We exist because of you: www.patreon.com/rareearth

@TheBangersnSmash

5 жыл бұрын

And not because god said let it be.. love the video thanks We are the gods we can do good and make the world right

@MichaelBerthelsen

5 жыл бұрын

You used to live in Japan, you should be used to the damn cicadas by now!😉

@timlash

5 жыл бұрын

I love everything about your end cards. I pause to read each one. Keep up the good work. Thanks!

@JeanLucCaptain

5 жыл бұрын

As for dragons I am working in a genetics lab right now to solve that particular issue! So dragons may exist in the future assuming the government has no issues with giant aggressive cattle butchering flame breathing flying nightmares being a thing😂

@IM-iw7wd

5 жыл бұрын

Rare Earth did you guys block me from commenting?

there are no dragons because mah boy slayed them

@mheermance

5 жыл бұрын

Sounds legit.

@beskamir5977

5 жыл бұрын

yep, basically akin to this wonderful meme: pics.me.me/jesus-promised-us-to-odin-promised-us-to-get-rid-14030889.png

@Thunderwalker87

5 жыл бұрын

Actually it was just a big scam. He made a deal with the dragon, they were doing a hussle. Like in Dragonheart.

@dirus3142

5 жыл бұрын

Dude, you never make a deal with a dragon. While your at it, never trust and elf.

@UsenameTakenWasTaken

5 жыл бұрын

Did his pawn replace him after he killed god twice?

Not a dragonslayer? Do you see any dragons around?

@badlaamaurukehu

5 жыл бұрын

Quite a few actually.

@JeanLucCaptain

4 жыл бұрын

SNOOP DRAGON!!!!

@Michael-Hammerschmidt

3 жыл бұрын

Just like St. Jiub... Except the flying beasts he slew were very, very real.

"There will almost certainly never be dragons" See, that's the problem, it's people like you who are holding back progress

@Prof_Z_PhD

5 жыл бұрын

I'd give it a few more years and we'll be able to genetically create our own dragon-like beings.

@invertexyz

5 жыл бұрын

Decades* , but certainly.

@GoreTorn16

5 жыл бұрын

To be honest, there are Dragons on Earth(Lizards). Just not the type of Dragons one could hope for.

@Megtran-lb2ji

5 жыл бұрын

Dragon mommy 's hope for that type of dragon!

@DeadWhiteButterflies

5 жыл бұрын

If they can get DNA from a Wooly Mammoth, they can make a dragon from hybridizing lizard and bird DNA, that's what I say. Come on, science! This is where vital resources need to be spent!

Even if we grant the assertion that dragons once existed, we're going to have to admit that St Donatus (and St George as well) was canonized for killing an endangered animal.

@ParaREZX

5 жыл бұрын

shade_grey woah

@colleennewholy9026

5 жыл бұрын

Does that go for Siegfried too? Lol

@abyssinia4ever

4 жыл бұрын

@@jdlech Made from magic gopherwood.

"There are no dragons, there were no dragons, and there will almost certainly never be dragons." That's exactly why that dragon-slaying was so miraculous!

One of the underrated channels on KZread

@Xx_BoogieBomber_xX

5 жыл бұрын

> 609k subs

@manasdas8793

5 жыл бұрын

Too erudite for commoners

@Healermain15

5 жыл бұрын

Mere peasants could never appreciate the full artistic depth of Pewdipie prank videos.

Saw the title and the thumbnail and thought "oh great, yet another Christopher Hitchens style exposé on the failed policies of a relatively hypocritical idolizer of poverty and suffering" Got to 1:42. Well, alright then.

