Painters of Nativity Scenes: Alessandro Botticelli (1445 - 1510) Part III

One of my favorite Renaissance painter is Botticelli. I can identify most Botticelli paintings without looking at the signature. It's a little trick I have learnt and cannot divulge here. Botticelli painted several versions of the Nativity scenes and here are some of them.

You must have seen the postage stamps from several countries showing famous paintings. The one showing Venus is from his well-known painting "Birth of Venus". Go here to see a parade of his artist's excellent works.

There's so much to tell about this artist and so many of his works to be seen, that I will never be able to do him justice. You have to read and see some of it for yourself here.

His paintings "The trials and calling of Moses", "Life of Moses" and "The Temptation of Christ" have so many details within them that to really appreciate the paintings you have to see it in sections. Run the slide show at the link above and see each piece in detail so the beauty of his great painter's talent can awe you

Hello... does anybody care that Saudi is killing the Houthis of Yemen??????

Are we that absorbed with our own side of the global sphere that we care two hoots for the rest of the world ? My sitemeter tells me that Canadians don't give a rat's fart for anything that goes on outside of Canada and the USA. At least not the readers of Blogging Tories. What is it with you people? Don't you understand that something is going on with the biggest financier of evil and we should be keeping a close eye on how it turns out? A blow to Saudi Arabia is a blow to terrorist financing, but it looks like money wins in the end, given the way this war is going.

Saudi jets are killing Houthi women and children on the borders of SA. Where is Sid Ryan and his Unions' hysterical card holders? Where are the boisterous Muslims of Toronto? Where is Jack Layton and his shills? Where are the Leftists and the stupid freaking gays who were screaming alongside the leftists? Why are they not marching in the streets arm in arm like they did when Israel and Gaza were at war? Toronto is full of hypocrites, filled to the brim and overflowing. Is Saudi Arabia's dirty money keeping everyone quiet? When muslims kill muslims, even if those killed happen to be women and children, it is all okay. Move on nothing to see here. It's just a case of one muslim nation against another, not a matter of one of the richest nations against a segment of people from one of the poorest. The Houthis are caught between Saudi Arabia's ultra modern weaponry and the slow strangulation from their own Sunni Govt. They are caught between a rock and a hard place and they are getting plastered.

This is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran...make no mistake of that. That is the sole reason why even the Israeli press is largely silent on the issue. Hezbollah and Iran has been accused of supplying arms to the Houthis and this is a great way for all concerned to see each other's weaponry. Truth gets hidden because of the curse of keeping in step with political allies, even the slimy ones  like SA.

Read this if you feel like it, otherwise move on to your usual Canadian / USA fare.

The Huron Carol "Jesous Ahatonhia"

h/t: John R.


The YouTube poster of this, shuniah80 gives additional info:  The "Huron Carol" (or "'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Christmas hymn, written in 1643 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Christian missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, he is born"). The song's melody is a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young Maid"). The well known English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton.This version performed by Heather Dale, and sung in Wendat (Huron), French and English.

Painters of Nativity Scenes: Andrea Mantegna (1431 – 1506) Part II

Andrea Mantegna was born in Italy. His father was a poor woodworker. Mantegna's talent was apparent early on and by the time he was 17 yrs old he had his own workshop and was receiving commissions from churches in Italy for designing and constructing altarpieces. He also managed to get a sought-after commission from Pope Innocent VIII and was delegated to paint frescos in some of the churches and chapels in Rome and Florence. One of his most famous painting is "The Agony in the Garden" which resides in the British Museum in London.

Having started his artistic career in woodcutting, Mantegna was a superb engraver as well, and one of his talked about engraving is "Bacchanal with a wine vat" which according to my young relative who is my tutor in Renaissance Art, this engraving is a scene of a  homosexual orgy.

Here are two of Mantegna's takes on "Adoration of the Magi"

As I will show in this and in the forthcoming days leading to Christmas day, most of the artists used the same theme for their paintings. The reason was simple. Their patrons and buyers desired only religious themes and hence the artists would use the best loved scenes and oft times the likeness of the person commissioning the piece would find it's way in the painting itself as an onlooker or even as the main figure.

Below is his "Adoration of the Shepherds"

To learn more about Mantegna go go here

About Colvin and his claims

h/t: Blazing Cat Fur     Terry Glavin has nailed it just right.

