Center for Science & Culture

Stephen Meyer, geophysicist with Atlantic Richfield, now of Discovery Institute, spoke on intelligent design (ID) this morning at PCPC. For more information, visit www.intelligentdesign.org

1. Loss of belief in God - fashionable atheism (Richard Dawkins (Oxford), Daniel Dennett (Tufts), Christopher Hichens
2. Devaluation of human life - "eliminate 90% of earth's population" (Erik Pianki, UT-Austin), Peter Singer (Princeton), Steven Pinker (MIT), William Provine (Cornell)
3. Loss of morals - no objective standards of morality (Steven Weinberg, Univ Texas, Physics)

blasphemy challenge
existential funk
materialism (def.) - particles evolved, particles became aware, awareness conceived God
evolution - based on chance variation and natural selection

Proverbs 23:7 As a man thinketh, so is he.

19th century bad science (Freud, Darwin, Marx)
21st century good science - "lay an axe to the Darwinian root"

Signs of design: e.g., Crick & Watson (1957) DNA 4 letter code.

Jesus is returning for his Bride not a harem.

Gaziantep Colors

Gaziantep Market is one of the most vibrant in Anatolia with every tone of red, yellow and green in evidence.

Fiery spices, gleaming copper, blue, red and purple ‘kutnu’ fabrics and blood red ‘yemeni’ slippers.

KUTNU FABRIC thread was traditionally spun from raw silk. Today it is made from a blend of cotton and artificial silk.

Source: SkyLife - January 2007, Article - Photos: YELDA BALER

9 September 2009

Turkey

Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html

Managing Clutter

by Maria Gracia http://www.getorganizednow.com/

When dealing with clutter, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I need it? / Is it essential?
• Do I love it? / Does it enhance my life?

The memories associated with some items can be more important than the actual objects. (Now that is a good point. Do I do that? Hmm.)

• Try this: Take pictures of the items to make into a scrapbook. It will keep the memories alive while allowing you to let go of the items.

Organize a space in your house for items that you want to let go of. Use bins, boxes, or bags to hold items

• to give charity (Good Will, etc.)
• to recycle
• to give away to specific person or organization
• to sell

Everything needs a home. Every time you acquire a new item make sure it has a home in your house.

• Try this: When you bring in something new, take out something old. Otherwise, you are accumulating. Unless accumulating is your goal (e.g., newly weds), you should strive for balance or reducing/simplifying.

I WANNA MARRY A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER
(Erika Eigen)

I wanna marry a lighthouse keeper
and keep him company
I wanna marry a lighthouse keeper
and live by the side of the sea
I'll polish the lamp by the light of day
so ships at night can find their way
I wanna marry a lighthouse keeper
won't that be ok
we'll take walks along the moonlit bay
maybe find a treasure or two
I love livin' in a lighthouse
how 'bout you
I dream of livin' in a lighthouse baby
every single day
I dream of livin' in a lighthouse
it's the white one buy the bay
so if you want to make my dreams come true
you'll be a lighthouse keeper too
we could live in a lighthouse
it's the white one buy the bay
eh hey
won't that be ok
ya da dada da

Petunias

P. axillaris bears night-fragrant, buff-white blossoms with long, thin tubes and somewhat flattened openings. The species was first sent from South America to Paris in 1823. P. integrifolia has a somewhat weedy habit, spreading stems with upright tips, and small lavender to purple flowers. It was discovered in South America by the explorer James Tweedie, who sent specimens to the Glasgow Botanical Garden in 1831.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia

Older varieties of petunias require diligent deadheading or they will stop blooming. Even the newer varieties that say they don’t require deadheading will benefit from a pinching or shearing mid-season. When the branches start to get long and you can see where all the previous flowers were along the stem, it’s time to cut them back and refresh the plant.

Monthly feeding or foliage feeding will give your petunias the energy to stay in bloom. But be judicious with water and make sure the soil is well drained. Too much water will cause the plants to become ‘leggy’, with lots of stem and few flowers. http://gardening.about.com/

Bougainvillae

Bougainvillea was discovered in Brazil in 1768, by Philibert Commerçon, French Botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation.

