I’m quite looking forward to him being back although nowhere near as much as his girlfriend and Mum are, no surprise there!

It’s a little odd, until I went down to Portsmouth we got on but I think it’s probably safe to say we weren’t the best of friends etc. It’s probably down to us both needing some space and me going to Uni has more than facilitated this. Since going to Uni the time we’ve spent with one another has been good and enjoyable. Perhaps it is just that I value it now and when we lived together, sharing a room I took it for granted that he was there.

Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to Chris coming home, seeing how he’s changed (and I’m sure he will have, from what I’ve heard he can now cook!), catching up, spending some time together before he goes to Uni. I would say I’d give him some advice but in fairness he’s plenty smart enough and we’re different enough that he can learn his own way. I know I’ve changed significantly since at Uni, far more independant and worldly and it’s been good learning these things. Sure I’ll be here if needed for some advice but like I said he’s smart he’ll work it out I’m sure.

So that’s the plan for tomorrow, welcome back my little brother.

Dan

Slight downside though:

A giant cloud of hydrogen gas is racing towards a collision with the Milky Way, astronomers have announced.

Smith’s Cloud, as it is known, may set off spectacular fireworks when it smacks into our galaxy in 20-40 million years.

Oh well, roman candles it is!

Dan

P.S. Wonder if adding the word celestial will improve my blog reading level?

**edit**

Nope, instead it dropped it down to High School! :S

What’s Your Political Philosophy?

You scored as New Democrat New Democrats emphasize fiscal conservatism, and have a strong preference for the free market. They believe in small-scale programs that provide targetted help to those in need, while working with the business community. New Democrat 85% Old School Democrat 70% Green 60% Socially Conservative Republican 55% Libertarian 50% Pro Business Republican 45% Foreign Policy Hawk 40%

Ok, so I had to guess at some of the more US specific questions as I don’t really know enough or have the experience of the US political landscape to give as educated an answer as living there and my answers were based on what I get from the UK media but still it’s probably fairly accurate.

Dan

The moon, currently dubbed Frank by the scientists who discovered it, has yet to be officially named. This decision will be taken by the International Astronomical Union.

Full story over at the BBC, but to summarise scientists have found another moon of Saturn, it’s 60th in fact! So far it has been dubbed Frank!

Dan

Interestingly/Amusingly he feels his biggest problem is not the potential for debate on abortion (it’s currently a no no except in extreme circumstances) but the number of Catholics becoming Evangelicals.

Pope Benedict is sure of a warm welcome from the Catholic faithful in Brazil, says the BBC’s Simon Watts.

But his problems is that both he and the local Catholic hierarchy are more conservative than most Brazilians.

To the converts, the evangelicals offer the chance of redemption now, rather than in the after-life, as well as a social network and help with problems like drink or drugs.

In contrast, Catholic rituals can seem stuffy and out-of-touch with day-to-day reality for most Brazilians, our correspondent adds.

I’ll probably think about this more later in a fun Introduction to System Configuration lecture!

God bless

Dan

Also Kita is arriving at 11 so how romantic willl that/could that be, a little kiss under a red moon

Hope everyone is ok and that Liverpool beat Man Utd later :P

Dan

This story has been in the news a fair bit the last couple of days and I thought about blogging about it but decided against it plus I was busy with coursework (I still am but I need to vent this first). On the BBC there are many very interesting comments varying in severity and side but one that keeps cropping up is Christians who are more annoyed with their fellow Christians for creating a storm in a tea cup etc

I was going to leave this subject alone as one it doesn’t really bother me and two I didn’t see the need to add to it all, until I got an email through today.

A forward about a petition to sign up to in protest of the law.

We live in a democracy, we have ‘equal’ rights and yet as far as I can tell some want to be more equal than others. It is absurd.

I think that one of the main subjects of various seminars, talks and sermons is that God love’s us all, you, me the person over the street, God is love and yet that seems to have been forgotten as soon as the word gay appears it’s gone in a flash and that is sad, very sad. In fact it makes me worried. Very worried.

So what if a gay couple ask for a room in a Christian guesthouse? I don’t get it. A house is a house. Surely one of the main lessons we learn from Jesus is that He is the person who would open his door to anyone, absolutely anyone. He is God and so He is love.

By blatantly discriminating against someone is clearly not showing the same love that Jesus shows this world.

It’s the 21st century and if we as Christians dont want to be dismissed as much as it seems we are at the moment then we need to learn to love the sinner. Jesus did it, cant we?

Why is it that as soon as the word gay is mentioned that it is this elevated sin, a super sin? We are all sinners and yet we seem to have this human constructed idea of super sin. Don’t judge others, remember John 8:6-8 :

“They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.”

Nope, I won’t be signing up to a petition that promotes discrimination.

We are all equal and really it’s a bit sad that it takes a law for that to be put in place.

God bless, love

Dan