 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 6/18/2008 5:07 PM CDT The world's oceans have warmed 50% faster over the last 40 years than previously thought. In addition, discouragingly, the massive report issued last year by the Nobel-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is being criticized for including 'only' the impact of thermal expansion in its projections of sea level rises over the next century, despite the fact that melting ice is a significant -- and growing -- factor. Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of water, thus contributing to a rise in sea levels. It should also be remembered that the ice sheet that sits atop Greenland alone contains enough water to raise world ocean levels by 23 feet, thus submerging small island nations and wreaking havoc in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around the globe. p.s. - As carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans, it increases its acidity. The acidity of sea water has increased 30% since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. And we all know what that does to calcium carbonate. |
| Posted 6/17/2008 4:44 PM CDT As science progresses, we learn that not only are we not at the center of the universe, but that there is no center of the universe. The universe is expanding (though not celestial bodies aka 'galaxies' bound by gravity). Although this may be upsetting to biblical creationists, I find an infinite universe to be reassuring. There is a common assumption that the Big Bang was an explosion that occurred in empty space and that the explosion expanded into the empty space. This is wrong. Space and time were created in the Big Bang. There is no center of the expansion, the universe is simply expanding at all points. Observers in any galaxy see most of the other galaxies in the universe moving away from them. The only answer to the question "Where did the Big Bang happen?" is that it occurred everywhere in the Universe. The Earth is not expanding and neither is the solar system, nor the Milky Way galaxy. These objects formed under the influence of gravity and stopped moving apart. Gravity also holds galaxies together into groups and clusters. It is mainly the groups and clusters of galaxies that are moving apart in the universe. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/bigbang.html To understand all of this, it helps to have some perspective: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/ |
| Posted 6/12/2008 4:35 PM CDT Has your credit card company used every trick in the book to maximize what you have to pay? The Federal Reserve just proposed tough new rules that will stop credit card companies' abusive practices. But these reforms aren't a sure thing the banks are lobbying hard against them. The rules would: * Stop companies from hiking interest rates on existing balances (unless you pay 30 days late). * Stop them from applying your monthly payment to low-interest debt first. * Give you time between the bill and the due date so you can always pay on time. * Stop interest charges on debts paid off the previous month. Take Action: https://secure.consumersunion.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1881 [My Comment: Of course, the best way to utilize a credit card is to pay off the balance each and every month / and to use a card that earns a rebate (like Amazon's VISA or DISCOVER cashback). If you can't pay off the balance monthly, then you're spending too much in the first place.] |
| Posted 6/12/2008 1:11 PM CDT "Bobby Jindal, the 36-year old governor of Louisiana, is being taken seriously by the national press as a candidate on the shortlist to be John McCain's vice president. No one doubts that he's a political prodigy -- his impressive resume includes stints as president of the state university system, a congressman and now governor." "A battle over science education could soon spill into the courts in Louisiana, where looming legislation would allow teachers to bring up what the law's supporters claim are scientific criticisms of evolution, global warming and other hot-button topics. The state House approved the bill Wednesday on a 94-3 vote. Because the Senate already approved a near-identical measure, supporters expect the upper chamber to pass this bill also.... Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal would not say whether he will sign the bill, saying only that he will review it when it gets to his desk." [My Comment: Although I know little about Jindal, if he goes along with this in order to survive as governor, it may seemingly make him a more attractive choice for McCain (who's trying to bolster 'conservative' support). However, it'll antagonize too many other people. McCain will have to look for a less controversial figure outside the realm of creationists, etcetera.] http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/12/new-front-opens-on-evolution-wars/ |
| Posted 6/11/2008 11:50 AM CDT Israel and Syria had been holding secret negotiations to return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for Syria's ending support for Hamas and Hezbollah & to distance themselves from Iran. Even though I think it'd be foolish of Israel to give up the strategic Golan Heights, the willingness of Syria and Israel to talk is a bit encouraging. The USA, Saudi Arabia and other friendly nations ought to do what they can to reward Syria for 'any' change of attitude. Again and again, it's apparent to me that Syria is the key to longterm hope for peace in the Middle East. Golan Heights: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/Golan_heights_rel89B.jpg http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/golan1.html http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_current_golan.php |
