Silence is golden

I'm off to Zimbabwe and Zambia, so there will be  no entries for about four weeks.
I hope that I shall return with a crop of new pictures.
See you in the middle of June!
Bertsravels.

The Lady of Fatima

I am really disappointed. And how !

I was beginning to respect Pope Franciscus. Many of the things he said and did made some sense and I honestly believed that they had a Pope, clever, honest and respectable.

And then he goes and does something like this:

He bestows Sainthood on two children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Two of the three Portuguese children, ( the third was one Lucia Santos ) who, in 1917, claimed to have seen Maria, the mother of Jesus, while they were in the vicinity of their home town of Fatima caring for their families' sheep.

They described the apparition in words which sound to me not at all like words 9 and 10 year old children would use, but rather like words taught to them by an adult, possibly a priest:

“the angel ( who only later became Maria, the mother of God ) was brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light, clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun.”

Do relatively uneducated children of about 10 years of age really talk like that? Or does this sound more like the language of a Priest who told the kids what to say?

Mary, the mother of Jesus, the story continues, gave the children three secrets.

The First, so-called Secret, is a vision of Hell. Of a mighty fire seemingly under the earth, in which there were “demons and souls in human form”. There were, throughout, shrieks and groans of pain and despair.

Goodness Gracious Sake... Imagine: what a big secret … a vision of Hell ! As if Hell had not been described in the Bible, and in innumerable books and paintings before, ad nauseam.

The kids saw those pictures many times before this vision of theirs revealed the “Big Secret”.

The Second so-called Secret predicted the end of World War I and the beginning of a new, more devastating war, should mankind continue offending God and should Russia not convert.

This “Secret” was revealed in 1941, when WWI had long since come to an end (1918) and WWII was well under way. (1939 - 1945)

One wonders why this secret was not revealed earlier, so that somehow mankind could prepare itself and maybe even avoid WWII?

I suggest that nothing is easier than to reveal a Big Secret after the issues it contains have happened and, in fact have been concluded.

I, Bertstravels, can be the greatest of all Soothsayers, all Prognosticators about the past.

Throughout all of it the need for prayer for peace is emphasized: And we all know, of course, how much good all the praying for peace has done. The contrary result is the more likely:

The more people pray, the worse the killing in warfare gets.

And now we come to Secret # 3.

It, along with Secrets # 1 and #2, was given to the children in 1917, but was not revealed by the Vatican until June of 2000.

Lucia Santos, the surviving member of the three children, insisted that Mary, the Mother of God, firmly instructed her not to reveal this secret until 1960.

Elsewhere, however, she allows that this specific year 1960 was not given to her by Mary, but was her own idea, because, she said, it was only after this year that the meaning of the Secret would be understood by people.

The wording of this 3^rd Secret is a bit convoluted and speaks of people, among them Bishops, Priests and other religious people, ascending a steep mountain, while trudging through a destroyed city.

It allows many different interpretation until finally, Pope Ratzinger, came up with a wonderful explanation:

The third secret, he said, “has a permanent and ongoing significance” and that “its significance could even be extended to the suffering the Church is going through today as a result of the recent reports of sexual abuse involving the clergy.”

He, of course, makes no mention of the suffering the abused children have gone and still are going through as a result of this abuse by members of the clergy.

It is most interesting to note that this same Mr. Ratzinger, when he still was Pope Benedict the 16^th, suggested in an internal letter, that such abuse, when discovered, must not be reported to the authorities, but must be dealt with within the Church.

Now he suggests, that the 3^rd Secret of Fatima may deal with the suffering of the Church, not of the victimized children.

What a scoundrel he is, what scoundrels they all are.

Poor, hallucinating Lucia Santos told how the three children would tie tight ropes around their waists and flagellate themselves, inflicting pain upon their bodies to pay for their own and the world's sins.

She added that about this, the apparition Mary told her “God was pleased”.

Can you imagine this? Three children whip themselves with burning nettles and inflict pain upon their bodies and “God” does not send them to a Psychiatrist, but tells them that “He is pleased”.

And now, to top it all off, Pope Franciscus declares two of the children, Jacinta and Francisco as Saints.

The more you read about “The Lady of Fatima” the greater must be your revulsion about this entire swindle, likely created by, and now certainly supported by the Catholic Church.

Bertstravels

does not dare even think about

the even greater nonsense of Lourdes.

The JUMPER

One summer in  the Cannon River in Algonquin Park I noticed a well equipped young man climbing the perpendicular rock face.  I beached my canoe on the opposite side and got my camera ready, expecting something interesting to happen. I knew that even if he would fall, he would not get hurt since he would hit deep water and all he'd have to do was swim to my side of the river and he'd be safe.
So these are the pix I got this day:

You may wonder what he did with his clothing and climbing gear:

Very simple: He put everything in a plastic bag with a float

tossed it down ahead of himself and then jumped.

What an adventure. I would have liked to jump, but not to climb this vertical rock face.

I Solisti Veneti

are a  Chamber Music Quintet with 2 Violins,  Viola, Cello, Double Bass, and featuring soloists on Trumpet, Oboe, English Horn, and Clarinet.

I do not normally wax poetic and  enthusiastic about Chamber Music, but this Ensemble is so fantastically superb, that it is difficult not to become exuberant in their praise.
This "Quintet plus 1" sounds like an entire orchestra. Each member is a miraculous performer in his/her own right and the above mentioned soloists leave you totally in awe of their skill.

