Chamblee54

A blogger named Older eyes put up a post about Tim Tebow and Bill Maher, who recently had a twitterspat. It went like this. “Maher Tweeted: Wow, Jesus just f—- TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler, “Hey, Buffalo’s killing them” … To Tebow’s credit, he ignored Maher, Tweeting only, Tough game today but what’s most important is being able to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas everyone GB² (according to Tebow’s website GB²=God Bless+Go Broncos).
PG … who forgives Denver for Super Bowl XXXIII … felt obliged to pile on. He left this comment: 1-In all probability, Jesus was not born on December 25. The celebration of his birth was grafted onto a pagan festival day. 2- It sure was fun watching Buffalo run those interceptions back for touchdowns. 3- There is no good choice here. In both cases, you have the option of turning the TV off, or switching away from twitter. If you are in enforced contact ( a work or family situation) with someone who will not shut up, who repeats his obnoxious opinions with disregard for his neighbor, then you do not have this option. 4- When Satan was through talking to Hitler, Jesus spoke up. He said, please leave me out of this.
This got PG to thinking. If you saw a mushroom cloud rising over Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, that might have been the result.  Did Jesus go to hell?
The party line is that Jesus paid the price for the sins of mankind. Is forty four hours in a cave enough? When you consider the billions of lies, murders, and fornications, you have to wonder. Maybe Jesus is taking the place of man in hell, paying the price for your sins.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress

The story below is a repost from 2009. The Dawgs had a better year in 2011, and will be playing in a more prestigious bowl game. The pictures are from The Library of Congress .
The Georgia Bulldogs beat somebody’s Aggies in Shreveport, Louisiana last night. The affair is something called the Independence Bowl. The Fishwrapper has an ad for a casino-hotel-spa above the fold. Athens can go back to creating a school that the football team can be proud of.
This is the season of bowl games. A few years ago, any town with a stadium, and a chamber of commerce, could get a bowl game. Any school with .500 season could go to a bowl, many of whom now had grafted on corporate names. There was, literally, the poulon weedeater bowl holiday classic.
What follows is a story PG read in Sports Illustrated when he was a kid. There is no source, and there is a slight possibility that it is not true.
In the sixties, NBC had a new years day triple header of bowl games. The sugar bowl was followed by the rose bowl was followed by the orange bowl. Hangovers and national championships were fixed in one day. NBC made handsome profits.
An Olympic committee had a meeting one day, to determine who would telecast the upcoming games. The man from NBC went in, with charts, and promises of money for the amateur athletes. The presentation from NBC centered on the january first triple header, the sugar bowl, the rose bowl, and the orange bowl.
Another network won the bid to telecast the games. After the meeting, an Olympics official had a private conversation with the NBC man. The committee felt that their emphasis on the bowel games was in bad taste.

Here is part three of state laws that some might find peculiar. Part one and part two were put up a few weeks ago. Today will will look at Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. These regulations are borrowed from Bored. // Florida // Apparently with an exaggerated idea of the laws of thermal dynamics, the city council of West Palm Beach, Fla., once decreed that the roofs of all outhouses be fireproof. // A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. // Big Pine Key: It is illegal to molest a Key deer; If caught one will be fined or will have to go to jail. // Cape Coral: It is against the city ordinance to hang your clothes outside on a clothesline; It it illegal to park a pick-up truck in your driveway or in front of your house on the street (This law is limited to only those who do not own the house) // Daytona Beach: The molestation of trash cans is banned; While intoxicated, being under influence of narcotics is prohibited; It shall be unlawful for any person to swim or bathe in that portion of the Atlantic Ocean within the corporate limits of the city when under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired; // Don’t plan on using any of the celebratory Champagne bottle sizes known as Methuselahs, Salamanazars, Balthazars or Nebuchadnezzars. These very traditional Champagne bottle sizes are all illegal in Florida. // Florida deals with its prostitution problem by giving prostitutes spending money, a five-year banishment, and a bus ticket out of town. // Florida law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay. // Florida prohibits topless walking or running within a 150 foot zone between the beach and the street. // Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal. // Hialeah: Ambling and strolling is a misdemeanor. // If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. // In Florida failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal. // In Florida it is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge. // In Florida, a special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. // In Florida, men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown. // In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed. // In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal. // Miami Shores Village, Fla., has for years required that all goods made in Communist countries and offered for sale in Miami Shores Village be clearly marked as such. The ordinance notes that such goods are often marked in a “false, misleading or inadequate manner, to hide their Communist origins.” // In Sarasota it is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. // It is considered an offense to shower naked. // It is illegal to block any traveled wagon road. // It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6:00pm on a Thursday. // It is illegal to skateboard without a license. // It’s against a Key West, Fla., ordinance to spit on a church floor. // It’s illegal in Florida for an unmarried man and woman to live together in “open and gross lewdness.” Connecticut once had a similar law, but only the woman was penalized. // Key West: Chickens are considered a ‘protected species’. // Oral sex is illegal. // Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging. // Pensacola: Citizens may not be caught downtown without at least 10 dollars on their person; It is illegal to roll a barrel on any street, fines go up according to the contents of the barrel; A women can be fined (only after death), for being electrocuted in a bath-tub because of using self-beautification utensils. // Pinecrest: In order to operate a burglar alarm, a permit must be obtained. // Sanford Stage: Nudity is banned, with the exception of “bona fide” theatrical performances. Violating this ordinance results in a $100 fine. // Sarasota: If you hit a pedestrian you are fined $78.00; You may not catch crabs. // Tampa Bay: It is illegal to eat cottage cheese on Sunday after 6:00 P.M. // Under a 1959 ordinance, stubborn children were considered vagrants in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Fla. // When having sex, only the missionary position is legal. // Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. The salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime. // You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers. // You may not kiss your wife’s breasts. // Georgia // Acworth: All citizens must own a rake. // An old law in Columbus, Ga., made it illegal to sit on your porch in an indecent position. // A Kennesaw, Ga. law makes it illegal for every homeowner not to own a gun, unless you are a convicted felon, conscientious objector or disabled. // Against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp. // Columbus: Can’t cut off a chicken’s head on Sunday; It is illegal to carry a chicken by it’s feet down Broadway on Sunday. // Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs. // Gainesville: Chicken must be eaten with the hands. // Georgia has 75 laws on how to build rice paddies, even though the state has only one rice farm left. Rice was the state’s No. 1 crop before the Civil War. But right after the war, a hurricane destroyed all the paddies and ponds. It was too expensive to replace them without slaves, so the Rice State began growing peaches, peanuts and other crops. // Georgia officials were revising their state laws in 1981, and noticed they still allowed pensions for Confederate widows. That week the last widow died. Lawmakers bowed their heads, and deleted the law. // In Georgia, movie houses that want to show films on Sunday must reserve one showing a month for religious material. // It is illegal in Georgia to use profanity in the presence of a corpse. // In Quitman, It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road. // It is illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless the shades are down. // It is illegal to say “Oh, Boy” in Jonesboro. // It is illegal to take a bath of orange peel. // Marietta: Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck. // Members of the state assembly cannot be ticketed for speeding while the state assembly is in session. // No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday. // One man may not be on another man’s back. // Signs are required to be written in English. // Hawaii // All residents may be fined as a result of not owning a boat. // Coins are not allowed to be placed in one’s ears. // Honolulu: Within the limits of any public park, it is unlawful to annoy any bird. // In Hawaii it is illegal to get a tattoo behind your ear or on your eyelid unless in the presence of a registered physician. // It used to be the law in Hawaii that children had to obey all “lawful and moral” commands of their parents. // It’s illegal for a shooting gallery to offer liquor as a prize. The shooter might want to come back after drinking the prize and try again. // Idaho // Boise: Residents may not fish from a giraffe’s back. // Coeur d’ Alene: If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car. // Idaho Falls, Idaho: If you’re 88 years of age or older, it’s illegal for you to ride your motorcycle. // Idaho state law makes it illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds. // Idaho and other states allow members of the Native American church to use the hallucinogenic plant peyote in religious services. // In Idaho walking along the street with a red-tipped cane is strictly prohibited. // In Pocatello, Idaho, a law passed in 1912 provided that “The carrying of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless same are exhibited to public view.” // Non-married couples in Idaho who engage in sexual intercourse can be jailed for up to six months // Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.

