So I belong to this group of people.
We have several things in common so we end up spending a TON of time together.
One of the things we don’t have in common is our beliefs.
I’ve been with this group for a quarter of my life.
I love the leader.
But one of the other members hates me because of my Faith.
It’s so bad that even the leader told me outright that this other guy holds this against me.
His hatred of me and my beliefs is so bad that it’s affecting (or is that effecting?) my finances, my sleep and my health both mentally and physically.
He’s been spreading his hate to those with whom we associate and they are avoiding me.
I’ve even been banned from socializing with these associates because of my beliefs and while the rest of the group adds people and other group members to their social networks and phone books, I’m left to sit alone and be left out of the loop - all because of my Faith and this guys hatred and intolerance of me.
The leader, professing that he doesn’t care whether I worship peanuts or pachyderms jumps on me for breathing heavily in the vicinity of the other guy but ignores this other guy’s behaviour.
This guy is creating a hostile environment.
Other members of the group have and are complaining and we’ve had a ton of members come and go because of him.
But this other guy has been with the group longer than I have and he’s very popular with those with whom we associate.
That makes our group successful.
I love our group.
I love our leader in spite of this oversight.
I’m not going to be driven out of the group by this other guy’s hate, intolerance and agenda.
Nor will I stoop to his level (I’m too old and fat to get down that low these days!) or his tactics.
But I’m telling you, I dread going to sleep at night when I have to meet the group the next day.
I dread getting up and going to this group when he’s going to be there.
Worst of all, if I tell the leader of the group this, he’ll tell me to find a new group.
I love this group so much, I’m so loyal to this group that I’m living with this hostility and will tolerate this hate and discrimination.
Seriously, when I have friends come over and speak about their boyfriends or husbands like this - I can easily recognize the battered partner delusion.
I can point out how unhealthy their refusal to leave him and their tolerance of his abuse.
The fact that they won’t go to police and report him, etc.
Now I can slightly understand - I love my group, I won’t report this guy to the leader and I keep repeating the mantra, “I know it’ll get better - I know it’ll get better.”
I WILL outlast this guy.
I WILL!
Then our group will be perfect and we’ll be even more successful than ever before…
The Iraqis people have their own channel on YouTube.
Telling their side of the story for years with words and video.
Here’s a sample:
Open Message to America
Hello American, Mr. President, the Senate, the House, and the people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am an ordinary iraqi left Iraq more than 30 years because of Saddam and his savage regime and never been their since.
More than 25 millions people including an army of more than one million, and more than 5 of private Saddam militias were silent when the US army entered and occupied Iraq, that if we exclude few hundreds resisted in the city of Basrah.
What I want to say here in this short message is that Iraqi people welcomed the liberation of their country by Mr. Bush and his army and only few are denying this fact.
Saddam and his clans, Iran, Syria, and other did not expect the quick fall of Saddam regime and they felt the heat on their door so with other Arab countries they mobilize manpower from Al-Qaeida and other Arab terrorists, provided them logistic, training, funds and other facilities to wage a war of attrition against the US army and the new Iraq authorities.
Unfortunately American Media and the Democrats played a major role in the undermining Mr. Bush effort to successed in Iraq and they played a stumbling block role by giving wrong signals to Al-Qaeida and Saddamist terrorist.
America has won the war in Iraq by achieving the following great victories:
1: The removal of the worst dictator history ever produced.
2: More than 70% of Iraqis went to 3 polls of free election.
3: Iraqi is now free.
4: More than 40 Satellite channels now in Iraq and more than 150 newspaper and magazine. There were only one state run satellite television and 3 newspapers during Saddam’s regime.
5: There were no internet, fax, and mobile phone in Iraq, only for Saddamist.
6: Iraqis were not free to buy a car.
7: Consumable goods were not allowed to be freely imported, now Iraqis are free to import any goods they want.
8: For more than 50 years Iraqi oil spent on buying weapon and building armies, now Iraq oil is allocated for building Iraq.
9: Iraqis are free to leave the country and free to travel. They were prisoners for more than 40 years as not any iraqi can have a passport, but only Saddamist and Ba-athist.
9: Iraqi economy is growing by 6% per annum now.
