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https://biologos.org/podcast-episodes/alister-mcgrath-doorway-to-wonder
Language of God
Alister McGrath | Doorway to Wonder
Featuring guest Alister McGrath
Science as Christian Calling
Wonder & Worship
Alister McGrath joins Jim Stump to talk about his book Born to Wonder. McGrath describes his early conversion to Christianity as feeling like he walked through a doorway—his new found faith gave him a fresh perspective when looking at the world. But instead of being content with standing just inside the doorway, he found that there was a whole world worth exploring. After many decades of deep exploration he has come away with a higher tolerance for uncertainty, even in the midst of all the knowledge and wisdom he has found.
Alister McGrath, Episode 28
Articles by Alister
Born to Wonder (book)
McGrath:
I think everyone who discovers Christianity, like me, discovers a part of it. In other words, there's something about the Christian faith that speaks them very powerfully and, if you'd like, it's the doorway. That's how they come in. And it's always tempting to come into the doorway and stop and say, "that's it." And what drew me in was its remarkable ability to make sense of things. And for a while, that was all I wanted to know. Then I began to realize, through talking to other Christians, and also beginning to read books by people like C.S. Lewis, Augustine and others, that there was rather more to Christianity than this, that if you'd like, there were other doors leading off. And I decided it was time to explore these. So if you'd like what I discovered was that Christianity was far richer, far more expansive than I'd realized. I had discovered part of it, and that was welcome, but there was so much more to discover in the process of growth, development and discipleship.
I'm Alister McGrath and I'm the Andreas Idris Professor of Science of Religion at Oxford University in England.
Stump:
Welcome to Language of God. I'm Jim Stump.
If you've been around the podcast for a while or if you've been following the science and faith dialogue, you know Alister McGrath. He was our guest back on Episode 28, and he's one of the most prolific authors out there…but that is about to change. In this episode he tells us why he's now done writing books, and what he plans to do next. But there are still a couple of his books in the production pipeline, and the latest to come out now in the United States is titled Born to Wonder: Exploring our Deepest Questions, Why are we here and why does it matter. Those are some of the questions we explore in our conversation with him today.
The theme of uncertainty comes up several times and after his many years of research and study, McGrath has become more tolerant of uncertainty in his life, realizing that wonder and curiosity continue to grow as he explores these questions. Instead of facing the mystery with fear or anxiety, he finds purpose, and even great joy, in all the unanswered questions that lie in front of him.
Let's get to the conversation.
Interview Part One
Well, thanks, Alister, for talking to us again. Last year, we had you on the podcast talking about a couple of your new books at the time. And you said then that you were writing just one more book and then that was going to be all is this it? Is Born to Wonder your last book?
No, it's not. It's actually a later version of a book I wrote some time ago, which has been reissued in the United States. My last book is now out in the UK, it's called, in effect, Through a Glass Darkly. And it's about living with science with faith and with doubt and that is my transition from Atheism to Christian belief. So that is my, if you like, farewell.
So if I may ask, why are you done writing books?
Because I think you quit when you're ahead. And also, I mean, I want to do more podcast work, more video work, because I think actually, I'm better at doing that kind of thing. So I've written some books, that's great. I'll write more articles. That's great. I want to do other things as well.
Well, very good. Maybe I could ask you just to reflect a little bit on your writing career here. Is there any pattern maybe, or an arc to the kinds of topics that have interested you and what you've written about?
The arc is there and basically it's what I'm interested in. And my interests vary. I'm kind of a restless person. So I'll move from one thing to another. And I find I write on a wide range of issues, not because I'm defocused or any kind of way lacking any real ability to concentrate on anything. It's just, everything is so interesting, and I love writing about this. And I love writing for people who want to think about these things and I hope that what I've discovered, might help them as well. So if you'd like, I find researching intellectually exciting. And I want to share that excitement with those I'm writing for.
As you look back across the many books that you've done, have you seen that your own views have changed at all during this time or development or things you might change or say differently now at this stage of your career?
I think as you get older, you begin to learn that life isn't quite as simple as you had hoped for, that the universe obstinately refuses to conform to what we think it ought to be. And you have to, kind of way, adapt yourself to a certain degree of ability to live with uncertainty, to be able to, in effect, realize that some of life's big questions cannot be settled absolutely. And therefore, you have to say, this seems the best option, and I'm going for that, and I learn to live with the uncertainty. If you like, I've become less intolerant to uncertainty as I become older.
Nice. Well we'll talk about that a little bit with this present book. One more question, though, on your writing career, perhaps? Which of your books do you think best capture your thought? Or if you could only, say, preserve three of your books for a future generation, which ones would they be, do you think, that say these give the best insight into my thinking?
I think my first book, which is a study of Martin Luther's theological development was quite good, because it was the outcome of a long period of engagement, if you like, it was a long process of reflection leading to that one. That's back in 1985. And I don't think I've really written a very good book since then. But I think I also really enjoyed writing my biography of C.S. Lewis, because he was so interesting. I kept finding out new things about him. And it was great fun sharing them with people. But on science and religion, I think that's such an exciting topic. And the book I really enjoyed writing most there was a study of Richard Dawkins. It wasn't a kind of polemical book, it was simply called Dawkins' God. And it was asking this question, what sort of God does Richard Dawkins not believe in and why? And actually, Dawkins himself said, "look, this book gets me absolutely right." He didn't like what I did. He didn't think my alternative was right, either. But he just said, "look, you've got inside my mind." And I very much appreciated that.
Well that's fascinating. Well, let's talk about the new book, Born to Wonder. So you say that it is a re-release in the US of a different book that was already done?
Yes, was it a book I wrote a few years ago, and it came out in the UK. And in the US, they changed the title. And I think it's a much better title in the US because that's a big theme. It covers a lot of territory. And the theme of wonder is central to everything because it's really about saying, at the heart of the whole scientific enterprise, is a sense of wonder at the natural order. Not just, hey, this is interesting, but more there's something really significant here. It's imaginatively challenging. It makes me want to engage, want to reflect, want to unpack. And a very similar trajectory in my own case led to the rediscovery of religious faith. And that's a very important point. Because for me, it was a sense that, in effect, my science was good but it became even better if you looked at it through a Christian lens. So for me, this if you like, exploration of wonder, led to both science but also to a realization of the importance of Christianity, if you'd like, as a framing device for thinking about the scientific enterprise.
Another of the themes that jumped out at me as I read was the kind of incompleteness of rationality or maybe even the barrenness of pure rationality as an approach to some of the most important questions that confront us. You allude to this already in you describing the arc of some of your writing. But I wonder if you might talk a little bit more here about the need for subjectivity. For many people, I think science is the highest expression of rationality and the triumph over subjectivity in a sense, but how do you respond to such people with the need for a subjective sense?
Science is very objective. And in the positive sense of the word that means it doesn't matter who is doing this, the results should be the same. And actually, that is very important. But it's also objective, in another sense, a cold sense, a clinical sense, a sense that this does not affect you. It doesn't excite your imagination. It doesn't move you emotionally. And for me, that isn't the way science should be. Because when I look at Einstein, I mean, he, in effect, found himself carried away by a sense of rapturous amazement, both at the universe itself, but also at the ability of human reasoning to be able to capture at least something of this. So we do need, I think, to recapture the subjective, or the affective aspects of our world, because science doesn't seem to be very good at capturing that. But it's really important for our existence as human beings.
So you develop a metaphor taken from John MacKay, of seeing from the balcony versus seeing from the street. Can you explain that a bit for our audience here?
I think a lot of people try to imagine themselves standing on high, and looking down at the world being able to see everything in full detail. But for those of us who are actually on the ground, so to speak, we don't see things in all of their fullness, we have to, kind of way, make difficult decisions based on our limited vision. And for me, that very helpful image developed by John MacKay, who was President of Princeton Theological Seminary is reminding us that there is—we have limited access to the big picture of reality. We have to learn to live with a degree of uncertainty, a degree of hesitation, not I say despair, but rather this realization, we don't have the crystalline clarity of vision that the Enlightenment promised. And we have to learn that that was, in effect, a false promise, and adjust our thinking accordingly.
So what is this perspective of seeing from the street then, in this metaphor? So you have somebody standing up above—is the claim that we cannot ever get to that perspective from the balcony where we see that big picture, that we're forever trapped in the view down on the ground?
I think it's realizing that there may indeed be some people of remarkable genius, who are able to see further, more clearly than the rest of us. But it's also, I think, alerting us to the limitations placed on our understanding, and our vision. We don't see things as clear as we would like. And because we are, if you like, a community that's journeying along the road, we can in effect, talk to each other and help each other see further and understand better. So, if you'd like, it's also a metaphor for the importance of community in generating knowledge.
Here's a quote from that section of the book I'd like to ask you about then. You say, "we need to grasp the big picture of the universe and position ourselves within it, yet we seem unable to grasp this full picture by ourselves. We need help if we're to see beyond the frustrating limits imposed on us by being human." But then later on the same page, "for Christians this capacity to see things as they really are rather than as they are glimpsed from the surface is a gracious gift of God. There is indeed a big picture of our mysterious world, but it's not one that we discerned on our own, still less one that we invented. It was one that had to be shown to us." So my question to you here now is whether revelation can kind of definitively settle this question of the big picture, give us that view from the balcony.
I think revelation is able to speak to us under the conditions of our existence, if you'd like, to adapt it to our limitations, to our abilities, and it is able to show us something that is not irrational, but something that goes beyond the limits of our rationality. Let me tell you a story, which I find quite helpful in thinking about this. When I was about 13, I was an amateur astronomer, and I found it fascinating. And I remember once watching the motion of the planet Mars, in the night sky. And if it kind of went forward, then it went back and then went forward again. I couldn't make sense of this. So I asked one of my teachers at school to tell me what this is all about. And he explained it to me. And the minute he'd given me that framework, I could make perfect sense of it. But I could not have developed that framework by myself. In other words, I was being given a bigger picture. And once I used it, once I stepped inside it, suddenly, things made sense. And if you'd like, revelation's a bit like that. It's not irrational. It's something that is given to us, when we step inside and suddenly say, "ey, this works, it really is helpful." And I find that very helpful in thinking about the nature of Revelation.
Is there a kind of tension though, on this point, in which we see that Christians—we Christians ourselves continue to have a lot of disagreements and see things differently. The sheer number of Christian denominations must testify to some limitation of revelation? Or is it just not in that degree of specificity that perhaps I'm looking for, that revelation is given to us? How do we understand—what I'm asking is how do we understand the ongoing disagreements among Christians, if we have this gift from God, this revelation that gives us the big picture,
We have this gift from God, but if I can put it like this, we unpack it, we see it in different ways. And I think there's always this friendly, I hope, discussion amongst Christians by how best to understand this, how best to apply this. But certainly, if I look at my own thought, over the decades that lie behind me, I can see myself moving as I've grasped certain things more deeply. And I think one of the things I strongly want to encourage is civilized conversation between Christians about how best to make sense of this, how we bring together the worlds of faith and science, how, if you like, we develop a lens that allows us to see both of these in focus at the same time. And that's not something I think any one person can do on their own, which is why it's so important to talk about these things respectfully and see if that leads us all to a better place for thinking about these things.
Good, yes. Another aspect to the subjectivity, which is emphasized in your book, is that of personal experience that's involved in the life of faith. And you said for you personally, even initially, you fell in love not with the person of God, but with the pattern of Christian truth an eros of the mind, not the heart. But it didn't stop there. You say, "I slowly came to appreciate the relational, aesthetic, emotional and imaginative aspects of the faith." Can you describe what that process was like for you personally, any further than that?
I think everyone who discovers Christianity, like me, discovers a part of it. In other words, there's something about the Christian faith that speaks them very powerfully and, if you'd like, it's the doorway. That's how they come in. And it's always tempting to come into the doorway and stop and say, "that's it." And what drew me in was its remarkable ability to make sense of things. And for a while, that was all I wanted to know. Then I began to realize, through talking to other Christians, and also beginning to read books by people like C.S. Lewis, Augustine and others, that there was rather more to Christianity than this, that if you'd like, there were other doors leading off. And I decided it was time to explore these. So, if you'd like, what I discovered was that Christianity was far richer, far more expansive than I'd realized. I had discovered part of it, and that was welcome, but there was so much more to discover in the process of growth, development and discipleship. So for me, this was, if you like, I use the image quite often now, of arriving on an island and discovering the beach in which you land. And then begin to realize there's a hinterland, that there's a whole area to explore. And I have found that process of exploration fascinating and personally enriching. But the danger is, you come in one doorway and you stop. And what I did was to keep going. And you know, I'm so glad I did.
Further up and further in from The Last Battle.
Alister:
So there are some strands of the Christian tradition that emphasize a personal relationship with Jesus. Is that language that you find helpful?
I find it helpful, but I don't find it helpful if people say that is the end of the matter. It is important. It's about this relational, it's about this personal, this existential side of faith. And that really matters. But it's also about a way of seeing the world, not simply how I relate to God. And it's trying to, in effect, develop this bigger picture, not just my personal relationship with God or with Christ but the difference it makes to the way I think about myself, the world, the way I investigate the world, the way I behave in this world. And again, the danger is that a very helpful emphasis can accidentally become something very exclusive, shutting down other conversations. So for me, I welcome this, but it's not the full picture in itself.
Are there particular practices or disciplines that you've found helpful for pushing beyond merely intellectual faith?
I think talking to people or reading people who clearly take different perspectives is really helpful, because you begin to realize, maybe they have seen something that I have missed. And therefore you are drawn into thinking about things or seeing things in a different way. And as you explore these, very often you realize they've seen something I've missed. Now, that doesn't always happen. There are times when I think actually, these guys are seeing something that isn't there. I'm not going there. But in other times, it's very much a question of realizing these guys are helping me to see something important that, up to this point, I have not fully appreciated.
I seem to recall that you have spent at least at some times in your life, out on the speaking circuit, preaching in smaller country churches outside of academia. Is that true?
What do you gain from conversations with such people there?
I speak to very small congregations and they have agendas like will my crops be alright, or how do I cope with unemployment or things like this. And I begin to realize that I have the task of being able to take the Christian faith and apply it and interpret it to these people's situations. It's not my situation. But my task is to be the interpreter, the one who tries to, if you'd like, take the Christian faith, and speak it into that situation. So I find it very challenging, but also very important, because it helps me see that very often I limit Christianity to what I think matters and what I see. And C.S. Lewis, in one of his later books, talks about the importance of seeing things through other people's eyes. That's an experiment in criticism where he says, I will see through other eyes and in doing so I see more not contradicting but expanding my existing vision of reality.
[musical interlude]
BioLogos:
Hi Language of God listeners. We wanted to take a quick break from the episode to tell you about the BioLogos resource centers found at our website, biologos.org. You'll find articles, videos, and other resources curated for pastors, educators, youth ministry, campus ministry and small groups. Help bring the science and faith conversation to the places that are important to you. Just click the resources tab at the top of the page. Now back to the show.
Interview Part Two
Well, let's come back to your book here. I found a chapter seven particularly engaging and profound. It's titled, When Meaning Fails: doubt, trauma and disbelief. And in it you say, "doubt is just part of the intellectual and emotional routine of life. There is a sense in which we are all agnostics in some sense, and to some degree, the beliefs in life that really matter lie beyond proof. These points are not controversial. They are, however deeply unsettling to those who are attracted to worldviews that offer them certainty." I think there are some passages of Scripture that may lead to some people's mind that seem to stand in tension with this, as when Jesus tells Doubting Thomas, "do not doubt but believe," or James 1, "ask in faith never doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea being double minded and unstable." What do you make of these passages? And how is what you're emphasizing different?
I think it's very helpful to think of doubt as having two possible orientations: not being sure about something and not being sure about someone. And I think in many ways, what Christianity is saying is here is someone you can trust. In other words, I don't doubt God. God is, if you like, the one we can trust. But that doesn't satisfy or resolve all the intellectual issues we have to wrestle with. And so for me, you know, James is very much saying, don't doubt God. You know, there may be debates about how best to understand this, but God is the one who can be trusted. But I think the bigger point I'm trying to make here is really addressed to the new atheism. Because in my debates with new atheists, I have noticed they get profoundly uneasy when I say, look, you're calling on me to prove my beliefs. I wonder if you could do the same for me? Can you prove you are right? And the answer is, well, no, of course we can't, you can't prove a negative, or whatever it is. But when I press and say you are using a criteria of judgment to evaluate me, and you refuse to apply it to yourself, they get very, very anxious indeed and want to shut the discussion down. And the bigger point I'm making here is it doesn't matter whether you're an atheist or a Christian, you cannot absolutely prove your beliefs. You in effect, are saying, I've arrived at this position, I believe it to be right, I believe it to be trustworthy, but I cannot deliver you the knockdown certainty that the Enlightenment thought was normative in this situation. And to me, that's a very important point.
And I think some people are relieved, in a sense, aren't they, to hear that they don't have to have that absolute certainty all at the time in order to be committed to the faith.
I think that's right. I think there are two issues here, if I can put it like this. One is the limits placed on our human minds by the fact that, a.) we're human, and b.) we're messed up by sin. And secondly, the fact the universe is rather bigger than we are. And so actually, we struggle to take it in fully. And therefore I think there's always going to be this imperfection of vision, this seeing things in a slightly fuzzy way. And that's part of the condition of being human. And as I've got older, I just got used to this. I've lost those false expectations of certainty, which I think come from a very naive way of looking at the world.
You say a little further in this section, if we're to cope with life and not merely make sense of it, we need answers to the question why, not merely to the question how. Can you describe first further this distinction between making sense of life and coping with life?
Making sense of life is very rational, very objective, it's saying, I think I can see how these things hang together. Coping is something very different, is in effect, enabling me to live in a world, which very often seems to be complex, where things don't always seem to make sense. How do I keep going in life when sometimes things seem to be shadowy, murky, uncertain? I think that's a very important distinction, because for me, one of the things that Christianity is very good at is helping us to cope with suffering. Not necessarily seeing things with intellectual precision but knowing that we can keep going partly because of course of the example of Christ, which is a very important matter, we ought probably to talk about more, in due course. But for me, that is the problem. If you look at people who write about theodicy, very often this is, in effect, a purely rational attempt to make sense of suffering. That's interesting, intellectually, but it doesn't engage where most people are, which is they need something or someone to keep them going as they pass through the valley of the shadow of death. And my point there is that Christianity is very good at helping us to cope with this messy and complex world.
Well, lest we get lured into thinking there is no rational basis for Christian faith, you come back in the book then and bring up the practice of natural theology. But whereas it's sometimes been used by Christians to attempt to prove the truth of the Christian faith, you think there's a better way of understanding natural theology.- Can you describe that?
I think natural theology does mean different things to different people, indeed if you look at the history of the idea, it's all over the place. There are multiple ways of thinking about it. So I personally don't think we should limit it to, in effect, trying to prove God's existence. It's rather saying there is something about the natural world as God's creation, which points us to God, and also means because it's God's creation, we can actually rejoice in nature, appreciating its beauty and its wonder and the fact that we are here to observe and appreciate it. Now for me, this is all about, you know, appreciating nature to its full, but also realizing the rationality of faith. In other words, realizing this makes sense. As you rightly say, I'm very clear that Christianity makes sense of nature, but it does more than that. It gives us this lens for looking at nature up close and personal, and exalting and delighting in what we see, not simply because it's interesting in itself, because if you'd like it's a pointer to the one who made it.
Yeah, so you list several of the things you mention there in what you call three main elements to a Christian appreciation of the natural world. I'd like to get just some further brief reaction or commentary on these, where the first one you list is an immediate sense of delight or wonder at the beauty of nature. But is that a particularly Christian response in itself?
Nope, nope. That is just a human response. And if we take two people who have completely different worldviews, and you suddenly put before them a beautiful landscape, they'll both go, "oh!" because they haven't had time to think about what they're seeing, interpret it. In other words, the interpretation comes in later. So for me, that is common human experience but I think Christianity gives you a better interpretation of that sense of wonder, than alternatives.
The second of these then too has room for a Christian interpretation, the mathematization of nature. What is this and how might Christians interpret that?
Well, one thing has always struck me is that when you start writing down how nature behaves mathematically, the resulting equations are often very beautiful. So in other words, it's not just nature is beautiful, but it's the representations of nature are really very elegant as well. And if you go back to someone like Galileo or Kepler, they will both say this is because the universe is written in the language of God. In other words, mathematics, if you like, a way of helping us to discover that God's rationality is displayed in the world. And we are able to uncover this by bearing God's image. It's a very significant theological motif in the early scientific revolution.
And finally, the third of these main elements to a Christian appreciation of the natural world, you've already alluded to, the natural world is embedded with signs pointing beyond itself to its creator. So these are different from definitive proofs, but also not just wishful thinking, right? There's something substantial to these signs.
There certainly is. Richard Dawkins and I debate and discuss many things and at this point, we are different, because Dawkins would say, "nature just is," that is it, it doesn't point beyond itself. Whereas my position, of course, is it does point beyond the self. And in doing so, it does not diminish itself. It simply says we appreciate even more by realizing it is a signpost pointing beyond it, to something even more wonderful. And so we appreciate the beauty of nature, knowing it points to the even greater beauty of God, which in effect leads us to anticipate that, but at the same time, welcome nature, because of this wonderful signpost it gives us
Can you give us any more concrete examples of this, of what these pointers are, what the signs are, and how they might work, from what we first observed to how it points towards something bigger than itself?
I remember when I was a student, friends and I went to Iran, and we were on a bus late at night, because it's cooler then, and the bus broke down in the middle of a desert. And we had to get out while they fixed the engine. It was pitch black, but the stars were brilliant. I've never seen them so bright. And I felt the sense of being overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of the night sky. And of course it brought to my mind Psalm 19, verse one, that in effect, the heavens declare the glory of God. Now I already know about God. But I tell you, that sight brought home to me the immensity of the majesty of God far more than any theological textbook. And I'm sure many listening to this discussion will say, I could give an even better example and I'm so glad because this is a really important phenomenon.
And of course, Dawkins would respond of well, that's just, you know, you're somehow wired to think that way or that you're imposing something that isn't really there.
He might say that, in which case, I would want to know why are we hardwired to think in this way, because it almost is some kind of homing instinct for God embedded within us. And to me, that's really interesting.
Good. Well, the third part of your book then is called Wondering About our Future. And in it you confront some of the secular hopes for our future in terms of transhumanism and various other humanisms. But prominent in this section is a term that's not always very popular these days, and that is sin. How is it that sin gets at our peculiarly human situation and is a term that you think ought not be forgotten?
If you go back to the enlightenment of the 18th century, leading enlightenment writers were very critical of the idea of sin. Looking back on that, I think we can now see that in effect sin was the big problem they wanted us to ignore. If there is something flawed about us, if we are wounded, if we are imperfect, if we are damaged, then I'm afraid there are big question marks about the reliability of our judgments and everything else. And for me, sin is saying that we are imperfect, we are not what we're meant to be. We need somebody to bandage us up and put it back together again, to put it very, very crudely. And therefore we have to learn to live with bias, with imperfection, with selfishness, all these things. And for me, sin is not about, in effect, improperly being negative about human nature. It's simply saying, let's be realistic. Sin is telling things the way they are and then saying let's be realistic and go forward in that knowledge. And I find people unwilling to face up to this, except, of course, when we have a crisis. People say, "well, I suppose we ought to learn from this." But the problem is, if you look at, for example, the First World War afterwards, everyone was saying, we have to learn from this, we made big mistakes, and they kept on repeating the mistakes.
So along those lines, you say the term sin is used in a theological sense to designate a flaw within human nature which prevents us from achieving our true goals. I think one of the obstacles, though, for a lot of Christians, in engaging more substantially with science is trying to understand where this flaw could have come from in God's good creation. Were we created with a flaw?
Well, this is an area where Christians will disagree. And I think it's important to begin by making the point that we have to be careful to treat sin as a theological idea. In other words, it's not saying you are immoral, it's really saying you are not the person that God wants you to be, yet. And I think that's an important perspective to bring. But of course, Christians do disagree about this. If I think of Augustine, Augustine has this very important idea of original sin. And what he means by that is that it's not as if we discover sin or acquire sin as we grow up, it's actually we are already predisposed towards sin, by virtue of being human, right from the word go. And again, some feel nervous about this. But again, to me, this is about being realistic. This is the way things are. And it's not necessarily making a negative judgment. It's simply saying, we've got to face up to the way we are. If we know that we mess things up, we are more likely to try and do something about and also to be accommodating, to be understanding, to those we know are sharing the same problems. And that is actually quite an important point in reminding us of the need to be forbearing towards others.
So at BioLogos, we have made no bones about accepting the view that the sciences have given us of the history and the origins of our species. And I think you accept that in broad strokes as well. Is there any virtue or value in us attempting to integrate this theological conception of human beings we have as sinful with that view that is afforded from the sciences and trying to understand our natural history? How do we bring those two views together into one picture?
I think that's a really important question. I gladly tell you what I think, but of course, this is an area where Christians will take different positions. You used the word integrate. That's a good word. I would want to use the word correlate. In other words, these are not a single narrative. If you like, they are different narratives, but we can perhaps weave them together or understand how they interconnect. And I think one concern I have is that we tend to blend these ideas. I'd like to try and keep them distinct, but nevertheless say it's really interesting to try and see how they interconnect. And to me, that is an important issue. And the issue of how we actually address this is complex, but that's why I'm so glad that people like you at BioLogos are here to stimulate this conversation and also to say it's important, and we need to have this conversation.
Do people sometimes react with that of fear of non-overlapping magisteria, as Stephen Jay Gould pitched, when you say you want to keep them separate?
I think people do feel nervous about any conversation between science and religion. And I suppose there are three outcomes of this. One is to say there is no conversation to be had, let's just, in effect, keep them separate. Or if there's a conversation, it in effect is an argument, it's a war. I take the view there can be a conversation which is constructive, but critical. And it can have some interesting outcomes. So I'm into the dialogue model, because I can see how important that is. But it does require mutual respect. I think that's sometimes where the problems begin.
So you've been involved in this dialogue among science and Christian faith here for a number of years. And have had a very interesting seat in perspective on it from your work at Oxford there. Do you see hopeful signs of the way that conversation is going? Or are you able to chart out, you know, the course of the kinds of questions or problems that both the academics are engaged in, with regard at the intersection of science and faith where that dialogue is, as well as the concerns of non academics? Or people in the pew that are just wanting to have a coherent view that is informed by both their science and faith?
I think you've raised a very important question. And it seems to me that academically there was growing receptivity towards a conversation, I think people are realizing that actually, science and faith are major forces in culture, they need to talk to each other. Even E.O. Wilson, who's very hostile towards religion, is saying, we need to have this conversation. And I agree with that. But I think at the popular level, that this isn't really happening as I would have liked it to. And I think it's partly due to the rise of the new atheism, which is now happily fading away. But for a while, in effect, it was all about a very simplistic mindset that, in effect, science proves everything. Religion is simply running away from reality. And okay, it's a caricature, but it's one that resonated with a lot of people who had hidden agendas. So I'm hoping we can get beyond that. But there's still a lot of work that needs to be done, not simply at the academic level, but preaching this in congregations and also engaging with the public, through media.
Do you have any advice for the future generations of people working in science and theology here, of how their time and effort might be most profitably spent?
Yes, that's a very interesting question. This is my personal experience but of course, this may just be me. I have found that there are two ways I can talk about science or religion. I'll say, let me look at the academic issues. I'll say, look, understand, we have a big picture reality science fills in part of it, faith another part. You'll say, sounds interesting. Then I'll say, well, let me tell you something else. Let me tell you my personal story about how I moved from an atheist who thought religion was nonsense and science was great to a Christian believer who thought the science was great and actually religious faith is really helpful as well. It's the second of those approaches that gets people interested and allows them to see, you can in effect hold science and faith together meaningfully.
Well, let's finish with your book here then. We were in part three wondering about our future. And maybe we might end on a hopeful note here, one about the future of humanity. This is not a hope or optimism that comes from our own efforts or from some kind of inevitable progress or from technological solutions to our nature. Where does this hope come from?
I do think we need to draw a very sharp distinction between optimism and hope. Optimism is "oh, everything's gonna be fine, don't worry!" But it's not very realistic. Hope is saying, I have no idea what's going to happen next. But I do know that I can journey through this unsettling, complex bewildering, world in which we find ourselves placed, knowing that I do not do this on my own, but in the presence of a God who journeys with me. And that is about hope. It's about journeying not on our own, but in the presence of one who is there for us. And that to me is a very big distinction that we need to make. I have no idea what lies ahead. If we've been having this conversation perhaps a year or two ago, we would never have predicted the virus crisis we're going through now and all that that's showing about human structures, human societies, and human individuals. I think it does just bring home to us that humanity is rather more complex than some of these rather simplistic theories suggest.
Well, thank you so much for your work and helping us see the importance of Christian theology in our world today and for talking to us again on the podcast. I hope we can do it again.
Sounds great. Thanks for having me.
Language of God is produced by BioLogos. It has been funded in part by the John Templeton Foundation and more than 300 individuals who donated to our crowdfunding campaign. Language of God is produced and mixed by Colin Hoogerwerf. That's me. Our theme song is by Breakmaster Cylinder. We are produced out of the remote workspaces and homes of BioLogos staff in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
If you have questions or want to join in a conversation about this episode find a link in the show notes for the BioLogos forum. Find more episodes of Language of God on your favorite podcast app or at our website, biologos.org, where you will also find tons of great articles and resources on faith and science. Thanks for listening.
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Alister E. McGrath is Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. In addition to his work at Oxford, McGrath is Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and serves as associate priest in a group of Church of England village parishes in the Cotswolds. His personal website can be accessed here.
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At BioLogos, "gracious dialogue" means demonstrating the grace of Christ as we dialogue together about the tough issues of science and faith.
Originally aired on October 29, 2020
With Jim Stump


