And I Still Believe In "Nothing"...
So, it's the last day of March 2011. March has been very cruel to me (maybe you've noticed I haven't posted anything over here in...I don't even know how long). Every time I thought about posting over here I thought, "why bother? Who's going to care?" I have to remind myself that I'm not doing this blog for all y'all, I'm doing it for me.
And for me, right now, I'm just going to post a song here that, while it has pretty much unlimited ability to make me cry (even when I'm "happy" it can make me bawl), by making me cry it makes me feel better. I won't bother asking what makes you cry your way to happiness because you won't bother to answer (or if you do, it'll be on facebook so very few others can see your answer). So, without further ado...
And for me, right now, I'm just going to post a song here that, while it has pretty much unlimited ability to make me cry (even when I'm "happy" it can make me bawl), by making me cry it makes me feel better. I won't bother asking what makes you cry your way to happiness because you won't bother to answer (or if you do, it'll be on facebook so very few others can see your answer). So, without further ado...
Intelligence Prevails...Maybe
Well, it's about time someone got a clue. Since the early 20th Century legislation has been enacted to protect the rights of all sorts of people. Now, finally, the rights of people who believe in and/or wish to do research into creation are finally going to be protected...at least in Texas...maybe.
On March 8th of this year Bill Zedler, (R) Representative of the Texas State House, filed House Bill 2454, a measure that would "[prohibit] discrimination based on research related to intelligent design." The full bill can be viewed on the Texas Legislature website.
As a Creationist I think it's about time that something like this is finally passed (let's hope that the Texas Higher Ed folks agree with me). The staunch evolutionists have managed to keep all such legislation off the books up to now, and for what? What are they afraid of?!
Just because I'm a Creationist does not mean that I don't believe in evolution. I just don't believe that evolution is the only way. Why people can't believe in creation and evolution is beyond me. Isn't that what people do when they create babies? Why then is it impossible that there is a God who created us first?
Evolution does exist - evidence is everywhere. Things change due to environmental factors, genetic factors and the simple randomness of events. But there is absolutely no evidence of high level taxonomic evolution, and yet, we are all related, are we not? All organisms share some level of genetics, because, "for dust [we] are, and unto dust shall [we] return" (KJV Gen 3:19). If all things are made from "dust" then of course there will be similarities between organisms. Those similarities don't negate the existence of a Creator.
I find it fascinating that humans have reached the height of egoism by suggesting that there is nothing and no one of superior intelligence. For a group of people so bent on demystifying existence evolutionists/anti-creationists have certainly managed to accept a great deal of mystery. There is still no consensus on how the earth and our solar system were actually formed and far greater mysteries still remain, despite scientific efforts. We still can't even figure out how to predict earthquakes! The great stumbling block of evolution is its inability to prove the relationship between humans and our nearest "relatives." There is still no "missing link," why? Because there isn't one!
There must needs be an opposition in all things. Newton's 3rd law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, if there is a God there must be something else, right? Satan's greatest accomplishments are convincing humans that he doesn't exist and that there is no greater authority than the human mind. Well, some of us know better.
On March 8th of this year Bill Zedler, (R) Representative of the Texas State House, filed House Bill 2454, a measure that would "[prohibit] discrimination based on research related to intelligent design." The full bill can be viewed on the Texas Legislature website.
As a Creationist I think it's about time that something like this is finally passed (let's hope that the Texas Higher Ed folks agree with me). The staunch evolutionists have managed to keep all such legislation off the books up to now, and for what? What are they afraid of?!
Just because I'm a Creationist does not mean that I don't believe in evolution. I just don't believe that evolution is the only way. Why people can't believe in creation and evolution is beyond me. Isn't that what people do when they create babies? Why then is it impossible that there is a God who created us first?
Evolution does exist - evidence is everywhere. Things change due to environmental factors, genetic factors and the simple randomness of events. But there is absolutely no evidence of high level taxonomic evolution, and yet, we are all related, are we not? All organisms share some level of genetics, because, "for dust [we] are, and unto dust shall [we] return" (KJV Gen 3:19). If all things are made from "dust" then of course there will be similarities between organisms. Those similarities don't negate the existence of a Creator.
