I am reading over this blog, which I thought was terrible, and I find out that it isn't as bad as I thought it was. Don't get me wrong: it is not the best, but it is okay. :)
I should start writing more here, especially since there is a lot that is happening. I also had the idea of having a place to talk about the nice people that I often meet or that I get to work with.
A long time ago, I used to jump wildly from one interest to the other one. About 3 years ago I started this blog and I have found that I pretty much have kept up to the main interests that I had at the time: religion, politics, and programming. I have added nonviolence, but that is probably something that falls under politics and religion in any case. :)
I got to clean this up a little bit, add some images, and then write a bit more. And I actually happen to have a lot to write about now.
The answer is to make a subtle change on line 139.
Hi, to install 1.0.19870.1, please edit app/code/core/Mage/Install/Model/Installer/Config.php on line 139, replace:
From
$client = new Varien_Http_Client($url. $prefix);
to
$client = new Varien_Http_Client($url.'index.php/' . $prefix)
Here is what happened to me: I am trying to install magento on my local xampp, and I run into a screen that tells me that I must load curl and mcrypt. No biggie. I look for the php folder, locate the php.ini and uncomment the two lines. I restart apache. I start the installation process again, and guess what? Nothing. I ran into the same problem. I restart again. The same issue.
Time to google this one. I tried several tries until I hit this page:
I strongly recommend Michael Learner, founder of Tikkun magazine, essay on what makes the Obama phenomenon so special.
What he argues is that Obama uses nonviolent communication of refusing to demonize his opponents, and that this has triggered a sort of spiritual reawakening on a lot of people.
The important element of this reawakening is that Obama is reminding us that we are the agents of change. That we can break the barrier of fear that divide us and work together as one people.
As he writes this, he touches on a number of great points which I will quote below the fold.
It is a long, thoughtful essay. It is worth the time that you will put into reading it.
Before you go ahead and read it, I would like to first translate the spiritual language of Michael Learner into secular speech. It often happens that the spiritually inclined use the traditional language of religion and mysticism to talk about different issues.
Unfortunately this language makes many secularly minded people to quickly dismiss what they are talking about. And after about 30 years of the religious right, some liberals have trouble listening to it as soon as it the language appears.
So let me translate into secularese what may be the most important concept of Learner that you will find again and again.
Humans need meaning in their lives and to belong to a community. They yearn to overcome fear, alienation, and selfishness.
This desire for meaning and community is often described by Learner as "spiritual hunger." Living this meaningful life and a feeling of being connected and alive in a community is what Learner often calls "spirituality."
He probably has a more complex and subtle definition of spirituality, but this is often the meaning that he uses in the context of this piece.
Okay, now to the quotes.
*Obama's movement carries the same energy as the energy of the movements of the 1960s and 1970s
The energy, hopefulness, and excitement that manifests in Obama’s campaign has shown up before in the last fifty years, only to quickly be crushed. It was there in the 1960s and 1970s in the Civil Rights movement, the anti-war movement, the women’s movement, the environmental movement, and the movement for gay liberation. One felt it flowing at rallies and demonstrations at which Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Betty Friedan, Isaac Deutscher, Joan Baez, and Martin Luther King, Jr. articulated their visions. It was there again in Earth Day, in the anti-nuclear movement, and in the movement against the war with the Contras. It was there during the campaign of Jesse Jackson in 1988 and the Clintons’ campaign in 1992. And it has been there—dare we say it—in the growth of the religious right and the Campus Crusade for Christ.
* Obama has been able to make us break down the barriers that makes us feel seperated
Recently, some columnists have compared Obama to a rock star because his supporters seem to treat him more like that than like a politician. They are only partially mistaken. What the best and most fulfilling rock concerts of the past several decades have offered one generation is what other multi-generational mega-churches or Super Bowls and World Series’ offer to others: a chance to momentarily experience a transcendence of all those feelings of loneliness and alienation, a momentary ability to be part of a “we” that reminds us of what it feels like to be less alone. For a moment we experience a community of shared purpose, and no matter how intellectually, psychologically, or spiritually empty that moment might be, for that moment we get a distorted but, nevertheless, powerful way of reminding ourselves of how much more we could be than when we are alone and scared.
* Not directly about Obama, but this is an interesting alternative explanation for why working class people moved towards the right
Obama’s appeal starts from his insistence on not demonizing the Other—the very point from which Tikkun started as a project of the Institute for Labor and Mental Health (ILMH) twenty-two years ago. At ILMH we learned—through conducting an intensive study of working class consciousness—that people moving to the Right politically were not primarily motivated by racism, sexism, and hatred, but by the spiritual crisis in their lives that the Left failed to address and the Right spoke to (albeit with distorted solutions).
