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Fri Apr 29 13:26:25 PDT 2005
I find it interesting that the term "person of faith" has taken on the same connotations as "person of color"; poor, oppressed, marginalized. It used to be a badge of honor and morality.
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Sat Jul 24 15:28:23 PDT 2004
Why is the Phillipines the poorest country in Asia? Perhaps it has
something to do with the people there. The cargo cult mentality is alive and
flourishing there, even among the most highly educated and wealthy.
The low-income Filipinos tend to be healthy, because they have a simple, but
healthy diet. Fresh, salty fish and lots of corn grits grown without
pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The rich Filipinos eat far too much white
rice, as a sign of status, and suffer the same ailments European royalty did
800 years ago when their diet was similarly unbalanced.
The low-income Filipinos don't eat healthy food by choice; they fervently
desire to eat white bread, white rice, and use pesticides and chemicals in
their farming so they can be "modern" and "Western". They believe that such
behavior would magically increase their crops and let them make more money.
The women avoid breast-feeding if at all possible; no, they want to
bottle-feed their babies with baby formula, so they can live the lifestyle of
the rich Westerners they see on billboards and on TV. Being able to
bottle-feed is a sign of status and wealth.
Vaccinations, which are causing a wave of autism and mercury poisoning in
the West, are another status symbol Filipinos eagerly seek out. Westerners do
it, so the epitome of success for a Filipino is to have all his children
vaccinated. Autism is a small price to pay for the glamor and high status.
Even well educated Filipinos have fallen for the mythical glamor of the
West, at the cost of their own health. Even when they come to the West and
learn of the problems with the practices of the West, the allure of having
status in the eyes of their family back home makes them ignore the warnings.
If they ever got enough money I believe they would wreck their country
entirely. I have no fear of that however. They don't have what it takes.
Every Western husbandman keeps a careful eye on his animals, tending them when
they get sick, only letting suitable matches take place when the animals are in
a mood to breed, and assisting in the birthing process. Filipinos often don't
even know their carabaos are pregnant until the animal has given birth! They
don't fence their animals in to protect them from predators, and they never
domesticated the local dogs to help out with the farming tasks. So instead the
dogs act as predatory scavengers, running in packs that keep everyone awake
into the wee hours of the morning.
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Sat Jul 24 01:49:19 PDT 2004
Trying out a new recipe for soft chewy unleavened bread tonight.
It seems promising. If it works out, I'll use it at the next
Passover. Stiff brittle crackers and Catholic wafers don't seem like
a meal, and Passover is supposed to be a real meal, with foot-washing
and all.
1 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 eggs
Stir the salt, sugar and flour together. Bring oil and water to a
boil. Add to the dry mixture. Then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Let it stand for 15 minutes, then oil your hands and shape the dough
into rolls. Bake for an hour at 400 degrees on a well-oiled cookie
sheet. The bread is done when it is golden brown.
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Sat May 15 10:59:32 PDT 2004
Wednesday a visitor from Toronto mentioned that there were no copies of the
ten commandments posted in the house. I immediately asked him, "should there
be?" He replied affirmatively. He quoted Deuteronomy 11:20-21 as evidence.
The Jewish mitzvah of mezuzah, although distorted and ritualized in typical
Pharisee fashion, is based on a genuine commandment. Jews hide the text itself
inside a box. They touch this box for good luck. The point of posting the
commands was that people entering the house could stop and read them if they so
wished, as a continual reminder of the importance of living under God's Law.
Jewish mezuzahs only contain the command to post the ten commands on the
doorpost and NOT THE TEN COMMANDS THEMSELVES. In these two ways (and in others
which I won't get into here) they twist God's word and make it of no account.
However, the text that they do put in their mezuzahs is worth reading, so I
will quote it here.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD
thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day,
shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in
thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them
for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy
house, and on thy gates. — Deuteronomy 5:4-9
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall
hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love
the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 That I will give you the rain of your land in
his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in
thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I
will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not
deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and
he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her
fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth
you. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words
in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that
they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in
thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon
the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of
your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them,
as the days of heaven upon the earth.
— Deuteronomy 11:13-21
Much of the Bible is filled with literal symbols. That is, things that may
have a symbolic meaning, but that need to be done physically. When you obey
one of the physical laws of God, that is the best way to get peoples attention.
