Partly right, and I'll have to add my .02 here. Good reason Christmas is December 25th. The Nero epoch Romans had no love for the Christians- they were tasty Lion fodder. But they did have a big time year end (actually beginning) bash around December 25th- the Satunalia- in honor of the God Saturn, and the return of the Sun. So what better time to celebrate Christ's birth while the Romans were off in some Bacchanalian frenzy, and leaving them pretty much alone?

Hmmmm.... the angels reported to the shepherds keeping watch by the sheep- the only time they bothered to do that was in the spring during the lambing season.

Come March I hope to be planting my garden again, I have to get it in early before the summer heat makes it unbearable outside. Plus I need ample time to go to the beach on weekends and I dont want to get stuck in a garden weeding.

On another note I always liked Charlotte as for location, it only takes 8 1/2 hours to get to Clev to catch a game. And you are only 3 hours from the beach or the mountains.

@chicopee-john said:

If you go, let me know. I can hook you up with somebody to show you around, recommend or not, etc.

I thought about Ashville, but I think it is a smaller community and jobs might be harder to come by. I will take a look, but I think a larger city will be better. But if I do I'll let you know. Could be an option, thanks!

If you go, let me know. I can hook you up with somebody to show you around, recommend or not, etc.

@calfoxwc said:

65-75 hrs a week as a new corp culture, well, they moved to Salisbury, NC. It's

a beautiful town.

There are a few big cities, that have some crime, as usual.

Our friends that we stay with once year on vacation, and the same when they come up here,

LOVE IT down there.

In fact, he had sent resumes all over the East Coast, and the only two replies he got were in NC.

Yea Cal, that is where it is at. I think I have been to Salisbury? Plus the weather, I'm a young 33 going on 55 in terms of my back. North Carolina still has seasons, just not THAT cold and no snow barely. KsHutch actually lives in Greenville, SC and that is looking like a kick ass place. Not too big not to small.

65-75 hrs a week as a new corp culture, well, they moved to Salisbury, NC. It's

a beautiful town.

There are a few big cities, that have some crime, as usual.

Our friends that we stay with once year on vacation, and the same when they come up here,

LOVE IT down there.

In fact, he had sent resumes all over the East Coast, and the only two replies he got were in NC.

@kosar_for_president said:

You should call me sometime after 8 this evening.

@mr.-t said:

Sent to over T.

@calfoxwc said:

My brother-in-law owns a printing company in Medina - but printing businesses are slowly going kaput,

given the development of 3/4 G software, bigger hd's.... etc.

My last developer contract, my former boss, almost lost his job, but they let him

resign, and become a developer... and he desperately took it...

N. Carolina is a hoppin place for jobs....

Yea we are definatley moving. In printing you need to move towards giving your customers marketing services to harness their information. Hopefully owners will see that value in me. Wilmington, Charlotte, Greenville or Raleigh seem to be the best places. Thanks

My brother-in-law owns a printing company in Medina - but printing businesses are slowly going kaput,

given the development of 3/4 G software, bigger hd's.... etc.

My last developer contract, my former boss, almost lost his job, but they let him

resign, and become a developer... and he desperately took it...

N. Carolina is a hoppin place for jobs....

@kosar_for_president said:

sent it

@mr.-t said:

Yea I'll be moving. But the cool thing T is that I have advanced variable print programming, PURL programming and CASS certification experience. Along with all the Pre-Press, web and advanced graphic design experience, I think I have a leg up on the competition. I was ACT trained a while back on b/w and color Xerox. Shit I can even run a 2 color press. Let me shoot you over my resume T, just in case you have any contact down there, you never know. Email me at mcintyremedia @ yahoo.com with your email. Thanks

@kosar_for_president said:

Yea on the jobs. I think me and my girl are going to have to move from Cleveland. I never noticed this until I moved back here about a year and 1/2 ago, but people here just seem depressed and content. Everyone is OK with their situation. At least everyone I know. I don't do well with complacency. That's depressing, and the cycle begins. Go south young man....

