H/T to Evangelical Right for this one:"Pastor Byrd says the sign is not meant to be racial or political but rather to make people think. "His name is so close to Osama I have a feeling he might be Islamic therefore he doesn't recognize Christ," Pastor Byrd said."
The scientific method is a brilliant way to observe and theorize knowledge. It has existed for a very long time, but it has been discussed this week how that method can be hijacked to be used as something it was not originally intended. There are important considerations to point out relating to the scope of the scientific methods capabilities...
I am going to start gathering the silliest arguments I have ever heard on MySpace. Glenn's argument below will be the first nominee:..>..>
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This first essay in a five-part series, The Problem of Growth, looks at hierarchal human systems and explains why their structures fundamentally demand continuous growth. The second installment will investigate what causes and sustains hierarchy. The third, fourth, and fifth installments will formulate an alternative to hierarchy that addresses its cause, not merely its symptoms, along with proposals to apply this alternative at both the personal and societal levels. Why must hierarchy continually grow and intensify? Within the context of hierarchy in human civilization, there seem to be three separate categories of forces that force growth. I will address them in the order (roughly) that they arose in the development of human civilization: Human Psychology Drives Growth Huma
How long would you say it takes to complete a goal? Depending on what the goal is right? Well, that’s partly true. Completing a goal has less to do with the goal itself and more to do with how we approach that goal. Take for example:Losing weight (which is perhaps everyone’s goal) and keeping the weight off [...]
Rob was quite taken aback recently when he noticed that I use the iGoogle personalised desktop. Not that he disapproves, but he was curious as to what I liked about it.
Firstly, it’s great for news. I get both sides of the story, local and international through CNN, News24, Time and various other news feeds covering a variety of my interests.
There are tons of gadgets from which to make up your own “information desk”, alternatively, if you don’t find the exact gadget you’re looking for, you can always create it yourself. You can also subscribe to your favourite blogs and have them sent straight to you.
I can keep abreast of the current top searched terms with my Google Hot Trends feed, learn a new word a day (one off my favourite functions), see what free downloads iTunes is currently offering, monitor my Gmail account, enjoy classic “Art of the Day”, see what’s on at the movies and keep an eye on the phases of the moon (one of the
By ALEXANDRA MARSHALL Published: December 3, 2006No man is an island, but an island can tell you a lot about the men (and women) who visit for the holidays. As you’re planning this year’s retreat, it’s worth asking what your choice of water-locked playground says about you.MUSTIQUEThis privately owned, three-mile-long link in the Grenadine chain has rigorously controlled development, so its lush hills are sparsely dotted with pricey rental villas and a posh resort.Your fellow travelers are models on someone else’s dime, golden-age groupies who made it, minor-league royals.You might run into Tommy Hilfiger, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Carolina Herrera, the eccentric former island owner Colin Tennant.You’ll pass the time playing tennis, rumbling past the late Princess Margaret’s villa on an ATV, husband-hunting at the Firefly bar, recovering from the shock of landing in a twin-prop plane on a 2,500-foot-short runway.You should probably pack “The Oxford Guide to Heraldry.”MA
Matthew 28:19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.It's no secret China is a country I hold close to my heart. I always thought I was going to be a missionary to China... and adopt tons of little Chinese baby girls. Who knows.... maybe someday that will happen.God knows.YOU have an opportunity my friends to GO to China. A nation with very few Christians. And the Christians that are there... are being persecuted.Missionaries are being kicked out as we speak.But God has opened a door....For the first time in 600 years. SIX HUNDRED YEARS. China will be opening it's borders to the world.This is HUGE.The opportunity of a lifetime to be welcomed into a country currently banning missionaries.Please GO HERE and watch this video!!Find a missions organization that will be going... and sign up.YWAM - EMERGE CHINA 08 is going. I assume Teen Mania and Bethany will be going? Anyone know?Tim and I hope t
