A couple of hundred years later it became part of a book (Perceval, the Story of the Grail),about the Fisher King who was responsible for the protection of the Holy Grail. It's funny that so many stories take on a life of their own. More than likely if you were to ask people about the Grail you'd probably hear that they think it's real. Got to love story tellers!
Contrary to what some people believe, the Holy Grail is just a myth and not the chalice that Jesus passed around to his disciples during the Last Supper. What's interesting is that a non-finished fictional manuscript/novel was found around 1190 A.D. where the object was first mentioned whereas it was part of many stories relating to the Christian Crusade which occurred hundreds of years before. At the time it was more of a symbol (not unlike The Fountain of Youth), for eternal youth and happiness. It was sometimes symbolized as a chalice to be hunted like treasure.
A couple of hundred years later it became part of a book (Perceval, the Story of the Grail),about the Fisher King who was responsible for the protection of the Holy Grail. It's funny that so many stories take on a life of their own. More than likely if you were to ask people about the Grail you'd probably hear that they think it's real. Got to love story tellers! The most expense painting ever sold was in 2017 by someone in Russia to someone in Saudi Arabia who bought "Salvator Mundi," (Jesus), by Leonardo DiVinci for $470 million dollars. Art experts state that if the Mona Lisa, also Leonardo, ever went up for auction that it would be sold for around $830 million. Around one billion for a painting...mind blowing.
Well, my wife Maggie is mad at me again and I don't think I deserve it. All I said when she was complaining that I wasn't listening to her, is that I'd do a better job listening if her stories were better and shorter. :)
How things would've been different should Jesus have shown up now versus 2,000 years ago. 1) All the loaves and fishes would have had to have been individually wrapped and labeled for safety reasons. 2) Jesus couldn't use the word "sinner," because it would be called hate speech. 3) Jesus would've been hit with a lawsuit after turning water into wine for unfair trade practices. 4) The disciples would've missed the miracles because they would've been glued to their smart phones. 5) Judas would've been given a participatory trophy even though he quit the team. :)
Most television shows have a viewing audience of around four million. When the episode on Dallas regarding "Who Shot J.R." was broadcast, around 350 million people around the world tuned in.
Being cooped up definitely adds to the stress. After a really big argument the other day, I'm finally talking to myself again. :)
The invention of matches from a historical perspective is all over the place as far as where credit is do. An item that sounded like a match was written about in some correspondence from a Chinese citizen in 1366 which does make sense because that's where fireworks got their start and explosives in general for the military.
But in 1826, a scientist from England discovered a technique that produced matches. He made several of the matches to amuse friends but somehow missed their practical value. A man named Samuel Jones saw this demonstration and realized the commercial worth and went into a booming match business. Jones called his matches “Lucifers.” Early matches had a number of problems. The flame was unsteady, and the initial reaction was quite violent. Also, the odor produced by the burning match was unpleasant. Lucifers reportedly could ignite explosively, sometimes throwing sparks a considerable distance. The other problem with early matches was the use of white phosphorus, which would stick to the skin. It was toxic and, therefore, banned from use in many countries. Whether invented in the 1300's, which I believe, or in the 1800's, it's amazing to me that the product has still survived. The fact is that although the U.S. is filled with lighters, a majority of consumers around the world don't have them so matches are still highly popular. I recently saw something I hadn't seen before and I thought it was awesome. A family was sitting down for dinner and they weren't allowed to eat until mom lifted her fork first.
I know it happens to dad's too, but the fact is, moms often eat meals which are cold because they're busy making sure everyone else is taken care of. Knowing they have to wait until mom starts eating causes the kids to want to help because they're hungry. Here's to all those who cook and set the table. This is the real heartland. Fifteen years ago Taliban leader Ahmad Shah led an attack which killed over 20 Marines in Afghanistan. Once Naval intelligence and the CIA found out where he was, a four-member Seal Team was sent to a rough, mountainous region, to kill Ahmad.
Once they arrived everything seemed to go wrong especially communications which went down and they couldn't call in support or an evacuation so they had to hope that a rescue crew would stumble upon their location. Some goat herders saw the team and got word to the Taliban that they were in the mountains. The area was swarming with Taliban fighters which the intel hadn't discovered. For every Seal there was around 60 Taliban. They aborted the mission and one of the helicopters which came to save them was shot by an RPG and all eight soldiers lost their lives. One was a Navy Seal who was on his first mission. They put up an unbelievable fight but only one Seal got away, Marcus Luttrell, only to be found by a group of Afghans. They couldn't speak English so Marcus didn't know what was going on. They took him to their village where Marcus thought they were going to execute him but instead they took care of him and his extensive amount of injuries. Not only this but when the Taliban came to their village looking for Marcus the villagers got into a gun battle with them. It was looking like they were going to lose when just then military helicopters showed up and began mowing the Taliban down. One of the villagers had risked his life to contact the U.S. military base to let them know they had Marcus in their village. I write this post as a reminder that the Taliban is a scourge to many Afghans. This group of villagers followed a code of honor that has lasted more than 2,000 years where they provide refuge and protection to someone under attack. There's no doubt that there's good and bad no matter where you are in the world. By the way, Marcus received the Navy Cross and a Purple Heart for that mission. The book and movie called: "Lone Survivor," is a must see in my opinion especially the part about the goat herders which I didn't cover in case you did want to check it out for yourself. |
Author: John Mann |