50/50 My Eye

On this day in 1095 Pope Urban II called for the first Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from the Turks. According to the Writers Almanac, there was no imminent threat from the Muslims but Urban noticed that Europe was becoming increasingly violent, with low-level knights killing each other over their land rights, and he thought he could bring peace to the Christian world by directing all that violence against an outside enemy. So he made up stories of how Turks in Jerusalem were torturing and killing Christians, and anyone willing to join the fight against them would go to heaven.

I think I have heard the same thing more recently. "We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis." Peace talks in Annapolis, MD.

On a lighter note, the better cook in the house and I made an apple crisp last night. It was very tasty. I love it when we cook together. Actually I love it when we work together at nearly everything except when I am right about how it should be done and he insists that he is. If it comes to the proving, I am almost as chagrined as he, when I am right. I am not very good at celebrating my accuracies. 50/50 my eye.