@rhijulbec1

5 жыл бұрын

Exactly! My thought exactly. I almost went 'sigh' "ok let's do this" It's not about belief/non belief. I watch too many of the anti-theist videos sometimes. I find I get angry and cynical, just as diving too deep into any one side of any issue tends to do. This was a breath of fresh air. Jenn 💖 in Canada 🍁

@rhijulbec1

5 жыл бұрын

@IKtheVS Well now IKtheVS (WTF, fofl) You see, this is how this works~you write something insulting my brain (again WTF) for reasons only you can fathom. BUT~ and I'll say this LOUDLY IN ORDER FOR YOUR OPINION TO MATTER, FIRST IT MUST MEAN SOMETHING TO ME. IT DOESN'T Jenn 💖 in Canada 🍁

@invertexyz

5 жыл бұрын

He doesn't allude to anti-theist narrative, he only alludes to fact-based narrative. If facts imply anti-theism to you, well, that's your problem. Being on the side of facts and logic is important to intelligent living.

@invertexyz

5 жыл бұрын

@IKtheVS: That is not an apt analogy at all. He didn't go into the history of the terrible things caused by Religion nor even the tragedies surrounding Theresa, he didn't even give any real opinions on religion. He simply presented historical information about sainthoods. "Magic" is a proper descriptor of what people are believing in, because it is that which acts outside the observable laws of nature. Thousands of religions have existed across human history around the world. They die out and bits become appropriated by new religions that form. The "last remnants" of religion dying out is not an issue, and if referring to the beliefs for what they are hurts people's belief in those things, then those beliefs are quite flimsy. Religion is a crutch humanity has come up with all across the world throughout the ages as a means of thinking up an answer to that which we couldn't understand. Now we have advanced as a society enough to understand our reality better and no longer need these archaic shackles that these days only server to divide us and give bad people excuses to do bad things.

@bofbob1

5 жыл бұрын

+IKtheVS Dunno. I didn't interpret it that way. I'm assuming Evan is an atheist but that didn't seem central to the video. I understood it to be more about the politics of it all and how Church leaders used sainthood for political purposes (including in clear-cut cases where it was known that the miracles required for sainthood couldn't have occurred). That doesn't seem particularly anti-theist to me. Just like criticizing the Church for the covering up of acts of pedophilia doesn't strike me as being anti-theist. I mean, they did do those things, and even believers and members of the church should be able to criticize them for it. Or I suppose you could argue that the very choice of the topic is anti-theist, in which case that means that basically you can't make a video about anything specific in religion, you always have to make some general video that lists the good and the bad together. On a side note, Hitchens's work on Mother Theresa was sub-par, even for him, and that's saying a lot.

"Scientology may recruit their celebrities, but Christianity grows its own." - what a nice, quotable sentence (5:45).

@simonthomas1878

5 жыл бұрын

That's not entirely true. In 10th grade Catholic Sunday School we were taught a list of scientists and actors who became Catholic. This was to reinforce that secular world was wrong, Catholic magic is real.

@neolexiousneolexian6079

2 жыл бұрын

@@jannguerrero Ah yes. All those churches, cathedrals, and fancy pope hats and pope Range Rovers are gifts from God. Bruh, after hundreds of years of demanding tithes and selling "indulgences", and with an entire opulent palace city powered by donations...

I casually end sentences with "This is Rare Earth" now Thanks Evan

At 3:25 there's a slayed dragon! Checkmate atheists

@typograf62

5 жыл бұрын

And they have just found another dragon head in Sweden. But something is wrong, they were not christians in those days.

@hjh1972

5 жыл бұрын

Fuck - you won theists

@JeanLucCaptain

4 жыл бұрын

I refuse to believe your checkmate therefore your proof/facts are irrelevant 😎

@bbd121

3 жыл бұрын

@@JeanLucCaptain I counterspell your disbelief, and I rolled a 15, plus modifiers.

@JeanLucCaptain

3 жыл бұрын

@@bbd121 I MAXIMIZE COUNTER SPELL YOUR BELIEF, USING A BOLT ROUND CONCECRATED BY THE EMPEROR, THE GOD OF UNBELIEF.

