Harp Music: Sacred, Classical, or Jazz?

The harp. Aaah!  An instrument played by angels. Only for classical musicians or those who appreciate the divine and the heavenly.  Yes or No?

Join the debate.

Go Google Yourself!! Fairy Tales Do Come True.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."

- Hans Christian Andersen

If you are you a writer or a blogger like me, then you'll appreciate this post.  I have been at this home biz endeavor for a while. (Started trying to blog and write in 2011.) 

Do you ever Google yourself (your name and a search term) to see what pops out in the search results? 

It's a serious search but also a lot of fun!

I write at various sites and wanted to quickly find some content I had published several years ago, so I Googled myself (fairy tales, cmoneyspinner).  The search engine generated 86,600 results (0.50 seconds). WHOA! The results also change depending on which browser (Chrome vs Firefox).  My fairy tales quest came true.  I found what I was looking for. YAY!!  I couldn't believe it!!   The search engine actually recognized me!  Happy to report that the first two search results actually did relate to what I was searching for.  What was curious was the rest of the page results? I don't quite get the connection. (O.o)  No matter.  The search results were fruitful.

There probably is no connection other than the fact that my name also shows up with some of those content links and the search engine decided to produce some more results to fill out the page.

Let's face it. It's artificial intelligence and a handy research tool. But the search engine can't do the thinking for you. You got the results. Now you're going to have narrow it down and do some cherry picking.

The search was still fun though! :)

By the way, do you know the name of the man who is called the father of fairy tales.  HINT:  It's not Hans Chrisitian Anderson.  (Answer.)

An Illustrated Treasury of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales: The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, the Princess and the Pea and Many More Classic Stories

HCA By Thora Hallager (1821-1884) - http://museum.odense.dk/viden-om/hc-andersen/publikationer/jeg-sad-i-dag-for-photographen.aspx, Public Domain 

 

Holiday Traditions: Presentation of the Gifts of the Magi

The presentation of the gifts of the Magi is an integral part of the story of the birth of Jesus.

Every year during the month of December, many people direct their minds to the story about the birth of Jesus, revered by faithful Christians as the Savior of the world. Although the nativity scene always shows the three wise men (also called the three kings) adoring a newborn baby and bearing gifts, the biblical account indicates that their visitation did not occur on the night that Mary gave birth. It was a few years later. 

Yet the erroneous tradition persists. There is also a question or debate as to whether or not there were three men at all. Because three gifts are mentioned, the assumption was made that there was one wise man bringing one gift. 3 gifts must equal 3 gift-bearers. The fact is that the number of men from the East who were led by the Star of Bethlehem was not recorded in the scriptures. Though one can question the total number of men that comprise what we refer to as “The Magi”, everybody accepts that there were 3 gifts and these offerings were gold, frankincense and myrrh.

• Trivia: What were the names of the three kings (wise men or magi)?  The 12 days of Christmas ends with the Feast of the Epiphany.  (Don't check the Bible story.  The answer is not in there.)

Gold: one of the first precious metals known to mankind; a symbol of great wealth; often presented as a donation to a king's treasury in exchange for his goodwill.

Frankincense: a useful gift for a holy man, as it was often used by those who served in a temple or other place designated as a worship center.

Myrrh: an ingredient in anointing oil but also used for embalming to prepare a body for burial. An “anointing” is when a person is set apart to perform a specific task or mission. A mixture of myrrh and aloes was used by those who wrapped the body of Jesus and laid Him to rest in the tomb. Each one of these gifts was very costly. But there is nothing in the gospel accounts to indicate that Jesus or his parents, a humble carpenter and his wife, lived an extravagant lavish lifestyle. Do suppose they took the gold and frankincense and gave it to those in charge of the temple treasury?  After all, they were very devout Jews. Do you ever wonder if Mary, the mother of Jesus, saved the gift of myrrh to be used for her Son's burial?  It seems like something a loving mother would do; especially if she knows, in advance, what will happen to her child.


(Images found at glitter-graphics.com)

 * * * Additional REFERENCES:

• "Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? - Bible History Daily." Biblical Archaeology Society. Ed. Biblical Archaeology Society Staff. N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in December 2011. It has been updated.—Ed. ( https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/ ) 

• Myers, Clara. "Bible Herbs - Writedge." Writedge. Harlow-McGaw Media, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2015. (Replacement link:  http://eeschannel.blogspot.com/p/bible-herbs-by-clara-myers.html). 

Republished content ~ Also appears at Partner blog My Blog Stop!

Entertainment : Review of TV Drama Series : "Small Island" (2009)

"Small Island" is a two-part drama adapted for television, included in the BBC Masterpiece Classic Collection, based on a novel by the same title written by Andrea Levy.

