A Revision

Monday, February 27, 2006

Olympic Glory

Canada has never done so well at the Olympic Games, the athletes won a total of 20 medals but the victories that moved me had little to do with a medal.

First there was Clara Hughes, a speed skater, who won the gold medal in the 5000 meter race. I don't remember the minutes and seconds she won with but I do remember that she wrote "joy" on her palm of her hand before she raced and went on to win with that joy of being completely alive.

Then there was the Vancouver mayor, Sam Sullivan, who in the tradition of the representative of the next hosting city, waved the Olympic flag. Sam Sullivan is a quadriplegic. He broke his neck while skiing when only 19 years old. With the help of a special adapter to hold the flag on his wheelchair and with practised movements, he waved the flag triumphantly.

These were glorious moments.

Blog Olympics Training Camp

Speaking of Olympics, Barbara's training camp happens this Wednesday, March 1, 2006. There are no special sign ups; you just have to show up. We, Blogaholi... I mean Blog Olympians prefer late evening events but the training itself won't take long. Barbara has a countdown clock on her site to when the training camp begins.

So, come and have some fun...

Sunday, February 26, 2006

1 Corinthian 3:18

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise."

Discussing Creationism Part III

I asked these questions last week, regarding Noah's ark,
1. What was the size of the ark?
2. How many animals could have fit into the ark? Biblically, we are not told except that there were 7 pairs (male and female) of each clean animal and a male and female of each unclean animal as well as 7 pairs of each fowl.

To help answer these questions I featured as an example "Christian Answers" and was given another site to look at called "Talk Reason". This is some of what I found.

Showing my work:
As I was examining the data from two of the web pages regarding Creationism and Evolutionism, I was disappointed to discover that the calculations of the volume in the ark did not match.

Volume of a square or rectangular shape=length x width x height

According to Christian Answers, the volume of the ark was = 137.16m x 22.86 m x 13.72 m=462,686.4 cubic meters.

While Talk Reason calculated the ark's volume to be 150m x 25m x 15m =approximately 55,000 cubic meters.

Which one is right?
The simple calculations shows that with the correct answer is 55, 000 cubic meters.

It appears that the problem in Christian Answers may have been with the metric measurements as the calculations in cubic feet were correct. (450' x 75' x 45' =1,518,750 cubic feet.)
Now that makes it possible to look at their comparisons between the railroad stock car and ark.

First, the dimensions of a railroad stock car were found (42' x8' x 8'). From these, the volume was calculated to be approximately 2688 cubic feet. So, about 565 stock cars would fit into the ark. (1,518, 750cubic feet/ 2688 cubic feet= 565)

Look back at the reasoning in Christian Answers and it is necessary to know how many sheep would fit in one stock car?

Christian Answers, again disappointingly used inaccurate measurements. They gave a single railroad's dimensions but in the deduction, sheep were placed into double decker trains. The dimensions for a double decker train had to be found then the results recalculated.

Double decker dimensions which are in meters 26.4 x 2.78 x 4.606m. These must be recalculated into cubic feet. 86.6'x 9.1'x 15.1'= 11900 cubic feet. This is the volume of a double decker railroad stock car.

The ark's approximate volume is 1,518, 750 cubic feet. Only 128 (1,518, 750/ 11900)of these double decker railroad cars would fit into the ark.

Now that we know how many stock cars would approximately fit into the ark, we need to know how many sheep would fit into one stock car.

Here is a quote from a web page called Life on the Central Branch that did just that:

"The hard times continued here and the Bank of Downs failed in January of 1891, but Denton seemed to be doing all right with his sheep. As March arrived, it was time to ship his animals to market.

The Chief reported March 5th that he had shipped eight double-deck carloads of sheep to Chicago the previous Friday. Denton accompanied the shipment and took W. F. Henry and James Worley along to help care for the animals.

Returning from Chicago, Denton said he used the Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City railroad. They made the run from St. Joseph, Mo., to Chicago in 26 hours and he said this was the quickest run he had made. Another 10 carloads of sheep went to market in early April over this same Maple Leaf route.

As April 1891 drew to a close, Denton still had 1,800 sheep at Downs and hired C. D. Brown and Chas. Oldson to shear them. The animals yielded six and a half pounds of wool to the head, which the Chief said would bring Denton "the neat little sum of $2,500."

The sheep shipments ended in late May when the final eight carloads went to Chicago by train. The Chief stated that Denton had shipped 14,000 head that spring. In early June, a carload of wool was shipped to Boston, Mass."

From this, we read that there were 8-10 double deck railroad cars/ train. For three of them, the number of cars were given and for the other three they weren't but I have taken the minimun 8 cars per train. This makes a total of 50 cars used to transport 14,000 sheep or 280 sheep/railroad car. This is a good match with Christian Answers.

So I have used the Christian Answer's original calculation of 240 sheep/double decker stock car (leaving out the possible 40 more so as to create more space for the little darlings). According to these calculations, 128 of these double decker railroad cars could fit into the ark carrying 30,720 sheep (128 x 240).

