OVO

Trevor Blake on Books: Papillon by Henri Charriere [LINK-ZUM]

Autobiography. Henri Charriere was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. This average man was placed in a situation far more dangerous than he was ready for, but through acts of cunning and physical strength he survived. Every attempt to imprison his body or crush his will failed. He never gave up. This average man wrote a book of his life experiences that became popular and which served as the subject of a popular film. I recommend both the book and the film.

The possibility that life for the average person could suddenly become much more difficult than anything that person has known before is always with us. Only by making ourselves strong in times of peace can we have a chance of turning adversities into opportunities. What Charriere survived gives me a healthy sense of perspective when I start to get wound up about the minor difficulties in my day-to-day life.

Wikipedia on Papillon.
Nine minutes from the film Papillon.

Labels: biographic, books, film, prison

Trevor Blake: Flowers [LINK-ZUM]

Flowers by Trevor Blake. Portland Oregon USA. 25 July 2008.

Labels: art, portland, trevorblake

Trevor Blake: The Cyclists [LINK-ZUM]

A google search for "portland bike fight" will reveal a species of tension in my fair city. I know this tension personally, having relied on bike / bus / foot since 1992 yet now my preferred means of transportation is being besmirched by others. It seems that Portland is far from the only city where this tension is happening, and I am far from the only person who doesn't care for it. What can be done about The Cyclists?

Labels: portland, transportation, trevorblake

Trevor Blake on Books: Left for Dead by Beck Weathers [LINK-ZUM]

Autobiography. Beck Weathers was part of the climb of Mount Everest described in the popular book Into Thin Air. Weathers was moderately prepared for the climb, but found himself in far over his head. Through acts of physical strength and an iron will, he survived. He wrote a book about it and now gives lectures on setting priorities in this life. What I learned from this book is sometimes your team will let you down but you have to keep going or perish.

Labels: biographic, books, trevorblake

Trevor Blake: Christianity in the News [LINK-ZUM]

To celebrate my one-thousandth post about Christianity, a round-up of Christianity in the news.

Killer dad said he had to 'get the demons' out 27-year-old grocery store worker who police say punched and kicked his 2-year-old son to death on a country road calmly told motorists who stopped at the scene that he had to "get the demons" out of the boy.

Boy 'skinned and eaten' by his cannibal cult family Boy 'skinned and eaten' by his cannibal cult family after being held captive in a cellar.

Autopsy: Easy treatment for teen who died in failed 'faith healing' A 16-year-old member of a faith healing church died of uremic heart failure caused by a stricture in his urinary tract.

Dozens blinded in India looking for Virgin Mary At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary.

"This is why I carry, even in church." Man kills two, injures 7 others, in church shooting. Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church had "just put out a sign this week which says it welcomes gays."

Man Watching Steeple Ceremony Killed When Crane Collapses One of dozens of churchgoers watching a steeple being mounted on top of a newly constructed building in southwest Oklahoma City was killed when a crane collapsed on top of his vehicle.

Cult Leader Says Lying Naked With Girls Is Religious Healing Practice In Ranton, New Mexico last Friday, Wayne Bent was indicted for inappropriately touching three minor girls while "lying naked" with them.

Catholic school principal caught in public gay threesome The principal of a New York Catholic school was arrested Sunday after being caught naked with two other men on a vacant property.

Registrar Who Won't Serve Gays Because of Religious Beliefs has Illegitimate Child Ladele is a single mother to a child born out of wedlock. So Ladele is so Christian that she can't possibly marry same-sex couples, but not so religious as to remain chaste until married.

Sex abuse scandal flares as pope prepares for celebrations Broken Rites, a support group for victims of church-related sexual abuse, says that 107 Catholic priests and religious brothers have been sentenced in Australian courts on sex charges.

Escaping the Amish The biggest negatives? -The rape, incest and other sexual abuse that run rampant in the community.

