As far as i know Santa is this jolly old saint Nick that goes around and give presents to good little boys and girls no matter what color, race, gender, nationality or sexual preference. But tell a kid that and he will more than likey say HUH? as his/her eyes widden with joy when recieving thier gift.

Here are some interesting things to read

Jesus was born on December 25. (The idea of celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25 was first suggested early in the fourth century. This was a clever move on the part of Church fathers, who wished to eclipse the December 25 festivities of a rival pagan religion.The celebration of Christmas took permanent hold in the Western world in 337 with the Roman emperor Constantine. Christianity had become the official state religion in 313 AD. By 354, Bishop Liberius of Rome reiterated the importance of celebrating not only Christ's death but also his birth.)

Angels Sang at Christmas (The Bible never says that the Angels sang! Read it closely!!)

The Bible tells of three wise men who travelled from afar on camels to visit the infant Jesus as he lay in the manger.(Mathew 2:1 tells us: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem . . . ". That is the extent of it. There is no mention of THREE wisemen and no mention of camel! Also, Matt 2:11 states "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him . . . ". Note that it mentions a child in a house, rather than a baby in a manger... so this is a postbirth event.)

The modern image of Santa Claus was created by Coca-Cola(Haddon Sundblom drew his first Santa portrait for Coca-Cola in 1931... which popularized an existing image of Claus. In 1804, the New York Historical Society was founded with Nicholas as its patron saint, reviving the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas as a bringer of gifts. In 1809, Washington Irving published his satirical A History of New York, by one "Diedrich Knickerbocker," poking fun at New York's Dutch past, St. Nicholas included... in Dutch, "Sinterklaas". Irving revised his History of New York in 1812, adding details about Nicholas' "riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children." In 1821,William Gilley wrote a poem about a "Santeclaus" who dressed all in fur and drove a sleigh pulled by one reindeer. On Christmas Eve of 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote down and read to his children a series of verses; his poem was published a year later as "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" ...more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas . . .")

Two of Santa's reindeer were named 'Donner' and 'Blitzen.' (In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote down in his "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" ...more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas . . And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name. "Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all! " The song about Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer first made the mistake in Donder's and Vixen's names! )

The suicide rate increases significantly during the winter holiday season. (1985 Mayo Clinic report: "Fewer suicides than expected may occur on weekends and major holidays because it may be easier to repress troublesome thoughts during these times of greater social interaction." )

Poinsettia plants are poisonous to humans. (The poinsettia poison myth had its origin when a young child of an Army officer in Hawaii died of poisoning, incorrectly assumed to be a poinsettia leaf. A 50 lb. child would have to eat more than 1.25 lbs. or 500 - 600 leaves , according to the POISINDEX Information Service. Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants lists the symptoms of eating Poinsetta as vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise harmless poinsettia leaves.)

Man dressed as Santa Claus gets stuck in chimney and dies. (This story has been around for almost as long as the Santa Claus legend itself. It is a variation of the motif of juxtaposing an otherwise happy occasion with a senseless tragedy. Note Ella Fitzgerald's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney," Jimmy Boyd's "Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney," and Gisele MacKenzie's "Too Fat for the Chimney." )

The "Immaculate Conception" refers to the birth of Jesus. (The Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with either the birth of Jesus or any virgin birth. It is a specific dogma of Roman Catholicism which decrees that the Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin by divine grace from the moment of her conception. Although this dogma had been argued since the 12th century, it was not made official Pope Pius X did so in 1854. Since then December 8 has been observed as a Roman Catholic feast in commemoration of the Immaculate Conception.)

Candy canes were created to symbolize Jesus, their shape representing the letter "J" and their colors standing for the purity and blood of Christ... and were started in Indiana (Candy canes were most assuredly NOT created by "a candymaker in Indiana" who "stained them with red stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received." Candy canes have been in existance long before there ever was an Indiana! They initially bore neither red coloration nor striping -- the red stripes were a feature that did not appear until a few hundred years later, at the beginning of the 20th century. More elaborate Christmas coloration and decoration have been added to these candies in recent years ... for purely marketing purposes.)

The song The Twelve Days of Christmas was created as a coded reference to important articles of the Christian faith. (See our Twelve Days of Christmas site for the complete low down. This 1870 English Christmas song with origins running deeper in history in France was merely a silly Children's memory game.)

'Xmas' is a modern, disrespectful abbreviation of the word 'Christmas'. (X is a substitute for the Greek, Chi, which was an early church representation of Christ. It has been around for a long time and had no meaning of disrespect.)

Strange but TRUE:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for Montgomery Ward department stores. (Rudolph began in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company (a chain of department stores) asked one of their writers, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up with a Christmas story which could be given away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick. The chain had been been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year. To save money, they wanted to create their own booklet. It was loosely based on the Ugly Duckling.)