I find it fascinating that humans have reached the height of egoism by suggesting that there is nothing and no one of superior intelligence. For a group of people so bent on demystifying existence evolutionists/anti-creationists have certainly managed to accept a great deal of mystery. There is still no consensus on how the earth and our solar system were actually formed and far greater mysteries still remain, despite scientific efforts. We still can't even figure out how to predict earthquakes! The great stumbling block of evolution is its inability to prove the relationship between humans and our nearest "relatives." There is still no "missing link," why? Because there isn't one!
There must needs be an opposition in all things. Newton's 3rd law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, if there is a God there must be something else, right? Satan's greatest accomplishments are convincing humans that he doesn't exist and that there is no greater authority than the human mind. Well, some of us know better.
Obamanation
The other day I was watching Bret Baier (don't hate, I'm still confused as to how Fox is any worse than any other news organization...oh, wait, they're conservative...*eye roll*) and during the panel portion of his show he asked whether Obama's current behavior, in light of present worldwide calamity, colors his image in other nations. The NPR woman, Mara Liasson, said that it doesn't; Obama is allowed to go golfing if he wants to! The other two panelists disagreed; Obama's actions are sending a clear message and that message is bad. Today there is news that Obama has picked his Final Four for March Madness! Whew! And here I thought he'd actually manage to get some real work done!
Seriously, I have to disagree with Ms. Liasson, as well. While I understand that Obama has a right to go golfing and pick his Final Four, the point is that his present actions (the Woman's Month radio broadcast on Friday, the golfing on Saturday and now this!) send a very clear message to the rest of the world...and to all of us here at home who are paying any attention! And that message is that his lack of experience and personal agenda are getting firmly in the way of handling his presidential responsibilities, either that or he just doesn't care.
Obama talked a good game while he was running for president but he has managed to renege on every major campaign promise since he's been in the White House. The only real bit of legislation that he has managed to pass is Obamacare, and that he rammed down the collective American throat. He is the victim of his own ego and aspirations and he campaigned without truly understanding what being president would entail; his campaign promises should have made that abundantly clear! To think that he actually thought (and people actually believed) that he could end the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan within one year show just how naïve he is. Same goes for Guantanamo Bay. His inciter rhetoric concerning unions is another example. Did he genuinely believe he could march with unionists as the president?!
What about the blame he keeps laying at the door of the Republicans (specifically George W. Bush) when anything goes wrong? Sorry, but you only get a free ride for the first 9 months of your term. If you can't get it right after that then it's all on you. Especially after 2 years! If, after 2 years you're still blaming your predecessor for everything that goes wrong then you are a wholly ineffective leader.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy and I certainly don't wish him harm. But I do think that he is an inappropriate choice to lead this nation (and if he gets reelected I will have lost all faith in my fellow Americans). This has nothing to do with race [(although I do believe that that's why he was elected) as anyone who knows me knows that I am the anti-racist], it has everything to do with effective leadership and willingness to do what needs to be done.
That's why I applaud the governors of Wisconsin, Ohio, and now Maryland (see, not just Republicans!) for their willingness to push through unpopular legislation. Do I agree with the legislation they are pushing? Well, while I believe that unions can be beneficial, I think they have far too much power and they force people to participate, often against their will. Unions should be working for the good of the people they serve, but that's not always what happens.
It would be nice if Obama would start being the president instead of merely a figurehead. He was elected to perform a particular duty; lead the country. So start doing it already!
Seriously, I have to disagree with Ms. Liasson, as well. While I understand that Obama has a right to go golfing and pick his Final Four, the point is that his present actions (the Woman's Month radio broadcast on Friday, the golfing on Saturday and now this!) send a very clear message to the rest of the world...and to all of us here at home who are paying any attention! And that message is that his lack of experience and personal agenda are getting firmly in the way of handling his presidential responsibilities, either that or he just doesn't care.
