Wednesday 16 December 2009

The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus' Birth in History and Tradition

為咗應節, Biblical Archaeology Society 出咗本免費o既電子書. 我自己仲未有時間睇, 但係見有幾篇文章都係由出名學者寫o既, 有閱讀價值. 望落似係俾一般讀者睇, 應該人人都會睇得明.

http://www.bib-arch.org/e-books/pdf/christmas.pdf

耶路撒冷裹屍布



今日見到有個相當有趣o既考古發現. Shimon Gibson 喺耶路撒冷發現到一塊來自與耶穌同期o既裹屍布. 最有趣o既係, 呢塊裹屍布同 Shroud of Turin 好多唔同o既地方. 首先, 編織o既方法唔同. 其次, 同 Shroud of Turin 唔同, 呢塊新發現o既裹屍布唔係一塊布, 而係有一塊分開o既包頭布.

點解 Shroud of Turin 同呢塊同耶穌同期o既裹屍布咁唔同? Hmmmm...

=======================================
Burial cloth found in Jerusalem cave casts doubt on authenticity of Turin Shroud
By Matthew Kalman
Last updated at 1:08 AM on 16th December 2009

Archaeologists have discovered the first known burial shroud in Jerusalem from the time of Christ's crucifixion - and say it casts serious doubt on the claimed authenticity of the Turin Shroud.

Ancient shrouds from the period have been found before in the Holy Land, but never in Jerusalem.

Researchers say the weave and design of the shroud discovered in a burial cave near Jerusalem's Old City are completely different to the Turin Shroud.

Radiocarbon tests and artefacts found in the cave prove almost beyond doubt that it was from the same time of Christ's death.

It was made with a simple two-way weave - not the twill weave used on the Turin Shroud, which textile experts say was introduced more than 1,000 years after Christ lived.

And instead of being a single sheet like the famous item in Turin, the Jerusalem shroud is made up of several sections, with a separate piece for the head.

......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1236161/First-burial-shroud-carbon-dated-time-Christs-crucifixion-caves-near-Jerusalem.html
=======================================

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Graduate Studies in Biblical Studies = Bungee Jump without the Cord

Man, why didn't I read these when I was 22?

http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846

http://chronicle.com/article/Just-Don-t-Go-Part-2/44786

As a current graduate student in biblical studies, I must testify to the validity of this person's warnings. What he wrote is so painfully true and accurately describes my situation now. I'm not so desperate that I need to hang myself in the near future, but it is very very very true that I don't see an academic future for myself AT ALL.

Friday 13 November 2009

A ridiculously lame sermon

In the past two weeks, I've been going to a church called Newbern Alliance which is somewhat close to where I live in Vancouver. I've tried both the English and the Chinese services, the former definitely seems better. Everybody was so long-winded in the Chinese service that I attended: the guys who led the singing said there's no need to say much because the songs' lyrics are so well written, and then he gave a speech on the song... But the worst was during the communion. The guy who administered the communion gave a 15-min SERMON on the purpose of communion right after the official lengthy sermon.

In any case, so I decided to go to the English service. And last week, at the English service, I chanced upon one of the most ridiculous sermons I ever heard, an experience totally worth recording.

The speaker's speech had a title, something along the line of "spiritual inputs & outputs". He began with Matthew 12 and James 3, saying that we gotta watch our tongues, which is the "output". But that'd be too simple, so he went on to say that we also got to manage our "input", so we'll have the right "output". He encouraged us to throw away our DVDs, video games, and music CDs, which might pollute our pure mind, just as a drop of cyanide can poison an entire cup of water. He then cited Job 6.24: "Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred." According to this guy, Job found out that the reason why he suffered so much was because of what he had said; he didn't watch his tongue, so he lost his family and properties. So how shall we watch our tongues? He suggested that we shall not utter expressions such as: "unbelievable", "break a leg", and "it blew my mind". These are exaggerations that we don't mean. If we speak unreal things in the morning, our prayers at night will have no chance of being realized, or so he suggested.

Now, this sermon errs in so many points that it is difficult to criticize in a systematic manner, but I'll try. First, his two key passages, Matt 12 and James 3, do condemn the practice of bad-mouthing (output), but they don't talk about the inputs at all. Matt 12 relates bad fruits to bad trees, but it says nothing of what inputs the tree has received to become bad in the first place! So one of the 2 main points that he's making isn't even talked about in the biblical passages that he focused on. The other support for his point about inputs is the cyanide analogy. But whenever someone appeals to analogy as an argument, we should see a red flag. While it sounds reasonable, we have to question what is cyanide in water to do with DVDs in our life? I can argue in the same manner in the opposite direction: just as a chicken dropped into the Pacific Ocean won't turn the ocean into chicken soup, DVDs won't have much effect to our spiritual life. There, analogies don't make conclusive arguments.

His interpretation of Job 6 is even worse. It says: "Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred." Job isn't saying he suffered because he spoke to much, and now he shall shut the hell up. It says it right there in this passage, he has no idea why he suffered at all, that's why he challenges God to "show me how I have erred". If God can tell him even just one thing he had done wrong, he'll shut up; otherwise he'll keep whining. And this speaker turned this passage around to say the exact opposite. Man, this is just bad exegesis.

The applications of these teachings are equally lame. Regarding the inputs, I have already said that his teachings find no basis in the 3 main passages that he cited. Regarding the outputs, although Matt 12 and James 3 do talk about controlling tongues, I'm pretty sure they do not mean to say that it is wrong to say "unbelievable" or "mind-blowing". They're talking about curses, blaspheming against the holy spirit; they're not forbidding the use of figures of speech and rhetorics. In fact, the bible itself does that all the time. When it describes God as a man with hands, or a heart, it isn't being untruthful to its readers. Any sane person will recognize the use of anthropomorphism in such descriptions. Why not?

Well, all in all, this sermon was so unbelievably lame that it is mind-blowing.

Monday 2 November 2009

教會執事殺情婦?