The  Organisation "Dante Alighieri" under the leadership of Mr. Gert Thalhammer brought this wonderful and wondrous Group to Spittal in Carinthia and Christin and I drove the 1.5 hours to hear
them. I would have driven twice as far for this musical pleasure.

I regret deeply that I cannot post their sound. So you will have to be satisfied with some pictures.
Of course they have CDs on the market. Go and get some and be prepared for some real "listening pleasure of the First Kind."

"I Solisti Veneti" conducted by the famed Italian Conductor Claudio Scimone

featuring virtual magicians on Trumpet, English Horn, Oboe and Clarinet

appeared in the Monastery Church  in the lovely small town of Millstatt on the  picturesque 

Lake Millstatt

The Solisti Veneti  and trumpeter Roberto Rigo

Paolo Grazia is featured on the "Corno Inglese" ( the English Horn)

Lorenzo Guzzoni "swings" with his Clarinet.

Conductor Scimone applauds Paolo Grazia's Oboe.

Gert Thalhammer, Chief of the "Dante Alighieri"

with two of his oldest Club members.

Turk's Hat Lillies

Don't ask me...

I don't know why or how the alignment in the posting below happened.
I won't lose any sleep  over it.
Handle it!

Mankind, where goest thou ?

I find it absolutely astonishing: None of the daily papers mentioned this important day in the history of Europe and the World. Google creates a special icon for almost everything: 

Joe Bloe invented the pop-up toaster and on this day he registered it in the patent office of Hyderabad. Bingo... Google has an animated cartoon showing toast flying all over the place. World War 2 has come to an end , the large scale killing has stopped, almost stopped.... The guns are silenced with the minor exception in some of the Balkan areas,. and not a Word out of anybody.... Nothing in the Newspapers, no mention on Radio, will there be a passing comment on TV tonight, or is the fact that a contestant of Armin Assinger's "Millionen Show" may have the right answer for the 1 Million Euro question more important than the end of a slaughter, which, as I have stated earlier has caused the death of over 65 Million people. It is a staggering recognition that we have become so inured to death and killing that we allow this day to pass by unobserved.

Bertstravels

is sad

The 8th day of May 1945

A day of celebration for all civilized people.
World War 2 actually did not end until 2nd September 1945, when the Japanese forces accepted the unconditional surrender imposed by the Allied forces.
One minute past midnight on the 8th day of May 1945, however, is the official end of the European section of this devastating war, which cost an estimated 65 Million lives.
On the orders of then "Reich President" Karl Dönitz, General Jodl and General Keitel signed this Surrender Document with the USA and Russia respectively.
Pages upon pages, books without number have been written about this day in the history of mankind.
Let me just add these few lines in urging moments of contemplation of what can happen when an entire people allows itself to be dominated by a group of  insane killers.

Bertstravels
sees it that way.

Add to my favorites

There are so many "favorite" images in my collection, some of them going far back in time that it becomes quite difficult to choose.
Well, here are some more, randomly chosen:

In Key West, Florida

the  "7 S" Image"

SunSet, Sailboat, Soaring Seagull, Silent Sea!

Sunset at "Little Joe Lake

Algonquin Park, Ontario" 

Lake Opeongo, 6.00 AM

Lake Opeongo  6.15AM

Some I like best!

Recently I used the web site of "mypicturebook.com" to make a little hardcover book containing  45 of what I consider my best pictures. Actually, I should say, my favourite pictures.
The word "best" can, of course, be argued about. "Favourite",  however, is such a subjective word, that  nobody can dispute this statement. The following is not presented to create discussion. Just to be looked at.So, here are some of them:
It is of course possible, nay, likely, that I had shown some or all of them before. So be it.

Fragile tenderness.

"Gentle Hues"

The Nektar Thief.

Is it a Peacock or the seeds of the Milkweed ?

I think it's a Peacock.

A close-up of a Galaxy or of a Dandy Lion?

To kerchief or not to kerchief!

All over Europe the controversy is raging concerning the wearing of kerchiefs by Muslim women. 
Recently Austria's President, one Mr. Van der Bellen, suggested that if things progress in this vein, and this prejudice and resulting discrimination continues, it will soon become necessary to ask all Austrian women to wear such a kerchief, as a sign of solidarity.
You should have read and heard the storm of condemnation descending on our poor President for this statement.
Please don't ask me what in his suggestion was so objectionable.
I think that this was a very positive posture to take, one to shame those, who see something strange and foreign in a kerchief, forgetting that our Grandmothers, going at their daily chores, wore kerchiefs, some single colour black and others multi coloured and lively.
One might assume that things must be absolutely perfect and "honky-dory" in Europe, when this is all they have to worry about.
With the political ultra right wing raising its ugly dictatorial head in so many European countries, and people at a recent 1st May rally singing the "Internationale" while a balled fist is raised in the Communist signal of solidarity, one might think that a kerchief worn by a woman for whatever reason would be at the very bottom of the list of concerns.
With tax money being evaded by businesses, large and small, with tax money being spent recklessly by the Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments, a kerchief worn by a woman for some religious reason should disappear into such total unimportance as to not warrant even a single comment.
Because a terrorist calls upon Allah prior to exploding a bomb, a woman shall be prohibited from wearing a kerchief?
Will such craziness ever stop?

Bertstravels
asks this question seriously.

More Dainese

Lianne said that she liked the landscapes.
Dainese gets on a high point, sometimes even with a helicopter or plane and, remembering what she saw, she paints the landscapes from memory.