Because the size of the animals would vary from insects to a T.Rex, the average size of a sheep hopefully will suffice for this illustration.
There also has to be room for food and other supplies, so how many railroad cars should be left for this and Noah's family? What if we say that only 125 railroad cars were filled with the animals and leave 3 railroad cars open for these other necessities? That would make room for 30,000 animals in total. (125 stock cars x 240 sheep/stock car)

Then there is the question of how many clean animals vs unclean animals were there. (7 pairs of each clean and only 1 pair of each unclean)We would need this to give an exact number of each species or variations of animals. As no number was given in the Bible for how many of each there were, it is not possible to know for sure. For estimation purposes only, if 7 pairs were used for all of the different types of animals, this will make the number (30000/14=)2142 different types of animals. As this number is lower than it was, it probably would've been more like 2500 of different types of animals.

Check my math and the reasoning out as well.

There are more points that were made regarding the original questions from "Discussing Creationism II". They will be brought up next week.

For now, hopefully everyone can see that it is necessary to recheck the steps that were taken to come to a conclusion. If one step is out, then all conclusions are out too.

Before the Evolutionists out there start feeling smug about the errors in this one Creationist's web site, remember, critical thinking starts with the ability to look at one's own position first. In discussing any controversial subject, it is important to examine the facts and to understand the difference between the facts (evidences) and the conclusions that were made from them.

Are you blindly trusting the conclusions that others (even scientists) made without first checking the facts and conclusions out for yourself? It is easy to make mathematical errors and easier to make errors in perceptions.

A scientist is not allowed to include God in the analysis for there is no evidence that God exists. Thus, you get Evolution, a beginning without a Creator.

Creationists aim to include the physical data/facts with the belief that the Bible is a reliable source of fact as well. The combination of these should result in a better understanding of our beginning.

I hope in the course of these discussions, to become more knowledgeable of the evidences as well as of the debate between Evolutionists and Creationists. I ask for your help as I endeavor to achieve this by supplying the facts and evidences that you know or where to find them so I can have a look at them for myself.

Discussing Creationism Part I
Discussing Creationism II

Labels: Creationism/Evolution

Friday, February 24, 2006

Friendly Friday

Hello FFMB.
Have you noticed how our band is growing? I thought it would be fun since there are so many new members, if we went visiting each other this Friday. So, everyone choose at least 3 band members, from the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band Roster to the left, that you don't know very well and visit their blog. Leave a comment and tell them that you are a member of the FFMB. If you can't leave a comment due to technical difficulties, you can leave it on my site or let me know.

If you are really in the marching mood, keep on rolling right through the band roster. It might take more than a day but if anybody completes the whole roster, let me know. There is something special at the bottom of the page for these band enthusiasts.

I just had to use this collage that Sister Celtic made for her blog, Lopez Island Life. She titled the post,
" NEVER KNOW WHEN WE WILL MARCH FFMB THROUGH YOUR HOOD !" She has others about the FFMB so check them out.

Remember that I will be asking different members of the FFMB to help me out on other Friendly Fridays, so be on the look out.

Did you do the whole march?

Okay..."all I got"...I am glad that I didn't get a 100 of these tee-shirts made up...

As a special surprise, I am going to link from the archives of those that complete the march, one of my favorites. Anybody have any energy to check these ones out!

1. Congratulations to Erin, the first (well, second to me) to finish the marathon march. Every Wednesday, Erin demolishes some item in her home. What a recycling program!
2.
3.
4.

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.
Have fun.

Banners still here.

Labels: Friends of the Friendless

Thursday, February 23, 2006

We don't have a rec room...

but my ever resourceful children devise a way
to play table tennis.

Check here for more from these clever two.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Today...

I watch as they slowly drift downward, not resting until their white cloaks fall upon the idly waiting.
I follow the familiar routes, winding my vehicle through full corridors
until I retreat back to the warmth of shelter
behind contented glass.

Daylight departs but roads must still be travelled
despite icy complaints
and scraping frenzies.

Returning at the end of day to the door to warmth,
before entering,
I peaceably let the coolness of winter melt in my glove.

Labels: Poems

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Petra

This weekend, my family and I visited the museum to see an exhibit of "Petra, The Lost City of Stone". I had not heard of Petra before. Have you?

Claimed to be the eighth wonder of the world, Petra is a city carved out of the sandstone mountains of the Jordan desert by the Nabataeans in the 2nd century B.C. Access to this city is through a narrow split in the rock, 10-20 feet wide. Almost through this passage way, facades of tombs loom before you; the Greek and Roman influence surrounds you. Sculptures of the Nabataean gods and goddesses adorn the city's temples, resembling Zeus and Aphrodite. This sudden grandeur in the middle of the Arabian desert surprises.

I stood before the fragments of Petra, incredulous that I was able to glimpse a piece of the story.

Visit Petra

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ecclesiastes 8:15

"Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun."

One year today, I started blogging. As my Eldest Daughter likes to take the credit for being the one that started me blogging, she submitted this for my blog anniversary.

Would you believe the spellchecker on Microsoft Word wanted to fix “blog” for me?

