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Excelent paper on copyright laws

I was surfing the net and stumbled across this excelent atical about the issues facing copyright law today. It is called "Recent Changes to Copyright: Attacks Against the Public Interest". Please go and read the article because what you dont know CAN hurt you.

Some new arivals...

I just adopted 2 ferrets called Penny and Abby. Here they are just chillin in thier cage.

An interesting quote...

"One of the things Christians are disagreed about is the importance of their disagreements."

~C.S. Lewis

A reminder in light of what we are doing in the world.

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

My point to including the above texts is to remind us that even though the above declaration is not a binding legal document to the USA it is a Founding Belief and principle that we should not abandon. It is Foundational to this country that we stand for the principles of Fairness and that ALL men 'are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights' how can we as a nation treat others, our enemies, as not having these same rights that we deem necessary for ourselves without wearing the national mantel of hypocrisy to our ultimate shame before the world that our nation, this grand unique governmental experiment, is supposed to be a light to.

Donald D. Dienst

All Three Volumes Are Now available

Available at http://www.lulu.com/DienstNet

The Resurrection Fellowship Devotional Journal - Volume 1. Genesis to Psalms $17.50+SH



The Resurrection Fellowship Devotional Journal - Volume 2. Psalms to Malachi $17.50+SH



The Resurrection Fellowship Devotional Journal - Volume 3. The New Testament $17.50+SH



There are many study guides and devotionals available today for the conscientious Christian and some of them are even free so why exactly did I feel that I needed to create one of my own design. Well, in the development of this devotional journal I wanted to make it balanced and incorporate some of the things I have learned over the years about bible reading, prayer, and fellowship. Things that I noticed are just absent or unbalanced in other devotionals. This is also not a leading devotional as many that are available today are. It gives the user a direction of attention but leaves the focus of the study where it belongs, between the individual and the Holy Spirit.

Radio Active Yellow Israeli Scorpion Venom Treats Deadly Brain Cancer

I am posting about this because I though it was so interesting. Thankfully, I and nobody I know has brain cancer but I am always on the lookout for interesting and innovative breakthroughs in science. And I think this fits.

Health physicist Alan M. Jackson (AlanJ@rad.hfh.edu) of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit is in clinical trials involving human patients on a treatment for an aggressive, essentially incurable (till perhaps now) malignant cancer called high-grade brain glioma. The procedure uses a synthetic version of the venom protein that binds selectively to the glioma cells. This is attached to a radioactive substance that then kills the glioma cells. When injected into the bloodstream, the radioactive scorpion venom travels to the brain and attaches to the glioma cells, that then kills the cells.

The shortest distance between two points

I believe I discovered today that the shortest distance between two points is not a river. I drove my canoe to a spot just 4 miles up river, as the crow flies, from my house and canoed home 12 miles as the river winds!!! It is interesting that sometimes God will show you where he wants you to be and then instead of going directly their he will take you along the way of the winding river. It is easy to then despair the journey or take the side trips up interesting tributary or even find a nice spot and rest a bit too long. But we need to believe in our destination, keep attentive to the rivers clues which point the way we need to go, and keep on rowing until we can't and then rest upon the rivers gentile flow until we can.

Were you the church today?

Were you the church today or did you just visit the building?

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. -- 1 Cor 14:26

This could also be read as for the strengthening of each other...

My problem is I have an INTJ personality

Wishing to control nature, the INTJ "scientist" probably has more difficulty than all other types in making up his or her mind in mate selection. Even mate selection must be done in a scientific way. It may well be that the narratives, plays, and films impugning the "rational and objective" approach to mating have as their target our thorough-going scientist INTJ. Nevertheless, when young, the INTJ is attracted to the free-wheeling, spontaneous, fun-loving "entertainer" ESFP. But the INTJ requires that mating meet certain criteria, else it is not undertaken. So the INTJ doesn't often go through with what is begun by natural attraction. Since he or she proceeds in a rational and methodical way, the selection of a similar temperament is more likely than selection of opposite, following the assumption that those who are similar ought to do well together. The INTJ "scientist" is also attracted to the ENFP "journalist," probably because of the enthusiastic, effervescent, and apparently spontaneous enjoyment and wonderment this type exudes-the very antitheses of the careful, thoughtful exactitude of the INTJ.

Castle and Treasure Hunting

On memorial day I decided to do some hiking along the cannonball trail. Of course I took some small side trips to seek some treasure and find some interesting sights. This trail was named after the route that the Americans used to secretly transport cannonballs during the revolution. I have a very hard time picturing people dragging a load of cannonballs up over these mountains.

