Continual Vigilance

Grace Adams-Short became the fourth housemate evicted from Big Brother 7 in yet another no-shock result on Friday night. Grace polled 87.9% of votes in a head-to-head with Nikki Grahame, who survived eviction for two consecutive weeks.

It was such a no-contest that host Davina McCall didn’t even bother with her usual customary pause and instead immediately announced that Grace was evicted.

Both Grace and Nikki were put up for eviction by newcomer Suzie Verrico as the model was the only contestant able to nominate during week four. Grace had take offence to being nominated by Suzie and threw a glass of water over her before she left the house.

With one final hug for Mikey, Grace left the house to a chorus of boos from the eviction night crowd but took it on the chin, laughing and even encouraging the pantomime-esque booing.

When later asked why she performed such a childish act she replied: “Sorry guys, I just couldn’t help myself. She was just sat there like Lady Muck”.

Grace had been favourite to leave all week and had been odds-on well before her nomination was confirmed. One of the reasons she was trading so low was due to the Big Brother twist that only Suzie would be eligible to nominate and she had made her dislike of Grace known publicly before she entered the house.

Grace was as short as 1/2 on Friday 9 June following the chants of “Get Grace Out!” heard clearly during Sam’s eviction, although she had risen to as large as 5/6 by the morning of Monday 11.

Big Brother even gave Grace a chance to earn immunity from nominations when a task was set early in the week. The housemates had to stand still on a podium for as long as possible, with a “mystery prize” awaiting the last person standing. During the task, Grace’s price had reached 2/1 to be evicted fourth as she appeared determined to see the task through.

After nine hours, Glyn and Mikey gave up, leaving Lisa and Grace to draw straws to determine the winner as boredom set in. Lisa drew the longest straw and was rewarded with a prize of being immune from nominations. Grace’s failure to win the immunity saw her price plummet to 1/2 even though nominations were yet to be announced.

When the nominations were announced on Tuesday 13 June, Grace was a short as 1.05 on the betting exchanges, then 1.03 and even as low as 1.02 by Wednesday in what appeared to be a certain eviction. Nikki was available at 33/1 and even 50/1 by comparison.

The bookmakers were also not keen on opening a “How much percentage of the vote will Grace receive” market as at least 85% also looked likely and could even beat the record 86% two-way vote record held by Stuart from Big Brother II and Vanessa from Big Brother V.

“The Da Vinci Code” movie has come, or is coming, to a
theater near you. Unless you like far-fetched, crackpot
conspiracy theories, this movie, based on Dan Brown’s
novel, is not for you.

The catholic.com website briefly explains why this book is
an assault on the entire Christian faith (Catholics and
Protestants alike) by promoting these false ideas:

1. Jesus is not God; he was only a man.

2. Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

3. She is to be worshipped as a goddess.

4. Jesus got her pregnant, and the two had a daughter.

5. The daughter gave rise to a prominent family line that
is still present in Europe today.

6. The Bible was put together by a Roman Emperor.

7. Jesus was viewed as a man and not as God until the fourth
Century when he was deified by the emperor Constantine.

8. The gospels have been edited to support the claims of later
Christians.

9. In the original gospels, Mary Magdalene, rather than Peter,
was directed to establish the church.

10. There is a secret society known as the Priory of Sion that
still worships Mary Magdalene as a goddess and is trying
to keep the truth alive.

11. The Catholic Church is aware of all this and has been fighting for centuries to keep it suppressed. It has often committed murder to do so.

12. The Catholic Church is willing to and often has assassinated
the descendents of Christ to keep his bloodline from growing.

Such attacks on the Christian faith almost always aim at two targets.

First, the Bible is demeaned as an outdated book of fairy tales. Second, Jesus is damned with faint praisewonderful guy, but certainly not God.

In “The Da Vinci Code,” the idea is that “the Bible did not arrive by fax from Heaven.. The Bible is a product of man…Not God.” And Jesus Christ is described not as God but as “a historical figure of staggering influence…”

Let’s use apologetics to demonstrate the Bible is God’s Word and Jesus is God.

