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According to Anil Dash, the most exciting startups on the web are being started in New York City, not the Silicon Valley.
New York City startups are as likely to be focused on the arts and crafts as on the bits and bytes, to be influenced by our unparalleled culture as by the latest browser features, and informed by the dynamic interaction of different social groups and classes that’s unavoidable in our city, but uncommon in Silicon Valley. Best of all, the support for these efforts can come from investors and supporters that are outside of the groupthink that many West Coast VC firms suffer from. When I lived in San Francisco, it was easy to spend days at a time only interacting with other web geeks; In New York, fortunately, that’s impossible.
Am I biased? Sure. But are there half a dozen startups anywhere in the world as interesting and full of potential as these new NYC efforts? Isn’t it exciting that these are all built around the full potential of the open web, instead of merely trying to be land grabs within the walled gardens of closed platforms? I’m more optimistic about the environment and opportunity for starting new ventures than I’ve been in ages, and for me the fundamental reasons why are demonstrated best by startups that could only happen in New York City.
Even technology is contextual.
Jim Henderson has a great post on what the black church has that the white church needs.
The White church is slowly being pushed toward the margins of a culture it once dominated.
- Cell phone towers are replacing church steeples as key geographic (and cultural) markers
- For all its political effort, the religious right has come up largely empty handed
- The fastest growing faith segment in America is the “nones” those who claim no religion
The Good News: The Black church has been operating from the margins from its inception
- They’ve never had power or influence over the majority culture
- They’ve always had to do more with less
- They have experience with being ignored
- They’ve developed practical gospel that brings heaven to humans (as well as humans to heaven)
- They produced the most significant Christian leader of the 20th Century Martin Luther King Jr.
The Bad News: We’ve rarely asked them for help
- We have largely ignored their accomplishments
- We have been suspicious of their version of the gospel
The Best News: If we ask, they’re willing to help us
- Create a more practical gospel
- Become more about others and less about ourselves
Make sure you read the entire post.
The city rules that an Arizona United Methodist church can’t feed the poor on their property as the city rules that giving away a free pancake breakfast one day a week constitutes a city feeding program. First of all I can’t believe that giving away a free breakfast once a week constitutes a feeding program. Secondly I can’t grasp that they need to bus homeless people into the area to feed them pancakes. It’s not that that hard to do this in a remote location, with probably less cost, more impact, and less controversy so it isn’t a clear cut case. I would care more if the homeless were from that neighborhood being denied by the city (which happens lots) rather than being bussed in but that is just me.
You know, for when the Word of God isn’t exciting enough for the NASCAR fan in your life, this version brings testimonies and photographs of the popular race personalities with whom they work on a daily basis: the drivers, the pit crews, the media spokespeople, and others associated with the world of racing.
Well it’s official, deficit financing on the scale not seen since the Devine era is back in Saskatchewan. The government of Saskatchewan is going to run a billion dollar deficit this year based on the fall of potash prices. As told by the Star Phoenix.
The release of the government’s mid-year financial report Thursday shows it now projecting it will take in only $109 million from potash royalties and taxes – $1.8 billion below what it forecast in its spring budget.
The government is now spending more than it is taking in, even with higher-than-expected oil royalties, tax revenues and federal transfers.
That has required a drawdown from the reserve Growth and Financial Security Fund of $564.3 million and a special dividend from Crown Investments Corp. of $460 million from the sale of the government’s share of SaskFerco.
However on a summary basis – which includes all of the operations of government including the Crowns – a deficit projected at $25 million at budget is now pegged at $1.05 billion.
The NDP were all over this today. I’ll link to Cam Broten’s website who posted the NDP press release and response to the deficit.
I liked how it started.
With the release of the Mid-Year Financial Report, NDP Finance critic Trent Wotherspoon said the Wall government has confirmed that it is responsible for the biggest example of fiscal incompetence in the history of Saskatchewan. He said the combination of grossly inflated potash revenue projections, equity stripping from Crown Corporations, and out-of-control government spending has left the province with a $1 Billion deficit on a summary financial basis and a financial blunder not seen in generations.
