CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

It is the Orthodox Tradition to proclaim these words to one another during the time of the Nativity of Our Lord. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, or any other liturgical service, it is custom for the priest to shout out: "Christ Is Born!" with the people responding: "Glorify Him!"
With the Christmas season eding in the secular world on December 26th the Orthodox Church celebrates another 12 more festive days; ending on the eve of Holy Theophany.

International Politics' Acronyms And Body Gestures

I took an International Politics course in College which I thoroughly enjoyed. The neat thing about it is that it's chock full of wonderfully colored acronyms. Read on:

MAD= Mutual Assured Destruction. This was used throughout the Cold War period. 1950's to late 1980's.

NGO's= Non-Governmental Organizations. Example(s) Greenpeace or Amnesty International.

IGO's= Intergovernmental Organizations. Example (UN) United Nations

SALT (I, II)= Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Limits on U.S and USSR strategic weapons.

Another very important factor that weighs heavily in the International Political arena are body gestures. A hand signal, for example, you might think is ok may be down right insulting to someone on the other side of the world. In fact the "OK" sign or "thumbs up" is perfectly postitive here in the United States but in Arab culture it is seen as a sign of hostility and aggression. Another example is the use of the peace sign. If turned the wrong way, it could spark a war between you and someone in Australia!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Happy St. Nicholas Day to all! Last night we had a Vesper Service in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra. Our kiddies received small gifts from him when we were at Church. Sorry, no gold.

Can You Find the Arrow?

FYI

Connecticut: Waterbury- A surgical patient at Waterbury Hospital was burned in a flash fire in an operating room from equipment that malfunctioned. A hospital spokeswoman said the 60-year old man sustained minor burns to his face. The hospital staff had extinguished the fire by the time city firefighters arrived. An investigation was begun.

Do I smell (pardon the pun) a lawsuit awaiting?

Christmas Carol Lyrics

My wife and I were coming home from grocery shopping and we had our car radio tuned to a station that plays Christmas music 24/7. I remarked to her: "Humm... I wonder how many of the listing audience can correctly interpret the lyrics to some of our holiday classics?" Anyway, I did a little research and came up with some interpretations:

"Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again..."

Five-and-Ten= nickel and dime Pop shop.

"A pair of hopalong boots and a gun that shoots."

Translation= A pair of cowboy boots and a gun (toy) that shoots

Lyrics taken from "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas"

"Make the Yule tide gay..."

Translation= Make the festival of the Winter solstice a happy one.

"Here we are as in olden days, golden days of yore."

Translation= Here we are as always, remembering wonderful days long ago.

From: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"