Deep Thought After a Nap

I know it sounds odd, but I feel obligated to offer a thought I had after a nap. It relates to prophesy and religious matters in the current world scene, specifically with some highly notable figures in todays media.

First, it’s important to be familiar with Revelation 11. Go ahead and read it, then return. This speaks of the two witnesses who are killed by the beast in the last days, lie dead is the streets for days, them miraculously rise again.

The passage mentions the ‘beast’ which is often referred to as the antichrist, or a system that is antichrist. We often hear of a ‘mark’ or ‘number’ associated with the beast that is placed on all of it’s subjects and without the mark “no man might buy or sell.” (Rev. 13:17) Whether this be a biochip in the hand or forehead, or simply the credit cards that we hold in our hand and remember the pin in our heads, it doesn’t really matter. All we know is that a financial institution is central to the ‘beasts’ empire of control.

Back to the two witnesses; they will be two men who testify to the world calling them to repent and forsake the beast and his control over mankind. They will “torment them that dwell on earth,” wear “sackcloth” and testify for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (or around 3 1/2 years.)

They’ll fight the financial institutions that are built like temples to man’s greatness, have these systems declare war upon them and be hated to the extent that the entire world will rejoice when their dead. So I present to you the two men to the right. On the left Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama Bin Laden. If you’re so inclined, please, please, please read this letter to the American people by Osama Bin Laden. Start with section Q2, where he states “What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?” FULL ARTICLE.

The letter is powerful, and nearly every faithful person in the US cannot say that he is wrong in the majority of his statements. We have permitted immorality in our system. We are controlled by evil corporate empires that are destroying the environment, impoverishing weaker nations and enslaving mankind. He even mentions AIDS as a “Satanic American Invention” (Which is something I personally believe. Maybe in a future blog post.) Again, I encourage you to read the letter above.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I believe what I’m writing. I’m simply putting forth an idea, a possible explanation for a religious prophesy that most Americans are familiar with. The God that I understand isn’t always predictable, doesn’t always make sense at first; even allowed Sampson (a noted terrorist,) to kill hundreds, had Joshua (another terrorist,) to brutally invade Israel, and commanded Nephi (Book of Mormon prophet,) to assassinate the king of Jerusalem. So assuming that these two terrorists could have been called of God shouldn’t seem too far fetched.

I fully support Barack Obama as our next president, but I also need to be weary. He seems to have come from nowhere, rallied the world behind him with his enthusiasm and energy and will undoubtedly aim to remedy the economic crisis the US and world is enduring and reignite the war against radical islamists in favor of an unnecessary war in Iraq. These ingredients could easily produce the ideal environment for the ‘beast’ to come to power and set the stage for the two witnesses to be killed. The world today can change so rapidly that almost any conceivable idea could become reality in only months and it’s up to those with a watching eye to warn against calamities that could befall the best of men.

Don’t read this as doctrine, fact or even speculation. It’s probably best to read this as entertainment until we know more about what’s really going on in the world. So this concludes my odd post-nap thought.

It Makes Sense Now.

NPR reported that four US oil companies may win exclusive rights to drill Iraqi oil. Big deal, right? We all suspected since the beginning of the war in 2003 that we were only there for oil, but it’s now a reality. The radio program said there are 100 billion barrels of oil at stake in the bidding.

Now here’s why it makes sense; 100 bil. barrels x $140.00/barrel = $14 Trillion. Yes, trillion - or otherwise, 14 thousand billion. Why wouldn’t we fight a war for a $14 trillion booty. The Spanish Conquistadors fought wars in South America for far less money.

I say we let them do it. If the US companies are taxed for their revenue at 35%, that brings 4.9 Trillion in corporate taxes into the system that could pay for half of the national debt.

On top of that, we should demand $50 gift cards to the GAP.

Evolution of Safe Transportation

In 1900, two Waverly automobiles collided in Providence, Rhode Island leaving all with bruises. The cars were light, exposed and slow.

