March of the Gems

These are posts from fellow bloggers that caught my attention this month.


Friday's Child
Aurora Antonovic
Pat Paulk
J. Andrew Lockhart
Some Person
Dave
Iamb
Nabeel
Aurora Anonovic
Aurora Antonovic

I just found out about this blog program called "Perfect Post" where everyone participating gets to choose their favorite post of the month. For March, I chose Aurora's poem, Number Nine Special

Friendly Friday

Hi to the all the members of the FFMB! Before we start our regular march, I want to take a detour along memory lane.

J. Andrew, our trombonist and instrument repair man, found these memorabilia stored away at the FFMB headquarters while he was there repairing some of the instruments.

Remember this group photo from the 80's? J. Andrew and his future wife are smiling from the back row.

Do you see them?





Here is a photo of the first uniform the band used.



















Here is the rain cover we used to wear for the marches during the rainy season.

What memories they bring back!












I asked Mango, the flag bearer and blog groupie if she would do today's special duty of choosing the sites to visit. She is always so meticulous in viewing the sites on the parade routes plus she has the advantage of being the tuba player's best friend, you know.

So welcome this week's guest host, Mango...

Dear Carol,
I want to thank you for this opportunity to do the honour of picking
today`s sites. It has been fun to read over these blogs.

Today`s featured site is Excellent Walker. She is a single New Yorker
who gathers observations as she walks the streets
of her city. Why do I like this blog?

• It`s definitely a slice of New York life.
• She is a former journalist who also writes fiction.
• She cares about the world and is grateful for what she has.
  

Shannon from Second Starr on the Right is a fellow domestic engineer
with three beautiful children. Her love for her family
is obvious in this blog and seems to have had a rather interesting
childhood.

Loni is the writer of Journaling through the Valley. She is a
spiritually minded person with nine(!) children. Although she has
endured much pain in her life, she maintains a good dispostion.

Thanks again for allowing me to sit in the leader`s seat. Yeah, it`s
real nice. Oh, the feeling of power! Can`t I sit here a
little while longer? Okay, I`ll go back to my blogless existence
(sniff).

Mango Lane


Thank you Mango for doing an excellent job and Andrew for giving a hand this Friendly Friday.









For those wondering how the band works:
To join the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band, leave a comment stating that you wish to join then choose any instrument you like. (ability isn't an issue for this cyber band) We have three piano players, a harpist, a theramin and french horn player plus a variety of more so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which I list. Then the band leaves friendly comments for our honored recipients. Let them know that you are from the FFMB.
Get to know other band members. There is sure to be someone you can connect with.
Nominate friendless sites. They can be bloggers you know or ones that you come across in your blog surfs. Think unique. These sites have less than 5 comments/post and be posting currently. Leave me a comment with their address or email me at Carol_ffmb at yahoo.ca. I will let you know whether they have met the friendless criteria.

Banners are available here.

On a more serious note, to join another on-line march which protests against global warming, visit "Stop Global Warming".

See you next week!

What I Saw Today at the...

Eurasia

Twirling elephants
bowing to lift a man friend
what if it was me?

Creatures of the Night

Entering the dark
hesitating by the door
I exit their sleep

Rainforest

Black foot rests on pane
until grass is tossed in play
ignorer, he turns

African Savannah

Hippos, teaching young,
swim surprisingly by, while
the camera fails

Conservatory

Examining species
of carnivorous flytraps
and tempting cacti

You Should Be A Poet

You craft words well, in creative and unexpected ways. And you have a great talent for evoking beautiful imagery... Or describing the most intense heartbreak ever. You're already naturally a poet, even if you've never written a poem.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Pearl, FFMB's korean drummer, found this quiz.

You Are Winter!

Intelligent Serious Cozy Calm Shy

What Season Are You?

I found this through Art Puppy 94, a FFMB pianist!

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is an incubator for good ideas, it just takes a while for them to develop. But when you think of something, watch out! Your thoughts tend to be huge, and they come on quickly - like an explosion. You tend to be quiet around others, unless you're inspired by your next big idea.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

from Killired, one of FFMB's flutists.

-Jesus Not to be Taken Literally-

Michael Baigent's The Jesus Papers; Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History.

Some are real dolls...

Discussing Creationism Part VII

Many people dismiss the Genesis account of the flood as being a myth, not to be taken literally. Many people even of religious persuasion have accepted the words of the the scientists and scholars, following along with the notion that the story is too fanciful to have really occurred.