A closer look at Richard Colvin's claims about the lies of his lying bosses and their lies.
As I noted here, Richard Colvin has quite clearly insinuated that his one-time boss, Arif Lalani, Canada's former ambassador to Afghanistan, is both a coward and a liar. Turns out there is rather more going on here (or less, if you like) than that, and I suspect it betrays a lot about this preposterous affair that will, sadly, take a lot of the fun out of it too

Lord Moncton: On the final day at the summit

Talks to Dr.Jacek Szkudlarek about the malignant left-wing media.  There's lots more at UTube.

Sarah Palin: "The arrogance of man to think we can change nature's ways"

Palin blasts the Copenhagen's gathering of magpies in her usual common sense way.

One of her tweets this morning said: "Earth saw clmate chnge4 ions;will cont 2 c chnges.R duty2responsbly devlop resorces4humankind/not pollute&destroy;but cant alter naturl chng."

And, people have the nerve to call this woman dumb!!!

Painters of Nativity scenes: Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449 -1494) Part I

Domenico Ghirlandaio was the eldest of eight kids born to an Italian family. His family name was Bigordi, but he became known by the nickname "Ghirlandaio" which means "garland", a nickname that was given to him because he was the best designer of women's necklaces, work that he did for his goldsmith father before becoming a painter.

A little section of the Sistine Chapel has a fresco which was painted by Ghirlandaio depicting the callings of St.Peter and St.Andrew. His paintings showing the birth of Jesus are some of his most endearing works. Having worked in gold during his formative years, Ghirlandaio often used gold leaf in his painting. One such painting is the Adoration of the Shepherds shown here.
I was in Florence some years ago with a very knowledgeable youngster from my family who took it upon herself to give me a course at the Uffizi Gallery, at the end of which I became a firm fan of Renaissance painters. There are plenty of Ghirlandaio's paintings gracing the walls of Uffizi. The art there is ART in it's pure, sublime form, what you see today coming from most "artists" is pure garbage.

Ghirlandaio's painting "Adoration of the Magi" below is breathtaking, although not as famous as Leonardo's by the same name.

To see some of Ghirlandaio's works go here, and here

Senator Hugh Segal of Kingston speaks on the MSM

Watching the Steve Paikin show tonight lead me to Paikin's blog where he has posted the entire speech given by Senator Segal.

..... but the media in general and assignment editors in particular might take the odd opportunity to reflect on whether they have fallen into a path dependency in terms of what they choose to cover – a deeper and deeper rut that conversely becomes shallower and shallower the deeper it gets.....

...I have written before about my discussion in the fall of 1991, with a dear friend who was the CBC senior news producer on Parliament Hill when I joined the Prime Minister’s staff. He informed me categorically that in order to keep CBC TV local news ratings up at the supper-hour broadcast – because local CBC stations and affiliates needed advertising revenue – he would always dispatch a negative story about the government as opposed to a positive one. At the time, the government was somewhere between 7 and 9 percent in the polls. However, given the choice between a “good story” about the government and a “negative” one, he would, by local market forces, be forced to choose the negative story. Well, that was the end of my CBC “puts accuracy and balance first” naivety. Surely, I argued, you would choose the most newsworthy story on its merits, good or bad, and send it. He quickly disabused me of that conceit. This was in a sense, the ultimate victory of “congenial” over “real”. It also suggested, but did not confirm, that a story line might on occasion be pursued quite independently with or without factual justification....

Another store chain says "Merry Christmas"

FoodBasics grocery stores in Toronto have "Merry Christmas" on their flyers.  Great place to do your Christmas grocery buying and they have the best prices too.  http://www.foodbasics.ca/en/circulaire.html

The benevolence of McGuinty with taxpayers' money

is simply dumbfounding. Before the end of his present role, he is making sure his resume for the next one will say: "Spear-headed the building of a modern transit system for the Capital of Canada".

It's an early Christmas for Ottawa residents.
Premier Dalton McGuinty is in the capital today to announce that the province will provide $600 million to the city to fund its light rail transit system. The announcement was made this morning at the RA Centre.

cartoon credit: Fewings.ca

Doggie Christmas song

Even dogs celebrate Christmas but the hard-left amongst us groan aloud at the word "Christmas".  How sad and miserable someone  needs to be to detest a season of well-being like Christmas ?   I am glad I do not have anyone like that in my personal life.

The failed state of Pakistan falls further into the abyss

All sort of rumours are abound. Zardari and his admin are denying that there has been a coup attempt. The opposition are renewing their cries for Zardari to step down.

