This is an article I contributed to Fuller’s weekly student publication, The SEMI.  Don’t hate recycled material…if you want to know what’s been going on with me these past couple months I’ve been MIA (or in my first quarter of grad school), read on!

We’ve got a couple of holidays in November, but the day most focus on is Thanksgiving.  Calorie overload, football, family.  Truly American.  The little brother of November holidays, Veteran’s Day, is somewhat of an opposite to Thanksgiving.  We’re remembering those who sacrificed, rather than overindulged; who risked their lives while others played; who left their families behind to serve. This paradox got me thinking about my time here at Fuller.

It’s my first quarter, and after 7 weeks all of my ideals and hopes and wishes about seminary have been dashed, squelched, diluted, or have generally flown the coop.  I came I as a naïve student, (fairly) fresh off the mission field in Europe and ready to learn more about God and Scripture and others’ experiences with him.  I felt that my eight quarters at Fuller were laid out before me like eight courses of a Thanksgiving meal, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

Cut to today, Veterans Day.  I’m slogging through week seven of the quarter, ready to surrender to the exhaustion and this nagging sense that I’m not actually cut out for this.  My pride has been wounded, my hopes have taken a hit.  I feel far from home and all that is safe and sacred to me.  If I can just make it to Christmas break, I can lie down in a trench somewhere and regain my strength for the next battle, I mean, quarter.

When did school stop being about feasting and start being about survival?

I didn’t come here to get my MA in Theology because I thought it would give me a leg up in my career.  I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a college professor but it’s just as likely I will go back to Europe and do missions there.  I don’t need a graduate degree to be a missionary, do I?  No, I came to Fuller because last winter I toured a university in Mannheim, Germany and felt hunger pains.  I longed to learn.  I hungered knowledge and understanding and an exchange of ideas.  Fuller was a place of nourishment, where I could be fed and where seeds could be planted in me, to one day grow up and produce a harvest of wisdom for others.

Once here, however, I did not find a rich cornucopia of wisdom and beauty and encouragement of expression.  Those qualities are here, to be sure, but mixed in I found the bitter tastes of competition, discouragement, burnout, and emotional disconnection from the learning process.  But I did notice others feasting.  I witnessed fellow students savoring, sampling, and sharing new ideas and rediscovering old ones everyday.  I know the meager crop I complain of is projected from the tough soil of my own heart.  I turned myself into a soldier instead of one who savors.

Yes, seminary has been more difficult than I thought it would be.  And there is a real danger in getting caught up in academia and striving for recognition instead of getting caught up in wonder for the God we are pressing in to know.  The God who removes our burdens, lifts up our downcast eyes, and carries us the last few steps is the same God who invites us to taste and see that he is good, who tells us to open our mouths wide so he can fill them, and whose word is like honey on our lips.  This is the God of Fuller.

We are not soldiers and survivors of seminary, we are children of God invited to pick grapes from his table and wonder at their flavor. To savor intimacy with him and with each other, to invite more friends to this table of feasting – that is why we are here.  And I am thankful.

Check out the course description and required reading for the Theology & Pop Culture class I’m about to begin at Fuller:

DESCRIPTION: This multi-disciplinary course will strengthen students’ cultural literacy by helping them understand the ways pop culture is created, marketed, consumed, received and critiqued. The course will examine pop culture artifacts as works/texts, consumer products, and pervasive agents of spiritual formation. Students will develop biblical/theological, historical, and economic understandings of music, film, TV, radio, periodicals, books, advertising, and the Internet.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: In this course students will reassess pop culture’s relevance to their lives, their ministry, and the church’s engagement with mainstream culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Pop culture is pervasive and influential. Students successfully completing this course will:

1. Develop a theology of culture and pop culture that helps them analyze their own culture consumption, prepare them for meaningful and effective ministry in a media-saturated age, and address culture’s role in their own spiritual growth and that of those for whom they care;
2.  Understand how pop culture products are created, disseminated, used and abused;
3. Evaluate the varied economic, social and spiritual impacts of mass media and products;
4. Assess evangelicals’ historic responses to popular culture in order to develop more effective ways of impacting and engaging both culture and those who create it.
5. Develop strategies and activities for teaching cultural literacy to others.

