Family? Bolero!

Today's item in the RantWoman 2012 Holiday Festival of Music and Dance

RantWoman salutes and offer ardent prayers and grace for every family anywhere who is getting to have some kind of Holiday Difficult Conversation, whether it's a brand new topic or the same old drill, even if it's verging on the zone of Family Fight


Hip Hop drummers, dedicated to every family holiday where someone introduces something NEW and DIFFERENT
http://youtu.be/osHT73lWMD0
(RantWoman sometimes likes Hip-Hop; RantWoman is WAY too old to admit that, but it sometimes confers a certain cred when RantWoman finds herself among the right impressionable youth.)



The US Army Band Brass Quintet, downloads in several formats, lots of ceremonial options
http://www.usarmyband.com/audio/brass_quintet_music_player.html

This item dedicated to Youngest Cousin because as long as one is going to have pretty stark disagreements, at least see if some good music can be attached. Youngest Cousin is currently on active duty in the army and filling the pages of a certain social network with views RantWoman finds it easy to feel combative about. Okay, RantWoman makes a point of sharing faith-themed items that even faintly speak to her. Some of Youngest Cousin's postings also wind up as pastoral care and bad quaker practice suggestions at the Association of Bad Friends. RantWoman does NOT need ALL that temptation to make Bad Friend suggestions. Pray for Cousin--and for RantWoman, gently laboring with.

The USMC SIlent Drill Platoon. RantWoman is pretty sure this is not some mass outbreak of Quakerism in the ranks.
http://youtu.be/5xteDjaNKY0

This item is dedicated to the New Mayan Millenium / Same Old NRA / Guns are the cure for all our problems crowd. This includes the RantBrother. RantBrother keeps asserting that some or another employer is going to have him carry a gun; RantBrother also generously demonstrates that he has more than enough screws loose to, HOPEFULLY, deter anyone from anything to do with him and firearms.


Try to Remember the Kind of September
http://youtu.be/4G52JKyAqD4

See, one of the reasons no one should even think of RantBrother and firearms is that he has a long list of people supposedly trying to kill him. The good news, RantWoman supposes: they ain't succeeded yet. The bad news: RantWoman does not necessarily pick up very quickly when she might have something to offer about different points on the "trying to kill me" timeline. RantWoman has no way of evaluating some of the timeline items but RantWoman can identify several points that involve medical care, one of those domains where even if people are NOT trying, there can be trauma and heartache involved. In RantBrother's case, this includes some circumstances from when RantBrother was quite small. RantWoman finally collided hard with the realization that things RantMom has said probably mean things were quite awful for RantBrother. He must think so too because the geography is on the "trying to kill me" timeline. But RantWoman asked recently by email and RantBrother seems not necessarily to remember or not to have words if he does.


In the realm of Can You Top this
The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round
http://youtu.be/dLwyUAWbI34

RantWoman may be downright patronizing in her offers to pray for numerous chronological elders in her Meeting for whom the bus might as well be another universe. RantWoman does not care that this other universe is probably one filled with terror and dread even before RantWoman speaks of RantMom at 75 hanging in there with this unique form of international travel in chauffeur-driven vehicles.

Rotten Truth 1: RantMom is NOT shy about feeling entitled to gritch. "Time to pray" is not so automatic.

Rotten Truth 2: RantWoman can be terrified on RantMom's behalf too.

Rotten Truth 3: RantWoman is also darned proud of RantMom., grateful for pluck and comparative health and the ambiguous blessings of proximity as far as living situation.

Truth 4: RantWoman recently was at another meeting where someone was going on about how his 90-year-old mother still rides the bus, God bless her!



The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 2012 entry into the 2012 Pink Glove Dance Video competition.
http://youtu.be/19yzw3g_PJ0

RantWoman is holding in the Light some ones recovering from breast cancer. The RantFamily is all dancing around LIttle Sister's recent diagnosis. RantWoman is SUPPOSED to be deeply grateful that Little Sister has officially put obsessing about the issue on hold for the holidays. Silly RantWoman went ahead and attempted a couple "what are you worried about?" conversations. Silly RantWoman; hold the those with the need for more such conversations in the Light. In the meantime, RantWoman could also use thoughts about whether she should mention the double mastectomy library of prosthetic bosoms option around the gushy souls well into recovery.



Finally, a couple more moments of song and dance.
Pink Martini Bolero
http://youtu.be/yQOsUMbU9n4



Pink Martini La Soledad
http://youtu.be/IdLAOnjPGMw

Wedding Day, Whenever, and Marriage Equality

RantWoman meant to get this posted in time for the mass wedding Sunday December 9 of over 500 Same-sex couples in King County WA. RantWoman wishes these couples well, long life, heartfelt and sincere congratulations.

And yet, RantWoman's basic reaction: Mleah. RantWoman is relieved that more than one of the same-gender couples long happily married under care of RantWoman's Meeting also are unmoved. Friends cited various still existing impediments. RantWoman again is glad for the couples who did race to City Hall, but is also grateful to know many Friends are also unmoved.

RantWoman feels peculiar about this. For one thing, RantWoman remembers helping do final wordsmithing of the 1997 NPYM minute calling for full marriage equality. RantWoman actually was not exactly a key voice; it's just that RantWoman was willing to wordsmith because she is no good at parties; Bonnie Tinker, RantWoman's partner in wordsmithing was always ready to make clear statements as needed. Something just was not gelling in a large noisy social environment but after a few minutes in quieter space, words were clear. RantWoman has also been grateful to feel Bonnie's presence about other matters inflaming RantWoman's soul, butthat is grist for another  mill.

