Friendly Friday

Hi FFMB!
I love to march with such a talented group of musicians. The thing with being a musician is that your creativity is bound to show up in other ways too. Take for example, Emily the
tambourine player. She painted this gorgeous watercolor for the band.


Join with the band as we march to end friendlessness in the blogosphere.

I like Baron at ComixBlog because:

• he has a lot of talent and he is only 13 years old.
• my son who also draws comics and is 13 says, "Yeah, that Spiderman picture looks cool."
• those lab cartoons!
  
• of the comix of the week

I think Sheiko at Sheikoreto 52 is neat because:

• it's her birthday!
• she is an artist.
• she draws graffiti!
  
• of the photos

I like Linky too because:

• I prefer the (self-proclaimed) reclusive, dull types.
• he is an artist.
• of the "Too Much Blogging" illustration and others.
• of the cool blog design.

Thank you Emily for the illustration for today's march.
More of Emily's work can be found at Guinea Pig Art Store and More and The Edge Gallery.

Thank you FFMB for visiting the sites today.

****FFMB ALERT****

I am in desperate need of more friendless sites. My bookmarks are bare.
"How do I find friendless sites?" you may ask.
There are many ways:

1. Nominate someone you know who doesn't get the recognition they deserve.
2. Surf by clicking the "Next Blog" on the top of your blog. Surf until you find a really good blog that doesn't get enough comments (5 or less qualifies)
3. Or surf by clicking on the "Search all blogs" on whatever topic you like.
   
4. Are you on a blog ring? Look there.
5. Go to your blog profile and click on one of your interests. This will take you to other blogs that share that same interest.
6. Tell me some more ways and I will add it on here.

It would be nice and helpful if you could tell me why you nominated this blog. I would include your name and your reasons. Please send these to my email address at Carol_ffmb at yahoo.ca

Are you new and want to join in the band:

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 others so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which are listed anew each Friday. 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.

Don't forget the banner...

Discussing Creationism Part XVIII

Darwin became close friends with Cambridge don, Reverend Professor John Henslow while attending the university. Henslow was a clergyman who taught botany and minerology at the university. Darwin attended his field trips and scientific gatherings at Henslow's home. As their friendship developed he took daily walks with this mentor and became known as the "man who walks with Henslow."

What did Henslow teach?

An article in, of all places, the Financial Director, hypothesises:

"Some time earlier, Gina Murrell, assistant curator of the herbarium at the university, had noted Henslow’s tendency to attach several variations of the same species on the same piece of paper for comparison purposes – a practice not observed by Henslow’s fellow botanists of the era.

The hypothesis?
That Henslow had, in fact, been studying variation – the prime factor behind Darwin’s theory of evolution – decades before Darwin himself. Therefore, Darwin could not have come up with the theory alone...

There is no doubt that Henslow had some influence over Darwin’s career because he was his tutor during Darwin’s spell at the university. Henslow also had no doubt in his own mind about the brilliance of his pupil and because of this arranged a berth for him on HMS Beagle for its famous voyage to the Galapagos Islands in 1831.

It was during this voyage that Darwin finalised his theory of evolution – but it was as many as 20 years earlier than this that Henslow was laying the foundations for the theory...

In a three-page feature published in Nature magazine, the scientists and researchers involved – David Kohn, Gina Murrell, John Parker and Mark Whitehorn – spelled out the results of their research. “We have analysed all 10,172 plants on these sheets and infer that he [Henslow] intentionally organised his dried-plant collection to serve as the tool for an inquiry into species and their limits,” the article claims. “Darwin’s exposure to his mentor’s thinking was part of the exciting intellectual framework that he took with him on the Beagle.”

The article in Nature provides an insight into how important the technology could prove to history. “Henslow had launched Darwin’s voyage when he helped to secure a berth for him on the Beagle. But, more significantly, during Darwin’s undergraduate career, Henslow had also launched his mind on an intellectual voyage that led from species stability to On the Origin of Species.”

Henslow was also a cleric and believed that God was in control of life.

It was Henslow who recommended that Charles Darwin be a naturalist aboard the sea vessel, HMS Beagle.


