photo by P'

miserable

miserable we came out of nowhere wygrzebaliśmy się jak nędznicy znikąd

to become a staliśmy się

the most cherishable najcenniejszymi

judges of the angels sędziami aniołów

unperishable nieprzemijającymi

for aeons to be remembered na czasy zapamiętani

to witness aby świadczyć

unpredictable became the known as it is nieprzewidywalne stało się poznanym

but You are known as One ale przecież Ty jesteś znany jako Ten

who specializes in turning things specjalista od przewrotów

upside down do góry nogami

photo by Cognitive Ambition

own will

Was it actually for Me that you fasted? Zech 7:5

I started reading Isa 58 passage, and stopped on the last part of verse 3, where I camped for about... 6 hours. It starts with:

Behold, in the day of your fast

and then follows with (different translations)

you seek your own pleasure

you take the chance to do your business

you pursue your own business

you find your desire

you do as you please

to please yourselves

you think only of yourselves

you do what you want to do

your own will is found

The last one strucked me the most. It's from Douay-Rheims translation. Fasting should be seeking God for Himself, not proving a point to others or God (which does not make sense anyway). It should afflict the soul, expressing true sorrow for sin, get away with pride, covetousness, malignant passions. Isa 22:13 points to indulging in sensuality and pursuing one's own desires during fasting.

Affliction means: to be put down, become low, to be downcast, depressed, to stoop, to humble oneself, to be humiliated, to weaken oneself and submit. Afflicting should bring real pleasure and diminish our corrupt nature.

I need help. My own will must submit.

It is not uncommon for a slave to have to work a fill time job and then to attend to her Master when she gets home.  Her time, like the rest of her life, is determined by her Master.  If he wants her to handle a project at 11:00 at night, that is the way it is to be.  She cannot offer an excuse of needing to get up early or that she is tired.

Vacations are also a foreign concept to a slave.  While her Master may take her with Him on His travels, it is not a vacation from her responsibilities.  She is still to serve Him the same as if at home.  She cannot alter her ways about her just because they took a trip.  Being a 24/7 slave means exactly that.  Serving her Master is the primary focus of her life.

Of course, an intelligent Master will know when to lighten up some on His slave.  People need time to recharge their batteries.  This is human nature.  The lessons of the slaves in the 1800s shows how the results can be terrible if a slaves well being is not attended to.  Working one to the point of exhaustion is counterproductive.  So, there are times where I tell my slaves to relax and take it easy.  Even though they are to serve me, it is healthy for them to occasionally engage in activities which they enjoy.

So remember the commitment that you are making when you submit to another.  Many like to focus on the "glamorous" aspects of the lifestyle.  However, there is also the realistic side of this way of life.  Enter into it with open eyes.

social bookmarking links:

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

With all this blogging, you might wonder how I find time to paint.  Well, it's not easy.  Happily I love to work.  But alas, even at the end of the day, there's always a few remaining chores left to do.  Seems like there's never enough hours.  Here I am, late at night, darning my socks.

[Top of the post:  Drawing after a figure by Georges de la Tour, by Aletha Kuschan, pen and ink]

http://www.av-shop.biz ist eine Domain in bei der man Schlüsselwörter verbindet, wie shop, shopping, online, 247 oder ecommerce.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.bigshop.at ist eine Domain in bei der man Schlüsselwörter verbindet, wie online, shop, 247, shopping, order oder ecommerce.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

click on the photo to go to their website

Would you like to write a song that would be sang for few centuries and still be fascinating, never boring, heart opening for generations to come? Would you like to give up the copy rights for it? No fame for your name...

That happens right now in Europe. People, particularly young, are buying Winehouse, Radiohead, U2 and lately "Chant-Music for Paradise". The last one debuted in UK as 9th in the song charts, totally unexpected, and now bunches of sociologists, psychologists and other "-gists" are trying to figure out what's going on.

Are we overwhelmed with the speed of life, and need some calming, simplified singing to stop our havoc? Are we bored with the noisy postmodern version of music and looking for refreshing sounds for our iPods? Are we trying frantically to invent something new, but we can't be creative and quick enough, evolving from one sound to the next, so we reach for the ancient old?

