Reality Television?

Baja-Apple Images

According to this blog's 'All-Time Popular Most Pageviews', 'Thoughts On Image & Reality Television' in presently #6. Since that time, to be honest I have become tired of the Storage Wars and Storage Wars Texas reruns. With A&E and OLN here in Canada and the repeats of programs during the day I think some individual episodes have been repeated many times. OLN repeats some programs twice in a day. Operation Repo as well, which is not on as near as often as the Storage Wars programs, as it is on OLN and not A&E, also seems to be slow producing new episodes. I will state as I did in the previous post in regard to the genre of reality television: In my terms it is theatrical reality as opposed to a true documentary reality. This should be understood for those that claim 'fake' etc. It is theatrical. It is not always entirely fictional but is often non-fictional with theatrical aspects.

Interesting news:

Dave Hester and Storage Wars-Jan 13, 2013

'Dave Hester says he was fired for complaining 'Storage Wars' is staged and is owed $2.2 million.'

 'In a lengthy denial to a lawsuit filed by former “Storage Wars” star Dave Hester - who in a breach-of-contract lawsuit alleges that producers fraudulently stashed valuable items among the junk in storage lockers, a process he called “salting” - A&E is asking a court to toss out the suit but never addresses his accusation that the show is rigged. Hester filed the suit in December after he was fired from “Storage Wars.”'

 'In his suit, Hester, known for bidding with a brash “Yuuup,” makes a number of claims. For instance, he says the producers asked him to place his own valuable items in lockers during the first season.'

Hmm, this looks like potentially an awful lot of 'theatre' and deception may have been taking place on Storage Wars. Perhaps with these problems this is why there are so many reruns and so few newer episodes.

Therefore, the integrity of these Storage Wars programs, especially, Storage Wars, is of course in question.

I am not someone that spends a lot of time relatively speaking watching television or movies. I spend far more time online, much of it career related. However, I must admit to finding 'Shipping Wars' amusing. Again it is quite theatrical. Along with Operation Repo it provides me with the most laughs in the genre of reality television. Actually I find these programs generally more amusing than comedy films where humour is generally scripted.

Often with entertainment it seems it is easier to be subtly, inadvertently and indirectly funny through events as opposed to scripting humour where it is often forced.

imdb-Shipping Wars

Shipping Wars 2012- 'Show revolves around teams of independent heavy-duty moving companies bidding for the chance to transport unshipable items, from oversized loads to bulky packages and bizarre items.'

wikipedia-Shipping Wars

'The show follows six independent carriers who have discovered that fortunes can be made transporting items that traditional carriers either cannot or will not haul.[2] The series also features uShip, the world’s largest online auction house for independent truckers.'

 'Ties are broken in favor of the carrier with the higher average feedback rating. Winners load their cargo and attempt to deliver it intact by the client's deadline. Feedback ratings from clients are displayed as the loads are delivered.'

I have to admit, that I find the show near endlessly entertaining. But I do wonder in light of the accusations with Storage Wars, how much of Shipping Wars is possibly planned theatre 'reality television'? In other words how much of the programming is what many critics would state as 'fake', and what is more so on the border of being documentary reality television where the persons are placed in positions where unplanned situations, perhaps interesting and humourous, can take place?

Philosophically, realizing a documentary is not the entertaining end goal producers are aiming for, I think my second suggestions is an ethical one. In other words, to let events play out in a realistic way, in reality, but if the work for example, such as shipping with Shipping Wars, has it's natural hazards and risks, and persons 'play it up' for the camera, it can be understood by both producer and audience that 'theatre' does take place, but this would not necessarily make the entire production fake. I would state this could be a genuine, legitimate form a reality television, but not to be confused with a documentary.

Philosophically, reasonable reality television to some extent would be like a bunch of friends getting together on a Friday or Saturday night and being filmed. Some theatrical play may take place, whereas typically without the cameras they would not act up, more like a documentary.

It depends I suppose upon how far the theatre is taken and if there is really any significant 'reality' remaining in a reality program.

Short clips from A&E

Saints Valentine/The Pope

Moulsecoomb, England-Google Images

Google Images

Apple Images

Pembokeshire, Wales-trekearth

Saints Valentine

From New Advent: The Catholic Encyclopedia

New Advent

At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyologies 14 February. One is described as a priest from Rome, another as a Bishop from of Interamna (modern Central Italy, and these two seem both to have suffered in the second half of the third century and to have been buried on the Flaminian Way, but at different distances from the city. Of both these St. Valentines some sort of Acta (official records) are preserved but they are of relatively late date and of no historical value. Of the third Saint Valentine, who suffered in Africa with a number of companions, nothing further is known.