Pastor convicted in Ponzi scheme Robert Jennings, 58, of Perris, and Henry Jones, 53, formerly of Marina del Rey, were convicted on mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud charges

All of these articles were gathered by one person in his spare time over a short period of time using only English-language news sources. It is not unreasonable to suggest that there are many more articles to be found. Why does God sometimes allow / cause the death of those who worship Him? Why worship God if the reward is blindness or death? Is God good? What sort of moral authority do Christians have when they selectively ignore the dictates they would put on others? The abusive clergy listed here are mostly Protestant and appear to have acted in isolation. It is the Roman Catholic Church that has systematically protected abusive clergy from legal action under the guise of diplomatic immunity for decades. My means to lessen the number of those abused is to tear away the veil the abusers most successfully hide behind - religion. My means to lessen the number of those who make self-destructive choices based on fearful superstitions is to reason against and ridicule the root superstition - religion.

Labels: christianity, religion

Trevor Blake on Books: Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs [LINK-ZUM]

Some of the writing in this book is poor, and some of it has not aged well. There's nothing to do but state so plainly and up front. But.

Tarzan of the Apes contains one set of answers for some important questions. What is natural for men? What does civilization offer us, and what does it take away? How do we relate to others who are weaker than us? Who is fit to rule, how do they aquire and keep their position? Tarzan of the Apes also contains some fine fighting, between man and beast and between men. Tarzan acts in accordance with Nature. Tarzan doesn't have any religion or politics. When it is time to follow, he follows. When it is time to lead, he leads. When it is time to kill, he kills. No remorse, guilt, second-guessing, shame, anger - just doing what is Natural. Sometimes Tarzan takes what he wants, and the fact of his ability to do so is the justification for having done so. This, the first of many Tarzan books, is my favorite in the series.

Tarzan of the Apes.
Tarzan of the Apes annoted by Kenneth Fuchs.
Wikipedia entry.
Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.

Labels: books, trevorblake

Trevor Blake on Books: The Boy-Man by Tim Jeal [LINK-ZUM]

A biography of Lord Baden-Powell (22 February 1857 - 8 January 1941) and a history of his greatest achievement, the Boy Scouts.

In most of the world you can be a girl Boy Scout (see FAQ at Scouting for All). You can be in prison for robbery, rape, or murder and still be a Boy Scout. But heaven help you if you try to be an atheist Boy Scout. The Boy Scouts of America aren't vague about this ban either - they expressly state that no atheist can be a Boy Scout. The Boy Scouts is a private organization, and I think it is reasonable to allow them to exclude whoever they want. I think it is a private affair that the Boy Scouts - the British original - allows atheists to join while the Boy Scouts of America does not. But in doing so, the BSA should not have access to tax-funded schools or tax-funded public lands, as our taxes are not supposed to support private organizations that discriminate.

But is the Boy Scouts of America is a private organization or is it a recruiting arm of the Mormons? Nearly 10% of the members of the Boy Scouts Advisory Council live in Salt Lake City; Mormons are less than 2% of the U.S. population but make up 21% of the Boy Scouts. The Salt Lake Tribune reports: "If the Boy Scouts of America is forced to accept gays as scoutmasters, the LDS Church will withdraw from the organization and take more than 400,000 Scouts with it." As late as 1974, Mormon BSA troops reserved leadership positions for white men only.

All of this nonsense is at a distance from what Lord Baden-Powell set out to do with his Boy Scouts. Read The Boy-Man and find out for yourself.

Labels: atheist, books, mormon, religion, sex, theocracy

Trevor Blake: Chocolate Cake [LINK-ZUM]

Chocolate cake. Portland, Oregon USA. 22 July 2008. Five minutes from preparation to serving. Recipe.

Labels: food, trevorblake

Trevor Blake: Steamagineer [LINK-ZUM]

An enraged steamagineer gives the business to a robot president. Public domain, as has been most of my work for more that twenty years. The difference between this idea / image and most of my work is that the option exists to purchase it on a mug or t-shirt.

Labels: art, commerce, fight, transportation, trevorblake

Pat Condell: Islam is Not a Victim [LINK-ZUM]

Labels: atheist, islam, judaism, theocracy, video

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