When you are in France, when it's the fall season and when you don't have much to do, you go picking mushrooms! Oh yeah!The hardest thing when picking mushrooms is actually knowing when it's a good or bad mushroom. Yes some of them can be fatal. Luckily, the city of Paris helps you to distinguish the eatable ones from the non-eatable ones. It takes place at the Parc Floral de Paris, until October 21st.There you find different species and explanations under each of them. Of course the mushrooms are refilled whenever one is "out of order" by the many people who harvest them.The Mycologic French Society is the organizer of the event.But don't get fooled, picking mushrooms is a real art and trust me, people who know the bons coins champignons (the right spots to pick mushrooms) won't tell anyone, even on their beathbed. Don't you know food is above everything in France!? Because this is the kind of secret you get from your parents, who got it from your grandparents and so on ... a re
I Fish; Therefore, I Am: And Other Observations by Patrick F. McManus This book is a compilation of three other McManus books: "A Fine and Pleasant Misery," "Never Sniff a Gift Fish," and "They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?" It is not the same volume as the two-cassette release by the same name. The cassette edition by this name is a compilation of only a few Pat stories. Dedicated McManus readers may already have the three volumes contained in this book. It is, however, a great gift, and nice for those who haven't yet purchased the earlier books that make it up. "Bite Me"
Matava Resort
Kadavu
Fiji Islands
www.matava.com
I’ve been tagged by Cometh.
Rules: Repeat subject header “I’M TAGGED, THEREFORE…”Copy + paste these rules in your entry. Complete these 15 totally useless statements & questions. Mention who you were tagged by, followed by 8 people who you’ll be tagging.
If I was an opposite gender, what would my party clothes be like?
Naked. Am I [...]
I'm on Wandsworth Common, preparing to leave the bit of grass on which I have been sitting, packing the pockets of my shorts with my various paraphernalia, which include a newspaper and a pen; but not the newspaper: my pockets aren't that big. I notice a young lady walking towards me. She seems to be smiling at me. I can't really tell because the cheap women's sunglasses I bought from Boots on Oxford Street last week to avert a sun-combined-with-other-people-induced breakdown are struggling to cope properly with the big ball of fire in the sky; I am disappointed with their sun-glare-stopping capabilities but sufficiently convinced of their UV protection for my eyes - they came with a European quality-assurance certificate - for me to continue to don them without too much regret. Is she smiling at me? I should smile back. But what if she isn't smiling at me and I smile at her and she doesn't smile back? Anyway, she's likely got a boyfriend - an utter dogtosser, probably - so what
Well, it seems like just yesterday that the only way to have your say on community issues was by writing a letter to the editor (hand writing, mind) and posting it by snail-mail to your local newspaper. Now, thanks to sites like uthink, you can have your say on pretty much anything that tickles your fancy (or gets you in a lather!).
Taking a look around this community forum, you’ll find a plethora of issues that have sparked discussion, outrage and strongly voiced opinions. Want to know what people really think about child abuse, Air New Zealand carrying troops to Iraq, or the judicial system in New Zealand? Then take a look at what uthink tells us wethink.
But it’s not all current events; it’s more like a snapshot of New Zealand society, with everyone getting a look-in. I suppose it highlights what matters to us at any given moment. Topics span everything from movie reviews to parenting, relationships, sport, lifestyle choices, and those great dividers, religion and
A sharp observation made by Dean Abbot over at Inspired by a True Story. True words spoken there.
Some hilarity produced by those Pyromaniacs. Take a look at their new Motivational Posters for the Emerging Church. Painfully funny, painfully true.
Sound advice for bloggers at Desiring God blog.
Here are some reads worth your time…
In The Other Day Elle, at A Complete Thought, asks “How obedient are we?”
Kim at Hiraeth shares a deeply comforting word from C.H. Spurgeon about the faithfulness of our God.
Rebekah at Sweet Tea With Lemon writes about A Woman Who Fears the Lord, a post in which she isn’t afraid to share her thoughts on idle chatter found on some Christian blogs.