Saint Valentine's Day had its origin in England and France during the Middle Ages. 

KNIGHT, KEVIN (2009) Saint Valentine, New York, New Advent.

The Pope

Thank you, Jeff Jenkins of Facebook and Thoughts and Theology blog for sending this to me.  To be very clear, I am not one that believes in or submits to Papal authority as a non-Roman Catholic. I am instead a definite and definitive Reformed Theologian and Philosopher. Personally I do not have a problem with the Pope resigning if he has become too old and physically unable to do the work to the best of his ability. Perhaps from this satirical photo the idea is that one could hypothetically argue that God would surely sustain and maintain his Papal mission/ministry until death if legitimate. Therefore concluding his Papal mission/ministry false, and perhaps the Papacy false. But that is not the only possible reasonable related set of propositions and conclusions.  It could be stated for example, that without death he still performed reasonably well the duties of the Papal mission/ministry and therefore this would not make his Papal mission/ministry false or the papacy.  My take is that although I do not hold to a Papacy, as noted, and therefore he is not infallible or the Vicar of Christ, he still even with many errors may be used by God as a Christian representative holding to certain Christian essentials such as the Biblical nature of God, the Trinity, the atonement of Christ, the resurrection, and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation, in his mission/ministry although certainly, he is not my Christian representative or those of the Reformed Church or Protestant Church.

More of the same...

Something to ponder on...Not that I am against a nice, quality ring, but I find the two months 'rule' amusing.

Atonement In God's Love (MPhil)

Caneletto, Capriccio River Landscape With A Column

As I noted on my Facebook Status update February 2 as 'great tragedy' (something along the lines of who cares in light of other problems of evil in life), that being the discrepancy between what I view as Google Blogger's own accurate Blogger blog (s) statistics and those of Stats Counter, that grew last week. There is also a large difference with Site Meter as well, although not as large. Blogger's statistics keep track of simply the number of pageviews and do not provide locations so that would be perfect for lurkers that would like to 'spy' on me, or simply read my work and go unnoticed as in providing me with no possibility of deducing location and person. 

Although now with internet service providers many pageviews simply list a provider and the location is from the server and not always where the pageview/person is from and so similar ISP addresses will provide clues of whom the person might possibly, and that is, might possibly be, with that internet service provider. On the other hand, certain persons trying to assist me in my internet web ministry, that perhaps may also think I am 'Kool' may possibly want me to know without directly communicating with me that he/she is providing me with pageviews and that became much more difficult this last week. But that would be out of his or her control.

I suppose sometimes we may just have to go back to old fashioned ways of communicating...

As I was reminded by a message the other day and I have kept in mind for years.

On the Status update I estimate on the February 2 approximately 16% of my Blogger statistics were actually being counted that week by Stats Counter. This past Sunday, just ended, it is difficult to compare because Blogger for whatever reason does not seem to keep track of my statistics on Vancouver, Pacific Time, but some other Time Zone not listed. Stats Counter and Site Meter at least can be set to Vancouver, Pacific Time, but any way, perhaps approximately the same amount are being counted, maybe 25%, being optimistic.

At the beginning of the week I was a little discouraged, I thought it a very bad week, which would be more likely the case more with the other blog, but when this blog had the same statistics and certain things with numbers were not occurring as far a pageviews, I realized that the numbers were way down because Stats Counter had missed the boat, as I compared them to Blogger which were typical to that of recent.

Well, Stats Counter is free, and you have heard the saying, 'You get what you pay for'.

Overall, I think their service is 'A' ish grade.

Thank you for the support.

I actually just received the final statistics from Sunday via Blogger and compared them to Stats Counter from February 3, 2013.

Stats Counter counted approximately 12%...

From

MPhil

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

WOODS, B.W. (1974) Christians in Pain, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

8. God’s Love

It must be stated that Woods believed that the suffering and discipline involved in this world filled with evil, came from a loving God who cared for his human creation. This is a Biblical concept, as God’s purposes include a great care for his creation. Erickson noted that God demonstrated his love to humanity through his atoning work:

If you and I are having and argument on the bank of a stream, and you fall into the water and are in danger of drowning, and I, at great danger to my life, leap into the water to rescue you, my action will be regarded as a demonstration of love. But if you are standing safely on the bank of the stream, and I say, "See how much I love you!" and leap into the water and begin to thrash around, my action will not move you to love me or forgive me or be reconciled to me. You will more likely conclude that I am emotionally and mentally unstable.

