Source : http://freeaafia.org/

Rumors and myths about Plasma TV ricochet off the truth like machine gun bullets; sometimes it’s hard to tell fact from fiction.

Lots of self proclaimed “experts” will tell you how Plasma TV screens give off deadly radiation, or will burn out in a year if they’re not refilled with fresh plasma.

It’s dangerous to take half-baked information as fact: you end up making decisions based on lies.

ricochet off the truth like machine gun bullets; sometimes it’s hard to tell fact from fiction. Lots of self proclaimed “experts” will tell you how Plasma TV is often shipped with the facts, you’ll have no problem picking a Big Screen TV that will thrill your family for years to come! Enjoy! It’s as easy as 123!

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picture, You contrast can and have is greatly being reduced phased the out: facts you about watch twenty a years sharper to HDTV. learn (9) the Plasma screen has hundreds of thousands of image cells sandwiched between two thin sheets of glass. You can’t lay a Plasma TV screen needs to be replaced! A top of the wilder myths about Plasma TV like a Panasonic or Pioneer has a life expectancy of 60,000 hours. So does a Sony LCD. If you watch a Plasma TV eight hours a day, it would take about twenty years for the unit to burn out.

(2) “Plasmas blast radiation at you, it’s dangerous to sit closer than ten feet from the screen). The tube television you put your nose on while you watched cartoons in the seventies form an image by shooting radiation at the screen! Radiation from a tube TV floods more than one foot into the room! You probably have several of these TVs in your house right now! (3) “I can’t afford to own a Plasma TV screen needs to be refilled every few years!” It’s impossible to refill the plasma inside a TV screen.

I suspect that con men have told unsuspecting customers such tales so that they can sell extended warranties, but it’s not true. (7) Plasma TVs are difficult to install! Well . . yes yes and no! With a few strong friends you can still experience burn-in with a Plasma TV. The culprit is static images like station logos, video game score boards, computer programs, and stock tickers. Consider buying a LCD or DLP TV; these have no problem picking a Big Screen TV that will thrill your family for years to come! Enjoy! It’s as easy as 123!

easy If as you fact: put you your how house Plasma right display.

now! (5) (3) Plasma “I display can’t (you lay can a find giant 42″ flat Plasma on TV, Plasma they’re display. not (5) refilled Plasma with display the will included give base you stand. consider A making top a of Plasma TV like a Panasonic or Pioneer has a life expectancy of 60,000 hours. So does a Sony LCD. If you watch a Plasma screen, for fear of causing the screen to crack. Once your Plasma screen cracks, it cannot be repaired. Take the time to learn the facts about Plasma TV screen needs to be replaced! A top of the wilder myths about Plasma TV! A tiny amount of UV radiation comes out of a Plasma screen, for fear of causing the screen to crack.

Once your Plasma onto the included base stand. A flat or tilted wall mount is much more complicated and may require professional help. (8) HD (High Definition) Plasma displays create a better image than ED (Enhanced Definition) displays! Usually true, but there are exceptions.

Super Metroid

Ano: 1994

Plataforma: Super Nintendo (SNES)

Género: Acção/Plataforma

No balneário feminino dos personagens da Nintendo não existem só princesas. Samus Aran, que, afinal de contas, é uma rapariga loiraça. É a personagem principal de uma série cujo nome retrata uns bicharocos verdes com brains vermelhos e que são piores que mosquitos.

Metroid surgiu em 1986 para a velhinha NES, e espantou os fãs porque… porque… a Nintendo decidira criar um franchise em que o personagem principal era um robô amarelo e vermelho. Qual não é o espanto quando a comunidade descobre que…  não é um robô! Passados uns anos sai um segundo jogo para o Game Boy, a preto e branco.

Super Metroid marcou a era SNES, assim como a série Metroid. Era um mecanismo já usado em jogos como Contra, Metal Slug e outros do género. Mas Metroid tinha algo de especial, havia algo de diferente em andar no espaço aos pulinhos e a dar tiros.

A aventura decorre no planeta Zebes, para o qual fugira Ridley, o líder dos Space Pirates (arr!) com uma larva Metroid roubada dos laboratórios que colaboram com Samus Aran. Pelo caminho, a Lara Croft espacial da Nintendo terá que derrotar os líderes dos Space Pirates, incluindo o famoso supramencionado Ridley; por fim, a já conhecida Mãe Cerebral será o inimigo final a abater.

Entre plataformas num planeta com todo o tipo de ambientes e com um mapa vasto, derrotando vários inimigos e andando para frente e para trás em busca do caminho certo, ou do Save Point, quando já está a ficar tarde.  Apanhando pelo caminho, ao estilo de Zelda, vários updates, desde Mísseis mais Hardcore ainda, a diferentes fatos ao poder de andar à velocidade do Sonic.

Isto tudo num ambiente divertido de jogar à noite sozinho no silêncio, acompanhado de músicas que se associam bem a este efeito e outros temas agradáveis e bons para memorizar. Por mais solitário que o planeta Zebes esteja no espaço, a ausência de luz não é problema, os cenários são bastante agradáveis e coloridos (claro, considerando que estamos num planeta longíquo, não no Mushroom Kingdom), não tornando Super Metroid numa experiência monótona, carregada e/ou enfadonha; tornando-se ocasionalmente escura quando deve ser.

