#boycott kingdom hearts 4

[crosbyce]

Fact

[musemash]

Gallery: 1 Thus Saith The Lord Of Vegan Hosts 2 The Rapture Of The VeggieSaints 3 The Four HorseRadishes Of The Apocalypse 4 The Whore Of VeggieBabylon 5 The Battle Of Vegan Armageddon 6 The VeggieBeast With Seven Heads 7 Fallen VeggieAngels Bring Tribulation 8 The Last Vegan Judgement 9 And The Angel Said 'Beet Not Afraid' 10 The Artichoke Heart Of New Jerusalem

THE VEGGIE BOOK OF REVELATION – by David D. Fowler & Aeon 999 – revised July 9, 2023

VEGGIETALES was a brilliant vehicle for an upbeat child-friendly presentation of the world's most popular spiritual instruction manual. Its producers and staff also demonstrated a gift for cleverly lampooning pop culture. The embedded videos above are among their finest works.

MFF is proud to present recently unveiled images of their spectacular take on the ever-popular APOCALYPSE. This vegetarian edition of the Bible's intimidating conclusion must surely be one of the most important lost classics of film history – conveying both the abject terror and awe-inspiring hope embodied by the legendary REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

The original director’s cut of the film evidently included LARRY THE CUCUMBER singing one of his signature Silly Songs: a jaunty little ditty about the proper way to stir fry vegetables, featuring many of the Veggies perishing in Satan's wok. Because of this ill-advised detour into dark humor, the film was understandably not released by the studio – for fear of boycotts by the Religious Right, the Young Republicans, and the Vegan Mafia.

Fortunately for us, AI artist NAT SHARPE has unearthed the images displayed in our gallery. On his Twitter account, he writes: "What happened to VeggieTales? Their last movie was The Book Of Revelation. Test audiences were so traumatized [that] the studio canceled the project – and shut their doors. All that remains is a handful of leeked concept art."

Sharpe's tweet thread, displaying all 17 of these phenomenal images in their original sequence, has the blessing of VeggieTales' creator. You can find the display, along with some  entertaining responses, at this link: https://twitter.com/nat_sharpe_/status/1619847565855555586 – and for more of his artwork, go to this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hornheim

The playlists below showcase videos based on specific Bible stories; and fables inspired by biblical precepts. Bonus tracks include FRANK ZAPPA's touching tribute to the vegetable kingdom; a compilation of VeggieTales HALLOWEEN episodes; the best of the SILLY SONGS; and we end with a heartrending cautionary tale about the sad fate of way too many of our veggie friends, perpetrated by THE ARROGANT WORMS.

We begin with a tribute to Head Veggie PHIL VISCHER, the wacky and visionary founder of BIG IDEA ENTERTAINMENT.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO VEGGIES Homage To VeggieTales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxtR5-tpyk Phil Vischer's Journey Of Imagination https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljTK9ReAFqI Disrupted Dreams & Purposeful Puppets https://www.risenmagazine.com/veggietales-creator-phil-vischer-interview/ Why Is There No Crucifixion Episode? https://brucegerencser.net/2018/10/veggietales-why-is-there-no-jesus-character-or-crucifixion-episode/ We Couldn't Show Jesus As A Vegetable https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/never-forget-that-veggietales-werent-allowed-to-show-jesus-as-a-vegetable/ The Downfall Of VeggieTales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJw_njstsNg A VeggieTales Horror Story https://relevantmagazine.com/current/buzzworthy/an-a-i-created-scenes-from-a-veggietales-book-of-revelation-movie/ https://rapzilla.com/2023-01-a-i-veggietales-book-revelation-scenes-horrifying/ Silly Song Medley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbPAE5WNP3E VeggieTales 25th Anniversary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vFlM3oNATY VeggieTales On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/BigIdeaInc

THE VEGGIE TESTAMENT Noah's Ark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1vSBNmKrSI Little Joe Goes On A Western Adventure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEitrIAknAc Josh & The Big Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glZZR7a5XJ4 Dave & The Mean Giant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0ipXpaacQ Gideon The Tuba Warrior https://archive.org/details/gideon-tuba-warrior-dvd Jonah & The Big Bad Fish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVQidD4PaP8 The Girl Who Became Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_an0WkaLQ Little Danny In The Lion's Den https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDEbFXv6y04 The Star Of Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o70DCe92b1s Birth Of The Baby Messiah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTcB5Sht3UY The Prodigal Son https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eus8J71YrsQ The Little House That Stood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAKCYGsvsSs The Story Of Saint Patrick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ZPmGAjPhM The Joyful Giving Of Saint Nicholas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkq3BzzG80 The True Light Of Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6p6-52lHAk An Easter Carol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4o5e9AD3V4

VEGGIE PARABLES Larryboy & The Bad Apple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kKDDAFTM7c Cheering Up Madame Blueberry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PRsRiBG_i0 The League Of Incredible Vegetables https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geIwMQre00E The Princess & The Popstar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Yie1IRDyQ The Wonderful Land Of Ha’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar9b4O7xUfk King George & The Ducky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtKFfZ14DQ8 Larryboy & the Rumour Weed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrbcYcBXjxg The Duke & The Great Pie War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXG0wXQzQXM Snoodlerella Gets An Extreme Makeover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPtYNsLpDLI Sumo Of The Opera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxMlk215uoM The Asparagus Of La Mancha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj6tKd1b7OA Sweetpea Beauty Saves Queen Blueberry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEdpEXbDBdk Larryboy & The Fib From Outerspace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnaYI_qA6QM God Wants Me To Forgive Them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtBjdIO4AnI The Life Stewart Always Wanted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOyYvEfHxLc

VEGGIE BONUS Killer Tomatoes 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3uIKzgcDxo Call Any Vegetable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnhgQsat0mo Killer Tomatoes 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy0fTFpqT48 VeggieTales Silly Songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsVPF-VsE9k Killer Tomatoes 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aIXhmygh3A VeggieTales Does Halloween! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMBl5ge04Q8 Killer Tomatoes 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNfLnRHpVjY Carrot Juice Is Murder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUcR-_uqcmk

[justforbooks]

Michael King Jr., commonly known as Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the son of early civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Sr..

King participated in and led marches for blacks' right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other basic civil rights. King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As president of the SCLC, he led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize some of the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The SCLC put into practice the tactics of nonviolent protest with some success by strategically choosing the methods and places in which protests were carried out. There were several dramatic stand-offs with segregationist authorities, who sometimes turned violent. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover considered King a radical and made him an object of the FBI's COINTELPRO from 1963, forward. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, recorded his extramarital liaisons and reported on them to government officials, and, in 1964, mailed King a threatening anonymous letter, which he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.

On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In 1965, he helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. In his final years, he expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty, capitalism, and the Vietnam War.

In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities. Allegations that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had been framed or acted in concert with government agents persisted for decades after the shooting. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the holiday was enacted at the federal level by legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor, and the most populous county in Washington State was rededicated for him. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011.

Works

Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958)

The Measure of a Man (1959)

Strength to Love (1963)

Why We Can't Wait (1964)

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)

The Trumpet of Conscience (1968)

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. (1986)

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. (1998), ed. Clayborne Carson

"All Labor Has Dignity" (2011) ed. Michael Honey

"Thou, Dear God": Prayers That Open Hearts and Spirits Collection of King's prayers. (2011), ed. Lewis Baldwin

MLK: A Celebration in Word and Image Photographed by Bob Adelman, introduced by Charles Johnson

King was awarded at least fifty honorary degrees from colleges and universities. On October 14, 1964, King became the (at the time) youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him for leading nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the U.S. In 1965, he was awarded the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Committee for his "exceptional advancement of the principles of human liberty." In his acceptance remarks, King said, "Freedom is one thing. You have it all or you are not free."

In 1957, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. Two years later, he won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for his book Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. In 1966, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America awarded King the Margaret Sanger Award for "his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity." Also in 1966, King was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In November 1967 he made a 24-hour trip to the United Kingdom to receive an honorary degree from Newcastle University, being the first African-American to be so honoured by Newcastle. In a moving impromptu acceptance speech, he said:

There are three urgent and indeed great problems that we face not only in the United States of America but all over the world today. That is the problem of racism, the problem of poverty and the problem of war.

In addition to being nominated for three Grammy Awards, the civil rights leader posthumously won for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1971 for "Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam".

In 1977, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was posthumously awarded to King by President Jimmy Carter. The citation read:

Martin Luther King Jr. was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet.

King and his wife were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

King was second in Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century. In 1963, he was named Time Person of the Year, and in 2000, he was voted sixth in an online "Person of the Century" poll by the same magazine. King placed third in the Greatest American contest conducted by the Discovery Channel and AOL.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[childofchrist1983]

Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet. Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. - Psalms 141:4-8 KJV

Gang activity is a plague on much of the world.

Like-minded people, usually with little bright future prospects, join together and commit illegal acts. Usually the more people that you get together, the easier it is to commit criminal acts and the worse these acts become.

One simple way to avoid evil is to reduce ones’ encounters with it, for like begets like. The Devil hates nothing more than to be ignored, greedy as he is for attention. But surrounded by evil, one is perhaps better off not only staying silent, but in actively refusing in cooperating or colluding with it.

These can be as big as certain unethical corporations who boycotts, or as small as steering clear of groups of friends at school who are doing drugs. For evil is dark, thick and enveloping.

But never shame in shining in God’s light - a light so bright it can pierce any and all darkness - and for at least trying to do right in God’s eyes, in the Lord’s. Amen!

Father God in Heaven, protect me from darkness, lend me Your light.

Grant me Your love, mercy and guidance, and help me resist all that is evil. For I abhor sin, Lord Jesus, and wish to take no part in it; to show it no indulgence, to grant it no permission.

Grant me Your hand, my Shepherd and Savior, and lead me from the fallen wilderness. Your will be done! To You and Your Kingdom be the glory forevermore! In Your name I humbly pray, Amen and amen

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Select: Deck the Halls

I don’t know if you can tell by my blog, but i f*cking love Christmas. It’s my absolute favorite holiday of the year. I love t more than Thanksgiving, more than Halloween, even more than my f*cking birthday and that’s a lot because I'm kind of a f*cking narcissist. I love the festivities, the decorations, the music, the objective purity of the whole season. Christmas time is the one time of year that people decide collectively to suck less. Recently, with all of the stupid conservative boycotts and soapbox rants, that less is a little less than usually but still, it’s hard not to love the Christmas season. It’s so inspirational and has inspired some fantastic films. Here's a list of some of my favorites. A lot of these, the majority of them, probably aren’t “traditional” Christmas fare but i assure you that they are, indeed, Christmas films. To say otherwise would just be disrespectful.

10. Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton is going to be all over this list, man. Edward Scissorhands came out during a time i was incredibly infatuated with the striking visuals of Burton. I’m an Eighties kid and he kind of had his coming out party during that decade. Almost all of those films he released back then are favorites of mine. I remember seeing Scissorhands as a young kid and being absolutely mesmerized by it’s beauty. As an adult, i appreciated the underlying messaging just as much.

9. A Christmas Story

You’ll shoot your eye out! I used to hate this movie, man. It was a staple in during my elementary school Christmas parties. I never paid attention to it because, as a kid, i hated anything that wasn’t a cartoon. One day i was sick at home and caught it offseason TNT. This thing played, like, every day for some reason. I heard it was a favorite of Ted Turner but that’s just rumor. Anyway, i watched it and completely fell in love with this earnest, absurd, flick. It’s a really good watch and deserves it’s title as a classic.

8. Home Alone

Home Alone was the very first Christmas flick i remembered actually loving for being a Christmas flick. Like, when the season starts and Mariah Carey hits the airwaves, Home Alone is what i thing about. It’s the very first film that i unequivocally associate with Santa season. It’s funny because it’s not that great a film but i still love it dearly. I think that’s more because of nostalgia, though. There are fr superior films in the honorable mentions which probably deserve this spot more but Home Alone makes me genuinely smile.

