#is he saying this to v1 or a virtue its up to you | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

muzzleroars · 1 year

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your blog is like a finite library where i continue to stumble upon beautiful things

thank you for your thoughts

as of the ask - how would you imagine fraud and characters in it, if you can picture it at all? between all three of the upcoming layers, this one is the most eluding one of their description, so it's always interesting to see different opinions on it

thank you so much! your art is genuinely such an inspiration, i'm always so happy to see a new piece from you and so i wanted to thank you as well for sharing your work

fraud is a very interesting layer in the inferno, with its set up being somewhat unique compared to many of the others as it consists of ten pits of torment that cover a pretty broad range of sinners. what stands out to me about it as an environment though is that it is within the walls of dis and it is a ruined city, with massive amounts of crumbling or simply destroyed architecture. this is sort of my basis for how i envision fraud and although i'm likely way off base, i think it could be interesting to see a transition in aesthetics in general past heresy.

heresy itself marks the first layer in dis, the city that consumes the lower layers of hell, and it's interesting to note the highly architectural environments it presents in game - the gothic cathedral is sharp and commanding, very much having a presence in itself. i would love to see more city-like environments included, but ones that have a distinct, alien feeling compared to those of the lust layer as they are not made by humans, it's architecture meant to torment, to enclose and to sicken, and i enjoy fraud being the pinnacle of this before it gives way to an utterly barren treachery. but importantly, i want to see the decay of fraud, to see its twisted form nearly incomprehensible in its destruction. once there stood buildings difficult for the mind to conceive, but those fell centuries ago and the damage of so many souls suddenly filling what's left of its skeletal remains only ruined them further. fully understanding and taking advantage of all the ways it can move is now vital to v1, some areas near impossible to traverse as no comprehensible paths exist (if they ever did). it would be a very tiered layer, with v1 sometimes having to ascend into different bolgia in order to make its progress - i just like the idea of playing a lot with movement and creative thinking (+ some help from explosives) to find paths forward. overall, i want the sense that this was a city but it's impossible to say anything beyond that, what's left all jarring to the senses and nearly overwhelming to look at (especially again to contrast it with treachery, a blank, unending void that barely has a single thing the eyes can find purchase on).

following that, however, i think fraud will really do something to emphasize the blindness of hell - like several people have pointed out by now, many beings lack eyes in hell, but i think the most important of these have been the angels. virtues have their eyes removed (or they simply vanish) upon descending into hell while gabriel's helmet appears sightless as well, and we now know this is likely due to god being so ashamed of it he wants no one to actually behold it. this makes fraud quite interesting for a couple reasons: in the inferno, the lower layers mark the beginning of sinners wishing for no one to lay eyes upon them as they are so humiliated by their state and who they were in life to place them so deep into hell. they attempt to hide their identities, they sometimes do not give their names, and this becomes incredibly apparent in fraud. additionally, fraud is a sin of deceit, many of the sinners there those that worked in secret to do harm, meaning even in life they wished to go unseen. so i very much think that the sightless nature of hell will be worked in deeply - i would be interested in all the husks and demons here to be without eyes, with only the machines remaining to see it. this is also another reason why i want fraud to be so difficult to look at - it doesn't want to be seen, it begs not to be perceived and it never should be. before it was only the angels that all had their eyes taken, but so deep into the layers nothing may see, everything must be sightless lest it see a world so painful and so hideous, so ugly and so embarrassing to god.

so my ideas are very much based around the actual source material of the inferno, but i do think fraud could make for some really interesting architecture. and i would sort of like to see a husk/husks that seem adapted to living in such a bizarre place, a lot like the stalkers with forms now made for vertical ascents and clawing their way over ruins, possibly translucent like so many animals that live without sun in the deep sea (not to riff too much on wrath lol). i guess in a sense it really is like those trenches or subterranean cave networks - alien and unsettling, difficult to traverse with its grotesque geography, and suited to life totally unlike that above it. fraud is a place that wants to hide, but ironically it exists as one of the most expansive layers in all of hell.

#very much just into the idea of hell getting increasingly hectic #until v1 hits the neverending wastes of treachery #but fraud i think has the potential to be REALLY neat imo #and i know whatever they do with it it'll be super interesting!#it's just such a massive layer i think it has a lot to offer #cake answers

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

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i always wonder just how much of v1-3 ozpin was Ozma the spirit and Ozpin the person. the fandom really likes to pretend that these two are one in the same but we never got any confirmation that Ozma takes over his host body or the two merge into one person, there are some scenes where im 100% sure its Ozma talking (the mistakes speech, giving ruby that pep talk about leadership) but then theres things like letting them do that mission they were unqualified for that i think were Ozpin (1/2)

I’m astounded we haven’t gotten confirmation about what exactly the merge entails and how it works because that is crucial to both conflicts RWBY itself has introduced and how fans read related scenes. In regards to the first, Oscar’s entire conflict is “omg I’m getting swallowed up by this other person.” He’s terrified of losing himself and thus far the show hasn’t confirmed or denied whether that fear is founded. So far, I’d argue that there’s more evidence for Ozma and his current host remaining individuals throughout their co-habitation - the First Host spoke to Ozma years later while he was with Salem, Oscar has now fully come into Ozma’s magic while maintaining his own personality, etc. - but we don’t actually know. More importantly, Oscar doesn’t know. Is the story ever going to let Ozpin talk to him and say, “Oh no. You won’t actually lose yourself” or are we just going to drop that conflict entirely, leaving Oscar indefinitely in his Volume Six Argus perspective of “Well, I’m assuming I might ‘die’ at any moment and become an Ozma amalgamation, but who cares about that anymore now that I’ve agreed to stop talking about it and focus on helping you instead?”

