"Safe Zones" for Women in Berlin Today

Two years after a massive trove of rapes and sexual assaults occurred at NYE celebrations across Germany, and now Berlin has set up a "safe zone" for women for Berlin's party tonight.   

Pretty telling.  

The obvious question - why isn't EVERYWHERE a safe zone for women?  

Second question - instead of staffing this with counsellors so that women that have been harassed or raped can get help, how about throwing enough cops and prosecution at the situation so that women can be safe in the first place?

This is incredible.  Women of Germany, your country deems your safety secondary to the unfettered and unlawful urges of its Muslim immigrant community.

Disgusting.

Saturday Song Share: Ryan Adams - Tired of Giving Up

This guy is making some of the best music out there right now.  

While not a video, just shut your eyes and enjoy how music used to sound, and how it sounds now thanks to Ryan Adams:

Brutal Cold

On our trip down to the Cities yesterday, this is what my vehicle told me it was like outside:

We're getting a reprieve for a couple of days, and will get above zero, but by the weekend we'll be back to the brutal cold again, with lows approaching this horrific number.

Considering I was in 70's earlier in the week, I've experienced over a 100-degree swing just this week alone.

Makes you wonder why we live here.  Crazy cold. 

Funeral Count Now at Seven

Back in early October I wrote how I had been back in Minnesota since late March, and in that time I had attended five funerals.

Less than three months later and the count has risen to seven.

It's remarkable, scary, and angering.  I don't understand it.  I certainly know it is part of life, but there sure has been a lot of death around me lately.  Part of it is my age - I'm getting to that point in life where this is happening more and more to those I know - and part of it has to be that I was just fortunate to avoid a lot of these events prior to now.

It's hard to accept, and can end anytime now...

Christmas Recap

Mrs. YDP and I spent the past five days at my sister's place in Charleston, SC to celebrate  Christmas.  It was a great getaway - pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered.  My brother and his kids were there, as was my mom, so we had a house full, and I loved every minute of it.  

Some highlights:

• We've welcomed a new member to the family as Hank the Labradoodle joined the team.  He's an awesome dog, and fits in perfectly.
• Weather was incredible, and afforded time at the beach and three runs outside.  It sure is nice to be in the South, especially when the high a home is not moving above zero.
• We ate a ton, with a nice dinner out and an incredible prime rib dinner on Christmas Eve.
• We also watched football, played cards, laughed, and basically enjoyed each other for our time together.

I know that none of this is of note.  In fact, upon reading it, it sounds kind of boring.  It certainly didn't feel that way, and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

I am blessed.

What God Asks Us

The story of the birth of Christ contains a couple of interesting intercessions by God, and what He asks during these encounters is big.  First, He asks Mary to bear this child, and endure the pain and ridicule that would surely go with it.  Then he asks Joesph to be there in support, despite not being the father.

Can you imagine?  Put yourselves in Mary or Joseph's shoes.  Could we answer God in the affirmative on a similar request?  

Thankfully, we're not tested that way.  We are, however, tested.  God asks things of us every day, but unlike the Holy Family, our burdens are light.  Despite this, we often fail; taking the easy way out, or doing things because they appear to be better for us, or just ignoring our obligation to God altogether.

Perhaps this Christmas we can focus on the sacrifices made - by Mary, Joseph, and even Jesus - and use them as examples to step up to the small things that God asks of us.

Christmas Card from St. John's University

Merry Christmas from the students and monastic community at St. John's University:

Hot Ones

My latest YouTube binge is a show called Hot Ones, where "B" and "C" list celebrities get a chance to tout their book, movie, podcast, etc., but first, they must eat 10 progressively hot wings.  The last one they have?  2,000,000 scoville units.

For those unfamiliar with the scoville scale, a jalapeno is 5,000 and Tobasco is about 30,000.

Here's Arte Lange.  It's R rated, but he gives you a pretty good indication of what the show is like:



You really have to be in need of plugging your show to put up with this kind of torture...