Dinner bell, or warning bell?

Last night I found myself noticing that there sure are lots of alarms on my boat.  I was amazed when I started counting.

There's carbon monoxide alarms, bilge fire alarms, low voltage alarms, high voltage alarms, shore power polarity alarms, ground fault alarms, oil pressure alarms, low fuel alarms, high water alarms, weather alarms, high temperature alarms, low temperature alarms, anchor drag alarms, GPS accuracy alarms, shallow depth alarms, intruder alarms ... you get the idea.

Might sound like there's too many alarms to monitor and keep up with, but 99% of Calypso's alarms might as well be invisible for all the attention they require.  The alarms just keep running along quietly in the background ... at least, until one of the myriad forms of danger that might threaten the boat, its systems or its occupants is detected.

At which point all halyards break loose .... and the deafening cacophony of ear-piercing horns, whistles, buzzers or whatever is impossible to miss or ignore.  

Considering the kind of catastrophic dangers alarms are designed to prevent, even if an alarm sounds at 4:00 AM and interrupts my snoring, the jarring ruckus of a screeching siren is a good thing.

I like loud alarms because alarms not only protect the vessel, but help keep me safe and physically intact, too.

Kinda makes me wish I had an alarm to warn me in advance about sin and temptation, too.

-- -- --

What about it?  Sure would come in handy if becoming a believer meant getting a built-in S&T (sin and temptation) alarm, wouldn't it?  

Think of all the trouble, anguish and heartache we could avoid if we simply had a 24-hour sin alarm that monitored our environment and sounded off to get our attention before we realized we're drowning ... and sinking in water way over our heads.

But maybe we already have a sin alarm, and choose not to notice when the bell starts ringing.

Or we pretend that the ringing inside our heads isn't a warning at all, but a bell signaling it's time to stop working and start sinning ... and to keep on sinning until we've satisfied our craving and had our fill.

-- -- --

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

- James 1:13-14

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

- 1 Corinthians 10:13

But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

1 John 3:5-8

Anchor aweigh

Today I installed the two windlass footswitches.  Might not look like much, but to me it's a big deal.  And a long-awaited success.

keeping up with evolution

(published Wednesday, 9:58am)

My non-believer friends usually have a hard time believing that I don't believe in evolution ... at least, when evolution is used to conjure theories that human beings descended from apes.  Call me a Neanderthal, but I'm just not buying it.

Even if I weren't a believer, my problem with evolution would still be the same: the theory of evolution does not explain how life began or how life was created ... a critical missing link which is openly acknowledged by evolution's proponents, because " investigating how [evolution] happens does not depend on understanding exactly how life began."  

(- source)

That blind spot in evolutionary theory's vision should already have shoved Darwin's theory into extinction a long time ago ... but then, what do I know?  According to Mr. Darwin, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaddy was a pond fungus.

-- -- --

Think about this.  Suppose that scattered around the planet was a group of engineered structures, let's say skyscrapers, bridges and highways, still in pristine condition yet which were so ancient that scientists determined their construction predated mankind's appearance on the planet. 

In other words, suppose that there were eons-old buildings scattered all over the world that scientists believed had been constructed almost as soon as the earth's surface had cooled ... long before the first man drew his first breath.

No archaeologist or architect can explain where the structures came from or knows who built them, but that doesn't bother scientists too much: it's sufficient to observe that while today's buildings are more complex (with electric service, plumbing, and glass windows), they share many design features with the ancient structures.

Ergo (even though science remains unwilling (meaning, unable) to explain where those ancient skyscrapers came from, who built them ... or how any of structures were first assembled into a successful working design) the ancient structures must be man-made.

Let's call this new theory "Evolutionary Architecture."  It's the only theory we've got about ancient architecture, but being the only theory makes Evolutionary Architecture our best theory, too.  And being "the best theory" is as good as being "proof beyond any doubt."

