Factual error

Jesus the Game Changer is a mostly excellent documentary series that looks at the life and teachings of Jesus, and why they continue to impact the world. However, in the first episode, the presenter erroneously states that the Roman Emperor Constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337 AD, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. While he was the first Christian emperor,  Constantine merely gave Christianity legal status in the Roman Empire. It was one of his successors, Theodosius I, who actually made it the official religion of the Empire, when he issued the Edict of Thessalonica, on this day in 380. 

Lowering the standard

I hear with interest the news of the formation of a new radical leftist political party, the Victorian Socialists. They are planning to contest the state election, which will be held in November. Among other things, they want to replace the Victorian state flag with the Eureka flag, because they claim that it is outdated, and does not reflect modern Victoria. It was first used at the famous Eureka Stockade in 1854 at Ballarat, and since then has been used as a symbol of protest and democracy, and by the Labor movement.

Given that Socialists claim to oppose racism, I can't help but wonder if they are aware of the Eureka flag's association with racism. It started with the racism that Chinese miners experienced on the Victorian goldfields. This association has been continued by the flag's usage by various Australian white supremacist groups.

It seems to me that this is a pointless and counterproductive campaign. If it succeeded, it would merely replace a flag that offends some people with one that offends even more, and is not actually any more of a unifying symbol to everyday Victorians than the present flag. This sort of posturing plays well with the Socialists' support base in inner suburban Melbourne, but I dare say it is unlikely to get much traction with voters in urban growth corridors, or regional areas. 

Public Domain, Link

Tested by fire

I am not from a Christian tradition that observes feast days. However, today is the feast day of Polycarp of Smyrna (69-155). Tradition holds that Polycarp was discipled by the apostle John. He was one of the early church fathers. He was arrested during a persecution, and the Roman proconsul of Smyrna attempted to persuade him to renounce Christ in order to spare his life.

Polycarp refused to do this, and before being executed, is believed to have said to the proconsul, "Eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?”

Hypothetically, if I was in similar circumstances, of having the choice between renouncing my faith, or being killed, would I show the same boldness as Polycarp?

Saving face

Today's Herald-Sun television liftout announced Take Me Out, Channel 7's "exciting new dating game show." A few hours later, News.com.au reported that it isn't actually a new show, but a revival of Taken Out, a similar program that was a ratings flop when it aired on Channel 10 a decade ago.

It's interesting to see one media outlet correct another, when they're both owned by the same parent company, namely News Limited. It's just like having one of those smart alecky, pedantic, know it all friends who annoy people because they feel it necessary to correct them if they say something wrong in conversation. 

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/what-channel-7-wont-tell-you-about-new-show-take-me-out/news-story/30dd2b1f80f80b9e05d2b45f48c2afc3

That's entertainment

Over the weekend I watched Starcrash, a low budget science fiction movie that was released in 1978. As a child, I remember watching it one summer on television during non-ratings period, and thinking at the time that it was a good movie. I was too young to be bothered by the bad special effects, the cheap looking sets, the nonsensical plot, and the uneven acting. Now that I'm older, I know better.

Its cast includes Caroline Munro as a space pilot, David Hasselhoff as a prince, Victor Spinell as a scenery-chewing villain, and Christopher Plummer as a space Emperor. By far the best actor in this movie, Plummer accepted the role because he wanted to work in Rome, where it was shot. His scenes took three days to complete, and give the movie much needed gravitas.

The male lead was played by Marjoe Gortner. It was fascinating to read about his background. Before he was an actor, he was famous in the United States as a child preacher. Sadly, he was pushed into this work by his exploitative parents, who used him to fleece the public, and make money for themselves. It was an an example of the worst aspects of Christian culture. He was also the subject of a documentary, and mentioned in the work of atheist author, Christopher Hitchens, as an example of the danger of religion. It's hardly surprising that Gortner is now completely disillusioned with religion.

On multiple movie websites, Starcrash is consistently listed among the worst movies ever made, but remains a cult classic. Anyone watching a film that Roger Corman was involved in knows that his name is always a mark of quality.

http://www.badmovies.org/movies/starcrash/

http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/reviews/S/starcrash.html

By Source, Fair use, Link

Bittersweet

In Libya, February 17 is officially designated as Revolution Day. In 2011, the Arab Spring spread to Libya, and the end of the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been engulfed in turmoil and civil war ever since, with rival groups seeking to fill the power vacuum he left, not to mention a major humanitarian crisis, with scores of people fleeing the country.

According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, its capital, Tripoli, is the 136th most livable city in the world, with Lagos, Port Moresby, Dhaka, and Damascus. The situation is very bleak there. Open Doors ranks it as the world's seventh worst persecutor of Christians. Since 2011, they have been targeted by people traffickers, and face discrimination from radical Islamic extremists, and the government.

By Various The source code of this SVG is valid. This vector image was created with a text editor. - File:Flag of Libya (1951).svg, Public Domain, Link

Real talent

Colleen Hewett was one of Australia's most popular entertainers. She is best known for her 1971 cover of Day by Day, from the musical, Godspell. Among her other hits was Dreaming My with You. If you were alive back on February 15, 1980, this was number 2 on 3XY's Top 40 chart. She charted higher than the likes of Queen, The Jacksons, and, er, Rupert Holmes. 

