I don't read the Herald Tribune very often (frankly, I don't know what its stance is on many issues), but it ran a very strange article.
A young Christian girl who was attending a school in Abbottabad, Pakistan, accidentally misspelled the word for "Poetry in Praise of Muhammad" as the word for "Denounce". This made the more zealous Muslims accuse her of blasphemy and call for her demise. She was expelled from the school to calm the accusers. They applauded the move. The girl apologized for her error, but why should people start yelling cruel threats against her for a mere typo?
That's the issue I have with Islam; it calls for those who blaspheme Muhammad to be killed. This was an accident. The girl didn't mean to screw up, and this particular Arabic word is easy to misspell. Why should this molehill become a mountain?
If anyone has any answers, please let me know.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Rossini and Cuisine
My Professional Cooking instructor wants me to bring in some Rossini music next week. I understand full well why. Rossini loved good cooking. According to what I read in my Opera 101 book, Rossini could actually tell the difference between Neapolitan and Genoese pasta just by tasting it! So it comes as not surprise that someone in the food service industry would want to hear Rossini. Then again, classical music and food tend to go together very well any how.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
"Hansel and Gretel": Not Just A Children's Fairy Tale
I'm pretty sure most people in this country have heard of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale known as Hansel and Gretel. It's the story of two children whose parents turn them loose in the forest where they become lost. They come across a gingerbread house and feeling a sense of relief, they start to eat parts off of it. An old woman comes out of the house and invites them in. She feeds them sweetmeats and puts them to bed. Unfortunately, she is an evil and scheming witch who eats children, and she plans to cook and devour them. In fact, around her house are the children who have fallen into her trap before and were turned into gingerbread. When the witch wakes Hansel and Gretel up the next morning, she puts Hansel in a cage and feeds him more and more. She tells Gretel to cook the meal for him. At one point, the witch tells Gretel to crawl into the oven to check to see if it's ready. Pretending to be dumb, Gretel claims she doesn't know how and asks the witch to show her. The witch gets exasperated and climbs in while telling the girl that it simple; and at that point Gretel hoists the witch with her own petard and shoves her all the way into the oven and then shuts and latches the door. She then releases Hansel from the cage. Meanwhile, the children who were turned into gingerbread come back to life and find that the witch herself has been turned into a giant gingerbread cookie which the children proceed to devour. Hansel and Gretel return home and are reunited with their parents.
I have a feeling that this isn't just some story written for children. While no witches exist who can turn children into gingerbread, there are in fact enemies out there who prey on children. They are pimps, drug dealers, and others who use children for their own gain; namely money.
I started reading a book yesterday called Please Forgive Me, God. It is the account of a Catholic nun who runs a shelter called the Covenant House for street children. These were kids who escaped from troubled and abusive homes and wound up on the street. The street is a cold and scary place for children to be; no food, no shelter, no one to love or at least relate to, all sorts of troubles. So when someone comes and offers them a place to stay and food to eat, they accept without question. But sooner or later what was supposed to be haven becomes a hell for the children. The person whom they viewed as a savior is now their tormentor. A young girl would be raped, beaten, and thrust into a life of prostitution. A boy would be used as a trafficker, a drug dealer, or some other sort of criminal. And it is all done to make a profit off of the children. The captors want money.
So there are witches of a sort out there. They lure children in with the promise of food, shelter, and care, and then they abuse them and catapult them into a life of crime; just as the witch lured children into her gingerbread house with the promise of safety.
I'm absolutely certain that the kids at the Covenant House can relate to Hansel and Gretel. They were lured into a trap by someone who made a false promise to them. Sometimes these street kids can summon up the courage to face their captors and find help, but unfortunately others don't. Hansel and Gretel isn't just a mere children's story about two kids in lost in the woods; it's also a warning to children about dangerous people who are like the witch. They may not pop you in the oven, but they'll threaten you with violence unless you obey them. And they want to make money from all of it.
I have a feeling that this isn't just some story written for children. While no witches exist who can turn children into gingerbread, there are in fact enemies out there who prey on children. They are pimps, drug dealers, and others who use children for their own gain; namely money.