But hold on a minute.  If the ancient buildings were man-made, then who were the men who built them?  Where did they come from, and where are they now?

Tsk tsk, answer the architectural evolutionists.  "We're only concerned with investigating how buildings are built, and not with explaining anything about who built them."

Now let's play architectural scientist and apply our bold new theory in broad strokes to see if we can't re-color theology by exposing those old superstitions to the light of evolutionary architectural science: 

"Because today's buildings (which have mass, height and width, as well as interior and exterior surfaces) are man-made and so closely resemble those ancient structures (which also have mass, height and width, as well as interior and exterior surfaces), that similarity of both design and structure conclusively proves the ancient buildings are man-made.  And since we've proved all structures are man-made, then therefore, God does not exist."

Huh?!   Doesn't it sound like we missed a few steps along the way somewhere?

-- -- -- 

Isn't proclaiming "the fact of evolution" a bit like declaring you've crossed the finish line and won a marathon, without knowing exactly how and where the (human) race began?   Or knowing who organized the event ... or especially, without wondering who gave you two legs to run with in the first place?

Ooops sorry, I forgot to play along: "Investigating how marathons happen does not depend on understanding exactly how the event began."

--- ---

why it is so dark you cannot see,

       and why a flood of water covers you.

 "Is not God in the heights of heaven? 
       And see how lofty are the highest stars!

 Yet you say, 'What does God know? 
       Does he judge through such darkness?

- Job 22:11-13

"To whom will you compare me? 
       Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

  Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: 
       Who created all these? 
       He who brings out the starry host one by one, 
       and calls them each by name. 
       Because of his great power and mighty strength, 
       not one of them is missing.

- Isaiah 40:25-26

When I consider your heavens,

     the work of your fingers,

     the moon and the stars,

     which you have set in place,

  what is man that you are mindful of him, 
       the son of man that you care for him?

- Psalm 8:3-4

paying the toxic price

This afternoon around 2pm I was having a tuna sandwich at the Tiki Hut, when the marina owner, the marina supervisor and 3 uniformed EPA agents converged on a nearby slip.

Seems the boat's owner had inadvertently spilled a seemingly insiginifcant amount of hydraulic fluid into the bay, and now it was toxic cleanup time.

Then it was time to write up citations, sign a bunch of papers and start staring at Federal fines.

Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but Federal regulations state that if you're fueling up your boat and spill just the slightest amount of diesel, gasoline or any petroleum-based product over the side, if your spill leaves a visible film on the water's surface, you're in violation of a Federal law and subject to a minimum $5000 [five thousand] dollar fine.

Minimum.

Think what the fine might be for spilling enough hydraulic fluid to warrant a toxic clean-up and the personal attention of 3 stern-looking EPA officials.  Rumor has it the figure could soar well into five figures.

Doesn't matter if the spill was the result of carelessness, ignorance or an accident.  Doesn't matter if the owner's got an explanation or a reasonable-sounding excuse ... just as it doesn't matter if the boat's owner thinks the penalty is excessive or unfair.

I've got an insurance policy for any fuel or oil that spills from my boat, to make sure the penalty is paid on my behalf.  Fuel-spill coverage is openly available for the asking.

Surely this pour soul had a friend or a concerned neighbor who'd already told him about it?

It's all new; It's all BAD

After watching the service full-screen size, I've been trying to keep up with the Chat Room on NewSpring's web campus as much as I can and am still ... well, surprised every time folks who're visiting for the first time seem more intent on finding fault than with sitting through an entire service and hearing the message and then clicking on the NewSpring web page to read for themselves what NewSpring's beliefs are all about.

Some folks dive right in and seem ready to start fulminating in every direction.  But ... why?

Web campus technology and the idea of attending church "online" might be new, but apparently Leaping without Looking to Find Fault with Other Believers is older than dirt.  Which could explain why there's so much dirt heaved so often  in the direction of anything that's new or seemingly unfamiliar.

