| June 2, 2003 The war over fetal rights --Newsweek ran an article on the evolution of fetal rights/abortion/stuff like that in their recent issue. Check out the article here. The politics of the womb are becoming ever more personal—and complex. The Peterson murder case, changing state laws and startling new science are causing many Americans to rethink long-held beliefs... I leaning towards the writer as being “pro-choice”, but I can’t tell for sure. Anyways, it’s a pretty good mainly neutral article that I think will raise the boiler of emotions no matter what side you’re on. "I know this issue is very controversial. But unless and until it can be proven that an unborn child is not a human being, can we justify assuming without proof that it isn't? No one has yet offered such proof. Indeed, all the evidence is to the contrary. We should rise above bitterness and reproach. And if Americans could come together in a spirit of understanding and helping, then we could find positive solutions to the tragedy of abortion." President Ronald Reagan, State of the Union Address - January 1984 June 2, 2003 Bought a BMW --So yeah I now own 2 BMW’s, haha, beat that fellow 23 year olds with degrees!!! jk.....anyways, I bought a really nice 73 2002 parts car and I’m gonna use it to help restore my 2002tii, Rikku. I think I’m gonna name my new car Polaris, because its got a really cool silver paint job on it. Too bad it’s crunched up. Well I’ll post some pictures of my new car soon. Have fun kiddies, I sure will with my "Ultimate Driving Machines"! haha June 2, 2003 Ringer Spy Keith --The folks over at the awesome Lord of the Rings/Tolkien website www.theonering.net have taken notice to my literary guile. Christian History magazine has devoted their whole June issue on the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien and so I sent theonering.net some scans and info on the issue. They graciously accepted and decided to put the scans and info on their website! I’m famous! The articles in the mag are really good and informative and I highly recommend picking up a copy. There’s much concerning Tolkien’s friendship with C.S. Lewis too if you’re interested in him. They have a good website too over at www.christianhistory.net, and what a rich, interesting history it is, spanning about 2000 years. Beware though my friends; accept no gospel but the original of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, ergo “Christian history”). Nothing beats the original as they say. I even saw one guy had the damnable audacity to plagiarize this verse below in his own book. Don’t be fooled by imitations folks, just like the Dr. Pepper slogan goes...don’t be fooled... The one and only baby! Jesus rawks! “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 (written circa 55A.D. verifiable on all accounts) May 30, 2003 Random thoughts for the weekend • I like Diet Coke better than Diet Pepsi. But Pepsi is doing this big “Billion Dollar Sweepstakes” thing and being the American I am, I have this ludicrous hope that I’ll actually win. Ha. • I can afford an Xbox, so what’s holding me back??? Halo is calling my name. I can hear it.....Keith, you know you want me.....you’ve waited too long already.....buy me.....buy me now.... • Is there something wrong with the cosmos? It’s nice weather out today, what’s going on??? • So yeah, this happened a few weeks ago, but I was driving my car (named Rikku. It’s a 1972 BMW 2002tii that’s yellow) near Tyson’s Corner and this brand new $100K+ Porsche comes flying up behind me then slows down next to me. The guy rolls down his window and yells out “Nice car!” with a smile. He then speeds off in his 400+hp German machine. Does anyone else see the irony in a guy in a $115,000.00 automobile complimenting emphatically a guy in a $3,000.00 automobile? Maybe it’s the Fatherland thing we got going on, or maybe my car is just that cool. • I’ve been distraught by a couple movies lately where the lead female character thinks that her lover/fiancée/husband has died, so she goes off and hooks up with or marries some other guy (ala The Count of Monte Cristo, Pearl Harbor{I very much dislike Josh Harnett}, etc.) Doesn’t love me anything to these women? (guys do it too, just not in these movies) How can they forget their “loves of their lives” so quickly? Doesn’t love transcend time and space? I guess not for some people. To me, it’s like a slap in the face to both your old lover and new. Talk about insecurity and no commitment. • My arcade machines are going up on EBay very soon. So if anyone wants to buy them before that happens let me know. Here are the ones I’m selling. • I’ve been chosen to be an elite beta tester for the Playstation 2 version of Final Fantasy XI Online. I know this means nothing to any of you, but it makes me very happy. Plus they’re giving me the new 40GB hard drive for the PS2 for free for my participation in the beta testing phase. It’s the little things in life that enthuse me... • I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend. I’m planning on working on my car and rain makes that difficult. I’m out of random thoughts at the moment. Depleted. May 29, 2003 Study: Playing video games not so mindless --Um yeah, I could’ve told you this a long time ago, but I just wanted to wait for scientific study and research to prove what we gamers have known all along. Video games no doubt increase the brain’s capacity to process visual things at high rates of speed. “We’re more adept at avoiding bullets”, one gamer said. It’s true that some videos games contain excessive violence and vulgarities, but for the most part, they all challenge the human mind, refining it, training it, and ultimately entertaining it. Here’s the CNN article. May 28, 2003 Sony is trigger happy --Ok, I was a bit flabbergasted, dumbfounded, elated, and should I say giddy when Sony announced the future release of their first portable gaming system, the PSP (Playstation Portable) back at E3, but now the Japanese electronic supergiant has gone and announced another new gaming/electronics product called the PSX (not to be confused with the code name used for the original Playstation). The PSX includes the PlayStation 2's Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer chips and will allow you to play PS2 games. But this isn't just a games system. The PSX also comes with a TV tuner, DVD recording capability and a 120 gigabyte hard disk. On top of this are USB 2.0 and memory stick support and a built-in Ethernet adapter. Whoa, talk about aggressive business. Sony is trying to dominate your living room.....and I happily assimilate :) Some specs for the impressive PSP, due out in 2004: UMD - A dual-layer media disc capable of holding up to 1.8 GB of data. Memory Stick Slot - A very thin, rewriteable, multimedia card capable of storing up to 1 GB of audio or video data. USB 2.0 Port - A standard USB port capable of connecting the PSP to any other device with a USB connection. 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display - The standard aspect ratio for movie theaters, and the format most digital and HD programs are broadcast in. Wireless Capabilities - Some form of wireless data transfer functionality. Battery Life - No official announcement from Sony. Pricing - No official announcement from Sony. May 22, 2003 Martin Luther King Jr. --Yes, I know his birthday celebration was back in February, but I’m reading this book that talks about his life a little and has some great quotes from him. What a man. No matter was force of opposition, no matter the cost, and no matter the pain, King refused to succumb to violence as the answer to the persecution his race was facing from the face of a “supposed” Christian nation. Oh boy what hypocrites we were (not everyone, just in general, and in the government {still are hypocrites, and always will be, ergo grace}). What an example of a peacemaker he was. I mean the man has a national holiday in his honor people! The most powerful nation in the world takes a whole day to remember a man who is remembered not as much for his action but more for his non-action and wisdom. That’s some reverence. This excerpt from www.thekingcenter.com sums his work up in a nutshell: “Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.” There are very few men or women I respect, living or dead. In fact, I could probably count these individuals on my hand. Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Jesus Christ are my most respected persons of all time, three of them being dead. Some people may wonder where my list of great Biblical patriarchs is. Well to be honest, I don’t really respect many Biblical persons (Keith, how can you say that, that's blasphemy! Well it's easy, and my advice to you is be an induvidual, not a drone. A Christian's focus is on Christ, not men or "church" etc). Most of them led pretty bad lives (this was of no concern to God because he used them anyways to further his kingdom and to manifest his gospel of grace) if you go back and read about them. Sure I can’t wait to chill with the likes of Paul of Tarsus, Gideon, and Michael the Archangel (I guess archangels don’t count as humans, but I can’t wait for him to teach me some fighting moves!) in Heaven, but in terms of men and women leading exemplary lives (though not perfect and far from the standard God requires, ergo grace again), they are few and far between. Anyways, I just think Dr. King is awesome and this is my little ode in honor of him. Here are two of my favorite quotes from him. Preach it brother! The real goal was not to defeat the white man, but “to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor and challenge his false sense of superiority.... The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community.” “Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To be a Christian one must take up their cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May 21, 2003 40 days and nights? --Whoa, what’s going on here? I mean I can appreciate and even welcome a couple rain storms here and there, but this is getting out of hand. Sure the water cycle is what makes the world look green, but this forecast just looks really dreary. My adventures over at www.weather.com didn’t suppress the feelings of yuck either. Check out what I saw there. I need some sunshine yo’s! The only thing cool about lots of rain is that maybe the creek behind my house will flood and I can go boogie boarding down it :) May 21, 2003 The profound truths of the Metro --The Washington Metro is thee premiere public transportation system available in the DC/Metro area of 3.5 million residents. Last year alone, almost 330 million bodies were transported via Metro buses and railways. I take the Metro to work every morning. It’s boring sometimes, others not as much thanks to involving books, pretty girls, rocking music on the earphones, or a good GameBoy Advance game. Anyways, the other day I noticed a profound truth written on one of Metro’s advertisements. It said to the effect: Zero Tolerance means a safe and happy ride for everyone “Please follow the rules for your fellow riders’ sake and for your own.” Below those words are your universal “don’ts” icons, such as no smoking, no pets (except guide dogs), no music without earphones, no food/drink, no flammable materials, etc. The Washington Metro Transit Authority (WMTA) has zero tolerance for these infractions. I was looking at this ad the other day and then it hit me. Everyone generally follows all the rules. And then I thought to myself why is that? Well we can investigate this authoritative efficiency from a logical and obvious standpoint first off. Such rules as no smoking and no flammable materials are pretty obvious aren’t they? I mean we all know the harmful effects of second-hand smoke so it’s only common courtesy not to smoke while in the cars. I couldn’t imagine how quickly the passenger collective would “persuade” a fellow passenger to put out a cigarette if they were so audacious as to light one up. I’d probably have the FBI on me before I could say “I like fire” if I tried to enter a Metro station with a can of gasoline. “No pets” goes without said. I mean who wants Fluffy taking a yucky on your neighbor’s brand new shoes?? I do enjoy the sight (no pun intended) of guide dogs though. Its dogs like that I think I could live with. They’re just chill, they provide company, but not at the expense of bad behavior, and they serve a noble purpose. “No music without earphones” is common courtesy also. It wouldn’t physically hurt anyone if everybody played a boombox, but it’d sure get audibly annoying. (Note: Some people, despite following the rules technically, don’t realize their earphones (certain types) emit much ambient sound, rendering them very annoying.) “No food or drink” goes without said also. Metro is not your mother, and they refuse to clean up your mess, rightfully so. I think there’s one or two other “don’ts” but I can’t think of them at the moment. But from a purely common sense point of view, these rules, although restricting of absolute freedom, serve to protect and ensure that each passenger has the best Metro ride they could possibly have. Also, even though the rules theoretically restrict absolute freedom, the rules cannot enforce themselves. If someone wants to smoke a pipe, they could. If anyone wants to play loud music, they could. If anyone wants to bring Jumpy the Toad on the Metro, they prolly could fit him in their pocket. If anyone would want to blow up the Metro with a bomb, they could probably figure out a way to sneak one on there. The key to the effectiveness of the rules is not only the protection and ease of use they provide when followed, but also the consequences faced when broken. Sure the consequences are of different degrees. Nobody’s going to throw you in jail for smoking on the Metro, but you’re sure gonna take a lot of heat from your fellow passengers. You’re not going to be put in handcuffs if you bring Jumpy on the train, but you may have to pay a fine or something. You’re not going to get the electric chair if you set a bomb off in the Metro, but.....wait you probably would get the electric chair, or something equivalent in payment for the lives you took. And you know what; the rules themselves don’t dictate the punishments or consequences. That responsibility lies in the passenger collective’s hands, aka society’s as a whole. No one man or women brings the axe. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with all this but I won’t reveal the crux just yet. Let’s investigate deeper reasons why the Metro authorities are so successful in streamlining the rules of transportation. The same rules that mean “a safe and happy ride for everyone”. Some people may wonder who makes these rules up and why? Well I think we’ve covered the “why” already, it’s just common sense and they benefit everyone both as a collective and as individuals. Now about the “who”. Well who better to make up the rules than the people who created and maintain the Metro rail system? The Washington Metro Transit Authority created and maintains the system, therefore they are the best suited to create the rules governing their creation. Why? Well because they designed it and understand how it operates; what makes it work right, and what makes it break down. Understand rubber band? WMTA is the “who” people wonder about. But WMTA isn’t really anything other than a name, or maybe an office building somewhere, right? Well that’s true, but that’s surely not enough of an entity to tame the masses with the rules that WMTA has. No, the key is found in the people that represent WMTA. They are the men and women that design, operate, and maintain the many mechanical and electrical machines that hurry people around to the places they’re probably late too already. We see them all around too. We see them in the ticket booths, operating trains, cleaning floors, and fixing light bulbs. And you know what? They’re human too. WMTA isn’t some unfathomable, unseen, or unreliable phantom. Nope, they’re a group of human beings that sleep, eat, and play just like us. And because they’re like us, we respect the rules they’ve set, because we know they make them for our benefit, because they know what makes us “work right, and what makes us break down”. But these rules wouldn’t be as effective unless we knew about them obviously. So WMTA had the courtesy to let us know about them. They post them on advertisements, they announce them on the loudspeaker, and they even place signs on the ground with pretty colors to catch your attention. These helpful and protective rules would be to no avail unless people knew about them, and thankfully WMTA is happy to oblige. And I think this is why almost everybody always follows the rules of the Metro. Not only do they really make the ride safe and enjoyable for everyone else when followed, they do the same for each individual person. And these rules aren’t dictated from some tyrannical, unseen dictator. No, they come from human beings just like you and I, and that’s comforting to know. And these rules aren’t floating around in the air. Nope, they’re on pen and paper for all to see and read, sort of like a transportation playbook. A “How to” guide if you will. WMTA has done their homework and it shows in their patron participation to follow the rules. Can’t argue with results. And so there are days that I wonder, wonder how to go about life. Sometimes I’m confused and lost and I wish there was some sort of guide or path I could follow that would keep me safe. If only there was a designer behind all this. If only there was a higher being that created not only the universe and everything in it, but also me. If only that higher being cared about how its creation ran, caring about even the smallest detail like birds in the air and lilies in the fields, about making it work right, and about keeping its occupants safe from danger. If only this creator gave us a set of rules that would help protect us and allow us to enjoy ourselves free from danger. If only this being would give us rules that we didn’t have to follow if we didn’t want to. That way our freedom would still be intact, but we’d realize the rules were meant to keep us safe and to enjoy creation. If only this supreme being would realize that only love, and not fear or legalism, could merit a response of love, that which the creator desired. If only this creator could become like us though so to understand what it’s like to be in our shoes, and walk with us, and talk with us, and teach us so that we’d know he cared for us. If only this being could be like one of us, even just for a short period of time, so we could know it wasn’t some unseen, unfathomable entity off in some far off place. And while this being was like one of us, if only it would show us how much it loved us, in some way that we could remember forever. If only this higher power gave us a written “playbook” for life, so that we could refer to it when we were lost or troubled, to get back on the right path. If only this guide book were of sound thinking, wrought in the fires of all knowledge and wisdom of the creator. If only this book were unlike any other, provable, authentic, and inspired not by our fellow man seeking power and glory, but by humility and servanthood. If only this book was the standard, allowing us to be able to sift through other false books and false ideas, not from the designer, not from the creator of all things. If only the creator of all life and death would do this for me, for us. I feel I wouldn’t be confused or lost anymore if only this were true. If only this supreme entity operated like WMTA, giving us rules to live by that benefited not only our fellow human beings, but us as individuals. If only these rules were meant not to harm us or restrict our freedom, but to protect us and free us from our own slavery we call sin, to give us a choice to resist our natural inhibitions. If only, when we decided to break these rules set to protect us and give us life, there’d be consequences that would kick us in the @$$ and that these consequences would lead us back to the rules that kept us safe, and back to the designer that cared for us. If only this being went a step further than WMTA and wanted to get personal with its created beings. If only my designer wanted to walk, and talk, and teach me everyday, every second of everyday. If only there was a being that loved us and would do all this for us, even though we didn’t deserve it and there was nothing we could hope to do to earn its love. If only there was an ultimate designer that cared for its design and would do anything to see it work properly again, even though its own created beings screwed it up. If only there was a lord that loved us that much........if only... “Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.” -Come Thou Fount, Robert Robinson, 1758 May 19, 2003 Hi, and the Matrix --Sorry I haven’t been updating much. It’s mostly because I’ve been busier at work, and that’s usually when I update. And it seemed last week that every time I got the itch to write, a computer was nowhere to be seen. I need a laptop. Anyone want to contribute to “Keith’s laptop fund”? Anyways, I had a good weekend. I didn’t really do too too much, but I guess it was just the people I was around that made it nice, especially one cool girl. Anyways, I saw Matrix: Reloaded and must say I wasn’t too impressed. Not only was it just more of the same (yea, yea, a few cool new things here and there) but they added more confusing “Matrix” jive, a ten minute basically orgy (no nudity per se, but much innuendo {guess I should’ve expected it cause it is rated R, but the first one was also and it didn’t have any sexual stuff, just cool action and plot}.. Sex has no place in sci-fi!!! Come on, we’re nerds, not Casanovas {whom I don’t respect by the way, because of the superficiality associated with that name. don’t be fooled by superficial romance ladies!}, we want aliens, spaceships, cool effects and Natalie Portman!), and they spent way too much time in that really boring hermit hole they call Zion (hey Wachowski brothers, it’d be nice if you referenced where you got that Zion {Jesus Christ was a devout Jew remember, I think people forget that} name from yo’s). It was just a really bland, boring place where it seems all they do is have orgies accompanied with much bass and bongos. Also, none of the characters we’re “developed”. The whole movie was just about a bunch of programmers, architects, and keymakers. Who was that French guy anyways?? And did his wife, or should I say “pair of breasts utilizing cleavage enhancing technology”, have any purpose other than to draw in hormonally charged men to plunk down $8.50? This Matrix was much more superficial than the first one. I guess it had the whole “X-men 2 effect”, where the sequel had more of the same eye candy, yet less depth and substance. The novelty of the Matrix seemed to wear off a couple minutes into the movie, which is sad because I wanted it to be good. Yet I found myself wondering who exactly the “bad guy” was the more I watched the movie. I don’t like movies where you have to guess or wonder