Os controlos são intuitivos e em algum tempo se ganha o jeito a eles, apesar de ser mais comum usar o botão A ou B para disparar. No entanto, é de notar que há uma lista relativamente maior de controlos e combinações, sendo estes adaptados aos upgrades adquiridos ao longo da aventura, podendo, no entanto, tornar-se confuso para os mais iniciados.

O jogo rapidamente se tornou um sucesso de vendas, assim como garantiu pontuações invejáveis no mundo da imprensa de videojogos. No entanto, a enorme crescente concorrência ofuscou um pouco a popularidade deste jogo no Japão, vendendo pouco neste mercado, o que levou a um salto de 6 anos sem outro jogo de Metroid (até Metroid Fusion, para o GBA) e fazendo com que a consola seguinte da Nintendo, a Nintendo64 não tivesse nenhum jogo protagonizado por Samus Aran.

Pessoalmente, considero um jogo interessante e divertido de jogar, assim como, caso fiquemos bloqueados ou já o tenhamos completado pela 10ª vez se torne monótono. Quem procura outro tipo de acção num jogo, tanto poderá ou não encontrá-la em Super Metroid. Nada como experimentar. Há uma diferença na jogabilidade e ambiente entre os Metroid 2D e 3D (sendo ambos positivos), mas que vale sempre a pena experimentar. Foi lançado há quase dois anos para a Virtual Console da Wii.

Pontuação

Ambiente: 5/5

Controlos: 4/5

Design/Estilo: 4/5

Dificuldade: 4/5

Diversão: 4/5

Duração: 5/5

Extras: 4/5

Gráficos: 5/5

História: 5/5

Jogabilidade: 5/5

Música: 5/5

Replay Value: 4/5

Ao Fim de Contas: 54/60 (90%)

I am taking Seth Godin’s advice, and becoming a really good graphic designer by spending one hour a day for a month on it.

So far today, I’ve probably spent more like 3 hours – but hey, who is counting! I’ve looked at this great tool for choosing colour schemes for design called ‘Kuler‘ by Adobe, and rampaged through this great design blog called ‘Presentation Zen’, which has a great post called Personal Kaizen.

In my line of work graphic design is hugely important. I’m constantly involved in making websites, fliers, presentations, blog posts, articles, videos, courses etc. etc. etc., and as I go further down this path, I’m pretty sure it’s going to become increasingly important. Church-planting, sharing the Gospel, starting new ventures, running services, helping gather and mobilise people to serve, all takes communication. And to communicate well you need GOOD graphic design!

Theological college teaches you how to ‘preach’, how to ‘exegete’, how to ‘think theologically’, they even have a class on ‘communication’, but nothing, NADA, ZERo, zip, on communicating with images or graphic design. I mean, even if people don’t have the creativity or natural skills or inclinations towards design, it would still be super helpful to understand and discern what is good and what is bad! Think about all the LAME-O church ‘bulletins’ out there, not to mention the ‘powerpoint’ presentations, the microsoft clipart images from the 90s, and the weeeeirrddd church logos – we could save them all, if only we had an eye for design!

Come on RIDLEY Melbourne start a new class in 2011 – ‘Graphic Design for Dummies’!!

Thanks to those who have responded with real concern to The Weakness Series (over at the Ridley blog as well), particularly in wanting to encourage me that God uses the weak and to just get on with ministry, trusting him. However, part of the reason I want to think about this is not because I lack confidence, but because I want to offer my best to God and I want to know what that is.

So I’ve been thinking more about clarifying my question. It’s not “Am I competent enough to be used by God?” Rather, it’s, “Am I weak enough to bring glory to God?” Before you start getting annoyed with the arrogance of such a statement, let me explain. One of the reasons that God uses the weak is that then when he works, he gets the glory. One of the most striking Old Testament examples of that is when God depletes Gideon’s army so that they won’t think that they won the battle. While I don’t think that’s necessarily prescriptive for Christian ministry, it’s an interesting principle to consider. As I add skill after skill to my ministry artillery at college, there’s a danger of coming to rely on my own abilities, or, just as dangerous, that even if I rely on God, that my competence may cause others to credit me with God’s work.

I don’t say that because I’m a particularly accomplished minister, but because I think it’s a question for any minister from the West. We are arguably the wealthiest, most educated, most skilled up generation since the birth of the church. We are strong and competent. And yet, I wonder if that is our, indeed my, greatest problem. Without a skill deficiency, do we fail to understand that ministry happens because God does it?

Maybe? What do you reckon? Tell me:

• What would be the key indicators that we have worked out that God is the one who does the ministry, not us?
• Do you think our skill profusion is a weakness?
• If so, how ought we respond to that as our weakness? Accept that God can work throught it? Attempt to become ‘weaker’?

One of the great things about doing a ministry traineeship for two years before coming to college as I did is that the ‘real’ experience of full-time ministry provides you with plenty of questions! One of my questions that I’ve raised before (here and here) is how to deal with weakness and insufficiency in ministry.

My question goes something like this:

I’m at college for three years in order to be equipped (or start getting equipped) to serve and lead God’s people. Among other things, this seems to include:

• becoming more competent at things like ministry skills, handling the Bible, etc.
• gaining self-understanding of my own weaknesses and how to minimise or compensate for them.

