$2,000,000 Lake?

June 8th, 2010

I hate the waste that the government believes is necessary for a good time. A little pride in showing off big ticket items. The conservative(?) government spends two million to create an artificial lake that will be gone after the summit. What a terrific waste. No wonder the other parties are up in arms over this flagrant waste of our hard earned money.

Oh, one minute, it is a promotional exhibit showing the tens of thousands of people attending the summit what a little bit of Canada looks like. May help tourism? Perhaps… but $2,000,000 for a lake? Well, the $2,000,000 is for the entire display.They are showcasing other parts of Canada as well with that money. Still, the cost for the lake (to reflect our cottage country) cost $200,000 of that $2,000,000. That’s not bad but it is still $200,000. Well, that was for the entire cost of the cottage country display. The lake? It was only $57,000 of that cost. Hmmm… overall that doesn’t seem to be such a huge expense when you are advertising a country as large and as diverse as ours.

So the other parties are crying over the $2,000,000 lake that cost actually only $57,000. They are in an uproar because of the one fifth of one percent of the cost for the entire cost of the summit. And the lake is only one thirtieth of that $2,000,000. Wow, did they fool me into thinking this was a huge waste of money for this lake. If the biggest problem the other parties have with the cost of the summit is that small, tiny, little insignificant part that went to promote Canadian tourism… then they should be quiet.

I thought it was supposed to reflect a flagrant waste of money with no purpose behind it. Turns out to be a fair advertisement of what Canada has to offer vacationers. This is a non-issue. Just what the other parties seem to excel at.

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The Life Recovery Bible

May 18th, 2010

In our Recovery Group we use “The Life Recovery Bible” for our study purposes. I just finished reading through the biblical text. It uses a copy of the “New Living Translation.” It is from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Of course if you were to go out and buy a copy today it will use a different translation, though I don’t know the version at this time.

It is a special book designed for twelve step programs. Besides a bible it also has copious amounts of comments at the bottom of the page. Actually there are more comments than biblical text. At the back of the book is a large topical index. What else?

Recovery profiles on the main characters of the bible.
Twelve step devotionals.
Recovery Principle Devotionals.
Serenity Prayer Devotionals.
Recovery Reflections.

Suffice it to say there is so much material it would take a long time to work your way through this book taking the time to do it properly. I may be able to start attending the group out of “Crossfire Assembly” on King St W in Hamilton Ontario.

Now as for the particular translation. I believe it would be a good bible for those who have a grade ten education or better. As with all translations it comes in its own flavour. If it were say, ice cream, something green that tastes minty and has a few crushed nuts sprinkled throughout. Overall it meets its purpose for being an easy read though it does take certain liberties in translation. Of course some would call it a transliteration.

As for a general purpose bible? No, there are more bibles, even “New Living Translations”, that would be better for the average reader. If however you are working in a recovery group… trying to overcome compulsive/obsessive/addictive behaviour… this book is a real gem.

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Foray into the Wild

April 16th, 2010

Gee, I got the car today. Time to swap those winter tires. It went pretty quick. Time on my hands? Hmmm… maybe a bit of a drive?

That is how I got to Gage park yesterday afternoon. Now I can’t walk very far. OK, I’ll simply walk out 75 yards and back 75 yards. See and handle a few trees. Take in the scene and smell whatever nature was offering. Not much wildlife though. One bird sitting in a juniper tree. One squirrel by a fence line. Another running across my path.

There was a trick I could do with my tongue and teeth. If I suck air through my teeth it causes a strange high pitched sound. Sometimes I fancy it sounds a bit like the sound of a squirrel calling to another. So I gave it a try, one long sound followed by four short ones. It doesn’t always work… it usually gets a squirrel to stop, look around and run away. And lo! The squirrel stopped running across my path and sat there 30 feet away. I called again and the squirrel approached a little closer. This was working much better than usual.

I kept making the sounds and the squirrel came as close as six feet from me. It sat there on its haunches, little hands curled on its chest, probably wondering what an awfully big squirrel I was. Of course if there was anyone around me they would have thought I was squirrely as well. Perhaps it was the peanut butter breathe that drew the furry critter closer.

I was so intent on this creature I failed to notice… other squirrels heard the sounds I was making. I looked around and I was surrounded by squirrels. Over a dozen were within twelve feet of me. I made the sounds again and others came running down trees, from under bushes and farther away. I stood with all these little beasties around me. I enjoyed their company. Yet I couldn’t stand there much longer. I slowly began my short journey into the park. They began to disperse and disappear from view.

I finished my journey of 75 yards out and 75 yards back. The company of squirrels made this short time a special moment. And that concludes my “Foray into the Wild.”

Posted in Nature, personal side, Random Topic Posts | 1 Comment »

A Hate Link… Really?

