Most of what I experienced I found personally encouraging.  There is a strong and growing "incarnational / missional impulseof  what Alan Hirsch calls, "incarnational/missional impulse." A term Alan Hirsch describes in chapter five of his book The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church.   This impulse is active among both individuals and congregations.  

On Tuesday evening I listened to what I believe was the most complete and thorough presentation from Matthew 28:18-20 on what it is to be incarnational and missional: when our purpose is identified with the person of Jesus.  

Overall I found my time with the tribe spiritually uplifting and encouraging - something I was not expecting.  A wonderful blessing from a gracious and sovereign Lord.

Since I have been back in Australia, I find myself looking at this country, looking at the church through the eyes of a missionary. I can’t help it and I can’t help wondering what is applicable from those experiences back here in Australia. I have a restlessness in my spirit because I think we have reached an edge place. How we respond to this margin in the next few years will determine whether the Kingdom of God gains or continues loosing significant ground in this country.  I have witnessed God working in amazing ways in the two-thirds world. It is time for those missional practices to come home. It is time for them to find local expression in the first world... in countries like Australia.

What impressed me in both Africa & South East Asia is that when you are in a place where the church isn’t, it makes you ask some key missional questions. Questions like ‘How am I prepared to change so I can connect the gospel with these people ?’ and ‘What am I prepared to do so that the Kingdom of God finds a meaningful & powerful expression in this place ?’ ‘How can I help people follow Jesus in ways that are natural, vital & life transforming – in both a personal and a communal sense ?’

It has been my observation and my personal experience that answering these 2 questions has always involved a journey. This has been a movement away from what is familiar – a shift towards relearning the world from the perspective of the people we are serving. In both places our success has never been based upon our commitment to and the frequency of our team meetings, it has always involved deeply listening, being present and practically involved in the community.

If people were hungry – we found creative ways to feed them and develop more effective farming methods, if people were suffering from aids, that meant developing programs of support for those afflicted families, if people were troubled by demons, it meant prayer ministry, if people were troubled by their dreams it meant dream interpretation. We were always experimenting.  Failing forwards meant persevering with each other – finding ways to celebrate our differences, it meant praying – praying about everything – particularly all the obstacles and the resistance & sickness that seemed to come our way.

Always there is an emphasis on sensitivity, persistence, on generosity openness & intuition. Our weakness was our strength and our vulnerability guaranteed our dependence upon the Spirit of God. 

A few weeks ago I was reading a publication from Global Interaction, a missional org. of the Baptist Churches in Australia. They have as their mission statement, ‘Empowering communities to develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus’. There is something very local and global about that statement that allows for difference and diversity. Do you also notice there isn’t any mention of building great churches or even finding news ways of attracting people to come to church. 

When the people won’t come into the church, the church must go to the people.

I keep finding myself wondering mischievous thoughts like what would happen if my local church choose a statement like this ? What sort of church or even network of churches might it become if the community became our sanctuary instead of our building ? 

Special Contribution to Sable Verity

By Josephine LaFonde 

Last year, there I sat on my 39^th birthday. I was in Nevada…having big fun with a few girlfriends But I had a thought of how nice it would have been to have a man with me on that trip.  Just because.

And I was thinking how long it’d been since I’d met any man I actually really clicked with? At that time, dating had gotten tiresome for me. The games…this guy…that guy…..and sometimes no guy just because I got tired of the whole scene. Of course my girlfriends and I would have the evitable conversation about the lack of brothers out here, but was there really? Or were we just not meeting them anywhere? Were they really only interested in white women? Were our expectations too high? Were we overlooking good brothers? Or were they overlooking us?

After over a decade of busted relationships i.e. a 2 year marriage ending in divorce, 3.5 yrs w/Tony, another 3.5 w/Marcus , 2 w/Sean…plus and few “transition guys” thrown in, I was pretty much done.

But I liked men. And I liked their company, dammit. The bar scene…the club…not really my thing, and besides, in this city that meant I’d have some 25 year old whatever trying to talk to me...not that I wasn’t tickled I was still pullin’ em like that at damn near 40 – quite an ego booster.

Friends were constantly trying to set me up with their friends, and yeah, meeting men through friends can be convenient, but most times it just didn’t work out. It’s awkward enough ending a relationship, but that shit can get extra awkward when friends are in the mix. You know the questions “Why didn’t you like him? He’s nice”. Or “I talked to so and so….he said you didn’t seem interested in him…what’s up?” or even worse “So, did you guys do the damn thing, girl?”

I decided I would need to get creative….step out of my comfort zone…be adventurous. Whatever that meant.

Next question: how was I going to meet new people, and more importantly a variety of people? My challenge: I was spending 8-10 hours per day at work, and was finishing a college degree in the evenings; I spent my weekends running errands, squeezing in time with the family, sometimes working, doing homework and going to a study group. Basically…I didn’t have time to “get out there” as my friends put it.

Shit… by Friday night I was usually fighting to stay awake, let alone thinking about getting dressed up to go out somewhere.

“You have to try online dating” is what I kept hearing. Of course folks told me all of the stories with the good endings like, “my co-worker’s, neighbor’s sister met her husband online!!” Okay…so maybe for some it pans out, but I was also thinking about the possible stalkers (because I’ve had a few) weirdos and gamers I could run into. But then I thought about it and figured I’ve run into those anyway….why not online? I’d seen enough ads, talked to a few people and decided to give it a shot. What’s the worse that could happen, right?

Right.

So I made the commitment: Online dating experiment.  This should be interesting, I thought.  I was excited…but a little nervous.  I hadn’t done this before….and it seemed to be a culture all of its own. 

I picked a Sunday afternoon, got online and took the plunge.

Choosing which site to use was a huge challenge. Overwhelming even.

