May I let my voice be a clarion call. I will use these words for justice. I will use these words for truth. And humour.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

 

Goodbye Weekly World News

 America's greatest sensational tabloid was closed down. I'm not sure why. On this page is a note from one of the managing editors.


pax hominibus,
joel

Sunday, August 12, 2007

 

A Violent Video Game for Christians, and a Violent War for Christians

I know that the video game part of this is a year old or so, but I'm going to comment on it anyway, since there's some new information.

I'm a Christian who advocates non-violence, especially in the real world.

There's a video game based off of the "Left-Behind" series of Christian books, in which the player is supposed to control an army that kills off the minions of the Anti-Christ. The big problem I have with this is two-fold. First, its emulating something that evangelical Christians are actually expecting to happen IN REAL LIFE. In other words, prepare to kill these people with beliefs different than yours. Second, it's based on the common video game scheme of KILLING "THE OTHER," whomever that adversary may be.

Often when I'm playing video games (I like the old-school dungeons and dragons type partly because they can be and remain in fantasy), I recognize the character I'm playing, is supposedly fighting for the side of "good" according to the storyline, fighting off orcs, goblins, and other obviously-evil foes. If you've been reading what I've been teaching/saying/singing, the existence of "the Other" is much akin to the existence of "the Adversary." Regarding who is the Adversary, we make the distinction ourselves, or with the help of our advisors/ministers/sacred-texts. Again, if you've been reading my blog, you know that "the Adversary," is a way of distinguishing "the Devil." And in so doing, we search for ways to demonize other peoples whose customs, foods, cultures, and/or technologies, are things we don't understand or trust, whom we would call orcs, goblins, sorcerers, dragons, etc... .boo!!

In my theology, the Devil only exists for those who point their finger in his/His/her/Her/gher/Gher direction (the adversary/Adversary/enemy/Enemy). In a way, that statement only adds fuel to the fire for those who operate from within the type of biblical understanding associated with Left-Behind thinking. I have a feeling they will claim the age-old adage "the devil's greatest trick is to convince you He doesn't exist."* If they can get past that, and understand that they are creating/propagating enemies, we can get to a unified community. In the meantime, they'll be what I will hereafter refer to as FBS Christians. If you claim to be Christian, and preach hate toward those who you're taught are "other," you're an FBS Christian. If you claim to be Christian, and make minor attempts to help your neighbor, by giving a little into an offering plate each week, but spend triple that amount on payments for a first, second, or third car, that's FBS Christianity.

*of course the devil's trump trick played upon being pointed out (by both Jesus and Mohammed, may peace and blessings be upon them) is to convince you that He is God, and that His adversary's name is "the Adversary".

If you're ready to take up arms against people you fear (note the current reason for the U.S. war with Iraq (and maybe Iran) is that They *might* do Us harm. (and meanwhile, We ARE doing Them harm. And from the title, the "Violent War for Christians" I mention is that the Christians are embracing our fighting troops, with support from the U.S. Department of Defense. This group, called Operation Straight Up, with a motto on their front page of "Until every soldier hears the truth" is going to go to Iraq and provide Bob Hope style entertainment, mixing in a strong dose of Christian prosyletizing. Let it be known that they do NOT have my support. Soldiers everywhere have my support, in that I want them to have a wonderful life and not be surrounded by hellish war, inner spiritual turmoil/devastation, and bloodshed. But any people trying to further polemicize an already ideological war have no support from me. They are FBS Christians.

My wife is calling me, and mad. I'm not supposed to be blogging right now, gotta clean the house for visitors. Gotta go.

lyrics: Kiss them for me. - Siouxsie and the Banshees.

colors: Red, White, Blue, and YOU!

mood: Patriotic, and upset, and hopeful.

chant/prayer/mantra: Love one another. May we remember at least that. Blessed be.


pax hominibus,
joel

Saturday, August 4, 2007

 
Today at th DFW airport: people scowl or look away nervously. In my eyes, i am just another guy with a mohawk.... Ju

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Wednesday, August 1, 2007

 

latest coin count: 1121

i knew i had passed 1000, but had no idea i'd found so many in the last fourteen months...

sorry the formatting is kind of funky, but i'm not going to take the trouble to fix it. actually, it's way funky. please think of this as an opportunity to experience a page with a whole lot of white space, and extra breathing room for the eyeballs.





