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"mathematics is just another language"
Rory Cellan-Jones yesterday returned to the scene of the crime after his piece last week detailing the day he spent in Silicon Roundabout "learning computer programming". Rory had spent a day learning HTML – "a programming language", we were told – and returned humbled, as truly humbled as Uriah Heep, at the awesomeness of it …
"King of languages", eh? Do let me know how "Fancy a brew?" translates into maths.
Now I'm a big maths enthusiast myself, and am even prone to a spot of programming. But I do think it would be best if we distinguished between human languages as used to communicate with each other, and those more abstract forms of maths and computer programming.
"...by understanding maths....art, history,
I think what he/she meant was that mathematics provides to foundation of test and proof for all other sciences - which it does - not that you actually understand all of the other sciences.
Even some of your list would suffer without lots of fundamental mathematics (statistics, game theory, logic, differential equations, probability, etc), specifically politics, philosophy, and geography - and even the arty subjects have some maths relationships (think golden ratios and symmetry in design/art for example).
I agree with you though - understanding mathematics does not mean you understand the subject that may rely on it (which mainly tend to be science-related subjects)
Hmmm. Art and Design benefit from an understanding of mathematics - as does Music (the two are intertwined so closely - is that why you didn't include it in your list?). If you look below the surface, you'll find maths in just about every single specialty, one way or another.
"Mathematics is just applied logic."
That's like saying programming is just binary (or even programming is just HTML coding!)
I get it - you did the maths version of this 'programming' course and now you think you're a mathematician 'cos you know what True and False are. :-) [joke]
So I'll add one. When I taught (and examined) A-Level and GCSE ICT between 1998 and 2004, the focus was on "problem solving using fourth generation languages and commercially available software" - in other words, what most people would encounter. It wasn't about just using MS Office (since that was what we had), it was about customising it to do tasks more efficiently, hide the interface and make custom forms, manipulating data etc. The skills I was teaching were those of software engineering (Albeit in a rather cut down form): define a problem, analyse the data flow required, utilise available tools to solve the problems, test, debug, rinse and repeat. Agreed, we weren't using Java, or Pascal, or BASIC, or C++ - but we were scripting, and customising, and introducing children (most of whom at the time did not own a computer, and certainly did not have one with a built-in programming language) to the fundamentals of programming theory. However, those who DID want to follow the path of programming could, through the little-known Computer Science GCSE and A-Level, which is much closer to what I took as a Computer Studies O-Level back in '86, a time when we all we had was access to machines which more or less communicated solely through the BASIC interpreter. Maybe the 'Pi will recapture some of that, and create a new class of Python literate children. But even in the heyday of the BBC Micro, the Speccy and the C-64, the vast majority of children knew enough to turn it on, type "LOAD PACMAN.COM" (or "*chain elite.exe"), press play on the tape deck, and then play the game. Very few of my friends outside the Comp Studies O-Level class had the remotest interest in programming.
Now, I freely admit I'm a bit out of touch with the British education system (I left to teach in International schools in 2004), but I suspect that the people clamouring for "moar [sic] programming" actually don't know what is involved in an ICT exam, and what is available as an alternative.
This is going to sound appallingly arrogant but fuck it...
The thing that educated me most about computers wasn't the clapped out BBC Micro I had in middle school, because it was just one program we used on there to teach us how to form sentences, a task that could have been more easily done with a blackboard and a book.
It wasn't in secondary school either, where we used Acorns for 5 years and only had a brief glance at Windows 95 in our final year and what "IT" information was in the course was confused and pointless.
No, my real education started at the age of 5 or 6 with my Amstrad CPC and learning to type out lines of code in BASIC. Fiddling with bits of information here and there to see what would happen (hint: it usually ended in the phrase "syntax error").
The next phase of my education came with my dad's 286DX PC and a floppy disk that offered to teach me the mysteries of MS-DOS. It started as boring distraction but the more I messed around with file systems the moer I began to enjoy myself and the knowledge I was gaining.
Phase 3 still haunts my nightmares even now and it's all thanks to Desert Strike. A highly frustrating game in itself but even getting to the final mission of the final campaign and dying to a lack of fuel was nothing compared to getting to actually run. Yes, from this monumental pain in the arse I learned how to edit config.sys and autoexec.bat files - the arcane mysteries of EMM386.exe, LOADHIGH and HIMEM, all trying to squeeze the right mix of memory in order to run it.
Then came Windows 95 and my inevitable surrender to a non-command line OS. Again, most of what I learned came from trying to run games - things such as drivers, installing new hardware and basic PC housekeeping. My dad had finally relented at this point at got me my own PC at last. The blistering speed with which it ran when it had a whopping 16Mb RAM.
I guess the point of this horribly self indulgent wall of text is that most of the stuff I learned about computers didn't come from school tuition, which in my teenage arrogance I saw as being vastly below me, but instead came from crashes, debugging and a burning desire to play games.
I still have fond memories of almost failing my computing A-level. I got bored with the database they'd asked us to work on and instead spent my time building a quite passable game of pontoon with an AI that knew when to bet and when to hold.
You are talking about ICT. This is essentially a small part of what used to be called "Office Skills". It is the successor to typing and shorthand, without the still useful touch-typing. ICT does not have much to do with Computing Science or Computer Engineering (hardware or software). Yes you can use a computer workstation as a common tool for ICT and Computer Engineering, just as pencil and paper can be used for both Algebra and Poetry.
I did GCSE IT in 2005. It was learning to use Microsoft Access and taking screenshots. Nothing else.
The problem, to be fair, is working out how to go from there to teaching programming. There's not a lot you can do with a bit of knowledge of programming. So maybe teaching HTML is a good place to start: it's more likely that people will want to build their own websites and learn a bit more than build their own apps and etc.
My advice? Take the kids away from the computers for more of it. Teach ICT like any other subject with a blackboard and pen. Ditch any requirement for schools to use software that isn't open source. Make it based on OpenOffice/LibreOffice, cloud services or (ideally) linux.
It is less about what you have got, more what you do with it!
Access is a great way to get into Visual Basic because you can't just 'record macros' like you can in Excel etc. and when you are asked (or 'tasked') to do more than just enter data you get to learn the power of programming (making it do what you want instead of what it tells you you you can have)
I don't know about OpenOffice etc. but that would just be the same as MS if you don't go beyond what it gives you. Getting a Linux installation to work can be educational, but is also not really programming - and is getting easier and easier now anyway (isn't that what the various distro's claim now one-click installs?). Even website building is point and click now as content management systems have taken away the need to write your own php code.
As noted by a few people above, programming comes from a need to do something which you can't do currently. It can (and should) start with problem formulation and then go through research into solutions and then experimenting with code writing. It is a set of skills which is much more than just knowing the programming language and - just like the mathematics from which computing is derived - teaches a great deal of life-skills, not least grammar! (Oops, time to turn off the rant mode.)
The issue seems to me that we have replaced attempts to teach problem solving in schools with simply imparting information and training people to use existing tools. That is great for turning out people who can do todays mass-market jobs, but just seems so limiting in the long run.
>There's not a lot you can do with a bit of knowledge of programming.
You can teach people how computers work, that they follow programs, how mistakes happen, that anything on a computer isn't automatically correct.
There's not a lot you can do in geography with a bit of knowledge of ox-bow lakes either.
I don't know that I'd agree that you can't do much with a little knowledge of programming - especially if you've been taught the basics of Office software (and/or others).
If you've played with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, OutLook, etc., you must know about the IDE that comes with all of those applications (and their open source counterparts) and how you can program any of them to do all sorts of things.
One of my contracts (as a Technical Writer in a regulated environment in the US) involved writing VB code such that any MS Word document based on my templates was capable of checking itself on being opened to make sure it contained certain minimally-required features and flagging any identified problems as well as creating a user-specific log file of those issues.
I devised the algorithms necessary to undertake a variety of tasks (some of them with fuzzy logic) and coded, tested, debugged, implemented and documented everything. Great fun to do and immensely satisfying.
As someone currently doing an A Level IT course I'll give you the unit titles, then you can see how bad it is!
1: Digital Business Communications (Word/Powerpoint/Email)
2: Collaborative Working (creating a magazine pullout feature in publisher in a group using e-mail)
3: Problem Solving (This is a research task. Think of an issue, carry out a survey, present your results)
4: Creating a digital showcase (Flash with some very basic animation and action script (buttons, timeline control)
9: Work experience in IT
20: Web Authoring (using a WYSIWYG editor).
Full breakdown - http://ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_10557_kd_nationals_centre.pdf
Other units available include producing a business plan, music technology and art for computer games.
And they wonder why people are bored stupid and uninterested in IT?
I would argue that HTML markup is exactly the sort of thing that makes a good start for teaching programming. It's a gentle introduction, which has immediate results, this is very important in teaching. One the one hand pupils who aren't particularly interested in computing and will probably do nothing other than this initial taster, get a basic idea of how stuff works under the hood, albeit not very deep under the hood. On the other hand, pupils who are going to take things further get a good base of logical thinking and how to deconstruct a problem into manageable chunks that can be handled by the system, which is an essential skill for teaching.
"I would argue that HTML markup is exactly the sort of thing that makes a good start for teaching programming."
I have to disagree with you there.
HTML is nothing like programming, so doesn't even come close to giving an introduction. The best it does is say "on a computer, if your type some odd-looking words and symbols it changes what happens".
This is where BASIC is actually very good as an introduction. Type PRINT "Hello World" and it does so. Very immediate results, but it is actually programming. I don't like BASIC myself, but IMHO it is the best available tool to teach an introduction to programming (although I think that's all it should be used for, with a view to moving on very soon afterwards).
Two things:
BASIC, by modern standards, is a terrible introduction to programming, Pascal or MODULA-2 are much better.
How many computers available to school kids have any programming language? All computers, by comparison, have a notepad (or similar) and a browser.
It's about gaining initial interest in the subject. For example, in chemistry you blow something up, it's not really chemistry (or at least the way it's done isn't) but it's exciting and gains initial interest.
"BASIC, by modern standards, is a terrible introduction to programming, Pascal or MODULA-2 are much better."
No , its a terrible programming language to use for real programming, but for an *introduction* its perfect. The syntax is simple and concepts are easy to grasp and thats what novices need. They really don't need to worry about syntax quirks or objects or procedures when they can't even understand if-then or loops. Sure, after 6 months of Basic move them onto something more serious, but for people who know nothing about coding its pretty much perfect.
In my day as a teacher, we would try to inspire our pupils (shows my age) by getting them to do something that was intruiging and challenging. The best IT toy I used was BigTrack (tm) which was an excellent introduction to the programming language Logo.
Of course you could argue that was just 'playing' - and so it was, just like my generation learnt most of it's programming skills.
There are 2 distinct points in my life that I remember thinking how much I liked tinkering with computers.
1 - a teacher in primary saw I was eyeing up the bbc micro in the corner of the room and set me a task - write a program (BASIC) that asks you what flag you want, and then displays that colour flag for you. Then he left me to it, occasionally coming over to see how I was going on, praise me on progress, help me on bits I was stuck on. I was about 9.
2 - playing with LOGO and something similar to the the big track thing (looked more like a turtle though) - this was again primary school.
Secondary school it all went down hill. I got taught that computers worked by having little men sat inside the keyboard, and they run up and down the wire shouting at people inside the monitor to change picture.
I also got banned in secondary school from using the bbc micros and (when they eventually got them) the early windows PCs. Why was I banned you [didn't] ask? For changing a couple of strings in menu system on the BBCs, and for changing screensaver text on a windows machine. Apparently it took them weeks to figure out how to change them back (honestly), they didn't trust me to change them because they didn't understand what I was talking about when I described how to do it.
Seems like with the right teacher you can get inspired and learn alot - with the wrong ones they will punish you and hold you back. I eventually regained my love of tinkering in college, and work as a dev now. :)
Newly arrived BBC micro sits in corner of classroom. Cassette player doesn't have auto stop. Teacher insists that play button remains pressed in order for computer to function despite the protestations of the cassette players motor.
I pressed stop and received a monumental bollocking about how I'd have to pay £500 for breaking the schools computer.
Of course I was right and nothing broke. But it just proved how moronic teachers were back then. Even today the IT teachers at many schools are just people who know how to work Word.
Late 1980s-early 1990s my computer science teachers were:
A geography teacher who...I'm not sure why she was chosen. Maybe she had a computer at home and space in her teaching schedule.
A maths teacher who, I guess, was chosen because "maths and programming are similar, right"?
A languages teacher who had done some computer programming in university. When punch cards and batch jobs were the way things were done. Made for some entertaining and enlightening stories though and helped set me up for year 1 of university where...they still were running programs overnight and leaving your printed output in a slot with your name on it. In 1994 (my university IT education turned out to be almost useless in the real world, but that's a different rant).
Equipment was a small lab with networked BBC micros (about one for every two students, which we had access to for one or two periods a week) and later a dedicated classroom with almost one RM Nimbus 286 machine per student which were almost, but not quite, compatible with actual PCs running DOS.
Don't get me wrong, they did the best job they could, really. Back then they knew this IT thing was important somehow, but they were still feeling their way around how to teach it. I did more than one case study on how a bank ATM works, for example. The focus was on learning how computers work (by that I mean actual computing fundamentals, as opposed to "press the power button to turn it on") and how to program them. But I didn't really learn anything new that I could carry into my career as a developer that I hadn't already learned 5 years earlier by hacking around in BASIC on a Spectrum. Maybe half the students wanted to learn but entered the classroom knowing more than they would ever be taught and the other half had opted for CS thinking that they'd get to play games for several hours a week!
What was kind of neat was that we had complete free reign in what we did for our A-level project. They hadn't nationalized the curriculum to some lowest common denominator yet. Out of our crop of projects we had several games (mine even used the mouse and bitmapped graphics, which...er, well, we were never taught, but I did convince the teachers to let me look at the full documentation for RM Pascal and figured it out from there) and some which were more traditional data-munching tasks.
Also, while I was busy in university learning how to wait for my printouts, a couple of friends were in a "university degree equivalent" course at the local technical college being taught that you had to turn the wordprocessor on with your thumb because of static electricity, and that typing too fast would cause the computer to get "stuck" (you know, like a mechanical typewriter).
It could be argued that starting with text markup is analgous to a program in that the engine processes the instructions to generate a web page.
More the level of a Jacquard loom than a ZX81 but a _possible_ starting place to hook a child's imagination.
I must admit that I haven't understood what is wanted by "compulsory coding". Are we after teaching children the principles of programming (flow chart, design, loops etc) or actually making them code a program in a particular language?
HTML+CSS by themselves aren't "programming" any more than putting printer control codes into a wordprocessor document in the pre-WYSIWYG days was.
You don't even have to write properly-formed HTML and CSS! It might well be unique in that the "garbage in garbage out" rule doesn't always apply. Feed crap into an interpreter or compiler (or a printer or a Jaquard loom) and you *will* get errors, or crap, out the other end. Feed crap into a web browser and you may very well get acceptable output (where "acceptable" means it looks the way you expected it to in your web browser).
I can, however, see how it could be a gateway to actual programming assuming the interest and curiosity exists to explore further and get into dynamic HTML with Javascript or something server side.
Or Python:
$ python
>>> print "Hello World"
Hello World
>>> def hello():
... print "Hello World 2"
...<2 backspaces>
>>> hello()
Hello World 2
>>><ctrl D>
Easy as Basic, no gotos, intro to classes & objects if you want to go that far. Its only drawback, if you want to see it as such, is the indentation as block structure, but since most programmers use indentation to clarify structure anyway, this is hardly a killer.
I've been thinking about running an extra-curricular/lubchtime course for interested students here and, having thought about it, I've come to think that HTML is the perfect starting point.
You need to discuss networking, ip's, client/servers, files systems and ftp, just to get going. Once you've done a bit of HTML you can move into CSS. Then maybe some PHP and Javascript. Add in some SQL and round it off with a bit of AJAX.
By using web design you get two wins in my book - fast visual results to keep the kids hooked, and exposure to more than just programming (networking, databases, file systems, etc). Because in this discussion about "IT is not Word and Excel" people seem to forget that "IT is more than just programming".
I had just finished eating my lubch when I read this comment.
Valid point.
I think the course really should be renamed to something like:
"Making a machine bend (slightly) to your will"
not necessarily programming, but it's a logical step towards realising that you CAN make a machine do your bidding if you have the requisite skill, time and energy.
Never used HTML/CSS on an AVR though. Never needed to.
Drunken bum owing to the solder flux cleaning fluid abuse.
I'm instructing the CSS as I go along, rather than as a separate subject to HTML. I'm trying to teach students the "W3C" way - you have your hypertext files for the content, and the style sheets for the presentation; keep them orthogonal to each other, and no "font" tags, thank you very much. It is a little heavy going at times, but I am giving them lots of revision exercises, and they are getting the hang of the material.
I should add that my students are trainee librarians; they're not expected to be technical, nor put together a three column layout with header and footer from first principles. They are expected to be able to put together a website at the end of the course using a tool (like Dreamweaver), and I think I am training them to do that. I'd rather teach them the way of angle brackets than just tell them the Dreamweaver menu commands to make an unordered list. That's boring and they don't learn.
My course does not cover dynamic programming, so I do not have to deal with SQL and server side scripting.
I think html is a good place to start. Yes, it's a markup language, and is entirely passive. However, if this is then followed up by moving onto client- and server-side scripts and programs and showing how they can be used to manipulate html code then that's fine by me.
Any program, whether it's producing a web page, or creating an ASIC, is producing a set of outputs based on a set of inputs. With html, you're producing a set of instructions to be parsed by an interpreter, but the same's true with Perl, C or Assembly language. The difference with html is you don't get any inputs, so the output is the same each time, hence the need for dynamically generated html.
You could teach kids how to program a CPU in a boolean algebra but I think html is probably a good place to start.
Bollocks. I find 'proper' coding far less traumatic than getting html to play nice. One is based on logic, and the other is based on tricking whatever browser you're using into displaying what you want. Admittedly, over time I guess I'd get a feel for it and spend less time pissing in the wind, but I'm a developer, not a designer.
it's not splitting hairs. HTML is script. it has absolutely no (real) conditional constructs, and is merely a medium for presentation... To this extent it isn't "coding" in any realistic sense, unless you misunderstand the meaning of of the word... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programming
HTML isn't necessarily easy. providing markup that is semantic, well formed, light, and works across multiple formats and multiple standards is (in my own experience) fairly bloody difficult most days. You're right though. This doesn't make it "Not code"... What makes it "Not Code" is the fact that it isn't "Code". it's a presentational medium that gets whisked across the internet as the result of a request to some server software operating on a remote machine somewhere transmitted via TCP/IP across multiple routers worldwide, which is then rendered in all it's glory on a clients monitor via a web browser...
I learnt to "code" before PHP or ASP existed, and learned without HTML. I suspect many others in the industry did too.
Where is the IF in HTML, and DO etc. etc.
That is why HTML is not a programming language.
The fun of learning BASIC on the BBC was doing things like asking what the time is and then getting a 'Good morning' or 'Good afternoon' when you put in different values. Things then got more involved (ie interesting to the right people) when doing things like working out an orbit etc.
Obviously you don't worry about the more complicated things until you have got the keen audience seperated from those that don't want to know.
Here - I've found it, and not only that, there are two IFs here - the one you can see, and the one the non-compliant browser doesn't...
<!--[if !IE]><!--> This ain't IE! <!--<![endif]-->
If anyone bothers to vote on this post, then judging by the rest of this board, it'll likelier than not be a dogmatic down-vote. But the point at the top of the 'Err' thread is not that to learn HTML is to learn to code - but that it's a good place to start.
Except that most HTML lessons consist of being how to use an out-of-date Macromedia Dreamweaver (yes, not Adobe). 90% of the time you're not even told to switch to code-view, just draw a table, insert some flash buttons from a template and there we go, I programmed a website and get full marks in my exam! I can assure you that *noone* finds these lessons interesting (even though who are already interested in programming).
However it did get more exciting and we were tasked to create a holiday booking system in Excel, we even got to name our holiday company! Travel First - the First name in holiday bookings!
I'm inclined to agree with AC, save to say that HTML should not be considered as a necessary introduction to programming. It's certainly a way to get someone interested if they would otherwise not consider real programming, or is scared of it.
In particular AC's words "a good base of logical thinking and how to deconstruct a problem into manageable chunks that can be handled by the system, which is an essential skill for teaching" are valid. Or don't modern techniques require programmers to be logical thinkers and have an ability to deconstruct problems?
HTML sure isn't a programming language, but it isn't as far removed as some people think.
Hmm, no with a tiny little hint of yes...
HTML does not teach programming - not even close. In some ways it actually hinders it; some of the worst HTML I've ever seen has been written by programmers - it's a totally different mindset.
HTML is purely presentational, what it teaches is the importance of semantics, do you mean strong* or do you mean b (or span style="font-weight: bold;"); are you trying to give semantic importance to the text or just make it bold because it looks better?
It teaches you that browsers will screw you over and different rendering engines will cause you headaches - making something that looks exactly the same on every platform can be an act of will and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Programming on the other hand is 95% problem solving and 5% writing the code; it's basically algebra with conditional statements (ok, functions and objects as well) - it has nothing really to do with semantics or making stuff pretty, it's about getting stuff working in, hopefully, an efficient and maintainable manner. The fundamentals of programming, the mindset if you like, can be transferred, almost in its entirety, to any programming language, programming is largely a way of thinking.
HTML, however, is a basically a way of doing, it's pretty much non-transferable (well, apart from the lessons it teaches in semantics); hell it might look a bit like XML but drop an XSL file in front of someone who's spent "an afternoon programming in HTML" and they'll be totally lost. HTML does not help you think like a programmer.
The one teeny, tiny, "yes" I'd add as a proviso would be, using myself as an example... I've always been a "tinkerer" with computers, from making maps in WorldCraft for Quake to reverse engineering the galaxy in X3 (less complicated than it sounds, the galaxy is written in XML apparently)... but somewhere long the way, doing my degree course many years ago when the web was new and shiny, I discovered websites...
Some random homepage that someone had cobbled together made me realise, "hey, I really want to know how to do that!" - and that it was something I could teach myself to do (with the aid of a few websites).
So I taught myself HTML - which was nice but a little static....
So I taught myself JavaScript (and DHTML as it was known when the web was steam powered) - which was nice but it's all a bit tedious to update, especially when you've built some templates that you're repeatedly displaying on a page...
So I learnt about SQL and databases and PHP to make maintenance easier - which is nice enough but PHP is pretty much purely web-based and I wanted to do more...
So I started on Java and C++ and C# and now the loose-typing, lack of proper method over-riding and slightly iffy OOP implementations in PHP annoy me slightly... and I'm still learning...
Where I go from here is anyone's guess - I'm an in-house web-dev, I still enjoy working on the LAMP stack - and it was HTML that made me realise that this is what I wanted to do (it's the immediacy with HTML, it's very quick to get something on screen - it's one of the things I like about C# as well).
*[whilst it's nice having HTML enabled in posts - it's a bit inconvenient, when trying to get tags to output, that < and > don't get converted]


