Umas Cosinhas sobre o Brasil...

Aqui está um texto que me foi enviado por e-Mail o qual eu achei bem interessante, e trata sobre o nosso grande país do Brasil. Infelizmente não me lembro quem me enviou esse e-Mail, mais agora o que importa é o que a mensagem nos diz. Quem sabe assim a gente não aprecia esse país um pouquinho mais. Afinal, temos orgulho ou não de nosso país?! Eu posso ter vergonha dos políticos brasileiros, mais nunca do Brasil! O nome original desse texto se chama "Comantários de Uma Holandesa Sobre o Brasil".

Os brasileiros acham que o mundo todo presta, menos o Brasil. E realmente parece que é um vício falar mal do Brasil. Todo lugar tem seus pontos positivos e negativos mas, no exterior eles maximizam os positivos, enquanto no Brasil se maximiza os negativos. Aqui na Holanda, os resultados das eleições demoram horrores porque não há nada automatizado. Só existe uma companhia telefônica e (pasmem!) se você ligar reclamando do serviço, corre o risco de ter seu telefone temporariamente desconectado.
Nos Estados Unidos e na Europa, ninguém tem o hábito de enrolar o sanduíche em um guardanapo - ou de lavar as mãos - antes de comer. Nas padarias, feiras e açougues europeus, os atendentes recebem o dinheiro e com mesma mão suja entregam o pão ou a carne. Em Londres, existe um lugar famosíssimo que vende batatas fritas enroladas em folhas de jornal - e tem fila na porta. Na Europa, não-fumante é minoria. Se pedir mesa de não-fumante, o garçom ri na sua cara, porque não existe. Fumam até em elevador. Em Paris, os garçons são conhecidos por seu mau humor e grosseria e qualquer garçom de botequim no Brasil podia ir para lá dar aulas de como conquistar o cliente.
Você sabe como as grandes potências fazem para destruir um povo? Impõem suas crenças e cultura. Se você parar para observar, em todo filme dos EUA a bandeira nacional aparece, e geralmente na hora em que estamos emotivos.
O Brasil tem uma língua que, apesar de não se parecer quase nada com a língua portuguesa, é chamada de língua portuguesa, enquanto que as empresas de software a chamam de português brasileiro, porque não conseguem se comunicar com os seus usuários brasileiros através da língua Portuguesa. Os brasileiros são vítimas de vários crimes contra sua pátria, crenças, cultura, língua, etc... Os brasileiros mais esclarecidos sabem que tem muitas razões para resgatar as raízes culturais.

Os dados são da Antropos Consulting:
1. O Brasil é o país que tem tido maior sucesso no combate à AIDS e outras doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, e vem sendo exemplo mundial.
2. O Brasil é o único país do hemisfério sul que está participando do Projeto Genoma.
3. Numa pesquisa envolvendo 50 cidades de diversos países, a cidade do Rio de Janeiro foi considerada a mais solidária.
4. Nas eleições de 2000, o sistema do Tribunal Regional Eleitoral (TRE) estava informatizado em todas as regiões do Brasil, com resultados em menos de 24 horas depois do início das apurações. O modelo chamou a atenção de uma das maiores potências mundiais: Os Estados Unidos, onde a apuração dos votos teve que ser refeita várias vezes, atrasando o resultado e colocando em xeque a credibilidade do processo.
5. Mesmo sendo um país em desenvolvimento, os internautas brasileiros representam uma fatia de 40% do mercado na América Latina.
6. No Brasil, há 14 fábricas de veículos instaladas e outras 4 se instalando enquanto alguns países vizinhos não possuem nenhuma.
7. Das crianças e adolescentes entre 7 a 14 anos, 97,3% estão estudando.
8. O mercado de telefones celulares do Brasil é o segundo do mundo, com 650 mil novas habilitações a cada mês.
9. Na telefonia fixa, o país ocupa a quinta posição em número de linhas instaladas.
10. Das empresas brasileiras, 6.890 possuem certificado de qualidade ISO 9000, maior número entre os países em desenvolvimento. No México, são apenas 300 empresas e 265 na Argentina.
11. O Brasil é o segundo maior mercado de jatos e helicópteros executivos. Por que esse vício de só falar mal do Brasil?

