If you're still wallowing in the joy of killing Saddam Hussein -- and on the start of their holy days -- take that, heh! -- well then this bit of happy news is probably not for you...

Luckily, hate does not reproduce naturally like love does, and you probably don't have to worry much that this child will be raised in a broken home. Funny how those who wallow in such hate often end up alone, sometimes with hate-damaged offspring.

RIP:
I wish a falling star could fall forever
and sparkle through the clouds and stormy weather.
In the darkness of the night, the star would shine
a glimmering light
and hover
above
...
----------------
"Hang On Little Tomato"

Not it's not Queen, just a giant ice shelf.

"I want to break free..."

O belo gesto.

Some say, no.

And they're not afraid to say it:

American troops should be used to defend the security of the United States. Sometimes the threat to U.S. security can be indirect, as in defending Japan and South Korea, but the threat should be real. Saddam was no threat in 2003, and his death, however satisfying, does nothing to mitigate the shameful waste of the misguided American venture in Iraq.

[This] speaks to the appropriate use of the American military. Many of those who have served in Iraq, and their families, talk proudly of having rescued the Iraqi people from Saddam. His execution will be the final act in that drama, and for many American service people a confirmation of their pride in helping free a people from a brutal dictator.

We don't begrudge them their pride, but toppling Saddam for the benefit of the Iraqis was not adequate reason to send them to war...

Anybody take a look lately at the money this is costing the country either? No? I didn't think so. We'll put off the accounting for another day, then...

Read the whole thing.

Was it worth it? or will we only know when the paying/pain is done.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three more Marines were killed in battle in Iraq, the military said Friday, making December the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops with the toll reaching 106.

The Marines, all assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, died Thursday of wounds from fighting in western Anbar province, the U.S. military said. Their deaths pushed the toll past the 105 U.S. service members killed in October.

At least 2,993 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an AP count.
------------

In other news, Saddam Hussein was executed for crimes against humanity and his people, Friday night US CST. For the Iraqi people, life goes on. Lord have mercy.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against US.

Easy words to say, The Lord's Prayer. Harder to Live. Good to look up, and on others, just to accept their ways and look down. You get what you give in LIFE.

Here's something funny I read today, funny was in short supply since I read something untrue that turned my stomach this morning. Anyway, enjoy this one and laugh at its poor subject:

When she was backed into a corner, she lashed out, suggesting that people who disagreed with her feelings were racists. Eventually, she was so upset that she began crying. Of course, at that point the possibility of civil intellectual discourse completely evaporated.

It's sad that some folks don't know how to honestly handle disagreement, controversy, chaos, aging and death. Give us, O Lord, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...
--------------------
Have a safe and sober New Year's, friends. May we all continue to recognize and appreciate our blessings in 2007. And who knows, maybe our paths will again cross next year, under only healthy circumstances. (and to complete the spiritual theme in this time of light in darkness) Peace be with you, Mary

I don't know why I like it...

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the reign of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons and daughters of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the reign of heaven.
Blessed are you when when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
-- Matthew 5:3-12



... I just do! ...

Now that's a fine fish...

A bald eagle carries a fish in its talons Wednesday as it flies over Central Park in NYC.

The eagle's flight didn't go unnoticed by Pale Male, the famed red-tailed hawk of Central Park, who was perched on the 22nd floor of the Beresford apartment building as the eagle flew by.

"Pale Male usually sits there sort of relaxed, but he sat up straight when he saw the bald eagle," said Lincoln Karim, the man whose photographic chronicle made Pale Male and his mate Lola famous. Karim is an Associated Press Television News technician. (AP Photo/Lincoln Karim)
...

The photo showed the eagle as it appears on the national escutcheon - wings spread, head cocked in vigilance, but with what looked like a striped bass in its talons, instead of the flowing ribbon reading, "E Pluribus Unum."

Bald eagles, once highly endangered and always strictly protected by federal law, have prospered in the New York region in recent years. As fish-eaters, they live in the Hudson River highlands, and several have been reintroduced under a city program to the Inwood section of upper Manhattan. They can be seen in winter, riding ice floes down the river and fishing along the way, said Cal Von Burger, a freelance photographer and author of a book, "The Birds of Central Park."

