It's the 'Ford vs. Holden' debate in the world of Smartphones.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A little, gleeful wisdom.
As much as the hit television show Glee has slid down the slippery-slope of cringe-worthiness in its second season, I have been persisting in watching it with the hope that it will redeem itself with some decent story-lines, and hopefully deliver some good quality music covers in the meantime.
One of the characters we love to hate, the sadistic, sarcastic, champion cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester (played by actress, Jane Lynch) must be one of the most fun parts to play on television at the moment. Here is what she has to say on the subject of Halloween:
Now, that was just for laughs.
A couple of weeks ago, in the episode playing tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the debate arises over the appropriateness of kids to perform its (rather 'adult') content, and the generally debatable concept of 'pushing boundaries' in art. In her critique of the situation at hand, Sue Sylvester gets to deliver one of the most profound, cultural truths to have come out of the show to date:
As for the second point, the public debate over homosexuality and gay marriage springs to mind. Those opposed to gay marriage are too readily painted with the 'bigoted homophobe' brush. They should be free to respectfully(!) express their views and concerns, based on their own convictions without being labelled with hate.
One of the characters we love to hate, the sadistic, sarcastic, champion cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester (played by actress, Jane Lynch) must be one of the most fun parts to play on television at the moment. Here is what she has to say on the subject of Halloween:
"You know, Halloween is fast approaching. The day when parents encourage little boys to dress like little girls and little girls to dress like whores and go door to door brow-beating hard working Americans into giving them free food."
Now, that was just for laughs.
A couple of weeks ago, in the episode playing tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the debate arises over the appropriateness of kids to perform its (rather 'adult') content, and the generally debatable concept of 'pushing boundaries' in art. In her critique of the situation at hand, Sue Sylvester gets to deliver one of the most profound, cultural truths to have come out of the show to date:
“Just because you’re free to say whatever you want, it doesn’t always mean you should. Artists are free to push boundaries in order to make art, but when pushing boundaries is their only aim the result is usually bad art. There's a time and a place for everything and squeamishness about what we want our children exposed to is not the same as bigotry. Freedom-loving adults are free to have an open, lively debate about what we want our society to be, but let's not make our children fight the culture war for us. They deserve a little better than that." (Emphasis mine)
Unfortunately, the show fails to live up to its own message: the kids go on to perform the show solely 'for themselves', without an audience. Still, it managed to articulate those very good points in a way which I've been trying to do for so long, yet failed.
Artists such as Lady Gaga, whom I have discussed before, should take note of the first point: How about creating music with positive messages, and build your public image simply on a foundation of musical creativity and talent, rather than how creatively (and let's face it, bizzarre) you can present your body in a sexual context?
As for the second point, the public debate over homosexuality and gay marriage springs to mind. Those opposed to gay marriage are too readily painted with the 'bigoted homophobe' brush. They should be free to respectfully(!) express their views and concerns, based on their own convictions without being labelled with hate. On the flip-side, those opposed to gay marriage (Christians especially) need to respect the pro-homosexual viewpoint, and respond without judgement and condemnation. These people are also trying to shape society based on their own convictions. I cringe when I read what some Christians have to say on the subject of 'gays'. Our speech shouldn't be filled with haughty disregard, or self-righteous moralising; this reinforces the perceived rejection of homosexuals by the church.
Yes, there are irrational extremists on both sides of the debate, and there always will be. The majority of us in the middle, however, should be able to debate the issue constructively, and lovingly. Jesus didn't win people with messages of judgement and condemnation, but rather through messages of hope, healing, forgiveness and God's love.
Should we not follow His lead?
Monday, November 01, 2010
It's Hip to be a Christian (29/10/10)
Tonight I met Josh and Naomi, which has truly been one of the most delightful experiences I have had on this trip, and indeed for a while.
Josh and Naomi (or 'Nay' for short) happen to be the married couple with whom my mate Andy lives, and so I have the privilege of staying here tonight and tomorrow night, and while I have only known them for less than two hours, I have decided that they are two truly wonderful people.
Josh and Nay seem (as far as appearances go) to be hardcore hippie-hips. Dreads from here to eternity, funky clothes, piercings; you name it, it's there. As for the house, it's decked out in wonderful colours, various pieces of art, and there is even a lingering smell from incense that has been burned in the corner many times before. There is also a fish tank, which instantly caught my attention. Natural cleaning products and other 'organicky things' can be found around the house, and having forgotten to bring toothpaste with me, I tentatively made the decision to brush my teeth with something called 'HerbalFresh'. I may have wound up with more green things in my teeth than when I started, though I haven't been game enough to check yet.
Tonight, Josh, Nay and their dreads returned from a week or so of camping at a hippie 'Rainbow' festival, just west of the Blue Mountains; a get-together which, from their stories, sounds like it plays host to all sorts of heresy, paganism, and other dubious activities.