who the antagonist is (ala Harry Potter {come on J.K., I don’t like watching a book for 108 minutes before I see who the evil man is}). I need evil manifested, so I can root for the good guys of course (ala Lord of the Rings). I think moviemakers striving to make a movie about an epic struggle of good versus evil need take a few lessons from my man Tolkien. Evil needs to have a name, a face (an evil flaming eye in LOTR’s case, as well as a residual dark army of orcs, trolls, demonic forces, and what have you). So back to the Matrix. So yeah, I was kind of disappointed in it. Maybe it was hyped up too much or maybe I expected too much. I don’t want to take away from all the technical achievements, cause they were outstanding (I must admit though, the CG used when Neo takes on those multiple Agent Smith’s is pretty shotty at points. Any veteran eye can spot the obvious use of CG. Yes I know Neo’s moving at like a hundred miles a second, but Gollum is an example of character CG done right.) Um so I’d give Matrix: Reloaded 2.5 stars out of 5; no where near the impact as the first (which I guess is the curse of the sequel), it does some things right, but more things bland, out of place, and confusing. The novelty unfortunately has worn off. I’m thinking Matrix: Revolutions (the third movie in the trilogy) will be a rental pick up. I really don’t care what happens to Zion (the Matrix Zion that is) at this point, I don’t know who the enemy is anymore. May 16, 2003 Random Thoughts • My mother told me I looked so handsome this morning, most likely because I brushed my hair “properly”. Why I combed my hair I’m still not sure but I know when my mother thinks I look handsome, I’m probably not getting the “look” I’m going for. Or maybe it’s nice to seem “presentable” and thought of as “handsome” sometimes. • God must not want me to appreciate and enjoy certain amazing astronomical phenomena that he creates for us to wonder at. Last night’s lunar eclipse was eclipsed (pun intended) by excessive cloud cover and rain. About this time last year, a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower was duded out by the same atmospheric scenario. What gives God? I mean I’m like your biggest fan. Internet pictures just don’t do the real thing justice. I guess it’s kind of like the wave and surfing thing ya know? Like some days the waves are great and you’re stuck in an office in front of a computer. And some days you got your trunks on, your board waxed, and the ocean looks like a lake. C’est la vie mes amies. • I’m seeing the Matrix: Reloaded tonight. I’m looking forward to the eye-candy. I just hope all the eastern-religion mystic influence isn’t too cheesy. Gotta love the Biblical human reality vs. spiritual reality (blue pill vs. red pill) correlation they got goin on there though (that is, if you’re into God and the Bible. I am). Makes me think of that last line in the Plankeye song “Goodbye”. “Death comes in many forms, even while alive...” • This has been a very busy week for me at work. Do you notice when you have people under you that you’re responsible for that you’re workload seems to double and become more hectic? Well that’s the case for me. Before, I was just worried about me and my work. Now I’m worried about me and my work and three other people and their work. Three words for me.....where’s the raise? • Drink diet drinks and you’ll lose weight and not even know it. It happened to me. I feel like Jared, but not really. May 16, 2003 Space, time, and hot dogs --I love how the Bible is the only holy book to recognize the extra-dimensionality (outside our 4 dimensions) of God and the spiritual world (Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, etc.) in a scientifically sound manner in perfect harmony with the 20th and 21st century’s intriguing discoveries. That right there proves it’s the only true book not inspired by man’s thoughts (but God’s), rendering all other holy books as useless in terms of the afterlife. Nice fact to know from a scientific, historical, thinking, and just plain living aspect. Note: Many other “holy books” contain some great stories, proverbs, and everyday wisdom for living I’ve come to find out. But when it comes to life-giving words based on facts, proof, and authenticity, the Bible stands alone. Haha, it even dares you to test it out (1 Thessalonians 5:21). God’s got some balls folks (figure of speech). You won’t find that kind of audacity anywhere else let me tell ya. And don’t believe me Keith, go research the facts yourself. I’m a firm believer of discovering the truths on you’re own and not believing what other people have told you. Just think if Christopher Columbus settled on what his parents and teachers had taught him or Galileo succumbed to the Earth being the center of the universe despite all his observations and calculations otherwise. Our world would be a big mess of scientific and social ignorance....kinda like the Matrix. Neo, follow the rabbit... May 14, 2003 Lunar neato-bandito --There’s few things cooler than a lunar eclipse (let’s see....um cheese fries and Slushies may come close), so I thought I’d make a plug for one of God’s spectacular lights shows for today. Thurs. night and friday morning (full moon) are the times the lunar eclipse will take place (read the article here). May 14, 2003 Bend It Like Beckham: Part II --I took a lot of heat from my brother for my feature on the movie feature Bend It Like Beckham (see entry below), but Michael Davies of espn.com/page2 has exonerated me with his article claiming BILB as “perhaps the greatest women's sports movie ever made” and further declares “On reflection, and I can't quite believe I'm writing this -- "Bend It Like Beckham" might just be the second greatest film ever made about "the beautiful game." This sounds ridiculous. But the truth is, outside of "Escape To Victory" (which receives an eternal No. 1 ranking for featuring Pele)” For all of you that don’t know, Victory is thee best football, er soccer, movie ever made. I’m so pumped at the end of the movie I feel like prancing about the streets of Paris yelling “Victoire!” and grabbing any Parisian vixen, smooching her, and drinking some wine while taking a boat down the Seine. Um back to the movie. Anyways, read the article if you’re so inclined. Michael Davies is a great football reporter and wrote some great articles over the summer while covering the World Cup in Japan/Korea. I respect his opinion and his article only further goes to prove my savvy in predicting movies and their appeal. –pat myself on the back :) Maybe I’m just learning to get in touch with my feminine side (even though I’m not feminine so let’s rephrase that.....my emotional side). There’s nothing wrong with that is there? I haven’t seen the movie yet if you’re wondering. May 13, 2003 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater --EbbGames couldn’t resist posting this E3 video showcasing Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The MGS series has always been a innovation icon in the video game world with cool stories and characters to boot. Check out the trailer thingy here. I’m getting the itch to go out and buy Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty now, considering its a PS2 Greatest Hit and is only $19.99 now. Wooopeee! For all of you that don’t know E3 (Electronic Equipment Expo), held in L.A. every year, is thee video gaming expo. It is by far the most extravagant gaming expo in the world, where all the top companies showcase their new games and hardware for the upcoming year. Basically it’s a gamers wet dream. If I lived even close to L.A. (oh San Diego, where are you my sweet?....sigh...) you can bet your knickers I’d be at the 5-day super-dooper