The further I read into BlameBush.typepad.com, the more fun I have. Let me share some of the fun from this a.m.
"Sick Dudes
The United States Supreme Court, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of BushCheneyburton Inc, has declared open season on the chronically ill, ruling unanimously to deny America's teeming masses of sick dudes access to life-preserving ganja.
The horrible news had a devastating effect on the entire staff of Seattle Hemp Products. Helpless, I watched from my cubicle as a tsunami of suffering swept through the office, the icy hand of death gripping my friends and co-workers one by one. After years of 20/20 vision, Earl in Accounting suffered a relapse of glaucoma and had to be helped out to his car. Janice in Human Relations, severely crippled ever since a cast iron bong fell on her foot back in college, was able to make thirteen trips to the snack machines a day with the help of sweet Mary Jane. By this afternoon, she was back in a wheelchair, all because Bush won't allow her just one little toot of the only medicine that will cure her."
Yes the evil-doers at the White House are destroying America's freedoms and happiness -- as fast as they can apparently. Oh well, elections soon.
Friday, June 10, 2005
And then I found this website: blamebush.typepad.com.
It's all Bush's fault; even the mechanical failure of your Aunt's '96 Jeep Cherokee. Indeed
And then they said this:
"Recent news that President John Kerry's grades at Yale were less than stellar has spawned a flurry of anxious emails from readers who suspect that Bush is somehow behind it. While I appreciate the correspondence, I'm afraid you folks are missing the point. If Bush manipulated John Kerry's grades in order to make a progressive intellectual look like a slackjawed dunce, then he has failed miserably. If anything, Kerry's low marks are a testament to his complexity, a portrait of a man too nuanced to be pigeonholed by primitive methods of measuring intelligence. In fact, the entire grading system itself is a flawed construct of the military-industrial complex and should be scrapped."
JB here: Since I exited a small liberal arts college in Southern California after my freshman year with a culminative average of 1.98, I have to agree that the whole grading system is flawed. Later on, at another small college where I was earning A's and B's, I realized the grading system was "good." But then, like John Kerry, I'm pretty nuanced.
It's all Bush's fault; even the mechanical failure of your Aunt's '96 Jeep Cherokee. Indeed
And then they said this:
"Recent news that President John Kerry's grades at Yale were less than stellar has spawned a flurry of anxious emails from readers who suspect that Bush is somehow behind it. While I appreciate the correspondence, I'm afraid you folks are missing the point. If Bush manipulated John Kerry's grades in order to make a progressive intellectual look like a slackjawed dunce, then he has failed miserably. If anything, Kerry's low marks are a testament to his complexity, a portrait of a man too nuanced to be pigeonholed by primitive methods of measuring intelligence. In fact, the entire grading system itself is a flawed construct of the military-industrial complex and should be scrapped."
JB here: Since I exited a small liberal arts college in Southern California after my freshman year with a culminative average of 1.98, I have to agree that the whole grading system is flawed. Later on, at another small college where I was earning A's and B's, I realized the grading system was "good." But then, like John Kerry, I'm pretty nuanced.
Following politics can be a lot of fun. There is always an element of "who's going to win." You're happy if your team wins; sad and upset if they lose. Of course, in the bigger picture, politics are NOT very important.
But speaking of Howard Dean, here's what Hatemongersquarterly.blogspot.com had to say this a.m. They do have a way with words.
"Literate members of the American public undoubtedly recognize that Democratic Chairperson Howard Dean has landed himself in hot water of late. As numerous media outlets have discussed, Chairperson Dean seems congenitally incapable of controlling his mouth. In short, he�s a veritable one-man Hate Speech Machine." Indeed
But speaking of Howard Dean, here's what Hatemongersquarterly.blogspot.com had to say this a.m. They do have a way with words.
"Literate members of the American public undoubtedly recognize that Democratic Chairperson Howard Dean has landed himself in hot water of late. As numerous media outlets have discussed, Chairperson Dean seems congenitally incapable of controlling his mouth. In short, he�s a veritable one-man Hate Speech Machine." Indeed
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Does morality and integrity have any real impact in our world? Glen Reynolds of Instapundit.com has some quotes.
The biggest obstacle to economic revival is not terrorism, but corruption. For example, over a third of Iraq�s potential oil revenue is lost to corruption and theft. . . .
Iraq may be free of Saddam, but it is not yet free of the corrupt practices that allow someone like Saddam to take power, and keep it. While much is made of the terror Saddam used to keep Iraqis in line, we forget that he often used corruption, and the willingness of too many Iraqis to take the money and look the other way. The corruption has gotten so bad, especially the oil thefts, that the government is planning on firing several hundred thousand government workers. The money simply isn't there to pay them. The money, instead, is in the pockets of local criminals, or foreign bank accounts belonging to corrupt officials. Until Iraq can confront and conquer this enemy, they will not be able to enjoy the benefits of their oil wealth.
This is an endemic problem throughout much of the world (I could tell you some Nigeria stories . . .), but seems to be especially bad in Iraq.
posted at 07:15 AM by Glenn Reynolds
The biggest obstacle to economic revival is not terrorism, but corruption. For example, over a third of Iraq�s potential oil revenue is lost to corruption and theft. . . .
Iraq may be free of Saddam, but it is not yet free of the corrupt practices that allow someone like Saddam to take power, and keep it. While much is made of the terror Saddam used to keep Iraqis in line, we forget that he often used corruption, and the willingness of too many Iraqis to take the money and look the other way. The corruption has gotten so bad, especially the oil thefts, that the government is planning on firing several hundred thousand government workers. The money simply isn't there to pay them. The money, instead, is in the pockets of local criminals, or foreign bank accounts belonging to corrupt officials. Until Iraq can confront and conquer this enemy, they will not be able to enjoy the benefits of their oil wealth.
This is an endemic problem throughout much of the world (I could tell you some Nigeria stories . . .), but seems to be especially bad in Iraq.
posted at 07:15 AM by Glenn Reynolds
If you didn't know that "scientists" manipulate, fudge, and spin their test results ( some call it cheating) you should have. Ed at the Captain's Quarters has more.
The Modern Scientific Method: Cheating
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports tonight on a disturbing revelation in the world of research science. The University of Minnesota recently surveyed American research scientists and found that a third of them regularly broke rules and ethical guidelines meant to certify the validity of the research, including changing the results based on pressure from donors:
One in three U.S. scientists admitted in an anonymous survey that they committed scientific misconduct in the previous three years, according to a report by a team of Minnesota researchers..........................
The Modern Scientific Method: Cheating
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports tonight on a disturbing revelation in the world of research science. The University of Minnesota recently surveyed American research scientists and found that a third of them regularly broke rules and ethical guidelines meant to certify the validity of the research, including changing the results based on pressure from donors:
One in three U.S. scientists admitted in an anonymous survey that they committed scientific misconduct in the previous three years, according to a report by a team of Minnesota researchers..........................
R.P. here: A wonderful quote from Dr. Al Mohler
Christians have no right to be embarrassed when it comes to talking about sex and sexuality. An unhealthy reticence or embarrassment in dealing with these issues is a form of disrespect to God's creation. Whatever God made is good, and every good thing God made has an intended purpose that ultimately reveals His own glory. When conservative Christians respond to sex with ambivalence or embarrassment, we slander the goodness of God and hide God's glory which is intended to be revealed in the right use of creation's gifts.
Christians have no right to be embarrassed when it comes to talking about sex and sexuality. An unhealthy reticence or embarrassment in dealing with these issues is a form of disrespect to God's creation. Whatever God made is good, and every good thing God made has an intended purpose that ultimately reveals His own glory. When conservative Christians respond to sex with ambivalence or embarrassment, we slander the goodness of God and hide God's glory which is intended to be revealed in the right use of creation's gifts.
Monday, June 06, 2005
I follow Church doings and politics with some fervor. The seeming "death" of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. would appear to have been quite predictable. Studies have shown for years that the more liberated from ancient Scriptures a denomination becomes, the more members it loses. So when the Episcopal Church hierarchy saw fit to make active homosexual Gene Robinson a bishop, they sealed their fate. Al Mohler is, of course, way ahead of me.
the WHOLE REVIEW
Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity
Author: David Schiflett
Citing a study published in 2000 by the Glenmary Research Center, Shiflett reports that the Presbyterian Church USA declined by 11.6 percent over the previous decade, while the United Methodist Church lost "only" 6.7 percent and the Episcopal Church lost 5.3 percent. The United Church of Christ was abandoned by 14.8 percent of its members, while the American Baptist Churches USA were reduced by 5.7 percent.
On the other side of the theological divide, most conservative denominations are growing. The conservative Presbyterian Church in America [PCA] grew 42.4 percent in the same decade that the more liberal Presbyterian denomination lost 11.6 percent of its members. Other conservative denominations experiencing significant growth included the Christian Missionary Alliance (21.8 percent), the Evangelical Free Church (57.2 percent), the Assemblies of God (18.5 percent), and the Southern Baptist Convention (five percent).
Taken alone, the statistics tell much of the story. Shiflett takes his reader through some of the most salient statistical trends and wonders aloud why liberal churches and denominations seem steadfastly determined to follow a path that will lead to their own destruction. Shiflett also has a unique eye for comparative statistics, indicating, for example, that "there may now be twice as many lesbians in the United States as Episcopalians."
. "Mainline Protestantism will reach a certain point where it will appeal only to Wiccans, vegetarians, sandal-wearers, and people who play the recorder. No one will feel at home there if they believe in God."
the WHOLE REVIEW
Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity
Author: David Schiflett
Citing a study published in 2000 by the Glenmary Research Center, Shiflett reports that the Presbyterian Church USA declined by 11.6 percent over the previous decade, while the United Methodist Church lost "only" 6.7 percent and the Episcopal Church lost 5.3 percent. The United Church of Christ was abandoned by 14.8 percent of its members, while the American Baptist Churches USA were reduced by 5.7 percent.
On the other side of the theological divide, most conservative denominations are growing. The conservative Presbyterian Church in America [PCA] grew 42.4 percent in the same decade that the more liberal Presbyterian denomination lost 11.6 percent of its members. Other conservative denominations experiencing significant growth included the Christian Missionary Alliance (21.8 percent), the Evangelical Free Church (57.2 percent), the Assemblies of God (18.5 percent), and the Southern Baptist Convention (five percent).
Taken alone, the statistics tell much of the story. Shiflett takes his reader through some of the most salient statistical trends and wonders aloud why liberal churches and denominations seem steadfastly determined to follow a path that will lead to their own destruction. Shiflett also has a unique eye for comparative statistics, indicating, for example, that "there may now be twice as many lesbians in the United States as Episcopalians."
. "Mainline Protestantism will reach a certain point where it will appeal only to Wiccans, vegetarians, sandal-wearers, and people who play the recorder. No one will feel at home there if they believe in God."
Sunday, June 05, 2005
I only wish I could write this well
A chip off the old block Thurs. June 2, 2005
Denominations and theological traditions have a way of taking on the ecclesiastical equivalent of national character. This is, in part, because some of them have a strong ethnic component. But there is also a tendency to take after the leader.
For example, Islam is a projection of Muhammad, and Muslims emulate his character-traits.
This extension of national character can even take on a physical aspect. Just compare the average, corn-fed Baptist preacher-man with the cadaverous and bespeckled Anglican cleric or the equally anorexic, silver-haired, ashen-faced appearance of the average Episcopalian woman�complete with her page-boy hair-cut. It�s almost as if each theological tradition had seeped into the DNA, creating a genetic uniform. [I love it! JB]
As such, different denominations and theological traditions are prone to certain strengths and weaknesses. Lutherans are likely to be rather insular and ingrown. The Church of England, because it�s a national church, born in the heat of political and theological compromise, is given to immoderate moderation and a sweet-tooth for Anglican fudge. Fundamentalists are in danger of showing more interest in the Second Coming than the First. Pentecostalism is prey to charlatanry. Roman Catholicism, with its pig-headed attachment to mandatory celibacy, is an open invitation to sexual scandal of one sort or another. Churches which concentrate power, whether hierarchical denominations or independent megachurches, are liable to abuse of power.
The apple never falls far from the tree--which is one reason it's so important to be finicky about your orchard and diligent in matters of spiritual horticulture.
A chip off the old block Thurs. June 2, 2005
Denominations and theological traditions have a way of taking on the ecclesiastical equivalent of national character. This is, in part, because some of them have a strong ethnic component. But there is also a tendency to take after the leader.
For example, Islam is a projection of Muhammad, and Muslims emulate his character-traits.
This extension of national character can even take on a physical aspect. Just compare the average, corn-fed Baptist preacher-man with the cadaverous and bespeckled Anglican cleric or the equally anorexic, silver-haired, ashen-faced appearance of the average Episcopalian woman�complete with her page-boy hair-cut. It�s almost as if each theological tradition had seeped into the DNA, creating a genetic uniform. [I love it! JB]
As such, different denominations and theological traditions are prone to certain strengths and weaknesses. Lutherans are likely to be rather insular and ingrown. The Church of England, because it�s a national church, born in the heat of political and theological compromise, is given to immoderate moderation and a sweet-tooth for Anglican fudge. Fundamentalists are in danger of showing more interest in the Second Coming than the First. Pentecostalism is prey to charlatanry. Roman Catholicism, with its pig-headed attachment to mandatory celibacy, is an open invitation to sexual scandal of one sort or another. Churches which concentrate power, whether hierarchical denominations or independent megachurches, are liable to abuse of power.
The apple never falls far from the tree--which is one reason it's so important to be finicky about your orchard and diligent in matters of spiritual horticulture.
MAULING ANCIENT SCRIPTURE
JB here: If God is indeed God, He was/is capable of communicating truth in any formHe so chooses. For reasons best left to Him, He describes Himself using male imagery - not female imagery. Why? we're (or I'm) not sure. But if it's good enough for Him, it's good enough for me! So why do people have the need to re-write ancient Scripture in a form different from the original manuscripts.
Below is the Anchoress' take on a recent attempt to make the Bible more friendly to wymnn.
Judith Christ of Nazareth, The Gospels of the Bible, Corrected to Reflect that Christ Was a Woman, Extracted from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. [emphasis added]
Now, I do understand that God is Spirit, but can we all agree, here and now, that Jesus the Christ was also a historical figure who was a male? I don't care how much you want to argue that God is spirit and therefore without gender, containing elements of male and female, blah, blah, blah, Jesus was still a man. His divinity may have transcended gender, but he was still a man. Get over it.
It is beyond me how a woman can read about the astonishing fact that Mary - independently and of her own choice, in an era not friendly to unwed pregnant women - assented to become the vehicle for the delivery of the Savior, and thus the vehicle for the delivery of mankind, and not feel empowered. (Yes, I did write mankind, don't like that? Go get naked and cry about it, somewhere, in a weeping circle, in the woods!) It is beyond me how a woman can read about Mary Magdalene's courage and not feel empowered by comprehending and recognising the particular genius that is distinctly feminine and which resided within her, and within Mary and Martha, and Priscilla. And Joanne.
But clearly, for some women, it is not enough that their gender is endowed with peculiar genius. They must be like gods, or make god into their own image. And so, yes, this moves beyond celebrating a gender by slamming or minimizing another. With the publication of this gospel, this mania for gender inclusiveness has slipped the bonds of sanity and moved into idolatry: My gender is my god, I will have no gods before it!
[ I say, "Well put." ed]
JB here: If God is indeed God, He was/is capable of communicating truth in any formHe so chooses. For reasons best left to Him, He describes Himself using male imagery - not female imagery. Why? we're (or I'm) not sure. But if it's good enough for Him, it's good enough for me! So why do people have the need to re-write ancient Scripture in a form different from the original manuscripts.
Below is the Anchoress' take on a recent attempt to make the Bible more friendly to wymnn.
Judith Christ of Nazareth, The Gospels of the Bible, Corrected to Reflect that Christ Was a Woman, Extracted from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. [emphasis added]
Now, I do understand that God is Spirit, but can we all agree, here and now, that Jesus the Christ was also a historical figure who was a male? I don't care how much you want to argue that God is spirit and therefore without gender, containing elements of male and female, blah, blah, blah, Jesus was still a man. His divinity may have transcended gender, but he was still a man. Get over it.
It is beyond me how a woman can read about the astonishing fact that Mary - independently and of her own choice, in an era not friendly to unwed pregnant women - assented to become the vehicle for the delivery of the Savior, and thus the vehicle for the delivery of mankind, and not feel empowered. (Yes, I did write mankind, don't like that? Go get naked and cry about it, somewhere, in a weeping circle, in the woods!) It is beyond me how a woman can read about Mary Magdalene's courage and not feel empowered by comprehending and recognising the particular genius that is distinctly feminine and which resided within her, and within Mary and Martha, and Priscilla. And Joanne.
But clearly, for some women, it is not enough that their gender is endowed with peculiar genius. They must be like gods, or make god into their own image. And so, yes, this moves beyond celebrating a gender by slamming or minimizing another. With the publication of this gospel, this mania for gender inclusiveness has slipped the bonds of sanity and moved into idolatry: My gender is my god, I will have no gods before it!
