Initial Thoughts on the Apple iPad

Thoughts on the iPad
VERDICT: A wonderful tool to 'consume' stuff; but a poor device to 'create' content.

I got an Apple iPad last Thursday, the first day it was made publicly available in Canada nationwide. Initially, I had thought that getting one unit itself will require long waits at the Apple store, or early morning queue ups dominated by Apple fanatics. Though I am not a crazy Apple fan, I was more intrigued by the overall hype over this latest innovation from the iconic computer company. Assuming that all of the iPads were sold out by 4pm, I called an Apple store downtown, and was told that some iPads were still available. Several Bestbuy stores have already sold out their supplies then, except the one near where I live. I rushed down at 4pm. Surprisingly, I managed to snag a 3G version, albeit the one currently most popular in the USA, the 64GB model. The lady, an Apple representative, said that all the units are expected to be sold out the same day. I believed her. In fact, there was even a line up just to check out the demo units in the store. Here are my thoughts on this technological marvel. Here goes:

The iPad 64GB-3G Model
All the iPads come with the same kind of packaging. There are 3 Wifi-only models (16GB, 32GB and 64GB) and 3 Wifi+3G models (16GB, 32GB, 64GB). It has the height and width of a Netbook LCD screen, but is less than half the thickness of a typical Netbook computer. The flat LCD touch screen is a beauty.

1) iPad 'Fits' User; not the other way round
I like way the screen 'fits' me rather than the other way. For example, when the screen is facing me, the screen auto-detects the orientation in either Portrait or Landscape mode, depending on which angle I am holding. If I want my friend sitting opposite me to see it, all I need is to pass it to him in any manner, and the iPad flips without the user needing to do anything.

RESERVATION: Not all applications can flip around as well. Most of the Apple programs such as Safari and iTunes work. However, third party programs are not that consistent.

2) LCD Screen
It is exceedingly beautiful. The wallpapers are superb and the quality of the screen can rival the best LCD screens have to offer. I love the flatness and the crystal clear touch-pad, which responds very accurately to my touch. Compared to palmtops and conventional PDAs, I do not even need to calibrate the LCD Screen.

RESERVATION: I feel that the screen is too bright. Even after adjusting the dimmer to the lowest, I can still find my eyes hurting after prolonged usage. Nevertheless, for eBook readers like the iBooks application that can be freely downloaded, there is an additional dimmer facility which can correct this problem. Another thing is the multiple fingerprints that is visible on the screen. Not a nice picture. Imagine the amount of germs on the screen!

3) Battery
There is a super performance battery. The iPad can last from 8-10 hours (non video viewing) and up to 6 hours if watching a video. Assuming that a typical person has 8 hours, works 8 hours and sleeps 8 hours, this battery meets daily usage. The charger provided is a USB one, which also means that charging can be done using any USB port on any computer.

RESERVATION: Not all USBs are made the same. Neither are the charging methods. The fastest way to recharge the iPad is via the power + USB adapter provided inside the box. The slowest is when the iPad is plugged in the USB port of a computer. Though iPod and iPhone power adapters can also charge the iPad, they are regrettably too slow to make a full charge fast. When using computer USB ports, be prepared to wait for more than 8 hours for a 80% charge. When using the provided power adapter, this figure reduces to 2 hours to reach a 80% charge.

4) All-In-One Digital Viewer
This is an age where people want the maximum feature in the smallest available footprint. The iPad will be cutting into the market of digital photo viewers, as its superb LCD screen is able to professionally display photographs just like any digital photo viewer. In fact, with a suitable stand or holder, the iPad can be transformed into a Digital Clock Radio, sleek and beautiful.

RESERVATION: I prefer to see the next generation of iPads having a small memory chip slot, like a mini-SD or SD slot to expand storage. As many digital cameras nowadays use SD cards, it will be a welcome addition to make space in the iPad for a SD slot. Personally, I think using iTunes for the transfer of photo files is in itself too limiting.

5) WIFI
When I first setup the iPad, connection to my router was a breeze. However, soon I encounter that the Wifi connections can become spotty at times. Once, I have to turn the whole iPad off to 'reset' them. After a while, the connections come back, but I feel this feature can be improved.

