Thursday, February 28, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
As It Happens
Normally I find the CBC radio show "As It Happens" to be quite informative and entertaining, especially the traditional grandiose pun capping off their intros.
On yesterday's show, host Carol Off filed a report from Pakistan, fresh from the elections (look about 7 minutes into the podcast). She interviewed General Rashid Koreshi, a spokesman for President Musharraf, asking his opinion of the perceived hunger for Presidential change in Pakistan following the National Assembly elections.
I could not believe her gall. She perfectly represented the mind of the modern media: we are the opposition to the government. Her decadent post-Western sensibilities didn't wash well with General Koreshi, and he really ripped into her. I've transcribed my favourite part of the interview:
Now, I'm under no illusions about the angelic status of President Musharraf, nor am I proposing that Koreshi is a neutral third party in this debate. But by golly, hearing his British/Pakistani accented logic rip holes in Off's dry, monotonous dribble was the highlight of my day.
On yesterday's show, host Carol Off filed a report from Pakistan, fresh from the elections (look about 7 minutes into the podcast). She interviewed General Rashid Koreshi, a spokesman for President Musharraf, asking his opinion of the perceived hunger for Presidential change in Pakistan following the National Assembly elections.
I could not believe her gall. She perfectly represented the mind of the modern media: we are the opposition to the government. Her decadent post-Western sensibilities didn't wash well with General Koreshi, and he really ripped into her. I've transcribed my favourite part of the interview:
Carol Off: But surely the President reads the papers. Surely he watches the news. Every single day.
General Koreshi: Yes.
Carol Off: Every paper, every headline - except for some media, which is close to the government - every headline is about how he has to go; that it's time for him to leave. Is he enured to that? Does it mean nothing to him that he sees every single day the newspapers are saying, reporting on yet another group that says, 'President Musharraf, take a hint - there's the door.'?
General Koreshi: I would like to ask you, if media starts a campaign, in your country, against your President or Prime Minister, will he just get up and leave? No. No!
Carol Off: Well, sometimes you take into consideration that maybe they're telling...
General Koreshi: No, there are millions, there are 160 million people in Pakistan. There is a system in place. If for some reason the elected representatives do not want President Musharraf, there is a system in place, there is an impeachment, where two thirds of the elected assembly can impeach the President.
Carol Off: You see, really, do you want to wait until it comes to that? To be impeached, to be tossed out? Is that...
General Koreshi: What if it doesn't come to that? Would you want him to leave? Is that what you want, that he should leave when people don't want him to leave?
Carol Off: But is he aware of what people are saying? It's not just the headlines. You've got civil society, people marching in the streets...
General Koreshi: Now who are you calling civil society? 100 lawyers? That's civil society?
Carol Off: Well, it's more than 100 lawyers, but you're saying that's not civil society?
General Koreshi: No, the rest of the 55,000 lawyers in Pakistan are not civil society?
Carol Off: You're talking about human rights organizations, you're talking about...
General Koreshi: I think there's a lack of information and knowledge here, that you're saying such a thing, because yes, there are 60,000 lawyers in just Lahore and Islamabad.
Carol Off: Huge numbers are backing it; they've signed petitions. You have your own hired officers, the ones that you come from...
General Koreshi: How many? 50? There are 550,000 not stepping up and saying it.
Carol Off: I'm not trying to have an argument with you about that, I'm just wondering if he's...
General Koreshi: You're exactly doing that, you see? Why are you insisting on the President taking a decision when there's a system in place in Pakistan where that decision can be influenced? Let the right people ask for what you think he should do. If that be the case, then he can do it. What's the hurry? Why is everyone seeming to, in the media, or wherever, saying that it's time to leave? Are they the ones who decide? No. It is the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan who decide.
Now, I'm under no illusions about the angelic status of President Musharraf, nor am I proposing that Koreshi is a neutral third party in this debate. But by golly, hearing his British/Pakistani accented logic rip holes in Off's dry, monotonous dribble was the highlight of my day.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Little Girls & Drunkenness
Yesterday I explained to my girls what it means to be drunk.
I had to, you see. I was reading "Robin Hood and His Merry Foresters" to them (a book so old it has no copyright date or ISBN), and it described how the evil Normans, who had stormed a castle belonging to one of Robin's nobleman friends and killed all the occupants, had been observed drinking by advance scouts from Robin's band as he sought revenge. Friar Tuck then happily announces, "Drinking! A stroke of luck!"