The thing is, I’m still trying to work out where being competent meets with God using the weak. For example, no one holds up Moses as an example in preaching class or Samson in the class on professional ethics. Similarly, very few books on burnout use the apostle Paul as the pin up boy.

My question isn’t “Can God use me, though I am weak?” It’s more one of trying to work out what place to ascribe to skills and strengths; but also, how to think about sin and its impact on ministry.

This is an issue that I think goes deeper than the standard ‘be good at what you do, just make sure you’re humble’. Similarly ‘do it in God’s strength’ seems cliche. The NT provides a few guidelines for leadership – like being in a polygamous relationship rules someone out, for example. But what about being mentally ill (say, depression)? And how mentally ill do you have to be before you’re unsuitable for ministry? (As downcast as Jeremiah; or as manic as Ezekiel?) Same deal with people skills or preaching – how bad do you have to be before that’s it?

So that’s my question – kind of convoluted but hopefully you get the drift! I’m looking forward to spending some of my summer thinking about this. I reckon 1 and 2 Corinthians will be good places to start in the Bible. Where else might I go, do you think? What are good books to read? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too. Stay tuned for more in this series!

Saturday, 24 October 2009 11:22

The Pakistan Government has been ordered to secure the release of scientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui from US custody.
Originally published in Pakistan, By Yvonne Ridley

The Islamabad High Court made the ground-breaking directive in a move welcomed by her family, supporters and anyone who wants to see justice delivered to a woman who has been trapped in a hellish existence for the last six years.

However, not everyone is happy that Justice Raja Saeed Akram has ordered the government to work towards bringing Aafia home.

As I discovered a few days ago during a visit to Pakistan it seems her ex-husband Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan has been briefing against the mother of his three children.

In an exclusive interview given to Karachi journalist Aroosa Masroor at The News, Dr. Khan said that most claims about Aafia, propagated to garner public support and sympathy, are untrue.

Why he chose to break his silence after six years is not immediately obvious … unless you buy in to the crazy theory that he was instrumental in his wife’s arrest and disappearance.

Of course it would be outrageous and defamatory to suggest Dr. Khan was involved and I certainly have no evidence to suggest otherwise, but what intrigues me is why this man would want to try and deliberately mislead the public as he did in his first on-the-record interview.

I am not sure what are his motives but, in a conference I gave at the Islamabad National Press Club this week I threw out a challenge to Dr. Khan to either put up or shut up.

In his February 18 interview he said: “Aafia’s release cannot be secured by propagating stories based on falsehood and deception,” and then he went on to tell a lie so blatant that I can no longer remain silent, and here’s why.

He reckons that the iconic photograph of Aafia, slumped to one side with eyes closed, was a stunted up picture taken by her sister Fowzia years ago. He even goes into fine detail explaining her injured mouth, saying that Aafia’s upper lip was cut by a milk bottle in an accident.

Fowzia, he says, warned him at the time that if he tried to divorce Aafia, she would use the picture against him alleging him to be an abusive husband. “It was made to appear in the picture that Aafia was badly injured. Today, the same picture is being circulated in the media to claim that Aafia was tortured for years in Bagram,” he states in The News interview.

There’s no hesitation in this statement – he is very clear about the origins of ‘that picture’. Well I am also clear about the origins of ‘that picture’ because it was taken by the office of the Governor of Ghazni in July 2008.

How do I know? Because the governor told me so himself, and then showed me copies of that and other pictures taken of Aafia on the day of her arrest that he stored on his personal laptop. If you check this unedited footage shot by film-maker Hassan al Banna Ghani who accompanied me on my investigations to Pakistan and Afghanistan last year, the origins of that iconic picture become very clear.

That is why I stood up in a press conference a few days ago and called Dr. Khan a liar, and then invited him to sue me “in a court of his choice” for slander and defamation. As a journalist I know the seriousness of making such a statement and I do not make it lightly but I also mean what I say and say what I mean.

In the meantime, I will let you – the viewer – make your own judgment about the photograph of Dr. Aafia. Perhaps you have your own theories about why her ex-husband would lie. Here is the clip

The divorce was, without doubt, a very bitter experience for both sides as most divorces are. Bitterness can remain a lifetime companion, but at the end of the day Dr. Aafia is the mother of his three children and as such she deserves his support and respect.

If he can’t give it, then I suggest Dr. Khan returns to the shadows once more and stops briefing against his wife.

Sharing details of his failed marriage with Dr. Aafia, serves no purpose although I have to question why Dr. Khan signed a legal agreement whereby the custody of the three children was given to Aafia after their split, if he really thought his wife was (as he portrays in the article) … a violent, unstable woman in the sway of jihadists.

In the meantime two of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s children – Marium now aged 10, and six-year-old Suleiman – are still missing.

Perhaps that is something which would concern any parent, but Dr. Khan states casually: “I am sure they are around Karachi and in contact with their maternal family as both Aafia and the children were seen around their house here and in Islamabad on multiple occasions since their alleged disappearance in 2003.

“They may be living under an assumed identity just like Aafia and Ahmed had been living [as Saliha and Ali Ahsan] for five years before they got arrested.”