RESERVATIONS: This is one of the top problems of the iPad currently. From what I know, Wifi problems are more frequent for users who adjust the LCD toward the dimmest setting. I believe Apple is prepare a firmware upgrade soon. Until that happens, be prepared for some moments of frustration.

6) APPS
There is an amazing selection of applications out there. Unfortunately, some of the best programs must be purchased. Apple's Keynote, Pages and Numbers suite of programs are available at $9.99 each. Free ones are not as good, although some are quite well done. Be prepared to see many free apps enticing you to upgrade to one with better features.

RESERVATIONS: Being a new release, it is understandable that developers need time to come up with more. However, I feel that having paid so many hundred of dollars for the iPad, getting users to cough up more money for apps is going to be painful.

7) WEIGHT
When I first held the unit, it is amazingly sleek and initially light. However, prolonged use will make the iPad heavier as our hands and arms start to sore.

RESERVATION: I doubt if this iPad can beat the current Kindle or ebook readers in terms of weight. In fact, the iPad is too glaring for my comfort, even with the iBooks application.

8) SOUND
Excellent sound quality. In terms of loudness and various sound effects, the iPad for its size works like a champ. There is also a headphone jack to connect external speakers or other auxiliary devices.

RESERVATION: None as yet.

9) CONNECTIVITY
There are so many ways to connect peripheral devices to the iPad. The Bluetooth feature allows one to use external mouse or full-sized keyboard to work on the iPad. With the 3G facility, one can use the iPad like a GPS when navigating toward our destination.

RESERVATION: One needs to fork out extra money for bluetooth enabled devices. Again, having paid so much for the iPad, I had thought that the pop up keyboard is sufficient. Alas, for me as a fast typist, it is not as good.

10) OVERALL
I get a feeling that this iPad is more a 'consuming' product rather than a 'creating' machine. In other words, if I simply want to download apps, play games, check my email, browse the Internet, locate maps, read news and all other e-consuming activities, the iPad is great. However, when it comes to editing, creating content, I think the iPad is less capable, unless of course we purchase additional peripherals. As a content creator, I find this a major setback.

For a first release, this iPad certainly exceeds my expectations. It is classy to hold, easy to use and is an extremely versatile digital all-in-one. As long as we use it like a digital encyclopedia of information to use to access the Internet, it is a charm. When it comes to content creation, it gets my thumbs down. This posting is re-written after I lost my first version trying to use the iPad to post my first blog message. Guess what? I type this blog on the old faithful IBM Thinkpad running on Windows XP. That is because, I lost my blog data when the Wifi gets disconnected in the middle of my typing online. Some things are meant to work better offline.

It is a worthwhile buy, if you simply want to browse the Internet quickly without needing to wait for your PC or Mac to bootup. iPad is like the iPhone in many ways. Takes a couple of seconds to boot up and to connect to the Internet. Amazing machine, but if you can wait, I will suggest waiting for the second version that irons out the kinks in the first. I trust the second version will be even better. Otherwise, this iPad is still a worthwhile buy.

conrade

Book Review: "Take Your Best Shot"

TITLE: Take Your Best Shot
AUTHOR: Austin Gutwein, Todd Hillard
PUBLISHED: Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2009.

This book tells the remarkable story of a young boy after he witnessed the horrors inflicted by HIV/AIDS on families in Africa. It begins when Austin at 9 years old as he watched a short documentary on AIDS victims. He becomes particularly struck by the image of an African girl of similar age, Maggie. Maggie in the documentary was orphaned after both her parents died of AIDS. While Austin lives comfortably with his basic needs provided in his home in Arizona, Maggie struggles far away in Africa with no certainty of the next meal in her life. While Austin is like any other ordinary American boy shooting to play for the school's basketball team, Maggie is among many ordinary Zambians in Africa, fighting to survive the terrible onslaught of the AIDS disease.

With the image of Maggie's plight etched indelibly in his mind, Austin is motivated by one phrase: "God wants to use you." Thus begins am amazing journey of Austin's desire to help AIDS victims in the simplest possible way he knows: Shoot basketball free throws.