Become a saint by making cool documentaries

If you guys are ever in need of a topic for a video, look into the development of Louisiana/New Orleans Voodoo. It's incredibly interesting and obscure -- right up Rare Earth's alley. Even most native New Orleanians aren't familiar with it due to its wildly inaccurate portrayal in early Hollywood movies and successive commercialization. While slaves elsewhere were mostly forced to abandon their traditional beliefs and convert to Christianity, for several reasons, this generally wasn't the case in colonial New Orleans, where the colored population, free and enslaved, outnumbered that of Europeans throughout the heyday of the American slave trade. As such, a lot of the traditional African and Caribbean religious influences survived enslavement, but of course, separated from their homeland, they began to diverge from their roots. Well, long story short, Voodoo practitioners in New Orleans eventually began *intentionally* adopting bits and pieces of Catholic doctrine and symbology (syncretism). Most commonly, they'd associate a particular Voodoo deity with the identity of a Catholic saint, and they were even known to attend mass. What I think is really fascinating is that the New Orleans archdiocese at the time welcomed this with open arms, and over time, Voodoo began influencing the religious beliefs of European Catholics (and New Orleans culture overall as well)! To this day, there is clear evidence of that happening, like regional superstitions and old wives' tales originating from Voodoo that are still being passed down, even through historically white and Catholic families like my own (unknowingly of course). There *are* still people who "practice" and believe in Voodoo today in New Orleans, but... frankly, I think it's mostly white New-Age hipsters infatuated with the commercialized, touristy, heavily stylized depiction of Voodoo as mystical, macabre, and "witchcrafty", rather than people with genuine religious convictions. If that doesn't sound like a Rare Earth video, I don't know what would.

@acchaladka

5 жыл бұрын

Mr. V Is it particularly different to Voodoun in Haiti? I’m aware of the very different histories.

@neolexiousneolexian6079

2 жыл бұрын

PBS Monstrum did a very respectful-seeming video that explored Voodoo practices, IIRC!

Is it just me or did you up the rate of memery in your narrative?

@a.evelyn5498

5 жыл бұрын

Memory*

@moonlitbear9863

5 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure he intended it as memery, as in meme-ry.

@brandongreenhough9379

5 жыл бұрын

@@a.evelyn5498 r/woosh?

St. Donatus wasn't officially canonized, because the first Saint ever to become canonized by the Pope would be St. Ulrich of Augsburg some 600 years later in 993 A.D.

@calebstaten5602

5 жыл бұрын

ad

@uegvdczuVF

5 жыл бұрын

Let me guess, the miracle St. Ulrich preformed was time traveling?

@hape3862

5 жыл бұрын

Caleb Staten, sorry A.D. of course. Corrected.

@piwithatsme

5 жыл бұрын

That wouldn't even surprise me tbh, haha. The standards for saints wasn't very high for a long time

@rowanmurphy4986

4 жыл бұрын

uegvdczuVF hey rowan here. Best comment 10/10

Every religion that someone holds dear is someone else's myth. Every single one.

The end-credits cards continue to be excellent.

albania looks like such an interesting place damn

I get chills everytime I see a new upload from RE. Keep making some quality content guys.

That Tim Minchin reference. I loved it.

I don't agree with the statement that Catholic sainthood is a popularity contest. The Church canonizes many people that are completely unknown to the majority of the faithful around the world and refuses to recognize others that are vastly more popular. If you chose to visit Medjugorje in Herzegovina, which is frankly very near Albania, you'll learn about that.

Discovered this channel two days ago and I fell completely in love with it. It is so underrated its almost unbelievable. Keep on with the work guys, this channel is probably one of the best on youtube currently!

Well, at least there's a contingent of those who are more than happy to watch a 'smarmy video maker take the piss.' As always, love the series.

Wonderful video. Thank you. As an ex-catholic I really appreciate this outlook.

