11.2.05
Ok, seriously...
Who does the MPAA think they are? They just shut down LokiTorrent - the best BitTorrent site that was left. Do they not understand that they aren't losing money from having people download movies? Stealing would require people to be taking property. I'm sorry, but digital bits don't cost anything to make, nor do they cost anything to download. The problem with their claim is that they are no worse off after someone downloads a movie on the Internet. You might be able to say that they're not getting the money that they would get if I were to buy / rent the film, but that's a big assumption. I don't buy many movies to start with, in fact I've actually started bought more movies since I started downloading since I was able to decide if they were worthwhile to own or not... maybe now I'll just boycott them altogether and buy only used movies at the pawn shop. Perhaps Hollywood will stop putting out the same old garbage that has been coming out for the last few years so people will actually want to buy their movies. I have no problems with paying for something that I think is worthwhile, but I'm not going to pay for crap - I do that enough with my insurance company!
10.2.05
Update...
So, life's well. I've been insanely busy for the last few months, and thought I'd share.
Our church's minister left us in July, and I, being the head of the Worship and Music Committee (W&M) , was left to scramble and find supply ministry for every Sunday since then. Thank goodness for our Christian Education worker, Bonnie, who helped out immensely. Between us we managed to keep Sundays going smoothly, and I managed to learn a heck of a lot!
I also ended up as the co-head of the Search Committee, finding a new minister in August. We met every other week so that we could keep up with applications that were coming into the church. The process took until late December / Mid-January to complete, but we've hired a new minister now, who started the past Sunday. And she's great! Last Tuesday after one of our meetings, we went out for wings at a local restaurant and go to know eachother a little better. I'm looking forward to working with her very much.
Also, with the church, I'm still an elder, on the Session, which takes up less time than the others, but still is a commitment that I try to keep up with to the best of my ability.
Interestingly, I got the opportunity to actually lead the church through Advent. Wow, what an experience it is to be up behind the pulpit and preaching! I didn't write the sermons, but it was awesome being able to... relay (?) God's message to the congregation... to be able to teach people something they may not have heard before. Yeah, yeah, it's Christmas stuff, everyone's heard it before. I don't know if that's really true. I learned a few things while I was preparing for the Sundays... I hope other people did as well.
Another fun thing that I've been involved with at the church is trying to convince them that an LCD projector is something that would enhance our services. So, we've been borrowing a projector from our neighbourhood school, and putting the words to prayers, and hymns up on Powerpoint (OpenOffice.org's Slideshow program, actually). It's gone over extremely well, I think.... the trick is going to be in the finances, though it was recently shown to me that there are grants available for this sort of thing. Hopefully that will help it move along. I've really found that the projector enhances our worship because it gets people to get their noses out of their hymnals and bulletins when we're speaking/singing together... it helps to project the sound, and enables folks to really see what's going on in the worship (instead of their knees).
Well, that's about it from the church front. I'll update some more on everything else later on.
God Bless!
Our church's minister left us in July, and I, being the head of the Worship and Music Committee (W&M) , was left to scramble and find supply ministry for every Sunday since then. Thank goodness for our Christian Education worker, Bonnie, who helped out immensely. Between us we managed to keep Sundays going smoothly, and I managed to learn a heck of a lot!
I also ended up as the co-head of the Search Committee, finding a new minister in August. We met every other week so that we could keep up with applications that were coming into the church. The process took until late December / Mid-January to complete, but we've hired a new minister now, who started the past Sunday. And she's great! Last Tuesday after one of our meetings, we went out for wings at a local restaurant and go to know eachother a little better. I'm looking forward to working with her very much.
Also, with the church, I'm still an elder, on the Session, which takes up less time than the others, but still is a commitment that I try to keep up with to the best of my ability.
Interestingly, I got the opportunity to actually lead the church through Advent. Wow, what an experience it is to be up behind the pulpit and preaching! I didn't write the sermons, but it was awesome being able to... relay (?) God's message to the congregation... to be able to teach people something they may not have heard before. Yeah, yeah, it's Christmas stuff, everyone's heard it before. I don't know if that's really true. I learned a few things while I was preparing for the Sundays... I hope other people did as well.
