Life After Death
By Bill Newcott, September & October 2007
If life is a journey, what is the destination? We asked people 50 and over to share their most deeply held beliefs. The result is an illuminating glimpse into America’s spiritual core
For all the nudging and pushing and jockeying for position among the sweaty tourists who surround me on the floor of the Sistine Chapel this summer morning, it’s nothing compared with the cyclone of activity going on up there on the front wall.
In Michelangelo’s painting The Last Judgment there’s little doubt about who’s going where. On the left, a swirl of saints and martyrs ascend Heavenward, their faces a mix of rapture and shock. They soar triumphantly, flanking the figure of a Risen Christ. On the right, it’s a decidedly downward trend, a slightly more populated mix of eternal unfortunates being dragged, pushed, and hurled into the abyss. I step around behind the altar—a vantage virtually no one else seems interested in—and marvel at the nearly hidden figures of three apelike creatures, seemingly the gatekeepers of a fiery furnace that is glimpsed just beyond.
In appearance and execution The Last Judgment is archetypical Mannerist art. But the fact is, the nuts and bolts of Michelangelo’s vision are shared by the vast majority of 50-plus Americans.
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M-A was a con artist
The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper. St. Peter said, 'Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, And we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.Forrest responds, 'It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was.' St. Peter continued, Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions. First:- What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Second:- How many seconds are there in a year? Third:- What is God's first name? Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, andsays, 'Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers'Forrest replied, 'Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter 'T'?Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow.'The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, 'Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you dohave a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?' asked St. Peter.'How many seconds in a year?Now that one is harder,' replied Forrest, but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve.'Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?'Forrest replied, 'Shucks, there's got to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... ''Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter. 'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to giveyou credit for that one, too. Let us go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name'? 'Sure,' Forrest replied, 'it's Andy.' 'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. 'Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?' 'Shucks, that was the easiest one of all,' Forrest replied. 'I learnt it from the song, 'ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: 'Run Forrest, run.' Give me a sense of humor, Lord.Give me the ability to understand a clean joke,To get some humor out of life,And to pass it on to other folks. I would rather live my life as if there is aGod, and die to find out there isn't, Thanlive my life as if there isn't, and die tofind out there is.
WHY PEOPLE ARE FRIGHTENED OF INDIANS!!!!
THIS IS REALLY GOOD!
Indian boy on his first day at school in USA.......... awesome
Here is a true story about a Indian boy on his first day at school in the USA.
It was the first day of school and a new student named Chandrashekhar
Subramanyam ¡V CS, entered the fourth grade.
The teacher said, 'Let's begin by reviewing some American History.
Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death'?
She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrashekhar, who had his hand-up:
'Patrick Henry, 1775' he said.
'Very good!' Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for
the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'
Again, no response except from Chandrashekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863'said Chandrashekhar.
The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed.
Chandrashekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about its
history than you do.'
She heard a loud whisper: 'F**k the Indians,'
'Who said that?' she demanded.
Chandrashekhar put his hand up. 'General Custer, 1862.'
At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.'
The teacher glares around and asks 'All right! Now, who said that?'
Again, Chandrashekhar says, 'George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.'
Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? S*ck this!'
Chandrashekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to
the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!'
Now with almost a mob hysteria someone said 'You little shit. If you
say anything else, I'll kill you.'
Chandrashekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, 'Gary Condit
to Chandra Levy, 2001.'
The teacher fainted. .
And as the class gathered around the teacher on
the floor, someone said, 'Oh shit, we're f**ked!'
And Chandrashekhar said quietly, 'George Bush, Iraq, 2005.'
Why do ppl always wanna know what's after Death? Is it cos ppl so wanna continue LIVING?
Keshi.
More Kennedys for Hillary Clinton Than Barack Obama
Kennedys for Clinton
There are more members of the Kennedys Family supporting Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama.
"She stands for Democrats and for the nation," these family members say.
By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kerry Kennedy
January 29, 2008
This is a wonderful year for Democrats. Our party is blessed with the most impressive array of primary candidates in modern history. All would make superb presidents.
