Angus T. Jones becomes Seventh-Day Adventist Christian

It appears that Angus T. Jones has become a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Christian, according to his online video testimonials with The Forerunner Chronicles on YouTube. Angus T. is most well known for his role as “Jake”, the “half a man” on the super successful CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Part 1 of Angus T. Jones' video testimonial begins with the taller, slimmer, bespectacled 19 yr old sitting on a couch in Angus' trailer at Warner Bros. Studio in Los Angeles, with Zane the host of the Forerunner Chronicles, gladly proclaiming Angus' acceptance of the 7th day as God's Holy Sabbath Day and more. The video continues with Angus sharing the story of his life, including such details as his family moving to California, attending Christian schools, acting, as well as his foray into “weed” and “acid”; however, approximately one year ago, God grabbed hold of Angus and has yet to let go.

ANGUS JONES's Testimony (Pt.1) ANGUS JONES's Testimony (Pt.1)

In Part 2, it becomes even more apparent that Angus has reached a significant milestone in his life with the courage to make a video where he humbly proclaims that his character Jake “means nothing.” He goes so far as to plead with us to “Please stop watching Two and a Half Men” in order to guard our minds from the “filth” that is passing for “entertainment” and encourage us to “do some research on the effects of television and your brain.”
As far as becoming a Seventh-Day Adventist, Angus attended numerous churches and heard some great sermons. A friend of a friend from school attended a “black” church that met on Saturdays, which piqued Angus Jones' interest. The first time he attended this church, the pastor's sermon was exactly what Angus needed to hear – the message “was tailor-made for me. Everything about the message was me, was my life, what I needed to do, like the answers, everything was me!”
He began doing bible studies with a member of the church, and “it seemed so clear.” Some of his family was afraid he was involved in some sort of cult, Angus says with a big smile “but, no, no, no ... it's straight out of the Bible.” He specifically mentions in the video that the church's belief on hell “is really interesting, it is so much more appropriate.”
So what do the Seventh-Day Adventists believe in regard to hell? When a person dies, he/she is unconscious (“asleep”) until the 2nd coming of Christ which is the second Advent. (The first Advent was Jesus' birth.) Those who are dead in Christ, will be resurrected, and caught up in the air to live with Him in heaven forever. (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18) Those who die in their trespasses and sin, will be raised to face Him as their judge and will then be punished for all of their sinful thoughts and deeds.
Seventh-Day Adventists believe that “The wages of sin is death.” Because most individuals never receive the gift of eternal life which only comes through Christ Jesus as Lord, they should not expect to live forever in hell. (Romans 6:23) Instead, those who face God on judgment day will experience the wrath of God before they die a second eternal death, never to live or sin again. This is quite different than the more commonly held Christian belief of being tortured in hell for all eternity.
The “Seventh-Day” part of the name refers to the 7th day of creation which was instituted as a day of rest by God after creating the world in just 6 days. This occurs from Friday night sundown to Saturday night sundown each week. (Genesis 1:31-2:3) It is commonly known as the Sabbath day and was later included as the 4th Commandment of the legendary Ten Commandments. Angus declares in the video that keeping the Sabbath “has been a blessing in my life.” It is a time to rest from one's labors and to refrain from worldly activities.
Angus T. Jones is continuing to study and learn, and may someday decide upon another denomination, but for now, he has found a church home, and is apparently willing to give up fame and fortune in order to follow what he knows to be true. He would rather be pleasing to God than pleasing to those who will surely question and most likely ridicule his belief in God and the Bible rather than take the time to discover whether indeed he has found something truly worth more than all that money and celebrity status can afford.
Welcome to the fold, Angus.

Chris Brown, do shut up. After hurling abuse at comedian Jenny Johnson, thank goodness this delusional misogynist deleted his Twitter account

This isn't the first time the rapper has offended women, and it won't be the last

Anyone who has a passing association with social media will probably be aware that singer Chris Brown has suspended his Twitter account after hurling misogynistic and sexualised insults at comedian Jenny Johnson.

To see the full transcript of Brown's NSFW tweets, you can go here, and it's likely you will be pretty disgusted. A few brave commentators have pointed out that Johnson has been aiming derogatory comments at Brown ever since his 2009 conviction for his vicious assault against then-partner Rihanna, and that she started this particular exchange by calling him a 'worthless piece of shit'. Others have added that this is mere publicity-seeking on the part of Johnson.