Bibliography:
The Theory of Evolution by Cynthia L. Mills
Henslow, John on Encyclopedia. Com
Friends of Darwin
Charles Darwin on Reference.com


Previous Discussions:
Discussing Creationism: The Initial Argument
Part II: Two Questions about the Ark
Part III:The Volume of the Ark
Part IV: The Weight and Sturdiness of the Ark
Part V:What is a Myth
Part VI: Gilgamesh
Part VII: The Biblical View of Noah
Part VIII: Gathering of the Animals
Part IX Evolution
Part X The First Evolutionist
Part XI The Notebook
Part XII Erasmus Darwin
Part XIII Aristotle
Part XIV Middle Ages
Part XV Kant's Quotation
Part XVI Kant in Context
Part XVII: The Beliefs that influenced Darwin

Friendly Friday

Two unknown masked members??

Welcome Friends of the Friendless

I am going to mix things up abit today, so hold onto your instrument and...

let's go....

Here are some excellent blogs that are in need of a friendly visit:

I like Asma at Have Fun because:

• of his jokes
• of his variety
• of the ABC's
• he laughs at himself
  

I like Brian and Tom in In Motion for the Missing because:

• they are blogging and riding for a good cause, Missing Children's Network and Child Find
• they have travelled 5562 km across Canada on their bikes
• they are retired teachers
  
• they are Canadian

I like Paul at Pilgrimage Journal because:

• he believes in Jesus
• of his sincerity
  
• his short stories
• his cartoon collection

Thank you FFMB for doing the march. I hope you had fun!

Wandi collects bears and she also collects cute pictures of bears for her blog. Thank you, Wandi, for finding Sundrop. He's a happy and friendly face for a Friday.




Sundrop
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 others so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which are listed anew each Friday. 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.

Get your banners here!

I Didn't Make This But It is So Cute...

Reading the Paper...

"Don't you read the paper?" A friend was appalled by my lack of knowledge about current affairs.

"Yeah, I do."

"What, the comics?"

"Well..."

So today, I thought I would list what I actually did read in the paper.

Front page: "Family has tragic Father's Day" A Husband and Father of two was killed in a farming accident Sunday. I think about the uncertainty of each day, about my Husband and how difficult it is to read about reality.

So I go on to "Plus-Size fashion that flatters" and learn that the average North American woman is size 14. Alright!

Then I read Dilbert, Zits, Adam, Between Friends, Tina's Groove, and Meaning of Life.

Discussing Creationism Part XVII

Charles Darwin is an important figure in Evolution but it is important to remember that he did not originate the idea. The theory of Evolution began much earlier with early philosophers speculating on the similarities of animal life.

Darwin was influenced by these ideas, starting with his Grandfather who wrote about the origin of life. As a young adult, he was a member of the Plinian Society and a friend to its founder, Robert Grant. At these meetings, university biology students met to discuss evolutionary ideas. They opposed Creationism.

Darwin was not an impartial observer. He had faith in Evolution even before he stepped on the Beagle.

Sources:
The Theory of Evolution by Cynthia L. Mills

Charles Darwin: The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

About Darwin.com






Previous Discussions:
Discussing Creationism: The Initial Argument
Part II: Two Questions about the Ark
Part III:The Volume of the Ark
Part IV: The Weight and Sturdiness of the Ark
Part V:What is a Myth
Part VI: Gilgamesh
Part VII: The Biblical View of Noah
Part VIII: Gathering of the Animals
Part IX Evolution
Part X The First Evolutionist
Part XI The Notebook
Part XII Erasmus Darwin
Part XIII Aristotle
Part XIV Middle Ages
Part XV Kant's Quotation
Part XVI Kant in Context

Friendly Friday

Hello FFMB!
I thought we would do a simple march around the block today.
Choose a fellow band member randomly,
then let me know who you visited and one thing that you liked about their blog.

What do you like about the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band?
	The friendless sites I get to visit!
	The friends that I have made!
	That band members have an opportunity to contribute their talents to the Friendly Friday event.
	The photos of the band wearing a wide assortment of uniforms.
	Nominating friendless sites!
	I liked choosing my own instrument.
	It makes me feel good.
	The FFMB get-aquainted parties.
	The variety of musical selections.
	Any other reasons? Please leave in comment section...
Free polls from Pollhost.com

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 others so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which are listed anew each Friday. 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.