But RantWoman has concentrated her energies in other places. Some Friends in RantWoman's orbit did phone-banking in support of the 2012 marriage equality measure. RantWoman occasionally upheld in conversations the topic of marriage equality, but RantWoman for much of the walk was a bystander as a key state Senator and the governor faithfully labored over different increments of progress. RantWoman's readers may please go look elsewhere for details. RantWoman just wants to reflecton weddingness even if the timing is all wrong for either marriage equality taking effect  or June  or....


First, some over the top wedding music, a Bach concerto for FOUR harpsichords. This item is dedicated to a high school friend of RantWoman's. RantWoman did not attend this friend's wedding but RantDad and a musical ensemble were music. RantWoman treasures High School friend's remembrance about how calming it was beforethe ceremony just to stand and watch Rantdad tune the harpsichord. The other cool thing about this particular piece, unlike a lot of Bach's music, it is pure music with no religious text attached. RantWoman things for some this would be a big selling point.

JS Bach Concerto for 4 Harpsichords and Strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=kTRzNr-gxMg&feature=endscreen



The last time RantWoman visited with High School friend, Hig School friend shared an endearing confession: when High School friend  and her childhood sweetheart got married , they promised each other they would never buy each other a major appliance for Christmas. But after 20 years, they needed a new washing machine and that is what they were giving each other. RantWoman treasures the thought that their marriage is richer for changing their minds about the washing machine.



And now for some tango, dedicated to a sweet lesbian couple who danced a tango together for their reception; RantWoman apologizes that the visuals ware all wrong.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1288398784875186570#editor/target=post;postID=7286500258046958347




RantWoman has not heard any conversations with this couple about major appliances but their presencein a certain social networking site is full of references to a bathroom remodel and lots of drywall.



And once more, in memory of Bonnie Tinker and long and faithful laboring about marriage equality.
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2009/07/surviving-wife.html

Mistletoe, Vision. Passing OverJustin Bieber

Mistletoe? Justin Bieber? You're Kidding, right?
No actually. Thank GAWD Justin Bieber is not a happening meme around Irrepressible Nephew
http://www.vevo.com/watch/justin-bieber/mistletoe/USUV71101677#/watch/justin-bieber/mistletoe/USUV71101677



RantWoman's affinity for the problematic and vexatious and get to God from unconventional directions:
The Misunderstood Mistletoe
http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2006/jul06-1.html



Is Mistletoe Killing Your Trees?
http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2006/jul06-1.html



Mistletoe Management Guidelines
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7437.html




In RantWoman's days as a teenaged Baptist, one of her favorite hymns was Be Thou My Vision. RantWoman has never before thought about the history of this old Irish hymn. RantWoman admits, the concept of her vision and theology has high potential for metaphor manglement, but RantWoman needs to pray, always, even though still awash in Christmas. RantWoman likes all these different settings of Be Thou My Vision


Warning: not so great accessibility geekiness issue. RantWoman is lazy about naked URL's but a whole series of naked urls can be a big pain for a screen reader user looking for a specific item on a Links List. RantWoman would like to aspire to more courtesy about labels, but this is RantWoman here. Just use your reading keys and try to appreciate the text too. PS. If you are a content provider, use your tools; RantWoman finds descriptive labels much more helpful than "Here." "Click here" might be helpful for sighted people but...



Be Thou My Vision
Instrumental, with history in English and RantWoman assumes Gaelic. St Patrick, spring equinox, Bonfires. In other words, seasonal time warp, but tough.
http://www.irishpage.com/songs/slane.htm



Instrumental, flute, guitar, ...
http://youtu.be/sMsEDVm-cT0


Gorgeous, cello and piano, David Abramsky, Clothed in Gladness album
http://youtu.be/Wk2LWZ9PHPY




Cello digression, Nearer my God to Thee, 9 cellos, MODERN arranement, The Piano Guys
http://youtu.be/gosY-UrpHcA



The Carol of the Bells, 12 cellos, the Piano Guys
http://youtu.be/e9GtPX6c_kg




Alison Kraus, Be Thou My vision
single voice w guitar
http://youtu.be/ub56L5AYyEM



Selah, Be Thou My Vision
http://youtu.be/UKByTfiHOFE



4Him, Be Thou My Vision
http://youtu.be/IQxHvBtR7hs



Be Thou My Vision, chorus, piano
https://www.songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/be-thou-my-vision





Did we mention RantWoman needs to pray. The exact focus of RantWoman's prayer needs of the day: small children with traumatizing medical issues, overwrought parents, space for the sufferings of bigger children and it's the holidays gosh dang it, can't we all just smile and be perky?

Alison Kraus, Down in the river to pray
http://youtu.be/cvYadad-x5Y



The Judds, Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
http://youtu.be/uvfhOgpDRxI



The Oak Ridge Boys, Oh Beatiful Star of Bethlehem, nice with several men's voices
http://youtu.be/8qYAUCyyoOc



Don't Stop Believing Flash Mob, OH Union
http://youtu.be/HDNOB6TnHSI



Almost any airport needs a good flash mob at Christmas time.
Lisbon Christmas Flash Mom
http://youtu.be/Yks7GCeTQHc



LAX Christmas 2010 Flash Mob
http://youtu.be/oEWEsSIw2AQ



Denver International Holiday Flash Mob
http://youtu.be/P99p6l8v0FQ



More timewarp
WatkinsAle Music of the English Renaissance
http://youtu.be/a8OBhqFuYIs

Boxing

Typically RantWoman does NOT get all done with holiday music and imagery just because the feast, this year featuring pork loin, potatoes, and brassicas, Brussels Sprouts is over. This year was no exception.