In regards to the second issue, the Oscar-Ozma separation is arguably a significant part of Ironwood shooting him. I’ve seen a lot (a lot at lot lol) of explanations along the lines of, “Ironwood hates Ozpin so he was never shooting Oscar. Just Ozpin” but... what evidence is there for that? Ignoring the “Ironwood hates Ozpin” argument which I fundamentally don’t agree with, as you say, Ironwood knows about the merge. He should understand that they’re separate people in as much as anyone understands it. Now here’s Oscar, being Oscar, speaking to him as Oscar, even confirming at the start of their conversation that he’s still Oscar and not Ozpin. So... what? Ironwood’s unfounded hatred for Ozpin is so strong it literally blinds him the fact that this isn’t him and he’s just delusional? Ironwood despises Ozpin so much and cares so little for a kid thrown into this war that he’ll shoot both, not caring who is currently in control? None of it makes sense. A clear explanation regarding the merge wouldn’t erase the OOC stupidity of that choice, but it would at least provide some boundaries for trying to explain/defend it. Saying “Ironwood thinks that’s Ozpin” doesn’t work when the show has shown us a clear separation between the two, given Ironwood all the information we have (arguably more), and hasn’t bothered to explain whether that separation is ever likely to change. Now, if we (and by extension Ironwood at some point after joining the inner circle) had been told, “Yes, you will lose your individuality and become one with me at some point” then we’d have some justification for making assumptions about Ironwood’s assumptions. Maybe he does think that’s Ozpin, currently lying to him and pretending to be Oscar. Still flimsy, but at least there’d be some evidence for that reading.

Sadly, this isn’t a cool character detail or backstory that ultimately has no bearing on the present plot. This impacts two main characters. It impacts every other main character by virtue of them traveling together. This merge is at the heart of the story’s primary conflict: the reason Ozpin is still on Remnant, a thousand years later, fighting the battle Team RWBY will presumably win. RT’s decision, for two volumes now (if not the whole series) to introduce such a significant aspect of the tale and then not firmly establish its boundaries is... not good. It’s even worse that 75% of the time we could have gotten an explanation wasn’t available because of the “RWBYJNR hates Ozpin and will not try talking to him” setup. It’s going to be frustrating if the only reason we didn’t get clarification earlier, when we needed it, was because of a silly, OOC (no one in this group was willing to try and talk to Oz?), two volume dismissal that thus far hasn’t accomplished anything. Has the group at least learned something in Ozpin’s absence? They have not. Maybe we will get an explanation now that he’s back - we should, even if it’s late - but I fear this is another cool concept of RT’s that they haven’t bothered to think through, let alone plan how those details should impact their story. Deciding whether two characters will remain two characters and whether one character will learn this after agonizing over it for four volumes, making it his primary (and frankly only) point of growth is definitely important.

#rwby #rwde #mymetas

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madewithonerib · 4 years

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Is ‘Faith’ the ‘Gift of GOD’?

Ephesians 2:8-10 | ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, & this not from yourselves; it is the gift of GOD, ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are GOD’s workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance as our way of life.

Introduction

Ephesians 2:8-10 is well-known as Paul’s doctrine of salvation in miniature.

Reformed Evangelicals love this passage, using it to explain what sits at the heart of the GOSPEL —the relationship between grace, faith, & works in salvation.

J C Ryle was converted simply by hearing it read in Church.

It’s a key passage in the popular Just For Starters: Seven Basic BIBLE Studies.

Many of us have put together the puzzle of ‘grace’, ‘faith’ & ‘works’ from Ephesians 2:8-10.

The paradigm ‘Not Saved By Works But For Works’ is a vital component of the excellent ‘Christianity Explained’ course, & rests on this passage.

Indeed, the current de-emphasis on this in some circles blunts the cutting edge of the GOSPEL.

Background

I grew up Roman Catholic, wondering how I could be good enough for GOD.

Then at university an MTS worker did Just For Starters with me.

We opened the BIBLE, & in that hut at Kensington, I got GOD’s grace. I realized that my acceptance before GOD at the judgement is not based on my goodness or moral effort, but on GOD’s goodness & JESUS’ moral effort.

I discovered that I’m saved, not by good works, but for good works.

GOD even gave me the faith that joins me up to JESUS.

GOD predestined the good works that HE has now given me to do.

This little passage became the reason to find a Protestant Church, go to beach mission, & arrogantly share the GOSPEL of free grace.

Even now, I continually return to this beautiful simplicity, because I’ve never graduated beyond my debt to grace, no matter what I think I’ve achieved.

As Theodoret said, ‘I own myself wretched—aye, thrice wretched.

I am guilty of many errors.

Through faith alone I look for finding some mercy in the day of the LORD's appearing.’[1]

A Disconcerting Surprise

However, I came to discover with surprise & disappointment that many didn’t understand these verses ‘my’ way. Reading commentaries & learning Greek revealed that—in technical language—the demonstrative translated ‘this�� [v8] is neuter, but the noun for ‘faith’ is ‘feminine’.

For my naive view to stand, they should agree—but they don’t. My Greek textbook declared, ‘On a grammatical level, then, it is doubtful that either “faith” or “grace” is the antecedent of [touto].’[2] Was this the death knell to my beloved understanding of Ephesians 2:8-10?

Other Questions

Further reflection yielded other questions. For example, v.9 doesn’t say ‘good works’ but ‘works’—the adjective ‘good’ is only found in v.10. So are ‘works’ [v9] the same as ‘good works’ [v10]? Are the works we are saved for different from those we are not saved by? Many say ‘yes’. Some limit the non-saving ‘works’ to ‘pre-baptismal’ ones, but then say that ‘post-baptismal’ works actually do save us. Or does v.9 merely exclude from saving efficacy ‘ceremonial works’ or ‘Jewish boundary markers’? So are we saved by ‘good works’ after all?