He said Dr. Fowzia’s claim that the children are missing after being removed from the Bagram prison in Afghanistan “may be an attempt to attract sympathy of the government and the people and distract its attention from the real location.”

He also attempts to pour cold water on claims that Aafiya was held in US custody, including Bagram for five years – but how would he really know?

I, on the otherhand, have eye witness accounts that the woman known as Prisoner 650 who was held in Bagram for years is none other than Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

Even the US authorities, after months of denial, finally supported my statements and admitted that Prisoner 650 was indeed a female detainee in their custody.

The only dispute we have now is the identity of Prisoner 650. The US authorities say she isn’t Aafia but refuse to say who she is and to which country she was returned.

I, on the other hand, now have an interview statement given freely by former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed confirming that Prisoner 650 and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui are one in the same. This man saw her during his time in Bagram and has made a positive identification. His evidence is, in my opinion, irrefutable.

Again, make your own judgments by checking out Binyam Mohamed’s interview through this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGHWcPRBQr8

I now understand Aafia’s case is going to be submitted to the International Court of Justice in  The Hague and that the government of Pakistan is making serious efforts on this issue.

In the meantime the case against Aafia will be resumed in New York later this month after a psychologist and physician give their reports regarding her health and if she is fit to plead.

The court hearing is, in itself, illegal and I’m not sure how it can go ahead. I say that on the basis Aafia, is after all a Pakistani citizen who is being tried for an alleged offence carried out in Afghanistan. She is only standing trial in America because she was put on a rendition flight to America – and was certainly not extradited.

* Yvonne Ridley is a patron of the human rights organisation Cage Prisoners and works as a broadcast journalist. her weekly show The Agenda goes out every Friday evening 8.07(GMT) on Press TV – her website is www.yvonneridley.org

References to this aricle:

Interview with Binyam Mohamed: http://www.presstv.com/programs/player/?id=90350

Interview with Governor of Ghazni: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhseSkNX68

Interview in The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=20404

Source:lhttp://www.freeaafia.org/updates/46-international-news/115-pak-govt-ordered-to-secure-the-release-of-dr-aafia.htm

Ridley Scott is talking to Angelina Jolie about a role in Gucci, the director’s drama about murder and decadence in the Gucci fashion dynasty.

Media reports say Jolie would play Patrizia Reggiano, who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. Scott has approached Leonardo DiCaprio to play Maurizio, but he is not attached at this point.

Fox 2000, for which the project is a priority, is eyeing a 2010 start date. Scott Free and Giannina Facio are producing.

The studio is hiring a writer to work from Charles Randolf’s current draft of the script, which follows the drama that highlights the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Infighting hobbled the clan until Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, came out on top of a power struggle to run the family business.

In 1995, gearing up to reestablish the brand name via then-newcomer designer Tom Ford, Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment.

Jolie is likely to next star in The Tourist, the Spyglass thriller that has Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in line to direct. Scott is in post-production with Robin Hood for Universal Pictures and Imagine

Are Angelina Jolie and Ridley Scott trying to outschedule each other? She just slid into THE TOURIST, and he’s already juggling a dozen things including his latest, adapting the RED RIDING TRILOGY.

But will those packed schedules somehow miraculously — and fashionably — converge? Scott has been planning to bring the story of the iconic Gucci family to screens, and wants Jolie to slink around in expensive garb and plot murder as Patrizia Gucci.

The project, sort of a well-dressed mob tale, will focus on the Gucci family’s wild internal quarrels in the 70s and 80s, during which time the successful “luxury goods” company verged on bankruptcy before ultimately becoming an influential fashion house and profitable business operation. Maurizio Gucci was gunned down in 1995 in a hit arranged by his greedy and spiteful ex-wife Patrizia.

Scott reportedly wants to reel in his equally busy BODY OF LIES collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio for the movie, but the whole thing is still coming together.

Extra Tidbit: If you were hoping Scott and Jolie were teaming up for a G.I. JANE sequel… ha, outta luck!

According to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi , there are still 5 Pakistanis  in Guantanamo Bay prison which Nobel Peace Prize winner President of USA promised to close around a year ago but as he got the prize on the bases of pure expectations not achievement so you can understand what liability he holds.

There is still no good news for Dr. Aafia despite Governments drama of making some good efforts, it’s a real shame for USA system of justice, Pakistani system of justice and security, international community and the civil society of world that they are not able to provide justice to an innocent women and her children (2 of which are reported to be killed under USA custody).

HAIL YA NOBEL PEACE PRIZE COMMITTEE FOR MAKING MOCKERY OF THE CONCEPTS OF PEACE AND HUMANITY!

Do watch Yvonne Ridley address on Dr. Aafia Siddiqi case at the end of this post.

