It was quite a few years ago. Gladys and I sat in our living room, when then 18 or 19 year old Steven came home, grinning all over his fresh young face, both hands behind his back.
"Which do you want"? He asked with a sly grin.
Gladys said: "The Right", I said: "The Left"...
His hands shot forward and his right held a piece of parchment, which said:
" This is to certify that Steven Christian Reitter, on this day,
took his first sky dive from a height of xxx meters"
This happened many years ago and I no longer remember the actual wording of this document.
I do remember, however, that I felt a cold shiver run down my back and that my heart skipped a beat.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Heat wave
maybe we cannot call it a "heat wave", but it is unusually warm hereabouts:
Salzburg: + 16 C
Vienna + 13 C
Innsbruck +13C
Bleiburg + 14C and raining
So, it's easy to imagine that skiing is not on the top of the agenda.
Christmas Eve, came and went quietly. We had Christin's Son, Axel, his wife: Paola, their daughters Flora and Emilia and an American friend of Flora from Boston, visaiting us. Fortunately we got our "guest suite"
ready on time, where, by using one cot we were able to accommodate the whole troupe of 5 nicely.
It is now 1PM local time, or 7AM Central Canadian time. Time to get up, switch on the Christmas lights, ( I hope people in Canada are smart enough not to use candles ), have a leisurely breakfast and start unwrapping all the wonderful presents.
I hope that good old Santa Claus was generous to all of you.
Best wishes to One and All
from
Bertstravels
Salzburg: + 16 C
Vienna + 13 C
Innsbruck +13C
Bleiburg + 14C and raining
So, it's easy to imagine that skiing is not on the top of the agenda.
Christmas Eve, came and went quietly. We had Christin's Son, Axel, his wife: Paola, their daughters Flora and Emilia and an American friend of Flora from Boston, visaiting us. Fortunately we got our "guest suite"
ready on time, where, by using one cot we were able to accommodate the whole troupe of 5 nicely.
It is now 1PM local time, or 7AM Central Canadian time. Time to get up, switch on the Christmas lights, ( I hope people in Canada are smart enough not to use candles ), have a leisurely breakfast and start unwrapping all the wonderful presents.
I hope that good old Santa Claus was generous to all of you.
Best wishes to One and All
from
Bertstravels
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
That's the Truth (3)
Before you criticize somebody, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Will you allow me one more ??
Once again I am forced to give some thought to the "Apostolic Exhortation" published recently by Pope Francis as the "Evangelii Gaudium."
There were some comments posted on the Internet, suggesting that with some of his remarks, Francis revealed himself as a "Marxist Communist", that he was leaning far to the Left of the political spectrum.
What else did anybody expect ?
Of course, as an "evangelizing Catholic" he must speak in favour of the poor and downtrodden and must urge society to arrange itself in a manner, as to eliminate poverty.
I cannot criticize him for that.
Let me examine his Evangelium from this perspective:
In para 51 Francis writes:
"The Culture of Prosperity deadens us" -
If the Culture of Prosperity really deadens us, it behooves us to find a different culture. What then is the opposite of Prosperity ?
( I assume that the Pontiff did not refer to the "Prosperity Gospel", but used the word in its dictionary sense:
Prosperity: noun: success, riches, plenty, ease, fortune, boom, luxury, well being...
So, if the Culture of Prosperity deadens us, must we turn away from such deadly culture and embrace the opposite ?
The dictionary tells us that the opposite of prosperity is:
poverty, want, failure, depression, shortage and destitution.
Surely, the Pope could not possibly have such a turn-around in mind for us. So what is he talking about ?
"We are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase !"
What, pray tell, is wrong with having something New to purchase ? Maybe it is something which makes our lives a bit better ? Could it also be that the person who produced this "Something-New-To-Purchase" is very happy that we purchased it, since he now is able to feed his family ?
Had we never had something "New To Purchase," we would find ourselves in front of a log fire, chipping away at the wheel. ( which was one of the first "Something New to Purchase".)
But then, in paragraph 57 Francis gets serious:
"Not to share one's wealth with the poor is to steal from them
and take away their livelyhood."
How do we share our wealth with the Poor ?
Do we throw everything into a pot and divvy it up "from each according to his abilities to each according to his needs" ?....
sounds frighteningly familiar, you say ?
The Exhortation continues:
It is not our own goods we hold, but theirs.
Why is it, that something I obtained with my own honest labour all of a sudden belongs to "Them"?
Why does the Pope fortify the differenciation between "Us" and "Them" ?
Who are "Us" and who are "Them" ?
Is there a dividing line, the parts forever changing, melting into each other at the borders ?
Should we not consider all of "Us" as "Us" and see to it that each of "Us" enjoys varying degrees of prosperity ? Surely that is what every reasonable man, including Francis, would want to see.
If "Us" really stole from "Them" and if the goods we hold really do not belong to "Us" but to "Them", then how do we remedy this misalignment ?
There are many more such statements in this Evangelium, expressing this thinking, so that some people actually have come to the conclusion that the Pope is a "Marxist". An accusation which, during a recent interview, he denied.