Their position loosely comes down to this: Is worshipping God during an online service actually participating in a church?  Is sharing the gospel via an internet campus really scriptural, after all?

Well, is it?

---  ---

It's not difficult to accept that civilization was  much different two thousand years ago when the Apostle Paul lived, travelled and preached the gospel.  After all, modern technology doesn't have much in common with "ancient times" or "Bible days."

But it can be quite difficult for some folks with a "traditional" mindset to accept that during Paul's life, his civilization and his times were contemporary, modern, state of the art and totally high-tech, too. 

Even if he never rode in a jet, Paul didn't cross the Mediterranean in a dug-out canoe or by straddling a log and paddling: no, Paul was a paying passenger aboard high-tech sea-going sailing ships ... complete with schedules, navigation, a rudder, sailing tackle, a captain and a crew of professional sailors (Acts 27 ).

Paul didn't have a cell phone, but then he didn't draw stick figures in the sand to communicate with church leaders, either.  Paul instead relied on the "blog" of his day ... the pen and parchment.

Paul didn't have internet service or a web site, but then he wasn't scratching symbols and hieroglyphs on rock walls to let his friends know his plans and whereabouts, either.  Instead Paul's "home page" consisted of handwritten letters dispatched by courier ... the first century A.D.'s version of "connectivity."

Paul was so in love with Christ that I have no doubts whatsoever that if the internet had existed back in Paul's day, he surely would've used it ... and any other technology he had available ... to spread the gospel, tell others about Jesus and bring people to Christ. 

No doubts at all.

--- ---

This quote is secular, but I'm including it here because the point is applicable:

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

- Mark Twain

---  ---

Looking back over the inventions of the past two thousand years, I have a hard time figuring out why some folks still argue that "modern" (meaning, today's) technology, in whatever form, isn't a tool to be exploited for the advance of the kingdom .... and why technology "isn't scriptural," "can't do the job" and "isn't the same thing" ... when it comes to worshipping God, sharing the gospel and confessing our faith in Christ.

hot time, summer in the city

Smelled acrid smoke when I got up this morning, soon as I climbed from the aft cabin to the helm.  Uh oh.  

If there's anything worse than a house fire, it's gotta be a boat fire.  Especially in the middle of the night.

So this is what I found; notice the black smudge of smoke on the windscreen (click on any image to enlarge):

Well, this weekend's temperatures had hovered around 90, so before clambering off to sleep, I left the 12-volt helm fans running to keep air circulating ... and sometime during the night, the 2-speed control box on the left fan caught fire:

Unfortunately a smoke detector wouldn't have done much good, since the helm's got a canvas top ... and all the windows were open and unzipped anyway.

Both fans were installed by a previous owner, so I've got no idea how old they are.  But I think it's a good time to replace them both.  And find out how they were wired (and fused too, hopefully).

-- -- --

Other news: Saturday I finally finished wiring Calypso's windlass (a windlass is a heavy-duty motor for raising and lowering the anchor).  You can see the completed installation of the windlass switches, controls, solenoid and circuit-breakers on the lower right:

Here's a close-up:

There's two footswitches that still need to be installed on the foredeck; the remote footswitches are a "back-up" in case the anchor fouls on the bottom, or otherwise needs hands-on operator assistance from a human being to get the rode (the anchor's rope & chain) un-stuck, un-knotted or un-kinked.

-- -- -- 

I've mentioned before that I can see Fort McHenry ("The Star Spangled Banner") from my slip.  Here's a photo I took this morning, looking aft starboard from the helm.   That's the Stars and Stripes at the center of the frame:

ps.  Nut sure why, but somebody's been firing cannons all weekend; they've been going off so far this morning, too.  The concussion (there went another one) literally rattling Calypso's cabinets, latches and plexiglass ports.  

But it's funny ... like all-night fog horns, thundering diesel tugboats and battleship whistles, after a while you kinda get used to it and tend not to notice.

