Facebook Graffiti One

That is my first attempt at Facebook graffiti, on my Facebook account. I thought I would share it on Blogger.

As of tonight, I have 155 problem of evil questionnaires processed on the SSPS data file and therefore I am still accepting in completed questionnaires, since I still have over 50 waiting to be processed. Please contact me if you wish to complete a survey.

Thank you.

Russ:)

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212106&hubname=

Hamilton bid for Nashville Predators rejected, and they are likely going to Kansas City for almost 50 million dollars less.

Leipold!!

Hamilton, Ontario

It looks as if Jim Balsillie will have a very difficult time attempting to move the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Balsillie has offered far more than the team is worth, and yet is facing roadblocks. This is not a Canada vs. United States issue in my mind, but an issue of the philosophy of running a professional sports league. Should a league primarily have teams in traditional markets, existing within one's means and slowly building, or should it place several teams in non-traditional markets as well?

According to:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/06/20/bettman-predators-hamilton-nhl.html

Balsillie's offer to Leipold falls somewhere in the $220 million to $238 million range, well above Forbes Magazine's estimated value of $134 million and significantly higher than his bid of $175 million for the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this year.

The Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks were sold for $70 million in 2005.

According to:

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/228704

The latest power play with the Predators proves Bettman wants anyone but Balsillie as an owner

Jun 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Damien Cox
HOCKEY Columnist

Imagine the immense pressure being exerted on Craig Leipold, the man who no longer wants to own the Nashville Predators.

On one hand, the NHL, through misguided commissioner Gary Bettman, is leaning on Leipold daily not to sell the Preds to Waterloo billionaire Jim Balsillie.

Bettman is operating on an ABB (Anyone But Balsillie) basis, uncaring that the Predators are being dismembered, sold off piece by piece, while he tries to make sure the team moves anywhere but Southern Ontario.

Let's be clear. Bettman doesn't care if the Preds are turned into a hollow shell next season. He cares only about directing them to Kansas City or Las Vegas or some other place that won't care about them very much.

Leipold has long been one of Bettman's favourites, a member of the inner circle during the lockout, and he would prefer to leave the lodge on the receiving end of a warm handshake rather than a curse.

On the other hand, Leipold's a businessman, and Balsillie has offered him $30-50 million (U.S.) more for the Preds than anyone else.

Now that's pressure.

So while confusing reports last night initially indicated Leipold no longer wanted to sell the team to Balsillie, that was mostly Nixonian-like, mean-spirited NHL spin. These guys play for keeps.

Leipold, to his credit, didn't let the lie last long.

"We did send the NHL a letter today requesting that it not do any further due diligence on Jim Balsillie's offer for the Nashville Predators until we reach a binding agreement," Leipold said in a statement last night after the erroneous early reports surfaced. "If (Balsillie) is interested in reaching a binding agreement, we are prepared to move forward."

That sounded a lot more like "let's make a deal" than "get lost," wouldn't you say?

The reality is that the NHL knows that if Balsillie gets his hands on this team, they're going to have to concoct some other underhanded scheme to keep that club away from Hamilton. So if they can get Leipold to back away, they can pretend as though it all fell apart through no doing of theirs.

Clever, these fellows. Too bad they don't use their cleverness for the good of the sport a little more often.

Bettman and Co. should be embarrassed, of course, by what is happening with the hockey club in Music City. Last summer, the Preds were an aggressive buyer, picking up Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont, and they further identified themselves as a serious player in February by adding Peter Forsberg.

Now take a look.

This week, they sold off negotiating rights to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timmonen, and yesterday No.1 goalie Tomas Vokoun was peddled to Florida for draft picks.

"The direction is obviously to have a low payroll," GM David Poile told TSN last night, noting that Leipold is "an owner who doesn't want to be the owner anymore."

Clearly, such an approach won't help the Preds increase fan interest to reach the important 14,000 fans-per-game level next season, which will probably force the team to break its lease and move.

Let's be clear. This franchise has been totally destabilized by Bettman's unwillingness to even consider than another team in Southern Ontario could be good for the game and his league.

Defeating Bob Goodenow in the lockout, it would appear, has emboldened Bettman to new levels, making him believe he can manipulate any process to his preferred conclusion.

