Utube as a marketing means: all4one

Utube as a marketing means. No surprise here, but thought this was interesting. I heard "I Swear" by all4one on the local radio station the other day (I swear these plugs aren't intentional, just the really bad puns lol)...so I looked them up on utube there was songs of theirs some that I begun to expect to be there to advertise the band (to their original and new audiences) because there was a bunch more that the sound tracks were removed by utube because of 'copyright' issues (translation, someone wasn't getting paid) and because for a band that was as big as they were the counters were just a few hundred...anyways looked up the band's official website and sure enough a new CD in Wal-mart stories (maybe Wal-mart will give me a royalty? lol). http://www.all-4-one.com/video.html

Even by pointing this out I fall into the trap of helping utube and their clients sneakily advertise...

H1N1 Stats

Canadian H1N1 Deaths Stats:
Updated Fridays (Canadian Government): http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/surveillance-eng.php

USA H1N1 Deaths Stats (graph C):
Oct. 27, 2009 (CDC, USA Government): http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/surveillanceqa.htm

Most Commom Advice:

• Wash/sanitize hands.
• Cover month with sleeve when sneezing and/or coughing.
• If you are in a high risk group (medical conditions, young, old, etc.) get the vaccine.

My Advice:

• The above (especially the first two).
• And watch the news less often as they have all become fear mongers! This especially goes for CBC which because of repeating the same information over and over again making things sound much, much worser than they are...

Other Articles:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic

Ecstasy or MDMA

abstracts source:
http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/od_ecstasy.htm

"Are there short-term dangers of taking Ecstasy?Pills sold as Ecstasy may not be Ecstasy at all. MDMA purchased on the street is frequently laced with other drugs like cocaine, heroine, PCP, or toxic chemicals like PMA and DXM, atropine, and rat poison. In a 1996 study of Ecstasy content, 19 out of 33 pills (58%) were found to contain less than 25% MDMA. Only 5 pills (15%) were more than 75% MDMA.
Second, users report a number of side effects, including:
Heatstroke (also known as hyperthermia)
Nausea
Muscle tension
Blurred vision
Faintness
Chills
Sweating
Teeth clenching
Day-after depression
Ecstasy raises your body temperature and heart rate. Combine this with hot conditions, the physical activity of dancing in a party or club, and not drinking water, and the greatest immediate danger of MDMA is heatstroke. Heatstroke (or hyperthermia) is the primary cause of death from Ecstasy. Someone taking Ecstasy should make sure to drink about a pint of water every hour while on Ecstasy, sipping, rather than drinking it all at once. Also, taking breaks from dancing on a hot dance floor to cool off is an important way to reduce the risk of heatstroke. Ecstasy-related deaths are relatively rare (there were 27 nationwide from 1994 to 1999). However, emergency room hospital visits are on the rise.Ecstasy causes the release of norepinephrine, which increases your heart rate dramatically and can be dangerous for people with cardiovascular disease or weakness. Dehydration can also lead to liver or kidney failure. Some people report bad emotional reactions to Ecstasy including confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and paranoia, sometimes lasting long after taking the drug. Using Ecstasy with alcohol and/or other drugs can increase the risk of adverse effects. Alcohol is dehydrating, too, and its depressant effects can mask the stimulant properties of Ecstasy misleading the user about how intoxicated they really are.
Finally, some studies have shown that people who use Ecstasy are more likely to engage in other risky behaviors such as binge drinking, cigarette smoking, and having multiple sexual partners. The use of Ecstasy and other club drugs can also lead to unsafe sex, the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy.back to top"