If not a Marxist, then what is he ? Maybe he is a left leaning Socialist ?
Christ surely appears to have been a Socialist but do not forget what God is supposed to have said to one of the Prophets: "Enjoy the day according to your means."
Compare, I urge you, the statements of Francis with those of Marx:
"Communism is a higher class of Socialism."
"From each according to his ability to each according to his needs."
"The Theory of Communism can be summed up in one sentence: "Abolish All Private Property."
And then, Marx said something, which makes the Pontiff insist that he is not one of them.:
"The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion"
Hey, Francis, don't get too chummy with Karl.
And now, in my opinion and interpretation, comes a real scorcher, a true barn burner if I ever read one:
In paragraph 192 Francis moves away from the pure Marxist theories and....... would you believe it...?
moves right onto the turf of Ayn Rand, a dyed in the wool Capitalist:
Here he says:
".......... we are not simply talking about ensuring nourishment or a dignified sustenance for all people, but also their general temporal welfare and prosperity. This means education, access to health care and above all employment, for it is through free, creative labour, that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them to have adequate access to all the other goods which are destined for our common use."
Ayn Rand's Philosophy of Objectivism demands a society in which, through free, creative labour, everybody has the opportunity to achieve their reasonable goals. The accent is on "Free and Creative Labour"..
Not through Government hand outs, subsidies, etc.... but through FREE AND CREATIVE LABOUR..
with ample consideration for those who are not able to fend for themselves.
So you accuse me of being a dreamer, since the time of true Capitalism has gone and passed us by ?
Well, if I am a dreamer, so is Pope Francis,
in the most humble opinion of
.
Bertstravels.
There were some comments posted on the Internet, suggesting that with some of his remarks, Francis revealed himself as a "Marxist Communist", that he was leaning far to the Left of the political spectrum.
What else did anybody expect ?
Of course, as an "evangelizing Catholic" he must speak in favour of the poor and downtrodden and must urge society to arrange itself in a manner, as to eliminate poverty.
I cannot criticize him for that.
Let me examine his Evangelium from this perspective:
In para 51 Francis writes:
"The Culture of Prosperity deadens us" -
If the Culture of Prosperity really deadens us, it behooves us to find a different culture. What then is the opposite of Prosperity ?
( I assume that the Pontiff did not refer to the "Prosperity Gospel", but used the word in its dictionary sense:
Prosperity: noun: success, riches, plenty, ease, fortune, boom, luxury, well being...
So, if the Culture of Prosperity deadens us, must we turn away from such deadly culture and embrace the opposite ?
The dictionary tells us that the opposite of prosperity is:
poverty, want, failure, depression, shortage and destitution.
Surely, the Pope could not possibly have such a turn-around in mind for us. So what is he talking about ?
"We are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase !"
What, pray tell, is wrong with having something New to purchase ? Maybe it is something which makes our lives a bit better ? Could it also be that the person who produced this "Something-New-To-Purchase" is very happy that we purchased it, since he now is able to feed his family ?
Had we never had something "New To Purchase," we would find ourselves in front of a log fire, chipping away at the wheel. ( which was one of the first "Something New to Purchase".)
But then, in paragraph 57 Francis gets serious:
"Not to share one's wealth with the poor is to steal from them
and take away their livelyhood."
How do we share our wealth with the Poor ?
Do we throw everything into a pot and divvy it up "from each according to his abilities to each according to his needs" ?....
sounds frighteningly familiar, you say ?
The Exhortation continues:
It is not our own goods we hold, but theirs.
Why is it, that something I obtained with my own honest labour all of a sudden belongs to "Them"?
Why does the Pope fortify the differenciation between "Us" and "Them" ?
Who are "Us" and who are "Them" ?
Is there a dividing line, the parts forever changing, melting into each other at the borders ?
Should we not consider all of "Us" as "Us" and see to it that each of "Us" enjoys varying degrees of prosperity ? Surely that is what every reasonable man, including Francis, would want to see.
If "Us" really stole from "Them" and if the goods we hold really do not belong to "Us" but to "Them", then how do we remedy this misalignment ?
There are many more such statements in this Evangelium, expressing this thinking, so that some people actually have come to the conclusion that the Pope is a "Marxist". An accusation which, during a recent interview, he denied.
If not a Marxist, then what is he ? Maybe he is a left leaning Socialist ?
Christ surely appears to have been a Socialist but do not forget what God is supposed to have said to one of the Prophets: "Enjoy the day according to your means."
Compare, I urge you, the statements of Francis with those of Marx:
"Communism is a higher class of Socialism."
"From each according to his ability to each according to his needs."
"The Theory of Communism can be summed up in one sentence: "Abolish All Private Property."
And then, Marx said something, which makes the Pontiff insist that he is not one of them.:
"The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion"
Hey, Francis, don't get too chummy with Karl.