I am Carol’s oldest daughter. In a few months she’ll probably have an entry probably titled “My Little Baby” which she talks about how her little girl is graduating. Or in two weeks, because that is when I turn 18.

The most important thing to you would be it’s my entire fault that “A Revision” exists. I tell that to myself when ever “Carol” kicks me or siblings off the computer to blog.

I’ve follow Canadian Federal Government on a daily basis since I decided that I should stop bugging my Dad to explain what was so funny on the Canadian comedy, The Royal Canadian Air Farce. I’m pretty sure the first blog I ever saw or heard about was Paul Martin’s blog when he was campaigning for the Liberal Leadership. I only looked at it once, but heard many entries when CBC radio read them out.

During the 2004 election my favourite source of news had a daily blog on his site. Global National with Kevin Newman was going across Canada in a bus, with Kevin Newman blogging about what was happening each day. I found out how hard it is to put a show on the air every night, how much he missed his family, and how funny he could be. When he blogged something interesting I would update my family at suppertime.

Later I must have mentioned his blog again with “Carol” asking what a “blog” is. And obviously I made it sound interesting.

Well, there you go. The origin of my blog.

This year has been a year of mirth. As well, it has been a year of being:

Thank you for being a part of it.

Discussing Creationism Part II

In this discussion, I want to narrow it down to only 2 questions regarding Noah's ark (Genesis 6-9):

What was the size of the ark?
How many animals could have fit into the ark? Biblically, we are not told except that there were 7 pairs (male and female) of each clean animal and a male and female of each unclean animal as well as 7 pairs of each fowl.

I am looking for factual answers to these questions from both Evolutionists, Creationists and other. Please supply references (web site addresses with quotes if possible, charts, mathematical calculations, names of books, etc)
Please stick to these 2 questions, only.

For an example, I found this site called Christiananswers. net.

It states that "the ark would have been at least 450 feet long [137.16 meters], 75 feet wide [22.86 meters] and 45 feet high [13.716000000000001 meters]... The total available floor space on the ark would have been over 100,000 square feet, which would be more floor space than in 20 standard-sized basketball courts.The total cubic volume would have been 1,518,000 cubic feet [462,686.4 cubic meters] --that would be equal to the capacity of 569 modern railroad stock cars."
This same web page states that"Doctors Morris and Whitcomb in their classic book, "The Genesis Flood," state that no more than 35,000 individual animals needed to go on the ark. In his well documented book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe suggests that far fewer animals would have been transported upon the ark. By pointing out that the word "specie" is not equivalent to the "created kinds" of the Genesis account, Woodmorappe credibly demonstrates that as few as 2,000 animals may have been required on the ark. To pad this number for error, he continues his study by showing that the ark could easily accommodate 16,000 animals.)
But, let's be generous and add on a reasonable number to include extinct animals. Then add on some more to satisfy even the most skeptical. Let's assume 50,000 animals, far more animals than required, were on board the ark, and these need not have been the largest or even adult specimens."

"Remember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the dinosaur or the elephant, and these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about the size of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-deck stock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an additional 361 cars or enough to make 5 trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food and baggage plus Noah's family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space."

Discussing Creationism Part I

Labels: Creationism/Evolution

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Excerpts from a Life

October 29, 1975
"I'm so tired and bored with counting calories but without it, I'm lost. I feel huge temptations creeping back on me. I don't know what I'll do if I regain the weight.
I'm so troubled, bored with life. Why am I here? What is life? Ants crawling, birds flying, the cat sitting on the chair. What is its' purpose? Nothing makes me happy anymore. All I do is worry about existing.

November 2, 1975
I've changed my thoughts a lot since last time I wrote. I feel much happier.
I'm on a new diet 600-400-700 calories. If I don't gain, I'll add more calories. The scale showed 109 lbs this morning.

November 21, 1975
I hope I don't gain weight. Weigh 107 lbs.

December 1, 1975
Friday afternoon during school, I felt sick so I came home. Lucky thing too for in the evening I felt extremely sick.
During the weekend, I planned all my meals for the next day. I enjoy planning and besides, I never knew how much is allowed in 1800 calories. Weigh 103-104 lbs. Didn't go to school today.
Oh yeah, R-Lynne told me a while back that Chevy drove a girl to school.

To read previous entries, go here.

Labels: Excerpts from a Life

Friday, February 17, 2006

Friendly Friday

Welcome FFMB!
Before we begin our Friendly Friday march, I thought it would be nice to look at the origins of our band. Most of you will remember that the band originated on an "I Love Lucy" episode called " Lucy's Last Birthday."

Lucy was feeling dejected because her husband, Ricky, supposedly forgot her birthday so she went for a walk to be alone. While she was sitting on a bench, hiccupping because that is what she does when she cries, the Friends of the Friendless Marching Band, chances upon her. They mistake her for a drunk and in need of help. They invite her to join the band. Even though they were misled by her hapless appearance, they meant well and thus started a tradition here at "A Revision" of visiting the apparently friendless blogs and inviting them to be a part of our band.