7. Die Hard

I mean, how can i not put this on the list? It’s a classic. One of the best action films ever made. One of the best performances Bruce Willis has ever given. Plus, it introduces the late, great, Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Now, my favorite of the lot is With a Vengeance but Die Hard would be nothing without this holly jolly first entry.

6. Scrooged

One of my favorite Christmas narratives is A Christmas Carol. Dickens was a prolific writer and, among his works, the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge’s crisis of conscious is my favorite. I almost always love it when ever it makes it to screen but, for my money, the best version of this story took the form of the Eighties classic, Scrooged. It’s so Eighties in all of the ways. I love the overall narrative, the changes made t fit it into a then modern setting, and those incredible practical effects. It’s a feast for the senses while hitting all the necessary Dickens notes. Also, this version of the Ghost of Christmas Future is a whole ass nightmare. Like, f*ck, dude!

5. Trading Places

I love this movie so much, just on it’s own merits as a film. It’s so good. Eddie Murphy is excellent in this film and Dan Akroyd is just as brilliant. Jamie Lee Curtis was incredibly hilarious, too. This was the second thing i had ever seen her in, after Halloween so, you know, going from that to this really caught my attention. Trading Places is a classic and should be seen by everyone.

4. Gremlins

Gremlins is just generally one of my favorite films. I love this f*cked up movie, man. It’s SO good and this version is the tone down one. The original vision for this movie was just an R rated murder fest. I mean, the one we got wasn’t a joke wither It’s the reason we have the PG-3 rating. SH*t is just that violent Now, juxtapose all of this little green monstrosity anarchy against a dreamy white Christmas and you have all the makings of worming your way into my heart. Honestly, i prefer the gremlin shenanigans from the sequel, Mohawk is my favorite, but Stripe definitely left an impression.

3. The Long Kiss Goodnight

I had a massive crush on Geena Davis when  was young. Can’t tell you why, but i was absolutely infatuated with the chick after i saw her in The Fly remake. I followed her career afterwards. She dropped several gems along the way, Beetlejuice, Thelma and Louise, Earth Girls are Easy, A League of their Own, but my absolute favorite film of hers is definitely The Long Kiss Goodnight. This thing is peak Nineties action excess. Shane Black in his prime. Die Hard III but John McCLane is a hot ass amazon woman who can beat you to death with her mitts. It even has Sam Jackson as a smart-mouthed side kick! I love it!

2c. A Charlie Brown Christmas

I adore Charlie Brown. If Spider-Man, Godzilla, and Transformers are the foundations of my childhood, Snoopy is foundation adjacent. My Paternal grandma had all of the Peanuts films and i would watch them on repeat when we were forced to go over there. I say forced because she was kind of terrible and none of us really wanted to visit her ever but, when we did, and she wasn’t trying to exploit our labor or feed us rotten food, we did get to watch dope classic sh*t. She owned every Disney movie from the Renaissance and every Peanuts special on VHS. I hated visiting that woman but i loved those Charlie Brown adventures so kind of bittersweet memories.

2b. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This one is associated with my other grandma, the one i actually liked. We used to sit down every year and watch this one together while sipping egg nog. Man, it’s hard for me to type this out. It breaks my heart remembering those times so I'm going to stop. I just really love How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s very, very, special to me.

2a. The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is in the same situation as How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I have a lot of love for this thing, in ll forms, but the one i remember so vividly is the opera they used to show every season. My grandma really loved opera and orchestral music. I miss her.

1b. Batman Returns

I told you Burton was going to be all over this thing. Bro, how can this thing not be on the top of this list? Batman Returns left a real impression, man. Michelle Pfiefer’s Catwoman did things to me that would have reverberating effects through the rest of my life! She is, more than any other reason, why i have an unhealthy infatuation for crazy chicks. Also Nancy Downs but The Craft isn’t a Christmas movie. Outside of the way that patent leather catsuit ruined me for normal relationships, Batman Returns is just a force of f*cking nature. It’s Pure Tim Burton and i adore that man’s eye. He is one of my favorite creators and Batman is one of my favorite heroes. How can this thing not make my list? Batman Returns couldn’t take the number two spot, mostly because it jockeys for position with Nightmare pretty actively. I love them both so much, it’s hard to give the number one spot to either of them so, you know, split the difference.

1a. The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is Halloween! I remember being so hype about this movie. Nine year old Smokey was super into this film and that love carries through to this day. Every time it airs, i catch it or, at least, i used to when i had television. I saw this thing day one in theaters, made my mom buy the VHS, it was one of the very first DVDs i ever purchased with my own money, and was the third Blue ray i got after picking up my PS3. The wild thing is, it’s not just me either. Nightmare has become a pinnacle of the cultural zeitgeist. This thing is all over the place. People get tattoos of Jack. Halloween Town even made it into a few Kingdom Hearts games and it wasn’t even a Disney movie at first! It was banished to the subsidiary of Touchstone when it first released because the Mouse House didn’t believe in it! Talk about a miscalculations.

Honorable Mentions: Tokyo Godfathers, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Bad Santa, Elf, Carol, Anna and the Apocalypse

[darkmoon-dolt]

Hey yeah if any of my followers are gonna buy kingdom hearts 4, please leave. This blog will not be supporting Square Enix and their bullshit business practices, including crypto earning games, more "games as a service", and shitty gacha systems. I have a serious soft spot for kingdom hearts but this company needs a boycott.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Select: Deck the Halls

I don’t know if you can tell by my blog, but i f*cking love Christmas. It’s my absolute favorite holiday of the year. I love t more than Thanksgiving, more than Halloween, even more than my f*cking birthday and that’s a lot because I'm kind of a f*cking narcissist. I love the festivities, the decorations, the music, the objective purity of the whole season. Christmas time is the one time of year that people decide collectively to suck less. Recently, with all of the stupid conservative boycotts and soapbox rants, that less is a little less than usually but still, it’s hard not to love the Christmas season. It’s so inspirational and has inspired some fantastic films. Here's a list of some of my favorites. A lot of these, the majority of them, probably aren’t “traditional” Christmas fare but i assure you that they are, indeed, Christmas films. To say otherwise would just be disrespectful.

10. Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton is going to be all over this list, man. Edward Scissorhands came out during a time i was incredibly infatuated with the striking visuals of Burton. I’m an Eighties kid and he kind of had his coming out party during that decade. Almost all of those films he released back then are favorites of mine. I remember seeing Scissorhands as a young kid and being absolutely mesmerized by it’s beauty. As an adult, i appreciated the underlying messaging just as much.

9. A Christmas Story

You’ll shoot your eye out! I used to hate this movie, man. It was a staple in during my elementary school Christmas parties. I never paid attention to it because, as a kid, i hated anything that wasn’t a cartoon. One day i was sick at home and caught it offseason TNT. This thing played, like, every day for some reason. I heard it was a favorite of Ted Turner but that’s just rumor. Anyway, i watched it and completely fell in love with this earnest, absurd, flick. It’s a really good watch and deserves it’s title as a classic.

8. Home Alone

Home Alone was the very first Christmas flick i remembered actually loving for being a Christmas flick. Like, when the season starts and Mariah Carey hits the airwaves, Home Alone is what i thing about. It’s the very first film that i unequivocally associate with Santa season. It’s funny because it’s not that great a film but i still love it dearly. I think that’s more because of nostalgia, though. There are fr superior films in the honorable mentions which probably deserve this spot more but Home Alone makes me genuinely smile.

7. Die Hard

I mean, how can i not put this on the list? It’s a classic. One of the best action films ever made. One of the best performances Bruce Willis has ever given. Plus, it introduces the late, great, Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Now, my favorite of the lot is With a Vengeance but Die Hard would be nothing without this holly jolly first entry.

6. Scrooged

One of my favorite Christmas narratives is A Christmas Carol. Dickens was a prolific writer and, among his works, the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge’s crisis of conscious is my favorite. I almost always love it when ever it makes it to screen but, for my money, the best version of this story took the form of the Eighties classic, Scrooged. It’s so Eighties in all of the ways. I love the overall narrative, the changes made t fit it into a then modern setting, and those incredible practical effects. It’s a feast for the senses while hitting all the necessary Dickens notes. Also, this version of the Ghost of Christmas Future is a whole ass nightmare. Like, f*ck, dude!

5. Trading Places

I love this movie so much, just on it’s own merits as a film. It’s so good. Eddie Murphy is excellent in this film and Dan Akroyd is just as brilliant. Jamie Lee Curtis was incredibly hilarious, too. This was the second thing i had ever seen her in, after Halloween so, you know, going from that to this really caught my attention. Trading Places is a classic and should be seen by everyone.

4. Gremlins

Gremlins is just generally one of my favorite films. I love this f*cked up movie, man. It’s SO good and this version is the tone down one. The original vision for this movie was just an R rated murder fest. I mean, the one we got wasn’t a joke wither It’s the reason we have the PG-3 rating. SH*t is just that violent Now, juxtapose all of this little green monstrosity anarchy against a dreamy white Christmas and you have all the makings of worming your way into my heart. Honestly, i prefer the gremlin shenanigans from the sequel, Mohawk is my favorite, but Stripe definitely left an impression.

3. The Long Kiss Goodnight

I had a massive crush on Geena Davis when  was young. Can’t tell you why, but i was absolutely infatuated with the chick after i saw her in The Fly remake. I followed her career afterwards. She dropped several gems along the way, Beetlejuice, Thelma and Louise, Earth Girls are Easy, A League of their Own, but my absolute favorite film of hers is definitely The Long Kiss Goodnight. This thing is peak Nineties action excess. Shane Black in his prime. Die Hard III but John McCLane is a hot ass amazon woman who can beat you to death with her mitts. It even has Sam Jackson as a smart-mouthed side kick! I love it!

2c. A Charlie Brown Christmas

I adore Charlie Brown. If Spider-Man, Godzilla, and Transformers are the foundations of my childhood, Snoopy is foundation adjacent. My Paternal grandma had all of the Peanuts films and i would watch them on repeat when we were forced to go over there. I say forced because she was kind of terrible and none of us really wanted to visit her ever but, when we did, and she wasn’t trying to exploit our labor or feed us rotten food, we did get to watch dope classic sh*t. She owned every Disney movie from the Renaissance and every Peanuts special on VHS. I hated visiting that woman but i loved those Charlie Brown adventures so kind of bittersweet memories.

2b. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This one is associated with my other grandma, the one i actually liked. We used to sit down every year and watch this one together while sipping egg nog. Man, it’s hard for me to type this out. It breaks my heart remembering those times so I'm going to stop. I just really love How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s very, very, special to me.

2a. The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is in the same situation as How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I have a lot of love for this thing, in ll forms, but the one i remember so vividly is the opera they used to show every season. My grandma really loved opera and orchestral music. I miss her.

1b. Batman Returns

I told you Burton was going to be all over this thing. Bro, how can this thing not be on the top of this list? Batman Returns left a real impression, man. Michelle Pfiefer’s Catwoman did things to me that would have reverberating effects through the rest of my life! She is, more than any other reason, why i have an unhealthy infatuation for crazy chicks. Also Nancy Downs but The Craft isn’t a Christmas movie. Outside of the way that patent leather catsuit ruined me for normal relationships, Batman Returns is just a force of f*cking nature. It’s Pure Tim Burton and i adore that man’s eye. He is one of my favorite creators and Batman is one of my favorite heroes. How can this thing not make my list? Batman Returns couldn’t take the number two spot, mostly because it jockeys for position with Nightmare pretty actively. I love them both so much, it’s hard to give the number one spot to either of them so, you know, split the difference.