RantWoman is not feeling called to overspecify the meanderings of logic and irreverance behind today's selections. Enjoy?

The Chieftains, Ding Dong Merrily on High
http://youtu.be/zhKxNXUIvSM
The Chieftains, Breton Carol
http://youtu.be/Q92raW-lajM

The Chieftains, The Wexford Carol
http://youtu.be/IdnrHE6FP5w

What is Boxing Day item from About.Com
http://britishfood.about.com/od/christmas/p/boxingday.htm

More on why Boxing Day
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/boxingday.shtml

The Chieftains, Elvis Costello, The St. Stephen's Day murders
http://youtu.be/l8fPvODASoI

Some Gregorian Chant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1w_SiQTq4Y&feature=share&list=PLCE6FDF1E76DE17BB

Canto Gregoriano
http://youtu.be/Aoj2kGBddRA

Another generous spell of chant, Choir of the Abbey of Mt. Angel
http://youtu.be/dGKqS0nubh0
Chant of Early Christians
http://youtu.be/gOkMzC2gCSA

Hildegard of Bingen, 11000 Virgins, Chant
http://youtu.be/n9uMd1ap51A
Hildegard of Bingen, Voices of the Living Light
http://youtu.be/Dehwp_dRlYQ

The Fighting Nun, martial arts moves, Gregorian chant, remix with dance beat. What more could one want?
http://youtu.be/gvW5mUILBIE

Alison Krauss, Down to the River to Pray
http://youtu.be/m4meXfwSCcg

Movie oddness: the nuns of Sant Archangel
http://youtu.be/z3GndcRyw4U

Estela Raval, A mi manera
http://youtu.be/VALtLrvutpY

Rubin Hurricane  Carter
http://youtu.be/JX85YT8p79Q

Huracan Carter, en castellano
http://youtu.be/Pr4HpFZfvH8

The Six Most Badass Things done by Pacifists

A Blog as filing cabinet item. RantWoman counted only 3 but one of them was a series of stories about Bayard Rustin, in the realm of setting impossible standards, but powerfully inspiring

http://www.cracked.com/article_20157_the-6-most-aggressively-badass-things-done-by-pacifists_p2.html

Billboard. Plain. Not Plain.

RantWoman is unclear which spiritual peregrinations have summoned to the front of her mind....a billboard sponsored several years running by the Montana Gathering of Friends, let alone why she is clear to greet the Christ child with reflections on this billboard. Use your imaginations. Available visuals are limited and incomplete.


The billboard said:


PEACE IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
Montana Gathering of Friends.



RantWoman finds the thought of really simple unadorned presentation and giant billboard to be delightfully Buddhist, plain and not plain, even flamboyant at the same time.

The billboard was posted above a moderately busy intersection in RantWoman's natal city. RantWoman has not visited the natal city in several years, since RantMom moved to Seattle. RantWoman finds it tremendously important that there have been Quakers in MT for a long time but RantWoman herself, while influenced by a Quaker Auntie figure and also by Friends in natal city, was never actually a Friend while she lived in MT. RantWoman only remembers the billboards from times when she has been a Friend but has not lived in the natal city. Hold these points.

The site of the aforementioned billboard. Use your imagination or just enjoy the blinding flash of light. WHERE did that come from?

https://maps.google.com/maps?ct=reset&tab=ll



While we are on the subject of MT Friends, tidings of various years of Montana Gathering of Friends


The 2013 gathering.
Missoula Friends Meeting and MGoF 2013 announcement
http://missoulafriendsmeeting.blogspot.com/

http://missoulafriendsmeeting.blogspot.com/2009/12/missoula-friends-meeting.html



A fun newspaper writeup of the 2012 session of MGoF
http://billingsgazette.com/calendar/faith/montana-gathering-of-friends/event_a039a7d6-486d-11e1-b71d-001871e3ce6c.html


Margery Post Abbott offering for 2011 MGoF Session
http://21stcenturyquaker.com/?p=162


MGoF Sings song booklet available off Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/MGOFSing-Montana-Gathering-Friends-Quakers/dp/B005A9OH3W

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
RantWoman realizes this might not be your holiday of choice and that Christmas celebration practices have varied widely throughout recent centuries. RantWoman is unabashedly pro-celebration. And in the RantFamily, even the celebration needs to be held in the Light. Sigh.

Luminarias

RantWoman and Inner Blowtorch are still doing well but not ripe for presentation. It would vaguely occur to RantWoman to see what her search engine might tell he of whether and how Friends in different countries do or do not observe Christmas but RantWoman has decided to let her focus stick to and start with  luminarias.

RantWoman may or may not offer anything on the matter of luminarias vs farolitos. For the moment RantWoman's leading is to let the lights speak for themselves.


Albuquerque, Old Town
A blog called CannonFire, not as problematic as you might think at first glance
http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2010/12/red-and-green-thanks-for-christmas.html

Another from Old Town
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/victor/hereandthere/2008/12/christmas-eve-in-albuquerque.html

A blog entry that touches on the farolitos vs luminaria matter
http://penguindroppings.blogspot.com/2012/12/noche-de-luminarias.html



RantWoman's search enginer was hovering over "Las Posadas" when she was interrupted by Little Sister, free to talk because the guys in her house were off on a tamale pickup expedition!

