Matt 24 Watch, 134: New York (including Turtle Bay) continues to be Ground Zero in World War IV*

cf posts here and here

On Sunday just past, Sept 11 2011, we saw the 10th anniversary of Ground Zero at the WTC, NY.  (A Spiritually based response of intercessory prayers and more is called for here.)

The UN Secretariat,
Turtle Bay, New York

Sadly, NY continues to be ground zero; as, for one instance this week coming, we will see the "lawfare" push for a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinian Authority.  In contemptuous defiance of the terms of the hitherto prevailing Oslo Accord of 1993, which (quite logically) calls for settlement of the conflict as a step towards statehood, this push is very likely to be rubber-stamped by the UN, over in Turtle Bay, New York. 

Or at most, it will be barely held back by an unpopular, polarising Security Council veto that will itself carry an ominous and burdensome price tag. 

Worse, it is unfortunately quite likely that many Caribbean countries will vote for Palestinian unilateral statehood, not realising what is implied. 

For, our hearts and minds are filled to overflowing with post-colonial narratives and resentments that are ill-matched to the actual complexities of the Middle East and to the modern history of Israel as well as to the conflicts between Jews and their Arab cousins over right to nationhood; a struggle made all the more intractable by the impacts of IslamIST global supremacism and long-cultivated hatred for Jews.

We must not ever forget this from the  concluding part of the Hamas Charter/Covenant, Article 7:

. . . The Islamic Resistance [= HAMAS, an Arabic acronym]  Movement aspires to implement Allah's promise, whatever time that may take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said: "The Day of Judgment will not come about until the Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them), until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: Oh Muslim! Oh Abdullah! [= servant/slave of Allah, a common Muslim name], there is a Jew behind me, come on and kill him. Only the Gharqad tree would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."

Hamas' rocket campaigns since 2005 are no accident, or aberration, in short; they are a portent of what they would do if they had the power: genocide.

So, via David French's insightful National Review article [thank you, Reader X . . . ] let us reflect for the record, in warning -- a warning that needs to be made especially because it is just as likely to be ignored . . .  --  on the undercurrents behind that seemingly reasonable demand for international recognition of a Palestinian state:

Possible rocket attack threats to Israel
from Palestinian territories

The Palestinian Authority has declared it will seek statehood at the U.N. as early as next week. They will do so with the full backing of every Islamic nation in the world and with the expected backing of numerous other nations that are historically hostile to Israel. It’s critical to understand, however, that if the U.N. recognizes the Palestinian Authority, it will violate its own charter, violate longstanding norms of international law, and further impair its credibility with vital (and powerful) members of the world community . . . . 

By recognizing a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, the U.N. would be an accomplice to a fundamental breach of the Oslo Accords which prohibit either side from taking any steps to change the status of the West Bank or Gaza pending the outcome of permanent status negotiations [i.e., resolving of the conflict on amicable terms] . . . . 


U.N. membership is open to “states” only. Granting membership to an entity which cannot meet the most basic and accepted international legal requirements for statehood would not only be a violation of this foundational requirement, it would set a dangerous precedent in international relations. Note that the question of whether the Palestinian entity can qualify as a state is a distinct question from whether one thinks the Palestinians ought to have a state. To regard the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a “state” would mean stretching the meaning of the term beyond all reason.

The accepted international criteria for statehood are laid out in the Montevideo Convention of 1933: a permanent population, a defined territory, government and capacity to enter into relations with the other states. The West Bank and Gaza Strip clearly fail to meet these criteria. The only authority exercised by the Palestinian Authority (PA) is that which it has through the sufferance of Israel, the parameters of which are defined in the Oslo Accords: the population and territory under the PA’s authority, the extent of its governing power and ability to carry on foreign relations only extend as far as that to which Israel has agreed. If the PA presses ahead with its unilateral course, its breach of the Oslo Accords would allow Israel to actually dismantle the PA.

The danger of the PA’s approach is obvious. If the U.N. nullifies all objective criteria for statehood — leaving recognition open for all aspiring separatist movements with sufficient political influence — then it has laid a foundation for perpetual, bloody conflict. The floodgates would open for the multitude of secessionist groups worldwide who would easily qualify for statehood under the “new rules,” whether they be Tibetans, Tamils, Basques, Kurds, or any of the countless others seeking recognition of their “right” to independence and statehood . . . . 


Any declaration of independence on 1967 lines leaves the most populous city in the new Palestinian “state” in the hands of Hamas, a terrorist organization at open war with Israel. Moreover, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have declared an intention to form a unity government, leaving the whole of Palestinian territory under at least partial control of terrorists. 

As for “equal rights,” the PLO’s ambassador to the United States declared that any new Palestinian state should be judenrein, cleansed of all Jews. This declaration stands in stark contrast to Israel, which grants its Arab citizens full civil rights — indeed, Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy more civil liberties than the citizens of any Arab country in the Middle East . . . . 


The prevailing deeply-held belief (and longstanding practice) of the PLO and Hamas is that they are entitled to use violence — to advance the maximalist goal of destroying Israel, or the more modest goal of ending Israel’s so-called “occupation” of the “Territories.” The unrelenting campaign of Palestinian terror, the content of the charters of the PLO and Hamas, and the widespread incitement to violence in Palestinian society are beyond dispute.