—————————————————————————————

Five Pakistanis still in Gitmo, Qureshi tells National Assembly
Daily Times
Source:http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\10\10\story_10-10-2009_pg7_36

ISLAMABAD:
Five Pakistanis are still imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the National Assembly (NA) on Friday. In a written reply, the foreign minister told the House that the men are: Balochi Amar Ali, Khan Majid, Abu Rehman Abdul Rabbani, Rabbani Muhammad Ahmad Ghulam and Paracha Saifullah. Qureshi also told the House that the government was taking all possible measures for the repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui from the US. The House was further told that total number of polio cases for the period from January 2007 to December 2008 is 117. Speaking on a point of order, PML-N MNA Faiz Muhammad Khan said funds allocated for the rehabilitation of earthquake affectees had been embezzled. He said the loans of the earthquake affectees were not written off and demanded an inquiry into the funds. The National assembly was informed that the government is concentrating on promotion of research in the agriculture sector with an objective to give boost to agricultural products. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mehreen Razaq Bhutto said efforts have been made to control TB and 5,000 centres were working all over the country. Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour told the House Pakistan Railways had planned to dualise the railway track between Lodhran and Peshawar. He said work on Lodhran-Raiwind section would be completed by December.
tahir niaz

————————————————————————————-
Aafia case adjourned–> The News
Source:http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=203156
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

LAHORE

THE Lahore High Court has been informed that Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case cannot be taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without the consent of America and Afghanistan.

A deputy attorney general, appearing on behalf of the Interior Ministry, said this on Tuesday in reply to a petition, filed by Barrister Iqbal Jafferry, seeking the court’s directions for invoking jurisdiction of the ICJ for recovery of Dr Aafia from the US detention.

The petitioner’s lawyer insisted that there was no need to get the consent of the US or Afghanistan as there was a treaty which allowed Pakistan to move the ICJ on its own.

However, the court adjourned hearing till October 30 and asked the petitioner to file his written reply in this regard.

Dr Aafia was reportedly arrested from Karachi on March 30, 2003, from outside her house to be taken to Afghanistan.

Later, she was transported to the US, where she was being tried under terrorism charges for attempting to kill two American investigators.

Two of her American national children were still missing while one of her child had been handed over to her sister by the Interior Ministry.

————————————————————————————————————————

Video of Yvonne Ridley Speaking on Dr. Aafia Case

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

collected on Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I and my high school buddy Zebs (who was also with me when I secured Cup #25 (Denny’s) had a meal here on this particular evening following my 12pm-8pm work shift. It was here that I filled him in on the fact that Dud and I would soon be co-habitating, which he was surprised at. I’m sure everyone was. Except me. I was just depressed.

My standard meal at Applebee’s is their chicken Parmesan dish, minus the sauce (for whatever reason, my ordering this embarrasses my sisters). Chowing down on this as well as a few of Zebs’ mozzarella sticks, I used the technique employed in securing Cup #42, Red Lobster (see previous entry), to secure Cup #43, Applebee’s (see this entry): ordering a refill of iced tea “to go.”

The relatively new location, along MacDade Boulevard in Folsom, Pennsylvania, formerly played host to a Ponderosa Steakhouse. When it opened, it employed the younger sister of my ex-girlfriend, Arbie, for the longest time, not to mention said sister’s boyfriend. In addition to Zebs, I have also dined at the restaurant with my other friends, in particular Squall and Navy, who first started entertaining the idea of moving to Hawai’i here. I still recall Squall bringing a giant book of time share properties to the table one evening. In the end, Navy got married, had a kid, and joined, well, the Navy, while Squall actually did go off to the Aloha State for three years (in fact, he was there at the time this cup was collected). The restaurant is still a popular dining locale for my parents and their friends.

We’re all vicars to be and it is really easy to forget that. Everyone I have met and spoken to has had a journey that has brought all of us to the same point in the road and we are all going travelling together for the next few years, even though (!) we will all be having our own journeys at the same (long sentence!). I have had a very mixed week in my first week of vicar school. Getting up for morning prayers has been okay, but the experience has not been great! So many words, so many prayers, so many readings (three!)…where is the silence, where is the rest, where is the listening? It’s all a bit too much if not boring and a bit mono-chrome! We shall see what week two brings!

I have been taken aback at how young everyone is! There are a lot of people here who are still in their twenties. In fact I think each decade is well represented here at Ridley. I think it brings a good dynamic to community life which is forever being developed and forever evolving. I think most people have some idea of what they are supposed to be doing now, even though lectures for non MA people don’t begin until next Thursday. We’re here, but don’t feel like we’ve truly begun yet! I am very sure that will change very soon!!

I still miss youth work and training volunteers. I had a lengthy conversation with someone this morning about church youth work and young people and I felt right at home again. I am hoping I will be able to find more opportunities to keep me sharp in the months and years ahead.

So, to another week of vicar training. I am trying to remember that is what I am here for and to take every opportunity that comes along. Keep praying for me…thanks.

Cycling is one of my athletic passions and I am constantly finding out how to make myself become a better biker.  This past weekend I participated in the Wisport Worlds Bike Race and I couldn’t help but notice that a few guys were riding Ridley Noah’s.  I have never even seen that bike before, but I loved the way it looked and decided to do a little more research on it.  It turns out that this bike is one of the most, if not the most, aerodynamic bike in the world! It’s also exceptionally light.  Ridley uses technology that no other bike company in the world uses to create a bike that can greatly improve anybody’s cycling.

Here are some links about this magnificent bike.  They explain the technology behind the bike a lot better than I can.

What does Competitive Cyclist say?

Ridley’s Website

If anyone happens to have this bike or knows a little bit about, please share you information, reviews, and stories!

