Why is the bombing of a mosque major news, while bombing of churches is ignored by the media?
Holy Archangels' Monastery near Prizren, Serbia
Technorati tags: religious persecution, Orthodox theology, Balkan politics
18 March 2006
14 March 2006
Mail problems
There seem to be problems with the mail server at Durham University, and e-mail sent to my address at shayes@dunelm.org.uk does not seem to be getting through.
If you have sent mail to me recently and have not had a reply, please resend to one of my alternative e-mail addresses:
* hayesstw@telkomsa.net
* hayesstw@yahoo.com
* hayesstw@gmail.com
I have been unable to contact the Durham University servers at www.dur.ac.uk or www.dunelm.org.uk, but I don't think they will be down permanently, but in the meantime please send copies of important mail to one or other of the alternative addresses.
If you have sent mail to me recently and have not had a reply, please resend to one of my alternative e-mail addresses:
* hayesstw@telkomsa.net
* hayesstw@yahoo.com
* hayesstw@gmail.com
I have been unable to contact the Durham University servers at www.dur.ac.uk or www.dunelm.org.uk, but I don't think they will be down permanently, but in the meantime please send copies of important mail to one or other of the alternative addresses.
13 March 2006
Mystery Achievement: Northern Cyprus Is Christianrein
There was ethnic cleansing, and there is religious cleansing, and sometimes there is both.
Mystery Achievement: Northern Cyprus Is Christianrein
Mystery Achievement: Northern Cyprus Is Christianrein
Butcher of the Balkans?
Interesting contrast in news media reporting on a couple of today's top stories:
The BBC
Milosevic found dead in his cell - news.bbc.co.uk
“Excerpts : Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been found dead in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal. The tribunal said an autopsy will be conducted to establish cause of death, but there was no indication of suicide.”
CNN
'Butcher of the Balkans' found dead - cnn.com
“While some may rue that he was not found guilty at the court in the Hague the fact that the 'Butcher of the Balkans' Milosevic found dead in cell is probably the best outcome for all concerned because it prevents his being considered a martyr to the West. Slobodan Milosevic was a lawyer, gas company executive, and party apparatchik who used nationalism and the media to murder hundreds of”
The first, at least to begin with, seems objective, and sticks to the facts. But CNN comes up with the tendentious epithet "Butcher of the Balkans". Where does that come from, I wonder?
And in almost everything I've read in the media about this story, there is the same exaggeration and spin. One obituary said he was the one who "orchestrated" the Balkan wars of the 1990s -- as if nobody else had any responsibility at all. He did it all, single-handed.
And most people seem to parrot this, and accept it unquestioningly, unthinkingly. Are the Western media propagating these twists and exxagerations unthinkingly, or is someone "orchestrating" them? Almost they persuade me to believe in conspiracy theories.
Undoubtedly Slobodan Milosevic played a major role in the wars of the Yugoslav succession, in fanning the flames of nationalism. But were people like Tudjman and Izetbegovic simply puppets, dancing to his tune? Were Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Madeleine Albright simply obeying his bidding, playing the tunes that Milosevic had "orchestrated" for them?
It seems that there is a massive attempt to make Milosevic the scapegoat for all the ills of the Balkans, so that others can deny responsibility for the part they played.
The BBC
Milosevic found dead in his cell - news.bbc.co.uk
“Excerpts : Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been found dead in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal. The tribunal said an autopsy will be conducted to establish cause of death, but there was no indication of suicide.”
CNN
'Butcher of the Balkans' found dead - cnn.com
“While some may rue that he was not found guilty at the court in the Hague the fact that the 'Butcher of the Balkans' Milosevic found dead in cell is probably the best outcome for all concerned because it prevents his being considered a martyr to the West. Slobodan Milosevic was a lawyer, gas company executive, and party apparatchik who used nationalism and the media to murder hundreds of”
The first, at least to begin with, seems objective, and sticks to the facts. But CNN comes up with the tendentious epithet "Butcher of the Balkans". Where does that come from, I wonder?
And in almost everything I've read in the media about this story, there is the same exaggeration and spin. One obituary said he was the one who "orchestrated" the Balkan wars of the 1990s -- as if nobody else had any responsibility at all. He did it all, single-handed.
And most people seem to parrot this, and accept it unquestioningly, unthinkingly. Are the Western media propagating these twists and exxagerations unthinkingly, or is someone "orchestrating" them? Almost they persuade me to believe in conspiracy theories.