I started reading a book yesterday called Please Forgive Me, God. It is the account of a Catholic nun who runs a shelter called the Covenant House for street children. These were kids who escaped from troubled and abusive homes and wound up on the street. The street is a cold and scary place for children to be; no food, no shelter, no one to love or at least relate to, all sorts of troubles. So when someone comes and offers them a place to stay and food to eat, they accept without question. But sooner or later what was supposed to be haven becomes a hell for the children. The person whom they viewed as a savior is now their tormentor. A young girl would be raped, beaten, and thrust into a life of prostitution. A boy would be used as a trafficker, a drug dealer, or some other sort of criminal. And it is all done to make a profit off of the children. The captors want money.
So there are witches of a sort out there. They lure children in with the promise of food, shelter, and care, and then they abuse them and catapult them into a life of crime; just as the witch lured children into her gingerbread house with the promise of safety.
I'm absolutely certain that the kids at the Covenant House can relate to Hansel and Gretel. They were lured into a trap by someone who made a false promise to them. Sometimes these street kids can summon up the courage to face their captors and find help, but unfortunately others don't. Hansel and Gretel isn't just a mere children's story about two kids in lost in the woods; it's also a warning to children about dangerous people who are like the witch. They may not pop you in the oven, but they'll threaten you with violence unless you obey them. And they want to make money from all of it.
Good Protesters, Bad Protesters
Less than two months into the year we got a huge number of people protesting at the capital building in Madison. These people shouted and carried signs, but most of them went home after a while. Those who go home after a while are good protesters; they know when to leave.
This month we have a small bunch of goof balls who just won't go away. They're what I call the professional protesters; they're mostly in they're twenties don't have jobs. They prefer to lie around and play silly games until something the disagree with comes up. Then they'll shout and protest and don't go away.
One of these loud folks dumped beer on the head of one of the Republican politicians. I wonder how he'd react if some dumped beer on the head of someone he agreed with, or even dumped beer on his head. I'm not sure about the first one but here's what I think would happen regarding the second:
1st Guy: "Dude, what was that for?". (He grabs another beer and dumps it on the head of the head of the guy who did it to him first).
2 Guy: "You'll pay for that". (Grabs another beer and does the same thing to 1st Guy again).
1st Guy: "How dare you!" (Repeats beer dumping).
Random Person: "Hey look! A fight!" (Cue mayhem).
This month we have a small bunch of goof balls who just won't go away. They're what I call the professional protesters; they're mostly in they're twenties don't have jobs. They prefer to lie around and play silly games until something the disagree with comes up. Then they'll shout and protest and don't go away.
One of these loud folks dumped beer on the head of one of the Republican politicians. I wonder how he'd react if some dumped beer on the head of someone he agreed with, or even dumped beer on his head. I'm not sure about the first one but here's what I think would happen regarding the second:
1st Guy: "Dude, what was that for?". (He grabs another beer and dumps it on the head of the head of the guy who did it to him first).
2 Guy: "You'll pay for that". (Grabs another beer and does the same thing to 1st Guy again).
1st Guy: "How dare you!" (Repeats beer dumping).
Random Person: "Hey look! A fight!" (Cue mayhem).
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dirty Politics: The 1860 Presidential Election
Elections in general are dirty; the 1860 election was probably the dirtiest in history. The biggest issue was slavery. And the fact that slavery was even an issue in the first place made this particular election unbelievably ugly.
There was Abraham Lincoln as the Republican candidate. He was against slavery; while not precisely an abolitionist, he did not want slavery to spread.
Then there was Stephen Douglas as the Northern Democratic candidate. While he was for slavery, he wanted the states to decide for themselves whether or not to allow it. This was called "Popular Sovereignty".
Next you had John C. Breckenridge as the Southern Democratic candidate. He was very much pro-slavery.
Finally there was John Bell as the Constitutional Union Party Candidate. He was one of the earliest third-party candidates in U.S. history.