House salad, tossed in a aged Balsamic vinaigrette, topped with fresh, baby carrots, radish, grapes, bell pepper, snap peas, cucumber, mozzarella, toasted sliced almonds, our daily gluten free croutons and drizzled with an aged balsamic vinegar.
Fresh sautéed Vidalia onion, asparagus, cherry tomato and red bell pepper all tossed with a tomato penne. Then drizzled with an aged Balsamic glaze and topped with goat cheese.
Our normal crab cakes , served on a potato egg roll topped with a mascarpone aioli, tomato and mixed greens Or a large salad topped with a fresh crab cake.
Served on out Fitness roll, topped with mascarpone aioli, tomato, mixed greens, bacon, cheddar cheese and avocado.
Our freshly baked flaky croissant filled with a mascarpone aioli, mixed greens and tomato then topped with your choice of: Bacon and cheddar cheese Or Prosciutto and a mild Swiss cheese Or Black Forest ham and smoked Gouda.
Marinated fresh salmon stuffed with our normal crab cake and baked to order and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
Marinated and sautéed large Gulf shrimp served on a large sundried tomato tortilla filled with cheddar cheese, avocado and tomato, served with a side of tomato salsa.
A freshly made that morning egg pasta stuffed with sautéed gulf shrimp, mozzarella cheese and a touch of basil pesto. All wrapped in a large ravioli and served with a brandied chili cream sauce.
All served on our Focaccia bread and filled with a mascarpone aioli, mixed greens and tomato. Then one of each and marinated and sautéed Gulf shrimp, Prosciutto and a Black Angus cheeseburger.
Fresh marinated swordfish sautéed to order served with a watermelon salsa a mix of fresh watermelon, mango, avocado and cucumber.
Fresh sautéed wild mushrooms, tossed with a wild mushroom linguini and served in a Chardonnay cream sauce.


