Fob off responsibility for violent actions and homophobic tendencies to the Work Of God (An Act of God). Or,
"Where God and Satan and Collaborate, and God gives the order to his henchman, Satan, and Satan indulges in some gratuitous but heavenly poofter bashing on Oxford Street"
(extracted from today's Sun Herald - August 19 2007)
Against God's Word
ANYONE who has been a committed Christian for a few years and who knows the spirit realm can reveal why it is that gays get a hard time ("Thugs targeting gay clubs and bars", The Sun Herald, August 12).
What they are doing is unscriptural (against God's word and his commandments) and by adopting the homosexual lifestyle, authority is given over to the evil spirit realm for Satan to kill, steal and destroy those he chooses to do so in that lifestyle (John 10:10). The solution is simple: dump the lifestyle and Satan loses his authority. Likewise if the young children are told Harry Potter witchcraft practices, Satan also loses access to the young children. It is all to do with legal authority. If God says "No", He means it. His No is only for our betterment.
Graeme Gibson
Sylvania
Isn't it so cool to have a letter endosing bashings of humans and then talking about God, Christianity and "legal authority?
"We don't kill people, we destroy demons." - Dad, "Frailty"
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Free Trivets!!!!!!!!!
Now that the Borders Books Competition is coming to a close, another store is - or was - giving out freebies!
Woolworths!
If you happen to be something of a trivet fan, I have good news and bad news for you.
The good news:
Yesterday, my mother was hunting for some lovely metal trivets, and she found some strong and rather pretty ones too. With pictures of flowers in them. You can't really beat a metal-tulip trivet, well, not for my mum anyhow. And when she took them to the Woolies checkout they scanned in for $0.00!
I wish this would happen with large canisters of oil and so forth, but a free trivet is a free trivet. Yippee!
The bad news: My mother cleaned out all of the trivets at that Woolies that night. I don't know if there is a crisis-trivet shortage in Australia at the moment, but if so, we're holding them to ransom.
Sorry.
Woolworths!
If you happen to be something of a trivet fan, I have good news and bad news for you.
The good news:
Yesterday, my mother was hunting for some lovely metal trivets, and she found some strong and rather pretty ones too. With pictures of flowers in them. You can't really beat a metal-tulip trivet, well, not for my mum anyhow. And when she took them to the Woolies checkout they scanned in for $0.00!
I wish this would happen with large canisters of oil and so forth, but a free trivet is a free trivet. Yippee!
The bad news: My mother cleaned out all of the trivets at that Woolies that night. I don't know if there is a crisis-trivet shortage in Australia at the moment, but if so, we're holding them to ransom.
Sorry.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Panasonic Stuffs Up, and We Pay
Recently - like over a month ago - I purchased the SC-PM54 Panasonic HiFi system. It's a black shiny thing and it was advertised as being able to play WMA files and MP3's.
Whoopee!
So I burned a disk of WMAs and MP3s, mostly WMAs.
And guess what - the WMAs wouldn't play. There was a little message flashing up "ERROR" each time I tried.
I checked the Panasonic webpage. Lo and behold, the reference to WMAs had vanished. But there was a cached site from just after I had purchased the stereo confirming what I had seen - that the advertisements HAD been advertising the capacity of the stereo to play WMAs.
So I contacted Panasonic and explained that I'd been ripped off. And what's more, they'd tried to cover it off, not by apologising on their website or to previous purchasers, but mysteriously deleting their reference to it one day.
It took over a month for them to get back to me - and I had to call them and prompt them.
What did they offer me?
"You can take the stereo back to the store and exchange it for instore credit at the price you paid for it, and get something you prefer," said the lady. "That's all we can offer."
She tried to sound really generous.
Hang on - what does this mean?
I lose the time I spent burning WMAs and the disk I burnt.
My mother lugged a huge stereo down the street, and now we are expected to bundle it up again and lug it back.
And then to get instore credit - not taking into account whether we actually want to spend more at that store. I mean - they stuffed up, and that's why we spent money at their store. Should Panasonic dictate that we spend money at that store again and restrict our purchases again?
Totally uncool.
I thought so, and asked the lady on the phone for a contact-back number.
To add insult upon insult, I got a call soon after saying "By the way, the return back offer only lasts for 14 days after today ..."
Uh-yeah.
