Lockheed U-2 Flight - The Training + Extra Flight Scenes
Lockheed U-2 Flight - 70,000ft (2 Seat TU-2 Trainer)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
X-Ray of Humming Bird in Flight
Nectar not only powers the humming bird but stabilizes it's head in flight to allow feeding. Pretty cool stuff.
Ichneumon Wasp
Interesting video about wearied Alcon butterfly and Icheumon wasp that both use ants to raise their young, but ichneumon wasp uses both Alcon Butterfly and ants both at the same time.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Brain activity exposes those who break promises
Scientists from the University of Zurich have discovered the physiological mechanisms in the brain that underlie broken promises. Patterns of brain activity even enable predicting whether someone will break a promise. The results of the study conducted by Dr. Thomas Baumgartner and Professor Ernst Fehr, both of the University of Zurich, and Professor Urs Fischbacher of the University of Konstanz, will be published in the journal Neuron on December 10, 2009.
The promise is one of the oldest human-specific behaviors promoting cooperation, trust, and partnership. Although promises are generally not legally binding, they form the basis for a great many everyday social and economic exchange situations. Promises, however, are not only kept, but also broken. Material incentives to deceive are in fact ubiquitous in human society, and promises can thus also be misused in any social or economic exchange scenario in order to cheat one's interaction partner. Business people, politicians, diplomats, attorneys, and private persons do not always behave honestly, as recent financial scandals have dramatically demonstrated.
Despite the ubiquity of promises in human life, we know very little about the brain physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In order to increase understanding in this area, neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner (University of Zurich) and economists Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich) and Urs Fischbacher (University of Konstanz) carried out a social interaction experiment in a brain scanner where the breach of a promise led both to monetary benefits for the promise breaker and to monetary costs for the interaction partner. The results of the study show that increased activity in areas of the brain playing an important role in processes of emotion and control accompany the breach of a promise. This pattern of brain activity suggests that breaking a promise triggers an emotional conflict in the promise breaker due to the suppression of an honest response.
Furthermore, the most important finding of the study enabled the researchers to show that "perfidious" patterns of brain activity even allow the prediction of future behavior. Indeed, experimental subjects who ultimately keep a promise and those who eventually break one act exactly the same at the time the promise is made - both swear to keep their word. Brain activity at this stage, however, often exposes the subsequent promise breakers.
Catching culprits
As neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner elucidates, these findings indicate that brain activity measurements may already reveal malevolent intentions at a point in time prior to commitment of a dishonest or deceitful act. "Such a finding thus permits the speculation that the measurement of brain activity could be applied in the (distant) future not only to catch culprits, but even beyond this perhaps to aid in the prevention of fraudulent and criminal intrigues - a vision already made reality in the science fiction film 'Minority Report'."
"We've discovered critical elements of the neuronal basis of broken promises," economist Ernst Fehr explains. "In light of the significance of promises in everyday, interpersonal cohabitation in society, these findings offer the prospect of being able to fathom and better understand the brain physiological basis of pro-social and especially of antisocial behavior in general."
Source: University of Zurich
The promise is one of the oldest human-specific behaviors promoting cooperation, trust, and partnership. Although promises are generally not legally binding, they form the basis for a great many everyday social and economic exchange situations. Promises, however, are not only kept, but also broken. Material incentives to deceive are in fact ubiquitous in human society, and promises can thus also be misused in any social or economic exchange scenario in order to cheat one's interaction partner. Business people, politicians, diplomats, attorneys, and private persons do not always behave honestly, as recent financial scandals have dramatically demonstrated.
Despite the ubiquity of promises in human life, we know very little about the brain physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In order to increase understanding in this area, neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner (University of Zurich) and economists Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich) and Urs Fischbacher (University of Konstanz) carried out a social interaction experiment in a brain scanner where the breach of a promise led both to monetary benefits for the promise breaker and to monetary costs for the interaction partner. The results of the study show that increased activity in areas of the brain playing an important role in processes of emotion and control accompany the breach of a promise. This pattern of brain activity suggests that breaking a promise triggers an emotional conflict in the promise breaker due to the suppression of an honest response.
Furthermore, the most important finding of the study enabled the researchers to show that "perfidious" patterns of brain activity even allow the prediction of future behavior. Indeed, experimental subjects who ultimately keep a promise and those who eventually break one act exactly the same at the time the promise is made - both swear to keep their word. Brain activity at this stage, however, often exposes the subsequent promise breakers.
Catching culprits
As neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner elucidates, these findings indicate that brain activity measurements may already reveal malevolent intentions at a point in time prior to commitment of a dishonest or deceitful act. "Such a finding thus permits the speculation that the measurement of brain activity could be applied in the (distant) future not only to catch culprits, but even beyond this perhaps to aid in the prevention of fraudulent and criminal intrigues - a vision already made reality in the science fiction film 'Minority Report'."
"We've discovered critical elements of the neuronal basis of broken promises," economist Ernst Fehr explains. "In light of the significance of promises in everyday, interpersonal cohabitation in society, these findings offer the prospect of being able to fathom and better understand the brain physiological basis of pro-social and especially of antisocial behavior in general."
Source: University of Zurich
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Life Story of Frank Abagnale
This is a real life story of Frank Abagnale based on which Hollywood movie "Catch me if you can" was made. Very funny and inspirational testimony.
Here is the cover page of the DVD
Here is the cover page of the DVD
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
You use 100% of your brain.
That’s ten times more than many people think, according to Dr. Aaron Carroll, coauthor of Don’t Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-Truths, and Original Lies About Your Body and Health. The false notion that most of our gray matter sits idle probably first cropped up in the early 20th century. “Snake-oil salesmen needed to convince people that they could be smarter,” says Carrol. “The oil is gone, but the myth is still a round.” In fact, your brain resembles a running car. All of it works all of the time, but parts “rev up” depending on what you do. That means you keep loosing your keys for other reasons. “If you don’t think you live up to your full potential,” Carol says, “don’t blame it on the physical properties of your brain.”
Spirit – P33
My Comment:
The human body on the cellular level, operates by a principle of ineducable complexity, which means, take one component out of the cell and the system fails, add one to it and you get the same result. On a larger scale, cells which are useful are thriving and the ones that are idle, are discarded by the body. At the age of approximately five the brain undergoes drastic change, all neurons which a re used are reinforced and the ones that are not used, are discarded, which kid of sets the course of life. The brain of a child contrary a to popular belief, contains more neurons that a brain of an adult. It awaits sorting, reinforcing of used neurons and elimination of the ones which will are not likely to be used.
This principle can be found in the New Testament:
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2
This spiritual principle permeates through entire creation and applies to both spiritual and material things. We can also apply it to any area of our lives. For example: Things you don't use for extended period of time, you give away or dispose of, only things that will help you to achieve some greater purpose in your life you acquire, and the goal of acquiring new thins should always be a greater purpose. God's purpose can be seen through all creation. I think we can learn a great deal from nature to live with purpose and meaning at maximum efficiency.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
WASP Injector Knife inflates sharks
The "WASP Injector Knife" secrets a CO2 canister in the handle which, when a small button on the hilt is triggered, injects a blast of 850psi gas through a channel in the knife's blade, inflating the target with a painful and debilitating pocket of gaseous pain. It's being marketed towards scuba divers, although I'd be too terrified of accidental discharge to carry it myself, let alone try to get into a cutting match with a shark.
From product description page:
This weapon injects a frozen ball of compressed gas approximately the size of a basketball at 850psi nearly instantly. The effects of this injection will drop many of the world's largest land predators. The effects of the compressed gas not only cause over-inflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea. When used underwater, the injected gas carries the predator to the surface BEFORE blood is released into the water. Thus giving the diver added protection by diverting other potential predators to the surface.
The knife itself doesn't actually seem to be on sale yet, but prices of around $400 or so were being bandied about before someone claiming to be with the company said they were "in negotiations to sell it strictly on the non-civilian market." So who knows? However you slice it, it's a wicked little weapon.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
"Dark Flow" Discovered at Edge of the Universe: Hundreds of Millions of Stars Racing Towards a Cosmic Hotspot
"Dark Flow" Discovered at Edge of the Universe: Hundreds of Millions of Stars Racing Towards a Cosmic Hotspot
Cosmos_2 "Dark Flow" sounds like a new SciFi Channel series. It's not! Back in the Middle Ages, maps showed terrifying images of sea dragons at the boundaries of the known world. Today, scientists have observed strange new motion at the very limits of the known universe - kind of where you'd expect to find new things, but they still didn't expect this. A huge swath of galactic clusters seem to be heading to a cosmic hotspot and nobody knows why.
The unexplained motion has hundreds of millions of stars dashing towards a certain part of the sky at over eight hundred kilometers per second. Not much speed in cosmic terms, but the preferred direction certainly is: most cosmological models have things moving in all directions equally at the extreme edges of the universe. Something that could make things aim for a specific spot on such a massive scale hasn't been imagined before. The scientists are keeping to the proven astrophysical strategy of calling anything they don't understand "dark", terming the odd motion a "dark flow".
A black hole can't explain the observations - objects would accelerate into the hole, while the NASA scientists see constant motion over a vast expanse of a billion light-years. You have no idea how big that is. This is giant on a scale where it's not just that we can't see what's doing it; it's that the entire makeup of the universe as we understand it can't be right if this is happening.
Which is fantastic! Such discoveries force a whole new set of ideas onto the table which, even if they turn out to be wrong, are the greatest ways to advance science and our understanding of everything. One explanation that's already been offered is that our universe underwent a period of hyper-inflation early in its existence, and everything we think of as the vast and infinite universe is actually a small corner under the sofa of the real expanse of reality. Which would be an amazing, if humbling, discovery. (to site where this article was found)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Kite Fishing
Kite fishing from Jonathan Clay on Vimeo.
Fishermen on the South Pacific island of Santa Catalina practice an ingenious method of catching fish, using a kite and spider silk.
This is a sequence from the film "Strange Islands", part of the BBC's documentary series "South Pacific".
Note to moderators: this film was directed and produced by myself for the BBC Natural History Unit.
Money affects you in ways you don't know.
A Psychology test reveals that money has an affect on people's behavior.
Makes you more selfish or self reliant, makes you hungry and increases your pain tolerance threshold. Pretty interesting stuff ha?
Makes you more selfish or self reliant, makes you hungry and increases your pain tolerance threshold. Pretty interesting stuff ha?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
How to format external hard drive to FAT32 in Windows
Trying to format a large external USB or Firewire hard drive to the FAT32 file system? Can’t do it? Only see an option for formatting the drive using the NTFS file format? Well if you answered yes any of those questions, then you’re at the right place.