Von Burger said he has spotted eagles over the park numerous times in migrating seasons but none has chosen to live there. "They like high perches, and the trees aren't big enough, but unlike peregrines and other falcons they don't like buildings either," he said.

Yigal Gelb, executive director of New York City Audubon, which protects wild birds and their habitats, said eagles were rare in the park. "Seeing one," he said, "is a pretty big deal."

James Brown's wishes.

ATLANTA - James Brown's lawyer says the late singer and his partner weren't legally married and that she was locked out of his South Carolina home for estate legal reasons. The partner, one of Brown's backup singers, says the couple was married and she can prove it.

The back and forth continued for most of Tuesday, as Tomi Rae Hynie, Brown's partner and the mother of his 5-year-old son, camped out at an Augusta hotel with no change of clothes and no money.

"It's not a reflection on her as an individual," lawyer Buddy Dallas told The Associated Press on Tuesday of the decision to bar Hynie from Brown's home in Beech Island, S.C. "I have not even been in the house, nor will I until appropriate protocol is followed."

Hynie was already married to a Texas man in 2001 when she married Brown, thus making her marriage to the "Godfather of Soul" null, Dallas said. He said Hynie later annulled the previous marriage, but she and Brown never remarried.

"I suppose it would mean she was, from time to time, a guest in Mr. Brown's home," Dallas said.
...
Dallas said Brown and Hynie hadn't seen each other for several weeks before his death. Hynie said Brown had sent her to California for a few weeks to relax on the beach after a recent concert tour.

"I was taking antidepressants," she said. "My job, marriage was difficult. So he sent me to the beach. He paid $24,000 for me to go."

"He was a difficult man to live with, but he was a great man," she said. "I was the only one who could handle James."

Hynie said she believes Brown's representatives were trying to discredit her so that his estate wouldn't have to be shared with her. She acknowledged that the bulk of the estate was left to Brown's children, but said Brown had told her she could live in his home with their child as long as she wanted.

"That was James Brown's wishes," Hynie said as she broke down in tears.

Hynie and Brown had a sometimes tumultuous relationship. Brown pleaded guilty in 2004 to a domestic violence charge stemming from an argument with Hynie and paid a $1,087 fine. He was accused of pushing Hynie to the floor at the home and threatening to kill her.

Brown is survived by at least four children, said his agent, Frank Copsidas.

You must remember this...

JERUSALEM, Dec. 26 — For the first time in 10 years, Israel said Tuesday it will build a new Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, prompting Palestinian anger and American concern.

The announcement, by the defense ministry and settler groups, seems to run counter to the prevailing effort by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has offered a series of gestures to the Palestinians after a meeting with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, several days ago.

The Palestinians want build an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and consider any Israeli building there an act of thievery. Israel says it accepts the idea of a Palestinian state but that its exact contours have to be negotiated.

...
Pressed by Washington to help build up Mr. Abbas, Mr. Olmert last week promised to give him $100 million in Palestinian funds withheld by Israel, about 20 percent of the amount being held, but only for humanitarian purposes. Abbas aides, however, say the money will be used to strengthen his Fatah movement and pay salaries to Fatah loyalists. Mr. Olmert also promised to dismantle 27 of the 400 or so checkpoints in the West Bank, despite criticism by the Israeli commander of the region.

The new settlement will be called Maskiot, and approval was given for the construction of some 30 houses. The Israeli official insisted that all construction would be privately funded. They will be used by the 20 families of the hawkish Gaza settlement Shirat Hayam, which resisted evacuation and wanted to move as a group. To get them to leave Gaza peacefully, the army promised to keep them together.

The decision, the official said, “sort of went through and now it’s done and would be very hard to undo.”
...
The road map calls for a freeze in settlement building along with a Palestinian push to dismantle terrorist groups. Israel says the dismantling should come first and no such action has taken place. But it has separately promised the Bush administration that it would only build within existing settlement structures to account for natural growth, “thickening” settlements but not expanding them physically.

