AAAAAAAAA

A blog post with every single category marked (I'm doing this for scribefire)

PBF - it's over

This is tragic:

Nicholas Gurewitch's "Perry Bible Fellowship," the offbeat comic that ran online and in newspapers, will end next week.

"I'm making this decision for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I want to do other things besides be a cartoonist," said Gurewitch.

A "Perry Bible Fellowship" hardcover book called "The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories" was published last fall by Dark Horse Comics.

This was my favourite internet comic. Arggh!

A Reminder

When I write an entire section in italics, it means that I am quoting. I may actually believe in what the section quotes, but please don't attribute the quote to me. Nor should you assume that I agree with everything that has been quoted. Nor should you infer anything much about my character or belief by looking into someone else's writing that I have quoted.

Why am I saying this?

Here is a QUOTE from a guy called Matthew who left a comment on a recent post I made about Wade Burlson and Al Mohler:

I have just stumbled across your site and based on this posting it is clear that you have not really studied Dr. Mohler. You are also full of contradictions. If you seriously think that Calvinism has no Biblical warrant then how do you explain God having control over creation and God saving anyone. God chose to redeem his people some that one must believe to be a Christian and is a starting point for Calvinism. Lastly, you imply that Mohler is a open theist. You are just flat out wrong on that. Listen to his radio show and read his blog. You will see that although you might not agree with the man all the time you must respect him. Not only for what he did at Southern Seminary but for the simple fact that he standing in the gap and trying to convey Biblcial truth to an unbiblical society.

What poor Matthew is complaining about is not what I wrote, but about what Wade Burlson wrote about Al Mohler. He has read a quote that I copied and pasted from Wade Burlson's site and somehow believed that I had written it, even though it is clear from the posting and the italics that I was quoting. Moreover, he has also assumed from this posting that I somehow believe that "Calvinism has no Biblical warrant", which sorta goes against everything I have said on this blog. Check my FAQ and you'll see that I'm a five-point Calvinist.

Bad night

What could be worse than waking up after a sleepless hot night than to walk around bleary-eyed in a kitchen that is blinded by the sun and heating up as the morning progresses?

Well, maybe the holocaust, but that's in a different category.

Update:
It has gotten worse. Standing in the hot sun, putting out millions of wet clothes on the clothes line, being covered with spider webs (who built their webs on the line the night before) and being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Rudd's Newcastle Pork Chop

From the department of Novacastrians-have-simple-tastes:

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd is expected to make an announcement this week on how much the ALP is prepared to pay for the upgrade of Newcastle's EnergyAustralia stadium in the New South Wales Hunter region.

Earlier this year, Mr Rudd confirmed a Labor government would support the upgrade, but would not say if he would fund the full amount of $30 million.

Labor's MP for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, says she can assure the electorate that the funding will be announced before Saturday's poll.

"I can't give you a revelation right now, I can say to you in the context that Kevin has given, he will make the commitment, and I can't say the amount at this stage," she said.

$30 Million can do a lot of things. But do we really need taxpayers funds - tax revenue generated outside of Newcastle - in order to upgrade a football stadium of all things?

If the people of Newcastle - and I am one - wish to build a nice big new you-beaut stadium so the Newcastle Knights can lose in front of even bigger crowds, then we should pay for the darn thing ourselves.

There's lots of things that Newcastle needs. We need more doctors. We need more teachers. We need more police. We need to upgrade and improve our public transport. Spending $30 million to widen the roads to incorporate safe bicycle lanes would be a wonderful idea.

But no. Newcastle's tastes are simple. For us it's just a matter of having a bigger stadium. What a load of garbage.

How to lower the cost of oil

From the Department of basic-marketing-techniques:

Oil prices dropped in morning trade in New York, after oil producer group Opec lowered its demand forecast for the fourth quarter of 2007.

US light, sweet crude fell 72 cents to $93.37 a barrel, after Opec said demand would rise by 1.97% in the quarter, rather than 2.1% predicted in October.

The group has rejected US calls for an increase in oil output.

Opec argues that recent rises have stemmed from speculation, but that current supplies are adequate.

In London, Brent crude dropped 2 cents to $91.34 a barrel.

But the falls come amid volatile trading conditions - US sweet, crude oil fell by $3 a barrel on Monday only to add $3 a day later.

A record high of $98.62 a barrel - unadjusted for inflation - was reached earlier this month on the back of a weak dollar, market speculation and concerns about tight supplies.

Prices eased slightly after the International Energy Agency lowered its global demand forecast for crude but concerns remain about future supplies and how responsive Opec will be to calls for increasing quotas.

Opec's secretary-general Abdallah al-Badri said on Wednesday that the global market was well supplied with oil.

"At this time, frankly we don't see that we need to add more oil in the market," he said ahead of an Opec summit this weekend to discuss long-term oil supplies.

"There is no shortage of oil."

To summarise:

Opec: We reckon people won't need much oil for the next three months.

Market: Sell! Sell! Sell! Tell us more o wonderful Opec.

Opec: There is no shortage of oil.