I was recently trying to format my 1 TB MyBook external hard drive in Windows XP to FAT32 instead of the overly forced-upon NTFS format. Why? Well because I needed to connect it to a NAS device and the NTFS permissions were causing the NAS not to be able to access the drive. Simple solution is to use FAT32, no security, no problems. Though it’s sometimes useful to format a USB drive in NTFS format.
Also, formatting a drive in FAT or FAT32 will allow it to be read by other operating systems, such as Mac, Linux, and older versions of Windows such as Windows 98.
Unfortunately, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 will only format a removable drive in FAT32 if it’s less than 32GB! Hmmm…that pretty much cuts out ALL modern external hard drives!
However, Windows can format a drive that is larger than 32GB in FAT32, but you have to use the DOS command prompt. However, if you have a drive that is 1TB or larger, you may still get an error saying “The volume is too big for FAT32”.
In that case, you can use a free program called SwissKnife that will allow you to format an external hard drive that is up to 2TB in size. Let’s go through both methods. In case you are having problems getting your external hard drive to show up in Windows, read my article on how to change the drive letter for an external drive in Windows.
Format external drive in FAT32 using DOS
Open a command window by going to Start, then Run and typing in CMD.
Now type in the following command at the prompt:
format /FS:FAT32 X:
Replace the letter X with the letter of your external hard drive in Windows. Windows will go ahead and begin formatting the drive in FAT32!
I was recently trying to format my 1 TB MyBook external hard drive in Windows XP to FAT32 instead of the overly forced-upon NTFS format. Why? Well because I needed to connect it to a NAS device and the NTFS permissions were causing the NAS not to be able to access the drive. Simple solution is to use FAT32, no security, no problems. Though it’s sometimes useful to format a USB drive in NTFS format.
Also, formatting a drive in FAT or FAT32 will allow it to be read by other operating systems, such as Mac, Linux, and older versions of Windows such as Windows 98.
Unfortunately, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 will only format a removable drive in FAT32 if it’s less than 32GB! Hmmm…that pretty much cuts out ALL modern external hard drives!
However, Windows can format a drive that is larger than 32GB in FAT32, but you have to use the DOS command prompt. However, if you have a drive that is 1TB or larger, you may still get an error saying “The volume is too big for FAT32”.
In that case, you can use a free program called SwissKnife that will allow you to format an external hard drive that is up to 2TB in size. Let’s go through both methods. In case you are having problems getting your external hard drive to show up in Windows, read my article on how to change the drive letter for an external drive in Windows.
Format external drive in FAT32 using DOS
Open a command window by going to Start, then Run and typing in CMD.
Now type in the following command at the prompt:
format /FS:FAT32 X:
Replace the letter X with the letter of your external hard drive in Windows. Windows will go ahead and begin formatting the drive in FAT32!
How to Upgrade a PS3 Hard Drive
Or if you have the latest/cheapest release of PS3, without internal flash for OS
but the one which has the OS on it's Hard Drive, follow these instructions.
Hack Attack: Turn your $60 router into a $600 router
The router has an interesting history, but all you really need to know is that the special sauce lies in embedding Linux in your router. I found this project especially attractive because: 1) It's easy, and 2) it's totally free.
So when I got the chance, I dove into converting my own router. After a relatively simple firmware upgrade, you can boost your wireless signal, prioritize what programs get your precious bandwidth, and do lots of other simple or potentially much more complicated things to improve your computing experience. Today I'm going to walk you through upgrading your router's firmware to the powerful open source DD-WRT firmware.
What you'll need:
1. One of the supported routers. I used a Linksys WRT54GL Wireless router that I picked up from Newegg, and the instructions that follow detail the upgrade process specifically for that router and its close siblings. If you're upgrading one of the other supported routers, you might want to look into instructions specific to your router. These instructions may generally work for other supported routers, but I'm not making any promises.
2. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 mini firmware version located here.*
3. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 standard firmware version located here.*
*You'll be upgrading the firmware twice, first using the mini firmware, then using the standard.
Upgrading your router to the DD-WRT firmware
http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/routerupgrade/748102
Check out this gallery for the detailed step-by-step upgrade with screenshots. When you're finished, come back here for some of my favorite tweaks.
All the new WRT54G routers being sold now are v8, and the previous DD-WRT software didn't work on them. However, recent versions added support for the new v8 router— but it's a little more in depth.
Got this to work on the WRT54G v8 (should work on 7 as well, just replace the files with the corresponding 7 version):
First of all, use IE explorer. Firefox didn't work at all on this for me, even after install. Second, go to this page. Read the textfile carefully and follow its instructions. Two edits to the textfile:
1. Make sure you go to command prompt and type ipconfig /all. Record the default gateway, the subnet mask, and the two DNS addresses. When you set the IP address manually on your desktop/laptop to 192.168.1.100 as per the instructions, you will need to set these 4 numbers as well.
2. Don't forget when you do the tftp that you need to be in the folder that contains the downloaded dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin file (for example, if it is in C:/Downloads, type /cd C:/Downloads).
Lastly don't forget you need to be on a wire to the router, and download both vxworkskillerGv8.bin and dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin before you start. Following this procedure will install the micro version on your router.
After this, switch your laptop/desktop back to receiving your IP address via DHCP rather than the manual configuration you set as per the instructions. You will be able to access the DD-WRt micro install via 192.168.1.1 with the login username root and the password admin. From here, you still need to install the DD-WRT standard.
Unfortunately, you cannot go any farther than this with WRT54G v7 and v8 because Linksys downgraded the physical memory in these recent models. However, micro is still an improvement over the original Linksys firmware.
Boost your wireless signal
The first thing I did after I finished the firmware upgrade was give my wireless signal a much needed boost ("needed" in the sense any signal boosting that can be done needs to be done, right?). Doing so is trivial.
Go to the Wireless tab, then to Advanced Settings. Find the entry labeled Xmit Power, which is set by default at a paltry 28mW, and can be set up to 251mW. To be honest, I don't know much about the science of the whole process, but I do know that 251 is WAY bigger than 28. However, you probably don't want to pump it up to 251mW right away.
The DD-WRT manual suggests that a "safe increase of up to 70 would be suitable for most users." Anything too much above that and you'd be flirting with overheating your router and damaging the life of your router (though I've heard that many people have pushed it up to 100 or above). So go ahead and change your Xmit Power to 70 and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
Throttling your bandwidth by program
While most routers treat one request for bandwidth the same as any other, your new $600 router is a step above. By setting up QoS (Quality of Service) rules, you can give priority to your interactive traffic (like VoIP, web browsing, or gaming) while throttling traffic that doesn't require a steady rate of bandwidth to function (like P2P programs).
Doing so will ensure that even if your network gets clogged with lots of file sharing, you'll still have enough bandwidth left over to make all of your free SkypeOut phone calls. If you've got roommates who tend to sponge up a lot of bandwidth, you can even prioritize by IP address.
What to do if you brick your router
If, god forbid, while flashing your firmware you end up "bricking" your router, don't worry - all is not lost. The DD-WRT wiki (a great resource of all things DD-WRT) can help you recover from a bad flash.
Of course, your router will handle securing your network, port forwarding, and all the other things your regular old router does.
Obviously I've just scratched the surface here, so if you decide to try this out, there's a lot of potential for other things you can do. Any readers tricked out a router with DD-WRT or one of the other open source distros? Tell us what tweaks have worked for you in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.
So when I got the chance, I dove into converting my own router. After a relatively simple firmware upgrade, you can boost your wireless signal, prioritize what programs get your precious bandwidth, and do lots of other simple or potentially much more complicated things to improve your computing experience. Today I'm going to walk you through upgrading your router's firmware to the powerful open source DD-WRT firmware.
What you'll need:
1. One of the supported routers. I used a Linksys WRT54GL Wireless router that I picked up from Newegg, and the instructions that follow detail the upgrade process specifically for that router and its close siblings. If you're upgrading one of the other supported routers, you might want to look into instructions specific to your router. These instructions may generally work for other supported routers, but I'm not making any promises.
2. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 mini firmware version located here.*
3. The generic DD-WRT v23 SP1 standard firmware version located here.*
*You'll be upgrading the firmware twice, first using the mini firmware, then using the standard.
Upgrading your router to the DD-WRT firmware
http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/routerupgrade/748102Check out this gallery for the detailed step-by-step upgrade with screenshots. When you're finished, come back here for some of my favorite tweaks.
All the new WRT54G routers being sold now are v8, and the previous DD-WRT software didn't work on them. However, recent versions added support for the new v8 router— but it's a little more in depth.
Got this to work on the WRT54G v8 (should work on 7 as well, just replace the files with the corresponding 7 version):
First of all, use IE explorer. Firefox didn't work at all on this for me, even after install. Second, go to this page. Read the textfile carefully and follow its instructions. Two edits to the textfile:
1. Make sure you go to command prompt and type ipconfig /all. Record the default gateway, the subnet mask, and the two DNS addresses. When you set the IP address manually on your desktop/laptop to 192.168.1.100 as per the instructions, you will need to set these 4 numbers as well.
2. Don't forget when you do the tftp that you need to be in the folder that contains the downloaded dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin file (for example, if it is in C:/Downloads, type /cd C:/Downloads).
Lastly don't forget you need to be on a wire to the router, and download both vxworkskillerGv8.bin and dd-wrt.v24_micro_wrt54gv8.bin before you start. Following this procedure will install the micro version on your router.
After this, switch your laptop/desktop back to receiving your IP address via DHCP rather than the manual configuration you set as per the instructions. You will be able to access the DD-WRt micro install via 192.168.1.1 with the login username root and the password admin. From here, you still need to install the DD-WRT standard.
Unfortunately, you cannot go any farther than this with WRT54G v7 and v8 because Linksys downgraded the physical memory in these recent models. However, micro is still an improvement over the original Linksys firmware.
Boost your wireless signal
The first thing I did after I finished the firmware upgrade was give my wireless signal a much needed boost ("needed" in the sense any signal boosting that can be done needs to be done, right?). Doing so is trivial.
Go to the Wireless tab, then to Advanced Settings. Find the entry labeled Xmit Power, which is set by default at a paltry 28mW, and can be set up to 251mW. To be honest, I don't know much about the science of the whole process, but I do know that 251 is WAY bigger than 28. However, you probably don't want to pump it up to 251mW right away.
The DD-WRT manual suggests that a "safe increase of up to 70 would be suitable for most users." Anything too much above that and you'd be flirting with overheating your router and damaging the life of your router (though I've heard that many people have pushed it up to 100 or above). So go ahead and change your Xmit Power to 70 and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
Throttling your bandwidth by program
While most routers treat one request for bandwidth the same as any other, your new $600 router is a step above. By setting up QoS (Quality of Service) rules, you can give priority to your interactive traffic (like VoIP, web browsing, or gaming) while throttling traffic that doesn't require a steady rate of bandwidth to function (like P2P programs).
