"Cheating is increasingly becoming the normal way of doing things. What are the reasons people cheat, and why should cheating not be a part of your life?
It seems like cheating has become a commonly accepted way to get ahead in today’s world. Consider some high-profile cases involving cheating that have recently made headlines:
Six global financial institutions were fined a total of $9 billion for fixing exchange rates. One trader wrote to others, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”
American and British schools are rife with students learning to cheat instead of learning. One university student said, “A lot of people think it’s like you’re not really there to learn anything. You’re just learning to learn
the system.” There are also online services offering “contract cheating,” where students can purchase completed papers and assignments.
Marriage infidelity continues to increase among those aged 20 to 30. Oddly, though, David Popenoe of the Marriage Project (Rutgers University) noted that in one recent survey 90 percent believed that cheating on one’s spouse is always wrong. Sadly, those beliefs don’t always translate into behavior. The recent hack of the infidelity website Ashley Madison exposed the account information and emails of 37 million people worldwide who used this website to facilitate cheating on their spouses.
Though cheating is so widespread in society, it is interesting that when a celebrity is caught in some kind of cheating scandal, there is still widespread negative coverage and self-righteous shock.
Yet in general, people find excuses for their own cheating. What does God think of the common justifications for cheating?
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
After Paul’s vision of a man from Macedonia pleading, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9), Paul and his companions began their memorable journey into Europe. After being jailed in Philippi and escaping from a riot in Thessalonica, they came to Berea.
Not much is said about Berea, but what is said is a tribute to the people who heard Paul. The King James Version uses the word “noble” where the New King James has “fair-minded.” The nobility was probably not of birth, but of character. Adam Clarke says, “It was a maxim among the Jews that ‘none was of a noble spirit who did not employ himself in the study of the law.’”
The Jews who heard Paul in the synagogue were ready to listen and prove what they heard to themselves. They didn’t allow preconceived ideas of what the Bible says to keep them from examining what it really says. As the New Living Translation puts it, “They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”
God is pleased when we search the Scriptures and make sure what we believe is what He is revealing to us from the Holy Bible.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?”
The Sadducees were known for their devotion to the first five books of the Bible, the only part they accepted as Scripture. They were sure they were experts on these books and experts about God.
So they tried to trap Jesus to either make Him agree with their conclusion that there was no resurrection or make Him look foolish. Their story of a woman marrying seven brothers who each died after she married him was quite elaborate. If there was such a thing as a resurrection, “whose wife will she be?” they asked (verse 23).
Jesus didn’t pull any punches. He used a passage from the book of Exodus—one of their approved books—to demonstrate that God would not call Himself the God of Abraham if Abraham would remain dead forever. He is the God of the living—and thus God has the power to bring back to life Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the others called by His name.
Before God’s power “a thousand such difficulties vanish” (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary on Mark 12:24). And the difficulty of their question was eliminated by the fact Jesus presented, that “when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (verse 25).
Writing this late again. I was busy clearing out some of Ray's stuff that he left in the guest house bedroom, and then I groomed Maddie the Yorkie in the afternoon.
Repairs to the guest house are going very slowly. Nobody wants to get up and go to work any more!! I had to buy five 2"x 8" boards for floor joists because when we removed the water damaged bathroom floor we found that they were rotten, too. Now the new joists sit in a pile, because I can't do it by myself.
I don't know if it was the nicer weather or if many folks were sick, but hardly anyone showed up at church. Just a few of us old regulars, but we still had a great time.
The Bible readings were Deut.16:18-21:9, Isa. 51:12-53:12, and Heb. 10:28-31. The teaching was about a Larger Life, with God in the pilot seat.
The potluck was great as usual. The big crockpot of leg of lamb was delicious, and there were plenty of salads, potato salad, veggies, mashed potatoes, beans, chicken enchiladas, roasted chicken, garlic bread with cookies and pies for dessert.
"Ironic, isn’t it? In our modern world, in which so much information is so easily available, along with the information come many common misconceptions.
Here are a couple of examples: “Christopher Columbus discovered America.” Truth or misconception? In fact, it’s far more misconception than truth. When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, it had already been “discovered” by at least one other explorer prior to him; the Norse explorer Leif Eriksson had arrived on the shores of the Americas at least 500 years earlier.
Here’s another one: Mexican Independence Day is on May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, right? Wrong! No, Mexican Independence Day is on Sept. 16, the day Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810. Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on that date in 1862.
There are so many other misconceptions in so many areas of life. Those are just a couple of examples from history.
But here at Life, Hope & Truth, one of our goals is to publish the truth about the Bible, a book that has been subject to many common misconceptions. So, let’s try something here. Let’s do a “pop quiz” on some Bible basics to see just a few of the misconceptions. This quiz won’t be complicated—but it may be surprising.
Okay, so here goes: question No. 1. True or false? Jesus was born in late December.
Now, question No. 2: when Jesus was born, He was visited by some men from the east. The Bible tells us it was three wise men. True or false?
Here’s another one: the apostle Peter was unmarried and celibate. True or false? That’s No. 3.
And here’s No. 4: the Bible speaks of purgatory as a destination when sinners die. That’s No. 4.
No. 5. Ready? Adam and Eve ate an apple in the Garden of Eden.
Okay, so let’s move on to No. 6, and see how much you know about the prophets. Ready? Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Got that one? Now No. 7. A little more challenging. True or false: the book of Jeremiah contains more prophecies of the Messiah than any other book of the prophets. What do you think?
Now let’s move on to No. 8. True or false? The New Covenant was instituted by the apostle Paul.
Almost done. Here’s No. 9. Moses was a Jew. True or false?
And finally, here’s question No. 10. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” was first uttered by the apostle Paul.
So, how did you do? The answers are easy—all 10 are false.
Now let’s run through them, and give the right answers.
Question No. 1. No, Jesus was not born in December. In fact He wasn’t born in the winter at all. For an explanation of this, please see our article titled “The Birth of Jesus” on the Life, Hope & Truth website.
Question No. 2. While it’s true that the baby Jesus was visited by wise men from the east, the Scriptures don’t say how many. The number “three” is no more than a guess, a tradition, and likely wrong.
Now question No. 3. The apostle Peter was married. 1 Corinthians 9:5—where he is called “Cephas”—tells us so.
Now, No. 4. Purgatory is nowhere even mentioned in the Scriptures, Old or New. No, not once.
No. 5. Adam and Eve ate a fruit, to be sure, but the Bible only refers to it as a fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6).
Now No. 6. Jonah may have given a dose of indigestion to a great fish, but it is nowhere identified as a whale.
No. 7 now. No, it’s not Jeremiah whose book features all those prophecies of the Messiah. The book of Isaiah has as many as 20 messianic prophecies. Jeremiah doesn’t even come close.