Misogynist

But even if it is, Brown's reponse - where he threatens to defecate in Johnson's eye/mouth, calls her a 'worthless bitch' 'a bushpig' and tells her to 'suck my dick YOU HOE' [sic] - has proven exactly what Johnson and countless other appalled women and men have been saying for years. Namely that, far from being a 'reformed character' just because he 'served his sentence' (and more on why that's such an inadequate defence, later), Brown remains a total misogynist, and one with a frightening lack of self-awareness to boot.
Twitter trolls are at best annoying, and at worst severely disruptive to one's life and sanity. However, the solution to them remains in our hands - ignore and block. Brown could have blocked Johnson long ago, but egotist that he is, he chose to engage and show his true colours instead. He could have responded with some dignity or at least attempted to defend himself in a reasoned way. But I guess a man who bites, punches and throttles a woman while screaming “I'm going to kill you!” perhaps isn't particularly schooled in the nuances of having a mature debate with another person, and not using any excuse to rise to the bait.
While I don't believe in 'trial by social media', I do believe in winding your bloody neck in when the thing you're most renowned for is a vile, violent, inexcusable assault on the person you're supposed to love, rather than repeatedly behaving like an obnoxious idiot and then making out you're just so bafflingly oppressed by 'haterz'. And don't even get me started on Brown's use of social media to label his legion of followers 'Team Breezy', as if to somehow imply that his crimes are something that we should all be 'super casual' and 'mellow' about.
To those then, who will inevitably come back with 'He served his sentence and said he was sorry' defence, sorry but no dice. That defence will only stand when we live in a world where violence against women is adequately punished, and all the evidence at hand shows that this is far from the case. I remember over a decade ago, how Mike Tyson's supporters clamoured to defend him when he was barred from entering Britain on grounds of his rape conviction. Women and men were vox-popped on the evening news bleating 'But he's done his time, forget it, move on'.
Oh sure, Tyson did his time for raping Desiree Washington. He was sentenced to six years, but served three. If you were an average sized woman forced into sex by someone with the physical strength, power and capacity for violence of Mike Tyson, would you think that an adequate sentence? Not to mention if you had to go through the media circus and complete annihilation of your character that would follow the (extremely brave) action of accusing one of the world's most famous and admired men, as Tyson was at the time? It's pitiful, that out of the very few rape cases that actually reach court, sentences remain so light, and it defies logic to think that a man who thinks he can use force to dominate a woman is going to be magically reformed by undergoing such a sentence.
This is illustrated perfectly by Chris Brown's behaviour. His sentence was a joke, and whatever public 'apology' he was forced to issue for PR reasons, his behaviour since 2009 implies he is utterly unremorseful. He served no jail time, and got a mere five year's probation with six months community labour. Reading the description of the frenzied, possibly murderous assault Brown unleashed on Rihanna, I think most of us would agree that this is in no way proportionate to the terror and pain his victim underwent and will probably continue to undergo in the aftermath. When someone punches you repeatedly in the head and then squeezes on your carotid artery while you scream for help, you don't just get over that overnight, or in a year, or even five years. I'd wager it stays with you for life.

Delusional

And whether Rihanna herself appears forgiving of Brown is irrelevant. We've all heard the term Stockholm Syndrome, and anyone who has done the slightest bit of research on domestic violence, or worse, experienced it themselves, will tell you that victims regularly defend and make excuses for their attacker. Even if Rihanna and Brown actually do start up a relationship again, this is in no way evidence that Brown is magically 'reformed', and could end up being quite the opposite - the average domestic abuse victim will leave their abuser only to return to them seven times before managing to leave for good. It's also worth bearing in mind that domestic abuse victims will usually endure repeated beatings before even calling the police.
Had Brown's attack on Rihanna not occurred in public, whereby worried bystanders overheard Rihanna's screams and called the police, the story could have played out very differently. Brown's victim deciding she wants to forgive him or still wants to be in a relationship with him does not negate what he did, or improve his character, or erase the surrounding culture of victim-blaming and apologism for violence against women.
Ah yes, that culture. That culture whereby a rich, powerful man who is looked up to by millions describes another man's violence against a woman as a 'mistake' and demands that we give that man 'a break'. That culture whereby Rihanna being punched, choked and bitten is merely a punchline in a primetime panel quiz show (which was also tastefully broadcast on International Stop Violence Against Women Day), and where complaints against such filth are dismissed on grounds of 'varying tastes of humour'. In such a culture, there is no punishment harsh enough, no disgust deep enough, no grudge held long enough against the likes of Brown.
Served his time, my backside. And if you think I'm being unfair, imagine what happened to Rihanna happening to your wife, girlfriend, sister, daughter, mother or friend, and tell me how forgiving you'd feel four years later, when the man who had beaten, strangled and bloodied the woman you care about is rich, successful and hurling vile abuse at another woman on social media. Somehow I doubt you'd be rushing to defend delusional misogynist Brown either.

 

Dell XPS 12 review: Does it succeed as both an ultrabook and a tablet?

Dell's new Windows 8 system is one of the first convertibles, which try to be two devices in one. However, this may not be a winning combination.

Computerworld - The Dell XPS 12 is one of the first of the new Windows 8 convertibles (doing double duty as an ultrabook and a tablet) to hit the market. It sports a beautiful 12.5-in. screen, suitable power under the hood and a number of clever design touches. If you have a need for this type of a double-duty device, you'll find it will do well -- with some caveats.