You can get your band banner here.

I Made Another Quiz, Finally!

Are you Right? What is Left?

It is easy to get stuck on one side of the brain but I am sure that is better to get some exercise on both sides.
Do this quiz to find out which side of the brain you like to cruise on.

1. You discover that you probably have a computer virus. You decide to...


update your viral protection.

work with it.




2. You invited your in-laws for a home-cooked meal. You decide to...


try out the recipe that you saw once on tv a month ago.

cook a new recipe but try it out on your own parent first.




3. You are on a diet but would like to eat your chocolate birthday cake...


Hey, it's my birthday!

You cut back all day so that you can indulge.




4. The fire alarm goes off at work. You decide to...


make sure that all electrical equipment is turned off before leaving.

volunteer to stay behind to man the phones, they are always false alarms.




5. A meeting is called to discuss safety procedures at work. You decide to...


attend as you did call the meeting.

volunteer to stay behind to man the phones....

If you scored 5-7 then you are predominantly a left brainer. This means you are follow procedures well and are analytical but are not usually the life of the party.
If you scored 8-10, then you are more right brained. You are creative and a risk taker but you might be more susceptible to smoke inhalation.

Regarding Discussing Creationism

I am off to a huge used book sale today.
Any guess of one of the books I will be hunting for?

Discussing Creationism: The Initial Argument
Part II: Two Questions about the Ark
Part III:The Volume of the Ark
Part IV: The Weight and Sturdiness of the Ark
Part V:What is a Myth
Part VI: Gilgamesh
Part VII: The Biblical View of Noah
Part VIII: Gathering of the Animals
Part IX Evolution
Part X The First Evolutionist
Part XI The Notebook
Part XII Erasmus Darwin
Part XIII Aristotle
Part XIV Middle Ages
Part XV Kant's Quotation
Part XVI Kant in Context

Friendly Friday

Hello Friends of the Friendless Marching Band!

Yes, we march rain or shine. Thanks for showing up. You won't be disappointed..

...because today's march is kinda special. All of these blogs are by one person, Joyce Ripley. She is a Canadian, which is reason enough to like her, but she is also an artist and writer.


In Art Musings, Joyce's skill in watercolor, acrylic and oil painting is displayed. Her work includes old farm buildings, landscapes and still lifes. A few of my favorites are a still life of a paint tube cap, a Birch Tree and Coulter's Farmhouse and Outbuildings.

Information is a commentary of her art from Art Musings.

It was tough as you can tell to choose just one site to feature but I have kept her best until last.
Blood is Thicker Than Water is the featured Site of the Week. I chose this of Joyce's blogs because:

• it is the story of a daughter's desire to care for her dying mother.
• it is the story of treasured conversations.
  
• it is a story of the real conflicts that arise during stressful times.
  
• it is in telling the story that healing occurs.

Congratulations, Joyce!






If you would like to join the FFMB, listen to what Sarah, band member has to say:
Hi all,
This is Sarah, theremin player and clogger with the FFMB. As fellow
cloggers
know, if a clogger clogs and there's nobody there to hear it, it's as
if it
never happened. Such is the case with blogging. When Carol's marching
band
marched through my neighborhood, it made me realize that once in awhile
people actually read my blog, and it's made me want to be better at it.
Ever
since I've joined the band, I've met other bloggers -- some a lot like
me,
others completely different -- but the one thing we all have in common
is
our desire to make our little contribution out there in cyberspace. And
we're all lighthearted and fun, and you can never have too much of
that.
Clogging. Blogging. Not so different after all.


Thank you Sarah for your commendation!







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 others so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which are listed anew each Friday. 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.

To get the FFMB banner to display on your blog, go here!