Then they ask about the meaning and reason for the law. Obeying God's law is
the most effective witness one can give. I now have both versions of the ten
commandmants posted on my door where they can be read; the version in Exodus
chapter 20, and the version in Deuteronomy chapter 5.
God's Laws are external signs by which believers can recognize each other,
and by which others can learn. Only God can read the heart, but he made it
clear throughout the Old and New Testaments that what is in a persons heart
shows itself in their actions. You say the Law was done away with? How then,
am I to recognize you as a Christian brother if you do not do as Christ
commanded? You verily cause me to sin, if I have no way of telling if I should
give you the love owing a brother, or treat you with the caution owed an enemy
of YHWH.
If being Christian was a crime, would there be any evidence to convict
you?
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Thu May 13 02:24:53 PDT 2004
When growing up in small-town Canada, in a little fishing city known as
Prince Rupert, I saw the hand of YHWH in action. I didn't know it at the time.
Very few people in the city knew it. It is only today, more than a decade
later, that I know it. The issue was the observance of the Sabbath. Like
every other Christian town, local businesses were forbidden to do business on
Sunday, the Lord's Day. For many months, a group of businessmen pushed for
repeal of the city ordinances forbidding Sunday commerce. It was the talk of
the town. Eventually, city council acted as the businessmen desired.
A year later, maybe even two or three years later, the towns economy
collapsed. It didn't happen at once, but it did happen observably. Industry
after industry shut down, left, downsized, and reduced worker hours. Fishing
was reduced from year to year to a tenth it's former size. 17 years later the
town has less than half it's previous population, and the main industries are
still shut down and sporadic. The businessmen who thought they were going to
make so many more sales by opening on the Sabbath make less than half what they
used to. Many of the smaller ones had to close shop entirely. Of the regular
citizenry, many were forced to leave town because of lack of work.
True story. Make of it what you will. The good townsfolk blamed "The
International Economy". I see it as a clear sign that Sabbath observance is
still important for Christians. What other commandment was repeated nine
times? Read your Bible daily, and obey Jesus commands. You will live long and
prosper.
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Mon Apr 26 00:04:30 PDT 2004
A man who refuses to have a beard is a man who refuses a gift from God. If
a human father gives good gifts to his children, how much more so does the
Heavenly Father? Who could refuse a good gift from one's father? If obeying
God is seen as rebelliousness by men, should a man then rebel against God?
Never! For this reason the prophets wrote, "The wisdom of man is foolishness
with God." Yet again, they wrote, "He wants obedience instead of a sacrifice."
It is by a Christians good example of obedience to the Lord that he incites
others to love and fine works. If the salt loses his savor, how shall his
savor be replenished? What is pleasing in the eyes of men is not what is
pleasing in the eyes of God, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are God's ways higher than our ways, and his wisdom is beyond our understanding.
Blessed is the Lord!
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Tue Apr 13 00:29:32 PDT 2004
Found this jewel on the web tonight:
APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER
NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied by a
complete financial statement, job history, lineage, and current medical report
from your doctor.
1. NAME ___________________________________ DATE OF BIRTH ________________________
2. HEIGHT _____________________ WEIGHT ____________ I.Q _________ G.P.A. _________
3. SOCIAL SECURITY # ____________________ DRIVERS LICENSE # ______________________
4. BOY SCOUT RANK ________________________________________________________________
5. HOME ADDRESS ____________________ CITY/STATE ____________________ ZIP _________
6. Do you have one MALE and one FEMALE parent? ___________________________________
If No, EXPLAIN _______________________________________________________________
7. Number of years your parents have been married ________________________________
8. Do you own a van? ______ A truck with oversized tires? ______ A waterbed? _____
Do you have an earring, nose ring, or belly button ring? A tattoo? _______________
(If "yes" to any of #8, discontinue application and leave premises )
9. In 50 words or less, what does "LATE" mean to you?
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. In 50 words or less, what does "DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER" mean to you?
__________________________________________________________________________________
11. In 50 words or less, what does 'ABSTINENCE" mean to you?
__________________________________________________________________________________
12. Church you attend _________________ How often do you attend __________________
13. When would be the best time to interview your father, mother and priest,
pastor or minister? __________
14. Answer by filling in the blank: please answer freely. ALL answers are
confidential (That means I won't tell anyone-ever-I promise.)
a) If I were shot the last place on my body I would want wounded is ___________
b) If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my __________________
c) A woman's place is in the __________________________________________________
d) The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is _____________
e) When I first meet a girl, the first thing I notice about her is ____________
( NOTE: If your answer begins with "T" or "A", discontinue. Leave premises
keeping your head low and running in a serpentine fashion is advised.)