“Private forecasters, industry representatives, and the NDP Opposition all cautioned against the fantasyland numbers the Wall government put forward in its budget,” Wotherspoon said. “But cheerleading and popular promises ruled the day with no thought as to whether or not the expert advice it received should have been taken into account.”
Then it gets a bit weird as it moves for attacking “out of control spending” and attacks spending cuts.
Wotherspoon said the Wall government’s fiscal mismanagement isn’t just about numbers on a page; people are being asked to pay for its incompetence through cuts to healthcare, education, rural programs, and their quality in life in general. He noted that among the cuts was $122 million from the construction of long-term care facilities in rural Saskatchewan and $32 million from new school infrastructure.
So on one hand the NDP are criticizing the Sask. Party for running a huge deficit (which they should) while at the other hand trying to get upset or cutting spending to keep government spending under control.
I have friends and I respect people in both parties and here is my advice on to handle the situation.
Saskatchewan Party: You missed your revenue predictions by $1.8 billion dollars. I would fire whoever made that prediction because I agree with the NDP on this one, when you came out with this budget, you must have known it was going to be a bad year for potash prices. Even I knew it was going to be a bad year for commodity prices going into a global recession. To keep this from happening again, I would come up with an independent office of economic forecasters that would give guidance to the government that were outside the Ministry of Finance and therefore outside the influence of the political pressures that lead to really bad budget forecasting. Don’t go half-way with this. Give it legitimacy, give it some independence, and fund it properly. I am not an economist but I know many of them have ideological bents on how the world is going to pan out and that is natural. Even the best economists are also going to make mistakes. I can accept that (not $1.8 billion dollar mistakes but some mistakes). What I want to see as a voter and a taxpayer is a process in budget forcasting that is non-partisan and transparent. This would go a long way in restoring some confidence in your budget predictions which have been questioned by the media for over a year. If you want us to trust you again, you need to take some steps to ensure you don’t miss your targets again. Again, as a Saskatchewan voter and taxpayer I want to hear what your plan is to pay back your billion dollar boondoggle sooner rather than later. It’s a lot of money and you are going to take a beating in the press and in the Legislature but it’s better to deal with it up front and head on and then move on then play political games with it. Dealing with it this way will hopefully stop the comparisons to the Devine Tories of the 1980s.
Also, potash prices didn’t just fall last week. I know you a governing party doesn’t want to give negative financial updates every month but it seems prudent during a time of unstable financial times to offer a more transparent accounting of the public purse in regards how we are doing compared to our predictions.
NDP: Maybe they should not use the same press release to attack out of control spending and then attacking spending cuts. Use two pieces of paper and maybe send out two different press releases. Despite not liking the wording and structure of their release, the NDP have the high ground here, as they are the ones that slayed the deficit that last time. If I was the NDP, I would have a reunion luncheon with Roy Romanow, Janice MacKinnon, Eric Cline, and others who had to go through year after year of budget cuts to talk about how hard it was and the consequences of deficit financing in the Devine years had on the 1990s in Saskatchewan. While you are at it, give out a lot of copies of Minding the Public Purse to remind us again how hard it was to make those cutbacks as a government but also to remind us voters how hard it was to see things we care about in Saskatchewan to be cut. If I was Trent Wotherspoon, I would also use the term “billion dollar boondoggle” a lot in the days ahead but that is just me. Boondoggle is such a great word.
For both parties, I would love to see a real debate on their visions for the future. A future that involves peak oil, a liquidity crisis turning into a long term government debt crisis, a future where our federal government seems destined to burden all of us with long term debt (again), higher interest rates, cut transfer payments, and potentially higher unemployment. Are we going to grow ourselves out of this mess (doubtful) or make drastic spending cuts? Will we see a higher PST and income tax rates in our future? Will the burden be put on businesses or individuals or will someone come up with a new path to take? Tough times are ahead and it would be refreshing to hear the vision of both major parties in Saskatchewan (and for that matter, I would like to hear the Liberal Party vision as well) about the role of Saskatchewan in a smaller, less affluent world will look like.
In case you are shopping for the great outdoorsman, here are a list of suggestions for those who often prefer to outdoors rather than inside. Check out the Christmas gift ideas category if you are looking for other Christmas Gift Guides.
