Wondering clouds...

Flogging Molly

2005-03-16T21:24:40Z

anyone going to flogging molly at the garage on the 21st april?

art

2005-02-11T19:37:40Z

found this on the net, thought it was amazing, shared.

clear up the question on Christianity...

2005-02-10T17:14:58Z

OK, so heres the script, basically, no names mentioned, there was an argument today and i am going to prove, although no one believes me over the girl who always goes to church, being Christian can take many forms and is not a single group of people.(e.g. being Catholic or Protestant, both are separate forms of being a Christian)

Here is EVIDENCE to prove i am right:

"Christian faith groups:
One source estimates that there are 34,000 separate Christian groups in the world.
We have attempted to sort them into:
Three meta-groups, (Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism)
Three wings, (conservative, mainline and liberal)
Fifteen Religious families, (Adventist, Baptist, Lutheran, Reform....)
Dozens of denominations, (from the Amish to The Way), and
Many systems of belief (Arminianism, British Israelism, Calvinism...)"

(taken from: Religioustolerance.org)

"Christianity:

NOTE: Depending on the country, government census records often recognize only one, two or three divisions of Christians. Religious affiliation in surveys is always defined by self-identification, not by theology or practice. In predominantly non-Christian nations such as India or Iraq, available data may simply identify "Christians," to separate them from the majority populations of Hindus, Muslims, etc. If the data is more detailed (usually because there are larger numbers of Christians), Christians will be divided into "Catholics" and "Protestants" (with Orthodox/Eastern Christians typically classified as Protestant). With more accuracy, Orthodox are added as a third division, leaving all Christians who are not Catholic or Orthodox classified as Protestant. Typically this includes many groups who would prefer not to grouped with Protestants, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter Day Saints.

Major Traditional Branches of Christianity
(mid-1995; source: Encyclopedia Britannica) Branch Number of Adherents
Catholic 968,000,000
Protestant 395,867,000
Other Christians 275,583,000
Orthodox 217,948,000
Anglicans 70,530,000

Major Denominational Families of Christianity
(This table does not include all Christians. These numbers are estimates, and are here primarily to assist in ranking branches by size, not to provide a definitive count of membership.)
Branch Number of Adherents
Catholic 1,050,000,000
Orthodox/Eastern Christian 240,000,000
African indigenous sects (AICs) 110,000,000
Pentecostal 105,000,000
Reformed/Presbyterian/Congregational/United 75,000,000
Anglican 73,000,000
Baptist 70,000,000
Methodist 70,000,000
Lutheran 64,000,000
Jehovah's Witnesses 14,800,000
Adventist 12,000,000
Latter Day Saints 11,500,000
Apostolic/New Apostolic 10,000,000
Stone-Campbell ("Restoration Movement") 5,400,000
New Thought (Unity, Christian Science, etc.) 1,500,000
Brethren (incl. Plymouth) 1,500,000
Mennonite 1,250,000
Friends (Quakers) 300,000 "

(taken from Adherents.com)

Also, i asked the minister from my church(a Protistant church) and he told me that Christianity takes many forms, the only major difference is the way in which people interpret the Bible. I will ask the local Catholic Priest what his view on the matter is next time i see him and the same goes for the Minister at my Grans church, which is a different group(Methodist i think, but i could be wrong)

To conclude, Nowhere that i have come across does it suggest the term "Christian" refers to a single religion, but that it is the collective name for any follower of Christ, as portrayed in the New Testament, no matter which way they interpret it.

el_muffin @ 2005-12-29T16:20:00

2004-12-29T16:26:00Z

purple sky so far away,
so free, no troubles of today.
i look up and wonder,
when may i fly?

High above the distant trees,
so bare and lifeless with no leaves.
down you look, up i stare,
gaze in wonder, peace up there?

i am here, you are there,
too very different to compare.
the calm of you,
the hate of man,
In this the only war i stand,
the calm of you,
the hate of man.

Americans Looking At New Zealand After Bush's Re-election

2004-11-06T19:03:22Z

11/06/2004 12:09 PM ID: 44187

Americans Looking At New Zealand After Bush's Re-election

The New Zealand Immigration Service website has reported that the day after George W. Bush was re-elected president they recorded 10,300 hits from the United States, this compares to a daily average of 2500.

Attracted by New Zealand's small population and clean, green image thousands of North Americans have emigrated, the number could now soar. Immigration Service offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland have also been inundated with calls.