1a. The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is Halloween! I remember being so hype about this movie. Nine year old Smokey was super into this film and that love carries through to this day. Every time it airs, i catch it or, at least, i used to when i had television. I saw this thing day one in theaters, made my mom buy the VHS, it was one of the very first DVDs i ever purchased with my own money, and was the third Blue ray i got after picking up my PS3. The wild thing is, it’s not just me either. Nightmare has become a pinnacle of the cultural zeitgeist. This thing is all over the place. People get tattoos of Jack. Halloween Town even made it into a few Kingdom Hearts games and it wasn’t even a Disney movie at first! It was banished to the subsidiary of Touchstone when it first released because the Mouse House didn’t believe in it! Talk about a miscalculations.

Honorable Mentions: Tokyo Godfathers, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Bad Santa, Elf, Carol, Anna and the Apocalypse

[expatimes]

Saudi Arabia says end to years long boycott of Qatar looks 'in reach'

Qatar FM sees 'some movements' toward ending crisis

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec 5, (AP): Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday that an end to the years long boycott of Qatar by the kingdom and three other Arab nations “looks in reach” for all involved, though he offered no details on how this feud would be resolved. The remarks by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan followed comments earlier in the day from Kuwait, which has been mediating in the dispute and which said that ongoing talks over the crisis have been “fruitful.”

Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Information Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah talking to the media

Resolving the dispute could restore calm among nations at the heart of American defense strategy in the Middle East, especially as tensions remain high with Iran and as President-elect Joe Biden is poised to enter the White House next month. However, the other three nations boycotting Qatar - Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates - did not immediately acknowledge this burst of optimism. Over a year ago, a similar hope for an end to the dispute quickly faded.

The boycott has torn apart the typically clubby Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation group comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Qatar, an energy-rich nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has seen its state-run Qatar Airways blocked from the boycotting nations' airspace and its only land border to Saudi Arabia shut over the crisis.

Progress Speaking to Italy's annual Mediterranean Dialogues, Prince Faisal, who is also the kingdom's foreign minister, said: “We've made significant progress in the last few days.” He thanked Kuwait and President Donald Trump by name. “We hope that this progress can lead to a final agreement which looks in reach,” the prince said. "And I can say I am somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalizing an agreement between all the nations in the dispute to come to a resolution that we think will be satisfactory to all." He did not elaborate on any of the negotiations. However, his comments came just after Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, Kuwait's foreign minister, gave a brief statement as Kuwaiti state television began its 4 pm newscast.

Solidarity Sheikh Ahmed similarly thanked Trump and said Kuwait's new ruling amir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, also had been involved. “Fruitful discussions have taken place in the past period, where all parties affirmed their keenness on Gulf and Arab solidarity and stability and on reaching a final agreement that achieves the aspired permanent solidarity between their countries,” Sheikh Ahmed said, without elaborating. Sheikh Ahmed also thanked Jared Kushner, Trump's son-inlaw and one of his senior advisers. Kushner and other American officials have traveled in the waning days of the Trump administration to Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the crisis.

What Kushner and his colleagues said in the remains negotiations unknown. Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, immediately wrote on Twitter that the Kuwaiti statement was an “imperative step resolving the GCC crisis.” “We express our gratitude to the State of Kuwait for their mediation & the United States for their efforts,” Sheikh Mohammad wrote.

"The interest and security of the people of the Gulf & the region remain our top priority." Oman, which also tried to mediate the dispute, welcomed the announcement in a statement carried by state television. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking remotely to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' annual Manama Dialogue, said he hoped any agreement between Qatar and the boycotting countries would be made on a “foundation that is lasting.” “We are very hopeful that the dispute between the Saudis and the Qataris can be resolved,” Pompeo said. "We're going to keep working to do what we can facilitate conversations and dialogues." “The view from the United States is that this confl ict, (it) is time to be resolved,” Pompeo added. Sheikh Mohammad, speaking earlier to the Mediterranean Dialogues, similarly said that “this needless crisis needs to come to an end.”

Crisis “There are some movements that we hope that this will put an end to this crisis,” he said. "We believe actually that Gulf unity is very important for the security of the region." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the development and was “encouraged by the statement” on prospects for a resolution to the Gulf Arab rift, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Guterres also lauded Kuwait's efforts in “building bridges of understanding in the Gulf region and beyond,” the spokesman said. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatar's support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha. Qatar has backed Islamists in the Mideast, something strongly opposed by the four Arab states, particularly the UAE.

Dispute The four nations also have pointed to Qatar's close relationship with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore gas field that provides the peninsular nation its wealth. Qatar restored full diplomatic ties to Iran amid the dispute. Sheikh Mohammed defended Qatar's ties to both Iran and Turkey, which has a small military base in Doha, during his remarks at the Mediterranean Dialogues. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif separately tweeted that Tehran welcomes Kuwait's announcement and that "we hope reconciliation contributes to stability and political & economic development for all peoples of our region."

The post Saudi Arabia says end to years long boycott of Qatar looks 'in reach' appeared first on ARAB TIMES - KUWAIT NEWS.

#world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=15253&feed_id=21909

[siva3155]

300+ TOP MCQs on SUB INSPECTOR of Police Exam

SUB INSPECTOR of police Objective Questions:-

1. Rana Kumbha constructed the 'Kirtistambha' at Chittor to commemorate his victory against– (A) Ahmadshah of Gujarat (B) Mahmud Khilji of Malwa (C) Khan of Nagpur (D) Rao Jodha of Marwar (Ans : B) 2. The First War of Panipat was fought in A.D. 1526 between– (A) Ibrahim Lodi and Rana sanga (B) Mahmud Lodi and Babur (C) Babur and Rana Sanga (D) Babur and Ibrahim Lodi (Ans : D) 3. Which Moghul emperor first granted the English the licence to trade and to establish factories in India ? (A) Akbar (B) Jahangir (C) Shahjahan (D) Aurangzeb (Ans : B) 4. The 'swadeshi Movement' and 'Boycott of Foreign Things' were started by the Congress in 1905 to protest– (A) Curtailment of the rights of representation granted under the Indian Councils Act, 1892 (B) Partition of Bengal (C) Restrictions imposed on the entry of Indians into Canada (D) Lord Curzon's efforts to establish control over the universities (Ans : B) 5. The Lucknow Congress of 1916 was important, because at this session the party– (A) Repudiated political militancy of the 'garam dal' (B) Signed a pact with the Muslim League (C) Opposed participation of India in the First World War (D) Rejected separate electorates for Muslims and Dalits (Ans : B) 6. In 1932, a compromise, known as the 'Poona Pact', was worked out on the question of separate electorates. Who were the two main leaders involved ? (A) Gandhiji and Lord Irwin (B) Gandhiji and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (C) Gandhiji and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (D) Gandhiji and Aga Khan (Ans : B) 7. What is the time taken by the Earth to complete one rotation on its imaginary axis ? (A) 24 hr 37 min 23 sec (B) 24 hr (C) 23 hr 56 min 4 sec (D) 23 hr 52 min (Ans : C) 8. In which atmospheric layer is the ozone layer situated ? (A) Troposphere (B) Stratosphere (C) Mesosphere (D) Ionosphere (Ans : C) 9. The Finance Commission makes its recommendations to– (A) The Finance Minister (B) The Planning Commission (C) The Parliament (D) The President (Ans : D) 10. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra is– (A) Ashok Chauhan (B) Sushil Kumar Shinde (C) Sanjay Nirupam (D) Devendra Fadnavis (Ans : D)

