This morning there was snow on the ground.
I won't get my skies out yet.
Bertstravels
Sunday, December 28, 2014
First Snow
Yesterday, late afternoon, I looked out the window and everything was green.
This morning there was snow on the ground.
I won't get my skies out yet.
Bertstravels
This morning there was snow on the ground.
I won't get my skies out yet.
Bertstravels
Saturday, December 27, 2014
The Karawanken
Yesterday, Boxing day, Christin and I went for a little drive up the hills of the "Kömmel".
From there, the view unto the Karawanken Mountains is, to say the least, spectacular !
So, without further ado, here are the Karawanken:
From there, the view unto the Karawanken Mountains is, to say the least, spectacular !
So, without further ado, here are the Karawanken:
If you do not view these images in the large format
by just clicking on them, you deprive yourself of
some pretty spectacular views.
A few minutes later, with the sun dipping a little lower, a reddish hue crept into the picture.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Will they ever learn ?
I just don't get it.
I try do understand, but I do not get it, however hard I try.
As long as there have been Popes, the direct representatives of God on earth, or so they claim, they have been praying for "Peace on Earth". The current Pope is, so they say, a "praying Pope".
And yesterday he prayed for Peace.
"Peace on Earth."
To make it a bit easier for God, he even told him where he wants Peace. The Pope would like peace in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq and Syria. He wants peace in the Ukraine, in Africa, specifically in Nigeria and the South Sudan.
Well this should give God enough to go on. None of this general, non specific praying for Peace.
Not Franciskus. He will tell God specifically where to look and where to intervene and shake the beggars up and make them give peace. Once and for all...
Of course Frances is not the first Pope who asked for it. Every Pope before him, I am certain, has done the same: Prayed for Peace. In every Cathedral, every Church from the high and mighty, to the lowly country chapel, they pray for peace.
Now, if you and I pray for peace, I can understand that God pays no attention to us lowly creatures.
But,in heaven's name, the Popes !
Think about it: Jesus said to Peter, his number 1 disciple:
"On this rock I will build my church.".. or words to this effect. And after Peter came a string of successors, right up to Benedict XVI and Franciskus. Now, for the first time, as far as I know, we have two Popes praying for peace at the same time.
But hey, what's happening ? Is there peace ? No, of course not!
Between 1939 and 1958 there was Pope Pius XII.
I am sure he prayed and prayed and prayed some more. What did we get ?
56 Million dead during World War 2 alone, and many more millions injured.
That's what the world got.
And still the world believes in the power of prayer.
What does it take to wake up the Believers ? What does it take to convince them that God either is stone deaf and does not hear the prayers, or worse still, he hears them, but does not care, or he hears them but has other plans and therefore, for all these reasons, the prayers uttered by man, Popes or Non-Popes are totally useless.
Now there is, of course, always the possibility, that there is no such entity as a God and therefore our prayers dissipate in space and still are of no use whatever.
It seems to me that Franciskus, as all his predecessors, should have come to the conclusion that they were, and still are, talking to thin air.
Amen
says Bertstravels.
I try do understand, but I do not get it, however hard I try.
As long as there have been Popes, the direct representatives of God on earth, or so they claim, they have been praying for "Peace on Earth". The current Pope is, so they say, a "praying Pope".
And yesterday he prayed for Peace.
"Peace on Earth."
To make it a bit easier for God, he even told him where he wants Peace. The Pope would like peace in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq and Syria. He wants peace in the Ukraine, in Africa, specifically in Nigeria and the South Sudan.
Well this should give God enough to go on. None of this general, non specific praying for Peace.
Not Franciskus. He will tell God specifically where to look and where to intervene and shake the beggars up and make them give peace. Once and for all...
Of course Frances is not the first Pope who asked for it. Every Pope before him, I am certain, has done the same: Prayed for Peace. In every Cathedral, every Church from the high and mighty, to the lowly country chapel, they pray for peace.
Now, if you and I pray for peace, I can understand that God pays no attention to us lowly creatures.
But,in heaven's name, the Popes !
Think about it: Jesus said to Peter, his number 1 disciple:
"On this rock I will build my church.".. or words to this effect. And after Peter came a string of successors, right up to Benedict XVI and Franciskus. Now, for the first time, as far as I know, we have two Popes praying for peace at the same time.
But hey, what's happening ? Is there peace ? No, of course not!
Between 1939 and 1958 there was Pope Pius XII.
I am sure he prayed and prayed and prayed some more. What did we get ?
56 Million dead during World War 2 alone, and many more millions injured.
That's what the world got.
And still the world believes in the power of prayer.
What does it take to wake up the Believers ? What does it take to convince them that God either is stone deaf and does not hear the prayers, or worse still, he hears them, but does not care, or he hears them but has other plans and therefore, for all these reasons, the prayers uttered by man, Popes or Non-Popes are totally useless.
Now there is, of course, always the possibility, that there is no such entity as a God and therefore our prayers dissipate in space and still are of no use whatever.
It seems to me that Franciskus, as all his predecessors, should have come to the conclusion that they were, and still are, talking to thin air.
Amen
says Bertstravels.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Carinthian Sunset
To all my readers:
A very merry Christmas
and a New Year blessed with Health, Happiness and Success.
Bertstravels.....
What is there to say ?