It is so easy to jump up and say that Lincoln was right and the others were wrong. While that's true, one has to go deeper into the issue and try to explain your argument. Look at the issue and observe what happened. Why did Douglas's idea of Popular Sovereignty not work? Because when you allow a state to decide for itself based on what the people find most appealing, you're going to get trouble (witness "Bleeding Kansas")
on November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the nation's 16th President. After that, the South broke off from the Union and fired on Fort Sumter. The rest of the story...well, I think most of you probably know already what happened. This article should explain things a little better than I can.
There was Abraham Lincoln as the Republican candidate. He was against slavery; while not precisely an abolitionist, he did not want slavery to spread.
Then there was Stephen Douglas as the Northern Democratic candidate. While he was for slavery, he wanted the states to decide for themselves whether or not to allow it. This was called "Popular Sovereignty".
Next you had John C. Breckenridge as the Southern Democratic candidate. He was very much pro-slavery.
Finally there was John Bell as the Constitutional Union Party Candidate. He was one of the earliest third-party candidates in U.S. history.
It is so easy to jump up and say that Lincoln was right and the others were wrong. While that's true, one has to go deeper into the issue and try to explain your argument. Look at the issue and observe what happened. Why did Douglas's idea of Popular Sovereignty not work? Because when you allow a state to decide for itself based on what the people find most appealing, you're going to get trouble (witness "Bleeding Kansas")
on November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the nation's 16th President. After that, the South broke off from the Union and fired on Fort Sumter. The rest of the story...well, I think most of you probably know already what happened. This article should explain things a little better than I can.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Christ+And = Heresy
Our church has been doing a sermon series called "Stronger Together", which is a lesson from the Book of Philippians in the Bible. Saint Paul was writing to the church in Philippi while he was in prison. Today, we studied the third chapter. In this part of book, Paul warns the church about "evil men who are mutilators of the flesh". The evil men he was talking about were a small group of people who were saying that faith in Christ wasn't enough. If people wanted to really be saved, then they also had to adhere to Jewish law practices in general, and circumcision in specific. These were the so-called Judaizers; a group of Jewish Christians. Their attempts to make other converts strictly follow Jewish laws were undermining the church's mission to spread the Gospel. This is a prime example of what we call Christ+And.
There is only one appropriate thing to call people who preach Christ+And doctrines: Heretics. These people try to undermine the church's mission by saying a true Christian must also follow this set of rules because Christ isn't enough. The point is that Christ is enough. Now, faith in Christ should manifest itself as good works, but our confidence should not be in those good works. The Bible says that no matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough because we are sinners. As Christians, our confidence should be in Christ alone.
Whenever we say that people must follow Christ and our rules, we are not preaching the good news; we are preaching heresy. And heresy is one of the biggest threats not only to Christian unity, but also to the mission Christ calls us to. Heresy leads not only to the exclusion of people, but it also turns people off to the Gospel. And heretics make other Christians look bad.
Christ+And is also found in legalism. Legalism says that people must adhere to strict rules on modesty and only indulge in approved forms of entertainment. Granted a lot popular culture in our day and age is junk, but nevertheless, legalism alienates people from the Gospel. It doesn't have be heresy, but it often is.
There is only one appropriate thing to call people who preach Christ+And doctrines: Heretics. These people try to undermine the church's mission by saying a true Christian must also follow this set of rules because Christ isn't enough. The point is that Christ is enough. Now, faith in Christ should manifest itself as good works, but our confidence should not be in those good works. The Bible says that no matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough because we are sinners. As Christians, our confidence should be in Christ alone.
Whenever we say that people must follow Christ and our rules, we are not preaching the good news; we are preaching heresy. And heresy is one of the biggest threats not only to Christian unity, but also to the mission Christ calls us to. Heresy leads not only to the exclusion of people, but it also turns people off to the Gospel. And heretics make other Christians look bad.
Christ+And is also found in legalism. Legalism says that people must adhere to strict rules on modesty and only indulge in approved forms of entertainment. Granted a lot popular culture in our day and age is junk, but nevertheless, legalism alienates people from the Gospel. It doesn't have be heresy, but it often is.
So what should we do as Christians—or more appropriately, should I say, Christ Followers? We should manifest our faith as good deeds, but we shouldn't let them become what we put our trust in. And we should be on our guard for the heretics who preach Christ+And. Jesus said," By their fruits you will know them." Actions speak louder than words. People who preach Christ+And exclude people and often form something akin to, if not really, a cult. And cultists are heretics. In fact, Christ+And IS heresy. Merely calling it lies is putting it too mildly.
