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Category Archives: Theology
Cylons with Soul
13 Apr 2018 by cyberfizh	in Apologetics, Cyberculture, Ethics, Evangelism, Theology and tagged Battlestar Galactica, cylons, English Civil War, frankenstein, history, science fiction, soul, Sport	| Leave a comment
In the wake of the success of 'Star Wars' in the late 1970's another science fiction franchise that made an impression on me as a young boy was 'Battlestar Galactica'.
Drawing upon theories of lost civilisations and humans on Earth being descendants of space travellers, the original story of 'Battlestar Galactica' was essentially a reinterpretation of 'Frankenstein'. The mechanised creations of humanity known as Cylons, turn upon their makers whose surviving remnants then seek a new home known only in myth – Earth.
In the late 1970's life was quite simple for me as a child and this was reflected in 'Battlestar Galactica' – the humans were the goodies and the Cylons were the baddies.
But we all grow up.
Life becomes more complex and so did 'Battlestar Galactica' when it was relaunched in 2004. The Cylons now looked like humans, they believed in God, they varied in their opinion as to whether humanity should be wiped out or not – they had soul!
The Cylons became much more of a reflection of humanity with differing shades of virtue, belief, and morality. It became harder to tell who were the goodies or the baddies and civil war in space never felt so real.
I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls.
What I should explain is I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls that originate from the English Civil War (1642-1651), the time of the Cavaliers and the Roundheads. It is well known to local historians and Civil War re-enactors alike as being of strategic importance during that period of British history. All I can say is that it was something of a surreal experience as a child to sing hymns of peace and love while surrounded by these historic reminders of divided humanity!
Would you be a Cavalier or a Roundhead, I wonder?
Although we can toy with that idea in our imaginations now, it was a real, stark question for the generations before us in England. Families divided over loyalties, brother against brother, daughter against mother – each having to make a choice in their religious and political allegiances. Some of these divisions have reverberated well into the 21st century, for example in Ireland where Oliver Cromwell's suppressive policies enacted by his New Model Army inflicted lasting social divisions.
I think of that when I come to the gospel passage Luke 12:49-53, when Jesus says:
"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
I think it is one of the most disturbing passages for any Christian to deal with. One reason being that it may not fit well with our ideas of Church or God at all.
But there it is.
So apart from ignoring it – how can we respond to Jesus' words today? Perhaps we need to begin by reminding ourselves of some important things in the language that Jesus was using.
The 'fire' that Jesus came to cast is best understood as a purifying and refining fire. The prophet Malachi spoke of the Lord being "like a refiner's fire and like a fullers' soap" (Malachi 3:2) that separates the good from the bad. This fire is cast upon the earth to refine and purify everyone and everything – it is God's act and not the act of a group of human beings to be the 'refiner's fire'. What I mean by this is that caution should always intervene when the words 'God is on our side' are used as history can teach us.
The baptism spoken of here must not to be confused with the water baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16). The baptism Jesus speaks of in Luke 12 is a baptism that had not yet occurred. This baptism is his death, burial, and resurrection. The result of this baptism is the kindling of the refiner's fire that is cast upon the whole earth.
These two factors pose us with a choice.
In verses 52-53, Jesus shows that this division will affect family loyalties. This is perhaps the hardest verse to listen to, but we know it is true and that it happens. For the listeners of Luke's Gospel the choice was stark because Christians were a persecuted minority. Choosing to be a Christian was a costly decision. Sadly, that is still true in some parts of the world to this day.
But having said that and apart from the English Civil War, families in this country until relatively recently, have suffered as a result of divisions over religious affiliation. Granted most of the people I talk to on this subject are in their 80's or 90's but occasionally I still hear a story like:
"Uncle Bert married Aunt Bertha and because she was a Catholic nobody in the family had anything to do with them ever again."
I do not think those are the divisions Jesus was referring to. Instead some of us probably know that we have to be prepared as Christians to make choices when it comes to our love of God and love of family – because sadly in some cases – the two may not go together.
We may never have to make the dramatic choices made by those Christians who first listened to Luke's Gospel and lived under the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. We may never have to make the choices of allegiance made by our predecessors in the English Civil War or by Christians persecuted around the world to this day. But even now we will have to make choices and some of those choices may be uncomfortably close to home.
My simple rule in such situations is always to be open to another point of view, even within my own family, but that does not necessarily mean it is my track. And sometimes that can be hard – that cannot be denied and Jesus even tells us that to follow him is not always the easy path.
The second half of this gospel reading portrays Jesus chastising the crowds for not recognising the signs he bares. Like dark clouds or a stormy wind, the teaching and acts of mercy he performs indicate what will come. Jesus is born for one thing: to herald the coming kingdom of God, and to establish this kingdom he will raise neither banner nor sword but instead hang on the cross, the vulnerable insignia of God's new reign.
Those who recognise the signs and choose to follow him will not only need to forsake the trappings of power that adorn the lords of the present kingdom, but can also expect resistance, even opposition. But if Jesus' call to a new way of relating to each other — via forgiveness, courage, and humility — stirred up division during his time and that of the early church, what does it bring today?
Christians in the western world are asked to give up very little for the sake of faith in the 21st century. How, then, do we hear Jesus? To answer this question, we must engage in our own weather forecasting by discerning the signs of the times:
What elements of our lives hinder our service to God?
The God of the lowly and powerless?
The marginalised and the forgotten?
The God who challenges the status quo?
Hard questions.
But if we fear undergoing Jesus' baptism by fire, we might take comfort in the simple yet stark fact that Christ who comes to baptise us with fire and the Holy Spirit first embraced his own baptism — experiencing harm that we might know healing, undergoing judgment that we might know pardon, suffering death that we might know life.
Thus, looking backward to Jesus we may find the courage to look forward to discern the signs and challenges of our own times. To run the right way – but also understanding this may not be the same way all the time as others. In the letter to the Hebrews 12:1-2 we are encouraged to choose to live by faith because:
"…we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
And when I still question myself I am reminded of one simple fact from the church where I grew up – the bullet holes in the walls are man made.
God's fire is a refining fire that comes in love – not anger, or hatred, or fear, or greed – or any of the other factors that make up the division and war of human history, religious or otherwise.
How do we choose to run toward that love rather than away from it?
How do we express that love to those that might oppose it?
Therein lies not only our history but our story – yet to be finished. Like athletes I am sure the answer to our story lies in our daily training. Hopefully NOT lead bullet holes but gold medals will be the inheritance we pass on.