10: Of course, Iran, Syria, Saddamist and Al-Qaeda terrorists are doing all what they can to prevent Iraqi’s to prosper and building the new Iraq.
American success is reality and only Iraqi people know this fact.
We are grateful to America, the People, the army, the Republican, and of course the President
Good Ol Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro endorses a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that President George W. Bush had refused to sign which was signed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries.
Bush had concerns that parts could commit the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. And on the federal level homosexuals are not allowed to serve openly in the military.
When it was voted on in December, 66 of the U.N.’s 192 member countries signed the declaration which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with homosexual special rights.
But 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality and in several, homosexual acts can be punished by execution. More than 50 nations, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, opposed the declaration.
Some Islamic countries said at the time that protecting the homosexual lifestyle choice could lead to “the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts” such as pedophilia and incest. The declaration was also opposed by the Vatican.
To add insult to injury, Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro signed a memorandum extending some federal benefits to homosexual partners of federal workers.
He says, “Many of our government’s hard-working and dedicated, patriotic public servants have long been denied basic rights that their colleagues enjoy, for one simple reason: The people they love are [homosexuals]…Extending equal benefits to the [homosexual] partners of Federal employees is the right thing to do,” he said, noting that several top employers already offer benefits to homosexuals.
“Those companies recognize that offering [homosexual] partners benefits helps them compete for and retain the brightest and most talented employees. The federal government is at a disadvantage on that score right now, and change is long overdue.”
Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro seems to have forgotten that 45 of the United States have laws on the books that outlaw homosexual marriage and benefits and 33 of those states have those laws written into their Constitutions.
If you’re a homosexual and a Feredal employee and you want the gov’t to sponsor your perverse lifestyle choice, you’ll have to move to one of the remaining 5 States which condone this deviant behavioural choice.
Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro went on to say that he’s bringing America closer to equality for all.
He seems to have forgotten that every American is already equal, has all the exact same equal rights and that we’re all covered by the same Constitution granting us the same privelages and rights.
But Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro seems to “forget” much of that which is American in his socialist agenda to destroy this Nation.
Billy Idol called it a White Wedding.
Today Brides are going Green.
What does that mean and can it be done without sacrifice?
Simple and little things matter.
For instance:
Are you wearing your mother’s dress?
Most Brides today do not.
With that in mind, use the “Green” method and recycle.
My favourite Wedding dress designer is Maggie Sottero.
She’s also one of the more expensive.
Two of my friends have gotten married recently and we found nearly new “Maggies” on eBay for under $150.
And both friends sold their dresses after their wedding and got their money back!
Some other Brides are enjoying the cost cut and we’ve all “recycled”.
Flowers:
Many Brides are using day old flowers.
They don’t look day old, the cost is half.
Once the wedding is over, donate the flowers to Church for the service the next morning.
Or if your wedding is after the service, use their flowers as yours and your center pieces.
Then give them back to the Church.
Many Churches donate the used flowers (after you’ve used them and they’ve used them) to families for funerals, for women in half way homes and for many other uses.
Photos:
This one is easy and obvious.
DIGITAL!
I have many friends who are photogs so I’m never going to say, “save money by not hiring a professional” for your day.
That said, I will say that use them only where you need them.
Your engagement photos need to be a document and be professional.
These costs are minimal.
For the Day Of, don’t have the photogs there all day, only just before the ceremony and up to the cake cutting.
A few hours, the photog gets paid, you get professional photos and you’ve just cut costs down by at least 50%.
Everybody you know has a digital camera, video camera and will be at your wedding taking about a bazillion hours of everything from every angle.
Set up a site where folks can send you their files after the wedding and you can share the videos with everybody.
And the music.
Like the photog, you can’t say no to a DJ, there are just too many things a professional can do for you that an iPod or a digital camera cannot.
That said, you don’t need to hire a DJ from New York to play your Colorado Wedding.
When you hire a local DJ, photog, caterer, Pastor, etc - you cut gas costs, drive times, carbon emissions, etc.
Being a DJ I get paid more when a Bride hires me to play her ceremony AND reception.
But you can save money if you only hire me for your reception (Cocktails, dinner, formals and dancing!)
Invitations:
C’mon, really, everybody we know these days is online.
