Take a Look at my Pride and Joy

Another Gag Concerning Global Warming

I was reading WORLD magazine this morning and noticed an article containing statistics about the conditions of all the cities in the world. There was a section on the most polluted cities in the world. Besides some cities in South America and Asia, the most polluted cities on earth were all in Europe. Now, didn't Europe sign the Global Warming Treaty? Also, I found it humorous that while America is said to be the most polluted and harmful-to-the-enviroment nation, it was nowhere on this list!
Just something funny I wanted to share.

Global Warming Disease Spreading...

...even to Sports

Global Warming Debate

Last week, I attended a public debate concerning issue of global warming. Professor David Demming argued against global warming, and Prof. David Karoly argued for it. Both debated well, however, David Demming, whom I sided with, was using an overhead projector, and David Karoly had the sweet Powerpoint presentation. That probably says something about his budget.

Anyways, Prof. Demming opened with a great statement: "If you extropolate a short-term trend into the indefinite future, you willl always get an extreme result," and went on to say that the earth has been experiencing these short increases in warmth or cold since it was created.
"Antartica has actually been growing colder over the last few decades, except for a little pennisula featured in Al Gore's documentary."
"Since the Ice Age , sea level has in fact risen 350 ft, and this was happening before we used CFC's or burned fossil fuels."
"There have been no deaths, no extinction, and no major climate changes caused by global warming."
Those are all the major quotes from his presentation.

David Karoly then gave his side.
"Previous global warming and cooling were natural, but now the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are responding to the CFC's and burned fossil fuels."
"According to a calibrated reconstruction of tree rings over the last 1800 years, there has been a rapid and unusual increase in temperature."
To which professor Demming said in his rebuttal, "Science is based on experiments. Simulators do not count."

In short, it really wasn't an actual debate, it was more of "is it real?" backed up by scientific facts.
However, afterwards Prof. Demming told me not to listen to him or Prof. Karoly, but to read all I can and choose for myself. And that, readers, is excactly what I intend to do.

Follow-up on Last Post

From my last post about the sign at the public school, it appears that if one wants to educate their child today, then welcome to "our completely tolerant, totally neutral public school system" (-Caleb Roberts, The Berean Method), where their child will never experience intolerance. (Intolerant things being logic, religion, and most everything else that matters in life.)
If public schools throw logic, religion, and most everything important, then aren't they being intolerant as well?
(Not to mention that denying logic would be to deny God, ourselves, and the world as we know it. Think about it: logic is an attribute of God, thus denying it is to deny Him.
We can't go through life without logic. In fact, that is one a the four criteria an organism must meet to be classified as a life form: sensing and responding to change. Doesn't sound like logic, but wait, we see a red light, red lights mean stop, thus, we stop. We feel hungry, feeling hungry means we need to eat, thus, we eat. We see a pop-up on the internet, a click can terminate a pop-up, thus, we click.
What do the public schools have in mind? Throw EVERYTHING to make EVERYBODY happy? Sorry, not gonna work. Not with my views, yours, nor theirs.

I have basketball practice at a public school here in Oklahoma. While walking down the hall to the gym, I saw this sign. It about blew me away! It is logically impossible for this to be true. I have no idea what inspired this; maybe trying to sound authentic by putting a little twist on the phrase "All Roads Lead to Rome?" (forget the fact that the building had the appearance of a compound: white bricks, all in perfect order, square windows too high to see out of exactly every 10 feet apart along the wall, etc.) Next to it was a sign that said "Do Your Personal Best." Yeah. Right. So every kid in the school automatically fails. I don't think these people get the fact that if we all took our own roads and did our personal best, Hell would have a rival. Then, in the gym, was a poster that announced that the President had challenged this school's kids to get in shape. I respect the President, but come on! Do kids really need the nation's leader to challenge them to trim a little fat?
Okay, I'm done ranting.
My point, which has been stated again and again, but falls on deaf ears: The public schools have failed. Hotel maids in South Africa, and the kids in Iceland are smarter than (at least) 85% of Americans. This is an ugly smear to the nation. The government has got to stop supporting this institutionalized brainwashing, and go back to the time proved method. I'm not trying to advertise, but the classical method is the only way to prepare kids for adulthood. I won't go into the hundreds of times classically educated students have completely knocked the public schools out of the ballpark. For some examples, check out the blog "Dutch, Reformed," or Providence Hall. (I have them in my link list.) Wake up America, who cares about the present economy or technology if there won't be anyone to maintain it?