Illinois // “Dwarf-tossing,” the strange practice of hurling dwarfs in padded suits, is outlawed in the bars of Springfield, Ill., because it’s dangerous and exploitative. The practice is apparently allowed elsewhere in town, with a special permit. // A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts. // According to state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is “American”. // Champaign: One may not pee in his neighbor’s mouth. // Chicago: Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire; It is illegal to give a dog whiskey; Kites may not be flown within the city limits; Spitting is forbidden // Cicero: Humming on public streets is prohibited on Sundays // Crete: It is considered an offense to attempt to have sex with one’s dog; Cars may not be driven through the town. // Des Plaines: Wheelbarrows with For-Sale signs may not be chained to trees. // Eureka: A man with a moustache may not kiss a woman. // Evanston: Bowling is forbidden; It is illegal to go trick-or-treating on Halloween; It is unlawful to change clothes in an automobile with the curtains drawn, except in case of fire. // Fairfield: It is unlawful for “Negroes” to be within county boundaries from sundown to sunrise. // Freeport: It is illegal to expectorate from any second-story window. // Galesburg: There is a $1,000 dollar fine for beating rats with baseball bats. // Homer: It is against the law to use a slingshot unless your are a law enforcement officer. // If the Rushville, Ill., city council doesn’t have a quorum, those sent can have the cops go out and arrest absent members and bring them to the meeting. // In Illinois it is illegal for barbers to use their fingers to apply shaving cream to a customer’s face. // In Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets. // In Chicago it is also illegal to take a French poodle to the opera, and for women over 200 pounds (90 kilos) to ride horses in shorts. // In Chicago, Illinois, it is illegal to fish in pajamas. // In Chicago, people who are diseased, maimed, mutilated, or “otherwise an unsightly or disgusting object” are banned from going out in public. // In Minoola, Ill., it’s illegal to take your clothes off and “expose the naked // In Oblong, Illinois, it’s punishable by law to make love while hunting or fishing on your wedding day. // In Zion, Ill., it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals kept as pets. // It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of Urbana, Illinois. // It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets. // It is illegal to give a dog whiskey. // It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits. // It’s not clear what this has done to the bar business, but a law in Chicago, Ill., makes it illegal to serve liquor to the feeble-minded. // Joliet: Town fathers, reflecting the pet peeve of hearing their town’s name mispronounced ‘Jolly-ETTE’ when all local folk know it’s pronounced ‘Joe-lee-ETTE’, made pronouncing it Jolly-ette a misdemeanor, punishable by a $5 fine. // Kenilworth: A rooster must step back three hundred feet from any residence if he wishes to crow; Hens that wish to cackle must step two hundred feet back from any residence. // Kirkland: Bees are not allowed to fly over the village or through any of Kirkland’s streets. // Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire. // Moline: Ice skating at the Riverside pond during the months of June and August is prohibited; There is a ban on unnecessary repetitive driving on 23rd Avenue. // Morton Grove: You may not own a handgun // Normal: It is against the law to make faces at dogs. // Orland Park: No pool tables are allowed in a public establishment, because it supports gambling. // Ottawa: Spitting on the sidewalk is a criminal offense. // Park Ridge: Trucks may only park inside closed garages // Peoria: Basketball hoops may not be installed on a driveway. // Pullman: It is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on the curb; It is forbidden to fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck; It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits. // The English language is not to be spoken. // The people in Manteno, Ill., do not want used facial tissue, period. Hence, you cannot “throw, drop or place” a used hankie “upon any public way or public place or upon the floor of any convenience or upon the floor of any theater, hall or assembly or public building or upon the surface or any lot or parcel of ground or on the roof on any building or in any light or air shaft, court or areaway.” // Under a 1872 law still on the books, an alderman in Chicago can carry a gun. Some do. // You may be arrested for vagrancy if you do not have at least one dollar bill on your person. // You may be convicted of a Class 4 felony offense, punishable by up to three years in state prison, for the crime of “eavesdropping” on your own conversation. // You must contact the police before entering the city in an automobile. // Zion: It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, or any other domesticated animals.// Indiana // “Spiteful Gossip” and “talking behind a person’s back” are illegal. // A man over the age of 18 may be arrested for statutory rape if the passenger in his car is not wearing her socks and shoes, and is under the age of 17. // A person who dyes, stains, or otherwise alters the natural coloring of a bird or rabbit commits a Class B misdemeanor. (Ind. Code 15-2.1-21-13(b) // A sports agent is supposed to give a college 10 days notice before luring a star athlete into the professional ranks. // A three dollar fine per pack will be imposed on anyone playing cards in Indiana under the Act for the Prevention of Gaming. // All males 18 to 50 years old must work six days a year on public roads. // Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day. // Auburn: It is illegal to bike, roller-skate, skateboard, or inline skate in a commercially zoned area. For these offenses, there is a fine of no more than $5 or the impounding of one’s bicycle for a period not to exceed 30 days. // Back in 1924, a monkey was convicted in South Bend of the crime of smoking a cigarette and sentenced to pay a 25 dollar fine and the trial costs. // Bathing is prohibited during the winter. // Beech Grove: It is forbidden to eat watermelon in the park. // Check forgery can be punished with public flogging up to 100 stripes. // Drinking from your own bottle in a bar can lead to your arrest. // Drinks on the house are illegal. // Due to a typographical error, a routine ordinance in Shelbyville, Ind., about charging for bad checks started out: “Whereas, the city of Shelbyville through its various governmental fascists receives numerous checks…” This was changed to “governmental facets.” // Elkhart: It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid’s ears. // Evansville: While driving on Main Street you may not have your lights on. // Gary: Within four hours of eating garlic, a person may not enter a movie house, theater, or ride a public streetcar. // Grocery stores may not sell any type of cold liquor. // Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide. // If any person has a puppet show, wire dancing or tumbling act in the state of Indiana and receives money for it, they will be fined $3 under the Act to Prevent Certain Immoral Practices. // In Indiana it is illegal to sell laughing gas with the intent to induce laughter. // In South Bend, Indiana, it is illegal to make a monkey smoke a cigarette. // It is against the law to pass a horse on the street. // It is illegal in Elkhart, Indiana, for a barber to threaten to cut off a youngster’s ears. // It is illegal for a liquor store to sell cold soft drinks. // It is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public. // It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid’s ears. // It is illegal to sell cars on Sunday. // Liquor stores may not sell milk. // Men are prohibited from standing in a bar. // Monkeys are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend. // Mustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans. // No one may catch a fish with his bare hands. // One man may not back into a parking spot because it prevents police officers from seeing the license plate. // Oral sex is illegal. // Pedestrians crossing the highway at night are prohibited from wearing tail lights. // Smoking in the state legislature building is banned, except when the legislature is in session. // State government officials who engage in private duels can be dismissed from their post. // Taxpayers of Bainbridge, Ind., used to have to swear a solemn oath that the values they placed on their taxable property were the fair market values. // Terre Haute: No one may spit on the sidewalk. // The value of Pi is 4, and not 3.1415. // You are not allowed to carry a cocktail from the bar to a table; the waiter or waitress has to do it. // You are required to pour your drink into a glass. // You can get out of paying for a dependent’s medical care by praying for him/her.// Iowa // A man with a moustache may never kiss a woman in public. // An owner or employee of an establishment in Iowa that sells alcohol can’t legally consume a drink there after closing for business. // Don’t plan on running a “tab” in Iowa; it’s illegal. // Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa. // If a law enforcement officer is having a drink in a bar in Iowa and an employee pours water down the drain, the water is legally considered an alcohol beverage intended for unlawful purposes. // In Dubuque any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building. // In Fort Madison the fire department is required to practice fire fighting for fifteen minutes before attending a fire. // In Ottumwa, Iowa, “It is unlawful for any male person, within the corporate limits of the (city), to wink at any female person with whom he is unaquainted.” // Indianola: The “Ice Cream Man” and his truck are banned. // It is a violation of the law to sell or distribute drugs or narcotics without having first obtained the appropriate Iowa drug tax stamp. // It is illegal to hunt from an aircraft. // It is illegal to accept a gratuity or tip in Iowa. // Kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes. // One-armed piano players must perform for free. // Riverboat gamblers in Iowa have a $5 maximum bet. // The Iowa Legislature once passed a resolution ordering the state cafeteria to start serving cornbread. // Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn’t allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you — or holding you in his arms. // You may shoot Native Americans if there are more than five of them on your property at any one time.