[ I say, "Well put." ed]
Saturday, June 04, 2005
So, did you ever think about the last person to get out of the towers before they collapsed?
Then you should read this:
Last Man Out: Part One
Ron DiFrancesco was high in the South Tower when the plane struck. An inferno and 84 floors lay between him and his family.
(MORE)
Then you should read this:
Last Man Out: Part One
Ron DiFrancesco was high in the South Tower when the plane struck. An inferno and 84 floors lay between him and his family.
(MORE)
Beating at the Symphony
I like this! It appeals to my a) sense of humor and b) concerns about the culture.
Enjoy!
Fan Claims Beating at Seattle Symphony Concert
would be a very surprising headline.
The real headline, Fan Claims Beating at Snoop Dogg Concert is not nearly as much of a surprise.
SEATTLE-June 2, 2005 He went to check out some of the phat beats put down by Snoop Dogg and The Game at a Seattle area concert. But one fan claims he ended up getting a big fat beat-down by some of those who performed.
Richard Monroe says some of the performers encouraged him to come onstage during the show. But Monroe says when he did, he was wailed on, had booze poured on him and had his diamond earrings, watch, cell phone and wallet stolen.
Monroe tells a Seattle newspaper: They beat me like a slave. But statements from Snoop's people and the arena seem to indicate the guy got beaten like a intruder. A statement from the venue says a fan was removed after unexpectedly approaching Snoop.
Yes, culture matters folks. Let's be very clear for the racial hysterics out there - this has nothing to do with race. It is about culture. Race and culture are not the same thing. Who would be more surprised to hear about a beating at the symphony than at an Eminem concert? The answer is obvious. We can fight for the culture or let the cancer take over, that's the choice. The Islamists are not the only enemies in our society. Again, for the hysterics - this is not an equation of rappers and terrorists. To say they're both threats to our society is not to suggest they're equivalent threats.
Enjoy!
Fan Claims Beating at Seattle Symphony Concert
would be a very surprising headline.
The real headline, Fan Claims Beating at Snoop Dogg Concert is not nearly as much of a surprise.
SEATTLE-June 2, 2005 He went to check out some of the phat beats put down by Snoop Dogg and The Game at a Seattle area concert. But one fan claims he ended up getting a big fat beat-down by some of those who performed.
Richard Monroe says some of the performers encouraged him to come onstage during the show. But Monroe says when he did, he was wailed on, had booze poured on him and had his diamond earrings, watch, cell phone and wallet stolen.
Monroe tells a Seattle newspaper: They beat me like a slave. But statements from Snoop's people and the arena seem to indicate the guy got beaten like a intruder. A statement from the venue says a fan was removed after unexpectedly approaching Snoop.
Yes, culture matters folks. Let's be very clear for the racial hysterics out there - this has nothing to do with race. It is about culture. Race and culture are not the same thing. Who would be more surprised to hear about a beating at the symphony than at an Eminem concert? The answer is obvious. We can fight for the culture or let the cancer take over, that's the choice. The Islamists are not the only enemies in our society. Again, for the hysterics - this is not an equation of rappers and terrorists. To say they're both threats to our society is not to suggest they're equivalent threats.
Friday, June 03, 2005
from Challies Dot Com
Petra Calls It Quits
It was a couple of weeks ago when I first heard that Petra had officially announced their retirement. One of the pioneering Christian rock bands, and for many years one of the most popular, Petra has decided to retire after 33 years of ministry. I am a little embarrassed to admit that the news hit me hard. To be honest, I had to hold back the tears. That may sound strange, I admit, but you must consider that Petra has played a pivotal role in my life and in my spiritual development.
JB here: I was never a Petra fan but it's a shock to find out they have been around for 33 years (in various forms, various members). That's a Long Time. Best to the boys in their second life.
Petra Calls It Quits
It was a couple of weeks ago when I first heard that Petra had officially announced their retirement. One of the pioneering Christian rock bands, and for many years one of the most popular, Petra has decided to retire after 33 years of ministry. I am a little embarrassed to admit that the news hit me hard. To be honest, I had to hold back the tears. That may sound strange, I admit, but you must consider that Petra has played a pivotal role in my life and in my spiritual development.
JB here: I was never a Petra fan but it's a shock to find out they have been around for 33 years (in various forms, various members). That's a Long Time. Best to the boys in their second life.
Found on JenSpeaks via the Llamabutchers.
HUSBANDLY EDUCATION!
Educational degrees for men:
For those of you who are married, were married, or are contemplating marriage - under the assumption that men need (or ought) to be trained for marriage. Southwest Tech is offering a new 2 year associates degree....
TWO YEAR DEGREE: Becoming a Real Man. That�s right, in just six mini-mesters, you, too, can be a real man as well as earn an associates degree in MA (Male Arts). Please take a moment to look over the program outline.
FIRST YEAR:
Autumn Schedule:
> MEN 101 Combating Stupidity
> MEN 102 You, Too, Can Do Housework
> MEN 103 PMS-Learn When to Keep Your Mouth Shut
> MEN 104 Women Do Not Want Sleazy Under things for Christmas
JB here; Some pretty funny stuff. Be sure and read THE WHOLE THING
HUSBANDLY EDUCATION!
Educational degrees for men:
For those of you who are married, were married, or are contemplating marriage - under the assumption that men need (or ought) to be trained for marriage. Southwest Tech is offering a new 2 year associates degree....
TWO YEAR DEGREE: Becoming a Real Man. That�s right, in just six mini-mesters, you, too, can be a real man as well as earn an associates degree in MA (Male Arts). Please take a moment to look over the program outline.
FIRST YEAR:
Autumn Schedule:
> MEN 101 Combating Stupidity
> MEN 102 You, Too, Can Do Housework
> MEN 103 PMS-Learn When to Keep Your Mouth Shut
> MEN 104 Women Do Not Want Sleazy Under things for Christmas
JB here; Some pretty funny stuff. Be sure and read THE WHOLE THING
Writer's guidelines for a HARDY BOYS' story (found on Dr. Mohler's site)
Meanwhile, Simon & Schuster is also set to release a new set of books in The Hardy Boys series. The Hardy Boys books were a big part of my young reading life. I was introduced to the books by Mrs. Lewis in the third grade, who read The Tower Treasure to our class after lunch period. The first book was so popular that she read through several of the books over the course of the year. Nancy Drew never stood a chance.
I sometimes snuck a flashlight into bed in order to read the books under cover. We boys all wanted to be Frank or Joe Hardy, or at least to solve mysteries, drive fast cars and boats, and experience various adventures. The books were safe, wholesome, and interesting.
It looks like the series will stay that way. Harper's Magazine published a leaked excerpt from the writers' guidelines for the new series in its June 2005 issue [this document is not available on-line]. Nothing objectionable here. The boys are brave and true--and unemotional. "There's nothing that could drive Frank or Joe to tears because they're too gutsy and determined to behave that way." No sniveling cry-babies here.
Look carefully at these instructions: "Dialogue no-no's include long speeches, cursing, vulgar references, and taking the Lord's name in vain (including the term 'jeez'). For example: Positive, upbeat: 'Wow!' 'All right!' 'Great!' 'Believe it!' Negative, sarcastic: 'Rats!' ;'Yeah, right' 'Yeah, yeah' 'Yuck!' 'Oh, boy." The guidelines also suggest grunts in the place of expletives in the case of stress or pain.
There's more: "As mentioned previously, this is a modernized series, with a healthy dose of realism. This has to carry over into the types of crimes that the Hardys tackle. Without exception, these should be major, modern, and filled with action. . . . Murder is acceptable, as long as you restrain yourself from passing along all the gory details. In other words, someone can be shot and killed, but the reader's eyes must be averted from the resulting puddles of blood."
As for sex: "There isn't any, not even in the Hardys stories of today. Bayport's teenagers do display a healthy interest in the opposite sex. Romantic situations, however, can never be allowed to develop beyond the kissing and hugging stage." The writers were further instructed to avoid all sexual references, off-color remarks, and references to drugs. The boys are allowed to eat fast food and hang out at the mall.
Finally, "End your penultimate chapter with a major cliffhanger. The final chapter then features the villain being foiled, killed, and/or captured, as our heroes bask in glory."
This little corner of civilization has been saved, earthlings.
JB here: I also thrilled to the Hardy Boy's as a child. At least one of my teachers would read them to the class. I could hardly stand it when she would finish a chapter and put the book away "until tomorrow."
Finally, I was semi-crushed when I found out, as an adult, that there was no such author named "Franklin Dixon" to say nothing of "Caroline Keane." I spent 25 years worshipping these people. However, there was a Canadian man, who's name escapes me, who did write the vast majority of the Hardy Boys books. Kudos to him. Kudos to the Hardy Boys. They were great fun. I read every one I could get my hands on.
Meanwhile, Simon & Schuster is also set to release a new set of books in The Hardy Boys series. The Hardy Boys books were a big part of my young reading life. I was introduced to the books by Mrs. Lewis in the third grade, who read The Tower Treasure to our class after lunch period. The first book was so popular that she read through several of the books over the course of the year. Nancy Drew never stood a chance.
I sometimes snuck a flashlight into bed in order to read the books under cover. We boys all wanted to be Frank or Joe Hardy, or at least to solve mysteries, drive fast cars and boats, and experience various adventures. The books were safe, wholesome, and interesting.
It looks like the series will stay that way. Harper's Magazine published a leaked excerpt from the writers' guidelines for the new series in its June 2005 issue [this document is not available on-line]. Nothing objectionable here. The boys are brave and true--and unemotional. "There's nothing that could drive Frank or Joe to tears because they're too gutsy and determined to behave that way." No sniveling cry-babies here.
Look carefully at these instructions: "Dialogue no-no's include long speeches, cursing, vulgar references, and taking the Lord's name in vain (including the term 'jeez'). For example: Positive, upbeat: 'Wow!' 'All right!' 'Great!' 'Believe it!' Negative, sarcastic: 'Rats!' ;'Yeah, right' 'Yeah, yeah' 'Yuck!' 'Oh, boy." The guidelines also suggest grunts in the place of expletives in the case of stress or pain.
There's more: "As mentioned previously, this is a modernized series, with a healthy dose of realism. This has to carry over into the types of crimes that the Hardys tackle. Without exception, these should be major, modern, and filled with action. . . . Murder is acceptable, as long as you restrain yourself from passing along all the gory details. In other words, someone can be shot and killed, but the reader's eyes must be averted from the resulting puddles of blood."
As for sex: "There isn't any, not even in the Hardys stories of today. Bayport's teenagers do display a healthy interest in the opposite sex. Romantic situations, however, can never be allowed to develop beyond the kissing and hugging stage." The writers were further instructed to avoid all sexual references, off-color remarks, and references to drugs. The boys are allowed to eat fast food and hang out at the mall.
Finally, "End your penultimate chapter with a major cliffhanger. The final chapter then features the villain being foiled, killed, and/or captured, as our heroes bask in glory."
This little corner of civilization has been saved, earthlings.
JB here: I also thrilled to the Hardy Boy's as a child. At least one of my teachers would read them to the class. I could hardly stand it when she would finish a chapter and put the book away "until tomorrow."
Finally, I was semi-crushed when I found out, as an adult, that there was no such author named "Franklin Dixon" to say nothing of "Caroline Keane." I spent 25 years worshipping these people. However, there was a Canadian man, who's name escapes me, who did write the vast majority of the Hardy Boys books. Kudos to him. Kudos to the Hardy Boys. They were great fun. I read every one I could get my hands on.
From the ever insightful Dr. Al Mohler - on homosexual marriage
After all, the majority of same-sex couples have indicated no fundamental desire for marriage--only for the right to marry. Even in Massachusetts, where an activist court has declared same-sex marriage to be legal, the majority of homosexual couples remain unmarried. We can add to this fact the reality that the vast majority of homosexual couples seeking marriage in Massachusetts are lesbians, not gay men.
So, what is driving the demand for same-sex marriage? In the end, it has to be a desire to dethrone marriage as the one paramount obstacle to the full normalization and acceptance of same-sex relationships. As an institution, marriage defines itself as a reality, even as society invests marriage with certain recognized rights and responsibilities. More than anything else, the insistent drive for same-sex marriage must in actuality be an effort to relativize marriage by redefinition. As homosexual activist Michael Sigiorile has argued, marriage is an oppressive institution that must be destroyed in order to liberate human sexuality and establish true human freedom.
JB here: And there Dr. Mohler points out the driving purpose behind establishing homosexual marriage - eradicating the God given traditional institution in order to remove all barriers to sexuality: sex with anyone, anything, at any time, completely left to the individual no matter what the cost ( and the cost, as we know, is horrific).
"Let us remake God in our own image" says the homosexual activist and the "progressive."
To quote myself; "Well this ain't gonna work."
After all, the majority of same-sex couples have indicated no fundamental desire for marriage--only for the right to marry. Even in Massachusetts, where an activist court has declared same-sex marriage to be legal, the majority of homosexual couples remain unmarried. We can add to this fact the reality that the vast majority of homosexual couples seeking marriage in Massachusetts are lesbians, not gay men.
So, what is driving the demand for same-sex marriage? In the end, it has to be a desire to dethrone marriage as the one paramount obstacle to the full normalization and acceptance of same-sex relationships. As an institution, marriage defines itself as a reality, even as society invests marriage with certain recognized rights and responsibilities. More than anything else, the insistent drive for same-sex marriage must in actuality be an effort to relativize marriage by redefinition. As homosexual activist Michael Sigiorile has argued, marriage is an oppressive institution that must be destroyed in order to liberate human sexuality and establish true human freedom.
JB here: And there Dr. Mohler points out the driving purpose behind establishing homosexual marriage - eradicating the God given traditional institution in order to remove all barriers to sexuality: sex with anyone, anything, at any time, completely left to the individual no matter what the cost ( and the cost, as we know, is horrific).
"Let us remake God in our own image" says the homosexual activist and the "progressive."
To quote myself; "Well this ain't gonna work."
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Victor David Hanson - National Review frequent, and brilliant, contributor on
the European Union problem
"The E.U. constitution � and its promise of a new Europe supposedly offered a corrective to the Anglo-American strain of Western civilization. More government, higher taxes, richer entitlements, pacifism, statism and atheism would make a more humane and powerful new continent of over 400 million to outpace a retrograde United States."
JB here: To quote myself, "well that ain't gonna work." I believe the people who put together the European Union documents well qualify as "a cornucopia of scummery."
I'd add, "what have they been smoking" but I assume they probably have been smoking way too much Euro-weenie ganja. Sigh
the European Union problem
"The E.U. constitution � and its promise of a new Europe supposedly offered a corrective to the Anglo-American strain of Western civilization. More government, higher taxes, richer entitlements, pacifism, statism and atheism would make a more humane and powerful new continent of over 400 million to outpace a retrograde United States."
JB here: To quote myself, "well that ain't gonna work." I believe the people who put together the European Union documents well qualify as "a cornucopia of scummery."
I'd add, "what have they been smoking" but I assume they probably have been smoking way too much Euro-weenie ganja. Sigh
EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS: From the epistle to Diognetus
via - thinklings.com
5:1 For Christians are not distinguished from the
rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in
customs.
5:2 For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their
own, neither do they use some different language, nor
practise an extraordinary kind of life.
5:3 Nor again do they possess any invention
discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious
men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some
are.
5:4 But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and
barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the
native customs in dress and food and the other
arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their
own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous,
and confessedly contradicts expectation.
5:5 They dwell in their own countries, but only as
sojourners; they bear their share in all things as
citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers.
Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and
every fatherland is foreign.
5:6 They marry like all other men and they beget
children; but they do not cast away their offspring.
5:7 They have their meals in common, but not their
wives.
5:8 They find themselves in the flesh, and yet they
live not after the flesh.
5:9 Their existence is on earth, but their
citizenship is in heaven.
5:10 They obey the established laws, and they
surpass the laws in their own lives.
5:11 They love all men, and they are persecuted by
all.
5:12 They are ignored, and yet they are condemned.
They are put to death, and yet they are endued with
life.
5:13 They are in beggary, and yet they make many
rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they
abound in all things.
5:14 They are dishonoured, and yet they are
glorified in their dishonour. They are evil spoken of,
and yet they are vindicated.
5:15 They are reviled, and they bless; they are
insulted, and they respect.
5:16 Doing good they are punished as evil-doers;
being punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby
quickened by life.
5:17 War is waged against them as aliens by the
Jews, and persecution is carried on against them by
the Greeks, and yet those that hate them cannot tell
the reason of their hostility.
JB here: As always there is a large reality gap between the calling of the followers of Jesus Christ and the behavior/actions of the followers of Jesus Christ. We are SOooo far away from our calling. Societal collapse would purify the followers of Jesus Christ - but we all fear that I suppose.
via - thinklings.com
5:1 For Christians are not distinguished from the
rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in
customs.
5:2 For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their
own, neither do they use some different language, nor
practise an extraordinary kind of life.
5:3 Nor again do they possess any invention
discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious
men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some
are.
5:4 But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and
barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the
native customs in dress and food and the other
arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their
own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous,
and confessedly contradicts expectation.