@sauron1427

5 жыл бұрын

As a current Catholic I appreciate it too! I believe questioning one's beliefs is always necessary, and it would be delusional to think the Church is perfect. We are "only" human after all :)

@goodnight8169

5 жыл бұрын

@@sauron1427 the question is why not admit mistake to get a better church.

@sauron1427

5 жыл бұрын

@@goodnight8169 I don't see how going back and de-sanctifying a popular figure who has inspired millions would benefit anyone :p besides, it's not like she was sanctified on a whim; whether the miracles were mere coincidences or not doesn't really matter anymore. That's part of the point of this video, isn't it?

Your videos on my subscription makes me feel superior than other even though I know that's not much to be proud of one's self. I love your channel. Your videos make so much sense. Would love to see this channel grow.

I am addicted to this fascinating channel. Thank you. Makes me want to visit all these places!

@bennylofgren3208

5 жыл бұрын

Kp You and me both!

Fantastic video brother!!! So glad to have been part of this channel since almost the beginning!!! You are and will do great things

woah i was just binging on rare earth videos when a new one got uploaded lol

Either details were intentionally glossed over, or else someone doesn't understand the process by which the Catholic church canonizes someone. First the person has to be a "servant of God," when they die, then "Venerated," then "Beatified" (after the first miracle) then "Canonized" ("sainted") (after the second miracle). All these take place after a person is dead. A person cannot perform miracles during life, and even if one did, they would not count toward sainthood. But that is in the current era. In the early days of the christian church plenty of saints popped up who not only did their miracles during their lifetimes, but did things that they could not possibly have done, for example Saint Christopher who died toward the end of the third century CE but was (still is?) believed to have carried the baby Jesus. But don't take my word for it, I'm not now nor have I ever been a catholic, I think all those religious beliefs are quite silly and I agree with using the term "magic" to describe supposedly "miraculous" acts.

@zenfrodo

5 жыл бұрын

I was raised strongly & conservatively Catholic (Italian-American family active in the parish, pillars of the local Catholic community, with several aunts & uncles who became nuns/priests; went to Catholic grade & high school), but finally left it in college. Anyway, John's right. A saint's miracles only count if they occur after the saint's death. Catholic teaching is that we cannot know who ends up in heaven or hell after death, as it's ultimately God's decision & mercy, but saints are those whom we know for certain ARE in heaven. The miracles are supposedly proof of God's favor, as the saint can intercede with God on our behalf. Praying to God does no good? Well, the saints are the equivalent of asking to talk to a manager when you call customer service; they know how to grease the wheels and push the paperwork to get things done. So you pray to a saint to ask for help & what you need happens? That proves they're in heaven's management, somewhere. That's only part of the process, though. Rare Earth, you really did skip over a lot of it. Oh, and the Ask A Mortician channel did a great video on incorruptibility of saints' bodies, which is another huge step in the process. (Please note -- this post is only what the Catholic Church teaches, not what I believe.)

@facetiousbadger

5 жыл бұрын

@@hilaryhongkong He referenced alleged miracles, or lack thereof, during their lifetime as if it was a justification of sainthood. That's not a factor in the process, and the distinction is pretty important theologically speaking. I don't think dragons exist, or that Donatus slayed one, but I think it shows that RE didn't research this video as carefully as he normally does.

You name dropped both the Lovin' Spoonful and Tim Minchin in one video. You are my hero.

Damn nice vid, nice story nice camera work.

There's a third definition to Saint, see Mister Rogers.

@jer2689

4 жыл бұрын

I think thats the second definition

@RandomTomatoSoup

4 жыл бұрын

@@jer2689 you're correct

Welp I've been taught a beautiful lie than, I'm a Catholic student that studied the Catechism and the Bible for quite some time, and yet after watching this video I can't refute your points. Very interesting video to say the least.

@thesssradio5008

5 жыл бұрын

Maybe some of the bible was metaphorical, the dragon he slated represented something that was lost in translation.