text:
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II (b. May 18, 1920, died April 2, 2005), born Karol Józef Wojtyła, in Wadowice, Poland succeeded John Paul I and preceded Benedict XVI. He held the second longest papacy in modern times, after Pope Pius IX, and was the first non-Italian Pope in over 500 years. He became Vicar of Christ (the title given to the pope) in 1978, the year of three popes, and is now known as Blessed John Paul II after being beautified on May 1, 2011. He was fluent in ten languages and would often give his homilies in the local language of countries he visited. By using Godly Love, he stood up to the Nazis and the Communists and overcame them both. His pontificate was successful in keeping a vibrant modern Church in strict accordance with Apostolic traditions. He canonized more saints than any other pope. It is widely desired that John Paul II be sainted and have a title of "John Paul the Great."
Early Life
Karol was born the last of three siblings to father Karol Wojtyła and mother Emilia Kaczorowska. At a young age, he was a known to be gentle and loving to all. His mother died on April 13, 1929 and his older brother, who was a doctor, died of scarlet fever on December 5, 1932.[1] He lived with his father until he entered the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. He was a very good football (soccer) player and his nickname was 'Goalie'. Karol loved the arts and was involved in poetry and drama. In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. His father died on Feb. 18, 1941, when Karol was 21 years old.[2] Occupied Poland was a hard life for Karol but he survived by hiding within the underground movement. He refused any armed struggle, and was intent on keeping his freedoms and the Polish people's dignity alive through arts. He was known to help Jewish Poles against the wrath of Nazi persecution. In October 1942, at the age of 22, he entered the underground seminary to study as a priest. In 1945, the Nazis evacuated Poland and Communism through the USSR took over. In 1946, Karol Wojtyla was ordained a priest, became a chaplain at St. Florians Church in Krakow in 1949, a professor of social ethics at Krakow's Jagiellonian University 1951 and in 1958, Archbishop of Krakow. [3]
Election and Pontificate
The Conclave of Cardinals elected him Pope on October 1,1978. As Pope, John Paul II traveled to more places, visited more countries, and traveled more miles than any other previous Pope. He also conducted more public meetings with the faithful, as the total attendance of his Wednesday audiences alone eclipsed 17,600,000 people. Controversially, during his reign, as many new saints were created as had been created in the reigns of all previous popes combined.
On 22nd October 1996 Pope John Paul II made world headlines with his message1 delivered to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. It was entitled Magisterium Is Concerned with Question of Evolution for It Involves Conception of Man and resulted in headlines in many of the world's newspapers declaring that evolution and creation could coexist. His holiness stated his opinion on evolution that "In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory."
Another one of his accomplishments is the establishment of World Youth Day. Also, he wrote 14 Encyclicals, 5 books, and inumerous letters.
On May 9, 2005 John Paul II's successor, Pope Benedict XVI, waived the five year waiting period for beatification.
1 From the Vatican, 22 October 1996. Official translation published in L'Osservatore Romano, "Weekly Edition in English," 30 October 1996.
Assassination attempts
A Muslim assassin from Turkey, Mehmet Ali Agca, shot Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981 at St. Peter's Square. In critical condition, he was rushed to Gemelli Hospital with abdominal wounds and severe blood loss. The recovered pope would meet with Mehmet in prison to offer forgiveness. Years later, an Italian court ruled that the Soviets were involved in the plot, possibly done for his efforts in Poland's Solidarity movement. CIA reports have Warsaw Pact nation communist Bulgaria as a culprit. [4]
An ultra-conservative Spanish monk named Juan Maria Fernandez y Krohn attacked Pope John Paul II with a bayonet on May 13, 1982 in Fatima, Portugal. At the time, the pope concealed the fact from the public Fernandez y Krohn had wounded him with the blade. The monk was sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison for the attack.[5][6]
Due to these attacks, the "Popemobile", a bullet-proof car, was used for Pope John Paul's visit to Great Britain on May 28 through June 2, 1982.[7]
Speaking of Crossing The Threshold of Hope. God is always on the side of the suffering. His omnipotence is manifested precisely in the fact that he freely accepted suffering. He could have chosen not to do so. He could have chosen to demonstrate his omnipotence even at the moment of the Crucifixion. In fact, it was proposed to him: "Let the Messiah, the King of Israel come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." (Mark 15.32) But he did not accept that challenge. The fact that he stayed on the Cross until the end, the fact that on the Cross he could say, as do all who suffer, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15.34) If the agony on the Cross had not happened, the truth that God is Love would have been unfounded. Yes! God is Love and precisely for this he gave his Son, to reveal himself completely as Love. Christ is the One who "loved...to the end." (John 13.1) "To the end" means to the last breath.
See also
- ↑ Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) Timeline
- ↑ Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) Timeline
- ↑ Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) Timeline
- ↑ Italian Panel: Soviets Behind Pope Attack Ap, March 2, 2006
- ↑ Pope John Paul II Timeline
- ↑ Pope John Paul 'Wounded' in 1982
- ↑ Pope John Paul II Timeline

