Voice of the Martyrs is calling for an International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church on 13 November of this year. I'm going to encourage my church to do something special on this day…why don't you do the same?
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Prayerwalking
Today, I felt like I ought to start prayerwalking around where we live. While I was doing that, it struck me that I ought to track this somehow. I had a map of Richmond, so I could highlight it, but then I thought why not do it on the computer. So, that is what I did. Below are some thumbnails if you want to track my progress.
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[Update 2012-12-26 16:24:18] I moved these images over to flickr
Sub $100 Laptop
This is cool. Look at the snippets from the following news stories:
Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC.
The laptop will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply.
Professor Negroponte came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village.
…
The laptops will be encased in rubber to make them more durable, and their AC adaptors will also act as carrying straps.
The Linux-based machines are expected to have a 500MHz processor, with flash memory instead of a hard drive which has more delicate moving parts.
The laptop will be more rugged and flexible than ordinary ones They will have four USB ports, and will be able to connect to the net through wi-fi – wireless net technology – and will be able to share data easily.
It will also have a dual-mode display so that it can still be used in varying light conditions outside. It will be a colour display, but users will be able to switch easily to monochrome mode so that it can be viewed in bright sunlight, at four times normal resolution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4292854.stm
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The $100 laptop computers that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers want to get into the hands of Third World children would be durable, flexible and self-reliant.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hund29.html
This is just awesome! I'd buy one if I knew where to get it from. They ought to sell them for $150-$200 then funnel the profits back into their giveaway program.
The Next Supreme Court Nominee
This Wall Street Journal article got me thinking about what I would like to see in the next nominee. Below are a few snippets from the article:
With Judge John Roberts poised to win Senate confirmation today, President Bush faces a delicate political choice for his second Supreme Court nominee.
Should the president, whose approval rating in polls is lower than at any time during his presidency, select a candidate who — like Judge Roberts — hasn't written extensively about abortion, and try to recapture ground with disenchanted moderates and independents?
…
"We don't want a stealth candidate," says Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, a conservative lobbying group. "I think the grass roots wants somebody who is upfront, who is out there and is a Scalia or Thomas," she added, referring to the court's two most conservative justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The antiabortion Family Research Council is urging members to sign a petition to "encourage and embolden" Mr. Bush as he ponders a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
I think the biggest thing for me is not to have, to quote Phyllis Schlafly, "…a stealth candidate…." I want Pres. Bush to nominate a solid conservative. Draw a line in the sand and fight for what is right.
Missionaries Attacked by Hundus
Hindu fundamentalists attacked a Christian missionary compound in India, severely injuring several people.
Sunday's attack was the second within a month at the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society facility in Rohtas district, Bihar state, reported Compass Direct, a news service that monitors persecution of Christians.
In the previous attack, Aug. 31, a mob of about 800 held the compound under siege for three days, injuring 12 Christian residents.
On Sunday, one man received a spinal injury that left him partially paralyzed, Compass reported.
A mission representative said about 16 attackers came from the nearby villages of Shankarpur and Bhedibigha at 6:30 p.m. and broke open the gate of the compound.
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Open Doors notes other persecution-related news from India:
Christians in Chattisgarh, India, organized a five-day rally two weeks ago to protest increased attacks on churches in the state. About 80 Christian leaders attended the rally, coordinated by Arun Pannalal of the Church of North India, following Sept. 11 violence in Raipur in which Hindu fundamentalists destroyed property at one church and struck worshipers at another, according to Compass.
On Sept.22, Hindu fundamentalists attacked and threatened several Christians in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh state, accusing them of desecrating a Hindu idol. One Christian was admitted to a hospital with serious injuries, while another was detained at the Kalyanpura police station for more than 32 hours.
The radical Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, has called for a comprehensive law to ban
religious conversions in India as part of a new campaign to stem the "increasing" number of conversions around the country. Addressing media Aug. 25, Mohan Joshi, national secretary of the council, said anti-conversion laws in some states were not stringent enough to curb religious conversions, reported Compass.
India, which is 83 percent Hindu and 11 percent Muslim, has 25 million Christians, who represent 2.4 percent of the population.
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Trip
My parents are going on a month long trip and have asked for prayer as they are going. They have developed a prayer guide, so feel free to download one if you would like to join in praying for them.
Prayer Guide — Two Per Page (Suitable to put into a bulletin)
Prayer Guide — One Per Page (Suitable for personal use)
Stuck on Stupid
I heard this the other day on Rush Limbaugh (I listen to him “tape” delay usually so I’m a few days behind) and I remember thinking this was awesome. It is high time someone spoke to the media like this.