@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge

5 жыл бұрын

Or it's a bunch of lies made up by primitive supersticious savages?

@totallynotnoone4380

5 жыл бұрын

Specter Knight, genuine question: how much of genesis do you take seriously?

@Gitbitty

5 жыл бұрын

@@totallynotnoone4380 Good question, I actually thought a lot of it was just stories to show the importance of a God and morals since a lot of it seemed highly illogical.

@beskamir5977

5 жыл бұрын

Religion tends to be just that. A giant misleading lie. I'd expect Jesus to act toward Catholicism and other similar religions much like how he acted toward the Pharisees. We should all have a direct relationship with Christ instead of one through various intermediate priests that lie and promote the hanging of idols cause they profit of their sale.

the sound was so much better on this one! this show is the least waste of time in entertainment. in a world where the history channel has nothing to do with history anymore you sir are a life preserver. thank you

"WEW! Time to cap off that resurrection."

Miracles done while one is alive don't count if done while one is alive in the canonization process.

Did the cicadas stop? Was that one of your miracles?

To make the cicadas stop their song in the summer...that would take a miracle.

Hey Evan. I can't really contribute as a patreon but I love your videos and I wish more people that perhaps can't understand English could enjoy what you do. I'll do my best adding Polish subtitles to your Rare Earth videos starting with this one and going back as time allows. I've never really done that so i have no clue how the approval process works but I've done my best.

@pa7764

5 жыл бұрын

Awesome initiative, wish I could contribute as well, but pretty much anyone who knows Swedish and knows how to read, also understand English.

There will "almost certainly" never be dragons. So it's still a posibility.

@bennylofgren3208

5 жыл бұрын

Flo, from Progressive Aren't you the incurable optimist! 😃

Always a thinking point in vids,Thanks.

Lol at you telling the birds to shut up at the end

"The main airport in Toronto is even named after her." So heard my Ontarian ears.

@ctwofirst6635

5 жыл бұрын

I'm American and I heard that, too. I was just in Toronto recently. First visit to Canada. Wish I could emigrate there. Evan's a walking advert for Canada.

@KathrynsRavens

5 жыл бұрын

I also heard Toronto, fellow Ontarian

@Cyssane

5 жыл бұрын

Exactly the same thing happened to me! It wasn't until I saw the actual name written on the sign that the confusion cleared up. (Also a native Ontarian.)

@tehjamerz

5 жыл бұрын

Toronaww in the house

The editing on this is top notch!

Lov’n spoonful. Great story and video. Thanks from Orlando

All those great drone shots made me fire up google earth to check it out. And that wasn't the most remarkable thing in this video... just icing on the cake. Great work Evan, so greatful you're doing this.

there is a church in the Netherlands that for centuries had a narwhal horn and claimed it was from a unicorn.

Beautifully narrated. Love your channel 👍🏽❤️👌🏾

You ended on a Tim Minchin quote, therefore, I must like this video.

Love the views from the drone. Wish I’d found your channel before I visited Albania and other place I’ve been. Your thought provoking narrations are wonderful.

If you're doing Europe are you going to come to Britain, find some unknown event or place, blow our minds again and then throw serious shade at popular views of history and social trends? :)

Great video amazing writing

just curious, where are you going next??

I am a devout Catholic. But I do have doubts about some of the saints the Church seems to rush to canonize because of their popularity. I think the standard to be called a saint should be much more stringent, says, nine miracles at least.

@Gew219

5 жыл бұрын

Anhtuan L Pope John XXIII was canonized without any recognized miracle for example.

@robertunderwood1011

5 жыл бұрын

Correct me, but I was under the impression that the Catholic Church required 2 miracles. Has that changed.? Outside the church, there are real saints in Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh religion...and probably Jain also. Some are famous, some are known to a few. Neither miracles nor popularity in itself is sufficient for sainthood. Some of them do have halos visible on rare occasions. Sainthood is a quality that defines itself and may not ,usually is not, recognized by all who encounter the saint. You may have met one. They radiate divine light and are capable of touching others with that light. They are remembered with love.

