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!"

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.

***

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.

The End of 2017

Time travel is confusing, even at the normal rate of sixty seconds per minute.

Think about it: in no less than one hour, it will be 2018. How did time go so fast? In a year, we'll still be thinking the same thing, because time will still be moving, and that's always confusing. So, before this year ends and a new one begins, I will post this little review of the past year. Not review as in a movie review, of course. Just looking back on a lot of things.

Firstly, Donald Trump became President of the United States of America. I know there are some people reading this blog not from America, so this may not be as big a deal to some of those people. But it has been a big win for us. The Wall isn't up yet, but a lot of other great things have been done. Just go on scifiwright.com and click the Not Tired Of Winning link on the side for a list.

(That's just a funny parody that the kids love listening to every night. Gives you an idea of things, for those who don't like clicking links.)

Now, on to personal matters. I started this blog! This is the 35th post I've done since June 30, which was when I started. (Also, let me apologize for not putting up a Mid-Week Music this past week. I mistook Wednesday for Tuesday, and we were all still sort of busy.) I have had so much fun writing these posts, and I am definitely looking forward to writing more in the coming year.

Things have also been happening in Newsom Hall. For example, I have a new baby brother named Ransom! He's the sweetest thing, and he loves the Christmas lights. (Yes, we've still got the Christmas Tree up, and there it'll stay until after Twelfth Night.) I get to hold him a lot now, even though I've still not gotten to see him smile as much as I'd like. But hey, I have a baby brother!

A lot of things happened this year. One of the scariest things was that I turned seventeen. (Enter overdramatic gasp.) We had an amazing vacation, discovered a lot of new bands and musical artists, read books, and basically did lots of things. We watched a couple of movies in the theatre this year, the best one being The Man Who Invented Christmas. There will likely be a review sometime in the coming year, because we definitely intend to see it in the theatre again with the whole family. Please go watch that film if you haven't.

I had wanted to finish my first novel this year, but I'm still in Chapter 8. Tsk. However, I have fully written and edited a novella for a writing contest (by Rooglewood Press), and--by the time this post has gone out--entered it as well. It's called Princess of the Seventh Star, and some of you may remember a post a while back with the first scene. That project took up most of my writing time, but I think it was worth it. I may not have done all the things I'd planned, but I have done things.

Speaking of which, a website I read called goteenwriters.com recently put up a writing exercise. It was to make a list of all the good things that happened to you, all the things you succeeded in, every win. Since I read that website more often than not, I made one. It's a bit too extensive for a single blog post, but that might be because I included smaller things. Ah well, I suppose it's mainly a list for oneself. Read the post, if you will.

There's the past year for you: hectic, filled to bursting, and wonderful. As for the present, we're enjoying one of our Christmas presents--gingerbread houses, or something else made of gingerbread--as we prepare for midnight. And the future? Well, I plan to finish my first novel, and begin work on the second. I'll likely be working on some radio scripts--both in way of recording and of writing. I hope to see one of my works published. But that's out of my hands now, I suppose. So we'll see. I'm also going to be putting up many more posts on this here blog. I may even get a driver's license.

You know, this is rather an odd time, New Year's Eve. Everyone reminisces about the past year, marvel at how quickly the present time has arrived, and make plans for the coming year. It's almost as if the past and the future meet and shake hands in the few moments before the year ends.

Whatever the past may have brought, whatever the future may hold, let us never forget He who is the Lord of all time--the One who is eternity. It is He whose birth we have all been celebrating in the past week, commemorating the day when eternity stepped into time in the person of Jesus Christ.

Of the Father's love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be
He is Alpha and Omega
He the Source, the ending He
Of the things that are
That have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mid-Week Music #21 - Do They Know What Christmas Is?

This week, I decided to do a more modern Christmas song. In fact, this is one of my favourites. That's right, I'm going to do that classic from 1984, that peak of all songwriting capabilities, Do They Know It's Christmas...

Oh wait. Never mind.

Yes, I was just kidding on all counts. This is not the same song. This is a Christian parody of that song, made by the talented Hans Fiene at Lutheran Satire. Writing songs is actually just part of what he does. Most of the time, he makes videos that do something along the lines of what I like to call Yelling At Culture. In his own words, he "teaches the faith by making fun of stuff". I highly recommend hopping over to his channel.

