Sydney's Anglican Diocese vs. the Marrickville Gaza protest

While people are generally warmly welcome at churches within the Sydney Anglican Diocese, one church; Marrickville Road Anglican Church (MRAC), is asking some people to vacate its land. Where the church usually calls “come”, MRAC is asking for people to “go”.

Pexels.com; free and unattributable

The background is this:

1.An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023 (from Wikipedia),

2.Pro-Palestine activity, including protests, have arisen since 7 October 2023,

3.For a number of weeks, a pro-Palestine protest action has mostly been conducted upon the church property 332-336 Marrickville Road, Marrickville,

4.The target of the protest is not the church but instead a tenant of the church. The tenant is within a building that is adjacent to the church,

5.The tenant is the Electoral Office of the Hon Anthony Albanese, Federal Member for Grayndler, 

6.This week a letter directed to the protestors asked them to leave the land. Part of that letter is copied here (source: “"Religious events, including of an Islamic nature", Sydney's Anglican Diocese vs. the Marrickville Gaza protest”). The letter is aimed at ensuring the safety of staff and visitors of the church and in part to ensure the quiet enjoyment of the tenants, and,

7.The letter identifies that once the protestors are asked to leave then trespass arises where the protestors remain on the land.

 

I pray that this matter is settled peacefully.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Note 1: From a risk management perspective the letter’s aim is to determine of a risk avoidance response

Testing AI

Generative AI has its limitations. Here are two illustrations of errors.

1. A complicated method gives rise to 6 liters when the simply the 6 liter jug could be used:

Prompt: I have 12-liter jug and six-liter jug, and I want to measure six liters. How do I do it?

Answer: You can measure exactly 6 liters of liquid using the 12-liter jug and the 6-liter jug with a series of pours. Here's how:

1. Fill the 12-liter jug completely.
2. Pour the contents of the 12-liter jug into the 6-liter jug. This will either fill the 6-liter jug completely or leave some leftover in the 12-liter jug.
3. Empty the 6-liter jug (if it wasn't already).
4. Pour the remaining liquid in the 12-liter jug (which should be 6 liters) into the empty 6-liter jug.

Now, the 6-liter jug will be full, and you've successfully measured 6 liters using the two jugs.

This method utilizes the fact that you can create a "leftover" amount in the 12-liter jug by strategically using the 6-liter jug.

From: Pexels.com; Free and un-attributable

2. Generative AI does not understand that the hazard is separated from the bicycle tyre (the hazard is below the suspended bridge):

Prompt: Would my bicycle tyres puncture if I rode over a bridge that was suspended above broken glass, nails and screws?

Answer: Yes, it is very likely that your bicycle tyres would puncture if you rode over a bridge suspended above broken glass, nails and screws. Here's why:

• Sharp objects: Broken glass, nails, and screws are all very sharp and can easily pierce the rubber of your bicycle tire.
• Pressure concentration: When you ride over an object, all your weight gets concentrated on a tiny area of the tire. This makes it even easier for a sharp object to puncture the tire.

Even a thin shard of glass or a small nail could be enough to cause a flat tire.

Here are some additional factors to consider:

• Tire type: Thinner, lighter road bike tires are more susceptible to punctures than thicker mountain bike tires.
• Air pressure: Tires with lower air pressure are more likely to puncture than tires with higher air pressure.

So, it's best to avoid riding over anything like broken glass, nails, and screws whenever possible. If you must cross such a bridge, you may want to take extra precautions, such as riding very slowly and carefully, or even walking your bike across. You could also consider getting puncture-resistant tires for your bike. These tires have a layer of Kevlar or other strong material inside the casing that can help to prevent punctures.

--

Acknowledgment: this came from this linked TED talk. Where the TED talk included a test of GPT-4, I used Gemini AI (Google).

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Review of book: Reaching for the Invisible God

I’ve enjoyed Philip Yancey’s books. I found What’s so Amazing About Grace to be his best work. Reaching for the Invisible God poorly compares - impacted of its poor presentation and editing.

The use of poor grammar, poor word choice and poor illustration and poor analogy make Reaching for the Invisible God difficult to read. The gist is understandable by the reader, yet thoughtful editing would enhance the reader’s experience.

I have recorded some examples of poor word choice, poor grammar, poor illustration and poor analogy. For the ease of a reader’s reference, I found that I could draw all my concerns from a single chapter, Chapter Two. I've also included some other comments on the book:

Grammar/poor illustration/poor analogy (Chapter 2)

1.Poor link to subject

In the opening sentence of Chapter Two, the subject of the sentence is the author’s visit to Russia. The sentence then introduces a second subject; an Orthodox church service. One is then left pondering whether the latter part of the sentence is to the first subject, or the second subject :

“On a visit to Russia in 1991 I attended my first Orthodox church service, which is designed to express sensually the mystery and majesty of worship.”

