Hello,  my name is Adam Radcliffe, im a male human from a little town called telford in england. Todays date is the 16th of November 2009, my birthday is on the 19th and i will be 22 years old. To the right is a montage of pictures taken over 2 or 3 years, im a vain, selfless and odd person, and im a nice guy too, some would say too nice.

Right now i am sitting in a costa coffee shop, exploiting their free internetz and drinking a creme brule flavoured latte, speculating on my future “the things i could do, and the things i could become” and i decided to start a blog,i will hopefully write a little something on it everyday. weather it will be interesting to you, is none of my concern, i simply felt like i needed somewhere to write/type the everyday goings on and things i get up too. But i also need something else to do when im not at work, or at the cinema, i vist the cinema almost every week, without fail and i guess that makes me sort of a film buff. i go by myself most the time, as i dont have a girlfriend and actually enjoy films a lot more when my only company is a large popcorn, large pepsi and large nachos with cheese and hallipinos peppers (did i spell that right?) However there are cases when you must only go see a film with your friends, films that are EPIC , “The Dark Knight” for example. Like every man, I also enjoy video games, A LOT and i have been playing them for as long as i can remember, i feel like they never get as much respect as they deserve, even though the market for them is huge and video games frequently out sell all music CD’s and DVD’s.

I dont know what im hoping to gain from the blog at this point but i do have some outlines

1. Improve Speeling/Typeing/Grammer Skillz
2. Meet some new people, or get 1 or 2 regular readers of the blog.
3. Get a second opinion on my life as it unfolds before the wordpress audience
4. mabye some relationship advice too

My Job? Right now i am working in a gym as a cleaner(not terribly exciting i know), but i don’t really enjoy doing it, not in a way which is traditionally fun…its just a job which helps me get through each day, the people who work with me are great, and im probley the most un-fit member of staff who works their. my diet mainly consists of McDonald’s and pre-prepared sandwedges  bought from sainsburys. lets not forget my cans of monster too, im addicted to caffeine, and addicted to sugar even more, which has given my teeth a healthy yellow glow. Despite this i still manage to look pretty good, and maintain a healthy weight with virtually no effort at all.

I like to think i am invincible, you can call me whatever you like or even beat me senseless and ill still laugh in your face, because i enjoy being alive, even if i dont make the most of the life given too me.my only weakness is the opposite sex, they are a mystery to me, and i often find myself falling for just about every women i meet, with no idea how to please them. (am i beginning to sound desperate?) ok ill change the subject;

I go out and drink, i stay in and drink just like everyone else, my favourite tipple is beer, Becks mostly or any german beer, however i am easily swayed into cocktails and shots if im with the right guys

So what else do i do? well not much apart from play my guitar everyday and try to think of new things i could try each day.

Where im going with this blog, i have no idea, i just decided to open the tap on my mind and let the creative juices flood the world, drowning those who dare to swim in it.

i used to make youtube videos everyday and managed to keep it up for about 200 days before youtube deleted most the videos for copyright infringement. I was unemployed and had nothing better to do, apart from look for a job of course. i did however make another youtube channel and have had one video on there for god knows how long, maybe something else will be uploaded soon, who knows.

www.youtube.com/itsactuallyadam

thanks for stopping by my humble little blog. Mabye it will be just as stupid tomorrow.

8===D

History will remember me and laugh.

We had a training session a couple of weeks ago where we were asked to think about what the most important roles Jesus has in God’s plan.

I ended up feeling like most of the topics could be helpfully expounded under two headings:

A. Christ the Image of God
B. Christ the Mediator of a New Covenant

I want to stress at this point that this arrangement is by no means “Doctrine” – it’s not the teaching of the church! There may well be some horrible errors that may come out of this arrangement of the topics.

That said, I think it’s worth presenting, because:
1. It could be pedagogically helpful in our culture to sidestep some of the ontological debates about the Person of Christ by tying up his human and divine aspects under the same headings
2. This arrangement emphasises links with the doctrines of Creation and New Creation (in Heading A) and Salvation (in Heading B), and the links between those doctrines.
3. Applications to the doctrines of humanity and Christian life are more obvious – we are the image of God, washed by Christ’s blood.

Of the two headings above, it is Christ as the Image of God that will be more controversial, since the second heading corresponds pretty well with the traditional heading of Priest in the Prophet/Priest/King triad.

Let me expand what is under each heading.

A. Christ the Image of God

1. The Son of God
   He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Col 1)
    
   In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things … He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb 1).

 

2. Revelation of God
   In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son … He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb 1).
    
   Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14)

 

3. Creator and Sustainer
   He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col 1)
    
   He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (Heb 1)

 

4. Better Adam
   Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. (Gen 1)
    
   Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Cor 15)

   By the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Rom 5)

   Christ being a better Adam – a perfect humanity – implies the next two points.

 

5. Perfect King and Judge
   “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Gen 1).
    
   While the first Adam failed to rule creation and so disobeyed, the second Adam obeyed and received all rule and authority, being enthroned in his resurrection:

   The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
   today I have begotten you.
   Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
   and the ends of the earth your possession. (Ps 2)

   “Behold, with the clouds of heaven
   there came one like a son of man,
   and he came to the Ancient of Days
   and was presented before him.
   And to him was given dominion
   and glory and a kingdom,
   that all peoples, nations, and languages
   should serve him (Dan 7)

   He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Col 1)

 

6. Goal for the Christian Life
   Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Cor 15)
    
   And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Rom 8)
    
   Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (Col 3)
    
   All these points combine to produce our final point, that Christ as the image of God is worthy of all praise and honour.