There is an old saying, what goes around comes around. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. The thing is, it is not always obvious what is payback for what. Moreton Rolleston Jr. filed a lawsuit to have the Civil Rights Act declared unconstitutional.Forty years later, a Black man, built a mansion on the site of Mr. Rolleston’s home. The fact that this Black man earned his money by playing Black women, in movies, is icing on the cake.
When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, Moreton Rolleston, Jr., owned the Heart of Atlanta Motel. He filed a lawsuit, trying to have the law overturned by the courts. The case went to the Supreme Court, which upheld the law.
The legal justification of the Civil Rights Act was a law giving the U.S. Government the right to regulate interstate commerce. Mr. Rolleston argued that this use of the commerce clause went too far. “‘The argument that this law was passed to relieve a burden on interstate commerce is so much hogwash. It was intended to regulate the acts of individuals.’ If the commerce clause can be stretched that far, declared Rolleston, ‘Congress can regulate every facet of life.'” (PG supports all citizens having the right to housing, education, etc. He also wonders if we are on a slippery slope. The government keeps taking more and more freedom away.)
In 1969, Tyler Perry was born. From humble beginnings, he has been incredibly successful. His signature character is a woman named Madea.
In 1985, Mr. Rolleston was involved in a real estate deal that went sour. He was sued. In 2003, Mr. Rolleston was evicted from his Buckhead home. (Go here for details). In 2005, the propery was sold to Tyler Perry. When the source story was written in 2007, Mr. Rolleston had sued Mr. Perry several times, claiming that it was still his property.
Apparently, Mr. Rolleston , who was disbarred in 2007, is still alive.
HT to Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub.. Pictures from The Library of Congress .