NewSpring Web Campus: Reasons #739 and 740 for attending

739.  Saturday Night Insomnia 

Some folks claim they sleep best on Sunday mornings, but their snoring makes hearing the sermon difficult and passing the offering plate almost impossible.

740. I forgot to do laundry

Ok, that's flimsy and won't convince nobody.  But if the dog ate your jeans (or the coyotes raided your T's), you can still attend services at the web campus ... and no one will notice it's 2:00pm and you're still in your bathrobe.  (Shame on you)

 :-)

NewSpring Web Campus: click here to visit

11:15am, 2:00pm (11:00am Pacific) & 6:00pm EST every Sunday

current series: The Gospel

"You've heard about Jesus. You know The Gospel. The Good News. You know all about it. Don't you?" 

-www.newspring.cc

"What do YOU think about ..."

Ever had somebody suddenly find out you're a believer, and then they turn the conversation around with a question like "What do you think about ... ?" or "What's your church's position on ..." or "What does your pastor say about ....?"

Here's some examples:  What do you think about a woman's right to choose?  What's your church's position on illegal immigrants?  What does your pastor say about gay marriage?

I used to wonder where queries, not questions, like that came from.  See, a query implies a reservation or a disagreement, and when posed by another believer, inquiries like that tend to come across  as a demand for secret passwords and catch phrases and essentially represent a covert method of identifying whether I'm friend or foe.

(Funny how seldom believers ask each other, "What's Christ doing in your life?")

When challenged by atheists or skeptics, I wondered whether the probing originated from a serious desire to learn more about Christ and my faith, or were barbs dangling from the end of each question mark, tiny hooks intended to catch hold of the slightest loose thread or stutter, so the interrogator could slam down his or her fist and holler "Gotcha!"?

Hmmm.  Hardly anybody ever asks what I think about anything, until they find out I'm a believer ... or until they recognize the name of the church where I'm a member.

--  --  --

What do I think about ...?  What's my church's position on ...?  What does my pastor preach concerning ...?

Here's my answer.

I believe scripture is God's living word and that Christ, who was crucified and raised from the dead to save us from our sins, taught us to believe in him and to live according to God's commandments.  My church's position is devoted to being Christ's body on earth and sharing the gospel.  My pastor preaches Jesus, Jesus Jesus every Sunday ... with no apologies attached.

That's what I think.

"Becoming a believer would mean I CAN'T do anything or have any fun"

Why do so many people, including some believers, think that?

Why is faith so often measured according to strictness, rigid doctrines and piousness instead of the Spirit?

Could be because it's more fun spying and keeping tabs on the other guy's sins than it is acknowledging the sin dwelling in our own hearts, repenting, and asking God for forgiveness.

Could be it's the notion that becoming a believer and following Christ means living according to The Doctrine of Don'ts! and The Man-Made Creed of Can'ts that's made so many non-believers not much interested in hearing what the Gospel and being a Christian is all about.

Then why are so many "religious people" so insistent and so stubborn about their beloved rules and restrictions?

Could be that lots of believers learned more in church about following rules than they ever did about following Christ.  So they focus on following what they know.

And on creating even more rules and restrictions.

- - - -

Sin deceives us because temptation convinces us that sinning is fun, that sin will satisfy and make us happy.  God gave us commandments, not man-made rules, to protect us ... not because he hates us, but because he loves us.   

And to encourage us.

Instead of ridiculing or condemning a believer who's fallen short, should we instead remind them that by sinning, they've not just turned their backs on God ... in essence, called the Creator a liar ... but also point out that sinning robs us of the joy of following Christ?

If sin is fun, then how much fun does it take to completely and permanently rob us of all our joy?

---  ---  ---

Afterwards, dealing with the consequence of sin's not such fun, is it?   Sin only looks like fun when we take our eyes off Christ.