REQUIRED READING:

• Beaujon, Andrew. Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock. (DeCapo Press, 2006), 291 pp.
• Hipps, Shane. Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Faith and Culture. Zondervan, 2009. 208 pp.
• Lewerenz, Spencer and Nicolosi, Barbara, eds. Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture. (Baker Books, 2005), 216 pp.
• Lynch, Gordon. Understanding Theology and Popular Culture. Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2004, 195 pp.
• Schaeffer, Francis. Art and the Bible (InterVarsity Press, 1973), 63 pp.
• Vanhoozer, Kevin, Charles Anderson, and Michael Sleasman (editors). Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends. Baker Academic, 2007. Introduction and two case studies. (roughly 250 pgs)
• You must also purchase, read and bring to class a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Selected articles, videos, audio recordings, and other materials to be distributed in class.

This is in addition to the film class I’m hoping to get into at City College of San Francisco.

Right up my alley I tell ya! I love it!

I truly believe every Jesus-follower is called to be a missionary regardless of where they live.

These words of Jesus come to mind. When praying to His Father He said:

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18

Followers of Jesus have been ”sent into the world” for a reason, and it’s not to hide.

If you really want to influence culture, learn to engage it.

Constantly throwing rocks is the easy way out, and it’s often not very helpful.

Planners are to aid and facilitate growth and development, according to policies and theories and architectural alternatives (and not to mention economic capabilities). There are ideas to be heard, egos to be addressed, money to be made, politicians, developers, public opinions, professionals and experts and whatever else is out there!

There is also an environment to keep in mind, but in everybody’s mind it is not. There are alternatives. There are so many alternatives. There is no money. There are assets and opportunities. There are strategies. There are interests, stakeholders if you will. Love them or neglect them; love it or leave it.

Social Justice, Technological Utopians and New Urbanism

There are nodes, corridors and greenbelts that can and will form urban structures. There are also people and their ideas, like social justice ideas and numerous spokespersons siding with the ‘ahead of the pack-guru’ Jane Jacobs, but also Technological Utopians dreaming of future cities, like Fuller and Soleri.

And then there is the New Urbanism. Thank you Duany, for your designed white middle class retro-paradise. I’m actually not a critic, as much of what New Urbanism addresses are issues of urban design which with I can agree. And Smart Growth principles are not all that stupid either. The product, the business and the promotion of a designed solution however – a solution that’s not organic, adapted or ‘from within’ the local area – are reasons for the critical antenna to tune in and send out signals of warning.

Sewage

A fundamental function of human health and well-being, which is addressed by urban planning, is found in its drains and sewers. What goes inn must come out, and our health depends on it to function properly. But what does it look like?

As a rule, I always aspire to mentally picture what I try to communicate, in order to gain a deeper perspective; and in the absence of physically being in touch and having to smell it, I tune in to Spacing Radio podcasts and Andrew Emond photography to hear and see it (the drains and sewers).

Jetzt weiß ich was die Politik mit Sparen meint! Abzocken, betrügen und lügen  ist nicht strafbar sondern Politik.

Heute in der Westen: Abgeordnete bestellen Füller für 68.800 Euro

115 Bundestagsabgeordnete haben offenbar gegen Ende der letzten Wahlperiode noch für insgesamt 68.800 Euro 396 Füller und Stifte der Nobelmarke Montblanc gekauft. Auf Kosten der Steuerzahler. Einem Bericht zufolge haben mehrere Abgeordnete trotz Ausscheidens aus dem Parlament nachgeordert.

Brewer Fullers reports a 26% rise in half-year profits as the good early summer weather boosted beer sales…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: shopping stores. The blog is also related to: good shopping.

¿Estás cansada de trabajar duro y no saber si conseguirás

ingresos suficientes para usted y su familia?

¡En medio de todos estos problemas económicos, los modelos de Negocios como este están emergiendo! ¿Qué tal una Compañía sólida como una roca, que le da la Oportunidad de unirse sin riesgo y diseñada para ayudarle a lograr la seguridad financiera, la libertad y unos ingresos residuales cada mes?
 
