Thematic Photographic 117 - Parallel


Two-tracked solution
Toronto, ON, March 2009

I've chosen parallel as this week's Thematic Photographic theme because I realize we often have more than one thing going on at the same time. And given the speed with which we blast through a day, a week, a lifetime, it's entirely reasonable for the average person to have any number of things - thoughts, projects, goals, whatever - in flight at any given moment.

As I took this picture, I was sitting on a Via Rail train on my way home to London after a productively eventful day in the big city. I like to day-trip to Toronto on occasion because most folks I work with are located there. I don't do this nearly often enough; something I'll work on in the coming months. Because a day in the big city is always a learning experience filled with folks who never fail to teach me a thing or two about advancing my own state-of-the-art.

Sitting with my forehead leaning against the window, I realized how lucky I was to be able to consciously drive opportunity in a world where so many never even have the chance. As the tracks slipped by below, I whispered a quiet thank you for being privileged to expand my - and my family's - horizons.

Your turn: Please post a parallel-themed picture to your blog, then drop a comment here letting us know where to find it. If you've already got something posted - perhaps in your archives - feel free to share that, too. Want to share more than one? The more the merrier. For more background on how Thematic Photographic, our weekly photo sharing and learning extravaganza, works, just click here.

The family that paints together...

Painting with mom
London, ON
February 2009
About this photo: We're slowly wrapping up this week's "still life" theme (link here). I'll post a new Thematic Photographic theme tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m. ET. What will it be? Well, what would you like it to be? I'm all ears. Just drop a suggestion in a comment below.
My wife is so artistic and crafty that it was inevitable that our kids would inherit it from her. And they have. Beyond their ability to express themselves in a variety of media, they love to dive into it just as much as she does. I think that's what gets me when I watch them with her: That they throw themselves into it and have such a good time exploring, with her as their guide.

I'm still building my ability to successfully complete stick figures, so I'm not overly keen to pick up a brush alongside them. Instead, I'm content to observe quietly as I pop into the kitchen every once in a while for a snack. And if I snag a picture or two along the way, so much the better. It's one of those neat things about being part of this family, and one of those neat things that will never get old.

On this day, the windows were frosted over with yet another wintry blast. But just inside, Debbie and the kids had turned the kitchen table into a temporary art studio. Our daughter painted a collage that day that sits on our fireplace mantel today, and serves as my Twitter page backdrop (link here). Their work shows up in so many places around the house that it's difficult to walk through any room and not be reminded of what they can do.

I hope they'll always want to take the time to create with their mom. It's one of those seemingly little things that makes childhood worth remembering.

On second thought, maybe it isn't so little after all.

Your turn: Do you have a fond childhood memory you'd like to share?

Checkers, anyone?


Table for ten
Dayton, OH, January 2009

It's a restaurant that no longer exists, in a place we passed through one cold winter's night as we sped through the very middle of Middle America on our way home.

Despite its very temporary presence in the life of our family, it strangely sticks in our collective memory almost two years later. I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps it was the novelty of the place - we didn't have anything like it at home - or the fact that we came across it during the kind of family adventure that gets us raised eyebrows when we tell friends about it: "You drove HOW far...?"

Or perhaps because it was a Fuddruckers, a build-your-own burger place that our kids had first experienced years earlier in Florida and had always wanted to revisit. Only they couldn't, because the place went bankrupt in the wake of a bunch of hurricanes Rita and Wilma (2005 was a bad year, for that.) Not a huge, headline-grabbing life experience by any stretch of the imagination, but one that mattered to them all the same, because small experiences aren't any less significant just because they're small.

We were lucky enough to find this otherwise non-descript place in a suburban strip mall, the proverbial needle in a haystack in the middle of a 2,400 km drive. All the way home from Florida, the kids talked about maybe finding a Fuddruckers. So I played with our GPS unit's points-of-interest database and voila, there it was, just a couple of kilometres off of our route. Fate, perhaps?

We'll never know, of course. But for 90 minutes on this night, we hung around and drank it in, because we didn't know if we'd be able to do so again. History, sadly, proved us right.

Your turn: Ever stumble upon a memorable place while travelling. Want to share?

Burned out


Solar powered?
London, ON, August 2010


Inspiration can come from anywhere. In this case, my friend, Jeff, saved this past-its-prime light bulb for me because he knew I'd find it photographically fascinating. Nice guy, this Jeff.

Of course, he was right. So when I had a free moment, I found a sunny spot for a quick exploration with my camera - oops, make that my wife's camera (shhhh!) I thought sunlight would give an ordinarily forgettable and forgotten sliver of consumer life a somewhat new lease on life. It couldn't create light on its own anymore, but that didn't mean that with a little help from another source of light it couldn't inspire us at least one more time before being sent on its way.

I've got to spend more time looking at garbage in a different way. And I've got to spend more time listening to my friends when they suggest offbeat ideas like this one.

Your turn: I'm in a captioning mood again. Got one for this shot?

Misc. news of interest

Some news of interest

Israel lifts freeze on settlements in West Bank

Shocking testimony: Former Air Force personnel admit to UFO, alien-related threats

United Nations to appoint space ambassador to act as first contact for aliens visiting Earth

CGI's Jordon: Retired NORAD Officer: Worldwide UFO Display on October 13, 2010 - FYI, October 13 is the day of the year that Marian apparitions nearly always highlight. It's a fair bet this fellow is hearing from the same demon.

Former Military Men Affirm UFO Activity Near Nuke Sites in Newly Released Audio Taped Interviews

Bill Clinton: Economy, disasters imperil millions

Bill Clinton - Rolling Stones Take Over The United Nations

Large Hadron Collider 'may have replicated conditions that existed after Big Bang'

Examiner Editorial: Obamacare is even worse than critics thought


We can build whatever animal you want to eat, say scientists

Blog post of interest:

Christchurch UpdateParables Blog - by Joseph Herrin

Instances of judgment on church:

Boiling Springs teachers accused of sex with minors - A preschool teacher at Lake Bowen Baptist Church and a teacher at Boiling Springs Elementary.

Sex Scandal Threatens a Georgia Pastor’s Empire - A mega-church prosperity gospel preacher

Jesse Jackson Jr.'s wife tells newspaper her 'heart will heal' after husband's admitted affair

MP3 audio:

[MP3] Barry Chamish - Return of the Nephilim (Fallen Angels.tv BlogTalkRadio broadcast from 7/17/2010 with Zen Garcia)

Picture in a picture


Meta
London, ON, September 2010

If you've been following along on my little photographic adventure, you now know that I like to capture scenes from the dinner table*. Restaurants hold particular appeal to me because they always seem to serve up different, often cutting-edge artistic visuals to explore. Freaking out other patrons is another delicious little side benefit.

This particular resto was no different. We had come here to celebrate our daughter's birthday, and much to my chagrin the light was horrid - memo to restaurant designers: We really like to be able to see our food, and each other, when we eat. Makes for a more enjoyable and arguably much safer dining experience. End rant.

But I still wanted to try something new, especially since the day was an important one for our family's newest teenager. She had just gotten a new camera, and was trying it out for the first time. Since she's my kid and her photographic genes seem to have developed quite nicely, she was game for a little picture-within-a-picture experiment while we waited for the very friendly but somewhat absent-minded waiter to get our orders right.

The good news is we had lots of time to set up the shot. Sometimes, sluggish service isn't such a bad thing.

Your turn: Now that Dahlia's got a camera of her own, what should she shoot? What's the best way for a new photographer to get started in this wondrous art?

