As you know from reading


Stephanie's blog, she is on a mission trip to Mexico. Fortunately Edmonton Temple is featuring regular written updates, as well as photographs and videos of the experience. It's good to check up on how the work is progressing and if Stephanie is still doing well.

I laughed when I saw this photograph, Stephanie conversing with a pig.

The question is, what is she discussing with it. Is it:

a) why Pluto should not be considered a planet.
b) who's smarter, Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawkings

or

c) just why you can't teach general relativity to cats.


The answer, when she returns.

My New iPod

Last month my iPod Mini developed some problems the main one being I couldn't sync with the iTunes Music software. It happened suddenly and swiftly. After reading the information on the Apple iPod page, I came to the conclusion that this is a problem. So I dug out my warrenty and went to theBestBuy store. They took it and told me they had 60 days to repair the problem or replace. This was in February.

Just a few days ago, I got a phone from the store. They came to the conclusion that it was far more expensive to repair the problem then to replace it. I was invited back to consider a new iPod, and my choice was the 4Gig iPod Nano. I stuck with my favourite colour and so I went for the blue.

It's quite an impressive little devise, smaller and thiner then my Mini, in fact when I first saw them I wondered if I would lose it. The screen is colour and one of the features is that music downloaded from the Store will show the album cover when the song is played. It also has a picture viewer but I haven't used that yet. It's nice to have the iPod back, even if it is a new one.

One plan for my new iPod is to discover if I can use it with Ubuntu. According to an article in Linux Journal it is possible to use the iPod with Ubuntu. I will do some more reading of that article and a few more to learn how it happens. I know I have some of the software installed on my laptop.

Sally Ann, the Thrift Store Cat


A few people noticed the cat in the photograph of the employees of the Essex Thrift Store. Yes we do have a cat as mascot, manager, princess of the place. She came in as a stray one cold and wet November and never left. The staff placed a sign in the window asking the owner to claim her, but none came forward. Since then she has endeared herself to all who enter the store.

When the store moved location, the cat had to come. She has adopted to the new location very well, finding her favourite spot to rest after a hard day of running the operations. Her spot is a laundry basket of knitting that is just the right place for her.

I'm sure there will be more stories about Sally in the upcoming months

World must protect Darfur civilians from war crimes: UN

The last time I blogged about the situation in Darfur it was to announce there was a cease-fire in effect. Since that time the situation seems to have been quiet or at least not visible.

However, a team from the UN, sent to observe the situation in the Darfur region has come back with this report:

The team, headed by Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams, said Sudan's government "has manifestly failed to protect the population of Darfur from large-scale international crimes, and has itself orchestrated and participated in these crimes."

With over 200,000 deaths and over 2.6 million people as refugees it is incumbent on us to continue to keep aware of what is happening. So long as the darkness of ignorance, indifference exists, these horrors will continue.

So what next? Visit the Embassy of Sudan website and read information concerning the Darfur Peace Accord. After that, write to the embassy and request the government not only live up to these obligations but deal with those who have engaged in crimes against humanity. So long as pressure exists, the government will change their strategies. When they recognize that it is a powerful issue, we can see a difference.


William Booth once said this:

While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!

These words are still applicable but now we can extend to the entire globe. Where there is crimes against other humans, we must fight.


Remember to pray for peace in Darfur.

Nerd Test Time
I went to the NerdTests site and did the quiz.

My results are:


Go ahead, take the quiz. Let me know your score.

The Joshua Tree

This weekend is the 20th anniversary of the release of The Joshua Tree by U2. It truly is a great album and I do use that word because that's how it was released in 1987. I believe it was released in all three formats, vinyl, cassette and that new method Compact Disc. The latter was this new method that was supposed to replace albums. It was small and shiny and supposed to last nearly forever, as long as it didn't get scratched.

This is what Wikipedia mentions about the album:

The Joshua Tree is not only widely considered one of the band's best albums, it is often considered one of the greatest albums ever recorded. In 1989, it was rated #3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, as well as appearing at #26 on the magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Joshua Tree was selected as #6 on CCM Magazine's 2001 list of the greatest Contemporary Christian music albums of all time (see CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music). It came second place in Channel 4's 100 Greatest albums. It came in at #10 in ABC-TV's My Favourite Album, which aired in Australia in December 2006.

The album has sold over 10 million copies in the United States alone and remains the band's best-selling album. It was followed by the successful worldwide Joshua Tree Tour.

The videos "With or Without You" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" (directed by Meiert Avis) and "I Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For" (directed by Barry Devlin) saturated MTV, making the band much more visible to both casual music listeners and fans.

It is truly a great album. I plan to listen to it this weekend.