The Twelve Days of Christmas and a joke

urban legends No Responses »
Dec 182005

Still on a Christmas theme . . .

This is my 6th Christmas online, and for everyone of those years, one old chestnut has made the rounds. It’s that email claiming that the song, the 12 days of Christmas was originally written by Catholics forced to hide their religion after the Anglicanisation of England. The story goes, Catholics, now forced to worship in private, came up with this ditty to help children learn important tenets of faith. Interesting little tale isn’t it? And that’s all it is, a tale. It’s completely untrue. So this year, do me a favour, don’t pass this on to me, if it happens to come your way, do us all a favour, and pass the following link on to the sender.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp

And now for a joke. I was going to tell you the one about why Father Christmas doesn’t have any children, but in case any small children happen by this blog, I’ll stick with something suitable for a general audience. If you want to read that one you’ll have to email me and ask. OK here goes:

What do you call Father Christmas when he is wearing ear muffs?

Anything you like, he can’t hear you.

Oh yes, it’s an old un but a good un. OK it’s not that good but it made me laugh :-)

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Posted by Kate at 3:42 pm Tagged with:

New Look and a Film Recommendation

films No Responses »
Dec 152005

Well, the blog finally has a new look. It took some time, and many false starts before I arrived at this, which was inspired by a piece of cake, in case you’re interested. Maybe I should entitle the design ‘Homage to Cake’ I’m not sure if I will leave the side bar on the left, I put it there as an experiment, but I’ll see how it works out. I have really got used to having it on the right, but change is good, or so they say. Whoever they are.

I wouldn’t usually recommend a film I haven’t seen, but I’m going to make an exception with this one. Merry Christmas, which has just opened in Germany, but which will have a worldwide release covers the legendary 1914 truce between British, French and German soldiers. This was a truce with a difference, because it was more than just a ceasefire. The men of both sides, left the trenches and met halfway, sharing tales of life back home, photos of wives and children along with food, cigarettes and other luxuries. In some cases, they even participated in games of football, that universal common denominator. Not surprisingly, this caused a great deal of consternation amongst the officers, who preferred their soldiers to see the enemy as less than human. Despite this, the truce did happen, and remains a poignant example of how even the most hardened of enemies can find some common ground. The writer and director of Merry Christmas has described it as “. . . a film about humanity,” and I think humanity is also a theme of the event itself. It’s an important part of European history, and one that we can learn a lot of lessons from today.

More about Merry Christmas: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051124/film_nm/arts_film_truce_dc
More about the Christmas truce:
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp
http://www.quaker.org/chestnuthill/xmastrench.htm




Indignant Tortoise Is So Itchy
Posted by Kate at 1:51 pm Tagged with: ,

Je Ne Comprends Pas

Randomness No Responses »
Dec 092005

Still on the theme of Christmas songs, here is a list of often misunderstood lyrics. I actually learnt something new from this, I have always thought the third line of the First Noel was ‘To frighten poor shepherds’ and for years I thought the first line of Good King Wenceslas was ‘Good King Wence alas locked out’ It’s not my fault, I blame teachers, I remember singing both songs in primary school carol concerts and no one ever noticed my unique lyrics.

One of my friends has a similar habit of misinterpreting the words of songs. For example, she believed for years that song Jealous Lover by the old rock band Rainbow contained the line ‘ Shake your legs, Ice is green’




Indignant Tortoise Is So Itchy
Posted by Kate at 5:27 pm Tagged with: ,

12 Days of Christmas for the 21st Century

Humour No Responses »
Dec 092005

This is especially for the overtly PC out there, a politically correct 12 Days of Xmas . . .

On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically imposed midwinter festival, my Significant Other in a consenting adult monogamous relationship gave to me:

TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,

ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of members in good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in their union contract even though they will not be asked to play a note),

TEN melanin deprived testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling class system leaping,

NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,

EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products from enslaved Bovine-Americans,

SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands,

SIX enslaved Fowl-Americans producing stolen non-human animal products,

FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic incarceration,

(NOTE: after members of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw red paint, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid further Animal-American enslavement, the remaining gift package has been revised.)

FOUR hours of recorded whale songs

THREE deconstructionist poets

TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled processed tree carcasses and…

ONE Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.

Thanks go to Jennifer of write101.com for sharing this joke. Yes folks, it is a joke. You can laugh.




Indignant Tortoise Is So Itchy
Posted by Kate at 4:22 pm Tagged with: ,
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