* Obama reminds us that it is us who have the power to change things
Obama knows that most people want a very different world, but don’t believe it is possible unless someone else makes it happen. He challenges his audience by telling them that there is no one else, that they themselves are the people who must make the world different. To quote Obama from his Super Tuesday speech: “So many of us have been waiting so long for the time when we could finally expect more from our politics, when we could give more of ourselves and feel truly invested in something bigger than a particular candidate or cause. This is it. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
In short, Obama is telling his supporters, we are not in need of some magical leader, not even Obama himself. Rather, what we need is the confidence in ourselves to reclaim the public space, to break down our fears about ourselves and each other, and to recognize that it is only when we move beyond our personal lives and work together for our highest vision that anything substantial will change.
This is enough for right now. I will later write about Learner's request to start building right away the social movement that Obama is inspiring. :)
I found this interesting column that appeared in the Kansan as part of the season of nonviolence.
The author is the head of a rape and violence against women center at a university in Kansas. She discusses how we can use nonviolence on a personal level to reduce the amount of violence in our society.
I found this great blog about living nonviolence at a personal level.
Dear friends of Farida,
I am so excited for my blog, readers and friends! January 30th marks the beginning of the Season for Nonviolence. For 64 days I will post a "way" to practice Nonviolence in your life. Each entry will be tagged under "64 ways to practice nonviolence" and "peace studies". Feel free to pass the good word around or share the links.
From 1/30 through 4/4, "www.faridarafique.com" will be an active participant of this beautiful season.
Days 1 - 23 focus on Personal change.
Nonviolence begins by learning how to be less violent and more compassionate with ourselves. We learn by building courage to speak and act with a respect, honor and reverence for our own being.
Days 24 - 46 focus on Interpersonal change.
In order to create a peaceful world, we must learn to practice nonviolence with one another in our day-to-day interactions.
Days 47 - 64 focus on Community.
Nonviolence challenges us to stand for Truth by taking action that honors the dignity and worth of
every human being.
I came across this excellent sermon, published in the blog of the Crescent Hill Baptist Church. I was blown away. It is so good and so timely. I would like to publish it all, but I think that it is better to actually visit the nice blogger that shared it with us at:
I haven't seen or heard a sermon that so clearly outlines the message of Jesus in a long time. It has made me very happy today :)
Here is the beginning:
LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD:
PEACE THROUGH NONVIOLENCE
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
What do you believe our world needs more than anything?
Miss America beauty pageant contestants (other than teaching us geography lessons) usually give voice to the generic desire of most of us when she expresses the desire for world peace. Few are those who do not want to sit down with their families in peace, safe in their homes, allowing their children to play freely in the neighborhood, in a world where nations are at peace with one another.
World peace is a worthy desire and necessary aim, but it requires more than wishful dreaming. Martin Luther Kings said, “Many people cry Peace! Peace! but they refuse to do the things that make for peace.” World peace requires that we all learn the ways that make for peace.
Peacemaking today is the work of giving a future to humanity, making it possible to continue our life together on this planet.
If we continue to live without peace, ultimately moving toward the world’s annihilation, nothing else will matter, not even freedom or democracy, for no one will be alive to enjoy it.
We have to find a way to make the word “peace” as important as the word “freedom." (1)
The ways that make for peace are ways that can be learned and lived by those who do not even believe in God. But for those of us who do believe in God, we must learn to live in God’s light and lead the first steps toward peace so that others may follow.
Dear Editor: I read the article on the threats made at Park Falls High School. Violence has increased in many schools throughout the U.S. This is not surprising. In the past there has always been more violence in our society whenever our country violently invaded another country. I still remember the great increase in the incidences of violence in our cities at the time of the Vietnam War.
Children learn from us adults. Their conduct will not be much different from our conduct. When we adults use violence as a means to achieve a goal, no matter how noble it may be, we can expect our children to do the same. We can tell our children to be nonviolent and not hurt other people all we want, but if we do not do it ourselves, we are wasting our breath.
St. Francis once said, "We should preach the Gospel sometimes with words."
I suggest that the way to stop violence in our schools is to start teaching nonviolence to our students both in word and deed. We, the members of the clergy, need to take the lead in this since we especially are supposed to preach the nonviolent Christ, the Prince of Peace, to all. This Christmas season would be a good time to start.
Regular people standing up for justice and equality. Better to let their acts speak for their own courage:
On June 10, 1963, nightsticks were raised and fire hoses turned on black residents, who dared to protest Danville’s resistance to the civil rights movement with a peaceful demonstration in front of Danville’s jailhouse.