| Posted 6/6/2008 4:37 PM CDT The ancient conflict between God's two sets of 'chosen people' (Jews & Muslims of the Middle East) [Note previous blog] is not going to be resolved by outsiders. The Palestinians who chose to leave Israel rather than live with Jews after they lost the 1948 war (when 5 Arab armies tried to oust the Jews) will not accept the existence of Israel. Overpopulation is increasing pressures all across the Middle East -- while oil production has peaked in all Middle Eastern countries except Iraq. We're not leaving Iraq to be picked off by Iran & Iran will not be denied nuclear weapons (primarily because of international politics). Just imagine how different world history and the future would have been if the Romans had not decimated the Jewish population and exiled them to all parts of the empire. A good read to go with this is: http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/mzuckerman/2008/05/16/israels-historic-achievement.html |
| Posted 6/5/2008 2:02 PM CDT The ancient Old Testament rivalry between the Israelites and the Ishmaelites continues to manifest in today's Israeli Jew vs. Arab Muslim conflict. Review the biblical story of Abraham and God's promise to him. Then consider what happened to Ishmael (the eldest son of Abraham born of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Sarah) and Isaac (born of his wife, Sarah) -- Isaac received his father's blessing after Sarah nagged Abraham into driving Ishmael & Hagar into the desert. Then consider the subsequent story of Isaac's sons, Easu and Jacob -- Jacob guided by his mother, Rebekah, tricked Isaac into giving him the paternal blessing, thus cheating Easu out of his rightful inheritance. Then a daughter of Ishmael married Easu / a coming together of the disinherited? Perhaps not, because God had promised Abraham, "And as for Ishmael... Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation" (Genesis 17:20). My Comment: Even though I'm struck by how the machinations of the mothers in these stories wove a tangled web that seemingly suborned God's will, it's a natural consequence of patriarchal domination of women (allowing them no property rights, etcetera in biblical times)... and, oh yes, today too in some cultures. Read: http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/History-Abraham.htm http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/i/ishmael.html http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVanswers/2005/03-17.htm http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ideas_belief/genderfeminism/Fem_Traditional_TO/Fem_InBible.htm |
| Posted 6/3/2008 3:53 PM CDT Population growth is decimating the gains that the United States has made in energy conservation and environmental protection. Traffic density, overcrowding in public schools, hospitals and social services, water shortages, etcetera are reflections of the United States now having a population of more than 300 million people (a number that is projected to jump by another 100+ million in 30 years). If nothing is done to halt this increase, the U.S. could face a population of 600 million by the end of this century. More than 80% of population growth, nationally, will continue to be a direct result of immigration and immigrant births. And the USA is only an example of these population growth trends. Immigration from poorer countries to richer countries is going on all over the world ... it's an "age old problem" / as old as life itself. If we want to avoid the worst effects of eventual 'population crashes', we need to take some civilized measures now. www.npg.org/facts Consider joining NumbersUSA. This organization is concerned with more than just 'illegal immingration'. Urban sprawl, disappearing farm land and natural resources are part of the picture. http://www.numbersusa.com/content/content/6/3113 |
| Posted 6/2/2008 6:01 PM CDT About 75,000 years ago,
the supervolcano Toba
(in Indonesia next to the
epicenter of the earthquake
that created the 'killer tsunami'
of 2004) blew and pumped so
much debris into the atmosphere
that the Earth was thrown into
an Ice Age such that humans
very narrowly escaped extinction.
Seemingly, the survivors passed
along the increased propensity
to propagate at all costs
(that is, judging from humanity’s
“primitive need” to overpopulate
the planet regardless of the
consequences).
To wit: It’s one thing to advocate
for the full legal protection of
embryos and fetuses; but, it’s
quite another when you advocate
for not allowing the use of
contraceptives (family planning).
At first blush, this is the
result of church doctrines that
limit sexual intercourse to
procreation; but, when you probe
deeper, one realizes that it is
the result of the basic desire
to survive. If the group that
you identify with does not
multiply fruitfully but competing
groups do, then “you” stand to
become “no more”. Wars against
competing groups and against
nature are often first won in
the bedroom. In primitive
circumstances where mortality
rates are high, contraception
may not necessarily be a good
thing (however, since the advent of
vaccinations & the use of
soap worldwide), this is no longer
true in the world)-- but since
lowered mortality rates
prevail, then contraception is
good. |
Posted 6/1/2008 4:46 PM CDT
Many years ago, I read a series of well documented studies where rats were kept in a bounteously roomy cage that was kept clean and supplied with ample food and water. Birth control measures, however, were not provided. All too soon, overcrowding resulted ---- and tensions mounted. Deviant behaviors, fighting and cannibalism ensued --- such that population control became a reality after all. Apply this to the world situation --- now you’ve got a premise for understanding the basic source for much of the world’s tensions and conflicts. You, also, realize the need for providing birth control measures/ practices along with public education when you try to help poor nations with starvation issues. Our species instinctively uses reproduction as a first line of defense in its territorial imperative in the struggle to survive….. which is encouraged and sanctified by religious edicts that discourage birth control. “Dogooders” and “bleeding hearts” are, at the very least, ‘misanthropists’ when they provide resources without education….. and perhaps ‘evil’ ( that which kills, the body as well as the spirit) without teaching birth control. http://populationinstitute.org/ Help When Shopping At Amazon: Population Institute will receive a percentage of every Amazon.com purchase that starts by clicking on the icon below: http://populationinstitute.org/amazon-store/index.php