What does the Bible have to say about the reality of Noah and the flood?

The book of Genesis is written as a historical account of the creation of the world and the patriarchs from these beginning days. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are all included in Genesis. In the 5th chapter of Genesis, a geneology is given from Adam to Noah. To the Jewish people, geneologies are very important. They would not have recorded the descendants of mythological characters. Genesis 10 gives the geneology of the sons of Noah. Chapter 11 focuses on the descendants of Shem, Noah's son, after the flood. From Shem's line, Abraham, the Jewish nation and eventually Jesus would arise. Both Noah and Adam are mentioned in the geneology of Jesus in Luke 3. Obviously, Noah was not mythological according to the Jewish records that were kept.

Noah is mentioned as a man of great faith in Hebrews 11:7. "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

Again, Noah is mentioned by the apostle, Peter, talking about God not sparing the ancient world, "but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly." 2Peter 2:4-5

Both of the above passages clearly state that Noah existed and that the flood occurred. According to the Bible, Noah, the ark and the flood were not a myth.


Discussing Creationism Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI

Saturday's Photo Scavenger Hunt

TNChick has started a new weekly photo game.
She will have a different theme each Saturday.
I thought that today's theme was "white".
Actually, the theme was "cold".
Oops.

This is another photo that my Eldest took.
We are all older now.
And it wasn't cold, that day.

Friendly Friday

Keep on Marching" by Emily , tambourine player

Hi Friends of the Friendless Marching Band! My you are all looking spiffy today!
Just a moment...
Dave, are those regulation boots??
Art Puppy94, remember I said, "No heels!"
Hmm, no matter, there is no time to change now. just don't complain at the end of the day.

The featured site of this week is Chris and Liz's Adoption News. I like this blog because:

• they are adopting a Guatamalan baby boy named Carson.
  
• of those cute baby pictures.
• they should be rewarded for their patience as they wait for all the paper work to go through!
• I was on their blogroll before I even met them! There was even a FFMB banner. Well, ya gotta love that...
  

Then go and see Lightseeker at Lightseeker's View. She loves lighthouses. I think she loves quizzes too because I found out her blogging type is "artistic and passionate".

Visit Frog Legs at Scrapping Survivor too. She is an avid scrapbooker that holds contests for other enthusiasts.

For those wondering how the band works:
To join the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band, leave a comment stating that you wish to join then choose any instrument you like. (ability isn't an issue for this cyber band) We have three piano players, a harpist, theramin and french horn player plus a variety of more so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which I list. Then the band leaves friendly comments for our honored recipients. Let them know that you are from the FFMB.
Get to know other band members. There is sure to be someone you can connect with.
Nominate friendless sites. They can be bloggers you know or ones that you come across in your blog surfs. Think unique. These sites have less than 5 comments/post and be posting currently. Leave me a comment with their address or email me at Carol_ffmb at yahoo.ca. I will let you know whether they have met the friendless criteria.
The banners are here.


Thanks again to Emily for the wonderful sketch she let me use today. The full title is
"Our feet are marching against war and our souls are set afire. Keep on Marching". She drew it to
honor the protesters against the war in Iraq this month.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Carol is thankful for blogging because: it provides me with an opportunity to be creative every day. it provides an outlet for my emotions. I have fun. I get to meet and converse with other creative people every day. I get to share what I think and feel. ... Links to other Thankful Thursdays (If you participate, leave your link in the comments and I'll post it below; or, you can post in the comments)

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog


Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

On Tuesdays, Lazy Daisy lingers over tasty Brain or Soul food.

Last night as my family and I visited over a restaurant meal, I sat back to enjoy these growing children of mine. I remembered being a child myself, wishing never to depart my Mommy and Daddy but as the years progressed, I left eagerly.
Soon, it will be only my Husband and myself at the supper table. This special time as a family will be over.
Then I recall my Mother-in-law's 80th birthday that we had celebrated a few years ago. She and her Husband were surrounded by their children and their children's children. How blessed she looked and how happy.

It is sometimes difficult to imagine the next stage of life but thankfully when it happens, we are ready and waiting for it.

photo from Yellow Rose's blog

Monday Madness

Otto has a fun thing happening. I'm going to give it a try this Monday. Here's what she asked today...