Dante's "The Divine Comedy": Awesome Poem, Trashy Video Game
I've been rereading Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy (so called because the story has a happy ending). It is the story of the poet's journey through Hell (The Inferno), Purgatory (The Purgatorio), and Paradise (The Paradiso).
The Inferno is perhaps the most famous of the three books of The Divine Comedy. He begins the story by telling about he found himself in a dark wood. He is assailed by three beast that represent the the divisions of Hell, albeit in reverse order: a leopard of malice, a lion of violence, and a she-wolf of incontinence. He is rescued by the shade of the poet Virgil, who tells him that a saintly woman called Beatrice has asked him to come to Dante's aid. Then Virgil leads Dante through Hell. At the Gates of Hell, they encounter the miserable shades of those who "lived without infamy and without praise"; in other words, people who lived only for themselves. They were unfaithful to both God and his enemies. Therefore, Heaven will not take them and nor will Hell.
In Dante's mind, Hell is the enormous impact crater left by Lucifer/Satan when he was cast out of Heaven. It was believed at the time that Hell was located underneath Jerusalem. There are nine circles, each one decreasing in size the further down it goes. They are as follows:
Circle 1: Virtuous Pagans and the Unbaptized.
Circle 2: The Lustful.
Circle 3: The Gluttonous.
Circle 4: The Avaricious and The Prodigal.
Circle 5: The Wrathful and The Sullen.
Circle 6: The Heretics.
Circle 7: The Violent (divided into three rings: 1,Violence to Others, 2, Violence to Self, and 3, Blasphemers).
Circle 8: The Fraudulent (Divided into ten sections: 1, Panderers and Seducers, 2, Flatterers, 3, Simoniacs, 4, Sorcerers,Diviners, and False Prophets, 5, Barrators, 6, Hypocrites,7, Thieves, 8, Evil Counselors, 9, Sowers of Discord, and 10, Falsifiers of varying sorts).
Circle 9: Traitors. In Dante's time, treachery was considered the worst possible sin.
At the very bottom of Hell is Satan the Devil. He is imprisoned there for eternity for committing the ultimate sin: Treachery against God. Dante and Virgil climb down Satan's back and escape to the other side of the world. From there, they move on to Purgatory.
It's just an epic poem about one man's learning to recognize sin for what it is. However, some dingbat had to make a video game out the story and completely trash it. In the game version, Dante is a crusader who commits some serious crimes while at war. Beatrice is Dante's lover. Her soul has been kidnapped by the Devil and taken into Hell, where the Devil slowly begin to turn her into a succubus. Dante must go and rescue her, and to do that, he must fight and destroy the demons that inhabit every level. He rescues souls along the way.
See the problem? There are several. First off, Beatrice, who died in 1290 at the early age of twenty-four, was already in Heaven, and evil cannot enter there. Second, only a few demons serve as guards in Hell and most of them are characters from classical Greco-Roman mythology (i.e. Cerberus, Minotaur, etc.). The demons are also simply there to torment the souls of the damned. They assail Dante, but Virgil helps him. Thirdly, in the poem, Satan is trapped forever in ice. Not matter how hard he struggles, the ice makes it impossible for him to escape. Fourth off,, it was Beatrice who sent Virgil to rescue Dante because she saw him lost in the dark woods. She saw him being assailed by the three beasts and wanted to help him. And finally, the damned cannot leave Hell. It is their prison forever. Oh, and Dante was a scholar, never a soldier. And he was in love with Beatrice, but she didn't really know him; so it was pretty one-sided.
I haven't played the video game. However, I have read the premise and seen stills from the game. And you know what, it's trash. And you don't even need to play the game to notice that.