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































A B C D E F G H I J
1 YEAR COIN
2 Penny (Phila) (Denver) Nickel Dime Quarter Other Foreign
3 1940 1
4 1949 1 x(wheat)
5 1950
6 1951
7 1952
8 1953 1 x
9 1954
10 1955
11 1956
12 1957
13 1958
14 1959 1 x
15 1960 2 x
16 1961 3 x
17 1962 1
18 1963 6 x
19 1964 8 x 1
20 1965 No mint marks 2 1
21 1966 6 x No mint marks 1 1
22 1967 2 x No mint marks 3
23 1968 7 x 1 1 Canadian dime
24 1969 12 x 1
25 1970 9 x x 1 1
26 1971 6 x
27 1972 11 x x 1 1
28 1973 12 x x 1 1
29 1974 16 x x 3 1 half-dollar 1 Canadian penny
30 1975 16 x x 2 3 1 one-pfenning (1pf)
31 1976 18 x x 1 2 1
32 1977 11 x x 1 1 1
33 1978 18 x x 1 1 half-dollar 1 2pf
34 1979 18 x x 1 2 2 SBA 1 1pf
35 1980 15 x x 1 2 1 1 dutch 10-cent
36 1981 15 x x 1 3 1
37 1982 23 x x 2 1
38 1983 26 x 1 2 3 1 schilling
39 1984 26 x x 1 2 3
40 1985 10 x x 2 1
41 1986 17 x x 2 2 4
42 1987 21 x x 1 5 2
43 1988 22 x x 1 4 1 1 Can dime
44 1989 28 x x 1 4 1
45 1990 27 x x 9 3
46 1991 17 x x 1 3 1 1pf, 1 2pf
47 1992 23 x x 2 6
48 1993 17 x x 1 1 1 1 Can cent
49 1994 35 x x 11 3 2 2pf
50 1995 31 x x 4 12 1 2pf, 1 1pf, 1 5-centime
51 1996 26 x x 3 13 2 1 10pf, 2 1pf
52 1997 25 x x 2 4 1
53 1998 42 x x 2 1 2
54 1999 33 x x 1 6 2
55 2000 42 x x 3 6 6 1 pence, 1 2-Euro
56 2001 18 x x 2 4 2
57 2002 19 x x 1 5 1
58 2003 15 x x 4
59 2004 18 x x 1 2 1 1 euro-cent
60 2005 23 x x 2 3 2 1 Can cent
61 2006 31 x x 5 4
62 2007 5 x x 1
63 2008
64 2009
65 2010
66 Unidentified

Mutilated
14 1 1
67 TOTAL
COUNT
848 47 137 61 4 24
68
69 ALL
COINS
1121


lyrics: get down make love(live), by nine inch nails (originally by queen
and head like a hole(live), also by nine inch nails

colors: copper, nickel, zinc

mood: gooey

chant/prayer/mantra: meditation on what is love.


pax hominibus,
joel

 

New Electric Car Coming!

The TH!NK two-seater electric vehicle is to hit markets around Europe in 2008, and then some test markets in the U.S. in 2009. The limiting factors for the U.S.? The danger posed by all the giant cars on the roads, and a less well-developed electric fueling station infrastructure.

Read the link above, and see some of the brilliant innovations it will include (e.g. your car will email you when it needs a tune-up, and if the electric company is short on electricity, your car's battery can send some back).

AND California's own Pacific Gas and Electric (and other electricity providers) will be able to buy your car's battery when it no longer has the juice it used to (and consequently no longer has as much range as it did when new), and can use them for energy storage to fulfill peak demands.

pax hominibus,
joel

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