Archive for the ‘Miscellany’ Category

Being hacked

Posted: May 28, 2013 in Miscellany

Event Description

Details

Time
Application or device sign-in attempt
Prevented

Bangladesh
com.bd, IP Address: 103.4.145.186

May 10, 2013
12:09:24 PM
Application or device sign-in attempt
Prevented

Unknown Location
sharrcem.com, IP Address: 82.114.71.190

May 19, 2013
5:13:42 PM
Application or device sign-in attempt
Prevented

Iraq
IP Address: 37.236.222.73

May 27, 2013
3:44:07 PM
You’ve told us you don’t recognize this activity

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Above is a select portion of a message to me from google.

Sharrcem is a cement plant in Kosovo.   People in Banglasdesh, Bosnia, and Iraq are attempting to hack into my phone and computer accounts.  Gee…. that seems odd from such peaceful places doesn’t it?  I forgive each attempt and will pray to Jesus Christ that he may intercede positively in the lives of each and every ne’er do well that has targeted me.  I will pray that each will be led to a personal relationship with Jesus and attain a peace that surpasseth understanding.  John 3:16

 

“This American government,-what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity?  It has not the validity and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will.  It is a sort of wooden gun for the people themselves.  But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have.  Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage.  It is excellent, we must all allow.  Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.  It does not keep the country free.  It does not settle the West.  It does not educate.  The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way.”

From Henry David Thoreau “Civil Disobedience”

 

 

Because I’m bored, and I am a Star Trek Nerd of the highest order.  Can’t wait for this one!

Not with a bang but with a whimper

Posted: April 11, 2013 in Miscellany
Tags:
First ever "Earthrise" photograph, t...

First ever “Earthrise” photograph, taken from lunar orbit during Apollo 8 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It started in Eden, with a whispering worm-tongue who thought that they could do better.Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that ended poorly for mankind, resulting in the utter destruction of the Earth via water and nearly every living thing on it.  There was one last family that hadn’t given up the old ways though. Had not abandoned their fathers’ beliefs and traditions, nor the God of their fathers. They were spared.

I’m not a scientist, or a historian, a great thinker, or even much of writer for that matter, but I take a simple lesson from that story.  The Old Testament had to give way to the New, but it took a long time to get there.

It never killed off mankind to take things slow and stick to the old ways, the ways of our fathers.

 

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English: A cardboard ballot box used during th...

English: A cardboard ballot box used during the first federal vote in Washington. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems that the most common phrase I hear when discussing the state of our country is along the lines of “well what can I do about it?”, always accompanied with a shamed shoulder shrug and the slightly stale stench of chargrin.  It is infuriating, especially because I do not have an adequate response to give. So I propose we formulate a response as a community.  What CAN we do to defend our principles and our way of life?

 

1.  We vote with our every action.  Vote with your dollar, as well as at the ballot box.  Vote with your television remote and refrain from channels you oppose (not one cent of marketing money from my box to theirs!).  Look for Brand names that endorse what you endorse and buy them if even at more cost.  Boycott other companies with whom you disagree.  It’s called the Free Market, we should check it out before it is only a mention in the History books.

 

2. Write your governing authorities like a Chicagoan votes, early and often.  Let them know how you feel about things and what you would like to see happen.  Use things like Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus to write open ended letters.

 

3. Write real physical letters in envelopes with stamps.  I am vaguely aware of this process that was once known as the “poe knee ixpris” and have read that it may still be used today.

 

4. Sponsor success.  Encourage and help reward those who are doing what you cannot.  A young man or woman who is responsible should be rewarded and helped upwards if at all possible.  Whatever authority you have in your life is yours to be wielded and well used.  Help out the next gen.

 

5. Develop a long memory.  Let nothing slide, from politicians, or from media sources and hold them accountable.

 

6. Phone calls and phone call campaigns, we need the gossip network to get engaged and show CNN a thing or two about how quickly news can be spread.  🙂

 

7. Church Church Church

 

8. Prayer Prayer Prayer

 

9. Fasting Fasting Fasting

 

10. Volunteer someplace you could be helpful.

 

Please post some more ideas if you have any.  I’ll add the ideas as we get them!

 

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Now more than ever, this is appropriate to think about…

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saneromeo

You propose to establish a social order based on the following tenets:that you’re incompetent to run your own life, but competent to run the lives of others-that you’re unfit to exist in freedom, but fit to become an omnipotent ruler-that you’re unable to earn your living by the use of your own intelligence, but able to judge politicians and to vote them into jobs of total power over arts you have never seen, over sciences you have never studied, over achievements of which you have no knowledge, over the gigantic industries where you, by your own definition of your capacity, would be unable successfully to fill the job of assistant greaser.

Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged”

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America is in danger on multiple fronts.  Our economy hangs precariously, backed only by the forgiveness of our enemies, and our ability to print money as fast as our greed allows.  We have spent the accumulated incomes of our children and grandchildren and still decry as a nation that we have no spending problem (only a failure to spend properly which is most definitely NOT a spending problem ).  We have active battlefields in several locations, escalating tensions in the Pacific and the Middle East, and deteriorating conditions domestically.  Our Western alliance of civilization is depreciating rapidly, and as we watch the EU, we know what to expect here in the United States.  Meanwhile we seek to speed up the pace on our hubris ridden and foolish path, choosing to accelerate ever faster in our outright defiance and contempt of natural law.  I’ve spewed out a horribly incomplete list of Orwellian fallacies that we are fighting against.  Basically I’m bored and too lazy to write something real…   🙂

We seem to be actively working to budget out of existence our parent’s and grandparent’s access to health care in the name of global and temporal “fairness” yet we do not realize that as we eliminate the old and we eliminate the young, all we have left is us, the society of infinite tweens (that will age into that hated category of old eventually).