And now, in my opinion and interpretation, comes a real scorcher, a true barn burner if I ever read one:
In paragraph 192 Francis moves away from the pure Marxist theories and....... would you believe it...?
moves right onto the turf of Ayn Rand, a dyed in the wool Capitalist:
Here he says:
".......... we are not simply talking about ensuring nourishment or a dignified sustenance for all people, but also their general temporal welfare and prosperity. This means education, access to health care and above all employment, for it is through free, creative labour, that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them to have adequate access to all the other goods which are destined for our common use."
Ayn Rand's Philosophy of Objectivism demands a society in which, through free, creative labour, everybody has the opportunity to achieve their reasonable goals. The accent is on "Free and Creative Labour"..
Not through Government hand outs, subsidies, etc.... but through FREE AND CREATIVE LABOUR..
with ample consideration for those who are not able to fend for themselves.
So you accuse me of being a dreamer, since the time of true Capitalism has gone and passed us by ?
Well, if I am a dreamer, so is Pope Francis,
in the most humble opinion of
.
Bertstravels.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
That's the Truth (1)
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day !
Teach him how to fish,
he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
Teach him how to fish,
he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Vienna - Transportation : Then and Now
A long line of "Fiakers" awaits customers behind St. Stephens Cathedral.
A long line of "Streetcars" ready for passengers.
Friday, December 13, 2013
HOLY LAUNDRY
In a remote Village, high up in the Karawanken,
a church and behind it laundry hung to dry in the sun.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
A Broken Promise
Yes, I know, I promised you and myself to stop writing about this silly "Evangelii Gaudium".."But I cannot help myself. It just about challenges a man to comment on its audacity and frivolous arguments.
Franciscus, in paragraph 56 speaks of
"wide spread corruption and self serving tax evasion."...
Surely this is a most typical case of the kettle calling the pot black.
How can the Pope speak of the corruption of others, when his own institution, the R.C. Church has one scandal after the other washing over its spiritual and financial shores?
The transfer of Priests found to have sexually molested children entrusted to them, to other parishes speaks of a spiritual corruption not only of the perpetrator, but also of the highest echelon and finally of the entire institution. The former Pope, Benedict XVI, by "Apostolic Letter" issued instructions that matters of "child abuse" were not to be reported to the Authorities, but were to be dealt with in private, subject to "pontifical secret" (see this Blog, entry 12th Sept.2013).
If this is not corruption of the Highest Order, I truly do not know what is..
It is surely akin to a Bank President, issuing a direction that an embezzling Branch Manager is not to be reported to the Police, but is to be transferred to another branch.
Spiritual corruption within the Catholic Church is indeed rampant.
But what about financial corruption ?
The Financial Times, in its issue of December 6th 2013 reports the arrest on June 28 of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, (nick named "Monsignore Cinquecento" alluding to the fact that the Monsignore habitually carried 500 Euro bank notes.)
Scarano was caught with two other men attempting to transport 20 Million Euros by private plane from Switzerland to Italy. All three declared themselves innocent of any wrong doing, and, as befits a democratic state must be thought of as innocent until proven guilty.
The trio Scarano et al was charged with Fraud and Corruption, in matters also involving sacral financial institutions like: Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan and UniCredit, all working with the Vatican Bank, who, by the way in a hypocritical move that seeks its equal, calls itself "The Institute for Religious Work."
In case you may think that all of this is a "sign of the times" let me remind you of Roberto Calvi. the late chairman of the collapsed Banco Ambrosio, a Bank of which the Vatican Bank (the Institute for Religious work) was the major shareholder. Calvi was found in 1982 hanged from London's Black Friar bridge.
Who ordered his death? The Mafia? Or somebody who did not like to be "the major shareholder" of a collapsed Bank? There are other examples, too numerous to mention, of the total spiritual collapse of this institution.
As I mentioned above, this Exhortation also speaks of "self serving tax evasion."
While for total lack of evidence, I do not accuse the Catholic Church of "Tax Evasion", I most certainly and without fear of contradiction, accuse them of "Tax Avoidance".... And for the .coffers of the state, charged with looking after the affairs of ALL its citizens, it really makes no difference if these hundreds of millions of Euros are evaded or avoided.
How does it come about that the Vatican pays little or no taxes?
It's the Concordats, my dear, the Concordats:
A Concordat is an agreement between the Vatican and the secular Government of a country, to regulate the affairs of the Church within said Country, including the payment, or non-payment of taxes.. Since the Vatican also is a "Country" it makes such a Concordat an "international agreement" which can only be broken by mutual consent.
The Concordat in many countries, including Italy, stipulates that no taxes or only a fraction of the regular tax are payable on any property part of which is used for non-commercial purposes.
So, the Vatican boys are smart boys, you know!
They bought, for instance, a luxury Hotel in downtown Rome or anywhere else, they quickly built a little chapel, or in a shopping plaza they erected in an out of the way corner a little niche with a statue of Holy Mary and "abra-cadabra" the tax collector went home empty handed.
It is estimated that through such immoral, unethical, underhanded manipulations the country of Italy looses up to two billion Euros per year. The City of Rome alone goes without an estimated 25.5 Million annual Euros.