The sentence is best re-written as two sentences:

On a visit to Russia in 1991 I attended my first Orthodox church service. Such services are designed to express sensually the mystery and majesty of worship.

2.Poor word choice

A mystic is a person who claims to have gained spirituality by some means other than through a religious path. The word mystic is therefore poorly chosen in:

“Every encounter is unique and individual, just like any meeting between two persons, so a fifth-century mystic or an illiterate immigrant may have a deeper knowledge of God than a twentieth-century theologian”.

If the reader takes the choice of the word mystic literally then this sentence serves a different purpose than the author intended. By such reading the sentence suggests that the twentieth-century theologian may have an impoverished knowledge of God. Presumably, that impoverished knowledge of God comes from improper or incompetent application of religious teaching.

From amazon.com.au

3.Poor illustration

A quote from Carl Sagan is compared to an illustration selected from Sagan's novel Contact. The comparison falls flat in that Sagan’s quote is to matters other than matters covered within the illustration. The quote is to that which is within the creation, whereas the illustration is to that which is creation.

Firstly, the quote from Sagan: it is offered by Yancey to the context of indicating that Sagan reckons that there is no God: “The cosmos is all there is and all there ever will be”.

Secondly, the illustration from the novel Contact: the discovery by the novel’s protagonist of extra-terrestrial life.

The protagonist’s discovery is intra-cosmos, whereas God is extra-cosmos. The illustration falls flat in that the discovery within the novel is incomparable to a discovery of God.

4.Poor analogy

In Chapter Two, the Turing test is described. In discussion of a worldly novel series; Conversation with God, Yancey suggests that “God would never pass the Turing test.” This is flappable as the Turing test’s binary selection of protagonist; a person or a machine, is fair removed from placing God into such a test as either a person or a machine. It is unfathomable to consider God – who is incomparable to both person and machine - as a protagonist in such a test.

Yancey in making the analogy has confused his subjects. Of God and the worldly-written Conversation with God, it is Conversation with God, not God, that would never pass the Turing test.

Other comments

5."Disadvantages" of Incarnation

While I respect Yancey for giving 'disadvantages' air quotes, I cannot welcome the notion that there are any disadvantages of the Incarnation. Yancey simply does not make the case (Chapter 11). Ironically, Yancey is dismissive of the most powerful aspect of the Incarnation - that of God interceding into the world in the flesh. That which the section indicates is powerlessness is powerful. It was frustrating to see the suggestion that Jesus "risked going unrecognized" when his mission cleverly crafted the moment to best reveal himself.

The frustration continues with this statement (comparing Christ to God in the Old Testament):

"Jesus orchestrated no lightning displays and no cloud of smoke 

surrounded him when he addressed the crowd"

Yet, Christ fulfilled prophesies of his mission perfectly (e.g. raised the dead, walked on water, multiplied food). It was the blindness of the people that caused them to look for "lightning displays and no cloud of smoke" when fulfilment of prophesy was on offer. See, for instance Jesus' response to John's disciples (John 7:22)

6.Mis-charactering C.S.Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Screwtape is not "devil" but instead "Senior demon".

It is not a "mischievous fantasy" but a "Christian apologetic novel" (Chapter 15)

7.No, just no, absolutely not

I don't care to read: "Jesus himself had a loose reputation" (Chapter 17)

8.Factual error

No-on "rounded up witnesses to try to convince a once-blind man that he could not possibly see" (a reference to John 9 in Chapter 17). Instead, the evidence gathering was towards understanding how the man came to see. Indeed, the once-blind man is the one who does the convincing (see in particular John 9:27b)

This links from my Goodreads review of the book. 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

 

Note 1: Yancey bothers his reader in respect to Contact in that Yancey shares from both Sagan's book and the 1997 movie Contact  staring Jodie Foster. The discussion of the movie adds nothing to Reaching for the Invisible God.

 

Note 2: Nit-picky is an observation that Yancey has Turing writing his paper on the Turing test in 1950. The fairer comment is that Turing published the paper in 1950.

 

Sermon preparation; Sydney Anglicans must do better

Sydney Anglican church attendance is on the decline. It is a real decline in that it lags increases in Sydney’s population growth. It is a noteworthy decline in that the decline continues while Sydney Anglicans are developing and opening new church sites. It is decline where no-one addresses the elephant-in-the-room; the lifelong retention into church of students of the Sydney Anglican School system.