The day was so vicious, it became known as “Bloody Monday” to honor the victims that day - nearly 50 brutally beaten and at least 60 arrested.
It has taken more than 40 years, but on Saturday, at the site of the attack - now Danville’s courthouse - firefighters were lined up in front of a fire truck, hoses rolled up tight, to applaud along with the rest of the audience as a historical plaque was unveiled to honor those who fought for equality.
Calling themselves “H.ighly I.ntelligent P.eople H.ealing O.ur P.lanet,” the group will announce their newly-produced CD, which they hope will spark discussion among other youth in Westchester schools and community centers about possibilities for bringing positive change to their communities and the wider world.
The 15 young people are students of White Plains resident Cornell Carelock, an educator and hip-hop artist known as “Lord Judah.” Under the auspices of the Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, Mr. Carelock presented his students Dr. King’s Six Principles of Nonviolence (as compiled by the King Center in Atlanta), and gave six small groups the chance to create a song in response to what they read. The group’s name reflects Mr. Carelock’s and his students’ visions that hip-hop can be a way for young people who want to build a world without violence to express their hopes and dreams.
I have been reading the Confessions of St. Augustine for about a week now. I am currently in book 7, at the point where he has come back to the teachings of the Church but is still tormented by theological doubts. In the first seven chapters, his big problem is dealing with evil.
Augustine, who previously was a Manichee, discounts the Manichean belief that there are two forces in the world, good and evil, where good would eventually win over evil. This idea is very widespread, mainly because it explains the world in a very efficient way. God is all good, and he battles the forces of all evil. So under this kind of a theology, there is no evil paradox.
That is not the case under Christian monotheism were God is by definition all good, all powerful, and all knowing. Then evil becomes a puzzle. For the thoughtful believer, this can be very hard.
Augustine starts with the definition that God is perfect, and then begins exploring different arguments explaining the existence of evil. He quickly dismisses the common explanations of the day--which happen to be the same explanations that we hear in the present.
So, evil cannot come from humans because then evil implies imperfection, and God creating an imperfect being would be a contradiction unless he was not all good. So this common explanation quickly is dismissed.
Evil cannot come from the devil either because the devil also was a creation of God. Moreover, since the devil was first an angle, he only became evil later on. This implies that evil must have existed before the devil became evil, and the only creator is God. But then God would have created something imperfect, so we run into another contradiction.
It is a delight to read, even if one must slow down.
Once in a while I will post summaries on my readings and some comments.
Tonight my daughter and I read through two Bob books. She was very happy; so was I.
I had tried to teach her how to read at the beginning of the year. We advanced until she was resisting too much. I decided to stop until she had interest again. She recently showed that interest, and we did better than I thought we would do.
Before I found this solution, I had figured out this other solution, following some hints found in some site which I can no longer find. It does it job, but it is not as easy as the one above, which is more correct.
< input type="checkbox" id="rules_set_commerce_allowed" name="rules_set[commerce_allowed]" value="2"
<%= @rules_set.commerce_allowed == true ? ck = "checked" : ck = "" %> />
My wife was very shocked that someone left a comment on the "Happy Shiny People" entry. He looked as if a ghost had appeared and written on this very quite corner of the internet.
Since I honestly don't know either how that comment landed here, I googled my name to see what came up.
Guess what I found?
TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN, BABY, TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN!
Yes, this humble electronic adobe out ranks every other Hugo Estrada out there.
But of course, I subscribe to the gentle ways of the nonviolence, love, and cooperation.
So I will start keeping a link box of sites of other Hugo Estradas. This will become a true hub of Hugo Estradaness.
So here is the first one:
Victor Hugo Estrada is connected some way with the the University of Texas, El Paso. I found him in a nano technology forum.
This is one strange piece that I found in youtube. The song is "Sing, sing, sing," made famous without any vocals by Benny Goodman, written by Louis Prima in 1936.
So here you have cool cutting edge hipster Cesar Costa, a Mexican actor and singer who performed Paul Anka's act in Spanish in Mexico, singing a song that was written 25 years before :P
Sing sing sing becomes si, si, si, or, yes, yes, yes.
This is the first exercise of "The C Programming Language" by Kerningham and Ritchie. I will see how many of these I can do and record here. It is probably the most famous one.
Exercise 1-1 Run the "Hello World" program on your system. Experiment with leaving out parts of the program, to see what error messages you get.
#include
main()
{
printf("Hello, world\n");
}
Exercise 1-2 Experiment to find out what happens when printf's argument string contains \c, wher c is some character not listed above.
Answer: I get a warning on my compiler, telling me that there is an unknown escape sequence \c, where c is a character not listed above.