Market: Well that's a relief. Sell! Sell! Sell!

Woman cries. Media thinks she's pregnant.

From the department of maybe-there-are- other-reasons:

Tennis Mum Bec Hewitt's teary public breakdown has fuelled speculation the former TV starlet may be pregnant with her second child.

The former Home and Away star (pictured) couldn't hold back the emotion during her first official gig as ambassador of the Children's Hospital Westmead yesterday - breaking down in tears during her presentation as media and hospital staff looked on.

Hewitt - who was without her 23-month-old daughter Mia - attended the opening of the hospital's new diabetes research centre, with the unveiling coinciding with UN World Diabetes Day.

But the wife of tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt became so overwhelmed while talking about juvenile diabetes she had to stop several times - eventually cutting her speech short in a flood of tears, reports Health Reporter Kate Sikora.

"These kids are very special and they are doing such an amazing job," a choked up Hewitt said.

"It's quite emotional really. I guess having a little one myself . . .," she trailed off, unable to go on.

The young mum has recently said she and her husband want to have more children and the display of emotion prompted talk she may already be expecting.

Her manager said Hewitt felt "a little embarrassed" about the public display.

"She told Lleyton afterwards what happened. Basically, she stepped into the shoes of the children and being a mother herself, it was very emotional," David Drysdale said.

If she is pregnant, Hewitt did a good job of hiding any baby bump by wearing a red loose-fitting top.

An article worthy of the News Corporation that brought it to you.

How is this good business practice?

From the department of flying-high:

British Airways has been flying airliners from Britain to North America this month without a single passenger aboard because of a cabin crew shortage, the airline said on Wednesday.

One environmental group sharply criticised the "phantom" BA flights, saying they indicate once again how indifferent the aviation sector can be to the world's battle against global warming.

Since November 1, about one BA flight a day from Britain to the United States or Canada has left Heathrow or Gatwick airport carrying only pilots and cargo because of a cabin crew shortage, BA spokesman Tony Cane said.

The empty flights allowed BA to pick up passengers in North America who have reservations to fly to Britain, he said.

I find this absolutely incredible. I read just the other day about airlines in the US who are using lighter tea-trolleys for their cabin crew to use in order to save a few million dollars on fuel costs. Flying empty passenger jets half-way around the world is not my idea of conserving energy. It's not my idea of good business practice either.

My dumb computer

If you've been visiting this blog lately you would have noticed that I haven't been posting often enough, and that things like nice images seem to be missing from my posts.

Well, the problem is that I have been attempting to upgrade my computer. Everything was going well until I was unable to restart my operating system - Kubuntu. Finally I decided on reinstalling the whole thing but, since bad luck seems to follow bad luck, this was impossible.

Why? Because my brand new 320gb Western Digital Hard Drive decided to die on me.

Primary Master Hard Disk Fail says the message during POST. So, until I get a new one delivered to me under warranty, I have to use one of my old hard drives.

Tim Blair continues to be an idiot

I just read this piece of tripe from Tim Blair:

The day after 9/11 a friend went to dinner with some Australian publishing types. He still works with these muppets, so I won’t identify him, but I will record his description of their mood that night.

They were happy. Not dance-about-the-room Hamas happy, but satisfied happy. America had been taught a lesson. These folk would imagine themselves to be educated, sensitive, intellectual, creative ... yet their response to the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people by fascist maniacs was to voice a smug contentment; at last, the US got what was coming to it.

Contrast their post-9/11 views to those of Formula One drivers preparing to compete in the 2001 Italian Grand Prix, as reported by Matt Bishop in the May 2007 edition of F1 Racing (no link available):

It’s barely 100 hours since we all watched what would be known simply as ‘9/11’ play out, live, on our TV screens. Like you, like me, like everyone, F1’s biggest stars are still shell-shocked ...

They’re shrugging, grimacing, and muttering words like “bastards” or “bâtards” or “bastardos” or “bastardi” or, in Kimi Raikkonen’s case, and I overhear him utter the word in exactly the context I’m describing, to a Finnish journalist, “äpärä”.

These guys drive cars for a living. Most have no university education. Which might explain why they’re so morally advanced compared to Australian bookniks.

So, what do we learn from Blair here?

1. Since Blair is a member of New Limited, the "Pubilshing types" he speaks of are essentially non-Murdoch. Thus non-Murdoch media hate America and like it when people die.
2. That intellectuals like people dying.
3. It's okay to make broad insults against people you don't like without providing any evidence whatsoever.

What can I say except that it is typical of this guy's lack of intellect that he would come up with such tripe. If this is the guy who edits the Letters to the Daily Telegraph - a publication that seeks to dumb down ordinary Australians - then there is no wonder that people are so confused about important issues like the Iraq War and Global Warming.

To me, Blair has no credibility. Moreover, those who admire him lose credibility of their own.

Al Mohler still wants us to have more babies

Here's the link, but I'm not going to quote anything.