Apologetics does not use faith-based persuasion. Instead, it
is the use of natural, scholarly means-including the Scientific Method, the Forensic Method, as well as proofs from formal logic, the laws of mathematics and the laws of statistics.

Consider these facts:

1. The Bible of 60+ books was written by 40 authors over 1,600 years. It has no major doctrinal contradictions, even though the 40 did not know each other or have any possibility of collaboration.

Some of these writers wrote about future events, which later came to pass, often things they didn’t know or understand as people of their culture and time.

Who told them what to write what they didn’t know? Hmmm.

2. The Old Testament makes over 300 prophetic references to the
first coming of Jesus Christ. Every one of these was fulfilled (e.g.”born of a virgin”).

Under the laws of statistics, if only 50 of these 300+ came true, there’s only once chance in 250 million to the 10th power that the attainment of these 50 prophecies is a fluke or a fake. But all of these prophecies were fulfilled, leaving no wiggle room under the laws of statistics.

3. Jesus was resurrected and spent another 40 days on earth,
not cavorting with Mary Magdalene, but completing his mission
to get his church off to a good start.

He appeared to several hundred of people at different times and places, developing historical proof of his resurrection. He ascended into heaven with a large crowd watching, providing historical proof of his ascension.

Remember, historical proof is not a matter of faith. It’s a matter of history.

Clearly, the Bible checks out as an accurate, consistent book using natural proofs to validate its theological claims. The Bible clearly says the Jesus is God along with the persons of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

“The Da Vinci Code” plays havoc with history.

It refers to the Priory of Sion as a long term group. But history shows that this group was not founded until 1956.

It discuss the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., wrongly claiming the Jesus had been viewed by the 318 Church Fathers in attendance as just a man, and that Roman Emperor Constantine fabricated his divinity.

Actually, the Council strongly overwhelmingly affirmed the belief of Christ’s disciples and the early church fathers of
the first three centuries (including Justin, Polycarp, Tertullian) that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

These men suffered persecution and even death for their beliefs.
They weren’t willing to die for a lie.

I believe that God has a sense of humor. Why else would the movie
be directed by Ron Howard of Opie Tyler sitcom fame? And why
would Tom Hanks of Forrest Gump fame play a major role?

Remember, Forrest Gump frequently said “stupid is as stupid does.” Right on, Forrest! Your wise slogan certainly applies to “The Da Vinci Code” book and movie.

Fact, fiction or total foolishness? No debate here. “The Da Vinci Code” wins total foolishness honors hands down.

What demonic, moronic movie will emanate next from Hollywood?

John J. Alquist owns and operates Alquist Enterprises. He is a professional speaker, author and business consultant. He is also
a former Catholic and now a Bible-believing Protestant, having exhaustively studied the Bible, church history, apologetics and prophecy. Visit John online at http://www.tell-it-well.com. Email him: john@tell-it-well.com

Fun for both adults and children, The Simpsons is one of those rare shows that smashed the conventional wisdom of its time and redefined its genre. By creating a truly adult cartoon, and not one watered-down for a younger audience, The Simpsons kept its finger of the pulse of American TV viewers, providing an unmatched wit with its biting satire. It’s a combination that opened the door for later prime time animated series such as Futurama, King Of The Hill, and The Family Guy. But in the end, none can come close to the originality and hilarity of The Simpsons, one of the best shows from any genre in television history…

The Simpsons (Season 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Kamp Krusty” in which Bart forges his report card so that Homer and Marge will allow him to go to Kamp Krusty, a traditional summer camp for America’s youth. But the summer camp is anything but traditional, and the kids soon learn as they’re forced to make cheap wallets and perform other acts usually reserved for Third World foreign laborers. The kids endure until it’s revealed that Krusty will not be visiting as promised, the news of which prompts Bart to spark an uprising… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include “Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie” in which Bart’s punishment (that he can not see the new Itchy & Scratchy movie) threatens to drive him to the brink of insanity, and “Duffless” in which Homer’s arrest for a DWI forces him to submit to a campaign of anti-drinking films and AA meetings (made all the worse by Marge’s request that he quit drinking for one month)…