The Take 2 series continues some thoughts from a previous conversation sparked by my Ministry Formation class. Here is the first draft of my second attempt at thinking about ‘calling’, so please ignore the poor writing. But help me out – what do you think of the argument? What’s obscure or confusing? What’s clear or convincing?

The language of call itself can be confusing. First, the word ‘call’ belongs to a very verbal set of words. Even a simple thesaurus search suggests words such as cry, shout or hail. Allowing for both internal and external call is helpful here. The notion clarifies that the ‘call’ may not necessarily be verbal, but rather that God, in his sovereignty, may ‘call’ people by their own desires or circumstances, such that they may not be able to distinguish a particular ‘call’ experience though they are certain that God wants them. This is an important distinction, for the very word ‘call’ carries connotations which obscure this.[1]

Second, the idea of call carries with it the notion of response, and response to do something. A call is a summons and but what is it a summons to? Pastoral theologians remain divided on this issue. Banks and Stevens argue that there is but one biblical call, given to all Christians, and that it is to a person, Jesus.[2] However, this seems inadequate, for if there is but one biblical ‘call’, why do all Christians not end up in the same vocation?[3] Besides this, there are other biblical examples of calling individuals to specific ministries and places of ministry, for example, Acts 13:2 and Acts 16:9-10. Similarly, many in full time ministry testify to having their own special call from God.[4]

Richard Niebuhr makes sense of such complexities by identifying four calls: the call to be a disciple of Jesus; an experience of feeling invited by God to take up the work of ministry (the secret call); a matching of an individuals gifts and temperament to need (the providential call); and the church’s invitation to a particular person to fill an office (the ecclesiastical call).[5] However, these might better be understood if we take the first as the call to Jesus (as Banks and Stevens suggest) and the next three as various internal and external facets of the second call, that is, to full-time ministry.

My own calling into ministry reflects at least three of these four elements. I was eight years old when I first experienced a secret call. Sitting in my Grade Four classroom, hearing about our teacher’s experiences as a missionary in Tanzania, I thought that this too was what I wanted to do. As I continued in church and involvement with various mission organizations, I continued to feel this tug in my heart, though the notion of how or where was still vague. As I headed into my later years of high school and university, I chose teaching as a career path because I thought it would give me opportunities for missionary work and it became apparent that my gifts lay in this area. However, though I experienced this providential call, the tug in my heart grew more specific, away from teaching on the mission field to full-time ministry on the mission field, and, more specifically in university ministry. The years since then have continued to confirm both my desire to do ministry and my giftings for it. My training for ministry has involved being called to particular positions, at St Matthew’s Kensington and Evangelical Students North Terrace (hereafter ES). These may be mini-ecclesiastical callings but they were also part of my training (providential calling) and, being located in Australia, only partly fulfilled my calling. The question for me, then, is what the fourth element of Niebuhr’s calling distinction will look like for me. Stay tuned for the next post!

[2] Banks, Robert and R Paul Stevens, The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, Downers Grove: IVP, 1997.

[3] The language of full-time ministry is insufficient. After all, some who regard their vocation as ministry are not full-time, and there is a sense in which those who work in ‘secular’ vocations are also involved in God’s action in the world. It seems no matter what term I use, some objection could be levelled against it! Thus I ask for the grace to use this inadequate term.

[4] Cullinan, Sorting It Out, 5.

[5] Cullinan, Sorting It Out, 5.

Buena pinta tienen estos hierros made in USA ¿Verdad?

Pues mejor debe de ser conducirlas sobre todo por el intenso trafico de ciudades como Madrid o Barcelona….
¿Como?…..
¿Con ese tamaño por trafico urbano?

A favor el peso de tan solo 209 kilogramos y a una transmisión automática con una altura de asiento de tan solo 62,23 cmts.
Las especificaciones genéricas para modelos 2009 después de las imágenes junto a la web de Ridley

ESPECIFICACIONES 2009
MOTOR
Fabricante: Ridley ®
Configuración: 90 ° V-Twin
Desplazamiento: 750
Sistema de refrigeración: Aire
Relación de compresión: 8,5: 1

DRIVE SYSTEM
Tipo de transmisión: automática CVT
Embrague Tipo: Centrífuga
Participación RPM: 1100 RPM
RPM a 85 MPH: 3600 RPM
Unidad principal: Cinturón
Transmisión final: correa

TAMAÑO Y PESO
Peso en seco: 460 lbs. / 209 kg
Distancia entre ejes: 77.5 “/ 196.9 cm
Longitud total: 102.8 “/ 261.1 cm
Altura del asiento: 24,5 “/ 62,2 cm

FRENOS
Tipo de freno: Hidráulico (DOT 5)
Freno delantero: cuatro pistones
Freno trasero: cuatro pistones

http://www.ridleymotorcycle.com

Let’s take this blog in a different direction today, and talk about something violent and entertaining and the erotic and angry reactions it stirs in me. This might come as a surprise to many of you, but I have a tendency toward obsessive behavior. This week’s fixation is Hannibal Lecter. Although I was exposed to Red Dragon, I didn’t see The Silence of the Lambs until adulthood. As a child, I wasn’t permitted to choose movies at the rental place. (Probably a good idea. I might’ve turned out a bit strange.) So I’m using my golden years – and Netflix – to systematically view the films I coveted.