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|2009-06-04, 17:15
|Link #1047
Shion's follower xD
Spoiler for Rei ep.1:
No idea, really xD.
|2009-06-11, 21:07
|Link #1050
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Zombieland. >:3
Age: 23
Since it's really hard for me to keep up with things like this...
I have a question for the manga version of Watanagashi-hen, but only for the first volume, since that's the only one I have right now. I get really confused about Shmion...After Shion is introduced, there are quite a few points in the manga where I can't tell if the present girl is Mion or Shion. There are a few points where I think it's either Mion or Shion, but I need confirmation. So, for each of the following points in the manga, could someone tell me if it's Mion or Shion who's there?
1. (Chapter 2) Keiichi's first trip to Angel Mort, where he sees Shmion. I think this is Shion, but I'm not sure.
2. (Chapter 2) When Shmion brings Keiichi a lunch. I think this is Shion, but I'm not sure.
3. (Chapter 3) Shmion comes and saves Keiichi from the thugs. I have no idea which one this is.
4. (Chapter 3) Shortly after the thugs incident, when Keiichi and Shmion are talking about the dam project.
5. (Chapter 4) When all the otaku guys came to Angel Mort, and there was the 'incident' with Shmion. I think this might be Shion, but I need some confirmation.
6. (Chapter 4) This one really confuses me. After the Angel Mort thing, when Shmion wants Keiichi to buy the doll for her. I could see Shion asking for one so she could give it to Mion, but when it switches to Shmion's POV for a moment, she thinks: "This time...I want him to see me as a girl." That makes it sound like Mion would be saying it. However, it seems as though Shion said that, because the other twin shows up a few moments later, and she's working at the toy store (therefore, she seems to be Mion.) So...could someone please explain all that to me?
7. (Chapter 5) At the Watanagashi festival, when Keiichi and Shmion meet Jirou and Miyo.
Thanks in advance!
|2009-06-11, 22:14
|Link #1051
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: USA
Edit: All of these are correct for the Manga. I can say with certainty.
Edit 2: In the scene with Mion and Keiichi on the date, she probably did say the part about wanting the doll but not about "Being seen as a girl". Shion's motives were to harass/tease Mion here, she knows that her sister likes Keiichi.
Last edited by typhonsentra; 2009-06-12 at 07:07.
|2009-06-15, 15:58
|Link #1056
Hoshizora Kiseki
Join Date: Jan 2008
Age: 32
Sorry if someone already asked this, one day long long time ago i found a post here on AS which explained
Spoiler for for those who do not know the ending:
I looked all over the forum but wasn't able to find it. It was well done in my opinion.
|2009-06-16, 12:37
|Link #1058
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 30
Spoiler for Minagoroshi-hen:
There might be more in the sound novel but I have only played what's translated so far.
|2009-06-17, 04:30
|Link #1059
Letter from lost days ~
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Netherlands / Turkey
Age: 30
I don't know If you want an explanation, or looking for that post itself, but I'll try to give you a correct answer, I may be wrong at some points.
Spoiler for The real truth behind Higurashi - don't read unless you've played Umineko - Episode 2+:
|Thread Tools


text:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup eggnog
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons rum or 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Follow the instructions included with your waffle iron to complete the waffles. For most large, Belgian-style waffle irons you would use 1 cup of batter for each waffle. I love my waffle maker.
Yield: 4 large Belgian-style waffles


text:
Natural Nutrition & Natural Health Products
|Raw Food Workshops
|Nutrition Plans
|Detox Products
|Top Superfoods
Nutritionfriend is an informative Nutrition & Health awareness site, offering a vast range of Natural Health blogs, recipes & Products.
We have a passion for Raw & Organic Premium foods and Superfoods, & the best Nutritional health food Supplements on the market.
On our blogs and pages is FREE practical advice & information on Natural Nutriton, Detox, Weight Loss that works, Natural Fertility & Pregnancy, Natural Body Techniques and much more.
We have a Natural Vegan Recipe page with scrumptious recipes and ideas for you to try out. All are wheat free and most are gluten free too & there are loads of Raw food recipes, including raw chocolate truffles & chocolate brownies!
We specialise in one to one Natural Nutrition Consultations for health, detox, weight loss diets, pregnancy and Healthy Nutrition Plans. These diet plans are practical, personal, totally natural and driven towards your
chosen goals, whatever they might be!
These personal diet programs are taken over the phone and email support is provided for you to help you stay on track once you have started your new program or diet.
These nutrition programs are realistic to your personal lifestyle, helping you to reduce stress and are totally practical and reachable.
We recommend and sell Organic, Premium & Raw health Food Products including Dehydrators, Detox Products, Superfoods, Hand mande Raw Chocolate & Health Nutrition Supplements.
Selected Items


text:
Sovereign Order Of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller GalaDecember 5th, 2015
Perfect for printing with no watermark up to 8x12. If you need something larger, we can usually do a custom print.
Perfect for screen and social, but not great to print. There is a small watermark in the lower right corner (you can crop it out).
For a commercial or editorial license, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Nine times out of ten a Craig's List ad advertising a pure-bred dog free to a good home will send a shiver down your back after reading the ad. This one however did nothing but tickle the funny bone. Click on the image below and read through this ad. I promise it will make your day.
Pure-bred Free to Good Home
Imagine being given the ultimatum of having to part with your best friend you raised since birth or some dude that are a dime a dozen. Good for this lady to make the right call and entertain is us with her rescue and adoption ad. I can only guess there were no takers.


text:
New Catholic Dictionary – Saint Antoninus of Pamiers
Apostle of the Rouergue (1st century), born Fredelacum (later Pamiers). Having embraced Christianity he visited Rome, was ordained, and returned to Gaul to preach the Gospel in Aquitania, and especially on the frontier of the Rouergue where he is credited with many miracles. Relics at Pamiers and Palencia. Feast, 2 September.


text:
7:00 pm
Doc Martin "Out of the Woods" Mark Mylow is bitten by an adder and suffers a potentially fatal allergic reaction while camping with Al Large. Meanwhile Al's father, Bert, attempts to spruce up his son's new living quarters and the beaches of North Cornwall are being stormed by legions of poisonous fish.G
8:00 pm
Outdoor Idaho "Horse Packers & Wagon Masters" Idahoans who bond with horses and mules to follow dusty trails view Idaho's scenery at leisure and share its past. One man sets a distance record for packing with horse and mule as he rides for charity. Teamsters explore part of the Oregon Trail with wagons and mules, and trail riders head into the Selkirk Mountains.G
8:30 pm
Undamming The Elwha The KCTS9/EarthFix documentary tells the story of the Elhwa River, once dammed, now set free, following the determination that two 100-year-old dams were failing. The film includes historical photos and footage as well as interviews with those involved in the construction, operation and removal of the lower dam, the largest dam ever to be removed in the United States. Some of the footage used in the film is supplied by IdahoPTV and EarthFix Idaho reporter Aaron Kunz.G
9:00 pm
Midsomer Murders "Death of a Stranger (Part 2)" DCI Barnaby tries to uncover the connection between the initial death and the later apparent suicide at the same spot, before there can be another murder. Part 2 of 2G
10:00 pm
POV "Give Up Tomorrow" Two sisters in the Philippines disappear after leaving work for home. A 19-year-old student is sentenced to death for their rape and murder, despite evidence of his innocence, including 35 witnesses not allowed to testify in his favor. The youth is sent to a gang-run prison where he had been for seven years when two filmmakers in the United States - one a relative by marriage - begin to document his case, exposing cronyism, corruption and class/race conflict in the island country.G
11:30 pm
Charlie Rose NULL