Undoubtedly Slobodan Milosevic played a major role in the wars of the Yugoslav succession, in fanning the flames of nationalism. But were people like Tudjman and Izetbegovic simply puppets, dancing to his tune? Were Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Madeleine Albright simply obeying his bidding, playing the tunes that Milosevic had "orchestrated" for them?
It seems that there is a massive attempt to make Milosevic the scapegoat for all the ills of the Balkans, so that others can deny responsibility for the part they played.
11 March 2006
An image of repentance
Yesterday the news media were reporting the death of John Profumo at the age of 91. For those under the age of 50 or so, who probably won't remember it, John Profumo was the British Minister of War who was forced to resign in 1963 after the biggest political sex scandal of the 20th century. He was sleeping with a prostitute who was also sleeping with a Russian spy, and that was a big no-no in the days of the Cold War.
I remember some of the jokes that went around at the time, when rumours of the scandal first started circulating, and Profumo was denying them. "Nil combustibus Profumo -- there's no smoke without fire" was one of the wittier ones.
Unlike the present day, politicians who resigned in those days could not easily return to a political career through the back door. Profumo did not return to politics, but spent the next 40 years working among the poor in the East End of London, supported by his wife, who was willing to forgive his adultery.
In reporting his death, the news media dwelt mainly on the juicier aspects of the scandal that led to his downfall, and mentioned his good works only in passing. As Shakespeare said, "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones."
Nevertheless, Profumo's later life was an image of repentance, and an example that some of our present-day politicians would do well to follow. Perhaps our own ex-Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, could profit by the example, considering that the media are making as big a fuss over his sex life as they did over Profumo's.
For those who might like to know more about the more important part of his life, his work at Toynbee Hall can truly be said to be an image of repentance.
Technorati tags: sex scandals, politics, repentance
I remember some of the jokes that went around at the time, when rumours of the scandal first started circulating, and Profumo was denying them. "Nil combustibus Profumo -- there's no smoke without fire" was one of the wittier ones.
Unlike the present day, politicians who resigned in those days could not easily return to a political career through the back door. Profumo did not return to politics, but spent the next 40 years working among the poor in the East End of London, supported by his wife, who was willing to forgive his adultery.
In reporting his death, the news media dwelt mainly on the juicier aspects of the scandal that led to his downfall, and mentioned his good works only in passing. As Shakespeare said, "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones."
Nevertheless, Profumo's later life was an image of repentance, and an example that some of our present-day politicians would do well to follow. Perhaps our own ex-Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, could profit by the example, considering that the media are making as big a fuss over his sex life as they did over Profumo's.
For those who might like to know more about the more important part of his life, his work at Toynbee Hall can truly be said to be an image of repentance.
Technorati tags: sex scandals, politics, repentance
05 March 2006
What advanced degree should I have got?
What advanced degree should I have got?
Wot, no theology?
| You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy) |
 You're a great thinker and a true philosopher. You'd make a talented professor or writer. |
Wot, no theology?
Western Orthodoxy: Continuing Anglican Bishop Converts to Western Rite Orthodoxy
While I'm not too keen on "Western Rite" Orthodoxy (which Western Rite do they use?) I nevertheless found this quite interesting.
Western Orthodoxy: Continuing Anglican Bishop Converts to Western Rite Orthodoxy
When I was leaving the Anglican Church (over 20 years ago now), I was visited by a continuing Anglican, Louis Traycik, who put me in touch with his bishop, Anthony Clavier, and sent me the paper he edited, and I got quite a lot of literature. Anthony Clavier seemed to be one of the saner continuing Anglican bishops. My impression that most of them were very clear about what they were against, but they were very vague about what they were for. They disliked trends in ECUSA, and united to oppose them, but once they had split off, they squabbled among themselves and could hardly agree on anything.
Orthodoxy had problems, and big ones, but there was something in Orthodoxy that was bigger than all the problems. So a move in the right direction, I think.
Western Orthodoxy: Continuing Anglican Bishop Converts to Western Rite Orthodoxy
When I was leaving the Anglican Church (over 20 years ago now), I was visited by a continuing Anglican, Louis Traycik, who put me in touch with his bishop, Anthony Clavier, and sent me the paper he edited, and I got quite a lot of literature. Anthony Clavier seemed to be one of the saner continuing Anglican bishops. My impression that most of them were very clear about what they were against, but they were very vague about what they were for. They disliked trends in ECUSA, and united to oppose them, but once they had split off, they squabbled among themselves and could hardly agree on anything.