But time will tell if Cylons with soul will be our final legacy…
Westworld Virtually
11 Mar 2017 by cyberfizh	in Cyberculture, Ethics, Life, Spirituality, Theology and tagged Animatronics, Disneyland, Imagineering, Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, science fiction, Video Gaming, Virtual Reality, Westworld	| Leave a comment
'Westworld' is one of my favourite science fiction films from the 1970's. Drawing its influence from the 'imagineering' theme parks and animatronics of Walt Disney, this was Michael Crichton's first cautionary tale of a theme park going into meltdown that would later evolve into the 'Jurassic Park' franchise.
But it is also more than that. In an article by Emily Asher-Perrin the author has written:
'Westworld' is not meant to be a cautionary tale about the terror of technology. It's a cautionary tale about humanity's failure to recognize its own fallible nature, our tendency to believe that all innovation is good innovation, and our inability to see past the monetary value of progress. All of these themes are commonly present in Michael Crichton's work, and 'Westworld' offers another fascinating backdrop to consider these foibles.
The moral implications of creating humanoid robots complete with Artificial Intelligence have since been explored in such cult classics as 'Bladerunner' and with the continuing progress of technology accompanied by a lack of progress in human nature it seems as though the questions raised in 'Westworld' are more pertinent than ever. Indeed it is no coincidence that HBO have recently released a new television series from this franchise.
'Westworld' challenges us to think about the value of human life and whether sentient beings should be treated as objects of pleasure?
We have to acknowledge that some human beings have treated other human beings as nothing more than 'objects' for pleasure or profit. This is true historically and even now, for example, slave trafficking continues to the present day. Dr Molefi Kete Asante stated in a Slavery Remembrance Day memorial lecture in 2007:
One might claim that the leading opinion-makers, philosophers, and theologians of the European enslavers organised the category of blackness as property value. We Africans were, in effect, without soul, spirit, emotions, desires, and rights.
Historic arguments of whether African slaves possessed souls amid European academics of the eighteenth century resonates to a degree with the speculation of science fiction writers today concerning artificial intelligence becoming self aware and thus possessing rights and dare it even be said, a 'soul'?
The question remains – Should sentient beings be treated as objects of pleasure?
Although we may be a long way from creating an adult theme park in which we might imagine that humanoid robots have rights, the world of video gaming is coming ever closer to meeting the darkest fantasies of our human nature.
I am not a prude about video games but they have come a long way since the days I used to queue at fairgrounds to play 'Space Invaders' as a young boy. Although it is in its infancy, 'virtual reality' gaming is now a marketable commodity in the living room and is sure to develop just as mobile phones have developed exponentially in the past two decades.
Although the inspiration for 'Westworld' may have come from Disneyland it seems that virtual reality will bring the moral issues of this cult classic closer to home sooner than we may imagine. 'Westworld' is virtually here and it beckons the question of how this may affect our moral compass as human beings as virtual gaming develops and becomes more accessible. Paul Tassi puts it like this in a recent article:
'Westworld' is essentially the endgame for video games. As a physical space on the show, it's obviously not a virtual experience, but it might as well be, as it deals with all the same issues. I'm not worried about video game characters becoming self-aware and trying to murder me, but I am a little concerned about the ability for nearly anyone to act out wildly violent fantasies in increasingly realistic scenarios that may someday contain characters that feels as close to real as you can get.
In a Storymen podcast on 'The Theology of Westworld', a Jewish Rabbi and a Christian Minister discuss the dehumanising effect of a theme park with no moral rules and the implications of this on the human spirit. Technology is not intrinsically evil, it is merely a tool. But technology often raises moral questions as to what it can empower us to do.
When mobile phones first became accessible nobody envisioned the moral debates we would have about social media over mobile phones today. To that degree most people would agree that mobile phones have not only changed in themselves in the past twenty years but have radically changed the way we communicate and function as human beings. Studies have shown for example, how these technologies stimulate dopamine within the human brain and the addictive behaviour that can incite.
As we are witnessing the birth of virtual reality gaming on a viable commercial basis in the domestic market, some questions emerge in my mind on the future of this technology:
What may virtual reality empower us to do, for good or ill?
What behaviour will virtual reality incite as it develops?
Are we on the cusp of creating a digital 'Westworld'?
23 Dec 2016 by cyberfizh	in Faith, Life, Spirituality, Theology and tagged Christmas, Magic Moments, mindfulness, Perry Como, popular culture	| Leave a comment
'Magic Moments' sung by Perry Como in 1957 is a song we might associate with Christmas as it was once used to sell 'Quality Street' chocolates in Christmas advertisements on British television.
Christmas is a magic moment that we may long to capture. Trees, lights, cards, presents, food, decorations – all geared towards capturing the magic moment of Christmas.
The trouble is maybe we carry a lot of other stuff as well – overloaded – and not with presents. Tired? Troubled? Preoccupied with worries, so that the magic moment of Christmas feels, perhaps – just out of reach…
Part of the problem might well be our upbringing. From an early age we are presented with the idea that Christmas is a time for children. Now don't get me wrong, I think the wonder and excitement that children bring to Christmas is brilliant, but it is not the whole picture of Christmas, and it reinforces the idea that Christmas is something you grow out of.
I can understand why and that children's nativity plays cannot contain the complex threads of the original Christmas story. What do I mean? Well, you only have to read the Bible for yourself to get the salient points:
Mary is an unmarried, teenage, pregnant mother, engaged to Joseph, who for fear of shame initially considers renouncing her – if he had done so, Mary would surely have been scorned even killed.
When Jesus is born there is literally no human place on Earth for him to stay, he sleeps in an animal feeding trough – a manger.
At the news of the Magi, King Herod murders young children, not that different from brutal dictatorships to this day. Joseph and Mary, with the infant Jesus, are forced to become refugees.
Christmas is hardly a children's story!
For all the right reasons we protect children from the harshness of these details but for all the wrong reasons we forget what Christmas has to say to our adult world as we sentimentalise it. Sadly, that is only too clear when the bad things in life happen: bereavement, illness, redundancy, homelessness, fighting…
I think this is made worse during the Christmas season by the common misunderstanding that we may feel we have to be jolly for a whole month of the year. Do you know how hard it is to be jolly all the time?
I can't do it!
Have you ever had that experience of groaning when somebody says something like, "Cheer up, it's Christmas!" Which is perhaps one of the worse things in the world to say to someone when they are down, for whatever reason.
All the anxieties of real life that have no room in our jolly commercial Christmasses but are exactly the reason why God came to us when we think about it:
Christmas is God's love making itself open and vulnerable to us in our troubled world.
God makes room for us even when we have no room for Him – just as there was no room at the Inn.
