Morbidly obese pregnant women ‘commonplace’
Does this mean it’s ok to ask a large lady if she’s pregnant now?
Really though, this is another one of those irresistible headlines from the SMH.
Particularly when coupled with this picture:
Insert “your mum’s so fat” joke here.
This article really poses more questions than answers… but lets not go there. This is mostly a family friendly blog. Perhaps no more.
That is all.
I’m on a blacklist. The Education Queensland blacklist no less. Apparently…
Tim says:
“Just thought i’d let you know your site has been blocked by eq hierachy. Congratulations on making it to the level of facebook and my blog… the question is now what am i gonna do when i should be working…. hmmmm i wonder if stick cricket can be tracked”
Was it something I said?
Now I know a little of what all those nasty sites will feel once the clean feed begins in earnest.
My advice for Tim – and for others in the same boat – is just subscribe to my blog using Google Reader – no school in its right mind will block google. You may have to rename the feed.
Facebook is blocked at my work too – but I get my friend’s status updates via RSS.
Chris just beat me to the punch on this. Video preaching. Some are for it. Some against. I’m mostly against. I think you’d have to be pretty arrogant to think that your sermons should be broadcast to the thousands in your auditorium – and then to thousands more in multiple auditoriums elsewhere around the city, state, nation or globe.
But wait you say… Mark Driscoll does it – in a “multi-campus” format for his church – Mars Hill – in his city – Seattle… Driscoll also wants 900 men to plant churches in the US – how’s he going to find 900 men world wide if he can’t find 8 suitable men in his own city?
I understand the practicality of embracing the model. There are no doubt thousands of people who’d like to listen to Mark Driscoll in church every Sunday. I’m happy enough for Mars Hill to pursue that model provided it’s in the same city and being driven by humble pragmatism – and not the inability to find the people to do the preaching elsewhere…
There were some interesting points raised by the original article – by an emerging church type (which means he has a bone to pick with Driscoll – even if he doesn’t name him specifically… oh wait, he does)…
“This is the rule: Technology, taken too far, creates the opposite of what it was intended to create.
Still doubt it? Ask yourself- Email was meant to keep you in touch and ease communication, right? But when you are trying to process 100 emails a day, you don’t feel in touch, you feel crushed. You’re not communicating- you are wading through spam, forwards, fyi’s… Your emails get shorter and shorter, more and more terse, and mis-communication happens more often than not. “
“If we’re not more thoughtful about this, soon, every city and town will have the Driscoll franchise… maybe even two or three. And the Andy Stanley, Ed Young Jr franchise as well. Is Joel Osteen too far behind? Hybels, Warren, Groeschel… the market is going to get crowded.”
See, here’s my concern. Nicely articulated. We want not just one preacher for a generation – but a generation of preachers. Bible teaching is enhanced by a diverse platform of voices all spurring one another on. There’s one preacher in that list of luminaries who I’d listen to. Only one. And yet, a world full of churches with just these seven men is technologically (and therefore technically) possible.
This really is the biggest question mark raised over the Mars Hill model for me – and by extension the Acts 29 church planting philosophy. Sure, Driscoll’s a gifted guy. A once in a generation preacher. But that doesn’t mean we should all be listening to him in our churches week in week out.
This is part of a collection of very expensive novelty rugs from Dan Golden. I like it because it’s making fun of bad doctrine.
That is all. For now.
The Townsville Bulletin’s sub editors have made a slight mistake today – incorrectly identifying the Member for the Burdekin – Rosemary Menkins – as Gandhi. Obscure political statement? Warranted kudos? No, I say mistake. Or joke.
It appears next to this comment by perennial political bridesmaid (and never the political bride) – Greens candidate Jenny Stirling.
“Jobs, justice, climate. That’s the theme of the protests at the G20 conference of world leaders and it hits the mark fairly and squarely. In Britain alone, 35,000 people marched and there was no violence, no ramaging crowds or damage to property, just real people fed up with a system that ultimately sees ordinary people’s lives and well-being as expendable. The only way we have ever had any sort of real and lasting social progress has been through non-violent expressions of people power: Mandela in South Africa, Martin Luther King and civil rights movement in the US, Gandhi in India and so on. And if all things are equal, the ballot box. ”
Economic times are tough. There are people hurting. Here’s a hanky that will help you empathise as you comfort those around you… it tracks the movement of the Dow Jones index over the past five years.
It’ll cost you an exorbitant $US28 – and comes from Design Glut – who says you can’t make money off the recession.
Saudi Arabia is not a nice place to be if you’re a Muslim looking to become a Christian.
Anyone who wants to preach the message that Islam is a religion of love and tolerance should consider the punishment dished out on anybody who wants to leave the fold.
In Christianity we call communities that shun or excommunicate those who leave cults. It’s one of the criterion a cult must meet.
According to Islamic rules – as stated in the Hadith of Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57, which is authoritative for all Muslims:
“Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to ‘Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.’”
A Christian convert in Saudi Arabia, a young girl, wrote this poem (and posted it online) shortly before her family killed her for apostasy. Here’s an excerpt:
There are tears on my cheek, and Oh! the heart is sad
To those who become Christians, how you are so cruel!
And the Messiah says, “Blessed are the Persecuted”
And we for the sake of Christ all things bearWhat is it to you that we are infidels?
You do not enter our graves, as if with us buriedEnough – your swords do not concern me, not evil nor disgrace
Your threats do not trouble me, and we are not afraid
And by God, I am unto death a Christian—Verily
I cry for what passed by, of a sad life
Talk about courage under fire.
There are three things this episode prompts me to think.
This is a more serious tone than I like to put here – but this story is just overwhelmingly sad. And this sort of insight into martyrdom is rare. This lady’s entire poem is well worth a read. Do it.
Some alarm clocks don’t require complete cogniscience to turn off, or switch over to snooze – this one will take more hand eye coordination than I’m capable of until slightly before midday. It won’t shut up until you score a bullseye.
This heading only makes sense assuming you know that Piazza is a brand of coffee.
And now you do you can drink happily from the leaning tower knowing you get my awesome pun.
A Japanese artist produced these wedding bands with the soundwaves of the words “I do” etched permanently in gold.
The same guy who previously produced waveform jewelery and art. Classy.
This piece of artwork would make for an incredibly cool T-Shirt. Some people love Seinfeld, for others it’s a hate relationship… but there’s no denying this is a great piece of design. It contains 99 references to Seinfeld episodes… click the images for a bigger version.
If you’re anything like me you balk at the idea of paying more than $50 for a cable that cost about $2 to make. It’s ridiculous. All the testing suggests that cheap cables are as effective as “gold plated” cables for carrying your data.
I’ve been looking for a cheap Optical audio cable to go with my cheap HDMI cables picked up via a nice discount online vendor on a special. This cheap online vendor – Oznetics – has cables at reasonable prices all year round – if by reasonable you mean under $20 including delivery. And currently has a great special on HDMI cables to boot.
They also sell a bunch of home automation stuff. Which is what I’d be doing if:
a) I owned my own house, or
b) We weren’t saving all our spare change for college.
Optical audio here we come…