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Hello all and Happy Valentines Day.  Valentines day is a day celebrated by many all over America but how many you know it’s true origins?  Read on:

The Silence of Educators

Teachers are all too often silent about the origin of the customs they are forced to teach in today’s schools! If they were to speak out, many would lose their jobs!

Isn’t it time we examined why we encourage our children to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day - when it is never mentioned in the Bible as a practice of the New Testament Church?

Today, candymakers unload tons of heart-shaped red boxes for February 14, while millions of the younger set are annually exchanging valentines. Florists consider February 14 - St. Valentine’s Day - as one of their best business days. And young lovers pair off - at least for a dance or two - at St. Valentine’s balls. Why? Where did these customs originate? Where do we find any such practices in the Bible? How did we come to inherit these customs?

A Christian Custom?

Did you know that centuries before Christ, the pagan Romans celebrated February 15 and the evening of February 14 as an idolatrous and sensuous festival in honor of Lupercus, the “hunter of wolves”?

The Romans called the festival the “Lupercalia.” The custom of exchanging valentines and all the other traditions in honor of Lupercus - the deified hero-hunter of Rome- was also linked anciently with the pagan practice of teen-agers “going steady.” It usually led to fornication. Today, the custom of “going steady” is thought very modern. It isn’t. It is merely a rebirth of an old custom “handed down from the Roman festival of the Lupercalia, celebrated in the month of February, when names of young women were put into a box and drawn out by men as chance directed.” That’s the admission of the Encyclopedia Americana, article, “St. Valentine’s Day.”

When Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire there was some talk in church circles of discarding this pagan free-for-all. But the Roman citizens wouldn’t hear of it! So it was agreed that the holiday would continue as it was, except for the more grossly sensual observances.

It was not until the reign of Pope Gelasius that the holiday became a “Christian” custom. ” As far back as 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on February 15 to St. Valentine’s Day on February 14.” (p. 172 of Customs and Holidays Around the World by Lavinia Dobler).

But how did this pagan festival acquire the name of “St. Valentine’s Day”? And why is the little naked Cupid of the pagan Roman so often associated today with February 14? And why do little children and young people still cut out hearts and send them on a day in honor of Lupercus the hunter of wolves? Why have we supposed these pagan customs in honor of a false god are Christians?

Who Was the Original “St. Valentine”?

Valentine was a common Roman name. Roman parents often gave the name of their children in honor of the famous man who was first called Valentine in antiquity. That famous man was Lupercus, the hunter. But who was Lupercus? - and why should he have also borne the name Valentine among the heathen Romans?

The Greeks called Lupercus by the name of “Pan“. The Semites called Pan “Baul,” according to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal - mentioned so often in the Bible - was merely another name for Nimrod, “the mighty hunter” ( Genesis 10:9) It was a common proverb of ancient time that Nimrod was “the MIGHTY hunter before the Lord.” Nimrod was their hero - their strong man - their VALENTINE!

How plain that the original Valentine was Nimrod, the mighty hunter of wolves. Yet another of Nimrod’s names was “Sanctuc” or “Santa“, meaning Saint. It was a common title of any hero-god. No wonder that the Roman Lupercalia is called “St. Valentine’s Day”!

But why do we associate HEARTS on a day in honor of Nimrod - the Baal of the Phoenicians and Semites?

The surprising answer is that the pagan Romans acquired the symbol of the heart from the Babylonians. In the Babylonian tongue the word for heart was “bal” (Strong’s Concordance Number H1168). The heart - bal - was merely a symbol of Nimrod - the Baal! or Lord of the Babylonians!

Executed at Rome

Nimrod - the original St. Valentine - was also known as Saturn, the Roman-Babylonian god who hid from his pursuers in a secret place. The Latin word Saturn is derived from the Semiticspeaking Babylonians. It means “be hid,” “hide self,” “secret,” “conceal.” The original Semitic (Hebrew) word, from which the Latin Saturn is derived, is used 83 times in the Old Testament (see Young’s Concordance under “Sathar,” also “sether”).