Furthermore, in Ephesians, Paul doesn’t use the ‘justify’ words at all—although Protestants often assume it does. Is it a sound assumption? And what about the relationship between ‘not from yourselves’ [v8] & ‘not from works’ [v9]? What could it mean to say that ‘faith’ is ‘not from works’? And is it true to say that GOD has predestined our specific & individual ‘good works’? After all, the divine pre-preparation may simply have been GOD commanding them.

I don’t want to imply that I experienced some terrible existential crisis. I knew that other passages taught that our believing response to GOD is enabled by GOD if this one didn’t [see e.g. Acts 5:31, 11:18, 13:48, 16:14]. But that didn’t mean I was eager to surrender a reading that had been so important to my early faith. And now I believe that there are good reasons to think that my naive understanding was right after all.

First, Classical Greek literature, the Septuagint, & the NT, provide evidence that ‘this’ can indeed refer to ‘faith’. There are 15[3] certain or highly probable examples of this rule—ten in the classical literaturę[4], four in the Septuagint[5], & one in the Greek NT[6].

Second, many ancient exegetes take it that way. As Abraham Kuyper observes:

I can confirm Kuyper’s assertion. Only a minority of ancient commentators associate ‘this’ exclusively with salvation[8], eight ancient exegetes specifically assert that ‘this’ refers back to a feminine noun in Ephesians 2:8-9, seven taking touto to refer to ‘faith’ [Chrysostom[9], Jerome[10], Augustine[11], Theodoret[12], Fulgentius[13], Œcumenius[14], Theophylact[1][15]], & one taking it to refer to ‘grace’ [John of Damascus[16]]. These interpreters were either native Greek speakers or, in the case of Jerome & Fulgentius, Latin speakers of undoubted Greek ability, or, in the case of Augustine, the greatest extant theologian of the first Millennium.This is doubly important because the ancient Greek-speaking exegetes themselves were inclined to see faith as a human work. They thought human free-will had a controlling place in salvation, & that predestination was simply GOD foreseeing human virtue. Their exegetical decisions thus were generally in spite of, rather than because of, their theological commitments.In contrast with the ancients, most modern interpreters believe the ‘gift of GOD’ is the concept ‘salvation by grace through faith’. This is quite acceptable in terms of grammar. Calvin[17] adopted it, & is followed by ‘the great majority of modern commentators’[18]. Only three ‘modern’ commentators agree with the incumbent ancient understanding, & they all died last century![19] However, 19th century Greek grammars, steeped in the Classical literature from which Koinē Greek developed, articulate the rule that a neuter demonstrative can refer back to a masculine or feminine word[20]. Modern commentators sometimes acknowledge this.

Expository Considerations [Ephesians 2:1-10] The trajectory of verses 1-7 is not that humans under sin are sick & impaired but dead & enslaved. We were ‘dead’ in our ‘transgressions & sins’ [v1], & Paul includes himself with us in that plight [v5]. Every human at one time has walked according to the world, the flesh, & the devil [vv2-3], & this requires that GOD must make us alive in CHRIST [v5] if we are to exercise faith [v8]. The clause ‘by grace you are saved’ explains ‘he made us alive with CHRIST JESUS’ [v5]. So ‘making alive’ is part of GOD’s salvation by grace. ‘By grace you are saved’ appears again [v8], but a new, human element is introduced—‘through faith.’ This makes it more likely that the new element, ‘faith’, is the subject of v.9. That is, Paul has already explained that clause [vv5-7]. But the new element, ‘through faith’ [v8] most needed the explanation of verses 8-9. Lest his readers think faith is some independent action on the part of the subject, the Apostle puts it more starkly—‘faith’ is in one sense ‘not from ourselves’, though from another perspective, ‘faith’ is obviously from ourselves. And if ‘faith’ is the gift of GOD, so too is ‘grace’ & ‘salvation’. It cannot be otherwise. As Œcumenius said, ‘for us to believe [is the] gift of GOD, & to be saved through faith [is the] gift of GOD’.[21] It is not ‘either/or’ but ‘both/and’.

The Eastern theological tradition considers that the divine cause of faith is adequately explained by GOD’s initiative-taking in the incarnation & GOSPEL-preaching [Romans 10:14; Chrysostom; Œcumenius]. This leaves room for free-will in the scheme of salvation, where grace is ‘fellow-worker’ [synergos] with free-will. It is synergistic.

By contrast, mature Augustinianism holds that the impulse by which we seek GOD is itself given to us by GOD.[22] ‘[W]e receive, without any merit of our own, that from which everything … has its beginning— that is, faith itself.’[23] Likewise, Fulgentiussays ‘and, since this faith is divinely enabled, it is without doubt bestowed by his free generosity’.[24] It is not only the divine invitation to, but the divine enablement of, faith, that more accurately accords with faith being ‘the gift of GOD’.

