Omnibus II - Beowulf - Know Your Norse Gods

NOTE: This post was written a few weeks before it was posted. By the time you read it, midterm elections will probably be over. Enjoy anyway!

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With midterm elections coming up, I thought it might be appropriate to take a look at some of the most prominent candidates.

THOR ODINSON: running for State Senator. With a thunderous voice, Thor hammers out his opinion from behind his podium. He has been a member of the House of Representatives for some time, and is now setting his sights higher. He is well-known for his aggressive policies toward all enemies of the American way, both foreign and domestic. He is especially hostile to a protest group in the vein of ANTIFA, calling themselves JOTNAR, who oppose the current presidency (and, quite frankly, human nature). Thor has given several press conferences urging decisive action, and even aided supporters in beating JOTNAR back when they turned one of his press conferences into a riot. His strong stances on such matters is likely why he is taking the popularity polls by storm.

ODIN RAVENGOD: running for re-election as State Governor. With his one eye and long beard, one might think Odin looks more a sorcerer than a politician. However, he consistently spearheads political issues, particularly those having to do with education. Unsurprising, given his background as a teacher. He gives talks at schools and colleges around the country, but especially in his home state. Some have theorized he sometimes goes in disguise while on these tours in order to get information about his voters, but this is unverified. He is quoted as saying “I would even hang myself if it would assure that all humanity could attain learning and knowledge.” In addition to his passion for learning, he’s also very concerned with veterans and war memorials. He has started a home for veterans and war heroes called “Valhalla Veterans”.

FRIGG FRIDAY: running for State Governor. With her campaign slogan of “Look to the future”, Frigg is also a popular candidate. Many of her speeches focus on foresight, trying to anticipate political turmoil and prepare for it. One issue, however, that has continually come up throughout this campaign is the scandalous death of her son, Baldr, and his wife some years ago. The event allegedly took place after measures of protection had been set up by Frigg to protect Baldr, which casts aspersions on her current campaign. On her marital relationship with the opposing candidate, Frigg has made no comment.

FREYJA VANIR: running for State Senator. Most popular among the younger generation of voters, the beautiful Freyja most often appeals to their hearts, rather than cover the issues. Love and togetherness are her focus in this campaign. However, she also takes an interest in the war heroes and veterans of our country—her “Folkvangr Home For Veterans” rivals Odin Ravengod’s “Valhalla Veterans”. Freyja often appears at her press conferences and rallies wearing a unique cloak, covered in feathers (called both “a bold fashion statement” and “indignant frippery” by those in the media). Strangely, her rallies have been targeted by JOTNAR groups and individuals, though the reason for their interest is uncertain.

FREYR VANIR: running for Congressman. While his sister, Freyja Vanir, talks mostly about feelings and ideals, Freyr addresses issues, and a lot of them. He has many ideas to make things better—from the administrative authorities of our government to agricultural opportunities to weather-control projects. He has made clear that he intends to bring up all of these before the House of Representatives if ever he is elected. His proclaimed goal is to “bring peace and prosperity to the American people”, making him a popular candidate. However, it is not all sunny blue skies of potential in this campaign. There have been rumours that his wife, Gerðr, is a member of JOTNAR, which, if true, could cause complications to both his and his sister’s campaigns.

NJÖRÐR VANIR: running for re-election as Congressman. With long experience as a Navy-man, businessman, and politician, Njörðr is most focused on economic matters in his campaign. He encourages fair trade and good relations with other nations, stating that these are the best way to bring back real wealth to our economy. The media, however, as per usual, has diverted attention from his policies to a personal matter—that of Skaði Öndurguð. Apparently, they met at a ski lodge and were soon married, but divorced after twelve days (the most popular speculation about this is that they could not agree on where to live). On the matter of Freyja and Freyr Vanir, he has stated that he “brought them up in politics” and is “proud to see [his] children following in [his] footsteps”.

At this point, we will take a look at two candidates from the opposing party.

HEL NIFLHEIM: running for Congresswoman. With a constant, fiercely sober expression, Hel is one of the most popular candidates for the Democratic Party. She is staunchly pro-choice—she has even gone so far as to say at one of her rallies, “I consider women who abort their pregnancies to be giving a gift to me.” She is also very lenient in her immigration policy, saying that she wants us to accept “all those sent to us”. Hel has also made snide remarks about Frigg and the matter of her son’s death: “Perhaps if she could get the whole world to mourn him, he’d spring back to life.” Her followers are ardently devoted, hanging on her every word, shouting down any opposition. Some Right-Wingers have said that they’d rather be dead than see her in office: others have said we all would be.