1.Por que não se orgulhar em dizer que o mercado editorial de livros é maior do que o da Itália, com mais de 50 mil títulos novos a cada ano?
2. Que o Brasil tem o mais moderno sistema bancário do planeta?
3. Que as agências de publicidade ganham os melhores e maiores prêmios mundiais?
4. Por que não se fala que o Brasil é o país mais empreendedor do mundo e que mais de 70% dos brasileiros, pobres e ricos, dedicam considerável parte de seu tempo em trabalhos voluntários?
5. Por que não dizer que o Brasil é hoje a terceira maior democracia do
mundo?
6. Que apesar de todas as mazelas, o Congresso está punindo seus próprios membros, o que raramente ocorre em outros países ditos civilizados?
7. Por que não lembrar que o povo brasileiro é um povo hospitaleiro, que se esforça para falar a língua dos turistas, gesticula e não mede esforços para atende-los bem?
8. Por que não se orgulhar de ser um povo que faz piada da própria desgraça e que enfrenta os desgostos sambando.

É! O Brasil é um país abençoado de fato. Bendito este povo, que possui a magia de unir todas as raças, de todos os credos. Bendito este povo, que sabe entender todos os sotaques. Bendito este povo, que oferece todos os tipos de climas para contentar toda
gente. Bendita seja, querida pátria chamada Brasil!

Se achar conveniente:
Divulgue esta mensagem! Com essa atitude, talvez não consigamos mudar o modo
de pensar de cada brasileiro, mas ao ler estas palavras irá, pelo
menos, por alguns momentos, refletir e se orgulhar de ser BRASILEIRO!!!

Away From You

It´s so hard for me
To stay away from you
Everytime I see your face in my mind
My breath just goes away
And my heart hurts so much
That I just want to runaway
Leaving everything behind
Leaving everybody behind
Just to be close to you
Just to stay with you
And forget everything else

I want to forget the world exists
I just want to forget everything
Leave all my troubles behind
Leave all my worries behind
And just stay close to you
Stay as close as possible
To walk with you
To hug you all day long
To kiss your face dearly
And tell you I love you a thousand times

I know that I can't always be with you
But if I could I would
Stay with you forever
Love you forever
But even when are not together
I feel you in my heart
I feel this love growing inside of me
Either close or far...
I love you so much
And I just can't stop thinking about you
I just don't want to stop thinking about you
Because I love you
I really do love you!

I have thought all about it
I have already decided it
I have no doubts about it
Because I love you
I want to spend my life with you
I want to spend all of it with you
I want to live close to you every minute of my life
I want to wake up every morning at your side
And go to sleep every night with you in my arms
And when you close your eyes
I'll close mine too
And then I'll dream with you
I'll dream with you forever...

I love you
I love you
And I want you
I want you for all my life
All my life
Close to me
With me
I cannot say it better
I love you
And I want to live with you
Every moment of my life
For the rest of my life
And then never be away from you again...

I love you
I'm yours...

Children's Science Exam

If you need a laugh, then read through these Children's Science Exam Answers.

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this !)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, be cause there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does "varicose" mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section"
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome .

Q: What does the word "benign" mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Mais "Pernambuguês"...

A ... ... ...

Arenga: Briga pequena; Briga de crianças, de irmãos; implicação.

Arretado: Uma coisa que é muito legal; legal.

Açoite: Chicote.

Amassar: Ter intimidade, paixão, com uma pessoa e toca-lá/toca-ló em lugares íntimos, beijar; sarrar.

Amasso: Ter tido um momento de intimidade, paixão, com uma pessoa e toca-lá/toca-ló em lugares íntimos, beijar.

Amarrado: Mesquinho; aquela pessoa que não gosta de dar, emprestar.

B ... ... ...

Brebote: Troço, coisa.

Bichinha: Expressão carinhosa para garota, menina, mulher.

Boyzinha: Moça nova; meninha bonitinha ou muito "enfeitada", arrumada.

Boyzinho: Filhinho de papai, rico; carinha amostrado e/ou muito "enfeitado", arrumado.

C ... ... ...

Cabra(Caba): Homem.

Catota: Meleca de nariz.

Catinga: Cheiro ruim.

Cagada: Muita sorte; sorte.

Cagado: Quem tem sorte, sortudo; quem conseguio alguma coisa díficil.

