Pero Is Shutting It Down

I've been running this blog for 15 years.  It has had different names, and various themes, but it has been pretty effectively running for 15 years.

I have had many takes and comments, and have posted tons of content...Of course there are things I've said and posted which proved out to be wrong or short-sighted, but in general I stand by every thing I've posted.

Maybe I'll return someday.  Maybe not...But either way, I thank those who have come to my blog over all of these years.  I enjoyed it, and I hope you did as well.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

"May the enemies of Ireland never eat bread nor drink whisky, but be tormented with itching without benefit of scratching." - Traditional St. Patrick's Day toast

Originally posted at Wilstar

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The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship.

Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.

He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity.

His wishes were to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated.

Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some people think this is a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.

One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston.

Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. One might say it has become the first green of spring.

THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

Pero's Hot Takes: Kashmir & The Stilt

KASHMIR:  No, I'm not talking about a mis-spelled sweater.  And I'm also not thinking about one of Led Zeppelin's greatest songs - though it is an amazing song.

Kashmir is a region in the northern part of India.  It is also a region claimed by Pakistan - the eastern part of Pakistan...It has been fought over by the two countries since they gained independence from the Brits in 1947.

History and geopolitics never end, and old hatreds and rivalries never stay dormant forever.  Especially when it comes to religious issues...In this case, much of the squabble is about Islam (Pakistan) and Hinduism (India).

In the last couple weeks both India and Pakistan have made cross-border incursions (Pakistan with 'unofficial' troops/militants, and India with official troops).  Both have also fired on each other with their air forces; India actually had a plane shot down.

So, who cares?  It's India and Pakistan.  It's not like they are great powers.  HA!

These are two countries with large nuclear weapon stockpiles, and more-than-adequate delivery systems.  They are, also, countries with great power neighbors, allies and pseudo-allies (China, Iran, US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc.).

Here's the important things to think about:
1.  If things continue to heat up, India would absolutely crush Pakistan in a conventional war...Pakistan is VERY aware of this.
2.  Pakistan has a 'First Strike Doctrine.'  Meaning it has an official policy of using its nuclear weapons as a first strike to defend itself...One of the only countries on earth to have such an 'official' doctrine.
3.  If Pakistan knows it would get crushed in a conventional war with India, and gets to a point where it believes it may be attacked by India, would it go to it's 'First Strike Doctrine'?  If so, India would obviously return the favor.
4.  What would India and Pakistan's neighbors and allies do in the event of any of this happening?

Hmmmmm!?!?!?!  I'm sure the MSM won't bother you with such questions.

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The Stilt:  On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain had the greatest single-game performance in the history of North American sports - and there aren't any that are even close...The most amazing part of this feat for him is he made 28 of 32 Free Throws - he was a 50% FT shooter for his career.

If you are wondering why I said North American sports instead of American sports, I wanted to include anything Wayne Gretzky did.