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GTAsoldier

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    Lord Save Us From Your Followers

    in Members' Lounge

    Posted

    Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back. Did y'all miss me? Anyhow, I wanted to put this in the "Your Religion/Beliefs" sticky but then I thought the topic I'm gonna share with y'all should be a thread on its on. So here I go....

    I was watching this documentary yesterday and it really stood out to me.

    51i-JnaBUrL._SS500_.jpg

    I don't care what religious / spiritual beliefs you have (or what you don't have), but this is a must-watch for anyone. Don't be put off by the title and don't be derailed because of it's content. Here's the synopsis:

    If you were to meet ten average Americans on the street, nine of them would say they believe in God. So why is the Gospel of Love dividing America?

    Dan Merchant put on his bumper-sticker-clad jumpsuit and decided to find the reason. After talking with scores of men and women on streets all across the nation, and also interviewing many well-known activists in today’s “Culture Wars,” Dan realized that the public discussion of faith doesn’t have to be contentious.

    From its opening Talking Heads sequence through its touching look at faith in action, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is a fast-paced, highly engaging documentary that explores the collision of faith and culture in America while opening up this important conversation to all of us.

    As discussion of religion floods the media, the rhetoric is divisive, hyper, and most often, angry. With humor more common in a comedy-sketch program than a documentary, Merchant brings the sensibilities of someone who is deeply concerned with how his faith is being represented by others. Lord, Save Us provides a provocative, funny, and redemptive discussion that is sure to continue long after the credits run.

    Merchant sits down for interviews with well-known people on all sides of this great divide, including best-selling author William Paul Young (The Shack), comedian/politician Al Franken, former “Religious Right” Senator Rick Santorum, noted “liberal evangelical” Tony Campolo, conservative radio host Michael Reagan, and racial reconciliation activist Dr. John Perkins.

    If that’s not divergent enough, other features include Bono, Rick Warren, Bill Maher, James Dobson, George Clooney, Jerry Falwell, Stephen Colbert, Ann Coulter, Pat Robertson, Lewis Black, Tony Perkins, Monty Python, and even Stewie from “Family Guy”… along with many others.

    Add to that the nationwide man-on-the-street interviews with “Bumper-Sticker Man,” the Culture Wars game show, the “renaming” of St. Paul to New Leningrad, and a controversial and moving “Confession Booth” at Portland’s Gay Pride celebration, and Lord, Save Us From Your Followers delves into religious hot-button issues with candor, humor, and balance.

    Engaging, unpredictable, and challenging, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers will change the way you talk about faith!

    You can see it on youtube or Netflix or get it on DVD.

    peace and blessings,

    GTA

    P.S. The guy who did this documentary wears a crazy bumper-sticker jumpsuit. :lol:

    Dan-Merchant.jpg

    • Like 2

    Haiti Earthquake

    in Members' Lounge

    Posted · Edited by GTAsoldier

    from CNN:

    Here's some of the latest info:

    Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- International aid groups were feverishly trying to get supplies into quake-ravaged Haiti on Thursday to prevent the situation from going from "dire to absolutely catastrophic."

    The search-and-rescue efforts are the top priority.

    "The ability to get people out of that rubble is paramount," said Jonathan Aiken, a spokesman for the American Red Cross. "You have a very limited time to accomplish that before people die and before you start to get into issues of diseases."

    Behind the scenes, a massive coordination effort involving dozens of aid groups, the Haitian government, the United Nations and the U.S. military was under way to get food, water, tents and other supplies to survivors of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

    Ian Rodgers, a senior emergency adviser for Save the Children, said aid efforts were at a "tipping point."

    "People are without water; children are without food and without shelter," he said. "What we will see with the lack of water is the possibility of diarrheal diseases and, of course, that can kill children in a matter of hours if not tended to appropriately.

    "It is very possible," Rodgers said, "that the situation can go from dire to absolutely catastrophic if we don't get enough food, medicine and work with children and their families to help them."

    In the United States, President Obama promised the people of Haiti that "you will not be forsaken."

    "Today, you must know that help is arriving," Obama said.

    Precise casualty estimates were impossible to determine. Haitian President Rene Preval said Wednesday that he had heard estimates of up to 50,000 dead but that it was too early to know for sure. The Haitian prime minister said he worries that several hundred thousand people were killed.

    The country's infrastructure has been devastated, the scope of the calamity enormous. "The government personnel that would normally lead these types of responses, they themselves have been affected," Rodgers said.

    The Haitian government stopped accepting flights Thursday because ramp space at the airport in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, was saturated and no fuel was available, said Federal Aviation Adminstration spokeswoman Laura Brown.

    Meanwhile, the pier used for delivery of cargo to Port-au-Prince was "completely compromised" by Tuesday's earthquake, said CNN's Eric Marrapodi. Three ships filled with medical supplies, food, clothing and water were turned away, he said. Roads leading into the city from the dock were bucked about 5 feet high by the earthquake, he said.