This commitment to violence demonstrates that the Palestinians at present are simply not “able and willing” to carry out their obligations under the Charter. Even if, for argument’s sake, one were to accept that the Palestinians were genuinely “willing” to take on the obligations attendant to U.N. membership, very recent history shows they are not “able” to do so. The Palestinian Authority lost its short and vicious civil war with Hamas, leaving Hamas in total control of the Gaza Strip. Does any reasonable person believe that the PA is “able” to restrain Hamas? Has the PA ever demonstrated an ability to restrain Hamas? Can the Palestinian delegation to the U.N. provide any reassurance that Hamas won’t also seize the West Bank — either through bullets or the ballot? . . . 

And, much more.

Let us note in particular:

The floodgates would open for the multitude of secessionist groups worldwide who would easily qualify for statehood under the “new rules,” whether they be Tibetans, Tamils, Basques, Kurds, or any of the countless others seeking recognition of their “right” to independence and statehood . . . .

The prevailing deeply-held belief (and longstanding practice) of the PLO and Hamas is that they are entitled to use violence — to advance the maximalist goal of destroying Israel, or the more modest goal of ending Israel’s so-called “occupation” of the “Territories.” The unrelenting campaign of Palestinian terror, the content of the charters of the PLO and Hamas, and the widespread incitement to violence in Palestinian society are beyond dispute . . .

Is this sort of agenda of easily stirred up civil wars and demand for a "right" to resolve problems by terroristic violence on any excuse by an aggrieved minority what we really want to advance in our region of vulnerable, small island states? 

Or, in the wider world?

To more deeply appreciate this, we need to excerpt from the speech by former Muslim Michael Paul of Iraq, at the 9/11protest Freedom Rally held in New York on 9/11 by Spencer, Geller and others as an alternative to the censored official celebrations:

WTC, 9-11: A man is not a bird
or a bit of debris . . .

[MP:] I am here today, not to speak against Muslims, but to talk directly to those who adamantly demand to build a mosque here at Ground Zero and name it the Cordoba mosque [NB: which is being built with official support, within the debris footprint of the WTC 9/11 attacks, i.e within Ground Zero, at the same time when a church lost during the attacks is meeting all sorts of official delays and obstacles]  . . . .



There are already many Sunni and Shiite mosques in New York. Some have been penetrated by terrorist ideology, others washed in the tide of Islamic Iran’s Revolutionary thinking. Now, that poison is being spread from here across the United States to other mosques. The true purpose of this mosque isn’t for daily worship. Most Muslims  don’t worship on a daily basis because they are too busy working during the week. The true purpose is suspicious.

You, you who want to build the mosque, should appreciate America as a country that supports and sacrifices for the right of man to be free no matter what the sex, race, or religion. Muslims living here have the full rights given in the Constitution and American society. And those rights far exceed those given in your native country.  Why do you now try to use the same laws that have set Muslims free from slavery as a weapon against the people who created those laws? Why do you want to build a mosque on the lives and wounds of the society that liberated so many Muslims around the world? Is it necessary to build the mosque here in this spot on ground that still moans from its wounds? Do you need to renew the pain of all those who’s loved ones were killed here?

The extremist ideology that killed them grew up in a mosque.

Ground Zero has seen the worst form of mass murder and crimes against humanity. The act was carried out by criminals who hate, even though they ate and drank of the best of this country, and breathed the human freedom she gave them. It is an act of shame that they attacked her and killed in the name of Islam.

It is a reminder of the ugly colonial history that is based on attacking people and trying to force a change of religious beliefs by the sword. A history that includes Spain, where the original Cordoba mosque was built over the Christian Church of Saint Vincent. Where that Christian country was occupied, men killed, and women captured and taken to Muslim’s countries as maids and servants who provided sexual pleasure for their conquerors. Many in Islam still boast about that and glory in that conquest. They consider it a symbol of their power and greatness. For them, this new Cordoba mosque will also be considered a symbol of Islamic supremacy, part of their long tradition of building structures on the holy ground of their conquered enemies.

Do you see how desiring the mosque to be named Cordoba is not just an innocent choice? It is being done because the name carries the seeds of dreams that destroy freedom and individual rights. The fruit will be the expansion of radical Islam.

I would like to refer to verse 107 of Sura Repentance [i.e. 9]  in the Qur’an, which says “And there are those who put up a mosque by way of mischief and infidelity– to disunite the Believers – and in preparation for one who warred against Allah and His Messenger aforetime. They will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good; but Allah doth declare that they are certainly liars.”

You, who want to build this mosque, know the story of Dirar. It was a mosque built at the time of Mohammad in Medina, by the tribe of Auf, on land they stole from Christian Priest Abu Amar. And you know it was stolen because of their jealousy of their cousin tribe who had already built a mosque nearby. The Christian priest told Caesar about the terrible injustice done to him by the tribe of Auf and Mohammad sent three men to burn the Dirar mosque . . . .

