Friday, March 31, 2006
As Easter approaches
"Cross and tomb go together in the Christian Gospel. Both were occupied for a short span, both were abandoned, both were defeated." - Quoted by Mel Lawrenz, Putting the Pieces Back Together
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Things Hollywood has taught us
1. During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip joint at least once.
2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets which reach up to armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
3. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
4. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
5. Large loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people - whether they are employed or not.
6. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right continuously.
7. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
8. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
9. If you decide to start dancing in the street everyone you bump into will know all the steps.
10. Should you decide to defuse a bomb don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.
11. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
12. Extremely beautiful and intelligent women are likely to become prostitutes or welders.
13. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
14. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
15. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned to a partner who is their total opposite.
16. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.
17. Radiation causes interesting mutations - not to your future children but to you, right there and then.
18. If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.
19. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
20. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their archenemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers and man eating sharks which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets which reach up to armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
3. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
4. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
5. Large loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people - whether they are employed or not.
6. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right continuously.
7. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
8. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
9. If you decide to start dancing in the street everyone you bump into will know all the steps.
10. Should you decide to defuse a bomb don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.
11. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
12. Extremely beautiful and intelligent women are likely to become prostitutes or welders.
13. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
14. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
15. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned to a partner who is their total opposite.
16. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.
17. Radiation causes interesting mutations - not to your future children but to you, right there and then.
18. If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.
19. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
20. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their archenemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers and man eating sharks which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
Monday, March 27, 2006
VSU VSU VSU **Long post warning**
If I was invited to a protest today, I would have gone. Not that we have to protest because as of next Semester, a glorious thing called Voluntary Student Unionism takes effect! And not a moment too soon I say.
Let me tell you the events of the past 72 hours.
Saturday morning I sat down at my desk to do an on-line assessment which was due at 5pm today. I went to log on to uni and discovered that my web access to uni was denied. With a sinking feeling, I pulled out my fees letter which I had looked at a week ago and realised I had misread it. For while all my other uni fees are due this Friday, my student union fees were due last Wednesday.
And so, because I hadn't paid my union fees, I was denied access to any of my university work areas including the ability to complete assessment.
I am an external student, and my student union does jack all for me. Once a year, I get a 18 page black and white magazine that is basically a propaganda leaflet about how great the student union is. And for that I pay $105.60 a year.
I can understand having restrictions places on university access if you haven't paid subject fees, but really, this is ridiculous.
So I paid by Bpay straight away on saturday morning and emailled the uni saying I had paid and needed access to the web again as I had assessment due Monday.
Nothing. Of course no-one is there over the weekend so I suspected it wouldn't get attended to until Monday.
Monday morning - no emails.
I rang outreach services (for external students) and re-explained my predicament - even taking full responsibility for the fact that I had misread the letter. The guy basically said Bpay can take a couple of days to come through and web access can't be reinstated until it does. I asked if there was anyway I could get it back up today - could I pay again right now some other way and get my earlier payment refunded when it came through.
He said he wasn't sure if it would get processed and web access reconnected again today but would check with finance (put me on hold). Came back to me - "Sorry that line is busy. You could always ask your lecturer for an extension." At which point I politely commented "And you wonder why people want voluntary student unionism. Fair enough if these were subject fees, but for the sake of a $50 union fee, I am not able to do assessment. This really is ridiculous".
Short silence on other end of the phone.
Then "I'll just try finance for you again".
No luck again so he gave me their direct number and we parted ways.
Then I rang finance.
While I was on hold, I emailed my lecturer explaining the situation, and was met with the expected reply - due to the delivery method of assessment there are no extensions. (It's web based computer managed assessment so I completely understand the logistical nightmare it would be to allow certain students extensions and not others). I was impressed by his very quick reply - top mark there.
Got through to finance and re-explained the situation. They said I should email them with my bpay number and student number and they could reinstate it but it might take a few hours. It was 11am.
I kept checking the web log-in and my email.
Nothing
Still nothing
Still nothing.
I'd even sent the email with an urgent exclamation mark against it and noted that I had on-line assessment due at 5pm.
Finally, at 4:35pm I rang finance again. This time I got a lovely lady who reconnected my straight away and I got the assessment done with 5 minutes to spare!
I hate meaningless student unions.
Bring on VSU.
Thank you Tony Abbott.
Let me tell you the events of the past 72 hours.
Saturday morning I sat down at my desk to do an on-line assessment which was due at 5pm today. I went to log on to uni and discovered that my web access to uni was denied. With a sinking feeling, I pulled out my fees letter which I had looked at a week ago and realised I had misread it. For while all my other uni fees are due this Friday, my student union fees were due last Wednesday.