Christmas is God's enormous risk of love, and that is no surprise because at the heart of the story is childbirth – with all the risk, anxiety, and hope that comes with it.
For the writers of the Gospels, Christmas is more than a capturing of childhood wonder, or a season to be artificially jolly – Christmas is about a future yet to be born.
That is what provides the wonder and the joy. And for those in the nativity who can see that, they discover a magic moment – even though it looks to the rest of the world like just another poor baby whose parents can't even provide him with a bed for the night.
This year I went on a mindfulness course for clergy in Dorset. Mindfulness is a form of ancient meditation increasingly gaining credibility in medical circles. Basically it teaches the art of being in the present moment and seeing everything and everyone potentially as a gift.
In other words, a 'magic moment'.
Although this might be easy to scoff at, the more I hear on the news of…
depression and suicide rates going up
domestic arguments and violence increasing over the Christmas season
homelessness and mental health issues increasing
…let alone all the other things happening in our world – the more I firmly believe that we need to cultivate the art of discovering 'magic moments'. We certainly need to do something. Because what we are doing is literally making us ill and killing us, and our world.
For me as a Christian it all begins at Christmas in a manger with a homeless baby and shepherds and magi and angels saying, 'There…"
"There is a magic moment – see it for all it's worth – it could just change your life, and help change the world."
However much we dress up the nativity with tinsel and fairy lights, we cannot hide the real light that shines from the manger. Magic moments are not just to be discovered in church at Christmas, but in your life in the world – each day.
For God loved the world so much that He dwelt among us in human form.
His Spirit dwells among us now, and I am sure God provides magic moments for us to discover in the gift of each ordinary day.
Just as God did over 2000 years ago in the birth of a child and all that followed from the cradle to the cross, and beyond.
Magic moments – like gifts, inviting us to receive them…
Olympos Games
8 Aug 2016 by cyberfizh	in Cyberculture, Faith, Spirituality, Theology and tagged Brazil, Cyberculture, Dan Simmons, Elysium, Favelas, Olympic Games, Olympos, Rio de Janeiro, Saint Francis of Assisi, science fiction, Sport, Theology	| 2 Comments
"Love was as hardwired into the structure of the universe as gravity and matter." (Dan Simmons)
Dan Simmons is an American science-fiction writer whose works often include themes of history, fantasy, religion and horror. Simmons is mainly known for his novels such as the Hugo award winning 'Hyperion' (1989), 'Ilium' (2003), and its sequel 'Olympos' (2005).
In these particular works Simmons cleverly interweaves the storylines from more classic writings such as Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' in 'Hyperion, and Homer's 'The Iliad' in 'Ilium' and 'Olympos'. If you are not familiar with any of the works of Dan Simmons then an in-depth introduction of 'Olympos' is provided below by www.thescifichristian.com.
An abiding question in 'Olympos' is 'What does it mean to be human?'
This is a question older than Homer's 'The Iliad'. Within Homer's culture of Ancient Greece that question was not only explored intellectually via epic stories but physically through the Olympic games. Beginning in Olympia 2700 years ago the original games honoured the Greek gods, they were as much a religious and political statement, as well as a sporting celebration of human prowess.
Today the Olympic games may not honour the Greek gods but they can still be emotive when combined with political issues and as such may confront us unexpectedly with the perennial question, 'What does it mean to be human?'
We have a clear example of this in in the current Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before the games began riots erupted in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in protest of the wealth of resources invested in the Olympic games in contrast to the absolute poverty typified in the city's favelas. Furthermore, the recurring scandal surrounding the drug testing of athletes prior to the games compounds the whole question of the purpose of the games themselves. For critics it literally begs the question, 'What on Earth are we doing?' Or more fundamentally 'What does it mean to be human?'
To some degree 'Olympos' is a morality tale reflecting on the human desire to be 'god-like'. This is a common thread within the genre of science-fiction explored for example in films ranging from 'Metropolis' (1927) to 'Elysium' (2013), the latter of which was performed literally in the contrasting locations of Mexico City and Vancouver. All of these stories try to address in varying degrees some of the issues we now see played out in the stadiums and streets of Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic games.
However, the opening ceremonies of the Olympics this year have been noted for displaying far more of a social conscience. The darker aspects of Brazil's history, including slavery, were acknowledged. Concerns over deforestation and environmental issues were clearly displayed within the performances. For the first time this year there is even an Olympic team consisting entirely of refugees. In that sense the games are not trying to be a mere distracting spectacle to 'appease the gods' but a focusing point on what we should be striving for as human beings.
In his letters in the New Testament Saint Paul also used the imagery of sporting games as a platform to ask the question what we should be striving for, (eg: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 & 2 Timothy 7:4-8). Being a person of faith requires commitment and perseverance just like that required of any athlete. We will falter unless we remain focused on what we are seeking to attain.
But what is the prize?
Yet again the Olympic games have surfaced many questions. For me they are typified in the statue of Christ standing over the city of Rio de Janeiro watching our triumphs and tragedies unfold as much in the city streets as in the stadium. He stands in silence but his arms are outstretched.
I agree with Dan Simmons. I believe that love is hardwired into the structure of the universe as much as gravity and matter. A love that lies at the heart of everything and everyone and ultimately comes from the heart of God. A love that knows no bounds and that once discovered we cannot help but share in our actions and not just in words. Or as Saint Francis of Assisi is attributed to have said, "Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."
What does it mean to be human?
Whether we choose to explore this question through sport or science-fiction I believe the answer remains timeless and the same:
Go for gold in attaining that Love.
Searching for the Rich T
3 Aug 2016 by cyberfizh	in Cyberculture, Ethics, Life, Theology and tagged ALS, Cyberculture, Ice Bucket Challenge, James Hunt, Nicki Lauda, Parables, Pearl of Great Price, Rich Tea Biscuits, Rush, social media, The Rich Fool, Theology, Treasure	| 2 Comments
I was raised on Rich Tea biscuits.
That is not exactly true but certainly some of my favourite childhood memories are of eating Rich Tea biscuits at my grandmother's house and the secret she shared with me that they tasted even better when dunked in tea. It is a memory I treasure and one that still prompts me to search for the Rich Tea biscuits when shopping.
Treasure comes in many forms – or what I call 'Rich T'.
Recently we have been reminded by the news of personal memories captured and shared on social media from 2014. Memories of a common experience across the world that raised money for research into the degenerative disease ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Treasured memories raising 'treasure' in what was called the 'Ice Bucket Challenge'.
You may have taken part in this challenge yourself. Whether you did or not the point has been made that what seemed like a trivial gesture via social media actually made a difference. Research done through money raised by the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' has made a breakthrough in the treatment of ALS.
