text:
Relentless 525 takes flight

Bell Helicopter's first Relentless 525 flight helped test the aircraft's flight control system and will assist in future test flights as the company heads toward delivering its first aircraft to customers in 2017, a company executive said.
By Jim McBride

Amarilloans want to talk police brutality

A group of Amarillo residents said they delivered information to each Amarillo City Council member on Thursday inviting them to a community meeting to discuss police brutality. The meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m.
By Amanda Castro-Crist

4th fun features fireworks, live bands

On Saturday, AGN Media will celebrate our nation's independence at the Party in the Park. The celebration will include live bands starting at 4 p.m. and a grand fireworks display starting at dusk.

City Council, AEDC to meet Monday

Members of Amarillo City Council and the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. board will meet Monday at AEDC's request.

Today in History for Friday, July 3, 2015

■ On July 3, 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops failed to breach Union positions during an assault known as Pickett's Charge.
By - The Associated Press

Word of the Day for Friday, July 3,2015

WORD OF THE DAY mawkish ■ mawk.

Calendar for Friday, July 3, 2015

Entertainment Mike Fuller: Noon. Furrbie's, 210 S.W. Sixth Ave. No cover. 806-220-0841. Those Guys: Noon. Jacobo's Cafe, 3701 Olsen Blvd., Suite L. No cover. 806-418-8850. Pete y Los Rieleros: 6:30 p.m. Bracero's Bar & Grill, 2822 S.W. Sixth Ave.

Cornyn visits AC Lego Robotics Camp

Joseph Meza, 13, wants to be an engineer. Sierra Gimenez, also 13, wants to build things to help people with disabilities.
By Mollie Bryant

Targets fly at State Trap Shoot

Shooters from across the U.S. aimed at targets and pulled their triggers Thursday in the 2015 Texas State Trap Shoot at Amarillo Gun Club. "A lot of people enjoy shooting sports," said Steve Camarata, gun club board president.

Veterans, families saluted

AGN Media will recognize two military families as special guests during Saturday's Party in the Park Fourth of July celebration at John S. Stiff Memorial Park, Southwest 45th Avenue and Bell Street.

Power outages affect thousands

Thousands of customers in downtown Amarillo were affected by two power outages Thursday after a storm affected the Van Buren substation. "The biggest issues were traffic signals.

Wellington man killed in rollover

A Wellington man was killed in a single-vehicle rollover Wednesday afternoon in Collingsworth County, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers said. Eddie Howard Andrews, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene of the rollover.

Harpole to host another town hall

Mayor Paul Harpole will host another town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the Northwest Branch Library, 6100 S.W. Ninth Avenue.
By - Kevin Welch

Sheplers sale complete

Sheplers Boots'n Jeans in Amarillo now is officially part of the Boot Barn chain.

Hundreds join in downtown explainer

Amid the conflict that has erupted in city government with the arrival of reform-minded councilmen, more than 250 people attended a nine-hour meeting Wednesday to hear where seemingly stalled downtown redevelopment is headed.

Mayor shocked by call to oust manager

Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole said Wednesday he is "still in shock" over City Councilman Mark Nair's request for City Manager Jarrett Atkinson's resignation.

Advance Amarillo rallies support for projects

Advance Amarillo stepped forward Wednesday to give what one member called a voice to the "silent majority" supporting the $93 million project to revitalize downtown Amarillo.

Amarilloans speak out on City Hall unrest

Several people at Center City of Amarillo's High Noon on the Square event Wednesday on the Potter County Courthouse lawn were questioning newly minted Amarillo City Councilman Mark Nair's request that City Manager Jarrett Atkinson resign.

Calendar for Thursday, July 2, 2015

Entertainment Dan Lesperance: 6 p.m. Wild Bill's Fillin' Station, 3514 S.W. Sixth Ave. No cover. 806-372-4500. Strangetowne: 7 p.m. Part of Music in the Gardens concert series. Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.

Today in History for Thursday, July 2, 2015

■ In 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Washington railroad station; Garfield died the following September. (Guiteau was hanged in June 1882.
By - The Associated Press

Police release photo of backpack used in Monday robbery

Amarillo Police Department detectives have released a photo of a backpack that was used in Monday's robbery at EZ Money Loan Services. At 10:22 a.m., police responded to an armed robbery at EZ Money Loan Services, 1202 E. Amarillo Blvd.

