If you think your job sucks...

...click on the picture below and stop whining!

Food for thought?

A video miscellany...

It's 9/11...again

The events that occurred in the US on September 11, 2001 were horrendous. Nobody expected such a brazen attack. Too many innocent lives were lost. It's proper, and important, to take time today in remembrance of the losses suffered by many.

Equally, what has happened in our world in the ensuing 5 years is also horrendous. Although it's important to remember the 9/11 losses, what really bugs me is that there seems to be ignorance and indifference to the countless thousands of innocent lives that have been lost since - a large percentage of which have been lost in the so-called 'war on terrorism' and the Iraqi conflict. Many of these deaths may not have happened if it hadn't been for the 'fabrication' of eveidence that was used to try and connect Iraq with the whole thing.

A large percentage of the people killed in the American bombings were 'regular' people like those killed on 9/11, going about their daily lives, but who remembers them or mourns for them?

Rather than being a safer place now, I believe that the events that have transpired during the past five years have made our place a scarier place to live - one full of paranoia and mistrust, amongst other things.

I, for one, am glad that US Presidents can only be re-elected once, although how that happened with the present one is beyond me. I should emphasise that I don't dislike the American people. A few bad apples don't spoil the whole barrel, which could also be applied to the Moslem community, which is another debate altogether.

When I went to Detroit last October to see U2 in concert I spotted the following bumper sticker, which touches on some of my feelings concerning the events since 9/11:

Vertigo in New Orleans

Super Grandad!

When Damon Allen got injured on the first day of the CFL season this year, it looked like it was going to be a disappointing year. But after missing a few terrible Argos performances he recovered and got back in the groove. Since he returned the Argos have turned arotund what looked like a losing season into their present 7-5 record.

Last Monday Allen passed Warren Moon's 70,553 career pro-football passing record during a 40-6 trouncing of the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Hamilton. He's 43 years old and a grandfather, but he doesn't show any signs of slowing down yet.

On Saturday, prior to another Argos victory against the Ti-Cats, he was presented with an SUV during a special ceremony at which Warren Moon was present. Damon's older brother, Marcus, the former super bowl MVP, was also in attendance.

Check out some of 'Super Grandad's' career highlights here.

Go Argos!

Touchdown!

The NFL starts again this weekend, so I tought it was time for a football themed e-mail.

It probably won't happen, but what would you do if your church had a spare $250,000.00 kicking around? Well, the above 'creation' is what the congregants of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio came up with. Nothing like getting value for your money!?! Perhaps the following picture was their inspiration:

Aggressive Christianity - an oxymoron?

In the most recent issue of The Officer magazine Stephen Poxon, an SA officer in the UK, wrote the following in a letter:

"...I struggle quite a bit with what is referred to as aggressive Christianity...the aggressive bit of it sometimes seems to me to be scary and, at worst, off-putting. Can I make a plea for the concept of charming Christianity? On balance, I would prefer to be charmed into the Kingdom of Heaven than pushed there by some well-meaning but charmless aggressor."

I almost wish that I'd written those words. I just find this whole 'aggressive Christianity' thing to be oxmoronic. On another blog (I wish I remember where) I read, where one aggressive type was defending the whole concept, the following words (as close as I can remember): "You don't get it, aggressive Christianity is all about bringing in God's Kingdom by force." Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Jesus against the whole idea of force (turning the other cheek, loving your enemies, etc)?

The same day that I read the above letter, I read the following quote, by Brian McLaren:

"Human kingdoms advance by force and violence with falling bombs and flying bullets, but God's kingdom advances by stories, fictions, tales that are easily ignored and easily misunderstood. Perhaps that's the only way it can be." (from The Secret Message of Jesus)

Sounds pretty good to me (and less oxymoronic, too)!

A few holiday snaps...