X-MAS Present

[BIG RED]

Does anyone want to email me some xmas presents? I am tinkering around with a new tool for racing that takes bris files. I am using the one on the sample page, but thats last febuary. I would love to do some recent races, like this past week, where I can get the charts for. If someone wants to send me a couple of cards that would be great. If I end up liking this, I will join and get the days cards from them. I never did this 'tech' stuff, looks like fun, but don't want to be paying for stuff I may not want later. Thanks

Merry Christmas
TOM

[DJofSD]

BRIS is offering 3 free Multicaps downloads -- go for it!

[BIG RED]

I have to re-join all over again, it has been so long I forget all the info I set up with them, it's not worth it.
Of course I will do all that if I wanted to pay for their daily files, not now though.

[Tom]

Send me your email address.

[BIG RED]

OK Tom, I guess my PM was shut off too? I must of done that by mistake. I'll pm it/.

[BIG RED]

LOL, my email was shut off too! Took me awhile to figure that out, and now you are logged off. Well, I did pm you my addy or you can go into my profile and email me that way.

Thanks again

[BIG RED]

Thanks TOM, you da man!

I'll actually have fun with them, who knows, might even pick a winner!

[Whitehos]

Bris supplies instant charts back a week for free. Joining Brisnet takes about 1 minute???????????????
Whitehos

[ranchwest]

It was Christ who was born on Christmas. Can we call it Christmas, please?

[Kelso]

It was Christ who was born on Christmas. Can we call it Christmas, please?

I hope it was a joyous Christmas for you and yours, Ranch.

[singunner]

The etymology of the "X" in "Xmas" is largely misunderstood. Nobody took the "Christ" out of "Christmas", they just shortened his name. As my Ancient Greek teacher related, "X" is the first letter in the Greek spelling of "Christ" and was often used during the presecution of Christians as a symbol that could be drawn, seemingly without meaning, only to have another Christian who understood the symbol complete it so they could then understand eachother to be Christians. In a way, this sort of historic comraderey feels like a greater testament to Christ than the current "celebration" of Christmas. If anything, the fact that Christmas has so very little historically or realistically to do with Christ is a better reason to take out the "X", possessing of such symbolic and moving meaning, and replacing it with "Christ", a word analogous to a dead horse beaten worse than the man himself.

I am not an atheist in that I do not bother thinking about religion, but as a child I loved and horded the presents while dreading Christmas Mass, which I think makes me Catholic by default.

All the same and in all sincerity, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(PS - I call myself "Sin"... I can't think of a non-insulting, polite way to request that all Christians visit their local library and read up on the history of their fascinating religion, and for that I apologize.)

[ranchwest]

I hope it was a joyous Christmas for you and yours, Ranch.

It was great (except I went to the Dallas Cowboys game, no gift there, lol).

Best to you and a Happy New Year.

[BIG RED]

It was Christ who was born on Christmas. Can we call it Christmas, please?

I purposely called it X-mas because I was asking for a gift (tacky), the lousy commercialness of it, and while I'm at it, what's this 'we', MYOB.

[Tom]

Actually, the X in Xmas is not the X for a name -

http://www.answers.com/topic/xmas#after_ad1

[singunner]

I give them books, I give them books, and all they do is chew the corners.

Let me pull a quote from the article you linked, Tom:

"Never try to teach a pig to read. It wastes time and annoys the pig."

Now you could use your browser's search function to figure out that quote is not in the text, or you could read past the first paragraph and figure out that you've supported my point better than your own.

Or I could just continue to point to the sky, calling it a beautiful winter azure while you argue that the clouds are most assuredly white.


To be kind (which I am certainly not), I will outline a few possible arguments against my initial contention:

1) "Learning the Christian's history of persecution from a teacher of Ancient Greek couldn't possibly teach you what you learned because it was the ROMANS who persecuted the Christians."

2) "You originally mistyped 'persecution' as 'presecution'."

3) "The 'X' in 'Xmas' is an attempt by the [whoever] to strip Christmas of its originally deep religious meaning, replacing it with blatant consumerism/commercialism."


If I've assumed an insulting tone, it's because you originally slighted me with the ill-prepared nature of your argument. nemo me impune lacessit.

[DJofSD]

OK. There's a certain level of scholarship required and some formal studies in the classics goes a long way.

The use of the Chi-rho has been around for a long time. Graphically, it appears as two overlaid characters, i.e. written on top of one another, and using modern western characters it looks like the letter "X" on top of the letter "P". Of coarse these are originally the two Greek characters mentioned previously. Here's the first example I could quickly find -- see the graphic in the middle of the page separating the sections of text. (http://www.holy-catholic.org/arian/liturgical_lore.html) Further discussion of the Chi-rho symbols appears about 25% of the way down the afore referenced URL.

Sure, the use of Xmas is an acceptable abbreviation. And if you choose to be offended by it, there's nothing any one can do about that, now, is there?

[Tom]

I give them books, I give them books, and all they do is chew the corners.

Let me pull a quote from the article you linked, Tom:

"Never try to teach a pig to read. It wastes time and annoys the pig."

Now you could use your browser's search function to figure out that quote is not in the text, or you could read past the first paragraph and figure out that you've supported my point better than your own.

Or I could just continue to point to the sky, calling it a beautiful winter azure while you argue that the clouds are most assuredly white.


To be kind (which I am certainly not), I will outline a few possible arguments against my initial contention:

1) "Learning the Christian's history of persecution from a teacher of Ancient Greek couldn't possibly teach you what you learned because it was the ROMANS who persecuted the Christians."

2) "You originally mistyped 'persecution' as 'presecution'."

3) "The 'X' in 'Xmas' is an attempt by the [whoever] to strip Christmas of its originally deep religious meaning, replacing it with blatant consumerism/commercialism."


If I've assumed an insulting tone, it's because you originally slighted me with the ill-prepared nature of your argument. nemo me impune lacessit.

What the HELL are you babbling on about? I was addressing Ranchwest's post, I didn't even read yours. Slighted YOU with and ill prepared argument? Don't hurt yourself reaching on that one, dude. I posted a link to RW's post because I had just heard that this weekend. Are you related to Vetscractch? The personality is familiar, somehow.
You should watch PA's video about posting for newbies.
And leave Captain Nemo out of this.

[Bruddah]

Peace and Good Will to all and to all a good night. May the reason for the season always be centered in Christ. :)

[singunner]

Bit ambiguous of a post.. All the same, I'll apologize for misreading on this one.

As for my style of posting, yes I am new here, but I find that it's just as well to be abrasive from the start. You'll get a better idea of who I am, and I can get a better idea of who everyone else is by their reactions.

No surprises.

[DJofSD]

singunner, don't take any of the discussion in this thread personally.

Also note, Tom is the #1 poster -- by volume -- on this board. And while he has a bark the bite is not nearly as bad. IOW, Tom's one of the good guys.

Now if you really want to get abused, sit at a WSOP table with some of the "bad boys of the poker world" -- they'll get your blood pressure up! ;)

[ranchwest]

Peace and Good Will to all and to all a good night. May the reason for the season always be centered in Christ. :)

Thanks.