event. Now that I’ve condemned myself to ultimate nerdom, I will diminish and go sail away to the west from the Grey Havens... May 9, 2003 Whatever • So I’m allowed to have a few bad days, so what. Don’t you have consecutive bad days too? • If I receive another SPAM email I’m going to battle someone! I’m really sick and tired of getting all this crap. Why are ISPs seemingly totally inept at not only intercepting these craperoos but also deleting them to the Netherworld?! • TV really sucks, yet I keep watching it. The amount of idiots that blanket the screen is mind-boggling. What’s worse is I know like 90% of my peers and younger are watching channels like MTV and thinking that’s how life is and that’s how they want their life to be like. Utter idiocies. • I’m tired of being male and 23. You don’t realize how crappy it is to be like this and have a mind like this. I’m caught between so much that it’s tearing me apart in ways I wish it wasn’t. I just want to chill out on comfortable couch, or maybe a blanket on the beach. I want a funnel cake right now. • People that shouldn’t be famous and influential are. • I think Harrison Ford’s character in The Mosquito Coast had the right idea, well sorta. • I guess if you have sex with the wrong person, or persons, long enough, it just doesn’t become “special” anymore. • Why is it so easy for girls to forget about a guy they were close to before? Or maybe it was just all a game of superficiality and nobody told me... • There are too many people in the world for there ever to be world peace. Maybe if there were a couple hundred only or maybe even a few thousand. But billions, come on, forget about it and start doing something productive. • As I’m sure you can tell I’m PO’d about various things around my head. All I want to do is rest on a soft pillow with a slight breeze running through my hair. I’m tired of writing. • The two people that I wish I had their lives are Kelly Slater and/or David Beckham (see today’s USA Today). Come on, we all wish we were someone else at some point or another. Even these guys do I’m sure. "Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts, than thousands elsewhere..." May 8, 2003 Bend it Like Beckham --You may or may not have heard of this low budget movie from Fox Searchlight Pictures, but for some odd reason I have a tiny inkling to see it. It’s supposedly kind of in the same “comedy” vein as My Big Fat Greek Wedding (I have no urge to ever see that movie). Anyways, check out the trailer here. Really I don’t know why I’m writing about this movie. Maybe cause there’s some soccer in it, maybe cause that Indian chick is kind of pretty, maybe cause David Beckham (Posh Spice’s husband) is so cool (Go England, go England!!......ah the memories of summer ‘02, the World Cup, and Summers restaurant in Arlington....fun stuff), or maybe that whole idea of a girl living her own life, being her own self, and doing what she knows what is right instead of living for her parents (yet while still respecting them and her upbringing) and their ideas based on tyrannical religious status quos that could give a crap about her. Anyways, I bet the romance in it is really really tacky (early judgement) and it’s got a whole “femi-nazis” undertone to it (early judgement), but for some reason I think it looks not only funny, but a little satisfying from an emotional aspect. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but oh well. It’ll be a DVD to rent. May 8, 2003 Sleeping threshold --Do you have one? Because I do. It’s called 10:00am. If I don’t sleep in till at least 10:00am, it doesn’t matter how many hours I got of sleep before that, I will be annoyingly tired when I get up. Case and point: Last night I went to bed at 8:13pm (actually I was only planning on taking a nap but I guess my body had different plans), anyways I got up at 7:10am when my alarm went off (have no fear, I don’t really get up at 7:10am every morning. I usually utilize the Satanic-influenced snooze button several times before I get up at around 7:45am). It didn’t matter that I got almost 12 hours of sleep last night; I was still so stinkin tired when that alarm went off. In fact, I was still so tired I over used my snooze button a few too many times and was even late to work this morning. You wonder why I was so incompetent despite getting almost 12 hours of sleep? Easy, I didn’t pass my sleeping threshold time. It’s so simple yet so complex. It doesn’t matter whether I get 14 hours or 4 hours of sleep. If I don’t sleep in till at least 10:00am I’m screwed. Well of course getting 12 hours of sleep has its benefits, but they’re usually slow-moving. Like now I feel great, awake, energetic, and ready to face the day thanks to my 12 hours of sleep last night. But that’s just now, where was all this great feeling when my alarm went off?! Nowhere, that’s where. Getting a good nights rest doesn’t kick in to my system till like an hour or later after I wake up, making it frivolous to get a good nights rest unless I can reach the sleeping threshold. Maybe I’m weird, maybe this is only unique to Ebb. Maybe it’s just another iteration of my X-Power, I don’t know. But I’ll continue to fight for a society where I shouldn’t have to get up for work until at the earliest 10:00am. As for now, I guess I’m just cursed with the whole 9-5, M-F. Thanks a whole lot Adam for screwing all of us guys. You had to listen to the pretty women. Sin sucks the life out of ya....literally. “To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."” -Genesis 3:17-19 Painful childbirth or cursed to work 9-5 till I return to the dust?......... Hmm, glad I’m a guy :) “To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children." -Genesis 3:16 May 7, 2003 Top 100 videogames --Ok, this is for all you videogame aficionados out there. IGN.com is doing a “Top 100 games” of all time thingy and I recommend you mossy on over there for some nostalgic and contemporary gaming goodness. From Gauntlet to Doom to Super Mario Bros. to Half-Life to Pitfall to Final Fantasy to Excitebike to Starcraft to Zelda to Contra to NBA Jam and many more.....all your favorites are probably there. It’s a nice trip down memory lane as well as what may be stocked at your local Best Buy. Videogames have come a long way since Nolan Bushnell's Computer Space back in 1971, but I think the world has become a better place because of them. Sure there’s a few sour apples that have infiltrated (great videogame-ish word) the gaming world over the years, but for the most part games have entertained, challenged, and awed kids and adults, girl and boy alike for the past 25 years. I’m sure we can all remember a time when video games were a part of our lives (they may still be). We can remember who we played them with, where we played them, and why we played them. They are fun, and sometimes help us get away from the problems of reality for a little bit in a positive and recreational manner. Some of the most fun times I’ve had with friends were in front of a TV set playing video games. So this is my little ode to videogames. I don’t know what the future holds for them and I don’t know if I’ll still be playing them in the future. Who knows, I may grow out of them (though I haven’t yet I guess). But the past was sure great. Sometimes people ask me what I want to do with my life and what kind of career I want to have. I tell them I want to be an arcade owner/operator in the year 1981. I want to live above my arcade in a nice apartment (like Jeff Bridges’ character Flynn in the hit movie Tron). The person just looks at me like I’m so out of it... May 7, 2003 Indy!!! --The Adventures of Indiana Jones needs no introduction. Supernatural peril, exotic locales, hot women (a hot leading guy