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| Hawaii, Facebook-Travel+Leisure |
Profuse apology (nice mode) for a reader's life on Blogger, Google+ or Facebook that I have somewhat 'disrupted' this Easter long weekend by now presenting my fourth post and taking up too much of your precious time.
'My precious'...
No, actually not (selfish mode), I need all the pageviews I can get and more views are created with increased catalogs of posts.
Oh yes, that 3 million plus pageviews statistic on Google+ has really gone to my head.;)
Send complaints to complaints dept:
Dr. Russ Murray
Between Pope Chucklin Estate: 'The Fatican' and Bobby Buff, Graceland
Maple Ditch, BC, The Socialist Paradise of Canada (Not the Excited States of Americana)
Although we probably have as much pot here in BC as the 'Mile High 'State'' and 'Washerington State', Avenue.
Thank you for your co-operation with these matters...
Besides this posts the posts include two Easter related posts. Articles this Easter weekend...
MPhil Resurrection Thoughts This Easter, Sunday, April 20
Rehashed material from my massive 40, 000 word MPhil thesis degree and blog posting, but edited and focused more specifically for Easter and the Biblical resurrection doctrine to form an original article.
If you do not like my rehashing of material in any way, I totally disagree as I am not interested in reinventing the wheel for your benefit, but there is the complaints dept.
Satirical, Critical, Images: Response On Easter-Saturday, April 19
This is somewhat influenced by thoughts on a recent Facebook debate. These debates are often circular, tedious and not view changing, especially when dealing with those from various fundamentalistic, religious and non-religious perspectives, but can assist in further clarifying ideas.
GC Berkouwser (PhD Edit), April 18, 2014
Discuses in brief, human freewill and determinism.
Thank you, thank you very much.
Ethiopian Suri Tribe
Daily Mail: Ethiopian Suri tribe
Cited:
'It may look odd to us, but in the Ethiopian Suri tribe, this enormous lip plate is actually a sign of beauty. When girls hit puberty they have their bottom two teeth removed in a bizarre ritual before a small hole is cut into their bottom lip. A clay disc is then inserted into the hole, which is steadily increased, stretching the lip, much like flesh-tunnel piercings which have become popular with teenagers in the UK.
The larger the lip plate the more cows the girl's father can demand in dowry when his daughter is married - usually 40 for a small plate and 60 for a larger one.
'Men on the other hand take part in the considerably less-painful ritual of body painting.'
The young women
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| Omo Valley |
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| i1yiting.com |
I am of dual thoughts with this issue.
On one hand I reason Western and Christian standards should not be forced upon those in Africa. An historical mistake from the past. A culture should at least be respected.
On the other hand, it certainly appears a cultural form of physical deformity and with potential health concerns.
This would be more of a potential issue than aesthetics.
Is the practice culturally forced?
I shall keep my mouth shut on this issue, satirically...
Why I View Game of Thrones & Vikings
My brother in his trips back home introduced me to the programs. One from HBO (Canada), the other The History Channel.
I suppose in a way I am a typical male, and there are many ways in which I am not, but I am not typically very interested in extended dramas that do not also contain action.
I think I would do better with extended dramas in a live theatre context as there would be more empirical stimulation than simply viewing a two dimensional screen.
I do not with my busy work schedule with basically two careers and homecaring, like committing to viewing a two hour movie, often which is not being watched from the beginning.
I then often realize part way through the movie that I have seen portions previously, or portions from a related film.
These films repeat and repeat.
These films repeat and repeat.
Game of Thrones is a fictionalized reality of a realm influenced by English and European history from the middle ages/medieval period. The wickedness, gore, although not slasher film like, and combination of Church-Religion/State union makes the show more than just entertainment for me; it is also provides philosophical and theological considerations in regard to the association of Church-Religion/State and how politicized religion is predominantly evil.
As Game of Thrones is a fictional realm and reality, there is not from what I seen and I have not viewed the show from the beginning. a Judaism or Christian gospel.
The polytheistic religion (s) portrayed, although not explained in great detail does/do not seem to represent primarily benevolent gods.
Therefore, finding redemption for this realm on a philosophical, theological basis is interesting and difficult.
However, there is still at times, glimpses, of human good. There are a few sympathetic adult characters.
The program also has me philosophically and theologically ponder on my historical studies in regard to torture in the middle ages/medieval period and freedom of religious thought and/or freedom not to have religious thought as in preference.
I ponder back to the torture museums and dungeons viewed in the British Isles and the Continent. Those tortured and killed for being considered treasonous against a Church/State.
The program is thoroughly entertaining with fine actors, many of them, not surprisingly appear to be from the British Isles, although the program is American produced.
Vikings, I find almost as entertaining and the contrast between the Viking, Norse religion, that at times offers human sacrifice and medieval politicized Christianity is interesting.
However, the adult Vikings are so brutal, even though Game of Thrones is probably overall more graphically brutal and violent as a series, I simply do not find the lead characters in Vikings worthy of sympathy. When they battle each other or the Christians, virtually everyone of adult age, via my theology and philosophy of law and order, is worthy of death for murderous acts via just punishment.
I do not find myself sympathizing with the Vikings or the Christians, both murderous within Church-Religion /State systems, even though the story focuses more so on the lives of the Vikings.
The usual film technique is to build sympathy, a feeling of harmony, for the stars of the program.
The adult Vikings simply are not sympathetic characters. I feel for the children and innocent victims, on all sides, primarily.
And the program is still quite interesting.
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