And for the one or two of our grandparents, parents or friends and family members who still don’t have indoor plumbing, electricity and an email address, we can call them on the phone.
Their land lines ‘cuz they obviously don’t have cell phones yet either!
eInvites can cut the costs of paper invitations, are more environmentally friendly and don’t suffer from ten trillion postage stamps and all that licking, sealing, sticking - folding, matching, stuffing and worry, “Did it get there yet?”
With eInvites, you can see who’s responded, who’s received and who hasn’t.
You can add pesonal messages, ask for two song requests from each guest, remind folks to bring their cameras, etc etc etc.
With paper invites, you’re charged per line so you say as little as you can afford.
Dress To Impress?
While I appreciate it when folks dress out of respect, respect for the family of and the Bride - let’s admit it; it’s usually only the guys who have to change what they’re wearing.< br>
Most guys have a tie in the closet and they simply throw it on then take it off right after the first dance.
But the ladies….
That’s a whole other ball of wax.
To us guys who have to wear ties, jackets, dress shoes with black socks and we’re all uncomfortable, sweaty and grumpy - women and their simple skimpy little dresses with flip flops - really seem to be under dressed.
But you ladies know that is just not true.
You’ve gone out of your way to get into shape, whether you’re the Bride or not.
You worked out and dieted for three months at least.
You hit the tanning salons and the hair/nail salon just before the event.
You browsed tons of shoppes for just the right dress, the right shoes and the right ear rings - spending an insane amount of time and money to look so effortlessly stunning.
As the Bride, while you really want a classy affair and you want everybody dressed to the nines, think how much more comfortable your guests will be if you ask all the men to not wear ties but to wear slacks and a dress shirt, no coats?
Women, ask them to wear black flip flops and a sun dress from their closet.
After all, if they save a few bucks on themselves, they just may spend a few more on your wedding gifts.
But of course that’s not the goal.
They’ll be more comfortable, more relaxxed and have more fun, dance more, laugh more, etc.
And the real goal, saving money and being more green - will be realized.
Your dress, the flowers, the photographer and DJ, the invites, the guests….
You’ve just cut literally thousands of dollars from your budget and haven’t sacrificed a dime’s worth of class or memory.
You’ve recycled and reused and done your effort to be environmentally conscious.
These are just a few ideas out of many possible.
Some folks go to the extreme.
That may be good for them, or you but you need to consider your guests.
If they’re not having fun, they’re uncomfortable or feeling awkward you may have sabotaged your own wedding.
You don’t have to agree with those who believe in “Global Warming” - most don’t.
But most also agree that it is the mark of a good Steward of the Lord to be wise about what and how we use our resources.
And if we save a few bucks in the process…
That’s wisdom well spent!
He spoke to the moslum world from Cairo, Egypt last week.
In his speech he supported Iran and her quest to produce nuclear weapons to fulfill its wipe of Israel and the US from the map.
He supported islamic oppression of women and their rights.
In the past you’ve heard him say that America (see below - past posts) is not a Christian Nation.
In the speech you’ll hear him tell the moslums that America is one of the largest moslum countries in the world and could be considered a moslum nation.
A year ago, mention of his middle name, birth place and childhood sent the liberals and socialists into a frenzy.
During this Middle Eastern trip he played up his middle name, his islamic religion and his background.
Good Ol Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro, sucking up to the terrorists of the world while alienating the country over which he is illegally Presiding.
Carbon is an element in everything organic.
Carbon can also be found in many rocks, the most obvious of these being diamonds.
Carbon has at least two isotopes, C12 (highly stable) and C14 (highly unstable).
What that means is that C12 remains intact and does not decay into other elements over time.
C14 on the other hand decays very quickly into N14 - nitrogen.
More technically, N14 is bombarded with cosmic radiation and changed into C14.
C14 decays back into N14.
After an animal dies, it is no longer adding C14 into its body by eating and breathing.
From this point on, C14 and C12 are lost.
While the C14 decays much faster than the C12, they are lost proportionally.
This is where the debate is born.
Assumptions must be made because the intial ratio of C14 to C12 must be assumed as they can’t be known or observed.
Also, the decay rate is both assumed and unobserved.
The reason for the assumptions are not just because they are unobserved but because there is no evidence of a constant decay rate.