of course for all you gals), and just pure coolness blanket these thouroughly entertaining archeological romps across the globe. Well Lucas and Spielberg have finally Ok’d the DVD release of the venerated trilogy in the beauty that is digital video disc technology. Check out the specs and information here. I highly recommend picking up this boxed set when it comes out Nov. 4, 2003. Talk about adventure! “Nazis. I hate these guys.” -Indiana Jones May 6, 2003 Uncle Keify again --It’s always a good day when I know I’ll get to be called Uncle Keify by yet another individual someday. My new nephew Tommy popped out yesterday to join our 4 dimensions of life. Yep, I can’t wait for the day when Tommy asks me to show him a cool move on a video game, or to ride bikes with him, or to throw rocks in the creek. It’s nice to have a bunch of little nephews brothers now cause I never had one before. Funny how humans continue to procreate, I guess the novelty of it doesn’t wear off. On a side note, I find it odd that people around my age and younger find themselves readily equipped to handle the responsibility of not only their own life, but another’s. I can’t fathom that, at least not at this point (watch me have a kid under the age of 25. that would humble my pride alright, and would expose my hypocrisy just a little more I suppose. maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about). I guess people are so immature, they don’t realize they’re immature. We got kids raising babies. Not ideal. May 6, 2003 Weekends of yore --I had a long, fulfilling weekend. This is not a regular occurrence in Ebb’s world mind you. I did many things with many people, had meaningful conversations and aimless walks. I saw X-men 2 (it was ok {guess LOTR set the bar too high}), ate a yummy bacon, egg, and cheese bagel, roller bladed, washed a car, played Final Fantasy 7 (ah....the memories of a recluse first half of my senior year in high school), watched Harry Totter (maybe $225 million, but not $325mil {Potter, sorry penny}), ate cheese fries (deux), sang songs, drove BMW’s, ate shrimp, viewed starry skies, bungee jumped (ok, I didn’t do that), and spend time with wonderful and fun persons. Sometimes (this doesn’t happen often), I wish I could slow or stop the progression of time and just live in a few moments a little longer than reality lets me. Sometimes, I don’t mind life; in fact sometimes I enjoy it. Is it possible to get to a point where the good outweighs or is more prevalent than the bad? Do I have any say in getting to that elusive phantom of a thought? Is it a matter of touching lips, saying “I .... ....”, or not worrying about tomorrow? How will I know when or if it comes? How will I know when the time is ordained? Do you ever ask questions like this in your own little world? These questions bless/haunt the upper regions of Ebbworld with reckless abandon. They don’t know the meaning of the word cease, or have any ability to enjoy respite. I am content in my moment, in my state of affairs, in my eternity. But sometimes I don’t mind life; in fact sometimes I enjoy it... May 2, 2003 Random thoughts for the weekend • I was going to bring up a controversial topic but I’ve regressed cause I don’t feel like getting myself into a bad mood. This weekend is shaping up nicely, and I don’t want to ruin it with some Washington Post article. Check out today’s Post front page and I’m sure you’ll see what I’m referring to. • Back at Virginia Tech around this time of year when the spring semester was winding down and the weather was getting nicer, a certain phenomenon would occur that would have all the guys’ virility in high gear. It seemed sunbathing was a campus pastime for the female population, and once that sun was out and it was breaking 75°, bikinis abounded. In fact, there was a certain location in campus around mostly girls dorms that guys would strategically hit for their “almost naked” viewing pleasure. • I’m wondering how much more fulfilling and fun college would’ve been if I didn’t choose engineering as my major. Sucks to regret picking the wrong major. • X-men 2 comes out tonight and I’m planning on seeing it. It’s receiving rave reviews and is heralded as even better than the first. Which is not saying too much, but still, it’s always fun to watch a bunch of freaks beat up on a bunch of other freaks in freakish ways. X-men vs. Street Fighter, the arcade game, rocks. *Hint: Push the controller “up” on the character select screen to choose the secret character Akuma (or Gouki as they refer to him in Japan). • My top three auto manufactures are BMW, Nissan, and Honda (from a practical prospective) • Who else here doesn’t find 50 Cent very talented but more just the subject of being in the right place at the right time? (being shot in the mouth helps) • Anybody else been watching VH1’s “I Love the 80’s” documentary/show? I’ve had some fun watching it considering the 80’s probably was the best decade. Some of the interviewees were total dweebs though. • I’m out of random thoughts and am just trying to kill time. Have a good weekend everyone, or anyone that might read this, which is probably no one, but hopefully someone, or something. May 1, 2003 EbbMusic --Ok, I guess I decided to record a full version of one of my songs. Now remember, this is as low quality as you can get folks from a technical standpoint. This .wav file is only a PCM 8.000 kHz, 8 Bit, Mono recording. I did that so the file size wouldn’t be so large. From a musical standpoint, you don’t have to point out that the rhythm is screwy, the vocals are muffled, the notes are skewed, distortion abounds, and that the timing is so off I couldn’t even get a job with the California Raisins; believe me, I already realize this. Also worth mentioning is that this song morphs a little bit here and there each time I play it so this is by no means some sort of “final” version. As with my website, it’s not the aesthetics that are the highlight, it’s the content I’m proud of. And as with my writing, my music could really suck, but I don’t care, I like it. My personal website is proof enough that I don’t care what other people think about what I think about. If I ever started a musical group, I’d probably call it Voltron88x or just Ebbworld or how bout Special K. They seem appropriate, and it’d be a unique band name. Don’t know if I’d get some litigation from Japan on the first one though. So here’s my first crude, un-mastered, track called “Ocean Scene”. Just imagine a clean sounding recording with some bass tunes, a guy on drums, and maybe some background vocals. Feel free to share it. If anyone wants to convert it to an .mp3, please do and send it back to me. I don’t have the software to do that at the moment. Lyrics can be found here because you can’t really hear my voice clearly. Just tryin to expand the offerings of EbbWorld, that’s all. I had pictures and writing, well now I have music too. Ebbworld- Ocean Scene May 1, 2003 New logo --I’ve retooled EbbWorld’s logo. Check it out on the main page. I just added my theme to all this. I think it fits what I like to talk about.....life, love, and why. April 29, 2003 My lucky day --So there I was today, staring down the snack machine. So many choices, so little calorie allowance. Snickers bar? Nah. Pretzels? Nah. Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies? Nah, they’re 80¢ ya know. Well I finally narrowed my choice down to the dolphin-shaped cheese nips even though they were 80¢ (hmmm, cheese nips....does anyone else think that’s a little similar to a certain part of the female anatomy? {i guess guys have them too} Gosh, the culinary arts are getting pretty provocative these days huh). And as I was about to plunk down three quarters and a nickel....Eureka! I spotted it like an eagle on a chipmunk. There, hanging by a thread was a 28.3g (1 ounce) bag of Doritos Cooler Ranch (yes you read it correctly, Cooler Ranch. Um Frito-Lay, you have a grammatical problem with your product. And when’s the last time you thought of ranch dressing/flavoring as being “cool”. Well maybe they’re not thinking temperature wise. But still, that doesn’t exonerate the improper use of “er”). This particular blue bag was so close to freedom. And probably to the dismay of the previous snack machine customer, it didn’t fall when initially bought. It was what you call “snack machine bait”. Oh I could’ve shook the machine around right then and there to get the bag to fall, but there were people around, and here at the Secret Service we act civilized, not like brutish barbarians (ode to Conan). So when I put my 55¢ into the machine and typed C9, not only did I hear a bag of Doritos Cooler Ranch hit the bin once, but also twice. It was music to my ears. 56.6g (2 ounces) of tortilla chip goodness for only 55¢. There’s only one explanation of course....must’ve been my lucky day. Oh, did I mention someone left a Cadbury Chocolate Creme Egg in the “free-for-all” bowl here at work? I give one guess who snatched that ovular delight up... April 29, 2003 Real Cancun flopper --New Line Cinema’s weekend release, the reality motion picture The Real Cancun, “focusing on the bacchanal rituals of 16 college students on spring vacation in Cancun, Mexico”, pulled a big fat belly flop this weekend in the box office. AOL, Time Warner Inc. executives are struggling to fathom how such a burgeoning genre can flourish on television and do so badly on screen. One official was even “surprised” at the anemic results. What?!?! You mean sex, beer, and loose women didn’t sell well for once?!?! To be honest, I’m a little astonished myself. But like the CNN article said, parents of teenagers didn’t want to enable their kids under-17 to see this trashy R-rated flick, and kids under 17 didn’t want to see it with their parents. This simple fact prolly negated millions of pubescent dollars that New Line was banking on at the box office. You mean some parents actually parented this weekend too?!?! What’s going on here yo’s? But come on America, aren’t the trashy, crappy, vulgar, profane, outlandish reality TV shows enough already? Well apparently so, according to the flop that is The Real Cancun. So thanks America for taking a step forward, despite our continual steps back (aka people paying $8.50 of their God-blessed money to see movies like American Pie and 40 Days and 40 Nights). Not that I care about the moral temperature of my country (really I don’t, ask me later why), but it is refreshing to see the bad guys lose for once. Asked why he thought The Real Cancun flopped so badly, legendary film critic Ebb merely quipped, “The movie flopped for the simple fact that it probably sucked.” Here’s one for the toilet bowl too.... It seems Universal has their own interest in releasing a reality TV based movie called The Quest. What’s this wholesome adventure about you ask? “The Quest follows a group of college guys who drag one of their buddies to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico's Baja California on spring break to lose his virginity.” Talk about quality entertainment folks!! Come on, ain’t America beautiful with stuff like this?! .....I refuse to coin or condone the saying “God bless America” anymore, because we don’t deserve his blessings. When are they gonna come out with a movie that follows a group of college guys who drag one of their buddies to Costa Del Sol on spring break to teach him how to respect, honor, and treat girls with humble purity???? .....sigh to the world I live in... ***I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that New Line Cinema was under the influence of a malevolent alien race called the Khultural Piir Prhesure when they decided to greenlight The Real Cancun. Please don’t confuse that New Line with the one that released the two greatest movies ever, and that will release the third and final chapter of that venerable trilogy on Dec. 18, 2003. April 28, 2003 My ocean song --Ok, this could be a really funny addition to EbbWorld, I couldn’t resist. This is my worldwide feature musical debut. I was screwing around with my Windows sound recorder and recorded a very short part of one of my personal songs that I like to play to myself. I’m providing this 58sec sound bite free of charge (just keep the mockery and jeering at a minimum). Yes the sound quality is horrible and you can barely hear my vocals, but come on, I don’t have a sound studio ya know. Anyways here’s the first stanza (well part of) of a song I wrote called “You?”. I like to refer to it as my ocean song. I’ve included a special “Chipmunk” edition as well. No doubt you’ll laugh when you hear it. And I kid you not, that is my voice you hear. Have fun kiddies! If there’s enough positive feedback, who knows, maybe I’ll record the full song sometime and in better quality. (You can find the full song's lyrics here) “Chipmunk” remix April 27, 2003 Sorry --I know I seem to create a new Random Thoughts page a lot, but it’s not my fault. Once my pages get too big, Yahoo seems to get antsy about it and gives me errors. So I have to make a new page to continue to display my random thoughts (as dorky as they may be). This is RT5. I will continue to post on RT5 until Yahoo screws up and makes me create an RT6. But until then, happy trails my folk. April 27, 2003 American Pie and Blink 182 -Didn’t expect that title from me, did ya? Anyways, I was watching TV the other night and FX was showing American Pie. Being the hormonally charged youth that I am, I watched some (not the whole thing, I don’t think I could stomach the whole thing at once {and yes, the movie was edited on FX}). Well some of you may know that that movie represents almost everything I hate about my peer society and the world I live in. I have such an aversion and loathing for it that I throw things at the TV when its on. Yet I still watch it for some reason. Some sort of twisted irony being human is, huh. Anyways, aside from the horrendousity (yes I know it’s not a word, but it fit my feeling) that is American Pie (I’ve yet to see the sequel. I think its a good thing that I haven’t) I was reminded of the punk rock band Blink 182. They play a small cameo part in the movie and provide music on the soundtrack, but they’re a hugely successful group outside Hollywood. For the most part, I absolutely loathe Blink 182 also, mostly for their immature, vulgar, profane, PABish personalities, lyrics, and lifestyles (I need to clarify though that I think they are great musicians and songwriters from a technical standpoint. They create some cool punk rawk tunes) Despite their shortcomings as musical role models, I must admit that three of their songs, “The Party Song”, “Adam’s Song”, and “Stay Together for the Kids” (click for lyrics) from their albums Enema of the State and TPJ, are really great, for separate reasons. “The Party Song”, although vulgar and crude, speaks of much truth that our current youth society is plagued with, namely the female sex. The setting accurately describes the general “college scene” in a sense of inward insecurity disguised by outward façades. I’ve had first hand experience with this song, and it’s not pretty (no pun intended). It strikes a chord in my soul, and it’s part of the whole “thorn in my side” concerning my peer culture. Even though Mike, Tom, and Travis may act like total fools, they know what they’re talking about relative to the world they live in. “Adam’s Song” relates to me in a totally different way. I won’t divulge why, I’m not that