"How about some 'fill-in-the-blanks' this week? Thanks for playing, everyone! =)"

1. When driving in my car, my radio station is usually tuned to an oldie station. I love singing along.
2. When I turn my television on, even if I'm not really paying close attention to it, it's usually on the channel that gives the weather and what's happening in the city.
3. If I owned a pet, I would own another cat, because I would love to find a cuddly one. My cat doesn't like to be held or snuggle but I love her anyway.
4. I own a Canon i850 printer. I bought it because of its good reviews for printing photos. My daughter takes a lot of pictures, I have yet to get my own digital camera.
5. You can find all kinds of books in my bookshelves, but mostly this type: literary classics.
6. I take about 0 pictures every month but my daughter sometimes will take one for me , maybe once or twice a month.
7. I blog about 30 times a month. I try to post every day, sometimes I just can't do it and I am finally able to live with that.
8. I've been really busy studying creationism and evolution lately. I find it fascinating.

If you want to join in, check out Otto's blog.

"Something to Keep You Blogging All Week" List

Monday Madness
Monday Memories

Tasty Tuesday
Self Portrait Tuesday

Whack-It Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday
Thursday Thirteen

and don't forget, Friendly Friday!

Saturday's Photo Scavenger Hunt

I thought it would be fun to devote a week occasionally, to trying out some of these different weekly activities. Please let me know if you know of any others and I'll add them to this list, except for Friday and Sunday of course. Those two days are already taken.

Genesis 7:18

"Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth."

Discussing Creationism Part VI

There have been many accounts written about a devastating flood from ancient cultures. These vary in their details. To simplify this discussion however, I will refer to only one which was put forward several times in the past Sunday posts, the flood in the book of Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh was a Mesopotamian king around 2800-2500 BC. In this collection of
stories, written around 2150 BC , Gilgamesh is a hero that searches for fame and immortality. In one of the quests in the book, he comes upon Ut-napishtim who was a wise man building a boat to "save the seed of all living things." Gilgamesh stayed on the boat with Ut-napishtim and his wife. Later, Gilgamesh is offered a chance by Ut-napishtim to have eternal life but because of his human weakness, he loses his opportunity. (The fact that Gilgamesh was included in the infamous flood story is a witness to his popularity, similar to Ovid including Roman emperors in Metamorphosis. )

Unlike the Genesis account of the flood which is written in a matter of fact style, Gilgamesh is written poetically probably for entertainment purposes. "The specific purpose for which (Gilgamesh) was composed is a difficult question, but the general purpose for which the epic and its constituent stories existed in oral form is very probably entertainment." Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh and Others-Stephanie Dalley

One of the questions brought up in this discussion was which account came first, the Biblical or Mesopotamian. Gilgamesh was written down around 2150 BC while the Biblical version was written around 1500 BC. Some might conclude that because the Mesopotamian version was written first means that it is the original version.

It is evident from the many similarities in these accounts that there was a common source. The fact that many early cultures have a flood story shows that there must've been an actual flood of devastating proportions. The common source would be the flood itself.

In the Biblical account, Noah has three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. From these three sons arose three distinct cultures from which further cultures arose. After the Tower of Babel, the people of the earth were separated because of their different languages. (another discussion, please) Memories of the flood would've been passed down from generation to another in these different separated cultures. Different versions would naturally arise as not all people believed in God but had various beliefs.
This explains the different versions of the same story. The Hebrew race were descended from Shem from which the Biblical version of the flood would have been passed down from.

Discussing Creationism Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

Friendly Friday

Hi FFMB!
Today is a special St. Patrick's Day parade! Wow, look at all the different colors of green. What a beautiful sight...

photos above were taken by Barbara, flutist

photoshopping by the Eldest

I asked Dwayne, drummer in the FFMB, what being in the band has done for him.


Well first off I know the FFMB has brought a lot of foot traffic to my site. I have made several good friends on this FFMB bunch. Plus what is great is there a lot of good Christians out there. This being St. Patrick's Day I hope everyone has there green on? I want to thanks Carol for letting me be a part of the FFMB. I can't forget Andrew I think he was the one to bring the FFMB to my site?

DwayneinBonanza

Thanks Dwayne.


Today's sites are all written by young lasses. The featured site is "Some Person" at 14 Years and Counting. I like her blog because:

• 14 is a great age to write from.
• I like her sense of humor. "I am learning to play electric but its going a bit slow since i don't have a guitar."
• I heard of a "peace-in" but not a "peace out"!
• I want to see if her blog actually does consume her. Go, girl...
  