Back to music. Look, okay, very discerning selection from the various collections served up by Youtube is beyond RantWoman's Light. Check out this one as a placeholder and choose one of the alternatives suggested or use your own darn  search engine.
Una hora de villancicos musica la navidad
http://youtu.be/7EisrJAJKGI



A documentary about Las Posadas in Mexico
http://youtu.be/S021tBiTxn4


La Navidad en Guatemala
http://lfyj-g.com/la-navidad-en-guatemala/

This last item is dedicated  to...Irrepressible Nephew and his Abuela Guadalupe whom he has never met, to RantMom and every grandparent who does not quite know what to make of dual=-national grandkids,  to every mixed status family and DREAM Act kid anywhere near a Friends meeting anywhere in this country.

There. RantWoman will now STOP and wish everyone Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad and save further fulmination for the new year. RantWoman bets Friends can hardly wait.

Sheep. Flocks. Shepherds, Grazing

And lo RantWoman cried out in angst. ?Come thou fount of every blessing, what is the theme or our holiday festival of music and dance  to be today?"

And the Lord spake unto RantWoman and the Lord said "Sheep Flocks Shepherds. Grazing. Search engine."


And Lo the search engine served unto RantWoman

Sheep May Safely Graze by "Louisville's greatest wedding ensemble"
http://youtu.be/4SXLhfRM1Jg


Some actual grazing, for everyone who won't go a day without thinking about climate change, Cows, Holistic High Density Mob Grazing, multiage but apparently not flash mob
http://youtu.be/I4h99OZgsIE


Intensive Rotational Grazing Whole Systems Design Carbon Farming, noodly music and text slides. Worth reading I guess but someone else besides me gets to do it.
http://youtu.be/E-lqgBxcNes


Holistic Management, Regenerative Agriculture
http://youtu.be/7Ix3JO2yo7s


Joel Salatin on Pasture management and Keyline Design for Grassfed Cattle
http://youtu.be/UCu9S1AwEwA



Now hopefully back to music
Sheep may safely graze or students may safely try to graze sheep
http://youtu.be/k8a1e2zMh3c

Sheep safely grazing with a whole baroque orchestra
http://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE


Sheep may safely graze on the piano
http://youtu.be/gK_p1vay-AY


Gloria in excelsis Deo from Messe in h Moll,
http://youtu.be/cGRbOjqOSYs



In honor of a sheepherding culture, something from the Basques,
http://youtu.be/ZR-oCaKsfrY


Turns out we have some shepherds who need to get to Bethlehem.




Además dijo El Señor, Otra Vez en Español
Los Pastores a Belén
http://youtu.be/G7UYEQq9IOo


Los Pastores a Belén, Yvonne y Yvette
http://youtu.be/UdzyC1Xddu4

Los Pastors a Belén, David Archuleta en el Templo de los Mormones
http://youtu.be/YbtNe1e8aFM


y otra
Tatiana, Los Peces en el Rio
http://youtu.be/SkOvStbLDFU




Done with holiness? RantWoman, secret and former cello imperialist, is not even sorry.
And a nod to cello imperialism; 12 'cellos; the carol of the bells

http://youtu.be/e9GtPX6c_kg


The Piano Guys, Star Was Parody. Electric Cellos with Light Saber Bows,  and an accordion?
http://youtu.be/BgAlQuqzl8o

Lessons and Carols

RantWoman is messing with the customary Lessons and Carols Form.

RantWoman is pretty sure there is gospel in here somewhere and wishes to be clear that divine guidance and Youtube may or may not overlap, depending.


Some items are only a few minutes; others are whole broadcasts.

But if you can't find something here or within the Youtube six degrees of separation to speak to your condition, please use your search engine your own darn self! Enjoy!


Hanneke Cassel. Childsplay, Strathspey and Reel
http://youtu.be/VH9Z1SEhqmI



Tommy Peoples The Laird of Drumblain / Little John's Hame
http://youtu.be/Ls_UI9Z0Yz0


Aidan O'Donnell teaching Donegal style fiddle
http://youtu.be/bM-YcF4tEbA



De Danann Live at the Embankment
http://youtu.be/tbGEYLOacV4


Traditional Music in Modern Ireland, Documentary
http://youtu.be/4qKaDAD_OAE


Irish Folk Revival, 90 minute documentary
http://youtu.be/39D0J8SzQMA

The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. The Gay Gordons
http://youtu.be/IQ7MkR3eAes


TheScottish Fiddle Orchestra The Canadian Bairn Dance 2
http://youtu.be/IQ7MkR3eAes


Modulations: History of Electronic Dance Music documentary
http://youtu.be/cveYosINMQM



The Muppets Ringing of the Bells
http://youtu.be/ysIzPF3BfpQ


The Muppets Jingle Bell Rock
http://youtu.be/ai3Tyj13HeU



The Muppets Family Christmas whole show
http://youtu.be/OYV_PA0WHAw



The Spirit of Christmas with the LivingStrings
http://youtu.be/e-VwdEoWFVM



Alegre Navidad
http://youtu.be/ST5On5zqnSo

Inner Blowtorch Solstice

And the Lord spake unto RantWoman. And the Lord said, "um, RantWoman, we still do not know how to deal with this Inner Blowtorch thing."


