CNHS Choir: Andrew

Snow Angel Day

A few weeks ago Cam & The Pie made snow angels. One of my favorite pictures of Pippa is here in this set.

Lessons & Carols Reader's Copy

Christmastide%20Lessons%20Carols%202007.pdf

Cute Prayer

Thx Dad.

Christmastide Bulletins

I was just too busy to get these too you. The bonus is in one you'll see the draft version after the first two pages. That I think was the bulletin for the morning BAS services. Enjoy

Christmas Eve: Christmas%20Eve%20A%20December%2024%20BCP%202007.pdf

Christmas 1 Carol Service: Christmas%20Lessons%20Carols%20Dec%2030%202007.pdf

48 hour Dash Cleanup

Whirling dervishes! At least that's how it feels as we prepare for the Rectory Christmas Party tomorrow. Much is being done and thus not much posting I'm afraid. But it will, stay tuned.

Got to get back to work before the boss notices I'm hiding in my office... 'sposta be a cleanin' it.

News: Peace, Goodwill toward Men?

This is one of those sad stories. Priests brawl at the site of the Nativity. I want to laugh for it's so typical... it's a good thing His birth leads to the Cross and the Resurrection for we'd be lost without it.

Merry Christmas

Much love to you all this blessed time when we remember the precious birth of the Incarnate Lord of light and life.

Peace, Goodwill Toward All... love and be loved.

I'll write tomorrow. Blessings from our family to yours.


D+

God Bless our Queen

Anglican have an affinity with Queen Elizabeth II, she's the head of our mother church, she has been the head of our country and still of the commonwealth, but many of us, and the whole commonwealth, know her best for her Christmas Message. This year marks 50 years since she started these messages on television, but this year she will also be doing it on Youtube! Yes, YOUTUBE! WOW this internet thing is catching on. For some reason this event seems to give the internet some credibility.

I'm a big supporter of free WiFi connections as it seems to me that most people are simply checking mail and doing library type searches, gathering news etc. The Queen's appearance on Youtube marks a type of validation that we should have access to the internet as a right and not a privilege. This now is the same as getting CBC on your TV, no matter if you have satellite, cable or nothing... information is a right.

Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, check out The Royal Channel here at YouTube.

Human Calendar

This is just plain fun!

Vlog Dec 21 07

Non-Christmas Movie Recommendation and boring old stuff from "The Elephant"!?! What an unfortunate tee-shirt.

When Halloween meets Christmas...

So very very bad... this is when "the HOLIDAYS" takes away any understanding of season... funny yes, bad taste yes, appropriate.... no way!!!


thank you Gizmodo I now want Deer for Christmas diner.

B A C O N

Yes... boingboing.com again...

I Love Photoshop

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

CNHS Choir Christmas 07

The Choir was a highlight of the evening... Sherry and I are very proud of Andrew... and his gang LOL.

Firefox Use = Detention ?

Yes this smart High School student was using Firefox as his browser instead of the very virus susceptible IE (Internet Explorer). I still can't believe the idiocy of this school. They have never heard of Firefox? Are they under an internet tree? For the common internet user it is possible not to know about Firefox, but an educational institution? Someone, one teacher should have known better. This is ridiculous and exposes terrible judgment, trust and ignorance.

Check out the article at Gizmodo.com

Advent Calendar: Nano

Enough with this storm that hasn't hit yet...

Nano is small, very very very small, and those smart Germans have made a very very very small Advent Calendar.

Check it out

The Third Sunday in Advent

Pink / Rose Sunday, Gaudate or Joyful Sunday if you will: Rejoice! It's a bit of a break from the austere, penitential, time of Advent. Pink is also used one other time and that is the middle Sunday during Lent, marking the halfway point.

One day I'll get a pink stole to wear over my plain white chasuble to mark the day.

Here is your Bulletin for tomorrow: Advent%203%20A%20December%2016%202007.pdf





So it's going to be stormy, very stormy. How much snow? Does it matter at this point. So in the interest of those I love and shepherd I have decided not to place any added stress and postpone the Carol Service to Dec. 30th at 11 AM at St. Barnabas, Greenfield. Following the service a reception will be held at the Rectory.

Vlog Dec 14 07

Storm Watch... recorded Friday Morning.

Christmas Mailing

Here is the Christmas mailing for the Parish of WWPA.