Some of the most beautiful hotels, Shopping facilities and other properties are owned by the Vatican in the choicest downtown areas of Rome and enjoy a tax free operation.
AND THIS MAN HAS THE AUDACITY TO SPEAK OF "WIDE SPREAD CORRUPTION AND SELF SERVING TAX EVASION:
There is probably no Institution more corrupt and avoids/evades more taxes than the Holy See.
Franciscus, in paragraph 56 speaks of
"wide spread corruption and self serving tax evasion."...
Surely this is a most typical case of the kettle calling the pot black.
How can the Pope speak of the corruption of others, when his own institution, the R.C. Church has one scandal after the other washing over its spiritual and financial shores?
The transfer of Priests found to have sexually molested children entrusted to them, to other parishes speaks of a spiritual corruption not only of the perpetrator, but also of the highest echelon and finally of the entire institution. The former Pope, Benedict XVI, by "Apostolic Letter" issued instructions that matters of "child abuse" were not to be reported to the Authorities, but were to be dealt with in private, subject to "pontifical secret" (see this Blog, entry 12th Sept.2013).
If this is not corruption of the Highest Order, I truly do not know what is..
It is surely akin to a Bank President, issuing a direction that an embezzling Branch Manager is not to be reported to the Police, but is to be transferred to another branch.
Spiritual corruption within the Catholic Church is indeed rampant.
But what about financial corruption ?
The Financial Times, in its issue of December 6th 2013 reports the arrest on June 28 of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, (nick named "Monsignore Cinquecento" alluding to the fact that the Monsignore habitually carried 500 Euro bank notes.)
Scarano was caught with two other men attempting to transport 20 Million Euros by private plane from Switzerland to Italy. All three declared themselves innocent of any wrong doing, and, as befits a democratic state must be thought of as innocent until proven guilty.
The trio Scarano et al was charged with Fraud and Corruption, in matters also involving sacral financial institutions like: Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan and UniCredit, all working with the Vatican Bank, who, by the way in a hypocritical move that seeks its equal, calls itself "The Institute for Religious Work."
In case you may think that all of this is a "sign of the times" let me remind you of Roberto Calvi. the late chairman of the collapsed Banco Ambrosio, a Bank of which the Vatican Bank (the Institute for Religious work) was the major shareholder. Calvi was found in 1982 hanged from London's Black Friar bridge.
Who ordered his death? The Mafia? Or somebody who did not like to be "the major shareholder" of a collapsed Bank? There are other examples, too numerous to mention, of the total spiritual collapse of this institution.
As I mentioned above, this Exhortation also speaks of "self serving tax evasion."
While for total lack of evidence, I do not accuse the Catholic Church of "Tax Evasion", I most certainly and without fear of contradiction, accuse them of "Tax Avoidance".... And for the .coffers of the state, charged with looking after the affairs of ALL its citizens, it really makes no difference if these hundreds of millions of Euros are evaded or avoided.
How does it come about that the Vatican pays little or no taxes?
It's the Concordats, my dear, the Concordats:
A Concordat is an agreement between the Vatican and the secular Government of a country, to regulate the affairs of the Church within said Country, including the payment, or non-payment of taxes.. Since the Vatican also is a "Country" it makes such a Concordat an "international agreement" which can only be broken by mutual consent.
The Concordat in many countries, including Italy, stipulates that no taxes or only a fraction of the regular tax are payable on any property part of which is used for non-commercial purposes.
So, the Vatican boys are smart boys, you know!
They bought, for instance, a luxury Hotel in downtown Rome or anywhere else, they quickly built a little chapel, or in a shopping plaza they erected in an out of the way corner a little niche with a statue of Holy Mary and "abra-cadabra" the tax collector went home empty handed.
It is estimated that through such immoral, unethical, underhanded manipulations the country of Italy looses up to two billion Euros per year. The City of Rome alone goes without an estimated 25.5 Million annual Euros.
Some of the most beautiful hotels, Shopping facilities and other properties are owned by the Vatican in the choicest downtown areas of Rome and enjoy a tax free operation.
AND THIS MAN HAS THE AUDACITY TO SPEAK OF "WIDE SPREAD CORRUPTION AND SELF SERVING TAX EVASION:
There is probably no Institution more corrupt and avoids/evades more taxes than the Holy See.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Insanity on a Grand Scale
This really takes the cake:
During the "Perchten Run" (see below) in the Province of East Tirol, there were 56 injuries. Not just a scratch here or there, no, the Tiroleans don't fool around when it comes to 'quaint' customs: There were bone fractures (upper thigh), serious concussions, serious cuts and lacerations and so forth. Fifty six cases which had to be treated in hospitals. The chief of one of the hospitals is quoted as having said that this was no worse than in previous years. "We know what is coming and we prepare for it".
And now, in my humble opinion, comes the truly unbelievable: The Prosecuting Attorney of the Province says that there is no possibility of a law suit because everybody knows what goes on during such an "ancient custom" and anybody who goes out onto the street during such a "Perchten Run" takes his chances and, so he intimated, is the maker of his own misfortune.