Doing so will ensure that even if your network gets clogged with lots of file sharing, you'll still have enough bandwidth left over to make all of your free SkypeOut phone calls. If you've got roommates who tend to sponge up a lot of bandwidth, you can even prioritize by IP address.
What to do if you brick your router
If, god forbid, while flashing your firmware you end up "bricking" your router, don't worry - all is not lost. The DD-WRT wiki (a great resource of all things DD-WRT) can help you recover from a bad flash.
Of course, your router will handle securing your network, port forwarding, and all the other things your regular old router does.
Obviously I've just scratched the surface here, so if you decide to try this out, there's a lot of potential for other things you can do. Any readers tricked out a router with DD-WRT or one of the other open source distros? Tell us what tweaks have worked for you in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Interesting video about soda's
This guy is fascinating, really likes his job. I wish all American small businesses were like this, with personality and creativity.
How fast is Earth moving through space?
To begin with, Earth is rotating on its axis at the familiar rate of one revolution per day. For those of us living at Earth's midlatitudes -- including the United States, Europe, and Japan -- the rate is almost a thousand miles an hour. The rate is higher at the equator and lower at the poles. In addition to this daily rotation, Earth orbits the Sun at an average speed of 67,000 mph, or 18.5 miles a second.
Perhaps that seems a bit sluggish -- after all, Mars Pathfinder journeyed to Mars at nearly 75,000 miles per hour. Buckle your seat belts, friends. The Sun, Earth, and the entire solar system also are in motion, orbiting the center of the Milky Way at a blazing 140 miles a second. Even at this great speed, though, our planetary neighborhood still takes about 200 million years to make one complete orbit -- a testament to the vast size of our home galaxy.
Dizzy yet? Well hold on. The Milky Way itself is moving through the vastness of intergalactic space. Our galaxy belongs to a cluster of nearby galaxies, the Local Group, and together we are easing toward the center of our cluster at a leisurely 25 miles a second.
If all this isn't enough to make you feel you deserve an intergalactic speeding ticket, consider that we, along with our cousins in the Local Group, are hurtling at a truly astonishing 375 miles a second toward the Virgo Cluster, an enormous collection of galaxies some 45 million light-years away.
Perhaps that seems a bit sluggish -- after all, Mars Pathfinder journeyed to Mars at nearly 75,000 miles per hour. Buckle your seat belts, friends. The Sun, Earth, and the entire solar system also are in motion, orbiting the center of the Milky Way at a blazing 140 miles a second. Even at this great speed, though, our planetary neighborhood still takes about 200 million years to make one complete orbit -- a testament to the vast size of our home galaxy.
Dizzy yet? Well hold on. The Milky Way itself is moving through the vastness of intergalactic space. Our galaxy belongs to a cluster of nearby galaxies, the Local Group, and together we are easing toward the center of our cluster at a leisurely 25 miles a second.
If all this isn't enough to make you feel you deserve an intergalactic speeding ticket, consider that we, along with our cousins in the Local Group, are hurtling at a truly astonishing 375 miles a second toward the Virgo Cluster, an enormous collection of galaxies some 45 million light-years away.
High School 1957 vs 2009
by Dan Nickerson on 08/29/2009
When I posted this chain email I received in August.. I had no idea that it would generate this level of attention.
Posting non-original content is not something I teach or normally do. At the time I thought it was interesting, my list might appreciate it and it would make a good tweet.
I didn’t expect it to generate 100’s of comments and initiate debates on race, religion, sex and drugs… but it has…
I’ll keep this post up for now, but if it really digresses I’ll probably remove it..
The original author of this article created 8 extreme scenarios to highlight some differences between 1957 and 2009.
Obviously there are 1000’s of scenarios that could be created to highlight the good and bad of both generations, but this particular post was written to favor 1957.
I guess the real question is… Would you rather grow up in 1957 or 2009 and why?
Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.
1957 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2009 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins.. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2009 - Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2009 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt..
1957 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2009 – Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.
Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2009 – The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2009 - Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 – Ants die.
2009 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents — and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2009 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison… Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
When I posted this chain email I received in August.. I had no idea that it would generate this level of attention.
Posting non-original content is not something I teach or normally do. At the time I thought it was interesting, my list might appreciate it and it would make a good tweet.
I didn’t expect it to generate 100’s of comments and initiate debates on race, religion, sex and drugs… but it has…
I’ll keep this post up for now, but if it really digresses I’ll probably remove it..
The original author of this article created 8 extreme scenarios to highlight some differences between 1957 and 2009.
Obviously there are 1000’s of scenarios that could be created to highlight the good and bad of both generations, but this particular post was written to favor 1957.
I guess the real question is… Would you rather grow up in 1957 or 2009 and why?
Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.
1957 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2009 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins.. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2009 - Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2009 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt..
1957 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2009 – Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.
Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2009 – The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2009 - Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 – Ants die.
2009 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents — and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2009 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison… Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Prisoner flees after asking guard way out
October 02, 2009
Article from: Agence France-Presse
FORGET the knotted bed sheets or tunnel. A New York prisoner has come up with a much easier way to break out of jail: ask the guards for the exit.
The inmate, who was wearing a suit for a court appearance on charges of multiple store robberies, simply wandered out of an open cell door and into a courtroom on Wednesday, the New York Post daily reported.
There, he calmly asked a court officer "which way is out?" and the guard - mistaking the escapee for a lawyer - directed him to the lobby.
The daring jailbird went straight to his 81-year-old mother's Manhattan home to change clothes, then left, she told the Post.
"I thought he was discharged. He was all dressed up," she said.
Article from: Agence France-Presse
FORGET the knotted bed sheets or tunnel. A New York prisoner has come up with a much easier way to break out of jail: ask the guards for the exit.
The inmate, who was wearing a suit for a court appearance on charges of multiple store robberies, simply wandered out of an open cell door and into a courtroom on Wednesday, the New York Post daily reported.
There, he calmly asked a court officer "which way is out?" and the guard - mistaking the escapee for a lawyer - directed him to the lobby.
The daring jailbird went straight to his 81-year-old mother's Manhattan home to change clothes, then left, she told the Post.
"I thought he was discharged. He was all dressed up," she said.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Global Warming Projections Overestimated, Says Black Carbon Study
A detailed analysis of black carbon, the residue of burned organic matter, in computer climate models suggests they may be overestimating global warming predictions. A new Cornell study in Nature Geosciences quantified the amount of black carbon in Australian soils and found that there was far more than expected, said Johannes Lehmann, the paper's lead author and a Cornell professor of biogeochemistry. The survey was the largest of black carbon ever published.
As a result of global warming, soils are expected to release more carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, which, in turn, creates more warming. Climate models try to incorporate these increases of carbon dioxide from soils as the planet warms, but results vary greatly when realistic estimates of black carbon in soils are included in the predictions, the study found.
Soils include many forms of carbon, including organic carbon from leaf litter and vegetation and black carbon from the burning of organic matter. It takes a few years for organic carbon to decompose, as microbes eat it and convert it to carbon dioxide. But black carbon can take 1,000-2,000 years, on average, to convert to carbon dioxide.
By entering realistic estimates of stocks of black carbon in soil from two Australian savannas into a computer model that calculates carbon dioxide release from soil, the researchers found that carbon dioxide emissions from soils were reduced by about 20 percent over 100 years, as compared with simulations that did not take black carbon's long shelf life into account.
The findings are significant because soils are by far the world's largest source of carbon dioxide, producing 10 times more carbon dioxide each year than all the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities combined. Small changes in how carbon emissions from soils are estimated, therefore, can have a large impact.
"We know from measurements that climate change today is worse than people have predicted," said Lehmann. "But this particular aspect, black carbon's stability in soil, if incorporated in climate models, would actually decrease climate predictions."
The study quantified the amount of black carbon in 452 Australian soils across two savannas. Black carbon content varied widely, between zero and more than 80 percent, in soils across Australia.
"It's a mistake to look at soil as one blob of carbon," said Lehmann. "Rather, it has different chemical components with different characteristics. In this way, soil will interact differently to warming based on what's in it."
Article was found here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Global warming is a myth, and a lot of arrogant fools bought into it.
Compared to the size of the earth, human population is like invisible microbes and their footprint is erased by elements immediately after it's left. The earth is a living breathing planet, and no matter how much 'harm' people can do to environment, it will always win. When it comes to human vs nature, the nature always wins. We are not gods but dust, we come from dust and to dust we return. It's shocking how arrogant people are these days, they think they can change the orbit of the planet, but are helpless in the face of tsunamis, tornadoes and earthquakes. People who reject God always turn into dumb animals.
As a result of global warming, soils are expected to release more carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, which, in turn, creates more warming. Climate models try to incorporate these increases of carbon dioxide from soils as the planet warms, but results vary greatly when realistic estimates of black carbon in soils are included in the predictions, the study found.
Soils include many forms of carbon, including organic carbon from leaf litter and vegetation and black carbon from the burning of organic matter. It takes a few years for organic carbon to decompose, as microbes eat it and convert it to carbon dioxide. But black carbon can take 1,000-2,000 years, on average, to convert to carbon dioxide.
By entering realistic estimates of stocks of black carbon in soil from two Australian savannas into a computer model that calculates carbon dioxide release from soil, the researchers found that carbon dioxide emissions from soils were reduced by about 20 percent over 100 years, as compared with simulations that did not take black carbon's long shelf life into account.
The findings are significant because soils are by far the world's largest source of carbon dioxide, producing 10 times more carbon dioxide each year than all the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities combined. Small changes in how carbon emissions from soils are estimated, therefore, can have a large impact.
"We know from measurements that climate change today is worse than people have predicted," said Lehmann. "But this particular aspect, black carbon's stability in soil, if incorporated in climate models, would actually decrease climate predictions."
The study quantified the amount of black carbon in 452 Australian soils across two savannas. Black carbon content varied widely, between zero and more than 80 percent, in soils across Australia.
"It's a mistake to look at soil as one blob of carbon," said Lehmann. "Rather, it has different chemical components with different characteristics. In this way, soil will interact differently to warming based on what's in it."
Article was found here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Global warming is a myth, and a lot of arrogant fools bought into it.
Compared to the size of the earth, human population is like invisible microbes and their footprint is erased by elements immediately after it's left. The earth is a living breathing planet, and no matter how much 'harm' people can do to environment, it will always win. When it comes to human vs nature, the nature always wins. We are not gods but dust, we come from dust and to dust we return. It's shocking how arrogant people are these days, they think they can change the orbit of the planet, but are helpless in the face of tsunamis, tornadoes and earthquakes. People who reject God always turn into dumb animals.
Windows 7 Ultimate Cracked
Windows 7 Ultimate Cracked and Activated Permanently with OEM SLP Master Product Key (with SLIC 2.1)
Posted July 29th, 2009 by Mary Jane
* Windows 7
Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked, and can be permanently activated with OEM style instant offline activation which will pass Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, before even any Windows 7 is officially released according to Windows 7 release schedule.