Meanwhile, the Eastern tradition tends to take ‘not from works’ to refer to salvation—even though it takes ‘the gift of GOD’ to be ‘faith’.[25] However, we might consider that ‘faith’ is ‘not from works’ in that no works merit the divine granting of faith. Works are not a condition of the gift of faith. This is how Augustine reads it: ‘And again, lest they should say they deserved so great a gift by their works, he immediately added, “Not of works, lest any man should boast”.’[26]

What Works? What ‘works’ is Paul talking about? Barclay rightly says that the ‘works’ of v.9 are ‘moral achievements’, & should not be limited to Jewish practices & cultural markers. [27] Even if we did see ‘works’ [v9] as essentially equivalent to the expression ‘works of the law’ in Romans & Galatians, the ‘works of the law’ would still be ‘good works’, as the stipulations of the law of Moses are ‘holy, righteous, & good’ [Romans 7:12]. And what the law brings is not a ‘knowledge of Jewishness’ but a ‘knowledge of sin’ [Romans 3:20]. ‘Works of the law’ requires human achievement, because ‘doing’ is the basis of justification by law [Romans 2:12-13, 7:10, 10:5; Leviticus 18:5]. The ‘works’ promised to be rewarded at the judgement with eternal life for those who have not sinned but have done the law are ‘good works’ [Romans 2:6-7, 12-13]. So ‘works’ [v9] should not be distinguished from ‘good works’ [v10], or limited to pre-conversion works, ethnic boundary markers, or ceremonial Jewish works. ‘Works’ are ‘human achievements’, ‘human effort’, ‘good works’, plain & simple. These ‘good works’ are the purpose of our creation in CHRIST JESUS—not its basis. Photius of Constantinople, taking ‘works’ [v9] & ‘good works’ [v10] as effectively the same, observes:

‘Standing us apart from good deeds’ can only be a reference to ‘not from works’ [v9]. Photius thus equates ‘good deeds’ with ‘works’. Though we have been created for good works, we have done nothing good.[29] Thus, Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches that we are not given saving faith by good works, but with the purpose that we do good works. The works that we are not saved by, these very same works we are saved for. ‘Good works are never the cause of salvation but ought to be its fruit’.[30]

v. 10 also teaches that GOD has prepared beforehand these ‘good works’. The prefix pro— is used in Ephesians 1:4, 5, 9, 11 to connote a divine decree before the foundation of the world. Giving pro— the same meaning in Ephesians 2:10, means that GOD predestined & prepared the specific good works to those to whom he gives faith. The good works do not derive from the believer as they are planned & purposed by GOD, & therefore they cannot be said to merit salvation or faith. Unsurprisingly, the word translated ‘prepared beforehand’ also appears in Romans 9:23, in a context which suggests divine predestination.

Interestingly, Paul doesn’t use ‘justification’ terminology at all in these verses. The closest we get to it is ‘seated with CHRIST’ in the heavenlies—clearly a positional category [v6]. This is important, reminding us that ‘salvation’ is a broader idea that can encompass other teachings such as predestination, regeneration, sanctification, & rescue from punishment, whereas ‘to justify’ is a more limited forensic category meaning ‘to declare righteous’.

Conclusion The elderly Bishop Augustine effectively united the majority Eastern exegesis of Ephesians 2:8-10 with a theological underpinning that gave this exegesis its natural home. Augustine’s rejection of the near universal view of predestination according to foreseen virtue & embracing of absolute predestination made him the first thorough-going monergist. His soteriology was more consonant with the interpretation of Ephesians 2:8-9 found in the East.

Regarding ‘faith’ as the ‘gift of GOD’ in Ephesians 2:8-9 has ample support to merit the label ‘catholic’, even if the mature Augustinian doctrine of predestination does not.[31]

Learning these things from both the Eastern & Western exegetical traditions concerning Ephesians 2:8-10 enables us to be ‘more Calvinistic than Calvin’, who thought it an error to say that ‘faith’ was the gift here. But it is quite acceptable according to the rules of Greek syntax. Our modern grammars & commentaries should be revised to reflect that reality.

au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-faith-the-gift-of-god-reading-ephesians-28-10-with-the-ancients/

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z3norear · 4 years

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12 Oct 2005 - 'OBSECRO TE' 'O INTIMERATA'

I BESEECH YOU O IMMACULATE VIRGIN

I beseech you, BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, HOLY LADY, MOTHER OF GOD,most full of piety, daughter of the greatest King, most glorious mother, mother of orphans, consolation of the desolate, the way for those who stray, salvation for those who hope in you, VIRGIN before giving birth, VIRGIN while giving Birth,VIRGIN after giving Birth,fountain of pity,fountain of salvation and GRACE,fountain of PIETY and JOY, fountain of consolation and kindness,

THE PRAYER THEN INVOKES THE VIRGIN'S HELP BY REMINDING HER OF THE JOYFUL ROLE SHE PLAYED IN THE INCARNATION;

through that HOLY, unutterable joy with which your spirit rejoiced in that hour when the SON of GOD was announced to you by the ARCHANGEL GABRIEL and was concieved, and through that DIVINE MYSTERY, that was then worked by the HOLY SPIRIT; and through that HOLY unutterable PIETY, GRACE, MERCY, LOVE and HUMILITY through which your SON descended to accept human flesh in your most venerable womb and which he saw in you when he commended you to STJOHN THE APOSTLE and Evangelist and when he exalted you over the ANGELS and ARCHANGEL; and through that HOLY inestimable humility in which you responded to the ARCHANGEL GABRIEL,' Behold the handmaiden of the LORD, Be it done unto me according to thy word'and through those most HOLY fifteen joys that you had in your SON. Our LORD JESUS CHRIST;

THE PRAYER THEN MOVES ON TO THE VIRGIN'S SORROWS AND THE ROLE SHE PLAYED IN CHRIST PASSION;

