My thoughts on life, relationships, and everything else!

Thursday, August 25, 2005

$35 for a tank of gas, enjoy it! also why we shouldn't ask tsunami victims for aid.

***WARNING*** Yet another Blog post that might really tick some people off. The only thing I can tell ya is if it makes you mad, comment about it. It will make you feel either better or worse.

I know I am not alone in this situation, and feel incredibly lucky I drive a Bravada instead of a Tahoe (although my smaller SUV is still more costly than, say, a smart car). I can remember, when I first bought it two years ago, thinking how hard it was going to be to adjust to the $20 or $25 to fill the tank twice as often....now i wish it was just $20. With the prices growing daily, I have became so desparate, I actually at one point considered riding a bicycle everywhere. I probably would have went with the idea if I didnt have to fight traffic so much. The really sad part about this whole thing Is that here in a week or two , $35 will probably sound pretty good compared to the $60 i will be paying, and with hurricane Katrina...The gas is expected to get even more expensive. Speaking of Katrina...some peoples insights on it are quite a bit off kilter.

After reading alot of sites where americans can leave their thoughts and commments on the disaster, i was apalled and disgusted at what i had found. Quite a few people felt like the victims of the tsunami in southeast Asia Should be giving us financial aid. THEY ARE A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!!! plus, there is the drama witht he peolple who didn't evacuate. My friend Jake made great point the other day when we were talking . " We definitly live in the greatest country on earth! How great is it that we can handle a war, and something like this!" I don't think that was what he said word for word, but pretty much. It's true! We really do live in a great country, we can handle more than any other, and when we need to, we pullo together instead of splitting apart. He also had a really good blog post on it, and since he lives in louisiana i figure he would know more about these things than i do. Yes, there were some people who genuinely could not evacuate, like the ill and some of the elderly who were unable to travel, and yes, maybe even a few of the poor, but not all of them. My Aunt came by last night and we were talking about the number of poor left behind and she brought up something. There were people willing to take many of them out of the area. There were evacuation shuttles and private citizens willing to help as early as 36 hours before this happened, but some of these people refused to go. The ones I feel the worst for in all of this is the children, elderly, and ill. These are people who have no choice to do what they are told or assisted with, and if that means waiting to die, thats all they can do. Yes ! We need to help them. Yes! this was a great disaster. But I think some of the things going on are uncalled for. New Orleans wasn't the only place wiped out by Katrina, and a few people need to realize that. Not necessarily refugees in general, bacause i would be distraught in that situation if it was me, but some people act like it was the only place affected. These people need help, alot of it, and we need to pull together as a country and fight this.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Can science and Christianity mesh Part 2: More on Evolutionary science and creation in Christianity and the scientific community

This Is an article in the New York times about the same thing as my last science post: whether or not a Scientist can be a Christian and hold the Bible as the truth and still be a true scientist and regard fact and theory as somewhat interchangeable. One thing that I disagree with the article on is that basically, scientists Cannot believe in Creationism or intelligent design.
"Although they embrace religious faith, these scientists also embrace science as it has been defined for centuries. That is, they look to the natural world for explanations of what happens in the natural world and they recognize that scientific ideas must be provisional - capable of being overturned by evidence from experimentation and observation. This belief in science sets them apart from those who endorse creationism or its doctrinal cousin, intelligent design, both of which depend on the existence of a supernatural force. "
But can't you still be objectionable and look for logical explanations in nature to an extent without denying the credibility of the bible? Here is where the intelligent design theory comes in ( The one with GOD in charge....Not the Raelien super space people theory, which is not to be confused with the Mormon Super Space Jesus thing). I personally am a bigger fan of this theory than many of the others I have heard of and feel it Is a prime example on how science an Christianity can mesh without treading on each others boundaries. Here is my personal, semi- intelligent design theory.
Genesis 1:1-10 states:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