The DailyKos has the uplifting story of a calender for 2012. The item is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble . The title of this calender is “I’m Not Gay, I’m Just A Sissy”.
The calender was drawn by Joe King. He has a great deal of product available. The attached video is him, speaking on a TV show. At the 3:50 point, he says “Instead of commenting on the horrible things, I’ve started commenting on the positive things”. Perhaps this is what he means by the February page of his calender.
Amazon has 70 reviews of the calender at this moment. All 70 reviews give INGIJAS one star. Amazon said you could view pages from the calender if you signed in with your account. PG created an account, only to find out that only January was available for viewing.
The screen shot is from his site, funnypaperz. The rainbow banner is a tasteful touch.
The other pictures are from The Library of Congress.

People start blogs all the time. The problem starts the second week. It is like that cute puppy you saw, you took it home, and you promised to take care of it. After a while you moved onto another hobby, and the dog needs to go out.
With this in mind, it is time for a post about HOW TO BLOG. This will not tell you about search engine optimization. There are lots of people who will tell you that, and a few will know what they are talking about. Today’s feature (and a future page) is about blogging because you enjoy it. Yes, compulsively checking the stats is part of the fun. There will be posts that you think are home runs, and they will be ignored. There are also posts that will surprise you with their popularity.
When you are starting out, you probably want to choose a venue for your blog. The two obivious choices are WordPress and Blogspot . Chamblee54 started on Blogspot, and produced 264 posts. In February 2008, Google services were no longer available to PG, for mysterious reasons. The blog moved to WordPress, where it remains today.
To PG, WordPress is better in a number of ways. It has a better look, it is not owned by Google, and it is slightly easier to work with. It should be noted that not everyone has a hosted blog… one with .wordpress or .google in the url. Some people have their own domain. You can still use WordPress or Blogger software. For someone starting out, the hosted blog is a bit easier. (If you become popular/controversial, you might want to stay under the umbrella of a host. It would be tough for a hacker to take down Google If you have your own domain, you are on your own.)
Once you choose a service, and set up an account, you will need to choose a template (or theme). This is the look of your blog. PG likes the plain templates, with large columns. The one on this blog now is “The Journalist 1.3 “. The columns are 720 pixels wide, which is good to know when you add pictures. The Journalist is used by two very fine blogs, A Philosopher’s Blog and Futility Closet . If you choose to go with Blogspot, the best theme is Herbert. (If you have already started a blog, and want to use another template, the switch is easy. The pictures will remain the same size, which might look odd if you go with larger columns.)
At this point, you are ready to get started. You will, hopefully, learn by doing. This tutorial is open ended, and will probably have future chapters. Here are a few suggestions.
1- The number one rule is Just Do It. The formula for writing is ass plus chair. Don’t worry if it is not terrific, or if it doesn’t fit the theme of your blog. Don’t worry if it will attract a large audience. Just write something that appeals to you, make it easy to read, and put it up. If it finds an audience, great. If it doesn’t, you had fun writing it.
2- Use spell check. Avoid profanity. Use good grammar. Write short sentences and short paragraphs. Try to make this easy and fun to read. (Easy writing makes for tough reading.) Know the correct use of Their/There/They’re .
3- Use Pictures. The blog is a visual medium, and should be fun for the eye. Be careful with copyrights. Adjust the size of your picture to the size of your columns. (You don’t want to load in huge pictures, that will take a long time to load.) If you don’t have photoshop, you can download GIMP .
4- The more you say, the stronger your opinions, the greater your chance of being a hypocrite. Try to walk the walk, but don’t worry too much about this. Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder.
5- Enable comment moderation. Your service will send you an email when you get a comment, and you can approve it. You should check your spam folder frequently, as sometimes legitimate comments wind up in there.
6- Videos are fun. Youtube has a good search engine, and probably has something to liven up your post. Blogspot will embed more types of video than WordPress. Some music players can be embedded as well. Be sure to use the code for WordPress.
7- When you get information from another source, give a link. This is a way of giving credit (like a footnote in a term paper), and it enables the reader to learn more about the subject. To insert a link, click on the Visual tab. Highlight the text that you want the link to target. Click on the tab for inserting a link. Copy the url into the field, click “Open link in a new window/tab”, and click on “Add Link”. There is an easier way to insert links, using HTML, that we will cover in a future tutorial.
8- Write your post in a word document. (Here is the basic template.) Check it for mistakes, and add any code that is appropriate. (A later tutorial will deal with HTML). When you are through, click on New-Post, and give your post a title. Click on the HTML window. Add your pictures before you add your text. (This is not totally necessary, but seems to work a bit better.) Find a spot in the pictures, and copy in your text. Click on the Visual window, and see what it looks like. Go to the bottom of the window and click save. Right click on the preview tab, and open it in another window. Review the text and pictures, and correct any mistakes. Hit publish. Look at the finished post, and make sure it does not need any changes. Right click on edit post, and open that in a new tab. Click on HTML. Hit ctrl+A, ctrl +C, go back to your word document, and click ctrl +V. You now have a coded copy of you post.
9- Have a good time. You are not curing cancer, or eliminating world hunger. You are sharing your thoughts with anyone who wants to see them. When you finish a post, start to think about the next thing you want to put up.
10- Top ten lists are often one line too long.