This video actually has most of the characters from his videos in it. So if you're confused about any of the characters, just go take a look at some of his videos, and you'll find out who they are. And let me tell you, every time the original song comes on the radio, I now sing these lyrics instead. Thanks, Pastor Fiene! And I mean that--these lyrics are way more fun. And not just fun: they do in fact teach the faith by making fun of stuff. So do pay attention to the lyrics, if you will.

Now here is the real question: Do They Know What Christmas Is at all? Let's hope they find out, once they listen to this song.

It's Christmastime, and we know why we celebrate

Cause at Christmastime, the love of Christ, it conquers hate
And with this word of comfort, we can know salvation's joy

Get to church, and grab your Bible, it's Christmastime

But say a prayer, pray for the other ones
Those who won't go to Mass cuz there is football onnn
There's the world outside your window

Where they've clearly lost their way
Where the only book they're reading is that Fifty Shades of Gray
And their children don't know Jesus, but they sure know Pikachu
Well, tonight, thank God it's them instead of you
Yeah, no, don't remotely thank God for that. That's a terrible prayer.

And there might be snow in Michigan this Christmastime

But snow don't rescue squat from death and sin

Oooh, come on, Patrick!

So when they can't even spell Saviour or Emmanuel

Do they know what Christmas is at all?

Do you... wait, what part is this? I don't know this part.

Is this the bridge? No one knows the bridge to this song! Why didn't I get a better part?

Don't you know who Horus is at all?

[This is the boring part of the song where nothing happens.]

[Here's a picture of a duck to pass the time:]

*shows a picture of a Canadian goose*

Read the Wo-ord

Let them kn--oh, sorry, not that part yet, sorry

Read the Wo-ord

Let them know--

The third time, Frank--we do that after the third time!

Sorry, man!

Read the Wo-ord

Let them know what Christmas is again

Go to chu-urch

Let them know what Christmas is again

Read the Wo-ord

Let them know what Christmas is again
Go to chu-urch

Let them know what Christmas is again

Nyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaay--

*poof! conk!*

*glug!*

*whack, whack, whack, whack, whack...*

Happy Horus Day, you schnitzel-head Christians.

*whack, whack, whack, whack, whack...*

The Second Anniversary of the Future

Well, by now, you've probably figured out that this is the special post that I told you about earlier in the week. And in that special post, I said that it was an anniversary. Well, today is the second anniversary of the future. By which, I mean...



BACK TO THE FUTURE!

That's right: today is the second anniversary of the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled to the future. In fact, I scheduled this post to come out at the exact time--4:29 PM--that they arrived. Put quite briefly, I am a very big fan of this trilogy. They're some of the few movies that make me get all excited every time I watch them, and probably the only series that makes me get that way over every single movie in it. That is what this post is going to be about.

Now, I've got to tell you: before I watched Back to the Future, I liked time travel. I really did. But after I watched it... I loved time travel. The first time I watched it was the night before we went to a certain Renaissance Faire somewhere in our state. The Renaissance Faire had a theme: it was Time Traveller's Weekend. And at that Renaissance Faire, they had the DeLorean. It played music from the movies and everything. I was very, very excited!



Well, enough background: now on to the movies themselves. Now, I won't go into every little detail that make those movies great in this post. I do need something for later Back to the Future posts, and I'll go into the specifics in those. But for now, I'm going to tell you, in general terms, a few things I like about the Back to the Future trilogy.

First, it's time travel. I've said already that I liked time travel anyway, and, having watched these movies, I now love it. You could see some of your favorite times in the past, or discover how things will look after your time, far in the future. There are so many possibilities, but I think my favorite parts would be when I could meet people--from heroes in days past to distant grandchildren, and yes, even my parents and grandparents when they were my age.

Back to the Future is a wonderful example. Not only is it a Time Travel Story, but it's also a Time Paradox Story as well. Those are always fun, if sometimes a bit brain-breaking. The logic of the thing generally holds up well enough (except for one slight discrepancy in the third one, but it really isn't that big a deal), and it also doesn't break my brain when I think about it. Usually. But I haven't thought about it hard in a while, so I may have to get back to you on that.