According to ancient tradition, Saturn (Nimrod) fled from his pursuers to Italy. The Apenine mountains of Italy were anciently named the mountains of Nembrod or Nimrod. Nimrod briefly hid out at the site where Rome was later built. The ancient name of Rome, before it was rebuilt in 753 B.C. was Saturnia - the site of Saturn’s (Nimrod’s) hiding. There he was found and slain for his crimes. Later, professing Christians in Constantine’s day made Nimrod - the St. Valentine of the heathen- a Saint of the Church and continued to honor him under the name of a Christian martyr.

Why February 14?

But why should the Romans have chosen February 15 and the evening of February 14 to honor Lupercus - the Nimrod of the Bible? (Remember that day in ancient times began at sunset the evening before.)

Nimrod - Baal or sun god of the ancient pagans - was said to have been born at the winter solstice. In ancient time the solstice occurred on January 6 and his birthday therefore was celebrated on December 25 and now called Christmas. It was the custom of antiquity for, the mother of a male child to present herself for purification on the fortieth day after January 6 - Nimrod’s original birthdate - takes us to February 15, the celebration of which began on the evening of February 14 - the Lupercalia or St. Valentine’s Day.

On this day in February, Semiramis, the mother of Nimrod, was said to have been purified and to have appeared for the first time in public with her son as the original “mother and child.”

The Roman month February, in fact, derives its name from the februa which the Roman priests used in the rites celebrated on St. Valentine’s Day. The febru were thongs from the skins of sacrificial animals used in rites of purification on the evening of February 14.

Cupid Makes His Appearance

Another name for the child Nimrod was “Cupid” - meaning “desire” (Encyclopedia Britannica, article “Cupid“). It is said that when Nimrod’s mother saw him, she lusted after him - she desired him. Nimrod became her Cupid - her desired one - and later her Valentine! So evil was Nimrod’s mother that it is said she married her own son! Inscribed on the monuments of ancient Egypt are inscriptions that Nimrod (the Egyptians called him Osiris) was “the husband of his mother.”

As Nimrod grew up, he became the child-hero of many women who desired him. He was their Cupid! In the Book of Daniel he is called the “desire of women” ( Dan. 11:37). Moffatt translates the word as Tammuz - a babylonian name of Nimrod. He provoked so many women to jealousy that an idol of him was often called the “image of jealousy” ( Ezekiel 8:5). Nimrod, the hunter, was also their Valentine - their strong or mighty her! No wonder the pagans commemorated their hero-hunter Nimrod, or Baal, by sending heartshaped love tokens to one another on the evening of February 14 as a symbol of him.

Nimrod, the son of Cush the Ethiopian, was later a source of embarrassment to the pagans of Europe. They didn’t want an African to worship. Consequently, they substituted a supposed son of Nimrod, a white child named Horus, born after the death of Nimrod. This white child then became a “fair Cupid” of European tradition.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Four sheriff’s deputies have been suspended after purposely tipping a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair onto a jailhouse floor, authorities said.

Surveillance footage from Jan. 29 shows Hillsborough County deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones, 44, dumping Brian Sterner out of his wheelchair and searching him on the floor after he was brought in on a warrant after a traffic violation.

Sterner, 32, said when he was taken into a booking room and told to stand up, Jones grew agitated when he told her that he could not.

“She was irked that I wasn’t complying to what she was telling me to do,” he told The Tampa Tribune in Tuesday’s edition. “It didn’t register with her that she was asking me to do something I can’t do.”

Sterner can drive a car but has not been able to walk since a 1994 wrestling accident. He has no feeling below his sternum and has partial use of his arms.

Jones has been suspended without pay, and Sgt. Gary Hinson, 51, Cpl. Steven Dickey, 45 and Cpl. Decondra Williams, 36 have also been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

“The actions are indefensible at every level,” Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said. “Based on what I saw, anything short of dismissal would be inappropriate.”

A woman who answered Jones’ telephone said Jones was unavailable. A message left at a telephone number listed for a Steven Dickey in Tampa was not immediately returned Tuesday night. Listings for Hinson and Williams could not be located.

Sterner was arrested at his Riverview home and taken to the Orient Road Jail on a charge of fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, according to records. He posted $2,000 bond and was released Feb 3.

A warrant for Sterner’s arrest was issued after an Oct. 25 incident, in which police stopped him while driving a car fitted with hand pedals and cited him for blocking an intersection.

“My client was stopped that night and was given a traffic citation, so how could he be fleeing and eluding?” Sterner’s lawyer John Trevena said. “We’re very skeptical about the basis for the charge itself.”

