Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, "Come forward."
I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.
When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, "Come forward."
Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.
When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, "Come forward." I looked, and there was a black horse, 5 and its rider held a scale in his hand.
I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, "A ration of wheat costs a day's pay, 6 and three rations of barley cost a day's pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine."
When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, "Come forward."
I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.
When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God.
They cried out in a loud voice, "How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?"
Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.
Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth and the whole moon became like blood.
The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind.
Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
The kings of the earth, the nobles, 14 the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags.
They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come and who can withstand it?"
Revelation, Chapter Six.
So far, so far away. Caught in the swirling, gloom laden imagery of the end times, with the bottles of water stored in the cupboards and a terrible time, a most terrible time, about to descend on sinning man. That was the way he grew up, cowering in this remote, unsafe place, waiting for the tides of licentiousness that were sweeping the world to get to them, to threaten their goodness. They were allowed half an hour of television a day, Gilligan's Island, Lassy, Rin Tin Tin. It was a much looked forward to half hour.
The main source of fear was the voice of American evangelist Garner Ted Armstrong and his father Herbert W Armstrong, their ringing declamatory tones and frequent biblical quotations enough to frighten the bejesus out of anyone. His mother stored bottles of water in the cupboard, for the coming chaos and societal collapse. The gum trees rustled ever louder throughout his tormented adolescence, filtering through his dreams in patterns of dark shadows, waiting in terror as God singled them out for ever greater trials.
They studied the volumes of Bible Stories diligently, copying out the stories designed for children. Apart from their mother's praise, they expected immediate reward. But the only reward for independent thought was the beatings, and his heart grew colder and more isolated with each passing day. His father pounded away angrily at things in the giant work shed, bigger than the house itself, and when he went back to view the house 45 years later, he couldn't believe how cheerful it seemed, with its extra storey and its open spaces.
The kitchen with its black and white checked linoleum had been changed beyond recognition, and even the lounge room where his glowering father had sat radiating power, terror and bad smells, was sunny and cheerful. The new owners were house proud, and curious about their acquisition's past. It doesn't sound like you were very happy here, the woman finally said, and he rushed to explain: it was my parents, he said, they were very difficult.
Difficult! They had been a tragic nightmare as the belts snaked out and everything he ever did or thought was ridiculed. It was appalling what they did, and they would never pay. It was the era, things swept under the carpet. Children were to be seen and not heard. Beaten for their own good. This hurts me more than it hurts you. Oh please, he thought, as the tears sprang once more and his body stung with the pain of the straps.
You can't do this, it's so unfair, he said, and they did, again and again. These cruelties, this brutalised child, had in the end only one place to go, and that was inwards, behind the veils which even then were settling firmly into place. He wanted to be a writer but he didn't know why, and he read everything he could get his hands on. Then the Britannica Encyclopedia arrived, and then The Great Books. He would start at A and start reading; and had read about the Aardvark so often it was a wonder he didn't know it by heart.
Then there was Tolstoy and Dostoevsky and the Greeks, Aristophanes, all the greats. He read everything, he thought it was important to know everything. And then the day came, when he was about 14, when he dared to say he didn't believe in God any more, and the beatings escalated still further. You can't force me to go to church, he would say, and they would beat him into submission, his father doing so with such relish, even though he never went to church himself, only his mother.
Why was he beating him for not wanting to go to a church he didn't go to himself? It didn't make sense. Do as your mother tells you. Of course it was a few hours when she was away, we were all away, and perhaps that's why. Whatever the case, he would be forced into a suit, his eyes rimmed with red, and they would climb into their FJ Holden, his family was one of the first in the street to get one, and they would drive into town or across town to those halls where the faithful and the chosen gathered.
The end times were coming, that was all that was clear. Intensely uncomfortable, he would gaze out the window as the suburbs rolled by; their concrete colours jarring with his immense sadness. He would still be teary from the ritual beating of the day, and as he gazed out the window, and prepared for the terrible meetings with the priests, who would counsel him on his doubts: but how can there be a God, it doesn't make sense? And as he gazed out the window at this heartless place the plans began to form: he had to escape.