Cotôco: Resto de um mebro que foi amputado ou cortado; pessoa muito pequena.

D ... ... ...

Danado: Irritado, com raiva; uma pessoa sem medo.

Danou-se/ Se lascou: Se ferrou, se meteu em problemas.

E ... ... ...

Enxerida: Mulher fuxiqueira, metida, que gosta de falar e de se meter na vidas dos outros.

Emburacar: Entrar sem licença.

Eita: Exprssão de surpresa, adimiração.

F ... ... ...

Fuxico: Fofoca.

Froxo: Pessoa medrosa.

Furico: Anús.

Fulero: Aquele que dá furo, que não cumpre o que diz.

Fulera: Coisa que não presta, de má qualidade.

Folote: Roupa ou algum outro objeto quando está folgado, frouxo; folgado; solto.

G ... ... ...

Galalau: Pessoa alta.

Gazear: Faltar aula.

H ... ... ...

I ... ... ...

Inhaca: Catinga de suor.

Invocado: Estar com raiva, pessoa com raiva, pessoa que se irrita facilmente.

J ... ... ...

K ... ... ...

L ... ... ...

Leso: Bobo, otário.

Liso: Pessoa sem dinheiro.

M ... ... ...

Massa: Algo muito bom, algo legal.

Mangar: Rir dos outros, abusar.

Muriçoca: Pernilongo ou Mosquito.

N ... ... ...

Nego (Neguinho): Qualquer pessoa (masculino).

Nega (Neguinha): Qualquer pessoa (feminino).

O ... ... ...

Ochente: Expressão de surpresa.

P ... ... ...

Pitôco: Botão; pessoa de baixa estatura.

Pipôco: Estouro, estrondo.

Pixotôtinho: Pequeneninho, miúdo.

Peba: Tudo que é ruim, de má qualidade.

Q ... ... ...

Quenga: Prostituta.

Queijo: Virgindade.

R ... ... ...

Roncha: Mancha de pancada.

Remela: Sujeira de olho.

S ... ... ...

Sarrar: Dar um amasso com a gatinha; "um chega cá".

Seixo: Pedaço de pedra.

T ... ... ...

Tá medonho (Támedoin): Expressão de surpresa, adimiração.

Tá lascado: Está em problemas, está ferrado.

Tá danado: Expressão de surpresa, espanto ou adimiração.

U ... ... ...

V ... ... ...

Vou chegando: Vou sair.

"Vou dar uma chegadinha na casa da Gatinha...": "Vou lá na casa da Gatinha..."

Vôte: Sinal de espanto.

Venta: Nariz.

X ... ... ...

Xôxo: Franzino, de aparência fraca, anêmica.

W ... ... ...

Y ... ... ...

Z ... ... ...

"Pernambuguês"

A ... ... ...

Arenga: Briga pequena; Briga de crianças, de irmãos.

Arretado: Uma coisa que é muito legal; legal.

Açoite: Chicote.

B ... ... ...

Brebote: Troço, coisa.

Bichinha: Expressão carinhosa para garota, menina, mulher.

Boyzinha: Moça nova; meninha bonitinha ou muito "enfeitada", arrumada.

Boyzinho: Filhinho de papai, rico; carinha amostrado e/ou muito "enfeitado", arrumado.

C ... ... ...

Cabra (Caba): Homem.

Catota: Meleca de nariz.

Cagada: Muita sorte.

Cagado: Quem tem sorte, quem conseguio alguma coisa díficil.

Cotôco: Resto de um mebro que foi amputado ou cortado; pessoa muito pequena.

D ... ... ...

Danado: Irritado, com raiva; uma pessoa sem medo.

Danou-se/ Se lascou: Se ferrou, se meteu em problemas.

E ... ... ...

Enxerida: Mulher fuxiqueira, metida, que gosta de falar e de se meter na vidas dos outros.

Emburacar: Entrar sem licença.

Eita: Exprssão de surpresa, adimiração.

F ... ... ...

Fuxico: Fofoca.

Froxo: Pessoa medrosa.

Furico: Anús.

Fulero: Aquele que dá furo, que não cumpre o que diz.

Fulera: Coisa que não presta, de má qualidade.

Folote: Roupa ou algum outro objeto quando está folgado, frouxo.

G ... ... ...