--
* Earlier restaurant shoots can be found here, here and here. To participate in this week's still life-themed Thematic Photographic, head here.

Before the red light goes on

You can experience a so-called "still life" moment even when you're in the middle of a very busy sequence of events. I'd like to share this scene from a studio as Exhibit A.



I was a bit early for my interview earlier this week, so I had a couple of minutes to spend in this very special place. It's special because it's been around since long before I came on the scene, and if its muted, hanging-equipment-to-the-rafters walls could talk, they'd tell stories of a community's broadcast history, and of shows and personalities who imprinted themselves on generations of viewers. It's the kind of behind-the-scenes scene that few of them were ever privileged to see, but that doesn't even come close to eroding its impact.



So whenever I get the chance to drink in the peacefulness of this shrine to broadcast history, I grab it. I know it's a small thing, but I'm learning, slowly, that life is well lived when you take the time to appreciate the small things.



Your turn: Ever take time to smell the proverbial roses? Care to share?

Tea time in London


Leftovers
London, ON, September 2010

Normally I don't dwell on messy plates. But this post-tea-bag scene almost begged for it. At least that's what I lamely told my wife as I interrupted dessert and brought out the camera.

As it was, I don't think she really agreed with me. And her semi-rolled eyes suggested this was another one of those moments where she'd let me get away with it, but I was pushing it if I asked for anything else.

She knows me too well.

Your turn: We're exploring "still life" as part of this week's Thematic Photographic theme. You can explore it, too. Just go here. And if you've got an extra moment before you click that mouse, feel free to let us know why mugs with hot stuff inside 'em are so appealing.

About this photo: Today's tea-stained moment marks the end of a hyper-busy, uber-eventful week in the Levy household, and it reminds me that I need to make more tea, and I need to spend more time drinking it quietly while surrounded by my family.

Thematic Photographic 116 - Still Life


You say tomato...
London, ON, August 2010
[Please click photo to embiggen]


They say nothing tastes better than vegetables grown in your own garden. Well, these didn't come from my own garden because I do not have a garden. Which is a good thing, because if I had a garden it would be filled with, well, nothing. I kill plants, especially when they're outside, baking in a southwestern Ontario sun. I believe my photo has been posted at the entrance to the local garden centre, and I am quite certain I am banned from purchasing anything that even remotely resembles plants, flowers or even seeds.

My gardenish ineptitude isn't all for naught, however. My inability to grow things from the earth has taught me to appreciate this gift in others. So when our gifted friend gave us these tomatoes from her garden, they were more than mere vegetables. A kitchen table photo shoot was called for, and the result makes me happy.

Your turn: This photo launches our newest Thematic Photographic theme, "still life". What's still life? Simple: If you put it on a table and carefully arrange it so you can take an artsy picture of it, it's still life. What's going on on your table? Shoot it, post it, then let us know where to find it by posting a comment here. Rules, such as they are, for our weekly photo insanity can be found here.

A year


Not eternal
London, ON, September 2010


A year ago, our phone rang in the middle of the night. Tonight, I find myself with lots of thoughts swirling through my head. Oddly for me, however, I find myself out of words.

Perhaps it's just as well. Some days, I find comfort in silence.

Not as weak as you'd think

One of my earliest literary influences was Ernest Hemingway. I can't quite put my finger on why, as he was a hard-living, hard-drinking guy whose life trajectory was about as far from mine - think boring-suburban-husband-and-dad - as you can imagine.

Yet when this guy wrote, words came alive. He could draw a scene more vividly than any ascot-wearing, HD-equipped filmmaker or brush-wielding Renaissance-era painter. His work proved to me that writing was as much an art as any other discipline, and it continues to bring me both comfort and inspiration to this day.

In any case, this past week has been one filled with success and sadness. While I continue to score wins on the editorial and media front, my routine was interrupted today with a call from a good friend who had just found out his dad, a man who probably could give Mr. Hemingway a robust run for his money, is sick. Cancer. Just as "heart attack" and "bypass surgery" forever changed our lives when our father first entered hospital just over 13 years ago, I knew my friend's life had just taken a significant turn.

I said what I felt, shared pieces of my own experience and tried to help him focus on the things that he could control. I don't think I succeeded, but I know we'll be having more such discussions in the weeks ahead so I'll have plenty of opportunities to get it right. In the meantime, this quote from Mr. Hemingway stuck in my head for some reason, and I think it's appropriate to share tonight:
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places."
Sadly, the man who pieced these resonant words together never had the chance to prove himself right. But I'd like to think that my friend's father will. As will my friend, who now finds himself learning a whole new language as he figures out how to be there for his dad.

Your turn: So...what do you say in cases like this?

Twitter gets hacked. I get shot (with a camera).

The neat thing about having a front-row seat to the only thing more fun than a drunk roller derby race - read the tech industry - is the randomness of it all. When I wake up, the day I've laid out ahead of me can change on a dime if something big happens in the world of tech.

Yesterday's "something big" was the fact that Twitter, the popular microblogging service (wiki) that allows me and 160 million others to nag our friends, had been hacked. By the time the dust settled, the White House Press Secretary and the wife of the ex-British PM were among the victims. And my phone began to ring.

I spoke with CTV News Channel's Sandie Rinaldo - video here - and then appeared in Rob Brown's report - video here - on the CTV national newscast at 11 p.m. (well, 11:22-ish by the time the report aired.) The report re-ran in the morning on Canada AM. Here's CTV's main page for this story.

Your turn: On Twitter? Following me yet? Go here. Yes, folks, I'm that shameless.

Putting her best foot forward


Got sole?
London, ON, September 2010


Shopping ranks relatively low on my list of preferred things to do. If I had to actually build such a list, hitting the stores would likely slot in just above shooing those pesky flying ants from the garden and just below walking the dog in a driving rainstorm.

So you can imagine how much I love looking for shoes. It's an even more depressing version of shopping, frankly. The smell of child-slave-assembled vinyl conspires with the jumble of randomly opened shoe boxes clogging the already too-narrow aisles to make you both nauseous and disoriented before you've even tried the first pair on. It doesn't help that the Britney-esque family over there seems to have mistaken the entire store for a playground for its unruly brood of hellions.

Yet on this day, I found myself in a local shoe store with three very important ladies: my wife, our daughter and my mom; three generations of Levy women, all looking for footwear. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Since the employees seemed a little frazzled with the mini-Britneys, I thought I'd step in and play the shoe store equivalent of cruise director (Julie McCoy, where are you?)

First, I sat on a seat - standard guy's position, apparently - and cheerfully welcomed total strangers into the store. I thanked them for shopping with us and pretended to actually know where stuff was. It brought many smiles, so I kept up the charade for a bit. Eventually, I got bored and took out my BlackBerry for some really bad photography. When our daughter brought us this pair of Converse All-Stars - the kind of shoe Mr. Rogers might have worn, I think - I took one to the front of the store and set up shop on a dangerously tilting display of stylish but sensible pumps.

I told the rather surprised shoppers around me that the sun was better there. They politely declined my request to hold the shoe in place, but still hung around to see the final result. I set the BB to macro mode (this ridiculously limited little camera actually has macro. Amazing) and got to work. It won't replace my real camera, but if it helps me turn a disaster-waiting-to-happen into a fun romp in a godless temple of suburban commercialism, it's worth having.

And I do love our young lady's shoes. They're so her.