RantWoman. "Funny. Me neither. How about some tunes?"


Today's song theme, Bring a torch Jeanette Isabella

First, a cast of thousands, choreography, the Mormon Tabernacle.
http://youtu.be/NtDbBd8yh9U.

RantWoman has a peculiar gift: sometimes RantWoman is too happy to have music carry her along whether or not the theology of any accompanying lyrics exactly captures her own heart. The visual spectacle looks darned pagan to RantWoman, but what does RantWoman know of Pagan?


Bring a torch / I saw three ships, Celtic harp
http://youtu.be/X7cqygEtOZY


Celtic harp, same ensemble as above, the Huron Carol
http://youtu.be/PpDtSIVy0fQ


Celtic women, Christmas medley. A whole hour. Too much of a good thing?
http://youtu.be/Jga12Im8cvk


Bring a torch, guitar and keyboard
http://youtu.be/gmvqCNvq-fw


RantWoman means to witness upon questions of weighty Friends, overweight Friends, and all of us ministers of God. RantWoman has a sense both of getting repetitive and of not wavering in her Light. Perhaps a few more rays over the horizon will fall afresh on the right words....


Meanwhile, RantWoman is not used to thinking of Bach as "protestant mysticism" but such has spoken the radio:
JS Bach, Pipe Organ, BWV 720, Fantasia in G minor on the theme of Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott
http://youtu.be/-CDZdI0FUnQ



The whole cantata, BWV 80, Ein Fest Burg ist Unser Gott
http://youtu.be/OMcP9Uky-AQ


One more time, different group
http://youtu.be/xG5v-dnat-U

Curiosity

Blog as file cabinet item about people leaving NASA Curiosity rover program because of demands that they submit to security clearance procedures.

http://www.nationofchange.org/security-obsession-drives-100-scientists-nasa-top-security-clearance-needed-help-steer-curiosity-rov



One of the many colorful moments in RantWoman's life: RantWoman briefly worked as an IT contractor for a certain local large aircraft manufacturer. RantWoman at some point might reflect on the circumstances that made her clear to do that, the circumstance RantWoman was called to witness as result. RantWoman's only point today: besides other circumstances pointing to layoffs, there appearedto be a good chance that RantWoman's group was going to get assigned to provide computer support to build fighter planes. RantWoman rather directly suggestedthat under the circumstances it would be fine just to lay her off. The fighter plane contract never came to fruition, so MAYBE RantWoman got ahead of herself about exiting. RantWoman hereby holds everyone facing the decion discussed here in the Light.

Colombian Forced Recruitment and CO's

Blog as file Cabinet item from FOR about focred recrutiemtn and CO's in Colombia.

http://forusa.org/blogs/for-colombia/armys-round-ups-youth-continue/11561

Shout outs!

RantWoman keeps aiming for the well of universal love and plowing into the well of universal crabbiness and yucky topics festivals.  This can be sort of a problem, say at the holiday  party.

First a big shout out to all the musicians, performers, restaurant staff, ... first responders working their behinds off so everyone has holidays. RantWoman loves holiday music and spectacle, but as proud progeny of a performer from the Tuxedos are work clothes set, RantWoman also deeply appreciates that the spectacle can be a LOT of work.
RantWoman's most recent venue for such spectacle: the Friendly Neighborhood Center for Extreme computing, the RantWoman spiritual and human resources laboratory otherwise known as the STAR of Seattle. www.starofseattle.org  RantWoman has permitted the blogosphere to suck her into procrastination about some thank-yous related to a recent STAR Center holiday party
A particular shout out to May Palmer, The Queen of Ivory Soul.
http://www.maypalmer.com/sept09/Palmer/Welcome.html   There is some media element that starts automatically; RantWoman is not commenting on the autostartup issue. For the 4th year in a row, May and her husband and stagehand Bob performed, hopefully to enthusiastic response.
RantWoman learned that May is off to the Seychelles to perform for the holidays and that in the new year, May will be performing for Holland America on some of their cruises. May sounds excited about the locations, but she reports that just like all the rest of the crew musical staff have to go through various forms of physically demanding safety training  May actually looks like this has been good for her, but RantWoman wants to send her off with an extra kick of energy in thanks for all she brings to our parties. PS. Check out her site....

It was an awesome Christmas party. The food was wonderful. Residents , students, everyone RantWoman knows about thought it was a wonderful event.

And lots of us really missed Donna!
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2012/12/still-remembering-donna.html

Donna:

--knew everyone in the building and made sure they showed up to things like this.

--knew how to negotiate details like staff to clean up

--knew how to have a good time as witnessed late in life by hair that changed colors periodically, purple, bright red not usually found in hair, aquamarine

--knew how to shop for a party and how to make shopping for a party a FUN adventure.

 In other words, Donna was good at lots of things that RantWoman, for instance, sort of SUCKS at and RantWoman is having yetanother opportunity to learn TEAMWORK just to get enough people in position to handle all the different things just one Donna used to do!
Luckily, May Palmer was in tune with her audience; she is also missing Whitney Houston!

Whitney Houston Christmas Album
http://youtu.be/KlKvZFWBzCU



We now digress to another staple of STAR Center  gatherings , Zumba. Pick one of th e links below. Picture a whole bunch of people of different abilities and disabilities. Some are doing recognizable dance steps. Some are ...NOT. Now DANCE.

(RantWoman has good intentions about diacritics, but...)

