Laconic History of the World

I was alerted to this amazing map via Twitter.  You must click on the full version on HugePic  to explore. But it is basically a one word 'wordle' (word cloud) on each country based on their wikipaedia History.  The  designer writes the following description on his Tumblr

maphugger:

Laconic History of The World (2012)
My first attempt at a typographic map. Don’t be content with the shrunken version up there: this thing is pretty dang sprawling: I’ve prepped a mind-boggling 12,500 pixel wide version you can enjoy exploring:
http://hugepic.io/d2012641f/3.00/57.89/9.67
This map was produced by running all the various countries’ “History of _____” Wikipedia article through a word cloud, then writing out the most common word to fit into the country’s boundary. The result is thousands of years of human history oversimplified into 100-some words.
I’ve also prepared a reader’s companion to highlight a few of the more interesting findings. Read it here.

EVERYWHERE IS WAR

A friend  Philip Mounstephen commented:

How depressing! Reminds me of Bob Marley's setting of Haile Selassie's speech to the League of Nations: 'Until the philosophy which hold one race superior / And another / Inferior / Is finally / And permanently / Discredited / And abandoned / -Everywhere is war.'

PLAYING FOR CHANGE









Which in mind mind sent me straight to the Playing for Change version of 'No More Trouble':  if you've not heard it before you really should .......

Reflections on Mr Bean's Nativity

MR BEAN & THE NATIVITY

This is a scene from Mr Bean's Merry Christmas video when he interacts with a Nativity Set in a department store - it is full of deep theological meaning !  Do watch it and enjoy.....  It is full of exotic imagery and wild imagination........ just like the book of Revelation!

I particularly like the appearance of the 'Dragon' in the form of a Dinosaur. And a 'war in heaven' that is fought over the Nativity scene, represented by the appearance of Tanks and a Dalek,  before the child and holy family are whisked off by an angel / helicopter to a place of safety. Well more likely to have been a 'Wilderness' in Egypt than a comfortable palace/ doll's house.  

There is even an earlier hint when the Dalek attacks the vulnerable lamb and exits laughing, thinking it has won, which clearly is a reference to the cross and 'the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world'  and Satan's apparent victory at Calvary!

Whilst this is all very 'tongue-in-cheek' the Revelation account is a parallel story to the 'normal' nativity scene and show another dimension to the narrative.  Worth thinking about


DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

The picture is from a blog for "nativity scene with dragon," which points out the extra Biblical Nativity Narrative which is not normally read out in Carol services! It seems more appropriate for a Dungeons & Dragons style fantasy game.
'The Birth of Christ was designed to overcome doom and gloom, and the dragon belongs in the Christmas story.'

  1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.  3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,  6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back..... (Rev. 12:1-7) 

WAR & PEACE

I received an email which quoted an extract from a Christmas news letter by a Christian worker in Afghanistan: 

"This Christmas, we pray for places of ongoing conflict in the Muslim world, like Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan... Even as we are grieved with the senseless deaths of young children in Connecticut, we also wept over 10 young girls in Eastern Afghanistan who were senselessly killed when a landmine exploded while they were gathering firewood. Across the border in Pakistan suicide attackers killed more people on the same day and vaccination workers were senselessly killed for doing a polio eradication campaign...
The one who wages war on earth, the Great Dragon of Rev. 12 is also part of the Christmas story—although not usually a part of the nativity scene (!)—he is clearly seen in the murderous fury of Herod and his soldiers. In Rev 12, this Dragon is thrown from heaven, that ancient serpent who seeks to destroy the Child and make war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12: 17)... But his time IS short, and we know how it ends:
"Salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down..." (Rev 12: 10)
In a strange way the "peace on earth" announced by angels at Jesus' birth is mingled with the wrath of the Great Dragon. But our salvation is near and our eternal home is secure. Emmanuel is with us."

Christmas is seen as a time of Peace, but all peace must be fought for, it carries a price.... a laying down of life, a sacrifice.  Hopefully not literally for most of us, but at least involving a struggle, an effort.  ' Indeed we are encouraged to 'strive together for peace' (Heb 12:14)   

So may you strive for and experience that same Peace the Angels proclaimed to the Shepherds (and there are is a lot of emphasis on sheep in Mr Bean's Nativity): 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14  

Thanks, Mr Bean for making it all so clear.......

Afghanistan: The Great Game

I have just watched Afghanistan: The Great Game - A Personal View by Rory Stewart
and I recommend ity highly. You've only got a few days left to watch it on BBC i-Player.
It's in two parts:  Episode 1 and Episode 2

My favourite quote was by an Afghan now living in Britain who said 'Its really easy to  get into Afghanistan; it's just the getting out part that's really difficult"

It was fascinating to think that this country of Afghanistan, which is on the one hand so barren, yet on the other so strategically placed, has been the stomping ground of Super Powers.  Rory Stewart explores this, looking at invasions in the 19th century by Britain, 20th century by Russia and in the 21st century by the US-lead coalition.  