    Relief agencies are focusing on food, shelter, medical care and communications, all of which will help establish a sense of security, Aiken said. "The people will at least know that the world is paying attention to them."

    Supplies and security

    A bottleneck of supplies has built up while authorities have tried to get Haiti's main airport functioning. Rubble-strewn roads, downed trees and a battered communications network have hampered humanitarian efforts. Aftershocks continue to jolt the region, causing further fear and panic among residents.

    "We're going to have to wait for this pipeline of aid coming in from various places around the world to be set up and put into full gear before Haitians can get all the help that they need," Aiken said. "You're going to start seeing some progress on that today."

    While planes were able to bring in the first round of supplies, the question became, Aiken said, "how do you get it to the folks who need it?"

    Impact Your World: How you can help

    Haiti isn't accustomed to quakes and doesn't have the heavy equipment or specialized machinery to help clear the rubble, Aiken said. Aid groups and government agencies are coordinating to get the equipment in.

    "It's basically a matter of clearing out the rubble, making sure that areas are workable, that you have security that can protect these supplies and that you have security in place to help people," Aiken said.

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a contingent of 2,000 U.S. Marines will help the international peacekeeping and police force established after the 2004 ouster of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

    "We'll try to support them as they re-establish authority," Clinton said.

    The American Red Cross emptied a warehouse in Panama that had been filled with everything from cooking kits to toiletries to medical supplies and tents. That load of supplies is likely to make it into Haiti on Thursday, Aiken said. "Our effort is immediate relief and supplies."

    "The needs are overwhelming at this point in time," Rodgers said. "We are going to be doing our best to respond to that, but obviously that's a big task at hand."

    Medical emergency

    Hospitals in Port-au-Prince have collapsed, and the few facilities still open can't handle the needs of the injured. The United States and other countries were dispatching medical supplies, facilities and personnel. People who suffered broken bones from falling debris have been unable to get treatment; there's simply too many of them.

    "We need medical help," Haitian President Rene Preval said. "Some of the hospitals, they collapsed. The hospitals, they are full, and they put people in the outside."

    Clinton said, "Just getting to people to provide the medical assistance they need is proving to be very difficult."

    Barbara DeBuono, the former commissioner of health for New York state, said the coordination between the U.S. military and groups like the Red Cross is essential to treating the sick and injured. "Making sure that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing is really, really critical here, so that there isn't further chaos and confusion."

    Aiken said officials would assess the situation on the ground and coordinate medical efforts.

    As the days go by, health concerns will grow about diseases, like cholera and tuberculosis, from the thousands of corpses on streets and in the rubble. The bodies also can affect the water supply and sanitation.

    "You can have airborne diseases," Aiken said. "You can have animals carrying [diseases] feeding off these corpses."

    Haiti could also have a humanitarian crisis since tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed, forcing residents onto residents.

    "There needs to be a place to put people and to set up a structure like a refugee camp," Aiken said. "That's all part of this."

    But he said, for now, the priority is to rescue as many people as possible -- and get supplies in as quickly as possible.

    The remainder of my mom's family is down there (except one of her sisters/my aunt and her aunt. she's Haitian. That makes me part-Haitian as well.) This is heartbreaking news. But thank God that my cousin called today and said the fam is okay. I already sent $10 to the Red Cross for Haiti. Discuss.

    A mom calls 911 on her son becuase he wouldn't stop playing GTA

    in General GTA Series Chat

    Posted · Edited by GTAsoldier

    http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/09/crimesider/entry5949176.shtml

    BOSTON (CBS/AP) Grand theft auto is a crime. Playing the "Grand Theft Auto" video game is not.

    But Boston police say a frustrated mother called 911 to say she couldn't get her 14-year-old son to sleep, because he wouldn't stop playing the popular video game.

    Police spokesman Officer Joe Zanoli said Monday the mother called for help around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to say that the video-game-obsessed teenager also walked around the house and turned on all the lights.

    Two officers who responded to the house convinced the child to obey his mother.

    Zanoli says the mother's 911 call over video game obsession "was a little unusual, but by no means is it surprising — especially in today's day and age when these kids play video games and computer games."

    The Boston Herald first reported the 911 call.

    It is unclear which Grand Theft Auto video game the boy couldn't stop playing. The series has come under criticism for high levels of violent and sexually provocative content, especially for a young audience.

    Instead of calling the Babylon, shouldn't she just turn the bumbaclot game off and give him a beating for disrespect? What a waste of time. <_<

    The Battle Royale of 2009's Fighting Games (youtube-wise)

    in Gaming

    Posted

    OK, poll's over. We have a clear winner:

    1st Place: Tekken 6

    2nd Place: UFC Undisputed 2009

    3rd Place: Street Fighter IV

    My personal opinion:

    I was hoping for Tekken 6 to win my vote, but I have to side with Street Fighter as my personal fighting GOTY. Although the graphics and gameplay and getting $$$ scenario campaign are good, the reasons why Tekken is not my personal winner are:

    * Cheap AI

    * Cheap Boss (Azazel)

    * Cheap online players

    * No Arcade Mode endings in Arcade Mode (the endings are in Scenario Campaign's "Arena" mode which is like a direct copy of Arcade mode. Fail.)

