Jordan's Terror. Bill Cosby and Brian Williams? Ampersand. QWERTY Keyboard. Update.

 

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Jordan: Unity Through Terror

A Life, Hope & Truth correspondent in Amman, Jordan, reports on Jordan’s response to the shocking murder of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of ISIS.

Demonstrators, one with a Jordanian flag image painted on his face and Arabic that reads, "Muath," as in slain Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, chant anti-Islamic State group slogans during a rally in Amman, Jordan, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. Several thousand people marched after Muslim Friday prayers in support of King Abdullah II's pledge of a tough military response to the killing of the pilot. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

AMMAN, Jordan — "Last week was an intense and interesting week in Amman—with rallies, memorials, hangings and the country claiming the war against ISIS (or Daesh, as it is known in Arabic countries) as “our war.”

Last summer there was not widespread support of Jordan’s involvement in the war against ISIS. But Jordanians have unified following the burning death of pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh at the hands of ISIS. The situation has people in this country—Bedouins, Palestinians, Christians, Muslims, etc.—coming together and generally supporting the Jordanian government in its fight against ISIS.

There was a large rally to welcome King Abdullah home after he cut his visit to the U.S. short due to the pilot’s murder. A few days later there was another large rally attended by Queen Rania. Conversations, Facebook posts and news reports are patriotic as they mourn the death of the pilot."     More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/jordan-unity-through-terror/

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What Can We Learn From Bill Cosby and Brian Williams?

Two formerly trusted U.S. celebrities are in the news for moral failings. What can we learn from the moral failures of Bill Cosby and Brian Williams?

"We live in a culture obsessed with celebrities.

There may be nothing that gets more attention than the lives of celebrities. Whether they’re politicians, musicians, movie stars, athletes, newscasters or the children of the wealthy—the sad reality is that, more than anything else, our society seems to love watching these people stumble and fall.

Of course, those who have used their fame to take advantage of others should be prosecuted. But think about it. How many positive news stories do we read about the lives of the rich and famous?

How often do we hear about a celebrity who goes about his or her career in a professional manner, doesn’t constantly get involved in scandals, stays faithfully married to one spouse, is never caught in an embarrassing lie and doesn’t carry on in crazy or drug-induced antics? Regular, drama-free lives don’t get many shares on social media! 

Celebrity failures

The real juicy news that people follow on social media are the stories about the failures of celebrities. Think about two of the most recent U.S. examples: Bill Cosby and Brian Williams."  More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/blog/what-can-we-learn-from-bill-cosby-and-brian-williams/?

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What Character Was Removed from the Alphabet?

February 25, 2014 by: Dictionary.com blog 954 Comments

"Johnson & Johnson, Barnes & Noble, Dolce & Gabbana: the ampersand today is used primarily in business names, but that small character was once the 27^th part of the alphabet. Where did it come from though? The origin of its name is almost as bizarre as the name itself.

The shape of the character (&) predates the word ampersand by more than 1,500 years. In the first century, Roman scribes wrote in cursive, so when they wrote the Latin word et which means “and” they linked the e and t. Over time the combined letters came to signify the word “and” in English as well. Certain versions of the ampersand, like that in the font Caslon, clearly reveal the origin of the shape."  More at: http://blog.dictionary.com/ampersand/

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The Correct Way

An Amazing Fact: "Credit for the first modern typewriter belongs to Christopher Sholes, a newspaper editor who lived in Milwaukee in the 1860s. On the Sholes and Remington, as on present-day manual typewriters, each character was set on the end of a metal bar that struck the paper when its key was pressed. The keys were arranged alphabetically.

But there was a snag. When an operator had learned to type at a fast speed, the bars attached to letters that lay close together on the keyboard became entangled with one another. One way out of the difficulty was to find out which letters were most often used and then place them on the keyboard as far from each other as possible. This had the effect of reducing the chance of clashing type bars. This was how the QWERTY keyboard was born, named after the first six letters on the top line. It first became popular on the Remington No. 2, which came out in 1878.

The first typewriter by Sholes was made with the help of his friends Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule, and was patented in October 1867. Instead of four rows of keys, this typewriter only had two rows. The top line was: - 3 5 7 9 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The bottom line was: 2 4 6 8 . A B C D E F G H I J K L M. The letter arrangement changes took place over five years with several trial-and-error arrangements.

Today millions of modern computer keyboards are still using this cumbersome letter design. Studies have shown that it is helpful to have a variety of words spelled with letters used by both the left and right hand in order to give each hand a moment of rest and readiness to find the next key to press. But the QWERTY layout tends to favor the left hand, which is helpful for left-handed people but a disadvantage to right-handed operators. Though other layouts have been suggested, the QWERTY design still hangs on. Old habits are hard to break!

In a clash with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus’ disciples were accused of transgressing the “tradition of the elders” regarding the proper way to wash hands before eating bread. But Christ challenged them by asking, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). When the Bible gives us clear instruction, we should set aside our own preconceived ideas. The correct way to do things is God’s way!
KEY BIBLE TEXTS:
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. - Matthew 15:2

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Update:

Some lovely weather days wasted work-wise, as Ray and Jay were not available.  We have a lot of outside work to do. The cold nights returned so Ray and I had to cover up our plants again, and it was too chilly to work.  Then Ray said that his back was bothering him again, and he doesn't do much then, so we are behind getting more upgrades done to my guest house where he lives.

Jay and I did install a new white sink, new white faucet, and a new garbage disposal in my kitchen.  This updated the look quite a bit for selling this house. The stainless steel sinks and faucets look so yucky with this hard water, if you don't stay on top of them.

I checked out a neighbor's Dodge Caravan that I was thinking of buying, but the fan sounded like a 747 taking off, the engine light was on, it was out of oil, some of the tires were old and weather-cracked, and something was leaking all over the passenger side floor. I put over 2 quarts of oil in it, but the engine light still didn't go off.  There was also a swooshing noise in the engine compartment, it might have been a bad belt.   I just loved this red van as it had all the buttons and even a button to close the back hatch, but I knew better than to pay what he was asking.  I have a good old reliable van now, and I don't need to buy trouble over a few power buttons.

I put Nala, my foster cat in a carrier, and a neighbor SPCA foster mom picked her up and BabyGirl my foster dog for Adoption Day while I was at church.  The dog loves to go there, but the cat, not so much.

On Saturday, Jay and his mother went to see his sister, and Ray's back stopped him from going to church so I went by myself.  The Bible readings were Psa. 84,111,113, Exo. 25-27:19, 1 Kings 5:12-6:13, Heb. 8:1-6 and 23,24.  The Teaching was about "A Message For Everyone, Seeking God (Yahweh)".  You have to seek the Lord, just like the people sought Jesus (Yeshua).  He would travel around, and the crowds would come to hear him preach.  Also don't seek mediums, but the living God.

The potluck was great as usual, mostly organic, healthy food, and lots of veggies.  The turkey meat loaf that the pastor's wife makes is a big hit, I don't know what she does to it.  One of the elders brought a big crockpot of deer meat.  We have a lot of fellowship and conversation in the dining hall.  We all look forward to the Sabbath and the togetherness that we all have for each other.

Suddenly my right eye felt like it had something in it, and the white part went completely red, so I have a doctor appointment today.