Straight from the Leftorium, the MEC Left Handed Slingpack. Wendy has had a slingpack for years and just about jumped for joy when I told her that there was a left handed version available. She may have actually wept a tear of joy.
Topeak Alien III Mini Folding Bicycle Tool :: 25 function folding tool with bag will keep you biking all day long, even if your body won’t want you to.
Pelican 1050 waterproof case :: These are great camera/GPS/iPod cases. They are water proof, padded, floatable, and strong enough to take a lot of abuse in the back of your trunk or any backpack. They are pretty much indestructible which means that of all of the things you have to worry about, this isn’t one of them.
While this cycling computer/GPS by Garmin may be out of your price range, the Cateye Wireless Bicycle Computer displays speed, max speed, average speed, trip distance, 2nd trip distance, total distance, elapsed time, and a clock for a very affordable price with a big screen for easy viewing.
Leatherman Wave Multitool with Leather Sheath :: The most popular full-size Leatherman tool has been upgraded with larger knives, stronger pliers, longer wire cutters and all-locking blades. The pliers have been redesigned to withstand more than double the previous squeezing load.
Outdoor Coffee Press :: Now there is no reason to bring that horrible tasting Starbucks Via coffee with you when you go camping or hiking. Instead bring some fresh ground coffee or loose leaf tea with you and make some excellent coffee when ever you want with this outdoor coffee press. In case you have never made coffee with a coffee press, check out the definitive guide to making good coffee by Derek Powazek. Of course you won’t bring a bean grinder with you on most trips but it gives you an idea of what it takes to make a good cup of coffee while on the road. Of course you need something to drink it from. You may want to check out some excellent stainless steel coffee mugs/beer mugs to drink from.
Cammenga Lensatic Compass :: This is the Rolls Royce of compasses. It has been used by U.S. troops, foreign militaries, law enforcement, and special forces for years. A total of seven Tritium light sources provide readability in total darkness for 10 years without external power or the need to "recharge" using a flashlight.
Coleman Aluminum Cookset :: It’s a four piece cookset for under $9 on Amazon.com. They weigh almost nothing and have some good reviews. While they won’t replace your cookware at home. Coleman has a non-stick set as well. If you want something stainless steel, Texsport makes a set for under $14.
I already mentioned this Pathfinder watch from Casio. Is there anything this watch can’t do? It includes a digital compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer. It’s altitude measurement up to 10,000 meters in the air and 100 meters under water. I am still a fan of Timex Atlantis 100 watches which you can give with the stainless steel or the more traditional polyurethane strap. For those of you who are Timex Ironman fans, don’t overlook their latest reincarnation.
All three seasons of Survivorman on DVD. You can order them from the Les Stroud Productions store. Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3. We have all three DVDs and they are a lot of fun to watch. You can also order them from Amazon as well. Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3. In case you just want to see how Les Stroud survives in the American wilderness, you can order this DVD as well.
Not only is Mark a big fan of the show but Wendy has become quite a fan as well which around here is the entire television viewing family.
In case you want to take some photos while you are out in the wild, you will want a Camera Pod. I recently ordered one and have come to love it. Despite being made in Canada, Amazon.com won’t ship them here and so you can order them from Les Stroud Productions or get them from The Pod.ca. If you are in the United States, you can get them from Amazon.com. You may also be interested in this Pedco Lightweight Camera Tripod.
While we are talking about Les Stroud and Survivorman, you may want to consider his book, Survive!. While it isn’t on Amazon.com, there is another edition with full color photographs and the ultimate edition comes with a DVD as well but the paperback can be picked up at Amazon.com.
For other Christmas Gift Guides keep checking out the Christmas gift idea category for other ideas as we keep creeping closer and closer to Christmas.
I awaited the news about Google Chrome OS today with some interest to see if it was going to provide me with some guidance over whether I should finally give up Windows and move to Chrome OS. The advantages of Chrome can be found in the video below. It’s faster and really optimized for the web which is cool as I spend probably 90% of my time on the web now.