It is truly difficult to believe, that in a civilized country, the State Attorney, the supposed protector of the Citizenry interprets such mayhem, such an exhibition of sheer brutality, as "just an old custom against which the law will not act."
He, unfortunately, is not alone in this incredible show of ill-placed tolerance. I've not read, nor heard a single word of protest in the media.
It seems that hereabouts you may well go onto the streets, to buy a cup of coffee in the neighbourhood coffee-shop, or to visit a friend, and, if you chose the wrong time and place you may get hospitalized due to a 'quaint custom' occasioned beating and it will have been your own fault. The law will do nothing and everybody feels that this is Okay, although you did not ask for a broken bone nor for a serious concussion.
And those very same people call Halloween a "Silly American Custom".
Now, "don't this just take the cake?"
so asks Bertstravels
During the "Perchten Run" (see below) in the Province of East Tirol, there were 56 injuries. Not just a scratch here or there, no, the Tiroleans don't fool around when it comes to 'quaint' customs: There were bone fractures (upper thigh), serious concussions, serious cuts and lacerations and so forth. Fifty six cases which had to be treated in hospitals. The chief of one of the hospitals is quoted as having said that this was no worse than in previous years. "We know what is coming and we prepare for it".
And now, in my humble opinion, comes the truly unbelievable: The Prosecuting Attorney of the Province says that there is no possibility of a law suit because everybody knows what goes on during such an "ancient custom" and anybody who goes out onto the street during such a "Perchten Run" takes his chances and, so he intimated, is the maker of his own misfortune.
It is truly difficult to believe, that in a civilized country, the State Attorney, the supposed protector of the Citizenry interprets such mayhem, such an exhibition of sheer brutality, as "just an old custom against which the law will not act."
He, unfortunately, is not alone in this incredible show of ill-placed tolerance. I've not read, nor heard a single word of protest in the media.
It seems that hereabouts you may well go onto the streets, to buy a cup of coffee in the neighbourhood coffee-shop, or to visit a friend, and, if you chose the wrong time and place you may get hospitalized due to a 'quaint custom' occasioned beating and it will have been your own fault. The law will do nothing and everybody feels that this is Okay, although you did not ask for a broken bone nor for a serious concussion.
And those very same people call Halloween a "Silly American Custom".
Now, "don't this just take the cake?"
so asks Bertstravels
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Perchten Laufen - an old custom
When I was a kid in Braunau am Inn, Austria, lo those many years ago, St.Nicklaus, accompanied by a hellish figure, called Krampus, came to your home ( on the invitation of your parents) on the evening of the 6th day of December.
St. Nicklaus brought small presents, like a little bag of walnuts, maybe an orange or two and surely one or two ginger bread figures in the shape of St.Nicklaus, with a very colourful picture of himself glued to the surface. Krampus would stay in the background, now and then rattling his chain which was used to fasten his suit of fur and, depending on the age of the children in the house, he would use his switch, gently banging it against the floor, and in a low voice ask if you had been good all year long.
Modern parents would not even think about traumatising their children in this way. But, heck, I did not become traumatised, grew up a reasonably sane person, although I must have been a little scared, hanging on and hiding behind my mothers skirt.
In spite of this, each year we awaited with eager anticipation the coming of Nickolaus und Krampus.
St. Nick was dressed in a Bishop's white robe with gold embroidery and a bishop's hat, carrying the appropriate staff. He simply was an all-round "good guy".
Krampus was dressed in black fur pants and and black fur jacket, wore a black mask covering his face, with a long tongue sticking out of his mouth between big white teeth.
I think that I remember this duo only three times: Once when I was maybe 5 years old and once at age 6.
The last time, at age 7 I recognized the voice of Krampus as belonging to my brother Sigurd, who was 8 years my senior. So when he asked me in this artificial low voice if I had been good, I collected all my nerve and said: "Ja, mein Bruder Sigurd".
The general wave of laughter on the part of my parents and sisters ( I was the youngest of four by 6 years)
confirmed me in my bravery.
Today, this quaint custom has been replaced by the "Perchten Run" There are, indeed, Perchten clubs in many communities. They hire themselves out to run in an orderly manner through a community's main street.
rattling their chains and making underworld noises. Each "Perchte" trying to outdo the other in sheer ugliness and energy.
Oh well, times, they are achanging.
Have all of you been good all year long ?
So asks
Bertstravels.
St. Nicklaus brought small presents, like a little bag of walnuts, maybe an orange or two and surely one or two ginger bread figures in the shape of St.Nicklaus, with a very colourful picture of himself glued to the surface. Krampus would stay in the background, now and then rattling his chain which was used to fasten his suit of fur and, depending on the age of the children in the house, he would use his switch, gently banging it against the floor, and in a low voice ask if you had been good all year long.
Modern parents would not even think about traumatising their children in this way. But, heck, I did not become traumatised, grew up a reasonably sane person, although I must have been a little scared, hanging on and hiding behind my mothers skirt.