Despite all this, and the conclusions you may draw, Josh and Nay are long-standing, dedicated and mature Christians.
At 27 years of age, Josh and Nay have been married for five, and together for the five before that. They are currently expecting their first child. Both have trained at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and Josh is the Christian chaplain at the Ultimo TAFE here in Sydney, while Nay works in retail at a hippie-style Tree of Life store.
Together, they share and live the Gospel in the hippie and spiritual communities, and are moving to India next year to proclaim Jesus among the ashrams to the multitudes of spiritual seekers which traverse the country.
I was very encouraged by their ability to 'live in the world, but not of the world', as they are able to live and share in select ways of'hippie living' while holding firm to God's truth, and declare Jesus as their Saviour. They are a great reminder that Christianity transcends mainstream culture.
Please remember them in your prayers this week; particularly for the safe arrival of their little one in the coming month, and their preparations to travel to India next year.
Sadly, I cannot find a link to a profile of them. I'll update if I find one. SG
Josh and Naomi (or 'Nay' for short) happen to be the married couple with whom my mate Andy lives, and so I have the privilege of staying here tonight and tomorrow night, and while I have only known them for less than two hours, I have decided that they are two truly wonderful people.
Josh and Nay seem (as far as appearances go) to be hardcore hippie-hips. Dreads from here to eternity, funky clothes, piercings; you name it, it's there. As for the house, it's decked out in wonderful colours, various pieces of art, and there is even a lingering smell from incense that has been burned in the corner many times before. There is also a fish tank, which instantly caught my attention. Natural cleaning products and other 'organicky things' can be found around the house, and having forgotten to bring toothpaste with me, I tentatively made the decision to brush my teeth with something called 'HerbalFresh'. I may have wound up with more green things in my teeth than when I started, though I haven't been game enough to check yet.
Tonight, Josh, Nay and their dreads returned from a week or so of camping at a hippie 'Rainbow' festival, just west of the Blue Mountains; a get-together which, from their stories, sounds like it plays host to all sorts of heresy, paganism, and other dubious activities.
Despite all this, and the conclusions you may draw, Josh and Nay are long-standing, dedicated and mature Christians.
At 27 years of age, Josh and Nay have been married for five, and together for the five before that. They are currently expecting their first child. Both have trained at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and Josh is the Christian chaplain at the Ultimo TAFE here in Sydney, while Nay works in retail at a hippie-style Tree of Life store.
Together, they share and live the Gospel in the hippie and spiritual communities, and are moving to India next year to proclaim Jesus among the ashrams to the multitudes of spiritual seekers which traverse the country.
I was very encouraged by their ability to 'live in the world, but not of the world', as they are able to live and share in select ways of'hippie living' while holding firm to God's truth, and declare Jesus as their Saviour. They are a great reminder that Christianity transcends mainstream culture.
Please remember them in your prayers this week; particularly for the safe arrival of their little one in the coming month, and their preparations to travel to India next year.
Sadly, I cannot find a link to a profile of them. I'll update if I find one. SG
Sydney-Bound (28/10/10)
Yeah, I meant to publish this one before my blog about Annaliese Szota. Ah well.
Hi all,
I am writing on my MacBook in luxury from the air-conditioned cabin of a Virgin Blue 737-700. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 38 000 feet, over the country town of Scone, in which I can see none, nor any horses for which the town is famous for. Probably an altitude thing.
The cabin crew are about to run through to do a rubbish collection. My first instinct (after many years of PC-based indoctrination) was to hurl my Mac into the bag when it goes past, but I guess I need to re-educate myself.
For those who don't know, I am on my way to the home of the 2000 Olympic Games - Sydney, Australia. It's also the home of two of my friends (whom I intend to visit), the Moore Theological College (which I intend to visit) and the Sydney Opera House (which I will try and score a gig at while I'm there).
Sidenote: I just heard the telltale sign of a text message being sent from an iPhone in the seat behind me. Currently fighting the urge to turn around and hurl some of my peanuts at his head. Well, if I die in the plane crash, at least I'll know who to yell at.
One of the things I love about flying is the collection of needle-like ice crystals which form on the window panes, even if you're flying in the middle of the day. They start ever so tiny, and grow into almost spider-like structures. So fine and delicate. If you look closely, you can even see a multitude of offshoots from each needle, which, to the naked eye, appear perfectly perpendicular. Fascinating.
Beyond those, I have a lovely view of the clouds from my window seat. Set against the greeney-blue of the landscape below, their billowing forms appear similar to steam pouring up from the sky like a stream of lava hitting the ocean. The less 'voluptuous' forms look like a snow-scape, stretching out to the horizon.
Unfortunately, we're approaching Sydney from the west which means we won't be coming in from the ocean, which is a most enjoyable sight. Still, with al the cloud cover there may not be much to see until we're 100 feet above the tarmac.