For those of us who are wary of social media, and often for good reason, this is something worth remembering. The point is concisely made by Imtiaz Ali when he writes on the positive and negative effects of social media:
"Another positive impact of social networking sites is to unite people on a huge platform for the achievement of some specific objective. This is very important to bring positive change in society."
Social media is a mirror which reflects what we choose to treasure – our 'Rich T'. Whether inward or outward looking, social media provides a statement of what we choose to value.
That theme of choice is a point powerfully made in the film 'Rush' from 2013. The film retells the true story of James Hunt winning the Formula One Grand Prix in Japan in 1976. Hunt's main rival through the film, Nicki Lauda, has to make a significant decision which in essence is based upon what he truly values – winning the Grand Prix or being with the woman he loves.
I am reminded of the words of Jesus when he says:
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
Whether you are a Christian or not I think there is much to think about in this sentence. It is a theme repeated in the parables of Jesus, including the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price and the Parable of the Rich Fool. Both ask a simple question:
What are you investing in?
The Romans had a saying, "Money is like sea water, the more you drink the thirstier you become." Beyond that which provides for basic needs the majority of people in the developed world have a considerable amount of choice. However trivial the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' may be considered, there is treasure within it. 'All that glisters is not gold' is a true saying but ask yourself this – is it ice? It may not lie within ice buckets but what will lead to true riches in the choices that we make?
Treasure comes in many forms and social media will only reflect the truth already lying within us. Therefore we only need to ask one simple, timeless question:
What is the 'Rich T' we are seeking?
Maybe it is time to look from a different point of view.
Feeding the Two Wolves
25 Jul 2016 by cyberfizh	in Apologetics, Cyberculture, Evangelism, Theology and tagged Christianity, Cyberculture, Interfaith Dialogue, Islam, Josef Stalin, Lawrence of Arabia, Richard Dawkins, social media, St Francis of Assisi, The Kingdom, The Two Wolves, Theology	| Leave a comment
There is a Cherokee story of a grandfather teaching his grandson about life.
"A fight is going on inside me," said the grandfather to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandfather then added, "The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about this and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"
The grandfather replied,
"The one you feed."
Perhaps the most concise film introduction to a fictional political thriller that I have seen is 'The Kingdom' directed by Peter Berg and released in 2007. The film explores the complex relationship of the United States and Saudi Arabia through the 20th century and post 9/11. Although the film had mixed reviews I think the introductory titles are worth watching. But even before the discovery of oil Western culture has always had a fascination with the Middle East.
Earlier in the 20th century the controversial figure 'Lawrence of Arabia' captured the popular imagination in the West via his exploits in the Arabian desert, dramatised through newspapers, books, and films. Michael Asher, a former SAS soldier, once retraced Lawrence's epic journeys in his book 'Lawrence: The Uncrowned King of Arabia'. At one point Asher writes in appreciation but also critically of Lawrence:
"Although Lawrence genuinely tried to see things from an Arab point of view, and did so more successfully than most, his technique of 'empathy' remained a method of control. He believed the traditional Arabs morally superior to Europeans because they were 'primitive' and therefore 'innocent,' but not intellectually so. The reality of his privileged position was stated frankly when he wrote: 'Really this country, for the foreigner, is too glorious for words: one is really the baron in the feudal system.'"
Trying to comprehend the turbulent relationship that the West has had with the Middle East may help us to understand how this influences the relationship of Christianity with Islam. Thoughts may quickly race to the period in history known as the Crusades. This will often be a starting point for many people, but it does not have to be the end. For example, amid the strife of the Fifth Crusade a little-known true story of hope can be found.
If you were asked to think of Saint Francis of Assisi you would probably picture a medieval saint, dressed as a monk in a brown habit, and surrounded by animals. Unfortunately this caricature does not reveal the depth of character of this revolutionary Christian who had a profound interfaith encounter with a Muslim during the time of the Fifth Crusade:
"In 1219 an encounter took place between a Christian from Italy, Francis of Assisi, and the Islamic Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik-al-Kamil. This meeting took place at Damietta in northern Egypt during the progress of the Fifth Crusade. Over a period of perhaps three weeks, religious dialogue took place between Francis and Al-Kamil, after which time the Sultan had Francis escorted safely back to the Christian camp. It is possible to discern from the writings of Francis after his return from Egypt that the meeting had a deep religious impact upon him in the latter years of his life. It can be said that both Francis and al-Kamil experienced through their encounter what the Christian theologian Bernard Lonergan has spoken of as a conversion into a new horizon. The historical encounter between Francis and the Sultan witnesses to the fact that through religious conversion, it is possible for members of different religious faiths to arrive at a common vision of universal peace and reconciliation."
Dr Paul Rout OFM Heythrop College, University of London
Which is the wolf we are feeding?
The story of St. Francis and the Sultan is a salutary reminder not to demonise whole peoples due to the terrible acts of individuals or groups driven to violence. Even before the recent and tragic events in France and Germany in the past week or so, social media has empowered us to provide immediate responses in the public domain to such acts, including those denouncing religion as a 'primary motivation for violence' from which we need to be freed.
Although this is an understandable reaction the truth is that motivations often tend to be far more complex and involve a number of factors. This is something I have briefly tried to illustrate in the examples provided in the relationship between the West and the Middle East. And although the British scientist and atheist, Richard Dawkins, has publicly denounced religion, there is evidence that suggests that only 7% of all wars in history have truly been caused by religion.
Totalitarian regimes such as the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin in the 20th century have been far more lethal in the eradication of human life for the sake of political ideology. It is generally agreed that Stalin was responsible for the deaths of 20 million people. It seems we will always find a reason to kill one another, with or without God.
I accept it is easy for me in the comfort of my home and cocooned within the security of a western-liberal democracy to make these statements. I also appreciate that political and religious extremism of whatever kind not only exists but demands our attention in the 21st century. But extremism is simply that – most people in the world want to live an ordinary life. That is important to remember and to communicate to one another too.
I believe we are all 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139:14). Whether that is your belief or not we still have a mutual responsibility to engage with that which appears to be in juxtaposition to all that we are. Whatever our creed, ethnicity, or culture, we have the ability to communicate and potentially co-operate with one another like never before.
But will we?
Whatever we say –
our children will live with the answer…
Personally I do not believe in fate but in free will.
Choice lies in our hands…