Sort of like when you go to buy toothpaste and there are 50 different types and you’re not sure what’s so different about all of them, but you know they all serve the same basic purpose.   I went with three sites: Three all of which I paid a fee for a 30 day membership. I noticed that a few sites were free.  Hmmm…why?

And why do the others charge? Is one more special than the other? I decide you may just get what you pay for so I stick with the sites that charge.

First up; American Singles.  Hey…this is cool – they let me look for free…I’m browsing…..I actually see someone that looks pretty interesting.  So I click on the button to email him and…hey…what’s this?  Oh….I can look.  For a little while.  They want me to register….and pay.  Okay, not a problem - done deal. 

First step, pick a username and password. Check.

Next, it asks me to post a photo. Huh? I don’t want my picture on the internet…is this a must? Can I skip this step? I click on the Next button hoping I can take a pass.  I can! However, the site reminds me that posting a picture “increases my chances of making connections”.

Whatever. I’m not ready for that one right now.

I move on to creating my personal profile. Hmm…okay....questions about pets…yes I have a cat.

Kids, do I have them? No.

Want them? Huh. I haven’t thought about that lately…..do I have to know today?? Okay, I’ll say maybe. Would I date a guy with kids? Depends on the situation. 

Current status? They give “single never married”, Divorced……but not just “single” by itself.  Hmmmm….I was married for two years..but that was over 15 years ago – does it even count? Do I say divorced? Or can I just check Single and explain the rest later? Wow….I see a box for “Separated”. Damn, that could get dicey…do people really check that box?  I end up checking “Divorced”. 

Now I’m at the section that describes my physical self. 

Weight? Not telling. Height? 5’1. Hair color? Brown. Eye color? Same.

Ethnicity? Huh. This could be interesting.  They have several options to choose from here.  White…Black….Asian…Hispanic…Native…Pacific Islander.  I check black and keep it moving.  I see they have an “other” box – that seems so odd. As though it’s a type of alien or something.  “OTHER”.

Anyway…..so far this isn’t too bad and now I’m cruising….then I get to Body Type.  I see again they have several options for me to choose from: slender; athletic; curvy (I like this one…I am curvy…right?); a few extra pounds (what does that even mean? 5? 7? 10?); large; full; big beautiful woman, etc.  Now I’m stuck.  So, maybe I could stand to lose 5 or 6 pounds… is that considered a few right extra pounds? Hold it. I AM curvy……I decide on curvy.

Now I’m asked about my employment.

Do I work? Sure…how much money do I make? None of your business.

Next, I’ve got to talk about what I like to do in my spare time and my interests.  I list the usual; reading, movies, live music, plays, salsa dancing, concerts, going to sports events, generally having a good time, etc.  I talk about my love for travel…new things and adventures yada, yada, yada. Done.

Then I’m asked to list the qualities of my ideal mate.  Seriously? Ideal?  Am I supposed to have a list or something?  I mean, I have a general idea of qualities I like in a man, but ideal man? I’ve never quite thought about it that way.  Ideal.  This is hard.  Do I list the part about a sensitive man who listens? Or will that make me sound like I’m a whiner? If I say “physically attractive” does it seem shallow? Is it appropriate to say “he needs to like sex just as much as I do” without sounding like a nympho?  After spending way too much time on this section I come up with a spiel about honesty, loyalty, adventurous, passionate, smart and funny, etc.  I like those things. Good enough.

Oh…damn….I get a message about a photo. Back to the picture thing.  Again..I’m asked to submit one. I have no pictures I like. Besides, what do I post?  A head shot? Something showing me earthy and real? Or glammed up heading to an event? A full body shot? Should I post more than one?

This is too much pressure. I decide I’m not going to post a photo right away and see what happens.  The entire thing took about an hour – not bad. I submit my information and I’m told that my profile “is being considered and you’ll be notified if approved within 48 hours”.

Approved? I just gave a credit card number to pay for this…I’m approved unless they plan to issue a refund. And what’s the criteria anyway? Who is actually looking at my profile and deciding if it is worthy of being posted there or not? A posting committee? An individual who randomly makes the decision? Is anyone ever really rejected?  And if so, do they tell you why?

I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Next up:

Webdate: sort of cheesy. National board, with the same basic profile set up. As far as contacting people, there is no real screening, although email is filtered through the website, which means if someone contacts me or vice versa, it’s through the site – they don’t have my actual email address. That works. Damn…. the picture thing again. I make a decision to post a picture just to see what flies – will I get more responses than the other site? Same basic questions…..what do I like…my hobbies…my body type….my ideal guy….etc.

This one too tells me they will let me know when my profile has been approved. Much to my surprise…..not 3 hours later I received an email that Id been approved. I decided to take a minute and browse the site. I actually look at women first. What are they doing? What are their profiles like? Is mine okay? Wow…I see a little bit of everything on this one. Women in lingerie…what the hell? Bikinis…..and a few damn near naked. My head and shoulder shot seems pretty Little House on the Prairie right about now. We’ll see what happens.

Now, I’m on to Eharmony.com. It’s actually more expensive than the others. I wonder why? What’s different and special? I go through the username and password steps. The profile questions take me nearly two hours to finish. After the first hour I take a break. This is crazy. Man…they ask everything about everything. Religion: how often if ever do you attend services? Does your partner need to attend? What religion if any do your prefer your partner to be? Then there is a list of every kind of religion under the sun, including things like “spiritual, more than religious”. I’m spiritual for sure, but haven’t gone to church outside of weddings, funerals and baptisms for a long time. These questions are really making me have to give this some thought. Not a bad thing.