Still with us? No. 8. The New Covenant—a much debated subject. But no, it wasn’t introduced by the apostle Paul. Jesus Christ, when He passed the wine to His disciples on the Passover evening, invited them to partake of His “blood of the new covenant,” symbolically represented by the wine.
Okay, so now here’s No. 9. Moses was an Israelite, but he was born of the tribe of Levi, not of Judah. All Jews are Israelites, but not all Israelites are Jews (Exodus 2:1-10).
Finally, No. 10. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It is found in a speech given by the apostle Paul, but in fact he’s quoting from the words of Jesus Christ, recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 20 and verse 35.
So how did you do? There may be some Bible experts out there, and maybe also some who were surprised by the answers. Whatever the case, we can see that misconceptions aren’t limited to world history. In fact, the most important misconceptions are the false ideas about the Bible.
We invite you to visit this site often, but be prepared to be surprised about what the Bible really says!"
Vertical News: Eat Your Fruits and Veggies for Disease Prevention
Study proves common sense advice to be accurate, eat plenty of produce!
Source: freeimages.com/MissFran
"Eating your fruits and veggies is good for you, specifically to help prevent chronic illness, according to a study from the University of Adelaide in Australia. The study analyzed data from over 1,000 Chinese participants over the course of five years and discovered a link between chronic illness and the amount of produce included in the diet.
Researchers found that those who consumed a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and specific grains decreased their risk of developing several chronic illnesses. Fruit, it seems, helps to ward off the onset of chronic illness, while vegetables help prevent individuals from developing a second chronic illness, if they already had one. It appears that having a diet high in fruits and vegetables is a tonic for improving health in general (Nicky Phillips, “Fruit, Veggies Delay Onset of Multiple Chronic Diseases, Study Reveals,” The Sydney Morning Herald at SMH.com.au, June 24, 2014).
In Genesis:1:29 God instructs Adam and Eve about the abundance of plants foods available to them, “And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food,’ ” (NKJV). Science continues to discover why this part of God’s creation is so powerful for good health, and how it can benefit us when we include it in our daily nutrition along with lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and dairy." From: http://www.ucg.org/youth/vertical-news-eat-your-fruits-and-veggies-disease-prevention/
________
Update:
Life is everything to do with choices. I have a sign on my front door that says "Choices have consequences, make good choices", and under it is another one: "Lack of organization on your part, does not constitute and emergency on my part". Because the people who make the bad choices usually want me to jump up and go help them rectify their "emergency"!
It has been hot and humid and we haven't been able to get much done here. I think the lawnmower breathed it's last, so I am looking for another one. Ray went around with a weed eater and tidied up the front of the house.
Jay's little Yorkie Maddie ran into their patio door with such a force that she knocked herself out. We put her in a comfy bed and rushed her to the vet. She was just beginning to come around by the time we got there. The vet said, upon looking into her eyes, that she had a concussion and to keep her quiet and a dark place for a while. She seems to be alright now.
My latest little foster cat, 'Giovanni' has been in a cage most of his life. He has gradually been allowed to have the run of my bathroom, bedroom, then living room, and screen porch. But he has a habit of chewing wires. So far, he has chewed through the wires to my answering machine, computer speakers and bedroom phone. His real foster mom came over and sprayed the rest of my wires with 'Flooey', a bitter spray, and that seems to have made 'Gio' lose interest in them. I tried splicing the wires to my answering machine back together, but now it just makes a loud buzz, so I will have to buy another one.
Yesterday, Ray and I went to church. Jay had overdosed on Dulcolax, so he didn't go. He always has to overdo everything! Ray and I enjoyed the service, and the Bible Readings were Psalms 136, 139, 142 and Numbers 16-18. And the message was interesting, too. It was about how God never changes. His Word and His Laws stand forever. We all had a good potluck meal, and had a great day.
“The Sincora Antwren was once mistaken for the somewhat similar and widespread Rusty-backed Antwren. However, in 2007, the two were designated separate species due to their distinct vocalizations, plumage, and habitat preferences. Like other members of its genus, the Sincora Antwren has a loud, repetitive song and shows strong sexual dichromatism, with plumage color differing between males and females.
The small, long-tailed bird is only found in the Chapada Diamantina National Park in northeast Brazil. With support from ABC, researchers from Associação Baiana para Conservação dos Recursos Naturais (ABCRN) conducted seven bird surveys throughout the park from 2011-2013 to better understand the species’ range, ecology, and conservation needs. Their surveys detected the species at six sites, which extended its known range by around 28 miles. Breeding behavior of the Sincora Antwren was first observed and recorded during this study. Dependent juvenile birds were also seen, confirming successful nesting in the area.
Fires set by farmers and ranchers are the major threat to the habitat of this species, which is likely decreasing across its small range.”
Pigeons: These Unremarkable Birds Are Remarkably Smart
“A newly published study conducted by psychologists at the University of Iowa concludes pigeons have the ability to make extremely intelligent choices, and have highly evolved problem-solving skills.
In a classic test of basic intelligence known as the “string task,” pigeons selected the correct string (the one attached to food treats) up to 90 percent of the time. Even more remarkable? The pigeons aced the test “virtually” using a computer touch screen.
According to the lead study author, “The pigeons proved that they could indeed learn this task with a variety of different string configurations—even those that involved crossed strings, the most difficult of all configurations to learn with real strings.” Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/11/pigeons.aspx
________
Preventing Bird Collisions
“Glass poses a real hazard to birds. Listen to this series of shows about the problem.
What can you do? Check out these resources from our partner, American Bird Conservancy: Keep birds from flying in to your windows. Here's how! (PDF) Learn how to make your windows visible to birds with ABC's BirdTape
Violet-green Swallow SUNDAY Swallows on Wires, Ready to Migrate by Frances Wood LISTEN NOW ►
Virginia Rail MONDAY A Virginia Rail On Michigan Avenue Featuring Annette Prince, Director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors LISTEN NOW ►
migrating raptors TUESDAY Counting a Million Raptors Over Veracruz, Mexico With Scott Weidensaul, Author of Living on the Wind LISTEN NOW ►
Willie Wagtail WEDNESDAY Love and Risk Are Inseparable featuring Gordon Hempton, QuietPlanet.com LISTEN NOW ►
Green Heron THURSDAY Green Heron by Frances Wood LISTEN NOW ►
Rocco and the Great Horned Owl FRIDAY Nurturing a Love of Birds Featuring Emily Czerwonka And the Students Of South Whidbey Elementary LISTEN NOW ►
Large Ground Finch SATURDAY Darwin's Birds by Lyanda Haupt LISTEN NOW ►
_______
On This Day:
Carter files report on UFO sighting, Sep 18, 1973:
“On this day in 1973, future President Jimmy Carter files a report with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), claiming he had seen an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) in October 1969.
