The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

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Jim Bedwell

Here's a post from that Christian ex-preacher (& who made 800 on the SAT math portion & 1500+ overall) that I know here in Knoxville - you can see the reality of this DAILY on FNC as they report on the latest Dem fiascos and scandals as our formerly wonderful country & the world also devolve into total chaos:

Huh, “Friday the 13th” came on Thursday this month!? Today yet another tangent from Heart Trouble Times Two (some might say everything I ever say / send / post is “going off on a tangent!”). Linda and I wondered about the origin of the phrase “STIFF-NECKED” in a verse recently (below). We learned some really interesting stuff!

      2 Chronicles 36:13b, 15-16 HE STIFFENED HIS NECK and HARDENED HIS HEART AGAINST TURNING TO THE LORD, the God of Israel… 15 THE LORD, the God of their fathers, SENT PERSISTENTLY TO THEM BY HIS MESSENGERS, because HE HAD COMPASSION on his people and on His dwelling place. 16 BUT THEY KEPT MOCKING THE MESSENGERS OF GOD, DESPISING HIS WORDS and SCOFFING at HIS PROPHETS, UNTIL THE WRATH OF THE LORD ROSE against His people, UNTIL THERE WAS NO REMEDY.

      As I pointed out last time, King Zedekiah and the rest of his LEADERS AND PEOPLE steadfastly REFUSED TO REPENT of their sins AND TURN TO GOD. Finally, God’s compassion and “Amazing Grace” had run out. It was TOO LATE FOR REPENTANCE AND OBEDIENCE. GOD WAS ABOUT TO UNLEASH HIS WRATH AND FURY AGAINST THEM.

      But what about the phrase “He STIFFENED HIS NECK”? That phrase or its equivalent occurs 14 times in Scripture, mostly in the first five books of the O.T. and only once in the N.T.(Acts 7:51). As the Jews farmed, they usually employed oxen to pull their plows. They used GOADS to control them—long rods with sharp points at one end. The farmer pricked the ox on the back leg to speed him up and on one shoulder to TURN him. The most common word in O.T. Hebrew for sin literally means to bend or twist something that’s supposed to be straight, or to TURN AWAY from the RIGHT PATH. Similarly the O.T. word translated REPENT literally means to TURN TOWARDS the RIGHT PATH! God had been trying to prompt or goad them into turning back to Him. But they repeatedly, consistently, constantly REFUSED!

      WE AMERICANS had better WAKE UP! IF there is ANY HOPE for us—our marriages, families, children, education system, economy, our very survival—we had better STOP DESPISING, SCOFFING AND IGNORING GOD’S CLEAR COMMANDS IN HIS WORD, THE HOLY BIBLE! AND, AS GOD PROMPTS OR GOADS US TO TURN FROM SIN AND TOWARD HIM, LET’S STOP FIGHTING AGAINST HIM! RIGHT NOW! BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

Jim Bedwell

Here's a different take from a non-Christian:

David Cordell

We have watched Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ on Good Friday in some past years, but we took a pass this year. It is a great movie, but very hard to watch because of the realistic brutality.

Actually, in all the movies that include the Passion, Martha and I find it hard to believe that the soldiers would have laughed while Jesus, or anyone else, was being beaten and crucified.

Watched Jesus of Nazareth over three days on Britbox, but I'm sure it is available elsewhere. It is a four-part, six hour miniseries from 1977 that we watched many years ago. It starred Robert Powell as Jesus. I had never heard of him when I first saw Jesus of Nazareth, and I have only seen him in one other performance - Agatha Christie's Marple. I like watching the older British mysteries because you often see actors in small parts who eventually become much more famous.

Jesus of Nazareth was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Probably too much zooming and too many pregnant pauses, and certainly too many blue eyes. But we enjoyed it.

How's this for a supporting cast?

Anne Bancroft

Ernest Borgnine

Claudia Cardinale

James Farentino

Olivia Hussey

James Earl Jones

Stacy Keach

Tony LoBianco

James Mason

Ian McShane

Laurence Olivier

Donald Pleasence

Christopher Plummer

Anthony Quinn

Ralph Richardson

Rod Steiger

Peter Ustinov

Michael York

David Cordell

Tommy, Steve, and Jim,

Let's try to minimize criticism of fellow classmates.