Thursday 13

Thirteen Things to update you on Carol's past posts 1. Remember my post on blog addiction. Well, I am not doing too badly at the moment. I was up to 31.25 %, but have dropped. Whew! 18.75 % My weblog owns 18.75 % of me. Does your weblog own you? 2. Then there were my Excerpts from a Life series about having a crush on a boy called Chevy. Actually, the whole ordeal wrecked havoc on my pubescent mind and body. I developed an eating disorder after losing the 80 lbs trying to win him. I lost and regained weight several times over the following years. 3. You probably recall my brain pattern but guess what? It changed! Your Brain's Pattern You have a tempered, reasonable way of thinking. You tend to take every new idea in, and meld it with your world view. For you, everything is always changing. Each moment is different. Your thinking process tends to be very natural - with no beginnings or endings. What Pattern Is Your Brain? 4.I still am not a glamour model! 5. "I am a scheduler", I admitted but somehow I still manage to be terribly unorganized in spite of it. I am trying out a new method of fixing my to do list and will fill you in on it at some future date. 6. Overcoming anxiety is still a problem area in my life although not as bad as it was when I wrote this post. I still am being too hard on myself and my self esteem still suffers as a result. I will suceed though and you will hear about it! 7. Then there was my grand showing at the Blog Olympics which were followed with bi-weekly Blog Olympics Training Camps. My own rigorous problems with keeping up with schedules prevented me from keeping up my silver medal standing! Sigh... 8. Well, no pandemic...yet! Right now, I am doing my best to prevent any bacterial or viral transmission by not touching my ears, nose or mouth, am washing my hands more and trying to keep a bigger stock of food supplies but have not been that sucessful so far. I have not caught anybody's cold yet but there is a woman at work with a nasty one so I will get to see if my precautions work. 9. I'm still bipolar but I am not alone. Another woman from church phoned today. She is bipolar as well. She pointed out to me that I have it good with a husband, children, a good friend and a job. 10. I give my first speech this month at Toastmasters. I have a great idea for it but still have to plan, write, practise then, gulp, give it. 11. Petey is still alive! 12. I have done the Thursday 13 before, y'know! 13. I was able to rejoice in being a Mom today. My Middle Daughter handed me her Language Art writing folder that was marked 100% Perfect! She had written a fantastic poem and story for it. My Son replied, " but she's not as good as me, right?" because he likes to write science fiction stories and comics. Then the Eldest had her art work displayed in the Grade 12 Art Show this evening. Did I tell you that she is going into Art School in the Fall? I am very pleased to have raised creative offspring. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Jane and I

In 1982, the aerobic fitness craze began, led by fitness guru and actress, Jane Fonda. I purchased her LP record (!) and it was her voice that encouraged me to continue. "Go for the burn...can you feel it, Carol?" As I could not see the movements, I studied her book religiously. I also learned that she had experienced an eating disorder.

Awhile later, the video came out but I didn't have a video machine, so when I heard that familiar voice in a store, I stood transfixed before the television, studying.

I did purchase a video player and started a collection of exercise tapes. My first was her Lean Routine. My Eldest was around 3 years old then and we danced with her around the room. What fun!

I have not seen many of her movies though. She is just my aerobic instructor but on Saturday night, we gathered around the television and watched Monster-in-Law in which she starred. She was incredible in this comedic role as a controlling and overly protective mother.

I felt proud of her and announced, "She should get another academy award. Really!"

Yesterday, it was back to business though, lifting weights and doing the abominables.

Sense the Favorites

3. Citrus
Entices the rushes
down the grocery aisle
to daydream and inhale.

2. Lilac
Longing for more purple blossoms
before they dissipate into
decorations on tissue boxes.

1.Sweetgrass
Comforts and calms
like a Mother
waiting in a field.

Discussing Creationism Part XVI

In Discussing Creationism Part XV, I gave this quote by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher from the 1700's. He said that "[A]n orang-utan or a chimpanzee may develop the organs which serve for walking, grasping objects, and speaking – in short, that he may evolve the structure of man, with an organ for the use of reason . . . (Kant, 1798 in Anthropology). Some Evolutionists use this quote to support their argument. I wanted to find the context of this quote and found it in Kant's Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View from the Unversity library. It is in the section On the Character of the Species.

In this section, Kant asked what makes a species different from another. He stated that there has to be another species to compare the other with in order to define that species. Since there is not another animal that has the same ability to reason, it was impossible to characterize this ability. Reason must've come about due to man's own abilities. It is the absence of any other animal with the ability to logically reason that sets him apart from other living beings.