The Inferno is perhaps the most famous of the three books of The Divine Comedy. He begins the story by telling about he found himself in a dark wood. He is assailed by three beast that represent the the divisions of Hell, albeit in reverse order: a leopard of malice, a lion of violence, and a she-wolf of incontinence. He is rescued by the shade of the poet Virgil, who tells him that a saintly woman called Beatrice has asked him to come to Dante's aid. Then Virgil leads Dante through Hell. At the Gates of Hell, they encounter the miserable shades of those who "lived without infamy and without praise"; in other words, people who lived only for themselves. They were unfaithful to both God and his enemies. Therefore, Heaven will not take them and nor will Hell.
In Dante's mind, Hell is the enormous impact crater left by Lucifer/Satan when he was cast out of Heaven. It was believed at the time that Hell was located underneath Jerusalem. There are nine circles, each one decreasing in size the further down it goes. They are as follows:
Circle 1: Virtuous Pagans and the Unbaptized.
Circle 2: The Lustful.
Circle 3: The Gluttonous.
Circle 4: The Avaricious and The Prodigal.
Circle 5: The Wrathful and The Sullen.
Circle 6: The Heretics.
Circle 7: The Violent (divided into three rings: 1,Violence to Others, 2, Violence to Self, and 3, Blasphemers).
Circle 8: The Fraudulent (Divided into ten sections: 1, Panderers and Seducers, 2, Flatterers, 3, Simoniacs, 4, Sorcerers,Diviners, and False Prophets, 5, Barrators, 6, Hypocrites,7, Thieves, 8, Evil Counselors, 9, Sowers of Discord, and 10, Falsifiers of varying sorts).
Circle 9: Traitors. In Dante's time, treachery was considered the worst possible sin.
At the very bottom of Hell is Satan the Devil. He is imprisoned there for eternity for committing the ultimate sin: Treachery against God. Dante and Virgil climb down Satan's back and escape to the other side of the world. From there, they move on to Purgatory.
It's just an epic poem about one man's learning to recognize sin for what it is. However, some dingbat had to make a video game out the story and completely trash it. In the game version, Dante is a crusader who commits some serious crimes while at war. Beatrice is Dante's lover. Her soul has been kidnapped by the Devil and taken into Hell, where the Devil slowly begin to turn her into a succubus. Dante must go and rescue her, and to do that, he must fight and destroy the demons that inhabit every level. He rescues souls along the way.
See the problem? There are several. First off, Beatrice, who died in 1290 at the early age of twenty-four, was already in Heaven, and evil cannot enter there. Second, only a few demons serve as guards in Hell and most of them are characters from classical Greco-Roman mythology (i.e. Cerberus, Minotaur, etc.). The demons are also simply there to torment the souls of the damned. They assail Dante, but Virgil helps him. Thirdly, in the poem, Satan is trapped forever in ice. Not matter how hard he struggles, the ice makes it impossible for him to escape. Fourth off,, it was Beatrice who sent Virgil to rescue Dante because she saw him lost in the dark woods. She saw him being assailed by the three beasts and wanted to help him. And finally, the damned cannot leave Hell. It is their prison forever. Oh, and Dante was a scholar, never a soldier. And he was in love with Beatrice, but she didn't really know him; so it was pretty one-sided.
I haven't played the video game. However, I have read the premise and seen stills from the game. And you know what, it's trash. And you don't even need to play the game to notice that.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
This Again.
For the past couple of days there has been more shoutloud over whether or not to ban the use of fetal tissue in stem cell research. Proponents argue that a fetus is not quite human. That said, they believe that it is perfectly reasonable to remove tissues from a fetus to "cure certain diseases".
Life begins at conception when the sperm meets the egg. When that happens, the gender, hair color, and eye color have already been decided. So at two minutes, the fetus is either a girl or a boy, because the father sperms have either had the X Chromosome or the Y Chromosome. So yes, the fetus is a human. And if you want to use tissues from someone else, make sure that the person has given their consent first. And using fetal tissues happens without the fetus's consent; therefore, it is murder.
Life begins at conception when the sperm meets the egg. When that happens, the gender, hair color, and eye color have already been decided. So at two minutes, the fetus is either a girl or a boy, because the father sperms have either had the X Chromosome or the Y Chromosome. So yes, the fetus is a human. And if you want to use tissues from someone else, make sure that the person has given their consent first. And using fetal tissues happens without the fetus's consent; therefore, it is murder.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Don't Blame Bush!