Most of the Muslim theologians said that the meaning of  Dirar (which in English means devastating and is what Allah named the mosque in the story) is when you do something that doesn’t even benefit yourself while it damages your neighbor.

Most Muslim theologians have gathered and agreed that no mosque should be built on dirar, and if it is, it is not permitted by Allah to be prayed in.

My question to these men and women who are demanding construction of the mosque is, how do you believe in Islam and you don’t follow what your Prophet Muhammad has said? Instead you try to make the people fear you with your determination to build the mosque here. Muhammad said, “I swear in God’s name, anyone who causes his neighbor to fear him is not a Muslim Believer.”
 
Also, the Prophet of Islam said: By Allah, the ground of all the earth has been my mosque and cleansed for me. All the earth except five places. One of those five places is the cemetery or the grave, or place of death.

A second place that it is forbidden in Islam to build a mosque is coerced land. I am sure that those who want to build here will criticize me, because they will say that they obtained  the land by the regular way. But Mohammed says that anything that you obtained the regular way from people who were bashful to give it to you is the same as coercing it from them.

You who demand to build this mosque and name it Cordoba know full well that this place is a place of death. A place where over 3,000 innocents died. It is a cemetery of their souls. To build a mosque here is forbidden by Islam. If you believe that Allah cleansed all the earth for a mosque, why must you build on this specific site? Also, you are in effect seizing the land by coercion because the majority of Americans don’t want it built here. And beyond that it doesn’t benefit you because there are already many mosques in the area, and other sites that you could build on. It doesn’t benefit you and it damages your neighbors. 

This is dirar . . .

There are some terrible forces loosed in our world today, and we -- Muslims, Christians, peoples of other faiths, or of no faith alike -- need to think very carefully about what we are doing and where we are taking our common world.

Before it is unthinkably, bloodily, horrendously too late.

Including, those of us who live right here in the Caribbean. END
_______

* I count the Cold War as World War III. We must also remember that before the storm broke on May 10, 1940, with the decisive seven-division German panzer thrust through the Ardennes, World War II was reduced to what seemed to be a phoney war, after a relatively minor campaign in Poland. While terrorism seems to many to be mostly a minor problem best handled as a criminal matter,  what is lurking is the rise of radical Islamist powers with ballistic missile technology and nuclear weapons. The next full-bore 9/11 is liable to be under the sign of the mushroom cloud.

Matt 24 Watch, 133a: The story of the 9/11 firemen (a documentary from inside the WTC towers) -- let us never forget their courage and sacrifice . . .

9/11 Attacks, WTC, NY
[HT: Wiki]

(Cf Sep 11, 2012 post here) 

9/11 was a Tuesday morning in September 2001 that began as an ordinary day, but turned into a global horror story that has defined our times.

We must not forget it, and we must never allow our memories and understanding to be shaped by the spinmeisters.

For that, Atlas Shrugs -- rough edges, occasional shrillness and all -- is an unequalled source that I have come to respect for being able to get at angles and stories that just simply do not make it through the media filters.

(And if you think there are not significant media filters that we have to break through to get at the material, well-warranted truth, kindly cf here.)

Ms Geller, here, has highlighted a documentary video by The Naudet Brothers of France, one I have never heard of before, one that tells the story of the Firemen, from inside; including from inside the WTC towers that fateful Tuesday morning, September 11, 2011. She snips a summary that we should clip from:

Gedeon is the older brother, and the avid film maker. But, by the time of 9/11, an additional camera had been purchased for Jules for "camera practice." Jules is with the Battalion Chief, Joseph Pfeifer, and 13 other fire fighters from the house, filming as they investigate an odor of gas at 8:46 am on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. They are standing in the path of the plane as it flies over and hits Tower 1, and Jules is filming the entire time. His is the only footage of the attack on Tower 1.

The reaction of the firefighters is immediate, as they take off for the Trade Center, a place they previously would visit up to five times a day on a shift. They know the Trade Center perhaps better than any other firehouse in Manhattan. But, nothing has prepared them for this.

What transpires is the only known footage of the struggle of the firefighters inside Tower 1 as they try to figure out what to do in the chaos and confusion. They had seen it all, they thought, but this was something they hadn't prepared for. The film is very sensitively edited, so you don't see the blood or the gore or the bodies, you only hear about them. The focus in this film is on the brotherhood of the firemen, what was going on in the towers while the rest of the world looked on, helplessly.

How men who make less money than half of the City are the ones who rush into the burning buildings, and who do not hesitate to lay down their lives while saving others. It is the tale of a true brotherhood, of men who are doing jobs handed down to them from generations before. It is more than a story of 9/11, it is the story of the world of New York fire fighters . . .

 Yes, you got it right: these men were on another call, and seeing the attack happen right before their eyes, headed straight for Ground Zero, without having to be called.

There is a language warning, but let us never forget the commitment, courage and ultimately, sacrifice, of those first responders who found themselves on the frontlines of World War IV, at ground zero,

The original video here is gone, here is a replacement:

(I find it particularly interesting, that these men were apparently quite familiar with being called to the WTC for fires etc., up to five times in a shift.)

Let us remember, then, what terrorism means, and what it says beyond all doubt about the utter moral bankruptcy of those who resort to it.