Second, the characters are so memorable. Marty is almost a master of ceremonies, taking us--the -audience--through these many adventures, characters, and good times (and even some bad ones). Doc Brown is very funny, Great-Scotting every-which-way, and being hilariously expressive about everything. Biff, the constant villain, is a wonderful source of comedy as well. He always messes up his puns, and he too is incredibly expressive. And there are multiple versions of him too, all played by the same man, so for every version to be funny is pretty good on the film-makers. The rest of the characters are interesting too: a few of my favorites are Clara Clayton and George McFly. They all just sort of... click, I suppose. They work well together.

And this is an important part of the story to me. The story partly hinges on this point, on whether or not you have great characters. That's why I try to bring to life great characters in my writing, characters who are real but can take people by the hand and lead them into any fancied world I invent. And I don't mean realistic, which has now come to mean dark and depressing, humourless and perpetually hopeless. No, characters must be real to the readers. Or watchers, or listeners. And the characters in Back to the Future do that, for me anyway. I don't think about the acting: I think about the characters themselves. They're real to me.

This is one reason why I hope that they never remake or reboot Back to the Future, because at the current rate of reboots, they will screw up colossally, especially with the characters. But I get the feeling that it will not happen anytime soon, so that's a relief.

Along with those two reasons, the whole thing's just so well done. It's well-written, and the funny lines just keep coming, one after another after another. It's well-acted, on all counts, and well-directed, and well-cast. The special effects look particularly great for that day and age, and the music--well, let's just say it's been played a lot through the past few days, and is also going to be played a lot in the very near future. You may have actually heard one of the songs recently on this blog.

Not only that, but the action in this thing has me practically hopping up and down on the edge of my seat, despite knowing what's going to happen. It's exciting, and there are so many moments worthy of a fist pump and a yelled-out "Yes!!" My family actually says every time we watch it "No, we can't watch it anymore, it makes Grace too happy." But we always watch them again anyway. Whatever else they may be, the Back to the Future movies are some of the most fun movies of all time.

I think there's a term some people use, where people just love some movie or TV show to death, and never get tired of it. What is it... fangirl? Yeah, that's the word for it. I'm a fangirl of Back to the Future. If I'm a fangirl of anything, it'd probably be Back to the Future. I know there are flaws and shortcomings, as there are in every movie. And I'll willingly acknowledge those, and point them out. But because I can pick them out and say they're wrong without messing up the movie, I'd say it's absolutely worth it.

In short, fast-paced action and quick-witted characters are revved all the way up to 88 in this epic classic. Little wonder that this movie is one for the ages.

This clip is about how I feel every time I watch a Back to the Future movie.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that watching this movie had partially inspired a certain script I've been working on. It isn't really the main project I'm working on (or the main one I should be working on), but, you know, I've been working on it. It's currently called There and Back in Time. Funny, considering the picture that was included in that earlier post. But no, it's not a time-travel story having to do with Middle Earth. That one will come even later on.

You see, this one has a main character named Ben. He accidentally time-travels from his time (early 18th century/1700s) to this one (early 21st century, for those who don't know to which time they have jumped). He makes friends with a few different people, not least among them a girl called Glory. He furthermore makes enemies with a familiar-looking fellow named Jack Tanyer. So he has to figure out not only how to navigate this odd new world, but also how to get back home.

Now, the script's not done, and it may be some time before it's recorded and ready for listening. I'm pretty busy with other things, and those keep getting interrupted anyway. So don't be surprised if it's more than months before I say I have made an end. However, I have been working on it, and several of the details are influenced by the Back to the Future trilogy. A character here, a scene there, a few odd references dotted around, and probably more, too. What did you expect?

Well, that about wraps it up for this post. But I would also like to say that I am going to begin a tradition for this day. From now on, October 21 is Time Travel Day. The week preceding could also be considered Time Travel Week, but I won't make that official. The Mid-Week Music for that week will have something to do with either Back to the Future or time travel of another kind. And on every October 21, I will do a post having to do with the Back to the Future trilogy.