David Cordell

From Tom's Guide - how long does it take to crack a password? Sorry that it is hard to see.

Lowell Tuttle

David.   I have been mulling over adding Britbox to my viewing choices.   Mainly, because I wanted to stream some of their shows.   Particularly, The Vicar of Dibley and Vera...We were able to catch a bit of the Bishop in the past and started Vera, somewhere that only had the first season...

Are there advertisments?  

Never mind...just knowing you watch it has kicked me over the ledge...Afterall. our TV watching is about all we do.  

I have tired of Paramount +.   The only reason we subscribed was Susie and her band of cheerleader girls from the old days.   Leslie Schlaepfer is Julia Schlaepfer's (star in 1923) niece and she's one of the team from Susie's days.   They have reunioned once or twice.   Those kids who grew up as kids from Cornell University professors married well, is all I can say...

David Cordell

Lowell,

We watch Britbox more than any other entertainment channel. Lots of programs that find their way to PBS. Tons of mysteries. I think we pay about $70 per year. 

We don't have cable - just streaming with Roku. I think there is a version of Britbox available on Roku that does have commercials, but I'm happy (well maybe happy isn't the right word) to pay not to see commercials. I am so used to the non-commercial streaming experience that I find it seriously annoying to have to watch commercials. Even for golf tournaments, I record them and start watching the recording from the beginning about an hour after the show actually starts. Then I fast-forward through the commercials. My recording ends at about the same time as the actual program. Does than make sense?

Steve Keene

David,

By Biblical standards it is more acceptable to bring things into the light than to hide what is wrong and make your criticism in the dark.  It is disingenuous to agree with an assessment but ask others not to express it.

Bob Davidson

“Bob, don’t make a fool of yourself today!”  -- YES!!!  Great motto.

David -- Acorn is my go-to streaming.  I'm happy to see that there is a new season of one of my favorites, Brokenwood, that just started. 

Lowell Tuttle

I read the Chronicle today about a milk farm explosion near Dimmit.   18,000 cows were killed.   No punch line.  Apparently, there is or was a malfunction of a pump/vacume, the duty of which was removing methane from the area.   An explosion and fire killed them.   Wow.

(Steve, this is a straightline for you.)

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Lowell,

What I am trying to get my head around on the Dairy explosion is 18,000 dairy cows in one barn, or the barns were next to each other.  Imagine further only one person was injured.  I wonder how many people it takes to manage 18,000 milk cows? 

My brother in law owned a ranch across the road from a dairy near Hamilton, TX.  If the wind was just right, the smell would knock you over.  Also it had several mountains of manure.  I bet no one smokes on that farm!

Lowell Tuttle

Sandra, I am pretty sure the methane was cow gas...somehow trapped by roof or low weather sky...and that's what the pump/fan was supposed to dispurse...

I imagine milking 18000 cows is a fairly closed in process...I cannot imagine the process.   I milked cows on my grandfather's farm...He had about 6-8 milkers and sent the milk to market everyday...One large milk can.   But they had a separater in the pantry and did keep their own quart of milk and some cream...

Now that I think about it, I can't remember how a separater works...somehow the cream and milk separate naturally, but there is a separator too.

I also shoveled their shit...Methane and all.

Wayne Gary

Sandra,

The cows were in the barn and holding pins.  I guess they were waiting to get milked.  The report I heard said company has 60-70 workers.  Very big operation.

I hope they are not crying over lost milk.

Some vegans want cattle ranching to be reduced because of the methane released when the animals fart. 

Wayne Gary

Sandra, Lowell,

A number of thr large garbage dumps have installed methane recovery plants where they don't flare off the methane produced by the garbage decomposing.  They then sell the methane gas to the gas pipeline company. Dallas, Nprth Texas and one near Ennis are 3 I know of.  Before the one on I$% near Ennis did the recovery at night you could see the gas being flaired off.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Wayne,

It is amazing only one person was injured and no human deaths as a result of the fire.  Farts???  The real gas comes from the sewage!  Methane from cow pee and cow poop!  Mountains of it!!  I have seen the daries near Stephenville and Hamiton!  Pee-YouWEE!  Stinky, stinky and the pollution must be tremendous!  Farts are probably nothing compared to the sewage!!