That’s the kicker, I spend probably 90% of my time there but even with my laptop, a netbook, or even my iPod Touch, I spend some pretty critical time offline (click here to see my list of essential Windows applications) and I just can’t myself giving them up, even on a netbook. Giving up Photoshop (or even Gimp), the Flickr Uploadr, AbiWord, Open Office, or even iTunes isn’t high on my list of priorities. Yes I keep a lot of my photos and e-mail in the cloud and we are highly reliant on Google Apps at work, I just can’t imagine giving up desktop apps, even on my iPod Touch for the sake of more speed in bootup. In fact, I wonder if Google OS’s main competition won’t be my desktop or notebook computer but rather the iPhone/iPod Touch from Apple. Around the house we go days without logging into my computer at home because of the easy and convenience of my iPod Touch. I can blog, Twitter, and check e-mail from while while reading the New York Times and the Globe and Mail (btw, the Globe and Mail app is WAY BETTER than the New York Times app). It’s just so much more convenient and so much faster than firing up the old Dell. Yet at the same time, when I need to get some work done offline, I need that too (like when I am at the lake, on a plane, or in a place that doesn’t have wifi – which even in downtown Saskatoon, there are places that aren’t wifi enabled, despite the best efforts of Saskatchewan Connected!). I will pay for Windows or find a Linux version to run. Since we are an iPod family, it will probably be Windows for the foreseeable future.
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NewOCR is a free online OCR service that allows to convert scanned images and multi-page PDF documents to text, can process 29 languages and supports layout analysis
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I love the idea of turning some of Saskatoon's vacant lots into pocket parks.
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As a former defender on that team, I would've cared less about the result of that fourth-down attempt. The decision to go for it would be enough to make my blood boil for weeks. Bill Belichick sent a message to his defense. He felt that his chances were better to go for it on his own 28-yard line than to punt it away and make Peyton Manning have to drive the majority of the field to win the game.
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USA's unemployment numbers are worse then the "worst case scenario" envisioned without the stimulus package.
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You have to give them credit, they came into the Griffiths Stadium and played a great game.
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Here's the best part of the story: According to Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in Adams' luxury box during at least part of the game. I'm guessing that if the matter wasn't discussed at the time, it soon will be.
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Let's hope they have the money this time although I have my doubts.
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Yeah… not much one can add to this.
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Important new commentary series coming out of Africa and written by African scholars and theologians.
Bill Kinnon talks about a video he shot a couple of years ago with Eddie Gibbs
In an interview I shot with Eddie Gibbs a couple of years ago (no longer available online, I’m afraid), Eddie talked about the present seminary model that leads to students incurring huge debts in pursuit of their Masters Degrees. He commented that his banker, financial advisor and a real estate agent he knew were all M.Div’s who couldn’t afford to work full time at a church – they wouldn’t be able to service their seminary education debt.
Eddie was bold enough to suggest that seminaries needed to learn how to give their education away for free – like MIT and Stanford are doing. (Not that I expect to see that any time soon.) He also suggested that churches needed to be the ones sending folk to seminaries, paying for that education and expecting the seminarians to return to their sending community to work there or to be sent out from that community to plant new churches.
This is where the Disseminary makes so much sense to me.
I do most of the Christmas shopping in our house which leaves Wendy to get my gift. I generally update my Amazon.com wishlist and use their universal wish list button to create on central wish list for her and Mark. Our goal is to be done Christmas shopping by December 1st every year and we finished everything up last week so we are good. Since I started posting the Christmas Gift Guides, people have asked me how many things I was asking for Christmas and the answer is I don’t want that many things but here is a short list of things I asked Wendy, Mark, Oliver and Maggi to get me for Christmas. Since they are done their shopping by now, I feel fine in posting this.
A new Swiss Army knife :: I bought one for my groomsmen and myself from MEC 12 years ago and it is showing it’s age and needs to be replaced. This year might be a good year to do it. While I really like my multi-tool, a lot of days, I just want a pocket knife in my front pocket.
I couldn’t help but notice this Pathfinder watch from Casio. Is there anything this watch can’t do? It includes a digital compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer. It’s altitude measurement up to 10,000 meters in the air and 100 meters under water.
I am still a fan of Timex Atlantis 100 watches which you can give with the stainless steel or the more traditional polyurethane strap. Timex also has put out these really nice looking NHL team watches. Not that I am biased but I think this one looks the best.