Marketing manager Don Badman said: "It's exploded. It really started picking up from 11pm the night of the election." The offices have been receiving up to 300 calls a day, this is up from 6 to 8 calls a day.
Source: www.news.com.au

I've noticed too:

2004-10-31T19:11:47Z

I've noticed too,
that instead of talking to me,
i read it on the net.
or a friend tells me,
that we've had that argument,
before we do.

i danced with you passionately,
with her i dance stupid,
in a fun, friend type of way,
i thought the difference was obvious.
obviously not.

i love this world,
i love icecream,
i love my mum,
i love my friends,
i love myself,
i love you.

they are all different types of love. the most important being the later.
i hope that helped xx

el_muffin @ 2004-09-18T18:12:00

2004-09-18T17:45:54Z

The universe moves.
Time goes on.
Hearts keep on beating.
Whys is this so wrong?

The universe is huge,
so big i feel small.
Always on-going,
until we grow old.

Time keeps going,
all round the clock.
It feels so slow,
when i'm here, your not.

My heart it beats,
the drum of my mind.
Steadies my thoughts,
puts you first in the line.

The universe stops.
A space full of white.
Around me theres nothing.
No dark, no light.

Time then stops.
I'm frozen here.
In this space of nothing.
No one is near.

My heart still beats,
it goes on strong.
It awaits the day,
that you come along.

el_muffin @ 2004-08-23T18:44:00

2004-08-23T17:44:24Z

everyone like my new icon, took me like an hour to make but was worth it, well i think so :)

um thats all for now, will do a proper big huge update after leeds :)

cya all soon xxx

Return from the land of windmills

2004-07-21T20:00:13Z

I am now, as of today, home from Holland. bet you didn't even realize i was gone! The last 10 days (the ones in Holland :p) were really great, i made so many new friends from all over Europe and i had so much fun with them doing all sorts of drama/theater/arts related games and workshops. And, there not much point in me saying this as only Elaine and Charlotte know her, but Claudie (aka Cluse) is the bestest youth worker ever, i mean what other youth worker would take Andy and I to Holland and teach us loads of groovy new things?

Highlights:

Zebheffers.
Bill(claudies boss/skatepark guy):"we were about 1/2 a dozen short, right Claudie?"
Claudie: "No! We were definitely only 6 short"
*lots of laughing from Andy and I later*
Claudie: "Fuck! I'm such a blonde!"
Laura(girl in our group): "How come those windmills are turned off?"
Claudie: "They don't get 'turned off', it's just not windy enough"
Laura: "So it's their day off then?"
"Sex museum" in Amsterdam, you should have seen Bills face!
A 14 yo Pollish boy(Mark) asking Andy, Manu(our friend from Austria) and myself if we could give him "Mama's milk, Mama's milk" whilst making sucking gestures at our breasts. Maybe i should explain that we were all in dresses and wearing bras filled with socks, other than the Mark who was dressed as a prince.(was for a performance and i still have the dress :s)
The last night, due to the hilarity caused by me making (for once) really good, witty jokes, that made andy roll on the floor in the bar for about 10 min and claudie had to run away to the toilet to stop herself from leaking due to laughing to much.

sorry about the randomness of this post, there is so so much more but you have to ask me about it coz i can't be bothered putting it all in here.

love Matt xxx

Holland.

2004-07-11T15:21:09Z

So tomorrow i go to Dutchland. I don't know if i really do want to go or not. Well obviously i do want to go but you know how it is.

Anyways Charlottes away in Florida now :(
And i've been at home for the past 3 days watching tv and sleeping :() <-yawn.

I wonder what everyone else has been doing? lots of people are at T. wonder if their having fun?

"If you really think about it, times aren't that bad."

Matt xx

el_muffin @ 2004-07-06T01:13:00

2004-07-06T00:14:07Z

This individual seeks an executive position. He will be available next
January, and is willing to relocate.
RESUME
GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Military:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our
friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

- I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

- I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

- I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

- With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

- I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

- I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

- I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

- I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

- I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

- I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

- I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

- I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

- My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History: Enron.

- My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to ensure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

- I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
-I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

- I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

- I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

- I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

- I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

- I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

- I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

- I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

- I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees, and have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

- I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. elections).

- I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

- I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August 2001, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

- I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world---the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

- I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people),shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

- I am the first President in U.S. history to order an
unprovoked, preemptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S.citizens, and the world community.