LOKI LAUFEYSON: running for State Senator. With a past in the media as well as local and state politics, Loki is by far the most dangerous opposition the Left has put forth. He is most interested in “Social Justice”, despite having sided with the Right Wing in past years, and strongly supports homosexual and transsexual rights. Loki has furthermore accused every single Republican candidate of wrongdoing. There have been rumours that he was involved in the death of Baldr, or even arranged the whole thing. Whether this is true or not, it has been proven how Loki has manipulated events throughout his campaign, including encouraging and setting up JOTNAR riots. Yet somehow, he has wormed his way into influence and power, and poses a serious threat to the Right in this election.

Those are the most prominent of the candidates, as well as the opposition. I would say which ones will receive my vote, but unfortunately, I won’t have it myself until after the election. Still, I might as well know what I’m missing.

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Well, that is my post! I hope you enjoyed, and were at least somewhat interested. That was the challenge—to create an analysis of the Norse gods, and a metaphor for them to keep it interesting.

 

Somehow, though, I get the feeling that the metaphor wasn’t the most original. Probably everybody who’s done this class came up with that one.

Ah, well, I hoped you enjoyed anyway! Which ones would get your vote? Let me know down in the comments!

RPC - Western Civ - Common Misconceptions About the Crusades

Greetings, my friends! Welcome back to my old blog--Saint George Academy! Or simply welcome, if you are new.

Yes, I'm back. But, as it should be, I will be posting a school writing assignment. This one is for the Ron Paul Curriculum, and the Western Civilization class in particular. I'm going to be posting another of these, hopefully tomorrow.

I won't generally put a little introduction like this in front of all my school writing assignments. I just decided to do it for this one, my first post back on Saint George Academy with Grace. I hope you enjoy, or better yet, learn from this little historical work of mine!

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            The Crusades, taking place in the late 1090s to early 1290s, were the efforts of Western Christians, working with Eastern Christians, to win back the Holy Land, and especially Jerusalem. This much is fairly common knowledge. But beyond this, there are a lot of misconceptions about the Crusades. In this writing assignment, I will play the historian. And historians have an obligation to tell the truth about what they teach.

I will bring up several misconceptions about the Crusades, and address why they are incorrect.

#1 – The Crusades were simply unprovoked aggression on the part of the Crusaders.

A simple look at history proves otherwise. The Muslims (the Crusaders’ opposition) had taken over two-thirds of the Christian world by the time of the Crusades. Asia Minor—including the important cities of Antioch, Ephesus, and Nicaea—the Middle East, North Africa, and most of Spain had been conquered by the Muslim armies. They had made attempts to conquer France, but were driven back by Charles Martel (an ancestor of my family!).

            There was particularly a lot of conflict between the Muslims and Byzantium, also known as Turkey. Things only got worse for them as the Seljuk Turks entered the scene, and became rulers of Islam. At that point, even the uneasy peace that had existed was gone. Christian pilgrimages became very dangerous. Eventually, the Byzantine emperor had to send pleas for help back West, as the Muslims threatened Constantinople (currently Istanbul). Rather than unprovoked aggression, it was an act of self-defense.

#2 – The Crusaders were fixated on wealth.

            This is a very silly idea. The Crusades were immensely expensive, and were actually a source of financial ruin for many. People had to sell off or mortgage their lands to raise the money needed. According to recent research, many crusaders were already wealthy landowners, and the Crusades were only going to eat away at that fortune.
            A popular theory along these lines is the “Second Sons” theory. Fathers would leave all their lands to their firstborn son as inheritance. The younger sons, who didn’t get any lands, went off on crusades in order to gain lands. However, there is no evidence for this theory. As a matter of fact, it was the “first sons”, the sons that inherited lands, who answered the calls to crusade.

#3 – The Crusaders wanted to convert the Muslims by force in the Crusades.