During the presidential campaign of 1976, Democratic challenger Carter was forthcoming about his belief that he had seen a UFO. He described waiting outside for a Lion's Club Meeting in Leary, Georgia, to begin, at about 7:30 p.m., when he spotted what he called "the darndest thing I've ever seen" in the sky. Carter, as well as 10 to 12 other people who witnessed the same event, described the object as "very bright [with] changing colors and about the size of the moon." Carter reported that "the object hovered about 30 degrees above the horizon and moved in toward the earth and away before disappearing into the distance." He later told a reporter that, after the experience, he vowed never again to ridicule anyone who claimed to have seen a UFO.
During the presidential campaign of 1976, Carter promised that, if elected president, he would encourage the government release "every piece of information" about UFOs available to the public and to scientists. After winning the presidency, though, Carter backed away from this pledge, saying that the release of some information might have "defense implications" and pose a threat to national security.”"
_______
Accidental poisoning in Brazil, Sep 18, 1987:
“On this day in 1987, cesium-137 is removed from an abandoned cancer-therapy machine in Brazil. Hundreds of people were eventually poisoned by radiation from the substance, highlighting the danger that even relatively small amounts of radiation can pose.
In 1985, the Goiania Institute of Radiotherapy moved to a new location and left behind an obsolete Cesium-137 teletherapy unit in their abandoned headquarters. The institute failed to inform the authorities of the existence of the outdated device and the machine sat in the building in downtown Goiania, 600 miles from Sao Paulo, for over a year before two criminally enterprising men removed the machine.
The men sold it to a local junkyard on September 13. Five days later, workers at the junkyard dismantled the machine, releasing the Cesium-137 that was still inside. Fascinated by the glowing blue stone and completely unaware of its dangers, they distributed pieces to friends, relatives and neighbors. The cesium was spread around so much that contamination was later found 100 miles away.
Days later, the junkyard owner's wife began noticing that her friends and relatives were getting sick. When she sought medical assistance, doctors found that they were suffering from acute radiation poisoning. Four people eventually died from exposure, including one child. Scores were hospitalized and more than 100,000 people in the city had to be monitored for contamination.
More than 40 homes in the city were found to have high levels of contamination and had to be demolished. The after-effects were also serious. Many of the citizens suffered psychologically from their fear of contamination. In fact, fear was so widespread that other cities shunned the people and products of Goiania following the incident.
Following this disaster, Brazil completely overhauled their laws regarding the storage of radiation sources.”
_______
Yesterday:
Misty and I went to pick up Jay, and had a fairly long walk as he wasn’t ready, even though he said he was. Sometimes he has to do last minute things for his mother, but this time he said that he had to do something for their little Yorkie, Maddie.
We ‘tweaked’ the roof over the front porch a bit. There was one place where the contractors had made it a bit higher, so we took off those roof panels and lowered that part. Now it looks a lot better. It didn’t really show as long as my little red maple is there, but that tree will be moved further away from the house this Autumn, when the leaves have fallen.
A while ago, the kitchen light over the sink and stove area went out, so we installed an under-cabinet light. It just didn’t give enough light, so about three months ago, I bought a new fixture. What a difference that made when we finally got it installed yesterday.
“One of nature's master architects, the beaver is able to create impressive edifices from nothing more that the materials offered by their habitat. Their dams and lodges are not only engineering marvels, but also are able to redefine and shape the creek or river where they choose to take up residence.
Sir David Attenborough narrates this fascinating animal video recording the way in which beavers build a lodge in just 20 days. They'll use their lodge throughout the winter to eat, raise young, and sleep in safety. Includes cute footage of baby beavers. Interesting wildlife video from BBC show 'Beavers: The Master Builder'.”
“Watch this clip from BBC documentary 'A Moose Name Madeline' to see the strange relationship between the moose and the beaver. Living side by side, these two diverse species have learnt to co-operate and give nature a helping hand along the way.”
________
37 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Pit Bulls
“The Obama administration just came out against specific breed legislation, which is a triumph to many dogs and their loving owners. Here are some pictures that will make you think differently about pit bulls. Remember: “Judge the deed, not the breed!”"
“The AKC sites the breed standard as having “affection for its friends, and children in particular…off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability.” More than that, the ASPCA speaks to their roots as family dogs, given the nickname “nurse’s maid” because of their sweetness with children.”
“Say friend, did you know that the US Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and the US railroads were built by English expatriates. I see, but why did the English build them like that? Because the first railway lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used. Well, why did they use that gauge in England? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing. Okay! Why did their wagons use that odd wheel spacing? Because, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads. Because that's the spacing of the old wheel ruts. So who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The Roman roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? The original ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were first made by the wheels of Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made for or by Imperial Rome they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches derives from the original specification for an Imperial Roman army war chariot. And the motto of the story is Specifications and bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the back-ends of two war-horses. So, just what does this have to do with the exploration of space? Well, there's an interesting extension of the story about railroad gauge and horses' behinds. When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on the launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are the solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at a factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad from the factory runs through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than a railroad track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses' behinds. So a major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was originally determined by the width of a horse's ass.” From: http://www.astrodigital.org/space/stshorse.html
“The naked mole rat is a tiny burrowing rodent native to parts of Africa. These little guys are only about four inches long and, as you might guess, hairless.
Naked mole rats come equipped with a highly unique set of physical characteristics. These include a lack of pain sensors in the skin, an ability to endure incredibly high levels of carbon dioxide in underground tunnels, a talent for running backwards as fast as they run forwards, an extraordinarily long lifespan, and unlike other mammals … they never get cancer.
“Two recent incidents on Rye, New Hampshire beaches have New England Aquarium officials reinforcing warnings to the public about the importance of keeping at least 150 feet away from seals encountered on land.
In one case, a week-old baby seal was stolen from its mother. In a second sad incident, a days-old seal pup that appeared very healthy on a Friday, died on Sunday, likely due to stress caused by people getting too close.
Marine mammal conservation efforts have been very successful in increasing seal populations, which is why more seals are being sighted on U.S. beaches. It’s important for the safety and health of seals and humans alike that people learn how to behave around seals and abide by the 150-foot rule set forth in the Marine Mammal Protection Act.” More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/02/seal-pup-death.aspx
_______
On This Day:
Mayflower departs England, Sep 16, 1620:
“The Mayflower sails from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World with 102 passengers. The ship was headed for Virginia, where the colonists--half religious dissenters and half entrepreneurs--had been authorized to settle by the British crown. However, stormy weather and navigational errors forced the Mayflower off course, and on November 21 the "Pilgrims" reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first permanent European settlement in New England in late December.