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It's been a little while since I've done a Fashion post. Fortunately, gone are the days of intentional dressing for my chemo and radiation appointments (Silver Lining!). However, I still wholeheartedly believe that when I get dressed every morning, I have the opportunity to choose an outfit that makes me feel strong and confident while simultaneously allowing me to have fun with and enjoy fashion.
My fashion enthusiasm was ignited when I saw this week's release of Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover of the August issue of Vogue.
Please be patient with me when I admit that I'm still a huge fan of good old-fashioned magazines. I've tried (time & time again!) to read magazines online and the experience just doesn't work for me. My concentration and interest go out the window without the full sensory experience of reading a hard copy magazine, a/k/a "book".
I know it's not PC of me or the best environmental decision that I could make (can my love and purchase of tangible magazines be balanced by the fact that I am writing by candlelight?). However, I will look for the Silver Lining which is the fact that I do make daily decisions about the way I live and comport myself that DO benefit the environment.
Onto this month's Vogue. I've always been a fan of SJP. I think she is not only talented, but also (and more importantly!) a class act. Anyone I know who has met her or been around her reports that she has impeccable manners and is kind to all. I actually met her briefly in the hosiery department of Bergdorf's a long, long time ago. It wasn't a glamourous meeting, but what impressed me most about the encounter was how she treated our salesperson: with respect and kindness. Couldn't have been sweeter.
Though the entire article and interview by Eve MacSweeney can be read on Vogue.com, I admit that I'm going to wait to read it until I have the magazine in-hand which will certainly be a Silver Lining to my day!
When a woman falls in love with something so much that she wants to wear it – it is at that point that it becomes fashion.
Oh yes, I agree that a hard copy is so tangible and can be read anywhere and it just feels so good to get comfy and curl up and read to our hearts content. I have to admit that I still have subscriptions to Canadian House & Home and Elle Decor. I look so forward to them coming in the mail and usually set aside some special time for myself to indulge. It's time just for me! It's nice to hear SJP is a good person. It certainly seems reflected on the screen and from what we read (in magazines:) hee hee. I wonder what her real home looks like. These photos seem to be taken in several different locations. & yup, we can recycle.