=======================================
教會執事涉殺聾啞情婦
(星島)2009年11月3日 星期二 05:30


被公認為性情溫和、樂於助人的虔誠教會執事,與同為聾啞的已婚女教友發生婚外情,女教友疑苦苦相纏要求執事離婚,執事不勝其煩下涉以刀捅殺女教友。事發三日後,執事哭著向教會牧師和盤托出殺人一事,並到警署寫下自首信。執事被控一項謀殺罪,案件昨於高院開審。

  記者:何鳳儀

  現年四十七歲的被告葉啟明,昨於高院否認一項於去年九月十三日謀殺女子吳桂芳(三十九歲)罪名。被告指自己當時精神失常,承認誤殺罪,但不獲控方接納。

  控方開案陳辭指,被告與死者年幼時相識於聾人學校,八九年在九龍城衙前圍道香港聾人基督教會相聚,被告為教會執事,而靠綜援維生的死者也熱心教會事務,二人各家室子女,但暗地裏發展親密關係。死者丈夫昨供稱,他視性情溫和的被告為普通朋友,被告曾替他修理濾水器及搬家具。

  牧師面前哭著懺悔

  死者丈夫梁偉光昨供稱,事發當日早上十一時,他帶兩名兒子到父母西區寓所,妻子原答應一同晚飯,但未有現身;晚上十時他返到沙田 新翠村新明樓寓所,赫見妻子躺於血泊中,毫無動靜,遂立即傳真通知被告、父親及教會傳道人鄺志雄,鄺趕到現場助他報警。救護員到場後證實吳已死亡,驗屍報告指死因是胸口被刀捅傷。

  控方指出,與被告相識近十年的教會牧師高偉光,於同月十六日應被告妻子通知到其寓所會面,被告一見高即哭起來懺悔,承認自己用刀捅死吳桂芳,指死者要求他離婚及娶她。被告同日到警署,在警誡下寫下:「我要自首,因我是殺吳桂芳。」被告及後在錄影會面中表示他早於事發前兩日對死者動殺機,並於當日買兇刀及新衣。

......

=======================================

呢條友根本就冇誠心認罪, 話自己係精神失常誤殺.

Monday 12 October 2009

Hope = crap

Yes, I'm now in Vancouver. Last night I watched Shawshank Redemption with my old bean. The movie is pretty fun to watch, entertaining from start to finish. It's got a few famous lines that people repeat, such as "hope is a good thing, may be the best of things, and a good thing never dies," and "hope is a dangerous thing."

I don't feel that hope is a good thing, but neither do I think it dangerous. I just feel that hope is crap, meaningless. I don't think it is a big loss at all if I just die tonight. It might be pretty cool to eventually graduate from the stupid program or get to play Final Fantasy XIX or whatever, but to endure all the hardships and boredom most hours of most days of my life just to enjoy for that little bit is so not worthwhile. It is kinda like eating a crab: all that hard work just to eat that little meat is a good waste of time and effort.

Perhaps I should find a job that is ridiculously life-threatening but not physically demanding (is there even such a job?), since I get the strong feeling that I might just meet the same end as young Werther did, though for vastly different reasons.

Saturday 19 September 2009

新玩具



首先, 臨走都仲買到平o既新書. 今次真係真正o既"最後"一次.

Copper Scroll Studies
Price: $7.99
Original Price: $75.00

The Gospels in Context: Social and Political History in the Synoptic Tradition
Price: $8.99
Original Price: $85.00

Johannine Eclesiology
Price: $12.99
Original Price: $129

The Rhetoric of Characterization of God, Jesus, and Jesus' Disciples in the Gospel of Mark
Price: $15.99
Original Price: $159

The Text-Critical Study of the Epistle of Jude
Price: $18.99
Original Price: $185

The Anointed and His People: Messianic Expectations from the Maccabees to Bar Kochba
Price: $16.99
Original Price: $169

Thomas at the Crossroads
Price: $9.99
Original Price: $99

In Search of Paul
Price: $2.99
Original Price: $35

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope



由於最近壓力大, 所以完全冇晒 mood 寫論文, 終日以打機打發時間為樂, 連本來唔想玩o既 game 都玩埋. 尋晚剛剛玩完 Star Ocean 4. 呢隻 RPG 我總有玩到爆機, 都唔算係太差, 不過其實我去到最後個迷宮都有諗過放棄, 算係處於合格邊緣. 呢隻 game 好奇怪, 佢其實都有不少優點, 但係造呢隻 game 嗰班人, 又同時製造出相應o既缺點去消滅返呢 d 優點, 真係非常 on9.

首先, 一開隻 game, 第一樣就會留意到畫面好靚, 雖然有好多不夠細緻o既地方, 同 MGS4 之類冇得比, 但係畫面都算好 sharp. 最靚係 d 環境, 花草樹木, 沙漠, 海邊, 非常巨型o既建築物, 全部都好靚. 問題係佢地將 d 環境造得太大, 而全個 game 你都只可以行, 冇任何交通工具可以用, 所以由一個城鎮行去另一個城鎮, 往往要用成半個鐘以上, 煩到死, 令人唔想玩任何 side quests. 好多時走入一個迷宮, 打完隻大佬之後, 你仲要用腳行返轉頭, 而個環境地圖又大到無倫, 簡直就係令人覺得係浪費時間.

而班主角, 畫面係靚, 但係人物設計根本就不知所謂, 除咗個機械人之外, 所有主角都算得上係樣衰, 而不幸地, 個主角就最衰, 成個港式 MK look, 而偏偏又對住佢最多, 真係冇可能投入角色. 其實當中 Faize 同 Lymle 個關係都幾好睇, 但係係大佬, 當你將 Lymle 設計成一個 6 歲孩童, 我點可能幻想 Faize 同 Lymle 之間有曖昧? 呢 d 唔係叫愛情, 呢 d 係叫做變態. 如果班設計者, 有些少常識, 將 Lymle 設計成一個年記大 d o既女仔, 個結局咪好睇好多囉, 同埋呢 d 白痴 RPG 成日都總係有個把聲勁 cute/低B o既女童角色, 其實根本就唔 make sense, 一個 toddler 救返個宇宙?

而故事, 呢隻 RPG 有好多故事, 而我一般都係好鍾意故事性強o既RPG. 但係呢隻 RPG 真係特別, 佢係多故事得嚟多到令人厭煩o既程度. 原因有幾個. 首先, d 主角樣衰就係一個問題, 要睇班冇表情o既公仔頭口郁郁成半粒鐘, 真係好悶. 其次, d 英文配音真係不知所謂, 難聽到令人要發脾氣o既地步, 而最嚴重o既係班 cute 樣o既女角, 全部都係把聲勁尖, cute 到令人作嘔. 第三, d 對白寫得差, 同一樣嘢講一幾廿次, 重複又重複. 例如, 故事中段講到個主角意志低沈, 而呢段歷時成幾個鐘都係咁, 個主角成日死老豆咁款, 不斷講佢做錯乜做錯乜, 講成十幾廿次, 到佢想重新做人嗰時, 我已經心諗: 不如你死 X 咗佢好過啦. 至於角色, 呢隻 game 所有角色都有不少 development, 但係當個角色本身係令人生厭的話, 不論幾多 development 都係多餘.