Antonio Banderas  Resistire
http://www.banderas-mall.com/music/resistire.htm



Soft Rock, Castillian Spanish, El Duo Dinamico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bmFj9S59fI





Estela Raval 1934-2012, overproduced, melodramatic, but obviously memorable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6xH4zHjELE&feature=endscreen&NR=1


Estela Raval, 40th Anniversary of ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HphlFANNIIc



Another Estela Raval
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=kKLRAFJXUvs&feature=endscreen



A different setting of Resistire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdDBMYLo0LQ






Bug RantWoman to find:
--the memorial video

--a song about Besandome otra vez

But you get the idea.

NeuroDiversity, Songs, worship for Dead Children

Barclay was an idiot. RantWman recognizes that silent worship is powerful and that spiritual soil well-tilled  bears fruit with expectant waiting. . RantWoman also points out that silent worship may not at all meet the needs of some people and if Barclay had even the faintest concept of neuordiversity or cognitive diversity or even different paths of adaptation to one's enviornment  MAYBE he wouldhave eased up about paths to worship such as music.


Luckily RantWoman is not the only one who experiences continuing revelation.

This post is dedicated with heartfelt prayer not only to NewTown CT, but to our entire country. This includes everyone --especially RantWoman--who has trouble dealing  with some or another person with a disability.

A weird opener? Foreshadowing?
David Crowder band, Come Thou Found of Every Blessing




http://youtu.be/FG5ZhFN1DXk



 Kindertotenlied with anti-war visuals.  In honor of troops with PTSC from causing death up close  OR from dispatching drones from thousands of miles away.




http://youtu.be/qh3MOgEfDus



The entire Kindertotenlieder cycle, a naked url and no embed because the blog loads faster and other people care more aboutthe visualsthan I do.

http://youtu.be/BUJI6oP-wcs



The full text of Pres. Obama's speech including most of the names of those who died.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/obama-newtown-speech_n_2313295.html



In Meeting for Worship, one message was about the shooter, Adam Lanza, being erased from media body counts. One video about Adam Lanza and his mother.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/connecticut-school-shooting-adam-lanza-mother-visited-gun/story?id=17992396

Okay, RantWoman noticed: THOSE PEOPLE, Adam and his mother both, are NUTS. RantWoman is confident there is God in there somewhere too, but at least for RantWoman, all those firearms the family owned definitely get in the way of detecting God.

RantWoman brings this up because RantWoman learned from her daily single standard of Truth diet of public radio  and preparation for Meeting for Worship that Adam Lanza, the shooter is autistic or has a learning disability, or some darn thing. A website called Wrong Planet http://www.wrongplanet.net/ was mentioned. RantWoman had time for little more.

Based on such Light as had arrived to RantWoman gave a message in Meeting for Worship about how there are millions of people living with autism and the vast majority never go shoot up a school but a lot of other people have no idea what might be going on in their heads and how sometimes something small, a small act of kindness or of missed communication can make a HUGE difference. RantWoman meant for a prayer that more people find the small things that make a big positive difference but is pretty sure she did not get there in Worship. Score one for a second crack at the full message if any more people with hearing loss ask RantWoman about her message.

RantWoman does not exactly apologize for commenting on the basis of the very limited info streams RantWoman consistently dabbles in from public radio. RantWoman just does not have as much capacity for grazing info streams as other people do. RantWoman is also blessed (?) with abundant willingness to open her mouth even if there is only vast ignoranceto back her up. RantWoman does not apologize for speaking from such Light as she had at the time, but THOSE PEOPLE WERE NUTS. MAYBE something small would make a difference. Maybe the community network together could have supported the family and contained their energies in loving ways before it boiled over in Rage. MAYBE an interior sense of Holy Spirit guiding might have stayed the shooter or pulled him back from the brink.
Or MAYBE part of the insanity is, as another blogger puts it, spending billions of dollars making more disabled people in other countries and not thinking about how spending a few pennies on services for the disabled people already here!

Dreidl Song Hanukah Kitsch with Trigger Moments

Dear Readers,

If your hearts and soul are full praying for the students and families most directly affected by the US latest bout of gun-induced mass carnage, this time in New Town CT, RantWoman assuredly is praying along with you. Nevertheless, Rantwoman suggests maybe your own Light will serve you better as far as finding options for soothing content than what RantWoman is about to write.

If you recognize the term trigger moment or triggering event offered by radio commentary from long and festive holiday experience, RantWoman is right there with you and will expand momentarily.

If you worship with the likes of RantWoman and Eye Roller Friend, RantWoman offers thoughts from Ben Pink Dandelion about holding the concepts of Remembering and Anticipating. RantWoman is hoping she misses the mark as far as gifts of prophesy regarding this week's Meeting for Worship. Or maybe RantWoman is trying to realize something from a blog post about a passage in Corinthians regarding love not holding a grudge--even if, when RantWoman tries to have conversations about related matters with the Clerk of Worship and Ministry and gets back only "But what does this have to do with Worship and Ministry?" All Worse Auntie / Be Glad You Have Only Your Own Problems Friend has to say is maybe you should be glad not to have the sort of experiences that mean you already know.