Give me Serenity

Lord.I'm walking your way.
Let me in, for my feet are sore,
my clothes are ragged.
Look in my eyes Lord and my sins will play out on them as on a screen.
Read them all.
Forgive what you can and send me on my path.
I will walk on - until you bid me rest.
-- Shepard Book, Serenity (deleted seen)

As the hope of the daylight causeth us not to be offended with the darkness of the night. So ought we patiently to trust that God will clear our cause and restore us to our right. --Edward DeVere

Life is good

The second chance

Look what I found out about - A movie staring Michael W. Smith and it is playing at the Clifton Commons but I dont know for how much longer. I have now seen the movie and it is a must see!!

Release Date: February 17, 2006
Run Time: 1 hr. 44 min.
Rating: PG-13 - some drug references
Cast: Michael W. Smith, Jeff Obafemi Carr
Director: Steve Taylor
Genre: Drama

Synopsis: Ethan Jenkins (Michael W. Smith) and Jake Sanders (introducing Jeff Obafemi Carr) are both passionate pastors who worship the same God from the same book--but that's where the similarity ends. White and well-to-do Ethan is comfortable in his music ministry at the media-savvy suburban mega-church, The Rock; Jake is a street smart African-American who ministers to the gang members, teen mothers, and drug addicts of the urban Second Chance. When they are suddenly thrown together in a tough neighborhood and forced to work side by side, Ethan discovers there is no boundary between the streets and the sanctuary. But can the faith these two men share overcome the prejudices that divide them to give themselves and a struggling urban church a second chance?

Heddatron on Feb 25th

On a curious impulse I bought 2 tickets to the play Heddatron on Feb 25th at 8:30pm. Of course, I dont know who the other ticket is for so if your interested in seeing a play performed by robots then let me know.

[Official Play Description]
Les Freres Corbusier continues its irreverent massacre of historical icons and academic esoterica by taking on famed playwright Henrik Ibsen, the well-made play, and contemporary issues in robotics. Ibsen is thwarted by August Strindberg and his kitchen slut throughout his fevered struggle to write the great feminist drama, Hedda Gabler, while a contemporary housewife in Michigan is abducted by robots and forced to perform Ibsen's masterpiece over and over again...

With real functioning robots portraying half of the parts, alongside humans who will play the other half, Heddatron will be one of the first theatrical productions to use functional robots as actors. Employing robotic automation and text-to-speech software, humans will perform opposite a hunky Lovborg-bot, a clunky Tessman-bot, as well as blinking, smoking, and whirring co-stars who portray Judge Brack, Aunt Julie, and the rest of Ibsen's menagerie.


http://www.lesfreres.org/heddatron/

Shakespeares Bible

I recently came acrossed this interesting fact - that in the margin of Shakespeares Bible (pen name of Edward De Vere) by Psalm 38 he wrote:

As the hope of the daylight causeth us not to be offended with the darkness of the night. So ought we patiently to trust that God will clear our cause and restore us to our right.

Awesome!

Doctor Who comes to America!

At long last... America will finally get the first season of the new Doctor Who television series, according to a press release on the official Doctor Who website. The US-based Sci-Fi Channel, owned by NBC Universal, has secured a deal to broadcast the 13 episodes in America starting in March, beginning on what Outpost Gallifrey believes is likely March 17 (the week after the season finales of the popular "Battlestar Galactica" and two "Stargate" shows), at 9:00pm Friday nights, and it will likely conclude at some point in mid-to-late June in time for Sci-Fi's summer premieres of those shows. The press release notes that Sci-Fi has an option for series two, likely to be acted upon after initial ratings come in.

2005 Photo Journal!

My Digital photo album called "2005 Photo Journal - A Visual Journey through the Year" is done and available on Lulu.com. I don't actually expect anyone to buy any copies. It is just that I like to put all my photos for the year into a professionally bound book with comments and articles but since this is basically just for me, family, and close friends I wasn't very careful about typos and don't plan to go back and fix them.

I plan to bring it to church tomorrow so people can see it and I also plan to bring it to the next family gathering.

It's a New Year

It’s a new year – a new dawn – a new day.
Time to renew the goals and desires that were allowed to drop last year
And the years before.
Each time reborn as a hopeful new sprig that desires to be a blooming bush.
But gets stunted and suppressed;
Choked by the mighty oaks that fill the forests of our lives.
Each year more adamant and determined to live and grow and be fulfilled
and yet aware of all the years it has failed and been left forgotten before.
May this be the year.
May this be your year to bloom
And be that lone flowering bush within that dark wood.

--DDDienst