Then, they wanted to know about Sex, which while it may not be everything, let’s be honest – it IS important. They ask, “Are you traditional? Adventurous? Passionate? Uhhh……well……I’d say adventurous I guess. Traditional has its place and all, but you know, I need some variety, straight up. Next is; do you have a high sex drive, or do you prefer sex infrequently? How often do you need to have sex with your partner? And I’m given options. A few times a month? Once per week? 3 times? 6 times? Everyday? Damn!!! Okay…if I’m honest, 3 times a week is the minimum if I have a regular partner. However, I don’t need my lover to tear it up it 7 days a week either. I mean, that’d be nice….but if not I’ll live.

Hey, I can compromise……usually.

Next topic; “Do you need to feel instant chemistry, or do you believe that comes with time?” You know….personally, I believe I feel it pretty quickly or I don’t as far as chemistry. Listen..when I’ve met men on the fly there is something that attracts me physically; maybe it’s his eyes…his smile….his hands…etc. You get the picture. So I check “I believe in instant chemistry”. This site is a trip – they ask about everything; They want to my politics; am I conservative? Moderate? Liberal? Independent? Well….it depends on the issue; Finances…yeah…I pay my bills, have a healthy savings account and I also save for retirement; Children - do I have them? No. Do I want them? Maybe. Will I date a man with children? Hmm. Probably..but it would depend on the situation; my family..was I raised by two parents? Were they ever divorced? Do I have siblings, and if so, are we close? Friends…do I have a close circle or a wide network of friends? Do I hace friends of both sexes? Do I believe men and women can have authenitic friendships? {This is where I started getting fatigued answering questions and took a break.}

Hobbies – what are they? Temperament..wow…this is a new one. Am I cool and collected…or do I tend to act out and lose my temper? Do I get silent and withdraw, or do I want to talk everything out? I’m sort of laughing on this question. Come on. Does anyone seriously say they act out and lose their temper? Then it’s, Career ambitions; Fitness and Health with more physical descriptions to choose from…do I work out? How often? Drugs and alcohol; do you drink? If so, how often? Everyday? Socially? A few times a week? A few times a month? Do you take any illegal drugs? Bwahahahahahahaha….RIGHT. Let’s answer that online if you happen to do illegal drugs. They can’t expect an honest answer.

Ohhh….here we are to “what do I want in a man?” Sigh. Again, many questions. I pick qualities I’d like…..then I get to ethnicity. I love brown men. Now, before anybody decides to send me an email about how discriminatory I may come across, let me say, I’ve dated globally and know what I like at this point in my life. Men are wonderful and I’ve met many of different ethnicities. But if I’m honest…if I’m in a room full of men, it’s that brown man who will catch my eye. Maybe he’s a brother. Or Hispanic. Or Native. Or something else….but it’s brown men that spark me-nothing personal. We all have our thing..some like blondes, brunettes or redheads; some like thin and others like a lil meat to grab unto. Some like ‘em tall…….some like a smaller stature. Some like chesty women…others prefer a more petite upper half. I check a few boxes and move on.

I’m asked if I’d be willing to relocate for a relationship. Maybe. It would really depend on the where. I love the scenery where I live; I can see the ocean, mountains, and greenery all in the same day. I pick “depends” and keep it moving. Looks like I’m done. I’m tired too. Oh, shit not quite. Pictures. That again. I post a couple I took on my last vacation. I don’t like pictures of myself much, but these are actually pretty good ones. Okay, now I’m done. Cool.

It took me over 2 hours to finish the overlong questionnaire and I’m a little irritated because this took so long, but what’s good about all of this is that all of the questions forced me to really think and ask myself what’s important to me. I had to make hard decisions. That was interesting. What will I compromise? What is a deal breaker? I submitted my profile and just wanted to log off and chill. I didn’t give a damn at that point if I got approved or not really. The one thing different about this site I can note is that they send people to you and let you know “hey…we think you guys might be a match!” No one can contact me directly unless I authorize what’s called “Open Communication”. Nice.

So, I’ve posted my profile my three sites and I wait to see if I’m approved and then if I’ll get any responses. This might be fun.

I’ve been out of town on business for a few days, but when I get back I check my email Oh…what do we have here? A few responses from Webdate.

Let’s see…I open the first one:

Egyptian guy named Rumi: he says he’s bored and lonely, and he liked my picture. Said I remind him of girls from home. Lived in New York for a few years. He likes Alternative rock (why???). He mentions that although he’s lived in the U.S. for several years, he still speaks broken English and is having a friend help him write his emails. (that could be a problem….) He’s lived in the U.S. for a total of 7 years and just got a green card 4 months ago. Awww….I see his picture and I love his eyes. Brown..like M & M’s. Expressive. I respond…..a nice short, email. He responds. 60 seconds later. Wow…okay. So we talk a little and I tell him I’m just back in town and can we chat more a little later? He says that’s cool. And then proceeds to send me three more emails in the next 10 minutes. Huh? I decide not to respond and check the rest of my emails.

Now we have Paul. A brother…man, he’s nice looking. Bald…says he’s 6’2. And I dig his smile. He says he’s single…37 and has spent the last year dating here and there but nothing has panned out. He’d like a long term relationship. He likes plays and concerts….hmmm, I’m liking this one so far. Okay, he has an 8 year old he shares custody with; he has a job….likes to travel. Man, this is sounding nice!! I respond to his email and move on.

Next, is, Dante Hamilton, III. He says he’s an architect, 33, brother, and on his profile he says he’s looking for romance, or a long term relationship, yada, yada, yada. I like his picture. He looks a little husky, wears wire rim glasses and has a nice cut mustache and beard. I like his face and decide to send him an email.

I browse a couple of other emails, and neither interest me so I say thanks, but no thanks. Am I supposed to do that? Respond with a no thanks if I’m not interested? I think it’s the polite thing to do, right? Nothing from e-harmony yet. I get offline and don’t have an opportunity to check my email for a couple of days.