After calculating the number of AIDS victims and the numbers that died every hour, Austin arrives at a figure of 2057. He discusses this with his parents and friends, and manages to get a small group to support him as he begins his free throws marathon. Surprisingly, word about his small fund-raising effort gets out. People pledge donations as they see this young boy doing his best to highlight the African AIDS predicament.

Believing in his heart that 'God wants to use you," Gutwein makes his free throws. The local media gets wind of his efforts. More people come to support him. At the end of the marathon, he made his point. He raised about $3000 from that effort. Few years later, that figure mushroomed multiple fold. When Gutwein turns 14 years old, he sets up an organization called 'Hoops of Hope,' which has since become an amazing success story as far as the public awareness of AIDS is concerned.

My Comments
Though this is a book written by a juvenile, it should appeal to a wider audience. Some of us adults who have failed to pursue our dreams when we were young, should feel inspired rather than ashamed. Gutwein did what he knows best, to show other boys and girls his age, that "God wants to use you." We need more stories like Gutwein's.

I am aware that some people may be cynical about Gutwein's rise to fame, and that Christians should not be too infatuated with 'big results,' or 'high publicity' stints like Gutwein's. Having said this, God can use big organizations or small individuals. He can use public media, or private persons. He can also use highly visible connected individuals, or unknowns in this world. God being God, is free to use anybody. While not many of us will be able to rise to fame the way Gutwein did, do not be discouraged if the world fails to recognize your efforts. God knows. May that be sufficient for us, servants of God.

Overall, this is a book that should inspire young people to take their best shot. It should also motivate adults to do the same. Take your best shot. Let God use that shot to touch lives.

Book Rating: 3.5 stars of 5.

What about you?

conrade
p/s: My Amazon book review is here. It is a little different, but the idea is similar.

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"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller."

An Interesting Book Survey. . .

Book lovers! This post will certainly be of interest to you, especially those who purchase book of Christian genre. Tim Challies, one of the most popular and prolific bloggers in the Christian world has just completed a survey entitled: "Where and Why We Buy Our Books."

The results are not exactly the kind of Barna Group or Gartner organizational kinds of studies. However, it does gives us an idea on what a specific audience has in mind. In this case, Challies's audience I suspect are predominantly reformed, Calvinist persuasion. As usual, when we read surveys, the data itself is one thing. Interpreting them is another.

My Comments
I note the continuing rise of Amazon.com as the preferred place to buy books. It tells me that the typical Christian book buyer is more price conscious. Hence, few will claim to be loyal to their denominational or religious bookstores. Money talks loudest.

Secondly, there is an overwhelming preference for printed books, rather than digital formats. I suppose books require a longer attention span. Reading online or on a digital reader is preferred for shorter articles, say less than 50 pages.

Thirdly, the reputation of publishers among the views of the respondents is rather curious. I had thought Thomas-Nelson is more reputable, but it still ranks quite negatively in the list. With Zondervan having the lowest credibility, I am not sure if respondents are responding to the 'quality of the books they release,' or the 'big market share' they currently enjoy. Crossway is the one with the highest credibility, so I guess that is consistent with the predominantly Reformed audience.

Fourthly, I am intrigued by the majority of users preferring the ESV version. It seems to me that the NIV is quickly losing its lustre.

Finally, I am encouraged that more than half of the people still purchase at least 1 book a month. That is a boon for publishers, authors and the Christian public. This is good news for the publishing industry.

Have a look at the survey. It is not rocket science, but gives us a glimpse into the mind of a reformed, Calvinist of today.

conrade

An Unfair World of Winning and Losing

In this crazy world, sometimes reality can be very cruel. In the game of life, winners are worshiped. Losers are scorned, spurned, and shipped out like unwanted trash.  Nowhere is this more evident than the world of sports where top sports clubs or teams change their managers or coaches the moment they fail to win the championship. We are almost one month away from the World's Most Popular Tournament, to be held in South Africa. The game of soccer. It has reaped millions of dollars for winners. It has also created a lengthy list of 'losers' who have been unceremoniously shipped out due to the failure to win enough glory for the club or country.