Your turn: Do you try to make strangers smile when you're out in public? Do tell!

Holiness and Accountability - For Bride Candidates Only

Some links of interest:

Christine O'Donnell: "I Dabbled Into Witchcraft"
Physicists Cross Hurdle in Quantum Manipulation of Matter
Budget cuts force CERN to shut accelerators for year

The holy day Yom Kippur was a wonderful day of rest, at home alone with the Lord very quietly, with prayer, Bible reading and fasting. For me and some other's I know, observing the day in such a way was required.

In this season, I have a firm conviction that what the Lord has "winked at" in our lives will no longer be so. Where there has been a casual consideration of holiness in the past attention is to be given, if we really want to be found worthy of the Bridegroom at His coming. If this is not your heart's desire, you need read no further here. The Lord Y'shua will have a worthy Bride. Every consideration should be given to this! If you have in your mind some standard for righteousness other than His, it must not be so!

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.
John 14:21


If you've recently been drawn to the blog and perceive that I've being given insight into the serpent's schemes, I want you to know that there has been no shortcut taken or "cheating" to get here. I arrived in this season through multiplied trials of character and seasons of discipline in diverse matters to bring forth obedience and subjection. By nature, I'm a stubborn and rebellious man. The Lord has been kind and immensely generous towards me with much mercy and exceeding grace. If you perceive this is so, please take what I write here very seriously and urgently.

Two main things must be addressed here, and I feel these are matters that will cause many saints to fall short. 1) Men and women in their relationships with each other and with regard to gender roles in the church. 2) Personal behavior with regard to sexual conduct and intimacy. I'm going to be very blunt because I'm addressing you as adults.

On matters of personal behavior with regard to sexual conduct and intimacy, men and women have some temptations and weaknesses in common, and, some unique to a gender. I'm not going to go into detail here, but if your conduct involves guilt and shame or a cover of secrecy, that's an obvious sign to you. No one I know is exempt from such temptation. I'm certainly not. There is an opportunity here to become an overcomer, to have victory in the development of trust in the Lord's provision. When you know how the Lord has something better in mind for you, seek Him for it, Who was tempted like we are, yet without sin. This address is brief, but please don't take it lightly. If you have not yet been convicted in your heart even though you have an awareness that your thoughts and deeds are not subject to Him, pray and have others pray with you for a heart of repentance.

On matters of gender roles in the church and relationships between men and women, I've been led in times past to post studies on TheOpenScroll.com. I'll refer to them here, and make a few brief comments. First, this is to the men. Men, we are the more accountable, as Adam was held the more accountable in the garden of Eden. Accept the Lord's grant of authority and seek His help with passion to fulfill your obligation with love and mercy. Now, to the women. Don't usurp the Lord's authority that He has appointed the man. Do seek from the man what has been been commanded you to seek, and seek from the Lord according to His commands, and accept His provision with grace. Men and women, do what is right in the sight of the Lord regardless of how others respond. This requires courage and a strength of conviction.

Your obedience will be noted, and you will be tested. When it really counts, will you be found hanging your head in shame at hearing the following words?

Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
Luke 6:46

I'm going to share a few specifics then offer some links to what I've written elsewhere.

Few in the church take the matter of headcovering seriously. Even if obedience in this matter were optional, which it isn't, wise saints would carefully observe the practice and receive the blessings of obedience. If you don't observe the practice, men and ladies, consider whether you can dismiss commands the Lord gave to the church without consequence. I didn't grow up with this being modeled correctly and taught rightly. I dismissed it like most folks for many years until the Lord confronted me on it and challenged me to obey. He did not single me out. Other saints have a similar testimony. If you've been waiting for the Lord to come to you and bring to your attention neglected matters of personal obedience, perhaps He is right now? (Learn why: Headcovering)

3) But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
4) Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.
5) But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.

1 Corinthians 11:3-5


Husbands and wives, the Bible resolves the matter of arguments and conflicts between you quite simply. There is one head between you two, the man. If you think this is a matter of fairness, don't be deceived. It's not. There is no compromise, or taking of turns. Obviously, I'm not interested in anything beyond speaking the truth in love. When presented with statements like these, many men and women rise up with flaming hatred and murderous thoughts. That's rather telling, isn't it? Am I just some authoritarian fossil, control freak or wicked fool with a chip on my shoulder? Perhaps not. (Learn why: The Obedient Family)

22) Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23) For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24) But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:22-24


With regard to gender roles and propriety in the assembly of the saints, men, do you sit at the feet of women who teach the scriptures?

11) A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.
12) But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

I Timothy 2:11-12


34) The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
35) If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

I Corinthians 14:34-35


Little distinction is made between men and women in the church. Men wear pants and women wear pants, but today, most saints follow women, directly and indirectly by the exercise of control over men. Many joke about this, but it will be judged. This is no battle of the sexes. It's a supernatural battle for your soul and mine. (Learn why: Propriety in the Assembly of the Saints)

Where the Lord may seem to have overlooked some matters of our disobedience in the past, you can bet on mercy being withdrawn in this season. We will get what we deserve - the Lord is not mocked. In the fear of God, take account of your life, my friend.

Inconsiderate? You decide.

Dear fellow-parent-from-my-kids'-school,

I've known you for a number of years, and we've often chatted in the parking lot while waiting for our kids to be let out of class. You've always been a nice, funny guy who clearly cares about the things that matter, both in your family and in our community. Which makes this rather difficult to write.

It was with great disappointment that my kids came home with news that you had parked your pickup uncomfortably close to my wife's car, then proceeded to smack it with your door before driving off. They watched you do this, and it upset them.

It upsets me, too, because you left a nice-sized scratch in the middle of our door. I suppose I could give you the benefit of the doubt that you were in a rush, that there was a big gust of wind, that you were preoccupied, that you didn't know it was our car (we've only had it for six weeks, so...) Whatever it is, your actions quite noticeably damaged my car.

Because of this, I'm now in the uncomfortable position of deciding whether or not I gently approach you about it - tough, as I risk making you feel uncomfortable and potentially coloring our relationship going forward - or ignoring it and fixing it on my own dime.

As you can imagine, either option sucks. Worse, your not coming forward forces me into the situation of being the bad guy. Which sucks more. Why I should feel uncomfortable over something I did not do is beyond me.

In the end, it's just a car. And it's just a scratch. And I should probably not be making the deal out of this that I am. But if the tables were turned, I'd have been leaving a note on your windshield. Because it's one of those keep-me-up-at-night things my mother always taught me to fix before tuck-in.

And I still have to explain to my kids that the world isn't always as fair as we'd like, that people don't always do the right thing when given the choice. It's a lesson we've been gradually teaching them over the years, of course. But I didn't think it would have to come courtesy of someone I know and trust to look out for them whenever he sees them in the parking lot.

Thanks so much for adding to my large-enough pile. And please don't park anywhere near us again.

Sincerely,

Carmi

Saying Kaddish

Prayer of remembrance
London, ON
July 2010
[Click here for more Letters & Numbers]

If you're Jewish, it's only a matter of time before you say this prayer. It's called Kaddish, and while I can write volumes on what these few paragraphs of ancient Hebrew are saying and why these words are significant, the Cole's Notes version is this: Immediate relatives of folks who've died say Kaddish for about 11 months to honor their memory.

I said this prayer until this past August, and every time through represented a difficult journey. It forces you to reflect on why you're there, what you've lost, and how you move ahead regardless. When you're saying it in the company of other mourners, standing apart from everyone else as a way of almost physically confirming your loss, the staccato rhythm almost drills its way into your head, just as it's done for thousands of years.