candid with my inner feelings, even with EbbWorld. But Blink wrote a song here that definitely indicates there’s something deeper emotionally in the songwriter other than naked dwarves, penis jokes, and urinal outings. The song is inscrutably attractive to me. “Stay Together for the Kids” is a wonderful ode to how freakin crappy divorce is and how freakin foolish the divorcees were to put themselves in the situation where divorce would even be contemplated. I hate divorce very much cause I see what it does to people and to their offspring. I’m sick and tired of people getting divorced from purely selfish reasons, the same reasons that they shouldn’t have got married to that person in the first place. The same immature reasons that they probably got married too young, before they knew what the real world was about, before they were emotionally mature, before they knew what they were getting into. Piece of crap divorce and stupid people that get married cause of their stupid insecurities. I’m tired of talking about it. I give Blink 182 props for their musical talent and ability to write some (although very few) good stuff. I can’t respect them still though and don't recommend them. They’ve indirectly hurt many more youths than they’ve helped. Music is more influential than people think. It’s like aural nicotine. “Some girls try too hard some girls try too hard to impress with the way that they dress with those things on their chests and the things they suggest to me” -“The Party Song” by Blink 182 April 26, 2003 Tea, the disease fighting drug --This is a pretty random thought but I found it interesting. I was recently reading a business article about how Starbucks was looking to expand their empire (que the Darth Vader music) in the Middle East and even Iraq now. Unbeknownst to Starbucks though was certain sect Islamic doctrine that forbids the consumption of things like alcohol, tea, etc. Poor Starbucks, their business wouldn’t do to well if they didn’t sell any tea or coffee. Anyways, this isn’t about Starbucks really, but more about the ludicrous doctrines that these Islamic cultures maintain. And these doctrines only further prove their religion’s influence and origin of not only a false prophet, but also a man that shed much blood in the name of geographical conquest. I mean it’s really sad that these people buy in blindly to this crap. Wake up and smell the coffee yo’s! (pun intended). There was an article recently on MSNBC.com about how new research confirms that tea is an agent that boosts the body’s immune system capabilities. We’ve already known for years now that tea has been linked to lower heart disease and cancer risk through the action of flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Other studies have linked tea to helping combat osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease, and to relieving some allergy symptoms (all you allergics, now’s the time to drink tea with all that pollen flyin around. It’s nature’s cure!). This new study links it even more disease fighting characteristics like sharpening the body’s defenses. “An ordinary cup of tea may be a powerful infection fighter, a study suggests. Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have found in tea a chemical that boosts the body’s defense fivefold against disease.” My intent here is not to write a dissertation on health sciences, but with the whole war thing going on in the Middle East and Sept. 11th and everything, I’ve just been dismayed at how my millions of people buy into the whole Islam thing. If they’d only research it’s origins, because the whole religion rests on only one man’s testimony. And if they’d only accept the truth about things instead of holding onto old wives tales that will end up damning them. I mean I guess there’s still people on earth that think that the Earth is flat (yes there is an official Flat Earth Society) and they will go to their grave believing it (unbelieveable ain’t it? Well know people know how I feel about people that believe in false prophets and religions when the evidence otherwise is overwhelming). Yet with all the empirical evidence against them, they still manage to come up with more and more ludicrous explanations of why we’re all crazy for thinking the Earth is a sphere. It’s like they are so afraid of the truth they’ll do anything to maintain their hold on their lies (obviously they think its the truth, but of course can't prove it), because that’s all they’ve know. And the same can be said for people following the religion of a false prophet. I mean there’s a bunch of them out there, all over the world, so I don’t mean to just pick on Islam. It’s just sad and it kills me to know people blindly buy into this stuff, cause I guess it’s all they’ve ever known. I think Paul said it best in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Paul wasn’t talking about some “truth” or “further revelation” to come. Jesus already had declared himself the way, the truth, and the life (am I wronng here?? did he not say that?? someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Paul was talking about the truth already preached to them from Christ while he walked the shores of Galilee. And the truth has remained the same since Christ walked those Middle Eastern sands. And not death, distance, not even Satan himself could corrupt the Church of Jesus Christ. There was no “Apostasy” and will never be one concerning the truth of Christ. (Well that’s according to Christ himself, so if you want to believe someone’s words other than Christ’s, that’s your choice. As for me, I’ll believe Christ’s words like these.) “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 Men will try to twist, add, and subtract to the word of God (aka the Bible), as they have for the past 2000 years, but come on bros and sistas…..Christ’s truth hasn’t changed and don’t buy into any false prophets words that they have. If the gates of Hell can’t prevail against it, you think anything else could screw it up? (please answer me that Muhammad) Think about that for a second, for all false religions and cults based in Christianity found themselves in that God “didn’t complete his work” the first time around. Have confidence that God knew what he was doin and that he’s not in the business of making mistakes (as the Bible so perfectly prooves). I’ve just been downcast about the whole Islam thing lately. I’m the last person to condone believing something “just cause”, because you can’t get any more ignorantly foolish than that. But don’t believe the words of some guy that’s been six feet under the ground for a couple years now. Believe me, Muhammad was just as big a sinner as you and me, and no amount of righteousness is gonna save your unrighteousness (God can't associate with anyone that's sinned just once; ergo Christ's blood). But I encourage you to ask questions, to research, to prove. And if a religion says you can’t do things like that, as does Islam, than that’s your sure sign it’s a man-made false religion seeking to keep its followers in chains of spiritual slavery (ala Hitler, Stalin, Huessin). Christ says prove all things. He wants you to make a decision for him out of the freedom of your own heart. I just beg of you, don’t be a blind follower, a person that just goes with the flow, or someone that conforms cause everyone else they know and love does it. Be an individual; be free. There is freedom and life and Christ….the original, untarnished Christ of the provably infailible Bible.. And come on, you’re gonna have to do a better job at brainwashing than telling your followers that they can’t drink tea Muhammad, we’re not that stupid anymore. “…It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” –John 19:30 |