Anyway, back to the good doctor… I don’t think I have to explain to any red-blooded, all-American female psychopath why Lecter is the perfect sex symbol. I recommend that every man strive to fill his shoes, to the extent that it is possible. Ask my husband. He’s fucking crazy and it worked for him.

What pisses me off is the perfection of Lambs and the inadequacy of Hannibal and Red Dragon. (Hannibal Rising does not count, and I don’t have to tell you why.) We’ll set aside the fact that they deviate from the literature, because everyone hates that thinky shit. It’s more about the continuity of character, preservation of the tone, and respect for the material. And, ultimately, it’s about not sending me to the brink of going-to-fucking-kill-you-bitch and forcing me to mail decapitated, semen-filled rodents to your home every three days, Ridley Scott. Think before you act, asshole.

Usually, I do not approve of cast changes, but I was looking forward to seeing Julianne Moore because she’s above Jodie in hair, lips and eyes… although far more anorexic. Little did I know she was going to play the role like a goddamn pine board. Where’s the emotional connection? The shit in Lambs is not the kind of thing you just forget about. It’s vibrator fodder for the rest of your fucking life. Foster would have been dripping down her thigh, trembling and sleepless at the sound of Lecter’s voice, not demanding to know whether or not he’d just killed some greasy cop. Fail.

What the fuck was Ray Liotta doing in this movie? Cocksucker brought nothing to the table. Ditto for Cordell. I thought Mason’s huge dyke sister was supposed to milk his prostate with a Taser. (Literary reference. Shut the fuck up. I make the rules.) Ray’s brain, while aesthetically pleasing, is not terribly sexy. And the pigeons? Overdone. Ridley needs to be raped in the eye socket until he understands that a pretty film is not necessarily a good film.

Dragon also fails, but not for the same reasons. I felt that the casting was spot-on and the roles well-executed. The filming was great. But it’s a total sausage-fest. Miggs doesn’t get to smell anyone’s cunt and that’s really not fair to him, is it? However, the movie wins in other ways. Like at the beginning. I’ve never wanted to be stabbed in the gut so badly in my entire life. Have you? Of course not.

The only uniting excellence of the series is Hopkins. And I have deduced from this perfection that Anthony is actually one of Hannibal’s aliases and that the gentleman cannibal has infiltrated Hollywood to collaborate on documentaries based on books based on what he does between films, which is to eat women. And not in the way you do.

The point here is that a series should capture the essence of the original, if not in look then in feel. You don’t respond to a grotesque mind fuck with a vapid laser show. Especially not when the fans of the original are more than ready to choke you with your own scrotum. And believe me, I am.

This post follows on from Arthur’s. I heard leading Cranmer scholar Ashley Null give a lecture at Ridley today. I think it was mainly for the Anglican ordinands and since I am normally unwilling identify with Anglicanism in general, it wasn’t really my scene. But my love of church history drew me in even though the topic was the Anglican prayer book.

Ashley had two basic points as far as I could see:

1. The prayer book is a missional document

He spoke at length about the work of word and Spirit and changing both the affections and the actions of people. The Bible both tells and turns: it is God’s instrument to tell about God’s saving faith and it is God’s divine instrument to turn the heart by the Spirit to believe it and live it out. The prayer book’s strength is its saturation with God’s words, that people might hear them and be changed. If our use of the prayer book doesn’t implore people to turn to Christ, we have been unfaithful to it.

2. We should use the prayer book

Because the prayer book was a missional document, the theology behind it makes it a useful tool for today. Ashley saw this not just in terms of the content of the theology but also the form. So he thinks that the journey that the prayer book takes the congregation on is a good one. He took the communion service as an example. It mirrors the (classic) conversion experience: hearing the law, reading the gospel, prayers asking God to apply them, realisation of forgiveness, assurance, praise… blah, blah, mainly Anglican words – you get the picture. Ashley thinks it’s OK to update the language of the prayer book (though he doesn’t think this is always necessary) but wants to see the form maintained. He sees this pattern as vital to the theology of the prayer book and the heart experience of the people.

So….

This is an idea I’ve heard before. The former minister at our church in Adelaide, Tim, introduced me to it at a seminar for service leaders. I think there’s something helpful in it and I like the idea of taking people on a journey. But I’m very suspicious of the idea that the prayer book does somehow does that. Even if you update the language, I seriously doubt people pick up what’s going on. I certainly didn’t until it was explained to me at the meeting, and I was on staff at an Anglican church! It may be the language; it may be that we need to explain more of why we do certain things when. But I suspect that it’s more than that.

I think we’ve missed how our culture does ‘corporate’. Australian males can knock singing in church all they want, but there are still more opportunities for secular Australians to sing together than there are for them to read aloud in unison. (Think of the football!) With the prayer book, I think you end up with powerful words in a completely meaningless medium. This is where I think mainline and pente churches are right on the money. The form they use (emotional singing) matches the power of the words. I know evangelicals have had a go at matching the power of their music to the power of their words, but to take one of my favourite straw men, the line “Your glorious cause O God, engages our hearts” hardly makes my chest burn! The words may be great, but the music doesn’t engage the heart!