I log back on, and then there are 9 emails from Rumi….that seems a little extra. No word from Paul…..I do however, have an email from Dante. We exchange a emails over the next couple of hours….he seems pretty intelligent. Kind of funny too. He wants to meet in person pretty quickly, but I talk him into a phone conversation instead. This is new for me and meeting him right away…I just wasn’t ready I guess. He calls me and my stomach does a flip flop..I have no idea how this is supposed to go. We’re strangers really. This whole thing feels sort of weird, but I’m going with it.

“Hey, it’s Dante….how are you, Josie? Is okay to call you Josie?” Hmm..nice voice. Sort of deep. We exchange pleasantries..how was your day...what do you do at work? Dante tells me he’s on a sabbatical from his job while trying his hand at freelancing his services. He lives on the South end of the city, , near the water. We are on the phone for nearly an hour and make plans to meet a couple of days later at Starbucks.

I’m on pins and needles until then. What do I wear? I call Tracy of course. Her take? “Girl…shit. Starbucks? Go for casually cute, not trying too hard, but let a brotha know you can be cute. Getting ready after work I decide on an African print skirt. Hair? It’s dirty, and I don’t have a lot of time to mess with it. I put in some oil and put it in a pony tail. Light make-up and my new lip stick. Damn…the lipstick looks good with my tan too.

I get to Starbucks 20 minutes early – I plan to run to the pet store while I’m in the neighborhood…but they’re closed. I’m sitting casually having a $5.00 Frappa-whatever since I don’t drink coffee. I see him come in….cute! Slimmer than his picture even. He smiles, and says “Well, so we finally meet”. We have general conversation….family….friends…where’d you go to school? Time is flying and it’s gotten a little late, now. We decide to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant down the street. We sit down and we proceed to talk abut everything from religion to sex, and I’m feeling him. Chemistry even. As the night progresses, he is asking me seriously personally questions about sex and my sexual history. So….….while we’re on the subject of sex, I gotta ask THAT question…..about the down low. Yeah, it may seem paranoid, but a good friend of mine found out her man, who she lived with for 3 years was sleeping with brothers on the side. But he said it was just sex…he had no desire to be in a relationship with a man and he wasn’t gay. What the fuck ever. See, there are brothers are out here clowning with that shit, so I put it out there.

“Dante…don’t be offended, but since we’re special sharing and all….have you ever been sexually involved with at man?”

He stares at me. “I’m not gay if that’s what you’re asking”. Did he just cut his eyes at me?

“No….I’m not asking if you’re gay, I’m asking if you’ve ever been involved sexually with a man before”.

Dante says no, of course not, and asks why I’m asking. I tell him about the down low…that I know a couple of sistas whose men went that route…etc. I also told him these days you just don’t know. He’s just looking at me and I figure, questioned answered. We start talking about other things, but now, I’m noticing just little things about him, but maybe I’m trippin’.

He says “Guurrlll….” A lot just like my girlfriends do. Damn…his hands are all manicured too…but so what? He could be Metrosexual. He mentions during dinner that he’s never had a serious relationship with a woman before (Man, he’s 33….red flag?!) because he’s always been a little afraid of what a “woman is capable of”. Hmm…

I share the fact that I’ve been married, lived w/men, etc. I ask him why he’s online..what’s he looking for? He says “I want to know what Love feels like…I’ve never felt it, I’ve always kept women at arms length”. Hmm…..I want to dig deeper, but now its 11pm and I gotta get up at 5am tomorrow. I leave thinking…. “that was a cool evening”.

I get an email the next day from him thanking me for a wonderful time and that he looks forward to seeing me again. Hey….online dating might not be bad…..

To Be Continued... 

Last year I was invited to facilitate a Womens Camp in a remote area and unlike much of my work, I had no existing relationships with either the staff or participants so was particularly mindful of bringing in new information and art tools as a stranger to the Community.

The camp site was a couple of hours drive out of the main town in a beautiful, untouched part of the coastline. We all arrived on a hired coach and spent the first couple of hours settling in to the cabins which were very cozy and nestled at the foot of the sand hills.

After settling into my room I stepped outside to gather my thoughts before beginning and held the thought of "Well I hope this is a peaceful, fun time for us all" and I had no sooner finished thinking the thought when the Heavens presented me with a big, colourful confirmation of "ask and ye shall receive"...

Over the Womens cabins my 'sign' appeared...and it is no surprise that the camp was a great success even with a few unexpected factors arising....

Here is 'The Sign'....

After seeing the second installment of "Black in America" which dealt specifically with "The Black Man," I realized what the real problem is with this documentary.  THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION IS THAT ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE POOR AND ARE CRIMINALS.  So, in addition to the producers not giving "context" for why some Black Americans are in the situations that they are in, they also chose to present our community as though the GHETTO is our only experience...as though we are a one dimensional community. They profiled only a slice of Black life.

In "The Black Man," there were an exhorbitant number of orange jumpsuits and men in handcuffs, talk of drug abuse and absent fathers throughout.  All of this and no mention of racism or stereotypes...until Spike Lee gets on the mike.  How in the world could CNN portray Black men this way and not mention neither racism nor stereotypes?  I'm shocked that Spike's calm rant even made it into the documentary, but I'm glad it did.  Unfortunately, that short rant didn't erase the further damage to America's image of the Black man that was done throughout...it was worse than the evening news.

I really didn't like that the Black men that were doing well (the children of the Little Rock 9 man and the guy in corporate America) all said that they didn't fit in with Black people and that they were ostracized by Black people because they were "smart."  Not saying this has never happened...but trust me, there are Black men that are educated and successful with Black wives and Black friends.  There are Black people that are successful that socialize with Black people and are comfortable with being Black.  There are Black people who's great grandparents went to college in the early 1900's, grew up privileged, and didn't have to escape the ghetto.  We didn't see them tonight though.