 

7. Object of Worship
   The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4)

    

   He is the radiance of the glory of God …
   “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Heb 1)

   The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Rev 21)

More briefly, our second heading – Christ as the Mediator of a New Covenant. While there are links between the headings, I’m not sure that this aspect of Christ’s work can be described as an aspect of Christ as the image of God.

B. Christ the Mediator of a New Covenant

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (Heb 9)

1. Propitiatory Sacrifice
   Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood (Rom 3)
2. Priest of the New Covenant
   When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Heb 9)

    

   Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4)

3. Object of Worship
   And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

   “Worthy are you to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
   for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
   from every tribe and language and people and nation,
   and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
   and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev 5)

Though there are links between the two topics (a mediatorial office is in some respects a prophetic or revalatory office), I am encouraged that two of the key passages on Christ seem to distinguish the ideas in these two headings, but discuss them in close proximity:

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Heb 1)

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col 1)

In both these passages, Christ’s pre-eminance and God-likeness are discussed in terms of his image, before discussing his mediatorial work as he reconciles us to God through the cross. This also seems to be the broad pattern in Hebrews, with chapters 1-2 establishing Christ as the supreme image of God, and the rest of the book examining the signficance of Christ’s redeeming work.

So this arrangement of ideas appears to be Biblical. Before I get too excited, what are the problems with it?

A couple of thoughts:

• To my mind the distinction between image and Son is pretty blurred, and there may be good reasons for preferring sonship as a heading.
• I haven’t got an obvious place to put the theme of Christ as defeater of Satan (aka Christus Victor).

Thoughts?

Before you respond, why not read over some of those verses again, and offer praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Blogger adalah orang yang melakukan aktifitas blogging. Blogger Ngalam adalah komunitas pecinta blogging Malang yang terbesar dan paling terkenal. Universitas Ma Chung adalah universitas internasional di Malang, Jawa Timur. hehehe –>sekedar info

Blogger Ngalam beranggotakan dari semua kalangan, salah satu unsurnya adalah mahasiswa. Disini saya sebagai mahasiswa Ma Chung yang juga sebagai anggota Blogger Ngalam akan memperkenalkan rekan seperjuangan saya di lingkungan universitas Ma Chung.

Biar lebih Afdhol saya sertakan foto teman-teman. Blogger juga boleh bergaya kan?,,hehehe:)
Sorry buat teman-teman blogger ngalam yang lain kalau belum masuk, mungkin waktu hari-H tidak ada di tempat. Kapan-kapan kita foto bareng lagi dengan personil yang lengkap.

(foto disini)–bentar lagi diupload–

Foto di depan loby Bhakti Persada Universitas Ma Chung. Dari kiri ke kanan: Atho, Arlingga, Adam, Haqqi

God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and completely self-sufficient, for his own glory, created the universe, as we know it.  He created space, the stars, the planets, our solar system, the moon, and planet earth.  On planet earth he created animals, plants, landforms, continents, mountains, and every living thing.  His most glorious creation was Man and Woman.  He created everything and then called it good!  (Gen 1).

But our first father Adam, chose to disobey God or “sin”, by not following God’s express command. (Gen 3:6) God’s promise to Adam was that in the day that they disobeyed him that they would be eternally separated from him.  Adam’s sin brought misery and pain into the world.  Much of what you see in the world is a result of Adam’s sin.  Not only did Adam’s sin cause the chaos in which we see, we as his children have inherited his sinful nature.  Although because of Adam’s sin, we have all been condemned, we too have committed sin against God and must pay an eternal price for that sin. Romans (3:23, 5:12, 6:23).  Moreover, the world is suffering from the sinful mistakes of man. (Gen 3:17, Romans 8:23)  Where there was order, there is now chaos.  Where there was harmony, there is now dissonance.  Where there was peace, there is now war.  Where there was life, there is now death.

The big issue revolves around God himself.  God is supremely righteous, holy, and just! (Psalm 145:17)  A just God must reward good and punish evil.  (Romans 1:18) Since the standard is 100% righteousness and we have sinned, even if ever so slightly, without an intervention we are destined punished eternally in hell.  (James 2:10)  Our disobedience towards God has caused Him extreme displeasure. Out of God’s justice he must punish our evil.

Here is the Good News.  Although God is holy and just, out of his mercy and love for us, He sent Jesus the divine Son of God who took on his shoulders the sins of the world and the punishment that went with it. (Romans 5:6, 2 Cor. 5:21)  God punished Jesus, ultimately killing him on the cross for the sins of the world.  This had to happen so that God’s supreme justice could be vindicated and shown to the world. (Romans 3:21-26)  Christianity revolves around this killing of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary right outside of Jerusalem.  Miraculously, Jesus was resurrected from the dead showing the world that he had won victory over his enemies, beat death, and died for the sins of the world.

Those men and women who choose to accept Jesus as their substitutionary sacrifice for their sins and follow Him as Lord will be guaranteed eternal life.  This is the very heart of what it means to be a Christian – confessing our sins and believing in Jesus death, burial, and resurrection for those sins.  (Romans 10:9)

Jesus in redeeming humanity also will ultimately redeem the rest of creation.  Jesus is coming back and will rule on this earth with his followers as part of the glorious kingdom of God.  Things will be different, there will not be suffering, war, or poverty, but everything will be set a right. (Isaiah 11)  Those who place their faith will rule and reign with him forever. (Rev. 5:9-10)

Hazme Reir.dvdrip.Audio Latino.2009[Adam Sandler]

“Funny People” relata la historia de un famoso cómico, interpretado por Adam Sandler, que descubre que tiene una enfermedad terminal, y que decide apoyar a un colega de profesión (Seth Rogen) que está empezando en este mundillo.