Fishing; Afgan Style

World's Funniest, Yet Clumsiest Fisherman

Poor Birdie!

Incredible; That's All I Can Say

Finally, a guitarist who plays classical music with the talent most often channeled into rock or pop!



P.S. The first few minutes of the song are very misleading; it's more than a simple replay of Pachelbel's Canon, trust me!

Bye, Bye Osama!

This will boost morale!

Never Underestimate.......

An amazing story I heard- "When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

I said I could.

"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, "Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."
"Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston . I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle . I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said, "Information Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.
"Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now"

I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle . A different voice answered "Information." I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?"
"Yes." I answered.

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you." The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in.

He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant."

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Squishy Wonders

Ever wondered what truth is behind the myths and legends of giant sea monsters, particularly squid? Or how you catch them with something besides a net? I did, and did a little research to find out. I discovered that squid are truly squid are arbitrary, persisting, and rather ambrosial, and they need every one of these qualities to exist.
Haunting sailor stories, squid are among the most elusive and picky creatures in the sea. Clever yet paranoid, they capriciously won’t fall for any lure they get a good look at. They outwit even the aggravating snook because of their sheer unpredictability. Although squid fight well, most fishermen have the tackle to squidfish stashed away in their closet! The lures, however, are 2-4 inch thin, straight jigs which sport umbrella style hooks. Hooking a sardine works well. For prime fishing, most fishermen wait for a cloudy, drizzly night to nab a squid, as squid hate light. Fortunately for shore fishermen, boats are not necessary, piers are better locations. But squid are not undefeatable, because most squid assassins return with enough for dinner.
Is squid fishing seriously harming the population in the Pacific? It is probably not. Since 1980, the amount of squid has risen highly, because trawlers caught some 3,000 squid in one day in that year. Feeding unpredictably, Pacific squid, which are unexceptionally a foot long, have no average size. Easily falling prey to whale, they still have two defenses. To confuse their predators, they ejaculate black, malodorous ink, and they change skin shades to blend in with their environment. When lifted out of the water, squid will change from dark purple to pearl in a flash. Ugly and mysterious, squid still thrive, although there are many calamari lovers.
When fishermen have their cooler full of cephalopods, they face the question of what to do with them. Most fishermen eat their catch. Succulent yet bland, squid is a staple on seafood menus. For most restaurants, squid is only served as an appetizer and marketed as calamari because it is expensive. Being the name of an actual species of squid, calamari is biased term. Usually the menu item calamari is made of any given squid species, as hot dogs are made of any given meat. A fisherman’s answer to the above question is almost invariably the answer to his stomach as well.
Though squid are unpredictable, persisting, and delicious, their capriciousness is vital, for it has helped it outlast the dinosaurs.

Hold 'em Cowboys!

Wrestling national titles between OU and OSU
1928-1931: Oklahoma St.
1933-1935: Oklahoma St.
1936: Oklahoma
1937-1942: Oklahoma St.
1946: Oklahoma St.
1948-1949: Oklahoma St.
1951-1952: Oklahoma
1954-1956: Oklahoma St.
1957: Oklahoma
1958-1959: Oklahoma St.
1960: Oklahoma
1961-1962: Oklahoma St.
1963: Oklahoma
1964: Oklahoma St.
1966: Oklahoma St.
1968: Oklahoma St.
1971: Oklahoma St.
1974: Oklahoma
1989-1990: Oklahoma St.
1994: Oklahoma St.
2003-2006: Oklahoma St.

While the football and basketball Bedlam games stand today as the marquee events in the series, the term 'Bedlam', as it refers to this rivalry, has its roots based in the rivalry between the schools' prestigious wrestling programs. Originally named after the atmosphere during a heated wrestling dual between the two schools (a newspaper writer emerged from Gallagher Hall exclaiming "It's bedlam in there!"), the Oklahoma State team holds a large advantage in the series. The Cowboy wrestling program currently holds an impressive 120-24-9 record against the Sooners. This dominance of the wrestling series between the two universities is a source of great pride for Oklahoma State. The Sooners can beat the Cowboys in everything else, but wrestling is our territory!!!