Ten years earlier, English persecution had led a group of Separatists to flee to Holland in search of religious freedom. However, many were dissatisfied with economic opportunities in the Netherlands, and under the direction of William Bradford they decided to immigrate to Virginia, where an English colony had been founded at Jamestown in 1607. Some 100 English colonists, dispatched from England by the London Company, had sailed across the Atlantic aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery.
In a difficult Atlantic crossing, the 90-foot Mayflower encountered rough seas and storms and was blown more than 500 miles off course. Along the way, the settlers formulated and signed the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that bound the signatories into a "civil body politic." Because it established constitutional law and the rule of the majority, the compact is regarded as an important precursor to American democracy. After a 66-day voyage, the ship landed on November 21 on the tip of Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts.
After coming to anchor in Provincetown harbor, a party of armed men under the command of Captain Myles Standish was sent out to explore the area and find a location suitable for settlement. While they were gone, Susanna White gave birth to a son, Peregrine, aboard the Mayflower. He was the first English child born in New England. In mid-December, the explorers went ashore at a location across Cape Cod Bay where they found cleared fields and plentiful running water and named the site Plymouth.”
______
Settlers race to claim land, Sep 16, 1893:
“On this day in 1893, the largest land run in history begins with more than 100,000 people pouring into the Cherokee Strip of Oklahoma to claim valuable land that had once belonged to Native Americans. With a single shot from a pistol the mad dash began, and land-hungry pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced forward to stake their claims to the best acres.
Ironically, not many years before that same land had once been considered worthless desert. Early explorers of Oklahoma believed that the territory was too arid and treeless for white settlement, but several suggested it might be the perfect place to resettle Indians, whose rich and fertile lands in the southeast were increasingly coveted by Americans. The U.S. government later took this advice and began removing eastern Indian tribes like the Cherokee and Choctaw to Oklahoma Territory in 1817. No more eager than the whites to leave their green and well-watered lands for the arid plains, some Indians resisted and had to be removed by force-most tragically, the 4,000 Cherokee who died during the brutal overland march known appropriately as the "Trail of Tears."
By 1885, a diverse mixture of Native American tribes had been pushed onto reservations in eastern Oklahoma and promised that the land would be theirs "as long as the grass grows and the water runs." Yet even this seemingly marginal land did not long escape the attention of land-hungry Americans. By the late nineteenth century, farmers had developed new methods that suddenly made the formerly reviled Plains hugely valuable. Pressure steadily increased to open the Indian lands to settlement, and in 1889, President Benjamin Harrison succumbed and threw open large areas of unoccupied Indian lands to white settlement. The giant Cherokee Strip rush was only the largest of a series of massive "land runs" that began in the 1890s, with thousands of immigrants stampeding into Oklahoma Territory and establishing towns like Norman and Oklahoma City almost overnight.”
_______
Yesterday:
Jay brought Maddie, the little Yorkie, here for me to groom. So while I was doing that, Ray went around the screen porch posts with a caulking gun filling in different cracks and holes, so it would look better when the porch had it’s final coat of paint.
A local rescue group has saved a sweet, abused pit-bull dog from the Houston pound, and asked if I would foster one of their dogs so they could make room for it.
When they found out that I will only take care of older dogs, they came up with an inseparable trio that was brought here to TX from FL, when their aged ‘mom’ was put in a nursing home. An orange male cat, an old blind Chinese Crested female, and her ‘seeing eye’ dog, an old female black lab. The cat and the Chinese Crested are no problem, but a big, old black lab, that’s a different story. So that meant a lot of emails, and things to think about yesterday!
“The most important thing to remember about food labels is that you should avoid foods that have labels.” By Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
_______
Teach every child about food
“Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food. Jamie Oliver is transforming the way we feed ourselves, and our children. Jamie Oliver has been drawn to the kitchen since he was a child working in his father's pub-restaurant. He showed not only a precocious culinary talent but also a passion for creating (and talking about) fresh, honest, delicious food.”
________
Jamie Oliver Food Revolution - Episode 2 [ Elementary School ] Part 1
“Jamie meets more resistance when he tries to make over the lunch program at Central City Elementary School. But later, a dramatic display of the fat that's being fed to the kids successfully raises the ire of school parents.”
“On this day in 1901, President William McKinley is shaking hands at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, when a 28-year-old anarchist named Leon Czolgosz approaches him and fires two shots into his chest. The president rose slightly on his toes before collapsing forward, saying "be careful how you tell my wife."
He was rushed into surgery and seemed to be on the mend by September 12. Later that day, however, the president's condition worsened rapidly and, on September 14, McKinley died from gangrene that had gone undetected in the internal wound. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president.”
______
First tank produced, Sep 6, 1915:
“On this day in 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolls off the assembly line in England. Little Willie was far from an overnight success. It weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled over rough terrain at only two miles per hour. However, improvements were made to the original prototype and tanks eventually transformed military battlefields.
Tanks rapidly became an important military weapon. During World War II, they played a prominent role across numerous battlefields. More recently, tanks have been essential for desert combat during the conflicts in the Persian Gulf.”
______
Elton John performs a re-written "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral, Sep 6, 1997:
“"The people's princess" was the label Great Britain's newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair chose to use in describing the late Princess Diana in his first public statement following her death. It was a sensitive and understated way to refer to Diana's tremendous popularity among the British public despite her estrangement from England's royal family. Pop legend Elton John chose a more dramatic form of tribute: On September 6, 1997, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, Elton John—a man not given to understatement—gave a tear-jerking performance of "Candle in the Wind," his 1973 Marilyn Monroe tribute rewritten in honor of the deceased princess.
It is safe to say that Westminster Abbey had never seen a performance quite like the one Elton John gave on this day in 1997. But then Westminster Abbey had never seen a royal funeral quite like Diana's, what with her brother, Earl Spencer, openly criticizing the royal family for mistreating her while television cameras beamed a live feed to the hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered directly outside and the millions more watching on television around the world. But it was Elton John's performance, seated alone at a grand piano, which stole the show.”
_______
Yesterday:
Ray was going to the doctor, and Jay was going accompany his mother to her doctor. They were going to drop off Maddie, their Yorkie for me to groom, on their way out of the subdivision.
Then I heard that Roni, a drunk/druggie gal who lives down the street, hadn’t been seen for four days. She has a sweet black lab, so I worried about ‘Big Girl’, and took her some food. She kept on getting in my car, she really wanted to leave there. She knows that I would give her loving care, as I have done it before. But I couldn’t bring her here, so I will go there to feed her each day until something is resolved.
