Colour of November 2013 is PURPLE!

http://www.loveatsg.com/events/478/The-Purple-Parade-2013

The Purple Parade is a movement that supports the inclusion & celebrates the abilities of persons with special needs.

Starting in November, we are making a movement towards a more inclusive society, opening our eyes to the special needs people around us.

The logo for The Purple Parade is simply, a square; which represents equality thanks to its all equal sides. The nature of the shape also depicts the inclusiveness of any given society with special needs' people. The Square is also a strong building block, on which when many are placed together, there can be limitless structures.

Support the movement and create awareness!

Philippians 2:1-4; Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Sadly the focus of this colour was diverted to a Military song, Purple Light. AWARE has successfully made a ban on this song, change its lyrics due to the "rape", "kill" words ("Purple Light" because the lyrics are degrading towards women). Quite frankly throughout my NS years, I have never sing or heard this song until this news surface. National Service is about protecting the Nation, Defence, so if one is unable to hold on to their loved ones what is the point of performing this defence? NS is more than creating lean mean killing machines, Soldiers. It give Male Singaporeans a focus point, the purpose of serving! AWARE what next? Ban Vulgarities, Hokkien dialect and stop labeling the rifle as "Wife"...

http://www.aware.org.sg/2013/11/the-perplexing-case-of-purple-light/

November 18th, 2013
The perplexing case of Purple Light

Image courtesy of Justin See(Thanks to all who have come out in support of the move against the problematic Purple Light lyrics. Please take the time to read Fikri’s post and Nicholas Liu’s letter on this subject.)

Note: the post below contains examples of abusive language.

“Booking out, see my girlfriend
Saw her with another man
Kill the man, rape my girlfriend
With my rifle and my buddy and me.”

It started simply. Several men at a workshop on violence against women told us of these lyrics in an NS marching song. They were disturbed by the attitude expressed toward sexual violence. In their view, such lyrics should not be part of the National Service experience.

We agreed and raised the matter in a letter to MINDEF and SAF.

MINDEF and SAF agreed and said that they would take steps to “immediately halt” the singing of these lyrics.

So far, so agreed. Yet our brief Facebook update on this generated an explosive reaction and spawned a thread of more than 700 comments.

Criticism of us quickly spiralled into extremely abusive language. We (and others who welcome MINDEF’s move) are, among other things, “sensitive little bitches” and a “useless bunch of morons” who run a “feminazi group” which is “pushing for female supremacy” through “nitpicking”. We should “get fucked”.

All because we think Singapore is better off without soldiers singing about their buddies and rifles standing by as they rape women, and we said so publicly.

We have also seen many positive and supportive messages from people of all genders, including men who were uncomfortable with singing the lyrics in NS. But the strength of the negative response is noteworthy. Why does this bother some people (mostly men) so much? This important question goes to the heart of why the lyrics are so problematic to begin with.

John 19:1-6
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Israel's ‘David’s Sling’ vs Goliath

Israel successfully tested its newest missile defence system on Wednesday, a key step toward making the third and final leg of the country’s three-part defence system operational by next year, the defence ministry said.

“David’s Sling,” also known as “Magic Wand,” is designed to intercept projectiles with ranges between 70 kilometres and 300 kilometres, and is aimed primarily at countering the large arsenal of Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon and those of President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria.

The defence ministry said the system, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and U.S.-based Raytheon Co, detected and destroyed a test ballistic missile over Israel on Wednesday morning and marked a “step forward” toward its scheduled deployment next year.

Israel has also deployed the Iron Dome system against short-range rockets from the Gaza Strip and the Arrow system for longer-range threats from Iran. Together, the three components will complete what Israel calls its “multilayer missile defence.”

Iran has developed missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometres, putting Israel and parts of Europe well within its range. Israeli concerns have been compounded by Iran’s controversial nuclear program, which Israel believes is geared toward making nuclear weapons — a charge Tehran denies.

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian calls for Israel’s destruction, its support for anti-Israel militant groups and its missile and nuclear technology.

The test came as world powers and Iran open a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva later on Wednesday, talks that could result in a landmark deal that would force Iran to make concessions on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of Western sanctions that have crippled its economy.

Iran seeks a rollback in U.S.-led economic sanctions, while the West is pressing it to curb its uranium enrichment — the process to make nuclear fuel, which is a potential pathway to atomic weapons. Israel has voiced grave concern that a deal with Iran now may ease pressure on the Islamic Republic while allowing it to continue to strive toward acquiring a bomb.

Uzi Rubin, a former head of Israel’s missile defence program, said the timing of the test was unrelated and merely a planned step in Israel’s long-term plan to complete a defence umbrella against the myriad of rocket threats the country faces.

He said the test, only the second of its kind, was a “milestone” but refused to provide operational details.

The Iron Dome protects against short-range rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. It shot down hundreds of rockets from Gaza in last year’s round of fighting.

The next generation of the Arrow, now in the development stage, is set to be deployed in 2016. Called Arrow 3, it is designed to strike missiles when they are outside the earth’s atmosphere, before they are on their downward path toward their target. Together, the two Arrow systems would provide two chances to strike down incoming missiles.

Israel also uses U.S.-made Patriot missile defence batteries against mid-range missiles, though these failed to hit any of the 39 Scud missiles fired at Israel from Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. Manufacturers say the Patriot system has been improved since then.