The USA, all of a sudden, has changed its tune, from "our ally and friend"  to "there are tensions in our relationship with Pakistan."

Also the Pakistani courts have barred authorities from handing over to the FBI or to any foreign agency, six American Muslims who were detained in Pakistan on their way to join the Taliban against US soldiers.

More news from Reuters.

Glenn Beck: Time mag's Man of the Year .... no, not him.

Glenn Beck show,  Man of the Year, Crucifix drawing controversy in school, Chicago hard ball politics,etc.



part 2     part 3         part 4

Senator Annie Cools needs to know how a connection is made

between Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery.

With all respect madam, what would you call a person who is made to work without pay, beaten and raped and is considered a piece of property and not a human being? Do you have a word for it? Those of us who have encountered such individuals know that they are nothing but modern day slaves.

A 2-day seminar from March 2, will be held in Ottawa on Human Trafficking.

Professor David Batstone on why Human Trafficking is akin to slavery



How to spot a victim of human trafficking

Learn more about the plague of Human Trafficking...4myCanada.ca

Front row seats for everyone

This promises to get better and better and better and better ....ok... ok ... you got the picture. The game of "blackmail" goes back and forth and continues anew for our reading pleasure. If one Chicago thug is brought to trial, none other than the Emperor of Deceit will be called as witness for the Defence, says his lawyer.

One of Rod Blagojevich's attorneys said Wednesday it was possible the defense could call President Obama to take the witness stand if the corruption charges against the former governor go to trial, but added that it wasn't clear that doing so would be necessary

via Matt Drudge: Obama as witness for the Defence

Hey Scotland ... how's that deathbed compassion thing working out now?

Al-Megrahi ... not dead yet. Maybe some miracle drug not yet available in Scotland but found in abundance in Libya will do the trick and get him all well again. Yipeee !!

....The Times raised the alarm on Tuesday after visiting al-Megrahi’s home and hospital in Tripoli, and being told that he was at neither. Jonathan Hinds, East Renfrew-shire’s criminal justice manager, telephoned him but was told that he was too ill to speak. On Tuesday morning Mr Hinds called again. This time he was allowed to talk to al-Megrahi, but Scottish opposition politicians said that did not prove that the former Libyan intelligence officer was at home.


Mr Hinds calls al-Megrahi every second week. Tuesday was the first time that he had telephoned unexpectedly, and the first time that he was unable to speak to him. Bill Aitken, the Conservative Justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, demanded the release of al-Megrahi’s medical reports. He said: “If he was so ill on Tuesday how come he was well enough to take the call yesterday?” .....

read the whole sordid thing

Burqa ... ugly as ugly can be.... in France

I applaud France's stand on this issue. There's a lot I could say on this topic, however, I will hold my tongue and just quote: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" and leave it at that.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party will push for a law banning the full-face Islamic veil in order to defend Francefrom "extremists", the party's parliamentary leader said Wednesday.

Jean-Francois Cope laid out his plans for new legislation in a newspaper article, which appeared just as three ministers were to testify before a parliamentary panel set up to consider whether to ban the full veil.

"The issue is not how many women wear the burqa," Cope wrote in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro.

"There are principles at stake: extremists are putting the republic to the test by promoting a practice that they know is contrary to the basic principles of our country," he said.

The new legislation will be enacted after a period of consultation with Muslim communities in France "so that this measure is understood for what it is: a law of liberation and not a ban", he wrote......

From Russia with Love and climategate

ex-Communist countries just like ex-Communist individuals have learnt a bitter lesson that they will never forget. Russia will never ever embrace socialism and their press is much more reliable than any other on the AGW issue.

..... Climategate has already affected Russia. On Tuesday, the Moscow-based Institute of Economic Analysis (IEA) issued a report claiming that the Hadley Center for Climate Change based at the headquarters of the British Meteorological Office in Exeter (Devon, England) had probably tampered with Russian-climate data.

The IEA believes that Russian meteorological-station data did not substantiate the anthropogenic global-warming theory. Analysts say Russian meteorological stations cover most of the country’s territory, and that the Hadley Center had used data submitted by only 25% of such stations in its reports. Over 40% of Russian territory was not included in global-temperature calculations for some other reasons, rather than the lack of meteorological stations and observations.