There were 7 black and tan puppies wandering in the street, and their mother was locked up inside Roni’s house. I scooped the puppies up into a carrier, and called Animal Control. I set the pups up in a pen in my shady carport, gave them food and water, with a fan blowing on them. They loved that.
When the Animal Control officer arrived she took pictures of each pup and loaded them into carriers on her truck. She said she would post a notice on Roni’s house about the abandoned dog. If there was no answer to her notice within 24 hours, then a police warrant would be issued to break into the house to get the mama dog. There was another dog, very skinny, with terrible skin problems, and terrified of people. If I could have caught him, I would have turned him over to Animal Control, too.
I have taken care of Big Girl before, but it was in cooler weather, so I kept her in my garage and took her for walks. But she was just a puppy then and tore stuff up, mostly because she was bored and wasn’t used to being locked up. My back fence might not contain a dog that large, and that is a very busy street behind me. Anyway, I didn’t want her going potty in my Misty’s back yard, as I was sure she had fleas, worms and germs. Roni doesn’t take good care of her animals.
Big Girl is a sweet, young dog, she is spayed and housebroken, but I can’t keep her in my house, as Nala, my foster cat, can’t be around any animal that hasn’t been checked out by our SPCA vet. So I can’t bring Big Girl here. I have the word out to our SPCA to see if one of our foster parents might have room for her. She would make a wonderful companion for someone, and she deserves a better life.
They had the appointment time wrong, so by the time Jay and his mother were on the way to the doctor, it was too late to start grooming Maddie. I will have to wait until another day when Jay isn’t here, or Maddie won’t hold still. Most dogs are like that if their ‘parents’ are around.
Jay struck out at the thrift shop where he had bought the incomplete remote controlled car the day before. The lady would not refund, nor give him credit towards the brass/wooden drum with holes in it. Yes, he bought it, and now he wonders why he did!
“The United States and its allies are weighing its options in the wake of the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons.”
Transcript:
[Darris McNeely] “Today is August 28th, 2013. It is the 50th anniversary of the great "I Have A Dream" speech delivered by Martin Luther King on the mall in Washington during that great civil rights summer of 1963. We've done a blog on it on our UCG website , and of course there's wall to wall coverage about it on the internet and on television. If you haven't seen clips of that film, of that speech, or watched even a part of it our recommendation is that you go online sometime today and do that. Watch all or part of it. It is one of the great speeches of American history, and we think that it stands alone in that way and well worth your time.
Other news today that probably, or more current is taking place in Syria in the Middle East as drumbeats begin to heighten and increase. Will the United States take some type of military action along with other nations? What will be the impact of that, especially in the aftermath of revelations that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people? Graphic scenes and pictures have come out about that in recent days, and it has created quite an uproar, and it's an awful atrocity that has taken place. And now seems to be pushing American and other western involvement into this. And what does that mean? What will happen?”
[Steve Myers] “Well, those weapons of mass destruction have gotten the world's attention, and the Bible does focus on Syria in prophecy. And I can't help but think of some of those prophecies about Damascus, about Syria. There's one in Isaiah chapter 17 that talks about the burden against Damascus. And it talks about the fact in verse 1 of chapter 17. "Behold Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap" (Isaiah 17:1 See All...). Now I'm not saying that that's what's going to happen right at this very instance, but I hope that you'll notice what's going on in the Mid-East more than just saying, "My gas prices have gone up." Because so much is going on. And could it be that we're heading in that direction where end-time Bible prophecy is going to be fulfilled? It will happen. Where exactly are we?”
[Darris McNeely] “Well, that's hard to say, but Syria, Damascus its capital. Damascus is one of the major cities, one of the three major cities of the Arab world. And the entire region has been enflamed for more than two years now with other events taking place in Egypt especially. We've talked about that. What happens in the next few hours and the next few days with an American military intervention and other nations is yet to be determined. And will it happen? We'll have to wait and see. It likely, something is going to take place. What will be the impact of that? We don't know. Everyone is waiting right now to see exactly what will take place.
Should Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria, should he be removed? Should his regime come to an end? Our opinion, my opinion is that any regime, that any president, any leader that commits an atrocity upon his own people of a nature like this deserves to be removed. How that will be done and when it will be done is another matter altogether.”
[Steve Myers] “Yeah, it reminded me of Luke 21 when you were saying that there are these innocent people that these weapons seem to have been used against. Christ said watch and pray always (Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. See All...). Pray for those innocent people over there that are in such a terrible dire circumstance as we look forward to the return of Jesus Christ and really the fulfillment of His prophecy when once again for all we can be beyond the atrocities and we can look forward to God's government.”
The Bible's Prophetic Festivals: Revealing God's Plan of Salvation
“God gave seven annual festivals that present the work of Jesus Christ in saving humanity. It's vital that all of us learn of them and what they teach.”
The Feast of Tabernacles, Eve of Sept 18th – 26th.
“The next annual festival, the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36 See All...), was celebrated by the ancient Israelites with makeshift shelters, recalling their transitory dwelling when they left Egypt and made their way to the Promised Land.
Also called the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23: See All...; Deuteronomy 34:22 See All...), this festival celebrated the late summer and early fall harvest in the land of Israel. In a spiritual sense it represents the great ingathering of God's spiritual harvest of mankind following Christ's return. Indeed, this feast looks forward to the time of the earthly rule of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Himself observed this feast during His ministry and told others to do so as well (John 7:8-14 See All...). The Bible even states that instead of being done away, this feast will be observed by the gentile (non-Israelite) nations during Christ's reign over the earth (Zechariah 14:9 See All..., Zechariah 14:16-18 [16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. [17] And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. [18] And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. See All...).
Scripture tells us that the resurrected saints will reign with Christ. Revelation 20:4 See All... says: "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them . . . And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (compare Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. See All...).
The wonderful truth is that when Christ returns, true Christians from this age will rule under Him as kings and priests (Revelation 5:10 See All...; Revelation 20:6 See All...)—leading the rest of the world into God's ways.
The Eighth Day
Immediately following the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles is another Holy Day or Sabbath—referred to in Scripture simply as "the eighth day" (Leviticus 23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. See All..., Leviticus 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. See All...). This day pictures the most joyful of all events yet to take place in God's great plan.
We should consider that the celebration of the ingathering of all humanity is not complete with the 1,000-year reign of Christ. For what about all those who died in this age who were not called as part of God's firstfruits? There will yet remain billions of people from this age who are not saved. So are they forever lost?
Many Bible students realize that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. See All...).