In the original band, individuals were asked to witness to what the Friends of the Friendless Band did for them. I asked the trombonist and instrument repair man, J. Andrew of Past Tense, to stand up and say a few words about the FFMB.

Last Summer I started a blog - mainly for me to have a way to collect some of my poetry. I never dreamed that it would become such a big thing to me!
I don't know if someone nominated me, or if Carol ran into me, but I remember the day I got the comment telling me that I had been invited to be a part of the "band."
What happened was that I quickly became friends with many people that I never had seen before.(and probably never will) It was amazing how fast that you felt like you really knew the people.
Being in the group, I then felt more confident to meet other people around the world.
My poetry went toward Japanese themes, such as haiku, tanka, and haibun. I've had work published in two different journals, and have many plans for the future.
I have to say that I wouldn't have taken those steps without the experience that I had in the "band."
It will always have a soft spot in my heart and I'm looking forward to what we do next!
Andrew Lockhart

Thank you Andrew.
Andrew is an integral part of the FFMB. He is a regular visitor to the other band members' blogs as well as the Friendly Friday sites. Then he fixes all the broken instruments on his own time at no charge. What would we do without him?

I will be asking different members of the FFMB to help me out on other Friendly Fridays, so be on the watch.

The featured site of this Friendly Friday is Ben-Gal of A Particularly Persistent Point of View . I like that ...

she is talking to the dark side of her psyche, Tiger.
Tiger holds his character throughout the blog.
she has interesting topic headings such as blogging and computers, creativity, health and well-being and more.
I can't help but imagine how interesting it would be if Tiger met Buzz!

Visit Wandi. She is a Canadian blogger who lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, so dress warmly.
You'll enjoy Theresa and Dom's Photoblog as well. They are the first couple to be in the friendless march.

Do you have your banner?
I need more friendless sites to visit!

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.
Have fun.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

I discovered a personality mapping tool called the Johari window. This maps positive traits.

There are four personality quadrants. The first are qualities that are known to the self and to others. The second are traits that others may know but the self is blind to. In the third quadrant, there are qualities that are known to self but not to others and in the fourth, the qualities are unknown to self and to others.

Do you care to help me with my analysis? It is simple to do and you don't have to leave your real name.

The Nohari window maps the negatives qualities. Although my blog discloses my weaknesses as well as my strengths, I won't feel compelled to point them out, again.

I found this on Erin's site.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Let's Frolic

All a heart requires
is a smiling nudge on the shoulders
to boost the sun up.
Such moments are for sit ups and touchdowns.

Still a weary child dreams,
but a victory party will rouse her.
Dancing on the bed, we'll rearrange
the patterns on the the pillow.

Labels: Poems

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine's Day

Created using Mr. Picasso Head for Sister Celtic's Valentine Contest.
Yes, Barbara beat me!

Monday, February 13, 2006

Is It Safe to Stretch Before You Warm Up?

Quiz Tamperer has been apprehended. The Olympian's Quiz is functional, I repeat, the Olympian's Quiz is now functional.

While the "other" Olympians do their stuff in Torino, Italy, Olympians from around the world gather to train for next year's Blog Olympics at Barbara's place on February 15, 2006. What did they learn from the previous Olympics? Do they remember how to flex their digitorum profundus?

To see if training camp is for you, take the following quiz:

In preparing for the longevity medal...

In preparing for the frequency of updates medal...

In preparing for the number of comments medal...

In preparing for the most out links medal...

In preparing for your internet presence medal...

In preparing for the medal for least errors...

In preparing for the Blog Olympic training camp...

7-10 You are not ready for the Blog Olympics but you could use the training to bulk up.
11-17 You are an easy going and non-competitive blogger. You might learn something, you might not but like to play along.
18--21 You want to win, at all costs. Yikes! You will definitely make the camp newsworthy... I mean interesting.
22-28 You have what it takes to go right to the top and will get the most out the training camp.

Labels: Quizzes

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Discussing Creationism

Dave of A Bit of This, A Bit of That, is a frim believer in evolution and gives good arguments against Creationism. I have not done a lot of study on the matter because I have never doubted the idea that God created the universe just as recounted in Genesis 1-2.

The following is from Dave's blog, dated Feb 8, 2006

"Regular readers of this blog and Simon's blog will understand that Simon and I do not share the same opinion on this subject. How any intelligent adult can believe in Creationism is, as I have said many times, completely beyond me. On a mere common sense level it is palpably absurd. To see a blog more in line with my own thoughts please visit CK's.

That said here’s a few discussion points for anyone who wants to respond.

(Dave's Argument #1)
Light – I’ve actually seen this said by a creationist blogger:-

‘What good would it do for God to decide to provide starlight if the stars weren't going to provide the light for millions of years? Well, none. In the Bible, God says he created light FIRST and then the sources of the light.’

Another one said -

'As for the starlight? Easy. God made light, the scriptures tell us. He made it everywhere. So that includes light that was "in transit". Easy. And scientifically, you can't prove otherwise. If God made the raw material for stuff and then shaped that raw material into *everything* including distant stars, then it's hardly beyond him to create "in transit" light.’