Speaking of trigger moments, RantWoman is celebrating several festive holiday moments:

--two sets of info streams that fling around terms like sex offender and pedophile in such broad brush strokes as to be meaningless as least to RantWoman. One is a post from youngest cousin on a certain social media site suggesting that a hangman's noose is the only option for pedophiles, and another is sex-offender postings on http://quakersusanne.wordpress.com/

--Judaism-tinged echoes of one of the level II sex offenders RantWoman wrote of previously.
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2011/02/registration-and-bravery.html
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-sex-offenders-all-time.html

In support of Jewish offenders finding the path they need to set things right spiritually, RantWoman hereby offers a sampling of musical Hanukah kitsch.


http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/604434/jewish/Jonos-Dreidel-Song.htm

Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.

In the Light, all 8 of them for Hanukah

The Middle School Play, as you wish

This post is dedicated to...The Princess Bride, aka The Middle School Play, STARRING ... Irrepressible Nephew, a few other boys, and a whole bunch of girls, some of them already really tall, and many of them, shock and horror, playing male roles. Diction was a little underrealized. The audience learned that the opening night performance was the first time the actors have gone through the whole play in sequence. The giant is duct-taped to her shoes until after the show. Good Lord there are lot of deaths or presumed deaths. And Irrepressible Nephew clearly had a ball.

RantWoman considered it her sacred duty to show up, if only as payment of karmic debt for many high school music efforts. RantMom is equally certain of her duty to attend. Ambassador Thwack even realized need for vigilance around lots of people who do not know RantWoman. RantWoman admits to a Worse Auntie,  moment when she encountered a sign on the women's room door asking playgoers not to flush while the play is in progress; RantWoman was glad for Lead Me Not Into Temptation seating with RantMom across the room.

RantWoman is especially touched and deeply grateful that the teacher who directs the play lives near Irrepressible Nephew and therefore can give him a ride home. Otherwise Irrepressible Nephew would not be able to do a play without LOTS of bus conniptions for his parents, his grandmother, and of course Auntie.

Now RantWoman will shut up and offer some topical video clips.

As you wish, clip; RantWoman actually liked the school play better but can understand why others might not.




Storybook love, arranged for classical guitar.



Storybook love, fully orchestrated

Go Tell it on the Mountain

RantWoman is feeling an opening in her leading to hold a holiday festival of singing and dancing on her blog. Okay, so RantWoman is opening the floodgates not only to her own prodigious capacity to free-associate, misconstrue, and leap deep chasms of incomprehnsion in a single bound, even worse, God keeps telling her also to open herself to torrents of info through search engines.

Today's theme: Go tell it on the Mountain presented in several versions thinking that different ears need different voices.


A great kids choir; sorry about the annoying ad at teh beginning




Vanessa Williams and God as movements of bodies, not just of the Holy Spirit





Jewel and Toby Keith





A Wikipedia item about a novel by the same name

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Tell_It_on_the_Mountain_(novel) 1953, by James Baldwin



Go Tell it on a Mountain?

Oh, Hell's Bells.

Mr. and Mrs. Friend with a Remarkable Story just want to come to worship like everyone else. RantWoman recognizes that Friend With a Remarkable Story has less control than other people about reasons his life might get publicly commented about. RantWoman is perfectly fine her Meeting sometimes carried along in the wake of that, along with all the other forms of Quaker witness about in her Meeting.

But along comes Friend from a Nearby Meeting going on and on in kind of an inflammatory way about Friend with a Remarkable Story and then censoring the Remarkable Story pieces RantWoman tried to insert into the narrative in the comments, not to mention some other pastoral care of Friends at challenging moments threads RantWoman decided not even to touch yet.

http://quakersusanne.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/another-difficult-topic-sex-offenders-and-quakers/

http://quakersusanne.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/discipline-and-emotions-sex-offenders-and-quakers-part-ii/

http://quakersusanne.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/rules-of-verbal-engagement-sex-offenders-and-quakers-part-iii/

RantWoman has been reading other blog threads and holding Nearby Meeting in the Light for awhile. RantWoman is also more than morbidly curious enough to be interested in details of key moments, but RantWoman feels it's sort of unseemly to pry and is inclined just to have ears open.

And in the meantime, one actual motivator behind this post: in Meeting for Business Friends learned that QUEST, our single-congregation leading to operate an Americorps program will now post the text of our Meeting's bulletin announcement about sex offenders along with the text about our SHARE ministry and something else on its website.

This reflects one Friend's wish that potential program participants who find the topic restimulating might have the option of choosing  other Americorps programs. Computer Hacker Barbie, aka RantWoman, was already tripping over too many words in Business Meeting but when RantWoman first heard of the concern she blurted out something along the lines of "What? like there wouldn't be sex offenders somewhere else. At least here we try to talk appropriately about it!"

Maybe RantWoman will suggest, when a certain yellow sheet gets wordsmithed to everyone's satisfaction that the text on the web also includ a link to the text of the Yellow sheet, but so far all that is available is RantWoman's whacking at a draft.
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2012/09/evolution-draftily.html

Go tell it on a Mountain!

Carbonated Holiness

WARNING: if you would rather not read about suicide right now, please accept a prayer in your direction and feel free to click away immediately and consider whether you also need to call your local crisis line, assuming you have a  local crisis line.

SECOND WARNING: if you cannot imagine laughter ever co-existing in the same conversation, with suicide, probably it will also be simplest if you click away.

The rest of you, please do not say RantWoman did not warn you; see if God also shows up too.


RantWoman is doing her best to offer holiday levity but today the RantWoman Metaphor Manglement Service, the God of Grab the Blind Person and Bless Them, the Computer hacker Barbie School  of Spiritual Nurture, and RantWoman's blog roll are serving up a peculiar brew:

The basic prayers, per Anne Lamott, help, thanks, wow, with a garnish of "laughter is carbonated holiness!"