-- -- --

Christ never sinned, yet I don't think he was ever bored a day in his life or that anyone ever labelled him a "killjoy," a stick in the mud or a grouch.  (And he scolded Pharisees and "temple people" much more than he did unbelievers, too.)

So is it possible to have fun without sinning?  Yes, absolutely.

But it's impossible to have joy, and keep right on sinning.

"My faith is a quiet, personal thing"

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

- 1 John 3:16-18

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

- James 2:16-18

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

- Galatians 2:20

"I tried going to church, so why isn't it working?"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

- Mark 10:20-22

Jesus looked at him and ... loved him.

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

- Luke 9:23

Samurai Showdown Thursday

Thursday on The History Channel at 12:00pm & 6:00pm EST:

Warriors: "Samurai Showdown" 

The legendary Japanese samurai Musashi meets his archrival Kojiro in a climactic duel in 1612.

It's not quite David vs Goliath, but Musashi's infamous duel on Kokura proves that sometimes a lowly boat oar can be a warrior's best friend.

70

I like square yachts

- photo from pride2.org

Just before sunset on Saturday afternoon, The Pride of Baltimore II returned to the Inner Harbor striking her square sails.  Watching her slip past, with the flag at Fort McHenry flying in the background, was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

-above: The bombardment of Ft. McHenry, 1814

"In the 1790's, Maryland led the nation in shipbuilding and Baltimore was the undisputed leader of this industry on the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore Clippers, built for speed in an era when speed on the high seas was synonymous with survival, won the respect of the maritime nations of the world and helped establish the reputation of the Port of Baltimore as a center of commerce and the home of some of the world's most creative shipbuilders.

"The design for Baltimore Clippers emerged from the shipyards of Fells Point in response to the need for fast ships that could elude the powerful but lumbering British naval vessels that preyed upon American shipping, even after our successful War of Independence. Baltimore Clippers were "sharp built," that is, they had a V-shaped hull that could cut quickly through the waves. As a result they were fast, but had little cargo space, a major factor in their eventual decline. They were gaff-rigged schooners, although many had a square sail for driving power on the foremast." - source here

- Earl of Pembroke, above

Square-rigged ships are largely a thing of the past ... and it's a pity.  Find out more about spankers here.

- Phoenix, above

Wielding The Sword

Though an army besiege me, 
       my heart will not fear; 
       though war break out against me, 
       even then will I be confident.

- Psalm 27:3

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you

- 1 Peter 1:3-4

... for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

- 1 John 5:4-5

wielding the blade

The word "samurai" comes from the Japanese word saburo, which means "to serve."

"The samurai are the stuff of legend.  Fiercely loyal to their lord, they fought with keenly honed skills and ferocious dedication.  And they had no fear of death."

"For the samurai, defeat was unacceptable ... and on the battlefield, every opportunity had to be taken."

"Form doesn't matter in war." 

- Samurai: Behind the Blade (2008) 47 mins.

How sharp is sharp when sharpness counts?

Don't know how else to say it: I'm shocked at what I've learned in the past few days about the samauri katana ... the Japanese sword design (incorporating tamahagnae steel) dating back to the late 14th century.

Never mind fencing, blocking, parrying or anything else you've seen in pirate or gladiator movies.  The katana is a two and a half -foot long single-edged blade with a sharpness exceeded only by modern surgical scapels.

Think about what that means as a weapon: a quarter-inch thick, 28" long razor blade with a two-handed grip.  I found a virtual warehouse of videos on youtube demonstrating katana shredding bamboo mats, piercing folding chairs and actually splitting handgun bullets.

Wow.

Got me to wondering if anything on earth could possibly be sharper ... or strike with more definitive and conclusive results.

Then I remembered scripture.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

- Hebrews 4:12

not sure what this means, but ...

TENNESSEE CONSTITUTION - ARTICLE IX. DISQUALIFICATIONS

§ 1. Clergy; eligibility to serve in legislature

Whereas Ministers of the Gospel are by their profession, dedicated to God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions; therefore, no Minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature.