Little practical soul-searching occurs amongst the Sydney Anglicans in response to the decline. It is naturally easy to point to societal factors (those factors that are outside the church). It is difficult to look inside.

One factor that needs a significant degree of deliberation is quality.

One Sydney Anglican during COVID-19 lockdown highlighted this problem when they openly reflected on how they had been tempted to skip watching the (poor) Zoom church. In the broader Australian Anglican community one preacher was blasphemous and another preacher admitted within a sermon the commencement of that sermon’s preparation the afternoon before.

When it comes to preaching Sydney Anglicans must do better. A discerning pewsitter can spot poor preparation:

"What has prompted such poor preparation?’.

It's not as though there hasn't been a week to get ready."

Rvd Canon Simon Manchester, as linked

To which I was surprised that a social media acquaintance – a preacher – openly communicated that they commenced sermon preparation on the morning of the sermon's delivery. Indeed, their post celebrated the cessation of daylight saving; the turn back of the clock that morning offering the preacher an extra hour of preparation.

pexels.com; free and unattributabile

That social media acquaintance preacher is breaching a social contract with their congregation. A good sermon, like a stir fry, needs to be stirred while it cooks. The preacher is failing in terms of the analogy offered by Pastor Alastair Beggs – that when one has known breakfast oats soaked in the pot overnight, then instant oats are nothing at all. The preacher is not allowing the Holy Spirit to stir them over the week from the time of putting down a first draft.

A sermon that is less-than-best does not necessarily turn people away. It is instead the sum of a set of less- than-best sermons that causes people to stray.

Where there is poor sermon preparation, the church should not spend a mite of time considering declining attendance in terms of society’s distractions.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Note 1: The social media acquaintance preacher is an extensive user of social media. They ought heed the message in a Sydney Anglican's book; Truth be Told, by Lionel Windsor, that "the medium becomes the message."

Note 2: This talk Preparing (Yourself) to Preach shares some advice about how you should soak yourself in prayer while meditating over the text.

Note 3: Subsequent to this post I discovered a recording of a sermon that included admission of the preacher of preparation of that same morning, as linked. 

I kind of lapsed into clams

A wave of relief washed over Timothy as he spotted the empty bench on the leeward side of the ferry’s pilothouse. Gloom chased passengers below deck, where they crammed onto the already overflowing main deck, searching desperately for any empty seat. The prospect of solitude for the journey from the island to the mainland filled Timothy with a sense of longing. A bench in the open air offered considerably less discomfort than any annoyance that would arise of mixing at close quarters with others. From his vantage point the pilothouse obstructed the forward view, yet Timothy keenly observed the vehicles on the ferry’s rear open deck. Timothy settled in for a chilly journey. Timothy found the cool air tolerable; there remained little prospect of sudden outburst of rain.

The ferry’s departure klaxon sounded causing the ring-billed gulls on the railing opposite Timothy to take flight. Catching a glance across the upper deck to ensure he held the deck alone, Timothy shut his eyes hoping for a catnap.

Moments later Timothy heard the loud sigh of a person who completed a laboured climb up the staircase. Timothy’s solitude suddenly ceased. He opened his eyes and observed as the person – a man nudging sixty years of age – crossed the deck to take a seat on the same bench as Timothy.

“Hey mate”, stated the man.

“Hello”, Timothy replied. (While Timothy later appreciated that his curt response perhaps upset the man, he remembered being pleased at that instant that the conversation concluded).

Where silence of voice prevailed, the odour from the man; an unpleasant blend of diesel, perspiration and seafood, was a journal of its own. A grimace contorted Timothy's face as the overpowering smell hit him, a reaction the man couldn't miss. The man instinctively shifted further away, a nonverbal expression of regret for the unpleasant aroma. To be fair on the man, Timothy expected that the man chose the upper deck as a means of keeping distant from the mass of passengers. In any instance, the freely flowing cool air did little to dispense the odour.

“That’s my truck there at the rear. The old white refrigerated four-tonner one with the blue signage on the side. She ain’t much but she runs good.”

Timothy slowly glanced over to the vehicles on the rear deck. He hoped his slovenly response indicated his indifference. There he saw a single truck amongst the numerous cars. Indeed, the truck swayed at the very rear of the tightly parked vehicles – it was the last of the vehicles boarded.

“The ferry captain allows me on last as he appreciates that I like being first away that I may complete my deliveries. Time is money and all. The customers like their clams fresh. Every weekday but Sunday I'm on this ferry. Occasionally, I slip captain a tray of clams to keep him happy.”