800 years old house of prayer

This story starts with one of the monks who sent the link to their music to the Universal Music. Universal was searching for something new, and they were picked.

13 Cistercian monks were picked to record the album. The chants were written few hundred years ago by anonymous monks. The ones on the album include Veni Creator Spiritus ( I sang it sooo many times before, it's beautiful) and few funeral chants, as two of their brothers recently died and they did not feel like singing "upbeat chants". They recorded the album in a church, praying/singing the chants. That's what they do for living in the Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria, founded in 1133, as a house of prayer to thank and praise God and to intercede for the sake of the whole world. It was open continually, till today. They pray 5 times a day together, chanting prayers, and working.

The phenomenal singers are asked to tour around, but they refuse, because they are called to Ora et Labora, following the order of St. Benedict.

800 years old songs

What are the characteristics of this form of sung prayer, which is "daily bread" in convents and monasteries?

Father Wallner: Gregorian chant is very ancient. It was born in the first millennium, appearing already in the 4th century, and in many aspects is addressed to the Most High.

First of all the texts are, for the most part, verses from the Bible: hence it is the word of God, which from the mouths of men returns to God in the form of singing.

In the second place, the composers of the melodies were pious anonymous men consecrated to God, mostly monks, who created the music not out of a desire for fame, but men who desired, once the work was complete, to return to total anonymity. Hence, men who in their longing for holiness created something holy.

In the third place, chant is very fascinating, inasmuch as it is situated outside our normal experience of music. There are no tones of C major or D minor, there are no tempi, there is no established rhythm; it is a song for only one voice. Hence, it is a different sound from all other sounds that we today call music. And at the same time, it is at the root of all that which subsequently developed as music.

Fourth point: chant is above all a sung prayer. We sing it always before the altar; therefore, it is not for the people, but for God. That is why we can never go on tour with our chant, because it is always a question of prayer. The recordings for the CD "Chant -- Music for Paradise" were also taken from prayer. (from Catholic Online)

Gregorian chant is a form of sung prayer which has been tried and tested through the centuries. It has pre-Christian roots in the ancient Jewish Temple Liturgy. The early Christians adopted many of the ancient chants and developed them further. The Roman Church had the core of what we now know as Gregorian chant by the 7^th and 8^th centuries. The name “Gregorian chant” comes from Pope St. Gregory the Great (died 604) who founded a “schola cantorum,” a chant school, which collected all the existing chants.

These texts are generally taken from the Bible, the word of God. Thus the monks sing back to God the words which He has Himself given us…joining Heaven and earth. Most of the texts are taken from the Old Testament Psalms. The music is always at the service of the text—unfolding its meaning, and disposing the soul to enter into its spirit ( from their web site).

Sobre una Blackberry y la jornada laboral.

La Ley de Contrato de Trabajo define a la jornada laboral como "...todo el tiempo durante el cual el trabajador esté a disposición del empleador en tanto no pueda disponer de su actividad en beneficio propio..." (art. 197 Ley 20.744).

Con la revolución digital vivimos conectados al trabajo gracias, o por culpa de, celulares, casillas de correo electrónico, computadoras portátiles, blackberrys y otros artefactos; la más de las veces provistos por los empleadores.

La pregunta es si todo el tiempo que estamos en el trabajo fuera del trabajo integra o no la jornada laboral.

En un nota reciente, el New York Times da cuenta de un conflicto de esta naturaleza que se dio entre la cadena ABC y un grupo de guionistas.

Todo comenzó cuando ABC obligó a tres de sus guionistas, a los que había entregado unas blackberrys, a firmar un convenio mediante el cual renunciaban a ser compensados por usarlas fuera del horario laboral.

El sindicato que nuclea los guionistas tomó intervención, a través de Lowell Peterson, director ejecutivo para la costa oeste "La gente tiene derecho a tener descansos del trabajo", dijo. "Las blackberrys pueden ser liberadoras; ayudan a la gente a organizarse sin tener que ir a la oficina. Pero también pueden atar a la gente a sus trabajos", señaló.