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“Small Island” is a BBC Masterpiece Theater presentation.  The name of the main character is Hortense, an idealistic “proper” young Jamaican woman who dreams of living in England and she will fulfill her dream! It may take a little bit of conniving but … she will make it happen!

The setting is the 1940s; during and after the World War II - Jamaica and London.

* Naomie Harris plays Hortense.  She is something else!!

If the name Naomie Harris sounds familiar, it should. She starred in the James Bond movie, “Skyfall”. At the end of the movie, she finally formally introduced to Mr. Bond as “Miss Moneypenny”.

Here's the plot in a nutshell.

Hortense has a friend who has a fiancé and that fiancé is in the military and intends to take the friend, who will be his wife, with him when he goes to England. Uh huh. That was the original plan. But Hortense figured out a way to get the guy to ditch the friend and take her to England instead.   Like I said:  She is something else!  :)

* David Oyelowo plays Gilbert, the fiancé, scratch that ex-fiancé … dot dot dash … husband of “convenience”.

David Oyelowo. That name sound familiar? It should. He was “Danny” in the popular BBC spook TV show, “MI-5”. Also chosen for the role of “Dr. Martin Luther King”, in the Oscar-nominated film “Selma” about the Civil Rights Movement in America.

“Small Island” is a love story and you will love all of the characters; the ones in the starring roles and the supporting roles. They are very realistic and you will feel like you're a part of their lives.

Authentic costumes, great scenery, believable dialogue, stellar performances, quality entertainment!

My one word to describe this masterpiece? Delightful!

Most memorable line? “Gilbert! I'm perishin' in this bed!” :)

Hortense dreams of England - Small Island - BBC


NOTE:  This content was first published at Daily Two Cents; however that site shut down.  It has now been published via Read.Cash.

Living in the USA: Texas is Fascinating: Agree or Disagree

Texas is Fascinating: Agree or Disagree 

Vacation, Watch a Movie or Read About It.

For those of you who don't know this, when people joke about everything in Texas being big, they're joking and they're telling you the truth. Grew up in South Florida but developed a fascination with the 28^th state admitted to the Union when I watched the movie “Giant” starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.  So at the first opportunity, accepted a job transfer and relocated my family to Houston. We only lived there for a year (1987) but it was fun and very economical!

Also lived in El Paso for about two and a half years during the latter half of the 90s. Cheap to live, but right on the border and lots of problems with gangs in the schools. U. S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement definitely had their work cut out for them. Apologies if ELP residents are offended. Not trying to bad-mouth it, but that is how it was when I lived there.  Would be awesome if a current resident(s) could share a better report. Visited San Antonio and Dallas/Fort Worth; for business travel and for personal reasons. Been through a few other cities such as Abilene and Midland, on my way to somewhere else.  They were very nice places.  Former First Lady Laura Bush is from Midland.  The city gets two thumbs up from me just for that fact.  I have a lot of respect and admiration for Mrs. Bush.  The most recent news about Midland is that folks are moving there because of job opportunities.

Currently reside in Austin, Texas and living in the state's capital is marvelous; family-friendly and business-friendly.  Plus Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey both have homes here.  "Alright! Alright! Alright!"  Direct quote from Mr. McConaughey's acceptance speech at the 2014 Oscars ceremony.  He won Best Actor.  It's my exact description of daily life in Austin, Texas.  So if anybody asks me "What is the best U.S. city?", Austin, Texas is at the top of my list.

Many cities in Texas have a flavorful or interesting history. Did you know that the City of Grapevine, Texas was the last stop for the infamous criminal duo, Bonnie and Clyde?  If you wanted to take a vacation and decided to rent an RV and tour the entire state, you would probably have no regrets. Indeed if you ever wondered how James Michener could write an epic saga about Texas, when your vacation was over, you would have no more questions.

Title: Texas; Author: James Michener

Genre: Fiction; Publisher: Fawcett; Release Date: June 12, 1987

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 

Quick Posts About Texas Cities:

• Cedar Park, Texas – Small City-Town USA
• Small Town USA - Greenville, Texas
• Texas Real Estate: Corsicana, Texas

Visit the USA by Way of Texas

Image Credit:
Found on Flickr

Holidays and Celebrations : Intro to Halloween Superstitions ~ Happy Halloween!

Halloween superstitions?
For me, many of them were incredibly unbelievable or simply unexplainable.

But the holiday itself has always been fun. Designed to scare ya! Not terrifying heart-stopping scary. Fun scary! The celebration is loaded with superstitious beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. Some clouded in gloom and doom. Some harbingers of good fortune and good things to come. Halloween has from bats and black cats to ghosts and spirits to spiders and trick or treat.  Here is a link to a quick study!

A Brief Introduction to Halloween Superstitions

(Image found at glitter-graphics.com.)

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Get into the spirit of the Halloween holiday!!