DPS increases reward for fugitive wanted on child sex assault charges

Texas Department of Public Safety has increased its reward to $12,500 for the capture of a Potter County fugitive on the state's most wanted list. Omar Cruz, also known as Omar Camacho Cruz, 31, is wanted on forgery and child sexual assault charges.
By Amanda Castro-Crist

Police investigate vandalism at Pampa gym

Pampa Gray County Crime Stoppers is asking for help in solving a vandalism at a Pampa gym that caused an estimated $3,000 in damage. Sometime on June 22 or 23, an unknown person or group of people forced entry into the Pampa Optimist Youth Club, 601 E.
By - Vanessa Garcia

1 dies in Lakeside Drive wreck

A 21-year-old man was killed Wednesday after the car he was driving was struck by a tractor-trailer on Lakeside Drive, Amarillo police said. Sgt.

Potter, Randall issue first same-sex marriage licenses

Two Amarillo men became the first couple in Potter and Randall counties to obtain a same-sex marriage license on Wednesday. Jimmy Healy, 47, and David Miller, 55, received their license about 12:30 p.m. at Potter County Courthouse.
By Amanda Castro-Crist

Community churches unite

Laughter, yells and singing from children echoed throughout the parks at San Jacinto and Margaret Wills elementary schools, as more than 400 people come together for the weeklong 4 Amarillo In-Town Mission project.
By Eboni Graham

DPS: Driver in wreck wasn't evading

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Chris Ray said the woman involved in a Saturday wreck had a medical issue and was not evading a trooper who initiated a traffic stop, as previously reported. About 6:10 p.m.

Industries support Thornberry water bill

Texas Panhandle leaders in farming, ranching, oil and gas industries voiced concerns that a federal rule intended to enforce water pollution would wreak havoc on their businesses. U.S. Rep.
By Mollie Bryant

Holiday closures

■ Potter County District Court: Closed Friday ■ Randall County District Court: Closed Friday ■ U.S.

1 killed in Ross St. wreck

VIDEO| A man was killed in two-vehicle wreck Wednesday night on Ross Street near Southeast 14th Avenue, Amarillo police said.

Council takes aim at AEDC, Atkinson

Tuesday's Amarillo City Council meeting had a little drama to it, but the lid blew off at the end.
By Kevin Welch

Judge orders competency, DNA tests in Johnson case

A judge has ordered DNA testing and a competency exam for a man whose attorneys allege he was a victim of police brutality.
By Mollie Bryant

Nordic Galley Bakeri changes hands

VIDEO | Joni Prater knew she would have to take a deep breath to walk away from the Amarillo bakery she created in tribute to her mother, a business she dearly loves. Yet breath is the one thing difficult for her to muster.

AC OKs tax break for wind company

The Amarillo College Board of Regents approved a tax abatement for a Spain-based wind tower construction company during its meeting Tuesday night.
By Mollie Bryant

Offices to close for Independence Day

City of Amarillo offices will be closed Friday in observance of Independence Day. All Amarillo Public Library locations will be closed Friday and Saturday. The Solid Waste Department will operate the city landfill from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
By - Russell Anglin

Gay marriage leaves much to discuss

The two neighbors, Mr. Left and Mr. Right, were in their backyards in the evening early this week. Left turned off his mower as he finished the yard. Right turned off the weedeater at his. They ambled over to the 5-foot fence between them.

Hollywood exit to close

The northbound exit ramp from Interstate 27 to Hollywood Road will be closed this morning for milling and paving, Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Paul Braun said. The closure will last most of the day.
By - Russell Anglin

Texas Mutual donation to help fund local programs through United Way

United Way of Amarillo and Canyon on Tuesday received more than $20,000 to help fund its mission. With its $25,000 donation, Texas Mutual Insurance Co. became the local United Way's first 2015 Presidential Partner.

Potter deputies find Calif. teen

A Potter County sheriff's deputy found a missing teenage girl and the man accused of kidnapping her during a Tuesday traffic stop. At 10:48 a.m., a deputy was traveling east on Interstate 40 west of Amarillo and spotted a white Dodge pickup.

