J-M's History Corner

J-M's History Corner Today – October 31st – is Halloween.  A day when many children dress up as goblins, witches, and other horrid things and go about getting treats from strangers (although this practice is becoming dangerous ). What is the origin of Halloween? Here is an interesting article on the subject: Few pagan festivals have a history as strange as Halloween. This day is the eve of Allhallows Day (All Saints Day) and is one of the most solemn festivals of the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically it is also a day which commemorates beings and rites with which Christendom has claimed to be at war. The “superstition” of Halloween is that from sundown October 31st until sunrise November 1st is that the unseen spirit world is closer to our world than at any other time. This is supposed to create a special opportunity for interactions between our world, and the world of… View original post 3,875 more words

Keziah E. from https://keziahe.home.blog has nominated me for the Mystery Blogger Award. https://keziahe.home.blog/2019/09/18/mystery-blogger-award/ Thank you, Keziah!  (I definitely recommend checking out her blog, by the way.) My previous award posts: Sunshine Blogger Award Special Blogger Award Sunshine Blogger Award Blogging Award Sunshine Blogger Award Mystery Blogger Award Blogger Recognition Award The Awesome Impact Award The rules: Put the award logo/image on your blog/post. List the rules. Thank the person that nominated you and provide a link to their blog and mention the creator of the award and provide a link. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself. Nominate 10-20 people and notify your nominees. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice. No clue who the creator of the award is. 3 things about me Hmm… Well, I’m a guy, a blogger, and my name starts with J. More seriously… the superhero I’d most like to be is Thor. I’m super excited...

Ah, werewolves.  Popular trope in horror movies and novels.  Usually portrayed as a human who transforms into a humanoid wolf (or as a human-wolf hybrid).  Sometimes the condition (known as lycanthropy) is genetic and hereditary, sometimes it’s the result of a werewolf bite, sometimes the result of a curse.  It’s often (but not necessarily) related to the full moon.   https://youtu.be/TKIbuXsN2F4   https://youtu.be/myjd4uoq6dY https://youtu.be/kzZcDHHNINk However, these nightmarish beasts are not limited to the world of fiction; they are a legendary creature, seen and encountered by many people up until the present day. What are they?  Some are Nephilim – the hybrid products of fallen angels mixing with humans and animals (and possibly humans with animals) in centuries and millennia past.  Others are demonically possessed humans, at least some of which got into “the dark arts”, to borrow Harry Potter ‘s term for ...

Blockbusters Reviewed Welcome to the 19th edition of My Fortnightly Movie/TV Thoughts !  Last fortnight, I reviewed Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).  This fortnight I’m reviewing: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), rated M for science fiction themes and violence That’s the Australian rating; in the United States, it’s rated  PG-13 for sci-fi action violence. As usual, I’ll give the trailer and a clip at the end. And as usual, I offer the following disclaimer just to be safe: WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.  PROCEED AT OWN RISK. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens The franchise was all set to end on a perfect note with Revenge of the Sith .  But it’s Star Wars .  Unsurprisingly, Disney bought the lucrative franchise from Fox, and announced a new series of films and a new trilogy – to premiere with The Force Awakens … View original post 960 more words

Today I present my Restored English Translation (RET) of Ester ( Esther ) chapter 10.  As usual, it contains the Hebrew names, with a glossary of them after the chapter.  At the end is a list of where the Aleph Tavs occur, as they are no longer included in the main text. CHAPTER 10 1 On that night the king’s sleep fled, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the King. 2 And it was found written that Mordekai had told of Bigtana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the guards of the door, who sought to lay hand on the King Achashverosh. 3 And the king asked, “What honour and dignity has been done to Mordekai for this?” Then the King’s servants who ministered to him said, “There is nothing done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had come into the outward court of the King’s House, to speak to the King to hang Mordekai on the wooden gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 And th...

  I come from a large family.  My parents have 8 children (of which I’m the oldest), and my father additionally has 5 older children from previous marriages and relationships – making me the oldest of 8 and the 6th of 13.  Me and my 12 siblings have 4 mothers.  We range in age from 50 (soon to be 51) to 2 (soon to be 3).  I myself am 20.  (My oldest nephews and nieces are older than me – the oldest was 12 at my birth; I became a great-uncle at 10 or 11, and my 3 youngest brothers are younger than our father’s great-granddaughter.) By all means, we’re a large family; but frankly, we pale in comparison with some of the many examples of large families throughout history.  Some of which make even my jaw drop.  Here’s Wikipedia’s incomplete list: Female and monogamous couples This section lists females who gave birth to at least 20 children. Numbers in bold and italics are likely to be inexact, some of them having been recorded ...