I accept the Black experience fully, the success and the struggles...primarily because I am proud of my heritage and aware of what my people have been put through in this country.  I do, however, also acknowledge that most Black folks don't live in the ghetto.  Most Black folks aren't in jail.  Most successful Black folks are not sell outs.  CNN, next time you do a documentary on a minority group, give us a full spectrum of the experience from an unbiased angle, and give us context for why they are experiencing struggle.  You can't wholly increase awareness without that.

I feel that we have strayed from the original design and plan that God set in place for the church. I do acknowledge that we lead very busy, hectic lives that do not lend themselves to a lot of free time. I do not find this as an acceptable excuse however. You have to eat lunch during the day. Why not call a friend and schedule a lunch date. So you are going grocery shopping, call a friend and set up a grocery shopping date. I can think of a hundred tiny little spots that we can commune. I am sure you can too. So ... the question I guess becomes, as always, why don't we do these things?

In my opinion, I think we are selfish people who do not want to let people close on the chance that we will be hurt again. Note that we includes I. I do not want people to see the person I am on the inside. I don't want to tell people that I don't want to talk to God. I don't want to let people know that I am uninterested in the things of God lately. I want to keep up my image. I was told once by a friend that "I'm not worried about you. I never worry about you. Your Fred, you will always be ok." That has never left me alone. I have always felt like I have to keep up this "I'm Fred and I am ok" image. Well guess what, I'm not. You are not either if you actually think about/admit it. Even when I feel like I am ok, I am a wretched pile of filthy rags.

Ok, so Fred, what does this massively long post have to do with community? We need each other. I need you, you need me, we need John Doe. The first church was more or less forced into community. We on the other hand are not. But we need each other just as much as the early church did. I need you to call me to see how I am, and to challenge me to call you to see how you are. I also need to be honest. No more of this "How are you?" "Oh I am good man, you?" "Good." ... that is not a conversation. That is being nice, not being friends. If you have made it this far, give me a call if you have my number. Ask me how I am doing, and tell me not to lie.

I hope this makes sense. I also hope it makes you think about community and ways to make it happen. So ... how are you doing ... ?

Khabar gembira bagi kita pengguna Fedora, bahwa telah ada situs Forum bagi komunitas Pengguna Fedora di Indonesia. Situs ini beralamat di http://forum.fedora.or.id. Pada situs forum ini tersedia berbagai ruang diskusi mulai dari isu-isu baru yang berkembang, penggunaan Fedora sebagai Dekstop, Networking, Server, Tips and Trick, Sosialisasi, Kritik serta Saran dan ruang publik lokal yang menghimpun dan menyapa Pengguna Fedora di berbagai daerah di Indonesia. Sampai saat ini baru ada 3 Fedora-ID lokal yaitu Bandung, JaDeBoTaBek dan Palembang.

Mudah-mudahan dengan forum ini pengguna Fedora bisa mendapatkan solusi mudah dan cepat dalam menggunakan Fedora pada khususnya dan GNU/Linux serta openSource pada umumnya dan telepas dari ketergantungan yang merugikan dan cenderung merendahkan martabat pengguna produk IT.

They just released Google Knol which is a mix of collaborative authoring and community. The community aspect allows for search for specific subjects (or authors) and rating of the content. The UI is very simple (like most things Google) and discplays related content and a short author profile, for example. Users can rate, comment, email and print articles. A revision list is another interesting feature, all very well organized spatially within the User Interface.

Interesting move... and again, the question: how can we use this for learning situations? The answer seems obvious...

A very well developed, seemingly robust communications application. I set up my Skype account, got a cheap set of headphones/mic and I was in business. Like so many of my ventures in the Internet, I have absolutely no one to talk to, no one I know to even ask to join. I took a short at finding my son through the (quite nice) search function. Got what I thought was a pretty good match, but when I pressed the [DIAL] button, I got someone who somewhat irritably asked "Who is this?" Not my son. Sigh.

So, I start exploring the other options in Skype. Very nice video interface, so I guess I can now have a video phone. Just like we saw back in the sixties.

Growing bored with taking video snapshots of myself and yearning to use the application in some way, I clicked on the tab labeled "Skypecasts" .

Hmmm... while this is certainly an international application, I was a little surprised to see almost all the Skypecasts had Arabic labels. My poor jingoistic, post-911, suburban white-guy radar went off. Probably something totally harmless... But then I scrolled further down and the red lights really came on. I have blurred the racial epithet that was in the title.

I see people with Skype usernames on their business cards. I know of some software development guys who use it extensively with their development counterparts in India. It is obviously a tool of no small value, but as a community I was put off to say the least. Oh well, maybe I caught them on a bad night.

The monies raised during the weekend-long event are donated to various organizations in the community that have been named as Festival Beneficiaries. In addition, the highest individual bidder from Saturday Night’s Black Tie Dinner and Auction has the privilege of designating ten percent of the Festival proceeds to the local charity of his or her choice.

Who Benefits (incomplete list of beneficiaries)

1. Indian River Medical Center and Foundation

2. Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice

3. Vero Beach Museum of Art

4. Riverside Theatre

5. Children's Home Society

The Treasure Coast Wine Festival represents the culmination of a long-time dream. Two closely knit non-profit organizations, two dedicated boards of directors and a multitude of friends of the foundations who are enthusiastic wine lovers, came together to create what is known as the Treasure Coast Wine Festival.

2000
The inauguration of the Treasure Coast Wine Festival in Vero Beach, Florida brought a unique event to the community.

2001 – 2003
The beginning years of the Festival saw continued support with the Live and Silent Auctions as the cornerstone of the weekend-long wine and culinary event.