Woman charged with shooting boyfriend in the head

An Amarillo woman has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after she shot her boyfriend in the head early Saturday, police said Tuesday. About 4:30 a.m.
By Jim McBride

Manhole installation project to start Monday

On Monday, High Plains Contractors will begin to set up traffic control devices along South Seminole Street to install sewer manholes.

Today in History for Wednesday, July 1, 2015

■ In 1535, Sir Thomas More went on trial in England, charged with high treason for rejecting the Oath of Supremacy. (More was convicted, and executed.
By - The Associated Press

Calendar for Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Community "Texas": 8:30 p.m.; dinner at 6 p.m. Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Tickets $16.95 to $30.95 adults, $12.95 to $26.95 children; dinner $16 adults, $9 children. 806-655-2181 or

Local clerks ready to issue same-sex marriage licenses

Clerks in both Potter and Randall counties said Tuesday they can now issue same-sex marriage licenses.
By Jim McBride

Three taken to hospital after U.S. 287 wreck

Three people were taken to a hospital after a Tuesday afternoon wreck on U.S. Highway 287...

Beilue: Gay marriage leaves much to discuss

The two neighbors, Mr. Left and Mr. Right, were in their backyards in the evening early...

Judge orders competency, DNA tests in Johnson case

A judge has ordered DNA testing and a competency exam for a man whose attorneys allege he...
By By Mollie Bryant

Council takes aim at AEDC, Atkinson

Tuesday’s Amarillo City Council meeting had a little drama to it, but the lid blew off at...
By By Kevin Welch


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Bill Margrave

Posted: Sunday, October 28, 2007

Bill Margrave, 66, of Amarillo died Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007.

No services are scheduled at this time. Arrangements are by Angel Funeral Home, 2209 S. Arthur St.

Mr. Margrave was a loving father and grandfather. He was an accomplished leather crafter for many years.

Survivors include two daughters, Loecca Margrave of Blackfoot, Idaho, and Diana Hunter of Torrington, Wyo.; a son, Dallas Wade Margrave of Amarillo; and nine grandchildren.

Amarillo Globe-News, Oct. 28, 2007

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text:
Bridal show to feature latest in attire, services

Posted: Sunday, February 07, 1999

The lure of wedding bells will draw lovers to the 16th annual Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Bridal Show from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza.

More than 25 area merchants will display wedding-related items ranging from gowns and tuxedos to limousines and honeymoon destinations. The show is sponsored by Gingiss Formalwear, television station KFDA and the Amarillo Globe-News.

The show gives betrothed couples and their families an opportunity to view an array of wedding-related merchandise under one roof, according to Bill Geist, bridal show director.

The show averages an attendance of about 1,000 people and of that total, at least 250 are brides, he said.

"It's the largest bridal show in the Panhandle at this time," Geist said. "We always have it right around Valentine's Day, which is significant, because a lot of girls get their rings at that time."

The show will include continuous modeling of bridal and formalwear fashions for 1999. Merchants will spotlight their new spring and summer designs.

"I am sure that all of the merchants have something new that they will feature for summer weddings," he said.

A new attraction to the show - and to Amarillo - will be a booth from the Big Texan Palace, Geist said. The new addition to the Amarillo restaurant by a similar name will specialize in destination and Western-themed weddings and wedding packages that will take place on site.

An addition to the back of the restaurant will accommodate the new facility, which owners hope will draw people from around the world, Geist said. Several area wedding-related merchants will provide items for the all-inclusive wedding packages.

"That's a new, exciting thing that's coming to Amarillo this summer, so I think it's worth mentioning," Geist said.

The MS bridal show also will feature chamber music by the Vienna Conspiracy String Quartet, a guest appearance by Miss Amarillo Area and a grand prize giveaway of an all-expenses-paid Sandals Resort honeymoon trip courtesy of Let's Go Travel and American Airlines.

