Jesus on Big Brother

Justin Heazlewood, aka the Bedroom Philosohper, wrote this a year or so back, but it’s doing the rounds again at the moment….  yes, this is same guy with the "I’m so post-modern" song.

Jesus was an intruder on Big Brother
As soon as he came on two million homes around Australia
Adjusted the brightness on their TV sets.
Within a week he’d won the house over
They found him genuine, passionate, artistic, kind
And he made a divine pasta bake out of next to nothing
He cracked jokes for all ages and races
He played the banjo and sang songs about freeing the refugees
He got down on his knees
Within two weeks, Mooks had brought out the urban robe
Sandals were back in and kids were wearing halos to school
The ratings broke all the records
More people watched Jesus that The Simpsons and Friends and the news
combined
He was on the cover of all the magazines
Priests were constantly hounded by reporters
Wanting the dirt.
Church attendance doubled then tripled
People were bringing in signs that said John 3:16, and Jesus is sick
He was the talk of the schoolyard, the topic of the offices,
Jesus was the debate of all the panel shows.
Thousands of homes had flashing Christian crosses in their windows
Bible sales reached biblical proportions
Meanwhile Christians watched the media circus, in awe
Just when it seemed that Jesus couldn’t be any more popular
The remaining housemates began to plot against him.
They knew he would win unless they agreed to nominate him.
The biggest complaint made against Jesus was that he was too kind, and a
bit preachy.
While it appeared that he had the hearts of all Australians on his side,
Jesus mysteriously gained the majority of votes, and was evicted.
After leaving Big Brother, Jesus refused all interviews,
auctioned all his possessions for charity
And went into hiding.
People were devastated. Some kept their TV sets off for three days
As a sign of respect.
But then three weeks later Jesus returned with his own controversial
prime-time TV
show, everybody loves jesus.
It outrated Big Brother, three to one
He then released a hit single, ‘God is in the heart’
And my little sister knows all the words.

 Rhax

Greenbelt

‘Youth festival, music festival, political festival, evangelical festival, development festival, broke festival, harvest festival… there’s something in all these myths about Greenbelt that is accurate, but nothing entirely true…..’

Urgent Action - Debt Deal At Risk

The IMF and World Bank hold their annual meetings this weekend (24-25 September) and reports suggest that the debt cancellation deal agreed by the G8 at Gleneagles in July may be at risk.

Several European countries in the IMF (Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and The Netherlands) oppose full implementation of the G8 commitments on the grounds that they:

    * oppose further debt cancellation without conditions;
    * want the cancellation implemented in phases, rather than immediately as the G8 agreed.

The G8 debt deal was modest enough, and now even the small gains it represented may be reversed. It offered multilateral debt cancellation (debt owed to the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank) for countries that have already reached ‘completion point’ in the HIPC process. For the 18 countries which are immediately eligible (and which, as part of the HIPC process, have already met the discipline of 6 years of IMF-directed macroeconomic and policy conditions) this would mean cancellation of around US$40 billion of debt, and reduction of annual debt service by over US$1 billion per year.

Take Urgent Action
Email the Treasurer
The Treasurer, Peter Costello, is Australia’s governor in the IMF. Visit his website and send him an email calling on him to strongly promote the full implementation of the Gleneagles commitment on debt cancellation.

Here are some points you could make:

    * The Gleneagles debt cancellation commitment will provide urgently needed funds for development for 18 heavily indebted poor countries if it is implemented immediately and in full. Delays are unacceptable.
    * To reach HIPC completion point, these countries have already met strict governance and macroeconomic policy conditions and have developed national poverty reduction strategies - no further conditions should be imposed before they are able to receive the benefit of multilateral debt cancellation.
    * More countries need debt cancellation if they are to achieve the MDGs - the 62 poorest countries pay over US$10 billion in debt service each year.
    * Funding commitments for debt cancellation must be completely additional to aid spending.