- I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.

- In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

- I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

- I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.

- I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

-All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

- All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

- All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my
Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN 2004!

(thanks to rosafea from </span>hippies4u)</span>

el_muffin @ 2004-07-05T19:56:00

2004-07-05T19:13:13Z

Where have i been recently? The days already seem to be blending into one. Everything is happening so quickly, mums off to Canada on wednesday morn. Charlotte to England then Florida on fri. Andy and I to Holland on mon. I'm still kinda ill, have been since sat. but it is a lot better today. Finished making a 1/2 yr aniversary prezzie for charlotte today. I'm gonna miss her while she's away :( why does msn not work, tells me i'm not connected to the internet. oh well.

bye for now xx

el_muffin @ 2004-06-18T17:33:00

2004-06-18T16:48:02Z

I hate the way you think you're right,
I hate the way you love to spite.
I hate it when you make her stay,
Just so you can have your way.
We all have feelings too, you know,
Just i'm the only one who makes it known.

Matt xx

el_muffin @ 2004-06-17T17:39:00

2004-06-17T16:47:04Z

I am the clouds in the sky.

I am the rock on the ground.

I am the whispers in your head.

I am the screams in you ear.

I am the candles in the night.

I am the darkness around.

I am the hard of your fist.

I am the soft of your tear.

HILLARIOUS!!!!!!

2004-06-10T19:16:01Z

http://www.randomperspective.com/flash/2flash1.swf just go there, enough said.

el_muffin @ 2004-06-09T18:57:00

2004-06-09T18:42:16Z

i have a feeling no one really wants to read about my day at the college of building and printing so im not gonna say much about it - was ok although im sure i could have done better at some of the projects. i got a free t-shirt, which is nice(lol memories of music, gareth)

oh and i was gonna put music in the background of my journal but turns out you have to have a paid account, so nevermind.

erm i dont know what else to say i am extremely bored so i'll play a game: i'll just write words that come into my head - starting with guitar(coz i have one here) and i'll see what happens...

guitar, string, cheese, fridge, yogurt, fruit, trees, wind, kites, hills, mountain boarding, friends, partys, marks bday, drunkness, falling over, lauries house, finch throwing up out his nose, onto his sock, "here have a duck", penguins are better, edinburgh zoo, the penguin/dux war, epic voyages to the kitchen, long night pig-outs, bacon, charlotte, mmmm bacon(i mean charlotte), lack of humor i have, Bill bailey 2003, hard rock cafe, TGI's, birthdays, lack of my money, gigs, download scotland, nose, fetishes, charlottes feet, chocolate body paint, spouge, green, "Vote Green" signs, putting "don't" across "vote labour" signs, governments, lack of peace, i want peace, dreads, herman, monkey island, Sgrade graphics, ok i got bored of that game now, kinda turned into old memories by the end but hey thats fun.

el_muffin @ 2004-06-08T22:07:00

2004-06-08T20:58:37Z

el_muffin's LJ stalker is femaleleon!

femaleleon is stalking you because you are really good at bowling. They are also stalking you in real life. Look out!

LJ Stalker Finder
From Go-Quiz.com

What a fucking awesome time!

2004-06-04T15:26:35Z

DOWNLOAD WAS AMAZING!

First day was the best, cant be bothered to write a detailed account of events(like we took the train up, it was fun. then we qued, it took a long time, we qued some more, it took les time, we eventually got inside, to the D-barrier... you get my point.)

Day1:
First up were HIM - sound was really bad and Ville Valo was off his face. We just kinda stood and watched from a distance.

Next was Slipknot! They played so well but the sound was pretty bad. The pit was great - first song i burst my lip and there was lots of blood :) i also hurt both elbows during the rest of the set. Was a lot of fun.

Korn came on third - Amazing. They played all the best songs and the sound quality was great. I was in the pit again for most of it although got really tired and had to take some breaks just watching and jumping. Munky's dreads are so kool when my dreads grow up i want them to be just like his.

There was a pretty long wait, but it was worth it to see Metallica! They were outstanding, playing for 2 1/2 hrs with bursts of flame on stage, loud firecracking bangs and fireworks, it was an awesome show to say the least. I got a plec which just made my day twice as good :)

Day 2:
First up were Machine Head. What can i say, i'd not really heard any MH songs before so didn't expect too much. The adrenaline rush i got when they played has been equaled only by Afi and The Offspring(my fave bands). I was in the pit with Mark, Timmy, Toddy and all these really kool randoms. We started numerous circle pits and by the end, the crowd were watching us and not the band. Everyone expected Mark to do something, he had become "king of the pit".