SUB INSPECTOR of Police Exam Questions 11. The author of the book, Gulliver's Travels is– (A) Jonathan Swift (B) Charles Dickens (C) Charles Lamb (D) T. S. Eliot (Ans : A) 12. Red soil is commonly found in the States of– (A) Punjab and Rajasthan (B) Himachal Pradesh and Haryana (C) Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh (D) Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh (Ans : D) 13. When did the Reserve Bank of India become a State-owned institution ? (A) 1956 (B) 1952 (C) 1950 (D) 1949 (Ans : D) 14. Who was the President of the Constituent Assembly which was constituted to frame the Constitution of India ? (A) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (C) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (D) Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar (Ans : C) 15. Which part of our Constitution primarily reflects Mahatma Gandhi's principles ? (A) The Preamble (B) Part III-Fundamental Rights (C) Part IV-Directive Principles of State Policy (D) Part IV A-Fundamental Duties (Ans : C) 16. Which of the following is a Fundamental Right as provided under Part III of the Constitution ? (A) Promotion of educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections (B) Right to reside and settle in any part of India (C) Right of workers to participate in the management of industries (D) None of the above (Ans : B) 17. 1n case of conflict between the Central and State law on a subject in the Concurrent List– (A) The law which was passed first prevails (B) The law of State prevails (C) The law of Centre prevails (D) Both laws stand nullified (Ans : C) 18. Part IV A of the Constitution lays down the Fundamental Duties of the citizens. Which of the following is not a duty included among Fundamental Duties ? (A) To profess and propagate one's own religion (B) To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform (C) To safeguard public property and to abjure violence (D) To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture (Ans : A) 19. Taxes on income, other than on agricultural income, are– (A) Levied and collected by the Central Government and appropriated by it (B) Levied and collected by the Central Government but assigned to States within which they are leviable (C) Levied and collected by the Central Government but distributed between the States and the Centre (D) Levied by the Central Government but collected and appropriated by the State Governments (Ans : C) 20. A, 5-point formula was proposed by India to define relations between sovereign States, which was known as 'Panchsheel' formula. India signed the first 'Panchsheel Agreement' in 1954. Which was the country with which this agreement was signed ? (A) China (B) Pakistan (C) Bhutan (D) Sri Lanka (Ans : A) 21. Which one of the following Amendments has been described as Mini Constitution ? (A) 42nd (B) 43rd (C) 52nd (D) 59th (Ans : A) 22. Which of the following organs of the United Nations Organization elects / elect judges of the International Court of Justice ? (A) The Economic and Social Council (B) The Security Council and the General Assembly (C) The Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council (D) The Security Council (Ans : B) 23. In blogging, the blogger, with the help of his computer and the Internet– (A) Puts out his ideas, information, photos, etc., on the Internet, which can be accessed by any other person (B) Visits the Web site of another person and makes changes in the information posted thereon (C) Accesses another person's computer and steals secret information stored therein (D) Accesses another computer and continuously exchanges information with it Ans : (A) 24. Power from powerhouses is often transmitted as alternating current at 33000 volts or more. Why is power transmitted as such high voltage ? (A) Transmission is faster at high voltages (B) Transmission loss is lower at high voltages (C) It is difficult to generate electricity at lower voltage (D) None of the above (Ans : B) 25. When a patient's blood pressure is taken, the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the blood vessels is measured. At what stage is this pressure measured ? (A) When the heart sends out oxygenated blood to the body parts (B) When deoxygenated blood goes into the heart (C) At both the stages (D) At the in-between stage (Ans : C) 26. The winner of Indian Premier League, 2012 is– (A) Chennai Super Kings (B) Delhi Daredevils (C) Kolkata Knight Riders (D) Mumbai Indians (Ans : C) 27. Which of the following is a tribal group of Africa ? (A) Eskimos (B) Ainu (C) Fula (D) None of these (Ans : D) 28. The Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission is– (A) Prof. P. K. Dubey (B) Prof. P. K. Joshi (C) A. K. Pandey (D) P. K. Pandey (Ans : C) 29. The words 'satyameva Jayate' in the National Emblem are taken from– (A) Mahabharata (B) Mundaka Upanishad (C) Kautilya's Arthashastra (D) Samaveda (Ans : B) 30. The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through– (A) India (B) Egypt (C) Mexico (D) Iran (Ans : B) 31. Which country in Europe is called the 'Land of Midnight Sun' ? (A) Norway (B) Finland (C) Iceland (D) Sweden (Ans : A) 32. Swami Vivekananda gained fame and recognition in the Western World after his address to the World Congress of Major Religions in 1893. In which city was this congress held ? (A) London (B) Paris (C) Berlin (D) Chicago (Ans : D) 33. Where was Mother Teresa born ? (A) India (B) Albania (C) Hungary (D) Poland (Ans : B) 34. Who was the first navigator to circumnavigate the Earth by the sea route ? (A) Ferdinand Magellan (B) Marco Polo (C) Vasco da Gama (D) Christopher Columbus (Ans : A) 35. Which of the following countries was discovered by the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama? (A) India (B) China (C) Australia (D) New Zealand (Ans : A) 36. What is an ecosystem ? (A) The unit of man and all living beings which interact with each other (B) The unit comprised of man, other living beings and the plant kingdom (C) The unit comprised of all living beings and their environment (D) That part of the Earth and the atmosphere where living beings are found (Ans : B) 37. Malaria affects lakhs of Indians every year. Which part of the body is damaged by this disease ? (A) Heart (B) Lungs (C) Spleen (D) Liver (Ans : C) 38. How does the Sun get its energy ? (A) From gravitational pressure (B) From nuclear fission (C) From nuclear fusion (D) None of the above (Ans : C) 39. The Shahnama, written by Firdausi, tells the tale of kings of one country .Which is this country ? (A) Egypt (B) India (C) Turkey (D) Persia (Ans : D) 40. Which of the following statements is correct ? (A) The entropy of the world keeps on increasing (B) The entropy of the world keeps on decreasing (C) The entropy of the world is constant (D) The entropy of the world increases and decreases in a cyclic manner (Ans : A) 41. The frequency range of FM radio broadcast in India is– (A) 102 MHz -132 MHz (B) 80 MHz -102 MHz (C) 88 MHz -108MHz (D) 78 MHz -102 MHz (Ans : C) 42. Who among the following has not been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature ? (A) Derek Walcott (B) Dario Fo (C) Toni Morrison (D) Robert Richardson (Ans : D) 43. Two large temple complexes have been found in Angkorwat, Cambodia. Which religion are they associated with? (A) Hinduism (B) Buddhism (C) Shintoism (D) None of these (Ans : A) 44. Fidel Castro ousted a dictator from Cuba in 1959. Who was this dictator ? (A) Duvalier (B) Batista (C) Pinochet (D) None of these (Ans : B) 45. Wheels of passenger vehicles are fitted with tyres and tubes which are filled with air. What is the main reason for not filling up the tubes with water ? (A) Filling them with water will increase the weight (B) If they are filled with water, the force of shocks on passengers, generated by uneven surface of the road, will increase very considerably (C) Air is cheaper than water (D) It would not be convenient to fill up the tubes with water (Ans : B) 46. As mother is B's sister and C's daughter. B's daughter is P who is Q's sister. If C is not Q's grandmother, how is C related to Q? (A) Father (B) Mother (C) Grandfather (D) Aunt (Ans : C) 47. Four boys are wearing clothes of different colours. Ravi is not wearing white and Ajay is not wearing blue. If Sohan is wearing red, what is the colour of Sachin's clothes ? (A) Blue (B) White (C) Yellow (D) Cannot be determined (Ans : D) 48. A factory makes shoes of two types, A-type and B-type. Both require the same amount of leather which is available in such quantity that 80 pairs of shoes can be made per day. It takes twice as long to make A-type shoes as B-type. The capacity of the factory is such that if only B-type shoes were to be made, 100 pairs could be produced in one day. A-type shoes require some special material which is available in quantities sufficient for 40 pairs per day. The special material required for B-type shoes is available in quantities sufficient for 70 pairs per day. If the factory makes a profit of Rs. 200 per pair on A-type shoes and Rs. 150 per pair on 8-type shoes how many pairs of shoes of each type should it produce every day for maximum profit ? (A) A-type 40 and B-type 20 (B) A-type 10 and B-type 70 (C) A-type 20 and B-type 60 (D) None of the above (Ans : D) 49. A leap year is chosen at random. What is the probability that this year would have 53 Mondays ? (A) 1/7 (B) 2/7 (C) 3/7 (D) None of these (Ans : B) 50. Three horses, A, B and C, are participating in a race. If the probability of A winning the race is twice the probability of B winning it and the probability of B winning the race is twice the probability of C winning it, what is the probability that either B or C will win the race ? (A) 1/7 (B) 2/7 (C) 3/7 (D) None of these (Ans : C) 51. Some men are travelling with their horses. At one point of time, half the men are riding their horses while the rest are walking along leading their horses. If the number of legs on the ground at that time is 40, what is the number of horses in the party ? (A) 8 (B) 10 (C) 12 (D) None of these Ans : (A) 52. A family is comprised of father, mother, son and daughter. The father's age is 3 times the age of the daughter. The son is half as old as his mother and is 7 years older than his sister. If the father is 9 years older than his wife, what is the mother's age ? (A) 45 years (B) 50 years (C) 60 years (D) None of these Ans : (C) 53. Six friends went for a vacation and stayed in a resort where nine cottages in a row were available for them. They all stayed in separate cottages. Mohan, Rani and Chitra did not stay in the cottages at the two ends. Nobody stayed next to Mohan and Salman. There was only one empty cottage between Mohan and Chitra. Jayant's cottage was adjacent to both Chitra and Anil. Rani stayed next to the cottage at the beginning. Which cottages remain empty after they are accommodated ? (A) Nos. 1, 6, 8 (B) Nos. 4, 6, 8 (C) Nos. 3, 5, 9 (D) Nos. 2, 5, 7 Ans : (A) 54. A plane mirror is kept in front of a clock. If the actual time is 3 : 25, what time would the reflection show (if we notice only the positions of the two hands of the clock and do not pay attention to the numerals on the dial) ? (A) 9 : 55 (B) 8 : 35 (C) 3 : 25 (D) None of these Ans : (B) 55. A person has five coins. If he knows for certain that– 1. Coin no.1 is genuine; 2. One of the remaining four coins is counterfeit and its weight is different from the others. then what is the minimum number of weighings which will enable him to find out which coin is counterfeit and whether it is heavier or lighter than the others ? (A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 Ans : (B) 56. Six students are taking coffee in the coffeehouse. A and Bare from Delhi while the others C, D, P and Q are from Bhopal. D and Q are tall while the others are short. A, C and D are girls while the others are boys. Who is the tall girl from Bhopal ? (A) C (B) D (C) P (D) Q Ans : (C) 57. What is the missing number ? 0 1 2 3 1 3 4 16 2 5 6 ? (A) 22 (B) 106 (C) 39 (D) None of these Ans : (C) 58. The remnants of one of the most ancient civilizations of the world, 'Indus Valley Civilization', were first discovered in Harappa. Where is this Harappa situated ? (A) Sind, Pakistan (B) Punjab, India (C) Punjab, Pakistan (D) Haryana, India Ans : (A) 59. In 1950s, the Archaeological Survey of India found several sites in one part of India which yielded evidence that the Mohenjodaro-Harappa Civilization was centred, not in Indus Valley, but in this part of India. In which present State are these sites situated ? (A) Maharashtra (B) Gujarat (C) Rajasthan (D) Punjab Ans : (B) 60. River Narmada flows down from Amarkantak Hills to the sea. What is the name of the area where it meets the sea ? (A) Gulf of Kutch (B) Gulf of Khambat (C) Gulf of Mannar (D) Bay of Bengal Ans : (B) 61. Commonwealth Games, 2010 were held at– (A) Colombo (B) London (C) NewDelhi (D) Seoul Ans : (C) 62. Karera Sanctuary is situated at– (A) shivpuri (B) Mandsaur (C) Damoh (D) Tikamgarh Ans : (A) 63. Barman Fair is held at– (A) Sodalpur (B) Porsa (C) Pipaliya Khurd (D) Gadarwara Ans : (D) 64. Who is the 'Man of the Tournament' of World Cup Cricket, 2011 ? (A) Yuvraj Singh (B) Kumar Sangakara (C) Ricky Ponting (D) Jacques Kallis Ans : (A) 65. Which of the following National Highways does not pass through Madhya Pradesh ? (A) NH27 (B) NH28 (C) NH 78 (D) NH 79 Ans : (B) 66. How many tiers of administration are there in Panchayati Raj in Madhya Pradesh ? (A) A single tier-at village level (B) Two tiers-at village and district levels (C) Three tiers-at village, block and district levels (D) Four tiers-at village, block district and State levels Ans : (C) 67. In the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, which was the gas that had leaked out ? (A) Carbon monoxide (B) Hydrogen sulphide (C) Ethyl cyanide (D) Methyl isocyanate Ans : (D) 68. Who founded the Ramakrishna Mission ? (A) Ramakrishna Paramhans (B) Swami Dayananda Saraswati (C) Swami Vivekananda (D) Shankaracharya Ans : (C) 69. Which architect has prepared the plan for Chandigarh city ? (A) Edwin Lutyens (B) Le Corbusier (C) Charles Correa (D) None of these Ans : (B) 70. Who got the Khajuraho temples constructed ? (A) Chhatrasal (B) Kings of Parmar dynasty (C) Kings of Chandel dynasty (D) King Bhoja Ans : (C) 71. Who was the founder of the Chola dynasty in South India ? (A) Karikala (B) Parantaka (C) Rajaraja (D) None of these Ans : (D) 72. Which was the most famous festival of the Vijayanagar empire ? (A) Ramnavami (B) Brahmotsava (C) Mahanavami (D) Vasantotsava Ans : (C) 73. The famous caves at Ajanta-Ellora contain statues and murals associated with– (A) Hinduism (B) Buddhism (C) Jainism (D) All of these Ans : (D) 74. Which 'pir' lies in the famous 'mazar' at Ajmer ? (A) Muin-ud-din Chishti (B) Nizam-ud-din Auliya (C) Baba Farid (D) Sheikh salim Chishti Ans : (A) 75. Where was the Jain Seer Lord Mahavira born ? (A) Lumbini (Nepal) (B) Kunda (Bihar) (C) Shravanbelgola (Karnataka) (D) None of these Ans : (B) 76. Who was the first 'Guru' of the Sikhs? (A) Guru Amardas (B) Guru Nanakdev (C) Guru Arjundev (D) Guru Tegh Bahadur (Ans : B) 77. Gaya district of Bihar is associated with the name of Mahatma Buddha. In this district– (A) Mahatma Buddha was born (B) Mahatma Buddha gained enlightenment (C) Mahatma Buddha delivered his first sermon (D) Mahatma Buddha expired (Ans : B) 78. The ambitious road development project of India, known as the 'Golden Quadrangle Project', will join four important places. Which are these places? (A) srinagar, Kannyakumari, Porbandar and silchar (B) Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Guwahati (C) Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai (D) Jalandhar, Pune, Hyderabad and Dibrugarh (Ans : C) 79. The first Indian satellite was launched into space in 1975. What was it called ? (A) Aryabhatta (B) Rohini (C) Insat-1A (D) IRS-1A (Ans : A) 80. Ashok Chakra is awarded for– (A) Bravery in the face of enemy, during a war (B) Bravery during anti-terrorist operations (C) Life-saving (D) All of the above (Ans : A) 81.The Defence Research and Development Organization of India has developed a missile which can be launched from a submarine. What is it named ? (A) BrahMos (B) Astra (C) Prithvi-4 (D) K-15 (Ans : D) 82. The 'Param' series of super-computers was developed in India by which of the following institutions ? (A) Indian Institute of Sciences (B) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C) Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (D) Electronic Corporation of India (Ans : B) 83. Quite often, deltas are formed at river mouths. What is the reason for formation of delta ? (A) The flow of the river slows down considerably by the time it meets the sea. Hence, the sand and pieces of rocks carried by the river fall off at its mouth and collect in the form of a delta (B) The tide in the sea stops the river from flowing into the sea the sand and pieces of rocks carried along by the river current fall off and form a delta (C) Salts are present in seawater. When the river meets the sea, the sand and rock particles suspended in the river water get precipitated and they settle down at the bottom to form a delta (D) None of the above Ans : (A) 84. Food is cooked more quickly in pressure cooker, because– (A) The boiling point of water is lowered in it (B) The boiling point of water is raised in it (C) It absorbs heat quickly (D) It retains heat for a longer time (Ans : B) 85. Optical fibers are hair-thin tubes of special glass and light can pass through them from end to end. Their special property is that light continues to travel through them even when they are bent. Which property of light underlies this phenomenon ? (A) Total internal reflection (B) Refraction (C) Diffraction (D) Polarization (Ans : A) 86. Why are Polaroids used in sunglasses ? (A) For the sake of fashion (B) To reduce the glare (C) To improve resolving power of the eyes (D) None of the above (Ans : B) 87. When an aeroplane is flying at a great height, the sky appears black to its passengers. Why ? (A) The dust particles and droplets of water present in the atmosphere absorb the light and do not allow it to reach the eyes of the passengers (B) The atmosphere is very rare at great heights and so the scattering of light is negligible (C) The light is so polarized that no part of it is able to reach the eye of the passengers (D) None of the above (Ans : B) 88. The image formed by an object on the retina of the human eye is– (A) Real and inverted (B) Real and upright (C) Virtual and inverted (D) Virtual and upright (Ans : A) 89. A heater running on 220 volt takes 5 minute to boil a quantity of water. If the heater is run on 110 volt instead of 220 volt, how much time will it take to boil the same quantity of water ? (A) 10 minute (B) 15 minute (C) 20 minute (D) 25 minute (Ans : C) 90. A GM counter is used for detecting– (A) Underground oil (B) Coal (C) Radioactivity (D) Methane gas (Ans : C) 91. In which organ of the body is the red blood corpuscle made ? (A) Liver (B) Bone marrow (C) Kidneys (D) Heart (Ans : B) 92. The edible potato is the modified form of which part of the plant ? (A) Roots (B) Stem (C) Flower (D) None of these (Ans : B) 93. What is the main constituent of 'Gobar Gas' (biogas) ? (A) Hydrogen (B) Carbon monoxide (C) Acetylene (D) Methane (Ans : D) 94. What is the 'non-stick' substance used in cookwares ? (A) Polymonochlorotrifluoroethylene (B) Polymethyl methacrylate (C) Polyacrylonitrile (D) Polytetrafluoroethylene (Ans : D) 95. The gas used for cooking (LPG) is chiefly a mixture of– (A) Methane and carbon monoxide (B) Hydrogen and nitrogen (C) Butane and propane (D) Propane and nitrogen (Ans : C) 96. One card is pulled out at random from a well-shuffled deck of playing cards (52 cards). This is seen to be a card of hearts. It is put back and the deck is shuffled again. Another card is now pulled out of the deck. What is the probability of the second card being a black king ? (A) 1/104 (B) l/52 (C) 1/26 (D) None of these (Ans : C) 97. Why does a foul smell emanate from some ponds, tanks, etc. ? (A) Pesticides and other organic chemicals reach the water body and kill off fishes, etc., living therein, causing the foul smell (B) Fertilizers used in farming reach the water body and give rise to excessive growth of aqueous plants. When these plants die, excessive quantities of organic matter are collected, depleting dissolved oxygen and causing foul smell (C) Household wastes contain small quantities of mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc, etc., which pollute the water bodies, causing the death of fishes and other aquatic organisms and leading to foul smell (D) None of the above (Ans : B) 98. Government of India calendars show dates both in Christian era (AD) and Saka era. In which year did the Saka era start ? (A) 150 BC (B) 130 BC (C) 56 BC (D) AD 78 (Ans : D) 99. Who was the first woman ruler of India ? (A) Nurjahan (B) Razia Sultan (C) Chandbibi (D) Durgavati (Ans : B) 100. Who founded the Chalukya dynasty in South India ? (A) Harihara (B) Pulakesin (C) Parantaka (D) Bukka (Ans : B) SUB INSPECTOR Question Papers and Answers pdf Download Read the full article