Just look and enjoy.!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Xmas Market atop the Petzen
It was the 13th day of December.
The "Christmas Market" on top of the Petzen was well planned with one exception.
The many strings of lights, looking like a canopy had been strung.
All the stands, selling knick-knacks were in place, the "Glühwein" was ready to warm up the visitors inside and out, the "Chestnuts were roasting on an open fire", The band was ready to play Christmas Carols and other pop-songs, :
Except for one glaring oversight:
Nobody had made arrangements for the wind storm to stay away.
And so it came. With full force, so that the cable cars could not be put in operation.
No cable cars, no visitors
No visitors, no sales of knick-knacks, Glühwein or anything else.
No sales, no Christmas market.
So it was postponed to Saturday, the 20th December.
Between 1,500 and 2000 visitors braved the chill in the air.
The music sounded, the Glühwein flowed, knick-knacks were sold.
A good time was had by all.
The "Christmas Market" on top of the Petzen was well planned with one exception.
The many strings of lights, looking like a canopy had been strung.
All the stands, selling knick-knacks were in place, the "Glühwein" was ready to warm up the visitors inside and out, the "Chestnuts were roasting on an open fire", The band was ready to play Christmas Carols and other pop-songs, :
Except for one glaring oversight:
Nobody had made arrangements for the wind storm to stay away.
And so it came. With full force, so that the cable cars could not be put in operation.
No cable cars, no visitors
No visitors, no sales of knick-knacks, Glühwein or anything else.
No sales, no Christmas market.
So it was postponed to Saturday, the 20th December.
Between 1,500 and 2000 visitors braved the chill in the air.
The music sounded, the Glühwein flowed, knick-knacks were sold.
A good time was had by all.
The Band plays "Old Standard Christmas Songs"
like "Oh Tannenbaum" and "Silent Night"
Many in the crowd sing along.
Inspite of the heating lamps overhead,
playing the guitar in this cold
is an act of bravery.
(*)
from
brightly dec
orated huts they
sell "hot doddies",
Glühwein and other
heart warming liquids.
Wrapping my hands around
the hot cup until myfingers were
flexible again, enabled me to use my camera.
[]
[]
========
isn't this a nice Christmas tree ?
Saturday, December 20, 2014
THE FRANCISCANS
It is only of passing interest to note that despite strenuous attempts, nowhere could I find any mention of the family name of Francis of Assisi.
Suffice to say that in 1209 a man called Francis who lived in Assisi, Italy, suffered a nervous collapse, after which he became a preacher, calling for repentance of all sinners and for a life of poverty.
After a most turbulent and troublesome history, the Franciscan Order became one of the most dominant Orders in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.,
Outwardly professing poverty and disavowing personal property, as a clan the Franciscans became quite wealthy, administering a variety of investments, specifically in Real Estate Holdings.
Now, believe it or not, the Order's General Minister, Michael Anthony Perry, informed all members of his clan that the Order is threatened with bankruptcy and urges his brothers to make a financial contribution to stave off this final ignominy.
There is talk of "investments into dubious corporations, against whom investigations for money laundering, weapons- and drug dealing is now under way as well as expenditures amounting to millions of Euros for the restoration of a Franciscan owned hotel in Rome.
The Order, so it is explained, has become the victim of a "giant fraud", which had happened during the reign of Perry's predecessor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo, who, in turn, was promoted by Pope Franciscus to the position of Archbishop, second in Command of the congregation of Orders.
Take note of all of this in conjunction with the machinations of the Vatican Bank, which, believe it or not, is officially called the "Institution for Spiritual Work". (In this case the Deutsche Bank and Barkley's Bank might well be called "Institutions for the fight against poverty.")
So, the Franciscans have become "victims of a giant fraud".
I think that only if you are greedy and want to become rich quickly can you become victimized by fraudulent operators.
Good Old Francis of Assisi would likely turn over in his grave.
Suffice to say that in 1209 a man called Francis who lived in Assisi, Italy, suffered a nervous collapse, after which he became a preacher, calling for repentance of all sinners and for a life of poverty.
After a most turbulent and troublesome history, the Franciscan Order became one of the most dominant Orders in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.,
Outwardly professing poverty and disavowing personal property, as a clan the Franciscans became quite wealthy, administering a variety of investments, specifically in Real Estate Holdings.
Now, believe it or not, the Order's General Minister, Michael Anthony Perry, informed all members of his clan that the Order is threatened with bankruptcy and urges his brothers to make a financial contribution to stave off this final ignominy.
There is talk of "investments into dubious corporations, against whom investigations for money laundering, weapons- and drug dealing is now under way as well as expenditures amounting to millions of Euros for the restoration of a Franciscan owned hotel in Rome.
The Order, so it is explained, has become the victim of a "giant fraud", which had happened during the reign of Perry's predecessor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo, who, in turn, was promoted by Pope Franciscus to the position of Archbishop, second in Command of the congregation of Orders.
Take note of all of this in conjunction with the machinations of the Vatican Bank, which, believe it or not, is officially called the "Institution for Spiritual Work". (In this case the Deutsche Bank and Barkley's Bank might well be called "Institutions for the fight against poverty.")
So, the Franciscans have become "victims of a giant fraud".
I think that only if you are greedy and want to become rich quickly can you become victimized by fraudulent operators.
Good Old Francis of Assisi would likely turn over in his grave.
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