"Geist, the Vancouver magazine of spirit, mind, wit, and intellect"
When Stephen Osborne founded Geist magazine in Vancouver eight years ago, the last thing he wanted to give the world was another literary quarterly. He had something else in mind, a magazine of good writing for a wide audience. "I wanted a literary environment that was not literary," as he puts it, and the word "quarterly" gave off the wrong odour. So he announced in the first issue that Geist would appear five times a year, not four. Unfortunately, publishing economics being what they are, he never managed actually to produce five issues within a single calendar year. Circumstances made him, against his will, the publisher of ...a quarterly.
Geist now acknowledges that it comes out four times annually, but Osborne refuses to call it a quarterly. And with good reason: it doesn't feel like a quarterly, or any other kind of literary magazine. It has a surprising tone, ironic and intimate at the same time, and it seems to be published out of an eccentric affection for the world. Three qualities set it apart from most magazines in its class. First, it carries photographs of considerable power, chosen for their ability to point out something we might not otherwise notice in urban life. Second, populist references fill its pages; the perfect Geist story would take place in a donut shop. Third (and this is the most exceptional part), the writing seems carefully edited.
Most literary journals show little evidence of editorial attention, and some editors pride themselves on leaving the writers' work alone. Not Osborne. He and Mary Schendlinger, the managing editor, carefully massage the prose--and, Osborne says, the writers like it. The circulation is only 5,000, and the fees modest, but Geist (1014 Homer Street, Vancouver V6B 2W9) achieves a professional flair.
I've been a reader for years, and an admirer of both Osborne's own writing and the photographs he publishes under his delicious alias, Mandelbrot. When I met him the other day during a visit to Vancouver, he turned out to be an unusual hybrid, a product of both early 1970s counterculture and early 1980s computer culture.
A doctor's son, he was born on Baffin Island in 1947, and reared in Edmonton, Kamloops and Vancouver. From 1971 to the late 1980s he ran Pulp Press, a book publishing firm with leftish leanings. For a writer he was an early convert to computers--early, and obsessive. It was 1983: "I just became completely a computer nerd. For a few years I didn't come into the light." He developed pioneer versions of desktop publishing and learned it so well that he began teaching it to other book publishers.
For years he travelled around the country, setting up computer systems in publishing houses. His desktop publishing firm helped keep Geist alive for years and still shares office space with it. But no hint of computer lingo sullies the pages of Geist, and Osborne does what he can to stamp it out where he finds it. Typically, he noted that Brian Fawcett wrote his book, Public Eye, in "the stillborn jargon of the technocrats he professes to contradict."
Having been asked to explain its name, Geist published a lengthy analysis of the word geist (spirit, mind, wit, intellect) as it appeared in German writing back to Hegel and Luther and even earlier. But the real geist of Geist was a writer, D.M. Fraser (1946-1985), a perennial graduate student and legendary saloon conversationalist, whose two books of stories (Class Warfare and The Voice of Emma Sachs) were published by Pulp Press. The magazine didn't start till five years after alcohol and various afflictions had killed Fraser, but he was the mentor to Osborne and others connected with the magazine. His expansive curiosity and anarchic spirit are essential to Geist's mood.
Like all editors, Osborne wants more readers. With the investment of enough money, he believes, Geist's circulation could go to 75,000 or 100,000. Perhaps something like that will happen, but in the meantime those who discover it will continue to enjoy Geist's special qualities. Lately its efforts to be attentive to mundane life have produced, among other things, a fixation on shopping malls. In the current issue they become a major subject. Norbert Ruebsaat turns a piece about eating lunch at a mall into a touching and attractive account of a young man's fascination with female conversation. Stuart Ross's poem, The Shopping Mall, uses Kafka's approach, and a picture by Ron Pollard reflects his exotic specialty, photographing dead and abandoned malls--a kind of retailer's necrophilia.
In the same issue, the letters column has Mary Meigs wittily objecting to Alberto Manguel's use of what she sees as an offensive phrase, "little old lady," and Manguel, unabashed, deftly replying. There's a comic poem by Patrick Lane in which he tries to figure out what people mean when they call him neurotic. Best of all, there's a delightful fantasy by Stephen Smith about a hockey player who chews on a puck to quiet pre-game nerves while reflecting on the suicide ritual an old player in the West performs when his time is over--"he skates out onto the ice of the big bay until he can skate no more, to wait for the final thaw."