And through that HOLY, GREAT compassion and that most bitter sorrow in your heart that you had when you saw your SON,our LORD JESUS CHRIST; nude and lifted up on the cross, hanging, crucified, wounded, thirsty

but served gall and vinegar, and you heard him cry 'ELI' and you saw HIM dying; and through the five wounds; and through the sorrow that you had when you saw HIM wounded; and through the fountains with all the saints and elect of GOD, come and hasten to my aid and counsel, in all my prayers and requests, in all my will say, that i will think, in everyday, night , hour,and moment of my life. And secure for me, your servant' from your esteemed SON the fulness of all MERCY AND CONSOLATION, ALL COUNSEL AND AID, all help, all blessings and sanctification, all salvation, PEACE,and PROSPERITY, all joy and gladness, and an abundance of everythinggood for the SPIRIT and the body, and the GRACE of yhe HOLY SPIRIT, so that he might set all things in good order for me, guard my soul, rule and protect my body, lift up my mind, direct my course, preserve my senses, control my ways, approve my actions, fulfill my wishes and desire, instill HOLY thoughts, FORGIVE THE EVILS I HAVE DONE IN THE PAST,correct those of the present, temper those of the future, grant me an honest and honorable life, and grant me victory over all the adversities of this world, and true peace for my SPIRIT and body, good hope, charity, and faith, chastity, humility, and patience, rule and protect my five bodily senses, make me fulfill THE SEVEN WORKS OF MERCY; TO FEED THE HUNGRY, TO GIVE DRINKS TO THE THIRSTY, TO CLOTHE THE NAKED, TO HARBOR THE STRANGER, TO VISIT THE SICK, TO MINISTER TO PRISONER,,AND TO BURY THE DEAD,make me firmly beleive in and hold to THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF FAITH; 1~I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH 11~AND IN JESUS CHRIST HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD 111~WHO WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT,BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY 1V~SUFFERED UNDER PONTIOUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED DIED AND WAS BURIED V~HE DESCENDED INTO HELL; THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD V1~HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN; SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY V11~FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD V111~ I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT 1X~THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS X~THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS X1~THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY X11~LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN.,AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE LAW, 1 I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. 2~YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN. 3~REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. 4~HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER. 5~ YOU SHALL NOT KILL. 6~ YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. 7~ YOU SHALL NOT STEAL. 8~YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINTS YOUR NEIGHBOR. 9~ YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBORS WIFE. 10~YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBORS GOODS., and from THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS; 1 PRIDE; an exaggerated opinion of ones own worth. 2 AVARICE; an immoderate desire for earthly goods. 3 LUST; a desire for impure pleasures. 4 ANGER; an inordinate feeling or expression of displeasure, resentment over anothers superior attainments, endowments or possessions. 7 SLOTH; laziness or carelessness in doing right and in practicing virtue, because of the necessary efforts attached to it.,keep me free and defend me until my end. THE PRAYER ENDS WITH ITS MOST MOVING REQUEST; And at the end of my life show me your face, and reveal to me the day and hour of my death. PLEASE HEAR AND RECEIVE THIS HUMBLE PRAYER AND GRANT ME ETERNAL LIFE. LISTEN AND HEAR ME BLESSED IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY, SWEETEST VIRGIN, MOTHER OF GOD AND OF MERCY. AMEN.

SINS AGAINTS THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. Presumption of saving oneself without merit.

2. Despair of ones salvation (of GOD'S MERCY)

3. Resisting truths which have been made known to us.

4 Envy of anothers spiritual good.

5. Obstinacy in sin

6. Final impenitence

PRAYERS; THE RAISING OF OUR MINDS AND HEARTS TO GOD.

1. TO ADORE HIM

2. TO THANK HIM

3. TO ASK HIS PARDON FOR OUR SINS

4. TO ASK HIM FOR GRACES FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS

THE CHRISTIAN IS INDEED CALLED TO PRAY WITH OTHERS, BUT HE MUST ALSO ENTER INTO HIS BEDROOM TO PRAY TO HIS FATHER IN SECRET; FURTHERMORE, ACCORDING TO THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLE, HE MUST PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. (CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY, 12)

SINS CRYING TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE

1. ABORTION~SUPPORT FATHER FRANK PAVONES OF THE PRIESTS FOR LIFE PRO~LIFE MOVEMENT.

2. WILLFUL MURDER.

4.OPPRESSION OF THE POOR.

5.DISHONESTY IN WAGE PAYMENTS TO WORKERS.

NINE WAYS OF AIDING ANOTHER IN SIN

1. COUNSELLING OR ADVISING ANOTHER TO SIN.

2. COMMANDING ANOTHER TO SIN.

3.PROVOKING ANOTHER TO SIN.

4. CONSENTING TO ANOTHERS SIN.

5. SHOWING ANOTHER HOW TO SIN.

6. PRAISING ANOTHERS SIN

7. CONCEALING, REMAINING SILENT ABOUT, DOING NOTHING TO PREVENT ANOTHERS SIN.

8. TAKING PART IN, OR ENJOYING THE RESULTS OF, ANOTHERS SIN,

9. DEFENDING ANOTHERS SIN.

REVELATION 7:17

THE ANGEL SAID,"DO NOT HARM THE EARTH, THE SEA OR THE TREES, UNTIL WE MARKED THE SERVANTS OF OUR GOD WITH A SEAL ON THEIR FOREHEADS"4 AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WERE MARKED WITH GOD'S SEAL ON THEIR FOREHEADS WAS 144,000.

REVELATION 8:13

THEN I SAW THE SEVEN ANGELS WHO STAND BEFORE GOD, AND THEY WERE GIVEN SEVEN TRUMPHETS.3 ANOTHER ANGEL, WHO HAD A GOLD INCENSE CONTAINER, CAME AND STOOD AT THE ALTAR. HE WAS GIVEN A LOT OF INCENSE TO ADD TO THE PRAYERS OF ALL GOD'S PEOPLE AND TO OFER IT ON THE GOLD ALTAR THAT STANDS BEFORE THE THRONE. 4 THE SMOKE OF THE BURNING INCENSE WENT UP WITH THE PRAYERS OF GOD'S PEOPLE FROM THE HANDS OF THE ANGEL STANDING BEFORE GOD. THEN THE ANGEL TOOK THE INCENSE CONTAINER , FILLED IT WITH FIRE FROM THE ALTAR AND THREW IT ON THE EARTH. THERE WERE RUMBLINGS AND PEALS OF THUNDER, FLASHES OF LIGHTNING AND AN EARTHQUAKE

REVELATION 14;20

HONOR GOD AND PRAISE HIS GREATNESS!!!!!!! FOR THE TIME HAS COME FOR HIM TO JUDGE ALL PEOPLE.

REVELATION 7:12

WORSHIP HIM WHO MADE HEAVEN, EARTH, SEA, AND THE SPRING OF WATER!

PRAISE, GLORY, WISDOM, THANKSGIVING, HONOR, POWER AND MIGHT BELONG TO OUR GOD FOREVER AND EVER!!!AMEN.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE; IN THE ESSENCE OF TIME; THIS IS THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.

MAY THE GOD OF PEACE LIFT UP OUR HEARTS, NOURISH OUR HOPE AND GUIDE OUR STEPS ON THE PATHS OF THE WORLD

O BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PRAY FOR US , THAT WE MAY RECEIVE JESUS WORTHILY INTO OUR HEARTS!!!

~ZEN~

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theseventhhex · 6 years

Text

Makeness Interview

Kyle Molleson

Photo by Dexter Lander

It’s the contrasts which stand out in Makeness‘(aka Kyle Molleson) music. Crafting tracks which make a virtue of disparate influences, Kyle manages to pull off something difficult: making tirelessly-crafted songs which sound loose-limbed and to-the-point. He comes from a Leeds-born scene which, counting Adult Jazz and Glad Hand amongst its numbers, haven’t pegged themselves to one musical discipline. That network of like-minded friends, and the restless ethos cultivated between them, continues to shape the music Kyle makes on his own. His debut album, ‘Loud Patterns’, is the fullest example of this yet. On the one hand, it’s noticeably indebted to house and techno; there are 4/4 rhythms, and a no-nonsense directness which nods to the likes of Omar-S and Theo Parrish. On the other hand, those dancefloor structures are a vehicle for a wider spectrum of sounds. Channelling avant-garde experimentalism and an outsider’s interest in pop, he embraces the distance between those two poles… We talk to Kyle about tricky vocals, skating and Bill Murray…

TSH: How would you sum up the soundscapes that you wanted to imply with ‘Loud Patterns’ and the natural compulsions coming into play for you?

Kyle: I wanted to create a record that sounded quite live but still had the pulse and mechanism of electronic music. I seem to gravitate towards quite heavy and intense sounds so having a balance of sweeter moments and moodier, darker ideas was quite important when I was making the record.

TSH: When you’re creating music, do you consciously pick the emotions or moods you try and capture, or do the songs unfold more organically?

Kyle: I usually have half an idea of what mood I’d like to instil. For instance the track ‘The Bass Rock’ started off as just messing around with sequences with not much direction. I was home in Scotland for Christmas at the time and we went for a walk in East Lothian overlooking this island called The Bass Rock. The weather went from really sunny and calm to torrential gale in a matter minutes and you could see the storm front coming in over the Island. I took that experience and wove it into the track.

TSH: Were there certain songs that required quite a few iterations to get right during the recording process?

Kyle: Yeah, the ones with vocals were really tricky. I wasn’t quite sure about doing any singing at all, especially writing songs. The more I challenged myself to do it the more I warmed to it though. Still, getting that right took a lot of time as well figuring out what my voice was and what I wanted to share. Lots of firsts!

TSH: What do you mostly like about the idea of combining live instrumentation and mechanised electronics?

Kyle: It’s all just ingredients so I don’t always think of the two being separate. It’s all about the drums though so as soon as you start mixing acoustic and electronic drums sounds it becomes pretty blurry. My favourite thing to do is probably making programmed drums sound like live kit recordings. Very time consuming but I really like it as a sound.

TSH: You’ve talked about making this album a piece, rather than a collection of ideas, how challenging was this for you?

Kyle: It was quite hard. I spent a lot of time honing the sound palette so to speak. I used lots of different kinds of sound sources from old analogue synths, plate reverbs and acoustic drums through to digital drum vst’s and modern effects. I ran everything through the same mixer and would re amp a lot of the synthetic sounds through a guitar amp to give the whole record a certain colour.

TSH: With the track ‘Stepping Out of Sync’, were you looking to evoke a certain mood?

Kyle: That track took a long time to get right. In my head I saw it as writing a pop song; it has all the caveats, but also perhaps shows that I’m a little uncomfortable within that genre.

TSH: Which parts/features would you say required most focus as you formed ‘Day Old Death’?

Kyle: There’s a little break about a 3rd of the way through that took a while to get right. I wanted to have some really heavy industrial sounds but without it being out of context. It was a case of adding some of that heaviness to the lead up that makes it work I think.

TSH: What led you to gravitating to having some warped vocals too?

Kyle: I started off using my voice as an effect, pitching it around and making little melody phrases out of it. When I started actually singing I kept doing that sort of thing. I quite like doing some ridiculously modern sounding vocal effect then recording it to tape or through a guitar amp.

TSH: Does the melody and harmony that you incorporate in part come from the folk music your father used to play?

Kyle: Yeah, definitely. It was a big part of the music I was exposed to growing up. The importance of live music in that sort of world has definitely influenced me as I have gone down a more electronic music path.

TSH: What sort of effect do you look to infer when you attempt to humanise some of the sounds?

Kyle: I think when you’re making music on your own; each sound can be worked over a lot and become quite important to you. I found running everything through the same devices once the tracks had been finished really helped to place everything properly. Taking synthetic sounds and giving them some real world context, recording them in the room back through microphones, helped place everything in the sound world I had imagined.

TSH: What was the experience like in performing in a church in Oslo recently?

