Friday Five--Word Association

Below you will find five words. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem or a story.

• whirlwind -- Dust Devil, Taz, Tornado
• foundation -- Basement
• lightning -- fast. Frankenstein
• den -- computer room
• prey -- an old editorial cartoon of Ayatollah Khomeini saying "Let Us Prey" with folded hands with arms and legs sticking out from between the fingers and blood dripping....

(Yes, they're all from Job 38.) -- and my answers are most decidedly NOT

A Piece of the Newsletter that Never Was

Back in August we were planning to put out a newsletter in September. SO before leaving on holidays I wrote my little bit.

But as it happened the newsletter got submerged with a pile of other tasks and didn't happen. We are going to do one in the next couple weeks but the old piece is not seasonally appropriate. So I put it on the church blog. You can read it here.

And Throw away the key??

IN Canadian Law we have a designation of dangerous offender. A person so designated is subject to a jail term of indefinite length. Currently the onus is on the Crown to prove that a person is worthy of such a sentence. But that may change.

THe federal government has introduced new legislation which is essentially a 3-strikes-you're-out approach to dangerous offender status. And one of the points in it is:

Under the bill, the onus would be put on convicted criminals to prove they should not be declared dangerous offenders, otherwise they would be designated as dangerous and be given an indeterminate jail sentence, with no eligibility for parole for seven years.

NOw is it just me or does this turn things backward? In essence it assumes that a person is dangerous and beyond rehabilitation and they have to prove otherwise.

There is a reason there is more pressure on prosecuters to prove a case. It is a safeguard. I am sure that if one did a study you would learn that a large percentage of persons designated a dangerous offender come from underprivileged groups in our society--those who have fewer resources to mount a legal defence.

I understand the concept of protecting society. But this approach to doing so stinks.

NO Matter What Happens, I have Done SOmething!

Started this morning to do some early Advent Planning. ANd I have found a Candle liturgy (in Gathering -- the "Two-Minute Advent Candle Lighting"--sorry to say but it appears that the liturgy is only available for those who get the magazine. Darn the luck (although it does help keep the subscriber base up).) to use and the liturgy gave me provisional sermon ideas. Here Are the titles thus far:

• December 3: Look For the Signs! (this title may get adapted after I next listen to Dead Dog in the City to match their sayings at the end)
• December 10: Wake Up, Wash Up (using the Malachi text as the base)
• December 17: Christmas Pageant Yet to be determined
• December 24 (am): Presents and Presence (a look at gifts)
• December 31: Endings, Beginnings, Resolutions (using the New Year's readings in the Lectionary)
• January 7: God Revealed (Epiphany story -- not going to do Baptism of Jesus this year)

Of course this still leaves the looming question of what to do on Christmas Eve... BUt then again, it is only mid-October.

(ADD: THis afternoon I completed until the end of this page on my planner. WEll other than the big service.)

1st SNow

AS soon as it started snowing in earnest on THursday afternoon the girls started talking about making a 'nowman. Friday before supper mommy took them out to make one -- a first for either of them since we didn't get one made last winter.

And BTW, October 13 is FAR FAR too early in the year to be able to make a snowperson.

CHristmas Angels

We had CHristmas pictures taken this week. Here is the collage.

A COmforting Friday 5

(From RGBP)

1. Comfort beverage Hot Chocolate with a touch of mint. (It is a cold snowy day here).
2. Comfort chair Well our recliner is broken :( So we are limited to couch or love seat. But I generally stretch out on the couch anyway. (IT isn't a chair and so doesn't count for the question but a nice warm tub can't be beat lots of times)
3. Comfort read This one varies. It really depends on my mood.
4. Comfort television/DVD/music Hmmmmmmmm, this too depends on my mood.
5. Comfort companion(s) Surrounded by my girls and the dog, what else? Of course such comfort companions aren't always quiet and relaxing :)

Yes, but...

OKay, I agree wholly that the NOrth Korean situation is important. And if you are going to talk about rogue states then Kim Jong Il's regime would surely qualify (I am not fond of the term since it is both judgmental and totally subjective and seemingly based largely on "whoever ain't fer us is agin us").

BUt what right do nuclear powers have to say to those who want to be nuclear powers "No, we can have those weapons but you can't".

If the weapons are that dangerous and that offensive then outlaw them. Get rid of the ones you have first--then you have some credibility saying to North Korea, or Iran, or Iraq or your enemy du jour that they should not have them either.

Just something to consider amongst all the rhetoric.

Painfully Accurate

You May Be a Bit Dependent...

You're more than a little preoccupied with being abandoned. You need a lot of support in your life, at all times. It's difficult for you to survive on your own... And you don't reallly think you ever could.

What Personality Disorder Are You?

You Are Expressionism

Moody, emotional, and even a bit angsty... you certainly know how to express your emotions. At times, you tend to lack perspective on your life, probably as a result of looking inward too much. This introspection does give you a flair for the dramatic. And it's even maybe made you cultivate some artistic talents! You have a true artist's temperament... which is a blessing and a curse.

What Art Movement Are You?

ANd Now, off to watch Mythbusters...

WEll Darn...

I was so proud of myself. WE had roughly half the leaves raked and poured on the flower beds and around the trees for mulch. Just a matter of raking and hauling to the garden and the yard was ready for winter.

Today we had winds up to 60km/hr. My nicely placed mulch is scattered far and wide. THe corner of the house by the carport looks like it has been a mulch pile. Oh well, more raking next weekend than I had thought I guess.