¡Construye tu Futuro y Genera Ingresos!
 Estás a punto de ver cómo podrás conseguir una independencia financiera, desde la comodidad de tu hogar!

CONOCE TERRAMAR BRANDS

La oportunidad de Belleza en venta directa TERRAMAR BRANDS , tu oportunidad de crecimiento personal y económico. ¡Únete a la mejor compañía de belleza TERRAMAR BRANDS .Solicitamos Distribuidoras, lideres, asesoras, coordinadoras de ventas por catálogo, 50% de descuento en tus compras. ¿QUIENES HAN FUNDADO LA EMPRESA TERRAMAR BRANDS? RON CLARK Cuenta con más de 49 años de experiencia en la industria de la venta directa. Ha desempeñado importantes cargos ejecutivos en prestigiosas compañías, entre ellas; fue Vicepresidente y Gerente Corporativo de Avon Products Inc.. Vicepresidente Ejecutivo en Primerica Finantial Services., Presidente de Mary Kay Europa así como Co propietario, Presidente y Director Ejecutivo de Jafra Cosmetics, International. GONZALO RUBIO SENIOR Director en Ciencias Químicas por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, cuenta con más de 40 años de experiencia en la industria. En Avon España fungió como Director de Proceso, Calidad, Producción y Manufactura así como Director de Ventas. Fue Director de Avon Latinoamérica. Director de Ventas Mundial de Avon y Presidente de Mary Kay Europa así como Copropietario, Presidente y Director Ejecutivo de Jafra Cosmetics International. GONZALO RUBIO JR. Cuenta con más de 15 años de experiencia en Multinivel. Fue Investigador de proyectos especiales para Mary Kay, Su amplio conocimiento en la Industria lo encaminó a abrir mercados internacionales fungiendo así como Director General de Jafra Cosmetics International en República Dominicana y Rusia así como Vicepresidente Señor en Europa. Juntos los tres representan más de 100 años de experiencia en la venta directa, habiendo abierto con gran éxito más de 35 países en 7 continentes. Finalmente, después de una larga carrera, logran con entusiasmo hacer realidad el gran sueño de abrir su propia compañía. TERRAMAR BRANDS MEXICO.  

www.lizzieterramar.webs.com

We know in an instant this is going to be an unusual show. The first image we see is of an endless field of bright yellow flowers capped by an impossibly blue sky. A narrator with a deep, storyteller voice tells us that the little boy and his dog running through the flowers are Ned and Digby, along with their ages, down to the minute.

Digby is dramatically run down by a truck, but when Ned touches him, more with curiosity than sadness, the dog jumps up fully alive. Ned, we are told, has the ability to bring dead things back to life. Now pay attention. His mom is struck dead by on the kitchen floor by an aneurism. Ned brings her back to life. Exactly one minute later, the man across the street drops dead. The dead guy’s daughter is Chuck, the apple of Ned’s eye. When Ned hugs his mom good night, she dies. Again. It’s a complicated gift, and if you missed this first three minutes, I doubt you would make much sense out of the show later on. One touch brings someone back to life, a second kills them. If the person is kept alive for more than one minute, someone nearby dies is his stead.

Fast forward to present day. Ned (Lee Pace) owns a pie shop. Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a customer and a private investigator, has recruited Ned to help him investigate murders. It’s a big—and refreshing—leap from the normal cop-with-an-unusual-partner show. Kristen Chenoweth plays the adorable waitress Olive, who has a thing for Ned.

Soon, we see Ned and Emerson in action, as Ned sets his watch alarm for one minute and wakes a dead guy to find out how he got that way. Bam, the mystery is solved, and the audience has a sense of how the show will go.

Things become more complicated, however, when the next murder victim turns out to be Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned’s childhood crush. He wakes her; she’s spunky, she’s charming, and reveals that the two of them were each other’s first kiss. Awww… Ned can’t bring himself to re-kill her, so after a minute, she is stuck between life and death for good. What really sucks is Ned has found the love of his life and he can’t touch her. Great dramatic tension, if difficult to believe.