Soccer

The latest evidence of such an unfair world is in Europe. The one popularly referred to as the 'special one,' Jose Mourinho, has just led his club, Inter Milan to glory, winning Europe's top club competition called the UEFA Champions League 2010. Almost immediately, Mourinho openly expresses his wish to coach another top Spanish team, Real Madrid. Such a wish is an automatic count-down to the demise of the existing Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini. After all, everybody like winners. Mourinho is a winner, having just won another Champions League victory. Pellegrini is a clear loser, who has not helped his club won a major trophy during his short 9-month tenure. He complains that he has not been given the 'backing' he needs to help the club succeed.

I see the highly popular English Premier League in the UK also being victimized by the 'winner' syndrome. In such a winner-takes-all scenario, there is very little room for trial and error. With so much money demanded of even the poorest club, only the richest and the meanest survive. What is more troubling is that the game of soccer at the EPL has become a money-talks-loudest game. It is no longer a game to promote the game of sports. It is a game where only the richest clubs who can afford to practically 'buy' whatever trophy they have with their money.

Hockey

Since coming to Canada, I have been intrigued by the Canadian infatuation over the game of ice-hockey. With so many nights of hockey telecast live on TV, it is only a matter of time, any newbie to hockey will take notice of this sports. For me, what is most fascinating is not the game itself, but the ongoing commentary, especially the discussion panel AFTER the game. No matter how well a team plays, when they fail to win, commentators will say the most negative things about them. Criticisms tend to follow a numerical scale as well.   The greater the number of goals lost, the greater the criticisms. On the other hand, all it takes is one winning goal, and the commentators will be full of cheer and praise for the winning team. From goaltenders to the most ineffective skater on the ice, reporters tend to say the most positive things about the winning team.

I shudder and shake my head when such things happen. It only tells me that the game of sports has deteriorated to the point where only winners mean something. Gone are the days of brave sportsmanship. Gone are the times where healthy competition is promoted. Gone are the moments of encouraging all to do their best.

Why must the world discriminate so much between winners and losers? If there are no other competitors, what is the meaning of winning? Why should winners by themselves get all the glory?

Perhaps, as viewers and consumers of sports events, we should learn to let our money do the talking. For that, I will refuse to sign on more sports channels. Maybe, once my current subscription is up for renewal, I might even think twice about dropping some.

Winning is important. However, when winning becomes the sole ambition, the only reason for playing,the meaning of sportsmanship is undermined. When that happens, nobody wins.

conrade

Church Bulletin Bloopers

This is why Church people needs to be more gracious? No Church is perfect.

The following are actual church bulletin 'bloopers.' Read with care.

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[Credit: ButlerWebs.com]

• Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.  

• Announcement in the church bulletin for a National PRAYER & FASTING Conference: "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals." 

• Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King. 

• Miss Charlene Mason sang, "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. 

• "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands." 

• Next Sunday is the family hayride and bonfire at the Fowlers'. Bring your own hot dogs and guns. Friends are welcome! Everyone come for a fun time. 

• The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict. 

• The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
   
• Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

• Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
   
• The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing "Break Forth into Joy."
   
• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.
   
• Smile at someone who is hard to love.
   
• Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
   
• Don't let worry kill you - let the Church help.
   
• Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
   
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
   
• Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
   
• The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoy sinning to join the choir.
   
• Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
   
• The Lutheran men's group will meet at 6 PM. Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread and dessert will be served for a nominal feel. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
   
• Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person(s) you want remembered.
   
• Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
   
• The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment, and gracious hostility.
   
• Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 P.M.-prayer and medication to follow.
   
• The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. This evening at 7 P.M. there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
   
• Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
   
• The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
   
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday. Please use the back door.  

• The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The Congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.   

• Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
• 
  Mrs. Johnson will be entering the hospital this week for testes.

• The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours

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Grace,

conrade

Book: "Toxic Childhood" (Sue Palmer)

Title: Toxic Childhood
Author: Sue Palmer
Published: London: Orion Books, 2006, (357pp).