Another fun thing that I've been involved with at the church is trying to convince them that an LCD projector is something that would enhance our services. So, we've been borrowing a projector from our neighbourhood school, and putting the words to prayers, and hymns up on Powerpoint (OpenOffice.org's Slideshow program, actually). It's gone over extremely well, I think.... the trick is going to be in the finances, though it was recently shown to me that there are grants available for this sort of thing. Hopefully that will help it move along. I've really found that the projector enhances our worship because it gets people to get their noses out of their hymnals and bulletins when we're speaking/singing together... it helps to project the sound, and enables folks to really see what's going on in the worship (instead of their knees).
Well, that's about it from the church front. I'll update some more on everything else later on.
God Bless!
19.12.04
I know I didn't want to hear anymore about US Politics... but...
I read this on a board where they were discussing how the US messed up in Iraq and this line stuck in my mind. I'm half tempted to make it a signature line on the Christian Fundy board I like to visit sometimes
"If Kerry had won the election, there would have at least been the hope that he could beg forgivness of the world and ask the UN for help - but that option was eliminated in favor of banning gay marriage and increasing coat hanger abortions."I feel sick.
16.7.04
Update
So, I'm starting a business with my pal, Dave. DnS Custom Computers. If anyone needs a computer let me know. I have this feeling that my journal entries will become even more sporadic than they have been so far - now wouldn't that be an achievement!
I've got alot on my plate at the moment... and the stress meter is broken... sooooo.... WEEEEEE!!!!!!!
I've got alot on my plate at the moment... and the stress meter is broken... sooooo.... WEEEEEE!!!!!!!
23.6.04
Casablanca
Gosh, that's such a good movie... I watched Casablanca yesterday for about the third time and realised some things.
I don't empathise well with romance. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart... star cross'd lovers, blah, blah, blah... yeah, they're in love, it's tragic, all that stuff. It just doesn't ring true with me for some reason. Maybe this is why I'm such a klutz romantically? Sometimes I feel that I don't show my emotions enough; I'm not open enough. Maybe this is normal? Beats me.
Second, I do empathise with patriotism. There's a scene in the movie where the vile Nazis are singing their national anthem at the one end of the club, which is making the people in the club (which is in unoccupied France), very uncomfortable, almost demoralised, I'd think. Victor Laszlo comes down from meeting with Rick upstairs, and orders the band to start playing Le Marseillaise. The band leader gets a nod from Rick, and they start to play, starting a duel of anthems. Everyone in the club stands at attention and sings their loudest, drowning out the Nazis who give up singing and sit down while the French finish with shouts of "Vive La France!".
Even typing out what happens in the scene makes me a little misty-eyed... I was almost in tears yesterday when I watched it. It's a very moving scene, to say the least. I saw an interview with the screenwriter, and he said that he was in tears while he wrote that scene. The theme of "We shall overcome" seems to affect me more than love. Am I screwed up, or what? Hell, I get a lump in my throat when I watch the huge battles in Lord of the Rings where I know who's going to win, but it makes me all sappy-like just to see that they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect freedom and good.
Yeah, well that's my line for the day. Later dudes.
Gord
I don't empathise well with romance. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart... star cross'd lovers, blah, blah, blah... yeah, they're in love, it's tragic, all that stuff. It just doesn't ring true with me for some reason. Maybe this is why I'm such a klutz romantically? Sometimes I feel that I don't show my emotions enough; I'm not open enough. Maybe this is normal? Beats me.
Second, I do empathise with patriotism. There's a scene in the movie where the vile Nazis are singing their national anthem at the one end of the club, which is making the people in the club (which is in unoccupied France), very uncomfortable, almost demoralised, I'd think. Victor Laszlo comes down from meeting with Rick upstairs, and orders the band to start playing Le Marseillaise. The band leader gets a nod from Rick, and they start to play, starting a duel of anthems. Everyone in the club stands at attention and sings their loudest, drowning out the Nazis who give up singing and sit down while the French finish with shouts of "Vive La France!".
Even typing out what happens in the scene makes me a little misty-eyed... I was almost in tears yesterday when I watched it. It's a very moving scene, to say the least. I saw an interview with the screenwriter, and he said that he was in tears while he wrote that scene. The theme of "We shall overcome" seems to affect me more than love. Am I screwed up, or what? Hell, I get a lump in my throat when I watch the huge battles in Lord of the Rings where I know who's going to win, but it makes me all sappy-like just to see that they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect freedom and good.
Yeah, well that's my line for the day. Later dudes.
Gord
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