The rest of the pilot (titled “Pie-lette”) involves solving Chuck’s murder, and protecting her aunts, Vivian and Lillian, from the killer. The aunt’s back story is that they are former synchronized swimming stars until one lost an eye, and now they are agoraphobics with a penchant for cheese.

To love this show requires buying fully into the premise. You have to treat it like the beautiful storybook that it is and not over-think reality. The characters talk at Gilmore Girls speed, and plays on words fly back and forth like ping-pong balls. Every detail matters. There is a sort of 1950s aesthetic in both the language and the look. Color in this show is a character in itself. Everywhere there are brighter-than-life hues, from the bulbous cherry red lamps in the pie shop to Olive’s floral print wallpaper and matching pajamas.

As with creator Bryan Fuller’s other shows, Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, not enough people apparently got it. It was, however, nominated for several Emmys, winning for Directing, Editing, Music Composition (2008), Art Direction, Make-up, Costumes, and Best Supporting Actress—Kristen Chenoweth (2009). Honestly, it was one of those impossible to sustain premises, much like in the aforementioned shows, that couldn’t work forever. But the Pie-lette is delicious.

Pickup on South Street – 1953

Director – Samuel Fuller

Starring – Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, and Thelma Ritter

Samuel Fuller’s Pickup on South Street is an unapologetic genre movie, and I don’t mean that in a negative way!  To the contrary, Pickup on South Street is a breath of fresh air.  Unlike Pickpocket, a film which was comparable in terms of subject matter and timeframe, Fuller’s story about a New York pickpocket who happens upon the wrong mark is a much more fully realized piece of work (though that isn’t meant to discount the value or impact that Pickpocket has had).  Not only does the film know exactly what it is and what it’s trying to be, but it gains strength from that knowledge.  Where Pickpocket was an art film experiment, Pickup on South Street is a brazen, brash, grab you by the throat type of thrill ride that never lets down.

The movie opens on a crowded subway train car, where we see Candy (Peters) getting her valuables lifted by our main character, Skip (Widmark).  She doesn’t notice, unfortunately for him, the couple of policemen that are watching Candy, do see the exchange, although they are too late to catch him before he gets off the train.  It turns out that Candy is the unwitting courier for a sensitive piece of microfilm that the Communists are anxious to get their hands on.  Now, Skip has the whole police force as well as some very determined Communist agents on his tail, willing to kill to get that film back.

Some of the beauty of this film resides in the acting of the three leads, Widmark, Peters, and Ritter all give life to some fantastically textured characters.  Skip is a three-time loser destined to be caught again, but determined to continue his life of crime, Candy is a pretty young lady, who acts boldly, but isn’t the brightest bulb around, and Moe is the stoolie, selling information in order to put money away for a fancy funeral (if she doesn’t, who else will?).  Hearing these three con, bribe, and be caught by one another is where the magic of the film lies.  Truly the film is fueled by the witty and cutting dialogue, especially Widmark who has a talent for playing characters with nothing to lose or gain.  It’s a wonder I’ve only recently heard of this guy (He played the fantastic villain in the original Kiss of Death), but now that I have, I aim to seek out more of his body of work.

New York hasn’t appealed to me this much on-screen since I first saw Woody Allen’s Manhattan, or Walter Hill’s The Warriors.  The nights are black, and the shadows are long, yet it seems familiar and somehow comfortable.  The characters know their surroundings, and act appropriately in them, yet even though the sets are limited they never grow old or boring.

My one criticism of the film would have to be in the last 10 minutes of the film.  The way Skip ends up (his attitude towards how things end up, and towards himself, Candy, and the police) seems a little tacked on, and un-natural.  I suppose despite the subversive nature of the characters ambivalence towards the threat of communism, the film was still produced in a time where a very definite stance (anti) on communism needed to be taken if only for political reasons.

All in all, Pickup on South Street is a fantastic film that deserves attention.  Richard Widmark and Samuel Fuller are each also deserving of attention, and I look forward to seeing more from both in the future.