Owing to our incredibly late departure and arrival to our bungalow on day 1, Bita, Sunny and I decided we would sleep in and get a mid morning start today. We hit the snooze alarm a few times, made oatmeal with diced nectarines atop and snacked on vending machine treats we found not far away. We looked forward to a beautiful day of inland cycling and spending the night with some dear friends of mine.
Wanting to keep our route simple (we had gotten turned around on our mountain pass the day prior) so we decided to take highway N-11 most of the day. Highways have their pros and cons for bicycle touring. Pro: they tend to be paved and direct. Cons: they can be shoulderless and with fast traffic. Today we were up for the challenge and looking forward to eating up some miles quickly.
As we made our way inland N-11 started out hot and hilly, causing us to slow our pace and throw in our earphones.
Not long after we were silently toiling through the heat when Bita's bike started making a funny sound, as if something was hitting her rear tire. Our first flat of the trip! We lugged our bikes over the highway's guard rail to change the tube. I could hardly believe we got a flat on only our second day. This is going to be a crazy summer!
Flat #1 of the trip!
The hot inclines gave way to gorgeous Spanish countryside and rolling hills. Stucco houses with red tiled rooves dotted the landscape and everywhere I looked I wanted to photograph and frame my surroundings. Catalan–the region and pseudo nation we have been cycling in since Barcelona–is gorgeous.
At one of our stops there were snails everywhere!
We cycled into the historic city of Girona and made our way through cobble stoned streets (where I am told Game of Thrones has been filmed) to the Girona Cathedral. Suddenly the street we were on gave way to a plaza and the immense cathedral enveloped the scene.
We said goodbye to Girona and continued North, excited to land in the arms not of strangers but of friends. The two weeks prior to this trip I had been staying with a dozen international travelers on a ship building project in Roses, Spain. They had begun to feel like the ship building family I never had and I was thrilled when they offered to host us three sweaty cyclists for a night.
We were taking what Google Maps offered as a shortcut to our destination when our country road turned to gravel. With google maps saying we were just 25 minutes away we figured our tires would tolerate the small stones. Then the road became dirt. Then it was dotted with road engulfing puddles. Then the road became sheer mud. Thick, tire grabbing, brake jamming, M-U-D. 18 more minutes Google said. We persevered. Then the road turned from mud to rocky, and in a moment of disbelief we realized the bridge we needed to cross didn't exist. Thanks Google! Our options were to go back through the impromptu mud run we had just survived or continue through the boulderous hiking trail before us. We chose the unknown.
We worked our way through the rocky path and emerged in a farmer's field. Only to discover Sunny had just increased our tally of flat tires of the day to two. Changing a tire takes effort in the best of conditions, it only gets more tedious when you add mud to the equation. Way to knock out that tire change expediently Sunny! We rerouted to a small country road and arrived at our picturesque Spanish house with mud clad bikes and shoes.
My ship building family was partaking in their Thursday night tradition of silent dinner when we arrived. Hands flew into the air in silent cheer and smiles abounded. It felt good to be home.
After dinner verbal introductions were made and we migrated to the terrace to talk about our trip over tea. Later Matthew, one of the newest arrivals to the ship building crew divulged that he is a bicycle mechanic and would be happy to look at our bikes if they needed anything. I couldn't believe my ears. Both Bita and I were having issues shifting in low gear, so we planned to have a bike repair session the next morning. Despite our muddy trials earlier, the day had ended with near perfection.