Sue Palmer's book is a fascinating look at how the world we are living in can 'toxicate' our children. Presenting multiple statistics from a wide range of disciplines, the author provides a reader a compelling look at the slow and dangerous potential, ordinary stuff can harm our kids over the long run.

Brief Notes About the Book
This book contains several things that are considered 'damaging' to children. Firstly, Palmer attacks the kinds of food children are eating nowadays. Things like the long term effects of junk food. This phenomena is driven by a crazy rush for fast-food that is cheap, gratifies short-term needs, is quickly and readily obtainable. When the hunger comes, feeding the stomach overrides any conscious awareness of cultivating a healthy brain. Modern eating is full of unhealthy calories, from sugars to saturated fats, from junk fast-food and snacks to the demise of the family meal.

Secondly, in playtime, children's play habits are increasingly more INSIDE rather than OUTSIDE. Fear and insecurity pushes many parents to turn their children into couch potatoes. When Palmer describes 'decline of the free-range children,' it gives me a terrible comparison to the kinds of eggs that free range chickens produce compared to caged chickens. Given such an image, it is easy to conclude that if children do not play and exercise enough, they can be likened to being 'caged' at home and not able to fully develop their growth, leading to a decline not only in physical abilities but mental prowess as well.

Lack of sleep is the third major toxic element. From infants to 11 years old elementary school children, there is an alarming decrease in the actual hours of sleep an average child receives. All reflect at least 2 hours below the recommended daily hours of sleep. Such lack of sleep results in learning problems, unproductive school hours, anxiety, and illnesses such as ADHD.

Fourthly, even though technology has advanced in many ways, people seems to talk less with their children. This results in a lower language skills, literacy and learning aptitudes.

"In all communication and language, the key is interactivity." (119)

This requires a human touch, amid the potpourri of technological choices. Given the choice between virtual communications and human talk/touch, the latter is most vital.

The four toxic factors above call for all to notice the four things children need; namely love, stability, attention and time. The fifth factor hones in on these four factors via the family unit. Palmer asks the question:

"One of the biggest questions facing all parents today is: how do we define the roles and responsibilities of mothers and fathers within the rapidly shifting kaleidoscope of the twenty-first century family?" (137)

She is pointing to the need to let children know the precise ROLE and RESPONSIBILITY of parents. Thus, communications within the family ought to remind all about this role to avoid ambiguity that confuses innocent children. Palmer argues for an intentional 'physical presence' of parents for their children (155). Her conclusion:

"The family - love it or hate it - is where the grown-up generation forms the generation to come. it's where the parents, and other adults-in-charge, develop children's sense of self, security, and self-esteem, their ability to get along with other people, their knowledge about life and life skills, and an inner code of conduct to guide and protect them when we're no longer around. So far the human race hasn't come up with any better way of passing on these essential elements of our culture. The family is where, in the words of the old adage, we give our children 'roots to grow and wings to fly.'" (158)

There is a separate section about technology. Palmer appears to belong to the same camp with Neil Postman, a moderate skeptic of technology. Yet, she is a little more optimistic than Postman. She makes a few sharp observations about the threat of using technology like TV to be a babysitter of children. She lambasts the inclusion of electronics within the bedrooms of kids, and warns us about the dangers of social isolation called hikikomori (withdrawal from human society) currently experienced by Japanese society (258). While she does not dismiss technology totally, her prescription for the 'right' use of technology is through community accountability. she advises families NOT to let technology be the 'default activity' the moment one steps into the home. In fact, she goes further to advise all that the use of technology be 'always purposeful, intentional and finite' (271-2). I think this statement is worth the price of the book.