Sigh, that's the first spin to be un-spun.

Let's roll the tape on definition, to keep our thoughts straight:

ter·ror·ism  (tr-rzm)

n.

The unlawful [here meaning: unjust, as in targetted at the innocent or civilians etc.] use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

And so, let us resolve, never ever to surrender to it or to be intimidated or misled into telling the self-excusing, turnabout accusation "narrative" of the terrorists for them. END

Capacity Focus, 10: A suggestion for further equipping our educators through a Dip. Ed.

Here in Montserrat, we have a new Director of Education, and he has changed how CXC/O Level results are reported.

As a result, we learned that 25% of the cohort of 5th formers -- as opposed to the percent of students offered to sit the specific exams who passed them (usually considerably higher!) -- were able to obtain at least five CXC's or Ordinary Level "passes," including Math and English. The Director said that these are the ones who are demonstrably trainable for the sort of workforce our region now needs.

The result was that many members of the public were stunned, and even angry: our educators are failing! The teachers can't teach! The school is in a mess! Etc, etc.

Actually, this is an IMPROVED result over what typically obtained over the recent years.

Just, since -- as this is what counts for long term economic performance -- we are now looking at the full set of those who are in fifth form after five or so years of secondary education. So, we are now looking more specifically at the overall performance of the school, not just that of those seen as "bright enough" to sit exams.

Not a pretty picture. 

And sadly, that is not just for here, it is apparently fairly representative of the region.

That points to the need for effective diagnosis and provision of individualised second chance secondary education that has to detect and correct the gaps in our education base, so that students can now take the time to fix the problems and move up to a level that makes them ready to take part in the economic transformation our region so desperately needs. (And, I am not at all sure that "number of CXCs" is the best metric for that achievement; though, the regional secondary exams are an important, widely accepted yardstick that has to be reckoned with.)

Similarly, it points beyond itself, as it is manifest that 5th form standard is no longer good enough as a base for the skills we need if we are to thrive in the decades ahead. And, traditional 6th form is simply too narrow.

So, I have long proposed that we need an Associate Degree programme that can be bridged to -- that is itself a foundational programme of studies to ensure that a good base is in place! -- from a 5th form base, then will carry us to the half-way point of a standard four year bachelor's degree programme. Some such Associates are essentially half-degrees, and make it easy and affordable for people to access the first stage of a bachelor's degree through a community college. Others would be more or less terminal in themselves as applied courses of study, serving as training for various technical and paraprofessional fields.Some of these could even serve as broadening studies for people qualified in other areas to a higher level, but who are looking to get a wider, more marketable or useful skill base. For instance, how many of us would like to pick up some basic business administration or multimedia production skills, or agriculture, or the like?

My angle on all this is, of course, equipping people for effective Christian service and leadership in and beyond our region; through an Associate Degree programme of about 60 - 64 Credits that would complement other studies, or could be done on its own.

Such a programme -- as the "pillars" in the diagram below will show -- would contain a technical "tent-making" skill component, a general leadership and community service skills component, and a discipleship, Bible/Theology and issues component, leading onwards to some focus in an area of concentration and an integrative, capstone project with significant independent learning:

However, we come back full circle.

For, to effectively develop and implement such a programme, and as well to upgrade the skills of our educators to deliver a more effective secondary education system, we are looking at a second programme, designed to further equip a critical mass of our educators.

The logical programme for that is a graduate diploma in education, Dip. Ed., in the context of a professional Masters in Education, M. Ed., one based on bridging studies, a general Grad Cert in Ed and a Specialisation Cert, both one Semester-equivalent.

A research module would then lead on to the M.Ed, but that is not the primary focus just now.Just, we need to know where the design points, and a Master's Degree is currently a hot educational commodity in the region. So, affordable access would open up a considerable market.

In terms of basic design, we could do:

In terms of content for the Diploma component, we could look at, say (just as a preliminary suggestion):

Level I Cert. Ed, ideas (15 Cr):

Survey, Phil & Ethics of Education, 2: timeline highlights, key ideas, dynamics/ models /views & key cases, issues, duties of care and challenges

Survey, Devt'l & Edu Psychology, Caribbean Context, 2

Princs + Praxis, Design & Delivery of Content & Skills, 3: key ideas (& background), dynamics/ models/ approaches/ cases, issues, duties of care and challenges, also benchmarks of "best practice"

Princs + Praxis, Edu Organisation & Administration, 3

Princs + Praxis, Edu assessment, research & quantitative methods, 3 (statistics to be a bridging module)

Seminar I, Micro-teaching & multimedia presentation practicum, 2

Level II Cert. Ed, ideas (15 cr):

Curriculum, Programme & Course Design & Development, 2

Strategic Management & Policy in Education, 3

Specialisation /Independent Work A, 3

Specialisation/Independent Work B, 3

Education Research Methods, 2

Seminar II, micro research practicum, 2

Such a programme should be easily reachable for colleges, Ministries of Education, Seminaries etc. using a blend of online access, micro-campus learning centres based on existing institutions in the community, schools or training departments, and for especially the onward Masters, access to campuses for the in-campus module preparatory to doing one's thesis. The ongoing e-book revolution would easily provide significant access to resources, but strategic centres would probably need to put in place significant reference and periodicals resources.