And so, because I hadn't paid my union fees, I was denied access to any of my university work areas including the ability to complete assessment.
I am an external student, and my student union does jack all for me. Once a year, I get a 18 page black and white magazine that is basically a propaganda leaflet about how great the student union is. And for that I pay $105.60 a year.
I can understand having restrictions places on university access if you haven't paid subject fees, but really, this is ridiculous.
So I paid by Bpay straight away on saturday morning and emailled the uni saying I had paid and needed access to the web again as I had assessment due Monday.
Nothing. Of course no-one is there over the weekend so I suspected it wouldn't get attended to until Monday.
Monday morning - no emails.
I rang outreach services (for external students) and re-explained my predicament - even taking full responsibility for the fact that I had misread the letter. The guy basically said Bpay can take a couple of days to come through and web access can't be reinstated until it does. I asked if there was anyway I could get it back up today - could I pay again right now some other way and get my earlier payment refunded when it came through.
He said he wasn't sure if it would get processed and web access reconnected again today but would check with finance (put me on hold). Came back to me - "Sorry that line is busy. You could always ask your lecturer for an extension." At which point I politely commented "And you wonder why people want voluntary student unionism. Fair enough if these were subject fees, but for the sake of a $50 union fee, I am not able to do assessment. This really is ridiculous".
Short silence on other end of the phone.
Then "I'll just try finance for you again".
No luck again so he gave me their direct number and we parted ways.
Then I rang finance.
While I was on hold, I emailed my lecturer explaining the situation, and was met with the expected reply - due to the delivery method of assessment there are no extensions. (It's web based computer managed assessment so I completely understand the logistical nightmare it would be to allow certain students extensions and not others). I was impressed by his very quick reply - top mark there.
Got through to finance and re-explained the situation. They said I should email them with my bpay number and student number and they could reinstate it but it might take a few hours. It was 11am.
I kept checking the web log-in and my email.
Nothing
Still nothing
Still nothing.
I'd even sent the email with an urgent exclamation mark against it and noted that I had on-line assessment due at 5pm.
Finally, at 4:35pm I rang finance again. This time I got a lovely lady who reconnected my straight away and I got the assessment done with 5 minutes to spare!
I hate meaningless student unions.
Bring on VSU.
Thank you Tony Abbott.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Quote on leadership
Friday, March 24, 2006
United Nations expresses concern over Afghan Christian facing death .:. NewKerala - India's Top Online Newspaper
United Nations expresses concern over Afghan Christian facing death .:. NewKerala - India's Top Online Newspaper: "United Nations expresses concern over Afghan Christian facing death
United Nations: The UN has voiced 'great concern' for an Afghan charged in a Kabul court for converting from Islam to Christianity and cautioned against the possibility of a 'rift' between Afghanistan and the international community over the case.
'I am unaware of any previous case of this kind in Afghanistan,' UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Tom Koenigs said in a statement on Abdul Rahman, who was brought before the court under Muslim Sharia charges last week.
'It is my wish that Mr Rahman's legal and human rights will be upheld, and that this matter does not create a rift between Afghanistan and its international partners,' he said, stressing that freedom of religious worship is a founding principle of the UN, arising from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
This guy could get sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity. Yes, I see the tolerance here..........?
United Nations: The UN has voiced 'great concern' for an Afghan charged in a Kabul court for converting from Islam to Christianity and cautioned against the possibility of a 'rift' between Afghanistan and the international community over the case.
'I am unaware of any previous case of this kind in Afghanistan,' UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Tom Koenigs said in a statement on Abdul Rahman, who was brought before the court under Muslim Sharia charges last week.
'It is my wish that Mr Rahman's legal and human rights will be upheld, and that this matter does not create a rift between Afghanistan and its international partners,' he said, stressing that freedom of religious worship is a founding principle of the UN, arising from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
This guy could get sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity. Yes, I see the tolerance here..........?
Monday, March 20, 2006
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Two Women Die After Using Abortion Pill - Yahoo! News
Two Women Die After Using Abortion Pill - Yahoo! News
How progressive of us here in Australia to approve what may turn out to be a deadly drug. Well deadly to two people, not just the one it is intended to kill.
Were our politicans entirely unable to read? So many other countries winding back use of this drug or investigating this as it appears quite dangerous - and our pollies enthusiastically lose it on Australian women.
And professing to be wise.... you know how this finishes.
How progressive of us here in Australia to approve what may turn out to be a deadly drug. Well deadly to two people, not just the one it is intended to kill.
Were our politicans entirely unable to read? So many other countries winding back use of this drug or investigating this as it appears quite dangerous - and our pollies enthusiastically lose it on Australian women.
And professing to be wise.... you know how this finishes.