§ 2. Atheists holding office

No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this State.

§ 3. Duelists holding office

Any person who shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, fight a duel, or knowingly be the bearer of a challenge to fight a duel, or send or accept a challenge for that purpose, or be an aider or abettor in fighting a duel, shall be deprived of the right to hold any office of honor or profit in this State, and shall be punished otherwise, in such manner as the Legislature may prescribe.

- source here

Stress test

My friend Tom forwarded this quick quiz: 

Are any of these items moving, or are they perfectly still?

The pictures attached are used to test the level of stress a person can handle.

The slower the pictures move, the greater your capacity for handling stress.

Allegedly, criminals that were tested see them spinning around madly; however senior citizens and kids see them standing still.

None of these images are animated - they are perfectly still. 

katana vs. rapier: who'd win?

A katana (刀 ^?) is a type of Japanese sword (日本刀 nihontō^?), and is often called a "samurai sword." The term katana may be applied to the standard size moderately curved [...] with a blade length of greater than 60 cm (23.6 inches).

The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and has become renowned for its sharpness and cutting ability, to the point that its purported cutting capabilities have reached mythical status.

- above: an original Muramasa katana

A rapier is a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, mainly in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

-above: rapier, 17th century 

Draw your own conclusions but compared to the guy doing all the dancing and the fancy footwork, the katana looks like it never gets very busy.  On the other hand, a 28" razor blade only needs to get busy once. 

(sword definitions from wikipedia)

"Do I really belong to God?"

Don't miss today's message at 2:00pm and 6:00pm (EST): NewSpring Web Campus

Senseless

5 Children Presumed Dead in Houston Flash Flood 

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Published: April 19, 2009

HOUSTON — Five children were missing and presumed drowned Saturday after the car they were riding in careened off the road and into a bayou during heavy thunderstorms that caused flash floods here, police and fire officials said.

“Right now we are in recovery mode,” said Assistant Chief Omero Longoria of the Houston Fire Department. “We are looking for bodies.”

Missing were two girls, ages 1 and 3, and three boys, ages 4, 6 and 7, the police said. 

John Cannon, a spokesman for the Houston police, said the driver, who is the father of four of the children, showed signs of drunkenness and failed a sobriety test at the scene. 

The other adult in the car, the driver’s brother, told the police that the driver tried to answer his cellphone just before he lost control. 

- full story and source here

Cabo San Espresso

A friend who just returned from a week's vacation in Cabo San Lucas knew I'd been looking for an espresso cup, and brought me back this neat little surprise as a gift.

¡Sí hijo, es plata genuina!  

Attack of the Zombie Macs

Some of my best friends still use Mac-brand computers.

Now there's news that Apples might be infected with worms, after all.

Cybercriminals create botnet using Mac computers

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 | 5:38 PM ET

CBC News

Traditionally, botnets have spread through PCs running Windows, and not Macs, in part because of the low market share worldwide of computers like the iMac, shown here behind Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a 2006 photo. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)

A piece of malicious software unwittingly shared over a peer-to-peer network in January was the key tool in what security researchers are saying was the first known attempt to create a botnet of Mac computers.

Researchers at Symantec say the Trojan, called OSX.Iservice, hid itself in pirated versions of the Apple application iWork '09 and the Mac version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 that were shared on a popular peer-to-peer bittorrent network.

Once downloaded, the applications themselves worked normally, but the Trojan opens a "back door" on the compromised computer that allows it to begin contacting other hosts in its peer-to-peer network for commands.

A botnet, or robot network, is a group of linked computers — sometimes called zombies — that have been commandeered, in some instances by criminals, to perform a host of actions, from connecting and infecting other computers to sending out spam or launching distributed denial of service attacks to bring down websites or web servers.

But traditionally, botnets have spread through PCs running Windows, and not Macs, in part because of the low market share of Macs worldwide.