Trevena said he hopes authorities investigate the deputies for criminal charges. He said he was “mortified” when he watched the footage.

“I couldn’t believe that a detention deputy would be so callous toward an individual, whether they were disabled or not,” he said.

Looks like non-hispanic whites will become a minority by 2050.  A recent Pew (no pun intended) report suggests that the Latino population as well as immigration influx will soar and for the first time in this country’s history since the Native Americans were decimated, whites will be the minority.  Very interesting….  read on:

The number of Hispanics in the United States will triple by 2050 and represent nearly 30 percent of the population if current trends continue, according to a report released yesterday.

The study by the nonpartisan, Washington-based Pew Research Center also found that nearly one in five Americans will be foreign-born in 2050, compared with about one in eight today. Asian Americans, representing 5 percent of the population today, are expected to boost their share to 9 percent.

Blacks are projected to maintain their current 13 percent share. Non-Hispanic whites will still be the nation’s largest group, the report says, but would drop from 67 percent of U.S. residents to 47 percent.

Overall, by 2050 the U.S. population is projected to increase by 47 percent, from 296 million in 2005 to 438 million. Newly arriving immigrants would account for 47 percent of the rise, and their U.S.-born children and grandchildren would represent another 35 percent.

Authors of the study, which roughly tracks similar analyses by the Census Bureau and other sources, cautioned that their findings are projections based on immigration and demographic trends that may change.

Nonetheless, the report offers an intriguing picture of the possible long-term effects of the immigration surge that began after 1965, when Congress abolished a quota system that had nearly ended immigration from non-European countries since the 1920s.

Because of a declining birthrate among U.S.-born women, immigrants and their U.S.-born children and grandchildren already account for most of the nation’s population increase over the past several decades. The study projects that by 2025, the foreign-born share of the population will surpass the peak recorded during the waves of immigration that occurred between 1860 and 1920, when foreign-born residents represented as much as 15 percent of the U.S. population.

But the study’s authors said that immigration will do little to offset the more than doubling of the nation’s elderly population as baby boomers age. By 2050, people older than 65 will make up 19 percent of the population, compared with 12 percent in 2005, while the share of working-age people will shrink from 63 percent to 58 percent.

This translates into a sharp rise in the “dependency ratio” of working-age people, compared with the number of young and elderly. Today, there are about 59 children or elderly people per 100 working-age adults. By 2050, that figure is expected to increase to 72 dependents per 100 working-age adults.

Though advocates of immigration have suggested that the newcomers can help offset the pressure boomers put on Social Security, the report indicates that even if immigration were reduced by 50 percent, the dependency ratio would change only from 72 dependents to 75 per 100 working-age adults.

Those who oppose allowing immigration to continue at its current pace interpreted the findings as vindication. “These numbers underline the fact that immigration is not a solution to the aging of the population,” said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors further limits on immigration. “And then we need to ask ourselves if we want the 100 million more people immigration will bring. Do you want 80 million more cars on the road, or 40 million homes occupying what’s now open space?”

At a news conference to announce the report yesterday, co-authors D’Vera Cohn and Jeffrey S. Passel declined to draw policy conclusions. They also noted that even if their projections are accurate, the social implications may be different by 2050: Given the high rate of intermarriage between Latinos and members of other ethnic groups, many descendants of today’s Latinos may not even identify themselves as such.

Have you ever wondered what’s really in the food that we eat on a daily basis? I just found this really interesting video online. All I can say is…WOW!!! This video is one of Pog’s Must-See. It will really open your eyes. Above is about 9 minutes worth of the video. To see more and to purchase the video you have to go to http://www.thefutureoffood.com

Yes, that’s right, book your flights, buy your plane tickets because Amsterdam’s famed Red Light District may be going bye, bye. According to a recent article in Newsweek, the government there are fed up with the the legal brothels citing that they breed criminal activity and human trafficking. Are these people crazy or what? They are going to cut off about 80% of their tourist revenue! Cmon now, lets be real. The only reason people go to Amsterdam is to smoke weed in the coffee shops and bang hot prostitutes. What is this world coming to? Are they going to shut down the Carnival in Brazil next? Or how about canceling the yearly Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans? Here is an excerpt of the article:

Two weeks ago a young Dutch fashion designer named Bas Kosters opened a new store. His colorful and sumptuous creations—skirts, handbags, sweatshirts—merit attention. But the most striking aspect of his new venue is the location. Kosters’s work is on display in Amsterdam’s Red Light District behind two tall windows that until recently were used as a brothel. The ladies have vanished. The red lights and curtains have been removed and replaced by Kosters’s hyperfashionable clothes.