All hell breaks loose when a Windows 7 Ultimate OEM DVD ISO from Lenovo been leaked and posted on Chinese forum. The ISO was quickly grabbed to retrieve boot.wim, which was then used to retrieve the OEM-SLP product key and OEM certificate for Windows 7 Ultimate.
Microsoft has updated the the SLP (System-Locked Preinstallation), a procedure that used to preactivate Windows operating system for mass distribution by major OEM (original equipment manufacturers), to version 2.1 to support Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 while provided backward-compatibility for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 activation. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 OEM activation is provided by SLP 2.0. SLP 2.1 requires SLIC imprinted in BIOS to be updated to SLIC version 2.1 too, which contains new Windows Marker.
After extracting the OEM certificate and OEM product key, it’s confirmed that Windows 7 uses the same digitally signed OEM certificate (in .xrm-ms extension) that is been used in Windows Vista. Windows Vista OEM cert can be used in Windows 7 has been explained in Windows 7 forum. As OEM certificate is digitally signed by Microsoft with its own Private Key with OEM Public Key and OEMID (part of SLIC table in BIOS). The combination of correct Private Key, Public Key with OEMID will pass SLP validation as valid Microsoft license. Meanwhile, Windows Marker is signed by OEM itself based on OEMID and OEMTableID (both belongs to SLIC) using the private key that matches the public key. Thus, the same OEM cert can be used for many different SLICs, as long as OEMID remains the same, as in the case of SLP 2.0 and SLP 2.1, although Windows Marker has changed due to different OEMTableID.
The trick is to have BIOS modded to include the SLIC 2.1. The SLIC 2.1 can be modded into BIOS physically (hardmod or biosmod) or been emulated or simulated during Windows boots up (softmod). Various SLIC 2.1 BIN has been retrieved from various notebook computer that shipped with new SLIC 2.1 in BIOS to support the free Windows 7 Upgrade Option from Windows Vista. The information can be used to mod the BIOS. If you’re not technically know-how, it’s possible to request for BIOS mod assistant, or wait for Windows 7 Loader or WoW7.
Last but not least (which makes no activation crack works properly so far) is OEM-SLP product key for Windows 7. So far no OEM-SLP product key required to activate Windows 7 as OEM offline instant activation been leaked yet as no machine has been officially ship in Windows 7 by OEM, until now.
The extracted Windows 7 Ultimate OEM-SLP product key, 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM, can be used to activate installed Windows 7 Ultimate system, which BIOS has a valid OEM SLIC 2.1, and corresponding OEM cert, even if it’s OEM cert meant for Windows Vista. Best news is that, the product key appears to be a master OEM-SLP product key for Windows 7 Ultimate, which able to activate many OEM brands, such as HP, Dell, MSI and Lenovo. Checkout the discussion at Windows 7 forums.
Tip: It doesn’t matter if you have download and install Windows 7 RTM retail version ISO or Windows 7 RTM OEM version ISO. Just use the following commands to convert to OEM version:
slmgr.vbs -ilc OEM.XRM-MS (where OEM.XRM-MS is a valid OEM cert matching with SLIC 2.1 in BIOS)
slmgr -ipk 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM
Both 32-bit and 64-bit (x86 and x64) Windows 7 Ultimate system should and can be activated immediately. For Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Starter, the OEM-SLP keys haven’t been leaked, thus can’t be OEM-activated yet. It’s expected that various Windows 7 activators, Windows 7 activation toolkits, Windows 7 Loaders and etc are expected to be released by various hackers soon.
Posted July 29th, 2009 by Mary Jane
* Windows 7
Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked, and can be permanently activated with OEM style instant offline activation which will pass Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, before even any Windows 7 is officially released according to Windows 7 release schedule.
All hell breaks loose when a Windows 7 Ultimate OEM DVD ISO from Lenovo been leaked and posted on Chinese forum. The ISO was quickly grabbed to retrieve boot.wim, which was then used to retrieve the OEM-SLP product key and OEM certificate for Windows 7 Ultimate.
Microsoft has updated the the SLP (System-Locked Preinstallation), a procedure that used to preactivate Windows operating system for mass distribution by major OEM (original equipment manufacturers), to version 2.1 to support Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 while provided backward-compatibility for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 activation. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 OEM activation is provided by SLP 2.0. SLP 2.1 requires SLIC imprinted in BIOS to be updated to SLIC version 2.1 too, which contains new Windows Marker.
After extracting the OEM certificate and OEM product key, it’s confirmed that Windows 7 uses the same digitally signed OEM certificate (in .xrm-ms extension) that is been used in Windows Vista. Windows Vista OEM cert can be used in Windows 7 has been explained in Windows 7 forum. As OEM certificate is digitally signed by Microsoft with its own Private Key with OEM Public Key and OEMID (part of SLIC table in BIOS). The combination of correct Private Key, Public Key with OEMID will pass SLP validation as valid Microsoft license. Meanwhile, Windows Marker is signed by OEM itself based on OEMID and OEMTableID (both belongs to SLIC) using the private key that matches the public key. Thus, the same OEM cert can be used for many different SLICs, as long as OEMID remains the same, as in the case of SLP 2.0 and SLP 2.1, although Windows Marker has changed due to different OEMTableID.
The trick is to have BIOS modded to include the SLIC 2.1. The SLIC 2.1 can be modded into BIOS physically (hardmod or biosmod) or been emulated or simulated during Windows boots up (softmod). Various SLIC 2.1 BIN has been retrieved from various notebook computer that shipped with new SLIC 2.1 in BIOS to support the free Windows 7 Upgrade Option from Windows Vista. The information can be used to mod the BIOS. If you’re not technically know-how, it’s possible to request for BIOS mod assistant, or wait for Windows 7 Loader or WoW7.
Last but not least (which makes no activation crack works properly so far) is OEM-SLP product key for Windows 7. So far no OEM-SLP product key required to activate Windows 7 as OEM offline instant activation been leaked yet as no machine has been officially ship in Windows 7 by OEM, until now.
The extracted Windows 7 Ultimate OEM-SLP product key, 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM, can be used to activate installed Windows 7 Ultimate system, which BIOS has a valid OEM SLIC 2.1, and corresponding OEM cert, even if it’s OEM cert meant for Windows Vista. Best news is that, the product key appears to be a master OEM-SLP product key for Windows 7 Ultimate, which able to activate many OEM brands, such as HP, Dell, MSI and Lenovo. Checkout the discussion at Windows 7 forums.
Tip: It doesn’t matter if you have download and install Windows 7 RTM retail version ISO or Windows 7 RTM OEM version ISO. Just use the following commands to convert to OEM version:
slmgr.vbs -ilc OEM.XRM-MS (where OEM.XRM-MS is a valid OEM cert matching with SLIC 2.1 in BIOS)
slmgr -ipk 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM
Both 32-bit and 64-bit (x86 and x64) Windows 7 Ultimate system should and can be activated immediately. For Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Starter, the OEM-SLP keys haven’t been leaked, thus can’t be OEM-activated yet. It’s expected that various Windows 7 activators, Windows 7 activation toolkits, Windows 7 Loaders and etc are expected to be released by various hackers soon.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
GOD has abandoned America
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The keys to victorious Christian living
The reason why many Christians live in sin and cannot overcome various addictions, is because, deep down inside in their inner being, they have never believed that God loves them unconditionally and eternally.
They think that they have to be worth of the love of God, and because none of us is really worthy, they conclude that God loves them only when they are good. In John 15:09 we read Jesus saying: “I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me”
You can never fathom the depth of the love of God for Jesus, or of the greatness of the love which Jesus has for you, and when you begin to understand the greatness off unconditional love which Jesus has for you with no performance strings attached, you begin to live a victorious life of a Christian. Think of these things continually until they become a strong conviction in your heart.
The only thing a Christian is required to do is to believe, and the rest is God working through you, as your faith grows, so will the power of God in your life in proportion to your faith
They think that they have to be worth of the love of God, and because none of us is really worthy, they conclude that God loves them only when they are good. In John 15:09 we read Jesus saying: “I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me”
You can never fathom the depth of the love of God for Jesus, or of the greatness of the love which Jesus has for you, and when you begin to understand the greatness off unconditional love which Jesus has for you with no performance strings attached, you begin to live a victorious life of a Christian. Think of these things continually until they become a strong conviction in your heart.
The only thing a Christian is required to do is to believe, and the rest is God working through you, as your faith grows, so will the power of God in your life in proportion to your faith
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
PLIGHT OF BEES
A new study by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that scientists still do not know the exact cause of the disorder that has resulted in the mysterious disappearance of billions of honeybees. However there is some evidence that the bees may have been infected with multiple viruses that combined to create "the perfect storm."
This troubling phenomenon is the subject of a new documentary titled "The Last Beekeeper." The film follows commercial beekeepers from Montana, Washington, and South Carolina in an effort to shed light on the vital importance of honeybees and the struggles they face.
In recent years scientists have observed a pattern of abnormal behavior in colonies of honeybees across the nation - a puzzling phenomenon that could have far-reaching consequences. Thousands of colonies are dying off, and the cause remains a mystery. The problem began in 2006 and peaked last year. It is estimated that this phenomenon has resulted in the deaths of as much as 46 percent of the honeybee population throughout the United States.
Colony Collapse Disorder
For lack of a better name, scientists have dubbed this phenomenon "colony collapse disorder." Colony collapse disorder or CCD is the rapid and unexpected loss of adult worker bees from the colony over a very short period of time. Bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.
According to a report by the National Research Council, "In CCD, the bee colony proceeds rapidly from a strong colony with many individuals to a colony with few or no surviving bees. Queens are found in collapsing colonies with a few young adult bees, lots of brood, and more than adequate food resources. No dead adult bees are found in the colony or outside in proximity to the colony. A unique aspect of CCD is that there is a significant delay in robbing of the dead colony by bees from other colonies or invasion by pest insects; this suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in the hive."
Experts say that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before. However never before has the cause of death been so elusive. Scientists have so-far been unable to identify what is causing the deaths. The most likely possibilities are a parasite, an unknown virus, some kind of bacteria, pesticides, or some combination of these factors. A few have even suggested that the problem could be the result of fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field. Scientists believe the magnetic field is what enables migrating birds and other animals and insects - such as bees - to navigate. The problem has prompted congressional hearings and has left scientists around the world scrambling to find answers.
Why Are Bees So Important?
The reason experts are so concerned is that honeybees make more than just honey. Honeybee hives are rented out to growers to pollinate their crops, and many commercial beekeepers move around the country as the growing seasons change. Each year, an estimated more than 2 million bee colonies are rented out to farmers. What most people don't realize is that there are more than 90 crops that rely on honeybees for pollination. Among them are: apples, oranges, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruit, melons, peaches, pears, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, soybeans, almonds and various other nuts, as well as a wide variety of other crops. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of our food supply comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees.