Kant differentiated man from other animals by their ability to manipulate (which he refers to technical gift), pragmatism and morality. Note that that the translation used in the following pages are different from the one originally used.

Kants stated that it doesn't matter if man walked on all fours because man's other attributes aren't the way they were originally either. His point here is not evolutionary but rather to show that man has the ability to manipulate matter as they have their hands free. "The characterization of man as a rational animal is found in the form and organization of the human hand, its fingers, and fingertips." This is a characteristic that is shared with monkeys and apes and this is why the comparison was given.

Kant does make reference to the Creationists' belief in Adam and Eve. Kant ponders why God would create a human couple without the ability to kill animals naturally for food or protection as humans have no claws or fangs. Man was also created without the ability to swim without instruction. Kant is not a Biblical thinker.

Man was created as a herbivore. See Genesis 1:29-30
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."

As for the inability to swim and the threat of drowning in their ignorance, Kant failed to recognize that Adam walked with God in the garden. God was man's teacher and He created man with the ability to learn and adapt oneself to different environments.


click on image to enlarge:
























































Discussing Creationism: The Initial Argument
Part II: Two Questions about the Ark
Part III:The Volume of the Ark
Part IV: The Weight and Sturdiness of the Ark
Part V:What is a Myth
Part VI: Gilgamesh
Part VII: The Biblical View of Noah
Part VIII: Gathering of the Animals
Part IX Evolution
Part X The First Evolutionist
Part XI The Notebook
Part XII Erasmus Darwin
Part XIII Aristotle
Part XIV Middle Ages
Part XV Kant's Quotation

Friendly Friday

Hello fellow Band Members. It feels really good to see you on this beautiful day. A Happy and Friendly Friday to you all.

Art Puppy, FFMB pianist, is an avid collector of quotes and found these for us. They are very applicable to the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band.

"Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for
yourself. It’s what you do for others." Danny Thomas

"Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other." Euripides

"Side by side or miles apart, dear friends are always close to the
heart." Unknown

I asked band buddy and flagbearer, Mango, to help again this week with choosing some interesting sites for us to visit. Here is what she has to say...

I`m so honoured to be asked once again to pick today`s sites. But you
should be warned that I am becoming drunk with power! Well anyhoo...



Today`s featured blog is Insanity and Banality- a receptionist`s
tale.
Billylou is a receptionist
from the land down under. Although she finds her job a bit unchallenging she
writes about it with an unusual sense of humour: she has a love/hate
relationship with a plastic plant for example. Oh and accountants need not
apply. She also has a poetry blog.




The first honourable mention goes to the blog Pomegranate District.
The author is a newly wed attorney, who works in the Capital -as in
Washington. She is very spiritual and has great photos of her holidays and
flowers.

The second honourable mention goes to Tararossstudios.
This blog features interesting works of art from Tara Ross. She is from
Seattle. There are links to art co-operative blogs.
So I hope the band will enjoy these sites as much as I have. Til next
Friday...
Your blogless flag bearer,
Mango Lane

A big thanks to Art Puppy for finding these inspiring words for us today.

Please join me in giving Mango a round of applause for her enthusiasm in reviewing these excellent sites.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Friendly Friday march!

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 others so you get the idea that any instrument is possible.
On Fridays, the band meets to visit the chosen friendless sites which are listed anew each Friday. 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.

Get your banners here.

Voted the Most Improved Skater

A few years ago, I decided to take skating lessons as my children were also taking lessons and I wanted to be able to skate along with them. I had not skated since I was in Junior High so it was a brave step for me.
I was the only one in the adult class to wear a helmet. I felt abit foolish and thought maybe I should go without it.
That day, I decided at the last minute to keep the helmet on. This was the day, it turned out, that the class lined up to try a little jump. With my helmet securely on, I attempted the maneuver only to fall flat on my back. I had a sore neck after even with the helmet on. I shudder to think what it would have felt like without one.

Anyways, the moral of the lesson is keep your helmet on until you know your limitations.
Oh, and don't be afraid to look stupid.