The Distillers were good but the lack of vocals was disappointing(for some reason the chode on the mixing desk turned Brody's vocals down! chode.) Once again we were in the pit for the whole set, by the end of this i was damaged, sore shoulders, neck, arms, head, legs, most of me really :)

Iggy pop The stooges, they sucked so much, i guess i just don't like them so i sat away from the stage from end of distillers till...

Lostprophets! There was a really good pit going so i joined that, only stopping to phone Charlotte during "Last Train Home" because it's kinda 'our song'.

Headlining were Linkin Crappy Park. There are few words able to desribe how shit they are, as Mark said "Metallica play instruments, They play computers" how true that is. We took the piss out of them for a while, throwing the occasional bog roll or tea biscuit. then we did silly dancing to the people behind the D-barrier and then bowed every tie they cheered Linkin Park. we got several looks and a few teenie boppers wanted to kill us i think. oh well good job Linken Park only played for an hr or so coz i was getting kinda cold by the end.

sorry that is so long but i tried to cut all the crap out of it.
will put pics up when i get them developed.

***** OH YEH, I ALSO FRACTURED MY NOSE *****

Matt

Questions of doom!

2004-05-31T21:53:30Z

1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do you have a crush on me?
5. Would you kiss me?
6. Describe me in one word.
7. What was your first impression?
8. Do you still think that way about me now?
9. What reminds you of me?
10. If you could give me anything what would it be?
11. How well do you know me?
12. When's the last time you saw me?
13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Are you going to put this on your LiveJournal and see what I say about you?

Matt's big adventure:

2004-05-30T23:26:50Z

last night was a fucking adventure to the max! Sam, Mark and i went to a GAP benefit gig at the anarchy center(it was like one room filled with sofas and a wee stage) in glasgow and got ourselves very drunk whilst watching some ok bands. Sam got off with this girl called Morag that hes liked for a while. Then cause Sam didn't wanna leave her we went on an adventure to Barrhead(suburbs of glasgow) and stayed at her house instead of Marks. But MArk didn't like her house or got bored or something, i don't know. But anyway he left to "go home" and we were like "he'll be back soon" but no... he wasn't there in the morning?? Well we went back to his to see if he was there and he was, it took him 4 hrs to walk home! He also lost his phone sometime, we think in a taxi.

well anyways that was a pretty big adventure for me so i'm happy :)

also the mountain boarding thing i was trying to organise, i think next weekend(5th?) is the best date for most.

Matt xxxx

el_muffin @ 2004-05-27T20:10:00

2004-05-27T19:23:29Z

ok heres an idea, anyone who wants to come mountain boarding sometime next week or weekend leave a comment saying what days you are free... then we'll take the best day and all go up for to air fusion and have "beer and bbq". Don't quite know why i'm organizing this, seeing as Tristan and Sam know the ppl, but it will work... maybe.

Matt

el_muffin @ 2004-05-26T03:50:00

2004-05-26T02:50:53Z

THIS WAY UP
á

el_muffin has fragile contents which may break!

From Go-Quiz.com

el_muffin @ 2004-05-26T02:15:00

2004-05-26T01:15:04Z

heres some pics from today:

dreads!

same pic but blurry background(thats for all you blonde ppl who cant tell)

and this is the same but greyscaled(ok so that one was just for charlotte, the normal blondes should have been able to work that out)

dreads again - check the tanline on my arms!

the sun was in my eyes, hence the crazy look.

anyone who want the best laugh you can get read this: http://www.counterpunch.org/wilson05202004.html

Matt xxx

el_muffin @ 2004-05-23T22:18:00

2004-05-23T21:24:22Z

What Makes You Sexy? by eva71
Name/NickName
Gender
Sexy Body Part Is	Your Hair
Special Talents Are	Stalking Your Prey

Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

We're only small.

2004-05-20T16:40:56Z

let the world keep on spinning,
let the universe expand.
Don't forget the energy
we draw from this land.

let our days play happy,
let our years run free.
Don't forget the people
we met yesterday.

let the air fill our lungs,
let the wind flow around.
Don't forget to keep
your feet on the ground.

The energy we get,
the people we meet:
they are the ones
who help us stay on our feet.

Matt xx