By now you may have read or heard that our cousin, Caroline Kennedy, and our uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, have come out in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. We, however, are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because we believe that she is the strongest candidate for our party and our country.
While talk of unity and compromise are inspiring to a nation wary of divisiveness, America stands at a historic crossroads where real issues divide our political landscapes. Democrats believe that America should not be torturing people, eavesdropping on our citizens or imprisoning them without habeas corpus or other constitutional rights. We should not be an imperial power. We need healthcare for all and a clean, safe environment.
The loftiest poetry will not solve these issues. We need a president willing to engage in a fistfight to safeguard and restore our national virtues.
We have worked with Hillary Clinton for 15 years (and in Kathleen's case, 25 years) and witnessed the power and depth of her convictions firsthand. We've seen her formidable work ethic, courage in the face of adversity and her dignity and clear head in crisis. We've also seen her two-fisted willingness to enter the brawl when America's principles are challenged. Her measured rhetoric, political savvy and pragmatism shield the heart of our nation's most determined and most democratic warrior.
She has been an uncompromising and loyal ally for each of us in our battles to protect the environment and to promote human rights around the world and juvenile justice in America. Hillary is a problem-solver, listening to people and then achieving solutions by changing attitudes.
Her transformational leadership was on display when she ran for the Senate seat in New York that had been held by our father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. She faced rabid, heavily funded attacks from the far right and the challenge of prevailing in traditionally Republican upstate New York. Traveling with her, we watched admiringly as she persuasively articulated an inspiring and unifying vision rooted in American values and history. Then, through patience, hard work, leadership and political acumen, she transformed many of those rock-solid conservative counties into solid Democratic strongholds.
We look forward to working beside her in the general election as she uses those same talents to change once rigid opinions and political affiliations across the nation.
Like our father, Hillary has devoted her life to embracing and including those on the bottom rung of society's ladder -- giving voice to the alienated and disenfranchised and working to alleviate poverty and injustice, while urging that we cannot advance ourselves as a nation by leaving our poorer brothers and sisters behind.
She's been an equally effective champion for human rights and for women's rights, a worldwide cause that will profit enormously by her elevation to the presidency. She has worked for peace in Northern Ireland and fought to bridge religious, racial and ethnic divides from Bosnia to the Middle East to South Africa. She has shown a rare understanding that American values can only be exported by moral leadership, by a strong home economy and by a detailed understanding of the history and cultural backdrops of the nations we engage.
She understands, as our current administration does not, the uses of power. The world, she says, is hungry for U.S. leadership but will not accept our bullying. She knows the difference and will reestablish America's lost prestige and moral authority.
Hillary Clinton's political career has been centered in comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable and reminding Americans what it means to be American. As a young lawyer, she focused on children's issues and legal aid. As first lady of Arkansas, she brought healthcare to rural areas and helped reform the state's lagging education system.
As first lady, she courageously took on healthcare reform. When a massive propaganda campaign by Big Pharma and the radical right derailed her efforts, she didn't give up. She helped create the nationally acclaimed Children's Health Insurance Program. That kind of persistence in pursuit of our highest ideals is the brand of leadership America now requires. Inspirational leadership comes in many forms.
Seldom has history confronted America with such daunting challenges: a catastrophic foreign policy that has cost us our international leadership and aggravated the threat of terror; a misbegotten war that is squandering precious American lives and treasure; a healthcare system that leaves millions of Americans without coverage; irresponsible corporate power that is corroding our democracy and outsourcing our jobs, aggravating global warming and other environmental crises and reducing our economy to shambles.
We need a leader who is battle-tested, resilient and sure-footed on the shifting landscapes of domestic and foreign policy. Hillary Clinton will move our country forward while promoting its noblest ideals.
N.B:
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an environmental advocate and Kerry Kennedy is a human rights activist.
Posted by Orikinla Osinachi. at 2:20 AM 0 comments
Labels: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
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Ori has the hottz for Hillary, ,
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