Howdy Neighbors!

Kaffeeklatsch is being moved next door (down one post) to Mrs. P's Valentine's Exchange.  So grabba cuppa and head on over!

R U Valentine?  Wil u b it?

Heh.

Greetings, All!

It's time for coffee, and it's also time for me to reconnect with my friends here on the Street.  Life is busy, busy, busy, but it's always nice to see familiar "faces" enjoying fine hot beverages and tasty treats!  

So, how's everyone doing?

Afternoon, Friends!  

Another Thursday, another Kaffeeklatsch with Mahanoy.  Haven't been around much lately - lots going on as I prepare for a new semester, but it's a good kind of busy.  So what's going on with you?  

Hello, Friends!

So, here we are in the home stretch.  Christmas is less than a week away, and if you're anything like me you're amazed at how a holiday of joy and peace can be so damned stressful.  Being out and about only makes it worse, even if I try to imagine that all the honking horns and angry shouts are just slightly off-key songs of praise and thanksgiving!  :)

When I feel the stress of the holiday, I just listen to a part of Bach's Christmas Oratorio and I immediately feel better.  So that's what I'm going to do now, and I'll ask you to join me.  This is from the DVD of a performance by the Tölzer Knabenchor from Bad Tölz in Bavaria.  They are directed by a very young-looking Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and the orchestra are playing on period instruments.  

This is the opening chorus of the first cantata, Jauchzet, Frohlocket!  Lyrics and my literal (nonsingable) translation after the fold.  Enjoy!

Greetings, Friends!

Well, we're only 12 days from Christmas.  Pastor Dan is all fired up, reminding all of us in how many ways and how much he truly hates Christmas (hi, PD!), and Post Offices and shopping malls across America are teeming with bundles of frayed nerves wielding credit cards and short tempers.  'Tis the season!  

As a way of refocusing attention away from the madness and toward the simplicity and beauty of the season, here is a lovely video of a movement from Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols:

So, what's on your mind?

Happy St. Nicholas Day, everyone!!  In honor of that most elusive of saints, come on in and have a hot beverage and some spice cookies.  Don't forget to bring a few carrots for St. Nicholas's horse!

More after the flip.

Hey party people!  It's Thursday, which means it's time for Kaffeeklatsch mit Mahanoy.  

Afternoon, friends, and greetings from sunny San Diego!  Mrs. M. and I touched down about 90 minutes ago and now we're recharging our batteries before we head out to do a little recon.  The American Academy of Religion conference starts tomorrow, so Mrs. M. will be having fun in the sun while I... well, I'll be doing other stuff.  

Hope everyone is having a lovely day!!  

This is an open thread.

Welcome to the Friday Random 10, StreetProphet's weekly music discussion group. Grab a beverage of your choice from today's Happy Hour, pull up a comfy chair, and start thumbing through the records, 8-tracks, tapes, CDs and mp3s lying around. Go ahead and hum, sing, or tap your fingers on your knees... you know you want to. If you're not into music, here's some noise-canceling earplugs- they'll filter out our music while you stay and chat with us about other topics that interest you.

Afternoon, Friends!

It's that time of day - time for refreshment and relaxation.  So grab a cuppa and come on in!

Should Al run?  Whom should he choose as a running mate?  

Add your thoughts after the flip...

Muslim leaders yesterday sent a letter to the Christian leaders of the world seeking dialogue on issues of peace and justice, suggesting that the future of the world is at stake.  From the Telegraph story on the letter:

The missive, organised by the Royal Aal al-Bayed Institute for Islamic Thought, notes that Christians and Muslims make up over a third and a fifth of humanity respectively, "making the relationship between these two religious communities the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the world".

"If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace."

It also refers directly to the wars that Muslims and Christians are involved in around the world.

"With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world's inhabitants. Thus our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake."

"And to those who nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say that our very eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony."

The message closes with a quote from the Koran: "So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works."

I think we can all agree that this is a very positive step toward real dialogue and mutual understanding.  The authors of the letter are certainly correct: without peace between Muslims and Christians, there is no hope for peace or justice in the world.  And peace between Muslims and Christians cannot come at the end of a rifle, or through a suicide bombing.  It can only come through dialogue between partners with mutual respect and love.  

More after the flip...