My girls, sweet little innocents that they are, were somewhat perplexed. Did that mean that they'd have to go to the bathroom while there were fighting? What made it so lucky?
So I gently broke down how some drinks, like the wine we sometimes have at Christmas and fancy meals, can make you "drunk" if you have too much. When you're drunk you don't think before you act, and sometimes you get very clumsy. Ultimately, you can't fight well when you're drunk.
Tell that to this guy.
I had to, you see. I was reading "Robin Hood and His Merry Foresters" to them (a book so old it has no copyright date or ISBN), and it described how the evil Normans, who had stormed a castle belonging to one of Robin's nobleman friends and killed all the occupants, had been observed drinking by advance scouts from Robin's band as he sought revenge. Friar Tuck then happily announces, "Drinking! A stroke of luck!"
My girls, sweet little innocents that they are, were somewhat perplexed. Did that mean that they'd have to go to the bathroom while there were fighting? What made it so lucky?
So I gently broke down how some drinks, like the wine we sometimes have at Christmas and fancy meals, can make you "drunk" if you have too much. When you're drunk you don't think before you act, and sometimes you get very clumsy. Ultimately, you can't fight well when you're drunk.
Tell that to this guy.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Demotivators
A while back I created a bunch of demotivational posters, based on the concept behind despair.com.
I just uploaded them to my Picasa web album here; check them out for a laugh.
I just uploaded them to my Picasa web album here; check them out for a laugh.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Sobering Thought
A young man within our social circle recently died in a car accident - it had something to do with falling through ice.
I imagine that most of you, by the time you read this, will already be aware of the passing of Paul Sanders, our summer friend who spent the rest of his time in his home in Ontario. A fearless pro-lifer, snappy jimbay player, and ever the life of the party: I can't believe he's gone. He had barely begun to live.
Other people knew him better, so I'll leave it to them to eulogize him properly. But his unexpected passing is a firm reminder to me: any of us could go, at any time. This life is not to be squandered; it is to be treasured and lived to the full, and we are to exhaust ourselves for the glory of God and for the furtherance of his will.
If the bridge I drive on every day suddenly collapses and I find myself pressed between the weight of the flowing river and a mass of twisted metal and concrete with no way out, I want to be able to find a moment of peace and steel myself for the passing from this world into the next. I want to know that my salvation is assured, and that I haven't left it up to guesswork and probabilities and simply "being a good person."
Thank you Paul, for your friendship here on Earth. Thank you for giving your life for the Kingdom. Thank you for being a willing instrument in the hands of God to strengthen those of us who remain.
I'll meet you under the Tree of Life, buddy.
I imagine that most of you, by the time you read this, will already be aware of the passing of Paul Sanders, our summer friend who spent the rest of his time in his home in Ontario. A fearless pro-lifer, snappy jimbay player, and ever the life of the party: I can't believe he's gone. He had barely begun to live.
Other people knew him better, so I'll leave it to them to eulogize him properly. But his unexpected passing is a firm reminder to me: any of us could go, at any time. This life is not to be squandered; it is to be treasured and lived to the full, and we are to exhaust ourselves for the glory of God and for the furtherance of his will.
If the bridge I drive on every day suddenly collapses and I find myself pressed between the weight of the flowing river and a mass of twisted metal and concrete with no way out, I want to be able to find a moment of peace and steel myself for the passing from this world into the next. I want to know that my salvation is assured, and that I haven't left it up to guesswork and probabilities and simply "being a good person."
Thank you Paul, for your friendship here on Earth. Thank you for giving your life for the Kingdom. Thank you for being a willing instrument in the hands of God to strengthen those of us who remain.
I'll meet you under the Tree of Life, buddy.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Manhood
Being a man is tough. I think this is not a new fact, but it is a fact which is extremely important to acknowledge today.
In my interminable funk, it seems that I'm at a turning point. I've been sitting around, waiting for somebody to notice how miserable I am, while time passes and nothing changes. I'm coming to realize that nobody can take charge of my life except me.
Men today are told to be vulnerable, to be open, to share their feelings. These are not bad ideas, in themselves. But if taken alone, they produce wimps; "girly men." No - this must not happen to me. My vulnerability needs to be applied with wisdom; my openness needs to be secure, and my feelings need to be balanced by my actions. Often this means I need to sacrifice the selfish validity of my own suffering to be the husband, father, and man God calls me to be.