Sandals Resorts are all-inclusive destinations in locations such as Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Bridal Show sponsors are: Top O' Texas American Businesswomen's Association; A World of Travel; Big Texan; Blunck's Studio; Brides; Diamond Limousine; Dillard's; Display Concepts; Expressions; Fancy Foto; First Impressions; Gingiss Formalwear; Independence Hall; JCPenney; Let's Go Travel; Ranch House Bed and Breakfast; Royal Limo Service; Shaner Hotel Group; Snowhite Bakery; Sweetz by Moi!; Vienna Conspiracy; Wedding Chapel; Patricia Vahn, wedding hair designer; and the Wellington Room.

Bridal Show auction donors and items include: A World of Travel, gift certificate; Big Texan Palace, wedding package gift certificate; Blunck's Studio, free sitting and 16-by-20 portrait; Vahn, a day of beauty for bride, honor attendant and one bridesmaid; Brides, gift certificate; Diamond Limousine, two hours of limousine service; Dillard's, gift certificate; and Display Concepts, rental of 20-by-20 tent including delivery and setup.

Other auction items are: Expressions, wedding stationery gift certificate; Fancy Foto, gift certificate; First Impressions, cosmetics; Gingiss Formalwear, tuxedo rental gift certificate; Independence Hall, gift certificate; JCPenney, luggage; Ranch House Bed and Breakfast, one-night stay in the bridal suite; Royal Limousine, two hours of limousine service; Shaner Hotel Group, four romance packages; Snowhite Bakery, gift certificate; Sweetz by Moi!, bridal accessories and gift certificate; Vienna Conspiracy, 14 karat pearl diamond pendant; The Wedding Chapel, basket of wedding bubbles; and The Wellington Room, basket of wedding accessories.

All proceeds from admission fees and from the silent auction benefit the Panhandle Chapter of the National MS Society, which serves nearly 600 families, according to Jeri Farris, society president.

The society serves people who have multiple sclerosis in the top 29 counties of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and four counties in Eastern New Mexico, Farris said.

Show tickets cost $3 and are available at the door.

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text:
Saturday, 12 July 2008

Pot shots…

I put the fear of god into to the boy next door last night. What happened? I came home from work and was writing my blog when I heard the kid next door laughing as dumb-arsed teenage boys do. I reckon he’s probably 16. Anyway I was writing away and I heard these sounds like shots pinging off various things. My first thought was ‘wanker’. Teenage boys are just plain nitwits aren’t they? What goes on in their heads? Anyway, I heard these various cracking sounds like projectiles hitting stuff next door. I was about to get up and see what was going on when one of them smacked into my window where I was sitting. I looked at the window. It’s not broken but there is what looks like a bullet hole in the pane. The sound of laughter stopped, followed by running feet. Riiiight…time to feel the wrath of Amarindawarrior woman.

I stomped over to next door. Their snapping ball of fur, started barking its dumb fool head off. “Shut up!” I commanded. The dog whimpered and was instantly silent. Smart dog. I knocked on the door. The kid came to the door doing this really innocent look. Puh-lease - I perfected that

innocent look years ago so there is no point trying to use it on me. I asked to speak to his parents. Turns out his parents weren’t home. Big surprise. I don’t know these people. They keep to themselves and that’s fine by me. I explained to the kid about the window. He blithered out some half arsed it-wasn’t-me-thing. When he realized I was not buying that he then said it was only popping corn – you know the hard kernels – that he was shooting out of a gun. Little shit. I told him regardless what it was it was a weapon, he had inflicted damage on my home and if he ever aims a weapon at me or my home or anyone else he was in big trouble. He then tried to do the ‘can’t have been that much damage thing.’ I told him that whatever damage he does his parents pay for and I was sure they would not be happy about that. I explained I would be seeing his parents when they got home on Monday. I also pointed out that he could seriously injure someone with his ‘gun’ and suggested that unless he
wanted to have police involvement over a malicious shooting he should put his gun or whatever it was - away. He looked scared shitless. One peep from the kid this weekend and he is toast. Some people raise the dumbest kids. And dumb kids with projectiles = danger to themselves and others.

Guns – yes, they go bang, bang and they have been glamorized by Dirty Harry and James Bond. Any fool can own one and shoot one. But to me, unless you have the necessary training and mental stability, you may as well run with scissors as the result will be the same but instead of harming another, you’ll only hurt your dumb arsed self.