Nesse encontro vamos analisar:

- Os votos adicionais elaborados por Dimitri Dimoulis que estão no livro dos Denunciantes Invejosos.

- Eu comentei sobre um texto do Robert Alexy discutindo a decisão da Tribunal Constitucional Federal alemão sobre a punição dos atiradores do muro de Berlim e dos seus superiores. Eu havia dito que o texto está em inglês, mas na verdade está em espanhol. Eu acabei de ler e acho que é uma leitura que vale a pena, já que permite uma visão mais ampla do problema que estamos lidando, e introduz outros temas importantes para discutirmos, como a questão da culpabilidade. O título do texto é Derecho injusto, retroactividad y principio de legalidad penal publicado na Revista DOXA, que tem bastante conteúdo de qualidade.

Dowload do texto do Robert Alexy

DOXA – Filosofia e Teoria do Direito

Até quarta!

Abraços,

Pedro.

]]> http://kelsonphilo.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/johnson-and-johnson-solids/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:31:55 +0000 Kelson http://kelsonphilo.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/johnson-and-johnson-solids/

In my early post concerning pseudodesics,  it was found that to have a structural frame work that provides omni-triangulation, but with a minimum of different parts, would be very desirable from an economy standpoint. Fuller’s Fly’s Eye is a great example of economy, but the fabrication of precision fiberglass hyperbolic saddles is a little daunting for anyone with out access to a well ventilated area.

It would be even more advantageous if those economical parts could be manufactured in a small space to begin with, as not everyone has access to a machine shop.  Surely there must exist a solution (or two or …infinity).

Fortunately for us, there are shapes provided by dear old Nature that are cataloged as Johnson solids.  All edge-lengths are the same.  My.  Goodness.  They’re even ready-equipped with truncations!  It’s a rather happy stroke of luck.  I think I am particularly impressed with the diminished rhombicosidodecahedron.   Look at all those square faces, perfect for windows!  The pentagons could easily be developed further into pentagonal pyramids, for increased structural strength if so desired.

Yes, I think we’re on to something here.

If we were to go the full Fly’s Eye treatment here, we need not use the diminished from of the rhombicosidodecahedron, but the full version, skinny legs and all.

Today’s class was a good wrap up on what the church was like right before Constantine. We see the rise in the structure of the church, and the leadership model within the church. We see the rise of the Bishop, Elders, and Deacons leadership model, and making it more patriarchal than it had been before. It was in this time that we see the fall of the role of women in leadership, but much of this was to follow the patriarchal society of Rome in which they were living in. In our group, we discussed the pro’s and con’s of leadership structure within the church becoming more solidified. It seems as though the “priesthood of all believers” model is dying out, which is sad to see. However, with structure, we do learn things that are valuable as well, such as discipline and respect. Is it better to lean a little to one side? If so, which side?

Last night, Tony and I joined the greater Fuller community in hosting a community wide event called Harvest Festival. Our apartment community was in charge of ‘clown bowling’ and we had a blast seeing everyone dressed up in very fun attire. There were so many creative costumes sported by various individuals, mostly kids… As usual, I pulled out the one ‘costume’ that continues to be my default from year to year. (Although the shoulder pads, aka hand towels, were a fun addition)

Tony had a few outfits of his own…

Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong.

Dr. Thomas Fuller (1654 – 1734), Gnomologia, 1732

Its no secret to you guys that I simply LOVE Saturdays… I love being around the apartment WITH Tony and whether we are cleaning, playing games, reading, watching football or enjoying our neighbors, we are guaranteed to have a good time. We had three hours of practice for the Fuller Vocal Ensemble yesterday. Yes, I am in a CHOIR! Haha… after 10 years since my last high school or church choir experience, I decided to audition for Fuller’s vocal ensemble since Tony was most likely going to be in it again this year and I truly miss my interaction with music. We have three weeks to learn a newly composed mass by Ed Wilmington, the composer in residence, here at Fuller. He is a brilliant musician and composer who is pulling out the music that God has created in his heart. Its really an extraordinary experience to be singing one note of many in a beautiful chord that is formed with 20 other people. Also, I witness the joy of Ed as he is hearing his piece sung all together by a choir for the first time. We are performing in a couple weeks a 60-70 page mass even though we have only been working on it for a few weeks so far!