Título Original: Funny People
Titulo Latino: Hazme reir
Dirección y guión: Judd Apatow.
Idioma: Audio Latino
Calidad: DVDrip
Formato:avi
País: USA.
Año: 2009.
Duración: 146 min.
Género: Comedia dramática.
Interpretación: Adam Sandler (George Simmons), Seth Rogen (Ira Wright), Leslie Mann (Laura), Eric Bana (Clarke), Jonah Hill (Leo), Jason Schwartzman (Mark), RZA (Chuck), Aubrey Plaza (Daisy), Aziz Ansari (Randy), Maude Apatow (Mable), Iris Apatow (Ingrid).
Producción: Judd Apatow, Clayton Townsend y Barry Mendel.
Música: Jason Schwartzman y Michael Andrew.
Fotografía: Janusz Kaminski.
Montaje: Craig Alpert y Brent White.
Diseño de producción: Jefferson Sage.
Password: manu6666
Fuente de la Pelicula: http://manu6666ew.wordpress.com/

LINK DE DESCARGA

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password: manu6666
la password esta probada en cada película que se sube.
Si la pass no les funciona con copiar y pegar escríbanla manualmente.

I sent in my first internship application today.

I went to Urban Empowerment this morning, a black-style non-denominational church. I went for a project for my cross-cultural psych class. We’re supposed to immerse ourselves in a culture different than any of ours. So, we each find a group that we don’t fall into.

I am not black, but this was not the first time I was the only, or one of the only, white people in the midst of black people. Living with Erica has exposed me to a lot of such functions. However, I also have been the only American around all Japanese people. I’ve been hetero amidst LGBTQ. I’ve been the youngster at nursing homes. Or the Christian talking with Buddhists.

As I encourage everyone to do. I learned more about who I am, what I believe and why I believe it in these situations than I ever would otherwise. It’s so easy for white people to always be comfortable. White people can always find people who look and believe like them. In America, even when surrounded by different groups, white people maintain white privilege. That feeling that I never have to feel out-of-place.

So, anyway, I enjoy breaking out of that. I like feeling like maybe I don’t belong somewhere. Because, for me, that’s a few hours out of my life, whereas for so many groups in our society, it’s constant. Or at least once a day. Or at least once a week. Which is way more than I.

Also, I enjoyed going today because it’s nice to worship unrestrained sometimes. I like going to a church where they expect you to clap and dance and verbally affirm. And they clap on beat for the most part. It was fun. I’m not a huge fan of “faith-healing,” since I believe we should pray for wisdom, strength, guidance and peace for people going through sickness rather than praying for it to go away.

“You are now healed from your head to your toes,” doesn’t comfort those who go back to the doctor, only to find out their son is still going deaf. God hasn’t abandoned them, and she does answer prayer. However, God doesn’t answer to us, nor does she exist to take away every obstacle. Instead, God leads us and carries us over the obstacles.

Anyway, all that is not what made my day, though it was nice. What made my day was taking a nap with Adam lying on my belly. He’s actually still sleeping. Unfortunately for Erica, he is not sleeping tonight.

Among the odd things one finds in the Genesis creation stories is that the search for a “suitable helper” for Adam first takes place among the animals and birds Yahweh created. When that doesn’t work out, Yahweh creates Eve.

New image in the typography art photoshop contest

This was completely done in photoshop CS4. Tools used: text tool, Free transform, Move tool & paint bucket for the background. My work depicts the …
Adam,Eve & The Forbidden Fruit photoshop picture

Book Six — Chapter One Adam Returns to New York City, Punching A Clock, Hanging Out With Willie and Oliver, Electroshock

CONTENTS

Within a week of his visit to Norbert, Adam was once again getting used to the smells and sounds of Manhattan, He had a summer job as an attendant in the children’s ward at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. His first act was to get reestablished on 86th Street. Though Mechizedek might be in and out on weekdays, Adam was pretty much the sole occupant of the Panflick apartment. He settled in the room the twins had once occupied. It was large compared to the adjacent maid’s room Adam had occupied as a child. It had its own full bathroom. Air conditioning had been installed and Adam flipped various units off and on to establish comfort levels.

The Institute was by the Hudson at 168th Street, Adam had sold the Dodge, anticipating some years in the city. So he got to the Institute by taking a crosstown bus and then a subway uptown. It took up to an hour each way.

The head nurse on the ward was Louise Verme, crisp, affable, authoritative. Thirty-something and New York to the bone. Adam liked her. There was a balding, rotund younger assistant named Doroff. He was equally pleasant.

Adam had to punch a time clock when he came in and on leaving. He worked all manner of shifts. He took the elevator up to the children’s ward. The institute was a teaching hospital. There were never more than 10 children in the ward at any one time. It was uncrowded.

Adam’s job was simply to relate to children as opportunities presented themselves. There were girl twins no one could relate. They occupied a padded room. They spread feces on the wall. Adam never knew the cases behind the kids. The two boys that Adam related were Willie, a normal-seeming eleven-year-old with a shock of black hair and a ready smile, and a more taciturn fellow named Oliver who was also around 10. Adam could walk with Willie on Riverside Drive and talk back and forth with ease. Willie was hardly a Boyd, full of laughter. But he was cheerful enough and hardly obvious as a candidate for psychiatric study. Adam had no idea why he was there.