"Are there long-term consequences to taking Ecstasy?Although further studies are needed, more and more research suggests that Ecstasy causes serotonin levels to drop below normal, which impairs the brain's ability to learn, retain information and regulate mood. It appears that Ecstasy causes serotonin receptors, which allow the serotonin to fire in the brain, to shrink from overuse. Some evidence shows that restoration of serotonin receptors is possible with continued abstinence from the drug, but that people who have never taken Ecstasy have more functioning serotonin receptors than those who have.
Other studies suggest that regular or heavy Ecstasy use has long-term negative effects on memory and brain function which go well beyond the last pill taken (and seem to continue to increase in spite of long-term abstinence from the drug). One study found that women are particularly vulnerable to damage to the serotonin system by MDMA. back to top
How do I recognize a problem with Ecstasy?Some danger signs are:
More frequent use
Needing more and more to get the same effect
Spending time thinking about using the drug
Spending more money than you have on it
Missing class or failing to finish assignments because of Ecstasy.
Making new friends who do it and neglecting old friends who don't
Finding it's hard to be happy without it.
If you find that you can't stop using Ecstasy, then remember, there's help available. back to top"

"Is Ecstasy addictive?Heavy users whose serotonin system is regularly depleted by the drug rely on greater quantities of the drug to produce smaller and smaller effects. Because your serotonin supply is finite, repeated dosing cannot provide a stronger or lengthened high after all your serotonin has been released. A study of young adult and adolescent ecstasy users found that 43% were dependent, and 34% met the criteria for drug abuse. Almost 60% of users reported both physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms. Frequently, though, Ecstasy users also use other drugs and alcohol and may be addicted to more than one drug simultaneously."

Religious Jokes

Reverend Ole is the pastor of the local Norwegian Lutheran Church in Rockford IL ,and Pastor Sven is the minister of the Swedish Covenant Church across the road. One day they were seen pounding a sign into the ground, that said:

DA END ISS NEAR!
TURN YERSELF AROUNT NOW
BAFOR IT'S TOO LATE!

As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, "Leave me alone, you Skandihoovian religious nuts!"

From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash....
Rev. Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, "Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say, Bridge Out?

Minotaur and the Labyrinth

Most of us have heard the legend of the Minotaur and Labyrinth. Part of the thought on this subject is that the "royal Minoan palace on Crete" (1) was the bases of the myth and this is shown by currency coins showing the Labyrinth on one-side and the Minotaur on the other (2). However, I see some issue with this situation.
　
While I'm not sure who would have authorize the production of coins at this time it would seem reasonable that they would not have wanted to draw attention to where the palace kept it valuables. Likewise it would seem that non-trusted people's would be not allowed to enter the palace's storage area for security purposes. This means at the time there was most likely very little knowledge of the design of the storage area in general public circulation. It can be further reasoned from these that it is unlikely the storage area of the palace was 'the Labyrinth' based on the lack of the knowledge of the layout of the storage area available at the time and those doing the authorization of coin production would not have wanted to draw attention to the royal storage.

Links:
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_coinage

Driving woos!

Took my learners and failed by one question. I’ve taken the actual road test before (a few times). On the road tests I've gotten testers that look at their feet (how the h** can they know what's going on) to those that have told me break the speed limit in school zones (which I refused to do), to those that put on the emergency break as I speed up to get out of an intersection (I did tell them I was going to speed up). I was stuck in the intersection because I got cut off by a person that didn’t stop at a stop sign turning to their right—I was turning left). The reason I needed to speed up in the intersection was to avoid being hit by a truck from behind. Consequence of the emergency break caused us to skid going into on coming traffic that I had to avoid.

And the people at the front desk each time argue with me about what f***ing license I want to take. I have to tell them which paper test(s) I need and then they go to see if what I say is correct. They should know this stuff. They just really p*** me off.

A Note on Accountability

When we decided to re-emphasis accountability, as it is not a new concept, of our politicians and other leaders I think it's important to remember that the point was to get at the truth of what they thought was going on at the time of their decisions, what they thought the reaction to their decision would be, and what the full reasoning behind their decisions (which is in part based on the first of these three) and compare it to what they were saying when everything to begin and to based any punishment (not to say automatically there should be a punishment) on the difference between the two. It was not to be used as a release to lash out because we don't now like the result of their decisions.