Thanks to Radio Blogger for the transcript and mp3. I downloaded the video from Political Teen.
Transcript:
Honore: And Mr. Mayor, let’s go back, because I can see right now, we’re setting this up as he said, he said, we said. All right? We are not going to go, by order of the mayor and the governor, and open the convention center for people to come in. There are buses there. Is that clear to you? Buses parked. There are 4,000 troops there. People come, they get on a bus, they get on a truck, they move on. Is that clear? Is that clear to the public?
Female reporter: Where do they move on…
Honore: That’s not your business.
Male reporter: But General, that didn’t work the first time…
Honore: Wait a minute. It didn’t work the first time. This ain’t the first time. Okay? If…we don’t control Rita, you understand? So there are a lot of pieces of it that’s going to be worked out. You got good public servants working through it. Let’s get a little trust here, because you’re starting to act like this is your problem. You are carrying the message, okay? What we’re going to do is have the buses staged. The initial place is at the convention center. We’re not going to announce other places at this time, until we get a plan set, and we’ll let people know where those locations are, through the government, and through public announcements. Right now, to handle the number of people that want to leave, we’ve got the capacity. You will come to the convention center. There are soldiers there from the 82nd Airborne, and from the Louisiana National Guard. People will be told to get on the bus, and we will take care of them. And where they go will be dependent on the capacity in this state. We’ve got our communications up. And we’ll tell them where to go. And when they get there, they’ll be able to get a chance, an opportunity to get registered, and so they can let their families know where they are. But don’t start panic here. Okay? We’ve got a location. It is in the front of the convention center, and that’s where we will use to migrate people from it, into the system.
Male reporter: General Honore, we were told that Berman Stadium on the west bank would be another staging area…
Honore: Not to my knowledge. Again, the current place, I just told you one time, is the convention center. Once we complete the plan with the mayor, and is approved by the governor, then we’ll start that in the next 12-24 hours. And we understand that there’s a problem in getting communications out. That’s where we need your help. But let’s not confuse the questions with the answers. Buses at the convention center will move our citizens, for whom we have sworn that we will support and defend…and we’ll move them on. Let’s not get stuck on the last storm. You’re asking last storm questions for people who are concerned about the future storm. Don’t get stuck on stupid, reporters. We are moving forward. And don’t confuse the people please. You are part of the public message. So help us get the message straight. And if you don’t understand, maybe you’ll confuse it to the people. That’s why we like follow-up questions. But right now, it’s the convention center, and move on.
Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that’s happening this time, though, and did not have that last time…
Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I’m not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we’ve got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let’s talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months.
Sprint PCS Service
It has been several days since I posted about our new cell phones and service plans. So far, we have been very happy with the new phones. We had a queston about the no roaming option we have…I thought I would post how it works so anyone looking to get Sprint service could know.
As I posted my New Cell Phones and Plan post, our plan has roaming included. What this means is that even if our phones say roaming, we don't get charged. The question we had was how do those minutes get deducted from our plan? I assumed that it would come out of our anytime minute pool. Boy was I wrong.
Here is how it works: while roaming, the calls get applied just as if we weren't roaming. A call to a PCS phone would come out of our PCS to PCS minutes. A call at night or on the weekends would come out of those minutes. Only a call during the day would come out of our anytime minutes.
Go Sprint!
Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed!
Rush Limbaugh mentioned this book on his show yesterday. I think the idea is great!
Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed
This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.
"Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!" offers a witty alternative to the usual liberal fare, demonstrating the virtues of capitalism and true diversity of expression in words and pictures that both kids and adults can laugh along with.
With the nation’s libraries and classrooms filled with overtly liberal children’s books advocating everything from gay marriage to marijuana use, kids everywhere are being deluged with left-wing propaganda. "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" is the book conservative parents have been seeking. This illustrated book — the first in the "Help! Mom!" series from Kids Ahead — is perfect for parents who seek to share their traditional values with their children, as well as adults who wish to give a humorous gift to a friend.
Hailed as "the answer to a baseball mom's prayers" by talk radio host Melanie Morgan, "Liberals Under My Bed" has already been the subject of coverage in The Wall Street Journal and Harper’s magazine. Written by a self-proclaimed "Security Mom for Bush" and featuring hilarious full-color illustrations by a Reuben Award winning artist, it is certain to be one of the most talked about children's books of the year.
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover, 54 pages. Full-color illustrations.
Eat Healthy in a Disaster
This could also have applications for a hunting cabin or place of last resort. You would have to throw in a coleman stove or some other way to heat stuff up, but this could keep you going for a while.