The words of Pete Seeger's  'Where have all the flowers gone?' sung by Joan Baez  come back to me
'when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn .... ' 

11:11:11 Remembrance

REMEMBRANCE

At 11am on 11th of November we have a tradition to remember all those who have fallen in Armed conflict, since world war one (The Original Armistace day was 11o'clock on 11th Nov 1918) The tradition is marked by 2 minutes of silence and it is an opportunity to remember those who have died (in every conflict: Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan to name but a few) and pray for those who grieve their loss and also to pray for peace in the world today.

The following is some of the material I used in services of remembrance

WDYTYA - who do you think you are?

Many of us have been into family history, so now Armistace Day is when I remember 2 great uncles, both killed in Ypres – Pvt 8936 Albert Edward Toms of the 2nd Suffolk Rgt was KIA in Ypres in Feb 1915, 4 days before his 18th birthday, one of 54,896 listed on the Menin Gate and Cpl 5021 Ernest Gibbons of the 1st Royal Irish Rifles, KIA 1st Oct 1918 (after fighting most of the war) He was 'buried' in Dadizeele, near Ypres.

Harry Patch the last fighting Tommy died this year so there were no more WW1 veterans taking part in remembrance services around the country. 'The old boys are leaving' A YouTube video commemorates his life to the requiem music from Band of Brothers.

WAR POEMS

Poetry can capture some of the conflicts and contradictions of War and can speak in very personal ways. The 2 poems I have chosen are written in 1915 and 2009

'In Flanders Fields' Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow 


Between the crosses row on row, 


That mark our place; and in the sky


The larks, still bravely singing, fly


Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago 


We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,


Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 


To you from failing hands we throw 


The torch; be yours to hold it high. 


If ye break faith with us who die 


We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders fields.

HELMUND A poem by John Hawkhead

Author's introduction This poem concerns the current operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. My intention was to draw parallels between military operations using the poppy, which is grown extensively for opium and ironically is also the symbol we use for Remembrance Day.

Helmand



Night on the cold plain,


invisible sands lift,


peripheral shadows stir,



space between light and dark


shrouding secrets;


old trades draped grey.



Here too poppies fall,


petals blown on broken ground,


seeds scattered on stone



and this bright bloom,


newly cropped,
leaves pale remains,



fresh lines cut;


the old sickle wind


sharp as yesterday.



THE RED and THE WHITE

The red poppy speaks powerfully of Flanders and has become the symbol of Remembrance, whilst the white poppy brings us up to date to the opium fields of Afghanistan and has also become a symbol of Peace.

We used paper red and white poppies as prayers

Red Poppy – write the name of someone who has died who is known personallly ( or to an 'unknown Soldier') or the name of a conflict.

White poppy - write a prayer for World Peace - or a place or person needing 'peace'

We then placed the poppies in a bowl or on a table at the foot of the cross (to the music of Benedictus sung by Hayley Westenra)

PLAYING FOR CHANGE

Playing For Change as a group of musicians from around the world who have come together (vitually) to promote Peace. It seemed very appropriate to play their video War/No more trouble during the service

War has eroded religious faith for many but it was out of the context of a WW2 concentration camp, that this powerful expression of faith in the face of adversity was written by a Jew:

‘I believe in the sun even when it is not shining

I believe in love even when I cannot feel it

I believe in God even when he is silent….'

The old boys are leaving

I remember the Runrig song 'The Old boys are leaving'  (full lyrics here). Marking the end of an era and the passing of the 'old guard'. Harri Patch who died today aged 111 was the last survivor of WW1.  You can see his life in BBC Photo Essay  According to a BBC article 

Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died.

He served in the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry.

I have visited Ypres or 'Wipers' as it was coloquially known, to see where 2 of my Great Uncles are remembered in the carnage of the treches. It was a very sobering experience. ... 

Another WW1 survivor Henry Allingham  died recently (22 July) aged 113.   A survivor of the bettle of Jutland and a founding member fo the RAF. he is also rememebr in a portrait  by Dan Llywelyn Hall

The second portrait is of Harri Patch by Peter Kuhfeld.   it's a great way to remember them. 

BOTH of their stories is told in Max Arthiur's Book The Last Post: The final word from our First world war survivors  

Another book worth reading is  Forgotten Voices of the Great War by the same author. They make the WW1 conflict 'come alive' or maybe I should say made the WW1 become more 'realistically dead'.   

The old Boys
Are all leaving
Leaving one by one
Where young birds go flying
Spread your wings and run
But over the fields
By the drystone walls
An eagle will come no more

We will remember them .....