So what does Panasonic get out of this? If I return it, after I've done all the leg-work and am stuck with instore credit instead of the cash I doled out, and have to go hunting for ANOTHER stereo system, Panasonic simply has a stereo system returned to them, which was simply "refunded", and they can flog off to someone else at the same price with no fear of getting into the same pot of boiling water because they've now changed their ad. And since I only bought it recently, and the return offer only lasts for 14 days, they can bet their boots it's in saleable condition.
Oh, too easy.
It's time for these places to pay when they stuff up. May a WMA blow up in their face. Or something.
Whoopee!
So I burned a disk of WMAs and MP3s, mostly WMAs.
And guess what - the WMAs wouldn't play. There was a little message flashing up "ERROR" each time I tried.
I checked the Panasonic webpage. Lo and behold, the reference to WMAs had vanished. But there was a cached site from just after I had purchased the stereo confirming what I had seen - that the advertisements HAD been advertising the capacity of the stereo to play WMAs.
So I contacted Panasonic and explained that I'd been ripped off. And what's more, they'd tried to cover it off, not by apologising on their website or to previous purchasers, but mysteriously deleting their reference to it one day.
It took over a month for them to get back to me - and I had to call them and prompt them.
What did they offer me?
"You can take the stereo back to the store and exchange it for instore credit at the price you paid for it, and get something you prefer," said the lady. "That's all we can offer."
She tried to sound really generous.
Hang on - what does this mean?
I lose the time I spent burning WMAs and the disk I burnt.
My mother lugged a huge stereo down the street, and now we are expected to bundle it up again and lug it back.
And then to get instore credit - not taking into account whether we actually want to spend more at that store. I mean - they stuffed up, and that's why we spent money at their store. Should Panasonic dictate that we spend money at that store again and restrict our purchases again?
Totally uncool.
I thought so, and asked the lady on the phone for a contact-back number.
To add insult upon insult, I got a call soon after saying "By the way, the return back offer only lasts for 14 days after today ..."
Uh-yeah.
So what does Panasonic get out of this? If I return it, after I've done all the leg-work and am stuck with instore credit instead of the cash I doled out, and have to go hunting for ANOTHER stereo system, Panasonic simply has a stereo system returned to them, which was simply "refunded", and they can flog off to someone else at the same price with no fear of getting into the same pot of boiling water because they've now changed their ad. And since I only bought it recently, and the return offer only lasts for 14 days, they can bet their boots it's in saleable condition.
Oh, too easy.
It's time for these places to pay when they stuff up. May a WMA blow up in their face. Or something.
Friday, 10 August 2007
An Even More Time-Consuming and Mind-Numbing Way To Waste Your Time Than Browsing Blogs
I haven't been writing posts or commenting on blogs much lately or even reading them.
Why not?
I found this competition on the Borders site recently - World's Best Fabricator's - Win A Bookcase
Comp ends 20th August
You actually don't get a bookcase but there are lots of books to win, like 100 of them. Someone is about to win 100 books at a go, but there are 100 books to be won individually - actually a whole lot more practical if you wouldn't have room for 100 books and have read some of those titles already, but wouldn't mind getting a freebie. And six $100 vouchers, and lots of coupons for Borders buyers.
But it's a pretty time-consuming game if you want some of the better prizes like a free book. It can still be a bit time-consuming if you want a better coupon (On my first few go's I got coupons for reduced price manga titles, and I'm not a big manga title buyer, so that wasn't much good to me).
It can also be rather addictive, ieven if you're just like me and waste a lot of time staring at the bookcase and trying to decide what your next purchases would be if only you had a few extra few hundred dollars to blow on fiction, and then realising you were getting sucked into the whole Borders gimmick right along.
Anyhow, good luck everybody!
Why not?
I found this competition on the Borders site recently - World's Best Fabricator's - Win A Bookcase
Comp ends 20th August
You actually don't get a bookcase but there are lots of books to win, like 100 of them. Someone is about to win 100 books at a go, but there are 100 books to be won individually - actually a whole lot more practical if you wouldn't have room for 100 books and have read some of those titles already, but wouldn't mind getting a freebie. And six $100 vouchers, and lots of coupons for Borders buyers.
But it's a pretty time-consuming game if you want some of the better prizes like a free book. It can still be a bit time-consuming if you want a better coupon (On my first few go's I got coupons for reduced price manga titles, and I'm not a big manga title buyer, so that wasn't much good to me).
It can also be rather addictive, ieven if you're just like me and waste a lot of time staring at the bookcase and trying to decide what your next purchases would be if only you had a few extra few hundred dollars to blow on fiction, and then realising you were getting sucked into the whole Borders gimmick right along.