[thegeekshow]

PX38 - What Would Make You Boycott A Game

Tis the season to be grumpy, and nobody complains like a gamer (or spits their pacifier out/throws their toys out of the pram). Now there are plenty of reasons to complain about a game (micro-transactions, pay-walls, pay-to-win, gorily-detailed hunting, forcing developers to censor their games after signing exclusivity contracts, etc), but some are more valid than others – and yes, we are looking…

[johnlockismyreligion]

EUROVISION 2017

This is my personal ranking of all the entries of the competition. Mind that this is just my opinion, based on my personal music taste and the fun level of the song, because I think that at Eurovision having fun is important, so all the boring ballads won’t be in my top ten, sorry.

It’s not even a ranking about “who I think will win the competition”, but rather of my favourite songs (Clearly, I don’t think that Cyprus has chances to win, but I like the song).

Where available, I put a link to the live version of the song as, you know, they’ll sing live in Kiev, and this is quite different from the recorded version of the song. Some singers are good on record, but haven’t a voice powerful enough to impress on stage.

Under a cut, ‘cause this post is very long and I don’t think you want my musical rant on your dash.

I wanted to be fair, so I didn’t included my Country, Italy, in the ranking, but honestly I think we have a good chance this year, even if the cut version is worst than the original one (Francesco’ song is 3’38’’ long, and the limit for Eurovision is 3’). Besides, I’m really proud that Francesco will sing in Italian in a sea of English songs… C’mon people, shouldn’t it be a festival to celebrate diversity? So why are y’all singing in English?

42) Lithuania - Fusedmarc, Rain Of Revolution Ugh. I tried to listen to this song. I swear I tried, but to me it’s the biggest nope of the year. Her voice is quite weak, too.

41) Malta - Claudia Faniello, Breathlessly I don’t listen to this often, ‘cause I risk to fall asleep on the desk.

40) Spain - Manel Navarro, Do it for your lover I tried to count how many times he says “do it for your lover”, but I lost my mind after ten: it’s so repetitive that it becomes obsessive. Besides, it sounds “old” to me and not in a nice way: it would have been good if heard from a juke box on the beach in 1986.

39) Slovenia - Omar Naber, On My Way Ugh, ballads. Ballads are boring.

38) Armenia - Artsvik, Fly with me I’ve listened to this song several times, but I can’t keep it in mind and memorize the melody or the lyrics. Nothing special.

37) Russia - Julia Samoilova, Flame is burning I suspect that Russia aims to self-boycott, because this song is similar to other 1k ones and leaves you the impression you’ve already listened it somewhere. Even if she has a beautiful voice, here it’s totally wasted.

36) Ireland - Brendan Murray, Dying to try I’m dying to not hear any more ballads.

35) Georgia - Tamara Gachechiladze, Keep The Faith Another great voice wasted on a plaintive ballad. Pity.

34) Australia - Isaiah, Don't Come Easy Another romantic ballad. Dull.

33) Germany - Levina, Perfect Life The first time I pressed play, I thought that I’ve selected by mistake Titanium by SIA. To me half of this song is a plagiarism (but feel free to disagree), and I don’t like the half that isn’t.

32) Serbia - Tijana Bogićević, In Too Deep Forgettable. Not bad, but not good either.

31) Austria - Nathan Trent, Running On Air It seems the song of a boy band from the ‘90s. Not a bad song, but I’ve never loved too much boy bands.

30) Bulgaria - Kristian Kostov, Beautiful Mess Did I mention that I don’t like ballads?

29) The Netherlands - OG3NE, Lights and Shadows Average pop song. Nice, but not my cup of tea, sorry.

28) Czech Republic - Martina Bárta, My Turn When I saw that she’s a jazz singer, I was excited: she has a terrific voice and jazz is wonderful, I was dying for a touch of jazz at Eurovision… instead she chose a ballad. Not a bad song, but why? Disappointing.

27) Iceland - Svala, Paper Indifferent, nothing special.

26) Denmark - Anja, Where I Am Generally it’s an appreciated song, but it doesn’t speak to me.

25) United Kingdom - Lucie Jones, Never Give Up On You When I first heard the song, I thought she was singing a cappella, as the musical accompaniment was non existent. The new version revamped the song a bit, but I still think that music is weak. Nope.

24) San Marino - Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson, Spirit Of The Night A song that leaves me indifferent even if many people are loving it. I don’t wanna say it’s a plagiarism, but sure it remembers me of some other similar dance songs of the past.

23) Albania - Lindita, Botë I quite like the Albanian version, the song has something epic in it, but she will sing in English, so she lost many point in my ranking.

22) Croatia - Jacques Houdek, My Friend Another song that leaves me puzzled. I love a lot the part where he sings opera (god, what a voice), but I don’t think it blends perfectly with the other vocals. I still hope to see him in the final.

21) Israel - Imri Ziv, I Feel Alive I was expecting something better from him, but the refrain has a good beat.

20) Sweden - Robin Bengtsson, I Can't Go I don’t understand why people go crazy on this song. Nice, but it has nothing special to me.

19) Finland - Norma John, Blackbird This song would be good in the soundtrack of a fantasy movie. But is it Eurovision winning material? I fear it isn’t. Perfect to listen if you want to relax, tho.

18) Poland - Kasia Moś, Flashlight The only ballad I really like, it has a dark touch (especially in the verses, less in the refrain) and she has beautiful voice. Good luck Poland!

17) Norway - JOWST, Grab The Moment Interesting. Not in my top ten, but surely a nice, good song with a personal touch. Better than Sweden, to me.

16) Greece - Demy, This is Love This song is clearly a clever points catcher, with a tad of ‘90s eurodance touch. Smart move, but after some listening, it loses appeal.

15) Latvia - Triana Park, Line Talking about dance/pop/electropop/whatever-you-call-it songs, I think that there are better competitors this year, but I love their psychedelic, energetic staging.

14) Hungary - Joci Pápai, Origo I hope he will sing in Hungarian, because I fear that an English version would be a disaster, as melody and words are closely linked, here. If you’re searching for something different, listen to this song: it’s captivating, with almost a Middle East touch.

13) Belarus - Naviband, Historyja majho zyccia This is one of the first song I heard this year and I still find it great, it makes me smile and the tune is original. I really hope they’ll keep it in their native language.

12) Estonia - Koit Toome and Laura, Verona A ‘90-ish and classic song. It has a catchy tune, they’re a well-matched pair on stage, so I’m sure it will do great.

11) F.Y.R. Macedonia - Jana Burčeska, Dance Alone Not bad, not bad, a good dance song with a pretty cool refrain, a song that grows on you.

10) Ukraine - O.Torvald, Time Another very underrated song from my point of view: okay, they aren’t Muse or something, but this is the only rock entry of the competition, ffs! And their staging and makeup is cool, I want to see it again.

9) Romania - Ilinca ft. Alex Florea, Yodel It! A rap yodel. No, seriously, it is. And it’s funny af. Plus, her shrill vocals are impressive.

8) Portugal - Salvador Sobral - Amar Pelos Dois Aw, my little snowflake! This song generally received bad comments and a low position in many rankings, and I can’t understand why: it has a retro touch that distinguishes it from all other entries. Plus, he’s singing in his native language. If Finland song would be great in the OST of a fantasy movie, this one should be the main track of a nice romantic movie.

7) Azerbaijan - DiHaj, Skeletons Talking about dance music, to me this is the best entry of Eurovision, with a cool mystery/dark atmosphere. It has a great beat.

6) Moldova - Sunstroke Project, Hey Mamma I effin love this song: it’s bright, happy, makes your body move. And, hey, Epic Sax Guy is back!