5:5 They dwell in their own countries, but only as
sojourners; they bear their share in all things as
citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers.
Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and
every fatherland is foreign.
5:6 They marry like all other men and they beget
children; but they do not cast away their offspring.
5:7 They have their meals in common, but not their
wives.
5:8 They find themselves in the flesh, and yet they
live not after the flesh.
5:9 Their existence is on earth, but their
citizenship is in heaven.
5:10 They obey the established laws, and they
surpass the laws in their own lives.
5:11 They love all men, and they are persecuted by
all.
5:12 They are ignored, and yet they are condemned.
They are put to death, and yet they are endued with
life.
5:13 They are in beggary, and yet they make many
rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they
abound in all things.
5:14 They are dishonoured, and yet they are
glorified in their dishonour. They are evil spoken of,
and yet they are vindicated.
5:15 They are reviled, and they bless; they are
insulted, and they respect.
5:16 Doing good they are punished as evil-doers;
being punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby
quickened by life.
5:17 War is waged against them as aliens by the
Jews, and persecution is carried on against them by
the Greeks, and yet those that hate them cannot tell
the reason of their hostility.
JB here: As always there is a large reality gap between the calling of the followers of Jesus Christ and the behavior/actions of the followers of Jesus Christ. We are SOooo far away from our calling. Societal collapse would purify the followers of Jesus Christ - but we all fear that I suppose.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Politics Without God--Europe's Secular Crisis
Captain's Quarters
In a statement today, Woodward and Bernstein said, "W. Mark Felt was 'Deep Throat' and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage. However, as the record shows, many other sources and officials assisted us and other reporters for the hundreds of stories that were written in The Washington Post about Watergate."
The accompanying article has people describing Felt as a "hero", while some of the commenters here are more inclined to see him as a traitor. I don't think either applies. Felt worked with the Post for his own personal motivations of revenge and frustration at being passed over. If Nixon had made him Director of the FBI, he never would have lefted a finger for Woodward or Bernstein.
JB here: Bureacratic infighting influences so much of D.C. Apparently Felt wanted to be the number one man for the F.B.I. but Nixon went outside the agency. Felt got his revenge.
Amnesty International drinks the kool-aid
David Rivkin and Lee Casey show how dishonest Amnesty International's 2005 Report on worldwide human rights is, at least when it comes to assessing the U.S. "First and foremost," Rivkin and Casey state, "Amnesty�s report is emphatically not an honest assessment of American compliance with international law. Rather, it is an assessment of how well the United States complies with Amnesty International�s political and ideological agenda � equivalent to the grading of individual members of Congress by domestic advocacy groups."
JB here: So many of the advocacy groups simply become part of the "partisan politics" landscape - always far to the left. Show me an established advocacy group and I'll show you a group led by people who hate George Bush.
Then there's a faux Paris Hilton interview -- if you like those kinda things. Pretty funny but she's an extremely large target for those who find humor in people's idiosyncracies.
In our no boundaries culture, who "owns" the children?
In spite of being warned about these problems, the social-engineering whackos went ahead and re-engineered the human race and now discover the courts have their shorts tied in knots because they aren't up to the challenge.
The California Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to define parenthood for an age when technology permits two women to have children without a man in sight. The state's parenthood laws, with references to "paternity," give no clear answers. Prior court decisions de-emphasizing the role of biology in determining legal parenthood don't go so far as some of the women would like.
Finally okieonthelam "fisks" the L.A. Times and their extended piece seemingly glorifying late term abortions. Read it HERE!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Anglican Church
Well THIS ain't gonna work!
HOMOSEXUAL priests in the Church of England will be allowed to marry their boyfriends under a proposal drawn up by senior bishops, led by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The decision ensures that gay and lesbian clergy who wish to register relationships under the new civil partnerships law giving them many of the tax and inheritance advantages of married couples will not lose their licences to be priests.
They will, however, have to give an assurance to their diocesan bishop that they will abstain from sex. (Two chances of this working: "No" chance and "Fat" chance.)
The bishops are trying to uphold the church doctrine of forbidding clergy from sex except in a full marriage. They accept, however, that the new law leaves them little choice but to accept the right of gay clergy to have civil partners.
The decision is likely to reopen the row over homosexuality that has split the worldwide Anglican communion. It may also overshadow an international meeting of senior bishops next month designed to heal rifts between liberals and conservatives over the issue.
HOMOSEXUAL priests in the Church of England will be allowed to marry their boyfriends under a proposal drawn up by senior bishops, led by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The decision ensures that gay and lesbian clergy who wish to register relationships under the new civil partnerships law giving them many of the tax and inheritance advantages of married couples will not lose their licences to be priests.
They will, however, have to give an assurance to their diocesan bishop that they will abstain from sex. (Two chances of this working: "No" chance and "Fat" chance.)
The bishops are trying to uphold the church doctrine of forbidding clergy from sex except in a full marriage. They accept, however, that the new law leaves them little choice but to accept the right of gay clergy to have civil partners.
The decision is likely to reopen the row over homosexuality that has split the worldwide Anglican communion. It may also overshadow an international meeting of senior bishops next month designed to heal rifts between liberals and conservatives over the issue.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
The U.N. will shortly celebrate its 60th birthday and apparently George Bush, Condi Rice and others have not yet RSVP'd.
As Capt Ed notes:
"The UN has collapsed into a crime family, where money and personnel intended to assist the most vulnerable instead work to the support of the most evil tyrants, where forces intended on protecting the innocent abandon them to enemies and sexually assault the female survivors, and where the various dictatorships and kleptocracies who pursue slavery and terrorism run committees that focus their ire on Western nations for not putting even more resources at their disposal to continue these travesties. Its management has proven itself above accountability and its membership has encouraged all of it for a chance to handicap the Western democracies in their bid to spread true freedom and liberty across the globe.
What's there to celebrate?"
JB here: Capt Ed has exactly, in my humble opinion, captured the true nature of the current incarnation of the U.N. To use a phrase from Jay Tea of Wizbangblog.com; you might call the U.N. "a cornucopia of scummery."
As Capt Ed notes:
"The UN has collapsed into a crime family, where money and personnel intended to assist the most vulnerable instead work to the support of the most evil tyrants, where forces intended on protecting the innocent abandon them to enemies and sexually assault the female survivors, and where the various dictatorships and kleptocracies who pursue slavery and terrorism run committees that focus their ire on Western nations for not putting even more resources at their disposal to continue these travesties. Its management has proven itself above accountability and its membership has encouraged all of it for a chance to handicap the Western democracies in their bid to spread true freedom and liberty across the globe.
What's there to celebrate?"
JB here: Capt Ed has exactly, in my humble opinion, captured the true nature of the current incarnation of the U.N. To use a phrase from Jay Tea of Wizbangblog.com; you might call the U.N. "a cornucopia of scummery."
Saturday, May 28, 2005
From Danielle Crittendon - found on Huffington Post - A free woman or not
1. Are you allowed to drive a car? Y/N
2. Must you be accompanied at all times in public by a male escort? Y/N
3. If you were to say "what the hell" and drive to the mall by yourself, would you be immediately surrounded by bat-wielding male police officers? Y/N
4. Could you be beaten for saying �what the hell�? Y/N
5. When you go outside on a hot summer day, can you wear shorts and a t-shirt? Y/N
6. You wouldn�t know what the weather was because your vision is a confined to the small slit opening in a burkha or abaya? Y/N
7. Have you ever been stoned at a party? Y/ N
8. Have you ever been buried up to your neck and stoned (i.e. with rocks) for kissing a man not your husband at a party? Y/N
9. Were you free to marry the man of your choice or, as it may be, free not to marry? Y/N
10. Did your parents force you to marry a man of their choosing? Y/N
11. If you refused your parents� choice of husband would you be banished from the family and/or beaten within an inch of your life and/or to death? Y/N
12. Were you 11-years-old when you were married? Y/N
13. Does your husband have more than one wife? Y/N
14. Does your religion permit and encourage �moderate beatings� by the husband whenever he feels his wife is disobedient? Y/N
15. If you are unhappy with your husband, can you initiate a divorce? Y/N
16. Were you educated? Y/N
17. Were you educated for a career? Y/N
18. Was the career that of a suicide bomber? Y/N
19. When dealing with the law or facing a court case, is your word valued at half that of a man�s? Y/N
20. In a rape case in which there are no witnesses, is your word worth nothing against that of the rapist�s�and furthermore, for the admission of sex with a man outside of marriage, even forcibly, can you be put to death? Y/N
21. Can you vote? Y/N
22. Can you read any book you like? Y/N
23. Did you read the Arabic version of �Fear of Flying�? (oh, skip this one�it doesn�t exist)
24. Is fear of flying how you feel whenever you step on a plane post-9/11?
SCORING: If you answered �yes� to questions 1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22,23, and 25, congratulations! You live in the freest society for women in the history of Planet Earth. If you answered �yes� to any of the other questions, Allahu Akbar!
JB here: WOW, Danielle's 24 questions truly high-light the difference between a free society and a closed, totalitarian regime who's philosophical basis is the Koran. Hmm, Jesus Christ really did liberate people, really did liberate women.
1. Are you allowed to drive a car? Y/N
2. Must you be accompanied at all times in public by a male escort? Y/N
3. If you were to say "what the hell" and drive to the mall by yourself, would you be immediately surrounded by bat-wielding male police officers? Y/N
4. Could you be beaten for saying �what the hell�? Y/N
5. When you go outside on a hot summer day, can you wear shorts and a t-shirt? Y/N
6. You wouldn�t know what the weather was because your vision is a confined to the small slit opening in a burkha or abaya? Y/N
7. Have you ever been stoned at a party? Y/ N
8. Have you ever been buried up to your neck and stoned (i.e. with rocks) for kissing a man not your husband at a party? Y/N
9. Were you free to marry the man of your choice or, as it may be, free not to marry? Y/N
10. Did your parents force you to marry a man of their choosing? Y/N
11. If you refused your parents� choice of husband would you be banished from the family and/or beaten within an inch of your life and/or to death? Y/N
12. Were you 11-years-old when you were married? Y/N
13. Does your husband have more than one wife? Y/N
14. Does your religion permit and encourage �moderate beatings� by the husband whenever he feels his wife is disobedient? Y/N
15. If you are unhappy with your husband, can you initiate a divorce? Y/N
16. Were you educated? Y/N
17. Were you educated for a career? Y/N
18. Was the career that of a suicide bomber? Y/N
19. When dealing with the law or facing a court case, is your word valued at half that of a man�s? Y/N
20. In a rape case in which there are no witnesses, is your word worth nothing against that of the rapist�s�and furthermore, for the admission of sex with a man outside of marriage, even forcibly, can you be put to death? Y/N
21. Can you vote? Y/N
22. Can you read any book you like? Y/N
23. Did you read the Arabic version of �Fear of Flying�? (oh, skip this one�it doesn�t exist)
24. Is fear of flying how you feel whenever you step on a plane post-9/11?
SCORING: If you answered �yes� to questions 1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22,23, and 25, congratulations! You live in the freest society for women in the history of Planet Earth. If you answered �yes� to any of the other questions, Allahu Akbar!
JB here: WOW, Danielle's 24 questions truly high-light the difference between a free society and a closed, totalitarian regime who's philosophical basis is the Koran. Hmm, Jesus Christ really did liberate people, really did liberate women.
Friday, May 27, 2005
From the Sheep Crib - what should we fear?
"I used to be fascinated by the creature images in the last book of the Bible; that is, until I was privileged to hear a lecture on the micro- and macro-systems in God's creation. It was the first time I'd heard a believer claim man will never mine the full depth of the microsciences or explore the full reaches of the heavens.
God is infinite and, though He is transcendent, one must grasp that there is nothing too small or too huge for an infinite God to make. Think about that for ten minutes; I guarantee one fine headache.
Stop and consider for a moment what an electron microscopic photo of a bacterium or the AIDS virus would look like to the Apostle John in a vision on Patmos? Consider Revelation 13:2 ...
And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
So what's this all about? It's about this: for a while, there was not a week that went by I didn't hear about "wars and rumors or wars" and "famines" and "earthquakes" [Mark 13:7-8]. Now, in recent weeks I've been hearing of "pestilence"; specifically PVL MRSA Toxin, 52 cases reported in Scotland last year. "............
JB here: Gilmartin truly gives us something to consider. If Revelation holds true, are we to be destroyed by virii and bacteria? It does give one pause. Actually the ways in which we could be destroyed appear to be truly endless. But considering what a virus or bacterium looks like under a powerful microscope - hmmm.
"I used to be fascinated by the creature images in the last book of the Bible; that is, until I was privileged to hear a lecture on the micro- and macro-systems in God's creation. It was the first time I'd heard a believer claim man will never mine the full depth of the microsciences or explore the full reaches of the heavens.
God is infinite and, though He is transcendent, one must grasp that there is nothing too small or too huge for an infinite God to make. Think about that for ten minutes; I guarantee one fine headache.
Stop and consider for a moment what an electron microscopic photo of a bacterium or the AIDS virus would look like to the Apostle John in a vision on Patmos? Consider Revelation 13:2 ...
And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
So what's this all about? It's about this: for a while, there was not a week that went by I didn't hear about "wars and rumors or wars" and "famines" and "earthquakes" [Mark 13:7-8]. Now, in recent weeks I've been hearing of "pestilence"; specifically PVL MRSA Toxin, 52 cases reported in Scotland last year. "............
JB here: Gilmartin truly gives us something to consider. If Revelation holds true, are we to be destroyed by virii and bacteria? It does give one pause. Actually the ways in which we could be destroyed appear to be truly endless. But considering what a virus or bacterium looks like under a powerful microscope - hmmm.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
THE RISE OF SPYWARE from Instapundit
Mainstream children's Web sites host a glut of adware, a security firm said this week, proof that spyware makers are targeting kids in an attempt to slip by parents and get their software onto home computers.
Over a three-month period, said Kraig Lane, a group product manager in Symantec's consumer division, his lab took new PCs out of the box, connected them to the Internet without monkeying with any of the default settings in Windows XP SP2, then surfed well-known sites in several categories, ranging from kids and sports to news and shopping.
"Our testers went to name-brand Web sites, and spent 30 minutes to an hour reading or interacting with sites," said Lane. Testers tried to emulate real-world browser by reading articles, interacting with the site's features, but not explicitly looking to accumulate files by downloading. "Then they ran spyware detection software and counted up what kind of security risks and how many files had been installed on the machines," Lane said.
Children were the biggest target for spyware makers, by far. The trip to several kids' sites installed a whopping 359 pieces of adware on Symantec's PCs, five times more than the nearest category rival, travel. Popup ads proliferated on the machines after that, making them virtually unusable.
JB here: If you don't hate spyware, you're not paying attention. Now they're trying to sneak it onto our machines thru children's websites. The word "irritating" doesn't quite convey the anger over this. BUT, that's part of the price of "free internet info."
Mainstream children's Web sites host a glut of adware, a security firm said this week, proof that spyware makers are targeting kids in an attempt to slip by parents and get their software onto home computers.
Over a three-month period, said Kraig Lane, a group product manager in Symantec's consumer division, his lab took new PCs out of the box, connected them to the Internet without monkeying with any of the default settings in Windows XP SP2, then surfed well-known sites in several categories, ranging from kids and sports to news and shopping.
"Our testers went to name-brand Web sites, and spent 30 minutes to an hour reading or interacting with sites," said Lane. Testers tried to emulate real-world browser by reading articles, interacting with the site's features, but not explicitly looking to accumulate files by downloading. "Then they ran spyware detection software and counted up what kind of security risks and how many files had been installed on the machines," Lane said.
Children were the biggest target for spyware makers, by far. The trip to several kids' sites installed a whopping 359 pieces of adware on Symantec's PCs, five times more than the nearest category rival, travel. Popup ads proliferated on the machines after that, making them virtually unusable.
JB here: If you don't hate spyware, you're not paying attention. Now they're trying to sneak it onto our machines thru children's websites. The word "irritating" doesn't quite convey the anger over this. BUT, that's part of the price of "free internet info."
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Found on wizbangblog.com - interesting commentary
I once read a book about the development of Windows NT (no, I really don't know why). It introduced me to a wonderful concept, inelegantly named "eating your own dog food." It was a stage of development where the programmers were forced to actually install and run Windows NT on their own computers and use that for work, to see how their efforts work for a user.
I think it's a great idea. It forces people to see just how their efforts work for the people on the other side of the fence, to see their perspective. What seems perfectly intuitive and simple to the engineer can be baffling to the end-user....................................
JB here: One of the things Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" focused on was making sure the Congress itself lived by the rules it imposed upon other corporations. However, "Contract with America" was some years ago and I'd be willing to bet that in the last decade and 1/2, the Congress has once again waived the rules of commerce that they insist others follow. But I don't know that for sure.
Should a congress have to "eat its own dog food?" ABSOLUTELY!
I once read a book about the development of Windows NT (no, I really don't know why). It introduced me to a wonderful concept, inelegantly named "eating your own dog food." It was a stage of development where the programmers were forced to actually install and run Windows NT on their own computers and use that for work, to see how their efforts work for a user.
