 | McCain's swiftboat ads are here Swiftboating is shorthand for the brilliant but despicable Republican campaign strategy in 2004 that turned John Kerry's honorable service in Vietnam into a negative factor in his campaign. The phrase has become more broadly the term for a particular category of campaign tactics and has even become a verb. To "swift-boat" somebody is to use these tactics against him or her. Swiftboating also known as McCarthyism-lite involves a complex web of statements, many of which may even be true. It exploits its own complexity and the reluctance of the media to adjudicate factual disputes. No matter how thoroughly a charge may be discredited, enough taint remains to support an argument. The fundamental dishonesty is the suggestion that the issue, whatever it is, really matters. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/20/kerrys-vietnam-allies-go_n_108286.html The question is not wether the Republicans gonna swiftboat Obama but when and how. |
 | Re: Is Baptism necessary? My views on baptism. Videos get longer when I drink while recording.. Sorry. Hindu-Goddess of the rivers and healing. One part of her is the milky way and the other the river Ganges. The Ganges is the Holy River of Hinduism. Bathing in its waters cleanses one of all sins. She is the Goddess of health and luck. Ganga = Cleansing Stream The story goes that this "mother of rivers" once lived in heaven with her sister, the virgin, Uma. When sea-dwelling demons harassed the earth, Agastya swallowed the ocean where they hid, thereby getting rid of the demons; but the earth was left seriously parched and dry. Because of the prayers of the people, the heavenly water goddess Ganga descended to earth. She became embodied as the sacred river Ganges. Her role is as the goddess of health, happiness, fertility, and wealth. One of the wives of Shiva, she was the daughter of the mountain Himalaya. http://inanna.virtualave.net/indian.html In Judaism and early Christianity it is the Jordon. Christian Textual Variants: http://bible.ovc.edu/tc/ The verb used in the New Testament is (βαπτίζω, baptízō). The substantives báptisma and baptismós occur, though the latter is not used in the New Testament of the ordinance of baptism except by implication (Heb_6:2, "the teaching of baptisms") where the reference is to the distinction between the Christian ordinance and the Jewish ceremonial ablutions. Some documents have it also in Col_2:12 (compare Heb_9:10, "divers washings") for a reference purely to the Jewish purifications (compare the dispute about purifying in Joh_3:25). The verb baptizō appears in this sense in Luk_11:38 (margin) where the Pharisee marveled that Jesus "had not first bathed himself before breakfast" (noon-day meal). The Mosaic regulations required the bath of the whole body (Lev_15:16) for certain uncleannesses. Tertullian (de Baptismo, XV) says that the Jew required almost daily washing. Herodotus (ii.47) says that if an Egyptian "touches a swine in passing with his clothes, he goes to the river and dips himself (báptō) from it" (quoted by Broadus in Commentary on Matthew, 333). See also the Jewish scrupulosity illustrated in Sirach 34:25 and Judith 12:7 where baptizō occurs. The Baptists make one more point concerning baptism. It is that, since Jesus himself submitted to it and enjoined it upon His disciples, the ordinance is of perpetual obligation. The arguments for the late ecclesiastical origin of Mat 28:19 are not convincing. If it seem strange that Jesus should mention the three persons of the Trinity in connection with the command to baptize, one should remember that the Father and the Spirit were both manifested to Him at His baptism. It was not a mere ceremonial ablution like the Jewish rites. It was the public and formal avowal of fealty to God, and the names of the Trinity properly occur. The new heart is wrought by the Holy Spirit. Reconciliation with the Father is wrought on the basis of the work of the Son, who has manifested the Father's love in His life and death for sin. The fact that in the acts in the examples of baptism only the name of Jesus occurs does not show that this was the exact formula used. International Standard Encyclopedia "Baptism: The Baptist Interpretation". For a well rounded Catholic theological view, that was very well done, see the FatherNathan video on the topic. He raises some very good questions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTe8on5zG4A |
 | Multidimensional Text Full video: http://river-valley.tv/conferences/tug2008/#0204-John_Plaice oxically, creates the impression that the ultimate representation for text is some form of abstraction from its visual presentation. However,the level of abstraction for different languages encoded "naturally" in Unicode is quite different. We propose instead that text be encoded as sequences of context--tagged indices into arbitrary indexed structures, including not just character sets such as Unicode, but also dictionaries of words or compound words. Furthermore, these sequences need not necessarily contain elements from the same indexed structures. Using our approach allows natural solutions for a wide range of problems, including the creation of documents that can be printed using several alternate spellings, the automatic generation of error messages with arguments, and the correct generation of nouns or adjectives with number, case or gender markers or of verb conjugations. -- John Plaice School of Computer Science and Engineering The University of New South Wales, Australia |
