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			Welcome to the RetreatWhat is the Retreat?The Retreat is an experiment, an attempt to bridge the gaps in a globopolis that is becoming increasingly distant from itself. The aim here is to provide a meeting place for minds of all ages, languages, colours and genders, and to provide a safe area for people to convey their troubles, insights, arguments, joys, etc. "Safe area" means that everything posted should be treated as if it were coming from a friend. This is an open forum for talk of theology, politics, environmentalism, morality, sociology - anything under the sun, as long as it's done so in a way that promotes a friendly environment, one that inspires learning and further questioning and self-checking.The ultimate goal of the Retreat is to collectively shed some light on the bigger questions of the world and humanity - who is God? what is moral? what should I do if..?Who am I?My name is Cam and I'm the moderator for this page. I'm currently a student at the University of British Columbia, an artist and a Christian. I'm looking to establish a community of ideas and respect.How to JoinThe Retreat is currently using the services of www.livejournal.com. This is not an endorsement, but the Retreat is a newly founded forum and thanks Livejorunal for its free services.You do not need a Livejorunal account to partake in the goings-on at the Retreat. However, in order to make original posts (as opposed to comments on the posts of others) an account is needed. One can be easily obtained (for free) at www.livejorunal.comWho can join? What happens once I've joined?Anyone can join. Ideally, the Retreat will come to have members from all walks of life and from all across the world. Posts in languages other than English are welcome, however I'll have trouble monitoring them. I am currently learning Japanese myself, so I may make some posts and comments in this language from time to time.If you've decided to join our community, you will need a Livejournal account to post your own entries within the Retreat. But once you've entered, almost anything goes (see the Code of Conduct below). I hope the Retreat will come to be a forum of curiosity, where confused, interested, distraught, concerned, and euphoric people can exchange needed information, stories and dispel falsehoods about their respective beliefs and associations.Code of ConductRespect and consideration are definite -musts- if a healthy, welcoming listening place is wanted to be kept. This cannot be stressed enough. Ideally, this will be an area for Israelis and Palestinians, for Christians and Hindus, for North Korea and the world to interact without hostility; for arguments to be put forth, considered, and argued -as if you were debating with a close friend.- Consider anyone's words could be right and that yours could be wrong. Slander and mean-spiritedness will occur, but members and posters who harass others will receive warnings before being removed from the group. No racism, sexism or any other prejudices please. However, it is up to those who belong to the Retreat to also treat the slanderer with the same love given the respectful.Please also try to avoid being critical of people (e.g. when discussing U.S. President Bush). Focus your criticisms on policies and actions rather than their mannerisms, appearances, personhood. We are all human.





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	the_re_treatmnemonic_device		Aliyah - Yerida Please stop.Power to the pencil.Note here my use of propaganda in the wake of my last entry against the stuff.Although I've missed a few days of news coverage here and there, I've kept more so a watchful eye on the Isreal-Lebanon conflict than any other in my short history. I watched Mr. Stephen Harper call the Israeli response to Hezbollah a measured response, I heard of the Beirut airport shelling, the Canadians and other Nationals trapped in a newly formed war zone, the bombing of the UN post by Israel, the shell shocking of civilian areas on both sides, the US - of all countries - stepping in and saying "Uhh, mmmmmaybe you should at least have a strategic plan before you start bombing the tar outta Lebanon," (perhaps a positive movement, if even only in the absolute slightest) and I've heard the cries for an end to the civilian onslaught, all of which seem to have gone unheard.I can't take these civilian casualties. Hezbollah has said that it started firing on Israeli civilian areas because Israel started it first; Hezbollah has also said that if Israel stops, it will stop. Sounds like the old "but (s)he started!" argument I used when I was a kid. I disagree with Hezbollah for using arguments like these and not ceasing their own attacks first, but really I agree even less with Israel because of such reasons.I feel like my petty little photoshopped flags are a far cry from a good cry - a large enough commotion to get Israel and Hezbollah to listen. Of course, my flags are indeed a far cry, but I feel also that there's not even any point in talking about state of affairs any more - for what good will it do? Best to just turn around again and let Israel duke it out with its neighbours for the next 60 years.No, I can't do that either... but where do we go from here?I've heard that the creation and support of Israel, by such countries as the UK and US, is based on a Biblical translation saying that God gave the area to the Jewish people/Israelites. I'm a bit confused by this. Can someone shed some light on it for me?On the plus side, I saw an episode of Duck Dodgers that debuted the Cadet's (Porky Pig's) home world as an Arab-esque planet, with Porky as its heir. Looks like the propaganda I mentioned isn't everywhere. ^_^

	the_re_treatmnemonic_device		Great Big Awesome Stereotype Being a cartoon-nut, retired, has kept my mind primed to punch in #50 for Teletoon when I'm eating breakfast or lunch. And every now and again I actually find a cartoon that can amuse me for at least a little while...Being Ian, Carl(2), Martin Mystery... But I've noticed now a couple of times something a bit curious within the children's television programming I've come across...Well, it's not like it's hard to pick out a peculiarity in kids' teevee... just this morning I suffered through a montage of the Bratz fixing up a run-down studio apartment... except the painting and sanding quickly gave over to a montage of the Bratz using their tool box stuffs to shine their shoes and do their nails... Followed by a discussion about nose jobs and Botox lips and how a certain character needed these things because she must have been 30 or something.But something equally troubling has caught my eye, specifically in the cartoons Codename: Kids Next Door and Atomic Betty. Both featured villains of the Arab variety, in monster or alien form, shooting lasers at the heros. Kids Next Door I didn't see too much of, but Atomic Betty furthered the villainy of her bearded foes by noting that they were treating animals (dragons) inhumanely by tying them up and forcing them to carry their men in races.Seeing this first in Atomic Betty was bad enough, but then catching it again in another cartoon almost makes it seem as if a trend is appearing. Wow, no way. But actually I am surprised to see propaganda like this used in cartoons nowadays. Of course, I had never really been looking for it, but the last instance of propaganda being used in children's teevee I remember seeing was a clip of Daffy Duck kicking Hitler in the seat of his pants... ok, then there was all that Captain America wot as well.So now the image of our Arab buddies as villains is being implanted into the minds of our children... I wouldn't doubt that some parents would be teaching their kids something of the like anyway, but thanks to these programmes the idea of an all-encompassing evil ethnicity is being CRTed and flat screened into kidlet's heads without any parental intervention required. That's the worst part too, since parents who know a little about politics and history may not think to even offer their kids the opposite side of the story - the true side of the story, that grouping "races" and ethnicities into pithy categories and columns does not create an accurate description of any group - since they may be unaware of what their kids are watching. Who can keep track of all that television anyway?When I was a kid I absorbed Darkwing Duck and Reboot episodes without any question. I memorized the character's voices, episode titles, collected their toys... I can still quote scenes and hum music from the shows I used to watch. I'm afraid for the kids who watch cartoons whose heros are vastly white and "gorgeous" (as if there were no alternative). I hope the stereotype of gun-toting, turban-wearing, Jafar-bearded, animal-abusing Arabs appearing in cartoons is something quick to dissolve.