This is more for the cabin but I thought these dynamite fire starting sticks from Cabelas were a lot of fun. Though the contents of this sturdy wood crate will not move mountains, they will start your fireplace. One look at the realistic "dynamite" crate will have family and friends looking twice. Each cedar wood crate contains 20 fire-starter sticks. They are made of paraffin and sawdust for a long, hot burn. Each stick will burn approximately 30 minutes setting ablaze even the most stubborn wood. Plus, Cabelas sent me a $20 gift certificate a months ago because I responded to a question on Twitter for them and I need to spend it on something.
Snowshoes and Solitude :: We are a big fan of the show Survivorman around the house but one of the questions I always have is how we he do if his isolation lasted longer than 7 days. According to some friends who have seen the DVD, Snowshoes and Solitude goes a long way in answering that question and I am told it is worth watching and owning.
Saskatchewan Roughriders: Welcome Sign :: If I get this, I plan to hang it in the cabin but it would also look good at home. I also am hoping for a Saskatchewan Roughriders water bottle and a Saskatchewan Roughriders magnet. The water bottle is for our house. The magnet is for the Reimer’s front door which they painted Rider Green while at the same time still being Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans.
A Harmonica :: While I still can play the alto saxophone (or as I and Homer Simpson prefer to call it, the Saxomaphone, I really don’t have the desire to get the rust off and I never learned to play by ear. The other night I suggested to Wendy, “I want to play the harmonica.” which threw her for a loop. After waiting for the punch line, she asked me why I would want to. At least it’s not the bagpipes.
The SAS Survival Handbook :: Mark and I are planning to do some hiking this summer and I think it would be fun to teach him some of the stuff found in this book and Les Stroud’s book Survive!. Mark loves watching Survivorman and I think we will have a blast learning this stuff together. Plus, Mark has already said he was going to eat a grasshopper kabob after watching this episode of Survivorman and wants to learn how to make a fire to cook them on.
NCAA 2010 for the PSP :: While I love the NFL, there is something about college offences and the ability to run a triple option attack is fun. Plus, I now know that Notre Dame can’t stop it. That being said, Madden 10 would be pretty cool and I can see if I can do more with JaMarcus Russell than Tom Cable can.
LittleBigPlanet for PSP :: I was over at my brother Lee’s place and he has it for the PS3. Mark was enthralled, Wendy had fun and even Lee was enjoying it. It looks fun, Mark will borrow the game, and I can see Wendy killing some time with it. Good enough for me.
I couldn’t help but notice these great customizable Denver Broncos shirts from NFL Shop.com.
There you go, it’s not a big list but it doesn’t really matter what I get for Christmas but I thought I would post it to give some ideas in case you know of someone who is as insane as I am.
Last Thursday I was watching Rutgers play football and I saw a segment on the Fat Darrell Sandwich. It was stunned and amazed by a sandwich that is made from chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries, marinara sauce, and assorted lettuce and tomatoes. Yes, that’s what I said, a sandwich with all of that fun stuff in it.
We are testing them out for Christmas Day, if neither myself or the kitchen staff die while eating it (I wonder if my Worker’s Comp plan covers “death by sandwich”), we plan to serve them up at the Centre. Santa Claus is a warped and twisted human being.
Oh right, in case you are interested, there is a Fat Darrell Sandwich Facebook group.
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Yet another article about a team moving from Division II to Division I for no apparent reason and it turning out disastrously. We'll see how it turns out but I don't have a lot of high expectations.
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As of July 2009, California's budget shortfall was 49.3% of its general funds. States have considered drastic options to fill such gaps.
"I looked as hard as I could at how states could declare bankruptcy," said Michael Genest, director of the California Department of Finance who is stepping down at the end of the year. "I literally looked at the federal constitution to see if there was a way for states to return to territory status."
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The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.
The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves.
The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organisation's latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply to be published tomorrow – which is used by the British and many other governments to help guide their wider energy and climate change policies.
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Wow, NASA knows how to take the fun out of the internet.
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As long as we are upgrading the North American infrastructure, why not an investment in high speed rail?
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The same thing could be said about a lot of organizations, not just tech startups.