Now that I'm past this stage of mourning, I still catch myself as I listen to others who have suffered loss say it. It's just as difficult to hear their voices as it was to hear mine.

I spoke about this in synagogue on Friday night, just as the Jewish Day of Atonement (also known as Yom Kippur) got underway. I'm used to speaking in quiet television studios, where my only companion is a camera, a floor producer and a red light. Sure, there are countless people out there watching, but I can't see them so it's easy to ignore the numbers and just focus on the topic at hand. Standing in front of a crowd, however - my first time ever up there - definitely raises my blood pressure.

So I talked not from cue cards or a script - can't do the reading-in-public thing - but from thoughts I'd been percolating for the last year, thoughts that danced around my head as I recited this very prayer. I'm still not the world's most religiously focused individual. I'd rather be sleeping in instead of stumbling through services and trying to keep up with everyone around me. But the repetitive ritual of dragging myself into services and sharing these moments with some very kind, caring and supportive members of my community taught me that it isn't always just about the words on a page. It's about the connections you make while you're reading them.

I guess that's another lesson of mourning that I've learned this past year. Of course, it's a lesson I wish I never had to learn, but life clearly has other plans for us all.

Your turn: How do folks around you - friends, family, community, whoever - help you when times get tough?

Shattered

There's a story behind this rather beaten up piece of technology, but I'll spare y'all the details as I suspect it'll be of interest to, um, no one.



But I thought it made a neat spectacle all the same. Shattered screens have a bizarre appeal, and for the life of me I can't figure out what that appeal is (please enlighten me if you've got any thoughts on this.)



What occurred to me as I shot this with the admittedly limited camera in my BlackBerry, though, is how temporary these things are. Broken items don't stick around long before they get tossed, so you either snap 'em while you can or lose the moment forever.



This particular example was part of my life for all of three minutes, so I hope this lameoid photo sticks in my brain a little longer than that. I guess we all need the occasional reminder of how fragile things - and life - can be.



Your turn: It's been a while since we did the caption thing, so in the interest of informal Monday fun, have at it. How would you caption this photo?

You can read it in the Sunday paper

The day has dawned bright and sunny, so I suspect we'll be spending more time outside than at the keyboard. But not before we have a chance to meander our way through the Sunday newspaper. I can't describe it all that well, but there's a certain sense of calm and peace associated with plopping the carefully folded paper on the kitchen table before it gets gradually shared with everyone in the family. Before, long, each section is carefully unfolded, ready for the kind of slow, studied exploration that no laptop or iPad can yet replicate.

[Note to my wife: I still want an iPad.]

Today's paper, the Toronto Star, adds a fun wrinkle to the adventure: My latest article, Is it the end of the line for the landline? leads the business section. The piece examines the long, slow decline of the conventional phone in favor of mobile and Internet-based telephony services.

Earlier this week, I also published a piece in Processor.com, Power & Cooling Developments, that takes a closer look at some key data center technologies will impact your life more than you might suspect. Later today, my head may be discussing a disturbing case of rape and social media on CTV News Channel. More on that as I know.

Update: TV interview confirmed for 3 p.m. Eastern. If you're in Canada, you can watch it live on CTV News Channel. I'll post the link to the video here once it's posted to their server. Here's a link to the tragic case that started it all.

All told, a great writing/media week!

Your turn: Have you cut the landline chord yet? Why/why not? If you have, what's the experience been like?

Our personal evaluation and Yom Kippur - and America's 222nd year of Constitutional government

The saints are even now crossing over a threshold into a season of critical evaluation. Many of you perceive this and are responding in the fear of God, as I am.

On the Lord's annual calendar, we are approaching the end of the Days of Awe that focus upon personal repentance. I believe the critical evaluation, which is the anticipated judgment that begins with the house of God, is marked on His calendar. September 19-20 marks Yom Kippur, the day the accounting is made. In common reckoning, the imagery of this day is that of the gates of heaven, which had been open, swinging closed. The object is to be found worthy of entry before being shut out. The serious nature of the day is often taken lightly. This year, it should not be so.

For more insight about this matter of judgment, I refer you to this page: “It Has Begun” (by Chris Anderson of First Love Ministry)

America as a nation has crossed over or is now crossing an important threshold, one that also appears to have been prophesied and encoded into a document of sorts. I've been exchanging some emails with Joseph Herrin in which he's pointed out the number 222 and a few important connections. A year ago yesterday, the 222nd year anniversary of the signing of the Constitution was celebrated. This is the very number presented by the clock on the hundred dollar bill's Independence Hall.

The Congress that was instituted according to Article 1 of that Constitution is now in its 222nd year. This is the 111th Congress and the second year of the two year Congress cycle. The office of the President, instituted according to Article 2 of that Constitution is in its 222nd year. Both Congress and the Presidency began to function in 1789. Ditto, the Supreme Court, instituted according to Article 3, which not long ago counted Sonja Sotomayor as its 111th Supreme Court Justice.

If the number 222 found on the Federal Reserve note is an encoded prophecy that points to this present season, it would compare to and further validate the "Masonic trestleboard" outline of America's destiny presented by other students of history.

It's plain to many of us that the Federal Reserve has knowingly imprinted their coinage and notes with esoteric symbols that are cryptic prophecies. The time on the bill's Independence Hall clock was a featured element in a movie titled "National Treasure" (2004) Some who are familiar with the ways of Freemasonry suggest Freemasons had a role in the development of the movie given the intimate knowledge presented and the favorable way the craft was presented. I suspect the 2:22 on that clock compares to the 13 steps of the pyramid on the one dollar bill in that they are similar coded messages. Tom Horn has popularized through "Apollyon Rising 2012" how the pyramid points to the year 2012 as the end of the appointed work that began in 1776. I believe the 2:22 on the one hundred dollar bill is probably an esoteric signal of the end of an appointed work 222 years from the signing of the Constitution and/or from the institution of the agencies outlined in its articles. If so, whatever has been appointed is now at hand.

Of course, anyone paying even a little attention to the state of things is well aware that we've reached a time of national and, indeed, global crisis. Those of us who are paying closer attention in obedience to the Lord's command to watch see how a grand conspiracy has been playing out on every hand. Much of what we have placed trust in and taken comfort in is being exposed as untrustworthy. Our idols are being removed. Don't fight it. The Lord has a plan, and it's worth every effort to abide with. He is good!

Thumbellina


Curvaceous
Toronto, ON, August 2010

[Please see here for more Thematic letters & numbers]

This isn't my BlackBerry. It belongs to a friend, but it nevertheless reminds me how much time my thumbs, my poor, poor thumbs, spend dancing over a keyboard much like this one.

I really think it's time we came up with new ways to cram our thoughts into the devices that we use to communicate. Current forms of text input are, for most of us, too slow and cumbersome. And in some cases, they're even hurting us (RSI, anyone?)

One of the most often-cited solutions to the keyboard conundrum, voice recognition, doesn't do it for me: Too noisy and zero privacy. I wonder if the Star Trek cupboard of technological goodies has something to hope for. Like brainwave recognition or implantable communication chips. My thumbs cry out for a solution. And soon.

Your turn: What ever did we do with ourselves before we texted and e-mailed everyone from our mobile devices? Have we truly advanced ourselves? Or not?