Kevin Hackett, head of the USDA's bee and pollination program, described colony collapse disorder as "the biggest general threat to our food supply." He also said that if the collapse worsens, we could end up being "stuck with grains and water."
In the US, honeybees are used to pollinate 15 billion dollars worth of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other crops annually. Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, described the importance of the bee population by saying "Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food." Thus the continued loss of billions of honeybees could have a substantial impact on our food supply and our economy
Documentary looks at plight of the honeybee
New Clues in the Mass Death of Bees
Life Without Bumblebees?
New Documentary Sheds Light on Plight of Bees
This troubling phenomenon is the subject of a new documentary titled "The Last Beekeeper." The film follows commercial beekeepers from Montana, Washington, and South Carolina in an effort to shed light on the vital importance of honeybees and the struggles they face.
In recent years scientists have observed a pattern of abnormal behavior in colonies of honeybees across the nation - a puzzling phenomenon that could have far-reaching consequences. Thousands of colonies are dying off, and the cause remains a mystery. The problem began in 2006 and peaked last year. It is estimated that this phenomenon has resulted in the deaths of as much as 46 percent of the honeybee population throughout the United States.
Colony Collapse Disorder
For lack of a better name, scientists have dubbed this phenomenon "colony collapse disorder." Colony collapse disorder or CCD is the rapid and unexpected loss of adult worker bees from the colony over a very short period of time. Bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.
According to a report by the National Research Council, "In CCD, the bee colony proceeds rapidly from a strong colony with many individuals to a colony with few or no surviving bees. Queens are found in collapsing colonies with a few young adult bees, lots of brood, and more than adequate food resources. No dead adult bees are found in the colony or outside in proximity to the colony. A unique aspect of CCD is that there is a significant delay in robbing of the dead colony by bees from other colonies or invasion by pest insects; this suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in the hive."
Experts say that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before. However never before has the cause of death been so elusive. Scientists have so-far been unable to identify what is causing the deaths. The most likely possibilities are a parasite, an unknown virus, some kind of bacteria, pesticides, or some combination of these factors. A few have even suggested that the problem could be the result of fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field. Scientists believe the magnetic field is what enables migrating birds and other animals and insects - such as bees - to navigate. The problem has prompted congressional hearings and has left scientists around the world scrambling to find answers.
Why Are Bees So Important?
The reason experts are so concerned is that honeybees make more than just honey. Honeybee hives are rented out to growers to pollinate their crops, and many commercial beekeepers move around the country as the growing seasons change. Each year, an estimated more than 2 million bee colonies are rented out to farmers. What most people don't realize is that there are more than 90 crops that rely on honeybees for pollination. Among them are: apples, oranges, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruit, melons, peaches, pears, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, soybeans, almonds and various other nuts, as well as a wide variety of other crops. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of our food supply comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees.
Kevin Hackett, head of the USDA's bee and pollination program, described colony collapse disorder as "the biggest general threat to our food supply." He also said that if the collapse worsens, we could end up being "stuck with grains and water."
In the US, honeybees are used to pollinate 15 billion dollars worth of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other crops annually. Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, described the importance of the bee population by saying "Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food." Thus the continued loss of billions of honeybees could have a substantial impact on our food supply and our economy
Documentary looks at plight of the honeybee
New Clues in the Mass Death of Bees
Life Without Bumblebees?
New Documentary Sheds Light on Plight of Bees
Friday, September 11, 2009
Eight Ways to Spot Emotional Manipulation
Emotional Manipulation is Also "Covert Aggression." See: "Psychopaths: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing"
1) There is no use in trying to be honest with an emotional manipulator. You make a statement and it will be turned around. Example: I am really angry that you forgot my birthday. Response - "It makes me feel sad that you would think I would forget your birthday, I should have told you of the great personal stress I am facing at the moment - but you see I didn’t want to trouble you. You are right I should have put all this pain (don’t be surprised to see real tears at this point) aside and focused on your birthday. Sorry." Even as you are hearing the words you get the creeped out sensation that they really do NOT mean they are sorry at all - but since they’ve said the words you’re pretty much left with nothing more to say. Either that or you suddenly find yourself babysitting their angst!! Under all circumstances if you feel this angle is being played - don’t capitulate! Do not care take - do not accept an apology that feels like bullshit. If it feels like bullshit - it probably is. Rule number one - if dealing with an emotional blackmailer TRUST your gut. TRUST your senses. Once an emotional manipulator finds a successful maneuver - it’s added to their hit list and you’ll be fed a steady diet of this shit.
2) An emotional manipulator is the picture of a willing helper. If you ask them to do something they will almost always agree - that is IF they didn’t volunteer to do it first. Then when you say, "ok thanks" - they make a bunch of heavy sighs, or other non verbal signs that let you know they don’t really want to do whatever said thing happens to be. When you tell them it doesn’t seem like they want to do whatever - they will turn it around and try to make it seem like OF COURSE they wanted to and how unreasonable you are. This is a form of crazy making - which is something emotional manipulators are very good at. Rule number two - If an emotional manipulator said YES - make them accountable for it. Do NOT buy into the sighs and subtleties - if they don’t want to do it - make them tell you it up front - or just put on the walk-man headphones and run a bath and leave them to their theater.
3) Crazy making - saying one thing and later assuring you they did not say it. If you find yourself in a relationship where you figure you should start keeping a log of what’s been said because you are beginning to question your own sanity --You are experiencing emotional manipulation. An emotional manipulator is an expert in turning things around, rationalizing, justifying and explaining things away. They can lie so smoothly that you can sit looking at black and they’ll call it white - and argue so persuasively that you begin to doubt your very senses. Over a period of time this is so insidious and eroding it can literally alter your sense of reality. WARNING: Emotional Manipulation is VERY Dangerous! It is very disconcerting for an emotional manipulator if you begin carrying a pad of paper and a pen and making notations during conversations. Feel free to let them know you just are feeling so "forgetful" these days that you want to record their words for posterity’s sake. The damndest thing about this is that having to do such a thing is a clear example for why you should be seriously thinking about removing yourself from range in the first place. If you’re toting a notebook to safeguard yourself - that ol’ bullshit meter should be flashing steady by now!
4) Guilt. Emotional manipulators are excellent guilt mongers. They can make you feel guilty for speaking up or not speaking up, for being emotional or not being emotional enough, for giving and caring, or for not giving and caring enough. Any thing is fair game and open to guilt with an emotional manipulator. Emotional manipulators seldom express their needs or desires openly - they get what they want through emotional manipulation. Guilt is not the only form of this but it is a potent one. Most of us are pretty conditioned to do whatever is necessary to reduce our feelings of guilt. Another powerful emotion that is used is sympathy. An emotional manipulator is a great victim. They inspire a profound sense of needing to support, care for and nurture. Emotional Manipulators seldom fight their own fights or do their own dirty work. The crazy thing is that when you do it for them (which they will never ask directly for), they may just turn around and say they certainly didn’t want or expect you to do anything! Try to make a point of not fighting other people’s battles, or doing their dirty work for them. A great line is "I have every confidence in your ability to work this out on your own" - check out the response and note the bullshit meter once again.
5) Emotional manipulators fight dirty. They don’t deal with things directly. They will talk around behind your back and eventually put others in the position of telling you what they would not say themselves. They are passive aggressive, meaning they find subtle ways of letting you know they are not happy little campers. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear and then do a bunch of jerk off shit to undermine it. Example: "Of course I want you to go back to school honey and you know I’ll support you." Then exam night you are sitting at the table and poker buddies show up, the kids are crying the t.v. blasting and the dog needs walking - all the while "Sweetie" is sitting on their ass looking at you blankly. Dare you call them on such behavior you are likely to hear, "well you can’t expect life to just stop because you have an exam can you honey?" Cry, scream or choke ‘em - only the last will have any long-term benefits and it’ll probably wind your butt in jail.
6) If you have a headache an emotional manipulator will have a brain tumor! No matter what your situation is the emotional manipulator has probably been there or is there now - but only ten times worse. It’s hard after a period of time to feel emotionally connected to an emotional manipulator because they have a way of de-railing conversations and putting the spotlight back on themselves. If you call them on this behavior they will likely become deeply wounded or very petulant and call you selfish - or claim that it is you who are always in the spotlight. The thing is that even tho you know this is not the case you are left with the impossible task of proving it. Don’t bother - TRUST your gut and walk away!
7) Emotional manipulators somehow have the ability to impact the emotional climate of those around them. When an emotional manipulator is sad or angry the very room thrums with it - it brings a deep instinctual response to find someway to equalize the emotional climate and the quickest route is by making the emotional manipulator feel better - fixing whatever is broken for them. Stick with this type of loser for too long and you will be so enmeshed and co-dependent you will forget you even have needs - let alone that you have just as much right to have your needs met.
8) Emotional manipulators have no sense of accountability. They take no responsibility for themselves or their behavior - it is always about what everyone else has "done to them". One of the easiest ways to spot an emotional manipulator is that they often attempt to establish intimacy through the early sharing of deeply personal information that is generally of the "hook-you-in-and-make-you-sorry-for-me" variety. Initially you may perceive this type of person as very sensitive, emotionally open and maybe a little vulnerable. Believe me when I say that an emotional manipulator is about as vulnerable as a rabid pit bull, and there will always be a problem or a crisis to overcome.
1) There is no use in trying to be honest with an emotional manipulator. You make a statement and it will be turned around. Example: I am really angry that you forgot my birthday. Response - "It makes me feel sad that you would think I would forget your birthday, I should have told you of the great personal stress I am facing at the moment - but you see I didn’t want to trouble you. You are right I should have put all this pain (don’t be surprised to see real tears at this point) aside and focused on your birthday. Sorry." Even as you are hearing the words you get the creeped out sensation that they really do NOT mean they are sorry at all - but since they’ve said the words you’re pretty much left with nothing more to say. Either that or you suddenly find yourself babysitting their angst!! Under all circumstances if you feel this angle is being played - don’t capitulate! Do not care take - do not accept an apology that feels like bullshit. If it feels like bullshit - it probably is. Rule number one - if dealing with an emotional blackmailer TRUST your gut. TRUST your senses. Once an emotional manipulator finds a successful maneuver - it’s added to their hit list and you’ll be fed a steady diet of this shit.
2) An emotional manipulator is the picture of a willing helper. If you ask them to do something they will almost always agree - that is IF they didn’t volunteer to do it first. Then when you say, "ok thanks" - they make a bunch of heavy sighs, or other non verbal signs that let you know they don’t really want to do whatever said thing happens to be. When you tell them it doesn’t seem like they want to do whatever - they will turn it around and try to make it seem like OF COURSE they wanted to and how unreasonable you are. This is a form of crazy making - which is something emotional manipulators are very good at. Rule number two - If an emotional manipulator said YES - make them accountable for it. Do NOT buy into the sighs and subtleties - if they don’t want to do it - make them tell you it up front - or just put on the walk-man headphones and run a bath and leave them to their theater.