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Badgerdarkness/3xy_top_40___15_february_1980___melbourne_vic_australia/

Dirt money

Cleaning up childrens' bathroom accidents is in a childcare worker's job description. Presumably they also provide disposable gloves, cleaning equipment, and disinfectant for these occurrences. 

Killing two birds with one stone

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has fathered a child with a former staffer, and his marriage has now ended, His estranged wife, four daughters, and his electorate will understandably feel hurt and betrayed. He may yet be forced to resign from Parliament for this scandal.

Well known radical feminist commentator, Clementine Ford, couldn't resist the chance to write an article attacking Joyce, because he opposed same sex marriage whilst being unfaithful to his wife. She also uses her article to smear the Australian Christian Lobby and the Australian Family Association, because of Joyce's past association with them during Australia's same sex marriage debate.

She also claims that if a woman in Joyce's position had committed these indiscretions, she'd have already been forced to resign. In her view, Joyce is a man, so he is held to a different standard. I don't know what media she consumes, because I don't see this at all. Media commentators have clearly said that Joyce's position is untenable, and he must resign.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently announced her pregnancy. She was supposed to have been attacked for not disclosing this information during the election campaign. I don't see what this has to do with Barnaby Joyce. Besides, expectant mothers often wait until the end of the first trimester to announce their pregnancies. It is very offensive to accuse her of lying to New Zealand voters.

We get it. She is no fan of conservative politicians, or conservative Christians, especially men. She uses this article to attack both of them. As well as a misotheist, is she also a latent misandrist?

I'm glad I'm not a radical leftist. I couldn't handle being angry and hateful all the time.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/news-features/barnaby-joyce-doestina-not-understand-marriage-20180207-h0v87i.html

The plank

Looking for work isn't much fun. However, I have a knack for finding the funny side of such a stressful activity, such as spelling errors in job advertisements. This is an advertisement for a customer service role in the construction industry. Whoever wrote it needs to be told that correct spelling is important in conveying a professional image in the marketplace. It would be ironic if excellent written communication skills was one of the selection criteria for this role.

Za Vashe Zdorovie

Cast your mind back to February, 1984. The Cold War was at its height. It was on this day 34 years ago, Soviet Union leader Yuri Andropov died. He was appointed in November 1982 after the death of Leonid Brezhnev, and held office for 14 months. Andropov was succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko, who himself only held office for 13 months, from February 1984 to March 1985. The cycle was broken with the elevation of the younger Mikhail Gorbachev to the position.

As author and journalist Clive James once amusingly commented, at this time, funerals for deceased Soviet leaders almost became an annual fixture, and the carriages used to carry their coffins in funeral processions held in Red Square looked like the Batmobile.

All of this was very symbolic. Just as the Soviet Union was led by a succession of sick old men in its final years, the Soviet Union itself was also crumbling. It was waging an unwinnable war in Afghanistan. Its economy was struggling. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident provided more evidence of its decline. It was inevitable that it would collapse eventually, as it did in 1991.

This is a timely reminder that communism has been tried and failed, and it not worth trying ever again.

It's not a house, it's a dwelling

I briefly studied English as a university undergraduate. One of the reasons why I changed out of the subject a few weeks into the semester was that I didn't like the lecturer. He once spent an entire lecture talking about phrases used in real estate advertisements. This doesn't bother me so much, as the spelling errors they often contain. What is a "sort after location?" Granted, there are many homonyms in the English language, but it is not difficult to tell the difference between sort and sought.

In the context of this sentence, sort makes no sense at all. If a location is sought after, it means that the location is very popular with prospective home buyers. If it is sort after, perhaps the copywriter means that a homeowner will sort through their personal effects after they move into their new home, so they will "sort after location."

Mastermind

As you can see from the front cover, this is a Summer Home and Garden Guide, distributed free with a community newspaper. Unfortunately, the person responsible for copy editing this publication spelled a word incorrectly. In fact, they have managed to use a word that does not appear in any reputable dictionary. Can you spot the error?

Words have power

Whilst reading the President's article in RoyalAuto, the members' magazine of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), the recently elected office bearer was twice named as President and Chairman of the Board. In the interests of using gender inclusive language, she should have been named as either Chairperson or Chairwoman, both of which are more acceptable. 

Come what may

Without a doubt, Linda Ronstadt was one of the most talented American popular music singers of recent times. Exactly forty years ago to the day, she had a massive worldwide hit with Blue Bayou, which was originally performed by Roy Orbison. In the week ending February 3, 1978, it was the number three song on 3XY's Top 40.

Ronstadt also performed the song on The Muppet Show, which was on television at the time. She managed to keep a straight face during her performance, which shows her professionalism. For health reasons, she has now retired from singing.

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Badgerdarkness/3xy_top_40___03_february_1978___melbourne_vic_australia/

Once in a blue moon

I stayed up early this morning to watch the total lunar eclipse. Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong would have been an impressive vantage point for it too. Where is Victoria Habour? I haven't heard of that place. "Habour" is not even a word.