A blog entry book review for a book that sounds delightful--even though there is also a suicide.

http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2012/12/10/laughter-is-sacred-space-memoir-of-an-anabaptist-comedian/


RantWoman's latest Grab the Blind Person and Bless Them moment technically was not a Grab the Blind Person moment but still. The Blessing Individual plonked his bicycle in front of RantWoman while RantWoman was sitting on a bus bench awaiting transport in such a way that it would have been awkward for RantWoman to move. He then proceeded to tell RantWoman she is blessed for ...RantWoman is not quite sure what. Next he needed to tell RantWoman that he expected shortly to be in less modest straits because his rock band "Susie Loves Suicide" has suppposedly signed a contract and is about to go on tour.

RantWoman apologizes to survivors of suicide and suicide prevention resources everywhere, but it was all RantWoman could do not to burst out laughing about the band's name. WHAT kind of prayer can one offer for that?

A Humorless soreheaded prayer perhaps?

RantWoman is reflecting on a moment from Business Meeting. A memorial was being Read  for Rice Bucket Friend. Rice Bucket Friend was the son of Baptist missionaries to China. He grew up wiht a lifelong attention to Daoism and passionate peace commitment. He acquired his Nom de Blog from his Chinese Amahs commenting on the child's capacity and enthusiasm for food. RantWoman  was called to ask whether Rice Bucket Friend's middle daughter's death could be labelled for what it was, suicide. 

No, apparently. The label did not get used at the memorial but RantWoman was reminded of the issue conversationally after the memorial. RantWoman was also reminded that someone she herself met a similar end about the same time. Then the Computer Hacker Barbie School of Spiritual Nurture summoned peculiarly consoling advice from Mathematics Friend  for anyone who finds suicides maddening that...,well...: "If you think your life is worth less than 0 then 0 is an improvement."

RantWoman's final moment of ipossibly inappropriate levity came in the form of the phrase "double mastectomy." Little Sister, after obsessed in every way  search enginesmakepossible earlier in the testsequences is now over the weekend suspended in her current phase of medical recommendation between lumpectomy and double mastectomy. RantWoman considers it a GREAT blessing that, when the possibility of a whole library of different prosthetic bosoms for different days of the week stumbled out of RantWoman's mouth, Little Sister LAUGHED.

Hannukah Flash Mob

And lo' the season of winter festivity fell upon the land and theological / thealogical options for time warp set upon RantWoman's brain.

And RantWoman reads young Quakers who DO advocate distinct days of Thanksgiving
http://lambswar.blogspot.com/2012/11/why-quakers-should-celebrate.html

and who think of thanksgiving every day.

http://www.jonwatts.com/2012/we-dont-need-a-holiday-to-give-thanks/
And RantWoman reads of solstice rituals

http://aquakerwitch.blogspot.com/2012/12/winter-solstice-2012.html

and adds Orthodox liturgical year to her options for hyphenated Quakers

http://johanpdx.blogspot.com/2012/12/more-thoughts-on-hyphen-within.html

and meditates fitfully but without bloggable coherence of Advent on
Can you Believe

and The Lamb's War
http://lambswar.blogspot.com/2012/12/advent-and-empire-of-this-world.html with spiritual digression with thoughts of Metro as mission field and wonderment for the God of the bus and the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven

and digressed to a different Word and Flesh moment
http://lambswar.blogspot.com/2012/11/should-quakers-be-laying-on-hands.html

And lo, tidings of Hanukah penetrated RantWoman's dense skull and  the Lord spake unto RantWoman and the Lord said "search engine hanukah flash mob" and lo, the Lord and the search engine delivered unto RantWoman:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULtglogZbR8

RantWoman has read the accompanying titles. RantWoman suspects that if she knew anything more about the exact organization who produced this video, she might find reason to become apoplectic. Nevertheless, RantWoman is clear to hadd this to this year's theological festival of singing and dancing and to let God handle any brouhaha which might result from theological collisions on her blog.

Coming up next: Presbyterians gone wild?

Journey of Faith Flash Mob repurposes Temple of Commerce

From a relative RantWoman, who is actually very fond of said relative, still sometimes affectionately refers to as "Uncle Spam."

CRPD: Thank you FCNL for tracking.

RantWoman is feeling REALLY grateful to the faithful Friends of FCNL for even caring about the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities! RantWoman knowingly puts herself in the way of tidings about all sorts of matters of public life. RantWoman Appreciates having these info floods available even though she herself cannot interact with all of them. Indefatigable as RantWoman is about getting in people's faces, even RantWoman hesitates about sharing the full bounty of her concerns with others. So RantWoman is truly grateful to have tripped over this item on the way to looking for the new FCNL priorities.

http://fcnl.org/blog/of_peace_and_politics/value_of_human_dignity_and_foreign_policy/

The gist of the post: as with lots of other international agreements, members of the Senate declined to ratify this treaty because of fears it would impinge on "sovreignty." These same Senators have no problems with any number of international commercial ventures seeking to organize their environments to their  tastes regardless of international borders but they refuse to submit.... Sorry, RantWoman needs not to rant, jsut to be grateful to FCNL for noticing and paying attention.

Meditation as PTSD prevention

This is a blog as filing cabinet item:


http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/12/01/meditation-study-seeks-help-cadets-prevent-ptsd/w5tntwkaJXRPsZjFJrNPEK/story.html