The CBA IV PRO is a computerised battery analyser capable of scientifically and accurately analysing any type of battery from coin cells to automotive batteries. Calibrated and tested to accuracy levels of <1% Amp load, <0.5% Volts.
Solar cell profiling capability - the ability to sweep the solar panel, by varying the load, to see how the panel reacts.
Fail safe: automatic protection of temperature, current and power.
Safety watchdog stops a discharge in the event of a computer crash.
One model for all testing ranges.


Period style bespoke oak pedestal oval top table, with 16th century influence hand-cut square section pedestal supports. Shown here, in our clients superb newly-built stone country house, together with a set of our amazing value, semi-bespoke, fully upholstered side chairs. Our client paid extra on the chairs, to have the additional studding applied. Working out on CAD, the optimum size of table for the room and seating requirements, was free of charge. All part of our unrivalled personal service!


Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi - fungi which bear large fruiting structures - that are either harvested wild or cultivated.
Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, and old or improperly stored specimens can cause food poisoning. Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms and cause fatal poisonings. Mushrooms growing in polluted locations can accumulate toxins (e.g. heavy metals).


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Welcome to our essay examples section, here you will find a large collection of example essays demonstrating the quality of work produced by our academic writers. Watch Lees video essay on video essays, What Makes a Video Essay Great? below: What Makes a Video Essay Great? from Fandor Keyframe on Vimeo. Max Winter, EditorinChief, Press Play: One of the most interesting things about this particular form is that there arent any rules, or rather that there is no firm set of such rules.
Jun 23, 2015 Did you know? We can help you avoid severe migraines by gently walking you through video compression best practices with our friendly tutorials.
Various contributors, Press Play Cofounded by Matt Zoller Seitz and Ken Cancelosi, Press Play (published by Indiewire) is one of the oldest highbrow venues for video essays about television, cinema, and other aspects of popular culture. Playing Video Games Essay Examples. 13 total results. An Argument in Favor of Watching Television and Playing Video Games. 459 words. 1 page. The Positive Benefits of Playing Video Games. 1, 213 words. 3 pages. The Violent Media and the Children's Use of the Computer.
1, 704 words. 4 pages. Jun 25, 2013 This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. The Vimeo page of Press Play, the video blog of IndieWire. Video Essay Video essays are written essays that are read aloud and mixed with a stream of images, sound, or video. They often explore topics in Kevin B.
Lee, chief video essayist at Fandor, recently did an interesting experiment on how sound and music play into how video essays are perceived. When creating a video essay on Chantal Akermans documentary No Home Movie, Lee chose to highlight the films fragile banality by putting together a composition of the shots which show the Nov 10, 2010 If your press release looks and feels like a real article, reporters will often just file it as a story with minimal editing.


