Category: Manliness

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Behind the Lessons of History quoted by Pope Benedict XVI

Coins from the Empire 

The Byzantine quote that the Pope Benedict XVI referred to has an interesting history. The Byzantine Empire was in decline and alone in facing it’s greatest enemy. After existing nearly 1000 years, it’s time was nearly over.

Byzantine Emperor Manuel II A 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, in a conversation with a “learned Persian” on Christianity and Islam  asked:

“Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread the sword by the faith he preached.”

Another insight into the Moslem invaders came when he asked why they changed the names of Christian cities they pillaged and devastated, he received the answer:

“the way we destroy them their name is also disappearing from earth…”.

So sayeth the ‘Religion of Peace.”

Manuel II  is an interesting fellow and here is some of his history and a link:

“Manuel II Palaeologus (1350 – July 21, 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425, and son of Emperor John V Palaeologus. By Helena Dragas, the daughter of a Serbian prince, he had seven sons: Michael (died 1406), John, Theodore, Andronicus, Constantine, Demetrius, and Thomas.

At the time of his father’s death he was a hostage at the court of the Ottoman emperor Beyazid I at Proussa (modern Bursa), but succeeded in making his escape; he was forthwith besieged in Constantinople by the sultan, whose victory over the Christians at the Battle of Nicopolis, however (September 25, 1396), did not secure for him the capital.

Manuel subsequently set out in person to seek help from the West, and for this purpose visited Italy, France, Germany and England, but without material success; the victory of Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402, and the death of Beyazid in 1403 were the first events to give him a genuine respite from Ottoman oppression. He stood on friendly terms with Mehmed I, but was again besieged in his capital by Murad II, in 1422. Shortly before his death he was forced to sign an agreement whereby the Byzantine Empire undertook to pay tribute to the sultan.

Manuel was the author of numerous works of varied character — theological, rhetorical, poetical and letters.”

Extent of the Empire

The Byzantine Empire around year 1400…. surrounded.

It is clear to me that Emperor Manuel II was a man of great courage… and vision. Besides the fundamentalist menace, the outbreak of bubonic plague in 1349 had weighed heavily on the empire. Nevertheless, Manuel II handles his world with great skill and even though his efforts in acquiring support from other European nations was little and late, he is still offering lessons for those willing to listen.

Pope Benedict XVI wasn’t wrong in reminding the world that we have seen this threat before.

Europe… just as in the 14th century… is refusing to recognize the threat of fudamentalist Islam … which they ignore at their own peril.

Roger Freberg

 

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U.S.C. Trojan Football…. On a Roll!

USC Traveler Munching on A Cornhusker! 

I’ll leave the description of the exploits of USC Trojans to the professionals in the media and others… but as for me it was a great game to watch… if you were a Trojan fan! 

LINKS & BLOGS:

USC FOOTBALL OFFICIAL STORY


Oak Monster Den
Jessi’s Review
Quarter life Candy find Football Eye Candy
Move those chains — Nebraska Review
More Gals who Love Football
Week 3 Review
HUSKER NETWORK — Second Guessing the Game
 Capacity Crowd to watch 2007 USC and Nebraska Football Even if you were a Nebraska fan there was plenty to cheer about. However, the Trojan defense was tougher than last year and the “Big Booty” was sensational as a QB. With a name like his you can only imagine some of the shirts worn by Trojans: 
 “Got Booty?”
“Like my Booty?” ( on girl’s shorts)  The Next Game is in Arizona… the next home game will be in early October… see ya there! 
Roger Freberg   

 

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For Successful Marriages… the Courtship Never Ends

a kiss on the cheek may be grand... but weren't we married before?WOMAN MAKES PLAY FOR HER EX WHEN WIFE LEAVES THE ROOM rang out the headline of one of Dear Abby’s latest columns. It all sounded a bit funny to this ol boy. I think ‘Dear Dad’ needs to offer another view.

If you have already read the advice column from the attached link above, you may or may not agree with Abby’s assessment of the ‘problem’. I don’t.