text:
Morning light
Nadine A. Lewis 12/27/2009 12:51:53 PMGORGEOUS!!!! LOVE the shadows, Marijana! <>< #1220157
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 12/27/2009 1:05:09 PMMagical lighting, beautiful colors and shadows. A fav Marijana! #8249659
Jeff Robinson 12/27/2009 1:15:33 PMWonderful composition and lighting Marijana!! Jeff #8249679
John Connolly 12/27/2009 2:01:29 PMExcellent backlighting and amazing clarity here Marijana! Excellent work, my friend! #8249805
Ron McEwan 12/27/2009 2:05:52 PMThis is beautiful, love the perspective you captured here, very well composed for sure. #8249817
Michelle Alton 12/27/2009 2:09:41 PMThis is wonderful in every way, Marijana. But the lighting is perfectly superb. #8249830
Daniella Puente 12/27/2009 5:21:01 PMPerfect beauty... #8250176
Renaee Dimond 12/27/2009 7:23:36 PMWow, that is so beautiful! #8250433
Thomas E. Hinds 12/28/2009 7:15:56 AMBeautiful image! Great light and detail! #8251279
Natasa Mikuz 1/1/2010 11:23:24 AMThis is wonderful! Poloj? Happy New Year! #8261528
Stefania Barbier 1/18/2010 2:34:25 PMcongratulations on your beautiful finalist! #8306341
Daniella Puente 1/18/2010 2:47:43 PMCongrats! :)) #8306456
Nancyj E. Hovey 1/18/2010 3:12:45 PMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Thomas E. Hinds 1/18/2010 5:23:57 PMVery beautiful Finalist! #8308116
Randy D. Dinkins 1/18/2010 6:34:23 PMBeautiful shot. Well deserved finalist, congratulations. #8308774
Patrick Rouzes 1/18/2010 6:55:26 PMCONGRATULATIONS on this incredible finalist, Marijana! WTG, my friend! #8309024
Craig W. Myers 1/18/2010 7:43:19 PMThis is a stunning shot. Wonderful composition, DOF, and light. Hugely deserving. #8309336
Usman M. Bajwa 1/18/2010 9:57:43 PMAwesome capture, Marijana. CONGRATZ. on the Finalist Award. Good luck in the next round!!
Bojan Bencic 1/18/2010 10:39:21 PMCongratulations on your finalist, Marijana. Cestitam! #8309907
Summer A. Kozisek 1/19/2010 12:30:21 AMBeautiful image Marijana, fantastic lighting! Congratulations on your finalist! #8310225
Tammy M. Anderson 1/19/2010 3:39:27 AMAbsolutely gorgeous, Marijana. Congratulations. #8310694
Neldene Boroski 1/19/2010 3:25:16 PMCongratulations on being a finalist. Beautiful photo. Love the way the light glistens off the untouched snow. #8312786
Agnes Fegan 1/19/2010 6:40:42 PMCongratulations on your winning image...just beautiful! #8313619
Kitty R. Rodehorst-Hanna 1/19/2010 7:10:36 PMWTG on this awesome win, Marijana!!! :-)♫♪♫ k #8313783
ROLAN NARMAN 1/19/2010 7:35:34 PMHuge Congratulations on your fantastic winner Marijana! #8313875
Evy Johansen 1/19/2010 8:25:05 PMSo beautiful, Marijana!! Big congratulations on your win!! #8313993
Usman M. Bajwa 1/19/2010 10:12:15 PMWTG Marijana. CONGRATZ on landing in the Gold Zone!
Bojan Bencic 1/19/2010 10:42:36 PMCongratulations on your win, Marijana. Bravo! #8314303
Natasa Mikuz 1/19/2010 10:54:10 PMCongratulation on your deserved win, Marijana! #8314341
Stefania Barbier 1/19/2010 11:49:58 PMhuge congrats on your win!!!! #8314479
Leland N. Saunders 1/20/2010 3:17:21 AMReally beautiful in its simplicity ... well done, Marijana !!
Lee #8314778
Lisa J. Boulden 1/20/2010 5:14:05 AMA beautiful capture of light!
David Phalen 1/20/2010 6:11:13 AMBIG Congrats on a beautiful Winner!! #8315347
Renata Gusciora 1/20/2010 1:34:17 PMBig congratualtions on this fabulous winner,Marijana!!!:-) #8316372
Marijana Fajgl 1/20/2010 1:53:00 PMThank you all for your support and wonderful comments! #8316437
Dominick M. Dimacale 1/20/2010 3:13:23 PMCongratulations Marijana on your Wonderful Winner!!!
Dominick #8316616
Dianna Murphy 1/20/2010 3:55:39 PMA big warm hearted congratulations to you on your fantastic winner!!! I wish you continued success in the future.
Randy D. Dinkins 1/20/2010 4:26:32 PMBig congrats on the win with this beautiful shot. #8316889
Thomas E. Hinds 1/20/2010 5:28:22 PMWell deserved winner! Nice job! #8317135
Craig W. Myers 1/20/2010 8:11:01 PMCongratulations! #8317536
Bill Houghton 1/21/2010 6:58:16 AMMarijana, this is such s great shot. Beautiful job. Congratulations on your win. Have a wonderful day, Bill
If you have time, check out my website:
Bill Houghton Photography
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 1/22/2010 12:51:57 PMBeautiful win Marijana! Congratulations! #8321858
Mick Burkey 1/22/2010 5:58:17 PMI love the light, design and execution, Marijana! Congratulations on a well-deserved win. #8322549
Robert R. Goodman 1/24/2010 4:08:17 PMCongratulations on this beautiful finalist,Marijana!!!! #8326777
John Connolly 1/31/2010 11:38:40 AMHuge congratulations on your well deserved win here Marijana! This is one superb image! #8344869
Sam Britt 2/22/2010 5:20:00 PMBig Congrats on your second place winner, Marijana! #8408074
Sam Britt 2/22/2010 5:45:41 PMoops...I thought they had already posted January winners! #8408215
Nancyj E. Hovey 2/23/2010 3:46:58 AMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Loan Tran 2/23/2010 6:56:34 AMVery nice image, love the shadows and the angle. #8409424
Jean B. Hall 2/23/2010 8:36:11 AMBeautiful composition, and the colors are GLORIOUS! Congratulations. #8409774
Dianna Murphy 2/23/2010 9:17:48 AMBeautiful image, love the light, congratulations on your feature in Snapshot this week. #8409857
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 2/23/2010 3:10:37 PMCongratulations on your gallery feature Marijana! #8410642
Mary K. Robison 4/10/2016 5:08:24 AMCongratulations on another lovely photo getting an AT EP, Marijana!
Exif: F Number: 5.6, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 10/16000 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 125, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 6.70 mm, Model: DSC-H5
Uploaded on 12/27/2009 12:50:35 PM
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Marijana Fajgl. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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text:
Monday, October 18, 2010
When Cartoons Were Popular
Over at Greenbriar Picture Shows, John McElwee posts part one of a two part series on how theatre owners advertised animated shorts to attract customers. And here's part two.
1 comment:
- John V. said...
Although, the poster seems to have misremembered the name of "Red Hot Riding Hood".
- October 20, 2010 4:10 AM
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text:
Oscar Pistorius Set to Testify in Murder Trial
Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is expected to take the stand in his murder trial of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Devon Maylie looks ahead on what to expect from Pistorius. Photo: AP
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... how do you she ... jokes Monday ... the state has rested its case against murder accused Oscar stories ... now as this winter's tend to take it and to tell the court what happened in the early hours of Valentine's day last year ... when he fired four gunshots going locked bathroom door ... killing his girlfriend twenty nine year old model beat that team ... Mr. the stories has previously said he fired the shot ... he believes a violent into two and nineteen he needed to protect itself ... this date that ... he intentionally killed his girlfriend's ... three weeks of witness statements ... the state is trying to betray Mr. historians ... as a jealous boyfriend prone to fits of rage and negligent done this ... but by she hurtled curdling screams of the one before the sound of gunshots last year when Ms Steenkamp was kettles police photographs show the bloody floor of his background ... when Ms Steenkamp was hit by three of four gunshots fired its ... ex girlfriend testified that Mr. Pistorius went fired a gun because some of the moving vehicle Pentagon experts that Mr. stories had taken a questionnaire to show he knew when it was safe to fire a gun ... was the star it has at times over the past few weeks coveted for years and bomb it's even more ... especially during the Grissom on top of the of Ms Steenkamp ... the the the most part ... is diligently taking notes in concert with the boy ... now you must maintain that who as he takes the stand to tell them what what happened that I ... could face a gruelling cross examination of one of South Africa's best prosecutors ...


text:
Elisha Cuthbert, Katherine Heigl, Keeley Hazell and Leighton Meester
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text:
Maldives participates In MITT 2013
Maldives is currently taking part in Russia's largest B2B travel and tourism exhibition, Moscow International Exhibition (MITT 2013) held from 20th to 23rd March 2013. MMPRC together with 44 representatives from 23 companies are participating in this exhibition.
This exhibition began with a ministerial Summit. The Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinskiy, as well as international tourism ministers and leading experts, has discussed issues influencing the international inbound and outbound tourism market. Tourism Minister's from Cuba, France, Kazakhstan were in the panel of the Minister's Summit. This is the first time that MITT is hosting a ministerial level summit and the organisers have announced that they have planned to host the Summit as a major event in the future. Minister of Tourism for the Maldives has been given the opportunity to take part in MITT 2014 Minister's Summit.
With over 3,000 participating companies and 197 destinations and an estimation of over 80,000 visitors, MITT fair will be a key meeting point for the tourism industry. In addition, participating in this exhibition will lead to the development of important contacts with the tourism stake holders. The first two days of the fair are open exclusively for trade professionals. The Maldives Delegation is meeting the industry professionals and discussing collaborative ways of promoting Maldives in Russia.
Russia is a very important market to Maldives. By the end of February 2013, 15,798 tourist arrivals were recorded from Russia. With 8.2% market share, Russia is the second largest market to Maldives. The arrivals from Russia are expected to increase in the upcoming months.


text:
How to Build a
Digital Library
Second Edition
Chapter 4: Textual documents: The raw material
Figure 4.1: Entries for the word search in a biblical concordance. Cruden's Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments by A. Cruden, C. J. Orwom, A. D. Adams, and S. A. Waters. 1941, Lutterworth Press
Figure 4.2: Scanning and optical character recognition
Figure 4.3: Document image containing different types of data
Figure 4.4: Māori newspaper based digital library
Figure 4.5: The relationship between XML, SGML, and HTML
Figure 4.6: HTML example
Figure 4.7: Sample XML document
Figure 4.8: Sample DTD using a parameterized entity
Figure 4.9: Sample XML document, viewed in a Web browser
Figure 4.10: Basic CSS style sheet example
Figure 4.11: Table and list CSS example
Figure 4.12: Context-sensitive CSS example
Figure 4.13: Using CSS to specify different formatting styles for different media
Figure 4.14: XSL style sheet for the basic United Nations Agencies example
Figure 4.15: XSL style sheet illustrating tables and lists
Figure 4.16: XSL style sheet illustrating context-sensitive formatting
Figure 4.17: XSL style sheet that sorts UN agencies alphabetically
Figure 4.18: PostScript and PDF example
Figure 4.19: A PostScript document and the text extracted from it
Figure 4.20: Extracting text from PostScript
Figure 4.21: Reading a bookmark-enabled PDF document with Acrobat
Figure 4.22: More ways of producing the document of Figure 4.18a
Figure 4.23: Structure of an RTF file
Figure 4.24: LaTeX example
Figure 4.25: Effect of multiple quoting on an e-mail message