Oliver came from Staten Island looked rather ageless. His face had an almost permanent questioning air as if he was asking, with a mixture of curiosity and fear, What is that! Adam was told he had a damnably high IQ. He seemed happy to be around Adam. Adam did very little talking. He was just there. Oliver would initiate things.

“What makes those cars run?”

“I don’t know,” Adam said. “What do you think makes them run?”

“Energy. Magic makes energy. Energy can kill you.” After such bits of dialog Oliver would clam up and go somewhere inside himself.

One day, Adam was asked to help hold down a patient who was receiving electroshock. He took the elevator to the adult floor. The man was wheeled into a room already strapped down. Adam leaned heavily on the man’s shoulder. Other men tended to the rest of him. The current came through. The man jolted big time. A little mouth foam. No sound other than body thud. Then he went limp.

“What does this do?” Adam said afterward.

“Dunno. Calms ‘em out,” said one of the other men. “Makes ‘em easier to manage.”

There was a cafeteria. Adam ate with a young doctor and described his reading in Freud at Williams.

“You know a lot more Freud I ever will,” the young psychiatrist said.

The days passed quickly. By the end Adam felt satisfied with his choice of a summer job. He gave thought to the idea of continuing such work.

*

The summer also re-acclimated Adam to the solitude he associated with Manhattan. On the subway, on the bus, in the apartment, he was alone. He preferred it that way. He thought he lacked the personality to reach out much, to take initiative. He could do these things sometimes, but not all the time.

Things would become substantially more social in a short time. Seminary loomed. Union Theological Seminary was a few miles south of the Institute. adjacent to Barnard and Columbia. To Adam it would be entirely a new world.

CONTENTS

Adam over on The Come Up did an interview with Tate Roskelley. Check it out here.

405 – Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa means blank slate, which describes both Sylar’s mental condition and the attitude the writers have approached this episode with. Put simply, this is the best Heroes has been for a very long time.

The main bulk is spent with the always watchable Sylar being toyed with by his new masters at the circus, leading to several excellent confrontations – Sylar trapped in a house of mirrors that replay all his old murders while he screams for mercy, a brilliant – though far too short – first clash between Sylar and Edgar, a spectacularly cataclysmic showdown with the pursuing police officer in the hall of mirrors and the final baptism washing Sylar free of all his guilt.

The other parts of the episode are just as good and entertaining – Claire once again has no classes to attend and shows up at Bennett’s house, but before you can say plot drag, Hiro is pulled to Peter, who absorbs his power and takes Bennett on a quest to find a healer. Slight annoyance – Claire’s healing will not stop Hiro’s tumour, yet a healing touch will? This raises more questions than it answers, but it sets up an absolutely jaw-dropping freeze-time sequence where Peter stops time at the exact moment a bullet passes through his body. The trigger-happy healer who can give and take life is a great character on his own and gives Bennett a chance to play the good guy and make up for his past mistakes, which is always nice.

Elsewhere, Emma tries to talk to Hiro about her desire to turn her potentially dangerous power off, but the delighted geek wants instead to prove to her what a good thing it can be, setting up another outstanding CGI freeze-time sequence, this one involving a room of clapping people and those beautiful sound wave colours.

All in all, a fantastic step forward for the show. It loses a star for only teasing a Sylar/Edgar smackdown and for dismissing Claire’s healing power, but the cliffhanger suggests that the next episode is about the go off the rails in terms of quality. More, please.

4 stars

Feeling off today. Like I left my body, but the program is still running so no one knows. Is it too many vegetables? Too few? Maybe that radioactive isotope they injected into my veins at the cardiologist (I’m fine, probably). Whatever it is I’m not myself. And not anyone else either. Inside I’m tired of the absence, but externally things are going so well that packing it in would just seem ungrateful. So I play along with this better life.

In improv I was an aborigine whose dancing ripped open the time/space continuum,  an old English Sheepdog and a Presidential assassin.

After removing ourselves from the loud grating bars and opting to leave Bess (Sandra Bullock’s restaurant) for another day, Sarah and I drank a bottle on the roof of Whole Foods and talked about dreams.  We happened upon a museumy house with a cloud of pot smoke in the foyer and a shrunken head on a book shelf.  They asked “Are you 420 friendly?” and offered us bud to go.

I wanted to sing

“Oh, the pot head and the drunkard should be friends. 

Oh the pot head and the drunkard should be friends.

One man likes to smoke the bud, the other likes to drink some suds

But that’s no reason that they can’t be friends.

Inebriated folks should stick together,

inebriated folks should all be pals…”

How many avocados can you eat in a day? 

Looking forward to your return, – Susannah

Delicious Eva-flavored Doritos

In honor of the first Rebuild of Evangelion movie being released on DVD in the U.S., I thought I’d post my thoughts of the dub. My dub review comes from a theatrical viewing of the dub a few months ago, and is not representative of the DVD. But they should be identical anyway.