Below is a list of episodes included on The Simpsons (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 60 (Kamp Krusty) Air Date: 09-24-1992
Episode 61 (A Streetcar Named Marge) Air Date: 10-01-1992
Episode 62 (Homer the Heretic) Air Date: 10-08-1992
Episode 63 (Lisa the Beauty Queen) Air Date: 10-15-1992
Episode 64 (Treehouse of Horror 3) Air Date: 10-29-1992
Episode 65 (Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie) Air Date: 11-03-1992
Episode 66 (Marge Gets a Job) Air Date: 11-05-1992
Episode 67 (New Kid on the Block) Air Date: 11-12-1992
Episode 68 (Mr. Plow) Air Date: 11-19-1992
Episode 69 (Lisa’s First Word) Air Date: 12-03-1992
Episode 70 (Homer’s Triple Bypass) Air Date: 12-17-1992
Episode 71 (Marge vs. The Monorail) Air Date: 01-14-1993
Episode 72 (Selma’s Choice) Air Date: 01-21-1993
Episode 73 (Brother from the Same Planet) Air Date: 02-04-1993
Episode 74 (I Love Lisa) Air Date: 02-11-1993
Episode 75 (Duffless) Air Date: 02-18-1993
Episode 76 (Last Exit to Springfield) Air Date: 03-11-1993
Episode 77 (So it has Come to This: The Simpsons Clip Show) Air Date: 04-01-1993
Episode 78 (The Front) Air Date: 04-15-1993
Episode 79 (Whacking Day) Air Date: 04-29-1993
Episode 80 (Marge in Chains) Air Date: 05-06-1993
Episode 81 (Krusty Gets Kancelled) Air Date: 05-13-1993

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The Simpsons (Season 4) DVD.

One of the most inspiring films of 2004, Miracle is a Disney rendition of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team’s improbable pursuit of Olympic Gold. Based on the true story of the ragtag team that captured the nation’s imagination, it connects with audience like few movies of its kind. And the title’s reference to fabled broadcaster Al Michaels’ famous quote conjures vivid memories of a moment that provided America with a jolt of much needed confidence during one of the lowest points of the Cold War. As such, Miracle is more than just another sports movie. It’s a film that bleeds patriotism and individual inspiration…

Miracle follows the life of Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), a highly successful college hockey coach who just missed being a part of the last US Olympic gold medal ice hockey team in 1960. Several months before the Olympic games, Brooks is given the task of putting together an amateur hockey team derived from relatively inexperienced college students, one that can compete with the mighty Soviet juggernaut which not only boasts some of the best players in the world, but an amazing 15-year winning streak.

Along the way, Brooks faces a challenge from the team’s committee members when he decides to form a roster that fails to include some of the best known players in the country. Intent on choosing a team and not just a collection of individual stars, Brooks wins his battle, and most of the final roster is pinned down on day one.

Slowly, Brooks brings the strange amalgam of players together, many of them from competing colleges, to create a truly united team. Following a loss to Sweden in which his players are more focused on girls in the crowd than on winning the game, Brooks pushes his players through a series of conditioning drills. He literally pushes them to the brink of exhaustion, informing them that they don’t have the talent to beat the Soviets, but they will be the best conditioned team on the ice.

By exerting enormous psychological and physical pressure upon his players, Brooks finds out who has the mental capacity to take the US team to its highest level possible. When the 1980 Olympic Games arrive in Lake Placid, the Soviets are the overwhelming favorites, setting the stage for a classic David versus Goliath showdown and prompting Al Michaels to utter his famous one-liner “Do you believe in miracles?”

Adapted from the true story that played out during the height of the Cold War, and the pinnacle of Soviet power specifically, Miracle is an inspiring tale of teamwork, freedom’s triumph over oppression, and the great heights which ordinary men can achieve. Uplifting and personally touching, this is a film that no sports fan, movie lover, or American should miss. Do yourself a favor and watch Miracle…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Miracle (DVD).