Hard Headed Loyalists

An interesting bit of history-

Although wigs had been in fashion for a hundred years before, they reached their height, quite literally by the 18th century. Men often shaved their heads to make wearing wigs more comfortable. Ladies wore a combination of their own hair and false pieces made from goat, horse, yak, or human hair. The hair was often combined over a wire frame and might reach three feet in height. Both men’s and ladies’ hairstyles were plastered with a combination of lard and oil. And then heavily coated with scented powder. This caused the style to “set” as hard as a rock. Ladies heads were further adorned with feathers, jewels, pins, ribbons, spangles, and lace. A cap or hat was often the finishing touch, but other amazing additions included model ships, birdcages, figurines, fruit, and miniature buildings! Because of the huge effort involved in creating her hairstyle, a lady would keep it for weeks at a time, sleeping on a wooden neck pillow to prevent her masterpiece from being damaged. Additional powder would be added to freshen the color and discourage bugs. The styles were so heavy, women suffered neck pain- and so high, they sometimes had to sit on the floors of carriages instead of the seats! In colonial America, patriots rebelled against the use of wigs. Although some loyalists still maintained the European fashion, most patriots preferred their own hair, unpowdered.

Now I know why I was born after this era! Yikes!

Overcoming Sin

As a confessor, St. Augustine laments his many sins throughout his life. He retells how he misled himself on what evil is, and how to overcome it. Though badly influenced by the culture, through God’s grace he eventually found the truth in the Bible. He discovered that without Christ, sin is undefeatable against man.
In Augustine’s life, many ideas such as those of the Manicheans and philosophers established that of the culture. Augustine was lead to believe that evil was a type of disunion, called a dyad, and good was unity, called a monad. As he jumped from one idea to another, he landed on the belief that evil is a great, infinite mass in constant battle with a slightly more infinite mass that is good. Finally, he discovered, through the teachings of Ambrose, that evil (sin) is generated by our desires at war within us. Upon realizing this, he left the Manicheans immediately, their foolishness laid bare to him through the Scriptures.
Today, our culture has a different idea of what and why evil is, but like evolutionists, fail to explain where it came from. At birth, we are neutral. Not evil, but neither are we perfectly good (self contradiction!). When we see the bad examples of surrounding mankind (which are really the first and only things we see), we become evil. The Bible quickly shows this to be false.
The Bible is the Word of God. The Word of God is always true. Therefore, the Bible is always true. That syllogism proves the truth of the following statement, found in the Bible. “There is none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10). Also the Bible tells us that we sin because of the passions at war within us. By now it is obvious we cannot overcome sin ourselves. Christ alone defeated sin, and, as the perfect offering for sin, secured atonement for all his elect. It’s a good thing the Bible is always true, isn’t it?
Though the culture has and forever will contradict the Bible, we, as Christians, know we have all fallen short of God, and deserve the eternal fires of Hell. Thanks be to God, however, for He gave His only Son to redeem His chosen ones to Himself, that we might reign with Him forever.

Concerning Sir Isaac Newton

The famed scientist Sir Isaac Newton was a man of great life, education, and faith. One of the greatest figures in history, he set numerous landmarks in both science and Christianity. What follows is a summary of this man’s life, learning, and beliefs.
The great English physical scientist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthrope, England, on Dec. 25, 1642. Born destitute of his father, his mother remarried, and left the boy in the charge of his grandmother. A shy and indifferent child, Newton was but a green scholar until a fight with another boy at school awoke his sleeping spirit, and led to his becoming the best student of his school. When his irresponsible mother was widowed again, she returned home to complete Newton’s upbringing. He proved to be an absent-minded farmer, occupying himself with mathematics instead of working in the fields. Noticing Newton was not cut out for farming, his uncle sent the teenager back to Cambridge. There the prodigy increased his knowledge, and arming himself for his future. In 18 months after his college closed, he had discovered the binomial theorem, and the method of differential calculus. Quickly Cambridge re-opened, and Newton graduated. He went on to discover the way to produce a spectrum out of white light and a prism. He made much advancement with telescopes and optics, and discovering how to prevent chromatic aberration from spoiling the telescope image’s quality. Since his early years at Woolsthrope, Newton had been pondering the problem of motion: what force is it that keeps the planets moving around the sun? He then realized that one and the same force causes objects to fall to the ground. Then the famous apple fell, but contrary to popular belief, the problem was not then solved. Much computing and calculation later, Newton realized this force was gravity. After this highlight discovery, Newton’s life became relatively dull, until his death in 1727.
Though his accomplishments were great and many, his education was rather simple. As mentioned before, he was abandoned to his grandmother, who couldn’t keep up with the bright youngster. When his mother returned, he was practically forced to become a farmer, then saved by his uncle and sent to Cambridge. He graduated from there, and then took of like an albatross to discovery.
Newton was profoundly interested in religious matters. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science. He studied carefully the writings of the early church fathers, and wrote a commentary on the book of Daniel. He was a staunch anti-atheist, degrading them considerably. Yet for his firm defense of God, this man was tricked by the heresies of anti-Trinitarianism, Unitarianism, and worse of all, the odious Arianism. He considered worshiping Christ as God idolatry. In his final days, Newton refused the Eucharist, and died.
Sir Isaac Newton was a great man concerning earthly matters. He was gifted with genius, that’s a fact. He had a reasonable education. Yet most important of all was his faith. As he was against atheism, many would think he was a redeemed man. But the poison of Arianism brought this scientific giant down to Hell, proving a single stumble is all it takes.