Orthodoxy had problems, and big ones, but there was something in Orthodoxy that was bigger than all the problems. So a move in the right direction, I think.
28 February 2006
A conservative blog for peace
I blogged this so I can find it again, and look at it a bit more closely. It's not what it seems.
A conservative blog for peace
But then liberals in a free society are conservatives too, because they have a vested interest in conserving freedom.
A conservative blog for peace
But then liberals in a free society are conservatives too, because they have a vested interest in conserving freedom.
Orthodox Okie: The Maccabean Holy-Day
A friend who posts in LiveJournal posted in the Orthodox Community there that the 4th March was the commemorationof the Holy Hasidic Fathers in the Orthodox Church.
I was unable to find the calendar reference he mentioned, but he also pointed to the following blog, which looked quite interesting.
Orthodox Okie: The Maccabean Holy-Day
Technorati tags: lectionary & calendar, Orthodox theology
I was unable to find the calendar reference he mentioned, but he also pointed to the following blog, which looked quite interesting.
Orthodox Okie: The Maccabean Holy-Day
Technorati tags: lectionary & calendar, Orthodox theology
12 February 2006
Juliebelle's Jottings's
Julie Belding got bounced from Worldchat recently, so I thought I'd blog her blog, just in case.
Juliebelle's Jottings's
Juliebelle's Jottings's
04 February 2006
Ultima Thule: Crucified Kosovo: Destroyed and Desecrated Serbian Shrines
The purpose of armies is to kill people and break things. That is what they are trained and paid to do. But what sometimes puzzles me is why the USA seems to be so intent on doing this.
One of the most destructive in recent years has been Nato (the North Atlantic Terrorist Organisation).
Ultima Thule: Crucified Kosovo: Destroyed and Desecrated Serbian Shrines
There's what happened as a result of their support of a terrorist organisation, the UCK.
Technorati tags: Balkan politics, religious persecution, Orthodox Church, US foreign policy
But what should be the reaction of Christians to all this? Check this article on Nationalism, violence and reconciliation for some background information.
One of the most destructive in recent years has been Nato (the North Atlantic Terrorist Organisation).
Ultima Thule: Crucified Kosovo: Destroyed and Desecrated Serbian Shrines
There's what happened as a result of their support of a terrorist organisation, the UCK.
Technorati tags: Balkan politics, religious persecution, Orthodox Church, US foreign policy
But what should be the reaction of Christians to all this? Check this article on Nationalism, violence and reconciliation for some background information.
Crosstitutes under scrutiny
It seems that the activities of the crosstitutes have not gone entirely unremarked in other parts of the world.
Internet political info
Internet political info
Goodbye democracy, it was nice knowing you
Local government elections are to be held on 1 March 2006, but it really is a bit of a farce. There is no point in voting, because no matter which party you vote for, a politician will be elected, and at the next "floor crossing window" the politicans will override your vote on the basis of which party makes them the best offer.
In 1994 we in South Africa were delivered from a race oligarchy, and got democracy -- one man one vote, free and fair elections.
But it didn't last long. Because there is a loophole in the constitution that nullifies democracy by allowing floor crossing. Now any fool can see that in a proportional representation system with closed party lists, allowing floor crossing by elected representatives takes the power from the voters and puts it in the hands of the politicians themselves, who thereafter are self-selected and self elected.
In South Africa elections are no longer a significant part of the political process. They have been replaced by a series of auctions in which the politicians get to sell their soul to the highest bidder.
Oh, elections are still held -- it gives the people the illusion that we still have democracy, and especially people elsewhere in the world, who don't realise that the real decisions are made in the auctions that follow the elections, where the politicians manipulate the process to their own personal advantage.
Some have tried to defend this, by saying that those elected need to have freedom of conscience and all that, and that is part of their human rights. But that's nonsense. Why should the rights of the crosstitutes take precedence over the rights of the citizens? In effect, the "human rights" of 400 parliamentarians nullify the right of 40 million South Africans to choose their government. Freedom of conscience means that if a politician can no longer conscientiously support the policies of the party that put them on the list, they resign from the party and from parliament, provincial council or whatever and try again with the party they do support.
And it's the same in local government, except for the ward candidates.
I suggest that if you vote at all, don't vote for proportional representation candidates, but spoil your paper by writing "No crosstitutes" on it. Just vote for the ward candidates -- even if they do change parties, it will at least be the person that you elected.