Christmas cards date to 1843. (English school children made their own and sent gave them to each other before this date. The first formal card was designed in 1843, by J.C. Horsley, in England. It was lithographed on dark cardboard. It consisted of a color print of a party of grownups and children with glasses of wine raised in a toast over the words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." Since it only cost 1 penny to send a card at that time, the custom caught on quickly.)

The holiday season abounds with superstitions. (There are too many to mention! Why do we put up Christmas trees? Why do we kiss under mistletoe? Why do we "deck the halls" with green branches? Does Holly and Ivy really have healing powers? How did caroling get started? Which story is true about Green and Red? Which of the many versions of the Yule Log is correct? The list goes on!)

sighhh

I heard this on KFI this morning and thought i share it, interesing

First Annual Synchronized GlobalOrgasm for Peace
 
With the knowledge that two US Anti-Submarine Fleets are en route to the Persian Gulf, the
following information was digitally relayed (via hundreds of thousands of people) around the
world on the sixtieth day before Winter Solstice, December 22, 2006, six years prior to
December 22, 2012, for a new beginning at the end of the Mayan Calendar. 
 
THE SCIENCE
The Global Consciousness Project (http://noosphere.princeton....), Princeton University, runs
a network of Random Event Generators around the world, which record changes in randomness
during global events. The results show that human consciousness can be measured to have a
global effect on matter and energy during widely-watched events such as 9/11 and the Indian
Ocean tsunami. There have also been measurable results during mass meditations and prayers.
 
WHO? All Men and Women, you and everyone you know. 
 
WHERE? Everywhere in the world, but especially in countries with weapons of mass
destruction.
 
WHEN? Winter Solstice Day - Friday, December 22nd, at the time of your choosing, in the
place of your choosing and with as much privacy as you choose.
 
WHY? To effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest
possible surge of human energy.

Our minds influence Matter and Energy fields, so by concentrating our thoughts during and after
The Big O on peace and partnership, the combination of high orgasmic energy combined with
mindful intention will reduce global levels of violence, hatred and fear.
 
“Our feelings about yet another escalation of war are not unlike what initiated and spawned
Baring Witness.Org. in Pt. Reyes Station, California.  Again, it is time to try something new. We
are inspired by Princeton University ‘s Global Consciousness Project as a scientific way to
measure and honor our efforts.” said Donna Sheehan. 
 
See http://www.Global-O.org/


 

    The release of the Playstation 3(PS3) and the Nintendo Wii is this weekend, and also I'd like to say that  the new slew of Xbox360 games makes this system rock as well. I've been an avid gamer since the apple IIe, Ive had almost all the major system up till now. Yes I'm getting my PS3 and my Wii but sheesh at almost $2000 combined  its a hobbie that gets really expensive.
    Any ways i thought todays blog by me should be about video game. Many go on record saying that DOOM, Grand Theft Auto or others spread violence to kids, reenacting certain scenes to kill or maim or beat up people. Sheesh its just another scapegoat to point your fingers at when your parenting failed. Thats rite, like the other blogs Ive posted the main factor is the parenting and distribution of correct knowledge on gaming. I love video games, its an interactive form of art, kinda like a book, u hear about it then u read the book and get involved with the characters and BAm u indulged yourself in a story with imagination and intrigue. Just like books , video games are the same thing. You play a character thru a story, doing what u need to get to your ultimate goal, to finish.
    There have been lawsuits against all kinds of media over the years.
Books are one of the greatest targets of “public protection” suits; consider Harry Potter, Huck Finn, Catcher in the Rye, etc. You can find lists of banned books online, the reasons tend to be borderline comical. Ultimately books tend to come out fairly unscathed, I think largely due to the fact that the written word has been around so damn long.
    The movies had their troubles, initially not being granted First Amendment protections (in the teens). This led to banning and, eventually, self-regulation via the Hays Code and, later, MPAA ratings. As far as I know, movies do have First Amendment protection now.
    Comic books had government inquiries in the 50s, leading to the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which is now largely obsolete. Many comics still include mature content warnings, however.
    Music, like books gets targeted every now and then; Elvis Presley’s hip shaking and 2 Live Crew are two examples from the last 50 years or so. Like books, music tends to win out, again due partly to history. However we do have Explicit Lyrics labels now.
    The fine arts (painting, sculpture, etc.) get targeted fairly frequently as well, with much less publicity and rarely with any success at all.
    Video games had their troubles too, DOOM was pegged to create harm in a Colorado school shooting, Grand Theft Auto was a major target for popular Lawyer Jack Thompson (who all video game nerds know by now) with the hot coffee patch. And even to this day Lara croft or Bloodrayne displays sexy poses to get gamer attention. most video games reflect pop culture and has no indication of slowing down.
    My son, who is 4 can play a challenging game of halo or even beat me at Marvel vs Capcon, hes 4..... anyways i teach him the wrongs an rites of reality and virtual worlds he understands u cant take a plasma sword and cut of heads to imposing aliens in real life. He does understand what it is to hurt people, even when hes not playing games his imagination is so vivid i smile.
    It seems with todays society with rules and regulations our imagination are being limited. I remember in grade school i played Oregon trail on the class computer a great game learning about settlers in America. kids don't get  that anymore cuz games are sometimes labeled evil which is sad. with todays technology its bound to become a mainstream.
    ANYWAYS video games has always been a stress reliever for me and its fun so i go now to play with my son and hopefully i can beat him this time

SIGHHHHHH...........