Obama talked a good game while he was running for president but he has managed to renege on every major campaign promise since he's been in the White House. The only real bit of legislation that he has managed to pass is Obamacare, and that he rammed down the collective American throat. He is the victim of his own ego and aspirations and he campaigned without truly understanding what being president would entail; his campaign promises should have made that abundantly clear! To think that he actually thought (and people actually believed) that he could end the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan within one year show just how naïve he is. Same goes for Guantanamo Bay. His inciter rhetoric concerning unions is another example. Did he genuinely believe he could march with unionists as the president?!
What about the blame he keeps laying at the door of the Republicans (specifically George W. Bush) when anything goes wrong? Sorry, but you only get a free ride for the first 9 months of your term. If you can't get it right after that then it's all on you. Especially after 2 years! If, after 2 years you're still blaming your predecessor for everything that goes wrong then you are a wholly ineffective leader.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy and I certainly don't wish him harm. But I do think that he is an inappropriate choice to lead this nation (and if he gets reelected I will have lost all faith in my fellow Americans). This has nothing to do with race [(although I do believe that that's why he was elected) as anyone who knows me knows that I am the anti-racist], it has everything to do with effective leadership and willingness to do what needs to be done.
That's why I applaud the governors of Wisconsin, Ohio, and now Maryland (see, not just Republicans!) for their willingness to push through unpopular legislation. Do I agree with the legislation they are pushing? Well, while I believe that unions can be beneficial, I think they have far too much power and they force people to participate, often against their will. Unions should be working for the good of the people they serve, but that's not always what happens.
It would be nice if Obama would start being the president instead of merely a figurehead. He was elected to perform a particular duty; lead the country. So start doing it already!
Thailand's Got Talent? Darn Right They do!
I was watching Access Hollywood today (yes, I know...) and they showed a clip from Thailand's Got Talent. I'm not going to say anything else about it, if you haven't seen it yet then I don't want to ruin it for you; if you have...well then, you know what's coming!
Ghost Defectives
I believe in ghosts (or specters, spirits, apparitions, or whatever else you choose to call them). I believe in ghosts because I have had personal experience with ghosts and I am personally acquainted with others who have also. So you'd think that with my personal experience I would be all over these ghost shows clogging up the airwaves, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. As a matter of fact, most of the ghost shows on TV are a complete waste of time.
I'm specifically talking about the ghost hunting shows; Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters /International, Paranormal State, etc. These shows drive me crazy because, well frankly, they're doing it wrong! That and, seriously, could they possibly be more obnoxious?
If you're going to go ghost hunting here's how you should do it:
I'm specifically talking about the ghost hunting shows; Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters /International, Paranormal State, etc. These shows drive me crazy because, well frankly, they're doing it wrong! That and, seriously, could they possibly be more obnoxious?
If you're going to go ghost hunting here's how you should do it:
- Find a group of people who are calm, intelligent, and not likely to freak out thinking it's a ghost if someone farts (Most Haunted I'm looking at you).
- Be prepared to investigate over an extended period of time; I'm talking 6 months or more, not just 1 or 2 nights. Anything can happen once, if you only investigate 1 night then you cannot claim that the phenomenon is due to something unexplainable!
- For 1/3 of the length of the investigation you should keep people strictly out of the investigation area; only measuring and recording equipment should be present (this will allow you to determine if the phenomena are human-presence related or truly "unexplainable"). For the 2nd third, people may enter the area but not "interact" with anything they might come across (this allows for the possibility that spirits prefer to act when there is an audience). For the final third, the investigators may interact; this means calling out or responding to a "presence" (just try not to be a dork about it, à la Ghost Adventures and Most Haunted - I mean, seriously...). By doing the investigation this way you decrease the chance of your data being seen as total trash because you didn't bother to cancel out confounding factors in your experiment.
- For each third of the experiment the time should be split between day-time and night-time investigation. In other words, don't just research night-time activity, examine day-time activity, too. You might be surprised.
- When analyzing data it should be independently reviewed by a third party. This removes the inherent experimenter bias. More than 1 person should review and each reviewer should be segregated during the review, writing down their findings. Only after all reviewers have performed separate analyses should the results be collated. This ensures that no observer bias creeps into the study clouding the conclusion.