The XPS features standard hardware for an ultrabook. The unit I tested has an Intel Core i5-3427 running at 1.7GHz and has 4GB of RAM, along with a 128GB SSD; it lists at the Dell site for $1,199.99. Other configurations are available with 8GB RAM, a Core i7 processor and/or a 256GB SSD hard disk. The top-of-the-line model, which has all these features, sells for $1,699.99.

Flipping the frame

What sets the XPS 12 apart from other ultrabooks is its "convertible" feature -- the ability to work both as a tablet and as a traditional notebook. It accomplishes this with a very clever and well-executed design. The screen is set in a frame and flips 180 degrees on a hinge so that it can face away from the keyboard. Fold the screen down onto the body of the keyboard, and you're left with a tablet. The design is simple, clean, and downright nifty.

Dell XPS 12

The screen itself is a real standout and may be the best part of the XPS 12. Protected by Gorilla Glass, it sports a 1920 x 1080 resolution and is exceptionally bright and vivid, excelling both as a traditional screen and a touchscreen.
Performance was snappy, and I experienced no delays launching and running apps, watching videos and playing music. The speakers are adequate, with plenty of volume.
The system comes with basic connections: two USB 3.0 ports (one with PowerShare, which lets you charge USB-connected devices even when the XPS is powered off or sleeping), a Mini DisplayPort for connecting to an external display and a headphone jack. There's no Ethernet jack nor is there a slot for an SD card.
For those who want to check the battery power reserves, there's a nice feature: Press a small button on the right side of the system, and a series of tiny lights illuminates letting you know how much power is left.
As an ultrabook, though, the XPS is heavy at 3.35 lb. A MacBook Air with a 13.3-in. screen, for example, weighs nearly a half a pound less at 2.96 lb., and the 13.3-in. Asus Zenbook UX31A Touch weighs in at 3.08 lb., despite its larger screen size.

Keyboard and trackpad

When you use the XPS12 as a notebook, you'll spend plenty of time with its keyboard and trackpad, and you'll find them a mixed bag. The keyboard feels slightly cramped, and those with large hands may take some time getting used to it. But the keys spring back as you touch them, making the keyboard easy to type on. The keys are backlit, so it's easy to use in low light. All in all, it's a solid keyboard for an ultrabook.
I ran into problems with the trackpad, though. When when I used it to scroll sideways, the cursor tended to cause herky-jerky motions. I also sometimes had problems getting the Windows 8 Charms bar to appear when I moved the cursor to the upper-right corner of the screen. And several times, the Charms bar appeared when I moved the mouse cursor to the center of the Start screen -- for no apparent reason. I also initially found that I had to double-tap harder than expected for it to register with the device; once I got used to that, though, things improved.
The trackpad worked better when using multitouch Windows 8 gestures. Zooming in and out was smooth, and most Windows 8 swiping gestures worked similarly well.

XPS 12 as a tablet

With a big 12.5-in. screen, vivid display, quick response to touches and swipes, and smooth scrolling and zooming, the XPS seems perfectly suited for tablet tasks -- or at least it does for a minute or two. Then reality sets in.

At a Glance

XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook

Dell
Starting price: $1,199.99
Pros: Beautiful, vivid screen; innovative design; good keyboard
Cons: Problems with trackpad; a bit heavy for an ultrabook and too heavy for a tablet

At 3.35 lb., the XPS very quickly becomes far too heavy to be useful -- when I tried just holding it and working, or watching a video, I soon felt tired and uncomfortable. And when I put it in my lap, it got hot relatively quickly.
Then there's the question of whether there's any real need to have a device do double duty as a tablet and PC. Your mileage may vary, but I can't think of many instances when it's important to have a single device do both. I'd instead opt for a Microsoft Surface tablet with one of its nice keyboard covers, because with that you get tablet portability and a reasonable keyboard as well.
Based on my experience with the XPS 12, I suspect that convertible devices have been built merely because Windows 8 features a double duty operating system designed both for tablets and PCs, not because there's a real need for them. Time will tell, but my guess is that convertibles won't become a significant market niche.

Bottom line

What you think about the XPS 12 will depend upon what you think about needing a single device to do double-duty as a tablet and a traditional PC. If you need that type of device, and can put up with using an extremely heavy tablet, then you'll find the XPS 12 to be a well-designed, solid bet, aside from some annoying trackpad problems.
However, if you're on the fence about needing a convertible, you'll want to shop around a bit more. As a tablet, it's too heavy to be of much use. And as an ultrabook, it's heavy as well, outweighing competing ultrabooks.
The upshot? Despite Dell's best intentions, the XPS 12 underlines the limitations of a Windows 8 convertible device. Based on my use of this one, I'm not convinced this form factor has a future.