I think it's a great idea. It forces people to see just how their efforts work for the people on the other side of the fence, to see their perspective. What seems perfectly intuitive and simple to the engineer can be baffling to the end-user....................................
JB here: One of the things Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" focused on was making sure the Congress itself lived by the rules it imposed upon other corporations. However, "Contract with America" was some years ago and I'd be willing to bet that in the last decade and 1/2, the Congress has once again waived the rules of commerce that they insist others follow. But I don't know that for sure.
Should a congress have to "eat its own dog food?" ABSOLUTELY!
Gerald Peary's commentary on teachers:
School Teachers
It's another damned September, and I'm back in school, writhing and kicking like many of you, but on the other side of the desk. I'm a teacher, the one with the chalky crumpled sports jacket, the nostalgic-for-1967 haircut and jeans, and the by-rote explanation of my get-tough grading policy. Is there verity to the stereotype of teachers as geeky, grumpy, and oblivious to fashion, clinging to pre-computer era standards? Sure, I say, peeking in a mirror (though rarely) at my professor self.
And what about teaching because you can't do real work? Or because you are too eccentric to succeed among adults?
All the above are often true in my calling, and they've been true, and will stay so. Whenever Frederick Wiseman shows High School(1968), his wry documentary of student-faculty life at a Philadelphia public school, people come up to him and exclaim, "That's my high school! I had those weird teachers!" They've been saying that for 33 years.
JB here: I've always had this secret desire to leave my "chosen field" someday and try my hand at teaching high school. I suspect that people like myself who have a desire to teach high school are living in a dream world of schools being like those seen in "Goodbye Mr. Chips" or "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Ah, callow youth. Luckily or unluckily I have good memories of my high school years. I had some enjoyable teachers and I was the favorite of our spinster librarian, Miss Imogene Fokker - that is correct. I was always in the library during school day breaks either checking out or returning books. I was a huge reader back then and Miss Fokker was appreciative. She was a pleasant looking but dimunitive female who wore glasses and had a pageboy style haircut with nairy a hair ever out of place. It makes you wonder what her life was actually like.
But, "here's to you Miss Fokker." I hope life treated you well -- after all you treated me well. JB
School Teachers
It's another damned September, and I'm back in school, writhing and kicking like many of you, but on the other side of the desk. I'm a teacher, the one with the chalky crumpled sports jacket, the nostalgic-for-1967 haircut and jeans, and the by-rote explanation of my get-tough grading policy. Is there verity to the stereotype of teachers as geeky, grumpy, and oblivious to fashion, clinging to pre-computer era standards? Sure, I say, peeking in a mirror (though rarely) at my professor self.
And what about teaching because you can't do real work? Or because you are too eccentric to succeed among adults?
All the above are often true in my calling, and they've been true, and will stay so. Whenever Frederick Wiseman shows High School(1968), his wry documentary of student-faculty life at a Philadelphia public school, people come up to him and exclaim, "That's my high school! I had those weird teachers!" They've been saying that for 33 years.
JB here: I've always had this secret desire to leave my "chosen field" someday and try my hand at teaching high school. I suspect that people like myself who have a desire to teach high school are living in a dream world of schools being like those seen in "Goodbye Mr. Chips" or "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Ah, callow youth. Luckily or unluckily I have good memories of my high school years. I had some enjoyable teachers and I was the favorite of our spinster librarian, Miss Imogene Fokker - that is correct. I was always in the library during school day breaks either checking out or returning books. I was a huge reader back then and Miss Fokker was appreciative. She was a pleasant looking but dimunitive female who wore glasses and had a pageboy style haircut with nairy a hair ever out of place. It makes you wonder what her life was actually like.
But, "here's to you Miss Fokker." I hope life treated you well -- after all you treated me well. JB
Monday, May 23, 2005
Dr. Albert Mohler's address to the graduating seniors of Union University - May 21 2005
..............................
There is a sense in which that’s exactly what we would like to take place here tonight. We would like to have some time traveler from the future come to May 2005, emerge even here tonight from your class, to tell us where you have been and where you have gone. We would welcome a visitor from this class who could return from the future—to come back and tell us what you have seen, what you have done, what you have experienced, what you have witnessed. What about the impact you have left in the world?
It would be incredible if tonight we could have some visitor from the future, from your class, come and tell what you have done. For tonight, we have to look forward in hope, in confidence, and in anticipation. But the time is shorter than it appears. You look healthy. You look vigorous. You look ready. But you are going to die.
The time for all of us is far shorter than first appears. I can remember all too poignantly sitting exactly where you sit. Now I have to picture sitting with your parents, as my children will all too soon sit with you. For some the time will be longer, for some the time shorter. In the span of eternity, even in the expanse of human history, the time is short for all of us.
JB here: The years do rush by. I quite vividly remember standing in line in the parking lot of my high school wearing my blue gown 39 years ago (1966). I ask myself on a regular basis, "How can it be almost 40 years since I graduated from high school?"
So I find myself, to paraphrase Dr. Mohler, looking a) not too healthy, b) not to vigorous, c) not too ready, d) much much closer to dying than 39 years ago.
If there is a God, will He find me ready? I hope so because I have eternity in front of me.
..............................
There is a sense in which that’s exactly what we would like to take place here tonight. We would like to have some time traveler from the future come to May 2005, emerge even here tonight from your class, to tell us where you have been and where you have gone. We would welcome a visitor from this class who could return from the future—to come back and tell us what you have seen, what you have done, what you have experienced, what you have witnessed. What about the impact you have left in the world?
It would be incredible if tonight we could have some visitor from the future, from your class, come and tell what you have done. For tonight, we have to look forward in hope, in confidence, and in anticipation. But the time is shorter than it appears. You look healthy. You look vigorous. You look ready. But you are going to die.
The time for all of us is far shorter than first appears. I can remember all too poignantly sitting exactly where you sit. Now I have to picture sitting with your parents, as my children will all too soon sit with you. For some the time will be longer, for some the time shorter. In the span of eternity, even in the expanse of human history, the time is short for all of us.
JB here: The years do rush by. I quite vividly remember standing in line in the parking lot of my high school wearing my blue gown 39 years ago (1966). I ask myself on a regular basis, "How can it be almost 40 years since I graduated from high school?"
So I find myself, to paraphrase Dr. Mohler, looking a) not too healthy, b) not to vigorous, c) not too ready, d) much much closer to dying than 39 years ago.
If there is a God, will He find me ready? I hope so because I have eternity in front of me.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Death of the "Mainline."
The mainline church is dying. Its traditional givers are being buried faster than you can say "institutional loyalty." The Roomers who follow them will use their inheritances to buy SUVs and tummy-tucks. The Busters who follow them will spend their share to pay off credit cards and luxury vacations. Their children will use whatever scraps are left on flat-screen televisions, psychiatrists, and their share of national debt. And all the while, as trillions pass from hand to hand to hand, the mainline institutions are busy arguing over adiahora, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, and complaining that someone moved their cheese."
...............................
There is a simple five-point biblical model for the congregation of the post-Christian world. It is found in the second chapter of Acts and it looks a lot like the model for the preChristian world.
* They met in homes.
* They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching (Word).
* They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread (Sacrament).
* They dedicated themselves to prayer.
* They took darn good care of each other.
If you wish to grow a church that not only survives but also thrives in the uncharted waters of the future, I suggest you go back to the future and look no further than Acts 2. The fun part of all this is that you get to be radical and reactionary all at the same time.
JB here: I like the article and agree with most of it. I do believe, however, the author neglected 1 particularly telling issue. Any church that no longer bases it beliefs upon the written word of the Creator God is bound to become irrelevant and dead. The more the mainline has watered down the Scriptures, the "deader" they have become. Going to a house-church model won't help them if they focus their teaching on sociological cant - driven hither and yon by every fresh wind of thought emanating from the Universities who are united in just 1 thing. They don't believe there is a Creator God and they certainly don't intend to listen to Him if he does happen to exist. Any church that relies on the philosophy of the modern university is "deader then a doornail" already.
The mainline church is dying. Its traditional givers are being buried faster than you can say "institutional loyalty." The Roomers who follow them will use their inheritances to buy SUVs and tummy-tucks. The Busters who follow them will spend their share to pay off credit cards and luxury vacations. Their children will use whatever scraps are left on flat-screen televisions, psychiatrists, and their share of national debt. And all the while, as trillions pass from hand to hand to hand, the mainline institutions are busy arguing over adiahora, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, and complaining that someone moved their cheese."
...............................
There is a simple five-point biblical model for the congregation of the post-Christian world. It is found in the second chapter of Acts and it looks a lot like the model for the preChristian world.
* They met in homes.
* They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching (Word).
* They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread (Sacrament).
* They dedicated themselves to prayer.
* They took darn good care of each other.
If you wish to grow a church that not only survives but also thrives in the uncharted waters of the future, I suggest you go back to the future and look no further than Acts 2. The fun part of all this is that you get to be radical and reactionary all at the same time.
JB here: I like the article and agree with most of it. I do believe, however, the author neglected 1 particularly telling issue. Any church that no longer bases it beliefs upon the written word of the Creator God is bound to become irrelevant and dead. The more the mainline has watered down the Scriptures, the "deader" they have become. Going to a house-church model won't help them if they focus their teaching on sociological cant - driven hither and yon by every fresh wind of thought emanating from the Universities who are united in just 1 thing. They don't believe there is a Creator God and they certainly don't intend to listen to Him if he does happen to exist. Any church that relies on the philosophy of the modern university is "deader then a doornail" already.
Steve Bruce in the news.scotsman.com
DEATH OF GREAT BRITIAN'S CHURCH
The English lost their interest in religion first; Scots (at least those of the countryside and the burgh) still "took" the People's Friend and the Sunday Post (the medicinal verb was deliberate) and dutifully attended the national church. Deprived of political autonomy, a stateless nation sustained its somewhat joyless but utterly reliable soul by adhering to the Presbyterian Kirk.
No more. When the prudent son of the manse was a student, the Kirk had 1.34 million members. The current membership is less than half that. More worrying for the Church of Scotland's future, only 7,500 babies were christened last year, 500 fewer than the year before. Not all of those will go on to become actively involved, but this is the pool from which recruits are drawn. The effect of it drying up can be seen in every congregation in the land: the men and women in the pews are mostly old. In a major 2001 survey, the most popular religion among Scots under 35 was "None".
The Kirk's loss of 60 per cent of attenders since 1960 is dramatic enough, but the full extent of secularization becomes clear if we take a longer time span. In 1851, about half of Scots regularly attended church, most had some formal Christian instruction, and basic Christian ideas were taken for granted. Now, only 10 per cent attend church and the proportion familiar with Christianity is barely larger. In 1900, being Christian was expected; in 2005, it is exceptional.
JB here: Thanks to sheepcrib.blogspot.com for the tip.
Where goest the U.S.?
If you are a devout believer, you undoubtedly think God's blessings upon the U.S. are largely due to an Evangelical remnant that still worships God. But what happens when that remnant gets too small? Will all be lost then? Will a nation implode upon its own foolishness and desire to have no moral laws setting boundaries about its own lusts and wants. Hmm
DEATH OF GREAT BRITIAN'S CHURCH
The English lost their interest in religion first; Scots (at least those of the countryside and the burgh) still "took" the People's Friend and the Sunday Post (the medicinal verb was deliberate) and dutifully attended the national church. Deprived of political autonomy, a stateless nation sustained its somewhat joyless but utterly reliable soul by adhering to the Presbyterian Kirk.
No more. When the prudent son of the manse was a student, the Kirk had 1.34 million members. The current membership is less than half that. More worrying for the Church of Scotland's future, only 7,500 babies were christened last year, 500 fewer than the year before. Not all of those will go on to become actively involved, but this is the pool from which recruits are drawn. The effect of it drying up can be seen in every congregation in the land: the men and women in the pews are mostly old. In a major 2001 survey, the most popular religion among Scots under 35 was "None".
The Kirk's loss of 60 per cent of attenders since 1960 is dramatic enough, but the full extent of secularization becomes clear if we take a longer time span. In 1851, about half of Scots regularly attended church, most had some formal Christian instruction, and basic Christian ideas were taken for granted. Now, only 10 per cent attend church and the proportion familiar with Christianity is barely larger. In 1900, being Christian was expected; in 2005, it is exceptional.
JB here: Thanks to sheepcrib.blogspot.com for the tip.
Where goest the U.S.?
If you are a devout believer, you undoubtedly think God's blessings upon the U.S. are largely due to an Evangelical remnant that still worships God. But what happens when that remnant gets too small? Will all be lost then? Will a nation implode upon its own foolishness and desire to have no moral laws setting boundaries about its own lusts and wants. Hmm
Dr. Sanity provides wisdom:
"Acquired Situational Narcissism"
The always-informative Dr. Sanity provides her expert opinion on why some of our "esteemed" elected officials act as they do:
There is a description of a disorder called "Acquired Situational Narcissism" which seems to apply to many of our elected officials. If you take someone with a few narcissistic traits (and what politician doesn't have them?) and put them in a situation where they are adored, worshipped, and make to think (by the adoring and worshipping staff) that they are the center of the universe; and that words from their mouth are the font of all wisdom and knowledge--you would get something similar to the grandstanding meatheads we see every day on our TV screens.
JB here: Be sure and read it all. Hat tip to sheepcrib.blogspot.com
"Acquired Situational Narcissism"
The always-informative Dr. Sanity provides her expert opinion on why some of our "esteemed" elected officials act as they do:
There is a description of a disorder called "Acquired Situational Narcissism" which seems to apply to many of our elected officials. If you take someone with a few narcissistic traits (and what politician doesn't have them?) and put them in a situation where they are adored, worshipped, and make to think (by the adoring and worshipping staff) that they are the center of the universe; and that words from their mouth are the font of all wisdom and knowledge--you would get something similar to the grandstanding meatheads we see every day on our TV screens.
JB here: Be sure and read it all. Hat tip to sheepcrib.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 21, 2005
From the Llamabutchers
Revenge of the Sith---the LLama Review
.................................
To call the acting wooden is an insult to the memory of Charlie McCarthy. Let's just say I've seen cans of Dinty Moore stew with greater depth than Hayden Christensen. Mr. Bill was able to emote better. Padame? She basically spends the first two acts biting her finger nails and pouting from her balcony.
During the pivotal dramatic love scene of Act 2, I kept looking at Anakin and hearing him whine, "Padme, I think Chuck hates me....why does Chuck hate me? I think he wants to kill me, Padme..."
.................................................
The greatest failure is the writing out of Han Solo. Every other character that has any impact on the middle trilogy makes an appearance or is set up with a backstory---except Han Solo. Solo is what makes the first movie work: the disrespect for all the Force mumbo jumbo, the insouciance, the swagger--let's face it, Han Solo is fun. It's the element that the starting trilogy completely lacks--a sense of fun. It would be like the Harry Potter stories without the Weasleys, and it makes the betrayal by Anakin that much less believable.
.............................................
The last Act delivers it all: all the good guys die, save Obi-Wan and Yoda. The juxtaposition of the birth of the twins and the birth of Vader. The movie is worth all the hype and all the crap of the first 2 2/3rds episodes simply for the scene of Obi-Wan, leaving the desiccated Vader at the edge of the river of lava, and picks up Anakin's light saber, followed shortly by the hooded Obi-Wan delivering the baby Luke into the hands of Aunt Beru and she turns to Uncle Owen, who is standing in the same position as Luke, looking out at the Tatooine moons in Episode IV.
The mythical line is complete: the wizard/priest delivers the boy-king wrapped in swaddling clothes to the kindly shepherd, and will wait patiently to deliver the sword of fire. the end
JB here: Thanks to one of the Llamabutchers for an excellent critique/analysis. Maybe I'll go see it after all.
Revenge of the Sith---the LLama Review
.................................
To call the acting wooden is an insult to the memory of Charlie McCarthy. Let's just say I've seen cans of Dinty Moore stew with greater depth than Hayden Christensen. Mr. Bill was able to emote better. Padame? She basically spends the first two acts biting her finger nails and pouting from her balcony.
During the pivotal dramatic love scene of Act 2, I kept looking at Anakin and hearing him whine, "Padme, I think Chuck hates me....why does Chuck hate me? I think he wants to kill me, Padme..."
.................................................
The greatest failure is the writing out of Han Solo. Every other character that has any impact on the middle trilogy makes an appearance or is set up with a backstory---except Han Solo. Solo is what makes the first movie work: the disrespect for all the Force mumbo jumbo, the insouciance, the swagger--let's face it, Han Solo is fun. It's the element that the starting trilogy completely lacks--a sense of fun. It would be like the Harry Potter stories without the Weasleys, and it makes the betrayal by Anakin that much less believable.
.............................................
The last Act delivers it all: all the good guys die, save Obi-Wan and Yoda. The juxtaposition of the birth of the twins and the birth of Vader. The movie is worth all the hype and all the crap of the first 2 2/3rds episodes simply for the scene of Obi-Wan, leaving the desiccated Vader at the edge of the river of lava, and picks up Anakin's light saber, followed shortly by the hooded Obi-Wan delivering the baby Luke into the hands of Aunt Beru and she turns to Uncle Owen, who is standing in the same position as Luke, looking out at the Tatooine moons in Episode IV.