The data of stations located in areas not listed in the Hadley Climate Research Unit Temperature UK (HadCRUT) survey often does not show any substantial warming in the late 20th century and the early 21st century.

The HadCRUT database includes specific stations providing incomplete data and highlighting the global-warming process, rather than stations facilitating uninterrupted observations.

On the whole, climatologists use the incomplete findings of meteorological stations far more often than those providing complete observations........

Help to end slavery in Canada ... Act on Bill C-268

It is disheartening to note that a woman is holding up the passing into law of Bill C-268, a law that will go at least  some ways,  to deter those amongst our population that would mean to harm and enslave both women and children.  On Nov.3, Senator Annie Cools had the reading adjourned and assured the advocates of this bill  that she would speak to it within a short time, that "short time" has now lengthened into several weeks and still Senator Cools plays it cool and disdainful.  "Uncaring" would be a better description for Senator Cools demeanour.

The bill now lies in limbo awaiting  Senator Annie Cools attention to it. The sad thing is that Senator Cools has chosen the wrong time of the year to play "hard ball".  Next week the Senate will adjourn for the Christmas holidays and will not be back until late January. The bill needed to be law before the Olympics. Needless to say, any gathering of that magnitude will not only have people involved in sports, it would also attract drug dealers and human traffickers.

Let's give the BC authorities more legal clout to deal with the human trafficking scum when they are arrested plying their trade at the Olympics. Please call or write to the following to get them to move pronto on the issue of Bill C-268  and to make that happen  before the start of the Olympics.

Audreychuk, Raynell (Saskatchewan): andrer@sen.parl.gc.ca
Brazeau, Patrick (Repentigny - Quebec): brazep@sen.parl.gc.ca
Dallaire, Romeo (Gulf - Quebec): dallar@sen.parl.gc.ca
Demers, Jacques (Rigaud - Quebec): tessil@sen.parl.gc.ca
Jaffer, Mobina S.B. (British Columbia): jaffem@sen.parl.gc.ca
Mitchell, Grant (Alberta): mitchg@sen.parl.gc.ca
Munson, Jim (Ottawa / Rideau Canal - Ontario): munsoj@sen.parl.gc.ca
Nancy, Ruth (Cluny - Ontario): mcgeed@sen.parl.gc.ca
Poy, Vivienne (Toronto - Ontario): poyv@sen.parl.gc.ca

Three wise men and a Japanese too !!!

Timeout for a laugh or two.

Link between climate science and Islam

The despicable Left manifested in all their reprehensiveness

in the Canadian Cynic blog. If you want to know how much the Left loves the Taliban and how little they think of our soldiers, you should dose yourself with a drug stronger than Dramamine and step into that cesspool for just a couple of minutes. I do not recommend that you linger there for more than 2 minutes because spending your time  beyond that allocation will make you wish you had taken a double dose of the drug..

This blog has been haranguing bloggers and journalists who talk about the good our  boys and girls  are doing in Afghanistan. The last several days, this blog has taken upon itself to talk about the Afghan detainee issue and of course at the cost of belittling  our  mission in that country.

This blog uses the most foul language, especially when referring to Conservative female bloggers and journalists. C**t  is almost a daily occurrence either in the posts put out by this team of bloggers (and you will be further amazed to know that the team of four contributors has a female on board) or by the commentors to the posts therein.  When referring to Conservative bloggers and journalists, their vocabulary has such high flung words as: retarded, brain-dead, douchebag, stupid, dummy, dumbf**ks, deranged, whackjobs and any word that will demean and insult  Conservatives is adopted and used at every opportunity.

Having visited there today, I left some comments showing my displeasure at a couple of their posts on the detainee issue. This same blog has often had the gall to boast about how the Lefty blogs never monitor the comments but that Conservative blogs do, etc.etc.etc.blah, blah, blah.  My comments were deleted and a blog issued to say :

Yes, comments are now fully moderated. But only briefly. I'll explain why when I get back

It was a good thing I had saved a couple of my comments. Like the saying goes, "When in Rome, be like the Romans" and that is exactly what I was doing. These were my remarks:

Comment 1:
Ah hah - mispelling alert, mispelling alert:
Geneva conventions should read "Godiva Confections" for the box of chocs laced with arsenic you should get. Disgusting morons so concerned for one Taliban detainee while 100s of our brave soldiers are coming back in coffins. You are beyond contempt, miserable bastard.