What most don't realize is that for those who died without the true knowledge of the plan of salvation, the time will come when they will be resurrected to physical life and given their first opportunity to really understand God's plan and make an informed choice about it.” More at: http://www.ucg.org/gods-holy-days/bibles-prophetic-festivals-revealing-gods-plan-salvation/
______
Righteousness Defined by God’s Law
Psalm 119:172: My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all your commandments are righteousness.
This verse is important because it defines “righteousness.” Some think of righteousness as a vague idea of being right or good. But God’s definition of righteousness is very specific. What is right and good is defined by His law.
Simply put: Righteousness equals God’s law.
It should be no surprise that the opposite of righteousness is sin, which is the breaking of God’s law (1 John 3:4). God’s character is righteousness and that character is defined by His law. Sin is unrighteousness (1 John 5:17) because it transgresses His law.
God’s righteousness is based on the principle of love. Jesus Christ defined the spiritual intent of God’s law in one overarching principle—love. This great principle has two central elements: love toward God and love toward fellow man (Luke 10:27). Love, then, is the central characteristic of God (1 John 4:8) and is defined through His law. Therefore, in order for a person to grow in love and be more like God, he or she must keep the law of God (2 John 1:6).
The apostle Paul expanded on the greatness of God’s law by describing it as “holy and just and good” and “spiritual” (Romans 7:12, 14). Understanding the depth of God’s righteousness as revealed through His law is a lifetime pursuit.
“Muammar al-Qaddafi, a 27-year-old Libyan army captain, leads a successful military coup against King Idris I of Libya. Idris was deposed and Qaddafi was named chairman of Libya's new governing body, the Revolutionary Command Council.
After years of rejection in the Arab world, Qaddafi also sought to forge stronger relations with non-Islamic African nations such as South Africa, remodeling himself as an elder African statesman.
In February 2011, as unrest spread through much of the Arab world, massive political protests against the Qaddafi regime sparked a civil war between revolutionaries and loyalists. In March, an international coalition began conducting airstrikes against Qaddafi strongholds under the auspices of a U.N. Security Council resolution. On October 20, Libya’s interim government announced that Qaddafi had died after being captured near his hometown of Sirte.”
_______
Wreck of the Titanic found, Sep 1, 1985:
“Seventy-three years after it sunk to the North Atlantic ocean floor, a joint U.S.-French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic. The sunken liner was about 400 miles east of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic.
American Robert D. Ballard headed the expedition, which used an experimental, unmanned submersible developed by the U.S. Navy to search for the ocean liner. The Argo traveled just above the ocean floor, sending photographs up to the research vessel Knorr. In the early morning of September 1, Argo was investigating debris on the ocean floor when it suddenly passed over one of the Titanic's massive boilers, lying at a depth of about 13,000 feet. The wreck was subsequently explored by manned and unmanned submersibles, which shed new light on the details of its 1912 sinking.”
_______
Yesterday:
Muffie arrived about 6.15 am, and Maddie, the Yorkie, was dropped off half an hour later when Jay, his mother and their neighbor took off for a day of gambling in LA. A bus takes them from Houston to the casino.
Jay kept on saying that he wanted me to groom Maddie and cut her short, and I reminded him three times that I don’t groom on the Sabbath.
Exodus 31:15 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death.
Exodus 34:21Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
Exodus 20:10 …but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
Deuteronomy 5:14 …but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.
How many times does it have to be reiterated in the Bible for people to take notice?
Except for emergencies: Luke 14:5 NIV Then he asked them, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?"
But you should tend to your animals on the Sabbath, Luke 13:15Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
Proverbs 12:10 The righteous person regards the life of his beast.
While Wendy and I had our Saturday phone call, I fed all four animals, and then got ready for church. I didn’t go to my usual afternoon church, as I had to go in the morning, so I went to a different one which starts at 11.00 am. I know some people who go to that church in the morning, and then to the other one in the afternoon.
I hadn’t been there before, and so I didn’t know what to expect. Well, I had been to that building before, about 10 years ago with one of my renters, whose relative was a pastor there. The building is shared by another religious denomination that meets on Sundays.
It was a very small congregation, and several families were absent, I was told. Three men read different chapters from Deuteronomy, then we had a song service, accompanied by a guitarist, who I had met at the other church. Then prayers for different people.
My discomfort was that I was directly under an air conditioning vent, and I was sitting there freezing, with damp hair. I got a sweater out of my van, but that didn’t help. Why does everyone want to be so cold, I wouldn’t want the high power bill? The lady sitting next to me was too hot, so we traded places, and I was comfy again.
The message was given by the guitarist, about “Bible Skeptics”. There is so much proof of fulfilled prophesies, which confirm the Bible. How did the ancients have so much knowledge of the stars, way before telescopes. The predictions of the destruction of Babylon. Then in Isaiah 40:22 NIV it mentions “the circle of the earth”, long before people had figured out that the earth is round. Even now archeologists are unearthing cities which are mentioned in the Bible, exactly where the Bible said they were. He was pretty interesting.
Then they invited me to their pot luck, so I stayed for that. The food and fellowship was great. Lots of veggies, so I liked that! Especially the brussels sprouts, one of my favorites. I couldn’t stay too long as I had to get back to let the dogs out, but it was an enjoyable day.
“The George Zimmerman / Trayvon Martin trial causes us to ask who knows what was in their heart? The Bible tells us that justice will ultimately be served.”
“Is using a torture device that was designed to kill criminals with the maximum amount of pain really an appropriate symbol of our religion?
If Jesus had been killed with another instrument of death, would that be the symbol of Christianity? Have we considered the morbidity of using a device of capital punishment as the symbol of our religion?”
“Why is the cross revered as a Christian emblem? Many answer, “It’s a symbol of Christ’s suffering and death.” What does the Bible say about religious symbols?
Why is there so much reverence paid to the cross in traditional Christianity? Did the cross become a religious symbol in New Testament times? Was the cross ever used as a religious emblem before Christianity? Answers to these questions might be a surprise to many in the Christian world.
The revered cross
When I was younger, I remember a group of us children were given the “opportunity” to make a special visit to a local church and see a relic proclaimed to be a splinter of the very cross on which Christ was crucified. Apparently it was doing a tour of the churches at that time.
It was in liquid and within a small glass bubble. We were asked to kneel before it at the altar and kiss this bubble as it passed in front of us. We had to hold this tiny speck in the highest regard because it was supposedly a small part of the cross on which Jesus died.
The symbol of the cross is displayed in churches (both Protestant and Catholic) around the world and in the homes of millions of people. It is worn as jewelry around the necks of millions of believers.
But does this reverence to the cross have a basis in the Bible?
Revered graven images
The Bible is very specific about God’s view on physical images being used in worship. Notice what God commanded Israel before they entered the Promised Land: “And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God with such things” (Deuteronomy 12:3-4,).
