Christmas

The Story of Christmas and the Christ Child
When Rome was a great Empire ruled by Caesar Augustus and Israel was governed by King Herod, in the village of Nazareth lived Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter and Mary was a young virgin who would become his wife. Mary told Joseph of a dream in which she was visited by an angel who told her she had been chosen to bear the Son of God and his name was to be Jesus.
One day the emperor sent notice that all persons were to register for a new tax. They were instructed to return to the towns of their birth. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for Bethlehem. Mary who was with child, and close to the birth, rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside her. They traveled for many days and only rested at night.
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When they reached Bethlehem it was night. They looked for a place to rest but there were no empty rooms when they reached the inn. As they were being turned away Joseph mentioned his wife was with child and close to birth. The inn keeper took pity on them and told them of some caves in the nearby hills that shepherds would stay with their cows and sheep.
So Joseph and Mary went up into the hills and found the caves. In one cave was a stable room. Joseph cleaned it and made beds of fresh hay. He found a feeding trough which he cleaned and filled with hay to use as a crib. The next night Mary gave birth to a son and they named him Jesus, as the angel had said.
When the child was born a great star appeared over Bethlehem that could be seen for miles around. In the fields nearby shepherds were tending their flocks. An angel appeared to them surrounded by bright light. The shepherds were frightened and tried to run.
"Fear Not," said the angel, "For I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day in Bethlehem - a Saviour who is Christ the Lord."
"And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
Suddenly the sky was filled with angels, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men."
After the angels departed the shepherds set out for Bethlehem. When they reached the cave they found the stable and inside was the child wrapped in swaddling clothes.
As the star shined over Bethlehem, in the east three kings would see it. They knew it was a sign and they set off to follow the star. There was Caspar - the young King of Tarsus, Melchior - a long bearded old man and leader of Arabia, and Balthazar - the king from Ethiopia. They traveled on camels for many days over the mountains, and through the deserts, and plains. Always following the bright star.
When they finally arrived in Bethlehem they found the child in the manger. The 3 kings bowed to their knees and offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They would stay the night in the cave and the next day returned to their lands to spread the news.

Playa's Only

THE FORMAL LIST OF PLAYER'S COMMANDMENTS... COURTESY OF ENTITY
The revolutionary guide to tightness
The guide to tightness- part 2!!!!
PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #1

"Tightness is a virtue."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #2 "I shall always have a copy of "JOE-ALL THAT I AM" in the ride."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #3

"World class athletes practice, practice, practice. World class playa's practice, practice, practice." Get it tight, and keep it tight.

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #4

"If I find myself having difficulty being eloquent and smooth when I kick my game, I shall always quote JOE to the best of my ability."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #5

"If it ain't tight, it ain't right."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #6

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you look good."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #7

"Keep it Simple."

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #8

"Trust yo' damn self." .

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #9

"Displace your shame, and improve your game." For detailed instructions, study the "THE SHAME DISPLACEMENT THEORY" Courtesy of special guest playa, Mark Middleton

PLAYA'S COMMANDMENT #10

"Demand no less than the utmost respect. " For detailed explanation, refer to "THE RESPECT REQUIREMENT" Courtesy of guest playa, Too Sexy Bounty Hunter

Tribute continued...

Golf 2...

The second-generation Golf was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983 (it debuted in 1984 in the UK, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US), and it featured a larger bodyshell and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD (In euro markets, using the 1.6 "umwelt" diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781 cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye".
This Golf was marketed for the first time with that name in the United States and Canada. The Rabbit name used on the Mark 1 was meant to give a car a cuddly image, but with the eighties redesign of the car, Carl Hahn, the former Volkswagen of America president who was now chairman of the whole company, dictated that Volkswagen model names be standardized globally. James Fuller, head of the Volkswagen brand in North America, concurred in using the Golf name to stress the car's Teutonic character. The GTI body kit became available on a non-injection Golf and was sold as the "Driver" trim level in Europe. While the GTI remained a trim level in the Golf lineup in Europe, in North America it was (and continues to be) marketed as a separate model line.
A very limited edition hand-built Golf 2 variant exists, including all of the best features available at the time. Designed and built by the Volkswagen Motorsport division, only 71 of these "G60 Limited" models exist; featuring a unique number and plaque, the G60 supercharger was combined with the 16-valve GTI engine, mated to a sports transmission and Syncro four wheel drive mechanism. All of these special edition models came in black, with four doors (except two, built with three doors), a plain two-headlight grille (not the usual GTI quad-headlights) and a unique blue grille detail (not red, as the GTI) and motorsport badges. It is rumored that two examples were built with air conditioning. In 1989, these cars cost in the region of £25,000 (about US$41,250 at the time) each and were primarily sold to Volkswagen-Audi Group executives and management, although a few were known to survive in Britain, as of 2005. These cars produced 212 bhp, making them the most powerful VW Golfs ever produced, until the introduction of the Mark 4 Golf R32 in 2003.


Volkswagen Golf Country
There was also a version called Golf Country, designed for light off-road driving. It had more suspension travel, four-wheel drive, bullbars (generally over a single headlight grill), a skidplate for protecting the engine area, and a spare wheel mounted externally on the back. In Europe it was offered with the acclaimed 114 bhp 1.8 8v petrol engine, and in smaller numbers, the 75 hp 1.6 GTD turbo diesel engine. The Golf Country was particularly popular in Alpine regions in central Europe. [citation needed]
During the life of the Golf 2, there were a number of external style revisions. The most notable was the introduction of so called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. Other notable changes to the looks of the Golf 2 include the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grill slats with the August 1987 facelift.
As with the North American Rabbit, the second-generation Golf was produced for North America in Pennsylvania. When sales in North America failed to live up to expectations and with increasing productions costs, the Westmoreland plant was closed in July 1988. Subsequent Golfs sold in North America came from Germany and Mexico. The Mark 2 Golf was discontinued in Europe in 1991, but Mexican-made Mark 2 models remained available in North America for another year.
In its first year on sale in North America, 1985, the Golf 2 maintained sealed-beam square headlights, while the GTI bore flush headlights. All Golfs gained flush "aerolamps" in 1987 after a design freshening to move it more upscale in the wake of the introduction of the Brazilian-built Fox (Voyage in Brazil) in North America. The 1985 U.S. models are easy to distinguish from subsequent models due to the absence of a high-mounted brakelight; these became required of all cars sold in the U.S. for 1986.
The GTI was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1985, as well as VWVortex's "Best Golf of all time". The Mark 2 GTI failed to make the same waves as the Mark 1, and failed to win back the Golf GTI's fanbase which had adopted the Peugeot 205 GTI. In North America, where Peugeot did not sell the 205 in any guise, Volkswagen faced tough competition from the Honda Civic S (later Si).
In its first year on sale in the U.S., Golf sales were eight percent below those of the 1984 Rabbit. Sales of the all-new 1985 Jetta, by contrast, sky-rocketed compared with the 1984 model. In 1986, the Jetta became VW's bestseller in North America, a position it has held ever since.
As with the Mark 1, there was a "warm hatch" version known as the Golf Driver. Introduced in 1988, it featured the GTI's exterior styling, namely the twin front headlamps, and wheelarch spoilers but with a standard 1.6 L engine. For the last year of production, the Driver was given a carburetted version of the GTI's 1781 cc engine. A Golf "GT" model was also briefly available in North America.