Tracking (Canadian) Money

Tracking Canadian Money -- http://www.whereswilly.com/

Wikipedia Information -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where

Intra-personal Christianity

Is meaning of Christianity limited solely to that of the relationship of individuals to God? Perhaps the answer lies within the question whether God standards are set on an individual bases or for all of humanity? It would appear then disagreements of behaviors that some would consider un-Christian or even sinful may be argued as being Christian or non-sinful if the person justified the actions based on intra-personal relationship with God: lets for argument sake they truly feel or believe that a certain behavior that others view as unchristian or sinful is not according to what they perceive to be God's wishes. This would leave some holding an intra-personal believes that those same actions are unchristian or sinful. If meaning of Christianity lies within intra-personal relationships then does this mean God's intention is for us to learn to live together harmoniously despite these contradictions. If this is the case does this mean there is no such thing as unchristian or sinful behaviors?

New Year, Same Deal

If you leave a comment on my blog I will do the same on yours: with the exception of those that leave product advertising. Please leave your comments in English as otherwise I cannot read them and therefore cannot respond; althrough, I wish I could read and respond to them. I would like to start blogging much more frequently than I have been in the last half a year or so. I have recently (Dec. 31, 2008) wrote a posting on 9/11 (2001) and Iraq, so feel-free to leave a comment.

Truths: 9/11 (2001) and Iraq

The truth about the Iraq war and 9/11 (2001) is that Bush is neither a mastermind genius nor an idiot. The truth is that 9/11 (2001) did occur and it wasn't a government conspiracy and anyone that says so is being insensitive to the families of those thousands of people that lost their lives that day and those that are having health affects in New York because of it.

The truth is that no government could stand by and not take an action. The truth is that only explains Afghanistan. The truth is Alada (excuse the spelling) and other terrorist groups have training camps in Afghanistan. The truth is if Bush made the argument to invade Iraq on the grounds on these training camps the argument may not have stuck with the American population as well as the non-factual argument of WMD (language appeal), but in the long-run the questioning of the purpose of Iraq would not be as intense as it is.

The truth is that democratic populations need to question the language used to convince them of things: WMD. How many more wars need to occur before we clue into this? The truth is the actions of States (including the invasion of Iraq) would have probably be the same regardless of whose was the President. The truth is the bubble of the WMD language broken upon finding out there was no actual WMD.

And the truth is, may our troops be home sooner than later.

Microsoft: 30 days Activation

Have any of you encountered the upgrade/update from microsoft that requires you to "activate" the program or, presumably, get reduced function: Windows Office XP to be more exact? Well, I am not sure if microsoft is serious or if it is even possible for what they are saying they will do: reduce to one hour useage for Windows (or at least that's the case with Vista). Restoring my computer to an earlier time before the upgrade, seemed to have gotten reed of the problem for me.

Modification or Extention: Old Testament and New Testament

As the title of this post, I hope, implies this article is about whether or not the works of the New Testament (in particular the words of Jesus) is an extension (roughly meaning a continuation) or modification (roughly meaning a correction) of the works of the Old Testament. I think most christians would like to argue and believe that the New Testament is an extension of the Old Testament. However, if the the New Testament is an extension and not a modification then how does a person wrestle with the seemly contradictory aspects (such as "an eye for an eye" in the Old Testament and 'turn the other cheek' in the New Testament, differences in the laws on divorce, etc.). This is especially prudent to those that take the Torah (which contains Exodus) to be inspired by God or to be the words of God revealed through Moses. It becomes more concerning if the goal is to claim the god of the christians, jews, and muslims is the same: how can this be if there is not the same continuation between the religions in the present and through their historical theological development (i.e., their different works, etc.)? How can this be if either some people do not believe Jesus was the son of god, their is not a son of god, the son of God is still to come, or Jesus and Elijah are the same (either as have been or still to come)--or Jesus and Elijah are sperate (either as have been or still to come)?

Blog Tracking

issue: In short, researchers tracking the discussions of bloggers. To be a little more precise, from what I can see, they are collecting data to determine if any patterns arise in the activities of bloggers (i.e., discussions/postings on current events and the time frame of those events).