- And finally: As with all good experiments it should be repeatable by others. Therefore, your process should be well documented so that others may repeat the procedure, as exactly as possible, if needed.
Visions Of Death: Mayers
I've been slacking off with my blog lately. I missed Monday's Death post, so I'm making up for it today.
This time around I've chosen a really awesome memorial for James and Linda Mayers. This is in the Wellsville City Cemetery. I was looking for some other people when I came across this one and just had to have a picture of it. It's made of metal and essentially hollow; the black area with information is a separate sheet of metal. Some of you may recognize what it is, others may not.
This time around I've chosen a really awesome memorial for James and Linda Mayers. This is in the Wellsville City Cemetery. I was looking for some other people when I came across this one and just had to have a picture of it. It's made of metal and essentially hollow; the black area with information is a separate sheet of metal. Some of you may recognize what it is, others may not.
(The front)
(The back - this is what I saw first)
I'm Not Talkin' 'Bout The Linen...
Two things happened today that spawned this post. First, while I was working this morning they played Jumpin' Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones. Even Whoopi had a hard time with that song because it sure sounds like he's saying: "I was raised by a toothless lesbian." But what he's really saying isn't much better: " I was raised by a toothless bearded hag."
The second incident involved England Dan and John Ford Coley's song I'd Really Love To See You Tonight. Years ago one of my sisters told me she always thought they were saying: "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen." I was confused because that's what I thought they were saying, too. Turns out it's actually: "I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in." Now though, I can't listen to that song without singing the misheard lyrics...it's just so much better!
But those aren't the only songs with misheard lyrics. In fact, there's an entire website dedicated to misheard lyrics! Kissthisguy.com calls itself the "Archive of misheard lyrics." You can choose a song, enter what you heard and tell the story of how you found out you were totally off-base. Some of the stories are pretty good, some of the misheard lyrics are even better! This site finally allows you to see just how many other people heard the same thing you did. It's great!
Some of the less comprehensible lyrics over the years have come from the likes of Def Leppard and Duran Duran. Although, in Duran Duran's case he really was saying: "Shake up the picture, the lizard mixture with your dance on the eventide." Who hasn't heard some crazy lyric to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds that wasn't: "Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap?"
Some of the well known "alternate" lyrics are for Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann. It sounds like he's saying: "Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche; another rumor in the night." Turns out that's not it: "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce; another runner in the night." Of course, either way it doesn't make much sense. Another great one that I found on Kissthisguy is for J. Geils Band's Centerfold: "My anus is the center hole." Now that I've stopped LMBO...it's acutally: "My angel is the centerfold." How about Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers? How many of you thought he was saying: "Secret Asian man?"
So, if you want a good laugh, go check out the site. If you have any good ones you'd like to share, then post them here; I'd love to read them!
The second incident involved England Dan and John Ford Coley's song I'd Really Love To See You Tonight. Years ago one of my sisters told me she always thought they were saying: "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen." I was confused because that's what I thought they were saying, too. Turns out it's actually: "I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in." Now though, I can't listen to that song without singing the misheard lyrics...it's just so much better!
But those aren't the only songs with misheard lyrics. In fact, there's an entire website dedicated to misheard lyrics! Kissthisguy.com calls itself the "Archive of misheard lyrics." You can choose a song, enter what you heard and tell the story of how you found out you were totally off-base. Some of the stories are pretty good, some of the misheard lyrics are even better! This site finally allows you to see just how many other people heard the same thing you did. It's great!
Some of the less comprehensible lyrics over the years have come from the likes of Def Leppard and Duran Duran. Although, in Duran Duran's case he really was saying: "Shake up the picture, the lizard mixture with your dance on the eventide." Who hasn't heard some crazy lyric to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds that wasn't: "Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap?"
Some of the well known "alternate" lyrics are for Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann. It sounds like he's saying: "Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche; another rumor in the night." Turns out that's not it: "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce; another runner in the night." Of course, either way it doesn't make much sense. Another great one that I found on Kissthisguy is for J. Geils Band's Centerfold: "My anus is the center hole." Now that I've stopped LMBO...it's acutally: "My angel is the centerfold." How about Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers? How many of you thought he was saying: "Secret Asian man?"