THE BIGGER STORY:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-08/09/content_6920767.htm
It's time of joy, and it's time of world unity.
When China's first Olympics kicked off on August 8, 2008, we saw the country's profund civilization and importance of harmony celebrated at the opening ceremony. Media around the world lavished with praise on it and here is an excerpt:
Financial Times
The most certain victory of the Olympic Games was duly ratified on Friday when China won the gold medal in the opening ceremony competition – presumably for all time.
Bloomberg
About 2.3 billion television viewers are tuning in for the start of China's first Olympics, more than the record 1.3 billion that watched the 2006 soccer World Cup final in Berlin, according to MindShare, a unit of WPP Group Plc.
Chinese President Hu Jintao said on August 8, 2008 that the ceremony represented "a historic moment,'' while International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the Olympics " will help both the world to understand China better and maybe for China to understand the world better.''
Sydney Morning Herald
An eight became a perfect 10 in Beijing tonight [August 8,2008].
The world may never witness a ceremony of the magnitude and ingenuity as that which opens the 2008 Olympics at the National Stadium in Beijing - affectionately dubbed the Bird's Nest.
Associated Press
The games, said IOC President Jacques Rogge, "are a chance for the rest of the world to discover what China really is."
CNN
It was a stunning beginning for the nation of 1.3 billion people. Media observers said they believe the opening ceremony will be the single most watched television event in history.
New York Times
With world leaders watching from inside the latticed shell of the National Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began with an opening ceremony of soaring fireworks, amazing spectacle and a celebration of Chinese culture and international goodwill.
The Times
The crowd, wet with sweat and tears, gathered in front of the biggest outdoor screen in Beijing, to scream, cheer and cry as a seven-year dream finally came to flawless fruition.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9108164.htm
BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- "I regret many things, many details of this performance, many things that I could have done better," said Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, at a press conference here on Saturday.
After planning and carrying out a spectacular event that reflected the ancient and modern images of China to the world, Zhang remained humble and reflective.
"For example, there are performers who were injured. I blame myself for that. It might well have been avoided if I had given more detailed instructions," he said.
"We had many difficulties. I do not like complaining, but sometimes there are obstacles you can not overcome, that you and your team have to face," he said. "What everyone cares about is the final result. We all know this, so we don't explain."
Contrary to the harsh criticism he reserved for himself, the acclaimed film director gave unreserved acclaim to the team as a whole. "I would give our whole team a '100' in the performance of the opening ceremony," Zhang said.
A multimedia, three-dimensional display on such a large scale is very complicated and demands the utmost of each member of the team, he said.
About 22,000 people took part in the gala, in which 15,000 costumes were used and 43,000 fireworks lit.
With all the technical complexities involved, the opening ceremony was 100 times more difficult than making a movie, he said, adding that such a performance was unprecedented in the world.
Despite the complexity and spectacular nature of the event, Friday's ceremony wasn't as costly as it might have looked. According to Zhang, the total cost for the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympics and the Paralympics would not exceed that of the Doha Asian Games Opening ceremony alone. That extravaganza in the Gulf reportedly cost 180 million U.S. dollars.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/google-street-view-told-keep-off-private/2008/08/07/1217702214157.html
Privacy activists and individuals have accused Google of deceiving the public by breaking its promises only to photograph public roads for its Street View mapping tool and to promptly remove images flagged as inappropriate.
Street View, which contains detailed street-level photographs of much of Australia, has taken the country by storm since it was unveiled on Tuesday.
Some see it as a great way to explore the country from the comfort of an armchair but others have dismissed it as a gross invasion of privacy, since Australians were not given the choice of whether their houses were to appear on the site.
To quell privacy fears before Street View's launch, Google said it would blur number plates and faces and instruct its drivers only to photograph public roads.
Despite this, a number of private roads and unblurred faces and number plates appeared on the Google Maps feature.
Google has already removed some, including three roads in Coffs Harbour that were clearly marked "no trespassing".
The Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, said her office continued to monitor Street View and would be meeting Google representatives shortly to discuss these concerns.
A form inside the "Street View Help" page allows people to report images they see as inappropriate or invasive, but privacy activists say the form is not visible enough.
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