Not to seem paranoid, but they are tracking us! I am just going to say I find two things unethical about their approach. First, they did not even notify those they are including in their research (they could leave comments), or at least they did not notify me, and second, they state (to summarize) if someone no longer wants their blog to be showed in their search results the blogger needs to delete the blog: what about not getting tracked (see under their "help" section)? I mean, will this result in the data collected being not included in the research (or simply no more data being collected)? Regardless if what they are doing is legal; it is unethical due to them not notifying those they are tracking and because they are not fairly permitting their subjects to withdraw from the research. Granted doing these might skew the data, but that is the cost of doing ethical research (if 'ethical research' means anything nowadays). I am not saying what they are doing is an invasion of privacy, as they are studing behavior expressed in public (of sorts); I am saying people have the right to choose whether or not they want to be studied and followed. In case you are wondering, they included my blog posting "RCMP and Vancouver Airport" (Nov. 19, 2007).

BlogScope: http://www.blogscope.net/

_____

If you are interested in who is linked to you, then check out this site:

http://wholinkstome.com/

The Link between the New Testament and Torah?

This is my comment on a posting at http://alexmarshall.blogspot.com/ (posting included)

Do you take the New Testament to be a modification or view correction of the Torah/Tawrat? At saying this I have never read the Torah (Jewish) or Tawrat (Muslim) or even works on either of them: although if I came across an English translation I probably would. What I am getting at is if the words of Jesus (in the New Testament) is taken as a modification to these, but not a complete replacement of, then a middle-ground/blind of the two types of thoughts could be said to exist (i.e., concrete and abstract).

__________

http://alexmarshall.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 19, 2008

Underlying Hermeneutical Question
We've been doing some pretty in-depth studies on baptism. It is quite interesting to realize that, contrary to the very prevalent protestant (and especially Baptist) ideas that prevail today, baptism is fairly closely linked to salvation in the New Testament. It is definitely linked to that in the writings of the apostolic fathers. Further, infant baptism is pretty prevalent in the early Christian writings and closely linked to circumcision.
Obviously, there is a question of how to evaluate these things. Protestants today are very likely to overlook these things in the apostolic tradition or say they got it wrong (while ironically appealing to the same writers for the support of such essential doctrines as the canon and trinity).
I think that beyond the level of questioning the authority of tradition, there is an underlying hermeneutical question that taints our interpretations of the biblical and historical data.
If we examine ancient Hebrew thought, including at the time of Christ, we learn that they are very concrete thinkers. They don't look at things in terms of abstract concepts but much more rigid and concrete standards and symbols. They describe God in terms of analogies to concrete, everyday things, not in abstract concepts like omniscience that must be examined philosophically. Those abstract ideas are much more Greek.
Interestingly, the reformation occurred right on the heals of the renaissance, when Greek thought reemerged in Europe. I think this new emphasis on Greek thought deeply influenced the reformers, and thus we see a shift to much more abstract theology. It is at this point in history that we see the emergence of thought opposed to infant baptism or to baptism as necessary to salvation.
So, the question, it seems to me, is should we follow the hermeneutical ideas of the ancient Jews or should we take a more contemporary western thought pattern. If we follow an older hermeneutic, it seems we are very likely to find our doctrines re-embracing much of what was left behind in Catholicism because of its concrete symbolism. If we decide to follow the thinking of the reformers, we will find ourselves delving into much more philosophical areas of theology that lead to different sets of conclusions.
I may be looking at that in a completely wrong manner. Being myself someone who is very interested in philosophy, I find certain things appealing about both sides of this discussion, leading to my seemingly constant desire to find the middle-ground. Any thoughts?

School Shootings (#4)

I recently read something that once again has me thinking of the issue of school shootings. The premise was that those that do school shootings tend to fit a certain profile; for example, they are loners, etc.

To added to this issue I would like to say that the far majority of those students that match the profile of those that go on school shootings do not. How are we going to separate them? The truth is that there are probably quite literally 10,000s of the general population that match the general description (when we where kids). I also have a difficult time imagining people being acutely aware enough to put the all the pieces together to predict whom meets the profile; especially without also (out of fear) matching it to every teenager that is in a bad mood on any given day (or perhaps, on the other hand, under estimating the situation).

Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark (detailed outline)

GOSPEL OF MARK

CHAPTER ONE

Baptism -- Water (John); Holy Spirit (God): Introduction of John and the forthcoming of Jesus (preparing for Jesus arrival). Jesus great ness over that of John’s (focus on the Devine over that of earthly-human). [1-9]

God speaks to Jesus: you are my son and I am pleased with you [10-11].

