Sometimes, You Just Have to Feel Sorry for Atheists ...

I was driving my family home at about 1:00 am this morning, through the darkness of I-75 in Genesee County, we saw this billboard, blazing at us with what seemed a million watts:

You kind of have to feel sorry for the atheists, really.  I mean, the odds are long enough, what with them pitting themselves against centuries of belief in God.

But now, to take on Christmas ... I don't know how they think they can win this one?

Beat Frequency (Christmas in October)

Dear Readers ... Here is my 2011 Christmas poem.  (A few notes follow, below the text.)

Beat Frequency (Christmas in October)

Backward through the calendar

Christmas yearly strides.

Pagans push it earlier;

Summerward it rides.

Every year it starts again,

Sooner than before.

Someday we shall wake in June,

With Christmas at the door.

Still, they won't be satisfied,

These hurriers to carouse,

Until electric bulbs are hung

From April's budding boughs.

Faster!  Sooner!  still they cry.

On the madness goes!

Heathen frenzy at the malls,

'Mid February's snows.

Why this dash to Bethlehem?

Why no fear of danger?

Rush on pagan, meet your Lord,

Lying in the manger.

Finally, they shall catch me up;

We'll celebrate in synch.

And they shall have their Christmas Eve

Upon Epiphany's brink.

This beating of the Christmas waves,

For aeons shall it live.

For pagans need more Christmases

Than Christendom can give.

© 2011, Paul Erlandson

Notes:

1.  By "pagan" here I merely mean "non-Christian".

2.  It is, of course, not entirely the fault of pagans that Christmas is celebrated at the "wrong" time. Greedy capitalists, unprincipled radio station managers, and Christians who have lost their way from the Church Calendar (celebrating neither Advent nor the 12 Days of Christmas) are also to blame.

3. I had the idea for this poem back in October, 2011, a few days before Halloween, when I heard Christmas music being played on the radio.

Angus Dei

I sometimes think that if I ever open a restaurant, I will have a beef dish called "Angus Dei" (the Angus of God).  Angus cattle, of course, produce tasty beef.  I wondered if anyone had thought of that, and so I Googled the phrase, and came up with only one relevant photo:

If I don't open up a restaurant, I may open a clothing store.  If so, the name of it will be:  Everybody Loves Raiment.

Alex Barrett & His "Rocketeer" Funny Car

I stumbled on this story today, and I love it!  Alex Barrett is a young man who has had the dream to drive a race car like this since the age of 6.  And, at age 23, he's made it happen!  He was such a go-getter that he had sponsors before he even had the car!

Here is his story, from the Press-Enterprise, a SoCal (Inland Empire) news source.  And, here is the gorgeous 1970 'Cuda funny car, the Rocketeer!

Here's a little video action.  Take note of the 1 Corinthians 10:31 inscription on the spoiler of the car (Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.).

Fiat Abarth 500 Commercial

Maybe I am just getting old, and my memory is failing me.  But I cannot remember ever seeing a sexier advertisement (for anything!) than this one for the new Fiat Abarth 500.



According to Ward's Auto World, the translation for the young woman's Italian is:

"What are you looking at?!"

Then, after she softens a bit:  "Poor baby, your heart is pounding."

Mine was, too.  Whatever ad agency created this understands men pretty well.

Specs for the car can be found here.

Here is an older Fiat Abarth, that I saw last year in Garden City, Michigan:

Ford Raptor vs Fiat 500 vs Leaf Blowers

Remember when pollution was really pollution?  When poisonous hydrocarbons were the culprit?  When CO2 was understood as a normal bi-product of all plant and animal life, and not considered a pollutant?

Here is an interesting test:  In terms of real pollution, which pollutes more?  Ford F-150 Raptor truck, the tiny Fiat 500, or a leaf blower?  You might not be surprised that the leaf blower creates far more pollution than the two vehicles.  But you might be surprised that the Ford Raptor Crew Cab pollutes less than the diminutive 2012 Fiat 500!

During part of the cycle, the Raptor was actually cleaning the air.  That means that the exhaust coming from the tail pipe of the F-150 was cleaner than the air going into its intake manifold!

Put that up your tailpipe, enviro-wackos!



More here.

Return of the Son of P90X ...

There is, as has been stated many times, no such thing as bad publicity.

If, as I have done in the past, I make some snide comments about the failings of Toyota automobiles, then Toyota ads appear magically to the right of my blog.

I posted a blog entry a while back about "Team Beachbody Coaches", in which I mentioned P90X, just in passing.  Now there are P90X ads attached to my blog.  You cannot stop the juggernaut!