In particular, the Caribbean Grad School of Theology acting in partnership with various agencies, could cover such a programme.

Nor, would we have to wait until all things are in place before starting. Once we have a reasonable framework, and agreed articulation, the initial modules in the Grad Cert I could begin to be offered, even as standalone professional development workshops with credit banking.

(A similar strategy can of course be used for the more foundational and/or skills based components of the envisioned Associate in Arts, Concentration in Caribbean Christian Service, AACCS. And the basic programme architecture as illustrated is applicable to other fields that would be strategic, such as business or public administration or environmental management, etc.)

So, the logical question (as usual) is: why not now, why not here, why not us? END

Matt 24 Watch, 133: Sunday, September 11, 2011 is the tenth Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

Sunday, September 11, 2011 is the tenth Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

Most of us still can remember what we were doing that morning when the news of an aircraft crashing into one of the World Trade Center towers reached us. In my case, my wife called while I was at my desk, and I guessed -- since, in World War II, a bomber had accidentally crashed into the Empire State Building -- it was an accident. Then, maybe half an hour later, she called back to say an aircraft had crashed into the SECOND tower.

My reply:

"That's Bin Laden!"

And so, it turned out to be, triggering a decade of low-grade global war that with Iran now at nuclear threshold, threatens to go nuclear.

We have much to learn from what happened over the past ten years, but many of us are not ready and cannot bear that yet. Besides, there is a more important focus, prayer.

I think all churches in the Caribbean with the capacity should show the following short video this week end, or a similar one; and should then go into a time of intercession for the Muslim peoples of our world, the other peoples of the world, and our own civilisation; that we would stop, pause, and listen afresh to the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Risen Saviour, risen with Healing in his wings.

Here is the download page for the video, courtesy the Zwemer Center of Columbia International University. It is playable here:

     

In addition, we are usually woefully ill-equipped to respond to clever and cutting Islamic rhetorical challenges to the gospel, much less reach out to Muslims with the good news that would give them hope. 

So, I wish to highlight a cluster of resources here, here, here, here, here and here, on understanding and responding to the Islamic challenge in the Caribbean and the wider world beyond. I also think this presentation on the clashing sons of Abraham, will be helpful (it also includes some balancing remarks on the modern history of Israel).

Finally, I think we all need to reflect on how we can best respond to the worldviews and cultural agenda challenges we face in our region and as a wider civilisation, so this presentation and this course unit will help.

In the immortal words of the heroic Flight 93 passenger, Todd Beamer, "Let's Roll!" END

Alvin Plantinga speaks on some common atheist puzzles

Alvin Plantinga is one of the greatest living philosophers, and is the person who developed the free will defense that has blunted the logical form of the problem of evil and provided a platform for addressing other forms of this well known objection to the reality of God.

In this YouTube video, he addresses a range of common atheist's puzzles about God:

Well worth the ten or eleven minute pause to sit back and watch. END

Capacity Focus, 9: A wave of low-cost education oriented Tablet PC's over the next year or so . . . ?

Those who have been following this blog will know that I have been keeping an eye on the emergence of technologies that enable computers and ebook libraries for all, for students. 

That's because I think that affordable educational computing can and will have a transformative impact on how education, especially education beyond High School, is delivered. A wave is coming that can turn any church hall, cyber cafe or community centre with broadband access and a wireless -- or even wired -- network into a micro-campus centre for a regional cybercollege.

That's a wave that we need to catch and ride.

For instance, for some time now, theOne Laptop Per Child ( OLPC) people have been hoping to deliver their US$ 75 [now, sub-US$100 . . . ] XO-3 tablet for 2012 [now, end of 2012 . . . ], and -- about a year ago -- the Indian Gov't announced a US$ 35 subsidised tablet PC, now nearing release.

Here is a look at the Marvell 10" tablet prototype announced for about US$ 99, that may well be the prototype OLPC XO-3:

These days, US$ 100 is unfortunately a typical cost price for 1 - 2 or (if you are lucky . . . ) 3 textbooks for senior high school or college level; which would be a lot less flexible, would weigh more and certainly will take up more space. 

So, add in a wireless track-pad and keyboard set and carrying bag for maybe US$ 40 - 60 more, plus some open source office productivity software [e.g. Open Office] and some version of a Linux kernel operating system -- Android or OLPC's Sugar OS would do -- and we clearly would have a very viable educational platform. 

The Asus Epad transformer TF101 Android Honeycomb OS Tablet (a "surprise" no 2 seller to the Apple iPad at 400,000 units per month) shows these possibilities [costs "$400 plus $149 for the dock . . ."], being a tablet- and- netbook- PC- in- one thanks to an innovative -- though not yet perfect -- docking system:

Here is a look at the Google Android Honeycomb OS in action -- I guess your fingertip is the new pointer:





(NB: Steve Jobs comments on the new OS "war.")

What about the iPad vs Anrdoid?