You've tried every reward you can think of to keep yourself motivated. You've coaxed yourself with new clothes, rewarded yourself with nights out or days off, even promised yourself a new CD if you would (please, please, please) just get up this once, lace on those shoes and go jogging this morning in the rain.
Hopefully, the rewards are working. They can be great complements to motivation that you'll find in supportive groups, inspiring stories or future goals. But the rewards can get even better.
Here is the reward that could put your program over the top. In fact, it may possibly be the perfect reward: the VACATION.
Road trips, weekend getaways, junkets to Vegas, beach weeks, island excursions, bike tours – whatever you call them, whatever you do, vacations hold major attraction that can be used as motivation that lasts for months.
Many rewards are gone almost as soon as you get them. Trips leave something behind to remember – souvenirs, memories and pictures. Plus, the anticipation of a trip can keep you focused on your goals through even the toughest times. Imagine how consistent you'd stay if you were able to look forward to playing volleyball on the beach, sailing on a lake, hiking to a waterfall, shopping on a Miracle Mile, or just spending time alone with your spouse or significant other.
Awesome Visuals – Visual motivators are the most effective type of motivators around. And pictures of vacation spots are usually some of the most beautiful and enticing you'd ever hope to see. Find a favorite picture of a favorite place and plan to go.
Fixed Deadline – Deadlines turn wishes into goals. If you have a departure date, you know exactly when your goals need to be met.
Anticipation – Rewards should be something you look forward to and drive you to act. We've all looked forward to vacations for months before they happen. What else holds that kind of power?
Social Rewards – A vacation is the perfect time to reconnect with friends and family. Or you can spend the whole time meeting new people and being a social butterfly. It's up to you!
Memories – Not only will you remember the vacation, but you'll also fondly remember what made the vacation possible (reaching your goals). This type of positive reinforcement will help you motivate yourself for the next round of goals.
More Fun – By reaching your goals, you'll be in better shape for your vacation. You'll be able to play more, do more fun things and last longer without crashing when the sun goes down.
Look Great – No need to say much else here except that it's always more exciting to go places when you're confident about how you look.
Cost Flexibility – Trips don't have to cost a ton of money. Like any other reward, you can spend as little or as much as you like. As long as you're giving yourself something to look forward to, the vacation reward is doing its job.