而玩法, 今集 item creation 易用好多. 但係佢地搞到只有喺你隻太空船上先可以用 item creation. 之前已經提及過, 呢隻 game d 地圖係超大, 所以當你去到一個城鎮, 買到一 d 原料, 你就要行成至少半個鐘返去隻船上先可以用 item creation, 而當你行到返去, 先發覺原來喺個城度買少咗一樣嘢, 你真係會想打爆個電視. 所以, 雖然 item creation 個 system 係容易咗好多, 但係我情願用返 Star Ocean 2 嗰個成日要 reload 但係任何地方都可以用o既 item creation.

總結: 太多致命缺點, 除消晒隻 game 本身有o既優點, 非常可惜. 唯一最好係個 battle system, 但係如果我想玩打交, 我就直接玩 Devil May Cry 或忍者外傳, 唔係玩 Star Ocean.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

AvaxHome

http://avaxhome.ws/ebooks/theology_occultism/pages/1

大力推薦呢個網, 佢有大量聖經研究o既電子書下載, 其中不少係 Brill 嗰 d 超級貴書. 互聯網真偉大. 過多十年八年, 第日 d 學生做 research 可能完全唔使去圖書館, 喺網上搵到晒. 而家有 ATLAS 之類o既 database, 只係實現咗一半, 因為冇書, 只有 journal articles.

Tuesday 8 September 2009

又有新書到



今次比較多有關新約o既書. 其中我望過下, 似乎係 Early Christian Life 最有用. 我今個月尾就會搬返溫哥華住, 到時因為時差關係, 將來應該會好難買到咁平o既書, 因為喺溫哥華我起床嗰時, 人地喺東岸都已經食 lunch, 乜平書都已經俾人買晒啦.

Paul's Paradigmatic "I"
Price: $17.99
Original Price: $179.99

Early Christian Life and Thought in Social Context
Price: $19.99
Original Price: $199.99

New Readings in John: Literary and Theological Perspectives
Price: $17.99
Original Price: $179.99

Novum Testamentum Graecum: Editio Critica Maior IV (The Letters of Peter)
Price: $4.99
Original Price: $59.95

Encounter with Biblical Theology
Price: $2.99
Original Price: $40.00

Friday 14 August 2009

新蜀山劍俠





好大機會會喺九月尾搬返溫哥華住, 前路茫茫, 好大壓力, 所以呢排日日做嘢嗰時都要開齣電影睇, 最近就喺 youtube 度見到有得睇徐克齣舊戲"新蜀山劍俠", 聽就聽得多, 不過未睇過.

故事講元彪做o既卒仔, 碰上鄭少秋做o既神奇劍俠, 跟住佢去斬妖, 又碰上其他怪事怪人, 後來故事急轉直下, 個卒仔身邊好打o既奇俠全部被血魔 KO 晒, 所以個卒仔就同兩個武功非常麻麻o既孟海同李賽鳳去搵紫青雙劍去拮血魔. 其實個故事麻麻, 雖然背後係有 d 意思想講, 不時透過元彪說教, 不過到底都係冇乜特別, 一般劍俠大戰魔教大怪獸, 有 d 打鬥鏡頭亦交待得唔夠清楚, 畫面一轉, 會唔知做乜有個人會突然被打到飛開, 又唔係好明鄭少秋到底係點樣中咗血魔陰招. 畫面特技當年睇, 班觀眾應該會覺得好勁, 但係而家睇就當然係非常麻麻啦, 最後大戰尤其唔掂, 反而係開頭鄭少秋飛一大堆劍出去嗰下好型. 以前細個好鍾意睇"人間道", 最鍾意係燕赤霞招飛劍, 而家先知原來個 idea 係抄徐克齣"蜀山".

成齣戲最令我震撼係忽然覺得, 以前港片 d 女角真係好靚. 故事中段講鄭少秋同卒仔去到一個冰宮, 個堡主林青霞一出嗰時, 就覺得佢好靚, 因為我睇佢做戲都係睇比較近期如"東方不敗"之類, 佢已經比較老同肥咗, 但係喺"蜀山"入面又後生又瘦. 但係我覺得最好睇其實係李賽鳳, 嘩, 真係極靚囉, 而家 d o靚模呀, angelababy 之類超碼差佢十幾廿皮, 每個動作都 cute 到無倫, 令齣戲可觀度大增. 可惜李賽鳳後來多數都係拍打交戲, 齣齣都差不多, 如果佢做文戲或笑片, 我都會好有興趣睇.



Monday 10 August 2009

又買到平書



"Like a Bird in a Cage": The Invasion of Sennacherib in 701 BCE
Price: $21.99
Original Price: $219.99

The World of the Aramaeans II: Studies in History and Archaeology in Honour of Paul-Eugene Dion
Price: $16.99
Original Price: $169.99

Like a Bird 我買咗兩個 copy, 其中一本送咗俾 Schuller, 臨走送 d 嘢俾佢, 大家開心下, 反正又唔係貴.

Thursday 6 August 2009

平書到...

冇上次平得咁緊要, 不過都可算係出乎意料之外咁平, 抵買, 抵買.



Law and Ideology in Monarchic Israel
Price: $12.99
Original Price: 129.99

Elisha and the End of Prophetism
Price: $14.99
Original Price: 149.99

Early Christians and Animals
Price $12.99
Original Price: 129.99

Saturday 1 August 2009

Disaster: Day of Crisis



終於玩到一個我覺得好玩, 又玩到爆機o既 wii game. 而夠吊詭o既係, 呢隻 game 冇北美版本, 只有日本版同歐洲版, wii 真係好痴線, 年中出咁多爛 game, 但係偏偏呢隻喺 wii 入面算中上o既就唔出, 同 Fatal Frame 4 一樣, 唔知佢想點. 可能佢地覺得唔夠低B o既 game 喺北美會賣得唔好, 辣塊媽媽, wii 真不是人玩的.

呢隻 game 好難講係咩類型, 因為乜都有 d, 有 platform, 有射擊, 又有開車, 其實無論咩類型都唔算特別好玩, 亦由頭到尾都好易玩. 但係角色同故事我都幾鍾意, 好有荷里活電影 feel, 又有恐怖分子, 又有天災人禍, 又有個女仔要救, 雖然好多嘢係誇張到痺, 但係一隻 game o既故事, 真係冇乜所謂, 過癮就夠, 所以令我有足夠動力玩到最後爆機. 其實個結尾好明顯係指向有第二集, 可惜第一集連喺北美都出唔到, 睇怕唔會有第二集.

Wednesday 29 July 2009

玩到尾o既 RPG (8): Suikoden Tierkreis



一向都好鍾意水滸傳系列, 因為一向都係故事性強, 同埋一手一腳由冇人冇物玩到成為一支義軍, 好有滿足感. 呢隻喺 NDS 上面o既水滸傳, 都有少少呢種 feel, 都係講社會不公, 令到一班人要反一個權力. 但係有幾點我覺得不滿:

首先, 喺玩法上, 水滸傳系列一向都有種大局觀, 會 feel 到真係成千上萬人為你上戰場打仗, 但係呢隻新 game 冇晒打大仗o既玩法, 次次都只係好似一般 RPG 咁隻揪隻, 次次出戰都只係得幾條友. 好冇癮.

其次, 雖然個故事算好成熟, 但係唔知點解凡係喺 NDS 上面出o既 RPG, d 主角就總係細路樣. 今集個主角就只得十三歲, 而故事做到成班英雄好漢無厘頭會以呢個細路為首領, 真係非常難以令人入信, 好難玩得投入, 假到爆.

最後, 故事推進比較單調. 水滸傳系列 d 故事一向都好多 twists, 但係今次就較少, 冇乜邊一 part 特別深印象.

總結, 雖然我係有玩到尾, 但係呢隻唔算係好o既 RPG, 最令人不滿o既係 NDS d game 成日無厘頭將 d 角色低齡, 低B化.

Tuesday 14 July 2009

inFAMOUS



早兩個禮拜爆咗 PS3 上o既一隻新 game, 叫 inFAMOUS. 我屋企有好多 game, 多數都係冇玩到尾, 而呢隻會玩到爆機, 就證明其實我都幾鍾意玩. 畫面, 音樂, 玩法, 同故事我都覺得好好, 玩到尾嗰時, 覺得非常期待下一集, 想知道故事發展落去會點.

玩法有 d 似 GTA, 你可以去邊都得, 做乜都得, 你有超能力, 可以控制電. 玩法我覺得同 Prototype 好相似, 不過畫面靚好多, 故事同角色亦有趣好多. 唯一唔好係 d mission 唔夠多元, 好多重複. 喺我心目中, 喺 PS3 上面o既最愛依然係 Uncharted 同 MGS4, 但係呢隻亦唔錯, 絕對玩得過.

Tuesday 7 July 2009

mihimaru GT: とろけちゃうダンディ~



mihimaru GT 喺繼上次 Switch 後, 一個月內又出咗隻新 single, 不過今次隻歌我覺得好聽好多. とろけちゃうダンディ 係 party 歌類, 雖然唔係佢地最好聽作品之一, 但係我都鍾意聽. 個 MV 亦拍得幾抵死, 有返佢地比較早期嗰種玩嘢 feel.

mihimaru d 歌係多多益善, 越多越好. 期待佢地下一隻碟.

Tuesday 30 June 2009

香港的宗教/道德右翼勢力及其影響

睇先喺 ourtv.hk 睇到有個特備節目, 講香港教會同明光社, 出奇地好聽, 個講者係陳士齊, 佢好明顯好了解教會文化, 仲恥笑挪亞方舟嗰單嘢, 真係講出我心底好多說話.

值得一聽: <香港的宗教/道德右翼勢力及其影響>.

Friday 26 June 2009

痴線教會

===================================
Southern Baptists eject Fort Worth church over gay issues

The Southern Baptist Convention has broken its 127-year-old ties with a Fort Worth Baptist church because the SBC views its stand on homosexuality as too lenient, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Baptist Press report.

The action against the 2,000-member Broadway Baptist Church came with no discussion at the annual SBC meeting in Louisville.

Stephen Wilson, a member of the executive committee, told The Baptist Press that although Broadway Baptist does not officially endorse homosexuality "they were allowing members and also people in leadership that were homosexual."

"The church was in effect saying that it was OK to have members who are open homosexuals," Wilson said.

......
===================================

This is utterly ridiculous. Why don't they sever ties with all churches while they're at it? Because I'm pretty sure they all "were allowing members and also people in leadership that were" sinners. By their logic, all churches were "in effect saying that it was OK to have members who are open" sinners.

But of course they won't do that. They'll single out homosexuals as an outstanding issue. I take this as a sign of discrimination, not treating all sins (in the bible) equally.

Wednesday 10 June 2009

大公奇文共賞系列

===============================================
墨西哥城 萬人空巷
公園只聞鳥啼 超市驚現哄搶
2009-4-27

【大公報訊】綜合外電墨西哥城二十六日消息:豬流感病毒突然大爆發,全球最大城市之一、墨西哥首都墨西哥城暫停一切戶外活動,但大家足不出戶,反而令影音光碟租賃和快餐外賣生意興隆。

豬流感在墨西哥迄今已造成八十一人死亡,墨西哥衛生部長科爾多瓦二十六日說,墨西哥的懷疑豬流感新個案二十四小時內增加十三宗,共有一千三百二十四名有流感徵狀的病人正接受調查。

總統下令強制檢驗病患
總統卡爾德龍二十五日頒布一項緊急行政命令,授予政府有關部門的人員特別權力,強制性要求患病的人接受檢驗及下令把他們隔離,藉以制止這種致命病毒進一步蔓延。

......

墨西哥城暫停一切公開活動,又關閉酒吧和食肆,嘗試阻止豬流感傳播。墨西哥城人口二千多萬,被確認為豬流感死者的主要來源地。人行道一片死寂,拉丁美洲最大公園查布爾特佩克公園幾乎空無一人,一家大小散步和划艇的歡笑聲消失了,只剩下鳥兒清脆的啾啾聲在回響。 光碟出租店生意火爆

由於足不出戶的人比平時多了數百萬人,影音光碟租賃店的生意突然急升。最受歡迎的出租電影是災難片和有關流行病的電影,例如二○○八年出品的《盲流感》。這齣電影改編自一九九八年諾貝爾文學獎得主、葡萄牙作家薩拉馬戈的作品。片中的全球人類都因感染一種神秘病毒而喪失視力。

民眾避免到出門用膳,令快餐外賣訂單大增、電單車速遞員忙個不停。超市的生意也比平日興旺,部分店舖出現恐慌性搶購潮。三十八歲市場推廣經理里韋拉所推的購物車內有六十升水。他說:「這是一種預防措施,在問題比我們所知嚴重時派上用場。」

二十六日,全球最著名足球場之一阿茲台克球場也冷冷清清。擁有主場之利的美洲隊當天在一場賽事與塔科斯隊對壘。但這個能容納十萬零五千人的球場為配合避免流感散播,不招待球迷入場。

墨西哥城的學校二十四日奉命關閉,而且關閉時間可能持續一周。這是當地學校自一九八五年發生造成一萬人死亡的大地震以來首次關閉。
===============================================

Credit goes to 蕭若元 for bringing this to attention.

大公報竟然用"萬人空巷"嚟形容冇人出街o既情況!!!!

Tuesday 9 June 2009

我寫的...

Review of "Knowing," in Journal of Religion and Film 13/1 (2009) n.p.



幾個月前, 同教會唯二o既兩個朋友 Jason 同 Henry 去睇咗齣 Nicolas Case o既戲, 叫 Knowing. 早幾個星期貪得意, 寫咗個 review 俾份學術刊物, 難得有學刊會登影評, 所以就試下, 同埋又可以寫論文之外寫下其他嘢, 冇咁單調.

今日登咗, 都幾好玩.

Tuesday 2 June 2009

「全球禱告日」遇示威

=====================================
「全球禱告日」遇示威
團體籲為六四禱告.大會表遺憾 (6月1日消息)

全城更新連續第五年主辦的「全球禱告日」,已於二○○九年五月卅一日(聖靈降臨節主日)下午假香港大球場舉行,據大球場統計,有近兩萬人參加。除了「全球禱告日」發起人及職場領袖包華(Graham Power),各個不同界別的代表、現任及前任政府官員如黃仁龍司長、林瑞麟局長、李少光局長、馬時亨等亦在會上帶領會眾禱告。聚會期間有多名信徒在南區看台當眼位置展示出「改革教會偽善擦鞋文化‧重回基督精神」及「為六四死難者天安門母親禱告‧為2012雙普選祝福」的橫額,並高聲呼叫「平反六四」的口號,後經大會勸諭後離去;大會事後發表聲明(詳見附錄一),指示威者的行為「令在場人士感到不安,大會對在一個宗教活動滲入一些政治的抗議,深表遺憾。」而示威人士亦發表題為「同心爭取六四平反.禱告祈求公義伸張」的新聞稿(詳見附錄二)。

......

大會聲明

對於今天在全球禱告日中,有幾位人士的行為令在場人士感到不安,大會對在一個宗教活動滲入一些政治的抗議,深表遺憾

全城更新
=====================================

根本就係自作自受, 當你過去不斷對政治活動滲入宗教的抗議, 你又點可以怪人喺你個活動度滲入政治抗議? 當初根本就係你自己先打破 secularization o既原則, 教會被政治影響係不可避免的. 如果冇一早意識到呢個走向的話, 係你無知 je.

仲好意思話"深表遺憾", 超.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Agatha Christie, The Five Little Pigs



最近我論文寫緊 Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice o既部分, 但係詩歌類o既嘢, 一向都唔係強項, 所以寫得超慢, 進展龜速, 所以最近都花少少時間睇下小說, 因為反正唔係都係浪費時間, 不見得做到幾多嘢出嚟.

最新睇完o既係呢本<五隻小豬>. 故事講有個女仔最近先發現原來自己死咗o既阿媽喺好多年前被人入咗條殺夫罪, 所以佢就叫 Poirot 幫佢查, 到底係唔係事實. 而整本書, 就講 Poirot 去睇返 d 過咗好多年前o既口供. 如果唔係個女仔阿媽殺o既, 咁就一係佢老豆自殺, 又或者係其他當時五個人其中一個落手做o既. 我覺得呢本都 OK, 不過唔係我最鍾意o既. 而且到最後, 其實都唔算係有決定性o既證據, 只係按推理應該係如此而已. 不過當然, Christie 寫得聰明, 平平凡凡被佢扭一扭就變到好 Q 複雜, 不唔小心, 就會被佢誤導, 呢方面就一向都咁好玩.

Saturday 23 May 2009

郭靜 - 在樹上唱歌



郭靜隻隻碟都好聽, 佢把聲非常好聽, 歌曲質素亦好, 呢隻新碟<在樹上唱歌>亦不例外, 雖然個碟名有 d 無厘頭. 佢剪咗個新頭髮同以前好唔同, 但係好好睇. 我最鍾意佢o既一點係雖然佢個樣好得意, 之前仲剪個水母頭, 但係佢講嘢一 d 都唔扮可愛, 說話有文路, 唔會扮低 b.

呢隻碟入面, 我最鍾意 Goodbye, 喜歡程度幾可匹敵解偉苓隻<放逐愛情>. 另外<心牆>同埋<看見>亦好好聽, 不過主題曲<在樹上唱歌>我就覺得只屬一般.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

Mizuho!!!!!



好震驚, 頭先不經意間, 竟然見到 Mizuho 舊年原來出現過一段短時間, 喺 Takayo 個演唱會度做過嘉賓, 亦喺 Takayo 個 blog 度有幾張佢地o既合照. 可惜頭先喺 youtube 搵好耐都搵唔到佢地o既演出片段. 而家唯有希望佢會再出現, 同其他 ZONE o既成員合作.

同埋, 喺 d 論壇度聽講佢而家冇咗對虎牙. 但係我好鍾意佢 d 牙喎, 舊照:



順便加多段演唱會片段懷舊一下:

Tuesday 19 May 2009

新 ICO project 預告片



喺 PS2 上面, 其中兩隻我最鍾意o既 game 係 ICO 同埋 Shadow of the Colossus, 尤其係前者, 我覺得好過同類型o既 Prince of Persia. 成隻 game 就好似一件藝術品咁, 真係好正.

而出呢兩隻 game o既公司, 而家正喺度為 PS3 研發緊一隻新 game, 最近出咗個 trailer, 睇嚟會回歸 ICO o既風格, 不過亦好似 Colossus 咁, 有隻動物幫手. 非常期待, 一定係我鍾意玩o既類型.

新書報到



今日返學同 Schuller 見下面, 佢出咗上一期糧俾我, 同俾咗少少其他嘢我做. 順便 check 下個 mail box, 見我早排訂o既書已經到咗. 合共七本, 全部都係跳樓價買入:

1 Chronicles 1-9
by Gary N. Knoppers
$5; retail price $50

Judas and the Gospel of Jesus
by N. T. Wright
$3; retail price $19

The New Historicism
by Gina Hens-Pizaaz
$1; retail price $15

Psychological Biblical Criticism
by D. Andrew Kille
$3; retail price $22

Recovering Judaism: The Universal Dimension of Judaism
by Jacob Neusner
$1; retail price $21

Israel in Exile: The History and Literature of the Sixth Century B.C.E.
by Rainer Albertz
$1; retail price $50

The Cave of John the Baptist
by Shimon Gibson
$1; retail price $26

Saturday 16 May 2009

放逐愛情 + 關於我們





痞子英雄隻 OST 已經出咗, 入面好幾隻歌我都覺得好聽, 當中最鍾意係"放逐愛情"同"關於我們", 特別係前者. 雖然相比之下冇戰神o既"零"同"說愛我"咁經典, 但係我都覺得好正. 台灣 d 電視劇好多時都有 d 正歌聽, 真係犀利.

Friday 15 May 2009

360 回歸




前幾日先寄出部機, 今日已經收到部翻新o既 360, 非常快手, 過程除要我自己出去寄嘢之外, 所有嘢都唔使出錢. 不過可惜我個 warranty 已經快要完, 所以下次壞機, 就真係要自己維修, 又或者要買過部新.

Anyway, 一收到部機, 當然就係攞去改返部機, 而因為我之前都喺嗰度改機, 所以今次只要俾 $40, 只係一隻 game o既價錢, 當然係好抵改. 個機佬話, 我呢部機有個 heat sink , 個 driver 亦係最新嗰種, 散熱比較好, 應該冇咁易壞. 不過睇下點啦, 對 360 一早已經冇晒信心. 不過今次喺個 warranty 過期前一個月壞機, 真係非常好運, 時間剛好.

Thursday 14 May 2009

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (NDS)



最近喺 NDS 度玩呢個 game. 呢隻 game 好合我口味, 係解謎嗰類型, 有故事, 有角色, 永遠唔會死. 呢個 game 喺好多年之前已經喺電腦上面出過, 而家已經出到成個系列, 不過就一直都冇接觸過. 個故事主要講有宗命案發生, 個主角就一直追查落去, 點知發現 d 殺人案同中世紀一 d 傳說有關, 好有尋寶 feel. 基本上就好似睇小說咁.

呢隻 game 我大力推薦, 值得一玩. 希望將來會喺 NDS 或 wii 度出埋系列入面o既其他 game.

Saturday 9 May 2009

Xbox360 六紅



四年內第二次三紅, MS 分明就係賣次貨俾人, 你話唔改佢機係咪對自己唔住? 尋晚同 Henry 打打下機就開唔返部機, 一直三紅. 而家我要攞部機去俾幫我改機嗰個人 un-改返部機, 之後就會寄去 MS 維修部, 睇下佢會唔會免費幫我整囉, 如果要收費, 就唔鬼整, 遲下有我想玩o既新 game 出嗰時去買過部新o既.

Monday 4 May 2009

Push



睇在 Camilla Belle 份上, 頭先睇咗佢最近齣新戲, 叫做 Push, 聽講係改編自漫畫, 不過之前未聽過. 個故事講有 d 人有超能力, 但係俾另外一班同樣有超能力o既人追殺, 其實同之前嗰齣 Jumper 有少少相似, 不過呢齣有 Camilla Belle...

有靚女睇, 特技亦算 OK, 全片都係香港景亦幾有趣, 不過個故事就真係麻麻, 開頭都仲算可以, 但係去到中後段實在搞到太複雜, 扭來扭去, 睇到幾近令人厭煩. 不過睇在 Camilla Belle 份上, 係可以原諒的.

總結: Camilla Belle, Camilla Belle, Camilla Belle...

評分: Camilla Belle/10

Saturday 2 May 2009

Tales of Abyss



上個星期係我半年一度o既 committee meeting, 我要會見我o既三個 advisers, 睇下我寫論文進度如何, 所以過去幾個星期我都特別勤力, 真係 keep 得住"一日寫一頁"o既計劃. 而家我有超過六十頁, 其中有四十頁係講 3 Baruch, 交咗俾佢地睇. 本來我都已經有晒心理準備, 諗住實俾 Schuller 同 Reed 話係垃圾, 點知回應出乎意料之外咁正面. Schuller 仲話 "very good", 佢係我所認識最嚴o既人, 喺 Mac 已經四年, 從未聽佢讚過我 (亦冇聽佢讚過其他學生), 今次係第一次, 所以真係好大鼓舞. 真係要多謝 3 Baruch. 其實而家睇返, 我都覺得寫得唔錯, 因為喺學界入面 3 Baruch 唔算好受歡迎, 所以有唔少空間俾我講我自己o既想法, 係其他人之前未講過, 所以覺得實在係幾好玩.

而家已經過咗關, 今個暑假亦冇 conference 要去, 所以基本上成個暑假唯一要做o既嘢就係寫論文, 如果可以一日寫一頁, 呢個假期其實可以寫成百頁, 算係好好. 希望可以 keep 住啦. 我仲希望可以寫個影評 (Knowing) 俾 Journal of Religion and Film, 好似幾好玩, 又可以寫落 CV, 一石二鳥; 寫成 OCP 個 4 Ezra 嘢; 同埋過幾日要交個 syllabus, 因為 Mac 有一科叫做 The Bible and Film 會請教師, 雖然機會極低, 但係試下冇壞. 同埋加多句, 非常不幸地, 下年我又攞唔到 OGS, 非常失敗, 下年又唔知仲有冇 department scholarship, 所以都有嘢應該要擔心, 但係而家我學緊唔好諗埋 d 諗都冇幫助o既嘢, 現階段, 對我自己最有益o既就係寫論文, 仲要寫得好, 呢樣係最重要, 其他嘢就煮到埋嚟先食囉.

最近幾日有時間, 睇咗齣動畫叫 Tales of Abyss, 26 集, 算幾短. 本來我一向都唔係幾鍾意 Tales 系列, 但係呢個故事算OK, 雖然好多嘢都搞到太複雜, 但係勝在幾個角色都有一定深度, 呢方面唔錯. 係一齣我會推薦o既動畫.

Tuesday 14 April 2009

The Spirit



呢齣嘢真係垃圾到令人難以置信, 爛到令人啞口無言. 所以我都冇乜嘢可以寫.

結論: 辣塊媽媽.

評分: 0.5/10

The Uninvited



就快出 OGS 結果, 反正都冇心機做嘢, 所以頭先就求其開齣嘢睇. 呢齣戲, 本來開之前, 睇個 poster 似係日式鬼片之類, 不過其實似 thriller 多 d. 故事講個女仔屋企大火燒死咗佢媽咪, 而佢就嚇到失憶, 唔知當晚發生乜事. 佢喺精神病院出嚟就返到屋企, 佢老豆已經娶咗之前屋企個後生看護, 後來仲同佢個姊妹發現個看護古古怪怪... 故事最後都有個 twist, 唔算離譜, 唔係完美, 不過仲算 OK 合理. 不過呢類型o既 twist 已經睇過好多次, 冇驚喜. 故事中幾個角色亦唔覺特別吸引, 女主角又唔靚, 好似細路仔咁. 而我覺得最失敗o既, 就係睇完全片都冇被嚇到過一次, 驚嚇 feel 非常薄弱.

結論: 故事性 OK, 不過冇任何突出之處, 唔係差又唔係好正.

評分: 6.5/10

Friday 10 April 2009

任天堂正仆街: Fatal Frame Dead!!!



有時好激氣o既時候, 你話點可以唔講句"仆街"?

本來 wii 就已經有乜 game 好玩, 但係我就一向都好期待 Fatal Frame 4. 本來 Fatal Frame 出喺 wii 唔出喺 PS3/Xbox360, 我都已經好不滿, 不過有得玩都算啦. 點知而家日本版出咗成年幾之後, 竟然話唔會出歐/美版, 你話係咪仆街?

據 Tecmo 講, 只有任天堂先有權出, 而任天堂就完全冇計劃要出... 有 Fatal Frame 咁出色o既系列竟然唔出, d 人係咪壞腦呀? 最衰就係 d 對打機其實冇興趣o既人無厘頭又買部 wii 返屋企擺, 搞到 wii 呢部廢機竟然咁好賣, 搞到咁多好 game 要衰喺呢部機能低下o既衰嘢手上, 真係冇天理.

Friday 3 April 2009

秒速 5 厘米



上次睇新海誠嗰齣"雲之彼端"真係令人非常失望, 睇到 d 精緻畫功就令人怒火中燒, 唔明點解畫到咁靚, 但係個故事如此不濟. 頭先喺不抱任何期待o既心情之下, 睇咗佢比較新o既另一齣動畫電影, "秒速5厘米", 不過同個半鐘o既"雲之彼端"唔同, 呢齣只有60分鐘長, 分開三個小故事 (不過都係嗰 d 角色). 竟然覺得好好睇! 證明呢個導演拍一個長故事唔掂, 但係短故事就OK.

三個故事係"櫻花抄", "太空人", 同埋"秒速5厘米". 其實故事方面, 呢個導演真係較弱, 因為幾乎係冇故事咁滯, 但係因為三個段落都咁短, 所以觀眾唔會覺得有何不妥. 配合佢嗰 d 極靚極細膩o既畫功, 同埋幾好聽o既音樂, 好似睇緊一個有少少故事, 又有對白o既劇場版 MV 咁, 剛好可以突出導演o既長處, 亦令佢講故事唔叻o既短處變得冇咁明顯.

我覺得第一段, "櫻花抄", 睇得最有 feel. 講一男一女o既舊同學, 因為搬屋分開好遠, 冇得見面. 但係仲 keep 住寫信, 並打算畢業前搭火車見一面, 不過約會當日落大雪, 個男仔遲到成四粒鐘... 故事就係得咁多, 但係漂亮雪景同埋吸引o既背景音樂, 任何人都會睇到好有 feel. 主角喺火車上o既冰冷孤獨感, 透過畫面, 觀眾可以接收得到.

第三段, "秒速5厘米", 其實係完全冇故事咁滯, 只係草草交代男女主角都已經大個咗, 男o既依然好懷念女主角, 不過工作同生活已經令佢冇力氣胡思亂想; 女o既就已經要嫁人, 男主角只係佢o既兒時回憶. 最後一幕喺電車前面, 就交代咗佢地咁o既關係. 呢段第一次睇時, 覺得導演好Q懶, 單係播歌就用咗一半時間, 但係回味一下, 又覺得幾有 feel, "秒速5厘米"o既 imagery 亦用得好. 5cm/sec 係講櫻花瓣落下o既速度, 不過人同人之間, 亦好似花瓣一樣, 不由自主地, 以一個不可變更o既速度, 慢慢散開, 同其他來自同一顆樹o既花瓣散落到唔同o既地方去. 係一個有心思o既比喻.

總論: 雖然故事有少少過份地簡單, 第二段其實甚至同第一/三段唔係咁夾, 但係全部都夠短, 要表達o既信息透過畫面成功交代到, 睇落有 feel. 我個人係覺得好鍾意. 不過導演唔係宮崎駿第二, 因為佢仲未識講一個90分鐘長度o既完整故事. 希望佢將來花多 d 花思喺故事推進上面, 配合佢畫面觸覺上o既天才.

評分: 8/10

Thursday 2 April 2009

每年四月一日...

ZONE o既散 band 週年. 呢個星期我要勁煲 ZONE 隻 DVD.

賤買 4 本貴書



上個星期喺網上見到幾本原本勁貴o既書賣得好平, 本本都原價過百蚊, 而定賣十蚊以下, 俾埋 shipping 都仲係平到爆, 抵買到極. 讀開 Biblical Studies o既人, 一睇個封面就知有個價錢有幾震撼. 今日終於寄到, 真係高興. 呢幾日唔再見到有咁抵買o既書, 希望遲下再見到有新嘢.

On the Way to the Postmodern, Vol. 2
by David Clines, $6.99, 原價 $168

An Elementary Grammar of Biblical Hebrew
by Edwin Hostetter, $4.99, 原價 $168

Biblical Hebrew: Studies in Chronology and Typology
by Ian Young, $9.99, 原價 $240

Goulder and the Gospels: An Examination of a New Paradigm
by Mark Goodacre, $9.99, 原價 $192

Friday 20 March 2009

mihimaru GT: mihimaLIVE2 @ 武道館



我愛上 mihimaru 係始於睇佢地上次隻演唱會 DVD, 等咁耐, 尋晚終於睇到佢地最新o既演唱會 DVD. 比起上次, 今次場地喺武道館, 地方大好多, 但係感覺上亦比上次離觀眾遠 d, 少咗 d party feel. 服裝亦勁過上次, 因為上次基本上係冇換過衫 (只有除, 冇換), 今次都有換下, 而且幾好睇, 尤其係 hiroko, 件件都靚.

佢地舊年我覺得最好聽嗰幾隻歌亦全部有唱, Love Sick, Birthday Song, Alive, 幸せになろう 都好正. 特別要提到 かけがえのない詩 呢隻"叮噹"歌, 因為我之前都只係覺得一般, 但係今次演出佢地改咗少少嘢, 變成 acoustic version, 加埋 miyake 彈結他, 隻歌變到好好聽, 希望佢地將來出碟會整返個新版本. 不過亦有我覺得可惜o既地方. 首先, 分別'有四組嘉賓出場, 太過多咗 d, 有少少打斷個節奏同連貫性. 另外, 有好幾首我覺得係佢地最出色o既舊歌冇唱到, 包括 Love is..., Squall, いつまでも響くこのMelody .

不過, 結括嚟講, 雖然有幾首我唔係咁鍾意聽o既歌, 但係都好鍾意呢個演唱會, 有靚女睇, 有好歌聽, 一睇到佢地 d 招牌 Afro 假髮就覺得開心.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

雲之彼端, 約定的地方



今日都做咗唔少嘢, 所以花少少時間睇咗齣一路都想睇o既動畫電影, 新海誠o既"雲之彼端, 約定的地方". 有人話呢個人係宮崎駿第二, 睇完呢齣, 我覺得佢係有排都未夠班, 先學好講個動聽合理o既故事先啦唔該. 好多人都話呢齣嘢好睇, 因為畫功靚, 有型, 再加上一個冇人睇得明o既故事, 令人覺得呢齣嘢好 deep.

先講長處, 呢齣動畫係畫得靚, 除咗 d 人畫得一般之外, 所有其他嘢都畫得非常細緻, 算得上美輪美奐. 音樂亦算不俗, 不過就當然遠遠不及久石讓幫宮崎駿寫嗰 d, 但係配合上靚畫面, 都算 OK 啦.

雖然喺技術層面上, 呢齣動畫算得上出色, 但係最差o既係故事, 差得連佢有o既幾大長處都唔能夠抵消. 首先, 我唔係批評佢故事中o既 concept, 佢話呢個世界會發夢, 而個女主角就喺夢中接收晒呢個世界o既夢境, 令到其他平衡世界唔會食 Q 咗呢個世界... 係好混亂o既 concept, 但係都算, 佢要咁設計, 我都可以接受. 問題係, 世界觀可以唔合理, 但係存在於呢個世界入面o既角色o既反應同行為唔可以不合理囉.

我隨便都可以數幾樣. 例一, 故事講到個昏迷咗不停發夢o既女主角咁重要, 政府 d 人講到如果佢一旦醒返, 就會世界末日, 但係兩個男主角非常輕易, 完全冇人理就可以將個女仔帶離政府重要基地, 頂, 係咪兒戲成咁呀? 例二, 其中一個男主角因為佢發o既一個夢, 而認為只要佢帶個昏迷咗o既女主角去個高塔度, 佢就會醒返, 而另一個比較理性o既男仔就話佢痴孖筋, 唔可能因為佢發夢就幫佢偷走個女仔, 兩個仲打起上嚟, 但係一分鐘後, 反對嗰個男仔突然又話都覺得個夢係真, 帶個女仔去個塔度佢就會醒返... what??!! 例三, 到結尾, 個男主角帶條女飛到去個塔度, 個女仔醒返, 咁觀眾就會諗, 咁即係世界末日啦, 點知佢喺飛機度, 飛一枝導彈出去炸爆個塔, 咁就已經解決晒問題, 極救咗地球... 喂, 乜容易成咁, 咁之前就咪話乜乜救條女定救地球啦, 根本就冇 dilemma. 同埋講到個塔會食晒成個地球, 世界末日咁, 但係原來用一枝導彈就可以搞掂, 一路千方百計 keep 住個女仔昏迷發夢根本就係多餘, 求其叫阿邊個去飛枝導彈就得啦, 使乜要個中學生去做? 呢個故事入面 d 角色o既所作所為真係不合理到極點.

總結: 背景同死物畫功一流, 音樂不俗, 但係故事不知所謂, 角色言行不合情理, 令人懷疑之前拍慣短篇o既導演根本就唔識講一個 90 分鐘o既故事, 所以要 d 角色做埋 d on9 嘢, 又不時口水多過茶咁講點整飛機, 又強逼人聽埋 d 平衡世界o既理/謬論. 呢方面, 真係非常差勁, 完全掩蓋晒技術上o既可取之處.

評分: 5/10

Thursday 5 March 2009

Golb 大戰 Schiffman

嘩, 做乜搞成咁? 真係奇事. Very 無厘頭喎.

==========================
DISTRICT ATTORNEY - NEW YORK COUNTY

NEWS RELEASE
March 5, 2009

Contact: Alicia Maxey Greene
212-335-9400

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau today announced the arrest of a 49-year-old man for creating multiple aliases to engage in a campaign of impersonation and harassment relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls and scholars of opposing viewpoints.

The defendant, RAPHAEL HAIM GOLB, was arrested on charges of identity theft, criminal impersonation and aggravated harassment. The crimes in the Criminal Court Complaint occurred during the period of July to December of 2008.

The investigation leading to today’s arrest revealed that GOLB engaged in a systematic scheme on the Internet, using dozens of Internet aliases, in order to influence and affect debate on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and in order to harass Dead Sea Scrolls scholars who disagree with his viewpoint. GOLB used computers at New York University (NYU) in an attempt to mask his true identity when conducting this Internet scheme. He gained access to NYU computers by virtue of being a graduate of the university, and having made donations to its library fund.

The investigation, which included a court-authorized search warrant that was executed this morning at GOLB’s apartment, began in response to a complaint by Lawrence Schiffman, Ph.D., that he was impersonated over the Internet. Dr. Schiffman is a NYU professor, chairman of the Hebrew & Judaic Studies Department and a leading scholar in the field of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In August 2008, Dr. Schiffman became subject to a campaign of impersonation and harassment through the Internet, by an anonymous individual. An investigation by the District Attorney’s Office revealed that this individual was GOLB, the son of Norman Golb, Ph.D., a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar who resides in Chicago. RAPHAEL GOLB used methods which were intended to maintain his anonymity, and opened an email account - larry.schiffman @ gmail.com - purportedly in Dr. Schiffman’s name and sent 11 emails to multiple NYU recipients, in which he pretended to be Dr. Schiffman, and purported to admit to plagiarism. Simultaneously, RAPHAEL GOLB, using other Internet aliases, sent emails to NYU personnel and administration accusing Dr. Schiffman of plagiarism, and created Internet blogs accusing Dr. Schiffman of plagiarism.

......

RAPHAEL GOLB, through his Internet aliases, promoted the theories of his father and criticized the theories of others. Frequently, he criticized the manner in which the Dead Sea Scrolls have been exhibited, for not giving sufficient attention to the theories of his father.

GOLB is charged with Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, which is punishable by up to 1⅓ to 4 years in prison; Identity Theft in the Third Degree, Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, Forgery in the Third Degree and Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, all class A misdemeanors, which are each punishable by up to 1 year in prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Manhattan Criminal Court.

The investigation is continuing.

......

==========================

Tuesday 3 March 2009

[Sunday School] Day 7: topic 4 part 1



Woo, I'm doing it. I had always wanted to talk about the Documentary Hypothesis in church. We'll see what happens...



Traditionally, Christians believe that it was Moses himself who wrote the Pentateuch. That was what I heard in Sunday School when I was younger. But then I saw some passages in the Pentateuch that don't seem like something that Moses would have written.



A quote that I found inspiring from a mystery novel. Instead of twisting the evidence to make it fit into our theories, why not change our view to better explain the evidence? Let's give it a try.



Before we talk about the Documentary Hypothesis, let's first take a look at a few strange passages. Take out a piece of paper, and try to answer these questions. Feel free to use your bible, let's make it open-book.

ANSWERS:











These are often used as examples of contradictions in the Pentateuch. What do you think? I encourage you to look at them more closely, and decide for yourself whether they're really contradictions, or stylistic inconsistencies. In any case, these are the data. What kind of a theory do we need to accommodate these data?

The Documentary Hypothesis is some scholars' attempt to make sense of these anomalies in the Pentateuch. Next week, I'll let you know what I think, and give an introduction to the Documentary Hypothesis. I don't presume that we must accept the DH, but it is something that we should know of.