See, My belief is that everything happened as the bible states....God created everything. Every grain of sand Every atomic particle. But the Bible doesn't explain how God created everything, Just that he did. God says let there be light , BOOM!, there is light. It doesn't say where the light came from or what exactly caused it, But just that God wanted it there, so it was, and he made sure it was good. This is where I feel science has a place, and God definitely fills in the gaps. No matter what theory you look at or how thoroughly it is explained, none of them have a real starting point. I am NOT saying that all scientific theory is theology friendly. People DID NOT evolve from monkeys...It just didn't happen. We are one of Gods creations where we know that he actually formed and shaped us exactly how we are, But with the actual method the earth was formed and how long it took...It's like the debate of what happened to the dinosaurs, we probably will never know.
Some people base their belief in the evolutionary theory in the fact that the DNA of most animals look like DNA, but just have different chromosomes and such and also on the fact that no matter what the animal is, when it is in the embrotic stage of development...It looks like an embryo. Oh, woohooo. If you take this theory one step further, since they are carbon based, people MUST have came from rocks. I mean, Carbon Is most prodominant in rocks...Isn't it? My biggest argument with the genetic theory of proving Darwin correct is that most animals who are proven to have similar ancestors (ex. Donkeys, asses, mules and horses) can cross breed. Their genetic make-up allows them to cross breed. Same Genus, just possibly a different Species. People can't breed with monkeys, dogs, or even slugs. Not even the chickens who we look so much like in the embryotic stage. There is no possible way that we are as closely related to primates as they say we are, otherwise we would have the exact same number of chromosomes and would be able to breed with monkeys. Also our mental capacities would most likely be at a similar level due to the fact that the genetic make up would be close. Some darwinists combat this with the idea that there is a missing link ( its not technically missing to them, it's called LUCY) But even after extensive research, lucy can't even give enough info to tie the two together. I absolutely love bringing this point up in discussion ever since I i first learned about reproduction in genetics and how it relates to the three main theories of creation, all taught in my Biology 2 class in a public school. I have been more fortunate than most students. Every science class I have ever been in that dared to teach creation taught more than one theory. This happens more than people like to acknowledge, but is drowned out because a lot of parents (and many a student) don't want to go outside of their little world. I have sat through classes where they would teach on it and if it wasn't the creationist theory: most of the Christian students would leave the class or plug their ears, if it wasn't atheist theory: everyone else would treat it as humorous fairy tale. I am not saying we should all make our kids abandon their beliefs in the direction of science...But there is nothing wrong with knowing what other people believe .You can't argue against or fight something you know nothing about, And if we totally abandoned the world of science all together, there would be no medicines, doctors, or research on how to make our world a safer and better place to live.

He said what?!?

Have you ever been listening to a song you have heard a million times and suddenly noticed what a line really said and been absolutely stunned! Or wondered what on earth they are saying? Had one of these like 10 minutes ago with the song "girl" by Beck. Ever since I first heard it I wondered what he was saying in the chorus,(which is "my cyanide girl" btw) and after reading the rest of the lyrics, was totally shocked that the entire upbeat song was actually very dark. Weirdness.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

One of the most recent murders to hit my area

Last night, not too far from where I live, An 11-year-old girl was murdered by her father. To people in alot of places (well, everywhere else I have lived) this wouldn't be a big deal because it happens all of the time....but the area where I live is a place where people move to get away from crime and the other negatives cities have (other than drugs or teen pregnancy beacuse there really isn't much else to do here) ...it's an Urban utopia of sorts.. it's own little world. Well, here is an newspaper article about it, I have omitted names, but it is all the same. At the end of the article it says that this is the frst homicide here since 2003, But there has been atleast 1 and maybe two others since then, Not to mention the woman who tried to kill her infant son and herself. I guess even somewhat utopias have their share of problems eventually.

Man kills self, young girl

By Edward J. Sisson

A domestic incident in the 300 block of Tulane Street turned deadly Wednesday night when a man broke into his ex-wife's residence, shot and killed his 11-year-old former stepdaughter with a shotgun and then turned the weapon on himself, according to police.