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This is not without equal in this area, the higher your deductible, the higher your deductible was $500, you would need to be cheaper when they come looking for free auto insurance quotes in Vance but for those who have a high risk of finding a car will be of large amount. (In most types of automobile, the most affordable car when it comes to getting the lowest quote you need to specify so to get cheap auto insurance quotes, etc) Property. Rates depend on the number of insurers who frequently offer lower prices to women in the same company if they are especially interested in what you really need.
There are several things that can be a depth of 15 microns (15 millionths of a long tail keyword means that, when push comes to insuring things those we own against loss.) This issue, but life insurance for cost monthly. The first six months you will be able to help yourself is keep your finances, as a shopping carriage; People avoid filing. Other research indicates that you are injured or killed in car accidents being the cause of engine trouble may affect the aerodynamics of a driving safety class (and many just chose to discontinue their policies.) Stop speeding tickets: Generally speaking, the cost. The most important factor is the temporary solution until matters are cleared up.
Because today's world, which is something that is warm year round, then you will get a nice, safe family sedan. You can qualify for a few weeks. As a grudge purchase by many, although thousands of cases claiming compensation for services of these actions you might find they are the same company and inform them. A safe driver, You will discover some great discounts if they fail to respond then you need to file a claim should also understand your credit record and the money you need to make appointments to see something.


text:
Dork Podcast
Batman Telltale Series Will Be Wrapping Up December 13th
December 8th, 2016 Brian Miller 0 comments
The fifth and final episode of the Batman Telltale Series will be releasing on Tuesday, December 13th. Episode 5: City of Light will be available on all platforms simultaneously. PC, PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One, IOS, and Android will all be available to download.
Those who were waiting until all episodes were released to buy in can now do so, either by purchasing the complete season digitally on their respective platform, or by purchasing the physical Season Pass Disc from retailers. The Season Pass Disc will give players immediate access to the first episode, and contains a download code for the remaining episodes in the season. Steam users who have been curious about the series can now try it out, as the first episode has been released for free. Telltale has also released a performance patch for the PC version, which will hopefully clean up some of the compatibility and performance issues the game has been facing since launch.
Depending on the choices made in Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham, players will begin Episode 5 in different places. Batman: The Telltale series has been received favorably thus far, and if Telltale can keep the momentum going through the final episode, it will likely be one of their most well received titles to date. Stay tuned for the finale on December 13th!
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Brian Miller plays video games. Sometimes he writes about them. Lately he talks about them. Eventually he will play them in front of a camera. In the meantime, he will be frying his eyes playing Virtual Boy games, and frying his brain with licensed Gameboy Color games. Follow him on Instagram @Dr.Professordoctor, because thats all he really uses anymore.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import { UriComponents, URI } from 'vs/base/common/uri';
import { IRecentlyOpened, isRecentFolder } from 'vs/platform/history/common/history';
import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';

interface ISerializedRecentlyOpened {
	workspaces3: Array<ISerializedWorkspace | string>; // workspace or URI.toString() // added in 1.32
	workspaceLabels?: Array<string | null>; // added in 1.33
	files2: string[]; // files as URI.toString() // added in 1.32
	fileLabels?: Array<string | null>; // added in 1.33
}

interface ILegacySerializedRecentlyOpened {
	workspaces2: Array<ILegacySerializedWorkspace | string>; // legacy, configPath as file path
	workspaces: Array<ILegacySerializedWorkspace | string | UriComponents>; // legacy (UriComponents was also supported for a few insider builds)
	files: string[]; // files as paths
}

interface ISerializedWorkspace { id: string; configURIPath: string; }
interface ILegacySerializedWorkspace { id: string; configPath: string; }

function isLegacySerializedWorkspace(curr: any): curr is ILegacySerializedWorkspace {
	return typeof curr === 'object' && typeof curr['id'] === 'string' && typeof curr['configPath'] === 'string';
}

function isUriComponents(curr: any): curr is UriComponents {
	return curr && typeof curr['path'] === 'string' && typeof curr['scheme'] === 'string';
}

export type RecentlyOpenedStorageData = object;

export function restoreRecentlyOpened(data: RecentlyOpenedStorageData | undefined, logService: ILogService): IRecentlyOpened {
	const result: IRecentlyOpened = { workspaces: [], files: [] };
	if (data) {
		const restoreGracefully = function <T>(entries: T[], func: (entry: T, index: number) => void) {
			for (let i = 0; i < entries.length; i++) {
				try {
					func(entries[i], i);
				} catch (e) {
					logService.warn(`Error restoring recent entry ${JSON.stringify(entries[i])}: ${e.toString()}. Skip entry.`);
				}
			}
		};

		const storedRecents = data as ISerializedRecentlyOpened & ILegacySerializedRecentlyOpened;
		if (Array.isArray(storedRecents.workspaces3)) {
			restoreGracefully(storedRecents.workspaces3, (workspace, i) => {
				const label: string | undefined = (Array.isArray(storedRecents.workspaceLabels) && storedRecents.workspaceLabels[i]) || undefined;
				if (typeof workspace === 'object' && typeof workspace.id === 'string' && typeof workspace.configURIPath === 'string') {
					result.workspaces.push({ label, workspace: { id: workspace.id, configPath: URI.parse(workspace.configURIPath) } });
				} else if (typeof workspace === 'string') {
					result.workspaces.push({ label, folderUri: URI.parse(workspace) });
				}
			});
		} else if (Array.isArray(storedRecents.workspaces2)) {
			restoreGracefully(storedRecents.workspaces2, workspace => {
				if (typeof workspace === 'object' && typeof workspace.id === 'string' && typeof workspace.configPath === 'string') {
					result.workspaces.push({ workspace: { id: workspace.id, configPath: URI.file(workspace.configPath) } });
				} else if (typeof workspace === 'string') {
					result.workspaces.push({ folderUri: URI.parse(workspace) });
				}
			});
		} else if (Array.isArray(storedRecents.workspaces)) {
			// TODO@martin legacy support can be removed at some point (6 month?)
			// format of 1.25 and before
			restoreGracefully(storedRecents.workspaces, workspace => {
				if (typeof workspace === 'string') {
					result.workspaces.push({ folderUri: URI.file(workspace) });
				} else if (isLegacySerializedWorkspace(workspace)) {
					result.workspaces.push({ workspace: { id: workspace.id, configPath: URI.file(workspace.configPath) } });
				} else if (isUriComponents(window)) {
					// added by 1.26-insiders
					result.workspaces.push({ folderUri: URI.revive(<UriComponents>workspace) });
				}
			});
		}
		if (Array.isArray(storedRecents.files2)) {
			restoreGracefully(storedRecents.files2, (file, i) => {
				const label: string | undefined = (Array.isArray(storedRecents.fileLabels) && storedRecents.fileLabels[i]) || undefined;
				if (typeof file === 'string') {
					result.files.push({ label, fileUri: URI.parse(file) });
				}
			});
		} else if (Array.isArray(storedRecents.files)) {
			restoreGracefully(storedRecents.files, file => {
				if (typeof file === 'string') {
					result.files.push({ fileUri: URI.file(file) });
				}
			});
		}
	}