Kyle: That was great. A little odd for sure though. The whole place was full but everyone was sitting on pews in silence when I went up to play.

TSH: Do you still make time to skate when you can?

Kyle: Ha, yeah I do try. I used to skate loads but now I’m more than happy cruising the bowl and with a few front tails. It was amazing to skate in America though. My 16 year old self would have been stoked.

TSH: What was going through your mind when Bill Murray walked past you?

Kyle: Ha! I was at the airport and took a double take. I was making some crunchy techno at the time which is now called Bill Murray V1.

TSH: Finally, in the wake of ‘Loud Patterns’, can you tell us some of the most important lessons and factors that you’ve taken away in working on this record?

Kyle: First thought, best thought!

Makeness - “Day Old Death”

Makeness - “Stepping Out of Sync”

Loud Patterns

#Interview #Makeness #Kyle Molleson

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smartphone-store-california-blog · 7 years

Text

Pixel smartphone upgrade highlights Google push into hardware

SAN FRANCISCO, US: Google last week unveiled new versions of its Pixel best smartphone store in california, the highlight of a refreshed line aimed at weaving artificial intelligence deeper into modern lives.

Google software and artificial intelligence were common threads in the gamut of new devices it unveiled to step up its challenge on the hardware front to rivals such as Apple and Amazon

The new Pixel 2 and larger Pixel 2 XL are the first Google-made phones to be released since the California tech giant announced the acquisition of key segments of Taiwan-based electronics group HTC.

The upgraded smartphones will be available for order as of Wednesday in six countries starting at $649 for five-inch display Pixel 2, and $849 for the six-inch Pixel 2 XL.

The new aluminium-body smartphones along with Google's upgraded connected speakers and new laptop computer all aim to infuse artificial intelligence to make the devices more user-friendly, built around the Google Assistant - the rival to Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and others.

Google vice president Rick Osterloh said Google's new devices "are simple to use and they anticipate your needs."

Osterloh told the product launch event in San Francisco: "You interact with your devices naturally with your voice or by touching them."

UNITED STATES

New Google earbuds offer real-time translation feature

SAN FRANCISCO, US: Google on Wednesday introduced new Pixel earbuds that the company says are capable of real-time translation of conversations in different languages...

3 days ago

Google, by bringing in a team of engineers from HTC, aims to emulate the success of Apple iPhones by controlling the hardware as well as the software used in the premium-priced handsets.

The revamped camera in the smartphone retains a single lens but seeks to improve images via "computational photography," an artificial intelligence tool that can enhance pictures.

Analyst Ian Fogg of IHS Markit said in a tweet that the new smartphone "adds incremental improvements on the great v1" while noting that "Google's challenge is to solve production limits which hurt the original."

Fogg said the use of computation to improve images with a single lens "is technically impressive."

Google announced a slimmed down version of its connected speaker called Google Home Mini starting at $49 in the United States, stepping up its challenge to market leader Amazon.

The new Google Home Mini is available for pre-order in the seven countries where the device is offered and will go on sale in stores October 19, the company said.

SOUTH AFRICA

#EntrepreneurMonth: Persistence propels businesses forward

Sabelo Sibanda and Thulisile Volwana are the founders of Millbug, an electronics manufacturing company, as well as Tuse, an Android app that tackles connectivity issues...

Ilse van den Berg 4 Oct 2017

The new speaker, which responds to voice commands using artificial intelligence, is less than half the price of Google's first generation speaker and makes this "more accessible to more people," said Google hardware designer Isabelle Olsson.

A premium version of the speaker - a $399 Google Home Max unveiled Wednesday - offers more power and audio quality for music aficionados.

The new Google Clips camera - one of the surprises of the event - "looks for smiles (and) moments, because the software is in the camera," said Google product manager Juston Payne.

"It's like having my own photographer shooting and choosing my best moments for me," Payne said of the $249 device.

Another surprise from the event was the wireless Pixel Buds, which can deliver audio from a smartphone and also include the Google Assistant and real-time translation.

A demonstration at the event included a two-way conversation with one person speaking English and the other Swedish.

"The camera and the earbuds were really held up as examples of what the company can do by leveraging the Google Assistant," said Ross Rubin of Reticle Research.

A new Pixelbook laptop was touted as a "high performance" computer powered by its Chrome operating system and designed as a rival to Microsoft's Surface and Apple's iPad Pro.

With a 12.3-inch display, the device is a convertible PC that can be used as a tablet and is sold starting at $999 for US customers.

GLOBAL

Amazon beefs up Echo lineup and Alexa skills

SAN FRANCISCO, US: Amazon has unveiled upgrades to its Echo speakers and announced that Alexa smarts will be built into BMW and Mini automobiles by the middle of next year...

28 Sep 2017

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said the new devices showcase the tech giant's artificial intelligence.

"We've been working hard continuing our shift from a mobile-first to an AI-first world," he said.

"We are working on software and hardware together because that is the best way to drive computing forward."

The launch comes in the wake of Apple's announcement of a new line of iPhones, and Amazon's upgrades to its Echo speakers powered by its Alexa digital assistant

"It is a portfolio designed to take Google into more parts of your life, particularly in your home," Reticle Research analyst Ross Rubin said of the array of devices the internet giant unveiled on Wednesday.

"Amazon is focusing on a range of price points and designs; Google is focusing on a range of experiences."

Source: AFP

'California Typewriter' Is A Love Letter To The Outdated

The documentary California Typewriter is a love letter to the outdated — be it typewriters, thank you notes, mom and pop repair shops, or creativity that doesn't start with turning on a computer first.