Israel also promised that it would dismantle more than 20 illegal outposts set up since March 2001, but it has only dismantled one, and that under Israeli court order. Peace Now, a leftwing Israeli lobby that opposes the settlements and follows them closely, says that there have been more than 50 outposts established illegally since March 2001, and that there are more than 100 illegal outposts in the West Bank altogether, many of them, like the semi-settlement of Migron, built on private Palestinian land.

Much of the world considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law; the United States, which used to call them illegal, now calls them “obstacles to peace” that prejudge final status negotiations. The outposts are illegal under Israeli law because the government has not authorized them.

An aide to Mr. Abbas said today’s announcement ran counter to the understandings Mr. Olmert and Mr. Abbas reached during their meeting on Saturday night.
...
Yariv Oppenheimer, director of Peace Now, criticized the decision as contrary to the government’s stated aims and programs and noted that it has not been approved by parliament. “This is a veritable scandal, all the more so that this decision was taken by Amir Peretz,” himself a former activist with Peace Now, Mr. Oppenheimer said. What may begin with 30 houses could easily become more due to “thickening,” Peace Now said.
...
---------

"The fundamental things apply... as time goes by..."

Off Saturday, Sunday and Monday...
amazing how it all recharges you.

You come back with a fresh eye really.

As always...

Have a good weekend.

And if it applies, try to be nice to your mom, eh?

You know she loves ya. Still... check it out.
(J-school tidbit.)

Awww... *
(photo at link)

The newborn, which has not been named, has started suckling and is doing well, the zoo's senior primate expert Mel Gage said. Its sex has yet to be determined. It is the second baby for the 30-year-old mother, Salome, who first gave birth almost 20 years ago.

"The new baby is incredibly cute and Salome is being a very attentive mom and her father Jock is being very protective of his family troop - we couldn't have hoped for more," Gage said.
--------------------

*referring to the back of the youngster in the photo. Not endorsing using fertility drugs to breed captive older gorillas, necessarily.

24 seconds of fun.

"I've been to the edge and back.
I've mowed the yard and the grass.
But that is wild..."

(Show your work.)

"I said, 'Hello'..."

If your name's Eugene, you've probably already heard this one.

December Oaks
-----------------


Holding Their Own

-----------------
Life,
Water's Edge

Clear Day, Starry Nights

Tom and Jerry cartoons:

Tee for Two and The Two Mouseketeers

Yankee Doodle Mouse

Come all without...

Come all within...

Make it a great weekend folks!

------------
"Hello...
We'd like to play Do Wah Diddy Diddy."

Did you know...

Wayne Gretzky's son plays at Shattuck-St. Mary's?
Great hockey school

Pray for peace people...

... everywhere.

Wisconsin considers The Ireland Plan

Works for me...

Freak of Nature... *burp*

Wisconsin Hunter Bags Deer With 7 Legs
Man Used The Deer For Meat

UPDATED: 7:59 am CST December 14, 2006

FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but got his most unusual one driving his truck down his mile-long driveway in southern Fond du Lac County. The young buck had nub antlers -- and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs. He said it definitely was a freak of nature and a real rarity.

He said he slowed down as the buck and two does ran across the driveway Nov. 22, but the buck ran under the truck and got hit. When he looked at the animal, he noticed 3- to 4-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.
...
Lisko, meanwhile, said he wasn't going to waste the venison. He said he used the deer for meat and that it was tasty.

Closed.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the Islamist group Hamas, was prevented from returning to Gaza on Thursday after a two-week trip abroad, a spokewoman for European monitors at the border said.

``It is closed, the operation has stopped for a while until the situation with Haniyeh is clarified,'' the spokeswoman for the European monitors at the Rafah crossing said.

Haniyeh was expected to try to bring millions of dollars in assistance for his government through the crossing, on the border with Egypt.

``We have no more information because he is in Egyptian side,'' the spokeswoman said.

Israeli security sources said that Defense Minister Amir Peretz had instructed the crossing to be closed.

The cheekbones...

