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St. John Francis Regis
St. John Francis Regis Born into a family of some wealth, John Francis was so impressed by his Jesuit educators that he himself wished to enter the Society of Jesus. He did so at age 18. Despite his rigorous academic schedule, he spent many hours in chapel,...
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Violet viola is the flower of Illinois
Violet Viola When I see this flower I think of Nigel Kennedy and in my head there are not the songs of the birds that are singing all around me but the Viola Concerto that had been written by Willian Walton The most common of these is the dooryard violet...
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Die Suppe --- auf Deutsch
Die Suppe Die Mutter sagt: ,,Liese, iss einen Teller Suppe!" Aber Liese will nicht essen. Sie sagt!: ,,Die Suppe schmeckt nicht!" Die Mutter und Liese arbeiten im Garten. Sie arbieten fleissig drei Stunden. Liese sagt: ,,Mutti, ich habe Hunger!" Zu hause...
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Summer
Summer A yellow Iris by the edge of the river is in early blossom, some buds opened and others opening. The flower has only three petals; what look like inner petals are really stigmas that fold back,covering the stamens. Those plants spread by their...
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The agony in the garden
The Agony in the Garden (circa 1458-60) , Andrea Mantegna When I sat in front of this painting in the National Gallery in London I always wondered why and what Jesus was praying about. I always used to wonder why it was the agony in the Garden when I...
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A Monk's day
A Monk's day Long before daylight, all the monks went down to the great church to say prayers called Matins. The next service, Lauds, lasted until 2 or 3 o'clock. The monks went back to bed until day-break; then came a service called Prime, followed by...
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Alle Basteln Gern
Die Drei Robbis Fritz hat einen Roboter. Er heisst Robbi. Robbi macht alles, was Fritz sagt. ,,Robbi", sagt Fritz zu seinem Roboter. ,,Du musst heute das Zimmer legen." Robbi legt das zimmer. Und Fritz lauft auf den Hof , er will Fussball spielen. Robbi...
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The Venerable Matt Talbot
The Venerable Matt Talbot Matt can be considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism. He was born in Dublin, where his father worked on the docks and had a difficult time supporting his family. After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained...
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Francesco Raibolini The Virgin and child with Saints.
The Virgin and child with Saints. circa 1513 The virgin and child with Saints. When I sat in National Galllery, London and saw this painting I always wondered which of those Saints were actually in this painting and then I thought if this was the real...
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Weeping angels - Guercino -
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (aka -Guercino) was a painter that I knew from of his paintings that hang in National Gallery, London. But when I was asked about weeping angels I immediately thought of him. This painting of distraught angels is touching and...
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The flower of Idaho: A Mock Orange
Idaho State Flower Idaho state in USA has the flower Philadelphus lewisii “syringa” but it is always known as the mock orange. It is similiar with the hung parliament in the United Kingdom and with the need for the English Conservative party to get into...
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Summer 3
Summer times A beech tree has been struck by lightning, killed and blasted down one side. Beetle grubs have lived happily in the dead wood for some years, eating their way through and through until the wood has softened to a powdery pulp. The green woodpecker...
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Friars
Friars There were also friars, who wandered from place to place, preaching and helping the poor: Black Friars, White Friars,, and best loved, the Grey Friars who tried, like St. Francis, to be kind and gentle. They looked after the sick and became famous...
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Cheese potatoes and spring onions
There were some older potatoes in the kitchen so I had to peel them rather than scrape them I boiled them in with tumeric then I placed the potatoes in a metal bowl smashed the potatoes whilst still hot with a knob of butter I had already cubed some Scottish...
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The basis for independence is economic independence
"the basis for our independence is economic independence". Icelandic fisheries minister Ludvik Jósepsson This was one of the reasons for the war between Iceland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A war over fish. This happened...
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Nuestra Señora de los Dolores
On this day which has passed there was much to think and celebrate the United States of America. When I was trying to find one cultural object to explain the greatness of this land it was difficult. Then I remembered the natural feel of this wood which...
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Ordeal by fire
Ordeal by fire This was a punishment during the Middle Ages in England If a man was accused of a crime, he might suffer ordeal by fire. He had to carry a piece of red-hot iron for three paces. His hand was then bound up. If, when it was undone three days...
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Summer in the pond
We have caddisfly larvae, which in contrast to the water-scorpions, usually live in freshwater streams. Their protective cases are made of the materials that come easily within range - little bits of sticks and tiny shells. These covering disguise them...
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St. Anthony Zaccaria
St. Anthony Zaccaria At the same time that Martin Luther was attacking abuses in the Church, a reformation within the Church was already being attempted. Among the early movers of the Counter-Reformation was Anthony Zaccaria. His mother became a widow...
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G20 Hamburg
One of the main protest groups involved in the Global Solidarity Summit is Attac, an international protest group founded in France that claims it has 90,000 members in 50 countries. The group's French acronym, which translates as Association for the Taxation...
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Manchester is the place by Tony Walsh
This is the placeIn the north-west of England. It’s ace, it’s the best And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands Set the whole planet shaking. Our inventions are legends. There’s nowt we can’t make, and so we make brilliant music We make...
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A coffee each day prevents cancer
Drinking coffee may help prevent liver cancer. This was one of a suggestion in a new study If you drink coffee you tend not to get cancer Especially the hepatocelluar cancer (HCC) Discovered in a Scottish University They said : “It may be important for...
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A plague o' both your houses
“How does Shakespeare present the ways in which Tybalt’s hatred of the Capulets influences the outcome of the play?” This was a question in an English Literature Exam in England. The Exam Board OCR obviously unsure as to the understanding of Shakespeare....
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The Tudor house
In the later medieval period the houses of the rich were made out of brick. However, brick was very expensive so many chose to make the half-timbered houses that are now commonly referred to as Tudor houses. Tiles were used on the roofs and some had chimneys...
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Scots language
Scots This dialect covers a large area known as West Central Scots, though speakers usually call their dialect Scots or Scotch which are the traditional names for the language. Within Glasgow a distinct city dialect is also spoken and sometimes called...