Stepping on Eugene Levy


Wish we were related
Toronto, ON, March 2009
About this photo: Thematic Photographic, our weekly photo sharing activity, celebrates letters & numbers this week. If you've got a picture with at least a letter, or a number, or both in it, please go here and join in the fun.
I often joke that Eugene Levy, the actor-comedian who counts SCTV and American Pie as highlights in a career that's spanned a generation, is my cousin. He is, unfortunately for me, not. But that doesn't mean I can't repeat the joke ad nauseum and revel in the fact that a guy with the same last name as me - and a Canadian, no less - has done as well as he has.

So as I walked through downtown Toronto last year and inadvertently stepped on his brick on Canada's Walk of Fame, I had to stop and take the shot - and silently apologize to him in absentia for walking all over him, because I'm Canadian and we apologize for everything.

Admittedly, I also snapped William Shatner's, Alex Trebek's and Gordie Howe's bricks, just for good measure. I still won't ask for autographs - too obtrusive and invasive - but I figure taking pictures of hardened, colored concrete is the acceptable and polite thing to do. So Canadian of me.

Your turn: Ever had a brush with fame? Do tell?

This just in: After I wrote this, my BlackBerry chirped with news that some of the damaged bricks, including Captain Kirk's and Mr. Hockey's, will be either repaired or replaced. Here's the Toronto Star's piece on it. Coolness.

One more thing: I know Yom Kippur has already started. So G-d wouldn't be too pleased if he saw me sitting here with my laptop, updating my blog. No worries on that front: I've prepared all weekend entries in advance, and Blogger, in its infinite wisdom, is auto-posting them for me. Magical, isn't it?

The Liberty Bell and America's Independence from God - plus - Bells Across America - DO NOT PARTICIPATE! Yom Kippur - DO PARTICIPATE!

[Updated 9/27/2010]

I've personally received a number of very obvious signs lately, and these are related to this specific season and the arrival of judgment for the Lord's people, and also the bell. Yes, bells that ring. I'm interrupting the work of preparing two other urgent and important related writings because of what just came to my attention.

Today, Friday September 17, 2010, is the 223nd anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution. It's final form was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787, at Independence Hall. This will be celebrated across America with the ringing of bells. Web search "bells across america" The long version of what I've been working on is not ready for posting yet, but let me tell you - this is not a good thing! Don't participate. Ring no bell at this time! Some have scheduled the ringing for 4pm. I personally expect to be making intercessory prayer at that time.

One of the signs came on Yom Teruah, this past Saturday morning. This was unplanned and unexpected, but I was led to go through my nearly full pocket change jar and roll the pennies. When I was done, I arranged them in pairs for easy counting at 2 rolls per dollar. I counted $11. That's 22 rolls! 22=11*2. I know what that signals. I've encountered it enough times to recognize it immediately. I had just been counting all the pennies and wrapping 50 per roll. When I was done wrapping, I knew I was done, with not one roll too many or too few, even though there were at least a few hundred more pennies left in the jar. When I counted $11 dollars in rolled pennies and saw the arrangement I had made with the 22 rolls it was obviously a sign. I didn't know the context of its interpretation until returning to blogging the next day. The post I had tried to write a few days earlier had to be rewritten. The Lord had something better in mind. The theme is going to match the post's number, number 22 in the Rochester, NY series. I had already noticed how the 21st post featured time-keeping. I had not planned it to correspond like this, but one of the meanings of 21 is "time." The theme matched the post's number! He has established a trend.

As I reviewed what I'd written already, I reflected back on post 21 and what really needed to be the focus of the next one. It was the bells, by revelation insight. I'm going to include something later in this post of what I had written that could not yet be posted in that context. It's for this post! As I studied to learn more about bells, bell ringing and bell towers I began to understand about the sign of the 22 rolls of pennies and how the post #22 was to be a bell and bell tower post. Bells and pennies have a very similar brass composition. Bells for ringing are generally 80% copper and 20% tin. Pennies (USA), although changing through the years, were composed of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, from 1864 until 1943.

Yesterday, Thursday, came another sign. I went to the barbershop for a haircut. I was going to go earlier than I did, but decided to wait so that lunch-time haircut folks wouldn't be inconvenienced. My schedule is flexible. When I did go, I usually walk the ten minutes it takes but decided instead to drive. Within a minute of my being there, the fellow in the barber's chair began to tell the barber he owned a foundry that made bells, and that he was a bell designer. Right. I've been intensely focused on bells for days and I walk in on that conversation. The odds? Absurd. It's another sign! He talked for a good half hour about the bells and his being on TV shows and interviewed for magazines and papers. I considered joining the conversation a few times but decided to keep quiet and just listen. A half-hour haircut? At least! When I got home I did some research to check up on the guy's story, his foundry, etc. He's legit.

The number 22 (from the coin sign and the numbered post in the Rochester series) can be understood by expressing it as 11*2. "Eleven" signifies the flesh of man as grass and the flower of grass, frail and ephemeral - here today and gone tomorrow. "Two" signifies division. "Twenty-two" signifies the division, cutting or cutting off the flesh, as in the work of the cross in the life of the saint, resulting ultimately in the death of the flesh. As my dear brother Joseph Herrin observed, there's a reason why the 22" size is the most popular for grass-cutting machines. The sovereign Creator numbers His creation perfectly. This theme of 22 is a primary signification of the bell and bell tower, a symbolic and magickal element of Rochester, NY's Clock of Nations. It's also the theme of this season's judgment and the national bell ringing.

Following New Zealand's Christchurch quake sign and, being in the midst of the celestial sign of Neptune, plus the penny rolls on Yom Teruah (Day of shouting and day of trumpets - trumpets are also typically made of brass, and have "bells" to project the sound), plus the encounter with the Bell man, (whose real claim to fame is the California Mission Bell project along El Camino Real) - on top of several other things, I have to tell you, I'm convinced we are in a critical season - right now. What I believe all this means is that, even beyond today's national bell ringing, the day of most critical importance is coming up in a couple days.

The biblical account of bells focuses attention upon their use on Yom Kippur. On that day, the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place and make atonement for Israel.


33) You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:
34) a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe.
35) It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die.
36) You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.'
37) You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.
38) It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

Exodus 28:33-38



As the Lord may lead, fasting and prayer, very serious personal repentence and intercession may be called for in these days of awe. Yom Kippur is, by Karaite reckoning, September 19-20, sundown to sundown, Jerusalem time. Seek the Lord personally about specifics as to timing for you, of course. For those of you who work or have other obligations, some advance planning may be called for to free up your time and your families time from distractions. I'm convinced this is that urgent and that important.

What I had written for the intended post 22 follows. It's about what today's "Bells Acroll America" celebrates, about Independence Hall, where the event took place. This is what the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall was about! Observe how the Liberty Bell points us towards Yom Kippur, the holy day on which the Yobel or Jubilee is proclaimed! Note the sign of it's cracking, and that it exists today in such a state.




The Liberty Bell and America's Independence from God

What we call the Liberty Bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752. It was brought to Philadelphia and hung in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House, aka Independence Hall. It first cracked when first rung in Philadelphia. An inscription on the bell excerpts Leviticus 25:10: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." When the bell cracked, that was a sign!

Here's more of the context of the bell's inscription.

8) And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9) Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
10) And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.