J R Raphael of ComputerWorld makes some insightful comments:

An iPad, by design, doesn't work like a regular computer. You can't drag and drop files between it and your PC; you can't browse its hard drive in any normal fashion. If you want to manage your music, you've gotta use iTunes to do it. You can multitask only within the confines of limited and carefully defined parameters. You can't view any Flash-based websites -- and forget about installing any program that isn't explicitly approved by Apple's app patrol committee.

For some folks, that's fine -- and for those people, the iPad is a perfect solution. But for those of us who want the ability to fully customize our computing devices, to do what we want with them, the Android tablets can fill that gap and offer things the iPad can't provide. And with the wide range of options in manufacturer, style, and size that'll soon be appearing, there'll be no shortage of choices compared to the iPad's one-size-fits-all approach . . . . 


To be clear, there isn't going to be any sort of sudden overnight shift in the tablet market. The iPad isn't going to fall out of favor anytime soon -- heck, it's probably never going to "fall out of favor" at all. But over the next couple of years, more and more attractive Android tablets are going to arrive. They'll offer more and more alternatives to Apple's one-size-fits-all, locked down approach. The iPad will no doubt continue to be a financial success, just as the iPhone is now. But in terms of overall user adoption, it sure seems like the stage is set for another smartphone-reminiscent market share shuffle.

In fact, unfortunately, we have already seen censorship in the iPad Apps world, targetting Christian initiatives. So, while I cut my computing eyeteeth on one of the early Macs, and have some fond memories, I cannot any longer recommend Apple products; regardless of technology.


As a matter of policy, we must avoid one-vendor solutions, and go for open source as much as possible. For, a monopolistic lock-in makes us far too vulnerable in today's politically correct environment that teems with all too many radicals tanked up on anti-Christian bigotry through toxic atheistical or neo-pagan talking points, and spoiling for a fight.


Now, too, in a news update on the OLPC XO-3, we can see that:

One Laptop Per Child is developing new functionality and protection features for its upcoming XO-3 tablet with the hope to attract more interest in the device.


OLPC is designing rubber covers intended to protect the tablet but that could also integrate solar charging, satellite Internet or external keyboard capabilities, said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop Per Child.


The tablet was originally announced in late 2009 with a projected price of under US$100. The XO-3 will become available early next year or perhaps sooner, and price is still being determined, but it will still be under $100, Negroponte said.


The tablet will also include a camera on top of the screen, placed inside the bezel surrounding the display. A microphone will be placed in the bezel under the screen, and USB 2.0 ports and a headphone jack will be on the sides.

Windows OS addicts (most of us) will note the onward remarks:

On software for the tablet, Negroponte said OLPC has lost interest in providing Microsoft's Windows 8 as an option. The organization is going forward with other operating systems including Google's Android and Chrome OS, which are based on Linux. Google has already released a version of Android for tablets, while Chrome OS is targeted at low-power laptops.

OLPC offered Windows and Linux operating systems in the first few XO laptop builds, which were based on x86 chips from Advanced Micro Devices and then Via Technologies. However subsequent XO laptops, starting with version 1.75, were based on ARM processors, which at the time did not support a full Windows OS. 


In March 2009, OLPC pushed Microsoft to develop a version of the full Windows OS that could work on ARM chips, which are considered more power-efficient than x86 chips.

At the time, Microsoft said it wouldn't do it, but the software maker said earlier this year that Windows 8 will work with x86 and ARM architectures.


"Microsoft had to make that move. I told Craig Mundie he would have to do it in two years," Negroponte said. "He said 'absolutely no, never.' It was two years to the week."

OLPC has lost interest in Windows for XO-3 now, Negroponte said, adding that it "will have almost no meaning."

 The context for that, of course, is the rise of the Tablet and the smart phone as major computing platforms with an associated "apps" market -- especially the Android OS, with Linux based OSes thus becoming more and more acceptable. 

The key issue in delays of the OLPC XO3 has been screen technology:

Decisions are still being made about the display, which is holding up development of the device, Negroponte said. OLPC wants a transflective screen, much like the current XO, but with improved richness in e-ink and transmissive modes. OLPC plans to use spin-off Pixel Qi's hybrid screen, which can function in e-ink mode and like a normal LCD (liquid crystal display) to display full-motion video. The display can absorb ambient light to brighten screens and reduce power consumption.

That technology has been implemented in the earlier XO-1, but is to be improved. 

If successful what that does is that it produces a screen that works well as a substitute for paper, in terms or resolution and eye-strain, as well as a more conventional view-screen that can handle rapid motion in multimedia or video elements. (Longer term, there is a push to get colour and rapid responsiveness into electronic paper.)

So, over the next several years, we can expect to see the emergence of reasonable cost, good performance computing platforms suitable for students and for delivery of educational content via commonly accessible web based and open system technologies. 

That fits right in with the ongoing push to create a regional cyber-campus coupled to community-based micro campus centres, to equip our people for work, for leadership in the community, and for leadership in our churches, under the imperatives of the mission of the church in our region and from our region.

So, we come right back to the Mordecai challenge: why not now, why not here, why not us? END

Matt 24 Watch, 129b: A footnote on out of context misreadings of earlier remarks on the Breivik case, from Anti-Evo

In following up on usage statistics, I came across a sadly revealing comment on the post here at KF blog on Breivik and the media spin game that has played out over his abuse of Christian terminology, symbols and cultural influence. 