Anyhow, good luck everybody!
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
A Nerd, Nurd, Geek or Dork?
I read this story with Mr Coffee just the other day, about the guy who was called a Nerd online and he drove from Virginia to Texas and almost killed him. The victim lived near Waco, and seemed to attract guys of the Whacko type.
N.E.R.D. - darn those four letter words.
That led to a debate with Mr Coffee and his sister - what was the biggest, most insulting 4 letter word - GEEK, DORK or NERD? The words flew fast around the room and I thought I might just get killed.
Mr C's sister actually thought Nerd sounded not too bad and couldn't see what the whacko from Virginia was on about; Mr Coffee didn't think Geek was quite as insulting as Nerd. But what did they mean?
"Dork means socially clumsy and pretty dumb around people," I pronounced, hoping no one was reading my eyes and thinking about how I was seeing my ninth grade years flash before me - and that awful outfit I wore for three years religiously in Uni ... and my ...
"And geek is kind of like being a specialist in one very narrow area of knowledge, but not having a rounded knowledge," explained Mr Coffee. "That's not too bad. I like that."
"But what does "Nerd" mean?"
"Suspenders," said Mr Coffee.
"And socks with sandals," I added.
So what did the Macquarie Dictionary say?
Dork revealed social clumsiness and ineptness.
But Nerdiness? "Also can be spelt "Nurd". That's strange, I'd never seen that. "Means: an idiot, fool." Nothing about suspender or socks with sandals.
And Geek? Nothing about specialised knowledge there: "An idiot fool, someone who holds themselves up to ridicule and indulges in such activities as biting the heads off chickens," Mr C's sister read out. "You like that?"
Nerd, Nurd, Geek, Dork - what's your favourite 4 letter word?
Mr Coffee is cheating on me!
I am convinced Mr Coffee must be cheating on me.
He has won about the last 4 matches of Uno from me, all by a massive margin, and one by over 500 points!
You only need 500 points to win Uno.
There is something in that.
What shall I do?
I read a book on 100% predictable things men will do when they cheat, and the top two things are they will deny it, and they will express disapproval in cheating.
Mr Coffee has already said he doesn't think it's good to cheat at Uno!
AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
He then denied cheating when confronted.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!
Can I keep the Uno relationship with him if there is no longer trust?
He has won about the last 4 matches of Uno from me, all by a massive margin, and one by over 500 points!
You only need 500 points to win Uno.
There is something in that.
What shall I do?
I read a book on 100% predictable things men will do when they cheat, and the top two things are they will deny it, and they will express disapproval in cheating.
Mr Coffee has already said he doesn't think it's good to cheat at Uno!
AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
He then denied cheating when confronted.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!
Can I keep the Uno relationship with him if there is no longer trust?
You Take The Greatness, I'll Take the Get Out of Gaol Free Card
I read this great letter in The Daily Telegraph today, contributing to that fiery debate where people try to defend either private or public schools, mostly trying to either validate which one they went to in the hope someone will look not snub them at the next social function, or to get the Howard Government to direct funding to their kiddies' school, not realising Howard is saving it up for a big all-expenses-paid-by-the-taxpayer holiday for himself and a fully furnished luxury bunker in the case of nuclear war:
"Unwanted" Underrated
Selective Schools are selective because they can select who they want, but more importantly who they don't want. Not for them the poor and unwashed, nor the behaviourally challenged, although I know that some Catholic schools do try to take all comers.
Those unwanted children are the responsibility of the general public school system. Have any beneficiaries of these special expensive educations achieved worldwide recognition for their contributions to mankind? I know of many strugglers who achieved greatness.
If you are protected from the realities of life how can you appreciate the problems that some people are forced to contend with?
K. Manning
Tamworth
1. Is K here talking about selective or private schools? Last time I looked, selective schools weren't that expensive, it's the private ones that shoot through the roof. Back to school!
2. .... depending on selection process, selective schools do take "poor" people. Selective schools' method is usually based on talent/intellectual capacity/skills/performance etc, not money. Is this the mix up of Private and Public again?
3. It's a great leap to assume that someone who has had a private education has lacked compassion, or doesn't have problems or troubles that they can share with others. This sounds like K here has made an easy separation "There are strugglers - nothing goes right for them - they understand the real world - they go to the general system - then there are the people on easy street - they are rich and everything goes right for them and they are protected and live in an illusory world".