    * Pointless Ghost Mode (although building up your fighters is nice, what's the true use of having ghosts?)

    So my fighting GOTY placement is:

    1st Place: Street Fighter IV

    2nd Place: Blazblue

    3rd Place: Tekken 6

    R.I.P. Super Rockit Mr. Magic

    in General GTAVC Discussion

    Posted

    Another legend gone. :(

    61j74smdzelss500if2.jpg

    Mr. Magic (died October 2, 2009), an important figure in the world of hip hop radio, debuted in 1983 on WBLS-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station. Billing itself as Rap Attack, Magic's show featured Marley Marl as the DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as the show's co-producer. Magic's reign on the New York City airwaves lasted six years and was instrumental in broadening the scope and validity of hip-hop music.

    During the mid-80s there was a rivalry between Mr. Magic and Kool DJ Red Alert, who hosted a weekly show on WRKS-FM. The feud also played out between proxy rap groups, the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions (see The Bridge Wars). The Juice Crew - headed by Mr. Magic's on-air assistant, DJ Marley Marl - was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice."

    As confirmed by DJ Premier, Mr. Magic died on the morning of October 2, 2009 from a heart attack.

    Mr. Magic was referenced in songs by many rappers. In 1982, Whodini paid respect to the DJ in their song Magic's Wand saying "the moment he went on the air / it was plain to see a new phase was here" and "in no time at all a star was born".

    Tupac Shakur revealed that his early days were musically influenced by Mr. Magic who would "cut up the hits" in the song Thug Style on CD 1 of the R U Still Down? (Remember Me) album. Shakur also mention Mr. Magic on the track, "Old School", from the 1995 release, Me Against The World.

    Nas mentions "I miss Mr. Magic" in his debut single Halftime, from 1992.

    In 1994 Mr. Magic was referenced on Notorious B.I.G.'s track Juicy as being one of his early influences: "Every Saturday - Rap Attack - Mr. Magic Marley Marl"

    Queensbridge Emcee Blaq Poet from Screwball refers to Mr. Magic on his 2006 release "Rewind-Deja Screw" on the opening DJ Premier produced "Bang This", where he raps "I turn on my radio, I cover my ears, I cant have it, where the fuck is Red Alert? Where the fuck is Mr. Magic? I guess I gotta get with the times, my mindstate is 88' but my style is '09"

    In 2002, he made a return as a DJ on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's fictitious radio station Wildstyle Pirate Radio, portraying himself. Whodini's song mentioned above was also played on the radio, described by Mr. Magic as "a very special throwdown (...) this song is all about me and the Rap Attack".

    Rest in peace....

    Michael Jackson's funniest moments

    in Music, Film, TV & Sports

    Posted

    Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3BZqRCvviA

    Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYsc27R2DqM

    Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMYvW5JAIrA

    :lolbounce: Oh, by the way: MJ will be buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery on September 3rd. He was originally going to be buried there on his birthday (August 29).

    ***ATTN Mods: I don't know why the (youtube)(/youtube) code doesn't work with the new forum layout. Can you fix this please?

    Your Religion / Beliefs

    in Members' Lounge

    Posted · Edited by GTAsoldier

    I think everyone just needs to respect everyone's beliefs. If your an Atheist thats fine but again there is no need to try and convert and same for religious people.

    ^^ Amen. I'm a Catholic Christian by the way, but what really bothers me is when people of the secular and religious sides try to force their beliefs upon one another. I'm instructed to respect the rights and beliefs of other people, but it becomes a problem when propaganda of both sides of the table gets a bit too far. As for atheism, I do have a couple of atheist friends who go to the same Catholic High School that I go to now. But I don't talk to them about stuff like this (I even have a few friends who are Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, etc.). We just gotta have more tolerance for one another and less bigotry and disrespect. Otherwise, it'll pretty much be Hell on Earth.

    The Battle Royale of 2009's Fighting Games (youtube-wise)

    in Gaming

    Posted · Edited by GTAsoldier

    King of Fighters XI is out now, but it's not doing well at all.

    IGN = 6/10

    Gamespot = 5/10

    G4's X-Play = 2/5

    PS Magazine (USA) = 60/100 :nope:

    I'll have to pass on KoF XII. I mean, less characters, no boss, no King, no K', no MAI??, online is laggy.....I was gonna rent this too. This is a letdown in the KoF series, I suggest you buy KoF XI while it's still available. That's a whole lot better.

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