Another moment to vent – the bank has changed their incredibly easy telephone bill paying system and put in the automated bitch from hell. That cow took 2 lots of $385.00 for one bill. I hate her. She must die.

On to much, much more pleasant things….

Passions of Atlantis by Alexis Canto
has been released at Ellora’s Cave. Yes, it’s all ready to buy – just click on the cover. What I love about this book is it romantic and sexy but it also has this totally different plot. Past lives and past passion? You gotta’ love that. Read below then click and buy. It sounds like a keeper to me.

The blurb….

When pro photographer Brandi meets hot professor Pascal, she thinks she's in for nothing more than a fling.
But when Pascal introduces her to a secret means of tapping in to other people's lives from the distant past and reliving their experiences in all their passion, longing and pleasure, Brandi finds her emotions ensnared and her body aroused. Each trip to the past leaves her spinning with desire and overwhelmed by raw experience.
At the same time, Pascal penetrates Brandi's cool exterior, threatening to win her heart.

The excerpt…

Brandi had the urge to remind Pascal she lived far away. She wanted to affirm to him that she was a loner, only in this for a night or two of sex with a near stranger. She smiled, appreciating the intensity of his gaze. This promised to be an interesting evening to say the least. "This can only be a fling," she said. "If there's something special here, it has to be something short-lived."
Pascal slowly traced warm fingers up and down her sides. "Then we'll have to make the most of the time we have," he said. She relaxed into his touch, thinking of her earlier fantasy about him. Her body responded with arousal that made her skin feel hot and her inner thighs moist. She let her eyelids drift closed, savoring the juxtaposition of the memory of her imaginings earlier in the day with the reality of the man standing in front of her, his hands wandering over her torso.
"You came here," he said. Her eyes were still closed. "I gave you my address and you came. That says a lot, Brandi. Maybe more than you realize."
She felt a strange fluttery lightness in her chest as he spoke those words. She decided to ignore the feeling. It could mean anything or it could mean nothing at all. "Just tell me one thing," she said. "Anything you want. One secret about you. I have a rule that I don't have sex with a man until I know a secret about him."

….oooh, what’s the secret??? And hey – remember – contest coming very soon…scroll down and see what we have planned. Can you ever go wrong with chocolate?
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

barbara huffert said...

Good for you. Hopefully the fear you put in that stupid boy will prevent him from graduating to a large gun with real bullets. I don't understand why they fail to grasp the concept that projectiles of any variety are truly dangerous when launched at high speed. Perhaps shooting them all in the foot with their "harmless" toys would help with that.

Anika Hamilton said...

I would have loved to see Amarinda, warrior woman, in action.

Anny Cook said...

Glad you put the fear of somebody in him. I believe there is a place for a gun, but it isn't in an teenager's hands for sure!

Regina Carlysle said...

Good for YOU. Glad you scared the little shit. Many teenagers have no CLUE what is dangerous and sometimes think NOTHING of destroying property. One of my son's friends shot BB's into our garage wall several years ago. Of course, we weren't home at the time...the adults, I mean. My son and his friend had to dig the 30 some odd bb's out of the wall and repaint the garage...all of it. Dummies.

Molly Daniels said...

Good for you!

Had a similar conversation with the idiot teen who nearly caused the demise of my daughter's glasses. Fortunately, they were found, and his grandma backed me up on potential punishment:)

Sandra Cox said...

Good for you, Amarinda. Handled that one just right. Good thing you were home.
Wishing you many sales, Alexis, sounds like a great read.

Jacquéline Roth said...

Now "going cornin'" isn't a new concept to me but we never used anything but our hands to launch the projectiles. A hand full of popping corn against someone's metal shed sounds like buckshot.

Firing it from a gun is just stupid.


text:
Sony Xperia Z2 Smartphone is now available in Egypt
15/06/2014 12:49 pm EDT

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The much anticipated Xperia™ Z2 is now available in the region at all leading retailers. Now, Customers in the region can finally get their hands on Sony’s best ever Smartphone.

The Xperia™ Z2, Sony’s best ever premium waterproof smartphone, combines best display, sound, camera and camcorder experiences as well as an exclusive entertainment offer and a growing ecosystem of companion products. Additionally, everyone who will buy Xperia Z2 will get the chance to choose 6 Hollywood blockbuster movies to download for free from a list of 15 movies.

