not just in Copenhagen

A farewell video has been found and the man is missing. As Christmas day approaches, authorities all over have raised their awareness. This is the season when planes carry full loads as do all other modes of transport. I just checked Gay and Right's blog to see if he had something too, and yes, sure enough he too has come across something. My link has a different terrorist connection. Something nasty is definitely being planned. :Let's hope these monsters are caught before their plans comes to fruition.

Searching for five missing from DC area

The magpies can cackle all they want ....

the real winners in Copenhagen will be China and India. Emphasis mine.







Naked Copenhagen

Never EVER believe the Leftist media

Everytime the leftish loudmouths start gurgling about Palestinians, their oft repeated lines are:

"They live in concentration camps", "They have to survive on nothing","Their children die of malnutrition", They are dirt poor", "They are suffering", "Israel treats them worse than animals", "There is a humanitarian crisis going on", "The world is blind to the plight of Palestinians", "When will our govts wake up and help these down-trodden Palestinians", "Please donate to the Palestinian cause".

The real story is, as always, the opposite of what the Left screams it to be. Check out this article and see if the Palestinian people are victims or on their way to becoming millionaires. The only deterrent they face is Hamas and the sooner the idiotic Left realizes that, the better for those they "supposedly" want to help. The Left are always wrong, with a capital W.






The real scoop on Palestine

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Boss Creations .... thanks for the tip JJ!!

Look what    JJ the Leftie  brought to my attention ... Boss Creations

Boss Creations has boldly come out with the following statement:
"The Christian holiday, Christmas, is intended to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. However, over the years the decorations and celebrations for this holiday have become increasingly commercial and unrelated to Christ. Unfortunately, the holiday has become less about Jesus and more about gifts and Santa Claus.

At Boss Creations, it is our mission to help you bring the Word of God into your home during the Christian holiday seasons. We hope that you will share the Word with your family and friends and that you will begin new holiday traditions with Christ as the central figure.

In recent years, our Christmas holiday has been made to become a generic holiday for all religions with many being forced to call it a "Holiday" season instead of Christmas season. We, as Christians, must take a stand and rescue our religious holiday. We at Boss Creations believe that one way to do this is to decorate with more Christian-themed holiday decorations including The CHRIST-mas Tree.........."

Show your appreciation by placing an order. I am looking at the paper mache round ornaments. Pretty.