Balsillie was completely caught off guard by yesterday's developments, but probably not surprised the NHL twisted Leipold's original letter into something that made Balsillie look bad.

This game is getting nastier by the day.

I wrote this article on Facebook.

The NHL is committed to several American southern non-traditional hockey markets in the unlikely hope that hockey will one day be a national sport in the entire US and very popular on national T.V. As a result, Canada must be negated, even though Hamilton would be a very successful franchise. Canadian franchises do not assist in the American dream, and do not generally draw well in the US. This American dream is likely to largely fail, as there is little evidence that major sports leagues can mainly develop in non-traditional markets. Look at the NFL, MLB, EPL, Serie A and others, these leagues basically began in regions where the sport had its early years and is part of culture. It seems unlikely professional hockey will ever be a national sport in the US since it has been there almost as long as in Canada.

http://satireandtheology.blogspot.com/2006/09/why-i-gave-up-on-nhl.html

April 2, 2016

Update

I still reason the hockey business favours hockey markets, but reading and listening to more on building ownership I will add the following: Basically it seems, if a sports team has a good stadium ownership or lease deal, it can stay in place even with a mediocre club and/or mediocre market for that sport. This allows a sports league to place teams in markets that are mainly theoretically good image wise markets (large population, large television market, corporate support), even if not very successful entities in the sport. Bad news if you are in locale or country that is not considered good image, even while a potentially profitable market. So with the NHL, Quebec City is considered by most observers a more profitable hockey market than Las Vegas, but I could see the reasonable possibility that Las Vegas being a major city for travel would have the more profitable arena. I would rather own the arena in Las Vegas than in Quebec City.

The Pentagon and the gay bomb

Golden Gate Bridge (photo from Ron Niebrugge)

Please check out my latest article on thekingpin68 that provides some updated information on my problem of evil questionnaire.

http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2007/06/problem-of-evil-what-is-your-opinion.html

From

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20070616123327456C203466

By Jerome Bernard

Washington - The Pentagon had once considered the creation of a hormone weapon that would turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals who'd rather make love than war, according to government documents.

The US Air Force's Wright Laboratory in Ohio had asked in 1994 for 7.5 million dollars to develop a bomb containing a powerful aphrodisiac chemical that would cause "homosexual behaviour" to affect "discipline and morale in enemy units."

The document, obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act, is now drawing scorn and ridicule on the Web.

The Department of Defence played down the proposal, which was unearthed by the Sunshine Project, an organisation based in Texas and Germany that monitors research and development of biological weapons."

The DoD never 'investigated' such a concept, rather one individual provided a short concept paper with a wide variety of examples that was rejected," military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Brian Maka told AFP.

Maka pointed out the idea was one of several proposals for non-lethal weapons, including a chemical product that would make enemies highly sensitive to sunlight, or another that would make bees particularly aggressive and prone to attack humans.

But Edward Hammond, of the Sunshine Project, insists the Pentagon is not being truthful. "These statements are untrue. The proposal was not rejected out of hand. It has received further consideration," he said on the group's Web page.

Hammond says the concept was included in a promotional CD-ROM on non-lethal weapons in 2 000 and was submitted to the National Academies of Science the following year.

Bloggers are now having a field day with the love weapon.

"If we have a spare gay bomb, why not drop one in the mountains of Afghanistan," asked one blogger, who described himself as a black homosexual living in Washington."

The idiot who came up with the idea really should be bitchslapped and forced to listen to Judy Garland records for the rest of his life," Ed Brayton wrote on the Huffington Post website.

But not everyone is amused.

"My sense is that the story speaks to the Pentagon's outdated ideas about sexuality, and about the relationship between sexuality and being a good soldier," said Aaron Belkin, a political analyst at the University of California in Santa Barbara."

To suppose that spraying someone with a chemical can make them gay is ludicrous, and to suppose that making someone gay will turn them into a bad soldier is ludicrous as well," Belkin told AFP.

In March, General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the armed forces' joint chiefs of staff called homosexuality "immoral" in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that stirred renewed controversy and rekindled debate over legislation allowing homosexuals in the military as long as they don't discuss their sexual orientation.