Winter Schedule: WWPA-Sched-Winter2008.pdf

Christmas Letter: WWPA-Chrismas%20Letter%202007.pdf


** I'm debating canceling the Advent Carol Service set for 4 PM this Sunday and of course the Rectory Christmas Party that follows. There is a major weather system coming in and it should arrive that afternoon. It looks like no school on Monday as well.... but lets see. At lest it looks alot like Christmas :-)

Hot or Not

This title is usually associated with less than upstanding sites but in this case control shift 3 compares web sites. It's so much fun that i have just spent 45mins playing along. It's a great way to see what 2.0 web sites look like. If you want to get an insight as to why I want to change my website look at some of these.

Greenfield Christmas Party

A much anticipated annual party from very dear a devoted parishioners and guild members. It was a truly blessed night which ended with large and light snow flakes.

Cameron Cookies

Cam made Pippa-pie gingerbread cookies, why? Because she demanded it be done: "make it so."

An Andrew Concert

Yes the definite article is missing in the title, mostly because Andrew seems to have a non stop concert series so there is no particular Christmas concert to focus on. Here are a couple of picture at the United Baptist Church from last Sunday's concert with the Tuesday Night Singers.

BTW I can not say enough about Peter McLaughlin the musical director of the Tuesday Night Singers and the Northern Carleton High School. He is not only a gifted musician, he is a great educator, friend and a benefit to this community.

Colourful Shower

Now that is cool, or hot, if you like.

LINK

Dictionary Word of the Year

Can you think of "a work of the year?" Didn't think so, so here I am to help you out so that you too can be a cool internet person.

w00t


That wasn't a comment on your prowess as an internet know it all that actually is the word of the year!

See "Merriam-Websters"

My money was on LOL but alas that isn't a word, or is it?

Oh So Bad: Star Wars Figures

I so would have wanted these :-) I almost died laughing when I saw these at Gizmodo.

Fashion: Hun?

While I sit here, listening to football, yes that worldie type, and watching my screen flicker (if I were cool I would have written "flickr") as I print off the 450 odd pages for the mailing due to hit parishioners mail boxes sometime in the next 24-48 hours... I found this little fashion gem.

Yes, truth be told, I love FT, "Fashion Television," I could name a Stella McCartney, Lagerfeld and Fendi while knowing what Jeanne will ask Cavalli next episode... oh ya did you know Isabella Blow committed suicide this past spring? She'll always be remembered for her hats... OK so you get the point, tech is not my only passion.

Well this came across my RSS reader this morning. "My Virtual Model" is for all you ladies, and fashionable men, who greatly desire how that would look on you :-) It seems fun and a complete waste of time... so go and do that instead of reading this tripe from your bestest church secretary-priest. Did I mention that the printing fumes are making me silly?

Blessings

Church Divorce?

Which Party Wants a Divorce? In this negative climate of Church politics pundants come out on one side or another with pithy arguments, I found one the other day that I wished to share. It made me think and re-think.

Church Times Article Link

Busy Week: Not Many Updates

Well the post count will be down this week, yup I did my posting last week. This week I'm overwhelmed by the amount of photocopying and printing I must do for all the services and the Christmas mailing. God willing this will be dealt with by Friday but I doubt I will be able to take my day off.

Anywho, this week will be scarce on the posting... stay tuned

Advent 2 (Update)

Bulletin: Advent2ADecember92007.pdf

Sermon:Advent2A2007.WMA

Old Fashioned Weather

Gizmodo brought me to this one and good on them, but I doubt that flimsy looking thing would have told me the temperature last night was going to be subzero... as in subzero Fahrenheit!

Well check out the site for this great Christmas present at http://www.weatherinabottle.com/ from the weather we have received so far I imagine that this might come in handy.

Vlog Dec 7

Oh Guinnebabaas! Why oh why...

Call for Canadian Action: re DMCA

I've never been a good activist, actually I really don't care much about "news" items as many who know me well know, but in this case I must rally the troops and stand tall.

Please read this full text from Cory Doctorow's blog on Boing Boing, and if you need to investigate more follow the links or google the issue. You are on the internet and I am sure you know others who are on, this issue effects us all. This is not about illegal downloading, this is about legal powers going too far where you could be guilty until proven innocent. Please write the Minister (no stamp needed) and tell him that this bill is draconian and will only lead to needless lawsuits lining the pockets of lawyers and not the Artists who they pretend to represent. There are other ways to protect digital property rights but currently the whole 19th century understanding of copyright needs to be redefined in this much different age: "We can have a sane and balanced copyright law, one that protects the Canadian public and Canadian artists." This proposed bill does not accomplish that!