5) Montenegro - Slavko Kalezić, Space At first, it didn’t seem too good to me, but it gradually grew on me. I love the lyrics, I love that it’s gay af, and I believe that Slavko will surprise Europe with a sumptuous staging. As I said, to me Eurovision means also having fun, so of course he’s one of my favourite.

4) Belgium - Blanche, City Lights At first I would say that this kind of song is not in my comfort zone, but the tune is mesmerizing and she has a particular voice that catches attention. I’m sure it will do very well in the grand final, but it need a great staging, too.

3) Switzerland - Timebelle, Apollo One of the first songs that I have heard and which has remained in my heart all the time. The lyrics don’t make much sense to me, but the melody is beautiful and she has a great voice.

2) France - Alma, Requiem I don’t agree with her choice to sing the refrain in English, to me she ruined a perfect song. It’s still winning material because the song is very beautiful, but the all French version is better.

1) Cyprus - Hovig, Gravity This song had me from the first hearing: fresh, catchy, with a good rhythm, and Hovig has a powerful voice. Absolutely my favourite, even if I don’t think it’ll win. I hope he’ll valorize it with a good staging.

[perspectivemattersministries]

Say It Loud!

PERSPECTIVE MATTERS...

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” ~ 1 Timothy 6:12

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy history and I love music... Whenever there are instances when history and music overlap, I am always intrigued. And particularly when kingdom-building purposes can be culled from the annuls of history and from the seemingly inexhaustible catalog of music that can be drawn from, I am deeply gratified. For whenever the worlds of history and music collide, that is a sweet-spot where my personal interest resides. Such is the case with this Word from the Lord today.

The gospel - the good news - according to James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” includes his notoriously controversial hit, “Say It Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud.” Topping the R&B singles charts in 1968 - a year that witnessed the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the riots in cities across America that followed, the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, an ally of the Civil Rights Movement, and the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City that witnessed the affirming triumph of the Black Power salute given on the medal stand during the playing of the American National Anthem by John Carlos and Tommie Smith - it was a fitting song to cap the close of the tumultuous Civil Rights era of the 1960s.

That song was a public confession, not only of “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business,” “Mr. Dynamite,” James Brown, but of the millions of Black Americans, in particular, as well as black people across the globe, that black is indeed beautiful. It was a final coming to terms for black folks with the recognition of the inherent beauty of their blackness; beauty once made by others to be thought of as abhorrent. James Brown stirred a nation, even a world of black people to at last “touch and agree” - to confess together and at once aloud - the pride that they had in their racial identity.

It was an affirmation - a confession - no matter how controversial it may have been construed at that delicate time in history, of the profound dignity and pride that black people then felt at liberty to express about themselves, many for the very first time in their individual and collective lives. “Say It Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud” was an opus that celebrated the spirit of a dignified people who overcame centuries of systemic oppression against great odds. The song resonated with many who confessed and believed its bold assertion, even as it offended others who neither confessed to nor believed either its message or in its messenger.

Most observers of history would agree that the Civil Rights Movement was a fight. It was a fight for the moral soul of a nation. The American Civil Rights Movement was officially given birth at the time of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Up to that time, ours was a nation that on paper proclaimed “liberty and justice for all,” yet in reality, since its founding undermined that very principle in practice. On the basis of color alone, the nation construed unscrupulous laws to purposefully deny a group of people both the liberty and the justice that the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution purported to grant to the entirety of its people. Practices made under the rule of law conspired, over the nearly two centuries since America’s founding, to subjugate and marginalize the sons and daughters of slaves from generation to generation. To undo the evil that had been systemically instituted and culturally ingrained in the American psyche for nearly two centuries would require a fierce fight.

Just like the fight that was taken up by the untold and largely unnamed and unsung soldiers on the front-lines and behind the scenes of the American Civil Rights Movement, the apostle Paul is admonishing his young protege in the ministry and in the faith, Timothy, to fight against the spiritual forces of darkness that would threaten the liberty and justice that his faith as a full-fledged citizen of the kingdom of God guaranteed him. Rather than merely lie down and take the continued brutality of the onslaught of the enemy of his soul, Paul encouraged his lieutenant Timothy to fight, to engage the enemy in consequential battle. The Lord has no plans for us to be physically, materially, or spiritually subjugated or marginalized by our adversary the devil, nor by his often willing accomplice: our flesh. Our faith, and the divine security that it purchases for us from out of God’s exceedingly rich storehouse of blessings, is our birthright as sons and daughters of the Most High God. But it must be fought for!

Abundant life now and eternal life later are taken hold of by making “good confession.” The word “confession” comes from the Greek word meaning to “assent; to express agreement with or to; to acknowledge, to confess, to profess.” To make “good confession” is to be in perfect agreement with the written Word and spoken will of God. Jesus said, “So everyone who acknowledges (confesses - KJV) Me before men, I also will acknowledge (confess) before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

What are you confessing with your mouth? The most important confession of all that you or I can make is this: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). For this is the ultimate good confession! Our good confession unites us as believers across every boundary including that of color, culture and class, just as it did the besieged people that James Brown both sang to and about in the tumultuous year of 1968. We, the people of God, the family of faith, can boast together of the goodness and tender mercy of our Lord and Savior, and the victory that we have in Him. In Christ we are all made beautiful. He alone is about to beautify the ugliest of our life’s situations and circumstances. He performs His beautifying transformation of us every time we confess His Word and will over our lives and our present condition. Our change begins with the good confession of our mouth and the belief - the faith - of our heart. Our good confession affirms and professes our spiritual identity that unites us all in Christ Jesus as our unvanquished personal Lord and Savior and into the people of His calling.

The apostle Paul said, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). And so we make our boast in Him; our pride is in our God who saves us by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of our testimony! When we make good confession and say it loud in the presence of many witnesses, our song will resonate among those of us who believe, even as it offends those who don’t.

The good fight of faith is fought and won by making good confession! Making good confession is our best offense and our greatest defense. So make good confession every day over every situation. And when you do, be sure to “Say It Loud!” because Perspective Matters...

Be encouraged, enlightened and enriched daily. Visit us online at: https://PerspectiveMatters.org/devotional-matters.html

Love the Lord and “Like” our Facebook page: https://facebook.com/perspective-matters2

[gamerszone2019-blog]

The Best Gaming Deals Still Available Even Though Prime Day Is Over

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-best-gaming-deals-still-available-even-though-prime-day-is-over/

The Best Gaming Deals Still Available Even Though Prime Day Is Over

It’s been a busy week for deals as Amazon Prime Day 2019 came and went, offering thousands of discounts and special bundles across every category, including gaming. Prime Day included quite a few noteworthy deals, like a PS4 Pro bundle with Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn for $300 that sold out in a blink, but if you missed your chance to grab a new console, accessory, or specific game on your wishlist, there are still plenty of deals to be had at Walmart and other retailers this week.

Walmart’s Summer Savings event kicked off on Sunday and continues through Wednesday, July 17, offering free two-day (or faster) shipping on all orders over $35. GameStop’s major summer sale, which began a full week before Prime Day and continues until July 20, has some solid game deals, trade-in offers, and collectibles worth checking out. Plus, you’ll find some solid deals still floating around at places like Google Express, so don’t fret if you missed out (or decided to boycott) Amazon’s shopping bonanza.

See some of the best post-Prime Day deals still available below.

Best console deals

Nintendo Switch + Xbox One S All-Digital Edition bundle

$400 ($550 value)

Use promo code GOTURE at checkout to see the price slashed to just $400 on this crazy bundle with the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One S All Digital-Edition (plus digital downloads for Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea of Thieves).

See deal at Google Express

Xbox One X (Black)

$314 ($500)

Normally priced at $500, the Xbox One X is on deep discount at Google Express via seller Antonline. In checkout, you’ll see an initial $166 markdown, and once you apply promo code JULY20SAVE, that will increase to $186 off, dropping your price to just $314 (plus tax).

See deal at Google Express

Xbox One X + PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds digital download bundle

$314 ($500)

The same Google Express deal mentioned above also applies to this Xbox One X bundle with PUBG. $314 is a fantastic price for one of the most powerful consoles out there; plus, it doubles as a 4K UHD player.

See deal at Google Express

Xbox One S + game + bonus controller + headset bundle

$300 ($450)

Ready to go all-in on the Xbox One S? This bundle has an MSRP of $300 on its own, so getting a bonus controller and headset doesn’t hurt one bit.

See deal at Walmart

Nintendo Switch + game of your choice + bonus accessory bundle

$329 ($358.96)

Unfortunately, the only accessory left for this bundle is an Ematic Paw Patrol-themed carrying case–but getting the Switch and a first-party Nintendo game for essentially half off is still a good deal.

See deal at Walmart

PS4 Slim + bonus Crystal DualShock controller bundle

$300 ($359.96)

Prime Day saw quite a few markdowns on the PS4 Slim, but the last bundle left is this modest one at Walmart, which basically throws a bonus Crystal DualShock 4 controller in for free.

See deal at Walmart

Best game deals

The good thing about games is that once they get discounted by one store (looking at you, Amazon), they tend to get price-matched by all the major retailers. There are some solid deals still available, such as Kingdom Hearts 3 for $20, Days Gone for $40, and Red Dead Redemption 2 for $30.

Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition — $15

A Plague Tale: Innocence — $35 ($50)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 — $28 ($60)

Days Gone — $40 ($60)

Doom Eternal — $49.94 ($60)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition — $22 ($39.82)

Fallout 76 — $17 ($60)

FIFA 19 — $20 ($60)

Final Fantasy X/X-2 — $35 ($50)

Hitman 2 — $30 ($60)

Metro Exodus — $30 ($60)

Middle-earth: Shadow of War – Definitive Edition — $15 ($50)

MLB The Show 19 – MVP Edition — $50 ($70)

NBA 2K19 — $15 ($60)

Nier Automata – Game of the Yorha Edition — $24.65 ($40)

Rage 2 — $40 ($60)

Red Dead Redemption 2 — $30 ($60)

Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate Edition – Only at GameStop — $49.97 ($100)

Resident Evil 2 — $38 ($60)

Spyro Reignited Trilogy — $22 ($39.88)

Starlink: Battle for Atlas — $30 ($60)

Tetris Effect — $26.28 ($40.77)

More great deals still available

Aside from games and consoles, there are still plenty of markdowns on controllers, headsets, PC accessories, retro arcade machines, and more–see some of the best deals we found that are still up for grabs below.

