Directions to my Langewiesen flat

[UPDATED 19 January 2016]

These are the visual directions to my apartment ("flat" for those of you who prefer British English) in Langewiesen. They start with you being anywhere on the TUI campus. You are most welcome to come anytime, not just the prime hours of 12:00 - 16:00. But outside those hours I might put you to work preparing or cleaning up!

DON'T TRUST GOOGLE MAPS TODAY. It does not know the Ilmenau regional bus schedule, and it wants to take you on the most boring (and longer) path to my apartment. Trust me, this is the best way.

Here's a map of the journey, illustrated by yours truly [PLEASE IGNORE THE PARTS ABOUT "SPECIAL BUS STOP", THAT WAS ONLY TRUE IN DECEMBER]:

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BUSES:
The bus fare each way is €1,20. The bus driver will make change if needed. Tell the driver you are going to Langewiesen (or back to Ilmenau, to the Grenzhammer stop).

TO LANGEWIESEN:
You get ON the bus at the Grenzhammer stop; you get OFF on the SECOND Langewiesen stop, Rathaus. Leaving Ilmenau, the bus goes through a wooded area and some farmland. It goes through a traffic circle (roundabout). The first stop is Langewiesen Ehrenberg; don't get off yet. Get off at the next stop.  

The trip is short, less than five minutes. You will be taking either #304 or #305.

[UPDATED!!!] Mid-day departure times from Ilmenau to Langewiesen [SATURDAY ONLY]:
08:49
10:49
12:49
13:49
14:49
16:49
16:59


TO ILMENAU: 
[UPDATED!!!] By now you are a pro at riding the Ilmenau local bus service. Here is the schedule for returning to Ilmenau, for late afternoon departure.  [SATURDAY ONLY]:

14:17
16:41
17:27
17:51
19:17



DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS, WITH PHOTOS:

Ignore the comments in the photos about Christmas Market. 

1. Go to the Netto market. The street to the south of the parking lot is Langewiesener Str. Go down to the street, cross it, and walk apx. 40 meters East to the bus stop. (No photo for this step).

2. Get on the bus, using the instructions above.

[UPDATED] 3. Get off the bus at the SECOND Langewiesen stop, Rathaus. You will be right by this church.

4. When you get to Hauptstraße, go East toward the Rathaus.

5. Walk down the street toward the Rathaus, and turn into the Market Plaza.

 6. You have reached the Plaza. It has been the site of a public market for 800 years. Go to the rear of the plaza (South) to the next street.

7. Take the small street at the Southwest corner of the plaza.

8. At the end of the street, turn left.

9. [UPDATED] Go East one block; there will be a construction barrier in the street; keep going.

10. [UPDATED] At the STOP sign, cross the street. (There is no longer construction stuff on the bridge; and now it is a BUSY street; cross with caution.)

11. After you have crossed the street on the bridge, continue East, taking the bike path along the river.

12. Continue on the bike path until you come to an intersection. You will be facing a park. Go right and up the short hill.

 13. Continue to the top of the hill. Where the street divides, veer to the right.

14. You are looking for #7, on the left. Go to the driveway, past the shrubbery.

15. I live in the rear. Go down the driveway and make a left.

16. Welcome!

Problems? I'll be monitoring Facebook Messages; look for me on WhatsApp.

Reconciling Genesis with the Scientific Record

The following was sent to me by a public relations agency representing the person mentioned. I have not edited it.

Physics Engineer’s Formula Provides
Key to Biblical Clock

It’s not the end of the world that fascinates engineering physicist Daniel Friedmann, it’s the beginning.

Forget the Mayan Long Calendar, Friedmann has come up with a formula that converts “Bible time” to years as we know them in calculating the age of the universe, the sun, and life on Earth. The surprise? Friedmann’s calculations consistently match scientific estimates derived from the study of fossil timelines, the solar system and the cosmos.

In his book The Genesis One Code (www.genesisonecode.com), the CEO of the aerospace company known for building the space station’s robotic arm, describes how he developed the formula – 1,000 X 365 X 7,000 –from references in religious texts.