It is worth clipping and commenting, as this reveals the mindset we now have to deal with and -- where possible -- correct.

Let us therefore observe Anti Evo commenter, Sparc, commenting on and clipping from the post on Brevik and the media frenzy late last month:

I had a look over at [the Kairosfocus blog] just to ruin my [vulgarity  deleted] detector and melt my irony meter when I learned that he uses the Dembski's Explanatory Filter to analyse media content: 

Quote

And yet, global media, up to and including the once great BBC could not pick that up and strike a reasonable balance on the merits?

That makes me sick.

Heart-sick.

Beware when something in the mass media fits your favourite stereotypes just a bit too well!!!

Such is functionally specific and complex, so it is likely to be an artifact of design, not a mere natural happenstance.

That is, yes, I am applying the explanatory filter, common sense version, to media information to detect propagandistic designs.

Notice that "And"? As well as the context of something that fits a stereotype just a bit too well?

Those points were of course there to link the just above to its context, a comment on the gross blunder made by the major media houses. 

Let's give a little context:

. . . A perfect illustration of those nasty right wing theocratic fundies, isn’t it?

NOT — and, plainly, explicitly not. How much more explicit did this man have to be than [quoting Breivik]:

“As this is a cultural war, our definition of being a Christian does not necessarily constitute that you are required to have a personal relationship with God or Jesus,” he writes. “Being a Christian can mean many things; That you believe in and want to protect Europe’s Christian cultural heritage. The European cultural heritage, our norms (moral codes and social structures included), our traditions and our modern political systems are based on Christianity – Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and the legacy of the European enlightenment (reason is the primary source and legitimacy for authority). It is not required that you have a personal relationship with God or Jesus in order to fight for our Christian cultural heritage and the European way. In many ways, our modern societies and European secularism is a result of European Christendom and the enlightenment. It is therefore essential to understand the difference between a ‘Christian fundamentalist theocracy’ (everything we do not want) and a secular European society based on our Christian cultural heritage (what we do want). So no, you don’t need to have a personal relationship with God or Jesus to fight for our Christian cultural heritage. It is enough that you are a Christian-agnostic or a Christian atheist (an atheist who wants to preserve at least the basics of the European Christian cultural legacy (Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter)).

And yet, global media, up to and including the once great BBC could not pick that up and strike a reasonable balance on the merits? . . .

So, we see here a pattern, a highly specific one: major media houses, up to and including BBC, for days -- and in some quarters it seems to this day -- repeatedly did not fulfill duties of care to due diligence, truthfulness and fairness, in reporting on this incident and its wider connexions. 

This, in the teeth of a situation where you would be connecting major movements in our civilisation to an incident of mass murder, something that should only be done on significant evidence of materiality. (Contrast how, nearly two years after the incident at Ft Hood in the USA, there has not been a general, serious, explanation of the eyewitness report that as he began to shoot, Major Nidal Hasan shouted the classic Islamic war-cry: "Allahu akbar!")

It is in that context, that I then pointed out the breakdown in the major media, and applied the design inference explanatory filter to infer to bias:

And yet, global media, up to and including the once great BBC could not pick that up and strike a reasonable balance on the merits?

That makes me sick.

Heart-sick.

Beware when something in the mass media fits your favourite stereotypes just a bit too well!!!

Such is functionally specific and complex, so it is likely to be an artifact of design, not a mere natural happenstance.

That is, yes, I am applying the explanatory filter, common sense version, to media information to detect propagandistic designs.

 

(And you thought the ID EF was useless?)

In other words, I am here applying the straight vs spin grid test that I have used for years in evaluating the media, and I am doing so in a context that is using functional specificity and complexity to distinguish errors of happenstance from underlying purposefulness -- starting with further evidence of a pattern of bias and hostility that has led to years of habitually inaccurate and hostile, false stereotyping of Christians in the dominant media. Indeed, only a few years ago, I went through a year-long complaint process with BBC on such false stereotyping, on an episode of a fictional series. 

The bias I complained of -- to consistently deaf ears right up to the BBC Trust -- has now plainly come out in the news reporting and related editorialising.

So, let us do some grading:

____________

>> I believe the following analytical "straight or spin" grid will be helpful in assessing the quality of news, commentary and education we are exposed to in our region:

STORY ELEMENTS:	(a) Headline & Lead	(b) Story &/or Views presented	(c) Characterisation of People &/or Institutions	(d) Context: underlying Issues, Alternatives and Historical Setting
(1) Factually Accurate?	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
(2) Fair, or Just?	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
(3) Kind or Gracious?	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
(4) Balanced, or provides a Counter - balance?	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N

Fig. 1: News, Education and Views: "Straight or Spin?" [Key: Y, "yes" = 1; N, "no" = 0]

---

(II) Using the "Straight or Spin?" Grid:

As can be seen, the straight or spin grid gives four main facets of a typical item of news or commentary, or a lesson/lecture (or even a textbook chapter): (a) the head and lead, (b) the story proper, (c) characterisation, and (d) context. It then asks a basic question:

Is the presented information: (1) accurate, (2) fair, (3) kind and (4) balanced?