Josiah reads Deuteronomy, and it hits him like a ton of bricks. He realizes his people are doomed unless they mend their ways. They are breaking every law in the book (or, on the scroll). No wonder the Lord is so furious at them! Josiah rends his clothes in sorrow. But it's too late. A lady prophet, Huldah, says the Lord has already doomed Judah—the land will become "a desolation and a curse."

Still, an optimistic Josiah tries to change God's mind. He reads the whole scroll out loud to the Israelites, then topples all the idols, knocks down the temples of the male prostitutes, destroys the pagan monuments built by Solomon, unearths pagan cemeteries, and incinerates human bones on the heretic altars. He even restores Passover. Josiah is like no king before or after—he's almost a second coming of Moses—but it's not enough. "The Lord did not turn away from His awesome wrath."

This seems very unfair of God. Josiah does everything possible to restore his people into God's good graces. He follows all of God's orders. By the time of Josiah's death, the Judahites are as holy as they have ever been, yet He doesn't forgive! It seems oddly merciless. If He won't save the faithful, what's the point of believing at all?

Chapter 24 and Chapter 25
The end is here. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades and makes quick work of Judah. Judah's new king Jehoiakim becomes a vassal, then rebels. Neb crushes the rebellion, takes the king prisoner, deports all the able men to Babylon, and loots Jerusalem.

The Babylonians install a puppet king, who also rebels. That rebellion is crushed, as well. A Babylonian commander sacks the temple and executes the priests. Jerusalem is turned into a ghost town, with only its poorest inhabitants left to till the fields.

This marks the end of the glory days of the Israelites. The hope and opportunity of the Torah have been squandered. It's hard to see what hope, or faith, could remain after such tragedy. Yet there's enough that the Israelites wrote down these books and preserved their memory of God's love through a brutal exile.

The book of Kings ends with an incredible, heartbreaking vignette. After the conquest of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar releases deposed king Jehoiakim from prison and keeps him as a court retainer. Neb lets the former king eat at his table every day and gives him a daily allowance. The last king of Judah is a pet, a domesticated animal, an obedient monkey serving a pagan master. This is the fate of God's chosen people, and their king.

Faith in the future.

Trumpets sound and angels sing
Listen to what they say...
that Man will live for ever more
because of Christmas Day.

Another survival tip?

Don't just pack it;
wear your jacket.

If I should fall from grace with God...

IF you didn't like the music at Saturday night's online party, don't click this one. It's Shane and the boys again. But the crowd shots are fun. And the squeal he lets out about a minute in. YeeeHaw!

Really.
Good housecleaning music the Pogues are...

Let's go crazy...

... cause it's gonna b a beautiful night, y'all sing it...

Feb.4 Superbowl this year.

Holiday Noooo--oh-oh-ooooo.o.o.'s*

Deux or, Jolly Holiday in a NannyState**:


Yes, I agree. Washing hands is the number one thing we can do to avoid welcoming germs into us, at holiday-time or all through the year. But we don't need to sing about it, CDC.

Just say "No" to educating via traditional Christmas carols. Ruin the damn songs, you will. Turn new folks off to the tune, with all the preaching:

The twelfth way to Health, said the CDC to me:
Eat well and get moving, Prepare dinner safely, Practice fire safety, Monitor the children, Get your vaccinations, Get exams and screenings, Fasten belts while driving, BE SMOKE FREE, Don't drink and drive, Manage stress, Bundle up for warmth, and Wash hands to be safe and healthy.

And check out that link closely: why is this aimed to women? They are probably better about washing hands than men, and I doubt many men are going to sit through the whole song. "Is that 'practice fire arms safety', on the 10th day honey? ... Aw shucks."

(HatTip: Plasmid)


----------
*Travellin' ? Take the song in your head for stress relief. You could be a dog tied to someone's fender after all...

**Is required singing really so far behind?

4 Trees

Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Nope, no video link.
Just precious sunlight streaming through the windows. The plants like, a warm up in the future, 12-10, a good day ahead. . .

Speedwagon classic.
Stay warm!
------------

Off Big Pig's Bonk album...
------------

And some Pogues

Come all you ramblin boys of pleasure
And ladies of easy leisure...

-----------

It was Christmas Eve babe...