In spite of this, each year we awaited with eager anticipation the coming of Nickolaus und Krampus.
St. Nick was dressed in a Bishop's white robe with gold embroidery and a bishop's hat, carrying the appropriate staff. He simply was an all-round "good guy".
Krampus was dressed in black fur pants and and black fur jacket, wore a black mask covering his face, with a long tongue sticking out of his mouth between big white teeth.
I think that I remember this duo only three times: Once when I was maybe 5 years old and once at age 6.
The last time, at age 7 I recognized the voice of Krampus as belonging to my brother Sigurd, who was 8 years my senior. So when he asked me in this artificial low voice if I had been good, I collected all my nerve and said: "Ja, mein Bruder Sigurd".
The general wave of laughter on the part of my parents and sisters ( I was the youngest of four by 6 years)
confirmed me in my bravery.
Today, this quaint custom has been replaced by the "Perchten Run" There are, indeed, Perchten clubs in many communities. They hire themselves out to run in an orderly manner through a community's main street.
rattling their chains and making underworld noises. Each "Perchte" trying to outdo the other in sheer ugliness and energy.
Oh well, times, they are achanging.
Have all of you been good all year long ?
So asks
Bertstravels.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
More about the EVANGELII GAUDIUM
Now - pay close attention,- comes paragraphs 53+ in which Francis really goes on the attack.
53.) Just as the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say "Though shalt not" to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.
We have previously discussed who are the biggest creators of inequality and will not repeat this argument. The Pontiff offers not one iota of proof regarding his claim that "such an economy kills."
The economy existing under a true Free Market Democracy has on the contrary contributed to longer and healthier life spans of its people. Every statistical analysis of demographic research shows this to be factual.
Then this "exhortation" really reaches the bottom of demagoguery by posing the following question:
"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?
A death, occurring in the above described circumstances is, in fact, usually reported, sometimes at great length, in the local media.
When, however, a person so dies in Vienna, it is not reported in Madrid, since it is obviously less news worthy there than a 2 point drop in the stock market which influences many hundreds of thousands of people from Vienna to Madrid and beyond, including many small investors who attempt to supplement their pension by a little income from a conservative investment in the stock market.
This "Evangelium" should have asked:
"Why is it possible for a homeless person to die from exposure when hundreds of Churches, Monasteries and Nunneries stand largely empty, rarely used, and could have provided temporary shelter until a lasting solution could be found.
The Pontiff goes on in paragraph 54:
"In this context, some people continue to defend the trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those yielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.
The opinion that everybody, including the poor, in a free market system, benefits from such a freedom has "never been confirmed by the facts"....
Where have you been, Francis ?
In which pile of sand did you hide your head?
Living standards of every class of a free society have constantly improved, while every society in which the state exercised exclusive economic power has either disintegrated, (UdSSR)
or has introduced ever increasing free market conditions (China)
The poverty in many other countries where dictators reign, and true Free Market does not exist, is truly beyond description (Many African Nations)
When Francis speaks of Roman Catholicism he is likely dead on.
But when he condemns the Free Market under a Democracy and advocates more controls exercised by Governments he is out of his depth.
He is, however, clever: The subtelty of his message, his urgings for Governments to move to his side of the political spectrum, the Left, is unmistakable throughout.
If you want to know more about the
Evangelii Gaudium
go, read it, it's on the Internet
because Bertstravels has grown a little sick of it.
53.) Just as the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say "Though shalt not" to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.
We have previously discussed who are the biggest creators of inequality and will not repeat this argument. The Pontiff offers not one iota of proof regarding his claim that "such an economy kills."
The economy existing under a true Free Market Democracy has on the contrary contributed to longer and healthier life spans of its people. Every statistical analysis of demographic research shows this to be factual.
Then this "exhortation" really reaches the bottom of demagoguery by posing the following question:
"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?
A death, occurring in the above described circumstances is, in fact, usually reported, sometimes at great length, in the local media.
When, however, a person so dies in Vienna, it is not reported in Madrid, since it is obviously less news worthy there than a 2 point drop in the stock market which influences many hundreds of thousands of people from Vienna to Madrid and beyond, including many small investors who attempt to supplement their pension by a little income from a conservative investment in the stock market.
This "Evangelium" should have asked:
"Why is it possible for a homeless person to die from exposure when hundreds of Churches, Monasteries and Nunneries stand largely empty, rarely used, and could have provided temporary shelter until a lasting solution could be found.
The Pontiff goes on in paragraph 54:
"In this context, some people continue to defend the trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those yielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.
The opinion that everybody, including the poor, in a free market system, benefits from such a freedom has "never been confirmed by the facts"....
Where have you been, Francis ?
In which pile of sand did you hide your head?
Living standards of every class of a free society have constantly improved, while every society in which the state exercised exclusive economic power has either disintegrated, (UdSSR)
or has introduced ever increasing free market conditions (China)
The poverty in many other countries where dictators reign, and true Free Market does not exist, is truly beyond description (Many African Nations)
When Francis speaks of Roman Catholicism he is likely dead on.