It is a reasonable expectation that, consistently, the answer should be YES, for all components of a news, educational or commentary item, or a presentation or even a sermon. However, to err is human, so there might be an occasional slip that requires minor correction. So, we can now grade the quality of our news, education and commentary services:

• B to A: Consistent Score 13 - 16: a reasonably good to excellent service, but if errors keep on cropping up in any one square (e.g. cells 1a, 2c, 3b or 4d), there is a systematic problem (e.g.; 1a: inaccurate headings and leads, 2c: unfair or unjust characterisations of people or institutions, 3b: unkind (say, through sensationalism that exploits people's pain) presentation of stories, 4d: biased context), and corrective action is obviously needed. [The examples make the "structured common-sense" approach plain: do you wish to consume information from sources that are consistently inaccurate in how they headline and lead stories on issues and news? Or, from one that often slanders people or institutions it does not like? Or, tries to make money off sensationalising the suffering of others? Or, tells only half the story through suppressing materially relevant context? Etc.?]
  
  
• D to C: Consistent Score 8 - 12: This source has a major, systematic problem with at least one of the four requirements of sound, straight information, and is probably pushing an agenda counter to the interests of the people of God and the wider community. The source and the editorial policy require major reformation.
  
  
• F: Consistent Score 7 or less: Do not trust this source, period. Warn others about the evident distortion, bias, deception and agenda. If the source has significant institutional power and is unwilling to be corrected, make the creation of an alternative that will consistently correct and expose the errors and agenda a top priority.

Unfortunately, for far too many local, regional and international sources of news, entertainment, commentary and even education available in or to the Caribbean, the proper assessment in this post-modern relativistic age is: F.>>

_____________

It is fair comment to observe that on the Breivik story, the failure to do due diligence before characterising Mr Breivik as a Christian Fundamentalist Terrorist [and BTW, I am astonished to see that the agnostic/atheist Mr McVeigh is still being similarly classified by some commenters to this day . . . ], was -- in the teeth of reasonably accessible evidence -- inaccurate, unfair, unkind and unbalanced. 

This was plainly a Grade F moment for the global media.

Worse, the contrast of the above rush to inaccurate and unfair judgement with how carefully the major media distinguishes between IslamIST terrorists and most Muslims, and even hesitates before calling someone like Major Hasan such a terrorist [even, of the lone wolf, unhinged variety . . . ], is sadly revealing.

So, Sparc, OgreMkV et al, there is a reason to see that there is a complex, specific, functional pattern at work, one that points to a case of serious and potentially poisonously destructive bias. Or -- in some cases -- worse than bias, actively hostile agendas that seize upon any excuse to push a stereotype that brands Bible-believing Christians as allied to and motivating of mass murder.

It is in that particular context, Sparc et al, that I specifically went on to immediately underscore the relevant foundational Christian ethical teachings:

Now, let us clip some pretty explicit core ethical instructions from the Christian rule-book [specifically the New Testament], which would immediately identify whether this man’s ideas and behaviour are legitimately Christian:

Rom 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[a] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Pet 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11 He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a]

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil . . . .

4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? . . . 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Why is it that we find nowhere in the major media coverage any serious reflection of the sort of ethical teachings that I have just excerpted?

No-one in even the most basic degree shaped by the teachings of Christ,the Apostles and Prophets, would condone, contemplate or worse actually carry out the sort of attack we have just seen in Norway.

Such very serious points of concern demand an answer, not a mocking dismissal . 

And indeed, sadly, the callousness implicit in such a dismissal, is itself all too revealing of a cold, deeply set hostility. Precisely what is being addressed as something dangerous that needs correction. 

A corrective, that -- if heeded -- would be a blessing.

Cho, man do betta dan dat! END

Matt 24 Watch, 132: Responding to the rising tide of strident atheistical advocacy online, on campuses, and on the street

Today is August Monday [and it is a Monday!], anniversary of the 1834 - 8 ending of slavery in the Caribbean; in material part through the efforts of evangelical, dissenter Christians such as Wilberforce, Buxton and others, who stood up in the teeth of fierce opposition and viciously unfair attack, and in the end counted.

In that context, it is appropriate to pause to address the challenge of a rising tide of atheistical advocacy. As Fr Barron of Word on Fire asks: 

. . . are we prepared to answer to today's strident New Atheists?

Some good start-points:

CMI on Atheism. (Links page.)


CARM's Atheism response links page.


Vox Day's response to the New Atheists.


Plato's warning about the implications and consequences of evolutionary materialism. (Yes, ~ 360 BC, i.e. 2,350 years ago.) [Cf here on on the related origins science issues.]


My own notes on building a sound worldview.


(NB: Work in progress on the now increasingly common "your god is a fictional bronze age monster and you fundy followers are Christo-fascist would be theocratic tyrants" talking point. [Thoughts welcome. Note here on some remarks on the roots of modern liberty and democracy.])

Just some sparkers for thinking.

We need to be ready to give a reasoned response to what is now upon us. END