Category Archives: General

General

Undeserving

I don’t deserve it. Any of it.

I don’t deserve the great, majestic Savior I have for a God and who has me for a son.

I don’t deserve the beautiful, sweet, wonderful lady I have for a wife and who has me for a husband.

I don’t deserve the lovely, precious kids I have for children and who have me for a father.

I don’t deserve the kind, awesome people whom I love and serve as a pastor.

If you ever feel like anyone owes you something you’re not getting, then be careful about bitterness sprouting.

Ponder how much you have that no one owed to you; that you don’t deserve.

An attitude of gratitude is a result of acknowledging one’s true place.

General

JPL Sued for Discriminating Against Pro-Intelligent Design Employee

Academic Freedom Update Logo

April 15, 2010

 

 

 

JPL Sued for Discriminating Against Pro-Intelligent Design Employee

Supervisors at NASA’s prestigious Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) illegally harassed and demoted a high-level computer system administrator for expressing support of intelligent design to co-workers, according to a discrimination lawsuit filed in California Superior Court.

David Coppedge

David Coppedge

The lawsuit was filed by attorneys on behalf of David Coppedge, an information technology specialist and system administrator on JPL’s Cassini mission to Saturn, the most ambitious interplanetary exploration ever launched. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a NASA laboratory managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where robotic planetary spacecraft, such as the Mars Rovers, are built and operated. Coppedge was a "Team Lead" Systems Administrator on the Cassini mission until JPL demoted him for allegedly "pushing religion" by loaning interested co-workers DVDs supportive of intelligent design.

Read the rest of the story at Evolution News & Views.

 

Last Chance to Apply to Discovery Institute’s Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design
Finals might be over, but there’s still one deadline looming for college and graduate students. Applications for Discovery Insitute’s 2010 Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design are due Friday, April 16.

These two intensive summer seminars on intelligent design, science, and culture run from July 9-17, 2010 in Seattle. The first seminar is for students in the natural sciences and philosophy of science; the second seminar is for students in the social sciences and humanities (including politics, law, journalism, and theology).
These seminars allow students not only to learn about ID, but to become equipped to make a difference as a part of the ID movement. Leading lights from the intelligent design community such as Michael Behe, Douglas Axe, Stephen Meyer, and Jay Richards, will be teaching this year.

Discovery Institute pays the expenses for students who are accepted, including travel, lodging, meals, books, and other course materials. Applications will be accepted until April 16, 2010. Click here for more information.

If you’re not a student, please consider sharing this information with the students you know who may be interested. Who knows? They may end up becoming the next Michael Behe or Stephen Meyer.

Three Things You Can Do to Help
In the midst of disturbing news about threats to academic freedom (see above for the latest), it’s helpful to remember that there are concrete, tangible ways you can take a stand for academic freedom on evolution.

First, you can call the JPL at 818-354-2148 and respectfully let them know that you are standing for David Coppedge and for academic freedom.

Second, you can join 40,000 other people in supporting academic freedom on evolution by signing the Academic Freedom Petition. Or, if you’ve already signed, please get three firends to sign on as well. 

Third, forward this newsletter to your friends and family and tell them to sign up to keep updated on important academic freedom cases like David Coppedge’s.

Your voice has an impact in this debate — make sure it gets heard!   

 

Issue: 8

 

 

 

Darwin Quote

 

In This Issue

Last Chance to Apply to Discovery Institute’s Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design

Three Things You Can Do to Help

 

 

 

Summer Seminars on ID

 

Join Our Mailing List

 

Academic Freedom Update Donate

 

 

 

General

Google Shuts Down the Chinese Search Engine

As promised, Google will no longer censor search results in China. Google’s solution is to redirect users to Google Hong Kong, which shows uncensored results. Google Blog explains this interesting decision:

“Users visiting Google.cn are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, where we are offering uncensored search in simplified Chinese, specifically designed for users in mainland China and delivered via our servers in Hong Kong. (…) We want as many people in the world as possible to have access to our services, including users in mainland China, yet the Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement. We believe this new approach of providing uncensored search in simplified Chinese from Google.com.hk is a sensible solution to the challenges we’ve faced—it’s entirely legal and will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China.”

It’s obvious that Google Hong Kong will be blocked in China and this workaround is only temporary. Google wanted to continue operating in China without censoring search results: “In terms of Google’s wider business operations, we intend to continue R&D work in China and also to maintain a sales presence there, though the size of the sales team will obviously be partially dependent on the ability of mainland Chinese users to access Google.com.hk.”

Google agreed to censor search results in China four years ago because it hoped that things will get better over time. Here’s an excerpt from a Google blog post written in 2006:

“We aren’t happy about what we had to do this week, and we hope that over time everyone in the world will come to enjoy full access to information. But how is that full access most likely to be achieved? We are convinced that the Internet, and its continued development through the efforts of companies like Google, will effectively contribute to openness and prosperity in the world. Our continued engagement with China is the best (perhaps only) way for Google to help bring the tremendous benefits of universal information access to all our users there.”