Kosters found this studio thanks to an ambitious plan by the Amsterdam city government. Arguing that too many brothels and sex bars are linked to criminality, the authorities plan to all but erase the Red Light District. If the plan goes through, the peep shows, sex shops and prostitute windows that line the small alleys and canals will have to go, giving way to galleries, boutiques and upscale restaurants and bars. Goodbye to the big neon signs advertising every possible form of sexual indulgence.

Amsterdam without the Red Light District? Wouldn’t that be like Paris without the Eiffel Tower? Amsterdam’s mayor, Job Cohen, and his aldermen have demonstrated little nostalgia for the district, which has been the world’s most famous home of sexual permissiveness since the 15th century. They first unveiled the plan to close it in December; last month they revoked the licenses of two widely known sex venues, the Casa Rosso and the Banana Bar. The next step is to buy out the real estate owners. Last fall the city struck a deal with a powerful brothel owner, Charles Geerts (known as “Fat Charlie”), to buy 20 buildings.

Here are some interesting, fun facts that I found on Uncyclopedia about our former first lady and 2008 Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Very interesting…

Predictions

Anonymous sourcers predict that she will win the white house, dump the philanderer in ex-chief, then be courted by royalties and principalities from around the world. She will be so busy dating heads of states that the US will enjoy unprecedented favors from her suitors the world over. She will make history not only for being the first divorced female president of the free world, but for lowering the price of oil to $2.50 a barrel when she marries the sensible prince of Saudi Arabia (prince what’s his name)

Love of Satan

Hillary Clinton is in fact the Anti-Christ sent by the Dark Prince to destroy man. Panda bears are her evil minions.

Mz. Clinton is also known for for her ability to cheat death by transferring her soul into a host body. It is believed that it is she who has taught Bill Clinton, Hitler, Karl Marx, Lord Sauron, Stalin, Emperor Palpatine, Dick Cheney, Joan Rivers, Lord Voldemort, Dr. Doom, Dante, Marie Antoinette, Donald Trump, Regis Philbin, satan himself and Hoenheim of Light how to transmute their souls out of their bodies and into different host bodies. Some scholars argue that Hillary’s odds-thrashing survival comes from being so nicely enclosed in the snug confines of media conglomerates, who feed her a strictly regulated diet consisting of DRM and RIAA Burgers.

Clinton’s main logo for her election in ‘08

Hillary’s passion for drinking the blood of babies is matched only by her love of drowning them first.

According to the United Nations, Hillary “God-damn” Clinton is the only person that can be referred to as a Communazi, hence Hillary’s mustache.

She first gained public spotlight in her elementary school years by winning the 15 district wide contest historical forensics investigational writing award, with the controversial speech, My friend Satan: Prince of Darkness, or just misunderstood?

Scandal erupted in 1998 when Hillary “God-damn” Clinton’s personal dog trainer and nutritionist William Jefferson-But-Not-Thomas Clinton took one quick look at Hillary “God-damn” and announced proudly, “That dog won’t hunt.” Neither he nor she knew precisely what that meant. But Roman Senate Procounsel Trent Lott, distracted by the recent troubles in both Capidocia and Gaul, realized the full impact of these words. He immediately announced, “If Strom Thurmond had been elected president in 1948, we wouldn’t be having any of these troubles.” Both William and Hillary realized the game was up, and both of them immediately signed the the Contract with America, leaving Newt Gingrich puzzled but happy.