The holidays had peaked. In a few days, it would be 2012. PG had stumbled through the day, without thinking of anything to write about. There were a few word documents on his desktop, each with a link or two, and maybe a line of text. The internet was bubbling over with content, as usual. Maybe there is a post in all this mess. If nothing else, there are the pictures, from The Library of Congress .
Typically, PG has a football game playing in the background, with the sound cut off. Saturday, he turned it on, at the start of the fourth quarter. The announcer said, “It is time to start the comeback music”. Tim Tebow dropped back, and threw. The defender intercepted the pass, and ran it back for a touchdown. PG laughed in delight.
Another place where the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition is running aground is Israel. Recently, a group of settlers attacked the Israeli Army, or IDF. Some say the settlers got the best of the army. ““the words of scared soldiers who hid in their rooms at the army base out of fear of the invaders, the lack of arrests of the rioters and their departure from the base unharmed, should all raise a red flag.”.
Apparently, the settlers have been treating the West Bank Arabs poorly for some time. ““It is no secret that the Samaria and Judea District Police are not effective enough against the Jewish sector in the West Bank. The army tries to keep a low profile, and the legal system is forgiving because not enough evidence is brought before it. The result: Four torching of mosques were recorded in 2011, along with dozens of other violent acts, and none of these generated even a single indictment.”
To some, this is an image problem. ““We should not allow this anarchy to go on — an anarchy that is shamefully blackening a magnificent Zionist enterprise. It is neither moral nor genuine, and most importantly, it derails the tremendous efforts of many good people who believe that the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria is vital to Israel’s future.”
There are jocks for Jesus. There are illegal settlers who think they are above the law. And there are people who OD on heroin, with a baby girl watching. PG read a facebook comment by his cousin, and saw that her son writes a blog . The man works with medical emergencies, and has stories to tell. The latest is a doozie. It is a good story, and was easy to read. PG would rather read a story like that, than live through it.

Four years ago, Atlanta medium Creative Loafing published a cover story about Five local bloggers who matter. At the time, there was some gnashing of teeth, mostly from those who were not included.
PG is stuck inside, on a rainy christmas day, with nothing to write about. Maybe it would be fun to go back to the blogs featured in CL four years ago. CL, at least, is still in business. The feature about blogs was written by Andisheh Nouraee , who has moved on to other things. Mr. Nouraee first came to the local attention by writing witty commentaries about American foreign policy. Recently, the punch line was delivered in Babylon.
Without any ado, let’s check in on the top five blogs from 2007. Peach Pundit is thriving. Head peachpit Erick Erickson has a radio show on WSB, and is a big dog at Red State . If you wanted the latest Herman Cain dog story, Red State was the place to go.
Inside the Oversexed Mind of Gloria Brame last posted yesterday. She has a facebook fan page, lots of naughty pictures, and writes books. Peachtree Screed is no longer published. The name isawitonponce is still in use, and you can get there from the CL feature, Instead of transhookers and Blondie, the current ISIOP covers “Sports for the Outdoor Persona”. The last post starts off ” Building owners are assured of receiving an array of environmental and aesthetic benefits by purchasing louvers.”
Cable & Tweed last had a post on June 26. Chamblee54 moved to WordPress, produces content everyday, and is ignored by the masses. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress .
Before we leave this behind, there are the comments for the CL feature. “As I mention over at DTTG, making lists is not journalism, Andy. It’s just pretty bullshit, and has nothing to do with the state of the social media community in Atlanta. You’re a snotty little dipshit reporter who can’t tell a story without layers of baby snot blown all over your silly copy, to disguise the fact that there was simply nothing newsworthy in this cover list.” “To each their own, I suppose, but the point you’re missing is that you and others in the MSM are no longer the arbiters of what is and isn’t important to people. And you never will be again. Get used to it.”

To An Old Fogey
Sir Owen Seaman
O FRANKLY bald and obviously stout!
And so you find that Christmas as a fête
Dispassionately viewed, is getting out
Of date.
The studied festal air is overdone;
The humour of it grows a little thin;
You fail, in fact, to gather where the fun
Comes in.
Visions of very heavy meals arise
That tend to make your organism shiver;
Roast beef that irks, and pies that agonise
The liver;
Those pies at which you annually wince,
Hearing the tale how happy months will follow
Proportioned to the total mass of mince
You swallow.
Visions of youth whose reverence is scant,
Who with the brutal verve of boyhood’s prime
Insist on being taken to the pant-
-omime.
Of infants, sitting up extremely late,
Who run you on toboggans down the stair;
Or make you fetch a rug and simulate
A bear.
This takes your faultless trousers at the knees,
The other hurts them rather more behind;
And both effect a fracture in your ease
Of mind.
My good dyspeptic, this will never do;
Your weary withers must be sadly wrung!
Yet once I well believe that even you
Were young.
Time was when you devoured, like other boys,
Plum-pudding sequent on a turkey-hen;
With cracker-mottos hinting of the joys
Of men.
Time was when ‘mid the maidens you would pull
The fiery raisin with profound delight;
When sprigs of mistletoe seemed beautiful
And right.
Old Christmas changes not! Long, long ago
He won the treasure of eternal youth;
Yours is the dotage—if you want to know
The truth.
Come, now, I’ll cure your case, and ask no fee:—
Make others’ happiness this once your own;
All else may pass: that joy can never be
Outgrown!

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1. I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
2. I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
3. And in despair I bowed my head
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,
‘For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.’
4. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.’
5. Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Text for I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day and To An Old Fogey is compliments of
The Hymns and Carols of Christmas.
Pictures are by ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

The following story, “A Kidnapped Santa Claus”, was written by L. Frank Baum.
The text today is compliments of Project Gutenberg.

Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year’s end to another.

It is called the Laughing Valley because everything there is happy and gay. The brook chuckles to itself as it leaps rollicking between its green banks; the wind whistles merrily in the trees; the sunbeams dance lightly over the soft grass, and the violets and wild flowers look smilingly up from their green nests. To laugh one needs to be happy; to be happy one needs to be content. And throughout the Laughing Valley of Santa Claus contentment reigns supreme.

On one side is the mighty Forest of Burzee. At the other side stands the huge mountain that contains the Caves of the Daemons. And between them the Valley lies smiling and peaceful.

One would thing that our good old Santa Claus, who devotes his days to making children happy, would have no enemies on all the earth; and, as a matter of fact, for a long period of time he encountered nothing but love wherever he might go.

But the Daemons who live in the mountain caves grew to hate Santa Claus very much, and all for the simple reason that he made children happy.

The Caves of the Daemons are five in number. A broad pathway leads up to the first cave, which is a finely arched cavern at the foot of the mountain, the entrance being beautifully carved and decorated. In it resides the Daemon of Selfishness. Back of this is another cavern inhabited by the Daemon of Envy. The cave of the Daemon of Hatred is next in order, and through this one passes to the home of the Daemon of Malice—situated in a dark and fearful cave in the very heart of the mountain. I do not know what lies beyond this. Some say there are terrible pitfalls leading to death and destruction, and this may very well be true. However, from each one of the four caves mentioned there is a small, narrow tunnel leading to the fifth cave—a cozy little room occupied by the Daemon of Repentance. And as the rocky floors of these passages are well worn by the track of passing feet, I judge that many wanderers in the Caves of the Daemons have escaped through the tunnels to the abode of the Daemon of Repentance, who is said to be a pleasant sort of fellow who gladly opens for one a little door admitting you into fresh air and sunshine again.

Well, these Daemons of the Caves, thinking they had great cause to dislike old Santa Claus, held a meeting one day to discuss the matter.

“I’m really getting lonesome,” said the Daemon of Selfishness. “For Santa Claus distributes so many pretty Christmas gifts to all the children that they become happy and generous, through his example, and keep away from my cave.”

“I’m having the same trouble,” rejoined the Daemon of Envy. “The little ones seem quite content with Santa Claus, and there are few, indeed, that I can coax to become envious.”

“And that makes it bad for me!” declared the Daemon of Hatred. “For if no children pass through the Caves of Selfishness and Envy, none can get to MY cavern.”

“Or to mine,” added the Daemon of Malice.

“For my part,” said the Daemon of Repentance, “it is easily seen that if children do not visit your caves they have no need to visit mine; so that I am quite as neglected as you are.”

“And all because of this person they call Santa Claus!” exclaimed the Daemon of Envy. “He is simply ruining our business, and something must be done at once.”

To this they readily agreed; but what to do was another and more difficult matter to settle. They knew that Santa Claus worked all through the year at his castle in the Laughing Valley, preparing the gifts he was to distribute on Christmas Eve; and at first they resolved to try to tempt him into their caves, that they might lead him on to the terrible pitfalls that ended in destruction.

So the very next day, while Santa Claus was busily at work, surrounded by his little band of assistants, the Daemon of Selfishness came to him and said:

“These toys are wonderfully bright and pretty. Why do you not keep them for yourself? It’s a pity to give them to those noisy boys and fretful girls, who break and destroy them so quickly.”

“Nonsense!” cried the old graybeard, his bright eyes twinkling merrily as he turned toward the tempting Daemon. “The boys and girls are never so noisy and fretful after receiving my presents, and if I can make them happy for one day in the year I am quite content.”

So the Daemon went back to the others, who awaited him in their caves, and said:

“I have failed, for Santa Claus is not at all selfish.”

The following day the Daemon of Envy visited Santa Claus. Said he: “The toy shops are full of playthings quite as pretty as those you are making. What a shame it is that they should interfere with your business! They make toys by machinery much quicker than you can make them by hand; and they sell them for money, while you get nothing at all for your work.”

But Santa Claus refused to be envious of the toy shops.

“I can supply the little ones but once a year—on Christmas Eve,” he answered; “for the children are many, and I am but one. And as my work is one of love and kindness I would be ashamed to receive money for my little gifts. But throughout all the year the children must be amused in some way, and so the toy shops are able to bring much happiness to my little friends. I like the toy shops, and am glad to see them prosper.”

In spite of the second rebuff, the Daemon of Hatred thought he would try to influence Santa Claus. So the next day he entered the busy workshop and said:

“Good morning, Santa! I have bad news for you.”

“Then run away, like a good fellow,” answered Santa Claus. “Bad news is something that should be kept secret and never told.”

“You cannot escape this, however,” declared the Daemon; “for in the world are a good many who do not believe in Santa Claus, and these you are bound to hate bitterly, since they have so wronged you.”

“Stuff and rubbish!” cried Santa.

“And there are others who resent your making children happy and who sneer at you and call you a foolish old rattlepate! You are quite right to hate such base slanderers, and you ought to be revenged upon them for their evil words.”

“But I don’t hate ’em!” exclaimed Santa Claus positively. “Such people do me no real harm, but merely render themselves and their children unhappy. Poor things! I’d much rather help them any day than injure them.”

Indeed, the Daemons could not tempt old Santa Claus in any way. On the contrary, he was shrewd enough to see that their object in visiting him was to make mischief and trouble, and his cheery laughter disconcerted the evil ones and showed to them the folly of such an undertaking. So they abandoned honeyed words and determined to use force.

It was well known that no harm can come to Santa Claus while he is in the Laughing Valley, for the fairies, and ryls, and knooks all protect him. But on Christmas Eve he drives his reindeer out into the big world, carrying a sleighload of toys and pretty gifts to the children; and this was the time and the occasion when his enemies had the best chance to injure him. So the Daemons laid their plans and awaited the arrival of Christmas Eve.