            This idea is probably just the product of anti-Christian bias. Muslims living in Crusader states were never forced to give up their religion. In fact, Muslims always outnumbered Catholics in the Crusader State of Jerusalem. The truth of the matter is, almost everybody who went on the Crusades really did go for the reasons they gave—to do penance for their sins and to help their Christian brethren.

#4 – There was even a “Children’s Crusade”.

This is not true. There was no army of children, no crusade started by little kids. There was just a variety of uprisings and processions. One such uprising centred around a young man from Cologne named Nicholas, around 1212. Since the rich and powerful had apparently failed to take back Jerusalem, he started a mass movement, his own crusade with the peasants of the Western world. He got a lot of people behind him. Unfortunately, his movement came to an end when they came to the sea. He believed it would open before him, showing the way to the Holy Land. It didn’t. After that, most of the people went home, though some went to Rome.

#5 – The Crusades led to festering resentment among Muslims, which in turn led to 20^th- and 21^st- century terrorism.

To be honest, if you asked a Muslim in the 17^th century about the Crusades, he would have no clue what you were talking about. The Crusades were minor episode—blips—and hardly worth mentioning, from the Muslim perspective. The first Muslim mention of the Crusades in a scholarly work was in 1899, eight hundred years after the First Crusade. Trust me, the Crusades weren’t even on their radar. Not until we modern Westerners started making a big deal about them, anyway.

So there you have it. The Crusades were started and fought for the exact reasons that they said: to aid their Christian brethren in the East, and to retake the Holy Land. And, as they said in their Crusade's battle cry--and ours--"Deus Vult! God wills it!"

Time Traveller's Daughter--An Announcement

Yes, I know. I missed yet another Mid-Week Music post. But I have an announcement to make, and the following will hopefully count as a funny picture.

Brian Regan, a famous comedian, once said something in one of his bits. (Amazing, I know.) We at our house repeat it at every possible opportunity. I found it rather fitting for the situation I am announcing. Thus, here it is.

Yes. Something's changed!

That something, in this case, is this blog. I must inform you that from this point on, Saint George Academy with Grace will be just that. This blog will become my school blog, while I continue writing all my other posts (including Mid-Week Music) on a new blog.

Don't worry, though: all the posts I've done here already will still be here. I haven't yet decided if I will put copies of these posts on that blog, or if I will just be starting with brand new posts. If I do end up starting with new posts, I will refer back to this blog.

So, here is the link to my blog. I may edit it to go to my first post instead of just the homepage. As it is, there's a test post by my mom up. And my new blog is called...

Time Traveller's Daughter!
https://time-travelers-daughter.blogspot.com/

Isn't that a neat title? I'm definitely excited!

So, I suppose this will be the last post on this blog for a while. For all continuing posts from me (except school ones), click on that link above. Hopefully, I'll see you there, not too far in the future! Goodbye...

Mid-Week Music #26 - Portrait II

First, let me say, Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Second, let me say, I'm sorry I couldn't post something this past week. I knew what I wanted the post to be about, but I couldn't find a song about the subject. I'll probably do a post about it soon.

We did a lot of different things today--fun games and crafts, a special meal, an Adventures in Odyssey episode all about Saint Valentine. And a movie, finally settled to be IQ. IQ is a sort of romantic comedy: the famed Albert Einstein and friends, matchmaking for Einstein's niece and a nice young garage mechanic. It's a very funny movie! Has one or two twitterpated ideas about love and marriage, but a hilarious film nonetheless. I'll have to do a review of it sometime and tell you all about it.

If you know your Kansas lore, you know that the band released a song back in 1977 called "Portrait (He Knew)". That song was the original of this song. And yes, it was about Albert Einstein. I was reminded of it after watching IQ. That's my first reason. My second reason, I will explain, after you listen to the song.

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He had a different idea

You might have heard His Name

He gave us all a new vision

Not looking for fortune or fame

His works were a wonder to speak of

His thought's on another plane

The words that He said were a mystery

No one was sure He was sane

[chorus]

But He knew

Knew more than me or you

No one could see His view

O-oh, where was He going to-oo?

And He knew

You could tell by the picture He drew

It was totally something new

O-oh, where was He going to-o-oo?

Yea-ea-ea-eah

He said that He was the Answer

The only One ne-ear or far

He was trying to show us a new way

He was bright as a star

But nobody understood Him

They said He was not the Way

They were lost in the deepest enigma

That few have unraveled today

But He knew

Knew what He had to do

Those that believed Him were few

O-oh, what would He have us do?