15. What do you want to be IF you grow up? _______________________________________
I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY
KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, NATIVE AMERICAN ANT TORTURE,
ELECTROCUTION, CHINESE WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, AND HILLARY CLINTON KISS
TORTURE.
________________________________________
Signature (That means your name, moron)
Thank you for your interest Please allow four to six years for processing. You will
be notified in writing you are approved. Please do not try to call or write (since
you probably can't and it would cause you injury.) if your application is rejected,
you will be notified by two gentlemen weaning white ties and carrying violin cases
(You might want to watch your back)
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Wed Apr 7 17:19:05 PDT 2004
Chicken noodle soup for vegetarians. Discovered this recipe by accident
today. Set the kettle on to boil. Put two tablespoons of bee pollen and two
tablespoons of nutritional yeast in a beer stein (or any other mug that holds
two cups). Grind up one tablespoon of red spring wheat and one tablespoon of
whole red lentils into a flour. Put the flour into the mug. Pour the boiling
water into the mug, and stir with a licorice stick. By this I mean an actual
piece of wood from a licorice tree. Add four ice cubes and stir until they are
dissolved. Leave the licorice stick in the broth. This is as nutritious, if
not more nutritious than actual chicken soup. It has the complete set of amino
acids, and almost all of the vitamins, trace minerals that the body needs. It
is also high in body-building protein. Bon apetit!
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Mon Apr 5 23:52:45 PDT 2004
On Saturday, March 14, I saw Mel Gibon's new movie, The Passion of the Christ. First I'd like to
discuss the flaws in the movie, but then I have some positive things to say,
specifically about some of the so-called "extra-biblical" parts that were
added. I saw the movie once, and took notes. The movie was disturbing, but
not because of the gore and violence. I found it's theological errors the most
troubling, because the acting, directing, and historical reenactment were
superb. It felt like the whole thing was a bash-Jesus fest, disguised to
convince Christians to watch it, for the purpose of mocking their blind trust
and faithfulness. It had a very Satanic spirit.
Flaws
In the Garden of Gethsemane, it didn't include all of Jesus lines that he
said when Peter cut off the soldiers ear. The way the lines were delivered,
one could almost construe them to mean that Christians shouldn't possess
weapons to defend themselves, directly contradicting Jesus earlier command at
Luke 22:36.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the soldiers behavior was unrealistic. In the
Bible account, the soldiers were scared of Jesus, and drew back from him.
Worse, the soldiers start beating Jesus right there in the garden. There is no
biblical evidence for that, nor is it likely that if a known miracle-worker was
to just say "I will go with you", they would start beating him the next
instant. No beatings are mentioned in the Bible, and were inappropriate. Yet
Mel Gibson showed Jesus being beaten all the way to the Sanhedrin.
In the Sanhedrin scene, it showed a mob outside. This does not square with
the Bible account, which shows the proceedings as being held in secret. After
all, that is the reason they were held in the dead of the night. It got Peters
three denials of Christ entirely wrong. Instead of being pushed around a crowd
as the movie shows, Peter and the slaves of the priests and elders were
sitting around a fire, trying to warm their chilly hands. Peters denials
happened over a period of some hours. The movie doesn't even have the rooster
crowing when Peter makes his third denial.
Inside the Sanhedrin itself, the movie made an unconscionable addition. In
the Biblical account, it says the Sanhedrin did nothing to Jesus for lack of
evidence (hence they sent him to Pilate). In the movie, it shows several
Pharisees standing up in protest at the "lack of evidence" and storming out,
angry at having been woken up in the middle of the night. This is un-Biblical;
the Sanhedrin as a whole shared the desire to kill Jesus; the type of internal
dissension shown by the movie goes against the spirit of the Bible account.
The scene where Judas made his traitorous deal with the Pharisees was also
wrong. The Bible says the Pharisees rejoiced when Judas came to them with his
offer. They would have had a happy attitude, and treated him benevolently.
Instead it shows the Pharisees treating him with contempt, which politically
savvy characters like the leaders of the country would not have done until he
had served his purpose.