The mythical line is complete: the wizard/priest delivers the boy-king wrapped in swaddling clothes to the kindly shepherd, and will wait patiently to deliver the sword of fire. the end
JB here: Thanks to one of the Llamabutchers for an excellent critique/analysis. Maybe I'll go see it after all.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Ann Coulter takes no prisoners on this one!
By Ann Coulter Wed May 18, 8:05 PM ET
When ace reporter Michael Isikoff had the scoop of the decade, a thoroughly sourced story about the president of the United States having an affair with an intern and then pressuring her to lie about it under oath, Newsweek decided not to run the story. Matt Drudge scooped Newsweek, followed by The Washington Post.
When Isikoff had a detailed account of Kathleen Willey's nasty sexual encounter with the president in the Oval Office, backed up with eyewitness and documentary evidence, Newsweek decided not to run it. Again, Matt Drudge got the story.
When Isikoff was the first with detailed reporting on Paula Jones' accusations against a sitting president, Isikoff's then-employer The Washington Post -- which owns Newsweek -- decided not to run it. The American Spectator got the story, followed by the Los Angeles Times.
So apparently it's possible for Michael Isikoff to have a story that actually is true, but for his editors not to run it........ (Read the rest)
JB here: Bias is an interesting thing. It tends to blind you to truths. Truths, while often painful, are better than lies. Lies just make you crazy. No wonder the MSM (mainstream media) drives conservatives crazy.
By Ann Coulter Wed May 18, 8:05 PM ET
When ace reporter Michael Isikoff had the scoop of the decade, a thoroughly sourced story about the president of the United States having an affair with an intern and then pressuring her to lie about it under oath, Newsweek decided not to run the story. Matt Drudge scooped Newsweek, followed by The Washington Post.
When Isikoff had a detailed account of Kathleen Willey's nasty sexual encounter with the president in the Oval Office, backed up with eyewitness and documentary evidence, Newsweek decided not to run it. Again, Matt Drudge got the story.
When Isikoff was the first with detailed reporting on Paula Jones' accusations against a sitting president, Isikoff's then-employer The Washington Post -- which owns Newsweek -- decided not to run it. The American Spectator got the story, followed by the Los Angeles Times.
So apparently it's possible for Michael Isikoff to have a story that actually is true, but for his editors not to run it........ (Read the rest)
JB here: Bias is an interesting thing. It tends to blind you to truths. Truths, while often painful, are better than lies. Lies just make you crazy. No wonder the MSM (mainstream media) drives conservatives crazy.
Eric D. Snyder's review of Star Wars - R.O.T.S
.................................
It's hard to compare "Revenge of the Sith" to the other five movies because it's so unlike them. It has fewer major characters than its brethren, not to mention fewer subplots and less levity. And it's almost exactly what it needs to be, a powerful middle film to end one trilogy and presage another. It's impossible for any prequel to be as good in our memories as the original trilogy was; technology, culture and the movie-going experience have changed too much since then. But "Revenge of the Sith" is the best of the prequels, and a worthy successor to the "Star Wars" legacy. Grade: B+
JB here: That's my problem - I don't like Movies, Books, Tales or Stories that have a sad ending. So, will I see this movie or not? Dang it; I didn't want to see Anakin become Darth Vader.
.................................
It's hard to compare "Revenge of the Sith" to the other five movies because it's so unlike them. It has fewer major characters than its brethren, not to mention fewer subplots and less levity. And it's almost exactly what it needs to be, a powerful middle film to end one trilogy and presage another. It's impossible for any prequel to be as good in our memories as the original trilogy was; technology, culture and the movie-going experience have changed too much since then. But "Revenge of the Sith" is the best of the prequels, and a worthy successor to the "Star Wars" legacy. Grade: B+
JB here: That's my problem - I don't like Movies, Books, Tales or Stories that have a sad ending. So, will I see this movie or not? Dang it; I didn't want to see Anakin become Darth Vader.
Mainline Churchs vs Conservative Churchs - Al Mohler
"A more comprehensive analysis has been offered by researchers Dean R. Hoge, Benton Johnson, and Donald A. Luidens, who conducted a major research project directed at churches affiliated with mainline Protestant denominations. Their work, Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers, acknowledges that the basic dynamic behind church growth and decline is theological rather than sociological or economic.
These researchers argue that the most important factor making churches strong is "the presence of a compelling teaching concerning the ultimate purpose and destiny of humankind." Dean Kelley identified this "compelling teaching" as "meanings." These meanings make demands upon believers, and these believers are far more likely to congregate together, rather than to join more liberal churches. Holding to strong beliefs, conservative Christians are less likely to accept weaker beliefs as being equally valid.
Hoge, Johnson, and Luidens are clear: "Our findings show that belief is the single best predictor of church participation, but it is orthodox Christian belief, and not the tenets of lay liberalism, that impels people to be involved in church."
When these researchers speak of "lay liberalism," they refer to a phenomenon they observed among mainline baby boomers, whose vision of Christianity involves very few definite beliefs or moral obligations. "Although lay liberalism has several different versions," they explain, "its defining feature is the rejection of the claim that Christianity, or any other faith, is the only true religion. Lay liberals have no compelling truth, no 'good news,' to proclaim, and few of them share the views that they do have with their friends and acquaintances."
JB here: I, being a restless type, finding it hard to sit still, be quiet and be somewhat confined, have always found church attendance to be a personal challenge. I believe that if the ancient Scriptures did not call about the followers of Jesus Christ to congregate regularly -- I wouldn't congregate. But it is clear that the assembling of believers is a requirement and must serve an important function. Therefore I try to put aside my restless/hyper-activity and be a regular participant with others who pursue after Jesus Christ. Somehow, it seems the least I can do.
If I had less intense beliefs, I wouldn't attend.
"A more comprehensive analysis has been offered by researchers Dean R. Hoge, Benton Johnson, and Donald A. Luidens, who conducted a major research project directed at churches affiliated with mainline Protestant denominations. Their work, Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers, acknowledges that the basic dynamic behind church growth and decline is theological rather than sociological or economic.
These researchers argue that the most important factor making churches strong is "the presence of a compelling teaching concerning the ultimate purpose and destiny of humankind." Dean Kelley identified this "compelling teaching" as "meanings." These meanings make demands upon believers, and these believers are far more likely to congregate together, rather than to join more liberal churches. Holding to strong beliefs, conservative Christians are less likely to accept weaker beliefs as being equally valid.
Hoge, Johnson, and Luidens are clear: "Our findings show that belief is the single best predictor of church participation, but it is orthodox Christian belief, and not the tenets of lay liberalism, that impels people to be involved in church."
When these researchers speak of "lay liberalism," they refer to a phenomenon they observed among mainline baby boomers, whose vision of Christianity involves very few definite beliefs or moral obligations. "Although lay liberalism has several different versions," they explain, "its defining feature is the rejection of the claim that Christianity, or any other faith, is the only true religion. Lay liberals have no compelling truth, no 'good news,' to proclaim, and few of them share the views that they do have with their friends and acquaintances."
JB here: I, being a restless type, finding it hard to sit still, be quiet and be somewhat confined, have always found church attendance to be a personal challenge. I believe that if the ancient Scriptures did not call about the followers of Jesus Christ to congregate regularly -- I wouldn't congregate. But it is clear that the assembling of believers is a requirement and must serve an important function. Therefore I try to put aside my restless/hyper-activity and be a regular participant with others who pursue after Jesus Christ. Somehow, it seems the least I can do.
If I had less intense beliefs, I wouldn't attend.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
From Mark Steyn's website
"Used to be liberals had all the radical new ideas while conservatives were generally for the status quo, or at least that's what I imagine it was once like. It gets harder and harder every day to pretend otherwise that all big liberal ideas over the past 40 years, such as the sexual revolution, abortion, socialism, national health care, multiculturalism, moral relativism, feminism, internationalism, etc, have failed miserably in practice. Yet that's exactly what modern-day liberals spend most of their time and energy self-righteously and indignantly doing: trying to convince the rest of us through sheer force of will (and a little rhetoric), in the face of an ever-growing mountain of evidence against it, to continue the great liberal experiment toward its logical conclusion."
JB here: 'Tis true, all those politically liberal experiements in social engineering have only brought pain, poverty and paganism. They all are based upon a philosophy that simply denies the existence of God and His accurate diagnosis of mankind's condition.
"Used to be liberals had all the radical new ideas while conservatives were generally for the status quo, or at least that's what I imagine it was once like. It gets harder and harder every day to pretend otherwise that all big liberal ideas over the past 40 years, such as the sexual revolution, abortion, socialism, national health care, multiculturalism, moral relativism, feminism, internationalism, etc, have failed miserably in practice. Yet that's exactly what modern-day liberals spend most of their time and energy self-righteously and indignantly doing: trying to convince the rest of us through sheer force of will (and a little rhetoric), in the face of an ever-growing mountain of evidence against it, to continue the great liberal experiment toward its logical conclusion."
JB here: 'Tis true, all those politically liberal experiements in social engineering have only brought pain, poverty and paganism. They all are based upon a philosophy that simply denies the existence of God and His accurate diagnosis of mankind's condition.
Political Makeup of Faculties at the Universities
John McCaslin reports in his column today:
Staff at Yale University gave Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry $20 for every $1 they gave President Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign.
At Duke University, the ratio stood at $9 to $1. At Princeton University, a whopping $302 to $1 gap prevailed. Massachusetts Institute of Technology boasted a $43 to $1 Kerry-Bush disparity.
Basing its study, "Deep Blue Campuses," on Federal Election Commission records, the conservative Leadership Institute's Campus Leadership Program examined 25 of the nation's top universities. Every single one favored Kerry over Bush.
In fact, not a single employee of Dartmouth showed up in FEC records as having contributed to Bush.
Via Powerlineblog.com
JB here: Please, please don't ever argue that the university faculties are unbiased. EVERYBODY is biased, but faculty's are uniformly biased against conservatism (and they hate GWB).
John McCaslin reports in his column today:
Staff at Yale University gave Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry $20 for every $1 they gave President Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign.
At Duke University, the ratio stood at $9 to $1. At Princeton University, a whopping $302 to $1 gap prevailed. Massachusetts Institute of Technology boasted a $43 to $1 Kerry-Bush disparity.
Basing its study, "Deep Blue Campuses," on Federal Election Commission records, the conservative Leadership Institute's Campus Leadership Program examined 25 of the nation's top universities. Every single one favored Kerry over Bush.
In fact, not a single employee of Dartmouth showed up in FEC records as having contributed to Bush.
Via Powerlineblog.com
JB here: Please, please don't ever argue that the university faculties are unbiased. EVERYBODY is biased, but faculty's are uniformly biased against conservatism (and they hate GWB).
IOWAHAWK has a blog that tickles the funny bone on many occasions. Today is one.
Newsweek Lutefisk Story Sparks Fury Across Volatile Midwest
Decorah, IA - The debris-strewn streets of this remote Midwestern hamlet remain under a tense 24-hour curfew tonight, following weekend demonstrations by rock- and figurine-throwing Lutheran farm wives that left over 200 people injured and leveled the Whippy Dip dairy freeze. The rioting appeared to be prompted, in part, by a report in Newsweek magazine claiming military guards at Spirit Lake’s notorious Okoboji internment center had flushed lutefisk down prison toilets. Newsweek’s late announcement of a retraction seems to have done little to quell the inflamed passions of Lutheran insurgents in the region, as outbreaks of violent mailbox bashings and cow tippings have been reported from Bowbells, North Dakota to Pekin, Illinois.
Whether the violence was triggered by Newsweek’s report of lutefisk desecration or frustration over chronic shortages of Beanie Babies and Old Style, one thing seems certain – occupying U.S. troops face a steep road to reestablish trust in this tinderbox of ancient hatreds and delicious dairy products. Some analysts say the latest outbreak represents the most vexing challenge to US strategy since its invasion the region three years ago.
“It could be months before we get the area back under control,” said Brigadier Gen. Glen Hastings of the US Army’s Southern Minnesota Command. “We’re hoping the tractor pull and swap meet seasons will help calm down some of the violent elements.”
‘Campground of Evil’ is the next post on Iowahawks' blog. Ya oughta read it shouldn't U? JB
Newsweek Lutefisk Story Sparks Fury Across Volatile Midwest
Decorah, IA - The debris-strewn streets of this remote Midwestern hamlet remain under a tense 24-hour curfew tonight, following weekend demonstrations by rock- and figurine-throwing Lutheran farm wives that left over 200 people injured and leveled the Whippy Dip dairy freeze. The rioting appeared to be prompted, in part, by a report in Newsweek magazine claiming military guards at Spirit Lake’s notorious Okoboji internment center had flushed lutefisk down prison toilets. Newsweek’s late announcement of a retraction seems to have done little to quell the inflamed passions of Lutheran insurgents in the region, as outbreaks of violent mailbox bashings and cow tippings have been reported from Bowbells, North Dakota to Pekin, Illinois.
Whether the violence was triggered by Newsweek’s report of lutefisk desecration or frustration over chronic shortages of Beanie Babies and Old Style, one thing seems certain – occupying U.S. troops face a steep road to reestablish trust in this tinderbox of ancient hatreds and delicious dairy products. Some analysts say the latest outbreak represents the most vexing challenge to US strategy since its invasion the region three years ago.
“It could be months before we get the area back under control,” said Brigadier Gen. Glen Hastings of the US Army’s Southern Minnesota Command. “We’re hoping the tractor pull and swap meet seasons will help calm down some of the violent elements.”
‘Campground of Evil’ is the next post on Iowahawks' blog. Ya oughta read it shouldn't U? JB
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Found on National Review Online - the Corner 5-17-05
I CAN NO LONGER REMAIN SILENT [John Derbyshire]
Star Wars is crap. The whole thing, all of them -- crap, crap, crap. An insult to the intelligence of our kids. Buck Rogers made more sense -- and that's not EVEN to mention Dan Dare, Tom Corbett, Kemlo, and countless other far-more-worthy-to-be-remembered precursors. George Lucas took classic space opera and MESSED IT UP. Verpfuscht! The Empire has no clothes.
JB here: I wish John Derbyshire wouldn't hide his true feelings when writing his posts. Let's have it straight J.D.!
I CAN NO LONGER REMAIN SILENT [John Derbyshire]
Star Wars is crap. The whole thing, all of them -- crap, crap, crap. An insult to the intelligence of our kids. Buck Rogers made more sense -- and that's not EVEN to mention Dan Dare, Tom Corbett, Kemlo, and countless other far-more-worthy-to-be-remembered precursors. George Lucas took classic space opera and MESSED IT UP. Verpfuscht! The Empire has no clothes.
JB here: I wish John Derbyshire wouldn't hide his true feelings when writing his posts. Let's have it straight J.D.!
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Found on AlbertMohler.Com
"Henri Blocher, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Faculty Libre de Theologie Evangelique in France, argues that the persistent question of evil finds resolution only in the cross of Christ. Blocher's cross-centered theodicy is well summarized in this remarkable paragraph: "Evil is conquered as evil because God turns it back upon itself. He makes the supreme crime, the murder of the only righteous person, the very operation that abolishes sin. The maneuver is utterly unprecedented. No more complete victory could be imagined. God responds in the indirect way that is perfectly suited to the ambiguity of evil. He entraps the deceiver in his own wiles. Evil, like a judoist, takes advantage of the power of good, which it perverts; the Lord, like a supreme champion, replies by using the very grip of the opponent. So is fulfilled the surprising verse; 'With the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.'"
The verse cited is Psalm 18:26. Blocher's book, Evil and the Cross, has been recently republished by Kregel Academic & Professional.
JB here: One of my favorite maxims of wisdom:
There IS a God; I am not He!
"Henri Blocher, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Faculty Libre de Theologie Evangelique in France, argues that the persistent question of evil finds resolution only in the cross of Christ. Blocher's cross-centered theodicy is well summarized in this remarkable paragraph: "Evil is conquered as evil because God turns it back upon itself. He makes the supreme crime, the murder of the only righteous person, the very operation that abolishes sin. The maneuver is utterly unprecedented. No more complete victory could be imagined. God responds in the indirect way that is perfectly suited to the ambiguity of evil. He entraps the deceiver in his own wiles. Evil, like a judoist, takes advantage of the power of good, which it perverts; the Lord, like a supreme champion, replies by using the very grip of the opponent. So is fulfilled the surprising verse; 'With the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.'"
The verse cited is Psalm 18:26. Blocher's book, Evil and the Cross, has been recently republished by Kregel Academic & Professional.
JB here: One of my favorite maxims of wisdom:
There IS a God; I am not He!