Xbox One Phantom White Special Edition wireless controller

$50 ($70)

See deal at Ebay

Street Fighter 2 Arcade Machine

$200 ($300)

See deal at Walmart

PlayStation Plus: 12-Month Membership

$36 ($60)

See deal at MassGenie

PlayStation Platinum Wireless Headset

$119.40 ($160)

See deal at Amazon

Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback Racing Wheel

$126.37 ($200)

See deal at Amazon

FastSnail Joy-Con Grips

$13 ($20)

See deal at Amazon

Source : Gamesport

[blackchristiannation]

New Documents Reveal How FBI Deployed a Black Televangelist to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. in the 60s

[caption id="attachment_422797" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux[/caption] In 2017, the National Archives released a new trove of FBI files in response to a Freedom of Information Act request I made. The security-screened documents reveal how the bureau solicited and received sacred assistance in their crusade to discredit Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement. The FBI’s efforts to destroy King’s reputation are well known, but less known is how the bureau colluded with Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, then a widely successful black radio preacher and televangelist, in their campaign against King. Michaux coordinated with the FBI to protest King and to preach sermons that laundered the bureau’s counterintelligence against the civil rights icon. As the nation marks 50 years since the untimely assassination of King, the revelation prompts a time of reflection for the televangelists that comprise President Trump’s evangelical advisory board specifically, and people of faith more broadly. Michaux was one of the nation’s leading clergymen from the beginning of his national CBS radio show in 1929 until his death in 1968. He became the nation’s first minister—black or white—to have his own weekly television show beginning in 1947. With little formal education, the leader of the non-denominational Church of God utilized his radio and later television fame to become an insider at the White House. He offered invocations for President Franklin Roosevelt at public events. The Roosevelt administration in turn granted him a large loan to construct segregated public housing in Washington, D.C. At the time, it was the largest loan ever given to an African American organization. He was also a favorite of President Harry Truman, visiting the White House several times, and even introducing Truman to black luminaries such as heavyweight boxing champion Jersey Joe Walcott. Michaux was also one of the most frequent black guests at the White House under President Dwight Eisenhower. However, his closest relationship in the executive branch was with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The two began corresponding in 1939 and they became quick friends. Hoover, a Sunday school teacher and trustee of the National Presbyterian Church in D.C., was a fan of Michaux’s television ministry. “Whenever I am home,” he wrote to Michaux, “I always endeavor to follow you on television. … I think that you have been making a very fine contribution.” The admiration was mutual, with Michaux seeing Hoover as “a minister of God” and his FBI as “second in importance only to the church.” They shared the belief that America was a Christian nation whose democracy could be perfected through individual Christian salvation, not the restructuring of prevailing social, political, or economic arrangements. There was nothing plaguing America’s perceived Christian democracy—not racism, poverty, nor communism—that a spiritual awakening could not fix. This belief set both men on a collision course with King and his religious calls for the restructuring of America’s racial and economic status quo. In an FBI memo following the historic March on Washington, the FBI labeled King “the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country” and the nation’s top domestic security risk. The bureau had no evidence that King was a communist; in fact, the FBI concluded King and the civil rights movement he led were too religious to be influenced by communism. Contrary to the evidence, though, Hoover persisted in believing King had fallen under the influence of godless communism. King was leading the nation “in a form of racial revolution,” so he had to be stopped. On the same day the memo was drafted, the FBI sought Michaux’s help. The evangelist immediately launched a coordinated public critique against King and the gospel the civil rights minister preached. Michaux preached a radio sermon from the nation’s capital on CBS Standard and FM radio affiliates. The homily opposed the March on Washington and King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Michaux used the Lord’s Prayer from the Gospel of Luke as his sermon text, proclaiming that King’s dream of racial equality would only materialize when God’s rule was established in the hearts of men. “Yes, righteousness will flow like a mighty stream,” Michaux said, quoting King. However, he qualified, it would only happen “when the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—but not until then according to God’s Word.” Advocating for legislative change was futile, according to Michaux; changing hearts was the only way to bring about racial equality. He closed the sermon by telling his listeners to cease marching and simply “seek to do the will of God and be blessed.” It was one thing to hear this from white evangelists like Billy Graham, but it was a weightier matter to hear it from a pioneering black cleric. Michaux and the bureau also targeted the White House with the sermon. It was transcribed and sent to President John F. Kennedy. “I felt that you would like to know the opinion more or less of those who reach the ears of the Public on such a vital subject,” Michaux wrote to the president. King’s star was rising, but Michaux reminded Kennedy that he was America’s preeminent black cleric. The bureau and Michaux wanted the president to see that King’s gospel was false and was not representative of the majority of the nation’s Christians, even black Protestants. Michaux’s sermon stirred a pot that was already boiling within the administration. Two weeks later, a concerned Attorney General Robert Kennedy finally relented and granted the FBI a long-awaited gift: permission to conduct technical surveillance on King. The president’s brother authorized the FBI to wiretap King’s home “or at any future address to which he may move.” The FBI returned to this wellspring of cooperation with Michaux when Hoover and King had a public spat. King accused the bureau of being a tool of white supremacy, noting, “If an FBI man agrees with segregation, he can’t honestly and objectively investigate.” Hoover responded in kind. During a press conference, the FBI chief stated that King was no minister or righteous spokesman. He was actually “the most notorious liar in the United States” and “one of the lowest characters in the country.” The bureau then requested a meeting with Michaux and concocted a plan to authenticate the boss’s claims. The FBI provided Michaux with two documents meant for bureau employees only: an internal monograph on civil rights and a flattering catalogue of FBI “accomplishments in the field of civil rights.” Michaux simply copied the FBI’s confidential information and inserted it in an open letter to King, original spelling errors and all. Michaux released to newswire services the four-page letter, instructing the civil rights leader to apologize to Hoover and the FBI. The release of the open letter was coordinated with the distribution of the bureau’s “strictly confidential” report on King’s “immoral” personal conduct to a critical mass of politicos and government agencies, including the White House. Michaux’s dispatch served to buttress the bureau’s two-page report on King. For good measure, the preacher followed up the open letter with a sermon. He told hundreds of worshipers, as well as journalists and thousands of broadcast listeners, that the “breach” between Hoover and King was King’s fault, and the rift possessed cosmic implications. King’s recalcitrance opened “an avenue through which the Communists can infiltrate this country” and all black citizens would be blamed as the “avenue” of communist infiltration and exploitation. Michaux warned: “This thing can cause the Negro in America to be put back 100 years.” The following day, on January 4, 1965, Hoover thanked Michaux for the sermon. “I read the account of your sermon for January 3rd as reported by the Washington Post and Times Herald, and want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of my administration of the FBI,” Hoover wrote in a letter. “Your straightforward remarks concerning this Bureau’s role in civil rights matters are a source of encouragement.” Nothing was more encouraging than having the national press parrot the bureau’s own views under the guise of a minister. Hoover closed his thank-you note: “You may be assured my associates join me in expressing appreciation.” Michaux and the bureau continued their sacred ambush. On Thursday April 1, 1965, the preacher and more than 100 of his Church of God parishioners converged on Baltimore, Maryland, to launch an FBI-approved protest against King. King and the executive board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) were in the city holding meetings inside the Lord Baltimore Hotel. They were fresh from the triumphant voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. They gathered at the hotel to plan the Summer Community Organizing and Political Education project (SCOPE). The campaign included a voter registration drive across the south and an economic boycott of the state of Alabama. SCOPE aimed to organize and register black voters as well as galvanize support for the 1965 Voting Rights Act as it moved through Congress. The FBI, Michaux, and his followers were opposed to the plan and its advocates. Click here to continue reading. SOURCE: Religion & Politics - Lerone A. Martin Lerone Martin is an associate professor of religion and politics in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics. His upcoming book with Princeton University Press examines the historic relationship between religion and the FBI. An academic version f this article first appeared in the winter issue of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation.

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – International News From Around The World

Wednesday 19th July 2017

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Our sea mist from yesterday blew it’s self out into the ocean and so far hasn’t returned, so we get to walk under a star filled sky.. the moon set a few hours ago, leaving the stars and planets to illuminate the way for us this early morning… Bella seems to have her heart set on a walk through the old town, this morning, so I follow, old roads are being relayed and piles of cobbles are stacked neatly at the side of the street, new “Period” lighting is being installed, flower baskets are ready to be fixed to the walls, and in the patio of the poets, a former white wall of an apartment building is having a large mural painted.. then we turn and head for home, things to do, words to write and coffee to drink….

GERMANY MAKES ARRESTS OVER THEFT OF GIANT SOLID-GOLD COIN…. Police have raided homes and made arrests in Berlin over an audacious night-time heist which saw a huge solid-gold coin stolen from a museum. The raids took place and a car was seized in the district of Neukoelln, German news agency DPA reports. The suspected robbers are believed to have used a ladder to get into the Bode museum and a wheelbarrow to carry the 53cm (21in) coin away in March. Last week, police released CCTV footage of suspects at a local train station. The Canadian "Big Maple Leaf" is made of 100kg (220lb) of pure 24-carat gold - which means it is worth about $4.2m (£3.3m), despite a lower nominal face value. It has not been found and investigators say they believe it may have been melted down and sold. They are said to be at a loss as to how the thieves broke bullet-proof glass inside the building and evaded burglar alarms.

CANADA WHALE RESCUER KILLED AFTER CUTTING ENDANGERED ANIMAL LOOSE…. A Canadian man has been killed during a rescue operation after he cut an endangered whale free from tangled fishing lines. Joe Howlett succeeded in rescuing the whale, only to be struck by it moments later as it flipped into the water. He was a lobster fisherman by trade and a founder of the whale rescue group on Campobello Island, New Brunswick. Friends told the Canadian Press he had saved some two dozen whales over 15 years. Mackie Green, a friend of Mr Howlett who had founded the rescue team with him, said: "They got the whale totally disentangled and then some kind of freak thing happened and the whale made a big flip." "Joe definitely would not want us to stop because of this," he added. "This is something he loved and there's no better feeling than getting a whale untangled, and I know how good he was feeling after cutting that whale clear." The animal was a North Atlantic right whale - an endangered species that may grow to about 15m (50 feet) in length and weigh up to 70 tonnes. The species is "critically endangered", with about 500 left alive, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Seven were found dead in Canada's Gulf of St Laurence in the last month - a significant blow to the global population.

QATAR CRISIS: AIR-LIFTED COWS START ARRIVING IN DOHA…. Cattle has been flown into Qatar to boost milk supplies amid a blockade of the country led by Saudi Arabia. The 165 Holstein dairy cows arrived from Germany - the first of about 4,000 cattle due to be imported. Air, sea and land restrictions have caused turmoil in Qatar, which is dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its 2.7 million residents. The Saudi-led bloc warned of new measures against Qatar after it rejected their demands. The cows arrived on a Qatar Airways cargo plane via Budapest on Tuesday and were taken to a new, purpose-built dairy. Qatari firm Power International has bought the cattle, with chairman Moutaz al-Khayyat telling Bloomberg last month that once all the cows were flown in, they would meet about 30% of the country's dairy needs. The products will be sold under a new dairy brand Mr al-Khayyat has launched. It has been five weeks since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates began the boycott over Qatar's alleged support of terrorism and ties with Iran. Qatar denies wrongdoing. Before the blockade, most of the dairy products sold in Qatar were imported across the land border with Saudi Arabia. The Gulf kingdom has also been looking at securing new trade routes and suppliers of food, including yoghurt imported from Turkey and dried goods from Morocco and Iran.

DJIBOUTI: CHINESE TROOPS DEPART FOR FIRST OVERSEAS MILITARY BASE…. Ships carrying Chinese troops are heading to Djibouti to set up Beijing's first overseas military base, reports state media. China says the support base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia. It will also be used for military co-operation, naval exercises and rescue missions, Xinhua said. China has ramped up investment in Africa, as well as rapidly modernised its military in recent years. The Xinhua report said the ships departed from the port city of Zhanjiang in China's southern Guangdong province on Tuesday. It did not specify the number of troops or ships that departed for Djibouti, nor when the base would start operations. The report said the Djibouti base came after "friendly negotiations" between the two countries. Previous reports said construction began last year. The base is widely seen as a move by China to stake its military presence in the region. But an editorial (in Chinese) on Wednesday in the state-run Global Times said that the "essential purpose of China's development of its military might is to protect 'China's safety', and is not about seeking to control the world". The newspaper pointed out that the US, Japan and France also have military bases in Djibouti.