The passage of scripture declares the institution of the Yobel, the Jubilee, and the accounting of the appointed times. The Yobel was to be observed faithfully until such time as when it would find its ultimate fulfillment. Was honoring the Creator's times and purposes in the minds and hearts of those who commissioned the inscription on the bell? It must be seen that they rather mocked Him and His ordinances. God is not mocked, for long. When first rung in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, the bell cracked. It was a sign. Hijacking His appointed times and purposes will not stand, for long. The "liberty" sought is independence from the Creator, his authority and all institutions of purpose and time.

Independence Hall with its clock and associated Liberty Bell are icons of proud Philadelphia and America itself. The well hidden secret testimony is about America's independence from the Creator. This is exactly counter to what you will hear in nearly every bell tower institution where the presumed god of our proud country's founders is named.

The Liberty Bell is an Isis bell, the fertile womb of Mystery Babylon. It's a symbol of the "liberty" that is independence from God. The Liberty Bell and the clock on the bell tower of Independence Hall signal America's fertile founding as a rebel's paradise.

Featured on the back of the Federal Reserve's one hundred dollar note is the clock tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

The Federal Reserve imprints their notes and coins with occult symbolism. The great seal on the back of the one dollar note is famously adorned with occult symbolism. I've recently blogged about how coins have numeric features that make them particularly special when tossed into fountains. That Freemasonry and Luciferian illuminism is behind the imagery is well documented. The Independence Hall clock tower on the one hundred dollar note must be important. It was featured in the movie franchise "National Treasure" as a major plot device. The time displayed on the clock was a clue that had to be deciphered, concealed and revealed through the symbols of America and Freemasonry. When I consider the Independence Hall clock I perceive a clue that leads me to another kind of treasure!

The clock on Independence Hall is a parable. Clocks serve to disassociate people from the natural ways that honor the Creator. Individuals and communities governed by clocks are disassociated, disconnected in their relationship with the Creator, thus operating independent of Him. The clock ... on Independence Hall - get it? The treasure here is insight into the truth behind what is meant by independence!

When most people see the word in that context, what comes to mind is obviously, "independence from Britain." Independence Hall in Philadelphia is the very place where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. That document begins, "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..." There can be no doubt that independence meant the establishment of a nation independent of the British Empire. Beyond that lies a greater truth, one to which the clock bears witness; one that is difficult for some to accept. The clock testifies of a community of men who have rebelled against the rule of the Creator by replacing His provision for the governance of their activity with another. This, my friend, is precisely what Independence Hall stands for.


1) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2) Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5) Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6) For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7) Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Romans 13:1-7



There is no provision in Romans 13 for saints to declare independence from the British Empire. King George III was the higher power, ordained of God. If you read the Declaration of Independence with humility, the inescapable conclusion is that rebellion against the rule of King George III was rebellion against the sovereign God's appointed regent, and therefore against God's authority and God Himself!

The Declaration of Independence presumes through proud and lofty language to have a mandate for such action as was subsequently taken to secure such independence. "... it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." There was no such mandate, biblically, but only in the minds of lawless and rebellious men, most of them Freemasons, deceived and deceivers.

According to Albert G. Mackey, on page 374 of the "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Part 1," you may read about the cornerstone for the State House (Later known as Independence Hall) being laid by Benjamin Franklin during his administration as Grand Master, with the Brethren of Philadelphia's St. John's Lodge, Libre B.

I must emphasize the need to honestly read the witness of the clock on Independence Hall so we're not deceived. America runs on Babylon time, which is GMT. How is that independent from the British Empire? Understand about the Liberty Bell. These icons of America declare its independence from our Creator while declaring its idolatrous dependence upon the gods of Babylon.

Consider this statement from usgovinfo.about.com.

"No matter how much we argue about the details of its meaning today, in the opinion of many, the Constitution signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 represents the greatest expression of statesmanship and compromise ever written. In just four hand-written pages, the Constitution gives us no less than the owners' manual to the greatest form of government the world has ever known." Constitution Day To that I say shame on us if we buy into that bold and wickedly foolish rejection of the Creator's authority and governance.

Have you read Is Your God American? and been convicted by it? Those whose god is American are idolators. The time has come to repent of this and all idolatry. The time has come. This is my firm conviction.

See also The Judgment Has Begun by Joseph Herrin (09-17-2010)

I'm on TV. Don't watch if you're davening*

TVO's Steve Paikin interviews me on BlackBerry maker RIM's battles with foreign governments on tonight's show, The Agenda With Steve Paikin. The episode page, Wireless Storm, is located here, and the podcast will be posted here after the show airs. If you live in Ontario and want to watch it on-air, it's scheduled for broadcast tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Why am I on television when I really ought to be in shul hoping I get another year on this planet? (You just know my mother's asking this very question.) Not to worry: It was pre-taped earlier today.

Enjoy the show. More soon.

And if you find yourself in a synagogue tonight looking toward the year to come with hope and forethought, gmar chatimah tovah to you and your family. May 5771 be filled with peace, health and happiness for us all, whatever we celebrate.

* Davening = praying. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins at sundown tonight and continues through sundown tomorrow (Saturday).

Thematic Photographic 115 - Letters & Numbers


Dialup (voice) networking
London, ON, March 2010


I wanted to keep things simple and fun for this week's Thematic Photographic theme. If it has either letters or numbers or both in it, I'm hoping you'll share it with us. That's it!

I knew I wanted to use this picture to launch the theme not only because it qualifies on both fronts, but because it's something that over the next few years will likely become less prevalent in our day-to-day existence. Like vinyl albums (iTunes), typewriters (PCs) and floppy disks (flash drives), the basic telephone is morphing into something very different. As I stare at my BlackBerry, for example, I realize it looks nothing like anything the 1980s-era Carmi would have recognized as a phone had someone shown me this futuristic-looking smartphone way back when.

The world moves quickly. The things we take for granted today likely won't exist in their current form - if they exist at all - tomorrow. I'll suggest we avoid blinking for a bit.

Your turn: Please post a letter/number-themed pic on your blog, then leave a comment here with a link to your entry. Repeat as often as you wish. If you've got tech issues with the pasting thing, no worries: A basic comment should be enough, as the blog automatically includes your blog link with every comment. When you're done, visit other participants and spread the Thematic word. My goal is nothing short of spreading photographic goodness as far as it can go, and I'm hoping you can help make that happen. More Thematic background can be found here.

Twisting by the pool


Take a load off
Laval, QC, August 2010

I used to think that art existed exclusively in museums. If it carried a hefty price tag, was hung on a wall and then discussed at great and often exasperating length by ascot-wearing retirees with fake British accents, it was art. Anything else didn't even need to apply.

Then it hit me that I don't get to museums as often as I'd like. Sure, in the ideal world I'd wander their hallowed halls for a couple of hours every morning after dropping the kids off at school. The world would wait while I filled up on my daily dose of impressionism, cubism and neo-classical expression. But the real world compels us to spend more time, you know, working and creating value. So I won't be wearing ascots and holding a fake pipe anytime soon. Artsy bummer, indeed.

Which means I need to get my art elsewhere. Which means the old museum-only definition is out. It doesn't need to be framed, mounted or spotlit. It doesn't need to carry a name like Renoir or Rembrandt. If it isn't from a Group of Seven painter, it'll still count. Heck, it doesn't even have to be an actual , deliberately created work of art. It could be incidental, accidental art.

Like these deck chairs. The kids liked their curvy, wavy shape, and I noticed when they lined up next to each other that they looked rather unique - worlds better than the weather-stained off-white resin excuse for furniture that used to be here. So as I said a silent thank-you to the condo board folks who decided these chairs represented a worthwhile investment, I decided the moment needed to be remembered somehow. And I decided the result qualified as art. Unconventional, to be sure, but still just the kind of thing that gets you thinking about the things that make this world a nicer place to be.