The scenes of the death of Judas were also inappropriate. The movie showed
demonic little children chasing him into the desert until he collapsed. He
strangled himself out of guilt in the Bible. Why would Satan harass Judas to
death, after Judas had carried out his will so well?
When Jesus was sent to Herod's court, Herod was depicted as flagrantly
effeminate. Hardly the kind of man who would be so pleased by his
step-daughters dancing that he offered her half his kingdom.
In the Barabas scene, the movie made no mention of the fact that Barabas was
no common thug, but was an actual rebel leader, commander of hundreds of
troops, a Judean revolutionary zealot. As such, he is extremely unlikely to
have been as ugly, uncouth, and ignorant as the movie makes him out to be.
Again, when the Romans were beating Jesus, it showed the Pharisees in an
unrealistically positive light; it showed them turning away from Jesus
scourging in disgust. In fact, it is unlikely anyone but the soldiers were
present for the scourging.
After the Roman scourging scene, it showed Jesus mother and sister wiping up
his blood with white towels. I think this is inappropriate in that it tends to
legitimize the ancient relics industry. Even more so later on when the movie
showed a very Jewish looking girl kissing a towel with which she wiped blood
off Jesus when he fell en route to the site of the stauros.
When Jesus was carrying his stauros, the movie shows the Romans whipping Jesus
brutally the whole way, after he was already incapacitated by earlier beatings.
There is no Biblical support for this. Any professional soldier who performs
executions will eventually tire of sadism and just want to get his job done
with a minimum of effort. The soldiers are unlikely to have beaten Jesus very
much along the route, except maybe when he fell. Yet the movie shows Jesus
being beaten the entire way.
In the scene at the stauros, it showed Jesus coat being ripped. According to
the Bible, Jesus overcoat was not ripped, it was kept whole and the soldiers
gambled over it.
The "Father forgive them" line was in the movie, but scholars agree that
this line is a later addition and was not originally in the Bible.
The line where Jesus told the robber he would be with him in Paradise was
done wrong, giving the impression that Jesus would be resurrected that very day
along with the thief, and that the thief would get into Paradise before anyone
else.
When Jesus died, the movie did NOT show the eclipse that the Bible says
happened, although it did show lots of clouds.
The movie showed Jesus supporters mixed in with the Judeans watching the
stauros, while the Bible clearly states that Jesus supports stood off at a
distance, for fear of the Jewish mob that was closer in.
When Jesus died, the movie did NOT show the veil in the temple being ripped
in two, which symbolized that God's spirit had left the temple. Instead, the
movie showed the temple itself being broken in two by an earthquake,
symbolizing the overturning of the Law. This is unbiblical.
One last minor quibble: the movie didn't show the secret disciple, the
member of the Sanhredin, asking permission from Pilate to take down Jesus body
and bury it.
Positive points
People have criticized the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane where a
flash-back showed a foot stomping a serpent's head. I felt it was very
appropriate, reminding people of the very first prophesy, made in Genesis, that
seed of the woman would bruise the serpent in the head with his heel.
People have also made much ado about the scenes were the devil, carrying an
inhuman child, walks around the area where Jesus is being scourged by the
Romans. I didn't see this as inappropriate; it was emphasizing the point that
the Devil too, has seed which will one day rise up to be the Antichrist.
The Passover unleavened bread was shown appropriately; it is soft and chewy,
and actually quite tasty to eat. I've learnt to make it myself at home and it
is very nutritious.
Conclusion
I cannot recommend this movie. It strays too far from the Gospels, and is
pervaded by an unholy spirit of veiled mockery. Instead of being a testament
to Christian devotion and faith, it is an orgy of Satanic triumphalism.
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Sun Apr 4 20:48:56 PDT 2004
Last night I find a place that was selling freshly caught wild pink salmon.
The salmon runs must have started. I haven't had sushi since I found out the
dangers of eating farmed fish. All the Atlantic salmon sold at places like
Costco is farm fish. I got a whole wild salmon for $5. I sliced it up with my
rotary meat slicer, dipped it in horseradish (which is wasabi without the green
dye) and soy sauce, and had the best sushi feed I've had in a year.
Today a friend took me to an exhibition of a replica of the Shroud of Turin
at the Catholic Good Shepherd Church. I thought it was very tastefully done.
