J-M's History Corner

Welcome to the 24th edition of My Fortnightly Movie/TV Thoughts .  Last fortnight, I reviewed Home Alone (1990).  This fortnight, I’m reviewing: Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), rated M for science fiction violence That of course is the Australian rating; in the United States, it’s rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. As usual, I’ll include the trailer at the end – and a clip, IF I can find one (and this early into this release, that’s no guarantee). WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.  PROCEED AT OWN RISK. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker The Skywalker Saga has finally come to an end… for the 3rd time!  (This is the absolute final time… apparently.)  In 1983, it seemed – for years to come – that the saga had finally ended with Return of the Jedi .  Then, 16 years later the Prequels came along, and for the better part of a decade it seemed the saga ended with Revenge of the Sith in 2005 (arguably...

Well, today (in Australia) is Christmas Day.  Quite possibly THE most popular holiday in the world (although the media’s trying to make horrid Halloween more and more popular). For those of you who celebrate it, I hope you’re having/have a great day.  For those of you (like me) for whom it’s just another normal day (and no, that’s not “legalistic”), I hope you’re having/have a great day. Although it’s become lost in modern consumerism, Christmas is claimed to be a celebration of Christ’s birthday – although it’s generally agreed that He wasn’t born on that day. Some of you might remember my post Christmas , in which I argued that it is an appropriated pagan festival (see Deuteronomy 12:30-31, Matthew 5, and Does the Torah Still Apply? ).  However, I have since discovered that some of the claims are false. “False” as in I’m seriously questioning my view of Christmas as a pagan festival. I’m going to go through each incorrect (or only partially correct...

Yesterday was the first day of Hanukkah in Australia (in the calendar I follow). J-M's History Corner Shabbat Shalom!  Today (December 21st, 2018) is (in Australia) the first day of Hanukkah (known in Hebrew of Chanukkah), the 8-day feast commemorating the rededication of the Jewish Temple by the Maccabees three years to the day after it was defiled by pagans. You may notice that most people have already celebrated Hanukkah.  I explain the calendar I use in Yom Teruah – The Feast of Trumpets .  It begins on the 25th day of the 9th month (Kislev), and ends on the 3rd day of the 10th month (Tevet).  You can see the feast calendar I’m following for the next year here: Feast Calendar . What is the origin of Hanukkah?  It is explained in the Bible: 1  The Jews in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea, To their Jewish kindred in Egypt, Greetings and true peace. 2  May God do good to you, and may he… View or...

Blockbusters Reviewed Welcome to the 23rd edition of My Fortnightly Movie/TV Thoughts !  Last fortnight, I reviewed Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) .  This fortnight, I’m reviewing: Home Alone (1990), rated PG for mild violence and coarse language That, of course, is the Australian rating; in the United States, it’s rated. As usual, I’ll give the trailer and a clip at the end. And as usual, I offer the following disclaimer just in case: WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.  PROCEED AT OWN RISK. Home Alone OK, who reading this hasn’t seen Chris Columbus’ Christmas classic?  I don’t see many hands raised.  If you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend it; it’s one of the best Christmas movies ever made. It’s chaos at the McCallisters as they prepare for their holiday trip to France – with not only Peter McCallister (John Heard), his wife Kate (Catherine O’Hara) and their kids, but Peter’s brother… View original post ...

Today, I present my Restored English Translation (RET) on the 13th chapter of the Megillat Ester , otherwise known as the Book of Esther .  As usual, it contains the Hebrew names , with a glossary of them at the end. You WON’T find most of this chapter in most Protestant, Jewish or Messianic Bibles; it’s in the earliest manuscripts & manuscript traditions of Esther in existence – all evidence points towards its authenticity – but it was rejected by Rabbinic Judaism (the continuation of the Pharisees) in the centuries after Christ (for some obscure reason) and excluded from the (rather late) Masoretic Text, and for that reason rejected by modern Protestantism and its offshoots.  See Restored English Translation of Esther: Chapter 1 and The Canon of Scripture, Part 1: The Apocrypha . CHAPTER 13 1 “The great king Achashverosh to the princes and governors of the 127 provinces from Hodu to Kush, and to all our faithful subjects, greeting. 2 Many people, the m...