-----------

'Twas a wonderful craft
She was rigged fore and aft
And oh, how the wild wind drove her
She stood several blasts
She had twenty seven masts
And they called her The Irish Rover
...
Then the ship struck a rock
Oh Lord! what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
Turned nine times around
And the poor old dog was drowned
And the last of The Irish Rover
lyrics

We took turns a starin'
out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us,
and he began to speak...
----------

This one reminds me of George W.
Lyrics:

Little boy in a baseball hat
stands in the field
with his ball and bat

Says I am the greatest
player of them all
puts his bat on his shoulder
and tosses up his ball

and the ball goes up and the ball comes down
swings his bat all the way around
the world so still you can hear the sound
the baseball falls to the ground

now the little boy doesn't say a word
picks up his ball he is undeterred
says i am the greatest there has ever been
and he grits his teeth
and he trys it again

and the ball goes up and the ball comes down
swings his bat all the way around
the world so still you can hear the sound
and the baseball falls to the ground

he makes no excuses
he shows no fear
he just closes his eyes and listens to the cheers

little boy he adjusts his hat
picks up his ball
stares at his bat

says i am the greatest,
the game is on the line
and he gives his all one last time

and the ball goes up like the moon so bright
swings his bat with all his might
the world's is still, as still can be
and the baseball falls
and that's strike three.

now it's supper time and his mama calls
little boy starts home
with his bat and ball

says i am the greatest, that is a fact
but even i didn't know
i could pitch like that.

says i am the greatest, that is understood
but even i didn't know
i could pitch that good...

Holiday Noooo--oh-oh-ooooo.o.o.'s

Here's one to get the list going. (I make no promises about follow through, will just add my holiday No's as I see them.)

This year I have discovered the perfect gift, and it comes in a jar: a "gift jar," a 1-quart glass jar (commonly referred to as a Mason jar) filled with ingredients for making cookies, soups or beverages. The jars are assembled in layers, making for a beautiful effect. Then the jar is decorated with a square of fabric and a brightly colored ribbon.

The recipient follows the instructions on the attached card, and soon he or she has a batch of home-baked treats, courtesy of a favorite gift-giver. The advantages? First, we all love to eat, and these recipes yield treats that are, indeed, very good to eat. Second, for the person who is exhausted at the end of the day (and aren't we all?), it's a delight to know that the homemade cookies are, essentially, already halfway done.

Finally, this is a project with which your child can really be involved. My children, ages 10 and 14, and I had a great time creating these gift jars. We formed an assembly line to fill jars with brown sugar, flour, candies, cocoa and baking soda. My son's karate instructor said these were the best cookies (recipe follows) he had ever eaten, and asked for the recipe. My daughter's piano teacher said she didn't want to make the cookies just yet -- the jar was too beautiful.

Hmm, I suspect they were being polite.

----------------------
*Here' s the Lindsey Buckingham tune to get you warmed up this fine Saturday...
Holiday Ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oad.

or the postcards-opening-the-movie version, if you're so inclined. RIP John Candy. Introducing Christie Brinkley...heh.

And the trailer... Ah the good old days, when it was ok for Chevy Chase to play that kind of a father without a professional conservative response advocating for better on-screen role models. ** RIP Imogene Coca. ("Move outta that seat and I'll split yer lip!")
---------------------

** No time for a longer post, but have you noticed "Advocating for Men" is the new tool in academic and research circles to help complete the nannifying of American society? Now I know some men, I like men, hell I love plenty of men. Society doesn't really need protection from "negative media images" of them, like in this movie. Men need space. Senses. Not studies. Humans are animals, and the push to consumerize deadens some of us.

And no sugary powders in the jars please.

"Bologna"

Bishop Morlino Honored By Civil Rights Group
Bishop Was Vocal Supporter Of Marriage Amendment
POSTED: 6:32 pm CST December 8, 2006

MADISON, Wis. -- Bishop Robert Morlino received a lifetime achievement award from a major civil rights group on Friday, but the award has struck a nerve with another minority community. The Congress of Racial Equality honored Morlino for his vocal support of the state's controversial marriage amendment. Leaders of Madison's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community called the award a "disappointment."