2004
The 2004 Festival Organizers added Friday Night Restaurant Dinners and a Grand Wine Tasting that included over 120 fine wines.

2005
The next year offered even greater change with the inception of Private Home Dinners in some of Vero Beach’s most exquisite barrier-island homes.

2006
The Grand Wine Tasting was positioned as a more informal aspect of the festival weekend attracting both wine collectors and novices to the tent.

2007
The eighth year of the Festival became one of transition as the Festival Organizers took a year-long hiatus. During this time the Treasure Coast Wine Festival received 501 (c) 3 non-profit status and brought many newcomers to the event.

2008
After the 2007 break, the Festival came back with much excitement and support. The year was one of record results and $350,000 was donated back to the community. In total over $2 million has been raised by the Treasure Coast Wine Festival in support of its mission. View the 2008 Treasure Coast Wine Festival.

Welcome Reception
Thursday, January 22nd
The Festival kicks off a weekend swirl of events at the Welcome Reception. Festival Chefs and Vintners are welcomed to Vero Beach and to the excitement of the Treasure Coast Wine Festival by Board Members, Organizers and Special Guests. The attendees enjoy an evening of fine wine and culinary treats at one of Vero Beach’s premier hotels

Private Home Dinners | Restaurant Dinners
Friday, January 23rd
The second day of the Treasure Coast Wine Festival offers two unique dining experiences. On Friday night, Festival patrons may choose to dine at one of Vero Beach’s finest barrier-island homes or distinguished restaurants. Each Private Home Dinner pairs a select winery with a renowned chef to create an exceptional culinary experience. Likewise, the Restaurant Dinner showcases local chefs’ talents with a superior vintner pairing. Both the Private Home and Restaurant Dinners combine remarkable cuisine, exceptional wines and worthy fellowship.
Private Home Dinner: $750 pp
Restaurant Dinner: $175 pp

Black Tie Dinner & Auction
Saturday, January 24th
Under the Grand Tent at Riverside Park: The Wine Auction will be held under the Grand Tent on the grounds of Riverside Park. The black tie gala begins at 6:00pm with cocktails and a one-of-a-kind silent auction. Guests will then be seated for dinner and the live auction. Fritz Hatton, of the Napa Valley Wine Auction, will auction superior lots of wine from around the world, unique dining experiences and exotic travel opportunities. Savor the flavors of a sumptuous four-course meal, accompanied by fabulous wines. Black Tie Dinner & Auction: $750 pp

Grand Wine Tasting
Sunday, January 25th
Under the Grand Tent at Riverside Park: The weekend concludes with the Grand Wine Tasting on Sunday afternoon under the Grand Tent at Riverside Park. Wine aficionados and novices celebrate together the bounty of the grape. Enjoy an afternoon sampling wine, observing demonstrations, attending a seminar or cheering on your favorite chef in the Mini-Iron Chef Competition!
Grand Wine Tasting: $50 pp prior to event and $60 pp at door

Treasure Coast Wine Festival Ticket Packages:
Full Weekend with Restaurant Dinner Package: $875 pp
Full Weekend with Private Home Dinner Package: $1,250 pp

Tickets will be available in the Fall.

The Treasure Coast Wine Festival has many sponsorship levels available.  You may choose from one of the unique sponsorship categories that are listed below or  we are happy to work with our sponsors and create a one- of- a- kind opportunity that will better suit your sponsorship needs and goals.  For further information, please contact Kirsten Kennedy or Meredith Vey @ 772.794.9386

Interested in Volunteering?

The 2009 Treasure Coast Wine Festival will bring several of the world's finest vintners and chefs together with wine collectors and other bidders for a three-day wine gala to Vero Beach on January 22-25. Private vintner dinners will be held Friday evening at barrier island homes and at 3 beachside restaurants. Saturday's Black tie dinner and wine auction, and Sunday's Grand Wine Tasting will be held under the tent on the grounds of the Riverside Park . In 2008, we had approximately 150 individuals who donated their time to help run the Festival. Volunteers can sign up in various capacities from decor & set up, administrative support to parking attendants. The Treasure Coast Wine Festival could not take place and be the success that it is without the support from all of these wonderful volunteers!

For information on participating as a volunteer:
Call us at 772.794.9386
or email us at volunteer@treasurecoastwinefestival.com

KOTA KINABALU: Local residents are advised to always bring along their MyKad or risk being arrested when the massive operation to flush out illegal immigrants begins next month.

The Federal Special Task Force (FSTF) has begun erecting some 1,000 banners at strategic locations to remind the locals on the matter.

"The operation would be comprehensive, with no stone to be left unturned. As such, locals must make sure they have their MyKad with them to avoid problems," said FSTF assistant director Major Mohd Rizam Ayob.

He said the banners also serve as a reminder to illegal immigrants to voluntarily return to their country of origin before the operation begins.

Dubbed Ops Nyah II, the operation would cost the government RM50 million.

Illegal immigrants in Sabah are mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, and their total was estimated to be more than 500,000.

The last major operation against illegal immigrants in the state was in 2002 with more than 200,000 undocumented Filipinos and Indonesians arrested and deported.

I just completed an essay, about my father. It is a draft, so incredibly far from finished, more incredibly difficult to write. If you've been here before, you've glimpsed its beginnings, the recurrent dream. The essay doesn't attempt to interpret the dream, as one reader of the draft suggested (a suggestion I may still, sometime in revision, take, but can't yet), and as he said, the dream as it stands is unsatisfying. So many questions left, and I stand on the dream deck watching my young beautiful dream daddy driving away. I always wake from the dream caught in some web of confusion, strands of sorrow and joy catching at my eyelashes and in my hair. I don't know why I don't dream of our time together back home, or relive the joy he showed at the births of my children or my first publication, or more likely, of the recurring talks we had about how he wanted us to love and respect our mother, the woman about whom he often said, "She saved my life."

