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“All strangest things, The multitudinous years bring forth and shadow from us all we know. Falter alike great oath and steeled resolve. And none shall say of aught, This cannot be.” Sophocles 496 B.C. to 406 B.C.

Contemporary Orthodox Christian singer/songwriter, Jim Giatas, has written and recorded “If You Imagine” as an answer to former Beatle, John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” “If You Imagine” has generated significant criticism. One writer called it blasphemy. On MySpace, Vangellis responded that it was: “A terrible denigration of Lennon's ode to reason. And the fireworks are just beginning. “John’s song has gone virtually unchallenged for all these years and I felt compelled to write an answer to it from my own conservative Orthodox Christian faith.” It can be heard for free on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMM3WZ7AErA “I ‘ve always been a Beatles and...

The Village of Imagine has fallen victim to the local and nationwide housing slump. The project's developer is reconsidering plans to build the mixed-use complex of shops, restaurants and residential units across from the Orange County Convention Center. The project -- originally hailed as Orlando's version of the famed San Antonio River Walk -- is spearheaded by Intrawest Corp., a Canadian developer known mostly for its ski resorts. The planned village, across Universal Boulevard from the county's giant convention center, was to include more than 40 boutiques and restaurants along waterfront walkways. But all that has materialized is a 315-room...

EVAN SAYET I call myself a 9/13 Republican. I grew up a liberal New York Jew; you don't get much more liberal than that--although it was lower-case "l," not what's considered Liberal today. I graduated from high school knowing only one thing about politics: that Democrats are good and Republicans are evil. I tell a story. It's not a true story, but it helps crys­tallize my thinking that brought me to become a conservative. I say: Imagine being in a restaurant with an old friend, and you're catching up, and suddenly he blurts out, "I hate my wife." You chuckle...

Didn't see this posted anywhere but apologies if it has been. Both amusing, disturbing and cringe-making...

Climate Change: Some in Congress think global warming is so important it should be an issue of national defense, not science. It's a wrongheaded and dangerous idea, one that shows how crazy the debate has become. Unfortunately, the proposal to make global warming a matter of national security is bipartisan, with Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, joining Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, as co-sponsors. If nothing else, this proves neither party has a monopoly on wisdom. According to the Boston Globe, their plan calls for the U.S. intelligence chief to produce a "national intelligence estimate" on global warming....

NEW YORK - John Lennon's widow is calling for the anniversary of his death to become a day of worldwide healing. In a full-page advertisement appearing Sunday in The New York Times, Yoko Ono urges readers to mark the anniversary by apologizing to those who have suffered because of violence and war. "Every year, let's make December 8th the day to ask for forgiveness from those who suffered the insufferable," writes the musician's widow, who signs the letter with the name Yoko Ono Lennon. In the open letter, Ono urges readers to take responsibility for failing to intervene on behalf...

Elton John - make that Sir Elton John - recently declared in a magazine interview that "religion should be banned completely." At least he didn't say it should be banned selectively; that might smack of favoritism and discrimination. It seems his animus toward religion is driven largely by his status as a homosexual. He resents religiously based disapproval of his lifestyle and says that religion directs "hatred towards gay people." His ironic remedy is that religious intolerance, as he sees it, shouldn't be tolerated. He's also critical of religious leaders for not coming together to end war. Now, Elton John...

"Globalisation" has become one of the great buzzwords of modern times. Microsoft's Bill Gates is amongst those who say the world is 'flatter' It came to the fore during the 1990s, and the impact of globalisation looks set to play a prominent part in shaping our world during the first decades of this new century.  To see the advocates of globalisation at work and play there is no better vantage point than the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  Its members have probably all read columnist Tom Friedman's best-seller, The World Is Flat: A Brief...

Olympic ideals still relevant in cynical modern world Alan Kellogg,The Edmonton Journal Published: Sunday, February 12, 2006 It's interesting that John Lennon's Imagine has become a sort of Hallmark card at certain international events. It's a sweet and familiar melody, sure, and the sincerity is unmistakable. Boomers still call the shots in most locales. But its lyrics remain deeply radical decades after its conception. On Friday, at the opening of the Turin Games, Peter Gabriel sang it affectingly, with Yoko Ono watching in the wings: "Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do." We're also meant to imagine no...

"UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Kofi Annan lashed out at the media after a year of unrelenting attacks on the United Nations and criticism of his management of the $64 billion Oil-for-Food program in Iraq, calling one critic "an overgrown schoolboy." "

Fresh off of a critically-successful series of acoustic/bluegrass themed albums, Dolly’s upcoming album Those Were The Days takes Dolly in a more contemporary direction, while keeping some of the bluegrass flavors of her past few albums. The album begins with its title track, the Mary Hopkin classic “Those Were The Days,” which features a cast of Grand Ole Opry legends adding nostalgia and fun. The voices of Porter Wagoner, George Jones, and Jeannie Seely are clearly heard singing along with Dolly during select parts of the song, including a gang sing on the chorus. However the vocal contributions from Hopkin...

For almost 80 years, the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin has laid in an elaborate mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow. In the Soviet era, crowds would wait hours on end for a chance to glimpse the remains of the Communist leader who changed the course of history during the Russian Revolution. But times have changed, and now Russians are debating whether to leave the body in place, or not. Russian Communists line up at the Lenin mausoleum The lengthy queues of people waiting anxiously to see Lenin may be long gone. But, three days a week, it is still...

Many Shall Call Me Lord Self-deception and believing, then living a lie. There are no quick answers to complex questions, but the questions concerning, God’s Word or “Revealed Will,” are plain for every generation to see.  Whether they are men and women who name Christ as their Lord or not, people want to play all kinds of games with God and His Word in an attempt to excuse themselves from their anti-cultural and suicidal behaviors.  These lifestyle choices center on ethical decisions requiring wisdom for greater understanding of the difference between good and evil.  From a Christian perspective, this point...

In the fall of 2001 when the dust and ash from the World Trade Center were still in the air, Jim Whitaker, a documentary filmmaker, decided to photograph everything happening at ground zero. By the spring of 2002 three cameras were pointed at the pit, each taking one shot every five minutes, round the clock. Months later, three more cameras were added. That was the beginning of Project Rebirth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a historical record of the rebuilding. Today www.projectrebirth.org, a Web site produced with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and AOL , opens for public viewing....

Pop superstar Madonna's Re-Invention tour has been slammed by American critics - for overloading the show with "naive" political statements. The "American Life" singer, 45, kicked off the US leg of her tour in California on Monday but failed to impress critics with her attempts to "wipe the slate clean" by ditching her trademark raunchy routines. The Los Angeles Times sniped, "This promised to be Madonna's tour de force, a reappraisal that put her work in new and revealing contexts. But time and again she fell short of the challenge." Many critics were unimpressed by the images of the Iraq...

Imagine there's a heaven © 2000 Bob Just Imagine there's a heaven -- a place of truth and love. Start by imagining there is such a thing as "goodness" in this life, and then imagine we can recognize goodness because there is evil too. And we can see the choice clearly. And we can see that choosing evil leads to great heartbreak and destruction. And we can see that choosing good brings joy to life and to our souls. Now imagine you have a soul -- a place of truth and love -- something in you that longs for goodness, that longs...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The federal building in Westwood became a focal point for anti-war demonstrators on Saturday, with a handful of women stripping to their thongs and a separate group led by actor Danny Glover marching down Wilshire Boulevard to protest a possible war with Iraq.</p>

Mrs Blair's troubles are not unlike those of Hillary Clinton - it's an image thing By Donald Macintyre 06 December 2002 Let's suppose that Cherie Booth had issued the statement she made yesterday late on Saturday night when The Mail on Sunday broke That Story. It's highly unlikely that it would have survived beyond Tuesday, let alone generated the unbridled media excitement it began to do yesterday. Let's further suppose that in some carefully selected television slot a little later she gave an interview in which she said: "Look, we don't own any property in the south. I wanted to...

Group imagines a world without hatred Wednesday, July 10, 2002 People gather at "Peace Together," a celebration of humanity, diversity and hope Tuesday at the Peace Plaza. (Elizabeth Nida/Post-Bulletin) By Nicole Garrison The Post-Bulletin Members of a local discussion group have taken a page from John Lennon's song book: They imagine people of all religions, colors and creeds living together in peace. You may say they are dreamers, but Monday they proved they are not the only ones. More than 30 people joined members of the "Hope from the World's Ashes" discussion group at the Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester...