MARC Stop

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Looking out the window from a MARC single-level coach at the West Baltimore stop on the Penn Line. Ah, the rowhouses of Baltimore.

Photo taken with an Aiptek Mini Pencam 1.3MP.

Rubenian Cultist Answers

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A follower of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, the Filipino cult that made headlines a few months ago for its bloody runs-in with the law, left a defense of his “Divine Master” in an old comments thread this morning. Apparently they are not a cult because they are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But hey, so is the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. Does that also make them the one true faith?

I don’t know why SEC registration is touted by so many Philippine cults as an automatic stamp of their “truth.” That doesn’t make their leader’s drug-crazed murdering spree any more right, nor does it in any way validate their false, misguided teachings. “Love and benevolence,” my foot. Maybe Peter cut off Malchus’ ear when the guards came to arrest Jesus, but the Lord stopped him and healed the ear, didn’t he? Ruben Ecleo did no such thing while his followers rained bullets on the police. He was probably too high on methamphetamines to even notice.

I’ve said everything I’ve had to say on the PBMA here. I stand by the true Word of Scripture, and I refuse to accept the ramblings of a fallible man, let alone a deluded criminal like Ruben Ecleo.

Change of Mind

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Gillian: Are you sure you won’t change your mind?

Spock: Is there something wrong with the one I have?

Heh heh. Just watched Star Trek IV again. What a funny romp through the park.

The End of the Affair

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We broke up two months ago, and since then, to make peace with her, I have had to make peace with myself. The end of the affair is this: Our callings and paths have grown too far apart, and I will not see her for years yet, so now we are friends, good friends, and will probably never be more than good friends ever again. I will hold the past eight years dear to my heart, and my heart and hands will always be open to her. But now, we must go down our separate ways as God leads.

It’s a sad, lonely, anticlimactic way to end a love which we and others cherished for so long; but when a heart is changed, how can love force it back to its old ways? As the song by Sting goes, If you love somebody / If you love someone / If you love somebody / If you love someone / Set them free / Free, free, set the-em free”

I’ve had two months to heal. No grudges, no regrets. This is life, and the pain is part of it. I would be less of a man for not feeling it, but now I will look forward.

This is my last melodramatic post on the topic. I’m okay, all’s well, Good Lord’s on his throne. Rejoice.

El Al Hijack

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Whoa. Looks like an Israeli-Arab tried to hijack an El Al plane bound for Istanbul from Tel Aviv. El Al is Israel’s major airline. Security guards on the plane overpowered the hijacker as he tried to storm the cockpit. Major news networks are all over it, but there’s nothing big on the web as of now. That’ll probably change in a few minutes.

AK 2735

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A dark hatchbacked car, possibly a Honda, license plate AK 2735, just crashed into the back of my housemate’s van 20 minutes ago, leaving a huge dent in the rear and scraping the whole side, and pushing the van clear forward into the two cars in front. I was awakened by the bang of impact, and managed to get the license plate as the driver sped off in a none too sober fashion, right side of the car completely totalled.

The police are downstairs now. Hopefully they’ll find this loon before s/he kills someone. I only wish I had gotten the exact make of the car and state on the license plate.

Update: Neighbor next door saw the driver: white female. Probably some loaded partygoer fresh out of Fells Point. The police have come and gone, and we are left with a dented van and a souvenir from the perp: a large hunk of plastic from the front of her car which was left on the road by the van.

I’m drinking some hot apple cider and reading up on vi basics to soothe my nerves before I settle back into bed. What a town. What. a. town.

I, Erasmus

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What theologian am I? Apparently I am Desiderius Erasmus: You have great love for others and will do just about anything to show it to them. You are tolerant and avoid confrontations, so people generally are drawn to you. You are more quiet and reserved in front of strangers, but around some people you open up. When things get tough, you like to meditate alone. Unfortunately you often get things like “what a pansy,” or “you’re such a liberal.”

I wouldn’t go so far down the path of “tolerance” as to be identified as a “pansy,” but the rest of it is me to a tee. Imagine that. Me, likened to that left-leaning scholarly monk of the medieval Roman Church who planted the seed that Luther watered.

So which Christian theologian are you?

Ripley’s Reeboks

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Just watched Aliens for the first time in a looong time. Definitely the best in the whole series. Did anyone notice in the cargo robot finale that Ripley’s shoes were Reeboks?

The Justice League

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This new Justice League cartoon is pretty darn good — but more than a bit dark; not for the little kiddies unless they’re significantly jaded. I’m a bit confused about geography, though: Superman works in Metropolis, and Batman in Gotham City, so where are these guys doing their stuff? And where do they find time to fight crime on their own?

And where’s Maritess?