Steve Keene

Lowell,

I heard about this yesterday morning and frankly I thought to myself, "How Appropo,"  The reason is that Kent Hance the Chancellor Emeritus of Texas Tech, responsibile for the loss of numerous coaches at Texas Tech and the woke culture so pervasive at Texas Tech, hails from Dimmitt, Texas and is considered their favorite son,  I haved never seen such bullshit piled up over the years by any one individual.

As for the specifics of this particular incident,  I had it in my mind that anhydrous ammonia used to fertilize cattle feedstocks was improperly stored near diesel fuel for the tractor and maintenance equpment.  This would have possibly resulted in an explosion of the Galveston, Texas variety or the Oklahoma City, FBI Building.  

It is said that this is one third of the cattle butchered each day for consumption in the beef markets in the United States.  That would be probably the Mexican meat markets as Holsteins are too lean and tough for most American tastes.

The picture above was taken with a selfie stick by the handsome gentleman in the powder blue wool Pendleton shirt.

Jim Bedwell

Steve & Tommy,

Oh no!!! Tommy's FUNNY response to Steve is GONE!!! I must say I enjoyed both posts and laughed a lot after reading BOTH of those. Oh well......

Jim Bedwell

Tommy,

Thanks. I think that, since you and Steve are both self-described close friends, that any and all such vituperative exchanges BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU should be excepted by the forum sponsor from further deletion(s) - BIG HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!! I mean, in a world falling apart due to Godless Communists, Dems and other neo-fascist totalitarian people and groups (all members of the new world order), we GOTTA HAVE SOME FUN!!!! YEE HAW!!!

Jim Bedwell

Tommy,

I do agree with you that "Leftist Godless Garbage And Other Such Claptrap" is "best swept into the ocean like soiled tissue from the urban sewer."

Steve,

What do you think?

David Cordell

Jim B. 

Just so you know, I did not delete Tommy's post and never even saw it. So, he must have deleted it himself. However, I did see his post number 27573, and I challenge him to diagram the second sentence.

Jim Bedwell

David C,

Thanks for that info; as you saw, I did assume that you had deleted it. And I did have the SAME problem (grammatically) that you did with his last post - but as I responded to him, I did agree with the sentiment he expressed (sarcastically) at the end of that confusing bit of writing - I could understand that part!

Lowell Tuttle

He would have to use the special Caymus predicate modifying horizontal-slash line.

Jim Bedwell

Steve Hilton of FNC (where else?) listed tonight all the countries that are shunning (and why & how) the increasingly rapidly declining US now in favor of their rapprochement with our enemies China, Russia, Iran & North Korea due to the TOTALLY MORONIC foreign policy of the dunderheaded Biden administration and their Quixotic preoccupation with the woke insanities of climate change/green energy, white supremacy, transgenderism, etc., namely....

France, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Japan among others. PATHETIC!!!

Reminds me of the contrast of 2 viewpoints.

The Aaronic Benediction we say every Saturday in the messianic Jewish congregation that I'm part of here (Numbers 6:24-26), is as follows:

The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine upon you
    and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

I told the Rabbi that the Muslims have their Moronic Benediction:

Allahu, Akbar. (which literally means "My god is greater than your god".)

Bob Davidson

About the Dimmit explosion -- Rick Sale, a poet who taught English at North Texas, and a truly funny, gifted, and charming man I enjoyed knowing (along with his amazing wife Teal), wrote a poem with a title close to "Cows' Asses and Methane Gasses."  It was in a book of poems of Texas authors with a title like Chawed Rosin.  I don't seem to still have it, like many of my favorites because I had to throw away a couple of dozen boxes of books when the AC drain in my ancient bungalow plugged up and leaked water into the library while I was out of town.  It made everything moldy and ruined an entire wall of books. 

I did a quick Google search and found lots of references to Rick, but nothing about that poem.  In my dotage, I don't remember enough beyond that one line so I can't quote it.

Steve Keene

Jim B.

Tommy does not believe I think at all before I post.

The sad thing is that he is correct.  To respond to one of Tommy;s post is an automatic reflex born of stating what is right and true in response to the leftest BS. that never is.

Tommy,

I am dissapointed that you failed to notice the Cohiba Cuban cigar in my pocket.