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Al-Qaida members hijacked airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The World Trade Center was torn down completely by the impact of the planes, the Pentagon lost one side of its structure. Thousands of people were killed.
Back in May of this year, Navy SEALs tracked down Osama Bin Laden, the man who orchestrated the terrorist attacks, and shot him in his bunker.
There is one major issue I have with this topic, and that is the fact that so many people still falsely accuse former President George Bush for orchestrating the tragedy just to agitate for war. It wasn't his fault. Are Americans so enamored of sudden little plot twists in stories that they try to apply the same rule to real life? Granted there are some real creepy politicians in Congress, but when something as colossal as 9/11 occurs, people still point the accusatory finger at whoever happens to be in power. If Bush really was agitating, he would've spread rumors about the killer next door prior to the attacks. But there were no such stories. And since we've started fighting this war, there have been no terrorist attacks on our country. And that's nothing to sneeze at.
So to those people still blaming Bush for the deaths of thousands of people in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, I say stop it. It's not true and you know it. It also gets really old quickly, and it is not a reasonable response to the tragedy.
Popular Mechanics ran an article about the various debunked conspiracy theories about the attacks. It's amazing what some people come up with when horrifying events like this occur.
Back in May of this year, Navy SEALs tracked down Osama Bin Laden, the man who orchestrated the terrorist attacks, and shot him in his bunker.
There is one major issue I have with this topic, and that is the fact that so many people still falsely accuse former President George Bush for orchestrating the tragedy just to agitate for war. It wasn't his fault. Are Americans so enamored of sudden little plot twists in stories that they try to apply the same rule to real life? Granted there are some real creepy politicians in Congress, but when something as colossal as 9/11 occurs, people still point the accusatory finger at whoever happens to be in power. If Bush really was agitating, he would've spread rumors about the killer next door prior to the attacks. But there were no such stories. And since we've started fighting this war, there have been no terrorist attacks on our country. And that's nothing to sneeze at.
So to those people still blaming Bush for the deaths of thousands of people in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, I say stop it. It's not true and you know it. It also gets really old quickly, and it is not a reasonable response to the tragedy.
Popular Mechanics ran an article about the various debunked conspiracy theories about the attacks. It's amazing what some people come up with when horrifying events like this occur.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
I Wonder How Big Her Ticket Was
I heard a joke today about a woman from New York who was driving in Atlanta Georgia and got pulled of over for speeding. The officer told her, "You can't go barreling through Atlanta like that." Her reply? "Sherman did."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Have They Forgotten This?
I am so tired of hearing people yelling and saying that since Governor Scott Walker didn't go to college he hates education. Just because he wants to reduce, end, or what with collective bargaining rights for teachers does not mean he hates education. Also, how does not getting a college education make someone hate it? Are these folks assuming that you absolutely have to go to college or a public school in order to get an education?
Have people forgotten that Abraham Lincoln didn't go to college either? In fact, if you added up all the time he spent in a classroom as a boy, it would add up to only one year, simply because he lived way out in the boondocks and had to help out on the farm. And yet he LOVED learning and wanted to learn. He taught himself how to read. How many people are even willing to do that? And look at what happened to Lincoln! He became the nation's greatest president.
To those loud folks making the ridiculous claim about Scott Walker's lack of a college education I say this:
Try educating yourselves by reading. Go back to the library, get some books, and read them. You don't have to go to college to get an education. And please stop using Walker's lack of a college education as a case against him. It has absolutely zero to do with his agenda.
Have people forgotten that Abraham Lincoln didn't go to college either? In fact, if you added up all the time he spent in a classroom as a boy, it would add up to only one year, simply because he lived way out in the boondocks and had to help out on the farm. And yet he LOVED learning and wanted to learn. He taught himself how to read. How many people are even willing to do that? And look at what happened to Lincoln! He became the nation's greatest president.
To those loud folks making the ridiculous claim about Scott Walker's lack of a college education I say this:
Try educating yourselves by reading. Go back to the library, get some books, and read them. You don't have to go to college to get an education. And please stop using Walker's lack of a college education as a case against him. It has absolutely zero to do with his agenda.
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