First of all, I completely loathed the original Evangelion dub (and I hated the original movie dubs even more). It had one of the worst assembled casts of all time. Worse than the people in “Manos: The Hands of Fate.” Not to mention one of the shittiest directors, Matt Greenfield, ever. Basically, he just cast a bunch of his no-talent friends, and had them ham it up. The original dub is on par with what you’d find in a middle school drama class. It is fucking awful. A testament to why you should never watch a dub. And just in case any of you think I “hate all dubs,” let me explain something else. There are some anime dubs that I loved, and watch those shows exclusively in English (e.g. Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Outlaw Star, and Fullmetal Alchemist — just to name a few). Anyway, my expectations for the Rebuild of Evangelion dub were extremely low. I was expecting a turd on celluloid. So, how did it hold up?

Shinji – Spike Spencer performed much better than he ever did in the TV series. It seems like he has grown quite a lot as an actor. His line delivery was spot on almost all of the time. He embodied the role quite well, and was very convincing. The only complaint I have is that his screams are somewhat comical, and when Eva-01 got blasted by Ramiel, his screams were so ridiculous they actually made me laugh out loud. I don’t think the other theater-goers were very happy with me.

Misato – Allison Keith-Shipp did a good job, too. While I still think her acting can be a little weak, and her voice shrill, for the most part she was fine. She had the proper amount of gravity during dramatic scenes, and the right amount of lightheartedness in the fun scenes. She was probably the person I hated the most in the original dub, and I expected her to ruin the entire movie. Fortunately, she has improved a lot as an actor since her original performance in the TV series. Not bad, not bad at all.

Rei – Her voice actress was excellent. She was able to be quiet and solemn, without sounding fake and hoarse like Amanda Winn-Lee (the original english Rei). She doesn’t have that many lines, but her delivery for all of them was perfect. Without a doubt, she was one of the highlights of the dub.

Rei getting her Rick James on.

Gendo – Why is Crispin Freeman* not voicing this character? Gendo was all right, but not too memorable. He came off as more of a bastard than the previous dub actor, which is definitely a good thing. Still, there was something lacking in his performance. Maybe he came across as too emotionally involved, where Gendo should seem detached. Again, a good performance, but not amazing.     *Rumor has it that Robin Williams, a self-proclaimed Evangelion fan, also auditioned for the role of Gendo. While it might have been odd hearing a big star on an anime dub, I think he would have been much better than the person they went with. At least he would have sounded different than the actor who played Fuyutsuki.

Fuyutsuki – He sounds too much like Gendo, and sometimes it can be hard to tell which character is speaking. I’m apathetic to his performance as he does not have much of a presence in this movie.

Ritsuko – Sort of flat sounding. She had more of the detached voice that Gendo should have had. I think her actress, while good, could have been better. There’s just something about her voice that doesn’t quite fit the character.

Toji – The best Toji so far. At first I didn’t like his voice, but it grew on me. By the end, I thought he fit the role well.

Kensuke – I think that Greg Ayres did an awesome job. Even though he is omnipresent in anime these days, he did fine. His higher pitched, almost puberty-cracking voice was perfect for the role. He had the right amount of enthusiasm and nerdiness to make Kensuke memorable.

Keel – Although he only shows up in Monolith form, his voice is menacing as hell. Great choice.

Kaworu – He seemed all right, but his part was too brief to make any real judgment.

Bridge Bunnies – They sort of just blend into the scenes, and nobody stood apart from the others.

While I don’t think this cast will ever surpass the original Japanese actors, Funimation did a damn good job. This time they had a real director instead of motherfucking Matt Greenfield, and that payed off in spades. Spike and Allison have had years to improve their skills, and with a competent director, were able to turn in great performances. Overall, the dub was good, and I can entertain the idea of watching it again in the future. While the original Japanese is still the best, this English dub is a vast improvement over the ADV dub.

And also, it rocked watching Evangelion in a movie theater, on the big screen.

Verdict: Good

Adam é uma coisa fofa, tá que ele já tem 18 anos, mais mesmo assim pra mim é uma Graciiiinha!

Sempre tem alguns bofes lindjos no LookBook, mais esse é pra ter lá em casa! “Oh lá em casa!” HAHAHHA! #ALOKA!

Igår efter bandyn drog jag till Bastuträsk och jobbade.

Jag lånade Davids bil. Vägen dit gick bra, jag kände att det var halkigt men inte så farligt. När jag hade jobbat hela kvällen och äntligen skulle fara hem hade jag kört ungefär 2 kilometer innan jag kände att bakdelen på bilen började svänga lite.

Den svängde mer och mer och jag gjorde var jag kunde för att parera och när jag äntligen tänkte att det gick ju bra så gjorde det inte det. Då svängde den om en sista gång och jag insåg att jag skulle hamna i diket.

Men det gick så långsamt att jag bara sakta skjutsade ner i diket, men av nån anledning så var diket 1000 m djupt så jag blev ändå fast där nere.

Men jag hoppade ur den lutande bilen när det stannat och gick upp på vägen. När jag varit där en stund kom en taxi som stannade. Jag fick åka med honom till Bastuträsk igen och där väntade jag på Willy som fick komma och hämta mig.

Idag har jag och Willy kört dit igen och fixat upp bilen med hjälp av en traktor.

Willy tog en bild till Facebook

Skön parkering…

Jag styr upp isen så jag ser vart jag ska!

Sen kom traktorn och började hjälpa till..

Jag försökte förklara nått men jag vet inte hur det gick eller vad det var.

Willy agerade kameraman och fick smaka på det kalla jobbet som fotograf..

Sen var det bara att börja backa..

Och plötsligt var jag på vägen igen.

Nu är jag hemma och har fotot volleyboll.

Jag tänkte avsluta det här inlägget med ett särskilt tack till:

Willy för han hämtade mig och skjutsade mig tillbaka idag.