Carla at Reflections of the Times says, “We blind ourselves to the Word, by our own preference. What a shame that truly is to stifle the Word of the Lord just so that we can comfort ourselves in the (false) knowledge that we already know what it says, and what it means.” Be sure to read the rest of her post.
Rosemary puts all of it into perspective with her post, Between. Not to be missed.
As we are on the cusp of Hank Aaron’s home run record being broken, and with the passing of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson playing his first game in the majors, it’s been mentioned over and over that the participation of African Americans in the game of baseball is at an all-time low. Now, Gary Sheffield, the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers has decided to opine on the situation. Never shying away from controversy, in an interview with GQ Magazine, he said that African-Americans have been replaced with Latin ballplayers as the prevailing minority in the sport because they are “easier to control”. He quotes: "I called it years ago. What I called is that you're going to see more black faces, but there ain't no English going to be coming out. … [It's about] being able to tell [Latin players] what to do -- being able to control them," he told the magazine. "Where I'm from, you can't control us. You might get a guy to do it that way for a while becau
As much as I have criticized MASN, one of the most interesting aspects of the coverage of the Orioles on that network is this year is that you get a lot of in-depth and post game stuff that is fairly rare on other networks.Last night (keep in mind, I never watch the post-game stuff either because I am at the game, or I have better things to do), but Erik Bedard put on one of the most bizzare, yet alluring post game interviews I have ever heard.I watched, laughed in amazement and then asked myself why Erik Bedard was such a dick last night.Basically, I saw the wit, brilliance and utter ignorance of our ace.Both Matt Palmer of the Baltimore Examiner and Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun have the transcript of the post-game interview on their respective blogs, but I just copied and pasted it from Roch's. Reporter: "Were you just in a zone with those strikeouts?" Bedard: "It just happened. I was throwing strikes and they were swinging." Reporter: "Is there any difference in how you pi
Kimberly has graciously awarded me a Thinking Blog Award. I took my time in passing the award on so that I could put thought into my choices (no pun intended). So now, without further ado, the winners are:1. Amy Jane at Untangling TalesI can't remember precicesly how I met Amy (was it the Blog Party?) but I'm glad I did. Her blog is creative and thoughtful, certainly a departure from the norm. I always enjoy her stories and thoughts. She has created a lovely place, and her words weave the tales she is untangling.2. Heather at In Te DomineHeather writes about her life creatively and artistically. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry. But each times she ushers me into the emotions and situations she describes.3. Karen at Needs New BatteriesKaren also writes the stories of her life with artistry and emotion. I particularily enjoy her questions for the universe. And she reads great books!4. Dave at A History of HistrionicsAh, my brother Dave. While the content on his blog cou
>> Anyone believe in ghosts?>> READ BEFORE OPENING THE PICTURE.>> This photo was taken in a hospital after the patient was in an>> accident where he was responsible for a young woman's death. It>> is said that when you receive this image and do not send it to>> at>> least five people, the woman will look for you during the night>> to collect your soul. People in Laredo , Texas , received this>> image and did not send it and were killed outside a bar; it>> looked as if this woman killed them. A couple in a western>> suburbs area of Sydney received the message and deleted the>> picture without sending it to at least five people, This couple>> was murdered by their 15 year old neighbor who claims to>> have>> been possessed by the woman.>> A 28 year old woman in Whittlesay Road, Cambridgeshire, England>> was run down by a car driven by a another female that fitted the>> description of>> the>> woman in the photograph, the police investigation revealed that>> the murdered lady had received
Ted Cohen, author of Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters
If, like me, you find fun in logical conundrums and absurdities, you will find plenty [here]. On the other hand, if you're of the type that finds people like Paulos and me tedious, you should look into his book anyway, just to see what you've been missing.