In 1970, Martha’s Honda Civic smooshes Pete’s Daihatsu. Pete buys a Audi 500 in 1985 and smooshes Martha in her Honda. Martha picks up a Buick Regal in 1988 and smooshes Pete’s Audi. Pete then bought a Ford Ranger in 1990 and runs over Martha’s Buick. Martha runs to the dealership and gets a GMC Suburban to host a monster truck rally in her neighbor hood and smooshes Pete’s little truck. People jeer. Pete rides the bus for 10 years then buys a Hummer H2 and drives in through Martha’s living room window, smooshes the piano, drives through the wall and into the garage and smooshes her Suburban. Martha waits for the settlement to clear and buys this:

Perhaps if they were riding bicycles back in 1970, Martha and Pete’s collision would have been less devastating and perhaps they would have just laughed.

Death Cab for Cutie | Narrow Stairs

I love Death Cab for Cutie and I’m not afraid to admit it. I can recall in the early 00’s when they would come play at the Meow Meow here in Portland to a crowd of 20. It even wasn’t a rare thing to stroll into a Kind of Like Spitting show and stand beside Ben Gibbard in the crowd. In fact, one KOLS show I saw Ben wearing his keys on a carabiner attached to his back belt loop. I thought that was just about as cool as it got and soon adopted the fashion.

Needless to say, I had always hoped that Death Cab would receive the national recognition they deserve, even if it would alienate a few of their die-hard fans who shun popular music. With their first major label release, Plans, I was really set back for awhile. At first I said I hated it. Hate; what a hard word! But after a half-dozen listens I soon fell in love with “When Your Heart is an Empty Room” and it helped me ‘translate’ the other songs into something I could swallow and understand. Almost like a rosetta stone, one song from the album made sense to me and helped explain the feeling and meaning of the others.

With Narrow Stairs, again, I said to myself and a few others that I hated it. Hate! What a hard word for a band I love so much. My dear friend Brett Pedersen told me of his love for the album and encouraged me to give it another try. Just like Plans and the first single “Soul Meets Body,” the single from Narrow Stairs, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” really set uneasy in my ears and was hard to enjoy. The music video helped a little in convincing me that it was still the same band I love, but it wasn’t enough.

Just like Plans, it took about a half-dozen listens until I found a song that helped me translate the others and that song appeared on the sixth listen. The song is “Long Division.” This song reveals the natural evolution of the band in its purity, where the band was bound to go and how they got there. Chris Walla’s engineering and mixing of the song is spot on, the performance is raw yet skilled, and the song is simple yet textured. From “Long Division” I could finally enjoy the rest of the songs, and in fact, the single “I Will Possess Your Heart” is actually a great song to me now! I love Love LOVE the song at 4:34 when the instrumentation drops out and only the vulnerable vocal line is standing to defend the infectious demons of rock. It’s almost worth waiting through the four-an-a-half minutes preceding it, though I often skip to about 4:10 and start there.

In conclusion, Narrow Stairs is an amazing record showing a more ‘intentional’ Death Cab for Cutie. Super catchy melodies like those on “In Sunlight”, classic Death Cab moments like in “Cath,” and just plain out radio-intended hits like “Your New Twin Sized Bed” make Narrow Stairs something special and worth a few listens to fall in love with. (Just be sure to listen sparingly after falling in love because I have a suspicion that this album has the potential of getting old quite fast - I can only hope not.)

The Fang, Pt I

I’m not sure how the divine will of universe designed us to develop, but little Caribou grew her first fang. By fang, I mean a little blood extracting dental appendage protruding from her upper gums. She’s been mumbling “gna gna” recently and we assume the “f” is silent, making her desperate orations a cryptic reverse message.

Besides her dental handicap, she sure is a lot of fun these days. She’ll use any semi-rigid structure to use as a support for standing, even if the structure is prone to falling over, falling on your head, or falling on our heads.

Here are the early protrusions. I’m sure an update will be soon.