Links
Eurodad (European Network on Debt and Development) is a network of development NGOs working for national economic and international financing policies that achieve poverty eradication and the empowerment of the poor. This is where to start for quality analysis of debt and financing for development.

Ben

Biblical Curse Generator

From the guys at Ship of Fools - a Biblical Curse Generator 

http://www.shipoffools.com/curses/index.html

"Lost for a smart remark to see off your enemies? Unable to deliver that killer insult? Put an end to unscriptural restraint with the amazing Biblical Curse Generator, which is pre-loaded with blistering smackdowns as delivered by Elijah, Jeremiah and other monumentally angry saints. Simply click the button below, and smite your foes with a custom-made curse straight out of the Old Testament!"

 These made me laugh.

"Take heed, O ye offspring of a squashed cockroach, for you will be taunted by the king’s concubines!"

"Belhold, thou shalt be kicked by an incontinent camel, O ye discourager of the brethren! "

Age

ACOSS Actions

Hi All
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) has recently launched an action network for individuals to sign up to which then sends letters to your local federal MPs and senators out lining concerns about some of the harsher changes to occur for people receiving benefits. you can go to the website and have a look at the letter and if you agree then register and it is sent off. It is a really simple way to let the federal government know that they need to consider more than economics when thinking about changing the whole welfare system. So the website is www.acoss.org.au and the ‘take action’ it is on the left.

Thanks for thinking about it. xB

Barbara H

Decoy Worshipers (Sojourners Satire)

GRAND RAPIDS — On Saturday night Jim Kendall swivels on his bar stool at the Belly Up Tavern, snuffs out his cigarette and says, "Gotta go, guys. I’m gigging tomorrow."

    The next morning at 10 a.m. Kendall, dressed in ironed Dockers and a Polo shirt, sings with gusto in the third row at Neighborhood Christian Center.

    "Praise God!" he shouts, lifting his hands and prompting others to chime in with "amen" and "glory."

    His infectious enthusiasm is just what the pastor ordered. Kendall isn’t a Christian, but he and hundreds of other people across the U.S. are getting paid as much as $12 an hour by temp placement agencies to pretend to be exuberant worshipers.    

"Praise decoy work is great," says one worshiper for hire who has lent his skills to more than 50 church services. He doesn’t mind sitting through services, and considers the praise movements "good stretching exercise, like Tai Chi."

    In the past five years, the worshiper-for-hire industry has flourished as pastors try to goose the energy level in dwindling churches. Temp agencies train decoys to clap, laugh and make affirmative noises during the sermon. Most prized is the ability to appear authentically engaged, but not overly so.

    "It’s a subtle art," says William Talbot, 67, who has temped as a worshiper since his retirement nest egg petered out. Talbot, a Jew by birth, says he writes grocery lists and the week’s tasks while pretending to take sermon notes.

    Pastors hire worshipers for various reasons, but most often to avoid the humiliation of empty pews.

    "I did it to encourage the flock," says a pastor who wished not to give his name. "Membership had slipped so instead of dropping a service, this gave us an interim solution until the staff and I figured out what to do."

    The worshipers for hire so enlivened his church that he hired them on a semi-permanent basis. Decoy crews rotate so the church’s real members don’t become suspicious.

    Back at the Belly Up on Sunday afternoon, Kendall is proud of his morning praise performance, and says he’ll ask his agency for a raise based on his improved emulation of sincere worship.

    "I’d like to make a side career of it," he says, finishing his beer.

Link

LookAtBook

"For thirty-six weeks covering a total of 60,000 miles, a sketchbook was sent between four artists, two in Brooklyn and two in Belfast.  Every Wednesday, one artist in the collective would receive the sketchbook. It was sent back out the following Monday, giving each artist five days to complete a spread in response to the one that preceded it. A small portion of each entry extends on to the following page. By February, 2004, the book had become a seventy-two page visual conversation composed of drawings, paintings, maps, photographs, smashed cans and mosaic tile.

 

“We never talked about what each spread meant while we were making book,” explained one contributor, Brooklyn artist Mac Premo. “So it was like a game of telephone, except the structure that was in flux was based on visual response rather than words.”