Now it’s hard to believe that anyone would postulate this as an argument but there it is. If God had created light in his 6 day effort some 6000 years ago then of course we would now only be able to see galaxies and stars that are under 6000 light years away when in reality we can of course see objects millions of light years away.

(Dave's Argument #2)
Humans – If we are all descended from Adam and Eve and we’ve only been around 6000 years, that’s about 200 generations, can you imagine just how quickly all the various races have developed? I wonder which generation saw the emergence of Caucasians, or of negroes, or of Orientals, indigenous N Americans, pygmies, aboriginals, Arabs, S American indigenous people, Asians etc etc.

Human life however long it has been around has had to develop to where we are now, we have had to have time to invent things. It would seem from the creationist point of view the discovery of fire, and the wheel and then the stone age, bronze age and iron age was concertinaed into a couple of thousand years. Invetions must literally have been happening on a daily basis.

(Dave's Argument #3)

Noah’s Ark – We are told all the animals in the world were on board? There have been loads of articles written about just what a ridiculous story this is if taken literally but I’ll restrict myself to a few thoughts. Even today we are discovering new animals, are we suggesting that Noah found them all and then they were lost? Are we suggesting that Noah walked/rode/sailed to every corner of the world to get a male and female of each species? Just how many hundreds of years would that take I wonder, no actually that’s OK as the bible says Noah was 600 years old! Oh and his knowledge of the whole world was restricted to the Middle East or was he the real discoverer of America, Australia etc?

What geological or archaeological evidence is there of such a universal destruction of all plants, all animals and all human societies except for the ones on Noah's boat? Should there not be a layer of sediment dating from the same time, which contains all the bones of these poor creatures. There should be evidence that all human societies were wiped out simultaneously. No such evidence exists of a universal flood.

So we have a situation where some 50,000 species of animal including all the dinosaurs and all the extinct species that have ever lived are in this boat that’s made of wood. I wonder how the T Rex for example was persuaded not to eat the sheep? The food alone required to feed all these animals for 6 months would have required another 47 arks. The daily amount of animal excrement would have sunk the ark in a week. I could go on but really is it necessary?

(Dave's Conclusion:)

However an interesting point is that it seems that from the creationist point of view if you don’t believe in Creationism then you must actually believe in Evolution as a solid, unmoveable fact with no possible concerns about it at all. Very few people would actually take this point of view, I would suggest that most people take it as the best theory that is currently available, that it makes eminent sense and that it is backed up by science. That is not to say that it cannot be discussed and debated.

However the really interesting point of all this is why some, a small minority of the world’s population I know, but some seemingly intelligent people believe in Creationism. What is it that causes them to suspend common sense, to ignore overwhelming scientific evidence? I really don’t know. I have said before that-

‘As far as I am aware no one (well certainly not me) has any problem with creationists believing in God. I don't but many of my friends do and that's fine. My sole 'problem' if that's the word, is with this idea that the bible is literal and that the world came into being in a 'flash' 6000 years ago. …………… But as I have said before this creationism idea is patently absurd. The future of the human race lies in looking ahead and working together not harking back to a book written nigh on 2000 years ago, albeit that it has a lot of sensible things to say.’

Some useful reference sites:-
http://www.holysmoke.org
http://www.talkorigins.org/
http://www.theistic-evolution.com/transitional.html
http://www.tim-thompson.com/trans-fossils.html"

Carol's counter-arguments
Creation is a mystery. Science has its theories and religious people have their belielfs based on the ancient writings. Can the two ever meet? If scientists and believers agreed to look at all the facts, both of science and the ancient text of the Bible, perhaps the truth may be known. Rejecting the Words of God isn't the answer nor is rejecting the scientific facts but remember that theories are not facts until proven without a trace of doubt. This is what the debate is about. Evolution is being accepted as fact as religious people point out that important facts are being left out, the creation account in Genesis.

Carol's Counter-Argument #1
Genesis 1:3 does state that God made light on the first day. Up until that point, "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Gen 1:2 This is interesting because the sun, moon and stars weren't created until Gen 1:14-18.
It appears that the earth has an inherent light apart from the sun, moon and starts. Astronomy might help with this.

Stars and the travel of light brings up another interesting question. If the universe was only created 6000 years ago then because of the travel of light, stars millions of light years away would not exist. This might be true but I put this idea forward for consideration. God created matter with age. Adam and Eve were not created as babies. Earth looked much older than it already was. When the universe was created and the stars put in place, it looked as if they were millions of years old even though they were just created.