The malicious software, or malware, is unique, however in that it only clearly targeted Mac users and also included a variation — found in the corrupted Adobe Photoshop CS4 file — that used some of the functions on the Mac OS that relate to its own authorization services interface, according to the Symantec Ireland authors.

"With malware authors showing an increasing interest in the Mac platform, we believe that more advanced [user interface] spoofing tricks may be seen in the future," they wrote.

Ryan Naraine, the security evangelist at Kaspersky Lab, said that while a Mac botnet may not be practical for criminals, the discovery of the Trojan is proof that no operating system is inherently safe.

Show me your qwapp

What is it about having "qwapp" ... material possessions, things, belongings ... that makes having more qwapp seem so urgent and compelling?

Our culture tells us, and TV commercials are produced to make us believe, that owning qwapp is the one sure way to make us feel happy and fulfilled.  Look around ... who doesn't want more qwapp than they've already got?

So much qwapp's out there already, with so many choices of qwapp, that if having lots of qwapp hasn't already made you happy, the only possible reason can be that you haven't yet found the right qwapp to suit your lifestyle.  Because your qwapp needs to be as special and individualized as you are.

Which translates to communicating the compulsion to find and buy more qwapp.

See, what you really need is qwapp from the right designer, qwapp that makes a statement,  qwapp that's high tech, 3.0 and HD, qwapp that's easily financed with a qwapp credit card, qwapp that's trendoid, qwapp that's fearless and qwapp thata boldly proclaims, "Hey, look at me!  I'm all about qwapp!"

Ugh.  Think about qwapp means for a minute.

If you owned a private warehouse the size of Lake Michigan and kept it full of designer jeans, jewelry, sports cars, boats, gold coins, plasma TVs or whatever ... do ya think for one second that God would be impressed?

Do you think God would ever take a glance down at all your qwapp and whisper, "Hey.  I'll trade you the entire Andromeda galaxy for your cable-ready 72" plasma TV?"  

Would God ever see his reflection in somebody's new swimming pool and sigh, "Man, I'd sure like to have one of those at my house"?

Has God ever wished he could fly to Europe in his own jet, or view the world's oceans from the helm of his private 500-foot megayacht?  Has God ever stayed up nights wishing more people would tithe, so he could plunk down on a timeshare ... for summer vacations? 

Kinda doubt it.  Kinda doubt that God would ever be jealous of anyone's qwapp at all.  Nobody's.  Not matter how much qwapp they owned.

After all, it's called qwapp for a reason.

Makes me wonder why having lots of qwapp seems so important, compared to the things God told us are important ... and why so many folks believe that getting lots of qwapp is necessary to make them feel like "Life Is Worth It." 

65

- source: The Baltimore Sun

Sharing the habas

Here's the recipe I used yesterday to make Garbanzo Bean Soup:

            1 lb. dried Garbanzo Beans

            3 Cups Water

            2  14 oz. cans low-fat Chicken Broth

            ½ lb. Chorizo Sausage, casing removed, cut into 1/4" rounds and quarters

            ½ cup Olive Oil

            1/2 Onion, peeled, ends discarded, minced

            1 medium Potato diced into ½" pieces

            Garlic Powder

            ½ cup Tomato Paste

            ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

            ½ teaspoon Paprika

            ¼ teaspoon Goya Adobo Seasoning

            ½ teaspoon Dry Mustard

            1 Tablespoon ground Cumin

            2 Bay Leaves

            Ground Black Pepper, to taste

            Salt substitute, to taste

Instrucciones

In a cooking pot, over medium-high heat, brown the Chorizo in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.

Add and sauté the onion to the Chorizo, stirring until onion is translucent.

Add the tomato paste and potato, stirring over heat for approximately one more minute until combined.

Add the water, chicken broth and bay leaves to the meat mixture and bring to a rolling boil.