Meet Srushti, an aspiring singer, at Me, Me, Me!!! I enjoyed reading her blog but she hasn't blogged since January 16th. I have to know if she got that audition.

Visit Sarah, an aspiring writer and clogger, at Nobody Girl.

Thanks everyone for taking the time out of your busy St. Patrick's Day celebrations to make the parade route with us. Remember to be happy and be green!

Get your banner here!

For those wondering how the band works:
To join the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band, leave a comment stating that you wish to join then choose any instrument you like. (ability isn't an issue for this cyber band) We have two piano players, a harpist, trombonist and french horn player plus a variety of more so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which I list. Leave friendly comments for our honored recipients. Let them know that you are from the FFMB.
Get to know other band members. There is sure to be someone you can connect with.
Nominate friendless sites. They can be bloggers you know or ones that you come across in your blog surfs. Think unique. These sites have less than 5 comments/post. Leave me a comment with their address.

Another Quiz because I am tired after that Olympic Training Session!

You Are Boston

Both modern and old school, you never forget your roots. Well educated and a little snobby, you demand the best. And quite frankly, you think you are the best. Famous people from the Boston area: Conan O'Brien, Ben Affleck, New Kids on the Block

What American City Are You?

I would definitely like to visit historical Boston
but only if I can drive there.
Umm, are there mountains to cross?
How nice would the border patrolman be?

Oh, where is the Olympic Training Session? It is at Barbara's. (I hope I am using that apostrophe correctly...)

One more little thing-I AM NOT A SNOB!

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Friday's Child found this quiz as well as a fitting poem to go along with it.

The Border

In 2004, we went on a holiday to the States. The gruff border patrolman asked if we had any fresh produce. Since we are honest people, we confessed that we had an apple. He made us go and declare it. My Husband said that the people inside laughed that their patrolman had asked that he bring it in.

On the way back from our holiday, we took a drive around the little American town that the border crossing was in. We passed a run down hotel with several mean- looking motorcyclists in front of it. We quickly drove by while I complained of the border patroller's strictness with us while these suspicious characters were in his back yard.

Standing in line, to come back into Canada, I didn't know what to expect but certainly I wasn't prepared for what did happen.

As we approached the patrolman, he greeted us with a big, warm smile. As he asked questions, we found out that he used to live in my Husband's hometown and that he had just recently visited my Husband's brother!

My Husband said that even though he was friendly, he still found a lot of information out about us.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.


To read about Canada's commitment to maintaining a safe border crossing, read Connect2 Canada.

Genesis 6:11-13

" The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."

Discussing Creationism Part V

In this series about Creationism in which we are currently examining Noah and the flood, the issue of mythology needs to be addressed:

What is a myth?

Answers.Com defines a myth as:

1. A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society: the myth of Eros and Psyche; a creation myth.
2. Such stories considered as a group: the realm of myth.
2. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal: a star whose fame turned her into a myth; the pioneer myth of suburbia.
3. A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology.
4. A fictitious story, person, or thing: “German artillery superiority on the Western Front was a myth ” (Leon Wolff).


Myths are fictitious stories which arise from the oral traditions of ancient, primitive people. It is possible that oral traditions which weren't immediately written down and superstitious beliefs can distort facts but this does not mean that all ancient accounts are false and are to be classified as myth. Some stories, such as the Greek and Roman myths, were written as allegories by intelligent men with great understanding of human nature but they helped add to the belief that all accounts from antiquity are allegorical and not be taken as truth.

The following is a list of what makes a myth, from About Com:

A myth is a story containing within and having about it certain identifiable characteristics. These are, specifically, that:

* It is a religious story, no matter from which culture and will therefore involve the existence and activities of a supernatural being, such as a god, a demigod, a goddess, or several such entities;
* It will seek to explain at least some aspect of the origin or manner of things (where people came from, how rainbows first came to be, why whales have blow spouts, why people and animals feel hunger) if not of the very universe itself;
* It is not an isolated tale but connects up in some significant way with other similar stories within a culture, involving other deities who collectively form a pantheon;
* Its authorship is communally shared, that is, attributable to no single person, and it came into existence through oral tradition, and therefore usually has more than one version;
* It is believed to be essentially true by those in the society for whom it is one part of a cultural mythology.

The Biblical accounts of Creationism and Noah certainly meet all these criteria but remember, this classification system is devised by man. This list presumes that all early accounts are false and that it is only that society from whom it originates that considers it true.