“The formula is simple,” Friedmann says. “The Bible tells us in Psalms that one day for God is 1,000 years for us. We know that 365 days is our solar year, and from other studies of the scriptures we can conclude that one creation day in Genesis equals 7,000 God years.”

“Multiply those numbers and you find that in years as we know them, each creation dayis an epoch of 2.56 billion years,” Friedmann says. The age of the universe, when calculated using the formula, is 13.74 billion years. Science puts it at 13.75 billion, plus or minus 0.13 billion.

Friedmann’s formula produced 20 other Bible/science matches for events described in Genesis, They include:

• According to the Bible, the sun appeared to mark days, seasons and years on Day 4 of creation. Calculating from the end of the fourth day, Friedmann puts the “creation time age” at just under 4.79 billion years ago. Science says the sun is 4.57 billion years old, plus or minus 0.11 billion years.
• Science has determined the simplest form of life first appeared on Earth 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago. Using Friedmann’s formula, calculating from the beginning of Day 5, life appeared 3.52 billion years ago.
• Complex life – most of the major animal phyla – appeared in a fairly rapid “Cambrian explosion” about 530 million years ago, give or take 5 million years, according to fossil records. That was four hours into Day 6, according to Friedmann, 532 million years ago.
• Day 6 was when “God planted the garden in Eden,” according to the Bible. Friedmann calculates plant life appearing a little later in the “day,” starting 426 million years ago and concluding 106 million years ago. The fossil record indicates that the first primitive macroscopic plants appeared about 420 million years ago, with seed plants and conifers diversifying 280 million years ago and flowering plants showing up 130 million years ago. 

The creation text, Friedmann points out, comes from books in the Bible whose existence are acknowledged by all three of the Abrahamic religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The polarizing debate has been between the world of science, with its numbers derived from scientific observation; and religion, with the Genesis creation narrative that appears to contradict scientific evidence.

“I focused on the ‘what’ and ‘when’ because those questions can be addressed with a detached, scientific perspective,” Friedmann says.

“Now the debate can focus on the ‘how’ and ‘why.’”

Newton's Law of New Media

The blessing of publishing in pixels is that you never have to stop editing. The curse of publishing in pixels is that you never have to stop editing.

Finally! A Big Hotel with Good Internet Service: The Venetian

I know they are out there, but in my travels big hotels with good Internet service seem to be few and far between. So far, the quality of service at The Venetian in Las Vegas has been great. I'm using wifi in my room, and have no complaints. I even caught up on my podcast downloading, catching some videos I have been reluctant to download at home. 

The rooms are huge here, by the way. I have a living room and a bedroom, so to speak. There's even a TV in the bathroom. It was fun to shave to Bloomberg TV this morning. (I know, what a geek). 

Wireless Data Chip Breakthrough Called "Blink of an Eye" Fast

A Taiwanese researcher has announced a new system on a chip (SOC) design for wireless data transmission that blows away current standards. The UCLA-trained researcher says the chip could be mass produced for less than $1 each. 

Details at PhysOrg.com. 

Obama-Palin Photoshop'd Beyond Your Wildest Imagination

Drop everything and follow the link below for the funniest photoshop'd moment of the campaign. Trust me, whether you believe Barack Obama is da bomb or are praying for Sarah Palin, you will laugh out loud at this obviously doctored photo on Guy Kawasaki's blog:

http://holykaw.com/trust-me-drop-everything-and-l

Make a nice pair, don't they?

Newton's Law of Hotel Connectivity

I'm in another major city in another large downtown hotel for another
day of meetings. The details aren't important. I've reached a tipping
point in recognizing a fundamental truth about business travel, one I
will arrogantly describe as a law:

Newton's Law of Hotel Connectivity: The larger the hotel, the slower
the Internet connection.

The Party of Lawyers

I have noticed that the professional training one gets -- or the summary of life experience that replaces training for a specific profession -- strongly affects a person's outlook.

Take a look at the professional training of the men and women on the presidential tickets, both Democratic and Republican, of the last several years and a trend emerges. To make it easy, I have put one particular profession in bold type.