But as I said, that's about it for now. I have some things I need to do that are waiting impatiently. Great Scott, it's later than I thought. Perfect. Sorry, gotta go now. Don't want to be late again! *So take me away/I don't mi-i-i-ind/But you better promise me/I'll be back in time!*

Mid-Week Music #14 - All Falls Down

This song has been following me around a little. I listened to it on Sunday, then it popped up on Pandora (a music app or some such), and I read something in the Bible today that inspired a line in the song. I felt I had to use it for this week's MWM. (Be forewarned: it is very heavy. You might want to keep a hand near the volume control, especially when wearing headphones).

A lot of things have been happening recently. Some are good, some are bad. I don't know all of it, but I know some. It's beginning to feel like a movie--with real superheroes and supervillains. Even though the Right side has had some victories recently, the enemy is still trying to tear everything apart. In the media, in politics, in the streets of the cities: wherever they possibly can, they cause chaos.

And this is why we need to fight. We cannot allow ourselves to be enslaved to fools who would destroy us: therefore, we must fight back. Whether you enforce laws to protect liberty and abolish those that steal it. Whether you defend those threatened by the mobs, and rescue those abandoned by their cowards to die. Whether you create new worlds and people and stories that hold to truth, to goodness, to beauty. Whatever you do, we will fight against evil and we will win.

So fight on, and fight faithfully. For he who is faithful from ashes will rise, when it All Falls Down.

***

Red knights coming to Rome
Blood in the streets
Kingdoms die overthrown
Lay down your lives or be slaves to a fool
When it all falls down

**

Freedom stolen in sight
Do you love destruction or do you want life?
He who is faithful from ashes will rise
When it all falls down

(chorus)
Wake up, chosen ones
Stand up, fight for love
Where lies your treasure
So shall you become
When it all falls down

***

(chorus)

***

(chorus)
Wake up, chosen ones
Stand up, fight for love
Where lies your treasure
So shall you become
When it all falls
When it all falls
When it all falls down!

**

Mid-Week Music #12 - DuckTales

Ah, now this time, I will be doing the theme song of a certain show. This is one of the rare instances where I will post two videos, simply because there are two versions. Allow me to tell you why I chose this song.

I've always loved Scrooge McDuck. I mean, he's Scottish, he's a capitalist, he's an adventurer, the creator of the character mentioned cathedrals and old-fashioned values when talking about the character--basically, there's a lot to like for someone like me. And when the first episode popped up on my YouTube screen, I felt like watching it. I knew there had been one of these back in the 80s, but I'd never watched it. So after a while--to be precise, this past Sunday--I watched it.

I was not disappointed. The show was awesome! I love the adventure, and the characters are a lot of fun. And when it was funny, it was very, very funny. There were a lot of reasons why I liked it, but guess what else? It was a reboot that was actually great. My family, who watched it with me last night, loved it too. I cannot wait to see the next episode. So now, here are the two versions of the theme song of... DuckTales! Woo-oo!

That was the original opening. I like the horns. I like the sound. Someone made a video combining the music of that one with the visuals of the next. Which is good, because I think the next one is more exciting, more befitting, visually. (Let me know which one you like better in the comments below!)

Life is like a hurricane
Here in
Duckburg
Racecars, lasers, aeroplanes
It's a
Duck blur

Might solve a myst'ry
Or rewrite hist'ry
DuckTales!
Woo-oo!

Every day they're out there making DuckTales
Woo-oo!
Tales of derring-do, bad and good luck tales
Woo-oo!

D-d-d-danger lurks behind you
There's a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab onto some
DuckTales
Woo-oo!

Every day they're out there making DuckTales
Woo-oo!
Tales of derring-do, bad and good luck tales
Woo-oo!
Not pony tails or cotton tails
No, DuckTales!
Woo-oo!

(OR:)
[Tales of daring, bad and good
[Not pony tails or cotton tails
[No, DuckTales!
[Woo-oo!]

Mid-Week Music #9 - Lift Up the Suff'ring Symbol

This time, I'll be giving you a song I had in my head after tonight's Bible study at our church. We're going through the Ten Commandments at the moment, and what Martin Luther wrote about them in his Large Catechism. I think that's what it is, the Large Catechism. I will correct it if I am wrong.