But when he condemns the Free Market under a Democracy and advocates more controls exercised by Governments he is out of his depth.
He is, however, clever: The subtelty of his message, his urgings for Governments to move to his side of the political spectrum, the Left, is unmistakable throughout.
If you want to know more about the
Evangelii Gaudium
go, read it, it's on the Internet
because Bertstravels has grown a little sick of it.
Monday, December 2, 2013
About the "EVANGELII GAUDIUM
It could be translated as: "The Message of Joy" and was published by Pope John Francis as the first "Apostolic Exhortation" of his reign.
In this wide ranging document's first number of paragraphs the Pope deals with the need to Joyfully anticipate salvation by accepting Christ's offer thereof:
"All creation shares in the joy of Salvation."
"Sing for Joy O Heavens, and exult, O Earth."
He then speaks at length of the essential duty of Christians to "Evangelize", to "Go Forth" and preach the Gospel. In Fact, the urging to "Go Forth" is repeated so often in this text, that one might assume it to be the core message. Such an assumption would be wrong, however.
I shall not analyse and comment on this Evangelium in detail. Let more learned people do this. I will, however, quote certain passages which caught my interest and attention and I will comment on those in approximate order of their appearance.
Through the Prophet Zephania we hear God urge the people:
"My Child, treat yourself well, according to your means...
do not deprive yourself of the day's enjoyment."
What exactly does this mean ? Treat yourself well, according to your means? Does this indicate that God not only knew (The All Knowing) but in fact accepted the fact that there were the Rich and the Poor?
This would be most interesting, particularly in light of the later condemnation of Capitalism.
In para. 7 Francis accuses
"our technological society of having succeeded in multiplying "Occasions of Pleasure" but having failed "to engender Joy".
If "Joy" means the acceptance of Christ's offer of salvation then it is unreasonable to expect "technology" to create "Joy".
To those who practice evangelism, the spreading of God's message, the heart of their message will always be the same:
"God, who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ."
Think about it for a moment: God's 'immense' love is shown to mankind by having his Son tortured, crucified and killed, so that the sins of mankind may be forgiven!
Forgiven by whom? Forgiven by God, of course. In other words, God decided (that may be the wrong word, since it presupposes that He weighed several possibilities) anyway, He decided that in order for mankind to be forgiven of its sinful ways, his Son would have to die a cruel and gruesome death.
Could He not just have forgiven the sins of mankind without this unthinkably cruel sacrifice?
In paragraphs 9 to 13 this Apostolic Exhortation, urges all believers by threat and by offering rewards to Go Forth and preach the word of God.
In Paragraph 16 Franciscus calls for a decentralization of the Papal Office and Power.
" .....in this sense I am conscious of the need (16)
to promote a sound decentralization."
I find it difficult to believe that the Synod of Bishops will relinquish any of its power and influence, and the Pope, like it or not, will have to remain in charge, since he, after all, is the only one who is infallible in matters of Faith and Doctrine.
"Inequality is increasingly evident"
One of the Great Inequalities surely must be between the Pomp of the Papacy in specific and the Roman Catholic Church in general, when juxtaposed to the simple lives of the impoverished parishioners who, through mandatory church taxes and only semi-voluntary weekly contributions, contribute to Papal wealth.
A further inequality certainly is the tax-excempt status for all of the vast holdings of the Catholic Church. There is no other individual or organisation which enjoys such an eternal tax holiday.
"Violence is on the rise"
Compared to the violence in which the Roman Catholic church was involved, actively or passively, over the centuries, we now live in a peaceful time.
In paragraph 51 this Apostolic Exhortation states that
"it is not the task of the Pope to offer a detailed and complete
analysis of contemporary reality, but I do exhort all the communities to an ever watchful scrutiny of the signs of the times. This is, in fact, a grave responsibility, since certain present realities, unless effectively dealt with, are capable of setting off processes of dehumanization which would then be hard to reverse.
This "Apostolic Exhortation" the goes on urging us to know God's Plan and to distinguish Good from Evil and to choose "movements of the spirit of Good and reject those of the Spirit of Evil."
At no time does the Pontif warn us that the search for Good and Evil is fraught with danger.
Just consider the search for Evil which caused the Inquisition, the burning of innocent women, accused by 'Evil-Seekers' of witchcraft and so many other crimes against humanity in the name of seeking the Good and eradicating the Evil.
Pope Francis truly relinquishes his leadership swhen he claims that it is not his job to offer an "analysis of contemporary reality"but rather urges "all communities to an ever watchful scutiny".
It is precisely such vague statements which give rise to any kind of interpretation which can then be used to serve the ends of personal search for power.
"A number of diseases are spreading" (52)
Medical science has never been as advanced as it is now, particularly in the Western World, where the fruits of Free Enterprise and Democracy have given the impetus and the means to find cures for diseases, which in the past were unforgiving killers.