From "The Corner" in National Review Online
This is an exact translation of one paragraph of an elderly Shiite cleric's statement on his death bed:
"You know like I do what lies behind this religion (Islam), after all this crime carried out against Iranians. let's do one good thing and tell the people what is behind this religion. Let's tell everyone that this religion is neither "martyr generating", nor pro-science nor pro the people, this religion tells the elite that it is for the plebs and it tells the plebs that it is for the elite, it tells the elite that all its silly laws are for the stupid plebs, in fact this religion is [an]"ignorance generator". It has come about to humiliate people. As you (Rafsanjani) [Leaders of the Iranians] once told me, it is one religion for the elite and another for the plebs. You rightly regard yourself, the supreme leader and your Guardian Council as the elite, and the "martyr generating" nation of Iran are the plebs. Now for the sake of God tell the truth to the people that there is nothing in this religion but stupidity and ignorance, other than silly laws about what is considered clean and what is untouchable, what is allowed and what is not allowed, believe me that God and the people will then forgive you, although I know you are conscious enough NOT to believe in God!"
JB here: Islam is a false religion - it brings only despair, death and destruction to its adherents. It is a very useful tool for Satan - and he uses it to the utmost.
This is an exact translation of one paragraph of an elderly Shiite cleric's statement on his death bed:
"You know like I do what lies behind this religion (Islam), after all this crime carried out against Iranians. let's do one good thing and tell the people what is behind this religion. Let's tell everyone that this religion is neither "martyr generating", nor pro-science nor pro the people, this religion tells the elite that it is for the plebs and it tells the plebs that it is for the elite, it tells the elite that all its silly laws are for the stupid plebs, in fact this religion is [an]"ignorance generator". It has come about to humiliate people. As you (Rafsanjani) [Leaders of the Iranians] once told me, it is one religion for the elite and another for the plebs. You rightly regard yourself, the supreme leader and your Guardian Council as the elite, and the "martyr generating" nation of Iran are the plebs. Now for the sake of God tell the truth to the people that there is nothing in this religion but stupidity and ignorance, other than silly laws about what is considered clean and what is untouchable, what is allowed and what is not allowed, believe me that God and the people will then forgive you, although I know you are conscious enough NOT to believe in God!"
JB here: Islam is a false religion - it brings only despair, death and destruction to its adherents. It is a very useful tool for Satan - and he uses it to the utmost.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
From Powerlineblog.com
On the Iraqi insurgents/terrorists:
..... the killers in Iraq have no political goal. That is not the point.
The point is to kill. They have invented a whole new kind of murder... they are serial spree killers.
The distinction between a serial killer and a spree killer is that the first kills methodically over time, trying to evade capture so he can continue his murderous pastime; while the second has one violent incident in which he kills a bunch of people, then often kills himself or expects to be slain by the police. What we see today in Iraq is a combination of the two: terror bosses who methodically, over time, set up mass killing events, usually carried out by others who will die in the attempt, but sometimes remotely by themselves (sending a chained driver cruising the streets, then detonating the driver's car when he nears a target of opportunity).
But like serial and spree killers, like those who commit human sacrifice, the motivation is found not in the external world but in his own internal hell, in the voice that only he can hear, from his bloody, eldrich gods, who demand blood and souls, blood and souls in the name of Moloch, or Arioch, or Cthulhu, or Huitzilopochtli, who demand mass sacrifices in the Grand Pyramid (or the Great Mosque -- and it is significant that one of the favorite targets for the killers are mosques full of worshippers, as if they saw their red-dripping thunderclap as an explosive "amen" to the service).
JB here: Modern man in the western culture does not believe in Evil, certainly does not believe in a real Satan - roaming the earth bringing death and destruction. So modern man has difficulty understanding the point of the many suicide bombings killing adults, teens, children, grandparents, average working, worshiping Iraqis. It is all about killing people. And the people who orchestrate this take pleasure in the killing of people. It is what they are all about. It is what Satan is all about: death and destruction.
On the Iraqi insurgents/terrorists:
..... the killers in Iraq have no political goal. That is not the point.
The point is to kill. They have invented a whole new kind of murder... they are serial spree killers.
The distinction between a serial killer and a spree killer is that the first kills methodically over time, trying to evade capture so he can continue his murderous pastime; while the second has one violent incident in which he kills a bunch of people, then often kills himself or expects to be slain by the police. What we see today in Iraq is a combination of the two: terror bosses who methodically, over time, set up mass killing events, usually carried out by others who will die in the attempt, but sometimes remotely by themselves (sending a chained driver cruising the streets, then detonating the driver's car when he nears a target of opportunity).
But like serial and spree killers, like those who commit human sacrifice, the motivation is found not in the external world but in his own internal hell, in the voice that only he can hear, from his bloody, eldrich gods, who demand blood and souls, blood and souls in the name of Moloch, or Arioch, or Cthulhu, or Huitzilopochtli, who demand mass sacrifices in the Grand Pyramid (or the Great Mosque -- and it is significant that one of the favorite targets for the killers are mosques full of worshippers, as if they saw their red-dripping thunderclap as an explosive "amen" to the service).
JB here: Modern man in the western culture does not believe in Evil, certainly does not believe in a real Satan - roaming the earth bringing death and destruction. So modern man has difficulty understanding the point of the many suicide bombings killing adults, teens, children, grandparents, average working, worshiping Iraqis. It is all about killing people. And the people who orchestrate this take pleasure in the killing of people. It is what they are all about. It is what Satan is all about: death and destruction.
HOMER SIMPSON on a roll!
# Dear Lord: The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. ... OK, deal. In gratitude, I present you this offering of cookies and milk. If you want me to eat them for you, give me no sign. ... Thy will be done.
Don't let Krusty's death get you down, boy. People die all the time, just like that. Why, you could wake up dead tomorrow! ... Well, good night.
Here are your messages: ‘You have thirty minutes to move your car.’ ‘You have ten minutes to move your car.’ ‘Your car has been impounded.’ ‘Your car has been crushed into a cube.’ ‘You have thirty minutes to move your cube.’
I like my beer cold, my TV loud and my homosexuals flaming.
I may occasionally kill out of anger; or to illustrate a point, but I'm no Grim Reaper!
# I saw weird stuff in that place last night. Weird, strange, sick, twisted, eerie, godless, evil stuff. And I want in.
If they think I'm going to stop at that stop sign, they're sadly mistaken!
I'm having the best day of my life, and I owe it all to not going to Church!
I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.
I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?
I've always wondered if there was a god. And now I know there is -- and it's me.
It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.
I've come to hate my own creation! Now I know how God feels!
Marge, don’t discourage the boy. Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals … except the weasel.
Now that happy moment between the time the lie is told and when it is found out.
Operator! Give me the number for 911!
JB here: Homer has presented endless possibilities to the writers of the Simpsons over the years. He is everyman and being a man myself; that is downright scary.
# Dear Lord: The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. ... OK, deal. In gratitude, I present you this offering of cookies and milk. If you want me to eat them for you, give me no sign. ... Thy will be done.
Don't let Krusty's death get you down, boy. People die all the time, just like that. Why, you could wake up dead tomorrow! ... Well, good night.
Here are your messages: ‘You have thirty minutes to move your car.’ ‘You have ten minutes to move your car.’ ‘Your car has been impounded.’ ‘Your car has been crushed into a cube.’ ‘You have thirty minutes to move your cube.’
I like my beer cold, my TV loud and my homosexuals flaming.
I may occasionally kill out of anger; or to illustrate a point, but I'm no Grim Reaper!
# I saw weird stuff in that place last night. Weird, strange, sick, twisted, eerie, godless, evil stuff. And I want in.
If they think I'm going to stop at that stop sign, they're sadly mistaken!
I'm having the best day of my life, and I owe it all to not going to Church!
I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.
I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?
I've always wondered if there was a god. And now I know there is -- and it's me.
It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.
I've come to hate my own creation! Now I know how God feels!
Marge, don’t discourage the boy. Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals … except the weasel.
Now that happy moment between the time the lie is told and when it is found out.
Operator! Give me the number for 911!
JB here: Homer has presented endless possibilities to the writers of the Simpsons over the years. He is everyman and being a man myself; that is downright scary.
Friday, May 13, 2005
JOHN MARK REYNOLDS
Sometimes I fear that our American educational system has not learned this lesson. Just as in Athens most of the young are educated by our poets. Our poets perform on television, radio, and in the music. They worship Eros as a great god. My students come to college full of passion. Dimly, they perceive that they need something. Often, they want to attend to the texts. They simply cannot.
These students are unable to follow an argument. Amusement has made difficult study almost impossible for them. It is hard for them to imagine questions to which there are not immediate answers. After all, can't we just google it? We have amused them to death and they come to college drunk on years of television, degenerate music, and worthless movies.
It is easy to show them that following the logos is a better way, but many are unable to follow. They have been conditioned to worry first about themselves. The have been saturated with sexual images of love. Few have deep and meaningful relationships that are not also sexual. The number one question of college students at Biola University is, "Am I liked?" What is to be done with Alcibiades?
....................................................................................
Plato has described the death of an academic culture. Each school, each little academic community, begins with promise. The tools of the dialectic are freely available. The great books are cheap and freely available. However, the great books are hard. It is easier to follow a guru than look for the Good. The guru gives quick answers, the dialectic is hard. Books like the Bible are not written with lists of answers to all the questions we think it should answer. Instead, to get value from it, we must learn to ask what it is saying. Then we must question those sayings to see if they are true. This task is long and hard.
As a result education is often replaced by speech making. Students are often delighted to participate. They opine freely on their own. But in the end, such an institution, Plato warns, will be invaded by the stronger erotic souls. They will reduce college to a four year party before being forced to get jobs. Worst still, school will be reduced to a place where bad men learn the techniques that will help them manipulate the many.
If such a place will not follow the logos, then the best that can be done is to lull it into inactivity and leave.
JB here: I suggest you bookmark Dr. Reynolds. Your education will be enhanced.
Sometimes I fear that our American educational system has not learned this lesson. Just as in Athens most of the young are educated by our poets. Our poets perform on television, radio, and in the music. They worship Eros as a great god. My students come to college full of passion. Dimly, they perceive that they need something. Often, they want to attend to the texts. They simply cannot.
These students are unable to follow an argument. Amusement has made difficult study almost impossible for them. It is hard for them to imagine questions to which there are not immediate answers. After all, can't we just google it? We have amused them to death and they come to college drunk on years of television, degenerate music, and worthless movies.
It is easy to show them that following the logos is a better way, but many are unable to follow. They have been conditioned to worry first about themselves. The have been saturated with sexual images of love. Few have deep and meaningful relationships that are not also sexual. The number one question of college students at Biola University is, "Am I liked?" What is to be done with Alcibiades?
....................................................................................
Plato has described the death of an academic culture. Each school, each little academic community, begins with promise. The tools of the dialectic are freely available. The great books are cheap and freely available. However, the great books are hard. It is easier to follow a guru than look for the Good. The guru gives quick answers, the dialectic is hard. Books like the Bible are not written with lists of answers to all the questions we think it should answer. Instead, to get value from it, we must learn to ask what it is saying. Then we must question those sayings to see if they are true. This task is long and hard.
As a result education is often replaced by speech making. Students are often delighted to participate. They opine freely on their own. But in the end, such an institution, Plato warns, will be invaded by the stronger erotic souls. They will reduce college to a four year party before being forced to get jobs. Worst still, school will be reduced to a place where bad men learn the techniques that will help them manipulate the many.
If such a place will not follow the logos, then the best that can be done is to lull it into inactivity and leave.
JB here: I suggest you bookmark Dr. Reynolds. Your education will be enhanced.
A column by Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online
May 13, 2005, 8:06 a.m.
Do Not Be Afraid
Law and Order doesn’t get Christians.
"All right, enough already. The Christians aren’t coming to get you.
I can take the somber, frightened 'special reports' on National Public Radio, where you can literally hear the correspondents wringing their hands over the possibility that the “Darwin fish” affixed to their Volvos will be banned. I can even handle the dog-whistle shrieks of Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd types about the looming Inquisition led by an alliance of the new German (wink, wink) pope and the Kansas Board of Education."
(Jonah discusses the TV show Law & Order and it's attempt gone awry to portray conservative Christians standing against justice being carried out.)
.............................................
Regardless, the very idea that evangelical Christians would argue that being born again absolves you in this life for the consequences of your crimes is nonsense, plucked whole cloth in a fit of ignorance. But the complete, outrageous implausibility of the episode’s plot wasn’t the most infuriating part. Several times, various characters opine that the Christians’ legal tactics might work given “what’s happening in this country right now.” I half expected Pat Robertson to burst through McCoy’s office spraying holy water screaming, “Exorcist”-style, “The power of Christ compels you!”
The complexity of what conservative Christians really believe is lost on the writers of Law & Order — not surprising for a Hollywood show about New York that blends both coastal sensibilities perfectly.
I grew up in New York City, I know New York City, and I have this to tell my fellow New Yorkers: You are perfectly safe from the Christians hordes. None of the stuff supposedly “happening in America right now” is actually affecting Dowd or Krugman or the L&O writing teams. Pharmacies in New York and L.A. are still filling prescriptions for the “morning after” pill, schools are still teaching evolution, abortion clinics are humming along. And don’t e-mail me in a tizzy about gay marriage bans. Gay marriage didn’t exist under Bill Clinton either. - Jonah Goldberg
JB here: Jonah's best line; "The complexity of what conservative Christians really believe is lost on the writers of Law & Order." How True! ( or "Indeed" as Instapundit would say).
Unluckily, it's not just the writers of Law & Order who don't understand. It's almost everybody who does not comprehend staunch and radical faith in the God/Man - Jesus Christ. But Evangelicals have a most powerful advocate who takes care of His children. His children need not worry.
May 13, 2005, 8:06 a.m.
Do Not Be Afraid
Law and Order doesn’t get Christians.
"All right, enough already. The Christians aren’t coming to get you.
I can take the somber, frightened 'special reports' on National Public Radio, where you can literally hear the correspondents wringing their hands over the possibility that the “Darwin fish” affixed to their Volvos will be banned. I can even handle the dog-whistle shrieks of Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd types about the looming Inquisition led by an alliance of the new German (wink, wink) pope and the Kansas Board of Education."
(Jonah discusses the TV show Law & Order and it's attempt gone awry to portray conservative Christians standing against justice being carried out.)
.............................................
Regardless, the very idea that evangelical Christians would argue that being born again absolves you in this life for the consequences of your crimes is nonsense, plucked whole cloth in a fit of ignorance. But the complete, outrageous implausibility of the episode’s plot wasn’t the most infuriating part. Several times, various characters opine that the Christians’ legal tactics might work given “what’s happening in this country right now.” I half expected Pat Robertson to burst through McCoy’s office spraying holy water screaming, “Exorcist”-style, “The power of Christ compels you!”
The complexity of what conservative Christians really believe is lost on the writers of Law & Order — not surprising for a Hollywood show about New York that blends both coastal sensibilities perfectly.
I grew up in New York City, I know New York City, and I have this to tell my fellow New Yorkers: You are perfectly safe from the Christians hordes. None of the stuff supposedly “happening in America right now” is actually affecting Dowd or Krugman or the L&O writing teams. Pharmacies in New York and L.A. are still filling prescriptions for the “morning after” pill, schools are still teaching evolution, abortion clinics are humming along. And don’t e-mail me in a tizzy about gay marriage bans. Gay marriage didn’t exist under Bill Clinton either. - Jonah Goldberg
JB here: Jonah's best line; "The complexity of what conservative Christians really believe is lost on the writers of Law & Order." How True! ( or "Indeed" as Instapundit would say).
Unluckily, it's not just the writers of Law & Order who don't understand. It's almost everybody who does not comprehend staunch and radical faith in the God/Man - Jesus Christ. But Evangelicals have a most powerful advocate who takes care of His children. His children need not worry.
Mark Steyn
"If there’s one thing Russia could use, it’s more Russians. The country is midway through its transition from ‘superpower’ to ghost town. Russian men already have a lower life expectancy than Bangladeshis — not because Bangladesh is brimming with actuarial advantages but because, if he had four legs and hung from a tree in a rain forest, the Russian male would be on the endangered species list. By mid-century, vast empty Russia will have a smaller population than tiny Yemen. The decline in male longevity is unprecedented for a (relatively) advanced nation not at war. Russia has extraordinary rates of drug-fuelled Aids, hepatitis C, heart disease and TB, all of which are mere symptoms of an entire people unable to pull themselves out of self-destruction."
JB here: Life in the formerly godless Russia has been and is horrific. They may no longer believe in the salvation via communism, but they haven't yet turned towards any other salvation than salvation by alcohol, drugs, unfettered sex and lifestyle irresponsibility. Under Communism, you didn't have to practice personal responsibility; the State dictated who you were and what you should be about. Now with the State no longer in control the Russian people have not yet figured out who they are and what they should be about. They are as lost as they can be. God help them.
"If there’s one thing Russia could use, it’s more Russians. The country is midway through its transition from ‘superpower’ to ghost town. Russian men already have a lower life expectancy than Bangladeshis — not because Bangladesh is brimming with actuarial advantages but because, if he had four legs and hung from a tree in a rain forest, the Russian male would be on the endangered species list. By mid-century, vast empty Russia will have a smaller population than tiny Yemen. The decline in male longevity is unprecedented for a (relatively) advanced nation not at war. Russia has extraordinary rates of drug-fuelled Aids, hepatitis C, heart disease and TB, all of which are mere symptoms of an entire people unable to pull themselves out of self-destruction."