We may assume that because it has a half life of 5700 years today, that has been a constant.
But there has been an observed increase in C14 production today than in the past.
An 18% increase.
What does that mean?
That means that since there is more C14 produced than is decayed, there will be excess C14 around in 5700 years, making it appear that the decay rate has changed.
We don’t know if the production rates have increased, decreased, gone through cylces or have remained constant over time.
In fact, the rate of production exceeds the rate of decay by as much as 25%.
Because of this, making assumptions about the proportion of C14 to C12 results in wildly inflated dates.
Causing C14 dating to be both unreliable and inaccurate.
While because of this we can’t use C14 to determine the minimum age of objects, we can determine the maximum age.
While secularists would date objects at millions of years, these are in fact only thousands.
An animal can injest and incorporate C14 into its system but things such as limestone, natural gas, rocks and CO2 from wells could not.
An object cannot be older than the C14 found within it.
If a diamond was millions of years old, the C14 found today within that rock would have decayed long ago.
If it takes millions of years to produce oil, coal and natural gas then the C14 found within would have decayed long before we find it today.
In the last couple of years we’ve found at least two soft tissue dinosaurs.
Secular schools have found C14 in both of these dinos, in amounts and proportions that exclude “millions of years”.
Carbon dating is based on several assumptions that cannot be supported by science.
Carbon dating objects to support any myth that that object is millions of years old produces those exact results - myths.
Speaking about Noah and the flood….
We all know the story to some point.
Something about God flooding the earth and sparing Noah and his three son’s and their wives.
After they landed God kept them in the Ark for another 8 months until He dried out the Earth.
So that’s the general story.
Point is that after the Flood, there wasn’t a living human other than Noah, his three sons and their wives.
Modern science had done studies of mitochondrial dna in an effort to trace back to our beginnings.
Mitochondrial dna (mtDNA) was used in the study because it is passed from the mother down through her kids.
Mitochondrial dna is buried deep within our cells and has trace characteristics which can be identified and mapped.
We can take DNA from a daughter and mother and grandmother and map this trate.
We can map this back in time by using bodies found in ancient bogs, mummies buried from the Middle East to China.
The map has been completed to a point that scientists concluded there was a “bottleneck” in the population around 10,000 years ago.
They say there were 4 “Mitochondrial Eves” around this time.
A population bottleneck is when there is a significant decrease in the population due to some dramatic event which kills off nearly everybody.
In this case, the Flood - which killed off everybody except Noah, his sons and their four wives.
Known to modern science and the Four Eves.
So the next time somebody asks about the Flood, you can point them towards the answers given by secular science.
It’s been estimated - by secular scientists - that there is as much as twelve times as much water below (in the matle) the surface (the crust) of the Earth than on the surface.
Take all the water locked in the polar caps, the oceans and the atmosphere and multiply that by 12!
When released it would cover the earth to a depth of 2.5 miles ABOVE the peak of Mt. Everest.
That’s a lotta water.
That’s Biblical!
Don’t understand?
Ok, we know the crust is only about 30 miles thick.
The crust is the “cooled” skin of the Mantle.
The mantle is the super heated “solid” rock.
The “Solid” is in quotes because while a solid, it is still liquid in that it is flexible, fluid and it occassionally is released into the surface in the form of magma.
Magma is the mantle when not under the extreme pressures from 300 to 1800 miles below the surface (crust).
At it’s base, the Mantle is best defined as liquid and as it reaches the the top of its layer, between 300 and 30 miles below us, the Mantle is more dense and solid than any rock on the surface.
This is the layer from which Diamonds come.
All that said - the skin of the earth, known as land to you and I, floats around in what we call “Plate Techtonics.”
There are Oceanic Plates and Continental Plates.
The Oceanic Plates are denser than the Continental Plates and therefore float under the continental plates when they collide into each other.
This is called subduction.
It’s where many volcanoes are located.
The most famous is the Ring of Fire - the Pacific Ocean.
The continental plates are floating/sliding over the oceanic plate and being pushed back down into the mantle.
As this happens, the saturated oceanic plate takes all the water down into the mantle with it.
So the next time you’re asked about the Biblical Flood, “Where did all the water come from and where did it go?” you can answer them with the answers provided by secular scientists.