Please, read below and give our country a Christmas present, write this along with your Christmas cards.

If you're a Canadian and you want to talk to Industry Minister Jim Prentice about his proposal for a Canadian DMCA, a copyright law that's even worse than the ten-year-old American legislation that resulted in lawsuits against 20,000+ Americans without stopping infringement or paying artists, now's your chance!

This Saturday, Minister Prentice is hosting an open house in Calgary at his constituency office. This is the best chance we will ever have to make our feelings known about the Canadian DMCA. If you are in or near Calgary, plan on attending this event, along with local activist Kempton Lam (sign up on the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group).

Dress neatly. Be polite. Be firm. Be friendly. Ask the Minister tough questions (the CBC has collected over 250 questions about this, all of which Prentice has refused to answer) in front of his constituents, the people who voted him into office (you don't need to remind him that that the last two MPs who tried to introduce a Canadian DMCA lost their jobs -- he knows!).

Prentice's open house runs from 1PM-3PM tomorrow, Saturday, December 8 at 1318 Centre Street NE, Suite 105, Calgary, AB (details on Prentice's website)

Not in Calgary? NO PROBLEM! Plan on calling the Minister tomorrow or on dropping him an email, expressing your regrets that you can't attend the open house, but letting him know how you feel. Here are the numbers:

Ottawa office - (613) 992-4275
Calgary office - (403) 216-7777
Minister office - (613) 995-9001

His email address is: Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca. Once you send an email, print it out and mail it (no stamp needed!) to:

Jim Prentice
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

The word is that the Minister's office is reeling from the overwhelming, national response to this badly written, badly planned bill. Bringing this legislation to Canada is Prentice's "series of tubes" moment, the point at which Canada's Internet Czar shows himself to be largely ignorant of its workings and power.

I believe that we can stop this bill. I will be calling the Minister tomorrow, and sending him a letter. I hope you do so as well. Canadians don't need to follow the US off the copyright cliff. We can have a sane and balanced copyright law, one that protects the Canadian public and Canadian artists.

Tell your friends. Tell your family. If you care about the net, this could be the most important thing you do this year. Take action and save the country.



STILL NOT CONVINCED? Read on this might compel you:

More grim news about Canada's DMCA, the coming copyright law that manages to be even worse than the disastrous, ten-year-old American Digital Millennium Copyright Act: Industry Minister Jim Prentice has announced that the public-interest questions raised by the bill will be hived off into a committee that meets after the law is enacted.

This kind of committee typically takes years to get anything done -- two years to meet, two years to consider recommendations, two years to consult on proposals, two years to introduce legislation. Canada only introduces new copyright law every ten years or so.

This means that Canadians will likely suffer for a decade under Prentice's badly thought-out legislation before anything is done to see to it that the law is balanced to take in the interests of Canada's schools, disabled people, children, archivists, artists, scholars and other users of copyrighted works. Given that Canada's arts community has come out against this kind of legislation, you have to wonder: just who is this for? The US-led multinational labels in the "Canadian" Recording Industry Association? (Remember, in the first ten years of the US DMCA, 20,000 American music fans were sued and not one penny was paid to artists as a result, nor did file sharing decrease).

Prentice has refused to appear on the CBC's Search Engine programme to discuss his bill. He's gone into hiding, spinning out unconvincing little sops like this one to try to save his bacon -- after all, the last two MPs who tried to introduce a Canadian DMCA lost their jobs.

If the introduction of a Canadian DMCA were not bad enough, sources now indicate that Industry Minister Jim Prentice plans to delay addressing the copyright concerns of individual Canadians for years. Rather than including consumer concerns such as flexible fair dealing, time shifting, format shifting, parody, and the future of the private copying levy within the forthcoming bill, Prentice will instead strike a Copyright Review Panel to consider future copyright reforms. Modeled after the Telecom Policy Review Panel, the CRP will presumably take a year or two to consult Canadians on various copyright issues. In all likelihood, the government will then take another year or two to consider the recommendations, another year to propose potential reforms, another year or two to consult on those proposals, and another year or two to finally introduce legislation. Given that Canada has historically only passed major copyright reform once every ten years, Prentice will be in his early 60s and likely collecting his Member of Parliament pension by the time Canadians see copyright reform that addresses fair use.

Um... I still have a Stocking Santa!

EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE needs, yup I said it, NEEDS, Forkchops! Two Words: Sushi & Teriyaki!

