Paul Long's Ramblings

For the 1 July 2012 bulletin To read click HERE

I have nothing to add to this piece ... *sigh* http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/06/22/beer-boobs-and-books/ Beer, boobs and books Mariam Mokhtar  | June 22, 2012 Umno and the Islamic departments seem oblivious to their abuse of authority and power. COMMENT The Malays are doomed, and Umno together with the various Islamic departments will have a hand in their downfall. From beer to boobs and body art to books, the mind and morals of Malay Muslims are subjected to continual heavy bombardment. Is it any wonder that the Malay has ceased to be a critical analyst? He feels burdened when he tries to think what is best for him and for society as a whole. The Malay with an alternative viewpoint fears being branded by the rest of the Malay community and is frightened of expressing his views in public. Anyone who thinks Malays are privileged is sadly misguided. It is a fact that the non-Malays are treated unfairly. They are denied opportunitie...

Pastor's notes for the 24 June 2012 bulletin To read, click HERE

I like this ... "You have to disconnect to really connect" - Jorge Cham I need to "disconnect" more often and for a longer time .... http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?n=1504

*sigh*  Smack admission bars grandparents By  Simon Collins 5:30 AM Tuesday Jun 19, 2012 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10813892 Grandparents described as "the perfect family" have been banned from taking in their baby grand-daughter because they believe in smacking. Brian and Hannah Johnson, of Tauranga, have two adult children of their own, have been Child, Youth and Family caregivers for a niece for 13 years, and have brought up an 8-year-old grandson since he was a baby. But CYF has refused to let them take in their grandson's 21-month-old half-sister because they told CYF they smacked their grandson occasionally as "a last resort". Mrs Johnson, 57, said a CYF social worker told her last week: "We were the perfect family, perfect grandparents, if it wasn't for that little thing and that was smacking. "I feel like our name has been tainted now," Mrs Johnson said. "I went out ...

This is crazy! what is happening to "Western" society? Frock horror as ball girls turn up in same dress By  Alanah Eriksen 5:30 AM Saturday Jun 16, 2012 EXPAND Mount Albert Grammar students Idoho Purcell, 17, Negin Shademan, 17, and Ashleigh Curtis, 18, try on ball dresses at Affordaball Dresses in Mt Roskill. The store keeps a register to avoid duplicating dresses at a school ball. Photo / Greg Bowker Retailers are being pressed to create customer databases to avoid the wrath of teenage girls who turn up to school balls wearing the same dress as someone else. The popular students are even dictating what colour gowns their friends can wear and Facebook pages have been created where girls post photos of their dresses to warn their peers off buying similar garb. Hellen Burley of Affordaball Dresses in Mt Roskill, Auckland, said she had seen tears and tantrums from both students and their mothers. "We try very, very hard to only sell one dres...

Pastor's notes for the 17 June 2012 bulletin To read click HERE

Pastor's notes for 10 June 2012 To read click HERE

I pray often for Egypt. But I realize most don't share my concerns about the elections and the gravity of the situation. Compared to Egypt, politics in Malaysia is pretty mild .... So here's a few articles and links One from Raymond Ibrahim and the other from Barnabas Fund Graphic Video: Muslims Slaughter Convert to Christianity in Tunisia http://www.raymondibrahim.com/11798/graphic-video-tunisian-muslims-slaughter-convert by Raymond Ibrahim Originally published by the  Gatestone Institute June 4, 2012 Liberal talk show host Tawfiq Okasha recently appeared on "Egypt Today" airing a video of Muslims in Tunisia slicing a young man's head off for the crime of apostasy, in this case, the crime of converting to Christianity and refusing to renounce it. The video—be warned, it is immensely graphic—is on the left (the actual execution appears from minute 1:13-4:00). For those who prefer not to view it, a summary follows: A young man appears held down by ...

This is funny ... can't agree with a lot of the theology but sure like her style in teaching

Yesterday I read a couple of new graphic novels I borrowed from the library.  Both were given top notch reviews. For example, about "Superior" USA Today wrote, "The best mini-series of the year" and for "A god somewhere" it wrote "One of the most compelling page-turners to come out this year".  In my mind I think that while the quote may come from the same magazine, (USA Today), it surely cannot represent the same reviewer / person! I enjoyed SUPERIOR very much but hated "A GOD SOMEWHERE. WARNING - SOME MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! What I enjoyed about SUPERIOR is that the plot is simple yet the story very compelling. And best of all while I seldom agree with the theology in the stories of most graphic novels (no exception here either :-)) I like the moral dilemmas presented in the story and how the hero wrestles with them. I particularly like how the story is seen from the perspective of a 12 year old boy who understands that with g...

Pastor's notes for the 3 June 2012 bulletin To read, click HERE