So, if you want a good laugh, go check out the site. If you have any good ones you'd like to share, then post them here; I'd love to read them!
I Have To Give That Up?!
Lent began on Wednesday. For those who don't understand what Lent is, let me explain. According to the Catholic Education Resource Center , "Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation [for] the celebration of Easter." It is roughly 40 days in length, begins with Ash Wednesday, and ends on Easter Sunday. The idea is that you do something to bring you closer to God, or at the very least, further away from something you find abhorrent. Many people erroneously believe Lent is specifically a time to "give something up." That's a pretty simplistic view of Lent. Really, you don't have to necessarily "give something up," instead, Lent is a time to make a positive change in your life. If that means giving something up, then you give something up. If it means taking something on (such as service to others), then you do that.
Recently, there was an article in the local newsrag about a group of local Mountain Crest high school students who wanted to start a no-swearing club. There was some discussion about this and what a stupid waste of time their endeavor is. In fact, there are probably some of you right now wondering what's wrong with using "real" words. The problem is, foul and filthy language actually does a serious number on your vocabulary. Trust me, I'm living proof. I used to have a stellar vocabulary and I was very proud of the fact that I could string more than a few big words together and actually manage to use them correctly. I remember once in high school I gave myself a mental pat on the back and was super excited when I used a word I had never used before and actually used it properly! I puffed up. I was verklempt! Ah, but how times change, don't they?
A while back, I found some old university term papers I had written. I found one I had written in Spring of '05 and one I had written in Spring of '06. I was shocked at the difference. I almost couldn't recognize the paper I had written in '05. It was full of lofty, academic-sounding words and had a flow that was scie ntific-abstractesque. I almost couldn't even read it! According to the computer, it was college level English. By comparison, the '06 paper was much easier to read. I recognized it immediately; it felt...comfortable. The issue is that it was barely 12th grade level English. In the space of just one year my vocabulary had dwindled to virtual nothingness. I had been using garbage language in my daily life and it had massacred my intelligence.
I applaud the kids at Mountain Crest for their desire to strive to be something more than what society deems is okay. And that's really the point here. Society no longer values education the way it used to. There was a time when most people weren't educated and they lived from hand-to-mouth (that time was known as the "Dark Ages" for a reason). Then, education became important and more and more people were educated. Life began to lighten (as in "Enlightenment" - this is a no-pun-tax zone, by the way) and the lives of many were improved. But then, for some reason (and you can see throughout history that all great empires that stopped putting emphasis on education crumbled...good lesson to learn here), education started to become a bad word...a four-letter word, even.
And look at it now! The government is cutting education funds left, right, and center. The average person now believes that teachers don't actually do anything ("what about those 3 month summer vacations, eh!"), and the get-through-school-quick mentality is wearing on the next generation. As the daughter of a retired university professor, I am very well aware that teachers work their butts off and generally get a lot of grief for their efforts. In fact, that's one of the reasons that my dad loves teaching in non-American institutions; because the students actually appreciate what he does. That's a criticism of parents too, by the way. Because children learn much of their bad behavior from their parents, if the parents are antagonistic toward education then why shouldn't their children be equally antagonistic?
A few years ago I decided to actively participate in Lent because I wanted to change some things about myself. I decided Lent would be the perfect time to do it. Two years in a row I chose to give up foul and abusive language. I had come to realize that my speech was disgusting and needed a complete overhaul. The first year it didn't go so well ("old habits..." and all that). Within the first day I'd already messed up. The problem was that I had, over the years, developed what one person called a "trucker mouth." Yeah, on a normal day I was pretty bad. If I got angry it was far worse; had I been on a TV show my dialog would have been punctuated by one long {bleeeep}.
But I persevered and by the end of Lent I had noticed a significant improvement.