AIR INDIA: NO CHICKEN IN CATTLE CLASS…. Air India has stopped serving non-vegetarian meals to its economy class passengers on domestic flights. The cost-cutting measure comes as the government considers ways to privatise the debt-laden national carrier. Critics have suggested the move is discriminatory and will make very little difference to the airline's bottom line. But Air India's boss defended the move, saying he did not understand the fuss it has caused. The issue of diet is highly politicised in India, where many Hindus are vegetarian but Muslims often eat meat. On Tuesday, India's highest court will look at the government's recent decision to ban the sale through animal markets of cattle for slaughter. And recently there have been a string of attacks on Muslims by self-styled vigilante groups who accuse their victims of transporting cow or beef products. On Twitter, Banaglore-based chef and food writer Madhu Menon said he saw politics at play in the decision.. On his Facebook page, Air India's chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani said the move "reduces wastage, saves on cost, improves service and eliminates possibility of a mix up." He said on short flights, "the meal is just an add on and not really worthy of a major concern." The airline's in-flight food options are still more generous than those found on many European and US carriers. Passengers with budget and full-service carriers have become accustomed to paying extra for meals in economy class on domestic and shorter international flights.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Wednesday morning… …

Our Tulips today are one of my favorite pictures, the path between the Tulips seems to lead towards a river or canal leading I know not where....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 19th July 2017 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[zenzoidman]

Save that which was Lost

“Save that which was Lost” - 32nd Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday of Zacchaeus Luke 19:10 - For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (KJV) What was lost? I’ll offer some thoughts on that in this sermon. In my last sermon, I talked about how quantum physics has revealed God in every atom of our being. We literally would not exist unless the energies of God were constantly sustaining our existence. Our existence and that of the entire universe is not just a one-and-done kind of a deal- God is ever present with us through his energies and, of course, as the Holy Spirit in believers. As St. Paul affirms, “... in him we live, move, and have our being…” Acts 17:28 (ESV). This is not just a theological fact, it is also a scientific fact. Now we're going to look up, like Zacchaeus did, and see God in the Big Picture- in the cosmic Edenic Plan of salvation. "Save that which was lost.” Like so many things our Lord says, he packs dynamite into simple little statements that can be easy to gloss over. When you probe his statements just a little with your mind and heart, they explode! This is one of those statements. It is an eschatological statement-- concerning ultimate things, the consummation of God's of plan for our salvation with Christ's incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, the gift of the Holy Spirit, his return, our glorification, and the restoration of Eden-- the New Israel. Let’s unpack all this. So what was lost? Well, if you’re a Jew living in that Second Temple period, Christ’s statement would have elicited several things in your mind that were lost: The united kingdom of Israel and their lands The tribe of Israel along with the 9 other tribes when Judah returned from Babylonian exile The original Eden where the Most High God and his heavenly hosts lived together with humans But, of course, it’s bigger than all of these. Adam and Eve broke communion with God in Eden and were cast out. Theologically, now there was a separation between God and humans. The Eden story-- and the rest of the Bible-- shows a connection between geography and communion with God but not in the way most of us think about it. It’s much bigger than a patch of earth delineated as the location of the garden of Eden. The theological message of the Bible, with the land conquests in the OT (militarily) and NT (by spreading the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection), is a retaking of the fallen world where we are partners with God in this conquest. As we’ll see in a bit, the Fall affected far more than just Eden or planet earth-- the entire known universe was affected. The reconquista of our universe begins here on planet Earth, Ground Zero for the Fall. This is Divine Geography. When Adam and Eve partook of forbidden knowledge in Eden, death entered the world. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men…” (ESV). Another way we see that death has entered the world is in thermodynamics where everything tends toward maximum disorder and the lowest lowest energy level. Engineers call this Entropy. We actually use it to design refrigeration systems (Fun Fact to Know and Tell). Entropy is a manifestation of death. It takes a constant input of energy to counteract entropy. A simple example: a living person dies and their body begins to decay. The cells of their body break down to molecules and the molecules to atoms, the lowest energy state with maximum disorder (entropy) of their former body. The entire known universe operates under this Law of Entropy (emphasis on "known"). So at the Fall, death entered the entire known universe. The universe is vast and old. They don't know how vast because they don't see an edge or anything like that but there are about 15 billion stars. The Big Bang occurred about 14 billion years ago. A tiny point of matter inflated rapidly to form what we know as the universe today. Because of the effects of entropy, energy loss, gravity, etc., scientists expected to find that the rate of expansion of the universe was slowing. They actually found something profoundly shocking: the expansion of the universe is accelerating! So scientists did some more probing and number crunching and deduced the existence of this thing called Dark Matter and Dark Energy (DM/DE) throughout the universe. These are not theological terms. They called it DM/DE because we can't measure or detect it directly with any of our current instruments. Now here's the kicker: turns out that everything that we can see and detect with instruments in the entire vast universe is only about 5% of everything else that's out there! The other 95% is this DM/DE. As I mentioned, we can't measure or see it directly- its existence is deduced by the effects it has on what we can see. The existence of DM/DE explains why the rate of expansion of the known universe is increasing instead of decreasing. So then what is this stuff we call DM/DE that comprises the other 95% of the universe? Bottom line answer: we don't know. It does not seem conform to our known laws of physics- otherwise we could detect it directly. This is also evidenced by the fact that the rate of expansion of the known universe is increasing, contrary to our known laws of physics. It’s important to point out, too, that this DM/DE stuff-- whatever it is-- doesn’t exist “out there” somewhere, as though our known universe is in a bubble. No, the DM/DE “universe” is interpenetrated with our universe. It’s in the room with you right now. Here's a thought: maybe the DM/DE part of the universe was unaffected by the Fall-- not subject to death and entropy-- and the universe we do see and detect is in a type of quarantine. Maybe the plan for us, as human image-bearers of the Most High God, is to redeem the known (fallen) universe from quarantine and re-join the rest of the universe, to re-join the heavenly hosts there. This kind of gives a whole new perspective on St. Paul's account of being caught up in the third heaven: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (ESV) Also gives a whole new perspective on who Christ is and the real scope and meaning of the catholic or universal church. Isn't it amazing that, in all our astronomical searching, we've never found any other detectable life in the known, vast universe? Maybe it’s because, as a result of the Fall, we either killed it or prevented it from coming into existence in the first place. Maybe the DM/DE universe is teeming with life! Maybe this is the unseen realm of angels and all the other heavenly hosts “invisibly present here with us.” What were Adam and Eve doing in Eden? They were gardening, of course. In the ancient Near East conception-- a desert culture-- gardening wasn't just mowing lawns and trimming hedges. It was tending new and precious life! Our divine destiny, as human imagers of the Most High God, is to nurture new life throughout the universe- the New Eden and the original Edenic vision. It was God’s plan for us from the beginning. It's a holy and awesome job that we are called to do. We are to minister to that life and be their priests, offering them up to God. We will name them, like Adam did-- we give them meaning. That is our priestly role and destiny as the body of Christ. In other words, we will be going to the stars just not in the way science fiction portrays it, which is really just a modern, high tech aspiration of the old motive behind the Tower of Babel. No, we will be doing it with God and according to his original Edenic vision. In our lives as Christians right now, we are still gardeners. We are practicing for our destiny as cosmic gardeners when we’ll be nurturing new life all over the universe. We do this now in our lives by nurturing the life of Christ in our own lives, in each other, and in non-believers. We are gardeners of our own hearts through prayer, fasting, repentance, studying scripture, all the other spiritual disciplines the church gives us. We are gardeners for each other by coming together for worship and in fellowship by affirming and encouraging each other in the faith. As St. Paul says in Ephesians 5:19 “...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (ESV). In other words, avoiding vain, empty, or divisive talk when we come together as the Body of Christ. And we are gardeners for non-believers in our lives by not hiding our faith or being ashamed of it but rather sharing it with them, planting the seed of faith in Christ. We heard an interesting verse in the Epistle today: 1 Tim 4:9 “...because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (ESV) Savior of all people. Hmm, sounds like universal salvation so no problems, right? All paths up the mountain lead to the same peak? Actually, no. This is not a statement of universalism. Rather, it is a statement of uniqueness. As in, “there is no other savior for anyone.” In other words, this other group of people “over there” doesn't have a different savior. And there's no other “savior” coming later. Christ is it. This is why we say we're living in the end times. Imagine you are suspended in space and you’re looking at a planet that’s covered in thick, black, scabby plates. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a point of light like a comet rapidly zoom in and pierce the scabby sheath over the planet. You keep watching for the longest time and nothing seems to be happening. Finally, the black scabby covering is blown off and the most brilliant light bursts forth from the planet, extending instantly throughout the entire universe. All things are made new and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by legions of luminous beings that you’ve never encountered before. They tell you that they’ve been here all along but you couldn’t see them until just now. In the story, the planet is our Earth, the comet is Christ, the transformational explosion of light is his glorious second coming, and the luminous beings are the heavenly hosts, the kingdom of heaven. We are living in that period of time from when the comet enters the planet to the explosion of light. That is why we say we are living in the End Times. The cure (Christ’s incarnation) has been administered and is doing its work. We are part of that work. The cure must work through us and with us, as believers, as the body of Christ. When is Christ coming back? Wrong question! Since we are in the end times now, the right question is what should we, as the believing and faithful Body of Christ be doing? I’ve already touched on that point. We are blessed and privileged to be living in this unique and final chapter in human history. It also means that, as Christians knowing the truth, more will be expected of us. We are created in the image of the Most High God. This means we are free, as in we have free will and are free to make choices. But, although we have free will, we are not free agents. In other words, we are not sovereigns. We will belong either to Christ or to a high order angelic being who is in rebellion to Christ (and who has already been judged, condemned, and defeated by the Cross). Colossians 2:14 “...by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (ESV) Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV) The Satan-- the adversary, the lord of the dead-- has a claim on every soul that comes in the world. This is why in the last line of the Lord's prayer we ask God to deliver us from the evil one. What's the first thing we do before every Baptism? An exorcism. Why? To release that claim of the adversary. Once released, we are not free to go on our merry way as though we are unattached. As our Lord tells us: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45 (ESV). Once released from the claim of the enemy we turn right around and "put on" Christ in Holy Baptism and so pass over from death to life because we have entered into the Resurrection by faith. That faith is our choice to make-- it is how we “opt in” to God’s plan of salvation. We are free to choose either death with the lord of the dead or life in Christ, the giver of life. There is no other choice. But we are free to make that choice. Not making a choice IS making a choice... for death. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) In other words, the only other option is death. So choose life! Okay, how do we do this? Zacchaeus shows us the way. We stop being obsessed with the mundane things of the world and look up. Each of us climbs the tree of our own cross and fixes our eyes (hearts and minds) on Christ. This means we have to stop living like the Gentiles, preoccupied with earthly cares-- what will I eat? what will I drink? who got elected?-- and instead start living the new life in Christ and telling others the good news about Christ. Simply being baptized and taking communion does not guarantee that we will be cosmic gardeners in the new Eden. As the Lord said through Isaiah, “... this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me..." Isaiah 29:13 (ESV). Where are our hearts when our lips approach the chalice? Not just at that moment, but all the other moments throughout each day of the week? It's not enough to pay lip service to believing in Christ- that belief has to inform and shape the thoughts we allow to dwell in our hearts and minds, the kinds of things we pay attention to, that we allow to enter our minds, the kinds of things we talk about, and what we actually do. It is a daily walk with the Lord that informs and permeates everything in our life. Baptism and communion are awesome gifts but we still have to do our part. Our Greek fathers called this synergia- a cooperative working with God. Zacchaeus' heart was already converted before he even climbed the tree; he had already repented. Think about it: Jesus had just healed Bartimaeus near Jericho where Zacchaeus lived so no doubt everyone was talking about him as the Messiah. Everyone had heard of him, which is why Bartimaeus called out to him “Son of David”- another Messianic title. The Lord knew the heart of Zacchaeus just as he had earlier known Nathanael’s (Jn. 1:48). That's why he called Zacchaeus in the first place. Zacchaeus' announcement of restitution to Christ were confessions of something that was already a reality in his life. He believed in Christ which prompted words and action- repentance. His announcement of restitution and a radical change in his life and behavior were tangible fruits of his repentance. St. Zacchaeus accompanied St. Peter on his travels and followed him to Caesarea. Peter appointed him the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. He was living the new life in Christ, preaching the Gospel and shepherding others in the new life-- living the life of a cosmic gardener right here, right now. We commemorate St. Zacchaeus on April 20. Holy Hierarch Zacchaeus, pray for us sinners! Rdr. Socratis Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church Claremont, NH January 2017