A Letter From a Discouraged Colonist

I wrote this for school in the 5th Grade.

Dear Family,
Right now I am sitting in a cabin while a blizzard that could blow it down rages outside. I am petrified and discouraged, for my fingers and toes are so numb that I am currently deprived of my sense of feel, and I broke my leg foolishly leaping across a creek. The supplies are so low, that we have to eat our dogs; consequently, bone marrow is on the menu! Everyone is so hungry and afraid, even Joseph Galloway, our good captain, murdered an Indian for looking through his maps. However, I am relieved that my cape will never need be trampled under a lady’s feet though!
Still, I never know if I will hopelessly die. The Indians could help us, and Governor John White may return with supplies. Still, it may be better to be with our Lord than continue a hopeless and sinful life.
Is John Whitgiff still Archbishop? Is Francis still fighting with Drake? I miss playing cards with my loving family, and going to the theater with my friends. I miss you all.

With Love,
Cedric Flanders

Cornelius Vanderbilt: A Life On and Off the Track

In 1794 Cornelius Vanderbilt was born into a diffident family in Port
Richmond, New York. He ended school at age 11, and by 16 he was running his
own ferry. He married Sophia Johnson, his cousin and neighbor. Shortly they
were raising 13 children, one of which tragically died young.
During the distracting California Gold Rush, he controlled a steamship line.
He became the director of the Long Island Railroad in 1844. Consequently, he soon
had nothing to do with ferries. He had acquired 5 railroads, which he connected into two main railroads.
When Sophia Johnson died, he ran away to Canada to elope with Miss Frank Crawford, who was 43 years his junior. During his career Vanderbilt made many
lasting friends and enemies. He generously gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University. In 1877 Cornelius Vanderbilt died. He gave his son William $97 billion, while his wife and daughters received only $500,000. He was a ruthless businessman throughout his life, as portrayed by one of his quotes, “ You have undertaken to cheat me. I will not sue you, for the law is too slow. I will ruin you.”

"No Taxation Without Representation'

During the Revolution, the slogan of many American colonists was, “ No taxation without Representation.” Though it was only four words, it served as a vitally important British and American principle. Back in early Christian and Classical traditions, the government was supposed to benefit everyone. Secondly, taxes weren’t supposed to make the rulers rich, but be used in ways profitable to everyone.
But, not all English kings agreed to this. Some argued they ruled by divine right directly from God, and shouldn’t be questioned. There remained one authority that could, if the king acted unjustly, stand up to him, and that was Parliament, a large assembly of lords and commoners that represented every class in England. Traditionally, Parliament also had the power to raise new taxes. In England, this was important for two reasons. First it meant that since all the groups in England were equally represented in Parliament, all had a say in how or why they were being taxed. Second, because the king use the taxes to raise stronger armies that put a check on the power of the king.
In the mid 1600’s King Charles I tried to raise an army without Parliaments approval. Consequently, civil war broke out, and Parliament won. They even had the king rather brutally executed! But without a king, England fell into confusion, so Oliver Cromwell took over as “Lord Protector.” Cromwell made a ruler, but he made enemies too. And no one knew who succeeded a “Lord Protector.” So when Cromwell died, Charles I succeeded him.
By acting arbitrarily, King James roused Parliament’s anger, and even tried to independently make a weak alliance with France. Not surprisingly, Parliament had had enough, so they brought in King William III and his wife to be joint rulers. Another civil war would have resulted, but king James was so unpopular that it was referred to as, “ The Bloodless Revolution.”
When the colonists argued that it wasn’t fair for them to be taxed without someone representing them in Parliament, they were actually standing on an old English tradition. Some in Parliament wisely agreed with them. By sending for an ideal representative immediately, Parliament could have settled things down. Unnaturally, Parliament refused, contradicting their own laws.