Ever thought that people who may go to a private/selective school may not have things like the extreme lower end of income to deal with in their family, but may:
Struggle with budget anyway because lots of it goes to school fees?
Have split families?
Have image problems?
Struggle with discrimination, social violence, bullying, and crime?
Have academic difficulties, or difficulties keeping up with expectations?
Have health problems?
Suffer from tragedies, pressure and so on?
Have to make difficult decisions, and have both good and bad luck at different stages of their lives?
Get mixed up with drugs, not quite sure about their bodies, about sex, about employment, about what they're going to do with their lives?
and so on?
Plenty of people from everywhere face these things every day - that's real life.
4. You know strugglers who achieved greatness - good for you. I know people from exclusive schools who are compassionate and who have worked for the community selflessly, and some real ratbags from public school who despite their struggles tend to trample on everyone else and have a belief in their right to gain without work. The point being, your school doesn't determine whether you have compassion, and being at a public school won't make you a community achiever, nor will being from the private/selective sector make you a snobbish, aloof bum.
5. Despite the implication of this letter that there is a need for people to mix with the "behaviourally challenged" to achieve social greatness, if you don't want your kids to, all power to you. If behaviourally challenged means bullying, disruptive and violent, I can see good reason to get the heck out of there.
It reminds me of when I was talking to a man who was in custody - for 8 criminal charges in a row. He told me about some of the gaol culture, and said to me, despite the shock and disgust of some of the doings of inmates, "You know, it's [gaol] is a real learning experience!"
"You know, I don't think I'm in a hurry to become an inmate and get that learning experience!" I replied.
There are some experiences in life that being 'protected' from - well, who cares if someone uses it as an insult?
"Unwanted" Underrated
Selective Schools are selective because they can select who they want, but more importantly who they don't want. Not for them the poor and unwashed, nor the behaviourally challenged, although I know that some Catholic schools do try to take all comers.
Those unwanted children are the responsibility of the general public school system. Have any beneficiaries of these special expensive educations achieved worldwide recognition for their contributions to mankind? I know of many strugglers who achieved greatness.
If you are protected from the realities of life how can you appreciate the problems that some people are forced to contend with?
K. Manning
Tamworth
1. Is K here talking about selective or private schools? Last time I looked, selective schools weren't that expensive, it's the private ones that shoot through the roof. Back to school!
2. .... depending on selection process, selective schools do take "poor" people. Selective schools' method is usually based on talent/intellectual capacity/skills/performance etc, not money. Is this the mix up of Private and Public again?
3. It's a great leap to assume that someone who has had a private education has lacked compassion, or doesn't have problems or troubles that they can share with others. This sounds like K here has made an easy separation "There are strugglers - nothing goes right for them - they understand the real world - they go to the general system - then there are the people on easy street - they are rich and everything goes right for them and they are protected and live in an illusory world".
Ever thought that people who may go to a private/selective school may not have things like the extreme lower end of income to deal with in their family, but may:
Struggle with budget anyway because lots of it goes to school fees?
Have split families?
Have image problems?
Struggle with discrimination, social violence, bullying, and crime?
Have academic difficulties, or difficulties keeping up with expectations?
Have health problems?
Suffer from tragedies, pressure and so on?
Have to make difficult decisions, and have both good and bad luck at different stages of their lives?
Get mixed up with drugs, not quite sure about their bodies, about sex, about employment, about what they're going to do with their lives?
and so on?
Plenty of people from everywhere face these things every day - that's real life.
4. You know strugglers who achieved greatness - good for you. I know people from exclusive schools who are compassionate and who have worked for the community selflessly, and some real ratbags from public school who despite their struggles tend to trample on everyone else and have a belief in their right to gain without work. The point being, your school doesn't determine whether you have compassion, and being at a public school won't make you a community achiever, nor will being from the private/selective sector make you a snobbish, aloof bum.
5. Despite the implication of this letter that there is a need for people to mix with the "behaviourally challenged" to achieve social greatness, if you don't want your kids to, all power to you. If behaviourally challenged means bullying, disruptive and violent, I can see good reason to get the heck out of there.
It reminds me of when I was talking to a man who was in custody - for 8 criminal charges in a row. He told me about some of the gaol culture, and said to me, despite the shock and disgust of some of the doings of inmates, "You know, it's [gaol] is a real learning experience!"
"You know, I don't think I'm in a hurry to become an inmate and get that learning experience!" I replied.
There are some experiences in life that being 'protected' from - well, who cares if someone uses it as an insult?
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