Timothy glanced again to focus on the truck’s signage. He recognised amongst the blue lettering the words ‘Spofforth’s fresh clams’. Timothy drew a connection from the truck to the fresh seafood and diesel elements of the man’s odour.

Timothy turned back to the man. Timothy was unsure of how to respond or if indeed a response was due. Any chance of contributing to the conversation immediately dissipated as the man continued his monologue. Later Timothy would reflect on how the man never offered his name. The prospect that the man was named Mister Spofforth would remain a matter of speculation.

“For years I delivered all sorts of things to many places. Lumber, whitegoods, soft drinks, laundry powder, cattle, you name it. I crossed the whole country through rain, snow and sunshine. I replaced punctured tyres and pumped diesel at many a petrol station. Occasionally, I got lost on a new route or sometimes I’d take a different route than usual just for the heck of it. I often travelled away for days or weeks; hearing my wife’s voice only on the telephone. At times I drove my own truck and at other times a company’s fleet truck. I ate poorly at truck-stops. I slept badly in the truck’s cab or in cheap roadside motels. Life was hard.”

Timothy noted that the journey was at a point where the island was no longer in sight. The man's voice thrummed with an undercurrent of determination as he continued his story. At the current rate the man would likely speak for the whole of the crossing. At a point within two hundred metres of the mainland destination, Timothy again tuned his ears to the man's story. The man said:

“Then I woke up one day and it dawned on me. Clams. Lots of them. Clams all about me. I’d lived all my life on an island that harvested and sold clams. I’d enjoyed eating the clams. My wife loves cooking and eating clams. Middens of clam shells left by the island’s original inhabitants. An annual island clam harvest festival in Summer that included the crowning of that year’s bikini-clad Miss Clam.

And then, I said to myself ‘why not be the one to deliver the clams?’. My own truck, local pick-up, local delivery, a standard daily schedule, restaurants that require daily supplies of chilled clams, home each night to dinner with my wife. My! I could even have clams for dinner each night – clam casino, clam chowder, linguine with clams, vongole al vino bianco.”

From pexels.com; free and unattributable

Sensing the slowing of the ferry as it approached the dock, Timothy chose the opportunity to thank the man for his story. Timothy stood to make his way to down to the main deck. He observed the clam truck man looking up with a glance that indicated that the story’s conclusion must be told. The man reached out to Timothy and briefly held the sleeve of Timothy’s shirt to express the last words of the exchange:

"You see, after years of long distance trucking,

I found my peace in clams"

 --==--

Written as an extension of part of an encounter the main character has on returning from a 1958 summer job on Long Island (Within the novel: A Widow for One Year, by John Irving). In Irving’s story (page 184 of the Bloomsbury hard cover edition) the trucker finishes with the words: “I kind of lapsed into clams, you might say”. I used Google’s AI engine, Gemini, to generate the list of clam meals.

 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Using AI to analyse your voice

A book The ChatGPT Revolution: How to Simplify Your Work and Life Admin with AI (Paperback), by Donna McGeorge held a fascinating idea of a task to put to an AI engine. The task allowed the AI engine to analyse my writing style. The aim of the task was to understand the writing style so that it could be identified in future requests to the AI engine.

The outcome is that in future requests I can ask Gemini to write, for example, in a “passionate and engaged” voice.

The request I put to Google’s AI engine Gemini was:

Gemini, you are an expert writing style analyser. Describe, as best you can, my writing style in terms that will help me to describe it later so you can better create content in my voice. Analyse my content, which is posted on blogger as a blog post, that follows: [insert all content from this linked post]

From pexels.com; free and unattributable

The generated result was:

Analysis of your writing style:

Overall tone:

• Analytical and argumentative, with a clear thesis and supporting evidence.
• Authoritative and confident, using strong verbs and clear statements.
• Humorous at times, using satire and sarcasm to make points.
• Passionate and engaged, with strong personal convictions.

Word choice:

• Precise and specific, using terms directly related to the topic.
• Occasionally informal, using contractions and casual phrases.
• Biblical references and theological terminology integrated naturally.
• Descriptive without being flowery, painting a clear picture with words.

Sentence structure:

• Varied sentence length and structure, avoiding monotony.
• Frequent use of rhetorical questions and direct address to engage the reader.
• Effective use of transitions to guide the reader through the argument.
• Conversational tone at times, creating a sense of direct interaction.

Figurative language:

• Occasional use of metaphor, analogy, and simile to illustrate points.
• Humor often relies on sarcasm and satire, highlighting inconsistencies.
• Vivid imagery used sparingly, focusing on clarity over embellishment.