2008:
(D) Obama -- Lawyer
(D) Biden -- Lawyer
(R) McCain -- Military Leadership
(R) Palin -- Communications

2004:
(D) Kerry -- Lawyer
(D) Edwards -- Lawyer
(R) Bush -- Business Administration
(R) Cheney -- Political Science

2000:
(D) Gore -- Journalism; law school (did not graduate)
(D) Lieberman -- Lawyer
(R) See Bush/Cheney above

1996:
(D) Clinton -- Lawyer
(D) Gore -- See above
(R) Dole -- Lawyer
(R) Kemp -- Physical Education & Professional Athletics

1992:
(D) See Clinton/Gore above
(R) G.H.W. Bush -- Economics & Business Management
(R) Quayle -- Political Science and Lawyer

1988:
(D) Dukakis -- Lawyer
(D) Bentsen -- Lawyer
(R) See Bush/Qualye above

1984:
(D) Mondale -- Lawyer
(D) Ferraro -- Lawyer
(R) Reagan -- Economics
(R) GHW Bush -- see above

1980:
(D) Carter -- Engineering & Military Leadership
(D) See Mondale above
(R) See Reagan/Bush above

1976:
(R) Ford -- Economics, Political Science, Lawyer
(R) See Dole above

1972:
(D) McGovern -- Theology, History
(D) Shriver -- Lawyer
(R) Nixon -- Lawyer
(R) Agnew -- Lawyer

There is a clear trend here. The Democrats are the party of lawyers, the Republicans the party of every other career. If I had stopped before the Nixon era, the difference would be even more profound.

Lawyers are trained to be advocates, and to take a us-versus-them view. They see the answer to every problem in the law.

Sarah Palin is Ronald Reagan 2.0

In naming Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican nominee for vice-president, John McCain has introduced America to Ronald Reagan 2.0.

Whether that is good news or bad depends on the perspective you bring to politics. But the more I look, the stronger the comparison becomes. Conservative, but compassionate. A pragmatic politician, not an ideologue. A natural for TV. Articulate and passionate. A former union member.

With Sarah Palin on the ticket, disaffected social conservatives who are not comfortable with John McCain have a new reason to get energized about this race. Remember, it was the strong turnout of the so-called "Christian Right" in Ohio and a few other key states that gave the victory in 2004 to George Bush.

The media elites and the national intelligentia will have a field day trying to rip apart Sarah Palin in the next few weeks. They did the same thing to Ronald Reagan.

I know a lot of people who still on the fence regarding Obama vs. McCain -- I am one of them. Looking at the second name on the ballot, the Democrats now have a older white man who twice made an early exit from presidential primaries, and who has become a major player in perpetuating the status quo in Washington. The GOP counters with a young articulate passionate woman with executive experience in government and has a track record of busting up the old boy networks and cleaning up the resulting mess.

Tim Egan, the NY Times columnist who understand the Pacific Northwest (he writes from Seattle, Alaska's commercial capital), advises "underestimate her at your peril." I couldn't agree more.

Todd Bentley: Hate the Sin, Destroy the Sinner

There is a common phrase in American Christianity: "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Recent events have convinced me many are willing to set aside the phrase when the sinner is a high-profile evangelist.

For years Canadian healing evangelist Todd Bentley has been a controversial figure. He is covered with tattoos and piercings, he speaks openly about angel encounters, and he likes to relax by riding a Harley. Through the years his ministry has been responsible for many documented healing miracles, and thousands have come to know Jesus. He takes special delight in seeing God do miracles that turn the hearts of powerful African witch doctors and influential Islamic imams.

In April 2008 Bentley went to do a week of meetings at Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida. The tangible presence of God and the outpouring of miracles was so profound, the local leadership and Bentley decided to extend the meetings. Word quickly spread, and they soon outgrew the church building. When I attended in early May (my availability due to previously scheduled business in nearby Orland0), the nightly sessions were held in the local sports arena, which holds about 8,000. Later the meetings moved to an outdoor setting that could hold 20,000+, and often did on weekends.