3) Crazy making - saying one thing and later assuring you they did not say it. If you find yourself in a relationship where you figure you should start keeping a log of what’s been said because you are beginning to question your own sanity --You are experiencing emotional manipulation. An emotional manipulator is an expert in turning things around, rationalizing, justifying and explaining things away. They can lie so smoothly that you can sit looking at black and they’ll call it white - and argue so persuasively that you begin to doubt your very senses. Over a period of time this is so insidious and eroding it can literally alter your sense of reality. WARNING: Emotional Manipulation is VERY Dangerous! It is very disconcerting for an emotional manipulator if you begin carrying a pad of paper and a pen and making notations during conversations. Feel free to let them know you just are feeling so "forgetful" these days that you want to record their words for posterity’s sake. The damndest thing about this is that having to do such a thing is a clear example for why you should be seriously thinking about removing yourself from range in the first place. If you’re toting a notebook to safeguard yourself - that ol’ bullshit meter should be flashing steady by now!
4) Guilt. Emotional manipulators are excellent guilt mongers. They can make you feel guilty for speaking up or not speaking up, for being emotional or not being emotional enough, for giving and caring, or for not giving and caring enough. Any thing is fair game and open to guilt with an emotional manipulator. Emotional manipulators seldom express their needs or desires openly - they get what they want through emotional manipulation. Guilt is not the only form of this but it is a potent one. Most of us are pretty conditioned to do whatever is necessary to reduce our feelings of guilt. Another powerful emotion that is used is sympathy. An emotional manipulator is a great victim. They inspire a profound sense of needing to support, care for and nurture. Emotional Manipulators seldom fight their own fights or do their own dirty work. The crazy thing is that when you do it for them (which they will never ask directly for), they may just turn around and say they certainly didn’t want or expect you to do anything! Try to make a point of not fighting other people’s battles, or doing their dirty work for them. A great line is "I have every confidence in your ability to work this out on your own" - check out the response and note the bullshit meter once again.
5) Emotional manipulators fight dirty. They don’t deal with things directly. They will talk around behind your back and eventually put others in the position of telling you what they would not say themselves. They are passive aggressive, meaning they find subtle ways of letting you know they are not happy little campers. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear and then do a bunch of jerk off shit to undermine it. Example: "Of course I want you to go back to school honey and you know I’ll support you." Then exam night you are sitting at the table and poker buddies show up, the kids are crying the t.v. blasting and the dog needs walking - all the while "Sweetie" is sitting on their ass looking at you blankly. Dare you call them on such behavior you are likely to hear, "well you can’t expect life to just stop because you have an exam can you honey?" Cry, scream or choke ‘em - only the last will have any long-term benefits and it’ll probably wind your butt in jail.
6) If you have a headache an emotional manipulator will have a brain tumor! No matter what your situation is the emotional manipulator has probably been there or is there now - but only ten times worse. It’s hard after a period of time to feel emotionally connected to an emotional manipulator because they have a way of de-railing conversations and putting the spotlight back on themselves. If you call them on this behavior they will likely become deeply wounded or very petulant and call you selfish - or claim that it is you who are always in the spotlight. The thing is that even tho you know this is not the case you are left with the impossible task of proving it. Don’t bother - TRUST your gut and walk away!
7) Emotional manipulators somehow have the ability to impact the emotional climate of those around them. When an emotional manipulator is sad or angry the very room thrums with it - it brings a deep instinctual response to find someway to equalize the emotional climate and the quickest route is by making the emotional manipulator feel better - fixing whatever is broken for them. Stick with this type of loser for too long and you will be so enmeshed and co-dependent you will forget you even have needs - let alone that you have just as much right to have your needs met.
8) Emotional manipulators have no sense of accountability. They take no responsibility for themselves or their behavior - it is always about what everyone else has "done to them". One of the easiest ways to spot an emotional manipulator is that they often attempt to establish intimacy through the early sharing of deeply personal information that is generally of the "hook-you-in-and-make-you-sorry-for-me" variety. Initially you may perceive this type of person as very sensitive, emotionally open and maybe a little vulnerable. Believe me when I say that an emotional manipulator is about as vulnerable as a rabid pit bull, and there will always be a problem or a crisis to overcome.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wise quotes by various people
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.
Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.
The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
A leader leads by example not by force.
I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.
Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest.
Don't count the days, make the days count.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.
To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.
To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.
The price of greatness is responsibility.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.
Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.
The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
A leader leads by example not by force.
I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.
Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest.
Don't count the days, make the days count.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.
To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.
To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.
The price of greatness is responsibility.
Real interesting geneology question and answer
2, 4, 8, 16 ... how can you always have MORE ancestors as you go back in time?
Have you ever considered the puzzle of doubling ancestors? Everybody has two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, and so on back through time, with the number of ancestors doubling in each generation. Go back 30 generations and the number of ancestors tops one billion. Eventually we arrive at a time when we have more ancestors than there could have been people in the world. How can this be? Common sense, not to mention the book of Genesis, suggests the human race started off with a handful of individuals whose numbers steadily increased. What are the implications of these two surging numerical tides, ancestors and descendants, butting head to head? Enclosed is a $10 check for the trouble of a personal reply.
— George M., Monrovia, California
Dear George:
You ask a question as cosmic as this one and you think a lousy sawbuck is going to cover it? Keep your money until you can fork over some real cash. The ancestor puzzle has its explanation in what one genealogist has called "pedigree collapse." This occurs when relatives, usually cousins, marry, in effect narrowing the family tree. (Fortunately for the gene pool, most of the cousins are only distantly related.) When this happens you find that many of the "slots" in a given generation of your family tree are filled by duplicates.
Consider an extreme case. Mr. and Mrs. Nosepicker have two children, a girl and a boy. These two develop an unnatural yen for one another and marry. Six months later the girl gives birth to an eight-pound horseradish with a lisp. In theory, the horseradish has four grandparents. In reality, its maternal and paternal grandparents are identical. Two of the four grandparent slots are thus filled by duplicates--pedigree collapse with a vengeance. Only slightly less extreme is the case of Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941). Because of inbreeding in the royal family, he had only ten great-great-grandparents instead of the expected 16.
If you go back far enough, however, pedigree collapse happens to everybody. Think of your personal family tree as a diamond-shaped array imposed on the ever-spreading fan of human generations. (I told you this was cosmic.) As you trace your pedigree back, the number of ancestors in each generation increases steadily up to a point, then slows, stops, and finally collapses. Go back far enough and no doubt you would find that you and all your ancestors were descended from the first human tribe in some remote Mesopotamian village. Or, if you like, from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
These simple facts have given rise to some remarkable displays of statistical pyrotechnics. Demographer Kenneth Wachtel estimates that the typical English child born in 1947 would have had around 60,000 theoretical ancestors at the time of the discovery of America. Of this number, 95 percent would have been different individuals and 5 percent duplicates. (Sounds like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but you know what I mean.) Twenty generations back the kid would have 600,000 ancestors, one-third of which would be duplicates. At the time of the Black Death, he'd have had 3.5 million--30 percent real, 70 percent duplicates. The maximum number of "real" ancestors occurs around 1200 AD--2 million, some 80 percent of the population of England.
Pedigree collapse explains why it's so easy for professional genealogists to trace your lineage back to royalty--go far enough back and you're related to everybody. For that matter, you're probably related to everybody alive today. Some geneticists believe that everybody on earth is at least 50th cousin to everybody else. For a fuller discussion of the above, see The Mountain of Names, by Alex Shoumatoff (1985).
— Cecil Adams
Have you ever considered the puzzle of doubling ancestors? Everybody has two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, and so on back through time, with the number of ancestors doubling in each generation. Go back 30 generations and the number of ancestors tops one billion. Eventually we arrive at a time when we have more ancestors than there could have been people in the world. How can this be? Common sense, not to mention the book of Genesis, suggests the human race started off with a handful of individuals whose numbers steadily increased. What are the implications of these two surging numerical tides, ancestors and descendants, butting head to head? Enclosed is a $10 check for the trouble of a personal reply.
— George M., Monrovia, California
Dear George:
You ask a question as cosmic as this one and you think a lousy sawbuck is going to cover it? Keep your money until you can fork over some real cash. The ancestor puzzle has its explanation in what one genealogist has called "pedigree collapse." This occurs when relatives, usually cousins, marry, in effect narrowing the family tree. (Fortunately for the gene pool, most of the cousins are only distantly related.) When this happens you find that many of the "slots" in a given generation of your family tree are filled by duplicates.
Consider an extreme case. Mr. and Mrs. Nosepicker have two children, a girl and a boy. These two develop an unnatural yen for one another and marry. Six months later the girl gives birth to an eight-pound horseradish with a lisp. In theory, the horseradish has four grandparents. In reality, its maternal and paternal grandparents are identical. Two of the four grandparent slots are thus filled by duplicates--pedigree collapse with a vengeance. Only slightly less extreme is the case of Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941). Because of inbreeding in the royal family, he had only ten great-great-grandparents instead of the expected 16.
If you go back far enough, however, pedigree collapse happens to everybody. Think of your personal family tree as a diamond-shaped array imposed on the ever-spreading fan of human generations. (I told you this was cosmic.) As you trace your pedigree back, the number of ancestors in each generation increases steadily up to a point, then slows, stops, and finally collapses. Go back far enough and no doubt you would find that you and all your ancestors were descended from the first human tribe in some remote Mesopotamian village. Or, if you like, from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
These simple facts have given rise to some remarkable displays of statistical pyrotechnics. Demographer Kenneth Wachtel estimates that the typical English child born in 1947 would have had around 60,000 theoretical ancestors at the time of the discovery of America. Of this number, 95 percent would have been different individuals and 5 percent duplicates. (Sounds like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but you know what I mean.) Twenty generations back the kid would have 600,000 ancestors, one-third of which would be duplicates. At the time of the Black Death, he'd have had 3.5 million--30 percent real, 70 percent duplicates. The maximum number of "real" ancestors occurs around 1200 AD--2 million, some 80 percent of the population of England.
Pedigree collapse explains why it's so easy for professional genealogists to trace your lineage back to royalty--go far enough back and you're related to everybody. For that matter, you're probably related to everybody alive today. Some geneticists believe that everybody on earth is at least 50th cousin to everybody else. For a fuller discussion of the above, see The Mountain of Names, by Alex Shoumatoff (1985).
