Unexpected Divorce Entrance: A Parody

You might be one of the nearly 20 million who've seen the JK Wedding Dance Entrance on YouTube. Well that was just the beginning. Since then, the Unexpected Divorce Entrance has been released, a parody of the wedding version. Have a look:



Pretty clever, eh? I think it's even more creative than the wedding dance entrance and would be funnier if divorce were even mildly amusing. It got me to thinking about where this could lead. Might we anticipate an unexpected entrance to, say, a graduation ceremony? Or, heaven forbid, to a funeral? What can you imagine? (Thanks to Bobby Ross, Jr. for sharing the link.)

President Reagan's Cold War Gaffe

Twenty-five years ago this week, during a sound check for his microphone, President Ronald Reagan came up with an absolutely idiotic off-the-cuff joke that put the Kremlin on full alert. I'm still not believing that a leader of his stature would have said this into an open mic. . .

Apparently no hard feelings though. Looking at the time line on this, I see those remarks were in 1984, three years before Reagan's famous challenge in front of Berlin's Brandenberg Gate to Russian leader Michael Gorbochev to tear down this wall! And that had a happy ending.





Speaking of President Reagan and Russia, apparently he enjoyed collecting jokes told in Russia. Here's a collection of some favorites. This gives me an idea. Think I'll check around over here for any jokes here about U.S. Presidents.

Let's Go Shopping!

Say, care to join me for a morning shopping trip to Central Market? You know, I'm not into recreational shopping. To me, shopping is w-o-r-k. But add a colorful, cultural photo opportunity to the mix and I'm there. So off we go! This includes sound as well as sights because guess what - in recent days I've learned a thing or two about using the movie mode on my still-photo camera. Oh this is exciting. So come along. I think you'll enjoy standing with me on some steps overlooking part of the market.




How did you like that? What a contrast, eh? The magnificent cathedral and than the ordinary little shopping kiosks nearby.


Say, let's sashay on over to the vegetable department. The fresh produce - the bright peppers are so beautiful in August. This video is more a learning exercise than anything. Thought I should tell you that first. Just because.



Note to self: no need to be shrieking out orders to folks - Smile! Smile! - and various comments from behind the camera. See, this movie mode picks up sounds, and so learn to cut the chatter when shooting video. Anyway, the idea here is to get a taste of the interior of the market. And maybe another time I'll add subtitles to translate what's being said, but that's something for another lesson, another video. . .

Thank you for joining me dear friends! Trust you enjoyed our shopping trip as much as I did!

You Would Slow for *Brad Pitt* -- Wooden You?

On a recent excursion, friends and I crested a hill just west of Rostov and happened upon this police car. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

What would you do - Hit the brakes? Seen from a distance does this make your heart quicken?


Let's take a closer look. Could be a genuine police car. Wooden you think so?


Reminded me of rumors that a Brad Pitt-of-sorts works in Siberia as a police officer.

There in the city of Omsk, Mr Pitt goes by the name of Ivan.


So then, here's Brad Ivan Pitt working the traffic in Omsk, Siberia. An Oscar-worthy performance.


Back to southwest Russia and our beloved Rostov-on-Don. . .

. . . and the decoy along the highway.


Here's the scenery as we approach the police car. Fields of sunflowers. By the way, did you happen to know that the Rostov region is a prime grower of sunflowers?


A little further west are fields of wheat being harvested. Beautiful. Again, let us not get distracted and be tempted to drive too fast.


Because suddenly just ahead up pops a two-dimensional police car.

Say, dear blog reader, have you had any experience with a decoy? Police car, Hollywood actor or other?

A Musical Treat: Two Russian Hymns

Eighty-two of us came together July 19th for the annual Christian Singing School held in Donetsk, Ukraine. The aim of the week-long school is to enhance congregational singing in Russian-speaking congregations. On our fourth day together, we held a public concert. The following videos are of Kostya's Ensemble, an elite group of singers, hand-picked by Konstantin "Kostya" Zhigulin, musical director of the school.



I Believe in Belief, written and composed by Kostya Zhiglin. The words of a Searcher, looking to find God, looking to find meaning in life. (Translation in progress at the YouTube site.)



Create in Me a Clean Heart: A favorite song with a new twist. Translated and arranged by Kostya Zhigulin. This version has a Slavic touch: Here transposed into a minor key with the voices coming in separately. We've sung this song better on other occasions, but still we trust that our efforts are pleasing to our Heavenly Father.