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text:
Internet proti monopolu byla česká protestní akce proti zdražení vytáčeného přístupu k Internetu ze strany tehdejšího monopolního SPT Telecomu. Akci iniciovali Ivo Lukačovič, Ondřej Neff a Patrik Zandl. Šlo o petici, následovanou demonstracemi před sídlem SPT Telecomu a jeho brněnské pobočky. Vše vyvrcholilo jednáním, jehož výsledkem byl speciální tarif Internet 99.

Koncem října roku 1998 oznámila tehdy monopolní telekomunikační společnost SPT Telecom, že dojde ke zvýšení ceny za telefonní hovory. Toto zvýšení se dotklo zejména dlouhých hovorů, tedy i vytáčeného přístupu k Internetu, v případě hodinového spojení přesahovalo zdražení 60 %. Patrick Zandl, tehdejší šéfredaktor a zakladatel Mobil.cz, se po dohodě s publicistou Ondřejem Neffem a zakladatelem portálu Seznam.cz Ivo Lukačovičem rozhodli pro uspořádání protestu proti tomuto zdražení.

Vznikla iniciativa Internet proti monopolu, která nejprve zveřejnila petici na doméně bojkot.cz. Petice požadovala speciální telefonní tarif pro vytáčené připojení nebo měsíční paušál. Na Bojkot.cz odkazovaly servery Seznam.cz, Atlas.cz, Mobil.cz, Neviditelný pes, Svět namodro a mnohé další. Petice byla zveřejněna 5. listopadu 1998 a 9. listopadu měla již 25 tis. signatářů. Kromě počítačových a internetových firem petici podpořily též některé vysoké a střední školy, některé státní úřady a jednotliví politici. Iniciativa následně vyzvala k bojkotu služeb SPT Telecomu a protestní demonstraci před sídlem SPT Telecomu a jeho brněnské pobočky dne 18. listopadu.

Petici podepsalo přes 100 tis. lidí, tedy tehdy každý čtvrtý uživatel internetu. Demonstrace se v Praze účastnilo asi 3 tis. demonstrujících, v Brně pak 2 tis. demonstrujících.

Výsledkem složitých jednání bylo zavedení tarifu Internet 99, speciální tarif pro vytáčený přístup k internetu, který byl výhodný zvláště ve večerních a nočních hodinách.

Tarif Internet 99 však nebyl zaveden spolu se zdražením hovorů od 1. ledna 1999, na což iniciativa zareagovala výzvou k zablokování faxu Českého telekomunikačního úřadu, který měl za zdržením stát. Blokáda byla následně odvolána. Tarif byl zaveden v březnu 1999.

Reference

Česká internetová kultura
Události roku 1998
Česko v roce 1998

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Label: Bad Omen Records
Date Released: 20/4/2014
The Band:
Clayton Burgess | Bass, Vocals
Jarrett Nettnin | Guitar
Stephen Fairfield | Drums
"Die Screaming!" Track Listing:
1. Thumper's Theme 1:39
2. Instruments of Hellfire 5:40
3. Curse of the Corpse 5:18
4. Black Souls 3:39
5. Show Me Your Skull 4:44
6. One by One (They Die) 5:40
7. Lucifer Lives! 6:38
8. Die Screaming 12:12
Something sinister is looming in the mist - a ghastly three-headed apparition, equal parts riffage & rancour and fuelled by a steady diet of garage rock 7-inches played at 33RPM and horror movies watched at 5AM, the primeval force of Satan's Satyrs is returned to the earth to lay waste to everything in its path.
Rising from the primordial ooze of Herndon, Virginia Satan's Satyrs hit the metal underground like a tidal wave of sulphur with their debut proper, 2012's 'Wild Beyond Belief'. This almighty assault, almost entirely the work of chief Satyr Clayton Burgess, was a harrowing blast of fuzz-drenched aggro - a clash of Venom-esque metalpunk squalor and in-the-red garage-rock dementia.
With Jarrett Nettnin soon joining the fray on guitar and Stephen Fairfield on drums, the power-trio were soon invited by Electric Wizard to 2013's Roadburn Festival, which they graced with two scorching sets, one being entirely comprised of cuts by their heinous heroes Blue Cheer. Yet the three-piece, despite being barely into their twenties, weren't about to rest on their laurels. What's more, the result of their onward march into grisly pastures new is the more mature yet no less malicious new opus, 'Die Screaming' which sees it's European release via Bad Omen Records on April 20th.
Whenever I hear of a heavy band from my home state of Virginia getting a lot of hype, there are a few questions that initially run through my mind. Is this a band featuring individuals from the glory days of the Richmond hardcore scene, or leftovers from the Northern Virginia/Washington DC Dischord heyday, or is it another standout band from the current Richmond metal scene? With Satan's Satyrs, it's none of the above. Sure, these three young men come from the ultra rich land of Fairfax County, not far from the historic Potomac River, (you know, George Washington, the coin toss, that whole deal), but like all things monied and beautiful, there has to be a dark underbelly festering beneath the whitewash. In the case of Satan's Satyrs, a band whose trashy, psychedelic proto-metal conjures images from your worst mondo film nightmare, suburban Virginia is definitely getting a good kick in the teeth by those 1970's juvenile delinquent types from the movie, "Over the Edge," (only this time the kids are amped up on hard drugs, bloodlust, biker violence, and Satanism – a far cry from your run-of-the-mill small town angst). Like Pentagram, the hugely influential doomsters who also originated from a small Virginia town, Satan's Satyrs seem to have risen from those same depths of hell to wreak havoc, slay audiences, and lay stages to waste. And after playing Hellfest and Roadburn last year, where for Roadburn they were personally selected by Electric Wizard's Jus Oborn to play his "Electric Acid Orgy," all of those stage-levelling reports are certainly not exaggerated.
The band's current offering, "Die Screaming!" is a slightly more polished affair than their 2012 LP, "Wild Beyond Belief," (but only slightly). Singer Clayton Burton has traded in his Cronos/Blag Dahlia rasp for a more straight-up nasally, garage snarl. Somehow the snotty childishness of the latter makes him sound more evil. It's like those cringe-worthy moments in horror films where you see a little kid as a killer or a demon. Being that "Die Screaming!" will more than likely appeal to the horror punk fans of Midnight, "Earth A.D."-era Misfits or the Dwarves, those psychotic vocals are a perfect fit. The music itself is absolutely on fire. Skronky garage tones, twisted riffery, beefy bass lines, frantic cymbal bashing, and a borderline obnoxious usage of wah-wah, (Blue Cheer's Leigh Stephens, or the late Ron Asheton would be extremely proud.) Sometimes you'll think you're listening to Venom at their most furious. Other times you'll be imagining Electric Wizard's "Black Masses" on 45 rather than 33. You'll also be reminded of Black Flag's sludgier, misanthropic moments. Hell, you may even recall the catchy abrasiveness of Nirvana's "Bleach." The brilliant "One by One, (They Die)" begins with the line, "They say beware of hell, but we don't care," then takes the listener down a teenage death trip into doom and darkness. You can easily envision a group of young guys hanging out in a graveyard at night, drinking and drugging, and reciting lines from a skin-bound book they found in the basement of their local bookseller. It's sure to become a fan favorite with its shout-along chorus of, "One by one by one, they die!"
To put it simply, Satan's Satyrs just does it right. It'd be easy to dismiss them as another doom/punk band who's obsessed with trashy horror films and vest-donning biker thugs, but if you were to judge that book by its cover you would definitely be missing out on one of the most unique and exciting releases of 2014. Surely the band may end up just as polarizing as they are uniting, but it is hard to imagine that anyone who enjoys evil, fun music taking issue with these guys. Metal heads, garage rockers, punk rockers, even all those Samhain-obsessed cats I knew in high school with their carefully-sculpted devilocks are sure to dig it. There's a little something going on in "Die Screaming!" that should appeal to the tastes of many, but the doom crowd may be the most likely to embrace the band. Satan's Satyrs are the perfect choice for those who get a little tired of the sloth paced riffing of most contemporary doom, or for the Uncle Acid fans who wish they were a little more Chocolate Watchband than Pentagram.
Oh, and did I mention that Clay Burgess is now the bassist for Electric Wizard? That alone would probably be the greatest selling point to many. However, with a band who's capable of pushing the pleasure buttons of such a wide array of listeners, their affiliation to the Wizard is probably irrelevant. If you have a penchant for sleaze, horror, doom, garage psych, or punk/metal crossover, Satan's Satyrs will satisfy all of your dark urges beyond any doubt.
Words: Erik Sugg
You can get it here
http://satanssatyrs.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/satanssatyrs
Labels: Album Reviews, Bad Omen Records, Die Screaming!, Eric Sugg, Garage, Horror, Psych, Satan's Satyrs, Sleaze