Your turn: Look around you. What art do you see?

One more thing: I'll post the new Thematic Photographic theme, "letters and numbers" at 7:00 Eastern tonight. Which gives you some time to mull over how you'll tackle this one. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Verizon Wireless - Advancing the Beast Agenda

The lack of recent posts is due to the level of effort required for the next post in the Rochester series. A new page for the other Web site, theopenscroll.com is in progress, which will support that next (Lord willing) post.

Verizon Wireless continues to advance Satan's triple helix DNA scheme through their marketing imagery. I'm going to present two of their more recent occult signaling images. Back in May, I featured the Verizon logo plus pair of images from promotional literature I received in the snail mail in a post titled, Symbolic logos - The History Channel, Verizon and the right triangle." Those two images give some depth of background for the newer ones.

The first one above right declares, "The Technological Transformation Has Begun." You can almost hear it humming and sense it pulsating. What will become the mark of the Beast is being conceived and will be birthed in the earth before long. The Sun symbol is for the Sun god Horus, whose hot sinister glowing eye is seen on the cold metallic Beast.

The next one, on left, declares, "Get Ready to Rule the World." Are those clamoring for the Beast and the transforming mark receiving a false promise? Or, is Verizon just aiming higher with the message, giving direct notice to their partners? I'm thinking - both!

The next image is pretty current. I saw on my Yahoo! email screen, if I remember correctly. "RULE THE AIR" is the message. The concentric circles surrounding the girl's head suggest she's broadcasting a signal, as from a chip in her forehead. Since there's a retro looking radio broadcast tower in the upper right, it also suggests Verizon is broadcasting and she's the receiver. Hmmmm. What exactly do they broadcast?

The way she appears makes me think she's pregnant. Her look says, "I've got a secret, guess what it is?" My guess (educated through excessive redundancy of this very message) is that she is being transformed into a hybrid serpent offspring. The doubled spiraling bands are her double strand DNA.

The ubiquitous occult sex magick symbolism is in view. The broadcast tower is the male "obelisk of Osiris." What is emitting from the tower's head are three elements, I'm betting lightning bolts, though they're so tiny its hard to tell. This is the seed of Zeus, of Osiris, that is going to magickally impregnate Isis so that Horus (Apollo - the antichrist Beast) is brought forth. The three bolts as from the sons of god are going to bring forth triple helix offspring. The slogan "RULE THE AIR" is on a horizontal dividing band, the horizontal being a female element. It's surrounding the red globe, which represents the red earth "Adam" circle daughters of men. Familiar yet?


1) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 2:1-2




This last image is one I scanned in from the latest Verizon promotion. There's no globe and tower, but check out those little devil horns! Oh, they're actually just reflections off the sunglasses on her head. Right.

The Hermetic Maxim is in view, "as above, so below. The red band on the bottom is earthly. The blue above is heavenly. The girl is pictured here spanning from earth to heaven. She's now less in the red than she is in the blue which suggests that her transformation from earthly to heavenly being is well advanced!

A validating testimony is presented by her clothing. Her arms are bare exposing her human flesh, against the red background. Her blouse picks up the theme of the heavenly. Has she picked up a blue strand of DNA? The swirling spiraling DNA strand signal behind her head (where some will receive the mark) is very neatly double banded when close to her head, but "as time goes on," a change in the pattern of her DNA is occurring.

Notice her crossed arms. The crossed arms form the X signaling the X chromosome and the X for "trans" in transgenic transformation. The right hand (where some will receive the mark) signals "thumbs up," echoing the "ok" being signaled on the right by the large checkmark in the branding. This magickal marketing mind control device very closely compares to the "PositiveID" undercurrent. --- affirm the mark --- say yes to the mark --- take the mark. It's ok --- Uh - no. NOT OK!

The marketing blurb presents us with the inner/outer duality of this creature, or, shall we say, beast. "Unleash your inner genius. Express your outer socialite." You get their point, right?

I pray you are being attentive to the Lord's direction today. Night cometh, when no man can work.

Reflective sky


The remains of the day
Laval, QC, August 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]


I've decided to share this picture now because it's been an insanely busy day, with my mind being pulled in countless different directions. I wish I had the time to pen something deep and thoughtful to accompany this resonant, makes-you-feel-small-in-a-good-way image. But I don't. Some days, you just have enough mental energy to make it back to bed in one piece at the end of the day.

So today's one of those days. The kind of day when you hope the seeds you've planted somehow take root, when you know you've done everything you can to ensure a successful outcome, but you know you must now sit and wait.

Sorry for being cryptic. I'm having one of those inflection point kind of moments. Forgive me.

Whatever the case, there's always enough time to stop in your tracks and catch your breath at a sight like this. Because we all need inspiration. And moments like this are so rare, so fleeting, that we cheat ourselves if we elect to miss them. Which is why I dropped everything that night to head out on the balcony with my camera. Because there are only so many sunsets, and only so much time to share them with the folks who matter most.

Your turn: What inspires you?

One more thing: This photo rounds out our Thematic Photographic look at the "reflective" theme* (head here if you want in on the fun.) New theme hits the site tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m. ET. If you've got any suggestions, I'm all ears.

--
* How is this reflective? Sunlight reflecting off of clouds...yes, I know I'm stretching it.

Let there be light


Shine on
London, ON, August 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]

About this photo: Thematic Photographic explores "reflective" this week. My spidey sense senses you want to explore it, too. Go here to see what everyone's yammering about.
There's something to be said for the carefully shaped sculptures of plastic and glass that adorn most modern vehicles. I know we don't give them much thought unless they're blindly accelerating toward a particularly sensitive body part or two, but a closer look at the average car today reveals an intricate little micro-world of light management that ensures the vehicle can both see and be seen. Observe an older car next to a newer one and the difference is even more obvious.

So if you see me scrunched down on the sidewalk with my camera mere inches from the corner of a car, you'll know why. My wife will be the one walking briskly in the opposite direction, hiding her face lest anyone realize we're together.

This particular scene is from our family's car, Chloe (see here for her introduction.) Her rear turn signal is particularly fetching, I think.

Your turn: Find a car. Look at the lights. Tell me what you see - or better yet, show me.

The great glass envelope


Office space
London, ON, August 2010


I feel sorry for the birds who inevitably slam into tall, mirror-finished buildings before falling ingloriously, and finally, to the ground. Generations after skyscrapers redefined the urban landscape, we still build wildlife-unfriendly structures without so much as a second thought.

I hear you: My heart bleeds a liberal shade of red, and there's a cute koala bear over there that also needs saving. So I'm a softie, and I guess I'll always be one. Whatever. It nevertheless bugs me that designers still create gigantic mirrors like this one knowing full well what the consequences might be, and so often are. In the overall scheme of things it may not be the biggest tragedy out there. But it shouldn't need to be to merit some motivation to change. Even a little.

Your turn: To mirror or not to mirror. That is the question. What's your answer?

One more thing: To participate in this week's reflection-themed Thematic Photographic activity, just click here.

Reflective birthday. Encore.

Someone else in our house is having a birthday. My wife's completion of another spin around the sun comes one day after our daughter's special day. Our only girl certainly doesn't need another reason to be connected to her mom, but it doesn't hurt that they share consecutive-day birthdays.