Morlino's critics have questioned his campaign tactics, which included requiring all diocesan churches to play a recording by Morlino during which he described arguments against the amendments as "bologna."

A spokesman for CORE said Morlino deserved the honor because he has been a "stalwart" defender of traditional family values.

"When you say to society at large that you have to accept, not only accept our lifestyle, but promote it and put it on the same plane and equate it with traditional marriage, that's where we draw the line and we say 'no.' That's not something that is a civil right. That is not something that is a human right," said Niger Innis, national spokesman for CORE.

But leaders of the LGBT community said they are saddened by the decision to honor Morlino, adding that it is ironic a civil rights group would support a ban on same-sex marriage.

"An organization that espouses civil liberties and civil rights, and here they are honoring an individual who worked to keep civil rights and civil liberties from a group of people," said Nikki Baumblatt, development director for Outreach.

Previous recipients of CORE's lifetime achievement award include the artist Usher and former Secretary of State James Baker. Innis said CORE has branched out in the years since the civil rights movement and that the group spends much of its time championing traditional family values.

Have you been to Tupelo?

Sing Along with Billy...

...From grownup to minor no one could be finer
times are hard, but no one seems to care...

Christmas Eve and all the world is watching
Santa guides his reindeer through the dark...
from rooftop to chimney, from Harlem to Bimini
they will find a way into your heart!

A Delray Beach man who cast his vote in a Catholic Church while surrounded by crosses, prayers and anti-abortion banners is suing county Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson, claiming the use of the church as a polling place was unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Friday.

When Jerry Rabinowitz voted Nov. 7 at his polling place at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Delray Beach, he claims election officials refused to cover religious objects. Forcing him to cast his ballot in such an atmosphere violated the separation of church and state and the constitutional prohibition against establishment of religion, the lawsuit claims.
...
According to the lawsuit, Rabinowitz was forced to walk past a pro-life banner framed by giant crosses. Upon entering the polling place, located in a room inside the church, he saw religious signs, including one reading "Each of Us Matters to God," a copy of The Lord's Prayer and The Hail Mary prayer, and a poster of the Ten Commandments.

The use of the church as a polling place had the effect of "advancing a particular religion over other religious and non-religious positions," the lawsuit states.

If we make it through December,
we'll be fine...

Here's a survival tale, and a tip.
Stay off Bear Camp roads in winter.

The complicated network of roads in the area are commonly used by whitewater rafters on the Rogue River or as shortcuts to Gold Beach in the summer but are not plowed in winter and can be impassable despite being touted as a convenient alternate route.

When we have found what life's really worth...
...
Someday at Christmas man will not fail...
Hate will be gone and love will prevail...

Speaking of numbers...
... it's 11 (degrees) out.

Felix Salten's Bambi

"Walt Disney's movie version is so different from the novel, I have to wonder if he ever read 'Bambi'. It's gory, full of violence, and even has a bit of sex and religion thrown in. This quiz refers to the Whittaker Chambers translation."

If you've read the book, take the quiz.
I got 8 of 10.
(Missed 10 and 5)

For the record, I strongly agree.
Michigan-Ohio State would be another good game, but who knows?

With younger, more inconsistent players at the college level accounting for erratic games like last night, you still give Chris Leak the opportunity to turn it on in the championship game for his team. We should see the SEC-Big 10 champions match up.

The Gators deserve to be there, based on competition. I'm a believer.

Bryan Adams, the early Mtv V-J's, and Pee Wee
are havin' a reggae Christmas, having a good time too...

Merry Christmas and a reggae new year to you/ Respect.

Like night and day . . .

Here's Anita O'Day, Gene Krupa, and Roy Eldridge.

Don't thank me. Thank George.

"Tea for two."

An hour later...

in Better Light.

Right on time.

Something about opening the blinds the first time each winter and looking out on the overnight white. Really is magical early on. And December 1 -- right on time.

Something about Christmas time
Makes you wish it was Christmas every day.
to see the joy in the children's eyes
the way that the old folks smile
Just makes you wish it was Christmas every day.