History & Comment for April 23, 2025

A look at historical and current events on this day, comment and humor so dry it would make a camel thirsty. 

Transcript

This is History and Comment for Wednesday the 23 of April 2024.

The Vatican remains in the news and will for the next couple of weeks.  The pomp, circumstance and padgentry are reasonable for any head of state or high office.    I know the Pope is seen by 1.4 billion people or more than one in every six people, as the Vicar of Christ.  What that term means is, he is at least the personal representative of Christ and some definitions extend it to mean he is the present embodiment.   

That point is what separates the Roman Catholic Church from the rest of Christendom.    The role of the Pope.     The other major point is the Catholic Church makes a concerted effort to distance Christ from the people.    On this point I have a very strong disagreement.  I would go so far as to plainly state that it is the exact opposite of the intent of the Gospel.   

It is a human trait to esteem people and to want to be esteemed.   But no where in the New Testament do we see support of a priesthood or mediator between God and man, except in Christ.     I bristle when I hear some pulpit-pounder make a point that you cannot be more spiritual or holy than your Pastor.     That is creating a Priesthood and the concept is just not there.    

Christ is not found in the robes and vestment no matter the symbolism.  Nor guild and polish.  Nor ornate prayers and ceremony.   Those things only serve to distance the pew from God.     I am going to flirt with sacrilege for a moment to make a point.   No sincere Catholic would consider it proper for a layman to put on clerical robes for personal devotion, considering themselves unworthy.    And why are they unworthy?  Is their prayers and sincerity lacking?   Or are their works and efforts too frail?    We will not get off on works here.  Catholics loves those. 

But it is little different that the fundamental, pulpit pounder who preaches Hell, fire and brimstone in most sermons.     The topic has a place, to bring the sinner to repentance.    Once beyond that point it can easily become spiritual abuse.   If God forgets our sins at repentance,   why should we continue to bring them up.    A point that Christians fail to grasp is all of our sins were in the future when Christ died on the cross.    Repentance is an acknowledgement of that and a surrender to God.   Not a laundry list that must be refreshed at each turn.     God’s grace is robust and abundant.    Our part is simply to trust in it, surrendering our will to his.   

Now that is a tough job.    There are two main pitfalls in our search for God.   One is to rely on our efforts to make ourselves holy or acceptable to God.   The second is to assume we can find a higher estate.  Self Worship.   Actually, both are similar.    They attempt to gain a higher spiritual level by our efforts.  

England’s highest honor is established in or about 1348, there is some debate. Know as the Order of the Garter, it is the highest form of knighthood and given at the sole discretion of the monarch.   It is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales and 24 living members.   The United States forbids title of nobility in contrast to England.   But this Order would be close to our idea of the Medal of Honor.   

There have been 1021 Member of the order. Four added last year and there are currently four open seats.   The latest honoree is composer Andrew Loyd-Webber.   

1516, the ingredient of beer are regulated in all of Bavaria.    Actully, most types of alcohol have restrictions.   Burbon, must be made in Kentucky and aged in new barrels.   Scotch is quite similar but has restrictions also.   You cannot make Scotch in Kentucky, nor Burbon in Scotland, no matter if the process is the same.   

The dirty secret is our local grain plant makes tanker loads of what they call neutral spirits.   The rumour is there are some brands ageing some product in barrels and cutting it with straight alcohol and water.   Much easier and cheaper.  

The first public School in the United States opens in Boston in 1635.    We could go off on a tyrade on Public Schools.   The concept is all well intended and good.   But it is being abused for the exact reason as ketchup in the fast food place.   If it is free, it will be wasted.  

The second Main Building on the University of Notre Dame campus burns on this day in 1879.  It will be replaced by the gold domed one that we know today.       One little known fact is originally the desire was to build the University about 30 miles East of the French Settlement of Vincennes near the present town of Montgomery.  But Church politics prevailed and the Northern location got the blessing. 

IN a bold and maybe treasonous move,  Hitler’s designated successor, Herman Goring send a telegram asking permission to take leadership of Germany on this day in 1945.  Goring was acting on the understanding the Hitler intended to commit sucicide, at which point He would have been in the top position.    Hitler did consider the act treasonous and ordered him removed from all offices and arrested.    We can debate how stable Hitler was at this point.   He will indeed commit suicide just one week later.    Goring for his part in the war will be conviced of war crimes.   He requested execution by firing squad but that was rejected.  He committed suicide by cyanide poisoning the night before his scheduled hanging.  

China is in a civil war in 1949.  The People’s Liberation Navy is formed on this day.    Pay careful attention to the words used by any communist regime.   Never do the people benefit.  

Anti-war protest shut down Columbia University in 1968 for a few days.   1968 was the height of the war and subsequent protest.  

In the biggest marketing blunder until the recent woke wave.  Coca-cola announces “New Coke” in 1985.  It lasted about 90 days.     The issue was the bean counters in the board rooms were being out marketed by Pepsi.    And instead of upping their game, the played into Pepsi’s hand.     The two drinks have been rivals since the 1870s. Both share a common origin story as creations in the patent medicine era and formulated by druggist.     Pepsi is a bit sweeter than Coke.   That gave it an advantage in simple taste test.  Most folks will prefer a sweeter drink in a single taste.     Also, younger markets prefer a sweeter product.    Pepsi discovered this and made marketing hay with the data.     Coca-Cola tried to compete and failed miserable.    

A few years ago Anhesier-Bush tried to expand their brand appeal by also offending their base.   I think the phrase is, Here hold my beer.    

There is a story floating around that Dr. Pepper which is independent and sometime bottle by Coke or Pepsi depending on the market has a slightly different taste depending on which version.   Supposedly, you can tell by the shape of the bottle.   

A flavor chemist,   claims to have a knockoff Dr. Pepper recipe.   Most likely he is very close.   It’s base flavor is cherry.     Which brings up the debate about the formula for Coca-Cola.   With technology today matching it is extremely easy and within the reach of most any bottler.    But you cannot infringe 155 years of marketing.  Commenting on some of the reported formulas on the street.  Coke has bragged that even if they would publish the formula, it would not be Coca-cola without the history and other trademarks.      

The soft drink concept is another one of my rabbit holes. 

You Tube is 20 years old today.    The first video was uploaded by one of the co-founders and titled “Me at the zoo” .  The 19-second video has over 355 million views.   The content is hardly earth shattering, but the idea was.  

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