I don't know so much.

But isn't that how the death of someone we love leaves us? Standing, looking to the horizon as if the departed might appear, trying to figure out how we'll go on without them, how it is that that he or she is really gone? In the years since my daddy quietly slipped away in his sleep, I can't count the number of times I've lifted the phone to call him--to ask the etymology of a word, to share a funny story, to ask him to remind me again what the French verb is for to search: Pour rechercher.

I'm exhausted. And apparently, still searching.

However I do think I need to slow down a little and have more appropriate pauses. I caught myself reading too. Hmm tsk tsk tsk. Although I think I improved in presentation skills. Really have to thank Lih Jing for that; probably the more effective and useful module this semester. 

Xuan is talking about FDWs and their less-than-desirable situations as employees in Singapore. Well done, Xuan.

It's time to take a deep breath and breathe...

Have you ever sat in a lecture class and had to sit through one - only praying the God that the lecture would come to an end! It is really painful to sit through a lecture where people are shifting in their chairs just hoping that the prof will eventually loose steam and give it up. I have to write a critical essay paper for my Theology class in the next week, and I still need to write my outline and get it ready for class presentation on Thursday next week.

I spoke to one of my boys this evening. He tells me he's met a girl and that he likes her very much. This is news and like any good maternal instinct moves me, I invited them for a visit and I also made sure that they would be available for Thanksgiving come October. Got to get those plans on the books now.

Another Blogger friend of mine has hung up his pen and paper and is leaving the sphere. It seems that this medium has changed for many in my writing circle. I wonder sometimes if people are just loosing the will to keep writing, I know this space takes a little work to maintain and I don't know today, how many people, who are on  my read list [on the blog list on the sidebar] really take the time to come here and read. I know there are two, BEN and ERIC.

So that is my short entry for tonight.

I can’t help that it’s summer and I'm finding a lot of satisfaction in utilizing the season to do something that seems to be so rare lately. That is to offer hospitality, the welcoming in friends, family and strangers into our lives and our home. It’s a challenge, a lot of hard work and the kids are tired of me reminding them to clean up the mess. But then we get ice cream.

Hospitality is major business; just ask Conrad Hilton, or the Marriott brothers. You can extend that to any restaurant owner or even the entire leisure travel industry. But something about the business of Hospitality lacks the power and simplicity of personal hospitality.

Great hospitality is tough to live up to. I’ve been on the receiving end of great hospitality and have learned a lot. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1. Hospitality takes practice. That’s it. Practice, practice, practice. With each round you get better and better and better. We’ve found a lot of freedom in not getting it right when we asked people to be our guinea pigs. After all, we’re just practicing.
2. Hospitality takes a joyful attitude. I like what the Apostle Peter wrote to a tired and distraught people who lived under immense pressure, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Often our hospitality is tied to an obligation. That’s okay, but we still can do it with a joyful attitude. When it is tied to our own volition, then we often still need to watch that attitude.
3. Hospitality provides a rest. When the guests arrive, we don’t focus on having a nice party, we focus on providing a rest. One summer we had a group of friends, all of whom had young children. I watched four mothers, help their preschoolers get their hot dogs and then they plopped down on the patio furniture and sat for two hours.It was the first break they’d had all day and they were loving it.
4. Hospitality invites you in. I’ve stopped answering the door when guests arrive. It’s not that I want them to go away. Instead, I want to meet them in the driveway. I want to get to them before they get to me. I find when we do, it changes the dynamic. (It also helps to have a dog that will bark when a car drives up.)
5. Hospitality refocuses relationships. I once had difficulty seeing distance. Life looked like a Renoir painting. I got glasses and I could see the definition in the trees, kind of like an early form of High Definition T.V. When you offer hospitality you refocus the relationship. This has been key to developing relationships with my international friends and colleagues. I talked with a college administrator who told me that the average international student who studies in the U.S. for four to six years will never step into the home of an American. No wonder most of the world has a poor stereotype view of Americans.

Let me put it plainly. Over the next month what can you do to practice hospitality? Try it. Then tell me. BTW: if you’ve not been to our house, I apologize, but be ready and available if I ask you over – I have practice you know.

Um ihren Ärger auszudrücken, starteten die "Nerds" eine Online Petition um das Grafikkonzept zu überdenken und präsentierten einige Bilder wie Diablo III aussehen sollte. Die Petition wurde mittlerweile über 50.000 mal unterschrieben. Natürlich blieb dies bei Blizzard nicht unbemerkt und Keith Lee [Lead Producer "Diablo 3"] äußerte sich zu diesem Thema. Er sagt, dass man definitiv an dem neuen Grafikstil festhalten wolle, da so mehr Abwechslung in den Spielablauf gebracht werde. Im Gegensatz zu den Vorgängern, in denen man sehr viel in Kellergewölben unterwegs war, wolle man nun vermehrt auf aufwändig gestaltete Außenareale setzen, fügte Lee hinzu.

So weit so gut! Doch jetzt wird es lächerlich! Denn laut InGame.de wurde die Kritik über Diablo III lauter und Blizzard nehme die Kritik der Community sehr ernst. Es sei sogar denkbar, dass Grundlegendes geändert würde, um den Wünschen der Community gerecht zu werden. Tut mir leid, aber nachdem ich das gelesen habe, musste ich erstmal herzhaft lachen! :lol:

Ob da nun was wahres dran ist, sei jetzt vorerst dahin gestellt. Denn bis jetzt gibt es keine offizielle Stellungnahme seitens von Blizzard. Es kann sich also noch einiges tun, sei es zum Guten oder zum Schlechten.