A series of displays discussed the scientific evidence for and against it being
genuine, and made it clear the Church had no position on the matter. The whole
tone of the exhibit was aimed at leading one to Christ, and made no mention of
miracle healings or anything else I could construe as leading the worshipper
toward idolatry. The Catholic and Orthodox churches were notorious for their
idolatry throughout history. Is the Catholic church finally starting to clean
up its act and leave its history of relic fetishism behind?
The Good Sheperd Church
itself surprised me. Located in South Surrey, on the border of White Rock, it
was a pleasant, plain looking building on the outside. Inside it didn't look
like a traditional cathedral at all, but like a basilica. The roof was lined
with wood, and the pews were arranged in a half circle. It felt like being
inside a womb. Or a clamshell. Or a Swedish forest. Recessed skylights around
the edges of the auditorium filled it with soft, indirect light. The acoustics
are fantastic; I'd love to hear a choir singing in it. Like a traditional
cathedral, its design leads ones eyes heavenward. Unlike a cathedral, it gave
a feeling of airy spaciousness as well, as if one was part of the universe
outside.
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Mon Mar 22 16:31:12 PST 2004
Last week was tumultuous. First, my $800 bicycle was stolen outside a
government office while I was inside for 15 minutes. It was locked up with two
large, heavy duty locks, one titanium u-bolt, and a very thick and long steel
cable. There is a bicycle chop-shop two blocks away from my residence, but I
didn't dare go there to reclaim my bicycle, because of the large rottweiler
they allow to run around.
On Saturday Christians work van was stolen from the property. I came by 15
minutes later and noticed it was gone. Chris jumped into his car and drove
down to Surreys seedy, swampy industrial dock-side area. He found his truck
parked right outside the thieves home. The thieves were standing around
drinking beer. The head thief said he had been arrested the week before for
selling crack-cocaine to an eight year old girl and kept asking if I was a cop,
then saying I look like a Hell's Angel. The pastor of the new church across
the street saw what happened, but didn't realize it was a theft in progress.
He told us yesterday (Sunday) what he saw happen.
I think the presence of the new church across the street has been good for the
neighborhood. I wasn't able to find any information on the web about the
"Fellowship Gospel Assembly" church. Pastor Kevin says they have many member
congregations around the world, but don't have a statement of faith, but that
they are sort of Pentecostal. They are friendly and hospitable.
I found out about an effective remedy for gall stones (and probably kidney
stones) at my study group. Take two tablespoons of cold-pressed virgin olive
oil, and one teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Repeat this every 15
minutes until you've had a minimum of 12 doses. You shouldn't need more than
16 doses.
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Sat Mar 13 00:20:07 PST 2004
In my searching of the Bible tonight I found out that the temple was
actually built on mount Moriah, not on mount Zion. Zion itself is the city of
David, where he stored the tabernacle before the temple was built. Could Zion
be representative of David and his family? Or the rulers of Israel and Judah?
What exactly is a daughter of Zion?
No doubt the "tower" in Jerusalem constantly referred to in Maccabees was
actually the fortress of mount Zion.
You can read the article that started my investigations here: Mount Moriah, Site of the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem, by Lambert Dolphin.
Next question, where exactly was Salem? Salem was separate from Zion and
Moriah.
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Thu Mar 11 21:50:27 PST 2004
Take Maxim, Esquire, and the New Yorker, roll them together into one magazine, and you would have Playboy magazine as it was in the 1960's. If Playboy in the 60's was porn, what does that make those other three magazines today? Unsuitable for Christians, is my answer.
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Fri Mar 5 02:34:24 PST 2004
Found an article by Pam Dewey. Although I disagree with her religious
beliefs, she has come up with a good list of criteria for guiding your
spiritual journey away from dead ends. I posted a summary of her article to
this diary a few months back, but it was lost in the crash. Here is the
article in full, titled Spiritual Food
or Slow Poison?.
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Sun Feb 29 04:02:43 PST 2004
The Bible book of Ezekiel was once distributed as fourteen scrolls. The
first scribe who copied the scrolls into codex (book) format did it in an
interesting way. He was obviously an intelligent man, and even more obviously,
he assumed only intelligent people would be reading the copy he made. He knew
that each scroll had it's own date written in it. Being used to the system of
scrolls, where you had to find the scroll with the appropriate date, he wrote
the scrolls down in whichever order they came into his hand. Which is why the
first chapters of Ezekiel actually belong at the end, and things generally seem
out of order.