Jesus tempted by Satan in the desert (40 days). Wild animals and angels. [12-13] (fully man and fully god complex)

John message of time to begin to repentance. [15]

Jesus calling on people and them leaving their fathers to follow Jesus (first introduction to that we need to be prepared to put the Devine above all else). [16-20]

Not allowing demons to speak as they know he is the Son of God. [34]

Jesus preaching, healing, and driving out the demons: trying to focus on teaching. Realizes people will not lesson to his teachings if they are worked-up: today you almost would say he was trying to get a low-key, but eventual loud mumble going (if he wasn’t God that is and if it was in modern times in politics)—nature of people (if a person is not to talk about something, they are going to). [21-45]

__________


CHAPTER TWO

First sign of persecutions to come for Jesus. Jesus forgiving a paralytic of sins (only God by law has this right). Jesus saying anyone should be able forgive (to forgive is divine, not just reserved for the divine). Paralytic walking, thus proving Jesus is God (they are unable to openly accuse Jesus for blasphemy, even through they would want to because he is a threat to their position/way of life). [1-12]

Analogy of Doctor and patients vs. Doctors and healthy. [15-17]

Analogy-foresight of fasting of what it will be like for us after Jesus’ death. [19-20]

Sabbath. Continuing theme against being too legalistic: “…they are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath…Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’” (translation: the Sabbath is meant to serve the needs of man, not man to serve the Sabbath) [24-27]

__________


CHAPTER THREE

The “appointment” of the twelve apostles [14]

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand…If Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand” [22-26]

Again message of needing to be prepared to leave ones (earthly family), like Jesus, and joining the Christian family. [31-34]

__________


CHAPTER FOUR

Jesus as the one spreading the seed, word of God as seed, those lessening as the soil. [1-20]

Other parables illustrating the ways of heaven. [21-33]

__________


CHAPTER FIVE

Demons and pigs: symbolism of low status of pigs; possible the mercy of Jesus (demons not having physical form); animal instinct to kill themselves. Animals/pigs knowing/fear the evilness inside of them; speaks to the pigs/animals not having souls (no needed for the pigs to agree to the possession—not possible for animals to sin). [10-11]

__________


CHAPTER SIX

Jesus giving “authority over evil spirits” to the Twelve Apostles and instructions for their journey(s) ahead. [7-11]

Pre-runner of pilgrimages (people enjoy imitating those whom they look-up to and as away to show how devout they are). [8-11] I can almost see people going on pilgrimages and not bring anything with them to imitate the Apostles.

The biblical justification for (Christian) communions (people living together) – the breaking up the bread and fish. [39-44]

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CHAPTER SEVEN

· Cautions about hypocritical acts and legalism. [6-13]

· Jesus’ words possibly being used for trench warfare between religion differences: spiritual cleanliness; the difference between outward and inward cleanliness (and creating legalities to excuse behaviors). I can see how people could have used these words to label religions rather acts individuals to be unclean (i.e., fear mongering, religious politics). [14-15]
1. “What comes out of man is what makes him ’unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality…” [20-21]. First time sexual immorality is brought-up (gives no definition or examples of acts).

__________


CHAPTER EIGHT

Peter says Jesus is the “Christ” [29-39]

Jesus reveals the persecution he will now face. Peter “rebuke[s]” Jesus; Jesus “rebuked” Peter. [32-33]

__________


CHAPTER NINE

Power of prayer [29]

Protection and innocence of children [36-37]

Atonement for immoral deeds: cutting off ones hands, etc. being equaling/mending. [43-48]

__________


CHAPTER TEN

Definition of marriage between a male and female: “…and the two will become one flesh.’…Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” [8-9]

Marriage after divorce, definition as adultery: “…Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery” [10-12]

The importance distancing/separating oneself form material possessions: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” [23]

Jesus’ assurance that faith will be rewarded: “…no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age…and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are the first will be last, and the last first” [29-31]

Start to show the faulty character(s) of the Apostles, they are human after all: “Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to him...Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory…Jesus said, “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink…but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” [37-40]
Faulty character: greed, vanity, worries, doubting their faith.