A Democratic motion calls for a reform of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" legislation adopted in 1993 under then-President Bill Clinton.- Sapa-AFP

The statement below makes sense to me.

To suppose that spraying someone with a chemical can make them gay is ludicrous

I am not a scientist, biologist, or familiar with the technology mentioned in this article. But, I doubt that any weapon, gas, or bomb would turn heterosexuals into homosexuals, although I do not doubt that this bomb could potentially do tremendous physical and psychological damage to people. From a Biblical Christian perspective, homosexuality comes from a corruption of nature as in Romans 1:24-32, and it is stated in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that homosexuals shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. It can be reasoned that homosexuality is one result of a corrupt nature and resulting wrong choices and acts. Even if the gay bomb could alter heterosexual persons significantly to be sexually confused and interested in homosexuality, it would not mean that other religious, moral, and social factors would not prohibit persons from abstaining in being involved in homosexual acts. I have known persons that have struggled with homosexual desire, but in Christ have avoided this sin. I am thankful that I have no such desire, but as with many men, heterosexual desire can be a struggle.

The idiot who came up with the idea really should be bitchslapped and forced to listen to Judy Garland records for the rest of his life," Ed Brayton wrote on the Huffington Post website.

That is classic.

When I think about the term the gay bomb, I am reminded of the Maxwell Smart movie, The Nude Bomb (1980).

Religious album covers

Mahavishnu Orchestra with John Mclaughlin is presently one of my top two favourite recording artists of all time. This pre-Mahavishnu Orchestra album from 1970 features McLaughlin with what appears to a photograph of his Indian guru Sri Chinmoy. The person in the photograph may be in an altered state of consciousness. When I first saw this album cover in a record store I thought that it was creepy, and hardly a good advertisement for any music album or religious movement, but most fans of Mclaughlin's music probably are not too concerned with what is on the cover. In the religious and not musical context, a smile or normal pose would be good, but the 'out of it' altered state of consciousness look may attract some persons already heavily interested in Hinduism and related religions, and/or may attract 'pot heads' and 'druggies', but it probably will not cause positive religious thoughts in most persons. This by the way, in my view, is not bad since I believe that Biblical Christianity is the true religious faith and philosophy in regard to the nature of God and salvation, and not Hinduism and related religions.

Sure Mike, you are using God given power, and I admit that I do not know the point of your album cover. I realize that you may not disagree with my reasoning, but I should state that I do not see how being able to smash bricks with your bare hand makes Christianity or the Biblical God true, since there are non-Christians and persons of other religious and philosophical views that can smash bricks with their bare hands as well. In a sense from a Christian perspective, anyone that can break bricks, Christian or non-Christian, is using God given power, as God is the creator of all things.

I agree that Satan is real, but he is spirit and not a cartoon character. There is also debate among Biblical scholars and theologians on whether or not hell has literal flames. That is a funny cover as the dudes are in hell, but are still well dressed in a suit and tie.

It is good to see this type of choir. But in my opinion, it is in bad taste to show a person injecting himself or herself on the front cover of the album!

With the use of the terms 'touch him' the cover is likely referring to the concept of having fellowship with God and Christ. But in today's society, a satirical, homosexual type of interpretation could be made. My Mom does not understand why anyone would view this cover as funny. I suppose this may show a difference in how generations look at the use of certain terms.

It is good at times to have persons think about death, the afterlife and God's judgment and salvation for those in Christ. However, in my view, very few persons would want to purchase these album covers that are in bad taste.

The second cover made me laugh.

Is this album cover from a Christian perspective, or is it of the occult? How many people would purchase such a creepy album? Not many, I would guess.

Flying missiles and atomic bombs? This is a very presumptuous cover concerning the Second Advent. As I alluded to in my recent article on thekingpin68 on the book of Revelation, there is much figurative language used and interpretations should be made carefully. The cover to me seems sensationalistic. Does David Ingles have shingles or is he paralyzed?

Is the idea of Satan being paralyzed found in Scripture? Jesus told Satan to leave him in Matthew 4: 10-11, but Satan presently is still active it appears from Scripture.