As my wife has always said, Dahlia was the best birthday present she could have ever received. Which makes any present I ever try to get her seem woefully inadequate. But I'll keep trying. Because she's neat.

Your turn: If you haven't met her, click here. She's much nicer than I am.

Yom Teruah Anniversaries - and - The New Moon = Here comes the Bride!

I'm going to be sharing some fascinating insight about the meaning of the new Moon, but first, now that the holy day has passed, I'd like to log a few observations.

This weekly Shabbat was also the Chodesh, the new Moon. It was also Yom Teruah, the day of shouting or trumpets. As Yom Teruah, on the annual cycle of moadim it marked some very significant anniversaries. Two thousand eleven years have now passed since the birth of Y'shua on this day in 2 BC, which marked the transition of the 4th to the 5th millennium in Adamic biblical history. This day also marked the nineteenth anniversary of His return in judgment in 1991. While most folks have in their minds that His return in judgment must begin with some event like a "rapture," it began in a way that compares to how his physical life on Earth began. A small number knew of it and what it meant, but most had no idea. Are all the events that have been appointed to be fulfilled on this day in the past, or, if not, what future event or events might be forthcoming? Keep watch! I suspect two more anniversaries hence will find an answer!

This day on a more popular calendar was a 9/11, the ninth anniversary of when NYC's WTC towers and other buildings collapsed. According to news reports, many in the world were astir over "holy books," flags, fires and threatenings. Amidst the noise, was anyone heard making mention of "false flag" events? I perceive the approach of a series of "population reduction" events, which must surely come.

Here's a very short video of that new moon. New Moon of Yom Teruah - Keith Johnson blowing the shofar against the background of the new moon of Yom Teruah over Jerusalem on September 10, 2010.




The new Moon or Chodesh "moed" observation continues to be the subject of controversy. A reading of Leviticus 23 reveals that the Chodesh is the basis for the proper observation of every other holy day, except the weekly Shabbat. Some would argue that point, suggesting that even the weekly Shabbat depends upon the Chodesh. The insight I have to share about the symbolism of the Moon and its appearance may help settle some of the controversy. If you don't know what I'm really on about here, you may want to read one or both of the following writings as a basis. What I'm going to present isn't intended to be a comprehensive treatise on the subject. I'm going to assume you're familiar with the foundation so I can focus on the symbolic.

The New Moon in the Hebrew Bible by Nehemia Gordon - The Karaite Korner
[PDF] What is the Biblical “New Moon” by William F. Dankenbring

If you're not already familiar with The Bridegroom and the Bride study, you may find it very helpful as a collateral study. You may also find The Moon Bride to be of interest, where I present some insight I don't include here.

This is a "timely" writing because I last posted a 21-numbered post, or time-numbered post that primarily featured the keeping of time and appointed times. And, here I am writing still about a basis for keeping appointed times. I really haven't planned it to be this way.

Here's what the Bible says about how to understand appointed times.


16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17) Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17



These things are prophetic shadows, types, patterns, parables and symbols. While most folk simply perform activity without asking why, the Lord invites those who are willing to go further, to do and to know why. He is very generous and is granting favor as we respond to His invitation, seeking His Mind and Heart.


2) It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
3) The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Proverbs 25:2-3



The Creator made the Sun, Moon and the other lights. These are to us as a celestial timepiece and beyond even that there's a testimony being brought forth, truth, dynamic truth that is synchronized with the events in heaven and on earth. I've written lots about this and won't elaborate here. What I want to point out is that these lights and their testimony have always been and continue to be very, very important. That statement is easily proven by considering what the devil has done, using this genuine as the basis for schemes of hijacking, corrupting, exchanging lies for truths, and every kind of counterfeiting. It's a gargantuan effort! Look around and you'll see star lore used in occult worship and magickal ceremonies, astrology, crystals, prisms casting rainbows, and symbolic versions (graven idols) of the Sun, Moon and stars in abundance. What's the devil hiding? What's he accomplishing by it? Well, I'll tell you a few things and offer some pretty convincing evidence to validate it. In this, you'll have some insight into understanding why the latest of the Twilight movie franchise is called "New Moon," which plot revolves upon the woman's decision to become a bride of a vampire, and in this, a vampire herself.

The Sun represents the Bridegroom Messiah (Psalm 19). When a graven image is made of the Sun as a symbol, it represents the counterfeit Bridegroom Messiah, Apollo, Helios, Horus, Ra, the Mayan Kinich Ahau...

Here's the big secret about the Moon. This truth is out there but mostly seems to get lost in the chatter. The Moon is the Sun's Bride. She has no light of her own but yet is next in glory to the Sun because she reflects His light. To make a graven image hijacks the glory of the Bride and gives it to the "queen of heaven," Isis, "Mary" etc.

A Moon symbol is generally a crescent because that's how it appears on the holy day of celebration. Making the symbol a crescent also identifies it clearly as being the Moon, distinguishing it from the Sun.

The celebration of the Moon's new crescent is a parable about watching for the Glory of the Sun to break forth upon her.

She has just gone through that season where she is most near to the Sun, which is in the Bridegroom's presence. In such a position, she has no glory, and none is seen but the glory of the Sun.

It's like the parable of headcovering. When praying or prophesying, which is when one is in the presence of the Bridegroom, a woman's head must be covered so her own glory (hair) is hidden and she, who is the glory of man is hidden. The man's head is uncovered, so the image and glory of God is manifested.


For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
1 Corinthians 11:7



The anticipation of watching for the new crescent Moon is the anticipation of the creation that longs for the day when the Bride emerges and begins to show forth the Glory of the Bridegroom. This is what the Bridegroom has awaited with a great intensity of passion! It means that she will soon rise to "rule the night" in the glory of the Sun as the Sun rules the day. (Genesis 1:16) The Bridegroom will have a radiant Bride and their relationship will be consummated.

I came to learn this as the Lord was teaching me about the Bride and what is appointed for her. The sighting of the crescent Moon is certainly cause for a frequent holy day celebration. "Here comes the Bride," soon to be "all dressed in white"! The moon - levanah (Hebrew) - white! Righteous and worthy! Hallelujah!

This is "high value" truth that the Lord has protected by hiding it well. Even as wicked as most folks are today, you still see Brides dressed in white, wearing veils, modeling this great truth. When the appointed time for such a union arrives, a Bride appears suddenly in the vestibule after having been hidden out of sight for a brief season. Everyone gathered has awaited her appearance with eager anticipation. When she is sighted, everyone gawks at the glorious Bride, even though she's veiled. She begins to move in procession, in measured steps approaching towards the Sun, I mean, the Bridegroom. Soon, they will be joined together as one flesh! Hallelujah! There's lots of crying, sobbing, tears flowing with joy and great rejoicing! It's time to celebrate the Bridegroom's reward for his great patience! His now worthy Bride approaches! Here comes the Bride! Rosh Chodesh Sameach!

People still observe the "traditional" wedding customs I described but without a clue what it really means. They are compelled to do so because the Sovereign God has determined to bring forth this continual testimony about what is so very important. This custom validates the story of the crescent Moon as the epic and incomparable love story!

I'll make one last observation. The Witness. The official sighting of the crescent Moon required witnesses. To this day, weddings require witnesses! This testimony is that important! According to Isaiah 66:22-24, the practice of observing the new Moon will go on bearing testimony for a very long time.


He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Psalms 104:19



3) Blow in the month a trumpet, In the new moon, at the day of our festival,
4) For a statute to Israel it [is], An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

Psalms 81:3-4 YLT
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