    Everyone thinks about sex, your parents, your kids, your local fireman, heck even the priest down the way. Its in all our minds and now the government wants to preach abstinence to all those within the age of 12-29, SHEEESH this is during our sexual prime. Cmon..... they say sex promotes disease or unwanted families, but they wont promote alternatives like safe sex or birth control, how lame is that. if your going to tell them to say NO at least give them alternatives, masturbation never hurts anyone when its done in the private place or even Parents talking to your children when its that time.
    I don't mind the government putting our hard earned tax money into teaching the down side of sex, but i do mind if they wont offer an alternative, sheeesh this is a natural thing and heck it feels good.
    In other words, no sex unless you're heterosexual, legally bound by your government, and profess your commitment to a monogamous relationship. The abstinence-only teaching isn't just for young adults anymore; it's also geared towards adults in their reproductive prime. This is what I'm handing over my hard earned money in tax dollars for each year?!
    Grant it to those they talk about sex at an early age do need the info because most parents no adays are afraid to talk to their children about something that is taboo such as sex (cmon open up)This is a new century sex is everywhere wither we like it or not, don't waste time fighting it take your time and inform about it. I do believe in premarital sex, how else are u to tell if this is the one :P cmon would u marry someone if they stuck it in the wrong hole or blinded you or even clogged your ear holes?? I had my share of premarital sex an i was responsible about it, protection, porn, and the Internet showed me the ways :P and by the time i was married i rocked my wife's world and had 3 beautiful children. Grant it, it will be interesting when my kids are of age to inform them, but i intend to before the Internet does or the know it all kid in the playground that always tell it how it is before the parents do.
    Anyways sex is a great thing, and i wont preach to give it up but i will preach the consequences and alternatives. so when my child does goto the playground she will be inform and pass a better word along than the one getting info from TV or Internet.
    And i know most religions say its not rite till your married or u should save yourself for the rite one, but isn't it true that sex is natural and should be expressed when ever u can (you know what i mean perverts)

sighhhhh

    Before i started blogging here i was wondering about Tehachapi in a whole, Ive worked in the hospitality business and retail here in this town, i even graduated at THS many moons ago. Growing up i didn't worry about religion or segregation or even politics, well maybe about THS sports because thats was always a big deal, considering i was on the Basketball team. Being a teenager in this town was boring, i never did drugs or went out and drank, which seemed to be the only thing kewl people were doing, But what i did do was goto LA every chance i got. I had my group of friends that would goto, wither it be for surfing or playing video games at a 24hour arcade in Pasadena. That city put alot of cultural shocks in me.
    The point is before Internet this town only relied on the newspaper, which was biased at the time. Only reporting on things like local politicians or YAY for me athlete of the month As i got older and college bound i started to notice peoples opinions and how evil things really are, grant it Ive never really went to any religious institution but i my share of religious offerings, Ive been to Mormon, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, and had friends that dabbled into satanic or even wicca. So Ive seen my share of religion.

I have 3 wonderful children and an awesome wife that share the same view, yet mind you the kids will not be subject to religious segregation, they have been to Sunday school and went to Mormon studies, even have girl scouts at a Jewish temple where they sometimes study that religion as well, we show them to do whats rite. The bible, Koran, testaments, even history books were written by man and we all know man cant be trusted all the time, so who's to say that each of these books were written solely on opinion or with a twist, an conspiracy theories also make u think. I'm just saying that we all take a path in life and learn to deal with others in our way of enlightenment, wither it is to appease a Deity in the sky or take oath to server your country or to even raise your children in a way that would make sense.

As for my blog post, i like to stir up the pot a little to see what opinions are out there, SPARKS, AERO, YU, Hitman, Anonymous and others are always fun to read and also enlightening. Before i posted at Tehachapi News Blogs the postings were dull yet informative, I see now  the true people that care about this town because u come back an check on the blogs and respond, more and more are coming too. And hopefully the Tehachapi news will report the other side of tehachapi. And listen to us here in blog world. (the election blogs did get pretty heated up)

again with the terrible grammer and run on sentences, i hope my kids dont catch this virus :P

sighhhhhh.......