Today, we talked about the First Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." In the Lutheran Church, however, that First Commandment also includes the Second Commandment: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images, neither of anything in heaven nor in the earth nor in the waters beneath the earth, neither shalt thou worship them."

Obviously, this doesn't mean we should never make pictures or paintings or any kind of artwork. The First and Second Commandments together mean we shall worship the Lord our God and Him alone, and we shall worship Him in the way He tells us. For example, those people in Exodus who made the golden calf--they didn't say it was a new god. They thought they were worshipping the same God that brought them out of Egypt.

Worshipping God through images doesn't work. Sorry, but no. That was the main problem with relics among the Roman Catholics of Luther's day. We can only pray to God: nothing and nobody else will do. The only intercessor we have is Jesus Christ. So the 'images' we make--whether paintings or sculptures or even those talking pictures I've heard so much about--should be made to glorify God, just as we are meant to glorify God. And to teach and inspire others, as well.

Iconoclasm, oddly enough, has been somewhat rampant in the South recently. To be sure, it's of a different nature, but it is the eradication of images in any case. I will be putting up a more detailed post about it. Perhaps in a day or two? For the moment, though, here is the Michael Card song I had in my head: Lift Up the Suff'ring Symbol.

They grew tired of bread from heaven
And of Moses and of God
And longed to live the life of slavery once again
So they muttered and they grumbled
And they whimpered and they whined
With each faithless word sank deeper into sin

He took the pen of pain once more
To write upon their hearts
The lesson they had been so slow to learn
And writhing in the sand, the fiery serpents came to call
With a holy message and a bite that burned

(chorus)
Lift up the suff'ring symbol
And place it high upon a pole
Tell the children to look up and be made whole

So Moses made a metal snake
And nailed it to a pole
Sent out the saving word so they would know
That the symbol of their suffering was now
The focus of their faith
And with a faithful glance, the healing power would flow

In time the brazen serpent became
An idol in the land
And they left the living God to worship clay
When they forgot their suffering soon true faith had disappeared
And so some idolize a brazen cross today

(chorus 2x)

***

(chorus 2x)
Tell the children to look up and be made whole

Mid-Week Music #7 - Ways of a Fool

This week, I'll be introducing (some of) you to an artist by the name of Neal Morse. He's a very talented fellow: in fact, he and his band are practically on the same level of Kansas when it comes to skill. This song is from the album Similitude of a Dream, a concept album based on The Pilgrim's Progress. I'm pretty sure most of you have read it. Well, unless you've gone to public school or most colleges. They don't like that kind of masterpiece in there.

The reason I am posting this particular song is not actually what you might think. I have not encountered any worldly wise-men or fools lately. I have in the past, but not recently. Actually, I'm posting this because it's the song my younger sister picked: her birthday fell on a Wednesday, and I let her choose the song. So anyway, Abi, Happy 9th Birthday! May you never fall into the ways of a fool!

WARNING: song is very catchy. It WILL get stuck in your head.

Walking straight ahead
Wondering in the way I wander
My feet are feeling fine...

What's that up ahead?

Someone coming up the way...

Ay-ay

He is a worldly man

When I tell him my plans

He says:

What are you doing?

You're simple as pudding

It's not worth pursuing

I know the way out!

(chorus)

All the ways of a fool

They are right in his own eyes

Go on back, keep your cool

Don't you miss the city lights

And those worldly delights?

(Trust me...)

I know I'm right

Reason is the rule

Logic is a mighty Fortress

And life is nothing more

Perception is the truth

Why not make it what you want?

I'm a successful man

My offer is easy

Invent your reality

Made-up morality

Legal legality

Second to none!

(chorus)

***

(chorus)

All the ways of a fool

They are right in his own eyes

Go on back, keep your cool

Don't you miss the city lights

And those worldly delights

Trust me

I know... I'm...

Ri-i-ight...

***

I think I'll go the way

Walking with the worldly wise man

I'll just change it up a bit

And go the more logical way

Because it seems good to me

To live a life that's free from care

And my new reality

I will speak into the air...

And life is awaiting me

I'll learn what they're teaching me

And surely my destiny will follow

Forget all about that dream

I'll find a place in between

And just take a turn-about tomorrow...

**