This is an exclusive content offer through Xperia Lounge on all Xperia Z2.

Movies like: Captain Philips, This is it, Moneyball, MIB 3, Total Recall, 21 Jump Street & Cloudy with chance of meatballs 2.

Key Features of the Sony XperiaTM Z2:
• The world’s best camera and camcorder in a waterproof smartphone with Sony’s proven camera technologies: Award-winning “G Lens”, 20.7 MP “Exmor RS for mobile” CMOS image sensor and “BIONZ for mobile” image processing engine.
• Capture video in 4K resolution with SteadyShot™, complemented by new Xperia camera apps such as Timeshift video and new AR effect.
• Our brightest and most vivid viewing experience ever on 5.2″ Full HD TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile with Live Colour LED powered by X-Reality™ for mobile.
• The world’s first Digital Noise Cancelling Technology in a smartphone for an immersive audio experience.
• The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait CPUs and 4G LTE for fast performance, 3GB RAM and high capacity 3200 mAh battery in an 8.2 mm slim smartphone.

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text:
About Place

When I was in high school one of our poetry writing exercises was to write a Where I’m From poem modeled, I believe, after George Ella Lyon’s poem of the same title. I loved this exercise at the time, probably because it gave my 16-year-old voice an edge of highly coveted authority, but over the years it has stuck with me as something of a daily mental status update. I’ll pass something in the car, and my brain will automatically say, I am from the land where chicory and discarded wrappers tell their own stories on the sides of the road. These little quips ground me and comfort me, and importantly, never seem to leave me.

We traveled to North Carolina this weekend for Easter, something of an annual pilgrimage, to two of the farms that I really am from, and all weekend the little I Am From lines were popping up left and right in my mind. We all know what Easter does or doesn’t mean to us, but for me, this time of year is really about returning to something. We get excited to be going back to the farm, to the places that I tromped around on in cowboy boots as a child, to the place that we said I Do, to a little nook in Western North Carolina that you can look at every day and still get caught off guard by its beauty. Although we go many times throughout the year back to these places that have been home for us, there’s something about this time of year that carries a compelling reverence for the world anxiously blooming forward and simultaneously calling us back. Although we don’t live in North Carolina anymore, it holds our hearts firmly and wholly, and getting into its mountains is a lot like secretly bumping knees under a table with your first true love.

In an explanation of her original poem, George Ella  Lyon says, “Where I’m From grew out of my response to a poem from ‘Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet’ (Orchard Books, 1989; Theater Communications Group, 1991) by my friend, Tennessee writer Jo Carson. All of the People Pieces, as Jo calls them, are based on things folks actually said, and number 22 begins, “I want to know when you get to be from a place. ”

I love this question. My rural heritage has taught me that I have no true rural heritage because I doubt we’ll ever be from somewhere until at least 4 generations of our people have entered and left the world there, but let’s remember that I’m nothing without my nostalgia, so I don’t think that I can bear to be metaphorically homeless simply because I have a measly first generation birthright to the part of the world that my family loves. Stubbornly then, this weekend I realized that I know that I am from something because I know where to go to find it, and I know what will be waiting for me when we get there. The land will change, and in one case may no longer be ours, the people will change, the parties will change, the relationships will change, but what will endure is knowing that I am who I am because of what I come from, and in that way, we will always be able to go back. That is, in my mind, when you get to be from a place.

I’m rattling on about all of this because I have chattered about Easter over the years and wanted to make sure that I’ve recorded that this tradition of our annual get-together is not about new dresses and dyed eggs, but it’s about my brave family opening up their home to all of us so that we can say, I Am From…

and so, so, so much more.