Galalau: Pessoa alta.

Gazear: Faltar aula.

H ... ... ...

I ... ... ...

Inhaca: Catinga de suor.

Invocado: Estar com raiva.

J ... ... ...

K ... ... ...

L ... ... ...

Leso: Bobo, otário.

Liso: Pessoa sem dinheiro.

M ... ... ...

Mangar: Rir dos outros, abusar.

Muriçoca: Pernilongo ou Mosquito.

N ... ... ...

Nego (Neguinho): Qualquer pessoa (masculino).

Nega (Neguinha): Qualquer pessoa (feminino).

O ... ... ...

Ochente: Expressão de surpresa.

P ... ... ...

Pitôco: Botão; pessoa de baixa estatura.

Pipôco: Estouro, estrondo.

Pixotôtinho: Pequeneninho, miúdo.

Peba: Tudo que é ruim, de má qualidade.

Q ... ... ...

Quenga: Prostituta.

R ... ... ...

Roncha: Mancha de pancada.

Remela: Sujeira de olho.

S ... ... ...

Sarrar: Dar um amasso com a gatinha; "um chega cá".

Seixo: Pedaço de pedra.

T ... ... ...

Tá medonho (Támedoin): Expressão de surpresa, adimiração.

Tá lascado: Está em problemas, está ferrado.

Tá danado: Expressão de surpresa, espanto ou adimiração.

U ... ... ...

V ... ... ...

Vou chegando: Vou sair.

"Vou dar uma chegadinha na casa da Gatinha...": "Vou lá na casa da Gatinha..."

Vôte: Sinal de espanto.

X ... ... ...

Xôxo: Franzino, de aparência fraca, anêmica.

W ... ... ...

Y ... ... ...

Z ... ... ...

Preciosa

Quem é você
Que me tomou totalmente de surpresa?
Quem é você
Que me surpreende cada vez que te vejo?
Que me faz sorrir como um bobo
Sempre que te vejo
Sempre que falo contigo?

Você foi e é uma maravilhosa surpresa
Uma benção que chegou de repente em minha vida
E agora eu agradeço a Deus por teres aparecido em minha vida
Sou muito feliz por que te conheço agora
Sou muito feliz por te ter como uma amiga

Que amiga preciosa és tu
Você se torna mais preciosa para mim a cada dia
Agradeço a Deus todos os dias por tua vida
E lhe peço para que te abençôe sempre
Por que sei que tu mereçes!

Você é maravilhosa, e tão incrível
Me sinto tão bem sempre que te vejo
Me sinto tão feliz sempre que falo contigo
Sinto como se tivesse borboletas em meu coração
Sinto como se tivesse estrelas em meus olhos

Você é preciosa, muito preciosa
Você é cheia de luz, cheia de vida
Tens um coração puro
Você vê o mundo através de uma luz diferente
Que torna tudo mais colorido
Que torna tudo melhor

E quando você olha para mim
Com esses pequenos lindos olhos
Você me vê como um homem melhor
Um homem melhor do que sou realmente
E assim você me faz sentir incrivelmente bem

Agora que te conheço
Espero nunca te deixar
Espero nunca estar longe de ti
Espero estar próximo a ti sempre
E sempre mais próximo de ti!

Meu coração está sempre aberto a ti
Meu coração é seu para a conquista
Você tem minha admiração, o meu respeito
Você tem meu carinho, meu amor
Voce me tem por completo
Você tem meu coração!

André David de Almeida Ribeiro

Nicolas Cage and Names...

I smiled ear to ear when I read this piece of news: "Nicolas Cage gives Superman's birth name to son".

Nic Cage further cemented his fanboy creed by naming his baby after his favorite comic book character. (I guess Nic hasn't really gotten over losing the title role in the new Superman movie.) His son now owns the hip alliterative Kal-el Coppola Cage. Nic himself swiped his surname "Cage" from the famous Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. It's amazing how people are more adventurous nowadays when it comes to naming their kids. Clerks director Kevin Smith named his kid Harley after the Joker's moll. And Bruce Willis and Demi Moore named one of their daughters Tallulabell, a name that normally opens you up for serious ridicule in the Blue States and a date with a guy named Cletus from Hazzard County.