Enough of an improvement that the next year I determined to do it again (backsliding, you know...it was terrible), only, this tim
e I had a companion who had decided to join me in my fight against the sewer that was running from my mouth. I did significantly better this time around, and I think it was because I had someone there working on it with me. To be sure, all Sami and I need to do is look at each other and we both know what the other is thinking (there was much pained expression exchanged between the two of us, but nothing ever escaped the confines of our thoughts). I think we had both realized that if we ever expected others to change their behavior we had to do it too - none of this, "do as I say, not as I do" business.
But I persevered and by the end of Lent I had noticed a significant improvement.
Enough of an improvement that the next year I determined to do it again (backsliding, you know...it was terrible), only, this tim
e I had a companion who had decided to join me in my fight against the sewer that was running from my mouth. I did significantly better this time around, and I think it was because I had someone there working on it with me. To be sure, all Sami and I need to do is look at each other and we both know what the other is thinking (there was much pained expression exchanged between the two of us, but nothing ever escaped the confines of our thoughts). I think we had both realized that if we ever expected others to change their behavior we had to do it too - none of this, "do as I say, not as I do" business.
Recently, there was an article in the local newsrag about a group of local Mountain Crest high school students who wanted to start a no-swearing club. There was some discussion about this and what a stupid waste of time their endeavor is. In fact, there are probably some of you right now wondering what's wrong with using "real" words. The problem is, foul and filthy language actually does a serious number on your vocabulary. Trust me, I'm living proof. I used to have a stellar vocabulary and I was very proud of the fact that I could string more than a few big words together and actually manage to use them correctly. I remember once in high school I gave myself a mental pat on the back and was super excited when I used a word I had never used before and actually used it properly! I puffed up. I was verklempt! Ah, but how times change, don't they?
A while back, I found some old university term papers I had written. I found one I had written in Spring of '05 and one I had written in Spring of '06. I was shocked at the difference. I almost couldn't recognize the paper I had written in '05. It was full of lofty, academic-sounding words and had a flow that was scie ntific-abstractesque. I almost couldn't even read it! According to the computer, it was college level English. By comparison, the '06 paper was much easier to read. I recognized it immediately; it felt...comfortable. The issue is that it was barely 12th grade level English. In the space of just one year my vocabulary had dwindled to virtual nothingness. I had been using garbage language in my daily life and it had massacred my intelligence.
It's been a few years since my little experiment and a long row to hoe, but I finally feel like my brains are regenerating from the severe atrophy they had sustained due to my willingness, nay desire, to use nasty verbiage. I'm not back to "normal" yet, but I'm getting a little closer every day. It's no longer quite such a challenge to produce intelligent sentences; I can come up with more than one way to say things. I still use those words every now and then (I'm not completely cured) but they are not the sum total of my speech anymore.
I applaud the kids at Mountain Crest for their desire to strive to be something more than what society deems is okay. And that's really the point here. Society no longer values education the way it used to. There was a time when most people weren't educated and they lived from hand-to-mouth (that time was known as the "Dark Ages" for a reason). Then, education became important and more and more people were educated. Life began to lighten (as in "Enlightenment" - this is a no-pun-tax zone, by the way) and the lives of many were improved. But then, for some reason (and you can see throughout history that all great empires that stopped putting emphasis on education crumbled...good lesson to learn here), education started to become a bad word...a four-letter word, even.
And look at it now! The government is cutting education funds left, right, and center. The average person now believes that teachers don't actually do anything ("what about those 3 month summer vacations, eh!"), and the get-through-school-quick mentality is wearing on the next generation. As the daughter of a retired university professor, I am very well aware that teachers work their butts off and generally get a lot of grief for their efforts. In fact, that's one of the reasons that my dad loves teaching in non-American institutions; because the students actually appreciate what he does. That's a criticism of parents too, by the way. Because children learn much of their bad behavior from their parents, if the parents are antagonistic toward education then why shouldn't their children be equally antagonistic?
Let's start changing the world by changing the way we speak to each other. Until Easter Sunday I challenge you all to refrain from using foul and/or abusive language. Try it out and see if you don't feel smarter.
A Voice Of Reason
I had to find an embeddable copy of this (unfortunately they all have ads...) because I have been wanting to post it here since I saw it. I'm not going to add any commentary because I think Jon does a fabulous job by himself.
