Rain Forest #65

I guess discussing Jesus is appropriate during this Christmas season (although there's not much likelihood that he was born during the month of Kislev, which would be roughly equivalent to our month of December. )

I can see no reason whatever to doubt the historicity of Jesus as an actual person. The only question is how much of the Gospels is historical, how much mythology. As for John the Baptist, it seems quite evident that he was a member of the Essene sect and that Jesus was very sympathetic to the teachings of the Essenes, if not himself a member. There were three main sects of Judaism in those days -- the very ascetic Essenes, about whom we have learned mainly through the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Saudcees, which was the traditional, Temple-worshipping priestly sect; and the Pahrisees, who laid the foundations of modern day Judaism, with its emphasis on scholraship rather than temple sacrifices. In fact, the only reasonable explanation of why Jesus is reported to have spoken against both the Pharisees and the Saducees so often is that his sympathies lay with the Essenes. The Essenes were more than just ascetic. They renounced all worldly goods and wordly pleasures to pursue a life of pure devotion to a higher power and service to mankind. ("It is easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than to get into heaven.") The notion that Jesus might have been well off is a Calvinist idea, not borne out by what is reported in the Gospels. Even if his family were well-to-do, he himself would, in all likelihood, have renounced worldly wealth, just like Gautama Sidgartha virtually renounced his princehood to become the Budha.

The Monteverdi Christmas Vespers
December 9 & 10, 2005

With recorders, violins, cornetti, theorbos, keyboards and voices, the Toronto Consort recreates the lavish celebration of Christmas Vespers from the Church of San Marco in 17th-century Venice, with music by the incomparable Claudio Monteverdi!

Featuring works from his 1641 collection of sacred music, the rafters and balconies of Trinity-St. Paul's will resound with the glorious sounds of a Christmas celebration you won't soon forget. Gloria in excelsis!

The Journey to Santiago
April 28 & 29, 2006

For the 2005/06 Finale, join the Toronto Consort on a musical pilgrimage to the famous town in northern Spain, where even today thousands upon thousands of pilgrims flock every year. In medieval times, Santiago was just as much a magnet, and as they walked along the road to the shrine, the pilgrims enlivened their travel with songs and dances. With lute and ud, with hurdy-gurdy and pipe, with voice and drum, we take you on a unique musical journey through medieval Europe.

Ah, Mooney's! As an A&P mechanic that has actually worked on a Mooney - I can tell you that it's an aircraft mechanics nightmare. Mr. Mooney was a psycopath out after an A&P mechanic when designing the airplane. Myyyyy God!!!!!!! Everything is PACKED into such a SMALL area that it's all on top of everything else. No matter what you are trying to go after, you have to actually REMOVE such a lot of stuff just to get to what you want to fix. But, the upside to that is - tada,,, the help gets more money for doing simple jobs. Ha!!!

Your story about seeing an aircraft coming towards you reminded me of a true story - one of our flying jobs in Vietnam was to go out during daylight conditions and look at areas where "bad guys" were thought to be and take photos. This one day I had a VP (Visual Photo) flight along a portion of a valley along the "Tri Border" area - where Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia merge. It's really mountainous. It's also a really active area where lots of things could easily go bad rather quickly. I went directly to the valley and aligned my airplane on the path the intell people had selected for the photos. At altitude and on course I told my op buddy to start the film. At the end of the selected course there was a ridge framing the end of the valley. I told the equipment operator to stop the film and started a slight climb to just go over the ridge line at the end of the valley. It was close, but, no problem clearing the ridge.
Then came the two helicopters!!!!! They were all over my front - I actually went BETWEEN them and as I was attempting to actually think - I sensed more than thought that these guys fly in packs....... At that very instant, I actually flew through TWO MORE helicopters!!!! That was close. I went back to base - debriefed - and puddled. The same area was where we lost two men only months before. It was also the same area where I had heard an ominous tone on my radio only a short time before. There was a frequency on our FM radios that I tuned in when out in the boonies. This frequency would detect the radar tones of the guns that could actually down the plane I was flying. Shortly before the above happened I was flying in the same area and heard the acquisition tone on my radio - I quickly turned the plane on it's back, aimed it at the ground and Deedied out of the area at full speed about a foot above the tree tops. Most times that worked - one day I recall not having the radio tuned in and in a valley I looked behind my plane to see a puff of red smoke - they missed!!

A more safe encounter many years later was on the Peninsula in Western Washington - I was flying with a friend and instructing him in the plane. We were on approach to one of the uncontrolled airports (no tower) and had announced our intentions to land in the clear on the correct frequency for that field. Well, as we neared the field I saw a plane taxi onto the main and actually takeoff in our direction - my friend, being new to piloting, asked if we should divert. I said I had the controls and kept our plane on the landing path. I kept it straight for the plane which had taken off without announcing it's intentions and had obviously not even looked for landing aircraft!! We were close by the time the taking off plane saw us - It's wings wiggled and it suddenly went off in a very low Westerly direction. I just kept my heading and landed thinking that the next time that particular plane went out on a flight I bet the pilot would look and use the radio as he should have that day before taking off. There was no danger of a mid air collision. I would never have gotten that close.