 | Nick Jonas Love Story (#84; Ordinary Day) {At lunch on Monday, Cat flashes her pink diamond to her friends. They gawk, mouths wide open.} ALEXIS: Nick, like, PROPOSED? NINA: On his birthday? CAT: Yeah. It was really shocking. We were just watching the Blue Tangs in my yacht's aquarium. I told him that I'd named the fish after us, and he popped the question. RAY: OMG! NEW GIRL! (Yep. He STILL calls her that.) Your yacht has an aquarium? CAT: Yeah. It's got all these cool tropical fish. We had it installed last month. RAY: Ooh! We are so having a party there! CAT: Definitely. We could all wear white, and I'll invite, like, EVERYONE who's-- JAMES: Okay, girls. Enough party planning. ALEXIS: Yeah! Like, I wanna know all about, like, wedding plans, and you your, like, MAID OF HONOR is going to be. NINA: Me, right? ALEXIS: No. Me! NINA: I called it first. ALEXIS: But I brought it up! RAY: Ladies, I think we all know it's me! NINA/ALEXIS: No way! JAMES (yelling over their continuing argument.) I'LL BE THE MAID OF HONOR IF YOU'LL ALL SHUT UP!!!!! (The entire cafeteria gets quiet. Everyone looks at James. He blushes and sinks lower into his seat.) CAT: I would pay sooo much money to see that! RAY: That's even too gay for ME. (Nina, Alexis, and Cat look at him.) What? Drag-queens scare me. CAT: Wow...Everything I know is a lie. Something is too gay for RAY. ALEXIS: I, like, didn't think that was, like, possible. NINA: Maybe he's turning...not gay. RAY: Okay. THAT'S not possible. There are TOO MANY cute guys for me to go straight. (James edges away from Ray.) CAT: Be scared, James. Be very scared. JAMES: I am, dude! (The bell rings, and they leave the cafeteria. Through French, Cat sketches out a wedding dress.) CAT: Perfect! (Madam Loisel looks up.) LOISEL: Quoi? ("What?") CAT: (in French) You...conjugate those verbs perfectly... LOISEL: Umm...Merci... --- {I CAN HEAR THOSE WEDDING BELLS RING!!!!!!!! THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER, BABY!!!!!!} |
 | Changing How We Think - Speak New Words 2008 Changing how we think and express...in sign language Filmed/Performed by Stephanie Huang (Macbook webcam!) Music by Sigur Ros (karaoke) 13 Character Traits Speak New Words 2008 American Students Fund **Sorry, I had to upload this again! Still appreciate your comments! -------- In our world today, we face significant setbacks that no one attempts to truly eliminate. Problems are here to challenge and encourage societies to improve their lifestyle. People have solutions, but are too scared to take initiative. It's impossible to have one person solve such a big problem. Our skills are distinctive from one another...each having the potential to lift these burdens. To break those cages, we call for not just one mind, but many. But we're too discouraged or stubborn when others disagree with us. As a result, the lack of teamwork hinders any productivity. What we don't realize is that if we can't overcome these small struggles, we can't conquer the main problem. We need to realize that with every feat builds a stronger character, yet another obstacle. We need to be consistently strong until we advance to a character that solves the problems in society. We all begin with innovation. When we're strong enough to propose the ideas to society, acknowledge their opinions, and able to make revisions, we become understanding and patient. That patience gives people belief in their leader and a desire to cooperate...and that cooperation gives leaders the confidence to continue. As confident leaders, we should stick to being kind and diplomatic to others because that shows our integrity. If we're able to deal with people in a sensitive and effective way, then we're able to earn their respect. Disagreements are solved better when we are rational and understanding. When failure and arguments happen, we need the courage to try again. Knowing that we have the support, we become optimistic. Persevering through disappointments can only show diligence and dedication to the cause. The objective that we, now as a whole, wanted to individually carry out from the very beginning. The objective that we, together, built in order to overcome that same obstacle that we all wanted to change. Unity...that's all we needed to change our world. These 13 character traits not only show us that teamwork is important, but also connect with each other into a storyline from an idea to a reality. Like these traits, we cannot work alone. We need to harmonize and work together in order to make a revolution. Every obstacle thrown at us can only add to our success. We need to set a pattern for the future generations to embrace and modify. If a verb such as change can have these 13 character traits, we need to apply them in order to make change happen. Now is the time to change. |
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