Add in the drained soaked beans and allow the mixture to return to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are nearly tender; about 2 hours.

In a small clean bowl, mash the garlic powder, paprika, cumin and dry mustard together until very well blended.

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, heat the remaining oil.

Add the mashed and mixed ground dry spice/garlic mixture.

Add ⅔ cup of the liquid from the cooking beans and the Tabasco sauce.

Cook spice mixture an additional 5 minutes, stirring constantly until ingredients are fully combined.

Add the spice mixture into the bean pot and stir over medium heat until ingredients are fully combined.

Simmer, partially covered, for one additional hour (3 hours total cooking time.)

Before serving, purée 2 cups of the cooked beans and stir back into the pot (remove and discard the bay leaves. Don't purée the bay leaves)

Serve very hot.

Garbanzo good (updated photo)

Made another pot of garbanzo bean soup ("Spanish Bean soup") this evening, and noticed something I missed last time: the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of Tobasco sauce.

See, I misread the instructions last time, and added a half cup of Tobasco by mistake.  Not a half teaspoon. 

I thought my first attempt at making soup just tasted a little ... "extry spicey."

But the new result is delicious and I'm 99% pleased with the results.  All it's lacking is a couple of slices of Tampa-style Cuban bread, a pat of butter ... and a flan de leche for dessert.

Above: fresh Cuban bread.  Casino Bakery, 2011 8th Avenue, Tampa FL. August 8, 1958

- source here

Older generations join social networks

(CNN) -- Penny Ireland's family is so scattered around the world that Facebook, the popular social networking site, has become the family's No. 1 way to communicate.

"We call it our living room," the 56-year-old mother said by phone from her home in Houston, Texas. "Everybody can tell what everybody else is doing."

"Everybody" includes Ireland's five kids and her 83-year-old mother, who has a Facebook profile she accesses daily, Ireland said.

While online social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are known hang-outs for younger adults and teenagers, older generations in recent months have been taking to the medium at a faster rate than any other age group, according to industry reports.

Many of these older folks use social networks to keep tabs on younger family members and they often find fruitful connections with their peers after they've friended all of their kids and grandkids, according to an informal survey by Stanford University professor BJ Fogg.

 - full story here

Salvation Story- from New Spring's Easter service

Salvation Story from d on Vimeo.

(Click on above image to play video)

- David Jolley, photo

Casting Crowns returns to North Korea

Casting Crowns to Return to North Korea for 'Friendship' Festival

By Josh Kimball

Christian Post Reporter

Fri, Apr. 10 2009 05:54 PM EDT

Contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns will again participate in North Korea's annual Spring Friendship Arts Festival but this time won't be the only U.S. Christian group there performing.

The Grammy Award-winning band will be joined by the Annie Moses Band (AMB), a five-sibling ensemble whose ages range from ten to 24.

"In early December we received an official invitation from the North Korean government to perform in the Spring Friendship Arts Festival," AMB lead vocalist and violinist Annie Wolaver told The Christian Post on Friday.

"We have been praying for many years that the Lord would open doors for us to tour overseas. We had some grand visions of playing Celtic jigs in the Scottish highlands, but instead He opened a door that was entirely unexpected," she reported.

- full story here

How is this possible? (updated)

15,473 people attended Easter services at New Spring this weekend ... including over 800 people across the globe attending online at the Web Campus (the 6 PM service had so many people viewing online that the server ran out of log-ins).

322 people accepted Christ ... including 10 souls on the Web Campus.

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; 
       let the distant shores rejoice.

   Clouds and thick darkness surround him; 
       righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

   Fire goes before him 
       and consumes his foes on every side.

- Psalm 97:1-3

Get to the 6 ...

... and see what Easter is all about.

NewSpring Web Campus:  6 PM

There is no perfect way to make Picadillo

From YouTube, here's a short clip titled "How to Make Picadillo"

Worth watching just to hear how "Picadillo" is pronounced ...