Unfortunately, Google’s optimism was misplaced: “Google and more than twenty other U.S. companies had been the victims of a sophisticated cyber attack originating from China” and there were many “attempts over the last year to further limit free speech on the web in China including the persistent blocking of websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Docs and Blogger”.

Google China’s homepage until today:

Google Chine’s new homepage:

Labels:

via googlesystem.blogspot.com

This decision has profound implications.

General

Jeannette Joseph’s Retirement Party (03-18-2010)

For anyone who would like to get a glimpse into my Mama’s retirement party, this is a 10.5 minute video that I made, using pics and video taken on my cell phone (Palm Treo):

Jeannette Joseph’s Retirement Party was held on her 74th birthday, 3/18/2010.

She worked for the DA’s office for 29 years (First Judicial District of Louisiana). She was highly spoken of by both the DA and her immediate boss.

General

David K. Bernard Inaugurated Superintendent of UPCI

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St Louis – March 6, 2010

The United Pentecostal Church International inaugurated the Reverend Doctor David K. Bernard as general superintendent of the 3-million-member organization Friday evening. The ministers of the organization selected Reverend Bernard at their 85th annual General Conference held in St Louis last October.

The inauguration service was held at The Sanctuary in Hazelwood, Missouri, with a reception that followed at New Life Center in Bridgeton, Missouri. There were five speakers: Reverend Rodney Shaw, Austin, Texas; Reverend Darrell Johns, Atlanta, Georgia; Reverend Ken Gurley, Pearland, Texas; Reverend Bernard’s father, Reverend Elton Bernard, Gonzales, Louisiana; and Reverend David K. Bernard gave his inaugural address.

David K. Bernard founded New Life United Pentecostal Church of Austin, Texas, out of which sixteen additional churches were started under his leadership. He is also the founding president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He earned a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas, a master of theology from the University of South Africa (where he is also completing his doctoral dissertation), and a bachelor of arts magna cum laude in mathematical sciences and managerial studies from Rice University. The author of thirty books with over seven hundred fifty thousand copies in print, he has been published in thirty-six languages and has ministered in forty-six countries on six continents. He and his wife, Connie, have three children—Daniel, Lindsey, Jonathan and his wife, Sara—and one grandson, Elijah.

The United Pentecostal Church International, headquartered in St Louis, has 30,000 churches in 192 nations around the world and a ministerial membership of 27,000. It was formed in 1945 from the merger of two previously established organizations. The UPCI emerged out of the Pentecostal movement that began in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901. It traces its organizational roots to October 1916, when a large group of ministers withdrew from the Assemblies of God over the doctrinal issues of the oneness of God and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Reverend Bernard is the seventh general superintendent in the church organization’s history.

General

Tried to Surprise Mama, But She Saw This Pic of Us on Facebook!

This photo of us was taken by a waitress in Papadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Dallas, a wonderful place where we stopped to eat after my sister, Janet, and my niece, Amber, picked me up at the airport today in Dallas. After eating delicious seafood, we made the drive to Shreveport, where I had hoped to surprise by Mother. I had “sneaked” there to honor her on her 74th Birthday and her Retirement Party (all to occur tomorrow). However, Janet accidentally gave the surprise away too soon. She made the mistake of posting this and other photos of us on Facebook from her iPhone while we were in the restaurant. Mama logged on and saw us. BUSTED! LOL. Thanks for praying for me for a safe trip! PS: Amber is not Janet’s daughter. She is the daughter of my brother, Warren.

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Pastor Doug Joseph on holiday for his Mother’s Birthday & Retirement Party

This photo of me was taken by my sister, Janet, today in Dallas, after she picked me up. The location in the background is Papadeaux Seafood Kitchen, a wonderful place where we stopped to eat. Thanks for praying for me for a safe trip!

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General

techproliferation

Technology is supposed to make life easier and better, but often the proliferation of gadgets, gizmos, and software just makes our lives more complicated and drains our available free time. Furthermore, just when you thought you had learned all the rules, methods, syntax, object orientations, encapsulations, wherefores, therefores, why-fors, and GUI’s… suddenly, PHUI: the ground beneath you moves, the bottom is dropped out, and a whole new way is invented for doing stuff you never really needed to do in the first place.

However, falling behind the pace of advancement can be as problematic as attempting to stay relatively near the cutting edge. The crowds are fickle. The winds of popularity can change in a blink, and the crowds flit from one platform to another like a huge flock of frightened birds. Keeping a set of software tools extendable, easy to use, and likeable, keeps people invested, and you get to keep using a platform with which you’re familiar.

Some relief can be found in the realm of free, open-source, group supported software projects like WordPress. WordPress’ methods, setup, interface, plug-ins, group participation, and progressiveness, etc, are really moving in the right direction. But enough about WordPress. Right now I’m giving Posterous a once over. We will let you all know what we think about it.

General

posterous.com

I’m transitioning from PRE-posterous to just Posterous — via posterous.com