On Saturday , I gave notice that I’m doing a Reader Request today – Friday, December 13th – and to ask me (almost) any question you want.  Well… time’s up!  Here are my answers to your questions. EKURIE ‘S QUESTION Do you have or have you ever had a dog? Any kind of pet? When I was little, we had two dogs, one of whom was named Tea.  (I specifically remember one time letting him into the house because he wasn’t allowed inside.)  Later – in my current home – we had a couple puppies, Max and Jessie (shih tzu/chihuaha cross), but Jessie died from eating snail bait, and we subsequently gave Max away. We currently own chickens, who provide a fairly steady stream of eggs. RYAN CALLAHAN ‘S QUESTIONS What is your favourite food? Ooh, that’s a tough one!  Probably lasagna, with pizza second.  After that, basically anything KFC. Where would you like to visit the most? Um… I really don’t know! KEZIAH ‘S QUESTIONS If you could of...

Dubbed the “Virgin Queen” for her alleged fidelity, Elizabeth I is one of the most well-known English monarchs, the last of the Tudor s.  But… was she a virgin? (Due to complaints about the length of some of my posts, I’ve decided to do this topic in parts; this post is over 1000 words, BUT I’ve only reproduced a single, to-the-point article – and on a single part of this topic.  IF you’re not up to reading it right now, I’ve included several links at the end AND I’m looking at making an audio/video version of it.) From the Daily Mail: Unkempt and exhausted, 800 miles from England the shipwrecked young man prepared to meet his interrogators in a Madrid courtroom one June day in 1587. Suspected of spying after his ship ran aground just days earlier in the Bay of Biscay, the unshaven sailor feared for his life. But it was not the threat of incarceration that troubled him, but the repercussions of the secret he was about to reveal. Asked to identify himself,...

Today I present my Restored English Translation (RET) of Ester ( Esther ) chapter 12.  As usual, it contains the Hebrew names, with a glossary of them at the end.  I have also chosen to include the Aleph/Tavs in the text itself, despite my skepticism of them (mainly because it’s after 10:30 at night, and I just don’t feel like separating them and cataloguing them right now). To clarify for anyone unaware: this is my own personal translation of the Bible, translated by me . You may be thinking “Aren’t there 10 chapters in Esther ?”  See Restored English Translation of Esther: Chapter 1 and The Canon of Scripture, Part 1: The Apocrypha . CHAPTER 12 1 On that day the king Achashverosh gave to Ester the queen את the house of Haman the Yehudim’s enemy. And Mordekai came before the king, for Ester had told who he was to her. 2 And took off the King את his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordekai. And set Ester את Mordekai over the house o...

It’s been AGES since I’ve done a Reader Request !  (Not since March, apparently.)  To everybody reading this: ask me anything you want in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them this coming Friday or Saturday (as long as they’re not too personal or political).  Ask away!

Welcome to the 22nd edition of My Fortnightly Movie/TV Thoughts !  Last fortnight, I reviewed Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).  This fortnight, I’m reviewing: Frozen (2013), rated PG for some scenes may scare very young children Frozen II (2019), rated PG for some scenes may scare younger children Those are the Australian ratings; in the United States, the ratings are: Frozen – PG for some action and mild rude humor Frozen II – PG for action/peril and some thematic elements As usual, I’ll the trailers and a couple clips at the end.  And as usual, just to be safe: WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.  PROCEED AT OWN RISK. Frozen I am one of the latecomers to Disney’s beloved adaption (more like reimagining ) of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen .  Some consider it a girls’ movie, and a young girls’ movie at that.  I don’t care.  I’ve fallen absolutely in love with it, and it stands alongside Tangled as my favourite animate...