My Comments
Even though this book views modern structures negatively, such as our tendency toward fast-food and junk food culture; our culture of self-gratification and various toxic childhood symptoms, Palmer has a lot of positive things to say about our attitude toward them. In each chapter, she gives a load of tips on how to detoxify ourselves from these things. She has a list of good advice on how to treat an addict of any of these elements. Moreover, she provides parents with a helpful way to police, to guide, and to wean their children away from any dangerous addictions. List of resources are provided followed by an insightful closing of any gap. Like a surgeon, Palmer identifies the problem and symptoms of erratic childhood behaviour. She prescribes redemptive steps and ideas toward recovery. Following the surgery, she suggests post-operational therapy and continued steps to strengthen family, and parent-child interations. In this way, the book is rather balanced and forward looking. Let the title of the book shock our bored minds and dreary hearts. Do not let the incisive cuts and criticisms of the book discourage you from reading beyond the negative views of modern living. Instead, see it as a means for us to recognize our tendency to become intoxificated unconsciously. Then we can positively recover and do preventative measures to live a healthy life, in body, in mind, and in spirit.

If I were to critique this book, I think it is focused more on the Western culture, a society of haves rather than the have-nots. The 'modern world' the book assumes is only about one-third of the world's population. There are other more serious problems the rest of the world deals with. Things like poverty, and basic water and electricity resources. Physical pollution and environmental concerns are also high on that list. If I were to exclude all of these, there is still a missing component in this book. What about the soul? What about the spiritual realm? On what basis of moral thinking do we view toxic childhood? On this basis, 'Toxic Childhood' sees the whole situation more from a scientific and psychological perspective. I assert that this alone is insufficient. We need more. Yes, I will readily admit that I am biased toward seeing life from God's perspective. In other words, Palmer's motivation to write the book stems from a desire to help us care for the next generation. If we see from God's perspective, we will learn to care for ALL generations.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.


conrade

Imperfect Justice

This article by Don Hutchinson is much food for thought. It is a piece of writing that reflects upon the ambiguity and unhelpful legal 'remedy' handed down by the Ontario courts over the Heintz vs 'Christian Horizons' case. I first know about Christian Horizons through a friend back in 2008. It is a ministry that reaches out to help people with 'exceptional needs,' such as learning disabilities, autism, and various challenges that impact people's ability to keep up with society at large. Serving more than 1500 families in Ontario, and many more beyond, the organization has won government support for their charitable goals and results. It is openly Christian, and expects anyone working for the organization to understand that their core value is:

"We will honour God and value people in all we do and with all of our resources."

Now lies the problem. What about people who work in CH do not subscribe to this core value? The example of Connie Heintz presents such a dilemma.

• Heintz is said to have 'violated' the stated morality and lifestyle requirement with the employment agreement with Christian Horizons. She was laid off. Not wanting to take it lying down, she sued CH.
• Christian Horizons argues that Heintz at the time of employment, signed the contract knowing about such a lifestyle code. 
• Unfortunately, in the court ruling, the justice department fails to offer helpful guidelines for anybody.
• This latest reflection repeats this case with a stronger tone, that the law courts have sliced the baby into half and left no winners.

This is precisely the problem in Canada. While one seeks to allow every one to practice their types of belief, how one practices is determined by how many tails are being stepped, and how vocal one becomes. There is even a lack of understanding what true justice or true freedom, or true freedom of religion actually means. 

For the case of Christian Horizons, it seems like it is no longer enough to state upfront one's faith and to practice one's belief in the public arena. In secular societies, the law seems to favor a secularism that is devoid of all religious references. One is immediately under the mercy of people fighting for 'freedom' to behave and to believe in whatever they want. 

I feel troubled because it is something rather unhelpful for organizations that try to help society and the underprivileged. Come on. Christian Horizons was set up based on a desire to help fellow people. The name 'Christian' should have made it clear that it does not try to deceive the public about its religious convictions. If anyone disagrees, why not set up your own organization called "Gay Horizons," or "Absolute Freedom Horizons," or "Anything Goes Horizons," etc.

My advice to Heintz: Take your fight elsewhere. Christian Horizons, or for that matter, people who disagree with your lifestyle is not your enemy. Will you prefer CH to be dishonest with themselves, and to keep you on payroll against their deepest beliefs? Worse, if you have signed the lifestyle agreement willingly, you should have the integrity to resign in the first place, when your lifestyle no longer meets the standard you agreed. This is not about human rights. It is an issue of integrity, not rights.

Hutchison's article should help us appreciate that the latest court ruling only adds to the confusion.

conrade