JB here: Life in the formerly godless Russia has been and is horrific. They may no longer believe in the salvation via communism, but they haven't yet turned towards any other salvation than salvation by alcohol, drugs, unfettered sex and lifestyle irresponsibility. Under Communism, you didn't have to practice personal responsibility; the State dictated who you were and what you should be about. Now with the State no longer in control the Russian people have not yet figured out who they are and what they should be about. They are as lost as they can be. God help them.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Another great phrase found today; Wizbangblog.com
"Oh, where shall I begin? It's a cornucopia of scummery."
JB here: I'm definitely adding "cornucopia of scummery" to my collection of repeatable phrases.
Indeed!
"Oh, where shall I begin? It's a cornucopia of scummery."
JB here: I'm definitely adding "cornucopia of scummery" to my collection of repeatable phrases.
Indeed!
Found on Powerlineblog
We first wrote about David Blunkett this past December when he was the British Home Secretary who had been revealed to be a Home Secretary with a difference or two. He was alleged to have engaged in an affair with a married woman -- four months into her marriage. Blunkett was alleged to have fathered the child of the married woman.
The next sentence is classic phraseology -
"Blunkett, coincidentally, is a blind man in the land of one-eyed men..."
JB here: Without staunch moral underpinnings ( a prospect that brings dread to the average westerner these days) all of our leaders could be considered blind men in the land of one-eyed men.
It appears to be all show, all posturing, no meat. The absolutely radical exception would be GWB who actually puts actions to words. That's a strange experience among today's politicians who loath actions and pray the words will fool the masses long enough to bring re-election.
We first wrote about David Blunkett this past December when he was the British Home Secretary who had been revealed to be a Home Secretary with a difference or two. He was alleged to have engaged in an affair with a married woman -- four months into her marriage. Blunkett was alleged to have fathered the child of the married woman.
The next sentence is classic phraseology -
"Blunkett, coincidentally, is a blind man in the land of one-eyed men..."
JB here: Without staunch moral underpinnings ( a prospect that brings dread to the average westerner these days) all of our leaders could be considered blind men in the land of one-eyed men.
It appears to be all show, all posturing, no meat. The absolutely radical exception would be GWB who actually puts actions to words. That's a strange experience among today's politicians who loath actions and pray the words will fool the masses long enough to bring re-election.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
PHANTOM PROF
I found this new blog - Phantom Prof. Apparently an adjunct prof. at SMU ( a female) started her own blog and ended up not having her adjunct contract renewed because of it. She writes commentary on various items of interest from her perspective as a phantom professor (because she's an adjunct) on a pretty "hoity toity" campus - SMU.
I was an adjunct for a couple of years at the local state university. On the one hand, I enjoyed it immensely. On the other hand it paid so poorly that I gave up the position after 6 semesters.
I was never sure that the department heads particularly liked me ( though I think my students did). And the classes didn't work well with my regular working schedule. But being with the students and hearing their stories was always fun.
One of my secrets as an adjunct. MAKE THEM DO THE WORK. I made them write the course syllabi, assigned them to create the test questions and insisted they provide the lecture material though "group presentations." I would even chose someone to be my assistant and have them grade the multiple choice tests. I never assigned essays for a test; way too much work for me. I did have them write a paper on occasion but never more than 1 per semester. "Ya gotta work the system." The students worked it, I worked it in return. They received 3 hours of credit, I received $2,000 worth of pay. Not much pay for graduate degrees. unless you looked at the responsibility as something to enjoy and learn from.
I was an adjunct for a couple of years at the local state university. On the one hand, I enjoyed it immensely. On the other hand it paid so poorly that I gave up the position after 6 semesters.
I was never sure that the department heads particularly liked me ( though I think my students did). And the classes didn't work well with my regular working schedule. But being with the students and hearing their stories was always fun.
One of my secrets as an adjunct. MAKE THEM DO THE WORK. I made them write the course syllabi, assigned them to create the test questions and insisted they provide the lecture material though "group presentations." I would even chose someone to be my assistant and have them grade the multiple choice tests. I never assigned essays for a test; way too much work for me. I did have them write a paper on occasion but never more than 1 per semester. "Ya gotta work the system." The students worked it, I worked it in return. They received 3 hours of credit, I received $2,000 worth of pay. Not much pay for graduate degrees. unless you looked at the responsibility as something to enjoy and learn from.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
POWERLINEBLOG.COM is Tops of the political blogs: There are 3 gentlemen( I believe 2 lawyers and 1 banker) involved and they're not particularly of the evangelical persuasion but they are very sharp and make excellent points in their many postings. I read them every day.
This was interesting:
"How Low Can They Go?
Someone apparently named D Wentworth went to the trouble of tracking down my office email address in order to send me the delightful email quoted in full below. He sent the same message to a number of other conservative commentators, including Rush Limbaugh, and also sent a copy to our site email box:
I am a fat gay man looking for some action. I'm not too fat, kind of a mix of Limbaughs ass with Goldbergs head. If you are interested in some good Chrisitian gay sex, lets get it on!
Oh Rush btw - I got you a stash man of percocet, crack, and Boones!
We've gotten thousands of similar emails from liberal Democrats. We almost never read them (in fact, we hardly ever even see them), but every once in a while we pluck one out of the garbage can, pass it around and laugh at it. D Wentworth's message is in that category.
The person who wrote this email is, of course, deeply disturbed. What is significant, I think, is not his particular psychopathology, but the fact that this kind of sickness is so widespread. The ugly reality is that the weirdo who sent this email typifies a broad segment of the American left. That's why we get thousands of emails like this, not just a few dozen.
Oh, one more thing: we've learned a lot more than we ever wanted to know about the sexual fantasies of American lefties. We can tell you this: as reflected in our email, their fantasies are 100%, with zero exceptions, homosexual. Make of that what you will. I can't explain it."
JB here: Ancient Scripture states that homosexual acts lead to a corruption of the soul. The modern man appears intent upon disproving that thesis. But you read the attacks, such as the 1 above, and the people engaged in the attacks appear to be proving the thesis of Ancient Scripture.
This was interesting:
"How Low Can They Go?
Someone apparently named D Wentworth went to the trouble of tracking down my office email address in order to send me the delightful email quoted in full below. He sent the same message to a number of other conservative commentators, including Rush Limbaugh, and also sent a copy to our site email box:
I am a fat gay man looking for some action. I'm not too fat, kind of a mix of Limbaughs ass with Goldbergs head. If you are interested in some good Chrisitian gay sex, lets get it on!
Oh Rush btw - I got you a stash man of percocet, crack, and Boones!
We've gotten thousands of similar emails from liberal Democrats. We almost never read them (in fact, we hardly ever even see them), but every once in a while we pluck one out of the garbage can, pass it around and laugh at it. D Wentworth's message is in that category.
The person who wrote this email is, of course, deeply disturbed. What is significant, I think, is not his particular psychopathology, but the fact that this kind of sickness is so widespread. The ugly reality is that the weirdo who sent this email typifies a broad segment of the American left. That's why we get thousands of emails like this, not just a few dozen.
Oh, one more thing: we've learned a lot more than we ever wanted to know about the sexual fantasies of American lefties. We can tell you this: as reflected in our email, their fantasies are 100%, with zero exceptions, homosexual. Make of that what you will. I can't explain it."
JB here: Ancient Scripture states that homosexual acts lead to a corruption of the soul. The modern man appears intent upon disproving that thesis. But you read the attacks, such as the 1 above, and the people engaged in the attacks appear to be proving the thesis of Ancient Scripture.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Found on Michelle Malkin's website
ANOTHER HATE CRIME HOAX
By Michelle Malkin · May 09, 2005 06:01 AM
Did you hear about the lesbian Tamalpais High School student who was pelted with eggs, had her locker and car vandalized, and has been flooded with handmade hate messages? The words "Die Fag" were spray painted on her school's wall.
The incidents sparked outrage among the school's students, teachers, and administrators, who came together for an anti-hate vigil.
Well, the perpetrator has been suspended--the lesbian "victim," who admitted to police that she faked the incidents to garner attention:
JB here: The more leftist/radical types are desperately searching for Evangelicals who do hateful things to liberals and radicals. Unluckily, the liberals/leftist often (but not always) have to do their own dirty deeds and then blame it on the Evangelicals. Just where is a nasty, hate-filled Evangelical when you need him? sigh
ANOTHER HATE CRIME HOAX
By Michelle Malkin · May 09, 2005 06:01 AM
Did you hear about the lesbian Tamalpais High School student who was pelted with eggs, had her locker and car vandalized, and has been flooded with handmade hate messages? The words "Die Fag" were spray painted on her school's wall.
The incidents sparked outrage among the school's students, teachers, and administrators, who came together for an anti-hate vigil.
Well, the perpetrator has been suspended--the lesbian "victim," who admitted to police that she faked the incidents to garner attention:
JB here: The more leftist/radical types are desperately searching for Evangelicals who do hateful things to liberals and radicals. Unluckily, the liberals/leftist often (but not always) have to do their own dirty deeds and then blame it on the Evangelicals. Just where is a nasty, hate-filled Evangelical when you need him? sigh
National Review: Jay Nordlinger (Absolutely read the whole thing!)
May 09, 2005, 7:42 a.m.
The One and Only, &c.
Can you believe what President Bush said in the Baltics? Can you believe he went to the Baltics, before visiting Russia for the 60th anniversary? Oh, yes, you can, if you know President Bush.
I have said it before, friends, and will remind you again: There will never be another like him. Enjoy it while you can. The clock is ticking till January ’09.
From Dr. Al Mohler
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And the Bible contains so much material that runs against the moral sense of a largely-secularized society. Let’s just be honest and admit right up front that the Bible pulls no punches and leaves no room for a public relations effort to clean up the dust storm. The Bible begins with a straight-forward declaration of divine creation, complete with a divine design for every aspect of the created order. Then, we confront the creation of human beings as made in the image of God, and thus uniquely gifted and accountable as moral and spiritual creatures. And, we add, human beings are made male and female to the glory of the Creator. There it is--gender as part of the goodness of God’s creation. This is no vision of gender differences as mere social construction. Marriage immediately follows as the divinely--designed institution for human ordering, reproduction, sexuality, and romantic fulfillment. Marriage--the union of one man and one woman--is presented as an objective reality constituted as a moral covenant with legal and moral boundaries, not as a contract to be made, remade, or unmade at will.
Then comes sin. The third chapter of Genesis clearly fails to meet muster in terms of modern psychotherapeutic expectations. Responsibility for sin is laid right at human feet; and the consequences of sin--downright repressive--are worse than draconian. Most troubling of all, sin is presented as something that tells the truth about us--not merely the truth about a sinful world system. From beginning to end, the Bible undermines the modern secular worldview at its very foundation.
JB here: The plantive cry of the moderate (either secularist or Christian) "can't we all just get along?" is brought to nothing by the stand of ancient Scriptures. There is no half-way compromise. According to Scriptures, truth is truth and anything else is untruth. Wishing to make untruth truth, will never succeed. (Read the whole thing)
..............................................
And the Bible contains so much material that runs against the moral sense of a largely-secularized society. Let’s just be honest and admit right up front that the Bible pulls no punches and leaves no room for a public relations effort to clean up the dust storm. The Bible begins with a straight-forward declaration of divine creation, complete with a divine design for every aspect of the created order. Then, we confront the creation of human beings as made in the image of God, and thus uniquely gifted and accountable as moral and spiritual creatures. And, we add, human beings are made male and female to the glory of the Creator. There it is--gender as part of the goodness of God’s creation. This is no vision of gender differences as mere social construction. Marriage immediately follows as the divinely--designed institution for human ordering, reproduction, sexuality, and romantic fulfillment. Marriage--the union of one man and one woman--is presented as an objective reality constituted as a moral covenant with legal and moral boundaries, not as a contract to be made, remade, or unmade at will.
Then comes sin. The third chapter of Genesis clearly fails to meet muster in terms of modern psychotherapeutic expectations. Responsibility for sin is laid right at human feet; and the consequences of sin--downright repressive--are worse than draconian. Most troubling of all, sin is presented as something that tells the truth about us--not merely the truth about a sinful world system. From beginning to end, the Bible undermines the modern secular worldview at its very foundation.
JB here: The plantive cry of the moderate (either secularist or Christian) "can't we all just get along?" is brought to nothing by the stand of ancient Scriptures. There is no half-way compromise. According to Scriptures, truth is truth and anything else is untruth. Wishing to make untruth truth, will never succeed. (Read the whole thing)
Sunday, May 08, 2005
From the New Republic by Ross Douthat
( Speaking of the liberal/moderates view that the church would grow better if only it liberalized - got with the modern, secular agenda.)
..................................................................................................................
But in fact, exactly this experiment has already been carried out--by the mainline Protestant denominations, which have spent the last half-century moving to ordain women, accept homosexuality, endorse birth control, remarriage, and even in some cases abortion, and to permit local congregations to manage their own affairs with little or no interference from above. And over the same progressive half-century, mainline Protestantism has endured a slow-motion collapse--in influence, prestige, and membership.
The Episcopal Church offers the most striking example of this phenomenon, since it would seem to embody everything that a Garry Wills or a Maureen Dowd would like Catholicism to be--the liturgy and tradition, that is, without the sexual prohibitions and inconvenient dogmas. Yet in an era when John Paul II supposedly alienated so many otherwise faithful Catholics, it's Episcopalianism, not Catholicism, that's been hemorrhaging members, dropping from over 3.5 million American communicants in 1965 to under 2.5 million today. Far from making itself more appealing and more relevant, the Episcopal Church's reforms seemed to have decreased its ranks in the United States.
JB here: RADICAL PURSUIT of God brings transformation worth dying for. Anything less is probably just assuaging your guilt.
( Speaking of the liberal/moderates view that the church would grow better if only it liberalized - got with the modern, secular agenda.)
..................................................................................................................
But in fact, exactly this experiment has already been carried out--by the mainline Protestant denominations, which have spent the last half-century moving to ordain women, accept homosexuality, endorse birth control, remarriage, and even in some cases abortion, and to permit local congregations to manage their own affairs with little or no interference from above. And over the same progressive half-century, mainline Protestantism has endured a slow-motion collapse--in influence, prestige, and membership.
The Episcopal Church offers the most striking example of this phenomenon, since it would seem to embody everything that a Garry Wills or a Maureen Dowd would like Catholicism to be--the liturgy and tradition, that is, without the sexual prohibitions and inconvenient dogmas. Yet in an era when John Paul II supposedly alienated so many otherwise faithful Catholics, it's Episcopalianism, not Catholicism, that's been hemorrhaging members, dropping from over 3.5 million American communicants in 1965 to under 2.5 million today. Far from making itself more appealing and more relevant, the Episcopal Church's reforms seemed to have decreased its ranks in the United States.
JB here: RADICAL PURSUIT of God brings transformation worth dying for. Anything less is probably just assuaging your guilt.
WHAT'S FOR DINNER? Found on Fox News
Food for Thought
Marshall Junior High in Clovis, New Mexico (search), was locked down after someone saw a boy carrying what police thought could be a weapon. Armed officers were placed on nearby rooftops, local streets were closed off, and dozens of anxious parents fled to the school to pull their children out of harm's way. But it turned out the threatening item was a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos, all wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-Shirt. The oversized burrito was for an assignment on product promotion.
— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report
JB here: I always knew a full blown burrito was incredibly dangerous. That fact has not yet stopped me from indulging in the treat, but neither have I been threatened with arrest for carrying one around in my car. Maybe I need to pay more attention.
Food for Thought
Marshall Junior High in Clovis, New Mexico (search), was locked down after someone saw a boy carrying what police thought could be a weapon. Armed officers were placed on nearby rooftops, local streets were closed off, and dozens of anxious parents fled to the school to pull their children out of harm's way. But it turned out the threatening item was a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos, all wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-Shirt. The oversized burrito was for an assignment on product promotion.
— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report
JB here: I always knew a full blown burrito was incredibly dangerous. That fact has not yet stopped me from indulging in the treat, but neither have I been threatened with arrest for carrying one around in my car. Maybe I need to pay more attention.
Mother's Day
THANK YOU MOM!
Kudos and yips to mothers through-out the known and unknown universe. Where would mankind be without you?
I particularly praise my mother . She is now 83 and not in the best of health. In fact she nearly died in January of this year but God has seen fit to bring her back and give our family more time to know, talk to and love her.
I am her only son and she administered more punishment to me in the child years than my 4 sisters combined. While she has worried about that for decades; the reality is I received less than 1/2 the punishment I really deserved. I was a brat and she simply tried to direct me towards wisdom and maturity. Now that was a challenging task.
But, despite the spankings and time-outs, I always knew my Mother loved me. If I wanted to talk, she wanted to listen. She dedicated herself to preparing healthy food for her family. Sometimes the experiments in healthy eating did not always pan out ( see the spaghetti and liver-balls fiasco) but her heart desired that we would be healthy and have long lives.
She had respect for her children. No, she didn't equate us with adults and she did insist we treat her with respect but she never acted like we were ignorant morons (which of course we all were at times). She let us grow into ourselves and was patient with the outcome.
Finally, she was and is the most devout of mothers. She has a staunch faith in Jesus Christ and she made it her goal to act and live by that faith. The person one saw at church was the person one saw at home. There was no difference, there was no hypocrisy. For her faith she has been mightily blessed.
