Watch the Trailer: An Epic Adventure

If you or someone you know is involved in TV, video, or film production, you may want to check it out. I wish I could go!

On October 1, 2008, President Bush deployed a brigade — which means three to four thousand warriors — somewhere in America.”

The article goes on to describe the threats of such a brigade, if used unwisely or unscrupulously, and notes:

The First Brigade is Bush’s force: they are not answerable to Congress or to the Governors of states: they are answerable to the Commander in Chief. In an Alternet posting, I interviewed Air Force Colonel (retired) David Antoon who noted that the troops must obey the president, even if he asks them to arrest Congress or fire on civilians or attack media outlets.

The article then reminds readers of recent trends in domestic “terrorist” accusations, as well as examples of domestic police brutality. These are very important examples demonstrating the dangers of living in an increasingly militarized society.

There is a link in the article to a video of a recent unaggravated mass arrest, which is quite shocking. Seeing so many police offers dressed in riot gear in a U.S. city, closing in on peaceful protesters, was a bit disconcerting.

I’ve been enjoying the audiobook version of John Adams, by David McCullough. One of the statements Adams made, in respect to British troops in the early American colonies, was that military forces stationed in a city will create three riots for every one that they stamp out.

All of this is a great reminder of the blessings of living in the country.

For a time [during the French Revolution], executions by guillotine were a popular entertainment that attracted great crowds of spectators. Vendors would sell programs listing the names of those scheduled to die. Regulars would come day after day and vie for the best seats. Parents would bring their children. By the end of the [Reign of] Terror the crowds had thinned drastically. Excessive repetition had staled even this most grisly of entertainments, and audiences grew bored.

Guillotine – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Can you imagine that? This was at about the same time the United States declared its independence as a nation — not that long ago.

An estimated 18,000-40,000 people died by execution during the Revolution, many only because they were suspected of anti-revolutionary (or even excessively pro-Revolutionary) ideas, without any trial.

Coming soon: Generation of Youth for Christ, San Jose.

From the website: “This year, GYC 2008 will be held in San Jose, California, on the dates of December 17-21, 2008, and you’re invited! Hosting its seventh annual conference, GYC’s theme this year is “For This Purpose.” How do we find this purpose? By listening to, and studying God’s Word. Interesting speakers such as Justin Kim, Randy Skeete, Radim Passer, Chelsy Jourdan, Alistair Huong, Doug Batchelor, and more, will lead us in studying how we can reflect Christ’s character. This conference will change you! You will discover yourself thinking and planning differently — you will truly find purpose in your life. As of July 13, registration is open, so sign up now!  Please see the registration information and download the form below. For more information on how you can promote GYC in your church or to your friends, please send an email to info@gycweb.org or go to our resources tab and enter your information under the Sign up for PR packet section.”

]]> http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/09/generation-of-youth-for-christ-conference-668/feed/ 0 http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/07/the-nmg-126/ http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/07/the-nmg-126/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:25:02 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelprewitt.com/files/47e463548d8daf9a6dc39f67621dbbcb-174.php#unique-entry-id-174 Continue reading →]]> I had to smile at this:

This car is the NmG (stands for “No More Gas” ). You can read about it here. It’s not a hybrid; it’s pure electric. Goes about 30 miles on a charge, so is mainly suited for buzzing around town. Seats one, so you’ll have to get a separate NmG for each passenger. Fortunately you can park four of them in a standard parking space.

I wish we can a couple of these at 3ABN!

Although it is not named in the news commentary, the above picture comes on for a brief moment while talking about a girl who was taken to the emergency room after a coyote attack.

Although the story is unsurprisingly laced with evolutionary theory, it has some really intriguing case studies of various animal species, revealing aspects of intelligence sometimes where we might least expect to find it. You can meet Uek, a crow; Shanthi, an elephant; Alex, the African gray parrot; Edward, the sheep; Aristides, the lemur; Betsy, the (very lovable looking) border collie; JB, the octopus; Maya, the dolphin; and many more.

Personally I have no difficulty believing that animals are intelligent. I know that some others feel differently, believing that animals are little more than biological machines. As a Christian I believe humans are special and unique, but I do not feel that the mere possession of intelligence is what sets us apart from other creatures. I think it is really cool what these animals are capable of, and I expect there are more surprises awaiting us in this field of research.

My own state, Illinois, apparently has a GDP comparable to Mexico.

The page also contains a number of spin-off maps, including one comparing life expectancies of states to those of other countries. Hmmm. Illnois is comparable to … Kuwait.

“The exhibition is full of such exhortatory books, many of them discomfiting today because they presume a degree of skill among ordinary citizens — even children — that would now be regarded as noteworthy in the art world….

“There was also a philosophical change, away from drawing as a practical endeavor and toward art appreciation. From dexterity and discipline to feelings and self-esteem: the shift in values is implied by some of the later books in the show. Consciously or not, they parallel changes in modern art, which threw out the rule books of draftsmanship and proposed a new, free-thinking attitude.”

By leaving art to the “professionals,” common people have lost not only the ability to express themselves in this way effectively (giving up the satisfaction of accomplishment therewith), but they have also lost to a greater or lesser degree their ability to appreciate the art and skill itself. It’s another example of modernism’s corrosive character, washing away the virtues of the very people its self-esteem doctrine purports to build up.

One of the podcasts that I subscribe to on iTunes is “Quirks and Quarks,” a science talk show. I don’t listen to every episode, but mainly the ones that especially interest me. This one titled, “Reading Minds,” grabbed my attention. And it was definitely worth listening to. You can find a link to this particular program here. Prepare to be surprised and amazed, if not somewhat concerned. If you’re the fun-loving type, pay particular attention to the small segment on “false memories,” and to the word list that is given, and to the questions that immediately follow. I fell for this mental trick, and the explanation of why it works is quite revealing.

(If you aren’t familiar with podcasts and would like to try this one, just download the free iTunes program and install it, run it, and configure it to your liking. Then once you have it running, click on the Music Store section in the left pane, and then in the “Search Music Store” field at the very top-right side of the window, type “quirks and quarks.” The search may turn up related items for sale, but the podcasts are free, so look for the word “free” or “subscribe.” When I last checked, the “Quirks and Quarks” podcast was at the bottom of the list. Of course there are thousands of other podcasts to choose from, virtually all of them free. You can browse them from inside the iTunes Music Store. If you are using iTunes for the first time, just be aware that the application’s built-in advertising is mainly geared towards music albums and audiobooks that are available for purchase.)