Well, it looks like we'll be on the landing approach soon, so I'd better shut down my Mac and yell at the man behind me. If anything is going to interfere with aircraft systems, it's a Mac, since it communicates with everything so much easier than PCs seem to.
See you on the ground! SG
Hi all,
I am writing on my MacBook in luxury from the air-conditioned cabin of a Virgin Blue 737-700. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 38 000 feet, over the country town of Scone, in which I can see none, nor any horses for which the town is famous for. Probably an altitude thing.
The cabin crew are about to run through to do a rubbish collection. My first instinct (after many years of PC-based indoctrination) was to hurl my Mac into the bag when it goes past, but I guess I need to re-educate myself.
For those who don't know, I am on my way to the home of the 2000 Olympic Games - Sydney, Australia. It's also the home of two of my friends (whom I intend to visit), the Moore Theological College (which I intend to visit) and the Sydney Opera House (which I will try and score a gig at while I'm there).
Sidenote: I just heard the telltale sign of a text message being sent from an iPhone in the seat behind me. Currently fighting the urge to turn around and hurl some of my peanuts at his head. Well, if I die in the plane crash, at least I'll know who to yell at.
One of the things I love about flying is the collection of needle-like ice crystals which form on the window panes, even if you're flying in the middle of the day. They start ever so tiny, and grow into almost spider-like structures. So fine and delicate. If you look closely, you can even see a multitude of offshoots from each needle, which, to the naked eye, appear perfectly perpendicular. Fascinating.
Beyond those, I have a lovely view of the clouds from my window seat. Set against the greeney-blue of the landscape below, their billowing forms appear similar to steam pouring up from the sky like a stream of lava hitting the ocean. The less 'voluptuous' forms look like a snow-scape, stretching out to the horizon.
Unfortunately, we're approaching Sydney from the west which means we won't be coming in from the ocean, which is a most enjoyable sight. Still, with al the cloud cover there may not be much to see until we're 100 feet above the tarmac.
Well, it looks like we'll be on the landing approach soon, so I'd better shut down my Mac and yell at the man behind me. If anything is going to interfere with aircraft systems, it's a Mac, since it communicates with everything so much easier than PCs seem to.
See you on the ground! SG
Annaliese Szota (28/10/10)
Tonight, having arrived in Sydney after a reasonably long plane-flight, then a good ol'trek from the airport out to Moore Theological College in Newtown, my buddy Alan and I were able to gig it up at a club.
Perhaps not a club - more like a theatre restaurant dedicated to live music. One of my mates, Andy from Wollongong, was performing there with one of his friends, Annaliese Szota. Andy sings background vocals and plays the violin (electric on this particular occasion) an I was very excited to see him performing live (though not unplugged, thankfully) for the first time.
It was a very enjoyable concert, and for those who have never heard of Annaliese Szota, she is a relatively new artist with a bubbly stage presence, whose music is a mix of the bouncy and somewhat melancholic. Many have compared her to Regina Spektor, and others I don't recognise. Some compare her to Kasey Chambers, though I disagree and I prefer not to think about that. I find listening to Chambers similar to listening to a giant nose, whose voice has as much 'nasal twang' as the guitar she plays.
Some of Szota's lyrics are quite poetic, where others are abstract. Others are delightfully queer, such as those in one of my favourite songs, Deck of Octopi (which is now my ringtone). Alan commented that many of her songs contain vague acknowledgment of confusion and randomness in the world, asking or implying many questions though seeming to answer none. I would agree with this statement to some extent, though I haven't studied them in any particular depth to comment further.
Anyway, you can check out Szota on her Myspace. Listen to the clip from Deck of Octopi, and Blanket Meteor. It's worth it.
As for Andy, he used to be part of a Christian Band called Blind. I love his voice, but I was unable to link to any audio clips for your listening enjoyment. I'll update if I find anything. Andy, if you're reading this, point me in the right direction! SG
Perhaps not a club - more like a theatre restaurant dedicated to live music. One of my mates, Andy from Wollongong, was performing there with one of his friends, Annaliese Szota. Andy sings background vocals and plays the violin (electric on this particular occasion) an I was very excited to see him performing live (though not unplugged, thankfully) for the first time.
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| Left to Right: Andy, Annaliese Szota, Ben Szota |
Some of Szota's lyrics are quite poetic, where others are abstract. Others are delightfully queer, such as those in one of my favourite songs, Deck of Octopi (which is now my ringtone). Alan commented that many of her songs contain vague acknowledgment of confusion and randomness in the world, asking or implying many questions though seeming to answer none. I would agree with this statement to some extent, though I haven't studied them in any particular depth to comment further.
Anyway, you can check out Szota on her Myspace. Listen to the clip from Deck of Octopi, and Blanket Meteor. It's worth it.
As for Andy, he used to be part of a Christian Band called Blind. I love his voice, but I was unable to link to any audio clips for your listening enjoyment. I'll update if I find anything. Andy, if you're reading this, point me in the right direction! SG
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