Carol's Counter- Argument #2
Regarding the quickness of the development of the different races according to creationism, how accurate are our assumptions that all these different groups of people are as they are now? I suggest that they weren't. The division of people began at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, which is relevently near the beginning of the world and then they separated. Environmental and cultural differentiation would've begun then

Regarding the speed of inventions, one only has to look at our present age and the rapidity of technological change. "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Carol's Counter- Argument #3
There is a common misconception that God created every type of animal we know now. No, he created all the animals that the others evolved from (yes, Christians believe in evolution, within a species, that is) Eg. From an original feline animal evolved saber-tooth tigers, cheetahs, and of course our beloved pet.
As well, before the flood, the world was one continent so Noah would not have to walk as far as proposed. The earth was divided afterwards and is mentioned incidently in Gen 10:25.
Also, before the flood, man and animals were not carnivores. Gen 9:2-3 Dinosaurs are a amazing mystery to me. The flesh eatings forms would have evolved after the flood. So there would have been no danger of animals eating one another.
I find it interesting that you say that there is no evidence for a universal flood yet different cultures all talk about a great flood. I would have to do further research on geological evidences for I have not heard anyone state that before. This is one interesting site I found, although it is biased.

Carol's Conclusion:
Yes, Dave, it should be discussed even though, like I stated at the beginning, this is not a topic I have studied extensively.
Christians take God's Word as fact as much as scientists take the fossils they discover as fact. I believe the truth lies in looking at all the facts. This Book has a lot in it to discover, mainly spiritual, but the book of Genesis was written as a book of history not myths. That is why religious people will not deny the facts it present.
I hope you will get a Bible, Dave. It would help your study of this important topic. It is great that you have such a fascination with it.

Labels: Creationism/Evolution

Friday, February 10, 2006

Friendly Friday

Hello FFMB! Are you ready to march around the clock? I know that you are,but before we take off, can you tell me who these band members are?
If you post a photo on your blog of you with your instrument this week, I will add it to this group collage. Make it as original as you like.

The featured friendless site today is The Adventures of Reuben. I like his blog because of:

the variety of themes
the clouds
the pink slippers
the people
the grasshopper

Which is your favorite photo of Reuben's? (There is a problem with Reuben's first comment area, but if scroll down to his "This one's for you, Nick" post, the comment at the end of these photos is working. Or leave the comment for Reuben on my blog.)

Visit -R- at And You Know What Else. I like her lists!
Check out Pam's blog, My Secret Place. She will enchant you with her teacup story and inspirational words she has written or discovered.

Get your banners here!

Lately,I have been asked 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.
Have fun. This is compulsory.

Answer key to collage-left to right
Stephen the baritonist.
Sister Celtic is the cymbalist and pots and pans player.
Yeah, that's me the tuba player and conductor of the FFMB. I told you I looked like Marcie!
Pearl plays the korean drums.
Barbara is the animated flutist.
Su is the trumpeter.

It's still not too late to add your picture to the collage. Just let me know when you have it posted.

Labels: Friends of the Friendless

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Buzz Does a Guest Appearance (Part III of The Buzz and I)

(Emcee addresses audience as the heart appears over the curtain: "Is everybody aware that Buzz is in actuality a ringing in Carol's ear? I thought not. Well now that you have been officially informed, don't go telling others that Carol is talking to herself. Thank you.)

Scene opens with Lucy sitting on the living room couch, chewing a fingernail with a faraway look in her eyes. A small mechanical toy monkey crosses the floor, doing cartwheels, followed by little Ricky doing the same.

Audience ooohs.

Lucy appears not to notice but catches Little Ricky in her arms. L.R. giggles.
Mrs Trumbull enters. "Little Ricky," she says as she puts his jacket on, " we are going to have fun at the zoo today." The two walk out the door.

Ethel enters the scene through the back door,"Lucy, are you home?" She finds Lucy still on the couch, with the same faraway look in her eye.
"Lucy, what's the matter?" Ethel looks closely at Lucy and snaps her fingers in front of Lucy's face.
"Don't do that, Ethel. I'm listening."
"To what, Lucy?"
"To this..."and Lucy, puddling up, sticks out her tongue to reveal a fly sitting on it. A close up reveals it is Pepito the Clown on a little tricycle. "Bzzzzzzzzzz!"
"Now, we mustn't let Ricky find out," Lucy speaks quietly to Ethel. Ethel's eyes bulge.

Scene at the Tropicana Nightclub.
Ricky is practicing with his band. The number is Forever Darling.

Back to the Ricardo living room.
Lucy is standing on her head while Ethel tap dances around her.
"Is he still there?" Lucy asks and sticks out her tongue. Pepito is peddling furiously.

"Stop, I can't bear to do this to Lucy, Buzz. I'd rather let her pratfall into her make believe fantasy than break it to her. Look at her. I love her, Buzz."
Buzz, his Pepito makeup starting to drip down his face, looks up and says, "And you think I don't? Keep going!"

I can't bear to write it all down except to say that when Lucy finds Ricky with the showgirl, it disturbed me greatly.
Then I had hopes that after their marriage counselling in the next episode that everything would work out but unfortunately, during that last season they parted company. Lucy got custody of Little Ricky and Ricky got to see him Mondays and Tuesdays.