Saving for Thin Mac

There are many things I would love to add to my Santa list. Seriously. Such as Etymotic in-ear Earphones, a Terebyte hard drive to back up my mac, even a 1080p LCD HDTV, and sometimes I'm even tempted to get an XBox 360. But what do I REALLY WANT, something that is not out yet, an ultra thin Macbook.

By January 18th, Steve Jobs should have announce the beginning of a new Apple era with an ultra thin 13" laptop. Why am I so enamored and willing to save (ie put on credit) $2000 for yet another computer? Well because I find I need a road computer. With increasing responsibilities in the diocese and with the hope of working on the road a laptop is important. I have one, it's not too old and serves the purpose, but it's not a Mac, and though compatible in much, it is also not quite right... and it's also a PC and Windows is like going back to horse and buggie when one has a Jaguar automobile :-)

It's a want much more than a need. I have a ton of TV's in this rectory but not a HD one. But I can wait. Maybe I can't wait for those $200 earphones since I haven't walked since returning my $130 Bose ones. But once again, these are the things of fancy and delight. Ya, Sherry and I will get one, at some point. If you're wondering about a new computer, seriously, consider a Mac.

Faith! Yes faith. I talk alot about tech, maybe far too much, but lets think of it this way, it's a hobby, something that entertains and "delights". In many ways this site is here to help you who visit for the faith side to consider how technology can help you and indeed helps myself. Faith is no negotiable. And in this world that actively tries to make fun of people of faith I stand firm in my belief that I would give up all my tech for my faith, for all is vanity, all will return to the dust (in spite of what Greenpeace may tell you ;-) I am fully aware that all these expensive toys are just that. Yet at the same time I am aware that technological communication is as essential now as was the Library 40 years ago. And tech that works and is portable is like having a library with you. Think about that one.

This rant is to say have fun with tech and if your going to spend some significant cash make sure it will serve a good purpose and is not junk.

Check out the"rumour."

LOL: Truth Flowchart

ok as I wrap up draft 3 of the Winter 08 schedule this came across my desktop... it's funny cause it's so true and false at the same time.

ParsonPainter

Oh my gosh, I love this "parson" hat from http://www.caliqo.com/ ... hummm $150, can we say Christmas is coming LOL (7 1/4 head ahahahahaahahaha)

:-)

Looks so much better than this one:


Chauser's Parson... idk he's cute and a perfect example of a good guy, sadly in need of a Parson's Hat :-p

Quilts, History and Boing Boing?

You may think these odd snippets of tech that come to me in my Google Reader are all tech related. But here is one from Boing Boing (originally on Esty) that might just perk your interest.

Here is the original Post on the Quilts!


BTW: Google reader breaks the monotony of scheduling and cut & paste bulletin publishing :-)

Apple: How do I Love thee?

... Let me count the ways.

Well you all know the technical side, it just works! But there is another main reason I love Mac products. GREAT DESIGN. Simple yet oh so elegant. Even their new stores are darn sexy. They look like an Ikea for gadgets :-) And my gosh do I love Ikea: Cheap Design. But the truth is that Apple is costly design... a cost I'm willing to pay for quality. I'll never go back to PC's. I am deliriously happy after 6 months.

Check out Crunch Gear for more glorious pictures of Apple's new New York store.

DMCA: Digital Rights Management Explained

If you didn't understand a word I said below on Canada's most dangerous move toward a very bad DMCA check out this site and click on the window for the next slide to appear. this slide show shows how idiotic lawyers are getting to protect their "property".

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Sign: Healing Ministry Here ?

Phewy: Mug of Knowledge

This just takes the fun right out! I don't want to know the caloric intake :-(

So Sad: Over to Top Ornament

Have they lost their freekin' minds? Even though this is a satire site (please remember folks in the USA Jesus is not only our Lord, but also a great marketing ploy), this is a "real product" and some may even think appropriate. YUK.

See link

Boring: Canadian DMCA

The Conservative government is planing to take away your right to do with "your" music, movies and anything that you buy under copyright as you like. They plan on taking away Canadian innovation and ultimately will reduce our country to being nothing more than a legislative wonderland for music, movie and technology US copyright lawyers. This will result in a societal change. Please read these links and consider what you might do ... not necessarily for yourself but if it passes, for your children and for our Canadian identity. It may seem "boring" but this is much bigger than we think.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071127.WBcyberia20071127170629/WBStory/WBcyberia/
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2419/125/

RSS via Sergei & Larry

Sergei and Larry? of course silly the creators of Google!