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Attend team meetings for all people on assigned caseload. Provide input to meet each person's personal goals and outcomes.
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Apply at: Support Systems, Inc. – ATTN: Heather. 1929 N. Washington Street, Ste. A, Bismarck, ND 58501. Phone: 701-255-6503. Email: heatherd@suppsys.com or on our website.


text:
Apple Wins Permanent Ban on German Sales of Samsung Tablet
By Mikael Ricknäs
IDG News Service |
Samsung must not sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany because it looks too much like Apple's iPad 2, the district court in Düsseldorf ruled on Friday.
In addition, Samsung Germany may not sell the device in any other European Union country, although other Samsung divisions may sell into those countries, a spokesman at the court said.
Samsung will appeal the decision in the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, a spokesman said.
"We are disappointed with this ruling and believe it severely limits consumer choice in Germany," he said via email.
Apple had filed a lawsuit claiming that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes on the design of the iPad 2, which is registered with the E.U.'s Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market.
"By imposing an injunction based on this very generic design right, this ruling restricts design innovation and progress in the industry," the Samsung spokesman said, adding that the decision is inconsistent with the August 24 ruling by a Dutch court on a separate case involving the two companies, which found the designs of Samsung's Galaxy products don't violate Apple's design right.
In the German case, Apple was granted a preliminary injunction about a month ago preventing Samsung from selling the tablet in all E.U. countries except the Netherlands, where a separate case is pending. A week later the ban was lifted in all countries except Germany, because the court wasn't sure it had the authority to stop a South Korean company from selling its products outside Germany.
On August 25, the injunction was upheld, following a hearing that focused on the accuracy of evidence supplied by Apple, with Samsung accusing Apple of deliberately distorting images of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 so that it looked more like the iPad 2. Earlier, an investigation by IDG publication Webwereld showed that at least one of the Galaxy Tab pictures that Apple provided as evidence in the case was wrong or had been manipulated.
The global legal battle between the two companies even made its presence felt during the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) consumer electronics show in Berlin, where Samsung removed from its stand all traces of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the 10.1's smaller brother, just two days after launching the product there. That device is the subject of a separate injunction from the lower court. Samsung can still challenge that ruling in the lower court.
However, in Japan, the CEO of mobile operator NTT DoCoMo said on Thursday that his company's launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab next month will not be affected by a patent-infringement lawsuit Apple has filed there against Samsung.
Meanwhile, Samsung has vowed to keep up its legal counter-offensive. "We will take all available legal options including continuing to aggressively pursue Apple for its ongoing violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents around the world," the Samsung spokesman said.
Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com
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text:
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How do the most democratic countries in the world vote?
Paper ballots, electronic, online and mail voting. Here are how some of the most democratic countries in the world choose their representatives
Helen Mendes
Here are how voters declare their political preferences in the 11 most democratic countries in the world (according to ranking made by the Economist Intelligence Unit). Among these countries, the only places where voting is mandatory are Australia and the canton of Schaffhausen, in Switzerland.
In Norway, voting works like this: the voter goes up to the voting booth, which is isolated. He then picks up a ballot of the party for which he wants to vote, and writes down the changes he wishes. The voter then folds the ballot so that no one may be able to see for whom he voted and goes up to the election official, who stamps the paper, and then deposits his ballot in the ballot box. Voters can also send their votes through the mail before the election date.
In 2013, the country tried an electronic voting system through the internet, but abandoned the system, because voters feared their votes could be made public, according to the BBC.
The Icelandic Parliament (the oldest in the world) is made up of 63 representatives who are elected throughout the country's six provinces through a proportional representation. Voting is done in paper ballots. The candidates on the ballots are all members of their respective political parties. Voter may chose only one ballot, but are able to alter the order of the candidates in the ballot which they are using. The president is elected in a separate election.
Icelanders may also vote ahead of the election date. People who are not able to go to a voting station may vote in specific places or send their votes by mail up to eight weeks before the election date.
Sweden holds elections every four years to choose their representatives in the three levels of government (national parliament, district councils and municipal assemblies). In the weeks before the election, voting cards are sent to the addresses of every voter. In some places it is possible to vote ahead of the election date. People who live abroad may also send their votes through the mail or via a surrogate. People who are ill or have some form of handicap may also send their surrogates to the voting stations.
In the voting booth, there are ballots of different colors for each election which is being held. There are also different ballots which allow voting for a party or choosing among candidates in a list. Besides these options, there are blank ballots, where the voter may write down the name which he wants to vote for. Theoretically, if a person receive enough votes in this way, he or she may be elected.
Voters insert their ballots in an envelope and hand it to the election official in that voting section.
Voting in New Zealand's general elections begin two weeks before the election day. Voters, who must register beforehand, may vote ahead of time if they are not in their voting zones in the election day.
After registering for voting, voters receive an information package called EasyVote, with the list of voting stations near their homes. In the election day, voters choose a political party and a candidate who will represent them in parliament.
New Zealanders may also download ballots in the Electoral Commission website and send their votes by mail, if they live abroad.
Plans of implementing an internet voting system through the internet have faced the opposition of technology experts, who claim online voting may not be safe.
Denmark elects its 179 members of parliament – 175 from Denmark and two for each of the Faroe Islands and Greenland – in general, direct and secret elections. All people qualified for voting may go to their voting stations in order to make their choices. A paper ballot is handed out to each voter, with the names of parties and candidates. In an isolated booth, voters may cross their options in the ballots and then deposit them in a ballot box. At the end of the elections, officers tally the votes.
Votes are considered invalid if the ballot is blank, if the option is not marked with a cross, or if it is not possible to state with certainty to which party or candidate the voter intended to vote, or if the ballot has any marks which may identify the voter.
In Ireland, every election is decided through proportional representation with a single transferrable vote. Voters indicate their first and alternative choices writing down a number next to the candidates' names in the ballot. The person may indicate his or her first choice by writing down "1" next to a candidate, "2" for his second choice, and so on.
In that way, voters may indicate that their votes can be transferred to the second candidate of his choice in case his first choice is elected with an excessive number of votes, or gets eliminated.
Voters may choose several candidates, or just one. Those who do not want a specific candidate to be elected in any way usually give their preferences to all others, except those whom they reject.
Tallying votes begin with the first preferences. The quota, the minimum number of valid votes each candidate must receive in order to be elected, is calculated. If a candidate receives more than his quota, votes which exceed that number are transferred to the remaining candidates in their respective order, following the proportion of the voters' preference.
Presidential and provincial elections in Canada use paper ballots, but electronic voting has also been used since the 1990s in municipal elections. Some municipalities also offer the possibility of voting through the internet.
Canadian voters must register ahead of time in order to vote. They may vote in the election day or in previous dates, in specific places. Canadians – either those who live in the country or abroad – also have the possibility of sending their votes by mail. In order to do that, they must request a kit which contains a special ballot.
Since 2010, the country has been discussing an electoral reform which would include internet voting. In 2016, the electoral reform committee expressed their opinion against online voting in the country, and the federal government accepted it.
Voting is mandatory for all Australians over the age of 18, who may attend a voting station on election day or vote by mail. Federal elections in Australia are done with paper ballots.
In 2013, the Australian Electoral Committee analyzed online voting. After the 2016 federal election, the leaders of the country's two main parties discussed the possibility of introducing electronic voting in future elections.
Australia has been testing electronic voting since 2001, and has projects to try to improve the access of visually impaired voters and has been experimenting a safe network to allow voting by servicemen who are currently in other countries.
In the 2016 federal elections digitalization and the electronic tallying of paper ballots were introduced.
Every Finn above the age of 18, as well as most foreigners who live in the country, have the right to vote in Finland. Citizens receive a letter detailing their voting places.
Voters must attend their voting stations in the election day, or on previous scheduled dates. After identifying themselves, voters receive a paper ballot from the official, and writes down the number of their candidates inside a circle in the ballot. The ballot is then folded and handed to an official, who stamps the paper and indicates the ballot box where it should be inserted.
A Ministry of Justice taskforce coordinates a project to implement an electronic voting system all over the country. The Ministry decided to postpone the launching of nationwide electronic voting until they are able to ensure the safety of the system, mentioning concerns regarding possible interference in the elections.
Direct democracy is a centerpiece in Switzerland's political scenario. Citizens are used to receiving their ballots in envelopes, along with information regarding the next referendums.
Swiss people not only choose their representatives, but also vote up to four times per year on referendums regarding federal proposals and specific issues concerning their own cantons. Votes may be sent by mail (the most popular option), placed in ballot boxes or send via internet in some regions.
This year, the country disclosed an online voting system which uses Blockchain technology. Researchers in the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology who are trying out the system, claim it offers a fraud-proof method which ensures voters' anonymity.
The Netherlands used electronic voting machines since the late 1990s up until 2007 in most of its regions. The system has since then been canceled, and the country began to use paper ballots once again, after a controversy in the 2006 elections, when a group of demonstrators showed the vulnerability of the machines.
In the 2017 general elections, the country's authorities decided to manually tally all votes, in order to avoid possible attacks against the software in the machines. The country was in a state of alert after American intelligence agencies warned that Russia might have influenced that country's presidential elections.
In that same year, 28 parties, a record number, took part in the elections. Because of that, voters had to vote in giant paper ballots with the names of all candidates. The curious situation was shared in pictures spread all over the social media.
READ IT IN PORTUGUESE:
Como votam os países mais democráticos do mundo?
Cédulas de papel, votação eletrônica, online ou pelo correio. Veja como algumas das maiores democracias do mundo escolhem os seus representantes
Tags: democracy Economist Intelligence Unit elections vote
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Posted on August 9, 2013 by Philip O'Hanlon.
Each title cost $600 for the album on two 10 1/2″ reels. (Elusive Disc sold all copies they brought to the Newport Show) We played the tapes on a Sonurus ATR-10.
This entry was posted in Philip's Playlists, Show Reports and tagged T.H.E. Show.