@davidcrisp5805

5 жыл бұрын

Prior to JP2, they needed four, at least two of which had to be post-mortem. He also abolished the office of the Promotor of the Faith (commonly known as the Devil's Advocate), which means that the standards for what counts as a "miracle" have slipped because no-one in the Vatican is looking for contrary evidence. Its far easier to get made a saint today than it has been at any previous time in the last millennium.

excellent episode. Often on my commute through Munich or travels in surrounding towns I ponder at all the dragon references like old statues or freshly painted frescos and how a leap of logic bolsters a leap of faith. Also, 10 minutes of cicadas was a great touch

Perfect.

I’m really happy you went to Albania, I can’t wait see your next video. Love from an Albanian American.

According to Father Guido Sarducci, you need to perform two miracles to become a saint and in the old days, some of those miracles were just card tricks.

Hahaha the peeing on the rear tire bit hit me on multiple levels. I love this channel

Awesome video as always! I can only hope you get to Romania as well, seeing how close you are geographically :) I'm sure you'll find plenty interesting subjects

I had that Tim Minchin quote surfacing in my head during this video and there it was!

Saint Evan of Rare Earth

Fantastic!

Evan usually has one or more really quotable lines in each video. Even if it is only, 'This is Rare Earth!'

Early paintings of St. George and the Dragon make it look like a serpent or lizard, often without wings. Some look remarkably like komodo dragons, which we still call dragons. It's a coincidence of course, but you could make an argument that there is a real animal similar enough to one version of the mythical dragon to be a dragon.

There are a lot of reasons people still want saints, and not all of them are bad. We aspire to be like our idols from sports or movies or sainthood. We admire some qualities and ignore others because they don't fit with our paradigm. I still like St Christopher because he looks totally cool on a keyring. I also like King Arthur and Lance Armstrong because of what they represent to me. Didn't Princess Di and JFK both become much cooler after their deaths?

These videos are examples of how history classes should be taught imo, great stuff

In absolute seriousness, please don't ever stop.

Love the Tim Minchin reference!

Is there any other channel like this ? Kudos to the creator , good quality content !

Dang it. Once again, we will just have to wait and see.

Youre right Evan, Tim Minchin is incredible!!!

Would you want a sugestion for Rare Earth? The most popular Brazilian saint is not recognized by the Catholic Church for political reasons. It’s called Padre Cícero and there’s an enormous estatue of him in Northeastern Brazil in a city called Juazeiro do Norte, where hundreds of pilgrims (called “romeiros”) go every year looking for a miracle. He lived in the 1930’s in a very poor region (the “Sertão”), but the bishop of that time believed that Padre Cícero wanted to create a sect of his own, and soon the Vatican excomungated him for some time. Even though Brazil is the most populous catholic country in the world, there are very few brazilian saints. And also there is no sign that the Church will change its opinion about Padre Cícero as a saint anytime soon, despite thousands of miracles atributed to him throghout all those years.

@BrBetim

5 жыл бұрын

I know this is 3 months later, but The Vatican has actually forgiven Padre Cícero back in 2015. Ceará's governor has even asked for his beatification last year.

OMG I'm glad some shares my hatred of cicadas hahahaha

@deanwinchest3906

5 жыл бұрын

I just had a Cicada in my suburban home... Seemed like a sign- It was creepy to hear inside but cool nonetheless 😊

@RareEarthSeries

5 жыл бұрын

CHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICH *cicada breathes* CHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHICHI

@jackwood8307

5 жыл бұрын

I love them! They are the sound of summer!