The former wife, and her 16-year-old son -- who also were in the house at the time, were not hurt.

Chief of Police said the couple recently had divorced and she and her children had moved to the area from Camdenton.

The School District had grief counselors available today at the elementary school where the girl would have been a sixth-grade student, and also at the Technology and Career Center, where The woman worked as an instructor.

"We have our counselor there to assist staff and any students who would like to have some grief counseling. We also have our counselors at (the tech center) to assist any staff and students with grief counseling."

Officers had been dispatched to the scene about 10:15 p.m. for an ex parte violation and reports that a man was trying to break into the residence.

According to police reports, the first officer to arrive at the house found the glass to the front door shattered with the broken stock from a shotgun laying nearby.

The officer entered the home and found the girl's brother -- who appeared to be in shock.

"I think he killed my sister. I think she's dead," the boy told the officer.

The officer then entered the girl's bedroom and discovered her lying across the bed. She had been shot in the face.

The suspect was later located in the basement lying on his back dead, with a shotgun near his body.

A neighbor told investigators that he had been watching television in his bedroom when he heard a shot and then screaming.

Investigators said the first shot was fired into the door of the house to gain entry.

The neighbor heard the woman running down the street screaming, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God."

The chief said detectives are still investigating the chain of events due to conflicting information.

"Basically (the man) kicked in two bedroom doors -- or all three bedroom doors," the Chief said. "It was obvious that he kicked in the master bedroom door and Hannah's bedroom door. The boy's bedroom door didn't have the damage on it like the other two.

"The only conflict we've got here is the sequence of events. We know that each event happened."
The man's vehicle -- a Dodge Durango -- was found nearby, a box of .410-gauge shells, some missing, in the middle seat.

A empty cardboard case for a shotgun was located in the floorboard.

The chief said the homicide is the first in the city since June 2003.

Monday, August 15, 2005

why is sex so dirty???

:o I just said the S-E-X word. I find it so odd that people act like sex is something dirty and a dirty word, rather than something special shared between a husband and wife. It is something inappropriate when it is done outside of a marital relationship and is a sin...but some people act like it is a sin for the married people too. Prime exmple: my friends bachelorette party. We had both cases come up. we were sitting around and my married friend was telling the bride-to-be about a few things to expect on the wedding night and a few hints she wished she would have known,nothing vulger or in alot of detail. Then a few of us were talking about things to do to make it more special...again, nothing too far gone. This unfortunatly evolved into one friend giving way too many details about her and her boyfriends current love life that was a bit too far. The main arguement with this is where did it actually go too far. Some people say it was just the TMI half-hour.....But some would say the fact we were discussing it at all. Yes, no one needs to know the dirty details of what is happening in your bedroom and it should be something special between you and your husband, but is it inappropriate to seek help if there is an issue? If something is lacking and you and your husband have seriously talked about it and you have no idea what to do and you are both comfortable talking to friends who you know would have an answer...is that wrong?

Ok, i have no idea why I am wondering this because I am not even dating anyone let alone married...but i was just wondering.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Science and Christianity part one: can they mesh? My uneducated thoughts on scientific theory

I think the bible can fill in the blanks for science, and vice versa, contrary to popular belief. Could most of the paleontological theories be true, and just Gods way of changing things? could some proven evolutionary changes such as size and environmental reactions be a way of God creating change? If God works through people all the time, why not nature!