My mother and my, very healthy, father have been married for 63 years or so. They've had a great marriage. The family attributes a whole lot of that to my mother (yes Dad, you contributed too but Mom, well she was the glue that held things together).
So today I drink a coffee toast to my mother - . May she enjoy her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren until she is graduated from this imperfect and painful life to the perfect and joyful life with her mother, father and siblings in the presence of the Loving and Living God.
Kudos and yips to mothers through-out the known and unknown universe. Where would mankind be without you?
I particularly praise my mother . She is now 83 and not in the best of health. In fact she nearly died in January of this year but God has seen fit to bring her back and give our family more time to know, talk to and love her.
I am her only son and she administered more punishment to me in the child years than my 4 sisters combined. While she has worried about that for decades; the reality is I received less than 1/2 the punishment I really deserved. I was a brat and she simply tried to direct me towards wisdom and maturity. Now that was a challenging task.
But, despite the spankings and time-outs, I always knew my Mother loved me. If I wanted to talk, she wanted to listen. She dedicated herself to preparing healthy food for her family. Sometimes the experiments in healthy eating did not always pan out ( see the spaghetti and liver-balls fiasco) but her heart desired that we would be healthy and have long lives.
She had respect for her children. No, she didn't equate us with adults and she did insist we treat her with respect but she never acted like we were ignorant morons (which of course we all were at times). She let us grow into ourselves and was patient with the outcome.
Finally, she was and is the most devout of mothers. She has a staunch faith in Jesus Christ and she made it her goal to act and live by that faith. The person one saw at church was the person one saw at home. There was no difference, there was no hypocrisy. For her faith she has been mightily blessed.
My mother and my, very healthy, father have been married for 63 years or so. They've had a great marriage. The family attributes a whole lot of that to my mother (yes Dad, you contributed too but Mom, well she was the glue that held things together).
So today I drink a coffee toast to my mother - . May she enjoy her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren until she is graduated from this imperfect and painful life to the perfect and joyful life with her mother, father and siblings in the presence of the Loving and Living God.
While surfing the internet at 5 a.m. Sunday morning I found this site. Below is just a couple of paragraphs. If you're interested in challenges facing the Mormons attempting to rely on Joseph Smith, you'll read it here.
"One by one, virtually every Mormon belief about the Book of Abraham once considered essential to its support and regarded as faith promoting, has been shattered by the facts.
"Not one trace of reliable evidence has appeared that would support the LDS view of the Book of Abraham as an authentic scripture, while an enormous amount of evidence is available to show that it is a man-made production of the nineteenth century, created by Joseph Smith to support his claim among his people to be a 'prophet, seer, and revelator.'... When an individual fails to respond openly and honestly to such a problem it only passes the problem--and the pain of dealing with it--to someone else, multiplying ignorance and hurt in the process....
"So much potential pain to loved ones and future generations could be avoided! How? By placing truth ahead of convenience, by being honest with ourselves and with others.
"The question of meeting challenges to our faith really does matter, because truth matters. The Bible gives us the promise that 'the truth shall make you free' (John 8:32)--and that includes being free from delusion." (By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus, pages 169, 171, 175, 181)
JB here: ANY religion founded by 1 man is guaranteed to be false. You can take it to 'Vegas and bet the house on it.
"One by one, virtually every Mormon belief about the Book of Abraham once considered essential to its support and regarded as faith promoting, has been shattered by the facts.
"Not one trace of reliable evidence has appeared that would support the LDS view of the Book of Abraham as an authentic scripture, while an enormous amount of evidence is available to show that it is a man-made production of the nineteenth century, created by Joseph Smith to support his claim among his people to be a 'prophet, seer, and revelator.'... When an individual fails to respond openly and honestly to such a problem it only passes the problem--and the pain of dealing with it--to someone else, multiplying ignorance and hurt in the process....
"So much potential pain to loved ones and future generations could be avoided! How? By placing truth ahead of convenience, by being honest with ourselves and with others.
"The question of meeting challenges to our faith really does matter, because truth matters. The Bible gives us the promise that 'the truth shall make you free' (John 8:32)--and that includes being free from delusion." (By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus, pages 169, 171, 175, 181)
JB here: ANY religion founded by 1 man is guaranteed to be false. You can take it to 'Vegas and bet the house on it.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Found on Hugh Hewitt
Democratic Senator Harry Reid called George Bush a loser today, just as the president began a trip abroad. Classy. And which of course leads us to ask you to finish the sentence: "Harry Reid calling George Bush a loser is like ___ calling ____ a ____." E-mail your suggestions to hugh@hughhewitt.com.
Wilt Chamberlin calling the Pope promiscuous.
Neville Chamberlain calling Churchill a poor judge of German leaders.
Tom Daschle calling John Thune a loser!
Dean Martin calling Carrie Nation a boozer
Milli Vanilli calling Bob Dylan "inauthentic."
Jimmy Carter calling Ronald Regan a failed President
JB here: Read the whole thing. There's much more..
Democratic Senator Harry Reid called George Bush a loser today, just as the president began a trip abroad. Classy. And which of course leads us to ask you to finish the sentence: "Harry Reid calling George Bush a loser is like ___ calling ____ a ____." E-mail your suggestions to hugh@hughhewitt.com.
Wilt Chamberlin calling the Pope promiscuous.
Neville Chamberlain calling Churchill a poor judge of German leaders.
Tom Daschle calling John Thune a loser!
Dean Martin calling Carrie Nation a boozer
Milli Vanilli calling Bob Dylan "inauthentic."
Jimmy Carter calling Ronald Regan a failed President
JB here: Read the whole thing. There's much more..
"Yips" to Llamabutchers.com
"Quoting P.J. O'Rourke; 'Politics is the business of gaining status and power without merit'."
JB here: A most telling quote. So few politicians actually have real "cojones." (Semi-Mexican for "guts.")
"Quoting P.J. O'Rourke; 'Politics is the business of gaining status and power without merit'."
JB here: A most telling quote. So few politicians actually have real "cojones." (Semi-Mexican for "guts.")
Friday, May 06, 2005
Found on Town Hall by Marvin Olasky
Read what a largely forgotten scholar, J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937), said at Hampden-Sydney College on June 9, 1929.
Machen was a strong and courageous Christian. In 1929, he had for 23 years taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, a beautiful place that had just been taken over by theological liberals. He had suffered personal attacks in a decade-long seminary war now lost, but had held firm. He would return to Princeton from his graduation address in Virginia only to pack up and move to Philadelphia to start Westminster Theological Seminary.
Calmly but sadly, he began his Hampden-Sydney talk by noting that: "It is a serious step, in these days, even from the worldly point of view, to become a Christian. ... The man who today enters upon the Christian life is enlisting in a warfare against the whole current of the age."
He said that the conflict "can be avoided if the one who professes Christianity adapts his message to the desires of those who are about him. ... Such a Christianity ... causes no more disturbance than is caused to a stream by a chip that floats downward with the current. But very different is the case if the Christian proclaims without fear or favor the gospel that is contained in the Word of God."
JB here: J. Gresham Machen, a stupendous scholar; a great man was actually defrocked by the United Presbyterian Church due to his refusual to water down the ancient Scriptures and join the progressive/modern flow towards a more liberal church. He seemed to think the church would become irrelevant and die. The "mainline" Protestant Churches of our generation are a testament to his insight and wisdom. Does anybody attend anymore? Does anybody care.
Read what a largely forgotten scholar, J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937), said at Hampden-Sydney College on June 9, 1929.
Machen was a strong and courageous Christian. In 1929, he had for 23 years taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, a beautiful place that had just been taken over by theological liberals. He had suffered personal attacks in a decade-long seminary war now lost, but had held firm. He would return to Princeton from his graduation address in Virginia only to pack up and move to Philadelphia to start Westminster Theological Seminary.
Calmly but sadly, he began his Hampden-Sydney talk by noting that: "It is a serious step, in these days, even from the worldly point of view, to become a Christian. ... The man who today enters upon the Christian life is enlisting in a warfare against the whole current of the age."
He said that the conflict "can be avoided if the one who professes Christianity adapts his message to the desires of those who are about him. ... Such a Christianity ... causes no more disturbance than is caused to a stream by a chip that floats downward with the current. But very different is the case if the Christian proclaims without fear or favor the gospel that is contained in the Word of God."
JB here: J. Gresham Machen, a stupendous scholar; a great man was actually defrocked by the United Presbyterian Church due to his refusual to water down the ancient Scriptures and join the progressive/modern flow towards a more liberal church. He seemed to think the church would become irrelevant and die. The "mainline" Protestant Churches of our generation are a testament to his insight and wisdom. Does anybody attend anymore? Does anybody care.
A Disturbing, but not surprising, piece of news found on Michelle Malkin who found it on Frontpagemag.
Felons lose their right to vote while in prison in most states and even after release in a few states, including Florida. In 2000 an estimated 10,000 felons voted illegally in Florida. Where their voter registration was checked, 85 percent of these convicted felons were registered as Democrats.
(This makes perfect sense for them to favor the party of legalized theft, taxing the daylights out of the rich and productive so that the fruits of their labor can be given to the lazy and unproductive. Democratic Party class warfare is the criminal mindset in political form.)
..................................................................
JB here: There are so many images that come to mind as one considers crooked politicians of the Democrat variety. However, given enough time in power the Repubs may match or surpass what the Dems have done, but probably not in my lifetime.
Felons lose their right to vote while in prison in most states and even after release in a few states, including Florida. In 2000 an estimated 10,000 felons voted illegally in Florida. Where their voter registration was checked, 85 percent of these convicted felons were registered as Democrats.
(This makes perfect sense for them to favor the party of legalized theft, taxing the daylights out of the rich and productive so that the fruits of their labor can be given to the lazy and unproductive. Democratic Party class warfare is the criminal mindset in political form.)
..................................................................
JB here: There are so many images that come to mind as one considers crooked politicians of the Democrat variety. However, given enough time in power the Repubs may match or surpass what the Dems have done, but probably not in my lifetime.
A GOD OF INCALCUABLE LOVE; YET A GOD OF ABSOLUTE JUSTICE
May 05, 2005
Okla. Mom Charged in Girl's Decapitation
By MATT SEDENSKY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -
For four years, she was known only as Precious Doe, a little girl whose headless body was found along a road. On Thursday, police identified the girl, arrested her mother on murder charges and pronounced the sad mystery solved.
The girl with big brown eyes and neat cornrows in her hair was identified as Erica Michelle Marie Green, just shy of 4 when she was found.
Her mother, Michelle M. Johnson, 30, was charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Police said she told them her husband, Erica's stepfather, killed the girl with a kick to the head and used hedge clippers to sever her head.
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JB here: There is great evil in our world, a cancer that continues to work at destroying the fabric of society.
But there is a great God who brings great and exact justice on His time table. Ancient Scripture says the unrepentant wicked will NOT go unpunished.
Forgive me for MY sins.
May 05, 2005
Okla. Mom Charged in Girl's Decapitation
By MATT SEDENSKY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -
For four years, she was known only as Precious Doe, a little girl whose headless body was found along a road. On Thursday, police identified the girl, arrested her mother on murder charges and pronounced the sad mystery solved.
The girl with big brown eyes and neat cornrows in her hair was identified as Erica Michelle Marie Green, just shy of 4 when she was found.
Her mother, Michelle M. Johnson, 30, was charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Police said she told them her husband, Erica's stepfather, killed the girl with a kick to the head and used hedge clippers to sever her head.
.....................................................................
JB here: There is great evil in our world, a cancer that continues to work at destroying the fabric of society.
But there is a great God who brings great and exact justice on His time table. Ancient Scripture says the unrepentant wicked will NOT go unpunished.
Forgive me for MY sins.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
The Names of God posted on The Sheeps Crib
El Elyon - God Most High
El Roi - God Who Sees
El Shaddai - All Mighty God
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Who Provides
Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner
Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord Who Heals
Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord Of The Harvest
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Of Peace
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Is There
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness
JB here: The Ancient Scriptures are truly without peer and the God who provided them is the only God with a big "G".
El Elyon - God Most High
El Roi - God Who Sees
El Shaddai - All Mighty God
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Who Provides
Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner
Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord Who Heals
Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord Of The Harvest
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Of Peace
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Is There
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness
JB here: The Ancient Scriptures are truly without peer and the God who provided them is the only God with a big "G".
AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS
On another website I DESIRE THE FUTURE there was a discussion today about music; how we respond to it and to what generation (60's, 70's, 80's etc) we most vibrate.
I love music. I love to drive down the road and crank the car stereo way up just letting the music pour over me. My folks never did that, though they were always exceedingly active in the music at all the churches they attended over the years. But I don't think they ever "cranked" up the car radio. However, they watch/listen to the concerts Bill Gaither produces for television everyday that they can. While there are quite a few of the newer artists; there are a lot of the older ones too. Most of them seem to have retained their voice.
But give me the car, a long stretch of open road, a lack of neighbors on that road and I will just flat out let it loose. The louder the better. Tears, blues, adrenaline and reminensce about the lost things of childhood; music brings them all to the heart and to the soul. And in the car, you can really get caught up in the feelings and passion of the music that touches your heart.
On another website I DESIRE THE FUTURE there was a discussion today about music; how we respond to it and to what generation (60's, 70's, 80's etc) we most vibrate.
I love music. I love to drive down the road and crank the car stereo way up just letting the music pour over me. My folks never did that, though they were always exceedingly active in the music at all the churches they attended over the years. But I don't think they ever "cranked" up the car radio. However, they watch/listen to the concerts Bill Gaither produces for television everyday that they can. While there are quite a few of the newer artists; there are a lot of the older ones too. Most of them seem to have retained their voice.
But give me the car, a long stretch of open road, a lack of neighbors on that road and I will just flat out let it loose. The louder the better. Tears, blues, adrenaline and reminensce about the lost things of childhood; music brings them all to the heart and to the soul. And in the car, you can really get caught up in the feelings and passion of the music that touches your heart.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Found on AlbertMohler.Com
CHRISTIAN MORALITY AND PUBLIC LAW:
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"Speaking from Christian conviction, I would finally suggest two principles for our consideration that come directly from the Word of God and from the command of Jesus. In the greatest commandment, we are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. The second is like it: We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. A Christian's motivation for entering the public square and advocating public policy is love of neighbor. Our concern in political, moral, social, and cultural engagement is not simply to impose Christianity--as if the mere imposition of a Christian moral code would be sufficient. Rather, our concern is love for our neighbor. We are motivated by love for other human beings, believing that health and welfare and happiness and commonweal are dependent on society's being ordered in such a way that the Creator's intentions for human relationships are honored and upheld--and that will inevitably require restrictions on human conduct. Only when the Creator's intentions for human society are upheld will His desire for human happiness also be realized among us.
As Christians, we understand the law of the harvest--as we sow, so shall we reap--and thus we must make arguments about action and consequence that deal not only with demographic and economic and cultural realities, but with issues far more important than any considered in the secular world. Love of neighbor means we are compelled out of concern for our fellow citizens to see the law and public policy rightly ordered in such a way that maximum human happiness will be achieved.
JB here: Christians have often been perceived, with good reason, as the "Thou Shalt Not" party. But the irony is this, unfettered freedom has always led to great pain and personal and corporate destruction. As a culture adheres more closely to principles of life found in ancient scripture, the culture is healthier and it is happier.
"Thou shalt not touch" the hot stove does limit one's freedom; but the benefits are clear.
Of course if you're into pain then by all means reject the tenets of ancient scripture. You will know pain.
CHRISTIAN MORALITY AND PUBLIC LAW:
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"Speaking from Christian conviction, I would finally suggest two principles for our consideration that come directly from the Word of God and from the command of Jesus. In the greatest commandment, we are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. The second is like it: We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. A Christian's motivation for entering the public square and advocating public policy is love of neighbor. Our concern in political, moral, social, and cultural engagement is not simply to impose Christianity--as if the mere imposition of a Christian moral code would be sufficient. Rather, our concern is love for our neighbor. We are motivated by love for other human beings, believing that health and welfare and happiness and commonweal are dependent on society's being ordered in such a way that the Creator's intentions for human relationships are honored and upheld--and that will inevitably require restrictions on human conduct. Only when the Creator's intentions for human society are upheld will His desire for human happiness also be realized among us.
As Christians, we understand the law of the harvest--as we sow, so shall we reap--and thus we must make arguments about action and consequence that deal not only with demographic and economic and cultural realities, but with issues far more important than any considered in the secular world. Love of neighbor means we are compelled out of concern for our fellow citizens to see the law and public policy rightly ordered in such a way that maximum human happiness will be achieved.
JB here: Christians have often been perceived, with good reason, as the "Thou Shalt Not" party. But the irony is this, unfettered freedom has always led to great pain and personal and corporate destruction. As a culture adheres more closely to principles of life found in ancient scripture, the culture is healthier and it is happier.
"Thou shalt not touch" the hot stove does limit one's freedom; but the benefits are clear.
Of course if you're into pain then by all means reject the tenets of ancient scripture. You will know pain.
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