In 1994 we in South Africa were delivered from a race oligarchy, and got democracy -- one man one vote, free and fair elections.
But it didn't last long. Because there is a loophole in the constitution that nullifies democracy by allowing floor crossing. Now any fool can see that in a proportional representation system with closed party lists, allowing floor crossing by elected representatives takes the power from the voters and puts it in the hands of the politicians themselves, who thereafter are self-selected and self elected.
In South Africa elections are no longer a significant part of the political process. They have been replaced by a series of auctions in which the politicians get to sell their soul to the highest bidder.
Oh, elections are still held -- it gives the people the illusion that we still have democracy, and especially people elsewhere in the world, who don't realise that the real decisions are made in the auctions that follow the elections, where the politicians manipulate the process to their own personal advantage.
Some have tried to defend this, by saying that those elected need to have freedom of conscience and all that, and that is part of their human rights. But that's nonsense. Why should the rights of the crosstitutes take precedence over the rights of the citizens? In effect, the "human rights" of 400 parliamentarians nullify the right of 40 million South Africans to choose their government. Freedom of conscience means that if a politician can no longer conscientiously support the policies of the party that put them on the list, they resign from the party and from parliament, provincial council or whatever and try again with the party they do support.
And it's the same in local government, except for the ward candidates.
I suggest that if you vote at all, don't vote for proportional representation candidates, but spoil your paper by writing "No crosstitutes" on it. Just vote for the ward candidates -- even if they do change parties, it will at least be the person that you elected.
25 January 2006
Vomit and other interesting things
I spent some time surfing other blogs today, just to see the kind of things people write about.
One noted that it was her blogiversary, and she had reviewed her blog for the year since she started it, and found she had posted eight times about vomit.
I had a look at my diaries for the last 40 years or so, and found three references to vomit.
23 Feb 1965 - went to Johannesburg station to catch a train back to university and had supper with my mother in a lousy vomit-yellow restaurant.
11 Jun 1967 - playing croquet on the lawn at St Chad's College, Durham, reading Justine by Lawrence Durrell, and noted that a friend had called it "gnostic vomit".
19 May 1971 - this deserves a quote, since it is a literal reference to vomit. It was in Windhoek, Namibia. "I went to see Lisa Schmidt who was sick and gave detailed descriptions of the times she had got up last night to vomit, and what she had vomited, right up to the last time she had vomited, which was 10 minutes ago. She didn't seem too miserable."
I don't seem to have had occasion to refer to vomit since then, so 8 times in a single year seems quite remarkable.
I also saw that several people wondered if they were wasting their life just blogging. Well, I could see how one could waste one's life reading other people's blogs, especially when they are writing about interesting stuff like vomit.
If anyone reads this blog because they did a search through blog search engines for references to vomit, I hope you'll let me know. Otherwise it might lie in decent obscurity for the next 35 years like my last reference to vomit.
One noted that it was her blogiversary, and she had reviewed her blog for the year since she started it, and found she had posted eight times about vomit.
I had a look at my diaries for the last 40 years or so, and found three references to vomit.
23 Feb 1965 - went to Johannesburg station to catch a train back to university and had supper with my mother in a lousy vomit-yellow restaurant.
11 Jun 1967 - playing croquet on the lawn at St Chad's College, Durham, reading Justine by Lawrence Durrell, and noted that a friend had called it "gnostic vomit".
19 May 1971 - this deserves a quote, since it is a literal reference to vomit. It was in Windhoek, Namibia. "I went to see Lisa Schmidt who was sick and gave detailed descriptions of the times she had got up last night to vomit, and what she had vomited, right up to the last time she had vomited, which was 10 minutes ago. She didn't seem too miserable."
I don't seem to have had occasion to refer to vomit since then, so 8 times in a single year seems quite remarkable.
I also saw that several people wondered if they were wasting their life just blogging. Well, I could see how one could waste one's life reading other people's blogs, especially when they are writing about interesting stuff like vomit.
If anyone reads this blog because they did a search through blog search engines for references to vomit, I hope you'll let me know. Otherwise it might lie in decent obscurity for the next 35 years like my last reference to vomit.
11 January 2006
The Anti-Manicheist
I'm not sure what all this is about yet, Christianity, politics and economics, it looks like.
The Anti-Manicheist
Anyway, I've blogged it so I can find out more about Sod's brood and find it when I want to look for it again.
The Anti-Manicheist
Anyway, I've blogged it so I can find out more about Sod's brood and find it when I want to look for it again.
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