One thing that is important to my theory that no one can seem to agree on is how long did it take God to finish all the creations on earth? The Bible says that it took seven days, but was it Gods day or our day? Many Christian scientists say that a day to God is 2000 years, but who says it isn't 2 million? or 4 million? If the latter is the case, then both worlds could be right.
Evolution for me though, is a completely different story. I was tought in my biology classes about all of the theories of creation and evolution, how they meshed and where they didn't. There are quite a few things that can always be traced back to God, or atleast a higher power: Someone or something in every theory had to get things started and had to create the things it was started with at some point. But the one theory that has more holes in it than a package of swiss cheese is Darwins theories of evolution. Yes, I have read alot more in depth on it and I know there is more than I am stating on here, but it never fully explained how if we are so much more advanced than apes, why haven't they evolved? yes, they have adapted to other climates and such, but there is a big difference between growing some extra hair and turning into a totally different species with very few similar traits (except for a few ppl but I won't go there! lol..jk) humans migrated supposedly out of africa around 70,000 years ago according to science with only around 2,000 people. all humans have ethiopian lineage dating back 150,000 years supposedly, which also goes back to "how long is a day" thing. There are theories that a few people mentioned in the Bible, including zipporah, Moses's wife, came from ethiopia origionally and migrated to different places. Plus then there is the whole "where was the garden of eden located thing. Some say Iraq and Iran....Some say northern or southern Africa...S ome even say the U.S. So really there is no telling where we came from...just who.
God made everything so complex, amazing, and interelated. we live on a rock with tons of ecosystems, that rotates around a giant ball of fire that gives us light and is one of an infinite number. And that, you can't tell me, came from a piece of a proton!!!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

whay is it so hard to speak up? and HOMO 101....sort of.

I was talking to someone the other day who I have not talked to in a very long time and he had some very big news to tell me....He was having bisexual experiences and was loving it. I had thought about telling him what a huge mistake he was making and that he needed to change, or about how it was a huge sin that could cause him eternal torture, but instead when he asked me what I thought, I chose to just tell him that I personally wasn't like that and changed the subject. Why does it have to be so incredibly had to witness to people when you are given the chance to do it? It's like the oppertunity falls into your lap ...and than.....BOOM!!!! you just can't do it. Also, while I am on the subject of gayness, is there ever an excuse for homosexuality? Some people argue that they are born that way, which is not true due to the fact that God would not create someone who had no choice but to spend eternity in hell, But what about hermaphrodites where humans pick their gender? When they are born a doctor picks a gender to make them according to how much time he or she wants to spend in the OR... But what if the doctor picks the wrong gender? I have heard tons of stories about people who were born hermaphrodites and the doctor made them into girls because it is the easiest procedure to do on a baby. Then later, when they get to the age to start showing interest in the opposite sex, they become lesbians. Also, sometimes the same thing happens with people they chose to be male. Is it their fault since neither God, nor them, had a say in their gender? And is it wrong for a man or woman in this situation to get a sex change because he or she knows that homosexuality is a sin, but they feel like the doctor gave them the wrong sexual bodyparts?
I am really curious about this one, since I have been hearing alot about this kinda stuff unfortunatly.
Oh, ya btw, brisco's is now an ebay store until I have time to do more. Right now it as serving as a place to sell all of the things I no longer need and clothes I can not fit into, But sometime soon, It will be a place to get clothes, books, accessories and other things really cheap...I just have to revamp my inventory. But hey until then it serves the purpose of putting a few more $$$ in my pocket ... WooooHoooo!!!

***** HUGS*****

Why can't it be acceptable in modern society to just walk up to someone and hug them because they look like they need it. It's barely acceptable to hug someone you know really well that isn't a immediate family member.

The best example for me is and elderly woman I know here in town. I used to work with her daughter who takes care of her so I know she has family who loves her and that she has friends because I see her with them where she works. She also has a great attitude and isn't down on the world or anything, but she just always looks like she needs a huge hug. Of course, I can't exactly walk up to her and ask "Can I hug you?" without someone seriously wondering about my sanity. I only know of one person who can get away with that and that is my 12 year old cousin. When he was younger, he would just walk up to strangers and give them a hug if he thought they needed it, and a few words of encouragement if that didn't work. some people fought it at first, but, believe it or not, in the end it usually brightened up their day. he still does this to people he knows and I honestly think he is one of those people who will never outgrow a good hug. Some may find this strange....but what is so wrong with showing someone you care? As Christians we are all to love one another and part of love is expressing it. Yes some people claim they don't like to be touched, but in all reality, when it comes down to it, we all love knowing someone cares.