To Read More Click Here

At the stroke of midnight that began the day of February 7, 2008 I began my Day Of Reflection.  For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a day of my choosing once a month (usually the 7th) that I use to reflect on the month past and the month going forward.  I came up with this idea when I was just a young boy.  As a boy I always had a questioning inside of me when it comes to religion and spirituality.  I was raised Baptist and did the whole Christian thing.  I used to read the Bible religiously.  But the more I learned about organized religion, the more I rejected it.  But anyways, that is a story for a different time.  I would like to consider myself as a very spiritual person and decided that I would choose one day a month where I would deprive myself of the pleasures of the world.  So on this day I will not eat any food or drink anything other than water.  This is also a good way to cleanse your body of and do sort of a detox.  Fasting gives your digestion system much needed rest from all the shit that we consume on a daily basis.  In researching the subject I also discovered that animals in nature fast all the time.  I have 2 hours left until midnight and i’m starvingggggggggggggg.

So last night I stumbled upon this interesting website that is explaining how you can use your regular gasoline car to burn water and increase gas mileage as well as horsepower. Not sure if there is any proof to these claims but it makes for a very interesting read. Here are some of the claims:

• Possibly double your mileage: Our road tests have achieved 50% increase on a heavy 350 V8 van, 56% on a Ford truck, 107% on a Toyota car. Imagine slashing your energy bills left and right!

• Clean up emissions that damage your health and the health of your family. When burned, the “Brown’s Gas” we produce turns right back into water! No harmful chemicals are emitted from this system. Since your engine would take LESS gasoline and BURN IT MORE COMPLETELY, the overall effect is dramatic reduction in harmful emissions. You’ll be able to smell the difference.
• Greatly enhance engine power and performance.
• Remove carbon deposits and prevent future carbon build up.
• Reduce engine temperature - protect your environment and your engine.
• You will notice a calmer, quieter and much smoother engine & gearshifts. This is due to the effect water has on the combustion cycle inside your engine.
• Enjoy a longer life expectancy of your engine, especially pistons, valves, rings and bearings.
• Pride and satisfaction: I enjoy being a leader and advisor on gas economy. You too will feel a great deal of pride and satisfaction by sharing your newly acquired knowledge with your friends, family, neighbors, community/church members and co-workers. So many drivers and truck/fleet owners struggle, when they don’t have to! Once the word comes out they will come to YOU for advice.
• It’s up to you if you want to turn your new knowledge and experience into an income source. You can! If you are a volunteer or a minister and work for the community, you can share your knowledge as part of your service. In today’s crazy gasoline prices, I believe this simple technology is more valuable than free food.

If you’d like to read more Click Here!

If we could reduce the world’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:

The village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific

51 would be male, 49 would be female

82 would be non-white; 18 white

67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian

80 would live in substandard housing

67 would be unable to read

50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation

33 would be without access to a safe water supply

39 would lack access to improved sanitation

24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do
have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)

7 people would have access to the Internet

1 would have a college education

1 would have HIV

2 would be near birth; 1 near death

5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth; all 5 would be US citizens

33 would be receiving –and attempting to live on– only 3% of the income of “the village”

If to take a look at the world from this condensed perspective,
the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes evident.

Think of it!

If you woke up this morning with more health than sickness,
you are luckier than the million that will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced a war,
the loneliness of imprisonment,

an agony of tortures

or a famine

You are happier, than 500 million persons in this world.

If you are able to go to church, mosque or synagogue without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death,

you are happier, than 3 billion persons in this world.

If there is a meal in your refrigerator,
if you are dressed and have got shoes,

if you have a bed and a roof above your head,

you are better off, than 75% of people in this world.

If your parents are still alive and still married,

then you are a rarity.

If you have a bank account,

money in your purse,

and there is some trifle in your coin box,

you belong to 8% of well-provided people in this world.

If you read this text, you are blessed because

You do not belong to those 2 billion people who cannot read!!!

To all the non-believers, the doubters, the naysayers, and haters.  All I have to say is WE SHOCKED THE WORLD.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock or you’re just one of those people that aren’t into sports (blah), yes I’m talking about the New York “Football” Giants a.k.a Pogsteam.  This team has surpassed all the obstacles and criticism by everyone in the National Football League all season long.  Written off and under-rated they have endured.  Game after game, Sunday after Sunday they never gave up.  Here is a team that represents what America is all about.  As Don King would say “Only In America”.  Only in America can a team that started the season 0-2 with a coach on the verge of being fired rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and defeat the unbeatable team.  On Superbowl Sunday we played hard, we played tough, we punched the New England Patriots in the mouth.  Congratulations to the New York “Football” Giants!!!