— Cecil Adams
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Mind-Control Microbe
Five years ago, Oxford University zoologists showed that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii alters the brain chemistry of rats so that they are more likely to seek out cats. Infection thus makes a rat more likely to be killed and the parasite more likely to end up in a cat—the only host in which it can complete the reproductive step of its life cycle. The parasite also lives in the brain cells of thousands of species, including about 60 million supposedly symptom-free Americans. Studies over the past few years have suggested that toxoplasmosis infections in humans, too, may cause behavioral changes—from subtle shifts to outright schizophrenia. Two studies this year add even weirder twists.
Toxoplasma gondii, revealed here in
a colorized electron micrograph, may
exert a spooky influence on the
people it infects.
U.S. Geological Survey biologist Kevin Lafferty has linked high rates of toxoplasmosis infection in 39 countries with elevated incidences of neuroticism, suggesting the mind-altering organism may be affecting the cultures of nations.
Toxoplasma gondii, revealed here in
a colorized electron micrograph, may
exert a spooky influence on the
people it infects.
U.S. Geological Survey biologist Kevin Lafferty has linked high rates of toxoplasmosis infection in 39 countries with elevated incidences of neuroticism, suggesting the mind-altering organism may be affecting the cultures of nations.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
And They Crucified Him
I think we, every one of us, ought to be humiliated or humbled every time we pick up the book of Acts and read the glory that attended the life of that first church. By contrast the most successful kind of Christianity that we know, the most charismatic, the most to be lauded and applauded is utterly anemic and does not bear comparison.
How is it that these rude men, fishermen and louts who had no advantage of the kind that we have enjoyed, were able to turn cities upside down and shake the earth? Why is it we have not had a corresponding affect in our own generation? The answer, in my opinion is, that in missing the cross we have missed the power of the resurrection, we have sidestepped the cross as a subject let alone as experience because we have no tolerance or sympathy for suffering. The denial of self in any form is suffering. And we have not been encouraged to that.
We have overindulged and spoiled our youth, compromised truth in our marriages, suffered causalities and losses among our ministers, and given ground to the spirit of independence and rebellion in the churches. All because we cannot stand pain. We parents who indulge our kids rather than chasten them, are we being loving or self-indulgent? We pastors who condescend to placate men, rather than speak the truth to them in love, why are we so sparing? We saints who see the defects and things that need to be corrected in each other, why are we silent? Where are the Pauls in our generation who will confront the Peters, who have compromised the Gospel by being one thing with one group and another thing with another? Paul said he would not entertain that situation to go on beyond the moment for the purity of the Gospel’s sake.
I call that love. But you know that kind of love as an act is painful and it’s humiliating. It’s easy to be misunderstood. For which reason we prefer to keep quiet. For which reason the world is running amuck with us and for which reason we move into increasing carnality, not being corrected by one another.
The avoidance of pain is a costly avoidance. And the symbol of the cross at the heart of the faith is an invitation to share in His sufferings. In a word our Christianity is degenerating into a middle class culture. A sanctifying cover-up for the status quo. A vacuous praise club, an equating of gain as Godliness, a comfortable religiosity that leaves our real interests unchallenged and undisturbed in the avoidance of the cross of Christ Jesus. Somehow am I naïve to think we ought to look different, speak differently, act differently – that there ought to be such a savor and fragrance about us of Christ that it is a savor of death unto death to self and life unto life to others. The fact the world can so easily tolerate us, the fact of the almost complete absence of reproach, let alone of persecution, is itself a shameful testimony that we are so like the world that we cannot be distinguished from it.
We have lost even the difference, the sense of the difference, between that which is sacred and that which is profane. I believe that God could lay at the door of the church the full responsibility for the present condition of the world. And the things over which we cluck our tongues and point our fingers and look distain down our noses about are the things which can be attributed to us for we have not established in the earth a standard and an alternative to which a dying world might have turned. They simply did not know that there is such a thing as that which is holy and that which is sacred. For we ourselves are wallowing in the things that are earthly, common, unclean, and profane. The only alternative to that which is earthly, carnal, sensual and devilish is that which is heavenly. And there is no way to attain to that which is heavenly independent of the cross of Christ Jesus.
If the prophet Isaiah seeing the Lord high and lifted up cried out “Woe is me, I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” What then shall we say who are not prophets and oracles of God. We need to have our vision and our sight corrected. We need to address our lives to the plumb line of God. The standard of God to the cross of Christ Jesus. Not academically, religiously, or superficially – but in the actual experience of our lives as those who have come wiling to abandon everything.
Paul said “I am determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.” We desperately and urgently need to know Him – exactly as He is.
http://braveheartedgospel.com/Transcripts/Entries/2009/9/3_And_They_Crucified_Him_-_Art_Katz_(transcript).html
Find Out If Your Computer Is Secretly Connecting to the Web
If you are trying to track down why your computer is running so slooowwwly, try using this simple DOS command from Digital Inspiration to uncover a possible problem:
* Type cmd in your Windows Run box.
* Type "netstat -b 5 > activity.txt" and press enter.
* After say 2 minutes, press Ctrl+C.
* Type "activity.txt" on the command line to open the log file in notepad (or your default text editor)
This .txt file will have a record of everything that has made an Internet connection in the last couple of minutes; you can then check your task manager to find out where it is and take care of it.
* Type cmd in your Windows Run box.
* Type "netstat -b 5 > activity.txt" and press enter.
* After say 2 minutes, press Ctrl+C.
* Type "activity.txt" on the command line to open the log file in notepad (or your default text editor)
This .txt file will have a record of everything that has made an Internet connection in the last couple of minutes; you can then check your task manager to find out where it is and take care of it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Contemplating on Exodus 20:05
Exo 20:5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Someone once said: “Jealousy is God’s love protecting itself” and that is a very good definition. Jealousy in today’s language is entangled with envy, which is desiring that which is not yours, while Jealousy in perfect sense is protecting what rightfully belongs to you. Of course human jealousy is rooted in insecurity and fear, while God’s jealousy is rooted in His righteousness and justice.
Idolatry is taking something that belongs to God and turning it against God. It is a way of showing hatred toward God whether you are conscious of it or not.
“visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me” A lot of people will say, “how just is that to punish the children for the sins of their fathers” because they have no knowledge of the principle: Fathers who hate God, will have children who hate God. Children are often impacted by their parents, sometimes on a subconscious level.
The sins of the fathers have a way of increasing themselves in the lives of their offspring, unless God’s mercy intervenes. In the same way the righteous life is passed unto many generations and affects the life of countless generations.
The best thing to leave to your children after you are gone, are NOT bank accounts, stocks or real-estate, but Godliness and the fear of God.
Someone once said: “Jealousy is God’s love protecting itself” and that is a very good definition. Jealousy in today’s language is entangled with envy, which is desiring that which is not yours, while Jealousy in perfect sense is protecting what rightfully belongs to you. Of course human jealousy is rooted in insecurity and fear, while God’s jealousy is rooted in His righteousness and justice.
Idolatry is taking something that belongs to God and turning it against God. It is a way of showing hatred toward God whether you are conscious of it or not.
“visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me” A lot of people will say, “how just is that to punish the children for the sins of their fathers” because they have no knowledge of the principle: Fathers who hate God, will have children who hate God. Children are often impacted by their parents, sometimes on a subconscious level.
The sins of the fathers have a way of increasing themselves in the lives of their offspring, unless God’s mercy intervenes. In the same way the righteous life is passed unto many generations and affects the life of countless generations.
The best thing to leave to your children after you are gone, are NOT bank accounts, stocks or real-estate, but Godliness and the fear of God.
My Registery Tweaks
My Registery Tweaks
#1
Apr 9th, 2005
Here are some usefull registery tweaks i use for Windows XP.
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Speed up shutdown
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="3000"
;Speed up shutdown [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control] "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="3000"
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Do not use Simple File Sharing
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"forceguest"=dword:00000000
;Do not use Simple File Sharing [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa] "forceguest"=dword:00000000
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Disable Messenger Service (to stop spam. Does not affect MSN or Windows Messenger)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger]
"Start"=dword:00000004
;Disable Messenger Service (to stop spam. Does not affect MSN or Windows Messenger) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger] "Start"=dword:00000004
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Change MenuShowDelay (Start Menu load speed)
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"MenuShowDelay"="2"
;Change MenuShowDelay (Start Menu load speed) [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] "MenuShowDelay"="2"
Make sure you backup your registery before you make any changes!
Installing these tweaks... create a new file and call it whatever you want. Give the the extension ".reg". After you save and add the registery code click on it and it will run and add it to the registery.
#1
Apr 9th, 2005
Here are some usefull registery tweaks i use for Windows XP.
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Speed up shutdown
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="3000"
;Speed up shutdown [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control] "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="3000"
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Do not use Simple File Sharing
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"forceguest"=dword:00000000
;Do not use Simple File Sharing [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa] "forceguest"=dword:00000000
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Disable Messenger Service (to stop spam. Does not affect MSN or Windows Messenger)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger]
"Start"=dword:00000004
;Disable Messenger Service (to stop spam. Does not affect MSN or Windows Messenger) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger] "Start"=dword:00000004
Help with Code Tags
(Toggle Plain Text)
;Change MenuShowDelay (Start Menu load speed)
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"MenuShowDelay"="2"
;Change MenuShowDelay (Start Menu load speed) [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] "MenuShowDelay"="2"
Make sure you backup your registery before you make any changes!
Installing these tweaks... create a new file and call it whatever you want. Give the the extension ".reg". After you save and add the registery code click on it and it will run and add it to the registery.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
How to find drivers for Unknown Devices
Usually, when you buy any hardware the drivers come along with it on a disc. If you lose the driver disc you can always download the necessary drivers from the manufacturer's website. But what do you do when you are not sure of the manufacturer of the hardware?
Every device has a Vendor and Device id associated with it. If you can find this ID, you can find the manufacturer. In Windows it's easy to find the vendor and device id.
1. Open Device Manager (Control Panel>System>Hardware>Device Manager)
2. The hardware whose drivers are missing will appear as Unknown device, so it's easier to locate the device.
3. Right click on the unknown device and click on Properties.
4. Under the Properties window click on Details tab and select Device Instance Id from the drop down box.
5. You should see a code similar to this
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27DC&SUBSYS_30868086
&REV_01\4&1E46F438&0&40F0
6. The portion of the code highlighted in Bold is the Vendor ID and the portion highlighted in Italic is the Device ID. In this example:
Vendor ID = 8086
Device ID = 27DC
7. Once you have obtained both the IDs, proceed to PCI Database. There you can either search for the vendor from the vendor ID or directly get information about the device along with the vendor name by searching with the device ID.
Great isn't it? Now you will never have to go hunting for correct drivers.
Every device has a Vendor and Device id associated with it. If you can find this ID, you can find the manufacturer. In Windows it's easy to find the vendor and device id.