This month it was revealed that Todd Bentley has filed for divorce because of a relationship with a female staff member. All his meetings have been cancelled, and supposedly he is in hiding from various well-known pastors and evangelists who risked their reputations to be supportive of his ministry. Bill Johnson, Senior Leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, (another man who has seen thousands of healing miracles during his years of ministry, but who is not flamboyant like Bentley), refers to the situation as a "major meltdown." I highly recommend Bill Johnson's open letter on the Todd Bentley situation.

Because I attended the Lakeland revival meetings, and because I spoke positively about my experience in my own church (where I am part of the senior ministry team), I feel I have a personal stake in what's going on. So I am using this blog post to summarize my observations and feelings.

What Todd Bentley did is wrong. He removed the guard from his heart and allowed himself to be attracted to another woman, then acted on that attraction. As Jesus taught, it doesn't have to get physical to be adultery. He has destroyed his marriage and deeply wounded his family, which includes small children. He broke trust with the thousands who have given financial support to his ministry organization. The many staff members and associate evangelists on the organization payroll will have to reorganize their professional and personal lives because of his behavior.

What Todd Bentley did is wrong, but his wretched life choices do not invalidate the work God was doing through him. "God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them" it says in Romans 11:29, New Century Version. In more preachy language, the verse is translated by the Holman Christian Standard Bible as "God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable." A loving God gave Todd Bentley gifts, and Bentley was using them right up until the day his sin was revealed. If he never repents, 20 years from now he could still lay hands on someone and see them healed. If you have a problem with that concept, reread the Bible verse above.

If you do a web search on "Todd Bentley" today you will find hundreds of venomous posts, gleefully proclaiming the Florida meetings and all previous ministry by Todd Bentley to be the product of a fraud, a false prophet, or a deranged lunatic. I won't honor any of these posts by linking to them. Many are glad to see Todd Bentley brought down because his ministry activities violated their sense of how God does things. Others believe miracles ended with the death of the original twelve apostles, and think anyone who claims to move in a gift of healing or other miracles is at best deceived and at worst an operative of Satan. (I've never understood how someone being healed of cancer, etc. could be the work of Satan.) All who associated themselves with Bentley or the Florida meetings are now being attacked as well, in assigning guilt by association.

To me the Todd Bentley Affair has become a clear case of "hate the sin, destroy the sinner." How many of the happy bloggers have taken the time to pray for Todd Bentley and his family? How many took the time to evaluate his ministry in the light of all scripture? How many hope he remains a broken vessel as a permanent testimony of how a man can fail? If there can be such glee in a man's fall from grace, what does that say about the heart of the gleeful one?

"A Pharisee spirit breaks relationship with people when they fail, and no longer wants to be related to them. And they want to make sure they get punished for what they are doing." -- Kris Vallotton, from the podcast "Nothing Hidden" recorded August 19, 2008; available for free on iTunes.

The Gratitude Campaign: A Simple Way to Tell Our Troops You Appreciate Their Sacrifice

No matter your political opinion of the current US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, I know all Americans agree that the members of our Armed Forces deserve to be given support and respect. Please follow the link to The Gratitude Campaign and learn a simple hand gesture that lets you communicate your gratitude and support for their willingness to serve their country.

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

George Washington Endorses ...

I didn't know America's first president, George Washington, was a Democrat. But it seems he is, because he has decided to make an endorsement in the Democratic party's race for a presidential candidate.

You can check his YouTube coming out at this link. (Warning: Video may offend those over 40.)

10 Obscure Google Search Tips from Lifehacker

LifeHacker has a great article on the "Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks." Even if you consider yourself a sophisticated Google user, I think you will find some gems in this list. Tips include shortcuts on tracking package shipments, how to get Google to search only faces in an image search, a quick way to get the local time anywhere, and how to convert different forms of measurement (money, weights, temperatures, etc.).

"Here Comes Another Bubble" -- Hilarious Video

Check out "Here Comes Another Bubble," now posted at one of the companies who are making the bubble happen.