This was based on the second of the 10 Commandments: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:4-5).
With the above scriptures in mind, why would we think that God would change His mind and allow the use of images in worshipping Him now? Jesus Christ Himself said that “one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). The book of Hebrews states that God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). To learn more about how God’s law has not been abolished, read the article “The Law of God.”
The origins of the cross
There is an old question that people sometimes ask: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” In a similar manner, let’s ask, “Which came first, the cross as a religious symbol or Christianity?”
History actually shows that the cross was in existence as a symbol long before the first century when Jesus Christ walked this earth. Notice this quote: “Centuries before the Christian era ancient crosses were in use as pagan emblems. They have been found carved in stone dating back to remote ages” (George Benson, The Cross: Its History and Symbolism, 2003, p. 16).
The cross was not used in Christianity until the reign of Emperor Constantine, three centuries after the New Testament was written. Notice this quote from the Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Under Constantine the cross became the acknowledged symbol of Christianity” (11th edition, vol. 7, p. 506).
We should also consider that Jesus Christ was killed using a very gruesome and painful method of execution: crucifixion. It was variously done on upright stakes, trees and crosses (of different shapes). We do not have historical proof that the method of crucifixion Christ suffered even used a traditional cross.
The Greek word in the Bible that is translated into the English word “cross” is stauros. This word simply means an upright stake or pole. Though it is possible this could have been a cross, if we take the word at face value, Jesus could have been crucified on an upright stake with His hands nailed to the pole above His head.
Is using a torture device that was designed to kill criminals with the maximum amount of pain really an appropriate symbol of our religion? If Jesus had been killed with another instrument of death, would that be the symbol of Christianity? Have we considered the morbidity of using a device of capital punishment as the symbol of our religion?
What should symbolize our Christianity?
Instead of using any image to symbolize your Christianity, consider that the greatest symbol of a true Christian, according to the Bible, is our conduct! The way we live our lives, how we treat others and how well we reflect the law of God in our lives on a daily basis should be the symbol of our beliefs. Jesus Christ taught His followers to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
“If God is good, how can we explain evil? From the Holocaust to the senseless slaughter of school children, evil permeates our world. Is God responsible?
The god of this world
As is the case in so many situations like this, men have assumed that the Bible says something it really doesn’t. For instance, how many realize that, according to the Bible, “Satan is the god of this world?” So states the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
The kingdoms of this world reflect Satan
Consider also the temptation of Christ by Satan as he confronted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4). In his final attempt to conquer Christ, Satan took Him to the top of a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Then he said to Him, “All these things will I give You if You will but bow down and worship me.”
Of course, Christ did not succumb to that temptation, but the point is this: All the kingdoms of the world were Satan’s to give!He’s the god of this world, the author of confusion, the father of liars, a thief and a murderer, and so this world reflects the nature of its god or ruler, Satan the devil. He is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
It was Satan who stirred up the religious leaders of Christ’s day to say and do whatever was necessary to have Him crucified. As was prophesied in Genesis 3:15, “He [speaking of Christ] shall bruise your [Satan the serpent’s] head, and you [Satan] shall bruise His heel.”
“God has a special place in His heart for those who are in great need.
He observes us to see how we react to one who we can clearly see is in need. Can we be the good Samaritan? Do we take the time to help the truly needy? James wrote that pure and undefiled religion before God is to reach out and help the needy when we see the need and when we are in the position to help (James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. See All...). Along with that comment, we also read that we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
God is interested in knowing whether or not we love people. He loves people, and He wants us to be like Him. He does not expect us to go about seeking those who may need help so that we can fulfill this scripture. God does expect us to act when we clearly see a need and if we are in a position to fill that need. Widows and orphans are a good place to start. Children need a father. Maybe you can help by being a role model of manhood if you are a man or a kind and understanding heart if you are a woman. Walking by and ignoring a need is what we cannot do.”
GROANER'S CORNER. “Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so God asked Adam, "What is wrong with you?"
Adam said, "Lord, I don't have anyone to talk to."
God said, "Then I will give you a companion, and she will be called a 'woman'. This person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you, and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement. She will never have a headache, and will freely give 'love' and compassion whenever needed. She will never question your behaviour or the company you keep. She will support you and understand that you have important decisions to make throughout your life and don't have time for nonsense..."
Adam asked God, "What will this woman cost?"
God said, "An arm and a leg..."
Adam said, "What can I get for just a rib?"”
_______
On This Day:
Tsunami hits Alexandria, Egypt, Jul 21, 365:
“On this day in the year 365, a powerful earthquake off the coast of Greece causes a tsunami that devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Although there were no measuring tools at the time, scientists now estimate that the quake was actually two tremors in succession, the largest of which is thought to have had a magnitude of 8.0.
The quake was centered near the plate boundary called the Hellenic Arc and quickly sent a wall of water across the Mediterranean Sea toward the Egyptian coast. Ships in the harbor at Alexandria were overturned as the water near the coast receded suddenly. Reports indicate that many people rushed out to loot the hapless ships. The tsunami wave then rushed in and carried the ships over the sea walls, landing many on top of buildings. In Alexandria, approximately 5,000 people lost their lives and 50,000 homes were destroyed.
The surrounding villages and towns suffered even greater destruction. Many were virtually wiped off the map. Outside the city, 45,000 people were killed. In addition, the inundation of saltwater rendered farmland useless for years to come. Evidence indicates that the area's shoreline was permanently changed by the disaster. Slowly, but steadily, the buildings of Alexandria's Royal Quarter were overtaken by the sea following the tsunami. It was not until 1995 that archaeologists discovered the ruins of the old city off the coast of present-day Alexandria.
Today, the anniversary of the tsunami is celebrated annually with the residents saying prayers and marking the evening by illuminating the city.”
_______
Aswan High Dam completed, Jul 21, 1970:
“After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in Egypt is completed on July 21, 1970. More than two miles long at its crest, the massive $1 billion dam ended the cycle of flood and drought in the Nile River region, and exploited a tremendous source of renewable energy, but had a controversial environmental impact.
A dam was completed at Aswan, 500 miles south of Cairo, in 1902. The first Aswan dam provided valuable irrigation during droughts but could not hold back the annual flood of the mighty Nile River. In the 1950s, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned building a new dam across the Nile, one large enough to end flooding and bring electric power to every corner of Egypt. He won United States and British financial backing, but in July 1956 both nations canceled the offer after learning of a secret Egyptian arms agreement with the USSR. In response, Nasser nationalized the British and French-owned Suez Canal, intending to use tolls to pay for his High Dam project. This act precipitated the Suez Canal Crisis, in which Israel, Britain, and France attacked Egypt in a joint military operation. The Suez Canal was occupied, but Soviet, U.S., and U.N. forced Israel, Britain, and France to withdraw, and the Suez Canal was left in Egyptian hands in 1957.