How easy it would be for the Almighty to stop these maladies and bring about a disease free, healthy world. A blink of an eye or a wave of his hand should do it. (if I may be permitted to anthropomorphise the Almighty for a moment)
In blaming technology or society at large we are pointing the accusing finger at the wrong guy.
*****************************************
There is much more to come... you just have to wait for the next Blog written by
Bertstravels.
In this wide ranging document's first number of paragraphs the Pope deals with the need to Joyfully anticipate salvation by accepting Christ's offer thereof:
"All creation shares in the joy of Salvation."
"Sing for Joy O Heavens, and exult, O Earth."
He then speaks at length of the essential duty of Christians to "Evangelize", to "Go Forth" and preach the Gospel. In Fact, the urging to "Go Forth" is repeated so often in this text, that one might assume it to be the core message. Such an assumption would be wrong, however.
I shall not analyse and comment on this Evangelium in detail. Let more learned people do this. I will, however, quote certain passages which caught my interest and attention and I will comment on those in approximate order of their appearance.
Through the Prophet Zephania we hear God urge the people:
"My Child, treat yourself well, according to your means...
do not deprive yourself of the day's enjoyment."
What exactly does this mean ? Treat yourself well, according to your means? Does this indicate that God not only knew (The All Knowing) but in fact accepted the fact that there were the Rich and the Poor?
This would be most interesting, particularly in light of the later condemnation of Capitalism.
In para. 7 Francis accuses
"our technological society of having succeeded in multiplying "Occasions of Pleasure" but having failed "to engender Joy".
If "Joy" means the acceptance of Christ's offer of salvation then it is unreasonable to expect "technology" to create "Joy".
To those who practice evangelism, the spreading of God's message, the heart of their message will always be the same:
"God, who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ."
Think about it for a moment: God's 'immense' love is shown to mankind by having his Son tortured, crucified and killed, so that the sins of mankind may be forgiven!
Forgiven by whom? Forgiven by God, of course. In other words, God decided (that may be the wrong word, since it presupposes that He weighed several possibilities) anyway, He decided that in order for mankind to be forgiven of its sinful ways, his Son would have to die a cruel and gruesome death.
Could He not just have forgiven the sins of mankind without this unthinkably cruel sacrifice?
In paragraphs 9 to 13 this Apostolic Exhortation, urges all believers by threat and by offering rewards to Go Forth and preach the word of God.
In Paragraph 16 Franciscus calls for a decentralization of the Papal Office and Power.
" .....in this sense I am conscious of the need (16)
to promote a sound decentralization."
I find it difficult to believe that the Synod of Bishops will relinquish any of its power and influence, and the Pope, like it or not, will have to remain in charge, since he, after all, is the only one who is infallible in matters of Faith and Doctrine.
"Inequality is increasingly evident"
One of the Great Inequalities surely must be between the Pomp of the Papacy in specific and the Roman Catholic Church in general, when juxtaposed to the simple lives of the impoverished parishioners who, through mandatory church taxes and only semi-voluntary weekly contributions, contribute to Papal wealth.
A further inequality certainly is the tax-excempt status for all of the vast holdings of the Catholic Church. There is no other individual or organisation which enjoys such an eternal tax holiday.
"Violence is on the rise"
Compared to the violence in which the Roman Catholic church was involved, actively or passively, over the centuries, we now live in a peaceful time.
In paragraph 51 this Apostolic Exhortation states that
"it is not the task of the Pope to offer a detailed and complete
analysis of contemporary reality, but I do exhort all the communities to an ever watchful scrutiny of the signs of the times. This is, in fact, a grave responsibility, since certain present realities, unless effectively dealt with, are capable of setting off processes of dehumanization which would then be hard to reverse.
This "Apostolic Exhortation" the goes on urging us to know God's Plan and to distinguish Good from Evil and to choose "movements of the spirit of Good and reject those of the Spirit of Evil."
At no time does the Pontif warn us that the search for Good and Evil is fraught with danger.
Just consider the search for Evil which caused the Inquisition, the burning of innocent women, accused by 'Evil-Seekers' of witchcraft and so many other crimes against humanity in the name of seeking the Good and eradicating the Evil.
Pope Francis truly relinquishes his leadership swhen he claims that it is not his job to offer an "analysis of contemporary reality"but rather urges "all communities to an ever watchful scutiny".
It is precisely such vague statements which give rise to any kind of interpretation which can then be used to serve the ends of personal search for power.
"A number of diseases are spreading" (52)
Medical science has never been as advanced as it is now, particularly in the Western World, where the fruits of Free Enterprise and Democracy have given the impetus and the means to find cures for diseases, which in the past were unforgiving killers.
How easy it would be for the Almighty to stop these maladies and bring about a disease free, healthy world. A blink of an eye or a wave of his hand should do it. (if I may be permitted to anthropomorphise the Almighty for a moment)
In blaming technology or society at large we are pointing the accusing finger at the wrong guy.
*****************************************
There is much more to come... you just have to wait for the next Blog written by
Bertstravels.
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