The moon shone big and white in the sky, and the snow lay crisp and sparkling on the ground as Santa Claus cracked his whip and sped away out of the Valley into the great world beyond. The roomy sleigh was packed full with huge sacks of toys, and as the reindeer dashed onward our jolly old Santa laughed and whistled and sang for very joy. For in all his merry life this was the one day in the year when he was happiest—the day he lovingly bestowed the treasures of his workshop upon the little children.

It would be a busy night for him, he well knew. As he whistled and shouted and cracked his whip again, he reviewed in mind all the towns and cities and farmhouses where he was expected, and figured that he had just enough presents to go around and make every child happy. The reindeer knew exactly what was expected of them, and dashed along so swiftly that their feet scarcely seemed to touch the snow-covered ground.

Suddenly a strange thing happened: a rope shot through the moonlight and a big noose that was in the end of it settled over the arms and body of Santa Claus and drew tight. Before he could resist or even cry out he was jerked from the seat of the sleigh and tumbled head foremost into a snowbank, while the reindeer rushed onward with the load of toys and carried it quickly out of sight and sound.

Such a surprising experience confused old Santa for a moment, and when he had collected his senses he found that the wicked Daemons had pulled him from the snowdrift and bound him tightly with many coils of the stout rope. And then they carried the kidnapped Santa Claus away to their mountain, where they thrust the prisoner into a secret cave and chained him to the rocky wall so that he could not escape.

“Ha, ha!” laughed the Daemons, rubbing their hands together with cruel glee. “What will the children do now? How they will cry and scold and storm when they find there are no toys in their stockings and no gifts on their Christmas trees! And what a lot of punishment they will receive from their parents, and how they will flock to our Caves of Selfishness, and Envy, and Hatred, and Malice! We have done a mighty clever thing, we Daemons of the Caves!”

Now it so chanced that on this Christmas Eve the good Santa Claus had taken with him in his sleigh Nuter the Ryl, Peter the Knook, Kilter the Pixie, and a small fairy named Wisk—his four favorite assistants. These little people he had often found very useful in helping him to distribute his gifts to the children, and when their master was so suddenly dragged from the sleigh they were all snugly tucked underneath the seat, where the sharp wind could not reach them.

The tiny immortals knew nothing of the capture of Santa Claus until some time after he had disappeared. But finally they missed his cheery voice, and as their master always sang or whistled on his journeys, the silence warned them that something was wrong.

Little Wisk stuck out his head from underneath the seat and found Santa Claus gone and no one to direct the flight of the reindeer.

“Whoa!” he called out, and the deer obediently slackened speed and came to a halt.

Peter and Nuter and Kilter all jumped upon the seat and looked back over the track made by the sleigh. But Santa Claus had been left miles and miles behind.

“What shall we do?” asked Wisk anxiously, all the mirth and mischief banished from his wee face by this great calamity.

“We must go back at once and find our master,” said Nuter the Ryl, who thought and spoke with much deliberation.

“No, no!” exclaimed Peter the Knook, who, cross and crabbed though he was, might always be depended upon in an emergency. “If we delay, or go back, there will not be time to get the toys to the children before morning; and that would grieve Santa Claus more than anything else.”

“It is certain that some wicked creatures have captured him,” added Kilter thoughtfully, “and their object must be to make the children unhappy. So our first duty is to get the toys distributed as carefully as if Santa Claus were himself present. Afterward we can search for our master and easily secure his freedom.”

This seemed such good and sensible advice that the others at once resolved to adopt it. So Peter the Knook called to the reindeer, and the faithful animals again sprang forward and dashed over hill and valley, through forest and plain, until they came to the houses wherein children lay sleeping and dreaming of the pretty gifts they would find on Christmas morning.

The little immortals had set themselves a difficult task; for although they had assisted Santa Claus on many of his journeys, their master had always directed and guided them and told them exactly what he wished them to do. But now they had to distribute the toys according to their own judgment, and they did not understand children as well as did old Santa. So it is no wonder they made some laughable errors.

Mamie Brown, who wanted a doll, got a drum instead; and a drum is of no use to a girl who loves dolls. And Charlie Smith, who delights to romp and play out of doors, and who wanted some new rubber boots to keep his feet dry, received a sewing box filled with colored worsteds and threads and needles, which made him so provoked that he thoughtlessly called our dear Santa Claus a fraud.

Had there been many such mistakes the Daemons would have accomplished their evil purpose and made the children unhappy. But the little friends of the absent Santa Claus labored faithfully and intelligently to carry out their master’s ideas, and they made fewer errors than might be expected under such unusual circumstances.

And, although they worked as swiftly as possible, day had begun to break before the toys and other presents were all distributed; so for the first time in many years the reindeer trotted into the Laughing Valley, on their return, in broad daylight, with the brilliant sun peeping over the edge of the forest to prove they were far behind their accustomed hours.

Having put the deer in the stable, the little folk began to wonder how they might rescue their master; and they realized they must discover, first of all, what had happened to him and where he was.

So Wisk the Fairy transported himself to the bower of the Fairy Queen, which was located deep in the heart of the Forest of Burzee; and once there, it did not take him long to find out all about the naughty Daemons and how they had kidnapped the good Santa Claus to prevent his making children happy. The Fairy Queen also promised her assistance, and then, fortified by this powerful support, Wisk flew back to where Nuter and Peter and Kilter awaited him, and the four counseled together and laid plans to rescue their master from his enemies.

It is possible that Santa Claus was not as merry as usual during the night that succeeded his capture. For although he had faith in the judgment of his little friends he could not avoid a certain amount of worry, and an anxious look would creep at times into his kind old eyes as he thought of the disappointment that might await his dear little children. And the Daemons, who guarded him by turns, one after another, did not neglect to taunt him with contemptuous words in his helpless condition.