text:
|2012-07-10, 07:00
|Link #29601
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: forever lost inside a logic error
There's not much that can be said about Erika's revision, I doubt Ryuukishi even thought about that since there was no real need for it.
I guess it would have been something on the lines of what Battler used at the end of EP4, but not as bad as "small bombs".
|2012-07-10, 13:41
|Link #29603
Join Date: May 2009
Actually, you can't verify the event happened, even if you're standing in the shattered crater on an island you know for a fact to be Rokkenjima.
Can you prove a person who left no trace of his or her existence ever actually existed? Photographs can be faked. Memories can be mistaken. People can lie.
So do you choose to doubt or choose to believe? I wonder if, philosophically, it actually makes any particular difference. Whether it is more rational to believe or doubt information is going to be based solely on whether most information is true or false. Most people would argue that the overwhelming majority of information is true and therefore shouldn't be doubted, while cynics or believers in an illusory reality would believe most, if not all information is false.
Of course we run up against another wrinkle, which is that most information may be true but most information that comes from people is false. In other words, you can believe Rokkenjima existed by visiting the place, but you can't necessarily believe everyone the message bottle says was present on the island that day actually was because people are deceptive by nature. Unless of course you believe they aren't.
Ultimately, however, the question is impossible to resolve, because you have to start trusting something somewhere in order to form a foundation for trusting anything, and if you choose to doubt everything as false your position, while technically consistent, is meaningless.
So the question becomes, what degree of truth, based on trustworthy information, is satisfactory? With respect to Prime, we have no idea, because almost no information is available and practically all of it comes from corruptible sources. The best physical evidence seen is what Ange is able to gather in ep4. And as I've said in the past, I don't even know if I buy the validity of Maria's diary either.
Let's look at it this way: In the absence of knowledge of the Truth, is it better to assume the best or the worst? This kind of goes back to what I was previously talking about (sort of) regarding doubting versus believing. Although it's a bit different in that it's more of a moral question than an ontological one.
The people on Rokkenjima are dead (we presume; if nothing else they want to be seen that way by everyone). Therefore nothing we can say or do actually changes the external facts. Nobody can be arrested and dead people can't be offended by our characterization of them. This is true even of the people affected directly; Nanjo's son, for example, is no better off assuming the best or assuming the worst about his father's behavior simply because he can't know and therefore could always doubt in one direction or the other that his conclusion is acceptable and correct. Nagging doubt and slim hope may as well be the same to the extent they imbalance us from the comfort of certainty.
That presence of uncertainty means any fact can be willfully interpreted by any individual, whether positively or negatively. One can believe Kinzo was a doting grandfather or a reclusive unpleasant rapist. It doesn't change (1) what Kinzo actually was, (2) what we actually can say we know about what Kinzo actually was.
Common decency might tell us to assume the best because we'd want other people to think of us pleasantly in the same situation. But it's possible, based on facts we cannot know, that at least one of these people was a murderer! Common decency shouldn't extend so far as to view a criminal in the most positive light possible, to the extent it erases and denies their crime. It's possible there was no crime, but if there was, whitewashing it is wrong.
Really, the only morally defensible position if faced with the inability to learn any definitive information is to shrug and say "I don't know." Assuming the best about the individuals who died could be as much of a disservice to them as assuming the worst. If we can know the Truth, we should strive to find it. If we cannot, it's probably arrogant and erroneous to presume the answer was either the absolute best possible or the absolute worst possible. That's simply implausible.
|2012-07-10, 14:37
|Link #29604
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Okay you know what screw Shannon and Kanon being the same person and screw Jessica and George being the same person because we all know that the truth is that they are all the same person. ShKanJessGeo Theory. Also my other theory is that Yasu never had anything wrong with her. What happened was that as a baby Yasu was born with several physical disabilites and so the mother threw the baby in the ocean hoping it died but through several miracles that baby washed up on Rokkenjima which was an old abandoned mansion that use to belong to a very wealthy family. Soon after washing up there Yasu was saved by a flock of seagulls who raised her and she even named the seagulls. She named the biggest leader one Kinzo and all the others after other people. Eventually she fell into insanity and began to personifie the seagulls as other humans and because she lacked breasts she gave them all huge breasts. She wrote murder mysteries about her seagull friends but once she realized it was impossible for the seagulls to read she shipped them off under the name Maria because she really loved the Maria Seagull and wanted to be like her. Yasu then found a cave and a clock. She turned the switch and the island exploded because she thought the switch turned the clock on. There now everything makes sense. Also Tohya is an escaped mental patient whose soul is linked to that of the seagull Yasu had a crush on.
|2012-07-10, 14:45
|Link #29605
The True Culprit
Everyone is Battler. He never had a family, he's just some crazy hobo hopped up on Ikuko's really dubious medical skills.
"You don't need a hospital, I'll just bandage you up and grab some random shit out of the cupboard. You're fiiiine."
|2012-07-10, 21:30
|Link #29606
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
|2012-07-13, 12:32
|Link #29612
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Gnawing away at Rokkenjima
|2012-07-13, 13:55
|Link #29614
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: United Kingdom.
Tanmuz, I would direct you to the game impressions thread.
I starting to think that this thread and the aforementioned should be merged in some way, although since that wouldn't really work, or at least lock one of them.
|2012-07-13, 13:55
|Link #29615
Join Date: Jul 2012
Oh, don't get me wrong- it was beautiful. I don't quite understand it, but you don't necessarily have to understand something for it to be beautiful. Anyway, after getting some sleep and re-reading the last couple of parts, I think I got it now... Probably.
|2012-07-13, 16:17
|Link #29618
Join Date: May 2009
Then again, what if she is?
|2012-07-13, 17:53
|Link #29620
"Senior" "Member"
Join Date: Jan 2012
No, I am alive. If you are not a bot, then you are alive too :P
About EP8: All I can say is that the moment Battler punched Bern with lastendconductor.ogg running in the background was priceless. This also brings up the question: WHY was Battler able to do that? Until then it was an established thing that they (Bern and Lambda) would just disappear into mist and the attack would be a miss. And just moments ago they fought each other by using universes as weapons... So? Any ideas?
Last edited by GreyZone; 2012-07-13 at 18:09.
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Reel World
Worlds Collide
Two Worlds, an Albuquerque festival of Native American theater and film, is looking for a team of 10 to 15 American Indian filmmakers, 18 and older, to work together on the development, scripting and production of a 10-minute film that will premiere Aug. 23 during the festival at Albuquerque's VSA North Fourth Art Center. The film also will be shown at the third annual Creative Spirit screening in Los Angeles on Sept. 27. Although some background in film production is preferred, it's not necessary to be a professional or experienced filmmaker to be part of the team. Training will be provided by mentors and high-tech equipment will be available. Workshops start in July with the development and writing of a 10-page script that reflects the festival's theme, which is the conflicts confronting many American Indians today--modern ways vs. traditional ways, urban life vs. reservation life, etc. This will be followed by pre-production and training at the Duke City Shootout Digital Bootcamp, July 15 through 25. Filming begins the first full week of August and will continue for six to eight days, followed by editing. Interested persons should contact festival coordinator Ollie Reed Jr. at (505) 890-0756 or email@example.com. For more info, log on to vsartsnm.org.
Film Review
Who wants hot lead?
Amid all the high-profile comic book movies flooding theaters this summer (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2), there's one more whose roots trace, rather quietly, back to the graphic novel format. Wanted is based on a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and illustrator J.G. Jones, published by Top Cow Productions in 2003. Admittedly, the movie version takes more than a few liberties with the original property. (Like, for example, dumping the entire central conceit.) Sure, it'll inspire the ire of a few dedicated fanboys; but the film is just as likely to find a solid foothold among average, non-inkstained viewers eager to get blissed out on pure summertime action.
Film Review
Young Khan's origin story is filled with blood and thunder (literally)
The year 2008 has not been kind to foreign and independent film. In January, only 17 indie features were picked up by distributors at the Sundance Film Festival, a drop from $53 million in deals in 2007 to a mere $25 million in 2008. This year's highest-grossing import so far, the sentimental Mexican immigrant drama Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), barely scraped up $12 million at the box office. Making matters worse, Paramount Pictures recently announced it was folding its indie label Paramount Vantage (less than six months after winning Academy Awards for There Will Be Blood). Last month, Warner Bros. said it would close its specialty division, Warner Independent Pictures. (Guess all that March of the Penguins money finally ran out.) At the same time, Picturehouse, the indie arm of New Line Cinema, was shuttered after corporate overlords Time Warner made New Line Pictures just another a subsidiary of Warner Bros. None of this paints a very rosy picture for the future of films that do not star Will Smith.
Idiot Box
Super Salad
"The Middleman" on ABC Family
In a summer filled with comic book movies (Iron Man, The Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy 2), it seems inevitable that TV would go looking to the superpowered subgenre for inspiration. ABC Family jumped on that bandwagon recently, debuting the wacky superhero parody "The Middleman."


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The chant during the OJ trial was, "if the glove don't fit, then vote to acquit." In the Trayvon Martin killing, the legal system should focus on the wounds of George Zimmerman. Now that the bloody photographs of the back of George Zimmerman's head have been released, we must ask why he was charged with second-degree murder.
These photos are clear evidence that George Zimmerman was acting in self-defense, and according to Florida law, Zimmerman had a right to protect himself that tragic night.
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We expect the national news media to manipulate and mislead in a case such as this, and they didn't disappoint. NBC doctored the 911 tapes. News websites photoshopped Zimmerman's pictures to make him appear more "white." Some photos even have Zimmerman's brown Hispanic eyes as being a light Aryan blue. All this news manipulation was intent on creating racial tension.
We expected a higher standard from prosecutors. It now seems clear that they are also trying to manipulate this case for exposure and career advancement. The prosecutors have been as craven as the news media.
TRENDING: Ted Cruz Blasts Tim Kaine for Putting Politics over Constituency
The conflicting stories from the night of the death of Trayvon Martin should have been sorted out by police working in concert with prosecutors. Instead, we have seen prosecutors intimidated by a national movement intent on using Martin's death to create racial tension (and to reelect Barack Obama.)
This entire case has become a toxic political situation, and justice for George Zimmerman is being sacrificed on the altar of expediency and racial politics.
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Florida statutes are clear. To be charged with 2nd degree murder under Florida law, Zimmerman must possess a "depraved mind having no regard for human life." Also, Zimmerman would have to demonstrate malice.
Taking a human life in Florida only becomes a criminal homicide if it is without justification. Self-defense, including the use of deadly force, is explicitly recognized in Florida law.
It is likely that the decision made by police the night of the killing to release and not arrest Zimmerman was a good one. It is disgusting to see a pack of race hustlers leading a mob force to trial in this case by explicitly threatening riots if no criminal charges were filed.
Whenever a young person is killed, it is tragic. But the tragedy started when Trayvon Martin embraced the gang banger lifestyle. It happened when Martin responded by decking Zimmerman to the ground. It started when Zimmerman's head was pounded against the ground. It was only finished when Zimmerman fought back.
Prosecutors when faced with the photos of Zimmerman's injuries should have resisted responding to a mob, even when it is led by a President and an Attorney General. Prosecutors should be immune from intimidation and manipulation by political big wigs.
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Now if the Zimmerman case goes to trial, we have to look forward to a summer of deeply divisive and prolonged legal proceedings that will only heighten racial tensions.
But these tensions will be a welcomed change of topic for an administration that wants to talk about anything but their miserable stewardship of the economy.
Photo credit: ABC News
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website.
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