I used to hate my name. When I was growing up, I went through a period of self-loathing about my own name. I was conscious of being an immigrant in the produce capitol of the world, 2 hours south of the San Francisco Bay Area, but not far enough removed from the days of segregation. My mother, as devout a Roman Catholic as you'll ever get, adored Italian culture, so she and my dad agreed to name me after a Pope -- thus my name Lionello Bravo Partible. (Though, I'm not sure which one of the 13 Popes. My mom said he had 'The Great' tacked on after his name which might've done wonders for his self-esteem but didn't exactly give me a sense of entitlement.) So my full name is a combination of names from 3 countries that conquered the Phillipines: My first name is Italian (they conquered the Filipinos through Catholicism), my Spanish middle name is my mom's maiden name, and my last name is Portuguese. Every year I dreaded the first day of school because I knew of the impending trauma. I braced myself for the routine. At the beginning of class the teacher read aloud the names from the roll call, each one easily rolling off her tongue until...she saw my name. "Uh, Lie-oh-nell-oh..." Then came the sound of a roomful of snickering elementary kids. I'd meekly raise my hand and correct the teacher. "It's Leo. Lee-oh-nell-oh." And then more snickers and the loss of a dozen potential friends as I slinked down my chair thinking, "Dear God! Why couldn't I have a name like Bob Smith, or Joe Jones, or even Jimmy Sims."

The apex of my humiliation came in the 4th grade when our teacher (a well-loved disciplinarian named Mark Vinas who moonlighted as a Greek Orthodox priest) asked us to create a rhyme with our first names. One smart aleck kid made a well-timed remark. "Lionello Funicello." It sent the room into hysterics. He continued with, "Lionello full of Jello." You could hear the chairs fall over as dozens of tiny legs thumped with glee on the gray carpet like fans going nutso on the bleachers at a Patriots game after the Pats scored a touchdown.

In later years I adopted the diminutive Anglicized version of my name, Leo. I continued to wrestle with my name all through my high school years while trying to figure out what to do with my life. My main talent was art and I knew I wanted to draw comic books. But art skills, no matter how talented you are, just don't catch the attention of school girls, especially the dreamgirls with the plaid skirts. At best, I'd get crowds of computer nerds and stoners surrounding me for 10 minutes and a high-pitched comment from a passing cheerleader that went something like, "Ooh, you're such a good drawer!" (Correction. I'm an artist. Drawers are what you put your socks in.) So I looked for another possible career to prepare for that would allow me to do some self-aggrandizing during my high school tenure to get a date or ten. High school gave me the opportunity to refine my other talents. I always loved movies so I was set on becoming a filmmaker in my freshman year. Early in my junior year I wanted to be an actor after I wandered past the drama room and saw a bevy of cute thespians on stage.

Then I decided it would be cool to be a writer a couple of months before summer began and Steinbeck's writing took hold of my imagination. (John Steinbeck was loved and loathed by the locals, depending on whether he wrote your family in a bad light or made you a local hero, but nevertheless his legacy was a boon for local tourism.) In my senior year I wanted to be a rock star when I found out singing in church got the little girls' hearts-a-thumpin'.

But I was still in a conundrum. How was I going to get anywhere in the entertainment industry with a name like Lionello Bravo Partible? Up till that point I figured I needed to be Jewish to succeed in entertainment. I recited the names of great Jewish entertainers almost daily: Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen. Heck, I even suspected Elvis Presley of being Jewish because he had the Jewish root el in his name. I not only wanted to succeed, but I wanted to be great at what I did. Ergo, I needed to be Jewish. My prospects seemed dim for a time because simply adding a berg or a stein to my last name just wasn't going to solve my problem. (Partibleberg? Nah.)

My most immediate problem though was my name seemed to hinder my dating life. The girls gravitated to guys with athletic last names like Koslowski and Turner or an All-American boy-next-door named Sean, Steve, or Tim. Guys named Leo -- well, that's what they called their uncle. (Well, it wasn't all that bad. I did have dates, however clumsy and akward they were, and I wasn't an outcast. I was more like an in-betweener, with popularity highs or at the extreme, persona non grata low depending who was mad at me at the time.)

Thankfully, I figured out what I proudly believed to be a Solomonic resolution to my problem. If I wrote a book or directed a movie, I would be known as L.B. Partible (in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis). If I was playing rock n' roll I would be Leo Bravo. Problem solved.