When Christmas Day dawned the Daemon of Malice was guarding the prisoner, and his tongue was sharper than that of any of the others.

“The children are waking up, Santa!” he cried. “They are waking up to find their stockings empty! Ho, ho! How they will quarrel, and wail, and stamp their feet in anger! Our caves will be full today, old Santa! Our caves are sure to be full!”

But to this, as to other like taunts, Santa Claus answered nothing. He was much grieved by his capture, it is true; but his courage did not forsake him. And, finding that the prisoner would not reply to his jeers, the Daemon of Malice presently went away, and sent the Daemon of Repentance to take his place.

This last personage was not so disagreeable as the others. He had gentle and refined features, and his voice was soft and pleasant in tone.

“My brother Daemons do not trust me overmuch,” said he, as he entered the cavern; “but it is morning, now, and the mischief is done. You cannot visit the children again for another year.”

“That is true,” answered Santa Claus, almost cheerfully; “Christmas Eve is past, and for the first time in centuries I have not visited my children.”

“The little ones will be greatly disappointed,” murmured the Daemon of Repentance, almost regretfully; “but that cannot be helped now. Their grief is likely to make the children selfish and envious and hateful, and if they come to the Caves of the Daemons today I shall get a chance to lead some of them to my Cave of Repentance.”

“Do you never repent, yourself?” asked Santa Claus, curiously.

“Oh, yes, indeed,” answered the Daemon. “I am even now repenting that I assisted in your capture. Of course it is too late to remedy the evil that has been done; but repentance, you know, can come only after an evil thought or deed, for in the beginning there is nothing to repent of.”

“So I understand,” said Santa Claus. “Those who avoid evil need never visit your cave.”

“As a rule, that is true,” replied the Daemon; “yet you, who have done no evil, are about to visit my cave at once; for to prove that I sincerely regret my share in your capture I am going to permit you to escape.”

This speech greatly surprised the prisoner, until he reflected that it was just what might be expected of the Daemon of Repentance. The fellow at once busied himself untying the knots that bound Santa Claus and unlocking the chains that fastened him to the wall. Then he led the way through a long tunnel until they both emerged in the Cave of Repentance.

“I hope you will forgive me,” said the Daemon pleadingly. “I am not really a bad person, you know; and I believe I accomplish a great deal of good in the world.”

With this he opened a back door that let in a flood of sunshine, and Santa Claus sniffed the fresh air gratefully.

“I bear no malice,” said he to the Daemon, in a gentle voice; “and I am sure the world would be a dreary place without you. So, good morning, and a Merry Christmas to you!”

With these words he stepped out to greet the bright morning, and a moment later he was trudging along, whistling softly to himself, on his way to his home in the Laughing Valley.

Marching over the snow toward the mountain was a vast army, made up of the most curious creatures imaginable. There were numberless knooks from the forest, as rough and crooked in appearance as the gnarled branches of the trees they ministered to. And there were dainty ryls from the fields, each one bearing the emblem of the flower or plant it guarded. Behind these were many ranks of pixies, gnomes and nymphs, and in the rear a thousand beautiful fairies floated along in gorgeous array.

This wonderful army was led by Wisk, Peter, Nuter, and Kilter, who had assembled it to rescue Santa Claus from captivity and to punish the Daemons who had dared to take him away from his beloved children.

And, although they looked so bright and peaceful, the little immortals were armed with powers that would be very terrible to those who had incurred their anger. Woe to the Daemons of the Caves if this mighty army of vengeance ever met them!

But lo! coming to meet his loyal friends appeared the imposing form of Santa Claus, his white beard floating in the breeze and his bright eyes sparkling with pleasure at this proof of the love and veneration he had inspired in the hearts of the most powerful creatures in existence.

And while they clustered around him and danced with glee at his safe return, he gave them earnest thanks for their support. But Wisk, and Nuter, and Peter, and Kilter, he embraced affectionately.

“It is useless to pursue the Daemons,” said Santa Claus to the army. “They have their place in the world, and can never be destroyed. But that is a great pity, nevertheless,” he continued musingly.

So the fairies, and knooks, and pixies, and ryls all escorted the good man to his castle, and there left him to talk over the events of the night with his little assistants.

Wisk had already rendered himself invisible and flown through the big world to see how the children were getting along on this bright Christmas morning; and by the time he returned, Peter had finished telling Santa Claus of how they had distributed the toys.

“We really did very well,” cried the fairy, in a pleased voice; “for I found little unhappiness among the children this morning. Still, you must not get captured again, my dear master; for we might not be so fortunate another time in carrying out your ideas.”

He then related the mistakes that had been made, and which he had not discovered until his tour of inspection. And Santa Claus at once sent him with rubber boots for Charlie Smith, and a doll for Mamie Brown; so that even those two disappointed ones became happy.

As for the wicked Daemons of the Caves, they were filled with anger and chagrin when they found that their clever capture of Santa Claus had come to naught. Indeed, no one on that Christmas Day appeared to be at all selfish, or envious, or hateful. And, realizing that while the children’s saint had so many powerful friends it was folly to oppose him, the Daemons never again attempted to interfere with his journeys on Christmas Eve.

The text below is famous. HT to Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub. Pictures from The Library of Congress .
DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? VIRGINIA O’HANLON. 115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Until 2009, PG had never heard of Mithras.
Mithras is a Persian deity, from the Zororoaster tradition.(That is pronounced Zor uh THRUS ta. Not much is known about Mithras … did he really exist,or was he a legend? There was a cult of Mithras in the first century Roman empire.
There are supposed to be similarities between Mithras and Jesus. These include the virgin birth, the birth on December 25, and rising from the dead after three days. Some spoilsports say the early christians grafted Jesus onto the legend of Mithras.
One indication that this might be true is “The Catholic Encyclopedia“. “Some apparent similarities exist; but … it is quite probable that Mithraism was the borrower from Christianity.”
This is a repost. Pictures from The Library of Congress .