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Continued from this: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9837
Avalon, a kingdom that could have stood the test of time, had fallen.
Ninja, Peach and Menggu celebrated the downfall of their adversaries.
Mordred watched and waited for the OT to begin forming. His personal ice world was commence.
"What is it?" asked Mordred impatiently.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
"You never learned your lesson, did you?"
Taken completely by surprise, Mordred slew Branwen.
Or had he?
"Master... why...?"
"How is this possible? The old kingdom was far from this world..."
"The location itself does not matter, Mordred. It is for the kingdom that I have come."
"The Peach-Father will betray you... would you risk losing everything again?"
"Who are you?" demanded Mordred.
"What are you talking about? I am the father of the Peaches!"
"Answer me or die!" shouted Mordred.
A demon gate opened near the Menggu and Ninja. Legions of evil began to pour out from it.
"You're not a Peach at all! Foul trickster!"
"No, I am not. I am Glaborex, Demon Lord! This world will become mine and all the OT with it! I shall conquer the Brikverse and live forever!"
"Become the first sacrifice! I shall bathe in your corpse and inhale your blood!"
"What the-?"
A red transparent material began to fall from the sky. The Menggu and Peaches fled while the demons stared at the strange turn of events.
In the planets orbit, a lone Prussian ship circled the now icy world. Sky Marshal Myrna von Prussia stood with Lady Igraine, wife of the late Uther Pendragon.
"Und you are sure 'zat you vant to do 'zis?"
"We have no choice. Avalon is lost. Better that we destroy it before the virus spreads and those fools coming from the RIN get infected. I can't watch. Please do it quickly."
"Vat are you schtaring at? You heard 'ze voman! Direct all firepower at Avalon!"
Mordred could hardly believe it. After all he had accomplished, Avalon was becoming a second Ice World but it was slipping away fast.
It was he that had attacked Avalon in the first place...
It was his terrible android that had devastated the planet...
It was he that had orchestrated the Warhead Shard's arrival on the planet in case his plans had gone awry...
It was he that had instigated the war between Avalon and their brethren on Cymru...
Now all he could do was watch as his endeavors had crumbled before him. He pulled out his teleporter...
...And fled to his private vessel orbiting the planet.
The world was growing colder still. With the RT falling from the sky, the temperature dropped enough to form the long awaited OT.
The Prussian engineers carefully inspected the computer.
"Impact in five, four, three..."
"I can't watch!" exclaimed Lady Igraine.
"Here 've go!" said Myrna.
"Igraine? Frau Igraine...?"
"Its over. Its finally over. Avalon is gone."
"Ja, but 'zere vas nothing 've could do. Avalon's enemies had grown too schtrong."
"We fought ourselves and the Menggu, but we failed to see the real enemy the whole time. I wonder if the Brikverse will learn from our mistakes."
"I don't 'zink 'zat ist possible."
"Mommy! The planet's gone! Is daddy safe?" said the child of Uther Pendragon and Lady Igraine.
Igraine took her son by the hand and walked out of the room.
"Come Arthur, its time you learned something about your father."
Sky Marshal Myrna observed the navigation instruments.
"Vas 'zere a schtrong enough 'zignal left behind from 'zat ninja's ship?"
"Ja Kommander. Do you vant to follow it?"
"Ja. Let's kill ourzelves a ninja."


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Nose dive jokes. Cockpit jokes. Landing strip jokes.
Don't get the Internet started, folks.
US Airways was -- eventually -- embarrassed and apologetic after tweeting a pornographic photo of a woman lying on a bed with a plane inserted into her vagina. The image link was sent to a Twitter user with the message: "We welcome feedback, Elle. If your travel is complete, you can detail it here for review and follow-up."
And it stayed on the airline's account for an hour before it was noticed and an apology was sent out, with the assurance the company is "investigating."
We apologize for an inappropriate image recently shared as a link in one of our responses. We've removed the tweet and are investigating.
— US Airways (@USAirways) April 14, 2014
Meanwhile, Internet commenters who live for this stuff did their thing.
Those comments could not be reprinted, however. We've already said too much.


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Jenrry Mejia is seeking a second opinion on his medial collateral ligament, as is his right, but don't bet the new doctor will offer a better alternative than Tommy John surgery. And, regardless of whom performs the surgery, the Mets can't think all will be well in a year.
The Mets must continue on without Mejia in their plans, and although there are examples of pitchers who have come back from the surgery, there are similar examples of those who did not. Subsequently, the Mets must conduct business without Mejia in their plans and consider anything out of him in the future as a bonus.
The Mets eschewed an opportunity last season to deal Mejia, and the thinking at the time was sound. He was too good a prospect to just deal. I thought the Mets handled Mejia poorly last year in juggling his role, and it is speculation as to how much that contributed to the injury.
It will be at least a year before we know whether Mejia will be sound enough to pitch, and even then there's no guarantee he'll be a hot prospect again.
There are examples on both sides of the aisle, of those who returned to have successful careers, and those who didn't.
There's no way of knowing where Mejia will be, but this much is sure, the Mets will be seeking pitching. The question is: How much are they willing to spend, both in prospects in the trade route and dollars in the free agency path next winter? The Mets must consider anything they get from Mejia as a bonus and look to build without him.
These pitchers made it back from Tommy John surgery: Josh Johnson, John Smoltz, Billy Wagner, David Wells, Tim Hudson, Mariano Rivera, Francisco Liriano and Chris Carpenter. And, of course, Tommy John.
These pitchers didn't make it back: Kerry Wood (although he had a good season last year as reliever for the Yankees), Scott Williamson, Pat Hentgen, B.J. Ryan, Darren Driefort, Kris Benson, Phil Humber, Jaret Wright, Mike Hampton and Bill Pulsipher.
There is a wide enough sampling where it can go either way with Mejia, but we won't know for at least a year, and there's no telling what the Mets' financial landscape will look like by then.


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Environmental groups are demanding "a full and open" investigation into the cause of Scotland's worst oil spill in a decade as cleanup efforts to stave off an environmental disaster continue.
More than 200 tons of oil have spewed from a Shell-operated pipeline connecting an oil well to the Gannett Alpha platform in the North Sea, 112 miles east of Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland.
The transparency calls came after the Anglo-Dutch company was accused of shrouding the leak in secrecy. It took two days from the time the spill was detected for information about it to be made public. Shell responded with a detailed apology on Wednesday.
Scotland's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Director Stuart Housden, whose group was angered by its exclusion from the initial response to the spill, endorsed Shell's apology but said that a forthcoming inquiry needed to be "open and transparent."
A full investigation into the leak by government health and safety specialists will produce a report to send to the Crown Office, and prosecutors will decide whether to proceed with court action. Any guilty parties must be made to pay, Mr. Housden says.
"We need to know what happened," he says, "Why and if those responsible will be held accountable."
World Wildlife Fund Scotland was similarly unimpressed with the slow release of information. Director Richard Dixon says the public will make up its own mind on the spill, given the "grudging" nature of what Shell made public.
Threat of more leaks looms
The groups' demands for disclosure came as it was revealed that 600 tons of oil remained in the faulty system and the government expressed concern that more oil could be released if work to shut off a leaking valve, planned for today, went awry.
Helicopters armed with detergent and vessels equipped with booms are on standby should more leaks occur. So far, work to place a concrete blanket over a section of depressurized pipeline in order to push it back into the seabed has been successful, Shell said. Pushing it into the seabed would stabilize the pipe, which rose up about four feet in some sections.
Although the spill is regarded as "significant" by government authorities, a government advisory group said the risk to wildlife and the environment has been "minimal." Shell believes the released oil will be dispersed naturally. According to some reports, the remote location will keep the environmental impact low.
However, Shell admitted that at least one seabird had been spotted covered in oil, signaling the possibility that more could have come into contact with the spill and underscoring environmentalists' fears.
'A bad mistake'
Shell's belated explanation on Wednesday in the Scottish national newspaper The Scotsman included some honest assessments of the damage.
Steve Harris, head of external affairs and communications at Shell Upstream International Europe, told the paper: "Could we have done better? Obviously. But we have tried really hard to make sure the data we have put out is accurate. The motivation from us was absolutely not one of trying to cover it up. We knew that we had made a bad mistake and we would have to explain what had happened."
He revealed that the pipeline that was the source of the leak was 30 years old and had somehow been missed by inspectors who were surveying equipment. Mr. Harris admitted that the spill – photographed from the air by Marine Scotland, showing a noticeable sheen – had expanded to 16 square miles.
However, Harris refused to comment on how the leak occurred, saying that the investigation would look into the cause.
About 1,300 barrels spewed out before the leak could be stopped, and Shell admitted that there was a second leak at a valve 800 feet below the surface that is thought to be discharging about a barrel a day. Divers are working to shut it off.
Friends of the Earth Scotland Chief Executive Stan Blackley says that despite assurances from Shell that they are in "total control," the company appears to be struggling to get to the bottom of the spill.
Greenpeace UK expressed concern about Shell's plans to drill in the Arctic beginning next July, which US authorities green-lighted last week.
"What does the ongoing North Sea oil spill say about Shell's plans to open up the Arctic, where an accident would be all but impossible to clean up? Especially now the existence of a suspected second leak at its Gannett Alpha platform has been revealed?" a posting on the group's blog asks.