In mathematics, it is easy to check the computations for mistakes, but to examine an argument, one has to look at the premises, one at a time, to check for truth or error.

An important but often overlooked premise that is inherent in every man is their religious belief. A well meaning and intelligent man,Joseph Campbell, is a world renown scholar on mythology. He teaches that the Bible is a "tribally circumscribed mythology." He is also an atheist. His beliefs cause him to interpret the Bible in a certain way. The idea that scholarly men are impartial observers is often a fallacy.
Christian beliefs also may lead to conclusions which are contrary to the non-religious man. These differences of premises can both lead to different interpretations of the facts.

So when looking at these arguments, on what is a myth or what does this ancient document really mean, it is necessary to keep these differences in premises in mind.

Do you have any ideas to add regarding the definition of mythology?

Discussing Creationism Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Excerpts from a Life

I have been writing from the journals I kept as a teenager. So far I revealed the teenage crushes I had on magazine idols then on a real boy named Chevy. I lost weight hoping that he would like me back but alas, it was not to be. I switched my focus to keeping the weight I lost off.

This is Carol's story told a long long time ago.

December 4, 1975
Mango came over this evening and am I ever glad she did. We worked on the ballot. We talked over lots of things. She's still my "little friend" she always was. That makes me happy. Oh yeah, she said that her friends really look up to me. Man, that sure is nice to know. She said that it's like having Cheralynn W. (popular girl) for a friend. I realize that if I act happy (if I am that is), people seem to like me. I want to be accepted by all. I really do.
In typing, I'm always making these one-liners. Kathy S. always laughs. I love making people laugh.

December 14, 1975
Rlynne and Bob (my older sister's fiance at the time) fool around alot and I feel so jealous. I put on a pout, I think. I just can't fool around like that. It is just not me.
On Friday night, Mom said Rlynne as such a good figure. Jealousy raged in me.
Rlynne had her hair cut. It looks good.
Never did yoga yesterday. I feel as if it's not helping. I've got to keep it up.

January 1, 1976
Starting another new year.
I've got to always care about my health. Never eat like I used to.
Right now, I'm listening to Rlynne's record, "Phanthom of the Paradise." I like the line, "Give me back the gift of laughter."
"We were all born to die and that's the hell of it." How true.

I hate when I force myself to be funny. A little voice inside says, "Hey, I'm not thinking about food," and that ends it.

January 10, 1976
Went to "Tommy" last night. It's a real dynamic show, I loved it. Nancy, Laurie, Debbie, Rhona and I went together. Met Mango there, luckily. I sat beside her and she helped to explain what was going on. If I would've had my mood ring, it would've been blue for sure. I was smiling for happiness for the show. The last song, especially. Wow!
Stayed overnite at Nancy's with the rest (not Mango). None of them really cared for the show, especially Debbie. She was acting so peeved over it. F--- her. Blah on them all. Them with their brainwashed ideas slushed together in a slump. "If I laugh, you have to." If I don't think it's funny, why should I force a laugh or even a smile. I don't care for them. Blah! Bluch! I have to put on an act when I'm with them. Nancy gets so frustrated at any little thing; she's the biggest fraud of the bunch-trying to impress God knows who. Pretending to like me, thinking I'm the phony one.

When I'm with Mango, I can be me. If I don't feel like laughing, I don't feel like I have to. I can really be me! I love her. She's truly my best friend.

January 13, 1976
Yesterday, I told Mango she's my best friend. She was happy.

"I'm a sensation." I like that quote from Tommy, because it's true. "I am a sensation!"

Friendly Friday

Hello FFMB! It is great to see so many smiling faces...



This week, I asked Friday's Child to help to express the importance of the Friends of the Friendless
being a positive influence in the blogosphere. Bloggers like to know that someone is listening so a top priority in our fight against friendlessness is our friendly comments.

The Friends of the Friendless Marching Band is once again on the march. Friday is the day where all the members meet and share whatever news we have about those friendless sites. By friendless sites, we mean sites with less than 5 comments on their blog. W e go to CAROL, the master of the band and let her know about these sites. We the members of the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band then march into these sites and visit them. If we can relate to their article, then we leave a comment. If we can’t relate, we still leave a comment saying hi or hello, you are from the FFMB and Carol sent you.
Come and join the fun and march along with us! Just choose any instrument to play with or you can use anything as an instrument if you like.
See…that’s how easy it is to join. So what are you waiting for? Come on down and be a friend to a friendless site. Who knows our friendliness would mean something to one friendless site. Let us make a difference in this blogging world.
If you decide to join click here and leave a comment saying you would like to join the FFMB.