Priorities

Vancouver, BC

My Mom emailed me the following:

Comments from police officers to persons pulled over:

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't.
Sign here."

"You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?"

"If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."

A comment from school children:

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to; my Mom is a good cook.

The other day I was taking my friend to the airport and he accidentally dropped his cell phone in my car. As I was driving home, he tried calling his cell phone from the airport, but I did not answer it in time, as I had to pull over and look for the phone which I at that time concluded was obviously in my car, having not realized this previously.

When I arrived at home there was a message on my answering machine from my friend stating that he was not sure if he had been pick pocketed or had simply left the phone in my car.

I emailed him this message:

Subject: a message from your cell phone

You abandoned me in that old car, but that nice rather scary looking man is looking after me at his house. I think I am safer with him. I cried in his car and he saved me.

(disappointed) Love,

Your Cell Phone

In regard to Facebook, I am very glad that some good friends from England that had not been in contact with me in 5 years asked me to join, and we are in dialogue once again. It has been a real blessing being in contact again with such good friends. My personal way of doing business is to by email, mail, or phone, keep in touch with my good friends that live a distance away, but some folks are not interested in that type of thing, at least not initially. I reason that I have so few good friends that I need to keep in touch with the ones I have and try to find more.

It is interesting to have many of my good and acquaintance friends my age (as Facebook is more popular with younger persons I imagine) from the Vancouver and Manchester areas on one website in relation to me at once. I have asked some of my blogging friends to join, but I understand that some women especially wish to protect their full identity on the web and may not be interested in Facebook, although I think that one could probably join Facebook without providing the last name. Facebook is a side issue for me with the web and will be a very good way to keep in touch with some friends that live far away and to make plans to visit when trips are made. But, my main focus with the web is with my theology blogs and to provide Christian ministry, write theological and Biblical truth, make and keep friends, and to build up my websites with links slowly over time in order to somewhat support my theology career, as I will be looking for work as a professor once I have completed my PhD dissertation, God willing.

My plastic surgeries

Plastic surgery-definition

Surgery to remodel, repair, or restore body parts, especially by the transfer of tissue.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/plastic+surgery

Thanks be to God, I am not deformed, and my heart goes out to anyone in this world that does suffer from deformity. I respect those in the medical profession worldwide that assist people that truly need plastic surgery. I also realize that there are some, especially in our Western society, that at times receive questionable procedures. I am not stating that all plastic surgery that is not for deformity is necessarily wrong. I have had some procedures done within the last few years. In July 2006, I received nasal reconstruction called Septal and tip reconstruction, right turbinate debridement. This was to assist me with my formerly very serious sleep apnea problem. A few years ago, I had eyelid surgery called Blepharoplasty for my right upper lid that was slightly droopy and did not close entirely at night, causing me to have dry eye. This consisted of burning part of the lid and stitching in the corner of my eye.

Today I am recovering from my second right lower lid temporal elevation sclera and resection and pyogenic granuloma. These surgeries were needed in order to correct the position of my right eyelid in relation with the left, as the right was moved down somewhat after my second Strabismus surgery for my weak eye, which is not very cosmetically noticeable. The Strabismus surgery was also done to correct some of my double vision that began increasing a few years ago, and is quite a bit better now. The two lower eyelid surgeries have consisted of me receiving sclera that is commonly known as the white of the eye. The sclera have both come from deceased persons. I have mixed thoughts on this issue. On one hand, it is very sad that two people have died and I benefit by using tissue from their eyes. On the other hand, in this fallen creation, which features a problem of evil, death occurs and tissue and parts from the deceased can be a benefit for the living. A few months after I received the first sclera, it developed a blood clot that eventually pushed itself out. My surgeon stated that this occurs in about ten percent of the cases. I realize that plastic surgery is a very important issue in regard to deformity and in the context of our Western society also has its satirical potential.

Dave Allen: Religious humour

 

Not the original video, which was pulled from You Tube.

http://satireandtheology.blogspot.com/2007/02/dave-allen.html 

Please check out this new link: 

http://fun-foodandfighting.blogspot.com/2007/06/russ-these-are-for-you-brother.html

Tower Bridge, trekearth