David för han fick inte panik när jag ringde och sa att jag kraschat hans bil mitt i natten. Inte ens när Willy hjälpte till att fortsätta ljuga om det fick han panik.

Micael Varg som hade ställt sitt hus väldigt nära dikesparkeringen och hade en traktor som kunde hjälpa mig upp.

Ibland känns det som att jag lever mitt liv i Dunkerque 1940. Jag ligger platt mot marken med huvudet nedborrat i leran medan de fräsande skottsalvorna viner millimetrar ovanför min hjälm. På ena sidan strider Le Resistance Petit, en motståndsrörelse vars enda uppgift är att försvara sin egen existens och åsikt. Vad rörelsen står för är för alla inklusive dem själva okänt, åtminstone på sikt. Ideologier uppstår i stunden, och minsta kritik mot dessa är tillräcklig anledning för gerillaattacker, bakhåll och bombeld.

På andra sidan strider De Ideella Legosoldaterna, en utbrytarfraktion ur Främlingslegionen som strider där strider finns för blotta nöjets skull. Som mer än gärna ställer sig i vägen för Le Resistance Petit, som ser minsta oegentlighet som en hänsynslös provokation som med alla medel måste bekämpas, må det gå till blodspillan. Där en konflikt kan uppstå, där finns DIL!

Och mitt i detta ligger jag med min lekamen i gyttjan, med en sönderskjuten vit flagg vajandes i vinden, som en hopplöshetens medlare i hårda dagar.

Jag har som ni säkert förstår precis ätit frukost med mina barn, Adam (DIL) och Jolina (LRP).

Jag brukar slå mig själv för bröstet när jag berättar om hur bra och inkännande jag är som pappa. Om min närvaro när de behöver mig, om mitt lugn även i de mest laddade situationer.

Jag har ofta blivit den neutrala parten i mitten i allt från kompisrelationer till yrkeslivet. Kanske är det ett resultat av att ha vuxit upp i skottlinjen mellan Blåvitt (mor) och GAIS (far). Kanske är det frukten av att många av mina vänner under uppväxtåren var brödrapar, och att större delen av tiden handlade om mig ståendes i mitten görandes tappra försök att hålla de två illviljorna ifrån varandra innan de dängde första bästa tillhygge i huvudet på den andre, t.ex. ett tennisrack, ett brännbollsträ eller en träsko.

Men ibland tvivlar jag på min roll som socialpacifist. Vi talar nämligen om en oroshärd långt värre än allt det ovannämnda. Vi talar om kulskurar med laserprecision, om gliringar och provokationer av en atoms storlek. Det är diaboliska uppbyggnadsfaser som inleddes långt innan. Det kan handla om en dörr som stängdes aningen för snabbt för att den andre skulle hinna igenom och vars orättvisa sparats i rockärmen i två månader för att spelas ut vi inte första, men definitivt bästa tillfälle. Det är en strid som enbart kan utkämpas mellan de båda, eftersom strategin är uppbyggd på deras liv tillsammans.

Jag har lärt mig att se dessa mönster långt innan de uppstår. Mitt liv består av att ständigt parera de inledande förflyttningarna. Jag har blivit en profylaktisk fredsförhandlare. Jag måste hålla vår gemensamma jord bördig men samtidigt hålla koll på de frön som sås, för när som helt växer det upp ett ogräs som parasiterar mina egna frön, som snor dess näring och avstannar deras fredliga förlopp.

Just nu är det temporär vapenvila. Båda parterna har tillfälligt dragit sig tillbaka för att avvakta den andre. Och jag reser mig upp, orädd för förlupna kulor, viss om att min blotta existens är det som håller dem båda vid liv, och fast i min övertygelse att så länge jag fortsätter att resa mig, så länge jag fortsätter att inte döma någon av dem, att se de båda kombattanterna som de är och visa att jag älskar dem trots deras fejd – så må de strida i all evighet.

De behöver sin syskonliga prövning. Men kulorna kommer på sikt att bytas ut mot lösa skott, och framryckningarna kommer med tiden att vara för syns skull, för att påminna den andre om att livet pågår, att man måste vara redo för det som komma skall, och för att visa den andre att man alltid finns där och aldrig viker från den andres sida.

Variation 1

Variation 2

Variation 8

Variation 9

Variation 18

Good evening internet, it has been far too long. Don’t worry, I promise to change that. Starting today, I will blog EVERYDAY no matter what, even if it’s short. I’m holding myself to that, and you should hold me to it also. Danke.

In other news, I shall be starting a second blog, to be written along with this, within the next week or so. I would start it now, but I’m very tired, so I shall put what could fit as a first post for that blog in this blog.

That blog shall focus on the soul searching I am starting soon.

See, tonight at swing club, Adam was talking about Catholicism. He spoke for probably over an hour, but the way he spoke was quite moving, because his faith is so strong. And the more he spoke, the more I began questioning my own beliefs, which are rather iffy and not quite as strong as they could be in the area of religion. And with more thought, I decided I should start reading the Bible.

Not all at once, of course – that’s quite a big bite to digest. No, I’ll read a little bit everyday. Along with this, I’m going to try a few different types of meditating [and/or yoga] because I’ve heard it’s quite helpful for this sort of thing.

And that about covers it. My new blog shall be written as I realize things, as I struggle to comprehend things, so on and so forth.

In other, more teenager-ly, news: tomorrow I am going roller skating with Matthew. I am quite excited. I haven’t roller skated in ages.