March 16th, 2010

A friend of mine recently sent this link to me:

One Brit’s opinion about Radical Islam

I’ve heard of the flack this friend of mine got from some people because she sent this link to a few people. Intrigued I clicked on the link so I could have first hand info on what this guy said. Six minutes of some Brit (Aussie?) giving his opinion on the problems with Islam. And what did I think? … very mild dialogue. People got upset over what this guy said? With what is happening in the world today as a result of a renewed flame of Islamic conservatism this guy’s monologue was tame. Warnings (fact based warnings) need to be shouted from the roof-tops.

I’ve read an English version of the Koran. It has its errors and prejudices (my opinion). The real problem with Islam is not the Koran but with the “hadith” (I hope I spelled that correctly). These are all the sayings attributed to Mohammed. This is where true hatred and prejudice can be found. It alone twists the Koran into an unrecognizable mass. The venom we think is in the Koran is there in the hadith. I have read only small portions of the hadith, enough to know, that they speak a different language. The protections in the Koran (for Jews and Christians) are stripped away in the hadith.

This is nothing new. The extra writings of later writers bring disrepute to the original message. Don’t get me wrong… the Koran has errors in it and should be placed under the blanket of “a different gospel” to be considered “anathema” by bible believing Christians. Yet what the conservative Islamist (radical) believes is not the pure Koran but that hybrid created by others to suit their own ends at the time.

They are a danger and need to be exposed. That is what the fellow in England has done. A rather mild expose at that. Guess those who are complaining are too thin skinned or too PC to see the threat. Of course many Jews in 1930’s Europe couldn’t or wouldn’t believe the warnings that some people made during their time.

In the end I do not believe that it will end well. The radical(?) Islamists will cause more pain and death. Some of the people of those countries will respond (over-respond) and isolate, jail, deport, beat and kill in response. Another Godless right wing will arise and a “kristallnacht” aimed at Muslims and/or Jews will occur. Perhaps into this mix the long awaited Antichrist will step in and bring that false peace we know is coming.

You can’t get any more PC than that!

ps: I believe that all Jews, Christians, Muslims and all others need to be protected from the excesses of radicals from any viewpoint, religious or secular. The free exercise of religion is a hallmark of the west. A person needs to be free to choose who they follow based on knowledge and revelation. Those who would deny this freedom are the true enemy of all faiths and peoples.

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Posted in politics, Random Topic Posts, religion | 2 Comments »

Anatomy?

March 2nd, 2010

So I was flipping through the newspaper looking for something to inspire me. To what end? To find something to sketch. Since I haven’t been physically able to go out for any length of time you find what you can where you can.

So… I was going through my box of art supplies… yep I got a whole box… I came across a book that would help the artist understand the underpinnings of the human form. Much too dark I thought the drawings to be. Yet I have tried a few of them out.

I have been using a pad of newsprint quality paper. Yeah, I know, pretty cheap. And it is so hard to get a sketch to “show” itself. Graphite pencils, no matter how soft, just don’t leave much of an impression. To correct the problem I took out a couple of charcoal pencils. Always afraid to use them because, well, there so black. They look unforgiving. I was surprised at how well it worked on newsprint.

So I tried a few sketches. Late night drawings in the wee hours of the morning. I decided that I would add a sub-index to my drawing page to cover anatomy. This time however I think I will wait until I have a sufficient number before creating the folder.

So what does it look like? Here is an example:

Spooky lookin ain't it?

hmmm… Halloween may be interesting at my place this year.

😉

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Remember this Chicken?

January 18th, 2010

White Leghorn

So the old man was walking along the sidewalk and saw a chicken on a stoop.

“My, what a beautiful bird you are. What are you called?”

“Why I am a White Leghorn” the bird said proudly. “What are you called?”

“Mr. Red Flower”, he said.

When the chicken heard this it made a mad dash past him. “Out of my way” it clucked with a ferocity not commonly known among chickens. A desperate need drove the white foul feathered fowl to disregard safety and its own personal dignity. It lowered its head to shoulder level and with neck stretched out to make a not so sleek profile, prepared to flee. With a steady gaze, not looking to the left or the right, the bird ran into the road and legs quickly pumping to an rock ‘n roll beat, made its way across the road. An approaching car slammed on its brakes narrowly avoiding this tufted bird. It quickly continued on its way and jumped onto the sidewalk and dashed between two houses closely spaced together. Cautiously, the chicken poked his head out. One well rounded eye, gold rimmed and coldly peering, looked at the man across the road. Ah the poor little thing was quaking as it struggled for its breath.

The man, puzzled, crossed the road and asked what was wrong. The chicken drew its head, beak and all, back out of sight. The man called quietly to the chicken. The bird would not reveal himself. Again the man spoke but this time cooed like a pigeon. “Cooooo… why are you so afraid?”