And He died

So that Justice was satisfied

When He left us, the people cried

"Oh, where was He going to?"

Yea-eah...

Yea-eah!

***

He had a different idea

The Master knew the plan

He could see into the future

A true visionary Man

The truth was all that He told us

He died, but He lives again

He will return to be with us

But who will be ready then?

'Cause He knew

All about me and you

All of His words were true

O-oh, where was He going to-oo?

Yes, He knew

You could tell by the picture He drew

It was totally something new

O-oh, help us to follow You!

Yea-eah...

***

Well, you've listened to the song. I'll bet you noticed that it wasn't about Albert Einstein. That's where my second reason comes in.

And it is a bit more complicated than my first reason. You see, throughout the movie, there are several questions posed. Some few are conclusively answered. One of those is "Is the universe governed by random chance, or is there a grand design?" The question seems to have a special connection to the relationship of Ed (the mechanic) and Catherine (the niece): does it come together by accident or design?

In the movie, this question is answered conclusively, on the small scale anyway. And... it is all by design. Einstein and his old scientist friends orchestrate almost the entire thing from start to finish, with Einstein as the conductor. I love it when a plan comes together.

But why? Why did Einstein mastermind this whole thing? Why make the plan come together? Was he just bored, and decided to meddle in his niece's affairs? No. Anyone who's seen the movie knows that clearly. He did it because he loved his niece. He knew that the rat man--I-I mean James, wasn't the right man for her, and wanted her to have the best she could have.

Returning now to the question, is the universe governed in the same way? Is it all simply random chance, or is there more to it? I actually touched on this matter in the previous post, and the answer is yes. It's the same answer we get in the movie. God has a grand design for the world--for the universe--and it comes together more and more, perfectly, each day.

And why? Why does He have such a plan? Because He loves us. He loved us all enough to give us life--think about that! Every time you look at a sunset, or a cat, or a person, every time you see a flower, or an apple, or a clod of earth, you're looking at a direct act of God's love. Fitting to be talking about such things on St. Valentine's Day, huh?

But it isn't all happy. Because things started to go wrong. Satan rejected that love, and showed us all how to do the same. He hates the grand design of grace God has for us, and tries constantly to thwart it, to end our part in the plan early. And he has indeed led us astray. Now, we're hopelessly lost in the darkness.

However, God's plan would not be thwarted so easily. He knew this was coming, and He still had His plan. One part of it was set in motion, even as He sent the Man and Woman from the Garden for their sin. It wouldn't come together completely for thousands of years, but come it did. Or I should say, He did. For, you see, God came down Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, because He loved us. Jesus did works that were a wonder to speak of, and told words of truth always--because He loved us. Jesus suffered and died so that Justice was satisfied, so that our sin would be taken away--because He loved us. And Jesus rose again triumphant from the dead, and leads us now to eternal joy and life.

Because He loves us.

So, as you listen to "Portrait II", and go about the rest of your day, think about these things. We may not know the whole plan, but the Master knows the plan. And we know that He loves us, on this St. Valentine's Day and all other days. Let's follow Him, to where He's going to.

Mid-Week Music #25 - Milo Murphy's Law Theme Song

Well now, before I get to the song of this week's MWM, there's another song I must mention--the Very Sorry Song. Yes, I missed this past week's MWM. I'm very sorry. It's complicated--part of the reason was that I could not think of a song. I could have done just a random song, but all the random songs I know are connected to this week's song.

The point is, I did have help picking this week's Music, from my younger sister, Kaitlyn, whose birthday is today! I told her she could choose the song for her birthday, and this was her first and only choice. She didn't have a second thought, just said it: "I wanna do the one where Doofenshmirtz and that guy with the white beard sing Milo!" That would be the second video, you see.

If you've read my blog since October at least, you're probably familiar with the show Milo Murphy's Law. I did a Halloween post all about it. It's a wonderful show, and I tell all about it in that post. In short, Milo Murphy is followed by a cyclone of calamity wherever he goes, and it causes many, many adventures for both him and his friends. There's also a lot of time travel involved. And a crossover, coming this April.

Oddly enough, though, just the other day I was finishing up rereading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Gandalf's words to Bilbo at the end return to my mind as I'm writing this post.