Well, not quite. I went with the handle Leo Bravo for a couple of years during my bar band days and then later as a singer-songwriter. Then my brother Van became an animator and created Johnny Bravo for the Cartoon Network. (Strangely enough, Van's real name is Efrem Giovanni Bravo Partible. If you translate my brother's middle name -- Giovanni is Italian for John -- he's actually the real Johnny Bravo.) So I scrapped Leo Bravo. Thank God the age of Leo happened. Leonardo DiCaprio, that is. His popularity made guys named Leo more dateable. No longer would the name be synonymous with some greasy car salesman with an open shirt and hairy patches of brillo pad twirling out from under or the Mafioso hitman who happened to be the close relative you saw only at Christmastime.

And then the world changed seemingly overnight and now it's cool to have an exotic name -- Usher Raymond, Giovanni Ribisi, Alfonse Cuaron, Bokeem Woodbine, Neil Gaiman, Serena Williams, Evangeline Lilly, and even Madonna Ciconne. I realized while looking back that I had nothing to fret about. I should've paid more attention to the uniqueness of famous names. Then I would've been comforted to know that the initials in C.S. Lewis' name were Clive Staples.

Today, I'm not only comfortable with my name, I actually appreciate the fact that my parents gave me the name that I have. Names have a meaning, and in the Bible they can indicate a person's character or define him. My name means "Lion" which is in turn a symbol of royalty. (Now if I'm supposed be some kind of royalty, I'm not sure, but for a while it looked like I was the king of fools with one disastrous relationship after another.)

Also, one of my heroes in high school was Leonardo Da Vinci and in him, I figured out what I wanted to do with myself. I took the Scripture "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" to heart.

Kal-el Cage has a surprisingly Biblical name. In his marvelous essay on Superman, Gary Engle makes some great observations about the name of Krypton's last son:

"...It seems hardly coincidental that Superman's real (Kryptonian) name is Kal-El, an apparent neologism by George Lowther, the author who novelized the comic strip in 1942. In Hebrew, el can be both root and affix for God. As a root, it is the masculine singular word for God...As an affix, el is most translated "of God," as in the plenitude of Old Testament given names: Ishma-el, Ezeki-el, Samu-el, etc...The morpheme Kal bears a linguistic relation to two Hebrew roots. The first, kal, means "with lightness" or "swiftness" (faster than a speeding bullet in Hebrew?). It also bears a connection to the root hal, where h is the guttural ch of chutzpah. Hal translates roughly as "everything" or "all." Kal-el, then can be read as "all that is God," or perhaps more in the spirit of the myth of Superman, "all that God is." And while we're at it, Kent is a form of the Hebrew kana. In its k-n-t form, the word appears in the Bible, meaning "I have found a son." (1)

I wonder if Nic knows what a wonderful name he gave his boy? I mean after all, he is a professing Christian. And Kal-el's name just might give an indication of what he may become.

(1) Engle, Gary. "What Makes Superman So Darned American?"Sign of Life in the USA:

Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Sonia Maasik, Jack Solomon, Ed. 2nd Edition.

Boston. Bedford Books. 1997. 351.

Harry Potter e outras coisinhas...

Halloween, Harry Potter, prompt concern from occult experts

Two new books explore influence of fantasy series on increase of witchcraft among teens

By Lori Arnold

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Two experts on the occult are warning parents to be more attentive to their teens as interest in Wicca and other witchcraft has skyrocketed in recent years.

Richard Abanes and Steve Russo, who both attribute the popularity of Harry Potter and the Internet with the rise in occult activities have each written books on the matter. They were released in time for the upcoming Halloween observances and the scheduled Nov. 18 release day of the fourth Harry Potter movie.

“My concern is that some parents don’t know, don’t understand what’s in these books,” Abanes, author of “Harry Potter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know about Fantasy Books and Movies,” said.

Abanes, an apologist who previously worked for the Christian Research Institute, also wrote “Harry Potter and the Bible.”

Although both men said exact numbers are not available, there is clear evidence teens are experimenting with the occult in increased numbers. Both cite a flood of non-fiction Wiccan, neo-pagan, paranormal, witchcraft and occult books targeting teens. Film and television have also increased the number of programs on the topic, they said. Many online cites attribute Wicca as the fastest growing religion in America.