We are told that a group of individuals can come together as a united entity and exercise political speech if they call themselves a Union and not a Corporation.

We are told that the “right to choose” is not to be violated, nor is it to be exercised  in choosing “what” to choose, be it school vouchers, concealed carry gun permits, gun registries, et cetera.

We harp about “politically correct” speech as we rescind the name of Jesus from public discourse and promote the name of Mohammed, change labels from positive to negative and from negative to positive (in the name of global and temporal “fairness” of course).  We actively seek extenuating circumstances to excuse us from our every misdeed.  Got a problem?  There’s a gene for that (and an app that will tell you how to find it), and a drug that will keep you from dealing with it, and a program that will help you to pay for it (literally and figuratively), and a politician that will call it a right for you.

We have a breakdown in logical thinking in this country.  We are told (via Main Stream Media, and Public Education) that capital punishment is wrong but abortion is right.  (Actions have no consequences right?)

We will allow you to commit murder for the sake of privacy (ie abortion), yet we will forsake all privacy to prevent murder (ie terrorism).

Scientists are skeptics but science is about consensus.

Racism can only be avoided by an unwavering focus on race.

The sexes are identical, there is nothing a man can do that a woman cannot, yet there are things that a woman can do that a man cannot, therefore they are identical.  (I’m still trying to figure this one out)

Christianity is a religion that teaches turning the other cheek, and love thy neighbor but is wrong because of its intolerance, bigotry and hatred.  While Islam teaches a person to enslave, or murder their neighbor and is promoted because it is a tolerant religion of peace and love.

A privately owned bank is too big to fail, but publicly owned debt is too small to succeed?

Gun laws will be followed by people breaking murder laws.

Enforcing current laws is too difficult, so we need to pass new more stringent laws, because they will be easier to enforce?

We are constantly shown how “edgy” it is to be a non-conformist and go along with the group to get even with “the man” by making sure that “the man” gets larger and stronger and more conformist.  We are told to fight conformity by adhering to a select group of viewpoints.  These viewpoints become politically “correct” and therefore inviolate.  A person opposing said viewpoint is guilty of emotionally disturbing or harming the protected class of thought, and is therefore nullified (regardless of their objective validity).

We are told that there is no absolute truth, which is in itself an absolute truth.  By stating that there is no absolute truth we have declared and demonstrated to the world at large that absolute truth must exist.

We seem to be constantly told that hell, 1.5 billion Chinese can’t be wrong.

THEN                                                                                                                                       NOW

This image was selected as a picture of the we...

This image was selected as a picture of the week on the MalayWikipedia for the 26th week, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

English: Barack Obama signing the Patient Prot...

English: Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

17-Year Cicada Illinois Brood XIII

17-Year Cicada Illinois Brood XIII (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Imagines of Magicicada septendecim, 17-year-pe...

Imagines of Magicicada septendecim, 17-year-periodical cicada, 17-Jahr-Zikade, Danville, Illinois, USA, Ausschnitt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From CBS New York: Cicadas set to invade the tri-state area for month long stay on April 3, 2013.  A 17 year cycle is culminating this year, with scientists expecting up to a billion cicadas per square mile.  That’s a lot of cicadas.  I have to admit, my first thought upon reading this was about insects just now hearing about the occupy wall street movement, but I dismissed it after reading an article an About.com, read it here.

 

Read the story below:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/04/03/cicadas-to-invade-tri-state-area-for-month-long-stay/

17-Year Cicada Illinois Brood XIII

17-Year Cicada Illinois Brood XIII (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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This is great to hear.  This 15 year old girl absolutely hits it out of the park on gun control legislation.  I dare you to do as well as she.  (I know I sure can’t)

 

 

 

In other news, the UN votes in some big gun control thingy, but I know that’s no big deal…right?

Go to the Washington Times story here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/un-passes-international-arms-regulation-treaty/

 

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Jesus

Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Just a quick post before I get to go to church.

I often think of the story in Luke where Christ’s followers went to the tomb carrying oils and spices.  These items were used in burial services for the dead.  Simple enough to understand if these same followers had no knowledge that Jesus would rise from the grave, the interesting thing is that they DID know he was to rise from the grave and it was in unbelief that they sought to attend his body.  To me this is a wonderful hope for those who struggle with doubts about Jesus.  If the people who witnessed His miracles in the flesh had a hard time believing in his resurrection, how much harder would it be for people 2000 years later?  To me it shows us that God understands our fallibility perfectly, I mean he had stationed an angel in the tomb to wait for the mourners!  If they were loved and saved in their imperfect belief how much more grace will God provide to us?  I struggled with doubts for many years, but upon reading and understanding this story I felt freed.  It is ok to question and seek, in fact I think it is encouraged.  God wants Hot or Cold in our feelings towards Him, and research and questioning is the only way to learn.  I just would like to thank God publicly for the life and death and resurrection of His son, so that I may be freed from the bondage of sin and saved unto eternal life!  HOW COOL IS THAT?

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