Liebe Gamer! Macht bitte mal eure Augen auf! Die Masse ist Dumm! Wenn einer Schreit, schreien die anderen gleich mit, ohne zu wissen um was es überhaupt geht. Hauptsache schön Laut sein! Wie lächerlich ist bitte schön eine Online Petition!? Peinlicher geht es ja nicht. Und die über 50.000 Unterschriften sind in meinen Augen auch nur ein Produkt von Fälschungen und Schummlerei (eBay läßt Grüßen!)

Und was das Thema "Kritik" betrifft ... Nun ja, eine Online Petition, Spammerei und Flamerei in den Foren zählt in meinen Augen nicht gerade als konstruktive Kritik. Das ist eher unter Druck setzen! Und genau das findet zur Zeit statt. Gegen vernünftige Kritik ist nichts einzuwenden, aber das jetzt die "Nerds" und "Fanboys" aus ihren dunklen Keller gekrochen kommen und Aufstand machen, ist mehr als nur lächerlich. Es sind genau diese Typen, die 24 Stunden am Tag, 7 Tage die Woche auf Blizzards Internetseiten surfen und nach den kleinsten Anomalien im HTML Quellcode der Website suchen. Und dann nichts besseres zu tun haben, als die Screenshots von Diablo III nach ihren "Vorstellungen" zu verbessern :?

Tut mir leid, wenn ich an der Stelle etwas ausfallend werde, aber ...

• ICH WILL eine bunte Diablo III Welt wo ALLES detailliert dargestellt wird. Denn das Leben ist BUNT! Das ist nun mal Fakt! :D
• ICH WILL  erst dann einen Lichtkreis um meinen Helden haben, wenn dieser auch eine Fackel oder ähnliches in den Händen hält. Kein Mensch wirft einfach so einen Lichtkreis um sich. Es sei denn, er hat eine Batterie verschluckt und schießt Blitze aus seinem Arsch! Der Mensch sieht im Dunkeln alles schwarzweiß. Das ist Physik, lieber Kinder ;-)
• ICH WILL keine düstere Welten haben mit einer Auswahl von 10 Farben. Verliese und Oberwelt sollen ruhig eine große Farbpalette haben. Ich will das bunte Blumen sich im Wind wiegen und einen Regenbogen am Himmel nach einem Regenschauer, während das Blut meiner Gegner zu Boden tropft und ihre Schreie durch die Ferne ziehen! :twisted:
• ICH WILL vernünftige Dungeons haben, keine Ansammlung & Gruppierungen von Folterkammern und Leichenzimmer. Dungeons sind unterirdische Höhlen, in denen sich alles möglich befinden kann. Also was soll der Aufstand :roll:
• ICH WILL in einer Fantasy Welt spielen und nicht in einem Weltendszenario mit Silent Hill Schlag und Resident Evil Flair! Herje wenn die Schulterplatten größer als der Kopf sind, nennt man sowas halt Fantasy!
• ICH WILL, dass das Spiel noch 2009 erscheint und nicht erst 2010, weil irgendwelche "nerdigen Freaks" meinen, Blizzard solle erst sein Grafikkonzept überarbeiten. Das ALLES kostet wieder Entwicklungszeit und der Rest der Spieler da draußen, mögen das Spiel so wie es ist.

Mein Tipp für Blizzard: Damit auch jeder zufrieden gestellt werden kann, sollte man einfach einen Filter implementieren, der das ganze Spiel was düsterer macht (wie es sich die Community wünscht), dann kann jeder entscheiden, in welchem Stil er Diablo III spielen will 8)

[gallery]

Community Dance session which took place during the recent Know Your Neighbour weekend.

It is difficult to be lonely today - I have notes from Molli and Ashish, I have e-mails from a gollum today, I have chatters with many peoples.

It has been requested that we have a saltwater fish tank behind the bar instead of a mirror - which meets my approval.  The plans for a restaurant are in discussion - themed menus are the good!  Especially with themes like mango, chocolate, and coffee.

The internet is full of things to share!

One thing comes from the extra-adorable bunny - ZombieWalk!!!

Also, Peace Day (September 21) approaches!!!  Visit the site for Peace One Day to make a commitment that is tiny-sized to galaxy-sized and get banners, e-mail signatures, and things!!!  I think I may make a pair of jeans with glued on accents in fabric (like the koi pants) for Peace Day.  The peace signs will have to be fuzzy.  Fuzzy peace sign pants!!!  Okay...moving on.....

And the internet is also still full of chocolate!

A recipe for chocolate zombie fingers (decorated chocolate-covered pretzels) from Extreme Chocolate (yes, extreme chocolate!).

Also this site mentions the existance of chocolate beer! There is a link to recipies, but nowhere to order chocolate beers!  Sooooooo...I have found some places where one can find the chocolate beers!  Shenandoah Brewing Company does chocolate donut beers (Alexandria, VA) and you can brew your own beer, which sounds pretty cool.  Mountain Sun does chocolate beer (Boulder, CO - which is closer to someone's tall, tall city than VA, though I'm still looking for chocolate beer in Denver - will has updates) and has a beer listing that makes me wish that I was a) in Colorado and b) liked beer at all.  I want to like raspberry beer dammit!  [Totally a tangent: BEER RECIPIES - note to self, make chili with beer!]  And...Desert Edge Brewery (Salt Lake City, UT) has chocolate beers.  If I missed anyone for chocolate beers, let me know, and I will try to find the chocolate beers just for you.

EDIT: Order Young's Double Chocolate online - Australia only!

EDIT II: Young's Double Chocolate online

EDIT III: Arcadia "Coco Loco" Triple Chocolate online

Read about places for chocolate tastings near where I will one day return from exile.

More things will come!  For now I posts this!

http://www.limerickindependent.com/