(those last 3 pictures were taken shamelessly from my Aunt Vicki, check her out!)


text:
The National Catholic Review

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently offering an exhibition of the work of Fra Angelico (1390/95-1455), one of the most extraordinary artists of the early Italian Renaissance period. His vibrantly hued, finely detailed images of saints, angels and the Holy Family conjure wonder and emanate peace. Many of the most striking works in the exhibit depict Mary and her infant son, a subject that has long captivated artists. In some, the baby Jesus possesses a delightful realism: he tugs at mother Mary’s veil, or peers into her face intently, transfixed. In others, the boy seems hardly a child at all. In Virgin and Child Jesus rests regally in Mary’s arms, dressed, like her, in a gown of royal finery. He gazes out upon us with the solemnity of a judge, and his hands gesture in blessing. Likewise, in Virgin and Child With Angels, by Fra Angelico’s contemporary Benozzo Gozzoli, brilliant red- and blue-winged cherubs press in upon the haloed pair from all sides while, again, Jesus blesses us. In Angelico’s Virgin of Humility, the baby caresses Mary’s cheek with the tenderness of a lover.

Through such presentations, Angelico and other artists attempted to capture the essence of the Incarnation: Jesus Christ, fully human, fully divine. Standing before their work, we are meant to bow down and worship our savior king.

Still, it can be strange to our modern eyes. The otherworldly self-possession of the young Jesus in some pictures suggests less a child than a changeling. Jesus, it would seem, came in human form, but was not in fact a human being. A similar difficulty can ensue in reading the Gospels. Written in the genre of testimony, good news, certain Gospel passages imagine Jesus as wholly knowledgeable of his identity, purpose and fate. Such complete self-awareness is foreign to our own experience of life. It, too, implies that Jesus is not truly one of us.

At Christmas we proceed from an altogether different starting point: an infant, immensely delicate and utterly vulnerable. Like ourselves, he will advance in wisdom and grace as in his physical form, over many years. He will discover his purpose gradually along the way and proceed in hope. He is Emmanuel, God with us in the fragile and sometimes murky fullness of our humanity.

And he is present in our human scene, with all its injustice and uncertainty, as well. Pictures of the virgin and child by Fra Angelico often present the pair front and center, seated on a throne, while saints and angels worship in the background on a landscape of burnished gold. But the baby Jesus was not born at the center of a holy world. Judea was a tiny, remote nation, its land occupied by the vastly more powerful Roman Empire and its population living under the threat of violence from not only the Roman troops but Jewish zealots seeking liberation.

Luke imagines the event even farther removed: Jesus is born not in Jerusalem, nor at home in Galilee among friends and family, nor even in a human habitation at all, but in a stable, among animals, with perhaps a few shepherds standing nearby. In Matthew, no sooner is he born than his family must flee the country entirely and live as refugees in Egypt. When Herod, the Roman-appointed ruler of Galilee, is unable to locate Jesus, he executes every Jewish boy two years old and under.

Aware of what has been accomplished and revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we come to the feast of Christmas and regale the child with glory and praise. And yet, the heart of the feast is not the divinity of Jesus, but the radical extent of God’s desire for us. God so longs to be with us, and longs for us to be with him, that he chooses to become a human being, with all the uncertainties, vulnerabilities and struggles that come with that. In love with us, he places himself in our hands and in the hands of our troubled world. This is the source of our Christmas joy. This is the heart of our wonder.

In the stories of Christmas, we hear of angels, shepherds and wise men who come bringing gifts to the newborn king. To contemplate a picture by Fra Angelico is to behold one such sumptuous offering. Gathered with them this year around the manger, may we both offer praise and also be still and experience God’s abundance and love. As the Father will later say to his Son at the River Jordan, so in the birth of Jesus God says to all of us, You are my beloved. He abandons himself joyfully into our care.

Ruth M. Kirwan | 2/21/2007 - 1:45pm
This is the first time I write to you, though I have read America for over 50 years. Your editorial “A Child Is Born” (12/19) was incredibly beautiful. In the same issue the article “The Historical Mary,” by Robert P. Maloney, C.M., was wonderful. I am keeping the issue because it is so beautiful and I want to reread those pieces.