So it is with the atonement. The death of Christ is a beautiful demonstration of God’s love and thus a powerful incentive to us to abandon our hostility towards God and respond in repentance and faith to the offer of grace. But it is effective as a demonstration of love precisely because we were lost and God cared enough about our condition to offer his Son as a sacrifice. Erickson (1994: 820).

Using Erickson’s thought, it can be concluded that God does not ask for discipline and sacrifice and then not perform these things himself. God is a being beyond physical suffering and sin, yet he comprehends these things and chose to intervene in history and participate in the atonement of humanity. Christ, as the God-man, disciplined himself and obeyed the Father to the point of death, even when he could have easily destroyed the Romans and Jews who were executing him. This demonstrated that God in Christ disciplined himself to complete a task that was humbling and difficult. Christ, as God, allowed his own creation to treat him terribly, yet he completed his required task to save humanity, and this surely demonstrated that he loved and cared for people.

God, through Christ, sacrificed because he was good, but at the same time because he loved humanity. In all human suffering he has always been present, he has defeated evil through his atoning work and this shall be culminated with the resurrection. Presently he desires that people seek him out when suffering.

Now does the divine Christ’s suffering as man mean that God within the Trinity understands evil and suffering in greater measure than before the atoning work? I personally think not, as I hold firmly to God having infinite knowledge and understanding, but the work of Christ supplies God with a superior method in which to relate with, and atone for his human creation. The pre-incarnate Christ was spirit, but Christ took a body for himself as well. God’s essential nature has not been changed, yet the Son of God had taken for himself an additional human nature and thus he was capable of dying and atoning for sinful humanity as both God and man. This could not have taken place without the incarnation.

This additional human nature allows Christ as a member of the human race to be its human restorer, as after the resurrection humanity will be like him with a perfect body and nature. Christ as a resurrected human being now has personal human experience with the problem of evil, as he has suffered himself and is an excellent mediator between God and humankind. He not only has understanding of humanity’s pain, but has personally suffered that pain, and can relate that to people in love.

Caneletto, Warick Castle, The East Front

The Eye Of A Needle

Aerides Sunset, Greece-trekearth

Corfu, Greece-Google Images

Kremaston Lake, Greece-trekearth

Matthew 19:16-26

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Rich Young Ruler

16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be [a]complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew scholar Ellison explains that the popular interpretation that there was a door within a city gate is baseless. Ellison. (1986: 1141). A rabbinic equivalent of that period was an elephant going through the eye of a needle. Ellison. (1986: 1141).  Salvation is only achieved by trusting in God, and by trusting in wealth, talent and human abilities it actually cancels out the trust in God. Ellison. (1986 (1141).  Basically by turning to God what would be impossible, as in salvation, would therefore be possible, even for the rich.  Ellison. Ellison (1986: 1141).

R. T. France calls this a ludicrous parallel in comparison to the Kingdom of Heaven because the camel, being the largest common animal in that culture ( I am supposing he does not think the elephant is as common for rabbis that used this from Africa and India) trying to squeeze through the smallest imaginable hole would be ridiculous. France (2001: 287). So, therefore the point is the impossibility of it all. France (2001: 287).

It would be impossible without the atoning work and grace of God.

Mark 10:17-27

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “[b]Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” 

In Mark, as Short explains, Jesus notes that it is impossible for the rich man to have salvation, as it would be impossible for the camel, the largest animal in Palestine at the time to pass through the eye of a needle. Short (1986: 1170).  Jesus reminds the disciples that all things were possible for God in the context that salvation could come to the rich through God. Short (1986: 1170).

Luke 18:18-27

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Rich Young Ruler

18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to [a]go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

From Luke, Laurence E. Porter writes that the needle's eye is not a 'postern gate', it is hyperbolic language used by Jesus Christ.  Porter (1986: 1218).

When I adolescent I had some experience in Amway with my family and much of the experience was good but one of the things I heard on a tape was the teaching from a preacher that the eye of the needle parable had more to do with a person being humbled before God, as in the existence of the door within the city gates than the impossibility of rich person being saved. But that is simply not the case. That is why the disciples asked astonished who could be saved because it took an act of God, not an act of humility by humanity for salvation to occur.

Interestingly very much in agreement with compatibilism...

Byzantine Majority Text

Through   (the) eye        of a needle

dia truphmatoV rafidoV  

ELLISON, H.L. (1986) ‘Matthew’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

FRANCE, R.T. (2001) Matthew, Grand Rapids, IVP, Eerdmans.

MARSHALL, ALFRED (1975)(1996) The Interlinear KJV-NIV Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

PORTER, LAURENCE.E. (1986) ‘Luke’, in F.F. Bruce (gen.ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/ Zondervan.

SHORT, STEPHEN S. (1986) ‘Mark’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

Greek New Testament

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