Bougainvillea are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pinched or pruned. They grow best in moist fertile soil. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. If overwatered, Bougainvillea will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt, or even die from root decay. Source: Wikipedia 07.25.09

Bougainvillea can be heavy feeders: Use high phosphorus with micronutrients, as well as additional iron and magnesium. Slow or timed release fertilizers are acceptable. Source: http://www.plant-care.com/ 07.25.09

The Bridge is Out

When one knows that the bridge ahead is out, one warns family, friends, even strangers of the danger that lies beyond.








Mom tells of a great grandfather who threw his theology books (and Bible?)into the Atlantic as he sailed from Germany to America.

Deuteronomy 5:9
I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found

Joy to the World
--music, G. F. Handel
--lyrics, I. Watts, 1719

Where were you 40 years ago today?

Debbie Simmons and I were 15 years old. We were with her parents and brother enroute to Marblehead, Mass., to compete in the 420 Junior Nationals. We had stopped in Mystic, Conn., for the night. Her parents, Anne and Will, insisted that we watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. I was fairly clueless, but I gathered it was a pretty big deal given the way the adults were acting.

"One small step for man; One giant leap for mankind."

Zac Sunderland and Robin Lee Graham

40 years ago 21-year old Robin Lee Graham (b. 1949) completed a solo circumnavigation in Dove. This was before GPS and satellite phones.

My brother wrote to Robin Lee Graham and received a hand-written response. (Not only didn't RLG have a GPS, he didn't have a computer.) I still have the letter. Very cool.

17- year-old Zac Sunderland (b. 1992) completed a solo circmnavigation in a 35 foot in 13 months this week (July 2009).

Leadership

[Constituents] do not in the long run respect leaders who mirror their own insecurities or see only the symptoms of crisis rather than the long term trends. The role of the leader is to assume the burden of acting on the basis of a confidence in his own assessment of the direction of events and how they can be influenced. Failing that, crises will multiply, which is another way of saying that a leader has lost control over events.
--Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy, p. 136 (1994)

How did the breadfruit tree travel from Tahiti to the West Indies? How many trees were brought to the West Indies? What year?

This is the story of the mutiny on the "Bounty." It is also the story of Fletcher Christian and Pitcairns Island.

Visit Pitcairn Island's virtual mall
http://www.lareau.org/pitcmall.html

Mother's Day

It has always been a bit awkward being wished a Happy Mother's Day, not being a mother and all. But people's good wishes for the day gave me a different feeling this year. This is my first Mother's Day without my mom. It felt strange not to send her a card and flowers. I wanted to call her and talk to her for hours. I would mostly talk; she would mostly listen.

Mom has gone ahead, and though I don't know what heaven will be like, I hope that she is the first to greet me and that we can pick up our conversation where we left off. Thankfully, we'll have eternity to talk.

Gender Bender

March 28, 2009

I was wondering when this question would start appearing on forms. I came across it today for the first time on a website for MSWord users.

http://word.tips.net/questions.html

What is your gender?
Male
Female
Unsure

Matthew Fontaine Maury

Pathfinder of the Seas, Father of Modern Oceanography (1806 - 1873)

Have you ever wondered how a novice from the Canary Islands could set sail for the Americas and make landfall? Have you ever wondered how Pacific Islanders could navigate long distances between islands? Have you ever wondered how Capt Bligh's skiff made its way from Tahiti to the Dutch East Indies?

Guided by Psalm 8 and blessed with a career-threatening leg injury, Lt. Matthew Maury, the first superintendent of the US Naval Observatory, mapped the Earth's ocean currents and wind patterns. Sailors used his research findings to shorten the length of their voyages and explorers discovered the Northwest Passage.

Matthew Maury was instrumental in founding the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Maury Hall, which houses the department of Engineering, is named for him.

Read more about Matthew Maury at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_F._Maury

thrill:chill

exploring WebCT/Blackboard:grade conferences

Fiji

2011