And now, it’s time for sleep.

Goodnight web <3

Jaxibella

P.S. I apologize for lacking in colors. I can’t see straight. And I’m sleepy. Forgive me?

Book Five — Chapter Thirteen Norbert Part Two

CONTENTS

Adam woke late to the sound of Norbert conversing with Clarissa on the phone.

“Why, yes, he is asleep I think. I am enjoying him.” (Pause.) “No we didn’t. We are talking mainly about my ideas, such as they are. Or about them in a preliminary way.” (Pause.) “Ha, ha, ha. No. No my dear. He would telegraph boredom if that were true. Even with myopia, one would catch it. He is an open book. You’re the bored one! Ha, ha, ha.” (Pause.) “No, we don’t understand much at all, my love.” (Pause.) “Yes, that is all we have left. I agree. Good, my dear. Good by.”

Adam heard slippered feet shuffling in his direction. Norbert poked his head in the door. “Are you awake?” he asked.

“Barely,” Adam said. “

“Well, I’ll put some breakfast on. Mary has already brewed coffee. We have cream from the farm. Do you like oatmeal?”

“That’s fine,” Adam murmured.

In a few minutes, Adam was dressed for the day. Khakis. Oxford blue shirt. Scuffed loafers.

At the table, he watched as his tablespoon lifted, bearing some oatmeal with the requisite amount of cream and brown sugar. He brought the spoon to his lips and had a most enjoyable bite. The coffee was was also well received.

“Why did Columbia let you go?” Adam asked.

Norbert jerked his head down and then up and, after a pause, fixed Adam with an expression that said, “Alright.” Then he spoke.

“One day. not that long ago, I came to the lecture hall and said exactly what I thought. I said something like. “The sonsobitches are getting ready to kill you. And you and you and you.’ I pointed to specific students. Able-bodied types. I met their amazed and surprised eyes. I said ‘Richard Nixon will be president.’ That stopped them. I know he will be president, I said, ‘And Nixon will laugh with his crooked pals as your remains are laid to rest.’ That got them even more. And it’s true, Adam. Make no mistake. War is on the way. Wars, in fact. They’ll come like clockwork. Mark my words. I told those students, ‘You are being led by a pack liars and thieves.’ It’s true. The worst thing is they believe in themselves. They believe their lies. To validate their belief, they use any means they can. It’s all justified. That’s their MO, Adam. ‘Secrecy is all around you,’ I told ‘em, ‘Secrecy kills’.” Norbert leaned back and looked up and then back at Adam. “Now do you know why they let me go? “

Adam assumed his ‘I’m thinking” pose and did not respond.

“The Cold War is a lie, Adam. The American religion of optimism is a lie. A cruel lie. We are living a common lie. Getting fat and happy on lies. Our democracy is mostly a lie. War is coming, Adam. Do you know that? Korea was a curtain raiser. It was bait. Look to Laos, Adam. Look to Cambodia. And Vietnam.”

Adam remembered Portia’s roommate, her father working for “us” in Laos. “It’s secret,” she had said.

“I’ll tell you what’s coming Adam. I bet you don’t know this. More drugs. America is about to be narcotized. We will soon be somnambulent, zombified. Then cities will be destroyed. Matthew Arnold will cry in his tomb. And ignorant armies will be locked in permanent clash. Does this make any sense to you, Adam?”

Morton’s face was now all sadness. Before Adam could not answer.

“I wasn’t as clear at I am being now,” Morton continued. “My speech was garbled. I shouted. I cried. There I was in front of 200 shocked Columbia University students. A noted author. A survivor of McCarthyism. Crying in front of the class of ‘55! Finally, a supercilious colleague led me away. Columbia never said they disagreed with my point of view. They were nice. They fired me with velvet gloves. I get checks from the University still. And damnable Christmas cards.”

Adam still could say nothing.

“Life is tragic, Adam. Society lives on lies. Power goes to those who can keep secrets. Secrets are truth. Secrets are all about limitations, coming disasters, failures, deaths. Secrets proliferate. They bump up against each other. They overwhelm. Actions become sheer gambles. But confusion is the ally of the powerful. The victims are us naturally. Those who see past the charade must spend their days in Heath. We’re all in a double bind, Adam. Do you know Bateson? He’s well out of his marriage, I’ll say that. Bateson knows how we’re caught. Told one thing. Confronted with another. Then of course, there’s the biggest double bind of all.”

“What’s that?” Adam said, almost punchy with the barrage of words.

“Death,” Morton replied.

“Ah,” Adam said softly.

“Everything will come apart one way or another. Truth, real truth, must be told slowly, obliquely. Ultimately the world will turn itself inside out. Ultimately, we’ll walk right. It is just a question of how painful it will be. How many millions, no how many billions, will die in the bargain.”

“Bleak,” Adam said. “Very bleak.”

“Do you think Communists have the slightest interest in conquering the territory of the United States, Adam?” Morton asked.

“No, not really,” Adam said.

“Good, they don’t. Now, do you think it would help to have a direct line to the President?”

“Of course,” Adam replied.

“Wrong.

“Are you serious?” Adam said.

“Absolutely.” Morton held out empty hands, “I have corresponded with Ike directly. Through Fred Fox.”

Fred Fox was a Congregational minister from Williamstown when Adam arrived there.. He moved to the White House and did communications chores for the President during Ile’s second term. Fox was partial to graduates of his alma mater, Princeton. “I have responses that indicate the President read what I have to say. Do you want to see?”