1) Here’s the first piece of the puzzle…. and although there are plenty of questions, I think we can figure out what is gong on at the funeral:

“On the way home, my hubby told me she waited until I left the room, then kissed him on the cheek in front of the whole family and told him she still loves him.”

2) Here’s another juicy piece:

“That’s not all. I asked him if, for one minute, he was sorry he had married me. He said, and I quote, “No, but if I had known she still loved me, I would have never remarried.” I was crushed.”

3) Here’s the key section of Abby’s advice:

DEAR BROKENHEARTED: Your husband appears to lack sensitivity, good judgment and empathy for the feelings of others. He also appears to lack common sense, if he expected you would not take his comments personally.

What a mess… Where does ‘Dear Dad’ begin?

In part 1, the husband ( read fairly honest guy) is upfront with his current wife and informs her of ‘the kiss’. I am sure that if it really rang his chimes, he may not have been so forthcoming. In any event, he’s not responsible for his ex’s actions.

Part 2 is not as clear to me. I can visualize wife number 2 relentlessly asking for ‘proof’ of his love until … annoyed… he toys with her and gives the regrettable,”if I had known… I would never have remarried.” Well, either way, she has to deal with it. I give him full credit for honesty.

Lastly comes Abby’s Advice. Abby, the woman isn’t always right.  I think wife #2 is greatly responsible for her own misery, it is largely self-inflicted. The husband informed her of what the world largely witnessed… and she reacted poorly. She needs to remember that wife number 1 wasn’t always his ex and feelings may continue, even in the bitterest of departures. Wife number 2 needs to remind her husband why he ‘remarried’ in the first place… courtship goes both ways…. and in successful relationships, courtship never stops.

If wife number 2 has forgotten him, he will soon forget why he married her.

Roger Freberg

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Where Have all the Men Gone?

Have You looked at the average university today? Did you know that in most universities the student body is predominantly female?

Where have all the men gone?

Where have all the REAL men gone?

Well, one thing we know is that there are far fewer men in college than ever before… for example, take a look at Cal State University San Bernardino which boasts 80% women… and they are not alone.

If you look at the CSU system you can see a severe drop in athletic participation by men from 65% a decade ago to 46% today.

My Laura wrote an interesting blog along this line entitled ” where the boys are” that discusses the changing priorities and opportunities facing men.

Now, there are males in college… and some of them are ‘men’, but we have to remember that schools today are not male friendly. In fact, the entire system is geared to trying to get men to deny their ‘manliness.’

I am not speaking about walking into the woods and beating drums or any of the many faux-manhood rituals. What I am referring to is the daily expression and encouragement of courage, conviction and initiative that so many institutions in America are working to suppress in boys and young men. Many schools have reduced or eliminated a Physical education requirement… and then try to medicate the rest of the active boys with Ritalin… it’s just sad and shameful.

As for where the young MEN are today… well, a huge number of them are in military service where they find acceptance. Every once and a while you will find a son or daughter of a ‘liberal’ join the military… much to the horror of their parents or adoptive parents. You got to give these young people credit.

I haven’t been in the letter-to-the-editor writing business for a while…  Having lived here for far toooo long, I realized the ring leader of a recent tsunami of leftist anti-war letters appeared to be a hippy dippy college professor… need I say more? His name is Lawrence Houlgate a political gadfly… so I thought I’d have a little fun with him…. and here’s a link to my letter and a copy below:

Clearer view of action

It is always fun to read letters that hit home and watch old lefties scatter.

One can always tell when Larry Howl-gate screams and the rest of his folks deluge The Tribune with letters. I can only imagine them sitting in their bunker — under Che’s picture — writing their latest batch of letters.

Larry, members of our family have been in Iraq and some in Afghanistan, so I’d say, Laura and I have a clearer view of the battlefield than you do. Sorry, you just can’t smoke in a room half way around the world and think you’ve got a clue, cause you don’t. Hallucinations don’t count as facts.

The challenges around the world are dangerous and, boys and girls, sometimes people don’t like you for who you are and there’s nothing you can do about it. Well, Larry, I guess you could convert.