At this time the Apostles are probably thinking: things have been going quite well for us, everything considered. Son of God is here and we are under the protection of him. But he soon will not be walking among us, and those that wish to, and will, prosecute him [“…the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will raise”] will do the same to us. What assurances do we have? What in it for us? How do we know we should not be abandoning him before it is too late? It sounds like Jesus was trying to say, like an adult explaining to a child, ‘you may think you are ready, but you are not ready…’ I t could be argued that the true test of the Apostles faith occurs once Jesus had died. That no longer did they have the psychical of Jesus to bring about the compulsion to say, ‘this is the Son of God’ without out him physically being there doubt may take over. Could the reason that Jesus rose was to demonstrate that even after death he was the Son of God. This may have been especially true as they would confront people that would doubt Jesus’ words as they challenged their way of life (in terms of their moral conduct) as well as justification of rulers by religious laws. I will need to research this to see what evidence there is to support this claim of Jesus challenging or being perceived as a threat to power authorities. Certainly, it seems he was a threat in terms of priests, etc. positions that where based (there authority and thus there livelihood) on the pre-Jesus ways: i.e., if the priests where wrong would anyone lesson to them and thus goes their authority/power. Can the same be said of modern day Christian Churches: yes, what examples? History: grain mills (monopoly economy.

The other way this passage could be interrupted, and I think it has been used to raise the status of the Apostles. It could be interrupted as highlighting the devotion of the Apostles to Jesus, despite their naive ness of what they would be committing themselves to and their lack of skill (i.e., they have not been “prepared” for that roll). It could be interrupted as justification to raise their stature in the eyes of Christians above where their stature should be that they have/will “…drink the cup [Jesus drank] and be baptized with the baptism [Jesus got] baptized with…” Note: the passage states “we can” not ‘we have’. That is the Apostles state they can be in the same light as Jesus (while not being equal to him). I do not see why it should be taken literally to mean that they literally drank from the same cup as Jesus (drinking Jesus’ blood symbolism) or being baptized in the same waters or by the same person as Jesus, if this was the case.

Jealousy or revelry among the Apostles, “…When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be the first must be slave of all.” [43-44] I can see the Apostles reveling among themselves to be Jesus favorite or making a pack that no one will be hirer than the rest so non of them lose stature, and Jesus saying (1) you must work for it, and (2) you must humble yourself not only before myself but also yourselves (people).

_________

CHAPTER ELEVEN

· “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you and your sins.” [24-27]
__________

CHAPTER TWELVE

· “…What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”[9] Analogy of what is happening to Jesus. Tenets are those persecuting Jesus. Tenets could also be interrupted as anyone that does not follow the word of God. Analogy could be associated with the fall from Grace.
__________

CHAPTER 13

· “…birth pains…”. End of the world associated with the renewing of righteous: earth being cleansed [ch. 13].
· Preamble keeping watch; we do not know when it will happen (possible after the “rooster crows”). [35]
__________

CHAPTER 14

· Judas Iscariot betrayal [10-11]
· Jesus revealing that he will be betrayed by one of the Twelve Apostles. [18-21]
· “…Take [the bread]; this is my body…Then he took the cup…This is my blood of the covenant…” [22-25]
· “You [as in all the Apostles] will fall away…Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not…Jesus answered, today—yes, yes tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times” [27-30]
· Jesus goes prays to for God to take the covenant away; when he returns to his Apostles they are all (including Simon/Peter) sleeping (even after he said to them “Stay here and keep watch”. [34-37] Is ‘here” earth? Jesus going to pray, returning and finding them a sleep happened three times [41].
· “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” [38] Culture affects of this passage such as whipping flesh, the flesh being a portal/threshold to sin, etc., which would be contradictory to 7: 20-21. Why did these cultural trends come about: was it to prove they could over come their animal nature and thus be worthy of salvation or was it to “keep watch” both literally and metaphorically?