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With Google's improvements to http, the web could load up 50% faster
Wendy is the world’s hardest women to shop for and the suggestions from Amazon Gift Central just inspired sarcastic mocking comments. Wendy asked me to put together a short gift guide for you clueless husbands out there who are like one guy I know who bought his wife a watch every Christmas for over a decade. Of course there are the staples like jewelry, watches (unless you have done it every year for a decade), and more jewelry but if you are looking for something a little different, here is my list.
Of course before I get to the list, I need to tell you a story from Wendy. Years ago she was working Christmas Eve at the Safeway on 8th and Cumberland. In the morning it is really busy but by noon, it quiets down except for people running in for snacks for the road and people who have forgotten a few items. Around 4:00 p.m. when the store was empty a guy comes in and desperately says, “Do you sell any jewelry that my wife would like?”. Wendy was polite but wanted to suggest he just move out now as he is going to be in the dog house for a long, long time.
CBC Radio Retro Reporters Bag :: This has road tested for a year as I got it for Wendy last year and it is in still new condition. Wendy uses it as a camera bag, diaper bag, road trip bag, and everyday running around town bag. Made of durable cotton canvas with rugged adjustable strap. Small inside pocket. Two snap positions for smaller/larger contents. Measures approximately 12″ high, 14″ wide and 3″ deep expanding to roughly 7″. The only thing that Wendy didn’t like about the bag is that it snaps up and not zippers up. That being said, she hasn’t lost anything out of it so it hasn’t been an issue and like I said, it stood up well.
iPod Touch :: Wendy never had any interest in having an iPod Touch until she started to play around with mine one night. While the iPod Touch is pretty cool, she fell in love with the apps. I like the idea that I can sync it up with Google Calendar and Google Contacts which means that Wendy and I are on the same page with our schedules and our phone books. While we are a Yahoo! family, there is a great Yahoo! app in addition to great Dopplr, Flickr, Twitter, and other stuff that makes things like better. In addition to the practical apps, there are also some fun games that Mark loves when I am in meetings, waiting in the car while running errands or even heading to the lake. It also has the amazing NFB app which allows you to download NFB videos and watch them later. I can see it getting used a lot at the cabin.- Nintendo DS Lite or Nintendo DSi :: I never really thought of this as a gift idea for Wendy but several women at work have one or want one. When I brought it up to Wendy, she thought it was a great idea because of how easy it is for her to play against Mark and his Nintendo DS Lite. Everyone is suggesting Brain Age but don’t forget the Namco Museum Classics.
- I know Sarah Palin’s autobiography is a big seller right now but instead why not get her a book by someone that has actually accomplished something in life. I recommend Madame Secretary by Madeleine Albright. It’s a bit long but documents a fascinating time in American’s foreign policy where there was great achievements and big mistakes.
Don’t let the computer geeks in your life get all the cool toys, get her a Kodak Zi8 camcorder. While at first glance all of these cameras are equal, Kodak’s Zi8 is really a step above in quality. It has full HD 1080p video. You get sharper videos and less blur thanks to built-in image stabilization. There are no cables to worry about–just swing out the USB arm to upload, share and charge. You can share on Facebook and YouTube with ease–built-in software makes editing and uploading simple. It is compatible with PC and MAC (Use with Apple iLife Suite of products) operating systems and is compatible with iTunes for syncing with Apple TV, iPhone and iPod Devices.- Electric Fondue Set :: Wendy loves a good fondue (me not so much) but one of the problems is getting the heat settings correct with candles. These electric fondue sets not only look cool but allow you to keep the chocolate/cheese melted without creating that wonderful burnt fondue smell. If you want to stay old school, Jysk has a great 23 piece fondue set.
- 10 Piece Chromium Frame Set :: If the person you are shopping for is a photographer, why not spoil her with his great 10 piece frame set. Make sure you shell out and pay for her prints made as well.
- Suddenly Sauna Foot Spa :: This comes from Bath and Body Works but it is a foot treatment that starts with disposable booties that slowly warm up when you add water to them. Apparently women love them and they come with hand spas as well.