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Today's blog refers to Albert Mohler's recent critique of the BioLogos Foundation. Dr. Mohler's speech is available here, and a transcript is also available.
The BioLogos Foundation exists in order that the Church, especially the Evangelical Church, can come to peace with the scientific data which shows unequivocally that the universe is very old and that all of life, including humankind, has been created through a gradual process that has been taking place over the past few billion years. BioLogos exists to show that this fact (and it is a fact), need not, indeed must not, affect our relationship with God, which comes about through Jesus Christ, and is experienced by the power of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence.
We at BioLogos believe that Jesus, fully God and fully man, walked on this earth 2,000 years ago in order to show humankind how to live life to the full. Jesus died in order that we, sinful humankind, might be clean. His shed blood has made us clean. We need not live under the power of sin any longer. We are called to an infinitely better life that is made possible because we have been forgiven through the event of Calvary, and because of the resurrection power that raised Jesus from death to life. That death to death at the tomb near Calvary was not metaphorical, and the new life we live in Christ is not metaphorical either. We are empowered to live fully gifted lives; we are empowered to live out our calling, enabled by the resurrection-power of God's Spirit which dwells in us. The Church has existed through these past 2,000 years because the Power of God's Spirit is alive in God's Church. We believe the Bible, a living document through which the Holy Spirit continues to speak today, is the divinely inspired Word of God.
There is a segment of the Church, it happens to be the segment to which I subscribe, evangelicalism, which is in turmoil over the question of the age of the earth and whether God created all of life, including humans, through a gradual process. Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of America's largest protestant denomination, has recently given a speech, "Why Does the Universe Look So Old?" The speech may be found here. We have produced a transcript of this speech which can be read here.
There are times when God uses particular events to accomplish his purposes. I believe that the publication of Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene is one such "event." Dawkins clearly outlined in a remarkably lucid manner the ramifications of an atheistic view of the biological data. We are "survival machines" Dawkins said, which have been created by DNA molecules to ensure their propagation through the eons of time. For those of us who vehemently disagree with an atheistic view of the universe, it is eminently helpful to have someone put it in such crystal clear terms. Are we simply machines created through a blind materialistic force or not? If this is the ultimate ramification of your belief-system, then state it clearly. That's what Dawkins did.
Mohler, another masterful communicator, has laid out the issues for the Church from the other side. The Church must accept a young earth and no macro-evolution, he says. There is no wiggle room. If we squirm, the Church will begin the downhill slide to apostasy. BioLogos, he says, "is becoming the locus classicus for discussion" and he would like people to recognize that the BioLogos website is the poster child for the apostasy that will result if the Church lets go of its young earth perspective. Scientific evidence, he implies, will never be able to trump biblical exegesis as he thinks it must be done, or even more importantly as he sees it, theology. "Why does it look so old?" Dr. Mohler concludes, "Well that, in terms of any more elaborate answer, is known only to the Ancient of Days." Dr. Mohler has been clear and this is helpful to the conversation.
BioLogos is a place for conversation. We are trying to help the Church see that there is no doubt about the scientific data and we are also trying to stimulate conversation about the theological and pastoral ramifications of the data. We ask questions, and we seek answers. For example, since there is no doubt about the earth being old, what are the ramifications of that for an understanding of Genesis One? As another example: since there is no doubt that God created humans through a gradual process, what are the ramifications for the classical view of Adam and Eve? Paul thought that Adam was historical—are we in hermeneutical trouble if we view Adam as being non-historical and simply a representative for all of us? Do we get into theological problems if Adam is viewed in non-historical terms? Is there a middle ground, for those who hold to a real historical Adam, but who also accept evolutionary creation? Why are these questions so important? Why are they so important to individuals? Why are they so important to the Church? Why are they so important to Christian colleges? Where does one draw the line that marks that place where one has left evangelical Christianity? Whose view of that line should we recognize? How can we demonstrate that the heart of the Gospel message has nothing to do with the age of the earth or how God chose to create life? Since God created through an evolutionary process, what does it mean to say that "God created?" How does all of this affect our view of Scripture as a whole?
BioLogos is a place where Christians can come to ask questions and to seek answers. However, if BioLogos is not also a place where people can sense God's Presence in the way the questions are framed and the manner in which we seek answers, then the BioLogos project deserves to fail.
I love Micah 4 where the prophet speaks of people streaming to the mountain of the Lord's temple which will be raised high above the hills. At that point in time, he was speaking to a little band of people, but Micah's words have come true: the mountain, which is the Church, is no longer just a little band of people.
In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains: it will be raised above the hills and people will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths….they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under own vine and under his own fig tree and no one will make them afraid for the Lord almighty has spoken. (Micah 4:1-4).
BioLogos must predominantly be a place where people come to ask questions expecting that the Lord "will teach us his ways." He will do this as we listen to each other—we, the members of the Body of Christ. The swords have all been beat into plowshares and the spears are pruning hooks. They can't exist within the Body of Christ and we must never be guilty of constructing them. Not only will God teach us corporately through each other, He will also teach us individually, on our knees before our all-knowing and all-wise God. We all need to listen though.
We will make mistakes. We will stumble. We may even fall. However, having fallen we'll get back up on our feet as we listen to what God wants to say to us through each other and through our own individual acts of humble worship.
In tomorrow's post, Karl Giberson, who was singled out in the speech, will respond to some of the details of Dr. Mohler's address.


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Monday, April 29, 2013
Winning Don't Come Easy
Over the first four weeks of the season, I've found myself stifling the impulse - sometimes successfully - to lecture fans like a scolding auntie. "Don't throw paper airplanes!" "Stop booing your own players!" "Cheer in anticipation, not just in reaction!" "It's early!"
Nag, nag, nag.
Mostly, though, I've tried to resist the urge to harangue fans for the manner in which they express themselves, because really, who am I to say how you should cheer on your team? Or maybe more to the point, who am I to tell you how you should express your outrage at how the season has unfolded thus far?
At the same time, it seems as if the Jays' floundering start to the schedule has made a vocal portion of the fanbase go positively loony. Observing what happens when outlandish preseason expectations collide violently with a poor start is the stuff of which Funniest Home Videos are made.
Still, if you count yourself among the patient or rational at this point, it's getting harder to maintain a position that we'll soon return to something resembling normalcy. In fact, if my Twitter interactions are any way to gauge the conversation - they're probably not, but play along - then anyone who shows something less than outright rage towards the team gets assailed as a simpleton and an apologist.
And look: I get it. This has been one of the most disheartening starts to a season in recent memory, which is only magnified by that initial excitement. There's 20 years of pent up enthusiasm waiting to be unleashed, but over the first month, we've been treated to some underwhelming pitching, awful fielding and offense that is seemingly incapable of sustaining a rally more than once per week.
Yes, it's been some nasty-looking baseball in the early-going. But one of the things that some fans forget about baseball over the long winter is that the game is replete with negative outcomes. It's really the nature of the sport that success is often a function of just not failing.
This certainly runs counter to the way in which we discuss sports, especially in Canada. Our winter pastime is so overrun with conventional wisdom that many of us fall into the trap of addressing sports in absolute terms. "You gotta," as they say.
"You gotta catch that." "You gotta hit with runners in scoring position." "You gotta take your bat off your shoulders." "You gotta beat those teams."
But the fact is that baseball - perhaps more than any other sport - resists those absolutist tropes. Good players make bad plays. Bad players have good at bats. Bad teams beat good teams. Bad pitchers strike out good hitters. Good teams have bad weeks, and bad months, and even bad seasons.
Take, for instance, the 1986 Blue Jays. Coming off their first playoff appearance and a 99-win season, the almost identical team won 13 fewer games. They scored marginally more runs, but almost every starting pitcher had a down year the following year. Same set of people, with presumably the same skills as the year before, but lesser results. It happens.
What we've seen thus shouldn't be taken to represent what the rest of the season will look like. Though this team has far underperformed over the first weeks, there is so much more baseball to play yet, as tiresome as it is to hear that said repeatedly. I get tired of saying it.
And we shouldn't forget that winning is a painful process in baseball. Few teams ever truly run away with a division, or clinch a playoff berth with ease. Even for the best teams, it's always a long and agonizing season, filled with bad series and bad breaks and injuries and ump shows and dunderheaded managerial decisions.
To be a baseball fan, you have to embrace the agony.
7 comments:
- Dan Daoust said...
Yeah, but still.
- April 29, 2013 at 2:09 PM
- Spiffy McBang said...
I'm not prone to raging over things I can't control. And I want to believe there's plenty of season left for the Jays to get it together to make the playoffs. So I googled the AL standings for previous years, back to 2000, to see how many wins it's taken for teams to secure the wild card spot.
The highest was 102. The lowest was 91 (twice). The median was 95.
If we assume it would take 91 wins to make the play-in game- probably too low, given that last year the Orioles and Rangers needed 93- the Jays would have to win 82 games the rest of the way. That pace equals 98 wins over the course of a full season. I don't think anyone expected all that of the team, and that's a best-case scenario.
So, while I'm not angry, I am disappointed to be in April and already feel like the team is destined to play for next year. I understand that sounds like I'm jumping the gun way too fast, seeing as that 98-or-more-game pace could decrease dramatically if the team pulled a week-long winning streak out of their asses, but being in this division (several Central and West champions had 90 or fewer wins) means any such run would have to be combined with a high level of consistency the rest of the time, and it would have to start today.
If September comes and the Jays are even sniffing a playoff spot, I'll break out my pom poms and cheer my little head off for them to finish the job. But it doesn't seem reasonable to even hope for that right now unless something drastic changes with their fortunes, even if that change only boils down to getting wins because they've found a way to stop Travis Hafner from kicking them all over the field.
- April 29, 2013 at 6:31 PM
- JaysMiLBStats said...
Everything you said was true, my friend. The only caveat here is: at which point is the hill too steep to climb? We don't have the luxury of making the " tough schedule" excuse, despite playing 39 games in 41 days, because, hey, it only gets tougher ahead. At some point, it becomes too late to dig ourselves out of this hole. Seeing that this team definitely has the potential of getting worse as its aging "stars" get worse and better paid I tend to think that this season was "the one". Then again, Buehrle can rebound, JJ resign for next to nothing and start his march towards Cy Young-hood, Bautista start OPSing a 1000 again etc etc.
- April 29, 2013 at 6:39 PM
- Chad said...
What would Keith Law say?
At least if we're sellers at the deadline, we'll have lots to sell!
- April 30, 2013 at 12:34 PM
- Jim ndawn said...
I'm a little concerned that the underperformers that we have were underperformers in Miami. Maybe we were expecting miracles?
- April 30, 2013 at 1:40 PM
- Spiffy McBang said...
Buehrle has been consistent everywhere he's been. Maybe he'll keep being awful because he misses his pit bull, but it seems more likely he'll figure it out. And Johnson's risk is injury; he's never posted a 4+ ERA except in 2007, when he only made four starts.
If there's a real concern to be had about either of them posting numbers substantially worse than they have in their careers to date, I'd pin it on the defense playing behind them. Crap fielding doesn't necessarily show up as errors, but it does lead to higher ERAs and more losses.
- April 30, 2013 at 4:46 PM
- Chad said...
I am happy we got some meaningful games in this year. Sure, I hoped for meaningful games in September, but having some meaningful games in the first week of April was pretty meaningful.
- May 2, 2013 at 8:20 AM