Thank you, Friday's Child for those encouraging words!



The featured friendless site is Rachel's Apostrophe Catostrophe. I like her blog because:

• this blog is all about the over used apostrophe.
• grammar is often overlooked in blogs.
• I need to learn about the apostrophe
• and she has convinced me to read up on it in my old English handbook.
  

Also visit Jeff of Still Jewish. He is a Jewish man who has come to believe in the divinity of Jesus.

Then check out Ellen at Coffee Granules. She is a woman who isn't afraid of dealing with the throbs of life.

Then head over to the banner area and see if my instructions work.

Have fun everybody.

Let's see..."The apostrophe ('), a mark of punctuation and a spelling symbol, has three uses: to indicate omission of a letter or letters from words and of a figure of figures from numerals; ;to form the possessive (genitive) case of nouns and of certain pronouns; to indicate the plural of letters, numeral, symbols, and certain abbreviations..."

Art Walk

Yesterday, I presented a quiz that asked which artist should paint a portrait of you. The following bloggers took the test. I took the liberty of choosing one of the artist's paintings which I thought represented them.

Art Puppy 94
Galatea of the Sphere by Salvadore Dali

Wandi
First Snow by Thomas Kinkade

Mompoet
On the Edge of Greatness by Alfred Gockel

Zeb

Still Life with Spherical Mirror by M.C. Escher

Pat Paulk
Head of a Child by M.C. Escher

Dave
Heaven Canto 19 by Salvador Dali

Mango
Fiet van Stolk by M.C. Escher

Cranky Old Fart

Escher's Father by M.C. Escher

Kathy

Abstract II by Roy Lichtenstein

Sister Celtic
Dinkybird by Maxfield Parrish

Who Should Paint You: M.C. Escher

Open and raw, you would let your true self show for your portrait. And even if your painting turned out a bit dark, it would be honest.

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

The First Feather

Life is not fair

Know that

Bravery will follow











Inspired by the millions that suffered today.

FFMB Snare Drummer had a Baby Girl

Sabrina of Quick and to the Point, delivered a baby girl this March 1, 2006. She is a sister to her big brother.
Congratulations!

Genesis 6:22

"Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

Noah obeyed God. If Noah would've used another type of wood other than what God told him to use, would the ark have survived the flood?

God's commands are for a purpose and for man's own good.

Discussing Creationism Part IV

Before we leave the question of the size of the ark and how many animals could realistically fit into it, there are a couple of points I would like to make.

In Talk Reason, an Evolutionist web site, the weight of the ark with the occupants inside was addressed.

"Ignoring the weight of the ark itself, it could be loaded, barely escaping sinking, with the weight of no more than about five hundred million Newton. (Newton is the standard unit of weight used in science. Roughly, one pound is close to 4.45 Newton; on the earth surface, a mass of one kilogram weighs about 9.8 Newton). The animals gathered in the ark would have weights varying in a wide range, from a fraction of a Newton for some insects, to hundreds of thousands of Newtons for such giants as elephants and hippopotami. Just for a rough estimate, accept the average weight of an animal to be close to that of, say, a horse, which is about ten thousand Newton. Five hundred million divided by about 10,000 is close to 50,000. This is a very rough estimate of the maximum number of tightly packed animal bodies the ark could accommodate barely escaping sinking, even ignoring the weight of the ark itself and of the vast amount food to be stored in it. Accounting for food and the vessel's own weight, the maximum number of tightly packed animals bodies the ark would handle barely avoiding sinking must be estimated closer to 20,000. That is no more than about 10,000 species, if each species were represented by only one male and one female. Since animals and people needed some free volume around them to survive, a realistic estimate of the number of species the ark could support must be between several hundred and at the most a couple of thousand."

They used the weight of a horse but I will revert back to the sheep used in previous discussions.

An average sheep weighs about 175 lbs. Converting this to Newton, a measurement of force used by Talk Force in the quote above, knowing that 1 pound is about 4.45 Newton, makes one sheep about 780 Newton.
Since, in my calculation last week, I concluded that about 30,000 sheep that could fit on the ark, this makes their total "weight" about 23,400,000 Newton. This is much less than the overflowing capacity given in Talk Reason of 500,000,000 Newton. Their argument loses its' impact when a closer and more realistic estimation of animals is used.