We returned home from choir practice and I had Tony retrieve our television from our closet so I could watch the ND vs. USC football game while ‘putsing’ around the house. What an exciting first half!!! I was proud of the fighting Irish as they scored against USC’s defense. Also, we had some of our favorite friends under the age of 10 over to draw and color and laugh at me as I yelled at the TV! SeYun and SeJun are amazing artists and musicians. It was so fun to see SeYun bring out his violin as he is just beginning to learn how to play it at school and home. It brought back a ton of memories for me of the first few weeks I was learning the piano and flute. I remember feeling the satisfaction of finishing a 10 measure song that consisted of the same 3 notes played as a quarter note or whole note, and sometimes… an EIGHTH note. *GASP* I am excited to see SeYun grow as a musician in the next year and witness the JOY that that will bring to his life and the life of his community!

While his big brother was playing with his violin, SeJun found the infamous DUCK that Tony and his family have had in their home for years….

But, SeJun also wanted to play the violin. I have no doubt that he will also grow into a great musician when he is a little older!

These two guys have both a common passion and natural gift to draw. I am constantly impressed by the cartoons, superheroes, and landscape drawings these two create. I showed SeYun a quick picture of beautiful changing leaves on trees in the fall, and he replicated the image I had in my mind PERFECTLY. I was thrilled to add these pictures to my wall to remind that regardless of whether its 98 degrees or 60 degrees, it is fall.

After the first half of the ND vs. USC football game, I had to leave to do a fun engagement session with Amy and Luke. We headed out to Huntington Gardens where we retreated to the shade to save us from the 98 degree “fall” weather! I will be doing a full post on my photography website, but here is a sneak peak

Fortunately, my Mom and Dad, who were AT the ND vs. USC game in South Bend, Indiana yesterday, kept me posted via text messages of each score by the team. These are the texts I got:

20-7  USC

20-14 USC

27-14 USC

34-14 USC

34-20 USC

34-37 USC

1 second left.

ND on the 4 yd. line.

Last play

USC wins.

Thanks Dad for keeping me posted as I captured the intensely beautiful LOVE that Amy and Luke have for one another!! It definitely sounded like an exciting second half!!! If anyone taped it, let me know!

When I returned home, I was greeted by the laughter and running of the children here.

Tony and I enjoy moments like these in between the demands of work, school, and other commitments. Life really is about these  ‘inbetween’  moments.

A trabalho com o caso dos Exploradores de Cavernas foi muito legal! Fiquei muito satisfeito com algumas participações e de ver que algumas pessoas chegaram a fazer uma pesquisa sobre temas relacionados ao problema.

Vamos começar a discutir “O Caso dos Denunciantes Invejosos”. O arquivo para download está disponível logo abaixo.

Leitura Necessária:

- Combinamos de ler a introdução e a primeira parte, que é o caso original do Fuller.

Download do Texto

Peço que convidem todos aqueles que possam se interessar por participar, já que é uma nova etapa do grupo que está começando.

Um abraço e até o próximo encontro!

Megan Handley

I am a 3^rd-year Master of Divinity student at Fuller Theological Seminary, also pursuing a dual MA in Cross-Cultural Studies.  I’ve admired the ministries at Immanuel Presbyterian Church for several years ago, and I’m really looking forward to learning from you all and getting to know everyone!  Prior to taking the leap of faith into seminary and pastoral ministry, I worked in Chicago since 2001 for several non-profit policy advocacy and social service organizations, advocating on behalf of low-income families to the Illinois Legislature.  I graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Government and concentrations in Women’s Studies and Africana Studies, and I have spent a year in South Africa volunteering with organizations working to improve the status of black women in post-apartheid South Africa.  I loved living in Chicago (Go Cubs!), but I have really enjoyed living in the Los Angeles area (especially during the winter!!) and taking advantage of mountains and the ocean.