- Christianity Today Magazine
- Christianity Today Magazine
This article has three different ways of reading the bible more quickly including the 100 minute bible! Hmm, not so sure about that one but it could be seen perhaps as an entree - to whet the palate!
This article has three different ways of reading the bible more quickly including the 100 minute bible! Hmm, not so sure about that one but it could be seen perhaps as an entree - to whet the palate!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
I can't sleep
As the post says, I can't sleep! I got up just before 1 and had some sultana bran and thought I might surf a little hoping it would make me tired... hm, hasn't worked yet. A good friend told me the other day that if yo lie in bed for 20 minutes and can't get to sleep, best to get up and do something rather than just lie there. Thinking back, I don't know if my friend meant that getting up would make me sleepy or just more productive! If I still don't feel too tired soon I think I'll take my chances going back to bed!
I have looked at the Courier Mail's new website which I quite like, and aboslutely love their new size paper. I can't quite understand why some people think a change in size means they are going to start to dumb down their content. Each to their own I guess. At least I can read the paper by holding it now, and don't have to lie it down on a table or bench or the floor and peer over the whole thing. So I like it much better.
I went to the gym again today and did my weights session. I have a feeling I will be quite sore tomorrow! Part of my program is lunges - 2 sets of 10. They kill! ANyway, Stephen and JOsh were both doing some weights near where I was doing my lunges and in the second set I stopped after 8 as it just hurt so much. Josh just said - was that what you were meant to do Ruth? - and I knew I had to finish the other 2! It's amazing how another person can motivate you, even just by asking a simple question. That's the benefit of community - accountability, encouragement, team. We weren't created to do life alone.
I have looked at the Courier Mail's new website which I quite like, and aboslutely love their new size paper. I can't quite understand why some people think a change in size means they are going to start to dumb down their content. Each to their own I guess. At least I can read the paper by holding it now, and don't have to lie it down on a table or bench or the floor and peer over the whole thing. So I like it much better.
I went to the gym again today and did my weights session. I have a feeling I will be quite sore tomorrow! Part of my program is lunges - 2 sets of 10. They kill! ANyway, Stephen and JOsh were both doing some weights near where I was doing my lunges and in the second set I stopped after 8 as it just hurt so much. Josh just said - was that what you were meant to do Ruth? - and I knew I had to finish the other 2! It's amazing how another person can motivate you, even just by asking a simple question. That's the benefit of community - accountability, encouragement, team. We weren't created to do life alone.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
From the mouth of a peace-loving person
I have been following a conversation between a Muslim and a non-muslim on another website and found the following quotes from the Quran quite enlightening......(When it says people of the book it is referring to muslims.)
People of the Book, do not exaggerate in [practising] your religion and tell nothing except the Truth about God. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was merely God's messenger and His word which He cast into Mary, and a spirit [proceeding] from Him.
Believe in God [Alone] and His messengers, and do not say: 'Three!" Stopping [it] will be better for you. God is only One God; glory be to Him, beyond His having any son! He owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; God suffices as a Trustee, (XXIV)The Messiah would never disdain to be God's servant, nor would the angels who are closest. He will summon anyone to Him who disdains to worship Him and acts too proud [for it]. As for those who believe and perform honorable deeds, He will pay them their earnings and ad even more for them out of His bounty. He will punish those who are scornful and proud with painful torment; they will not find any sponsor themselves nor any supporter besides God. Mankind, proof has come to you from your Lord; We have sent a clear Light down to you. He will show those who believe in God and cling to Him, into mercy and bounty from Himself, and guide them along a Straight Road towards Himself
and
Those who say: "God is Christ, the son of Mary," disbelieve.
So there we have it. For those of you who were at 24/7 the other night and caught some of our conversation over coffee, this makes for interesting reading....
People of the Book, do not exaggerate in [practising] your religion and tell nothing except the Truth about God. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was merely God's messenger and His word which He cast into Mary, and a spirit [proceeding] from Him.
Believe in God [Alone] and His messengers, and do not say: 'Three!" Stopping [it] will be better for you. God is only One God; glory be to Him, beyond His having any son! He owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; God suffices as a Trustee, (XXIV)The Messiah would never disdain to be God's servant, nor would the angels who are closest. He will summon anyone to Him who disdains to worship Him and acts too proud [for it]. As for those who believe and perform honorable deeds, He will pay them their earnings and ad even more for them out of His bounty. He will punish those who are scornful and proud with painful torment; they will not find any sponsor themselves nor any supporter besides God. Mankind, proof has come to you from your Lord; We have sent a clear Light down to you. He will show those who believe in God and cling to Him, into mercy and bounty from Himself, and guide them along a Straight Road towards Himself
and
Those who say: "God is Christ, the son of Mary," disbelieve.