“No. I was just curious.”

“The President of the United States typically say things the nation needs to hear. FDR did. Harry did. Ike does once in a while. But they are scarcely more capable than you or I of making things happen, Adam. Most of the time, everything cooperates to maintain the structure of lies. That’s what Jesus meant by Satan, I think.”

“Whew,” Adam said. “Most encouraging.”

“Right. If I had my life to live over. I would be a photographer. I would extract the tragic vision from the very face of reality. Like Nietzsche, I would live by amor fati. Let me tell you something.”

“What?” Adam asked.

“You may be a wise soul, young Panflick.” Morton said. “Clarissa thinks you are. Ultimately, it comes down to a simple reality which I hope you will understand.”

“What’s that?” Adam asked.

“Words. Words and someone to say them. What ultimately pushes things are the right words at the right time. Sometimes the right time is immediate, sometimes it is delayed. Freud. Darwin, Marx. Words, Adam.”

Norbert stood up. “Go now, please. This is my Alger Hiss day. Alger will call shortly and we will talk for an hour. I’m talked out already.”

*

Adam drove back roads north toward Pickinsboro. He thought about many things. He remained as confused as ever. About what he was to do. About what his life would be. About whether it was even possible to recover the sense he had when he was at Rabbit Hollow. There he simply lived day to day with a sort of observer inside, telling him all was well. Yes. He lived for a while without judging a thing.

CONTENTS

It is necessary to understand what we mean by “sin”. This is important, because different religious communities have different perceptions about sin.
Sin is a concept used primarily in the Abrahamic religions [Judaism, Christianity, and Islam] describing a transgression against the will of God, which calls for repentance and at times penance.

Judaism regards the breaking of the commandments or the Jewish Law to be a sin. The Jews believe that all people sin at various points in their lives, and hold that the divine justice is tempered with divine mercy.

According to them, a state of sin does not condemn a person to damnation; only one or two truly grievous sins lead to anything like the Christian idea of hell. Their liturgy of “the Days of Awe” states that prayer, repentance and charity are the means of atonement for sin.

As for Protestant Christians use the term ‘sin’ primarily to refer to what they see as “humanity’s inherently sinful nature”. This is while the Catholics mostly use the word for actual instances of sin, calling “the sinful nature of humans” as “concupiscence”, in the sense of ‘an innate tendency of human beings to do evil’.

Most denominations of Christianity hold the belief that the sin of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God is passed on to their descendants and thus the whole of mankind is accursed with that Original Sin, from which no salvation is possible unless one believes in the atoning death on the cross of the Son of God.

As for the Islamic view of sin, it is similar to the Jewish view. In fact, the religion of Islam is the natural culmination of the progressive revelation of God from the very first prophet to the last one, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Consequently, Islam believes in all prophets of God, from Adam to Muhammad, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all).

According to the Islamic creed, the original religion taught by all these prophets is and was always Islam, which is the peaceful submission to the One and Only God. Thus, the concept of sin as taught by all prophets of God ought to be the same.

The closeness between Judaism and Islam in this regard is obvious; but in Christianity we find a great difference, which results from the influence of Saul of Tarsus, who is later known as St Paul. Paul introduced into Christianity the ideas of ‘God becoming man’ and ‘God dying for the sins of man’. Such concepts are entirely alien to the Semitic religious tradition and considered ‘pagan’, according to the Islamic view.

In Islam, a sin is an act against the will of Allah. We have the ability to abide by His will and this is the meaning of the word Islam. Still we have the ability to ignore His will or deliberately oppose it; due to the fact that God has given us freedom – though within limits).

Islam is our conscious and peaceful submission to the will of Allah. The purpose of our existence as human beings is to worship and serve Allah – or to fulfill His will. And, a solid foundation of worshipping Allah is to show gratitude to Him for the great gifts He has granted us. Following this will bring us the greatest benefits in this life and the next. It is in trying to do this that our intentions are purified and it is by our intentions that we are judged.

In contrast to the Christian teaching that human nature is basically evil [owing to the Original Sin], Islam teaches that it is essentially good. There are many elements to Human nature and each one has the potential to bring benefits. So there is no “Original Sin” in Islam. It is that when Man contradicts God’s commandments or His will, he commits sins.

Adam committed such a sin, which led to his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But Adam repented and prayed to God for forgiveness, which God granted him, as mentioned in the following in Surah 2, verse 37:

*{Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him; for He is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.}*

This means that unlike Christianity, which teaches that all the children of Adam are sinful for Adam’s sin, Islam teaches that all humans are innocent by birth and they become sinful only when they consciously commit a sin. Islam regards the concept of “original sin” and the need for atonement by God Himself – via dying on the Cross - as a pure invention of those who came after Jesus Christ, declaring themselves as Christians.

Another important point to bear in mind about the Islamic concept of sin is that one man’s sin cannot be transferred to another; nor can the reward due to a person be transferred either. Every individual is responsible only for his or her actions, for God is never unjust. This is made clear in the following in Surah 17, verse 15:

*{Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We punish until We had sent a messenger [to give warning].}*

Every individual is an independent person who is responsible for his or her actions alone. There is no need for salvation from sin, for there is no original burden. One’s success in the Hereafter lies in his living a righteous life in this world. Each has to build his/her own Heaven, avoiding the misery of Hell. Faith is important, but faith alone without deeds will be fruitless.

And, Allah knows best.

Source: Reading Islam