Checkout the book here

 

 

Russell

 

faith is a matter of questioning

Scott Parkin & Terrorism

The following is a excerpt from a newsletter regarding Scott Parkin, who is being deported as I type.

A US peace activist and non-violence trainer, Scott Parkin, from Houston, Texas, has been detained in Melbourne by Australian Federal Police. Scott, working with Houston Global Awareness, was to speak at a public forum and workshop about the progress and success of the peace movement in the US and companies profiting from the Iraq war, reports Anthony Kelly of the Pt’chang Non-violent Community Safety Group. The reason given for Scott’s detention is that he poses "a threat to national security." Liz Thompson from the National Anti-Deportation Alliance (NADA) said "This is a major attack on dissent, free speech and the anti-war movement. Scott Parkin has not been charged with any offence nor has he committed any crimes whilst in Australia. (On September, 8 Prime Minister John Howard announced control orders and preventative detention measures giving the ASIO powers to control people who have not been convicted of any crime.)         (Thanks to SAEmons blog)

 The Age published an article on it’s website on Tuesday. It seems Steve Bracks (Vic’s Premier) has also delved into the debate questioning why ASIO are deporting a 36 year old history teacher. When a peace activist who is in the country to lecture on non-violent protest, is deported as a "threat to national security", I really have to question how far the power of government departments can be taken before they need to answer to public scrutiny.

 For more info - see today’s article.

 "You have the WRONG Texan." - Protestors placard

 

Rhax

PM announces more Australian aid

In the run-up to the UN Millennium+5 Summit in New York, the Prime Minister has announced that Australia’s aid allocation will rise from $2.5 billion this year to $4 billion by 2010 (largely targeted within Asia and The Pacific). This is a very welcome step forward and offers hope for the region’s poor if it is directed towards poverty reduction.

Make Poverty History research indicates that if the money is focused on achieving the MDGs in the most needy of our South-East Asian neighbours, the increase could do all of the following:

    * prevent at least 22,000 child deaths per year
    * prevent an average of 700 maternal deaths per year
    * reduce the number of people dying each year of AIDS and TB by at least 9.900
    * provide 6 million people with access to safe drinking water
    * ensure that 33,000 more children receive a basic education.

The level of public support for this move has been outstanding and it wouldn’t have happened without your involvement. Prior to the announcement, the PM received more than 60,000 postcards from Micah Challenge supporters, asking for him to attend the UN summit and lift Australia’s aid. More than 350,000 Make Poverty History wrist bands have been sold and thousands of people have been involved in campaign and prayer events over the last few months.

This increase is a great first step and we need to encourage our government to work towards committing the resources that are needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The increase will take our aid spending to around 0.36% of GNI by 2010 (about half of long-standing UN target of 0.7% and still less than the interim target of 0.5% - needed to achieve the MDGs - signed on to by many countries, including the UK, Italy, Germany and France.)

Take Action
Thank the PM
Please write to the Prime Minister, thanking him for the aid increase he has just announced. Please use the information included above to ask him to ensure that this additional aid benefits the poor in our region by targetting the Millennium Development Goals.

 Postal:

    The Hon. John Howard, MP
    Parliament House
    Canberra
    ACT 2600

    Email:
    via his website:  http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm

Pray
The UN Summit begins today to consider action for development, UN reform and security issues. World leaders need to commit to practical action to tackle the issues facing the world, especially if we are to reduce the blight of poverty through the MDGs.

Vote online
The Sydney Morning Herald is running a poll about the aid increase. Currently it’s running at around 60% in favour of the increase and 40% against. Cast your vote at http://smh.com.au/polls/world/form.html

Blitz the media
Share your own story of involvement in the campaign and express support for the aid increase announced by the PM. As we did with the budget, it’d be great if we can have a groundswell of media activity, expressing support for the increased generosity in our overseas aid budget.

 Links to give you voice
Ben (at Tear)

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