So there we have it. For those of you who were at 24/7 the other night and caught some of our conversation over coffee, this makes for interesting reading....
Friday, March 10, 2006
My week
Had a great start to the week! My sister and I went to Melbourne for two nights and it was just the lovliest. If you know her, read her blog for a complete run down with photos! It's pretty impressive. Great blogging!
And after that lovely break, back to the real world. I have two messages to share in the next week - Wednesday and Friday - so I will be quite focused on that.
Just ordered my uni textbooks today after trying to find them second hand with no luck there, so will be getting all that underway. I am enjoying these two subjects - Leadership and Consumer Behaviour. Much more interesting than last semester's computers and economics!
I also start up at the gym again tomorrow as well so I am REALLY looking forward to that. I love feeling more fit than I currently feel. So that part of my life will start to feel a little more under control soon too.
I like to have a bit of order in my world as I don't enjoy the feeling of lots of things I need to do floating around my head (in a figurative sense of course).
Yet in the midst of this, I have this wonderful sense of goodness now and to come. God is doing great things and it is always good to lift our eyes and see the big picture rather than focus too much on the here and now to the detriment of anything else.
I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
And after that lovely break, back to the real world. I have two messages to share in the next week - Wednesday and Friday - so I will be quite focused on that.
Just ordered my uni textbooks today after trying to find them second hand with no luck there, so will be getting all that underway. I am enjoying these two subjects - Leadership and Consumer Behaviour. Much more interesting than last semester's computers and economics!
I also start up at the gym again tomorrow as well so I am REALLY looking forward to that. I love feeling more fit than I currently feel. So that part of my life will start to feel a little more under control soon too.
I like to have a bit of order in my world as I don't enjoy the feeling of lots of things I need to do floating around my head (in a figurative sense of course).
Yet in the midst of this, I have this wonderful sense of goodness now and to come. God is doing great things and it is always good to lift our eyes and see the big picture rather than focus too much on the here and now to the detriment of anything else.
I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Drycleaning
I have always wondered how dry clearning actually works? Is there no liquid used at all?
Perhaps Microsoft should look into this...!
In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third.
Haikus are used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity - the essence of Zen:
Your file was so big.
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
The Web site you seek
Cannot be located, but
Countless more exist.
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
Program aborting:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask far too much.
Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.
First snow, then silence.
This thousand-dollar screen dies
So beautifully.
Haikus are used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity - the essence of Zen:
Your file was so big.
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
The Web site you seek
Cannot be located, but
Countless more exist.
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
Program aborting:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask far too much.
Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.
First snow, then silence.
This thousand-dollar screen dies
So beautifully.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
The chaos that is preparation
I am preaching Sunday night and attempting to spend some time preparing today.
Whenever I prepare for sermons, I seem to get a direction and then go through this period of chaos where nothing comes together and everything is muddled, and then I move into the phase of getting my thoughts in order.
I'm still in the chaos phase.
Very frustrating.
Anyway, here is a great quote I read while studying for uni the other night, which may or may not make it in some form into Sunday night's sermon.
Affirming values Leaders can do this in a number of ways. They can reaffirm existing values, remind people of the values of the past or they can lead the regeneration of values. Values always decay over time. Societies that keep their values alive do so, not by escaping the process of decay but by powerful processes of regeneration. There must be a perpetual rebuilding. Each generation must rediscover the living elements of its own tradition and adapt them to present realities. To assist in that rediscovery is one of the tasks of leadership. The leaders who we admire most help to revitalise our shared beliefs and values. They have always spent a portion of their time teaching the value framework. (Gardner, 1989, pp.13-14) John Gardner (1989) in his book entitled "On Leadership".
Whenever I prepare for sermons, I seem to get a direction and then go through this period of chaos where nothing comes together and everything is muddled, and then I move into the phase of getting my thoughts in order.
I'm still in the chaos phase.
Very frustrating.
Anyway, here is a great quote I read while studying for uni the other night, which may or may not make it in some form into Sunday night's sermon.
Affirming values Leaders can do this in a number of ways. They can reaffirm existing values, remind people of the values of the past or they can lead the regeneration of values. Values always decay over time. Societies that keep their values alive do so, not by escaping the process of decay but by powerful processes of regeneration. There must be a perpetual rebuilding. Each generation must rediscover the living elements of its own tradition and adapt them to present realities. To assist in that rediscovery is one of the tasks of leadership. The leaders who we admire most help to revitalise our shared beliefs and values. They have always spent a portion of their time teaching the value framework. (Gardner, 1989, pp.13-14) John Gardner (1989) in his book entitled "On Leadership".
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