1. Open Device Manager (Control Panel>System>Hardware>Device Manager)
2. The hardware whose drivers are missing will appear as Unknown device, so it's easier to locate the device.
3. Right click on the unknown device and click on Properties.
4. Under the Properties window click on Details tab and select Device Instance Id from the drop down box.
5. You should see a code similar to this
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27DC&SUBSYS_30868086
&REV_01\4&1E46F438&0&40F0
6. The portion of the code highlighted in Bold is the Vendor ID and the portion highlighted in Italic is the Device ID. In this example:
Vendor ID = 8086
Device ID = 27DC
7. Once you have obtained both the IDs, proceed to PCI Database. There you can either search for the vendor from the vendor ID or directly get information about the device along with the vendor name by searching with the device ID.
Great isn't it? Now you will never have to go hunting for correct drivers.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Rat Eating Plant
Rat-eating plant discovered in Philippines
A carnivorous pitcher plant that eats rats and insects has been discovered in the Philippines and named after Sir David Attenborough.
By Chris Irvine
Published: 11:52AM BST 17 Aug 2009
Rat-eating plant: The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines. Photo: STEWART MCPHERSON
The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes.
The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines.
They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain.
Mr McPherson, of Poole Dorset, said: "The plant produces spectacular traps which catch not only insects, but also rodents. It is remarkable that it remained undiscovered until the 21st century."
The team, which found the plant in 2007 following a two-month expedition, published details of their discovery in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society earlier this year following a three-year study of all 120 species of pitcher plant.
They decided to name the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, after the wildlife broadcaster Sir David.
"My team and I named it in honour of Sir David whose work has inspired generations toward a better understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world," added Mr McPherson.
Sir David, 83, said: "I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, 'Thank you very much'.
"I'm absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species the largest of its kind. I'm told it can catch rats then eat them with its digestive enzymes. It's certainly capable of that." Telegraph UK
A carnivorous pitcher plant that eats rats and insects has been discovered in the Philippines and named after Sir David Attenborough.
By Chris Irvine
Published: 11:52AM BST 17 Aug 2009
Rat-eating plant: The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines. Photo: STEWART MCPHERSON
The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes.
The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines.
They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain.
Mr McPherson, of Poole Dorset, said: "The plant produces spectacular traps which catch not only insects, but also rodents. It is remarkable that it remained undiscovered until the 21st century."
The team, which found the plant in 2007 following a two-month expedition, published details of their discovery in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society earlier this year following a three-year study of all 120 species of pitcher plant.
They decided to name the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, after the wildlife broadcaster Sir David.
"My team and I named it in honour of Sir David whose work has inspired generations toward a better understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world," added Mr McPherson.
Sir David, 83, said: "I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, 'Thank you very much'.
"I'm absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species the largest of its kind. I'm told it can catch rats then eat them with its digestive enzymes. It's certainly capable of that." Telegraph UK
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Power Corrupts
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" said British historian Lord Acton (1834-1902).
Mega stars TV evangelists with admirers and worshipers have set themselves on a slippery road.
Former wife Patti of Richard Roberts TV healer and evangelist of Oral Roberts University wrote in her book Ashes to Gold:
"No man or woman can stand the weight of worship. It is intoxicating and highly addictive, it perverts ones way of thinking and bends ones personality. The load is too much, you loose sight of who you are in God"
I heard this quote, today on a podcast, this makes a lot of sense in sight of what is happening with the church these days.
If you want to know more about the fate of this woman read here
Mega stars TV evangelists with admirers and worshipers have set themselves on a slippery road.
Former wife Patti of Richard Roberts TV healer and evangelist of Oral Roberts University wrote in her book Ashes to Gold:
"No man or woman can stand the weight of worship. It is intoxicating and highly addictive, it perverts ones way of thinking and bends ones personality. The load is too much, you loose sight of who you are in God"
I heard this quote, today on a podcast, this makes a lot of sense in sight of what is happening with the church these days.
If you want to know more about the fate of this woman read here
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Repressed Anger is Dangerous it does not go away.
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and do not give the devil an opportunity (Eph 4:26-27)
Deal with your anger immediately and there on the spot, do not leave it for later, because unresolved anger goes down into you and starts festering and growing into resentment until it gives birth to hatred, and then the devil shows up with the words of sympathy... "You don't deserve this" or "you are the victim in this marriage"
When devil appears sympathetic, brother run!!!
If you do not take your problems in prayer to God, you will take it on people.
Here are the ABC of dealing with anger:
A = Admit that you are angry
B = Brainstorm it in the light of the Word of God
C = Control your anger in Godly fashion.
When you are angry, slow down and take time to make decisions and speak.
Force yourself to pray for the person you are angry with.
and do not give the devil an opportunity (Eph 4:26-27)
Deal with your anger immediately and there on the spot, do not leave it for later, because unresolved anger goes down into you and starts festering and growing into resentment until it gives birth to hatred, and then the devil shows up with the words of sympathy... "You don't deserve this" or "you are the victim in this marriage"
When devil appears sympathetic, brother run!!!
If you do not take your problems in prayer to God, you will take it on people.
Here are the ABC of dealing with anger:
A = Admit that you are angry
B = Brainstorm it in the light of the Word of God
C = Control your anger in Godly fashion.
When you are angry, slow down and take time to make decisions and speak.
Force yourself to pray for the person you are angry with.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Obama Hitler Youth style Brainwashing
This is disgusting and sick. When people reject God they are bound to worship a human dictator. People did not learn anything from world war 2, the history repeats itself.
This video below shows the parallels of Barack Obama’s campaign and Communist/Socialism campaigns.
A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise.
This video below shows the parallels of Barack Obama’s campaign and Communist/Socialism campaigns.
A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise.
Military is Hiring Concentration Camp Guards?
According to this video, the USA government is building detention facilities (concentration camps) to detain those who are anti global government, anti-abortion, believe in the Bible prophesies, about end times and own guns. This is your persecution against Christians mentioned in the Bible. I hope that Jesus comes before all this and takes us home.
If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed[a] with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. (Revelation 13:10)
If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed[a] with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. (Revelation 13:10)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The beginning of the end of America
Jewish Rabi is explaining how the destruction of kingdom of Israel correlates to the destruction of America, we are in it and this is happening now.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Is your church a cult? Read bellow to find out.
The following checklist of cultic tendencies by Charles Lesser was published in the October, 1991 Spiritual Counterfeits Project Newsletter. They are typical of a number of aberrational cultic groups and churches on the scene today.
1. Is your pastor fully accountable to a board of elders, presbyters, etc?
2. Is loyalty to Jesus and to one's own calling placed before loyalty to pastor and church?
3. Does your pastor encourage questions and suggestions? Is he approachable?
4. Does your pastor give equal attention to all kinds of people in his congregation?
5. Does your pastor readily admit his errors?
6. Does your pastor avoid boasting or hinting at a "special anointing"?
7. Is your pastor truly humble?
8. Are the sermons based on clear Biblical truths, not on "original revelations" or ax-grinding?
9. Does your church interact with other churches?
10. Does your church staff avoid secrecy?
11. Is power shared in your church (rather than preempted by a hierarchy)?
12. Does your church see itself as just one organ of the Body of Christ, and not the main one?
13. Is your church truly friendly?
14. Does your church emphasize ministry to people rather than church programs?
15. Are especially needy people cared for lovingly in your church?
16. Are church members encouraged and loved even when they leave?
17. Are relationships with former members encouraged or allowed?
18. Do the pastor and congregation avoid attacking and using as object lessons, former members or those who disagree?
19. Are families encouraged to stay together and spend time together?
20. Does your family worship Sunday service include children, at least for part of the service?
21. Are you encouraged in your own calling?
22. Are pleas for money rare and unemotional?
23. Are your children happy to attend church?
24. Are you happy to bring unsaved friends to your church?
25. Is there a diversity of classes, races, dress styles, ages, and occupations in your church?
26. Are people encouraged to hear from God for themselves?
27. Is there a single behavior standard for all people in the church?
28. Are all types of people considered welcome at your church?
29. Is the joy of the Lord present in your church?
30. Are you free from fear in your church?
31. Do you think more about God and Jesus than you do about your pastor and church?
32. Does your pastor include himself in any calls for repentance and forgiveness?
33. Are you clear that the pastors and elders never exaggerate or lie to make themselves look good?
34. Is your group encouraging of each other and free from gossip and rumoring?
35. Is there a humility of doctrine that points to the grace of God and His mercy for sinners?
36. Are you encouraged to serve in ministries or missions outside the local body?
37. Is there ever any pressure put upon members to give or lend money to leaders for their personal or business use (exclusive of church business or projects)?
1. Is your pastor fully accountable to a board of elders, presbyters, etc?
2. Is loyalty to Jesus and to one's own calling placed before loyalty to pastor and church?
3. Does your pastor encourage questions and suggestions? Is he approachable?
4. Does your pastor give equal attention to all kinds of people in his congregation?
5. Does your pastor readily admit his errors?
6. Does your pastor avoid boasting or hinting at a "special anointing"?
7. Is your pastor truly humble?
8. Are the sermons based on clear Biblical truths, not on "original revelations" or ax-grinding?
9. Does your church interact with other churches?
10. Does your church staff avoid secrecy?
11. Is power shared in your church (rather than preempted by a hierarchy)?
12. Does your church see itself as just one organ of the Body of Christ, and not the main one?
13. Is your church truly friendly?
14. Does your church emphasize ministry to people rather than church programs?
15. Are especially needy people cared for lovingly in your church?
16. Are church members encouraged and loved even when they leave?
17. Are relationships with former members encouraged or allowed?
18. Do the pastor and congregation avoid attacking and using as object lessons, former members or those who disagree?
19. Are families encouraged to stay together and spend time together?
20. Does your family worship Sunday service include children, at least for part of the service?
21. Are you encouraged in your own calling?
22. Are pleas for money rare and unemotional?
23. Are your children happy to attend church?
24. Are you happy to bring unsaved friends to your church?
25. Is there a diversity of classes, races, dress styles, ages, and occupations in your church?
26. Are people encouraged to hear from God for themselves?
27. Is there a single behavior standard for all people in the church?
28. Are all types of people considered welcome at your church?
29. Is the joy of the Lord present in your church?
30. Are you free from fear in your church?
31. Do you think more about God and Jesus than you do about your pastor and church?
32. Does your pastor include himself in any calls for repentance and forgiveness?
33. Are you clear that the pastors and elders never exaggerate or lie to make themselves look good?
34. Is your group encouraging of each other and free from gossip and rumoring?
35. Is there a humility of doctrine that points to the grace of God and His mercy for sinners?
36. Are you encouraged to serve in ministries or missions outside the local body?
37. Is there ever any pressure put upon members to give or lend money to leaders for their personal or business use (exclusive of church business or projects)?
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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