After reading a pamphlet titled "Ezekiel's Temple and Sacrifices —
Pre-Christian? Zionist? Millenial? A Prophetical Enigma and its Solution",
by T.H. Whitehouse, I was inspired to reconstruct the book of Ezekiel so that
each part occured in the order that it was written. To my pleasant surprise,
Ezekiel now seems to "flow" much more smoothly, and make a lot more sense. You
too can read the reconstructed book of Ezekiel. Enjoy!
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Mon Feb 16 01:17:59 PST 2004
After long search I found the identity of the Biblical "Kittim" or
"Chittim". They were the Hittites. Although any Greek scholar could have
figured this out in minutes, it wasn't until I did look at the original Greek
that it became clear. Now it makes sense why the ships of Tyre, Sidon, and
Kittim were lumped together; these great sea-traders were geographically close.
This information definitively proves that the Book of Jasher is spurious
garbage; whoever wrote it was in the same situation as me, not knowing where
Kittim was, and so he made a wild stab in the dark, claiming it was Rome. If
someone can demonstrate that the Romans were genetically related to or
descended from the Hittites, I will take back my harsh words. Until then,
Jasher remains just one more book of Jewish fables. (Titus 1:14)
Sadly, knowing the true identity of Kittim also reveals tampering in the
Masoretic text of the Old Testament. The Masoretic text has proven to be as
unreliable as the Samaritan version of the Pentateuch in many ways beside this;
every serious Bible student should get a copy of the Septuagint.
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Thu Feb 12 20:20:56 PST 2004
Developed a dynamite pick-me-up drink today. Boil some water. Put a heaping
tablespoon of honey in a cup. Pour boiling water into the cup and stir the
honey until it dissolves. Put ice cubes in the cup until the honey-water is
luke-warm. Take two tablespoons of bee pollen. Grind it as fine as espresso
or flour. Stir the resulting powder into the honey-water. Drink! You should
feel the positive effects for the next few hours.
This drink helped relieve my flu symptoms, and let me stay awake. Bee pollen
is rich in vitamins and nutrients, and honey gives you instant energy. By
grinding the pollen and mixing it with a liquid, your body is better able to
digest and absorb all the nutrition. By keeping it cool, you also keep all the
vitamins and nutrients, many of which would be altered and destroyed by heat.
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Wed Feb 4 13:07:18 PST 2004
Computer crashes are interesting events. I had a good run, five years without
a crash. I attribute this to leaving my computer on all the time, keeping the
hard drive warm and lubed up, stretched and flexible. When the crash came, it
wasn't a hard drive crash or other problem related to turning the machine on
and off. No, it was the second most common cause of computer failure. A fan
went dead. An essential component overheated. Kablooey! Hard drive and
motherboard were irretrievably fried.
I had my essential things backed up, but did lose some things, the most
important of which was my time. It feels like an enormous burden lifted off my
chest; five years of accumulated debris, knick-knacks, and memories, all gone.
One of the things lost in the crash was the source code of my diary generating
program. I've redesigned it, and will start implementing it soon. When it is
done, you will see the results right here on this page. I think you'll like
it.
A friend gave me his copies of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, by Philip Glass. I used to enjoy listening
to Glass, and still do, but am finding him a bit lacking in depth. He is all
about surface glitter and incessant repetition, always stopping just short of
the point of sheer boredom. Watching his work on video added more insight; he
projects a very Marxist/Socialist headspace.
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Mon Jan 19 23:01:36 2004
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went:
and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he
was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw
the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and
the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote
the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path
of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when
the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and
crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel
of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn
either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the
LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote
the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said
unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three
times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would
there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
— Numbers 22:21-29
At times God even enlists members of the animal kingdom to instruct and edify
his human children. For the past few weeks, I have seen what looks like
firsthand proof of this in my personal life. Hallelujah!
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Wed Jan 14 13:34:32 2004
A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a rabbi all served as chaplains to the
students of Northern University in Marquette. They would get together two or
three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.
One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all
that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to
another and they decided to do a seven-day experiment. They would all go out
into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.
Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience. Father
Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches and has various bandages,
goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when
I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted
nothing to do with me and began to slap me. So I quick grabbed my holy water,
sprinkled him and, by the grace of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The
bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."
Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both
legs in casts and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory voice, he
proclaimed, "WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle...WE DUNK! I went
out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to him from God's HOLY
WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we
began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until
we came to a crick. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just
like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the week in
fellowship - feasting on God's Holy Word and praising Jesus."
They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in
a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He
was in bad shape. The rabbi looks up and says, "Oy, you fellows don't know what
trouble is until you try to circumcise one of those hairy buggers!
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Sun Jan 11 14:01:02 2004
I am lucky to be in a place where I can have a big garden. I've developed
plans for a $100 water cistern made out of fiberglass and two-by-fours that can
hold more than 1000 gallons. This is perfect for collecting and storing
rainwater, which plants love, and for getting rid of the chlorine in the city
water (which the plants hate). Here in Surrey, the chlorine in the tap water
is so strong as to make it undrinkable.
One can buy 100 black plastic garbage bags for $7 at SuperStore. I am thinking
of using them to kill off the grass and weeds where I plan to have a garden,
but it will take a lot of pegs to properly secure them to the ground. The pegs
are cheaper than buying a big sheet of heavy duty black plastic, but they do
cost some money. Hopefully some money will turn up to make it possible.
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Sun Jan 11 13:29:07 2004
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the
blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So
the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow
good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An
enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and
gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root
up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in
the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my
barn. — Matthew 13:24-30
The tare is an interesting plant. It looks a lot like wheat. In fact, until
it is fully grown, it is very hard to distinguish from wheat. The difference
is this; when fully grown and full of seed, when the field has turned from
green to ripened gold, the tare still stands upright, like a spike. The head
of the wheat, by contrast, bends over, nodding in the wind, like a humble man
with his head bent in prayer. Pride is one of the characteristics of those who
will not inherit God's kingdom.
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Thu Jan 8 09:55:50 2004
I just had a productive talk with Richard
Stallman about the future of project Xouvert, and about the allegations a certified
nut-case from Yorkshire made about me.
Paul Graham wrote an interesting article on how to think politically incorrect
thoughts, and get away with it. Read it here: "What You Can't Say"
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Tue Dec 30 19:56:02 2003
Sinners often try to deflect attention away from their own misdeeds by
misquoting the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said "Judge not lest ye be
judged". The next time some cretin tries to pull that one on you, quote the
following scriptures to them:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works,
… exhorting one another. — Hebrews 10:24-25
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly.
— 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
— 1 Timothy 5:20
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall
be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not
that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?
— 1 Corinthians 6:2
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Tue Dec 30 19:02:39 2003
It snowed the day after Christmas. Thick, fluffy snow. Since then it has
continued to melt and freeze, and snow some more. When the sidewalks aren't
slippery, they are crunchy. The cats aren't able to dig their usual hygienic
holes to dispose of their waste, so they leave it lying around in the open.
A Canadian friend in living in Finland got in touch with me recently. Martin-Éric Racine is
experiencing racist discrimination at the hands of the Finnish government. He
is a skilled translator and technically adept programmer and technologist. He
has no problem finding work in Finland, but the bureaucrats are purposely
denying him a work permit because of his color. Check out his website; he
shows how they are manipulating the system to discriminate against him.
Recently passed European Union laws, and the Bill of Rights, apparently don't
protect non-Europeans, even people who would be productive citizens.
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Tue Dec 30 04:00:03 2003
I just finished writing an article, God's Food Laws in
Todays World. Many modern Christians are finding that their health
dramatically improves when they start following the Bible food laws. I
personally have felt much more energetic since I started following them two
months ago.
The article acts as a short, readable summary of the food laws for people who
are a little bit interested but who don't have a lot of time to read detailed
Biblical exegesis. It doesn't go into the detailed proofs of this or that; it
just makes clear what things a modern Christian would need to change in their
diet to be in accordance with the Bible food laws, and what things wouldn't
need to change.
Surprisingly, for Westerners, very little would need to be changed. Simply
cutting pork, shrimp, lobsters, mussels, oysters, and mushrooms from the diet
would bring most people into full accord with the ancient food laws.
Since the Bible doesn't mention cannibalism, either to praise or condemn
it, why are Christians so sure that the Bible does condemn it? The article answers that
question.
I have put this interesting article by Thomas H. Nelson, Health and the
Mosaic Law, on the web for the first time. It was one of the inspirations
for my article. Enjoy!
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