Wendy is legendary for taking my tools and never putting them back. It drives me insane. I have thought about booby trapping them but instead a better solution would be to get her a toolkit for herself starting with this designer toolbox. Sadly you know that your tools will end up in here as well but at least they will be put away… someplace.
You can find more Christmas Gift Guides here.
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In the end it will involve a lot of bureaucrats making plans.
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A good summary of the how the emerging church see's Biblical inerrancy.
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In case you are wondering what it would take to get a NASCAR race to Saskatoon (other than a really, really big racetrack)
Jason Kottke points to this incredible story of a father and son who are washed out to see by a riptide.
Swept out to sea by a riptide, a father and his 12-year-old son struggle to stay alive miles from shore. As night falls, with no rescue imminent, the dad comes to a devastating realization: If they remain together, they’ll drown together.
I have seen these come and go over the years so it’s easy to dismiss the the Presbyterian Church in America’s efforts. The PCA does a couple of things that should help them.
- The rise of neo-Calvinist movements in the United States
- They have the model of Tim Keller which is both a good thing (he is a good model) and a bad thing (historically models are highly contextualized).
We’ll see if that is enough to get them going and keep them going as this is no small task as for all of the talk about church planting, not a lot of denominations and churches have shown themselves to very good at it over an extended period of time. Denominational programs are often met with a lot of passive aggressive behaviour because many church leaders feel that they have “seen it all before” and “this will pass”. The one advantage that the PCA has it is a relatively new denomination which means that they they may pull it off.
The article does include this sobering fact.
Since 1970 the rate of church planting has been increasing but only marginally. The net gain in churches over the last eight years has been about one sixth of what would have been needed to keep up with population growth.
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The low hanging fruit is taken care of which means that the number of new articles being submitted is decreasing.
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Like it or not, keeping a battered al Qaeda intact (if weak) is the world's best hope of funneling Islamist fanatics into one social network — where they stand the best chance of being spotted, tracked, and contained. The alternative, destroying the terrorist group, would risk fragmenting al Qaeda into thousands of cells, and these will be much harder to follow and impossible to eradicate. It's the counterterrorist's dilemma, and the only real choice is the least unsavory: Al Qaeda must live.
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Good news! I was a little sickened when I heard the news that they were stolen and I am glad they will be returned.
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Wow, the redesign of the New England Patriots is absolutely horrible. It looks like something from… well I don't really know.
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Not a lot of excitement at most city council meetings but Monday's could be really, really interesting as Lake Placid Developments tries to salvage a development deal for Saskatoon's south downtown.
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Neckbeard RIP. It truly was the worst look in all of professional sports. Andre Agassi's fake mullet may be #2 but the Kyle Orton neckbeard was #1.
For the last couple of years I have been looking for an outdoor hat. I know I used to live in Calgary but I haven’t own a cowboy hat since a certain green velour cowboy hat in the early 80s and I don’t intend to go down that road again. Even if elected to high office in Canada and needing to go to Calgary for the Calgary Stampede, I would not wear a cowboy hat.
I have worn ball hats ever since then and they have served me well. After burning my ears and neck this year at the lake, I decided to go with something else. I was running some errands and decided to go out to Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters today. Generally I don’t enjoy Outdoor Outfitters as most of the guys in there are trying to purchase firearms, including a surprising amount of guys looking for hand guns. To be honest, not many of them inspire confidence in their ability to handle even a airsoft gun.
Today we went in there and it was really quiet and outside of the guy in front of my spending $2,000 on a rifle and scope, there weren’t even guys shopping for guns and I didn’t have that normal feeling that I was going to be shot by a stray bullet. Wendy had far too much fun looking at Christmas ornaments with Santa Claus in a variety of hunting and fishing roles and I found a bosun hat that should keep the sun off. Now I did try on a couple of Tilley hats and are they spectacular. I didn’t want to shell out $80 for a hat but if I was so inclined, they would be the hat that I would purchase. They fit and look great. However since I am going to wear it while out hiking or working outside at the cabin, it wasn’t really won’t get enough use to justify the price.
As I was walking out of there, I realized that Wendy has a similar hat and Mark has a camouflage one. We are going to have to coordinate which days we wear them as we go out. Either that or I am at risk of being kicked out of the Wiserhood.