It was also remarked in our discussion, that "if the Ark was as large as tanker and made out of wood (as the Bible says), it would not float because it would be prone to leaks."

Noah was directed by God in Genesis 6:14 to "make thee an ark of gopherwood; rooms shalt though pitch it within and without with pitch."
These specific instructions weren't without reason. Although I found "gopherwood" listed in various sites such as Tree Trail, this is an American yellowood that is brittle in storms. It would have not been suitable for shipbuilding.
The tree found mentioned in the Bible would have to be sturdy and buoyant. The original tree was possibly a type of cypress as the word "gopher" itself is translated as cypress by some Hebrew scholars.
Cypress is a resinous type of wood that was used in shipbuilding in antiquity. As the wood was specified as gopherwood by God; it can be reasonably deduced that this would have been the most suitable for the ark.
The ark was to be covered in pitch, which would have provided waterproofing. This pitch would have been derived from trees, probably pine. This product has been found by archeologists on ancient ships.

Discussing Creationism Part I
Part II
Part III

Friendly Friday

Hi FFMB! How are you doing after last week's marathon march? Blisters all healed? Don't worry, today's route won't be as long and besides we are going to spend some time inside the classroom before we head out. I asked Zeb, one of the guitarists, to give us a review on music theory...


Carol has asked me to put together a music lesson for the musicians who are just starting out on their instruments.
LESSON ONE:
The most important step in learning music is to understand what a key is.
The key consists of selecting a group of notes(diatonic scale)which are selected from all the notes (chromatic scale) using a formula.
This formula consists of a series of whole and half steps.
chromatic scale
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
Each step in the chromatic scale is called a half step
Two half steps equal.....you guessed it, a whole step
Notice that there are no sharps between B&C or between E&F
The formula is
1 whole step 2 whole step 3 half step 4 whole step 5 whole step 6 whole step 7 half step 8
some examples
CDEFGABC DEF#GABC#D ABC#DEF#G#A
For the flat keys remember that a sharp of a lower note is the flat of the next higher note
C# is the same note as D flat
G# is the same note as A flat

Thanks Zeb. Now, I wonder if anyone can transpose our theme song into the key of A??



Today's featured friendless site is Lu of Life as a New Dad? (The characters that show up as ?????? or are otherwise undecipherable are posts that Lu has written in Chinese. The Chinese letters don't show up on most computer settings. Scroll down and you will soon find one in English) I like his site because:

• of his musings on parenthood, work, technology and life in general.
• of his scientific approach to parenting and life in general.
  
• of his reviews.
• of his enthusiasm.
  

Visit ArtPuppy94 of Poems 2 too. She is a 14 year old girl who want to grow up to be a "poet, chidren's author, photographer, or dancer."

Then check out Alex of Life and the World. He is a new blogger who writes short observations and asks for input from others.

Have fun!


Killired's Pink Blog Party was a blast. Thank you, Killired for asking the FFMB to provide the musical entertainment. Enjoy the recap on the day after, too.


For those wondering how the band works:
To join the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band, leave a comment stating that you wish to join then choose any instrument you like. (ability isn't an issue for this cyber band) We have two piano players, a harpist, trombonist and french horn player plus a variety of more so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which I list. Leave friendly comments for our honored recipients. Let them know that you are from the FFMB.
Get to know other band members. There is sure to be someone you can connect with.
Nominate friendless sites. They can be bloggers you know or ones that you come across in your blog surfs. Think unique. These sites have less than 5 comments/post. Leave me a comment with their address.

Get your FFMB banners here.

Mompoet, kazooist in the FFMB, recently won the national CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Poetry Face Off competition. She can be heard on the CBC radio giving her winning performance. The broadcast from Vancouver (#23 on the map) can be heard anywhere in the world via the internet. It will be on Friday, March 3, anytime between 3-6 pm PST.

I can't wait!

Before Genesis...

I have various pieces of paper placed in the front cover of my Bible:

• memory phrases to help me memorize the books of the Bible.
  
• a list of items to pray about from the book, The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O'Martian.
• scriptures regarding the gift of the Holy Spirit
• a quickly made mind map of questions regarding women teaching in the church
• sermon notes from the parable of Jesus about the two debtors in Luke 7:36-50
• recipes from a Ladies Meeting for Mexican Lasagna and No Cook Cookies
  

J. Andrew's haiku today gave me the idea for this post.