Tentatively the chicken poked its beak out and said “I am afraid of you.”

“Why” the man asked?

“You want to kill and eat me.”

“Nonsense” said the man, “why would you think that?”

“You hunt birds for a living” said the chicken.

The man laughed at the poor bird… “I said my name is Flower not Fowler.”

So now you know why the chicken crossed the road… it had dyslexic hearing.

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How Long Oh Lord?

January 10th, 2010

13Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14“And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15“Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16“But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

So I had a small epiphany this afternoon. I was watching John Hagee on television. The subject doesn’t matter. What he quoted did. There is that passage above from Genesis 15 where God is talking to Abraham about the children of Israel going to spend 400 years in Egypt. What I found strange and did not understand was the use of the term “in the fourth generation” they will come out. It was one of those things I could not understand. A generation is 100 years long? It is one of those things that you read and put off understanding to the future.

Oh yes, the epiphany? It doesn’t matter why God calls it “the fourth generation.” It is that he does. It puts me in remembrance of what a writer of an epistle wrote “that one year is as a thousand and a thousand as one year.” Something is simply because God calls it that way.

So what does this have to do with anything for us today?

Remember that Jesus talking to his disciples on the night he was betrayed said to them that “this generation” that would see the signs he just talked about would not pass away till everything was fulfilled. I have seen many people try to figure out the length of this generation. Take all those listed in Matthew’s genealogy and divide that into the years that passed. Do the same for Luke’s genealogy. Or take three score and ten. Or?

The first use of time and generation is Genesis 15. Why not simply take what God has said and use that for the time scale. If Israel became a nation in 1948. If Jerusalem was taken back in the 1967. Using one of those dates as the start of the prophetic clock then Jesus could be returning anytime before 2048 or 2067. That certainly stretches out the clock.

So what does this mean? We could have a much longer time to wait for the appearing in the sky. The rapture could be after I die. Yet it is during this generation. Could be anytime soon…

So keep looking up.

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Robert Downey Jr

January 5th, 2010

It has been a rather quiet four months. Just recently I began posting to this blog. I also began sketching after a four month respite. Respite? Call it a bout of depression. Health and stuff… you know. So today I have finished a drawing of Robert Downey Jr. The source was the photo in the Hamilton Spectator, a shot from his role as Sherlock Holmes in the newly released movie. I already placed it on my sketches and drawing site. So I thought I may as well put a copy here. After all, it is a small turning point in my life.

Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes

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Terror Attacks, Fort Hood and the unfriendly skies.

January 3rd, 2010

This isn’t new news. Let’s review…

A major in the US army, a psychiatrist, aiding military personnel undergoing hard times when returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. This person has contact with a radical Islamic terrorist. They correspond. He isn’t the brightest of the psych team. Someone you have to watch out for. He kills many and wounds many more who are under his care.

Some nutcase takes training in a country known for training terrorists. He is on the British no fly list. He is a known terrorist sympathizer. He is allowed to get on a US plane and only the bravery of the customers flying on the craft prevent a disaster.

Yep, Bush took a no nonsense approach to terrorism. He instituted some of the greatest and most sweeping reforms in the intelligence gathering community. Under his watch, after 9-11, not one attack was successfully carried out on US territory. Seven years of safety.

Now there is Obama. He is trying to make a lot of changes himself. Yet I do not see those changes resulting in a safer country or a safer sky. Yep, less than one year in office and two attacks are launched. One successful and the other thwarted by the public.

Obama certainly is changing the rules by which the US is going to play. Yet it has proven not to be a successful game play. Maybe people were too quick to smear Bush’s success. I wonder how long before Obama’s failures are judged.

Yep, send it to committee… call in the experts… but in the end the real problem is that Obama never had any experience making the hard decisions or leading in political office before becoming president. Yet he talks, so wonderfully… I guess Nero can also play the fiddle quite well when inspired on special occasions.

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Christmas Eve… 09

December 24th, 2009

This is the one special season that beats all others hands down. A last spurt of the mailman has filled our home with well wishers cards strung on string throughout our home. We already had three guests come to our home. Tonight we travel to meet old friends that has become a tradition on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we have a guest and a turkey dinner to share. In the evening out to family and touch base with the extended family. Boxing day? More of the same. For one frenetic week we have guests and are guests. (of course Linda’s Christmas season begins on boxing day and then for the month of December the following year there is no peace ’til the last bow is tied and presents stored under the tree) The social calendar is full. A week of joy as we remember Santa in the minor and Jesus in the manger.

To all our friends and family that we will not be able to touch base with during this special season, we wish you all, a God blessed twelve days of Christmas.

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