http://www.royal.gov.uk/ImagesandBroadcasts/TheQueensChristmasBroadcasts/ChristmasBroadcasts/ChristmasBroadcast2006.aspx
The official website of The British Monarchy
Christmas Broadcast 2006
I have lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long. One of the things that has not changed all that much for me is the celebration of Christmas. It remains a time when I try to put aside the anxieties of the moment and remember that Christ was born to bring peace and tolerance to a troubled world.
The birth of Jesus naturally turns our thoughts to all new-born children and what the future holds for them. The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins. It is a process that starts within the protection and care of parents and other members of the family - including the older generation. As with any team, there is strength in combination: what grandparent has not wished for the best possible upbringing for their grandchildren or felt an enormous sense of pride at their achievements?
But the pressures of modern life sometimes seem to be weakening the links which have traditionally kept us together as families and communities. As children grow up and develop their own sense of confidence and independence in the ever-changing technological environment, there is always the danger of a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding.
It is worth bearing in mind that all of our faith communities encourage the bridging of that divide. The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly. Christ himself told his disciples to let the children come to him, and Saint Paul reminded parents to be gentle with their children, and children to appreciate their parents. The scriptures and traditions of the other faiths enshrine the same fundamental guidance. It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens.
And there is another cause for hope that we can do better in the future at bridging the generation gap. As older people remain more active for longer, the opportunities to look for new ways to bring young and old together are multiplying.
As I look back on these past twelve months, marked in particular for me by the very generous response to my eightieth birthday, I especially value the opportunities I have had to meet young people. I am impressed by their energy and vitality, and by their ambition to learn and to travel.
It makes me wonder what contribution older people can make to help them realise their ambitions. I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little grand-daughter the other day "Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?" Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable. Such advice and comfort are probably needed more often than younger people admit or older people recognise. I hope that this is something that all of us, young or old, can reflect on at this special time of year.
For Christians, Christmas marks the birth of our Saviour, but it is also a wonderful occasion to bring the generations together in a shared festival of peace, tolerance and goodwill.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas together.
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: ----- Original Message ----
From: Kerry Burgess
To: Kerry Burgess
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2006 1:38:07 PM
Subject: Re: Journal May 20, 2006
Something is there, something. It is like a shadow. Or something you glimpse in the corner of your eye. It is familar unfamilarity that appears then disappears.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 20 May 2006 excerpt ends]
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 14:24:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Kerry Burgess"
Subject: Re: Sleep journal 4/6/06
To: "Kerry Burgess"
Kerry Burgess wrote:
Details about my recent sleep are very fuzzy today. Can't remember for sure when I woke up. 3 am maybe. Or maybe shortly after midnight, can't really remember as I usually can. Remember dreaming something about driving my Jeep. Then I returned to it where it was parked in a parking lot after I was traveling through some passageways, hallways in a transit facility maybe. The only part I remember clearly is where a woman, I assume was my imaginary girlfriend asked me out for drinks or something. I told her we needed to keep it really casual though because all I had to wear was sweatpants. Kind of the downside to dating a homeless person I reflect now as I write this. She told me she would wear something with holes in it. I hope that was her in my dream, although the woman in the dream seemed to be someone unfamilar though. But I have noticed that happening with other people I know. They are represented, somehow, by a different person, but I think of them as someone specific. I feel like that is part of the manipulation. I have noticed something similar in real dreams, but I don't think it is the same here. I think they are disquising themselves in my dream for some reason. Anyway, if it really was her, she actually doesn't have to worry about dressing down if we were to go out. Of course, if I have my way, it would be a moot point because why would I want to go out with her when I am in such an ugly situation? At the minimum, I would want to be back to work so that I have regained some independence. And hey, next time you are in my dreams, dear imaginary girlfriend, how about wearing a bikini? Red would be good, or yellow maybe. That would be sweet!