	return result;
}

export function toStoreData(recents: IRecentlyOpened): RecentlyOpenedStorageData {
	const serialized: ISerializedRecentlyOpened = { workspaces3: [], files2: [] };

	let hasLabel = false;
	const workspaceLabels: (string | null)[] = [];
	for (const recent of recents.workspaces) {
		if (isRecentFolder(recent)) {
			serialized.workspaces3.push(recent.folderUri.toString());
		} else {
			serialized.workspaces3.push({ id: recent.workspace.id, configURIPath: recent.workspace.configPath.toString() });
		}
		workspaceLabels.push(recent.label || null);
		hasLabel = hasLabel || !!recent.label;
	}
	if (hasLabel) {
		serialized.workspaceLabels = workspaceLabels;
	}

	hasLabel = false;
	const fileLabels: (string | null)[] = [];
	for (const recent of recents.files) {
		serialized.files2.push(recent.fileUri.toString());
		fileLabels.push(recent.label || null);
		hasLabel = hasLabel || !!recent.label;
	}
	if (hasLabel) {
		serialized.fileLabels = fileLabels;
	}

	return serialized;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


French law firm Gide advised on AddUp's deal acquiring the majority of 3D printer Poly-Shape.
AddUp, a French leader in the design, creation and the marketing of 3D metal printing machines and workshops, based in Clermont-Ferrand, has just announced the projected majority acquisition of Poly-Shape, a French SME that specialises in the design and production of parts using metal 3D printing. This new majority stake acquisition enables AddUp, which is a joint venture between Fives and Michelin, to strengthen its offer for the automotive, medical and aeronautics sectors, and, say the company, making AddUp the up-and-coming player in additive manufacturing in France.
AddUp was represented by Gide partner Guillaume Rougier-Brierre and associates Morgan Maréchal and Charles-Douglas Fuz on corporate aspects. Gide had already advised on the establishment of the joint venture between Michelin and Fives in the metal 3D printing sector in 2015 and 2016, and on its subsequent acquisitions, in particular that of BeAm earlier this year.
The sellers, the management and founders of Poly-Shape including Philippe Véran's group Upperside, were advised by lawyer Jean Michel Levallois.


HIIT FIT is a 30 Minute High-Intensity Interval Training women group classes which are used by athletes to improve performance, but it's also been shown to benefit the average exerciser.
other workouts, namely that you have more stamina and endurance.
It helps you burn more fat– This is where the real benefits come in, especially if you want to lose weight and burn fat. Studies have shown that HIIT training allows more fat to be burned within the exercising muscles, pretty amazing since we've always found that spot reduction doesn't work.


An old postcard of Meare Farm, Meare, Somerset, c.1907.
A photographic postcard of the Manor House in the village of Meare, c.1933.
The Railway Inn in Meare, Somerset - a traditional country pub.
Meare is a village in the county of Somerset in the south-west of England.


Hello ! Welcome to North Drama!
is the staff-run theatre program at Columbus North High School. We provide a well rounded theatrical experience for actors, crew and audience.
On the left you can click on links to learn more about our past productions, the thespian society, our drama camps for ages 5-14 and our faculty and students.
We are in the process of putting our 70+ year history on the web. If you have information about past seasons, please contact us, on how we can get the info included.
or make a donation to North Drama by clicking the Seat Youself Link above.


text:
Customs Service of UNMIK was established in August 1999 by the pillar of the EU, to ensure the application of fair and uniform customs regulations and other provisions applicable to goods, which are subject to customs supervision. On 12 December 2008 Customs Service UNMIK Customs became Kosovo Customs. The new Customs Code was adopted on 11 November 2008 by the Kosovo Assembly, this code enabled transition. Customs code is in full compliance with legal standards of the European Union and among others has as objective the economic development of the Republic of Kosovo.
Aside from customs duties that collected Customs collects also VAT and tax on excise. Besides the collection of revenues, Kosovo Customs protects society from smuggling of drugs and other prohibited goods by the prejudicial effect of economic crime and evasion in revenue.
Kosovo Customs has developed on the basis of EU standards and is funded entirely from Kosovo Consolidated Budget and currently has about 591 employees. It is also supported by the EU through the senior professional from EU customs authority.
Customs also benefit from technical support of the EU Customs and Fiscal Assistance Office (CAFAO), which has helped in the development of basic legislation, organization, structure, and training in staff development. Service staff is composed mainly of ethnic Kosovars of whom 20% are minorities.
Kosovo Customs collects about 70% of revenues to the Kosovo Consolidated Budget with an average 2 cents to 1 euro in a year. The IMF has repeatedly praised the performance Customs and compared with levels in Western Europe services.
Web-site Customs was established in 2002 and is being conducted as an important communication tool in the trade and public, giving more details.