Good luck with your job search, jobs in our area are slim. Most printshops have allready layed off many. I receive apps and resumes every week. The last advertisement for a job here was for a printing salesman on commision only. Which is good if you can bring accounts with you.

@chicopee-john said:

Did I say you were a Christian?

I still hope you find employment this year.

I apolgise if I was wrong here but didn't you say "Dare I say that I pray it happens". I took that as condescending, like because I am not Christian I don't pray.

Yea on the jobs. I think me and my girl are going to have to move from Cleveland. I never noticed this until I moved back here about a year and 1/2 ago, but people here just seem depressed and content. Everyone is OK with their situation. At least everyone I know. I don't do well with complacency. That's depressing, and the cycle begins. Go south young man....

@westside-steve said:

Do you believe there's a Supreme Being that listens understands and responds to mortal humans?

What do you believe He wants from us?

WSS

Hey Steve. Yes, I do believe there is a Supreme Being or Energy that listens and responds. I believe it wants us to do good for the world. To help your neighbor.

I just don't believe one needs outlandish stories from the Bible or Koran to get them there. I respect religion, it's succeeded in billions of people over time, to fear death and consequences. It's a powerful force.

People need to do right and treat people with respect (except Steeler fans here, jk) no matter what the God's law is. It's all about Gratitude and Respect.

@kosar_for_president said:

So because I'm not Christian I don't pray? I hate when the deeds of God get confused with the words of man.

Jeepers, creepers, K, why the reaction??

Did I say you were a Christian?

I still hope you find employment this year.

and warm up the world.

it has to be embarrassing for those who bought into the man made global warming

bull...

Temps Plunge to Record as Cold Snap Freezes North, East States...

CHILL MAP...

Vermont sets 'all-time record for one snowstorm'...

Iowa temps 'a solid 30 degrees below normal'...

Peru's mountain people 'face extinction because of cold conditions'...

Beijing -- coldest in 40 years...

World copes with Arctic weather...

Yeah, I can see that Peru's mountain people lament the dramatic heating up of the entire earth

by "CO2".

I mean, really. ROF,LMAO !

I wonder if Sheppie ever manned up about it.

@kosar_for_president said:

I could be Kos.

Do you believe there's a Supreme Being that listens understands and responds to mortal humans?

What do you believe He wants from us?

WSS

@westside-steve said:

Of any other time ever on this board Steve and I say this with all due respect and with 100% certainty, you are 100% wrong, in general of course.

So because I'm not Christian I don't pray?

My guess (in general) is that anyone who is regularly disrespectful or hostile to Christians and or Christianity probably does not seriously pray.

WSS

by Rit Nosotro

Modern day Christians received much of the traditions and holidays they celebrate from the pre-Christian Celts of Ireland and the pre-Christian practices of the Romans. Ireland, which was the only major area of Europe that was free from Roman control, was home to the Celtic people and religion. Romans, who believed the Celtic religion was a horrible, wicked, and rowdy religion, practiced their beliefs right up to the beginning of the spread of Christianity.

The Celtic religion was a Pagan religion that had high priests whom they called “Druids.” The name Druid originated from two separate things. The word “druh” is a Sankskrit word for oak and the word “wid” means “to know.” Combining the words gives us, “The knowledge of the oak.” Considering the “trees of knowledge” and “trees of life” are very symbolic in the Celtic religions, this definition makes sense. Druids were men who were in charge of the worshipping of the gods, monitoring sacrifices, and answering people’s religious questions. Holding the position of a druid was seen as a very high honor. Also, a druid was required to memorize all of the religious teachings, history, laws, and folklores of their people.

