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Minus The Nemesis
A Collaboration of Some of the Finest Thought on Today's World

INTERESTING, THERE IS HOPE

Sunday, December 30, 2007
This, of course, is a poll which I am not too terribly inclined to believe. But, for the sake of the blog's overall stance, take a look.

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WHO?

Has anyone ever heard of this guy? Is he a newcomer?

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IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW

Oliver Stone is a socialist cocksmoker.
"The mission also gives Stone a chance to get the lay of Colombia's political landscape for two upcoming movies."
The political landscape is as rough as Stone's leather cheerio will allow.

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THIS IS A GOOD ONE

Read this article first. If you don't, who cares. The gist of the article is that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) thinks that it's illegal for you to take a CD that you bought legally and burn it to your own digital device (your own computer, your own iPod, etc.). These guys really are muppets. Slowly, they are losing touch with the last "A" in their name and gravitating towards something more like "F" for fascist. Eat a dick RIAA.

Even better and more eloquent is this entry over at Gizmodo.

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ROLEMODELS IN RELIGION

Thursday, December 27, 2007
You would think that there would be connotations of peace and harmony associated when speaking about the Christian faith. In particular, you would expect to find tranquility in one of the most holy sites in the known universe: Bethlehem. According to this article, however, a brawl broke out between Armenian priests and Greek Orthodox priests in the church where Jesus is said to have been born (the church is built over the site). That's right, a freakin' punch up over the cleaning of the church following Christmas celebrations. I have got to get to the bottom of this. As such, I have forwarded the following letter to archdiocese of both the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Churches:

Your Holiness,

I am writing with somewhat of a concern in reference to recent events that occurred in Bethlehem. I was reading around the Internet this afternoon and read that in Bethlehem of all places and in specific, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, a punch up began. At first I thought that the punch up might have broken out by rowdy or somehow unruly churchgoers. I was aghast at the fact that the punch up was between priests from Armenia and Greek Orthodox priests.

I would have thought that cleaning the Church of the Nativity would be something that is a time honored tradition despite religious differences. Yet, it seems in the article that I read (just a blurb really from the AP) that there was a territorial encroachment that sparked the punch up. It would seem that the Armenian priests are claiming that Greek Orthodox ladders were too close to their territory or some such bickering.

I am hoping that as a spiritual leader you may be able to shed some light on this subject. Why is there so much trouble between these two groups of priests? Is there information that is factual and maybe even historical that you can share to allow me a better understanding of this? Honestly, who would have thought in at least 2000 years that a fistfight would break out at the alleged birthplace of Jesus Christ? Isn't this a bit childish and unorthodox per se?

What actions might (or should) be taken to curb such behavior? While I explore my own faith it is a sort of roadblock to find out this sort of behavior exists between grown men of the cloth. I would have assumed that due to the location and tradition of this holy site that matters such as "ladder encroachment" would be settled outside of the church with a mean game of chess, or a bocce ball tournament. Instead, I get to read about a holy punch up. Something isn't right. Please advise.

Respectfully Yours,

Confused in Church

I eagerly await their respective responses.

*EDIT:* As of 27 December I have only received this from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese:
Thank you for submitting your comments to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

Your email has been received and will be forwarded to the appropriate department in the Archdiocese for a response. We will make every effort to respond to your email as soon as possible.

However, please keep in mind that unfortunately we cannot respond immediately in most cases. Due to both the high volume of email that the Archdiocese receives on a daily basis as well as the need to forward your email to the appropriate department, you may not receive a response immediately.

In Christ,
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

The wait continues...

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A WELCOMING ADDENDUM

Hark! It is the long, lost A Man In the Arena! He is blogging again and that is great. Oddly enough, it takes bureaucracy, pork and an election year to make him do it, but we will take what we can get.

Welcome back AMITA. Now, I had written on the former First Lady speaking to her "volumes" of experience. It was in reference to helping run the country despite the fact that she parried national security to do it, do you remember? Well, A Man In the Arena has also written a piece about it that is worth reading. Check it out here.

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NO REAL SURPRISE HERE II

After the brutal assassination of PM Bhutto the US Presidential race for 2008 is gearing up a bit. In this Yahoo! article, some candidates express concern and how they can best manipulate the murder for political gain. One bugs me the most:
"I know from my lifetime of experience you have to be prepared for whatever might happen, and that's particularly true today,"
said one Bill Clinton's wife. Shut up...just...shut...up.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, December 25, 2007
That's right, I said it. Merry Christmas. In case you were wondering or have forgotten, this holiday isn't about presents, it is about the birth of one Jesus Christ, savior. Deal with it.

I am thankful enough to have a wonderful family and friends that understand this concept. All too often, I see not holiday spirit in the sense of which it was meant, but rather homage to monuments of consumerism. What do you mean little Timmy is upset that he didn't get a PS3? Too bad, little Timmy might just be a spoiled brat.

Am I thankful that I got an Undead Warlock action figure or a Dodge Challenger R/C car? Or how about being thankful for some badass sweaters to keep me warm or flying a small helicopter around my living room? Yes, of course, but not as thankful as I am for the opportunity to spend the holidays with the ones that I love. That, actually, is what the holiday is all about. Presents aside, take the time to step back and appreciate what really matters in life; life itself and those you can share it with.

Keep in mind that once the holiday season is over for this year, I am sure that blogs reverting to the old "no faith in my fellow man" stance will ensue. What of it?

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NO REAL SURPRISE HERE

With all the hubub about the upcoming elections and who is gonna be in the White House, I saw an interesting article. Read it here. Essentially, Hillary Clinton is putting experience on point in her road march to the White House. Along with the total misuse of military terminology and Clinton in one sentence, you might also be asking yourself: what experience? Well, you would be right. She doesn't have enough to speak for an entire nation, let alone the free world. Most of her time as First Lady was spent being pissed at Bill for getting a mic check in the Oval Office.

Remember, as the article says, she didn't even have a clearance while First Lady. That means that she wasn't privy to all of the "goings on" that are required to run a country. Certainly her record as a junior Senator isn't all that extensive. Just look at it. It isn't. Maybe another decade and she will be ready...but I am willing to bet that America still will not be ready to totally self destruct into socialism ala Clinton.

America needs to rebound pretty badly right now. Socialism is most definitely not the answer to bring her back to her former glory, and neither is rampant government spending, constant bickering or governmental cockblockery in general. Time will tell and there is still hope.

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MIA

Sunday, December 09, 2007
Has anyone seen Nemesis?

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