@deanwinchest3906

5 жыл бұрын

Chuck Iringtwice I am almost in Canada😊 If you do a Google query, they thrive in warm climates... It's only 65°F in August here which was the same time I saw it in my home last year😊 I enjoy the anomalous and rarely seen pieces of ecology too😃

@bennylofgren3208

5 жыл бұрын

Rare Earth 😂😂😂

Magic is science we just don’t understand

I enjoyed the vid - thoughtful as always. Thanks. Just one thing; most christians do not believe that magic is real. They DO believe that miracles sometimes happen. The keys to understanding miracles are the questions; 'What is a miracle?' - not arbitrary and/or contrary to the natural world, that's magic, and 'What was the purpose of it happening?' One of the best books ever on the subject is 'Miracles' by C.S.Lewis. Kudos to you and your team for launching into the subject, though. :)

@bennylofgren3208

5 жыл бұрын

Njugu Notsowildmonkey *Every* christian believes that magic is real. They believe in their god, that's all it takes.

@RandomTomatoSoup

4 жыл бұрын

"most christians do not believe that magic is real. They DO believe that miracles sometimes happen." how did you contradict yourself this quickly

Last time I was this early I was a saint.

I love the idea of calling religion magic. I don't personally mind if people believe magic does or does not exist, and I dont really have a stance myself, but the concept that believing in god or gods or miracles or the divine is somehow less of a type of superstition than believing in ghosts or witchcraft or the boogeyman is just because it's the mainstream is preposterous to me. I dont think I'd use the term "magic" necessarily just because it evokes a very specific imagery in my mind (cultural bias) but I wholeheartedly agree with categorizing religions and other nonscientific beliefs together as equals.

9:03 those waves going backwards :D now that's some editing magic

Road to 1 million.

Lol, I like the "credits" at the end.

I love your videos!!! ❤️ come to record in Spain

I just love the dig at Hitchens and his war mongering on the end-card.

What is the circle thing in your right pocket?

Nice, please cover the other Abrahamic faiths and Buddhism too.

@thesssradio5008

5 жыл бұрын

Are you a yahwest, not that there's anything wrong with that

@XIII_Vanitas

5 жыл бұрын

I think you've missed the point of the video.

@GiantArtProductions

5 жыл бұрын

trust me, he wont.

And God saw the scientific method, and declared, WELL... FUCK.

Rare earth is becoming too self aware

I'm halfway in, so curious whether you mention the consecration of pagan King Saint Stephen.

9:11 Today, I learn a new word : Smarmy. It means, "ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive".

Enjoy your stay in Albania.

I watch these videos to dilute the sounds of the cicadas, not to hear them.

Human faith is a miracle in of itself.

And someday, when Tim Tebow becomes a saint, we'll look back at this and wonder.

Come to Greece next time. You are close enough :).

CMOOON the dragon-killing was a symbol check your facts, its a legend asociated with him without true basis. And if you really think that nowadays there are no miracles then what about Padre Pio, non-believers even confess that they have no idea what was going on with him and all the miracles. People who tried to photograph him without premission ended up with rolls of blank photos. What about Our Lady of Las Layas ? Nobody knows how the image is possibly "painted". For those who don't believe, proof is possible, for those who believe it is not necessary.

A lot of these phenomenons can be explained by the power of suggestion. If you would like to learn more about it and you are interested in the topic, watch the series Mindfield - Power of Suggestion. Although I believe most of the time power of suggestion (your mind) heals your body, I also do believe that it is possible for someone else to use their power of suggestion to heal others...but that hasn't been scientifically proved YET, but that is how I feel. The only scientific experiment I can think of is when a Japanese scientist put labels with words on water bottles and then studied the water after some time. In my opinion it is not the word that is affecting the water, in fact is our mind and the perception of our mind about that word that truly influences the water.

everybody believes in magic, even if you dont realize it or not careful to notice

Looks like goin toward india

There will certainly be no dragons ON EARTH and IN OUR TIMELINE. I refuse to believe in a complete non-existence of dragons!

Ooo Albania, my boy skanderbeg better be coming up soon!