pseudo boethius

PHOTOGRAPHY / TRAINS / MODEL TRAINS

Visited Des Plaines Hobbies in the past week, located in Des Plaines, Illinois.   Even though it's a traditional hobby shop, it's really caters mostly to model railroaders, as 80% or more of the shop is stocked to the gills with model trains of all shapes and sizes.

Here's a photo of brand new N-Scale (1:160) locomotives from the Japanese manufacturer Kato.   The beautiful silver units are Burlington E-5 passenger diesels built for their "Zephyr" passenger trains back in the early 40's.  One of these beautiful engines still survives, and can be found in fully operational condition at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.   

But the locomotive I'm interested in is the Amtrak SDP40F diesel.  Those where the first purpose-built passenger diesels made for Amtrak back in the early 1970's.  I'm fascinated by 70's era trains and I'm working on building a small collection of them for my own model railroad.   Eventually, the Amtrak SDP40F will be apart of my collection.   And I might have a few passenger cars to go with it!  

CHRISTIANITY / PORNOGRAPHY

One of the BEST resources on Christianity and cultural issues is "First Things".   

This is an article from back in April 2012, that is still relevant to this day:

A uniquely toxic combination of the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh has become an almost normal component of everyday life: the perturbingly pervasive use of pornography in general and internet pornography in particular, with its dangerous addictiveness and its lethal effect on the Christian spiritual life. To comprehend the spiritual roots of this crisis, we need to recall an all-too-forgotten vice, acedia, usually called “sloth” but better rendered as “spiritual apathy.” It is the very forgoing of friendship with God—which is the fulfillment of the transcendent dignity and calling of the human person—and the embrace of the self-indulgent deception that there never was and never will be friendship with God, that there never was and never will be a transcendent calling and dignity of the human person. Nothing matters much, because the one thing that really matters, God’s love and friendship, does not exist and therefore cannot be attained.

Read the entire article here:  Pornography and Acedia

The visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo had daily apparitions from June 24th 1981 to December 25th 1982. During the last daily apparition, Our Lady gave her the 10th secret, and told her that she would appear to her once a year, on the 18th of March. It has been this way through the years.  

"Dear children, I am calling you, through prayer and mercy, to come to know my Son all the better; to learn to listen with a pure and open heart; to listen to what my Son is saying to you in order to come to see spiritually. 

"That, as one people of God in communion with my Son, you may bear witness to the truth with your life. 

"Pray, my children, that, together with my Son, you can bring only peace, joy and love to all your brothers and sisters. I am with you and am blessing you with a motherly blessing."

CHRISTIANITY / MEDJUGORJE / MARCH 18

Catholic mystics, specifically the Medjugorje visionary Mirjana, have long said that in the future, March 18 is going to become a very significant date worldwide.  

What exactly is going to happen on that date has not yet been revealed.  The speculation is that God is going to place a special "sign" on earth that will be so spectacular, no one will be able to deny it.   But that's just speculation.  

I encourage you to watch the video above to find out more about the significance of March 18.

The Visionary Mirjana has said, for many years, that on March 18 the world will understand why that date was so significant.  

The visionary says: “Only when the things contained in the secrets start to happen will the world understand why Our Lady chose March 18. The significance of the date will be clear. Why every second of the month, why Wednesdays and Fridays are days of fasting, everything will be clear on March 18th”

JORDAN B. PETERSON / POLITICS / VIVEK RAMASWAMY

Jordan Peterson is truly a modern day prophet.  He's been loudly and clearly sounding the alarm concerning the Woke-Marxist culture that is taking over the world.  

Here, he interviews Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for president of the USA.  Vivek is also a huge critic of Woke-Marxist culture.  

They discuss ideas and strategies for dealing with Woke-Marxism head-on, and driving it back into the black-hole that it came from. 

CHRISTIANITY / WOKISM

This is one of the most interesting conversations I've encountered on YouTube.   Dr. Gavin Ashenden and Rod Dreher talk about the necessity of today's Christians going underground, because of the profound evil in today's society.   

The both understand that things are going to get a lot WORSE in the near future, as far as Christianity is concerned.   Both men are warning anyone who will listen that we have to take action to prepare for what's coming down.

Both these men are absolute treasures.   

This is MUST SEE TV!!!

TRAINS / PASSENGER TRAINS / GREAT NORTHERN

This is a photo of what is either the Gopher or Badger passenger train in Superior, Wisconsin in 1969.   The Gopher and Badger trains were operated by the Great Northern railroad between the cities of the "Twin Ports" of Duluth/Superior and the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis/St.Paul.   Superior is actually located right across the border from Duluth in the state of Wisconsin.   

Notice the colorful consist of passenger cars, in three different Great Northern paint schemes.   

See the original photo here: https://www.railpictures.net/photo/559210/

CHRISTIANITY / INCLUSIVENESS 

Dr. Gavin Ashenden is God's gift to us in this late hour.   I highly encourage EVERYONE to subscribe to his channel and listen to everything he has to say. 

The topic of this teaching: human goodness is not sufficient for our salvation.  

Highest Recommendation.  

MUSIC / ROCK AND ROLL / LED ZEPPELIN

In the year 1971, the band Led Zeppelin released what would become one of the greatest albums in rock and roll history, let alone music history.   The band did not give the album a name, but since the albums before this one was named "Led Zeppelin III", everyone called it "Led Zeppelin IV".   

This album is an incredible mix of music inspired by folk music, the blues, rock-a-billy, and, very surprisingly, J.R.R. Tolkien and the "Lord of the Rings" books.  

By far the most famous song on the album is "Stairway to Heaven".  But another song that deserves your attention is their cover of an old Delta blues song called "When the Levy Breaks".   

A few days ago, the band posted a new mix of the FULL album on YouTube.   Highly recommended.  

Turn it up to 11.   

MUSIC / JAZZ / BILL EVANS

Perhaps the greatest jazz musician to ever live was a pianist by the name Bill Evans.   He was known for soft, melodic pieces that are very calming and very beautiful.  

Here is just a very small sample of his work.  Enjoy!