Soviet loans and proceeds from Suez Canal tolls allowed Nasser to begin work on the Aswan High Dam in 1960. Some 57 million cubic yards of earth and rock were used to build the dam, which has a mass 16 times that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. On July 21, 1970, the ambitious project was completed. President Nasser died of a heart attack in September 1970, before the dam was formally dedicated in 1971.
The giant reservoir created by the dam--300 miles long and 10 miles wide--was named Lake Nasser in his honor. The formation of Lake Nasser required the resettlement of 90,000 Egyptian peasants and Sudanese Nubian nomads, as well as the costly relocation of the ancient Egyptian temple complex of Abu Simbel, built in the 13th century B.C.
The Aswan High Dam brought the Nile's devastating floods to an end, reclaimed more than 100,000 acres of desert land for cultivation, and made additional crops possible on some 800,000 other acres. The dam's 12 giant Soviet-built turbines produce as much as 10 billion kilowatt-hours annually, providing a tremendous boost to the Egyptian economy and introducing 20th-century life into many villages. The water stored in Lake Nasser, several trillion cubic feet, is shared by Egypt and the Sudan and was crucial during the African drought years of 1984 to 1988.
Despite its successes, the Aswan High Dam has produced several negative side effects. Most costly is the gradual decrease in the fertility of agricultural lands in the Nile delta, which used to benefit from the millions of tons of silt deposited annually by the Nile floods. Another detriment to humans has been the spread of the disease schistosomiasis by snails that live in the irrigation system created by the dam. The reduction of waterborne nutrients flowing into the Mediterranean is suspected to be the cause of a decline in anchovy populations in the eastern Mediterranean. The end of flooding has sharply reduced the number of fish in the Nile, many of which were migratory. Lake Nasser, however, has been stocked with fish, and many species, including perch, thrive there.”
_______
Yesterday:
Wendy and I had our usual Saturday mother-daughter phone call, and then I fed my animals and got dressed. Mindi and her husband were taking a trip out of town, so they brought five of their dogs for me to keep over the weekend. It has been a long time since I took care of them, and her three remaining poodles have really aged. She used to have eight, which I boarded for three days each week while she worked as a flight attendant! Two of the poodles are a bit younger than my old Misty, and one is the same age, but they don’t look as good as she does. The Yorkie and Dachshund are younger dogs and they look good.
After I had the dogs settled, I got ready in my goin’-to-church-clothes. Chris, the foster mom who lives near me, picked Nala up for her afternoon at Adoption Day at Petco. Misty and I went to get Jay, as he was going too. He had the times mixed up, and wasn’t ready, so we missed the first couple of songs of praise.
The sermon was given by our pastor titled “Quo Vadis Domine” = “Where are you going Lord” It was about when Peter was leaving Rome, because Nero was persecuting the Christians, when Peter came upon Jesus on the Appian Way, and how Jesus sent him back to Rome.
(Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis?
“This pint-sized church marks the spot where St Peter, fleeing Rome, met a vision of Jesus going the other way. When Peter asked: ‘Domine, quo vadis?’ (‘Lord, where are you going?’), Jesus replied, ‘Venio Roman iterum crucifigi’ (‘I am coming to Rome to be crucified again’). Reluctantly deciding to join him, Peter tramped back into town where he was arrested and executed. In the aisle are copies of Christ’s footprints; the originals are in the Basilica di San Sebastiano.” Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome/sights/church/chiesa-domine-quo#ixzz2ZPESP6eR )
He also explained that there is a difference between ‘good’ or ‘goodness’, and ‘nice’ and ‘niceness’. According to some dictionaries, “Good” means virtuous and also knowledgeable, which is mentioned many times in the Bible. Whereas “Nice” original meaning was simple, foolish, ignorant, and never used in the Bible. (From the Latin word "necius" meaning ignorant.) Jay really likes it when our pastor talks, and he said he really enjoyed it. We didn’t stay for the pot-luck, as I hadn’t had time to take anything, and I had to get home to let Mindi’s dogs out.
The sky was very dark, and it looked like we were in for some storms, but we didn’t get much rain, it just drizzled, yesterday.
The true cost of a thing is how much "life" must be surrendered to possess it.
Immigration
"ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is not a new problem...Native Americans used to call it WHITE PEOPLE."
Life !
Life is what happens when you are making plans to do something else !
The Journey Counts.
If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination. —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Your Present
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that is why they call it the present" Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
Pet's World
...Saving just one pet won't change the world...But, surely, it will change the world for that one pet.....
Don't breed or buy while homeless pets die!
EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS
Spay or neuter your pet
Thank You
Low Cost Spay/Neuter
From: 'Healing Animals' by Dr. Michael W. Fox
“Our perception of animals determines how we treat them, and whether they suffer under our dominion or not. Behind our perception and treatment of animals lie our needs, wants, values, and cultural and religious traditions.
Until these are addressed and our perception changed so there is empathy, respect, and communication, the holocaust of the animal kingdom will continue. And those qualities or virtues that make us human – humility, compassion, and selfless benevolence – will continue to be crushed by arrogance, ignorance, and the selfishness of our species.”
Difference
Nature
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
What is Man Without the Beasts?
"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." (Chief Seattle, 1855)
Gandhi
As Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated".
Is There An Animal Abuser Near You? Please Report it!
http://exposeanimalabusers.org/section.php?id=163
Can They Suffer?
The basic issue is simple:
"The question is not, can they reason?
Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?"
(Jeremy Bentham, philosopher and animal rights activist; 1748-1832.)
Recycling
Where to recycle, no matter if you live permanently somewhere, or on the road: http://earth911.com/
"Mark 12:24
.jpg)
.jpg)
“A newly published study conducted by psychologists at the University of Iowa concludes pigeons have the ability to make extremely intelligent choices, and have highly evolved problem-solving skills.
![images[4]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNH653a0Al0C_LbG_AZWttRa-Ar7J2J1gKV-4td5xd06PFI9q1D8DhSDbNs1lriH47H7mq9Kzw7hHUJcOW1MzNN1iorGa_8RbA7b35PYw_odrU4bH7lBuLhmGP64XTv1glqVN7776PlBo/s1600-h/images44.jpg "images[4]")
“The naked mole rat is a tiny burrowing rodent native to parts of Africa. These little guys are only about four inches long and, as you might guess, hairless.
“Two recent incidents on Rye, New Hampshire beaches have New England Aquarium officials reinforcing warnings to the public about the importance of keeping at least 150 feet away from seals encountered on land.