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text:
The National Catholic Review
As George Bush’s poll numbers sink lower than did Nixon’s in the middle of the Watergate investigations, it is no surprise that most Americans can’t wait for next January 20th when either John McCain or Barack Obama will be sworn in as our next president. But, Americans are not alone. The entire world is filled with challenges that have gone unmet and even unaddressed by this president who has precisely no moral sway over anyone. Hydra, you will recall, had the body of a serpent and many heads. This is the legacy of George Bush abroad , a many-headed monster of foreign policy conundrums. The most recent is in Zimbabwe where opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai announced yesterday that he is withdrawing from the presidential race in the face of an onslaught of state-sponsored violence against his supporters from the regime of incumbent dictator Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai probably won the presidency outright in the first round of voting in March, but Mugabe’s government said no majority had been attained, necessitating a runoff. Then the voter rolls from March were put to evil use by Mugabe, identifying for his thugs those who had supported the opposition. Soon, torture and murder had become the currency of political debate. Tsvangirai realized that as much as his country needs to throw of Mugabe’s tyranny, continuing in the election would only guarantee more violence without any real prospect of Mugabe relinquishing the reins of power. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged that the violence made fair elections impossible. But, no one is mounting any kind of diplomatic effort to remove Mugabe. His people are suffering the worst inflation on the continent and widespread food shortages in addition to the indignity of being unfree in their choice of government, but the U.S. has no quivers in its arsenal. Bush has two choices abroad, send in the Marines or sit back and do nothing. His capacity for moral suasion has expired as the list of deceits and self-deceptions that led to the Iraq War become more obvious and more undeniable. Consider, for a second, the impact of an announcement by, say, President Barack Obama, that he was meeting with Tsvangirai and the leaders of neighboring nations to discuss ways of bringing democracy to Zimbabwe. Let us be more precise. Consider the impact of such an announcement on the minds and hearts of the military and police leaders upon whom Mugabe, aged 84, relies for support? Washington, D.C. is the center of the strangest empire in history. America has few colonial possessions left, but our reach – financially, culturally, militarily – is greater than any previous empire. English is now the lingua franca of the business and diplomatic worlds not because of any concentration of power or wisdom on the banks of the Thames but because of the cultural reach of the United States. Whoever is the next president will be the recipient of an enormous amount of good will simply because his name will not be Bush. I hope the McCain and Obama policy teams are busy planning on how to capitalize on that good will. There is no shortage of difficulties to address and there is much human suffering to assuage. Michael Sean Winters

Anonymous | 6/25/2008 - 11:35am
"Whoever is the next president will be the recipient of an enormous amount of good will simply because his name will not be Bush." A very sad comment, but very true. Let us all hope the next President capitalizes on that sad fact.


text:
The National Catholic Review

On March 5 St. Francis Xavier Church in Henryville, Ind., became the main aid center for local victims of a devastating chain of tornadoes that left 39 dead in five states. • After 22 years of service to the Maryknoll Society, Marie Dennis resigned in January to devote herself to Pax Christi International, which she serves as co-president. • Legalization of same-sex marriage could obscure the “real meaning” of marriage for generations to come, the bishops of England and Wales told parishioners in a letter read at Masses on the weekend of March 11. • Vice President Joe Biden prayed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on March 5, remembering how his mother “impressed upon her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that they must seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother.” • Catholics have a duty to bring faith-inspired convictions to politics and can never allow politics to trump principles articulated by the bishops, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York during a speech on March 3. • The Vatican’s official Web site suffered an attack by the computer hacker coalition “Anonymous,” which cut off access by users for several hours on March 7.

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text: geu_confederateimprints_8qtq3 8qtq3 confederateimprints geu yes Education after the war a letter addressed to a member of the Southern Educational Convention, Columbia, S.C., 28th April, 1863 / Joynes, Edward S. (Edward Southey), 1834-1917. Joynes, Thomas R., Macfarlane & Fergusson, Southern Educational Convention (1863 : Columbia, S.C.) Education--Confederate States of America. "Published in the Southern Literary Messenger and re-printed for the use of the Convention." Crandall, M.L. Confederate imprints, Parrish & Willingham. Confederate imprints, Electronic reproduction. digitized Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library copy in original yellow printed wrappers; has autograph: Thos R. Joynes. The online edition of this book in the public domain, i.e., not protected by copyright, has been produced by the Emory University Digital Library Publications Program. Richmond : Macfarlane & Fergusson, printers 1863 2010 eng text Southern imprint Virginia 1863. local GEU electronic resource application/pdf (GEU)ocm03580157 public domain