Basically, Mohler makes the following assumptions:

1. Having less babies will inevitably lead to economic crisis.
2. Europe's birth rate is low while its Muslim population has high birth rates, leading to an Islamic Europe.
3. The choice to not have babies is essentially a selfish one.
4. That childlessness has at its basis a form of pseudo-science that originated with Hitler.
5. America's relatively high birthrate is because of altruistic efforts to make the world a better place.
6. Modern Europe will decline like the Roman Empire.
   

Let me point out some simple rebuttals, each numbered according to Mohler's assumptions above.

1. Countries with low birthrates (below 2.1 children/woman) will eventually begin to shrink. There are substantial savings to be made, especially in the area of infrastructure (roads, electricity, water, rail) and housing. With less people inhabiting the same space as a previous generation, there will be no need to build major infrastructure projects and housing will be relatively cheap.
2. First generation immigrants will often reflect the birth-rates of their land of birth. Thus women from a high birth-rate country will still have lots of babies in their new country (such as Europe). However, their children and their grandchildren will have babies at the same rate as the nation around them. Muslims in Europe now may be having lots of babies... but the next generation of European-born Muslims won't. (Iran, btw, has a low birthrate - below replacement level. Iranians are mainly Islamic and do not live in a rich country... yet their birthrate is low)
3. There is no passage in the bible which directly commands human beings to have a minimum of 3 children. Moreover, scientific studies into animal birthrates show that many animals choose to put off reproduction when times are "tough".
4. I won't even bother to argue this one. Mohler breaks Godwin so he loses.
5. *Choke*. America is wonderful and unselfish because the people have lots of babies? What sort of argument is that? Besides, US birthrates are on their way down... which, for Mohler, would probably indicate the growing godlessness of America. It's sad to see that the same guy who signed The Cambridge Declaration - which states that the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience - is binding the consciences of Christians with the unbiblical drivel he espouses here.
6. As I mentioned a few days ago, invoking the fall of the Roman Empire to bolster your argument is getting to be as bad as Godwin these days.
   

A good response to persecution?

From the Washington Post:

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A dozen Christian men were convicted Thursday and sentenced to up to 14 years in jail for beating to death and beheading two Muslims to avenge the government executions of three Christians in Indonesia last year.

Five other Christians received eight-year terms for burying the pair, who were set upon by a mob as they drove though a Christian neighborhood on Sulawesi island a day after the Sept. 22, 2006, executions of Fabianus Tibo and two other Christian militants.

The three executed Christians had been found guilty of leading a militia that killed at least 70 Muslims during a 1999-2002 religious war on the island that led to the deaths of at least 1,000 people from both faiths.

Al Qaeda Supports the emerging church

Quite a few bloggers have pointed this one out. It's quite disgraceful. Here's a sample:

If the world is to be saved from Muslim conquest, it will be America who does it. And if America is to be saved, only conservatism can do it. And if conservatism is to be saved, it will be those Bible-believing patriots who do it–those conservative, evangelical Christians who are the bedrock of the American way of life.

Update:
Tom Ascol comments about this at his blog and some of the comments there are worth reading. From what I can see there is a unity amongst non-emerging types against this article. In other words, yes we disagree with the emerging church but no they are not terrorists.

I suppose it shows just how poor the situation has become in the US that people are so willing to call someone a deadly enemy based upon theological disagreements like this.

Just make it stop

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 3rd Test
Day 3:

Bangladesh 131 (Muralitharan 6/28)
Sri Lanka 2-333 (Sangakarra 129*, Jayawardene 140*)

Fred, Fred, Fred...

Now the guy wants Muslim Immigration stopped.

Look, as an Evangelical Christian I understand and believe that Muslims have a false belief and worship a false God. Any Christian who takes the Bible seriously has no alternative but to hold to an exclusionist belief system.

And I also understand that, since 2001, Muslims have been quite active around the world in terrorist activities. I won't go into the issue of who to blame for that (since 2003 the levels of terrorist violence perpetrated by Muslims increased markedly. Hmmm, I wonder what happened in 2003 that got Muslims upset?), but I will point out the following:

* There is a difference between Muslims who are culturally Muslim, and those who adhere to a Fundamentalist approach to it.
* The vast majority of Muslims around the world are culturally Muslim and want nothing more than peace and harmony and the ability to just get on with their lives.
* There is a small amount of Muslims who have decided to take the Koran literally and apply it to the world of unbelievers and use violence to achieve that end.

I have no problem if Muslims want to come to Australia who are not fundamentalist but simply cultural in their beliefs. These people will not cause us problems. I have taught classrooms where Muslims are present and they can be just as good or bad as any non-Muslim. I even got Christmas cards from two Turkish girls who came to school each day without headscarves and who didn't really know much about Islam.

Christians today seem to forget that Muslims do not all follow the one belief system. We see Osama declaring Jihad against the West and sending planes into buildings and we are rightly shocked. But these people who come to Australia are not like this. They have come here not to start up a breeding program and conquer the country through the eventual enforcement of Islamic law, but to escape poverty and live in peace.

And remember, Christians, that every unbeliever who comes to us from these countries may have the chance to hear the Gospel of Christ - something that they may not have heard in their home countries.