One of the Druids main jobs was too help with the four major celebrations of the Celtic religion. The first festival of the year was called “Imbolc.” Imbolc, which is a feast of renewal and purification, was celebrated on February 1st in honor of their goddess Brigit. Following the spread of Christianity, the goddess Brigit became called Saint Brigit. Second of the Celtic celebrations was Beltaine. Beltaine, celebrated on May 1st, was a celebration that included prayers for a good farming season. Lugnasad, the festival of fertility, is celebrated on August 1st. Finally, the fourth festival is Samain. Samain, celebrated on October 31st, is a festival in which all gods of the Celtic religion are celebrated. Few people realize that Halloween evolved from Samain. Christians later changed the name Samain to “All Saints Day” and “All Hallows Eve.” Aside from Halloween, we also receive our tradition of the Christmas mistletoe from the Celts. People would pay the druids in order to receive pieces of mistletoe; they believed the mistletoe would protect them from witches. Later, Christian priests ordered that mistletoe not be allowed into the church. However, mistletoe still found a place inside of churches regardless of the priest’s commands.

Druids had the power and ability to ban people from sacrifices. This was the strictest punishment one could sentence a person too. People who were banned from the sacrifices were considered wicked, godless people. Unfortunately, these sacrifices were human. Though we now think of human sacrifice as an animalistic act, back in the times of the druids, few people thought anything about sacrificing humans. It was actually considered an honor to be chosen as a sacrifice to the gods.

The Roman people also had an interesting, pre-Christian religion. Although the Romans looked down on the Celts for their beliefs, the Romans had their fair share of odd beliefs. The Romans had two triads of high gods. The first was made up of Jupiter, Mars, and Quirimus. The second triad, which was the main focus of Roman veneration, had Jupiter as the central figure with the goddess Juno and Minerva on either side of him. Mars, the Roman god of war, is where the calendar month of March received its name. Besides these main gods, the Romans worshipped countless other gods as well. Gods took on interesting forms in the Roman religion. One god, Junus (January was named after this god), was believed to take the shape of a gate inside of the forum. Numerous animal sacrifices were made unto the god Terminus, god of boundaries. He was believed to keep neighbors at peace with each other. The Romans believed in these gods (and many more—the Romans had a god for just about everything) right up until the beginning of Christianity.

Modern day people have gathered several practices and beliefs from the Celts and Romans. As was mentioned earlier, our present day calendar bases several of its months from names of Roman gods. Holidays such as Halloween and Christmas evolved from Celtic festivals. Halloween evolving from Samain and Christmas evolving from the celebration of the winter solstice. Around the 25th of December both Romans and Celts celebrated and worshipped the sun. Desiring to make others come to Christianity, Constantine “Christianized” these pagan holidays. By taking a holiday that was familiar to the people and changing it into something related to Christ, Constantine thought he could convert more people. Therefore, as a result of Constantine’s changing of this holiday, we now celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th instead of the sun. Interestingly, we also received the beginning of our new year from the Celts. On the winter solstice, they would worship the sun in hopes for the sun to not desert them. They did this because they noticed the days getting continually shorter. After approximately a week, they would notice that the days were, once again, getting longer, therefore they would start a new year. Though many traditions and celebrations have changed throughout the years, pre-Christian religions of the Romans and Celts have definitely shaped the current beliefs and practices of Christians.

The most obvious influential pre-Christian religion that exsisted in Europe was Judaism. Rome saw early Christianity as a Jewish sect which followed a Jewish religious teacher that had been crucified. The Apostle Paul, a Jewish theologian, taught the that the resurrected Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Sacred Scriptures. Of all the customs synthesized into Christianity, Judaism is the tree onto which Christianity has been grafted.

@kosar_for_president said:

lol

@osusev said:

Religions did not create positive social axioms of behavior.... survival and natural selection pushed those beliefs...... either way or whatever someone wants to credit positive behavior models that are socially constructive I dont care as long as they cant force their system on me...

The funny thing about Diehards summations by mr griffin I bet he also thinks that the United States was created to be a Christian country confusing colonial fleeing of the british empire to the formation based on economics of the United States.