Additional notes:

• The writing exhibits a distinct and recognizable "voice" - one that is knowledgeable, opinionated, and engaging.
• The style demonstrates a comfortable handling of both formal and informal registers, adjusting to suit the intended audience.
• The use of real-life examples and case studies strengthens the argument and makes it relatable.

Suggestions for using this analysis:

• When requesting content in your voice, provide specific examples of writing you like that share similar characteristics.
• Highlight the aspects of your style you value most and want emphasized.
• Share any specific audience or purpose you have in mind for the content.

I hope this analysis helps you to better understand and describe your writing style. I am happy to continue assisting you in creating content that reflects your unique voice!

I had earlier used the book to create this linked post summarising as aspect of Exodus Chapter 1.

I borrowed The ChatGPT Revolution: How to Simplify Your Work and Life Admin with AI (Paperback), by Donna McGeorge from City of Sydney Library. This post links from my Goodreads review of the book.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Shiphrah and Puah: Midwives to Pharaoh, Mothers to Mayhem (and Mayhem-avoidance)

From Exodus 1

Right, well, where do I even begin? You see, life as a midwife in Egypt ain't exactly a laugh a minute. Long hours, questionable hygiene, and the ever-present threat of a royal sandal up your backside – standard midwife stuff, really. But then, Pharaoh throws a real spanner in the works, doesn't he? "Just pop off any wee lads coming out, will you?" he says, as casual as you please, like asking for the sugar. Now, call me old-fashioned, but infanticide wasn't exactly in my job description.

So, me and my pal Puah, we have a wee chat. "Right," I say, "fancy a bit of divinely-sanctioned civil disobedience?" Puah, bless her cotton socks, was always game for a giggle (and let's face it, defying a homicidal Pharaoh is bound to raise a chuckle). So, we did what any self-respecting midwife with a conscience would do: we lied. Like, Olympic-level fibbing. "Egyptian women? Pah!" we'd scoff. "They take forever to give birth, wouldn't know a contraction from a camel's cough. These Hebrew ladies? Pop 'em out like popcorn!" Pharaoh, bless his gullible little heart, lapped it up.

Now, let me tell you, keeping a straight face while delivering a bouncing baby boy while simultaneously formulating a plausible lie on the fly is enough to turn your hair grey (though mine was already the colour of desert sand, thanks to the Nile water and the ever-present sun). But we did it. Every little fella who squawked his way into the world got a wink, a smile, and a quick dunk in the birthing pool (minus the crocodiles, obviously). Talk about baptism by fire!

Google Gemini generated image; the midwives in discussion with Pharoah

Of course, Pharaoh eventually cottoned on. Not the brightest spark, that one. He summoned us, face like a thundercloud, and demanded answers. Now, some might crumble under such pressure. Not Shiphrah and Puah, oh no. We doubled down, spun him a yarn about the vigorous Hebrew ladies more convincing than a sphinx salesman. Pharaoh, bless his even more gullible little heart, bought it hook, line, and sinker.

And so, our little charade continued. We became the ultimate underground railroad, smuggling newborns to safety while simultaneously delivering Pharaoh's pronouncements with the deadpan delivery of a particularly unfunny mummy. It was stressful, exhilarating, and frankly, a bit bonkers. But hey, someone had to do it, and Shiphrah and Puah? We weren't exactly shrinking violets.

So, there you have it. The untold story of the midwives who outsmarted a Pharaoh, saved countless lives, and probably invented the first deadpan comedy routine in the process. Not bad for a couple of ladies with questionable birthing stools and even more questionable morals (when it came to following Pharaoh's, that is). Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a basket, a bulrush, and a very special baby boy. Just another day in the (hilariously terrifying) life of Shiphrah and Puah!

Disclaimer: This blog post is purely for comedic purposes and does not condone infanticide or defying murderous dictators (although, let's be honest, sometimes it's tempting). Please consult your local deity for appropriate moral guidance.

--

That was generated by Google’s AI engine Gemini from this prompt:

“Write a humourous account from the perspective of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah, in the style of Billy Connolly, in design of an entertaining blog post, of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah of their conversation with Pharoh. Use Exodus 1 which is copied here: [insert all of Exodus 1]”

I had learnt the manner of writing prompts for AI engines from the book: The ChatGPT Revolution: How to Simplify Your Work and Life Admin with AI (Paperback), by Donna McGeorge. This post links from my Goodreads review of the book. Prompts need to indicate Purpose, Perspective and Personality. The account likely records the first ever instance of civil disobedience.

The strength of the AI engine is perhaps best illustrated in the closing sentence in that alludes to the story of Exodus 2. 

I borrowed McGeorge's book from City of Sydney Library.

Shalom,

Ozhamada