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 6 April 2006 excerpt ends]
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=34391
The American Presidency Project
Ronald Reagan
XL President of the United States: 1981 - 1989
Remarks on the 750th Anniversary of the Founding of Berlin
June 12th, 1987
The President. Well, Chancellor Kohl and Mayor Diepgen, Ambassador Burt, ladies and gentlemen: It's an honor for me to be able to join you today at this 750th birthday party for the city of Berlin. I'm especially pleased to be here today because—well, it's not often that I get to go to a birthday party for something that's older than I am. [Laughter]
But to subject you to a second speech here— [laughter] —you know, I keep thinking of a story of ancient Rome, where, on a Saturday afternoon, the hungry lions were turned loose on the little group of people there on the floor of the Coliseum, and they came charging toward them. And one individual stepped out of the group, said something very quietly, and the lions all laid down. Well, the crowd was enraged and horrified that they're going to be denied the show. And Caesar sent for the man who had spoken to the lions. And they brought him, and he said, "What did you say to them that made them act like that?" And he said, "I just told them that after they ate, there'd be speeches." [Laughter]
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: 12/23/06 1:21 PM
I might have maintained a dual-status as an active member of the U.S. Marshals. That would make sense.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 23 December 2006 excerpt ends]
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: December 24, 2006
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: 12/24/06 4:59 PM
My second Christmas in a homeless shelter and they hand out these gifts to homeless people to, I guess, make them feel less like the forgotten people. For me, it just serves as a reminder of how forgotten am I.
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: 12/24/06 5:28 PM
My only “gift” is that the terrorists, such as Microsoft/Bill Gates, Dave Reichert, George W. Bush, and others, haven’t forgotten all my efforts to stop their hostilities.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 24 December 2006 excerpt ends]
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: August 9, 2006
I struck the little bastard square on its backbone, but remarkably, I didn't even break the skin. It ran off yelping but wasn't even bleeding. I was very scared because I thought I had just killed it, but it was all right. As I was just writing that memory, I felt a greater association to it and that Costner movie I just wrote about. When I started writing about hitting that dog, I was thinking about something with lions. As in, a lion rushed at me, I leapt into the air, did a something like a somersault, but not the backflip, rather the other....what do you call that? It wouldn't be a backflip....but something like a side-flip....I'll have to look that up. Anyway, as I flipped over the top of the lion, I either punched its backbone or I had some kind of weapon I used to break its back. I have no idea if this is memory or imagination but I think of this many times. I just wish I knew.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 9 August 2006 excerpt ends]
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: August 5, 2006
For some reason, i have thinking that i was shot down in Chad and then made my way across Africa to Djibouti where I got a ride with the Stark. I don't actually remember doing anything like that, but there must be a reason I'm thinking it. There must also be a reason I remember Djibouti. But I think it is the lack of memories, rather the memory of being there but nothing happened, that is the clue. Somewhere along the way, I was held captive and may have even been literally thrown to the lions.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 5 August 2006 excerpt ends]
I rarely, if never, type a lower case 'i' even in informal notes. That is one of those typing habits that is firmly entrenched in my mind and I always notice that detail when I see other people make that character in lower case when the proper form is upper case. I have been thinking for a while that these anti-American insurgent forces that infest King County Washington State have hacked into my computer and made changes, only subtle changes, such as changing the occasional text from uppercase "I" to lowercase "i" and it has something to do with their premediated criminal activity, of which I premediated my reason for being here in the first place, as they produce criminal activity as an attempt to develop a criminal defense for their criminal activity.
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: JOURNAL ARCHIVE: July 15, 2006
What is it about the movie "Dances With Wolves"? Was I once "dancing" with lions? I have all these jumbled thoughts about that. I've been thinking of that scene in "Ghost and the Darkness" where the one guy talks about killing a lion with his bare hands. A lion was featured in "12 Monkeys" but I think the lion in "The Postman" had more significance somehow to me.
[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 15 July 2006 excerpt ends]