You all know I'm a big fan of Gmail, but I have recently become an even bigger fan of RSS feeds.

RSS was "RDF Site Summary", but is more commonly known as "Really Simple Syndication". It's a very simply way of getting your favorite websites, which are regularly updated, to download to your "reader" in one page. So I like Engadget, Gizmodo and Digg. I can click on the little Orange RSS logo at the end of the URL line and load it into my reader so that every minute all of those sites can get loaded on one page instead of me looking at 3 pages. In reality I have over 20 sites I follow and this puts them all on one page listed from the latest entry to the oldest.

Google Reader is available to gmail users and is totally free and you can get your info from anyones computer from anywhere.

As you can see it's quite easy to read and navigate.


All you need to do is to go to a website that has that icon and then click it. Goto the tab and select "google".. default says something else and you will need to check the box saying to use google as default. It's as simple as that. Then log into google reader.

Advent Decorations

How can a Christian, especially a Catholic and Orthodox Christian, celebrate Christmas without actually celebrating too early? Why with Advent Decorations.

With all the pressure the stores place on consumers with their early decorating it is little wonder that many put up their Christmas decorations well in advance of the day. Long gone are the days the majority would wait until Christmas Eve to put up the decorations. As a rector who holds a party each year in the Rectory, I too have placed the decorations up way too early. Well here is the way to celebrate the season yet also stay true to the penitential and sober nature of this season of Advent: purple, lots and lots of purple.... maybe a spattering of blue too.

I'm more of a purple Advent guy than a blue guy, I just feel the focus should be more associated with Lent than with Mary. The season is penitential, that's why I use the BCP exclusively at this time of year (and during Lent) ... to focus on our brokenness. Blue is so Marian and though I understand I just feel being prepared for the Judgment of God is more the focus of Advent ... "being prepared" than the message of Mary in accepting the call to be the Theotokos, the God Bearer. So purple is the way to go for myself. There is a break with pink on the Third Sunday of Advent and so some pink is acceptable.

What we have done is decorate the Rectory with purple lights and with an Advent Tree, not a Jesse Tree, which looks like a dead twig and I find silly... ya I know, but it's the way I feel. I thought it might be odd, but actually I like all the purple and lavenders in the house.

Now our plan is to switch out the dead tree by Christmas Eve, maybe a little bit earlier 4th Sunday of Advent. And then we will decorate a new tree with all the gold and red of Christmas. Effort yea, Advent, yes, kids happy, yes. It's a great time of year to reconsider. So don't feel shy to set up advent in anticipation of Christmas... just don't Christmas up so much that the day it self loses it's joy and "umph".

Primate's Visit & Clergy day

What a privilege it was to organize Clergy Day for Fall 2007. Many thanks go out to the men and women of the Parish of Prince William, Dumphries et al, the congregation of St. Clement's and many from around the Archdeaconry of Woodstock and the diocese. Many helped prepare for this event and for the lunch provided for the clerics who met with the Primate before the Eucharist that was Celebrated at 2:30.

The Primate began the day with a short description of his new vocation and his understanding of the issues facing the Church. Question time followed and was frank. The Primate addressed the issues as he could and seemed to be genuinely concerned over some information that arose from the floor.

I was taken by his ability to distance himself as Primate from his personal understanding of Same Sex Blessings and seemed to say that he needed to be available for all differing positions within our Communion. The Primate was very forthright and honest though I think many questions were left unanswered, yet to be honest there are only so many questions which can be answered in this strange time within our church where much is taking place at the diocesan level and not at the national level. When challenged to see the historical conditions that have brought about this crisis, our Primate seemed yet again genuine in his desire to look into it further, noting many "good points".

The Blessing of the day for myself was the fact that many with differing opinions gathered to celebrated and received the Eucharist at the Table of the Lord: that's all that matters in the end.

Funny: Sale?

I love Boing Boing, they are so smart :-)

First Sunday of Advent

Bulletin: Advent1ADecember22007.pdf

Sermon: WS_30023.WMA









oops... last weeks sermon for Christ the King and the occasion of two baptisms: WS_30022.WMA

Busy Busy Advent Prep

Happy New Year! Indeed, Advent 07 is here and it came in like a Lamb, I imagine that Christmas Day might be a bit snowy, yet today the snow is falling and will do for 24 hours... and so I have a few moments, unlike last week.

I have a ton of things to post so stay tuned over the next 24hours for a bunch of posts. Sorry for my tardiness :-(