The pie fight at the end was a classic way to end the episode though. Pepito got pied twice.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

There's a Buzz in my ear (Part II of The Buzz and I)

I was sitting in the armchair, content as can be, until the buzzing began in earnest.
"Buzz, I think the Lucy episodes are a closer look at reality than you think," I speak to the empty room.
"Yeah, right," I can tell that Buzz is feeling skeptical and grumpy which fills the room with a steady "Hummph!" Buzz knows I want to explain but like a child, I wait for the listener to ask, "What?"
"Lucy and Ricky were the happiest couple on tv but in their real lives their marriage was falling apart. They acted while they lived out their unhappiness in silence. Look at them, no one would ever have known their misery. That, my dear Buzz, is reality."
Then while we contemplate this, I look out the window at the rows of picket fences that run throughout the neighborhood. "Oh! It is time to put on Oceanescapes," I reach for the CD which soon drowns out Buzz's reply.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Introducing Buzz (Part I of The Buzz and I)

The Buzz in my ear listened as I thought aloud, "What do you think this blog reporter friend of mine should write about?"
There is no answer for a long time, I assume there isn't any interest in my blog friend's dilemma until I hear a clearing of the throat and a deepening voice answers, "How about that China is going to be the next super power?"
This is a segue into a long political rant. I try explaining that the blog reporter just wants to be funny but I am not heard.
"Did you understand?" Buzz asks at the end of the soliloquy.
"Yes," I reply seriously and sense that the listener is satisfied until I laugh, "I've heard it a few times before, you know."

"You have got to stop writing as if the world is a Lucy episode," Buzz wants me to live in the real world with real conflicts and real tragedies.
I nod and continue to plan the next Friendly Friday, intent on ignoring the ringing in my ears.

Barbara is true to her word. She actually did the meme she said she would way back on Dec 12, 2005!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Nebula in Crayola

Shift Your Weight

I am introspective. My Mom used to tell me that I thought too much. A friend told me to get my mind off of myself and focus outwards. For some this is easy , for me it is a huge paradigm shift of being.

That same friend said it is better to live life as a surfer does, adapting to the overwhelming waves. Complaining about the situations in life doesn't help nor does getting depressed about it.

I am tired of that. Yes, I am ready to look outward, shift my balance in response to the moving waters around me, aware that I am not alone on the sea.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Job 38:4-5

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?

Does science prove the existance of God?

There is a God.
There is a God.
There is a God.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

I Won Second Prize !

done by Picarol

Remember the new PicasoHead competition that Sister Celtic has for Valentine's Day.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Friendly Friday

Hi Friends of the Friendless.
I just have to say, wasn't that a party!!
But now back to doing what we do best- being the friendliest marching band around.

Before we start our march, there is something special I want to share with you. Mompoet, our kazooist, wrote this poem along with the help of some of the band. This girl is not only a poet , but a loads of laughs and philosophical too.

A poem for the Friendlies

I thought I was alone in this world
But you posted a comment
That burst my black bandaid bagpipes
With a theological dissection of
The Battle of the Boyne and its role in the invention
Of English Toffee band hats.
Just when I was thinking
I was the only dolt who didn't know
The difference between
Cilantr
and
Cilantro
You sent cotton candy kazoos and butterfly kisses
And posted your photograph of a strawberry
That looked exactly like Robert Preston
Only a little less juicy
And you told me
YOU LOVE LUCY
Too
So I knew
I was not alone.

I imagined my existence as an Alaskan Wasteland
Ecologically unique, sure...
But who'd want to live there?
Then you linked my post about the crucifixion
And my theory that the Bowron Lakes
Are actually named for a Celtic drum
(partly because of the shape and partly because of the goats)
To your post about a song medley:
Babaloo, Seventy-Six Trombones, and Light My Fire
And the pivotal place these pieces played
In the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
I don't know how to describe
The adrenalin rush
Of finding my
Bubbly fictitious ruminations seriously associated
With the work
Of the esteemed former Chancellor
Of Barbara Pepper University.
I mean, I practically had a
Vanilla fudge ripple wind chime moment
Right there in front of the french fries and hot chocolate
And I actually said (out loud)
"Yeah! that's me there. That's my life...YEAH!"

I thought I was blogging into the void
Hullabaloo-wanking to beat the oblivion band.
Sure, I knew
Jesus Christ wrote a song for everyone
But I was certain
My song had been done before
With more compelling references and a superior template.
I was a somebody to nobody
And a nobody to somebody
Who really didn't give two figs
Or one persimmon
(depending on the hemisphere)
So much that it hardly bothered me
That all I had in my flickr foldr
Was a picture of an empty paper bag.

Because of you
I'm re-writing my profile in the present tense.
I'm posting stream of consciousness
Who cares if it makes any sense?
You led me up the cyclone pathway
To the top of Blueberry Hill
Told me the secret of Sargent Pepper
Welcomed me to the Green Charlotte Islands
And licked the yellow sticky off all of my envelopes
Before I could seal myself up
To hide away from you.

You are my friends

My band of brothers
Salutation of sisters.
You put the flunder in Fridays
The scrabble in eggs
With the gs on a triple letter score.
All of those things that I thought before
Now I know they're not true.
But I don't take any of it for granted
Because it's once in a blue moon
That a person like me
Is blessed
To hang out on Fridays
With friendlies like you.

By and For my Friends of the Friendless Marching Band Brothers and Sisters
mompoet 2006

Wow! A round of applause for our very own, Mompoet.