Roger Freberg, San Luis Obispo

 

Anyway, there are so few men around now-a-days… without even the slightest understanding of how to act… don’t look for them in college because few are attending them and even fewer work there.

Ladies, bring home a Klingon or someone who you can respect, love and admire…  a man at heart…. this will make you happy in the long run…. even if he isn’t as handsome as my friend at the top of the page.

KAHPLAH’

Roger Freberg

….other good Klingon sayings:

Oic da shikh jaj – May you ENDURE THE PAIN !
HEGHHLUE’MEHH KAK JAJVAHM – IT IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE
BATLEH BIH HEGHHJAHJ – MAY YOU DIE WELL
GHHIJ KET JAGHHMEYJAHJ – MAY YOUR ENENMIES RUN FROM YOU WITH FEAR

…and who could forget my favorite:

NOOKH DAHKH YUJE DAH’POLE – WHERE’S THE CHOCOLATE ?

 

 

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Forget USC or UCLA…. Cal Poly SLO is NUMBER ONE !!! huh?

In the old SPARTAN’s saying,” the best soldiers come from the toughest schools”… they weren’t talking about Cal Poly San Luis Obispo…. although they like to pretend they’re better than anybody. Believe me… I’ve heard it all.

The local spin doctors continue to massage the message… The local paper the Telegram Tribune in bold headlines screamed:

“Living in SLO and going to Cal Poly is a great time; it’s so fulfilling that the university ranked 15th among the ‘happiest’ in a Princeton Review survey”

Hey, wait a minute!… what does that really mean? Should we really care how ‘happy’ a student is? Real happiness comes later with a great start in a career that a good school gives you! 

The TRIBUNE rejoiced in Cal Poly being compared to more prestigious universities… although, regrettably, in but one of the more ‘warm and fuzzy” categories:

“Poly students say they are so content, in fact, that a just-released survey from the Princeton Review has ranked them 15th “happiest” of 115,000 students surveyed at 361 schools.”

When Cal Poly Students get ‘happy’, it costs the city $500,000…..

Is Your kid in this mess? I know... they're just trying to have fun, right?          

Well, as they said in ‘Animal House’: “being fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life ,boy’… or words to that effect. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t say anything about Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s academic rigor. ( not to slight Cal Poly Pomona… which has to be better as they are ‘hell and gone from Cartagena, Angel!’)

LINK to only one Cal Poly Incident…. just young people working to express themselves.

Anyway, back to the ‘Tribune article, some typical student comments:

“I’m going to stretch out my time here,” said 20-year-old Wood…”I’m hoping for five or six years.”

“School is hard. That doesn’t contribute to the happiness factor,” said Taylor Gilmore

Have you told Mom and Dad yet, dude? Maybe they were thinking about shedding some unwanted pounds earlier than you intended. Sounds like ‘Failure to Launch… the prequel.’

Okay, I have trashed Cal Pooey San Luis Obispo enough for the moment… and it is true that I do have little respect for some of the folks there… but, the question any thinking parent should ask,”Do you want your child to go to a college (often on your own nickel)… just because it might make him/her happy?” I guess this would be okay if their future didn’t matter… oh yeah… I forgot… they’re going to move back home when they eventually graduate… work — after all — is so hard.

A little to many Palunas?Well, here we see a typical Cal Poly coed at a party… and we wonder why it takes the average student roughly 6.5 YEARS to graduate?? Hey, is that your daughter?

Over the years, Cal Poly has made academic claims… in fact, all too many claims have proven to be less that truthful. Who can forget the infamous ‘Dinosaur DNA’ fiasco? Often times you will hear a lot of well meaning folks call themselves  number one in a lot of areas… but the truth is often very sobering… 

It is said that Cal Poly often refers to themselves as the ‘conservative’ alternative to Berkeley (definitely not the faculty or their administration)…. where’s the ‘conservative’? And why did President Baker recieve the infamous ‘Sheldon Award” from U.S. News and World Report?

….read on.

Continue reading “Forget USC or UCLA…. Cal Poly SLO is NUMBER ONE !!! huh?”