Recently I heard a radio ad for a local church. At the end, they stated their contemporary service is held at 9am and their traditional service is at 11am. I talked with some church-going friends tonight about this, for it seems to me those services should be swapped. In my thinking, the younger folk - who likely are the demographic the contemporary service is targeted upon - probably stay up late on Saturday nights (er, uh… Sunday mornings) and are much less likely to attend a 9am service than an 11am one. One of my friends said he has trouble getting to the 11am service and said the contemporary service ought to be at 2pm!
FYI: The Greek word hamartia (ἁμαρτία) is usually translated as sin in the New Testament; it means “to miss the mark” or “to miss the target” which was also used in Old English archery. (source)
On July 25, I accompanied my friends at Sedgefield Interior Landscapes for a day at First Horizon Park, home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers. It was Christmas in July and they donated setup and use of a huge tree. I decided to photograph them setting up the tree and had a couple of cameras to use. One was set on a tripod for a stop-motion sequence. We all had dinner that evening and then went to the game. I played the video for them at dinner. It sure would’ve been cool to have the video played on the Hoppers’ big screen! It was a great day of fun and makes me smile upon reflection.
I recently dined at the new(ish) Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Greensboro, NC. It was a pleasant experience and the food was good. It was certainly pricey - two of us racked up a $170 bill (with tip, no alcohol). The service in so many ways was what one should receive in such an establishment. Lacking was the maturity and professionalism of the server. Simply put, I expect professional servers when I’m paying that much for dinner - not college students. There are people who serve in high-end restaurants as their career and they are who restaurants like Fleming’s should be employing.
I’m glad I went; I always like a fancy night out. My dining companions were the main source of enjoyment, as they should be. Will I go back to Flemings? Maybe for a light meal. The warm spinach and mushroom salad was the most memorable part of the meal.
I have to respect this effort. Tactlessly put: If you’re gonna be a dick, you can’t be a pussy, too.
In December of 2005, KnowThyNeighbor.org published the names of all 148,000+ petition signers and altered the dynamic of the petition process in several important ways:
Anti-gay marriage activists and supporters lost their veil of anonymity. KnowThyNeighbor.org believes that citizens who sponsor an amendment to take people’s rights should never be allowed to do so under the cover of darkness.
Gay citizens from all across Massachusetts were inspired to speak out in defense of their equal rights. Finding the names of friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, etc… helped trigger many into a state of activism. Uncomfortable but desperately needed conversations continue to take place every day as a result.
Putting the names online led to the discovery of rampant fraud in the signature collection process. Both civil and criminal investigators have been assigned by the Attorney General.
