Big Brother Strikes Again.

And he strikes on the World of Warcraft. It appears that when terrorists have finished planning their next strike, or narrowly escaped being hit by a cruise missile, they unwind by playing MMORPGs*. These terrorists, while playing these games, discuss their crucial and sensitive plans for world domination chaos. This is why the U.S. Government needs to watch and track these games to ensure public safety.

Or maybe it’s just easier to keep tabs on citizens and youth.

Not that I’m a paranoid conspiracy theorist or anything.*

*Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games

*For the record, I don’t play these games.  I now have yet another reason not to.

Reading Week…

Apparently I’m supposed to be “reading” but all I can do is watch “The Office.”  I’m watching the American version and it is hilarious.  Needless to say I’ve been falling behind in writing here.  I’ve also been falling behind in the “reading” I’m supposed to do.  I hope to make up in both these departments over the next few days.

A Prayer.

God, You’ve got to be out there.
Because what do I do if you aren’t?
Amen.

Flying Aircraft Carriers

Sounds like something out of the future, doesn’t it?  What is incredible is that they were developed in the 1920s and 30s.  The U.S. Navy used Zeppelins to launch and retrieve airplanes for reconaissance purposes.  Even more fascinating is seeing the pictures.  Even though Zeppelins had a spectacular failure rate (all but one crashed) it is incredible to see how these flying giants were used in the days before satellites.

Now back to studying.

Evolution and God 1

Evolution and God are not necessarily incompatable.  It’s been interesting reading a few interviews with Dr. Francis Collins who is a leading biologist (head of the Human Genome Project) and also a believing Christian.  It’s comforting to think that even though I’m not quite sure where I stand on the extent of evolution I’m in good company in not dismmissing it entirely.  You can read a short piece by Collins called “Why this scientist believes in God” at CNN.com.  It’s interesting stuff.  I’m hoping at some point to read his book “The Language of God.“  Hearing his thoughs on DNA and God should be incredible.

Two Wrongs…

… don’t make a right.  But enough wrongs can confuse anybody as to whether right ever was.

Happy Valentine’s Day

A little something for Valentine’s Day.

Music: When You Love, Rich Mullins

Writing love on my arms.

I feel a bit like an emo kid right now. I noticed that a few of my friends on Facebook were attending an event called Love is the Movement. I checked it out and the idea was to write the word “Love” on your arms on February 13th, a day before the celebration of love, as a way of spreading awareness about depression and suicide. Depression affects 121 Million people worldwide. 15% of the population of deveoped countries suffers from severe depression. Suicide is the second leading cause of death between ages 15-24 and the leading cause of death between ages 25-49. One in 25 Canadians will attempt suicide in their lifetimes.  These are all reasons why I’m writing love on my arms.

There’s a second reason for me to write love on my arms though. It is because of someone who wrote love into his hands, feet, head, and side. It is about a God who so loved us he allowed himself to be horrifically murdered so that his love could break through into this broken world. It is about a God who walked beside me, and carried me, during my early teenage years where at the end of most days I couldn’t see a point to seeing tomorrow.

That’s why I’m writing love on my arms. So that people know they are loved. They are loved by others and they are loved by God.

Unchallenged Thought

Thinking is only thinking if it’s challenged, only then is it a verb.  Unchallenged thinking is only a thought and that, left unchallenged, is prejudice.  If you enter a conversation and there is no chance of anyone changing their perspectives it is a pointless exercise.

Where is this coming from?  Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity, at this blog and elsewhere to witness people unwilling to accept challenges to their preconceived notions.   This frustrates me.  I’ve spent the majority of my life, with the exception of two years, in an environment that is antithetical to most of what I believe.  If you’re a Christian going through public education or university you are in an environment that at best tolerates you for your aberrant beliefs and at worst openly mocks what you believe.

Before you dismiss me and what I believe as stupid perhaps you should consider whether or not any of your perceptions of the world have ever faced serious or constant challenge.  Contrary to popular belief, you can move through life as an atheist or agnostic and never be seriously challenged intellectually.  It requires thinking to actually believe something.  Otherwise, it’s only a thought.

Here we go again

One of two things is about to happen.  We are either going to have an election, or the liberals are going to have to do some serious backpedalling.  Today the Government released it’s motion to extend the role in Afghanistan to 2011.  The most important feature of this motion (and I think the closest thing to an olive branch the Government is offering the opposition) is:

whereas the results of progress in Afghanistan, including Canada’s military deployment, will be reviewed in 2011 (by which time the Afghanistan Compact will have concluded) and, in advance, the government will provide to the House an assessment and evaluation of progress, drawing on and consistent with the Panel’s recommendations regarding performance standards, results, benchmarks and timelines; and
whereas the ultimate aim of Canadian policy is to leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful and more secure;

therefore, the House supports the continuation of Canada’s current responsibility for security in Kandahar beyond February 2009, to the end of 2011, in a manner fully consistent with the UN mandate on Afghanistan, but with increasing emphasis on training the Afghan National Security Forces expeditiously to take increasing responsibility for security in Kandahar and Afghanistan as a whole so that, as the Afghan National Security Forces gain capability, Canada’s combat role should be commensurately reduced,

It then provides the two conditions that have been in the news from the Manley report.  Helicopter and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle support from allies and 1000 more troops from our NATO allies.

There are two things about this I want to comment on.  The first is the acknowledgement that should we leave in 2009 we will leave an unstable region to further destabilze.  Further to this the goal is for Canadian troops to play an increasingly supplementary role through 2011.  The goal is not to wait until 2011 to renew the mission but to work to 2011 to complete it.  As opposed to leaving in failure in 2009.

The second is what I found interesting in the commentary.  The government doesn’t see this as necessarily a winning proposition in the election.  It is believed that the Liberal party will actually gain support for opposing the conflict in Afghanistan.  Far be it for me to judge what is politics and what is not, but it looks as if this motion is something the Conservative party believes in.  Because if the Government falls on this motion they don’t stand to gain much.

(you can read the whole motion here)