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Our T also had Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled, as it's a launch laptop for Microsoft's new operating system. Apple's Touch Bar — a thin screen that replaces satellite t135 function keys on satellite t135 new MacBook Quality journalism is paid by advertising.
Discussion satellihe can be closed at any time satellite t135 our discretion. For slightly less money than many of its competitors, it offers better performance and style.
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Satellite t135 the touchpad bears that satellite t135 although it has a textured finishwhile the rest of the machine is positively glossy. Lightweight and comfortable, the Satellite T performs well for office apps, and its battery life is excellent.
That's right, this thing is about 50 bucks more than Toshiba's chart-busting netbook, the NB Quality journalism is paid by advertising. For slightly less money than many of its competitors, it offers better performance and style. Setting this up was easy, but tedious: Speaker quality seemed below satellite t135, satellitr a very low peak volume level.
For the average user this notebook has all the satellite t135 of a standard computer—a satellite t135 The Synaptics touchpad was a slight disappointment in that it had a very slow refresh rate. This weight is typical for very big tablets, subnotebooks, ultrabooks and convertibles with a inch display-diagonal.
The satellite t135 is the button below the trackpad. That battery is a 6-cell though, and Toshiba says it can power the T for 9 hours. Don't show this again. Toshiba's Satellite T Series notebooks are a good looking bunch. Toshiba Satellite TS 1, Toshiba Satellite TS 3, We're sateloite fans of the single touchpad button, and we wish the speakers were louder, but satellite t135 the T is a good value.
In total these might have consumers wishing they had spent satellite t135 bit more. How much of a difference does a single-core versus dual-core ultralow-voltage processor make on a thin-and-light these days? The biggest variety of subnotebooks is represented with this size.


text:
Q: How to split some numbers and math operator in PHP? I'm trying to create function which accepts a string (contains simple math expression) then splits each of the parts as an array.
For example the input is 2 + 3 * 7 or 2 – 5 / 3.4, the output should be like ["2", "+", "3", "*", "7"] and ["2", "-", "5", "/", "3.4"]
Here are my codes:
$input = "2 + 3 * 7";
$input = "2-5/3.4";

function splitExpression($string) {
    $result = explode (" ", $input);
    print_r ($result);
}

Using only explode, of course the 1st example works nicely, but not the same with the other.

A: You can try like this - based upon answer elsewhere on stack. Modified the pattern and added the preg_replace so that the results are not affected by spaces in the input string.
$input = '2 + 3 * 7';
$input = '2-5/3.4';

$pttn='@([-/+\*])@';
$out=preg_split( $pttn, preg_replace( '@\s@', '', $input ), -1, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE );

printf('
%s
',print_r( $out, true ) );

Will output:
Array
(
    [0] => 2
    [1] => -
    [2] => 5
    [3] => /
    [4] => 3.4
)

Update:
$input = '2 + 5 - 4 / 2.6';

$pttn='+-/*';   # standard mathematical operators
$pttn=sprintf( '@([%s])@', preg_quote( $pttn ) ); # an escaped/quoted pattern

$out=preg_split( $pttn, preg_replace( '@\s@', '', $input ), -1, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE );

printf('
%s
',print_r( $out, true ) );

outputs:
Array
(
    [0] => 2
    [1] => +
    [2] => 5
    [3] => -
    [4] => 4
    [5] => /
    [6] => 2.6
)

A: you can use a regex:
$matches = array();
$input="2 + 3 * 7 / 5 - 3";
preg_match_all("/\d+|[\\+\\-\\/\\*]/",$input,$matches);

this regex searches for a number or an operator and puts the matches into $matches.
you can edit the design of the matches array by flags.
matches:
 + 0
     - 0 : 2
     - 1 : +
     - 2 : 3
     - 3 : *
     - 4 : 7
     - 5 : /
     - 6 : 5
     - 7 : -
     - 8 : 3

A: You can use str_split() for it. Like
str_split($str1);
$input = "2-5/3.4";
$input = "2 + 3 * 7";

function splitExpression($string) {
    //$result = str_split (string);
    $result = str_split (preg_replace('/\s+/', '', $string));
    return $result;
}
$arr1 = splitExpression($input);

Where preg_replace('/\s+/', '', $string) used to remove white space from string.

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