"You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only a little fellow in a wide world after all!"

Somehow, that seems to fit perfectly here. Milo has indeed had a great many adventures and escapes. And he does seem a very fine person, and I am very fond of him and all his friends. But the idea that all of this is no more than random chance, bad or good luck, seems a mighty big stretch. In the words of a fellow blogger, "If Murphy's Law is that anything that CAN go wrong WILL go wrong, Milo Murphy's Law is that EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY be important WILL be important. The tiniest details could end up being vital to saving the world."

We know, of course, that every single detail has been planned, because it is a story. Even in the context of the story, I don't doubt that Clara's right--everything that could possibly be important will be important, eventually, and Milo's 'luck', good or bad, is all to a purpose. And that's rather how it is in real life too. It's a story, just as much as Milo Murphy's Law. And nothing is without a purpose.

So Kaitlyn, here's hoping that your birthday's exceptional, and every day; that your life, no matter what sort of 'luck' you have, is never boring even for a minute. Here's your song, the Milo Murphy's Law theme song. Happy Birthday!

That's the normal theme song. And goodness gracious, that background is packed with details. Now, I also have a second version, which has two special guest singers. It's not really as good, but it is definitely funny. Here are Cavendish and Dakota--er, I mean, Major Monogram and Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

(Sorry, the original video seems to have disappeared, and this one is cut short.)

**

Look at that sun, look at that sky

Look at my sweatervest, I look so fly

Look at that mailbox, look at that tree

It's about as beautiful as it can be

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Today is gonna be exceptional

Never boring, even for a minute

It's my world and we're all living in it

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

(We're all living in it)

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Never boring, even for a minute

It's my world and we're all living in it

**

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Mid-Week Music #24 - Winter Wonderland

I don't know where you are right now, as you're reading this. But where I am right now, it's snowing, and snowing hard. It has been since before it was light outside. And we don't always get a lot of snow down here in the South--it's been many years since I've seen a white Christmas--so when it snows like this, it's very special.

And so a special song is called for. I could have used 'Snow' from White Christmas, but that one specifically mentions Christmas, and it's not Christmastime anymore. So, I decided to use this one. No, it's not a Christmas song, just a wintertime song, despite the fact that they always play it during the Advent season and never any other time.

This is the best version I could find that wasn't specifically Christmassy. Which is a pretty good version! I'm sure there are snowball fights and snowy quests in the days ahead. Though... we already built a snowman, last year, the first time it snowed this season. Ah, well. Maybe we'll build another one.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I hope you enjoy this Winter Wonderland!

(Wonderland... winter wonderland... wonderland...)

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight, oh, we're happy tonight
Walking in a winter wonderland

Gone away is the bluebird
Here to stay is a new bird
He's singing a song as we go along
Walking in a winter wonderland

Well, in the meadow we can build a snowman
And pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say 'are you married?', we'll say 'no, man
'But you can do the job when you're in town'

Later on, we'll conspire
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid all the plans that we made
Walking in a winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman
And pretend that he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman
Until the other kiddies knock him down

When it snows, ain't it thrilling?
Though your nose gets a chilling
We'll frolic and play the Eskimo way
Walking in a winter wonderland

(Wonderland... wonderland...)

Wanted: Angry Drill Sergeant

No, I did not fall off of the face of the planet, get sucked through a wormhole, or accidentally time travel. I simply got sick. Okay, the cold has just been in the past couple of days, but before that, it was Chronic Procrastinitis. Been going on for a while now, honestly. And it needs to end.

In short, I need a drill sergeant who will yell at me to get my work done on time (and, sometimes, at all). Do any of you know of one I could borrow? Brother Drill Sergeant Combs Sir is otherwise occupied. He's the best at it. I could settle for Principal Strickland if no one angrier is available. Leave any recommendations in the comments below!

I'm very sorry, all of you. It's almost two weeks into the New Year and I've done nothing. There's no excuse for laziness. Things will be back to normal in a very short time. I apologize. Mid-Week Music will be back this very Wednesday, no question.

As per usual, I will give you a picture with my in-between post.

A reflection of some of my watching habits during illness. A very cool combination of them. And why not?

Again, please let me know if you can find a good drill sergeant, and I apologize for my laziness.