By all means, take the theology and journey of the prayer book. But throw the book itself out! Take its breadth and depth, even its pattern, but don’t just talk about updating the language as if that’s all it will take to engage the average Australian! We need to think carefully about this. I wondered to a friend after the lecture whether the pentes had got the form right and his concern was that they do it unthinkingly. But I think that’s an issue whichever tradition you’re in! How many Anglicans are just as unthoughtful in their use of the prayer book, relying on Cramner’s form and insight rather than contextualising for their own mission field?! The answer may or may not be music, but the means will certainly be to start thinking, not just about the prayer book, but about those to whom we are sent!

It feels like I have been here forever waiting to start! Things have been beginning to hot up and I now know which staircase i will be on (F) and most likely which church I will be attached to. I have been ‘requested’ to attend St. Edward King and Martyr which is a beautiful church hidden away from the throng of Cambridge hustle and bustle. They are a BCP church which I don’t mind too much particularly as they have a liberal outlook to the community and the world whilst holding firmly onto a vibrant tradition. They hold a Goth Eucharist once a month and they have dedicated pages on their website, you can have a look here. I am quite excited about getting involved in this different type of church. I will be attending with fellow trainee vicar Jon Oliver who seems to be a bit of Fresh Expressions celebrity around here. He has edited a book called Night Vision.

Talking of books, I heard from the publishers at Hymns Ancient and even more ancient last week and things seem to be on track for publication of Reel Confirmation. Apparently, and somewhat comedically, it has been read by a Bishop to sift out Doctrinal issues and it has also been read by the press office to sift out any press issues (making sure we’re not teaching heresy or defaming anyone!). So, it’s all very exciting and maybe just maybe I might get the first half of my advance (a whole £75 – that’s just under a weekly shop to me now or just about the entire collection of ER).

We shall see what happens.

 Like Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion’s gameplay is similar in some ways, but different. Like other Metroid games, Samus’s goal is to look for upgrades to her suit that will allow her to reach new areas in the game. To do that, she will need to fight bosses or look for Data Rooms. Samus travels in an open-ended world like the other Metroid games, the game takes place in the Biologic Space Laboratories. The Biologic Space Laboratories has a Main Deck and 6 Sectors. The 6 sectors are varied and unique. For example, one sector is iced-based, and another is fire-based. Samus’s new enemies are the X parasites which mimic as various enemies and bosses in the game. Samus can absorb the X Parasites when she defeats any enemy or boss. When she absorbs a X Parasite from an regular enemy, it restores health or missles. If she absorbs an X Parasite from a boss, Samus will gain a new ability. Samus can also gain new abilities from Data Rooms, which Samus will have to search for.

 
The boss battles are fun and unique, every boss requires a different strategy to defeat it. After defeating a boss, you usually have to defeat it’s Core-X [a X Parasite that can attack you] to truly defeat the boss.

 But, what sets Metroid Fusion apart from other Metroid games is it’s linear gameplay. The main gameplay involes Samus taking orders from a computer in Navigation Rooms. The objectives ranged from finding a power-up, defeating a boss, and other objectives. This makes it it nearly impossible to perform any sequence breaks. You may think that because of this, Metroid Fusion is a somewhat medicore game. But, it is not a medicore game at all. In fact, Metroid Fusion is one of the better Metroid games out there. The controls are perfect, and game is a joy to play from start to finish. Not only does it keep the classic Metroid gameplay, but it adds enough new elements to make the game feel fresh. For example, Samus’s Fusion Suit is slight different from her Power Suit. She can no longer use the Ice Beam [instead she can use Ice Missles], but she can now grab ledges without the use of the Power Grip. Metroid Fusion is the first 2D Metroid game to have animated cutscenes. Metroid Fusion’s story is much more deeper and intresting than previous Metroid games.

 One other new element is that Samus will encounter the SA-X [an X-Parasite mimicking Samus's Power Suit] several times during the game. During these encounters, Samus will have to hide or run from the invincible SA-X. These SA-X encounters are intense but fun.

 For an early Game Boy Adavnce game, the graphics are fantastic. The music is awesome and fits in well with the game. Like previous Metroid games, there is replay value in obtaining 100% percent. There are different endings where you can see Samus with or without her suit depending on how many weapons and energies upgrades you collected and how quickly you complete the game.

 Metroid Fusion is a fantastic video game. It might be linear, but it’s new gameplay elements and deeper story makes this game extremely fun. Do not miss out on this overlooked gem, buy this game now!
 

Graphics:9/10 For an early Game Boy Advane game, the graphics are fantastic. Metroid Fusion is one the best-looking Game Boy Advance games.
Sound:9/10 The music is awesome, and the sound effects are great.
Gameplay:9/10 Metroid Fusion might be linear, but it is a fantastic game from beginning to end. Classic Metroid gameplay mixed with new elements makes this game fantastic.
Lasting Appeal:9/10 This game is not short by no means. There is plent of replay value in collecting 100% and seeing the different endings.
Overall:9/10 Awesome

Perusing through Toys R Us the other day I cam across some pretty cool Green Light police vehicles. I grabbed the 2 cool Dodge Magnums and the Green Machine version of the Ohio Sheriff’s Crown Vic.