We men are told repeatedly not to be the authorities in our homes, but to be partners in the mission of raising a family. I am now beginning to see the danger in that statement. In any partnership, one must lead. This does not negate the contribution or input of the other partner, but it's only natural that one will select the course upon which the two sail. When men abrogate that responsibility in favour of the latest Dr. Philism or Oprahology, they do their families a great disservice. We need to be strong, we need to be leaders, we need to call the shots and bring our wives and children closer to Christ.
Does that mean that reasserting myself as the spiritual and temporal head of my household will be a seamless transition? Not in the least. Does the difficulty of the task permit me to sluff it off? Not at all.
It's time to be a man.
In my interminable funk, it seems that I'm at a turning point. I've been sitting around, waiting for somebody to notice how miserable I am, while time passes and nothing changes. I'm coming to realize that nobody can take charge of my life except me.
Men today are told to be vulnerable, to be open, to share their feelings. These are not bad ideas, in themselves. But if taken alone, they produce wimps; "girly men." No - this must not happen to me. My vulnerability needs to be applied with wisdom; my openness needs to be secure, and my feelings need to be balanced by my actions. Often this means I need to sacrifice the selfish validity of my own suffering to be the husband, father, and man God calls me to be.
We men are told repeatedly not to be the authorities in our homes, but to be partners in the mission of raising a family. I am now beginning to see the danger in that statement. In any partnership, one must lead. This does not negate the contribution or input of the other partner, but it's only natural that one will select the course upon which the two sail. When men abrogate that responsibility in favour of the latest Dr. Philism or Oprahology, they do their families a great disservice. We need to be strong, we need to be leaders, we need to call the shots and bring our wives and children closer to Christ.
Does that mean that reasserting myself as the spiritual and temporal head of my household will be a seamless transition? Not in the least. Does the difficulty of the task permit me to sluff it off? Not at all.
It's time to be a man.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Help Direct the Federal Budget
The Federal Government of Canada is currently open for input into its main priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, and is welcoming comments on their homepage for what we feel our spending priorities are.
Check it out... deadline is Feb 11.
Tip of the hat to: SDA, trying to organize a concerted effort towards removing taxpayer dollars from the abusive Human Rights Commissions which are being used by radical Muslims to silence and/or bankrupt their opponents in the press.
Check it out... deadline is Feb 11.
Tip of the hat to: SDA, trying to organize a concerted effort towards removing taxpayer dollars from the abusive Human Rights Commissions which are being used by radical Muslims to silence and/or bankrupt their opponents in the press.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
An Invitation
Within the dual pressures of the despair of crumbling job satisfaction and the spiritual valley through which I'm trudging these days, I am sensing an invitation from God.
It spurns, as is not unusual for me, out of a Christian rock song from the '80s. Also not surprising to my regular readers is that this is a Rick Cua rock song. Its title is "Line of Fire."
The lyrics - in their cheesy '80s glory - go something like this:
Scripturally, this is basically, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" from John's Apocalypse. I am sensing an invitation from the Lord to make myself vulnerable to him. This is immeasurably difficult for me. I ask for your prayers as I struggle to accept this invitation.
It spurns, as is not unusual for me, out of a Christian rock song from the '80s. Also not surprising to my regular readers is that this is a Rick Cua rock song. Its title is "Line of Fire."
The lyrics - in their cheesy '80s glory - go something like this:
He's been watching you all through the night
He's been keeping your soul in his sights
With every second feel the hunger grow
Where or when love strikes, you'll never know
He takes careful aim
He sees you in the distance
You are the target, he can't miss
Step into his line of fire
He's lookin' for you, his heart's desire
Step into his line of fire
He's comin' at you with rapid fire
He's been keeping your soul in his sights
With every second feel the hunger grow
Where or when love strikes, you'll never know
He takes careful aim
He sees you in the distance
You are the target, he can't miss
Step into his line of fire
He's lookin' for you, his heart's desire
Step into his line of fire
He's comin' at you with rapid fire
Scripturally, this is basically, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" from John's Apocalypse. I am sensing an invitation from the Lord to make myself vulnerable to him. This is immeasurably difficult for me. I ask for your prayers as I struggle to accept this invitation.
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