Brian Butterworth, author of What Counts: How Every Brain is Hardwired
Peter Pace says homosexuality is immoral, and because the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the king of all things moral and righteous, he must be correct.As efforts continue to end the gay purge in America, it is not helped by the comments of the highest ranking military officer in the country. General Pace effectively likened homosexuality to adultery and pretty much said homosexuals have no place fighting for their country. Says Pace,"I do not believe that the armed forces are well served by saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way, not just with regards to homosexual acts"Homosexuality and adultery is immoral, but they overlook torture, abuse and other crimes of war. I think it is entirely clear the reasons why the military feels the need to purge homosexuals. One reason is the same reason why they didn’t let women in combat until recently; testosterone. The military teaches men to be manly and tough, which is great because they fight bravely and
There is a lot of linky-love goin' on around this here blogosphere, and I'm getting more than my share.
Not only did I get nominated by two of my favorite bloggers for a Perfect Post Award, the incomparable Redneck Mommy gave me a Thinking Blogger award.
Granted, she picked the winners at random, but I'm never one to say no to a shiny button.
Oooooh, shiny buttons!
The Thinking Blogger
So, I took my test. I did better than a 30, I'm sure of it. But how much better - is still up for grabs.I should know by the end of this week, which is entirely too long - but what can you do?Here's how the rest of my weekend played out -FridayTook my test. In 20 minutes. Yep. 20 fricking minutes. The stares from my other classmates still hunched over the test, sweat dripping from their foreheads and the constant clicking of the mechanical pencils were undeniably full of anger and envy for the quickness that was me.And I felt good about it. Not legally answering 2. One I left blank, the other I answered. But to be fair, my answer went something like this -What is adverse selection and how does it relate to financial markets.I remember reading this in the text, I remember looking at this in the notes, I even remember thinking "Hey, that sounds like something I probably need to know" but unfortunately, I can not remember anything other than that. Basically, my brain farted and I can't
If any of you are growing weary of my fabulously miserable post titles then let me know. Otherwise I'll continue bombarding you with the best in the worst diatribes my bulbous brain can conjure up.Despite it's overwhelming franchised-ness and blase' execution I still frequent Starbucks once every week. Sometimes it's just easier to get my cafe' au lait from the bux rather than make it on my own. Or pay some french bistro $15 for a non-to-go version.I'm also a mighty big proponent of text messaging (sorry Jon), so when I heard that I can simply text my zip code to MYSBUX and be told exactly where the nearest three Starbucks are to me and how to get there, well... I was pretty jazzed. Oh, and it's also got a nifty little map if your phone can handle it.... sometimes it's just the little things.If that's not exciting enough for you, then perhaps these interesting facts from Gizmodo will inspire a little more hatred for the uber-franchise.Number of web searches for nearest Starbuc
The thing with hoping for something you want to do with your life is that there is an uncertainty that you can't have it. And you can't have what you want to do with your life because what you want sometimes depends on other people. In the end, you fear what you want not coming to pass. In my case, it's the cotillion. Had it not been for my date who's been banned from entering the school, and the lack of professional and gentleman-ly male students of this batch, I would probably be part of the performance. And had it not been for that selfish and egoistic educator, I'd probably get the help I needed and asked for from Ma'am David. At some point, I have the right to say that life sucks because it's interdependent on other lives. But when you think about it, you don't need that ____ing interdependence to enjoy some passions in life. Like singing. Though, you can't really perform for a class production unless they approve... 「おわり」~+~
I’m tired of hearing don’t sweat the small stuff. I like the small stuff. I think life is in the details. If you can’t appreciate the details, how can you appropriately appreciate the broad strokes?
I love the paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. I think I appreciate his genius more because I know some of the details behind the canvas…behind the big, thick impressionistic strokes of that Starry Night. Does this make me an “over-thinker,” as a dear friend recently labeled me? Am I compulsive? Anal? Or do I just like the details.
What does “over-thinker” mean anyway? Taken out of context it can mean many things. In my case, my friend means that I see things and then do things to ensure the happiness of others. At least I think this is what my friend means. I think she’s wrong. I’m much more selfish than that. I do things for others because it makes them happy, and this in turn makes me happy…and I like to be happy.
This same friend calls me detail oriented. She’s