It isn't the physical strength or sling skills of David, that killed Goliath but his Faith in God.

1 Samuel 17:1-58
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the
hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Singapore Draft Master Plan 2013

By 2030, there might be 6.9 million people in Singapore, thus planning ahead for an eventual result provides a road map to follow with pre-designated milestones.

If you don’t have a plan, how will you know when you are successful? Without a predetermined road map, how do you know where you are going? Without a target in your crosshair, how will you know if you are pointed in the right direction? It is your responsibility to have a written plan that continually measures your debt-reduction progress.

Planning for the future is biblical. Joseph told the people of Egypt to prepare for the coming famine. During the years of surplus, Joseph was wise enough to gather the excess and store it for later use. He was a great model of advance preparation in process. The preparation done by the Egyptians cared for their needs during the years of lack.

Genesis 41:48,49
“Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.”

There is a biblical story about a man about to lose his job, planning ahead for his future well being, even though he does so in an unscrupulous way. Sensible people look ahead and plan for the future. They manage money to provide benefit for the present, as well as the future. Christ is suggesting that in doing good works we should consider our future with just as much ingenuity as the dishonest steward considered his future. As stewards of Jesus Christ, we are mandated with responsibility to use every means at our disposal to spread the Good News to all. In doing so, our gains will have great affect in eternal matters. The shrewdness with which the unjust servant negated his responsibility to his lord was commended. He promoted his cause with the utmost care and effort. With an unprincipled passion he sought to use his master’s money in securing advantage after his inevitable dismissal. Christ was simply asking those to whom he spoke to be just as inventive, but for a better cause. This can happen only when we look down the line a bit and seek to plan ahead. The message is clear. In our stewardship responsibility to God, we should be at least as wholehearted and energetic as the misguided steward was in prosecuting his own interests.

Luke 14:28-30
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

Wisely setting goals leads to better results: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit” (Proverbs 21:5).

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:33-34). Our goal-setting need not be accompanied by fear. If our plans focus on Christ and honor Him, He will see to it that the best results are ours.

Proverbs 27:23; Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds;

Our Future, Our Home.

What is the 'Underboob' fuss about

In my mind, is this child trying to live her dream, dress up as a anime character? Mind your own business some would say... Why is Christian imposing their set of "RULES" on others?!

I believe the person who call in the police is concern about the "Safety" of the young girl, protecting the vulnerable. Does she know what she is doing? Exposing herself to basically the "World". Will she ever live to regret it?

Deuteronomy 32:11; As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings.

Woman (Christian) calls police over cosplayer’s ‘underboob’ at anime festival

What is an "underboob"? Well, a woman probably found out what it is after calling the police on a female cosplayer recently.

HardwareZone commenters say that the older woman was apparently attending a church service (or event) in the same convention center and was offended by the revealing costume worn by the cosplayed at the Anime Festival Asia, which was held at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 8-10 November. According to video game blog Kotaku.com, the woman had called the police after seeing the female cosplayer wearing an outfit that had exposed the bottom part of her breasts — it is an area known as the "underboob".

The female cosplayer, wearing a body-fitting blue and red costume, was in character as  Ryuko Matoi, the main protagonist from popular anime Kill la Kill.

Another blogger wrote about the incident on anime blog,  One Pixel Jump, which reported that the woman was coming from a church service held in the same building and that the two had gotten into a fight over the outfit and made a big scene before calling the police. There was no arrest, the blogger said.

A commenter, who said he 35 years old, responded to the post saying, “This incident happened in the space outside the event hall where a lot of cosplayers had set up impromptu photography areas…The police did not arrest anyone, and the cosplayer in question is not in trouble, although she was rather traumatised.”

It’s perfectly acceptable to legislate morality. When you think about it, morals are the only thing you can legislate. For example, we have laws against stealing for one reason: it’s immoral to take someone’s property. So, we take that moral rule and establish it in law.

The same is true for laws against murder. The reason they exist is because we think it’s immoral to kill an innocent human being. So, we take that moral rule and make it against the law to break it. By legislating that rule, we are legislating morality.

In fact, it’s the moral rule that legitimizes the law’s power to limit freedom. Without a moral grounding, laws would be unjust.

Ephesians 4:28; Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Hacker group Anonymous is no Messiah

Hacker 'The Messiah' claims attack on Singapore govt sites, repeats ‘Anonymous’ cyber threat

Two wrongs do not make a right. There is no higher moral ground in terms of damaging, threatening and hacking activities; They are wrong! Many are misled by one of them, "The Messiah", that what He does is for the people, by the people - In the Name of "FREEDOM". There is a price to pay for Freedom, just ask Adam... Worst many youths idolized the group - Anonymous.

Guy Fawkes mask made famous by the movie, V for Vendetta.

8 Things That Anonymous, The Hacker 'Terrorist' Group, Has Done For Good

Conformity and Following rules; Paying Taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:15-22)
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Paul reminded us to be respect the Authority (Titus 3:1-7)
Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand 2 No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous. 3 It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. 4 But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, 5 he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. 6 Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. 7 God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come - an eternity of life!

If Change is what they seek, start by praying! The Holy Spirit will work wonders in the hearts of those they prayed for, to do what is truly the right decision.

Lastly, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7