Agregó, que el asunto no es la revisión de la casilla de correos antes de ir a dormir pero si los guionistas escriben material o realizan otras actividades relacionadas con el trabajo, deben ser retribuidos.

A medida que nos adentremos más en la era digital, los conflictos de esta naturaleza  van a multiplicarse. Por lo que conviene saber a lo que nos atenemos.

¿Corresponde pagar horas extras por el uso del Blackberry fuera del horario laboral y para asuntos laborales?

La ley argentina al menos, excluye de las disposiciones de jornada laboral (Ley 11544) a aquellos trabajadores que tienen categoría de ejecutivos, jefes, directivos y otras posiciones de alta responsabilidad (art. 1). El problema es que cada vez más las empresas entregan dispositivos de comunicación a empleados que no están comprendidos en estas categorías, y por tanto tienen derecho a reclamar horas extras.

No sería extraño que en un futuro cercano, los abogados del trabajador soliciten informes a compañías de celulares o provisión de servicios de internet para poder incluir en el cálculo de horas extras todo el tiempo que estos estan en contacto, fuera del horario de trabajo, con sus empleadores.

Sería una buena forma de corregir uno de los mas grandes abusos de la era digital: el hecho que por tener celular o correo eléctronico, se siga que uno quiere ser molestado a cualquier hora y por cualquier asunto.

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)

Watch the weekly "Word On The Street" segment on 24/7 Chicago: Secrets of the City," at 12:05 a.m., immediately following Saturday Night Live on NBC5.

Dana Spa and Hotel

This week's Word On The Street segment took us to the brand new Dana Spa and Hotel, a Chicago owned and operated facility located at 660 N. State St. The word "Dana" translates in Sanskrit to "the pleasure of giving," which is what the operators of this swanky new establishment try to deliver.

The hotel is set up to be a refuge from all the hustle and bustle from the busy downtown streets surrounding it. Along with the plush rooms, the spa offers a full range of treatments. The hotel restaurant, Ajasteak, is looking to put its stamp on the city's culinary map. Think of it as a traditional steakhouse with an Asian twist. Make sure you check out their signature floating sushi bar, located on the first and second floors.

Gen Art Chicago Film Festival

Five movies, five nights, five after-parties. It can only mean the second annual Gen Art Chicago Film Festival. The festival kicks off Monday, with the opening night event being held at The Music Box, 3733 N Southport.

Two of the stars of the opening night movie, Bart Got A Room, will be at the Opening Night event -- Alisa Shawkat (star of the upcoming Arrested Development movie), and Steve Kaplan.

A $75 pass gets you into all five nights of activities, including the after-parties.

Check out an interview about the festival with one of the organizers.

[audio="http://www.nbc5.com/download/2008/0616/16622119.mp3"]

Taste Of Chicago

What more can you say about the Taste of Chicago? It's one of Chicago's most famous events, even though many locals turn up their nose at the over-the-top sweat-fest.

But pick your spots and Taste can be a great time (like playing hooky from work and going during the day when it's less-crowded).

The music lineup is pretty stellar this year, with Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, Joss Stone, Bonnie Raitt and more taking to the stage.

Load up the kids -- Taste kicks off on Friday.

1. Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns - five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:

synergy
revisit
benchmark
fast track
touch base
strategic fit
expeditious
value-added
result-driven
mindset
core competencies
to tell you the truth (or "the truth is")
proactive
empower (or empowerment)
client focus(ed)
best practice
24/7
win-win
knowledge base
paradigm
bottom line
out of the loop
think outside the box
at the end of the day
game plan

3. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!"

Testimonials from satisfied "Bull shit Bingo" players:
"I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I won." - Adam, Atlanta
"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically." - David, Florida
"What a gas! Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win." - Dan, New York City
"The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box." - Ben, Denver
"The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed 'BULLSHIT!' for the third time in two hours." - Paul, Cleveland

Enjoy your meetings !!!