Now, onto our featured site of the week which is Olharapo Artesnato! I like her blog because:

it is beautifully simple.
it is creatively inspiring. I have to find those crayons and play again.
of the photographs of the crafts she is doing.
her blog is in both Portuguese and English.

You just have to visit Photo-A-Day for a variety of photographic themes
and Terry of Terry's Timeout who enjoys travelling and her hippy boyfriend.

Leave comments as you march through...

Now, I know some of the boys in the band might want more macho blogs but I have only one thing to say to that-nominate some friendless blogs, men (and women, you too). Remember that friendless blogs are those that have few comments, less than 5/post.

Banners are always available. I wrote some instructions on how to get them on your template so check it out.

Labels: Friends of the Friendless

Thursday, February 02, 2006

But I Can Hear

bee
fridge
computer
hair dryer
vacuum cleaner

Constantly humming
your one note to me
I might have to listen forever to you

Don't listen
Pretend that I am not even here

ignore
practise the distraction of meditation and doing
and don't fear hearing things differently

crickets
shower
rain

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

On a lighter note...

Raehan, FFMB accordionist, is having her one year bloganniversary party. Drop in and say hi.

Sister Celtic,creator of the above heart design and cymbalist of the FFMB,has a new art competition on. Winners will be announced Valentine's Day.

Getting Ready

*****A Revision*****

I work in the health care system. Yesterday, at work, there were meetings on the upcoming Avian Flu pandemic. We were told its not a matter of if but when. Although there is no determination of the severity at the moment, it is best to prepare for the worst.

It does not help that I am a worrier, that is one who likes to sit and fret about matters rather than deal with them. The antidote to worry is action. So this post is to help me combat my natural tendency by preparing myself to be prepared.

A pandemic occurs when the genes of an influenza virus radically mutate allowing it to quickly spread to the whole world because of the lack of immunity. There have pandemics in the 20th century, the worst was the Spanish Flu in 1918. The Asian Flu in 1957 and Hong Kong Flu in 1968 were of less severity.

"Experts at WHO (World Health Organization)and elsewhere believe that the world is now closer to another influenza pandemic than at any time since 1968, when the last of the previous century's three pandemics occurred."

Current flu vaccines are not effective as these specific genetic strains have not been seen before.

We had a family meeting yesterday evening to discuss the matter. I had already written down a few ideas and we brainstormed a bit. Everyone was calm but my anxious face prompted my Daughter to say, "Don't panic, Mom." Afterwards, my Son said he was scared and we told him that we were talking about it so that we could prevent ourselves from getting it.

Influenza is spread by droplets from coughing, sneezing or even talking. The length of the virus' survival varies according to the surface it is on but it only survives 5 minutes on the hands. Frequent hand washing is an effective way to reduce transmission. A simple way to cover the mouth when coughing is to cough into the crook of your arm. Then you aren't contaminating your hand with your own droplets and you are not bringing possible viral contaminants into your own mouth.

Because the virus enters the body through the eyes, mouth and nose, it is important not to touch face withoug washing hands first which I have a habit of doing. It was suggested to me to use a tissue to touch the face with.

Having a healthy lifestyle strengthens the immune system. There is a man I know who had a terrible bout of pneumonia last winter. He told me that he learned his lesson. He now eats more healthy, gets enough sleep and takes a multivitamin. I know that he also exercises regularly and is a non-smoker. Having a positive attitude (probably not being stress out about this pandemic) is also helpful.

Stocking up on health supplies ( buy the N95 masks now), non-perishables and bottled water is recommended as it may be difficult to get to the store if sick and store supplies might be low. As well, it best to avoid crowds in a pandemic.

Education and awareness are the first steps.

Web pages to visit:
World Health Organization- global influenza preparedness plan
The Hill Feb 1, 2006
National Public Radio Nov 05
People's Daily Online Jan 06

A Revision

About

About Me

Previous

Archives

Links

Monday, February 27, 2006

Olympic Glory

Blog Olympics Training Camp

Sunday, February 26, 2006

1 Corinthian 3:18

Discussing Creationism Part III

Friday, February 24, 2006

Friendly Friday

Thursday, February 23, 2006

We don't have a rec room...

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Today...

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Petra

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Discussing Creationism Part II

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Excerpts from a Life

Friday, February 17, 2006

Friendly Friday

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Let's Frolic

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine's Day

Monday, February 13, 2006

Is It Safe to Stretch Before You Warm Up?

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Discussing Creationism

Friday, February 10, 2006

Friendly Friday

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Buzz Does a Guest Appearance (Part III of The Buzz and I)

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

There's a Buzz in my ear (Part II of The Buzz and I)

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Introducing Buzz (Part I of The Buzz and I)

Monday, February 06, 2006

Nebula in Crayola

Shift Your Weight

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Job 38:4-5

Saturday, February 04, 2006

I Won Second Prize !

Friday, February 03, 2006

Friendly Friday

Thursday, February 02, 2006

But I Can Hear

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

On a lighter note...

Getting Ready