Director Doug Nichol centers the film on an African-American owned shop in Berkeley called California Typewriter. Owner Herbert L. Permillion III, who worked for IBM for 20 years, opened the store in 1981 and has kept it running, with the help of his two daughters and repairman Ken Alexander, through the rise of home computers, smart phones, and tablets. After all, if turntables and vinyl can make a comeback, why not typewriters?

Several typewriter enthusiasts are also interviewed, though (maddeningly) none of them are identified in any way until the end credits. You'll likely recognize Tom Hanks, a collector with about 250 typewriters, who espouses the virtue of a typewritten "Thank You" note versus an email, something he'll routinely delete as quickly as the "seven seconds" it took to write and send. "Take 70 seconds to type me out something on a piece of paper and send it to me, well, I'll keep that forever," he says.

John Mayer, who never had to make the transition from typewriter to computer as he's not even 40, makes salient points about the built-in obsolescence of computers, and how all the material housed on all of our old hard drives is basically sitting in glorified garbage cans. Unless you printed that stuff out, it's as good as gone forever. So he bought probably one of the last new electric typewriters, and has taken to writing song lyrics with it, noting that there's nothing impeding his creative process — no spellcheck or blinking icon of distraction.

Writers Sam Shepard and David McCullough, neither of whom ever made the transition to tech, also talk about the typewriter's contribution to the writing process, with McCullough noting that without the visual proof of revisions, corrections, and changes, we're losing a valuable look into the thought processes of our creative thinkers and politicians. Shepard notes the tactile satisfaction of feeding paper into the typewriter and hearing and feeling those words slap onto the page.

We also meet a collector from Toronto who travels to San Francisco in hopes of purchasing one of the first typewriters made, based on original inventor Christopher Latham Sholes's design, and Oakland sculptor Jeremy Mayer, who uses typewriter parts — and ONLY typewriter parts — to craft figurative sculptures that include animal and human forms. To some, his work may seem blasphemous, but it's nice to see the symbiotic relationship he has with the California Typewriter shop. They give him the typewriters that are beyond redemption, and Mayer often ends up having a rare part the shop might need for a repair.

It's the scenes in that shop that are the film's most enjoyable. I wanted more of them. A tighter film could have been made with fewer segments on the enthusiasts and users (the Boston Typewriter Orchestra and Poetry Store poet Silvi Alcivar also make appearances) and more scenes showing the genuine love Permillion and Alexander have for their shop and their typewriters. It's infectious, and even a little thrilling watching their ingenious solutions to repairing items that have no replacement parts because, well, there are no replacement parts to be found.

When I was a kid, I had an old Smith Corona typewriter that weighed about 20 pounds, had an old ribbon that had been reused so many times it no longer typed in black but in muted grey, and whose keys had a tendency to stick together in certain combinations. But I loved typing on that thing. Sometimes I would type my own stuff, and sometimes I would just copy passages out of books, just because I liked typing; it made me feel smart.

Eventually I got an electric typewriter (a Panasonic) and I clung to that way into college. My friends had moved on to word processors and laptops (that also seemed to weigh about 20 pounds) by then, but I was convinced I wouldn't be able to write anything if the process didn't involve a first draft that was pen on paper, and a final draft that was typewritten. I'm not certain, but I think it was seeing how easy it was to edit something — removing and rearranging paragraphs and thoughts on the page — that eventually pushed me over to the dark side, and eventually I became convinced I couldn't write anything unless it was via computer.

But whenever I see a typewriter out in the wild — at a friend's, or a flea market — I can't resist going over and typing "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy hound dog" on it. I just love to hear the clack of the keys, and feel the reverberation of those letters hitting that paper. California Typewriter understands that love.

California Typewriter is currently playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema in San Francisco, and the Shattuck Cinema in Berkeley.

Google ditched Gear S4 and Apple Watch rivals from Google Store (and no one even noticed)

GETTY • GOOGLE

Google Store underwent a redesign after the launch of the Pixel 2 – and no longer includes wearables

Google unveiled a slew of new devices during its annual hardware event last night.

The California-based company took the wraps off its new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, wireless Pixel Bud headphones, as well as a £999 ChromeOS notebook, dubbed PixelBook.

However, one device category was noticeably absent from the announcements on-stage – Android Wear.

Worse still, Google appears to have removed all mention of Android Wear smartwatches from its Google Store, which received a fresh coat of paint following the new hardware announcements.

It’s still possible to access the Android Wear section of the online store via a direct link.

However, Google does not list any models currently available to buy.

The LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport are both appear on the landing page, however, both are listed as “No Longer Available”.

GOOGLE

Android Wear smartwatches designed by LG are currently listed as No Longer Available

It’s unclear what has lead to this decision – it could simply be that Google wants to focus on its own branded hardware in the Google Store.

But it could also be an indication of low sales figures for Android Wear devices.

Earlier rumours hinted Google might be preparing its own Pixel-branded wearable to launch alongside a new version of its Android Wear operating system.

However, these did not materialise on-stage.

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro and Gear Sport – In Pictures Wed, August 30, 2017

SAMSUNG

1 of 23

The Gear Fit2 Pro is an waterproof fitness tracker with heart-rate monitoring

Samsung is tipped to be working on its own next-generation smartwatch, Gear S4.

The smartwatch would replace the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier in the current line-up.

Samsung announced a number of fitness-focused watches during a press conference at the IFA consumer technology tradeshow in Berlin, earlier this year.

Samsung Gear S3 Brought to you by express.co.uk

Dubbed Samsung Gear Sport, the new watch has a 1.2-inch Circular Super AMOLED always-on display, powered by a Dual Core 1.0 GHz and 300mAh battery.

It’s also completely waterproof – certified 5 ATM1 for water resistance.

Apple also updated its Apple Watch smartwatch in September, bringing cellular data and resting heart rate monitoring to the wearable.

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