Eluned Summers-Bremner in MacLean’s magazine states that resisting sleep in the Middle Ages was a trend (March 17, 2008: 18). That is a person (she cites the example of “Saints) that could go without sleep was thought that to have God actively influential in that person’s acts (18). Eluned made the conclusion that this culture trend was the result of the operation of monasteries in which the monks would begin their days at 3am chanting (18). She also said to some extent it was a practical reason that people would take turns staying-up such as to keep the fire going as it was the source of heat (18).

I now wonder what role 14: 34-38 played in this trend. How concerned were the people in the Middle Ages of the world coming to an end that they stayed-up all night “keeping watch”. Did they consider staying awake instructions from Jesus? Did they considered a cautionary note from Jesus that if they did not keep watch that perhaps that would be the time of the end or be caught by surprise? Did they believe that sleep was a time that they might be attacked by evil forces or be more easily seduced into temptation because of not being conscious to resist? What role did they believe praying had in resisting temptation and/or staying awake? Were they trying to improve their behavior beyond that of the Apostles (a Christian regret of sorts)?

· Peter denying his association with Jesus to “one of the servant girls of the high priest” twice (once when she asked alone, once when she called him on it when she was apart of a group) [66-68] and he denied his association with Jesus a third time when those around cursed him [71], thus disowning Jesus three times: “…Immediately the rooster crowed the second time…” [72]

__________

CHAPTER 15

· Jesus and the Pilate: the release of Barabbas (at the Feast) from prison because of the actions of the chief priests [6-9].
· Jesus crucifixion [25-39]

__________

CHAPTER 16

· Jesus rose after the Sabbath [1-8]

__________





Work Cited

Eluned Summers-Bremner. March 17, 2008. “Insomnia: The Truth about a Modern Epidemic.” MacLean’s Magazine, pp. 16-19.

U.S.A Credit Issue

I was watching the CBC News and it was covering a story on a couple in the U.S.A that had $20,000 in credit card debit alone. They missed a payment and instead of having interest of 18.99% it went up to 34.99%. It seems to me what the financial companies should be doing if they are concerned with preventing a recession, due to them over extending themselves, is instead of increasing fees and penalties to those that cannot afford what debit they already have (assuming these companies want the debit to be managed instead of people going into bankruptcy) is teaching those how to managed their debit. This includes helping them set a payment schedule for all their payments (rent/mortgage and debts as well as (lowering or at least) keeping their interest rates the same instead of increasing them at least until their debit/payments become manageable. This will result in the financial companies being able to make their revenue because people will not go into bankruptcy or otherwise default on their loans; it will go towards preventing a recession as these financial companies will be able to continue to invest in the economy and thereby continue to make revenue (to invest in themselves and so forth).

Schools paying for Grades

Today I heard in the students in (poorer) some areas are getting paid for grades. They are even paying them to do (standardized) tests. Even if these standardized tests are not required (to say, students can be exempt by their parents) and used to size-up how students are doing I must say my compulsion is to say students should not be paid for doing these tests. Do not get me wrong I fully understand that if students are not encourage by some means to write these tests then the chances are that only those that feel that they are going to do well will write as well as only those students from families that see education as realistic away to achieve (financial) success: this often means low-income families may see post-secondary as unreasonable because of the expenses. However, what about paying for achieving grades?

I can certainly see how this may motivate students. Is this practice fair: are students simply getting paid for the higher grades (e.g. As, Bs) or are they getting paid for achieving better grades each time (even if its by percentage increase)? Is there a specific amount that a student will earn if they get a C-, C, C+, B, A? Personally, I think paying them for achieving better each time is the best approach because it encourages them to improve themselves rather than just doing a minimum work. Granted some students are only would try to do the minimum and as such would not like this approach (or should I not even take part), but is the minimum behavior really is what we want to be encouraging: that is, do we what to encourage minimum as being counted as achieving more? More to the point of this fair ness issue is that there are some students regardless of how hard they try will only be able to achieve so high in terms of grades or for some reason it is unreasonable to expect them to be A or B student (such as those with cognitive or mental health problems).

Gym Issue

If you are new to a gym do not be surprised if there are individuals that are strong enough to lift the whole stack of weights. Do not be jealous! They have been where you are. They are usually nice and if you ask them they are often the type of people that are willing to help you if you have any questions or need a spotter.