Wicca is a witchcraft-based religion that includes nature worship, the elevation of feminism and lax rules about sexuality. Unlike Christianity, where the emphasis is on God, Wicca tends to place increased emphasis on self. Adherents, who often practice spells, are encouraged to do no harm.

“It is so self-styled,” Russo said. “It’s a buffet-style religion. There are Catholic Wiccans. There are Christian Wiccans. It’s not like everyone joined the same church.”

Russo, who just released “Protecting Your Teen from Today’s Witchcraft,” and “What’s the Deal with Wicca? A Deeper Look into the Dark Side of Today’s Witchcraft,” travels an average of 20 weeks a year speaking at public junior and high schools. He said teens frequently talk—and brag—about their interest in Wicca. He also cited Google, whose Wicca links have escalated in the past few years. Several months ago, he said, Google listed a million links for the word Wicca. Today, that number sits at more than 2.8 million.

Evangelicals not immune

A self-described student of pop culture, Russo is urging Christian parents to take the issue seriously, saying Christian teens are not immune from the lure. “I think it’s the sleeping giant in the church today,” he said.

“This is an experiential generation. They are seeking power to change lives, power to feel special … They are looking for control. ‘You need to control your destiny,’ which is just one more variation of the lie Satan has been perpetuating since the beginning of human history.”

Because teens focus on the experiential, they are seeking relationships and a spirituality that is real, said Russo, an evangelist who has appeared on numerous national radio shows, including Focus on the Family. Helping to fuel their exodus from Christianity, he said, is the fact that many adults, including their parents and church leaders, can’t articulate to young people the dynamics of a victorious walk with the Lord. “They don’t know what they believe, why they were living it, and were leading powerless lives,” Russo said teens have told him. “I don’t think they were far off. “They didn’t have a relationship with Christ. They bought into the religious experience.”

Abanes attributes the general inquisitiveness of teens, many of whom are seeking their own way into adulthood. “It seems exciting because they are curious, because they are going through the old-fashioned rebellion,” Abanes said. “It can be exciting, stimulating, especially the way it’s portrayed on film.”

Actual practices

Abanes said he is critical of the Harry Potter series because it contains what he calls real world occult practices, including spiritism and astrology. The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, on the other hand, rely on imagination and basic forms of magic and fantasy. The practices contained in these works can’t be practiced, Abanes said.

He also said the plot lines encourage stealing, deceiving, lying, cheating and hypocrisy, which reduces the ethics and morals found on its pages into moral relativism. In one instance, Abanes said, one character deceives his wife, only to be exulted.

“She redefines what is good and evil,” he said. “Everything’s game as long as it targets evil Lord Voldemort,” the series’ bad guy.

Fantasy offerings found in Narnia and Lord of the Rings, differ significantly, Abanes said, because their authors come from a Christian perspective. Those books, he added, depict sorrow, consequences, repentence and forgiveness when something is wrong.

“It’s completely compatible with Christianity,” he said. “It can be a great evangelism tool.”

Staying in tune

Abanes believes that parents must take responsibility for guiding their children. If they do their jobs, the issue should be moot.

“It’s parental involvement, its not book banning, it’s not book burning,” Abanes said. “It’s not rigid censorship. It’s parents knowing what’s going on in the world and what’s going on with their kids.” Russo agreed.

“Parents need to know what their kids are reading,” he said. “How much poison does it take to hurt yourself? Just a few drops.”

Abanes said that while it’s easy for society to dismiss concerns about witchcraft by calling it another right-wing conspiracy, he said many Wicca and occult sites are extolling the numbers of young people becoming active in the practices.

“It’s no longer a question of what the crazy Bible-thumping Christians are saying; this is what their own people are saying,” he said.

Parents beware

Steve Russo, author of “Protecting Your Teen From Today’s Witchcraft,” said parents should keep an eye out for the following behaviors, which may suggest their teen is experimenting with the occult.

• Teens pull back from them and perhaps some of their old friends.

• There is a dramatic change is behavior.

• The teen has occult books, especially “A Book of Shadows,” a diary used to maintain spells, incantations and spiritual contacts.

• Unusual amount of candle wax in their room

• The presence of ornate knives or ceremonial daggers

Published by Keener Communications Group, October 2005

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