Comment 2:
You stupid f**ked up s*b. You are so concerned about one taliban detainee? Have you given a thought to the 100s of soldiers coming back in coffins. Like I left a comment earlier at some other post on this same freaking subject that you have embraced to your heart, you are beyond contempt. How anyone can live with
themselves with such hate for one's fellow Canadians like you have is beyond me.
You would prefer to have a Taliban monster as your fellow traveller than a Canadian soldier? You are a f**ked up bastard of the worst sort.

Guess what?! My comments have been deleted. Yup... give them a spoonful of their own medicine and they get all contorted and writhe on the floor like they are in their death throes.

Here's hoping this Christmas season ... oops ... Holiday season as is the right thing to say in the lefty world, I hope your mommies will buy you lefty snarks a bag full of ballistic cups because .... baby.... I have just bought myself a dozen pairs of high heel pointy boots and they are  made for kicking.

How misguided students and others grab taxpayers' money

and the mayor of Toronto marches with them in Copenhagen. The dirty little moochers are everywhere. In Copenhagen they barge into a hall where Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak was speaking and shout chants. They strip in the streets to the bare minimum to "prove" the earth is warming, they carry communist flags and want to see the end of capitalism.

At McGill University, at a Pro-Life presentation these moochers shout down speakers in the most shameful way. This is the method these delusional youngsters have adopted now. They shout and sing and chant to stop anyone from speaking the truth or anything they do not want to hear.

In Ottawa they climb government buildings right under the noses of security guards and the police force,  most of whom are  likely members of Unions and probably gave them a "wink-wink we don't know what you are doing". Who can you trust when even the police force are in cahoots with the Left ?

Where is the money coming from? One of the Blogging Tories had a long list of outfits donating to Greenpeace and such. Maybe, Greenpeace in turn donates to other outfits so they can all act in concert to defraud us. I have not had a good look at that long list of donors to Greenpeace and right now I cannot recall the blogger's name to link it here. What are the chances that some of those outfits are giving in to blackmail and paying the ransom ... ransom demanded or else the Greenpeace nuts will organize a protest outside the premises of whichever company does not come forth with a donation.

The fault should largely be placed at the feet of parents. A good upbringing and deep understanding and interest in what your kids were up to in school or university might have prevented them from taking this road which will in most likelihood. end nowhere good very soon.

And, if the above links were not enough to make you mad, then read this:

Today, I joined 100,000 other citizens of the global community to demonstrate in the streets of Copenhagen, calling on world leaders to take bolder action on climate change. An ocean of people stretching farther than anyone could see waved messages such as “Bla bla bla...ACT NOW” and “There is no Planet B."
There was something powerful being in the midst of this commanding yet peaceful movement, which sent a loud and clear message to leaders that lack of progress on the climate change issue is unacceptable. It was a refreshing break, situated halfway in the middle of negotiations full of formalities, jargon and business suits.

People are rising up to call on our governments to do more. David Miller, mayor of Toronto, marched alongside us today. Back home, mayors, premiers, industry representatives, academics, indigenous peoples and youth are all sending a unified message of stronger action on climate change.

h/t: Gay and Right for McGill vid

Politics .... what a totally ugly game in every way

Approx. 150 days ago, three young Americans, naively foolish to hike on the borders of Iran, were arrested and jailed. The three travellers had Syrian and Iraqi tourist visas and while admiring the scenic views from an area they presumed to be Iraq  they inadvertently seem to have crossed a few meters into Iranian territory.

Iran has announced today that the three Americans will be put on trial and that their actions had "suspicious intentions" and that they entered the country to carry out acts of espionage.

Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has appealed to the Iranian regime to free the three travellers and said the charges against the three are "totally unfounded". Middle East journalists think that an exchange of prisoners might have even been suggested by the USA and Tehran has declined.

This cat and mouse game is afoot today of all days because Congress is supposed to be taking a vote tomorrow on the Iranian Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act.   Politics, the dirtiest game on earth, no doubt about it.

Scandals behind the EU carbon trading scheme

Not only is the AGW a complete fraud, the EU nations are trying to keep a lid on how the cap-and-trade system has been a haven for fraudsters. In the last 18 months alone EU have been cheated out of $ 7.4 Billion in lost tax revenue. The findings by Europol, a law enforcement arm against organized crime, were announced on Wednesday but news about this disgraceful state of affairs will not make it on anybody's agenda at Copenhagen.

h/t: Irene. Copenfrauden: Scandals behind